“We need to get her out now.”
They walked into the building and up the stairs to the apartment.
Cullen knocked on the door. He relaxed when he heard the girls whisper.
“Hannah, You’re already in trouble. Open the door.”
A lock disengaged, and she opened the door a few inches.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
Cullen started pushing the door open until he and Rhys could get through the opening.
“What are you doing here?” Hannah asked with her hands on her hips.
Cullen’s eyebrows rose. “I came to get my little girl.”
Hannah sighed and turned to the other girl in the room. “Kiera, this is my brother, Rhys, and my … Cullen.”
“Your what, baby?” Cullen asked.
Hannah shrugged. “My friend, I guess.”
Kiera stood off to the side and played with the hem of her shirt. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
“You, too, honey,” Cullen said. He noticed that Rhys hadn’t taken his eyes off of Kiera, and she was peeking at him out the side of her eyes.
“She’s coming home with me,” Hannah said.
He didn’t think Rhys would have let the girl stay in this awful place. Kiera belonged there about as much as Hannah did.
“Good,” Rhys said, and he looked around the room. “What all is going with us?”
Kiera looked around. “Nothing except my clothes and some things in the kitchen.”
“Then let’s get it packed,” Cullen said. “Why don’t you and Rhys go into the bedroom and pack, and Hannah and I will be in the kitchen.”
Rhys waited for Kiera to walk past him before following her into the bedroom. Cullen could hear them talking as he turned toward the kitchen.
He looked through the cupboard under the sink and found several plastic bags. “Here, baby, let’s put her things in this.”
Hannah handed him the things she pulled from the cupboard. It took only a few minutes, and they set everything by the door. They decided to leave the food for someone in the building.
He faced Hannah and set his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t you ever run from me again.”
“But—”
“Shut it. There are no buts, little bird. We’ll talk more on the way home.”
The other two came out of the bedroom with a few bags and a suitcase.
“We’ve got everything she needs,” Rhys said. “I thought I’d drive her car with her and be behind you.”
“How about in front if you need to stop? The car looks like it’s on its last legs,” Cullen said.
Rhys nodded. “That works. I think we should stop in the next hour or so to feed the girls.”
Cullen wrapped an arm around Hannah’s waist. “Good idea.”