**New** Unwanted Love

[Lil Wolf]

“You’ve got another package.” Karla told her daughter Lacy Lynn. “Another one? Why does he keep sending me stuff? I never even met him.” Lacy remarked. Already, Lacy had received over twenty packages in the last four years from a man she’d never met. She couldn’t understand why he’d want to send her anything. “He’s your father, Lacy. And I already told you why he can’t come here.” Karla reminded her daughter. Lacy tossed the package on the table and went to her room. She wasn’t interested in finding out what was inside. She came back a moment later carrying a book. Karla watched her daughter sit on the couch and open it.

“You should be happy that he sends you things.” Karla remarked. Lacy rolled her eyes and sighed. “Honestly Mom, why do you care about him? You never see him.” She said. “He’s your father and I still love him.” Karla told her. “How can you love a man you never see?” Lacy asked. Karla knew her daughter would never understand. She had tried to explain it many times, but Lacy just didn’t get it. She’d been faithful to him all these years, even though he wasn’t around and he’d been faithful to her, calling her as often as he could and sending her money and other things. “Don’t you want to see what it is?” Karla asked. “Not really.” Lacy replied.

By dinnertime, Lacy had opened the package, which had revealed a new book and a cassette tape. “Put it on.” Karla said. Groaning, Lacy placed the tape in the cassette player and pushed play. The familiar voice had her rolling her eyes again. Karla was listening closely though. She loved the sound of his voice and enjoyed listening to him talk about his latest whereabouts. “He sounds old.” Lacy commented. “He is not old.” Karla argued. Lacy shrugged. She barely listened to a word of the tape and went back to her reading.

Later that night, Lacy went to her room after saying goodnight to her mother. It took her a while to fall asleep that night because she was thinking of her father, the man she’d never met. He was a mystery to her, but he seemed to know a great deal about her. Lacy secretly wished she could get a glimpse of him, but she wouldn’t dare tell her mother that. She’d be admitting that she actually liked the idea of having a father out there somewhere.

Sometime during the night, Lacy woke to the sound of voices outside her window. She peered through the curtain and saw two men in dark clothing standing below her bedroom window. Quietly, she got out of bed and went to her mother’s room to wake her. “Mom.” Lacy whispered as she shook her mother gently. “What’s wrong?” Karla asked, rousing from her deep sleep. “There are two men outside.” Lacy whispered. Karla sat straight up and went to the window to look out. “Hide now.” She told Lacy a moment later. “Why?” Lacy asked. “Just do it.” Karla snapped. Lacy rushed to her mother’s closet and opened it. She removed the loose floor panel and climbed into the crawlspace that her mother had put in. Then she replaced the floor panel and waited. Karla shut the closet door and looked out the window again. The men were gone.

A few minutes passed before Lacy heard muffled voices in her mother’s bedroom. She strained to hear what they were saying, but she couldn’t. Slowly, she lifted the floor panel to listen. “Where is he?” She heard a man’s voice. “I don’t know.” Karla insisted. “You know. He’s been calling you.” Lacy assumed they were talking about her father. “Yes, but he never tells me where he is.” Karla argued. “You’re lying.” Lacy heard the man say. “I found this.” She heard a second voice. “Put it on.” Lacy hoped they hadn’t found the cassette tape her father had sent. A few seconds later, she heard her father’s voice clearly giving his current location. She could hear her mother crying and wondered what was happening in the room. Moments later, she heard what sounded like muffled cries. Then there was silence.

“Check the closet. She’s got to be here somewhere.” Lacy heard the man say. She lowered the floor panel and held her breath. It seemed like forever before she heard footsteps leaving the room. Lacy didn’t move. She waited a while before removing the floor panel. She climbed out of the crawl space and opened the closet door. The first thing she saw was her mother lying on the bed. “Mom.” Lacy whispered, but there was no reply. Lacy listened, but she heard nothing. She knew that the men were gone, so she went over to the bed and shook her mother. Karla Welsh was dead. Lacy started crying when she realized what had happened. This was her father’s fault and he wasn’t even around. She decided right then that she hated him and hoped never to meet him face to face.

Templeton Peck turned on the six o’clock news and watched the latest headlines. Murdoch sat beside him and smiled. “Same old, same old, Faceman.” Murdoch said. Face nodded. “Always is, Murdoch.” He agreed. They both stopped when they heard a familiar name. “The body of a woman named Karla Welsh was found today. She had been smothered with a pillow in her bedroom in the early morning hours on the twelve hundred block of Mosaic Drive. Police say they have no suspects yet, but they are calling this foul play. They also say that they are searching for Ms. Welsh’s teenage daughter who was not in the house when police arrived.” The newscaster announced. Murdoch and Face looked at one another, both thinking the same thing. “Better call the colonel.” Murdoch said as he reached for the phone on the nearby table.

[Lil Wolf]

B.A. Barracus sat on Hannibal’s couch watching the football game. Hannibal was in the kitchen making something to eat when the phone rang. “B.A., get that, would you?” Hannibal called. B.A. growled as he reached for the phone. “What?” He growled. “Hey big guy, is Hannibal around?” Murdoch asked. “What do you want, fool? I’m trying to watch the football game.” B.A. said. “This is important.” Murdoch insisted. B.A. called for Hannibal and set the phone down. “What’s up, Murdoch?” Hannibal asked a moment later. “Colonel, I think you’d better turn on the news.” Murdoch said. “What for?” Hannibal asked. “Well, just turn it on. You’ll see.” Murdoch replied. He didn’t want to be the one to have to tell Hannibal about Karla.

“B.A., turn on the news.” Hannibal said. “I’m watching the game.” B.A. argued. Hannibal nodded at the television, so B.A. changed the channel. Hannibal watched as the newscaster talked about Karla Welsh’s death. B.A. was stunned. “Did you see it?” Murdoch asked. “Yeah, I saw it. Get Face and meet me over there. I wanna find out what’s going on.” Hannibal said. “There’s gonna be cops, colonel.” Murdoch reminded him. “Yeah, I know. That’s why we’re gonna stake out the place first.” Hannibal replied.

Thirty minutes later, Murdoch and Face joined Hannibal and B.A. in the van. “Well?” Hannibal asked. “Well, there’s about four cops in there right now. Looks like they’re almost done.” Face said. “Think she’s in there?” Murdoch asked. “Probably. Karla had some good hiding spots put in the house to protect her.” Hannibal replied. They waited for over an hour before the house emptied out. “Let’s go.” Hannibal said, when the last police car had pulled away. They picked the lock and went in to have a look around. “Nothing touched.” B.A. said. “No, not a thing. What do you think they wanted?” Face asked. “Me.” Hannibal said. “Think they found that tape?” Murdoch asked. “Yeah, but I gave Karla a false location. She thought I was in New Orleans.” Hannibal replied.

The team split up and searched the house. But Hannibal found Lacy a few minutes later. He’d opened the closet door and looked down at the floor. “Lacy, are you in there?” He called. Lacy didn’t move. Hannibal pried away the floor panel and saw his teenage daughter huddling in the crawl space. “Come on out, kid.” He said. “Who are you?” Lacy asked as she climbed out of the crawl space. “Don’t recognize my voice?” Hannibal asked. Lacy took a step back and stared at him. “You’re my…?” She started to ask, but she couldn’t get the words out. “Yeah, I am. I guess it’s about time we meet face to face. I’m just sorry it had to be like this.” Hannibal said. Suddenly, Lacy lashed out at him for the death of her mother. Hannibal let her vent for a moment before grabbing her wrists. “Listen to me, what’s done is done. We can’t hang out here all night and argue about it. They’ll come back. They know about you.” Hannibal said.

Lacy shut her mouth and let him lead her out of the bedroom. “My stuff.” She whispered. “Fine, get it. But do it fast.” He warned her. Lacy ran to her room and grabbed her duffel bag. She started throwing clothes and other things into it. Then she grabbed the bear her father had given her and the cassette tapes he’d sent. When she joined him downstairs, she held up the tapes. Hannibal took them and counted them. “There’s one missing.” He said. “Yeah, they took it.” Lacy explained. “Don’t worry, kid. It’s a fake.” Hannibal said. “A fake?” Lacy asked, confused. “I told your mother I was in New Orleans. I’ve been here for a week.” Hannibal replied.

The other members of the team said hello to Lacy and offered their condolences before Hannibal ushered them all outside. “Where to, Hannibal?” B.A. asked. “My place. We’ll be safe there. No one knows I bought that house because it’s under another name.” Hannibal said. “Right.” B.A. replied. “You’re all grown up now.” Hannibal commented as he turned back to look at his daughter who was sitting in between Face and Murdoch. “I don’t remember meeting you.” Lacy said. “That’s because the last time I saw you, you were about two.” Hannibal admitted. “How did you know?” Lacy asked. “We saw the news.” Face said. “Oh.” Lacy replied.

Back at Hannibal’s, he led Lacy inside and sent her upstairs. “Get some sleep, kid. You need it.” He said. “I can’t sleep. My mother just died.” Lacy argued. “Just rest. I’ll come up and talk to you in while.” Hannibal urged. Lacy didn’t bother arguing. She could tell he wasn’t going to take no for an answer anyway. Upstairs, she dropped her bag and laid on the bed. Then she started crying again when she thought of her mother.

“What are you going to do with her?” Face asked. “What do you think I’m going to do, Lieutenant?” Hannibal countered. “Well, I don’t know. Is there some place you can take her? I mean, we can’t have a kid running around with us? That’d be too dangerous.” Face said. “I’m not going to dump my kid somewhere, Face. She’s staying with us. They’re gonna be looking for her too.” Hannibal replied. “I agree with Hannibal.” B.A. said. “Yeah Faceman, think about it. We’ve got to protect her now.” Murdoch agreed. Face rolled his eyes and groaned. “Do you have a problem with my daughter?” Hannibal demanded. “No, Hannibal. That’s not it. I don’t want her getting hurt.” Face assured him. “She won’t.” Hannibal said.

Lacy didn’t bother turning when she heard the bedroom door open. “Hey kid, are you okay?” Hannibal asked. Lacy shrugged without looking at him. “Come on, talk to me. I’m the only one you’ve got now.” Hannibal reminded her. “Do you love me?” Lacy asked. “Of course I do.” He assured her. “Then why didn’t you ever try to see me?” Lacy asked. “I didn’t want to risk getting you hurt.” Hannibal admitted. “But, I wouldn’t have cared. I mean, I never had a dad.” Lacy said. “You always had a dad, Lacy. I just wasn’t able to be around.” Hannibal said. “Thanks for all the stuff you sent.” Lacy remarked. “No problem. Why don’t you try to sleep.” Hannibal suggested. Lacy closed her eyes. Hannibal left the room and went back downstairs. “Okay, we’re all taking turns tonight. “Face, you’re on first.” Hannibal said. Face groaned as the others went to different rooms to sleep while he kept watch.

[Lil Wolf]

Later that night, Face had fallen asleep while keeping watch. He woke suddenly to noise coming from the kitchen. He jumped up and pulled out his revolver. Then he made his way to the kitchen. When he opened the door, he had his gun pointed. Suddenly, he heard a scream and kicked the door all the way open to find Lacy standing there with her mouth hanging open. “What are you doing in here?” Face asked. “I was making something to eat. Why are you pointing a gun at me? Are you going to shoot me?” Lacy asked. “No, I’m not going to shoot you.” Face retorted. He put his gun away and leaned against the counter. Hannibal strolled in a moment later and surveyed the scene.

“What are you doing out of bed this time of night and why are you in here and not out there?” Hannibal asked. “I’m hungry.” Lacy said. “And I heard noises in here, but I didn’t know it was her.” Face added. “Why didn’t you know it was her? You were supposed to be keeping watch.” Hannibal remarked. “I was, but I fell asleep.” Face admitted. “Great job, Lieutenant.” Hannibal remarked. “I’m taking over. Go get some sleep.” He added. Face left the kitchen and went to sleep in Hannibal’s bedroom.

Hannibal watched his daughter finish the last of the sandwich she’d made. “Go back to bed and get some sleep.” He said. “Can’t I sit with you?” Lacy asked. Hannibal studied her for a moment before nodding. “Sure, just don’t make a lot of noise.” He said. Lacy sat on the couch and rested her head on the back of it. “Do you live here all the time?” She asked. “Now, you should know the answer to that question.” Hannibal replied. “Oh right, well what about when you’re not on a mission?” She asked. “Yeah, I’m usually here then with B.A. Face and Murdoch stay at Face’s penthouse.” Hannibal replied. “How come you never married my mother?” Lacy asked. “Because, I’m on the run, kid. I didn’t think it was a good idea.” Hannibal admitted. Lacy kept the questions coming until she tired herself out and fell asleep. Hannibal was relieved when she did because he knew she’d be exhausted in the morning with no sleep.

Morning came before long and Lacy found Murdoch sitting alone in the living room. She watched him as he appeared to be petting a dog that wasn’t there, but she couldn’t figure out why he was doing that. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, kid. It’s just his imaginary dog, Billie.” Hannibal said. “His what?” Lacy asked. “Never mind. Go into the kitchen. I’ll make you something to eat.” He told her. Lacy did as she was told, glancing at Murdoch one last time before she went through the kitchen door. “Your watch is over, Captain.” Hannibal said. “Thanks, Colonel. Did you get some sleep?” Murdoch asked. “Yeah, how’s Billie?” Hannibal asked. “Oh, he’s real good.” Murdoch said as he followed Hannibal into the kitchen.

B.A. came down next with Face following moments later. “So, what’re we doing today?” Face asked, knowing they’d probably have a hand in finding Karla’s killers. “You’re going to watch Lacy, while B.A., Murdoch, and I try to get some information about these two guys who were at Karla’s last night.” Hannibal said. “Aw Hannibal, can’t Murdoch watch her? I don’t do babysitting.” Face groaned. “Hey, I’m not a baby.” Lacy snapped. “Of course you’re not, sweetheart. He didn’t mean anything by that, did you Lieutenant?” Hannibal asked. Face didn’t answer.

After breakfast, Face was left with Lacy while the others went out. Hannibal started by talking to a few of Karla’s close friends. One of them, Christina Mentara, knew of a man who’d been bothering Karla for some time. “What’s his name?” Face asked. “It’s Darrell Fenton. He lives over on Dobson Street.” Christina revealed. The team headed over there, but the house was vacant. “Okay, look around. See if we can figure out where this guy went.” Hannibal said. After twenty minutes, no one turned up anything. On their way out though, Murdoch found a pack of matches that had come from a club on the other side of town. “Look, Colonel.” He said, handing Hannibal the matches. “Let’s go, guys.” Hannibal said after examining the matches.

“I’m gonna go out to the store.” Lacy told Face. “Uh…you can’t do that. Your dad will kill me if I let you out of the house.” Face told her. “I’m only going to the store.” Lacy argued. “Yeah, but I think you’ve forgotten that there are two men who might be looking for you.” Face reminded her. Lacy shrugged. “I’ll be right back.” She said. She left before Face could argue. “Oh boy, Hannibal is going to kill me for this.” He mumbled as he ran out the door after Lacy. When he got outside, he stopped and looked around. Lacy wasn’t out there. “Great, she took off. Now I’m really dead.” He groaned as he got in his car to drive to the local store.

At Pete’s, a private club on the other side of town, Hannibal knocked roughly on the door. “What?” Came a voice through the door. “I’m looking for Darrell Fention.” Hannibal said. “Who wants him?” The man asked. “A friend of Karla Welsh’s.” Hannibal replied. The door opened a moment later and Hannibal was let in. His friends followed him. “In there.” A man said, pointing to a door in the back of the club. Hannibal went through the door and looked around. Several men were playing a game of poker. “Darrell Fenton?” Hannibal asked. “Yeah?” Came the reply from a younger gentleman with dark hair. He was sitting at the table and hadn’t even looked up to see who was asking for him. “We need to talk about Karla Welsh.” Hannibal said. This got Darrell’s attention.

Darrell stood up and looked Hannibal over. “What about her?” He asked. “I’ve heard that you’ve been bothering her.” Hannibal said. “Bothering her? No, I haven’t been bothering her. We’ve talked a few times, but she was the one who was bothering me.” Darrell said. “Why would she do that?” B.A. asked. “Because, she came in here one night and gambled. She lost and I took her money. She wanted it back.” Darrell said. “So, you know nothing about her murder?” Hannibal asked. “Her what?” Darrell countered. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know.” Murdoch said. “I had no idea that Karla was dead.” Darrell insisted. “Think he’s lying?” B.A. asked. “No.” Hannibal said. He knew Darrell was telling the truth because the man was genuinely surprised. After questioning him about other people Karla might’ve known, the team left.

Face arrived at the store and looked around, but Lacy wasn’t there. When he asked the clerk if she’d been in, he was told no. Face realized that Lacy had tricked him. He called B.A. in his van. “What’s up?” B.A. asked. “Tell Hannibal that his daughter took off.” Face said. “Hannibal, Lacy took off.” B.A. relayed the message. Hannibal held out his hand, so B.A. gave him the phone. “What do you mean she took off, Face? You were supposed to be watching her.” Hannibal said. “I know, I know, but she said she wanted to go to the store. I tried to stop her, but she left. When I got outside, she was gone, so I went down to the store, but she never came in here.” Face explained. “Great, my teenage daughter’s running around and two men are probably looking for her right now.” Hannibal said. “Go home and wait there. See if she comes back.” He told Face. Then he hung up.

[Lil Wolf]

Lacy took the key from her pocket and opened the locker. She grabbed the bag and slammed the locker shut. Then she hurried out of the train station. Karla had stored this money here in case anything ever happened. Lacy knew that it was meant for her. She wanted nothing to do with her father, because he wasn’t much of a dad and didn’t really seem to care about her anyway, especially since he left her with Face. She looked around quickly before hurrying down to the subway, where she hopped on a train to head back uptown. When she got off, she looked around again before continuing on. She wasn’t sure where to go at this point, but going back to Hannibal’s was out of the question.

Suddenly, Lacy realized that two men in a car were following her. She started to run, but they went faster. They screeched to a stop and one man got out and started to chase her. Just as he reached her, B.A appeared with his van. Murdoch pulled the door open and yanked Lacy inside. “Go, B.A.” Hannibal shouted. B.A. raced off before the man could get back to his car. “Where were you?” Hannibal asked. “Out.” Lacy said. “Need I remind you that I am your father?” He asked. “Some father.” Lacy muttered. “Hey, I told you to stay with Face this morning. That doesn’t mean you can go out and do what you want.” Hannibal said. “You left me with a stranger.” Lacy argued. “He’s reliable.” Hannibal insisted. “Oh really?” Lacy asked. Hannibal ignored her attitude. “You almost got yourself caught.” B.A. said. “I’d have gotten away.” Lacy argued. “Sure you would.” Murdoch retorted. Lacy rolled her eyes when she saw that they were going back to Hannibal’s house.

“What’s in the bag, kid?” Hannibal asked, when they got inside. Lacy held it away from him, but Hannibal nodded to Face who was behind Lacy. He took the bag from her and opened it. “Money, Hannibal, it’s money.” Face said. Face handed the bag to Hannibal and watched as he looked in it. “Where’d you get this?” Hannibal asked. “It’s mine. My mother left it for me.” Lacy explained. “This is probably all the money I’ve been sending her.” Hannibal said. “You sent her money?” Lacy asked. “Of course I did. I knew she needed it. After all, she was taking care of you.” Hannibal replied. Lacy frowned. “We didn’t need your money.” She said. “Apparently you did or you wouldn’t have gone to get it.” Hannibal remarked. He tossed the bag to Murdoch who put it in a safe. “Hey.” Lacy shouted. “Relax, you’ll get it back. I’m keeping it safe. Besides, you’re not going anywhere. I’m the only one you’ve got left, kiddo. I suggest you learn to accept it.” Hannibal said.

“Any leads?” Face asked. “Yeah, one. A man named Darrell Fenton said that Karla was involved with a guy named Jack Slater. He’s been hustling people for money at all the local bars. Karla was using him for money. He must’ve found out about it.” Hannibal explained. Lacy had an expression of pure horror on her face now. “What’s wrong with you?” B.A. asked. “Jack Slater? Jack Slater was dating my mom. He’s been around the house lots of times.” Lacy remarked. “What do you know about him?” Face asked. “Not much. He’s a big guy with dark hair and a mustache. He was always on the phone when he was at our house, but I don’t know who he was talking to. Mom always sent me to my room when he came over.” Lacy explained. “Do you know where he hangs out?” Hannibal asked. “Yeah, he owns a restaurant called Slater’s. It’s near here.” Lacy said.

Hannibal was going to leave his daughter with Face again, but Face didn’t like that idea. “Fine, we’ll bring her, but she has to stay in the van.” Hannibal said. “I’ll watch her, Colonel.” Murdoch said. Fifteen minutes later, B.A. parked in front of Slater’s. “You stay here with Murdoch. Don’t go anywhere.” Hannibal said. Lacy didn’t answer him as he got out of the van. B.A. and Face followed him inside. “Wanna pet Billie?” Murdoch asked. “Pet what?” Lacy countered. “My dog.” Murdoch explained. “I don’t see a dog.” Lacy remarked. “He’s right here.” Murdoch insisted, showing her by petting his imaginary dog. “Are you crazy?” Lacy asked. “Mostly, but there are others who are much worse.” Murdoch said. “Huh?” Lacy asked. She had no idea what he was talking about. Murdoch simply smiled at her, knowing that she was confused.

Inside, Hannibal approached a waiter and asked for Jack Slater. “He’s in the back.” The waiter said. “Jack Slater?” Hannibal called as he entered the kitchen. “Who are you and why are you in my kitchen?” Jack shouted. “I’d like a word with you about Karla Welsh.” Hannibal said. At the mention of Karla’s name, Jack nodded two several men who jumped Hannibal, B.A., and Face. A fight ensued and the noise carried through the restaurant. When Murdoch saw patrons running from the establishment, he got out of the van. “Stay here.” He said. “Where are you going?” Lacy demanded. “I’ve gotta help your Dad. Just stay in the van and keep it locked.” Murdoch ordered. Lacy locked the van up and sat quietly waiting for Murdoch to return. He rushed inside and came to the aid of his friends, even though he knew Hannibal would probably me angry that he left Lacy alone.

Hannibal and the team finally got things under control and pinned Jack Slater to the wall. After some intimidation, Jack admitted that he’d hired two men to kill Karla because she’d been stealing from him. He gave the names of the two men who’d done the job while Face called the police. When the team finished tying up Jack and his goons, they left a recorded confession and went back to the van. Lacy was staring out the window, looking bored. “I’m glad you decided to stick around.” Hannibal said. “What happened in there?” Lacy asked. “We found your Mom’s killer.” Hannibal said. “Really? Was it Jack?” Lacy asked. “Yeah, only he didn’t do it. He hired two thugs to do it. We’ve still got to find them.” Hannibal replied.

Hannibal contacted Amy and asked her to watch Lacy. Amy wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but she agreed because she knew Hannibal had something important to take care of. After he dropped Lacy off, the team went in search of the two men who’d killed Karla. Lacy looked around Amy’s apartment and sighed. “You miss your Mom, don’t you?” Amy asked. “Yeah, but I really hate my Dad too.” Lacy said. “Why?” Amy asked. “Because, he keeps leaving me. He doesn’t care about me.” Lacy remarked. “If he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t have come for you.” Amy remarked. “He probably came for me because he knew about the money.” Lacy argued. “What money?” Amy asked. “Never mind.” Lacy grumbled.

The team managed to find the two men who’d killed Karla, but they had the fight of their lives trying to get to them. Face got hurt in the process and Murdoch was knocked out. B.A. and Hannibal managed to get to the men and had them arrested. Murdoch came around moments later and kept on swinging until B.A. told him that they had already taken the men away. “Let’s get back to Amy’s.” Hannibal said.

Lacy got bored sitting around Amy’s, so she left when Amy went to the bathroom. When Amy came back, she looked around and sighed. “Great, Hannibal is going to be mad.” Amy muttered. Sure enough, Hannibal returned and yelled at Amy for losing his daughter. “Hannibal, she’s not a baby. She ran out.” Amy cried. Hannibal realized he was wrong and apologized for yelling at her. “Let’s go find her guys.” He said. They spent the day searching for Lacy, but they couldn’t find her anywhere.

When they got home, they saw Lacy tampering with the safe. “Hey kid, what do you think you’re doing?” Hannibal asked. “Trying to get my money. You found the killers, so I’m safe now. I’m leaving.” Lacy said. “Leaving?” Face asked. “You’re not going anywhere. You had two parents. One is dead. Now you’re stuck with me.” Hannibal reminded her. “Oh, like you really wanna start playing dad now?” Lacy asked. “I have no choice and neither do you, so deal with it.” Hannibal replied. Lacy rolled her eyes and groaned. “And as for the money, it’ll stay in the safe. If you need something, just ask.” He told her. “I need something.” Lacy said. “What?” Hannibal asked. “To get away from you.” She replied. “Anything, but that.” Hannibal remarked. Lacy groaned when she saw the way he was smiling at her. He obviously took pride in causing her grief. She wondered how her mother ever loved this man, because she couldn’t find one good thing about him. “You’ll grow to love me.” Hannibal said. “These guys did.” He added, as he looked around at his team and laughed. They weren’t laughing with him though and Lacy didn’t laugh either.