I narrow my eyes at him, not buying it for a second. There’s something off about Hank, something that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.“You’re lying,” I accuse, leaning in closer to him.“You’re secretly in love with her, aren’t you?”
“Wha— No! That’s not true!” he yells, pure panic in his voice.
But as I look into his eyes, searching for any hint of deception, I find myself doubting my own convictions. What if I’m wrong? What if Hank is telling the truth, and all I’ve done is hurt an innocent man? The weight of that possibility threatens to crush me, but I can’t let it. Not yet. There’s still too much at stake.
“Prove it,” I demand.
Hank’s eyes widen, and he swallows hard, struggling to find the words. My heart drops as I silently pray I haven’t made a terrible mistake.
Hank’s face turns a deep shade of red as he blurts out,“I’m gay. I don’t even like women. I mean, I do like them, but as friends, not in a romantic way. I have a boyfriend.”
“Really? And who might that be?” I ask skeptically, my arms crossed over my chest.
“His name’s Roger. Call him. He’ll tell you that I spent last night at his place. I was there until this morning. I’d only been home a few hours when you showed up.”
I glance over at Jessica. She wants me to believe Hank, I see it in her eyes.
“Give me his phone.” I hold out my hand. Reaper grabs it from the table where we put Hank’s belongings before we tied him up. After Reaper hands it to me, I use Hank’s thumb to unlock it. I pull up the contacts list and search for Roger. Tapping the number, I wait, putting it on speaker so everyone can hear.
“Hello?” the voice on the other end answers.
“Roger?” I ask, keeping my tone firm.
“Yeah, who’s this? Why are you calling me from Hank’s phone?”
“I’ve got your boyfriend, Hank, here with me. He says he was with you all night last night. Can you confirm that?”
There’s a brief pause before Roger speaks up.“Yeah, he was here. Why? What’s going on? Who are you?”
“No one. It’s nothing you need to worry about,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady.“Just making sure.” I hang up before he can ask any more questions.
“See. He’s innocent,” Jessica says, exasperated.
Turning back to Hank, I nod.“I believe you now. But I’m concerned you’ll go to the police about this little … incident.”
“No, I won’t. I promise.” Hank swallows hard, sweat dotting his brow.
I study his face, searching for any sign he might be lying but finding none. All I see is fear and desperation. In that moment, I realize how far I’ve gone in my quest to protect Jessica. I’ve hurt an innocent man and terrified him into submission. It had to be done, but I hate that I was wrong about him.
“What if he goes to the cops?” Reaper asks.
“That’s a problem,” Scar says.
“He’s not going to do that,” Nitro says, while Matrix nods in agreement.
The room feels colder than it should as Hank fidgets in his seat, the ropes digging into his wrists. His eyes dart between Jessica and me.
“I won’t go to the police, I swear. I know all about your club, and I don’t want any trouble. All I wanted to do was check on her. That’s the last time I’ll call her. I swear.”
“Is that so?” I can’t risk anyone exposing us, but the fear in his eyes is genuine. I believe him. He’s too scared to talk.
“Yes. As long as she’s safe, I’ll leave her alone. You are okay, right?” Hank’s concern for her is evident, even in his current state.
She looks at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sorrow.“Yes, Hank, I’m okay. They’re trying to protect me, but I don’t approve of their methods.” Her gaze shifts back to me, and I can feel the weight of her disappointment.“I’m so sorry this happened to you, Hank. I promise I’ll make sure it never happens again.”
“It’s not your fault,” Hank reassures her, his shoulders sagging with relief.“They did this, not you.”
“Untie him,” Jessica says firmly, her eyes locked on mine.“Now!”
