Yours Always, Dean

“I… I was worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Do you usually track down the daughters of the criminals you put away?”

I shook my head. “No. You’re the first.”

I drove us to a small cafe and we ordered sandwiches and coffee to go, then I went to park in a field.

I opened the hatch and sat, slapping the space beside me.

“You still haven’t told me why.”

“Honestly? I don’t know why. I saw you by the van at your parents’ and… Jesus, Angel, even if we hadn’t gone to the shed, I’d have ended up here anyway.

She blushed and her freckles disappeared.

“You’re stuck in my head, Hanna, and I can’t get you out of it.”

Hanna

I’ve always been different. Just the short girl with too many curves and messed up eyes. I’m used to the stares and the whispers. Then, I meet Dean and he stares too, but the look in his eyes sets me on fire. Unfortunately, he’s not the only man’s attention I’ve caught and I disappear from Dean’s life without an explanation. When I reappear a year later, I know there’s no way he’ll ever want me again, but I hope he can forgive me just enough to help me.

Dean

What do you do when the love of your life disappears without an explanation? You forget about her (yeah, right). When Hanna phones me asking for help a year later, I go to her for a couple of reasons. One, I want to find out what happened. Two, I’ve never been able to tell the woman no and it seems that’s still a thing. When I find out why she disappeared, I make her a promise: I will help her, people will die, and she’ll remember that above all else, I will always love her.

**Readers please be aware that this story has elements of human trafficking and sexual assault though they are not described in detail.