##Chapter 11: Protection Plan

Something tapped Elaine on the shoulder. Hannah's smile was gentle as she eased the phone down, speaking quietly .

"I recognize that look on your face. It's the look that says you're about to do something crazy and probably not helpful to the situation. Why don't you hand the phone over to Frank so he can keep her talking? You can even put it on speaker, so she knows you're nearby."

To be honest, she'd almost forgotten that Hannah and Frank were in the room. She'd tunnel visioned the second Grace started her story. She was grateful they were there. Grateful for everything they'd been doing all night. She was just….

She was feeling all kinds of frazzled, and that wasn't helpful to anyone. Talking things out and making a plan was absolutely needed. She couldn't do anything if she was trying to do fifteen different things at one time.

She inhaled and let the air out slowly. There was no need to stress and worry over things.

"Grace, I'm going to need to get off the phone for a while. I'll still be in the room though. I'm going to hand you over to my friend Frank. He's someone you can trust, okay? He's an attorney, the same as Abigail, so you can feel free to tell him everything."

That didn't make any sense did it? What if Grace thought she was abandoning her? What if she'd wanted to talk to Hannah instead? What if--

The phone was plucked from her by slightly sweaty fingers. Frank leaned against the wall, flipping his tie around. It was a nervous habit of his, something the other lawyers always teased him about.

"Hi there. My name is Frank, but you can call me Frankie if you like. Do you remember me? I talked to your mom on the phone and told her where to find the shelter. Like Elaine said, I'm going to stay on the phone while she gets help, okay?"

He looked at her and shooed her with the thicker end of his tie.

"What are you freaking out about most right now?"

A hand gently pushed her forward by the back until she was standing in front of a pile of folding chairs. It was the first time she was truly seeing the place they'd been let into.

It was an empty ballroom, wide enough to accommodate twenty people. The tiles were mirrored while the ceiling lay covered in Christmas lights. Tables and chairs were stacked everywhere. They were touching the ceiling. Many had broken legs or over scuffed tops. They'd been painted over, sanded, and carved into.

Her face was grabbed, and she was head-butted fairly harshly. She flinched and swatted at the woman.

"What the h**l, Han!? You couldn't have just asked if I was okay? What is it with redheads and inflicting violence onto everything, anyhow?"

Hannah squinted at her then did it again, this time making sure to bonk her directly on the nose.

"Violence tends to solve most problems, we've come to find. You were doing the thing again. Staring at everything in sight and cataloging it away. You didn't even hear me saying your name! Come on now, talk to me. Tell me what's bothering you about this situation so we can fix it."

"Everything! I mean, for one, we don't even know if Abigail knows where the safe house even is. We don't even know if she can get that information at all. What if those men come back for Grace? Are we supposed to just sit and listen to her be massacred over the phone?"

The shawl was draped across Elaine's shoulders. Hannah arranged it as she ran her tongue over her teeth, counting to ten under her breath. The other woman encouraged her to follow the breathing pattern and movements, waiting until she had repeated the ritual three times.

"One, Abigail is the DA's second in command, isn't she? It's very likely she would have the authority to overturn the gag order on account of the circumstances. Two, if those men do come back, we can instruct Grace on how to keep from being spotted and make sure she's alright."

Elaine's heels tapped the tile as she tried to organize everything she'd been told. She would have to make this as clear as possible to Abigail, so she understood what was being asked of her. The problem then became one of getting the message out without alerting the public and the assailants.

Hopefully, Abigail would have a plan for that. She better have a plan for that. If she didn't have a plan….

Elaine would happily demand to speak with Abigail's superiors. She would constantly call the lawyer until her wishes were fulfilled.

She had a small moment of joy imagining barging into the woman's office and dragging her to the nearest person in charge. She would hold Abigail in place while the story was told. Yes, it would be the most fitting punishment for her.

"Do you have your phone on you? I can't use mine, and Frank's never gets a signal anywhere but ten feet outside the towers. I'm just going to have to hope Abigail knows what she's doing. It's not like the police can be corralled into doing what we want because we ask nice."

Hannah smoothed her hair from her face, digging around her shirt for her phone. She pulled it out and unlocked it, tapping on the call icon.

"They'll more than likely send more of the protective custody fellows on this mission. The news would also be contacted to keep them quiet until Grace had been safely retrieved. They would much prefer to run a happy story of rescue after they've sucked the tragedy dry."

Frank let out a series of coughs. He was wiggling the phone rapidly, looking like he would either tear his hair out or reach through the screen to grab Grace if only he could. He mouthed.

'She refuses to listen to me. She's trying to crawl out from her hiding spot! She won't tell me why!'

There was shuffling coming from the phone. The girl's voice rose to an octave that made all three wince and look around to see if anyone would come barging in.

"That's not true! He just isn't listening! I… I think I can hear something. I think it might be Mom, I have to help her! I'll be really quick, I promise!"

No! They had to keep Grace from… seeing the aftermath of everything that had happened. What she'd seen was already enough to cause her life lasting trauma. Not to mention, if the assailants found a way around the security measures, they would have professional tactics and equipment. They would have someone watching for survivors.

Grace would be dead the second she put her head out the door.

Hannah and herself shared a look before taking the phone from Frank. The man promptly collapsed against a chair stack, swearing under his breath at the situation and the men who put them all there.

Elaine tried her luck first. She doubted the mother would be alive after everything Grace had described. Or, if she did live, Gina wouldn't be in any state to offer comfort to a panicked twelve-year-old.

"Sweetie, you can't move, okay? I know how hard this is for you. I know all you want to do is help, but if your mom is alive, she's going to need professionals to help. If you move her body around while she's so injured like that you could end up hurting her."

The shuffling stopped, but Grace seemed determined. Elaine could hear her gritting her teeth. Could see the stubborn stance her body must have been taking. It warmed her heart that she cared so much and was so eager to help as much as it made her afraid for her recklessness.

"I have first aid training. I know not to move a hurt person until help arrives. I also know, though, that you need to put compression onto gaping wounds like bullet holes to keep the blood loss down as much as possible. There's tons of clothes out there I can make bandages from."

Hannah smiled and threw her own wisdom into the pot. "You're a good girl, Grace, wanting to help your mom out. I know you know, though, we're only trying to help you here. This isn't a fun situation for anyone, so please know we don't like telling you to stay put. We want to help too, but the best thing is to stay where you are."

A moment of silence passed. "But… what if… what if by not helping her she… I have too Elaine…."

Elaine turned the phone to face her. "Listen to me, Grace. Those men? They knew what they were doing. They wouldn't leave the area until they were forced to or had proof that the job was a success. If you leave that hiding space, you'll not only get yourself, but anyone who's still living, killed as well."

Frank looked at her like she'd lost her mind as Grace burst into tears again. He ran to comfort her, whispering how sorry he was that this was happening to her. Elaine felt terrible, but there was no sense hiding the truth from her in this dire a situation.

Could she have delivered it a tad kindlier? Yes, she could but… Grace had the same kind of stubbornness she did, and she knew better than anyone that that stubbornness wouldn't stop until it was faced head on with reality and a cold hard dose of love.

Elaine pulled her phone from Frank's face, tapping out of the call to pull up her contacts. She repeated Abigail's number several times and dashed with Hannah's phone to the opposite side of the room.

The dial tone began to ring.