It had been hours before Mike had called her. She tried not to worry but she did. His tone made her worried. Something was wrong. She didn't like it.
"Hey," he'd said, finally calling, "Mendez confronted me about that picture. I told her it was Joe Carroll and she blew me off. She hinted that I'm unstable and that everyone would understand if I just went home."
Hannah cringed. "Are you unstable?"
"No," he scoffed, "Probably. Definitely. Everything about this case makes me unstable. I know that I can't think clearly and I just react but I can't walk away from this."
She sighed, hoping he didn't hear her. But she heard something else.
"Mike, are you driving?" she asked, hearing a strange noise in the background.
He was hoping she wouldn't ask… he didn't want her to know. Reluctantly, he told her.
"Yes… I'm driving to Connecticut," he said carefully.
"Why?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.
"Because Ryan called me and asked for my help…finally" he said, preparing for a fight, "Joe's there. And the rest of that wacko family."
Hannah held her breath. This was serious. "The rest of the FBI is going, too, right?"
Mike thought about lying to her, making her feel better about it. No… he'd have to tell her the truth no matter how bad it was.
"No… it's just me…" he said, already telling her why, "The FBI is compromised. Someone exchanged Joe's DNA for his brother's and that person is still leaking information out. No one there can be trusted… I have to go by myself."
Hannah swallowed. He was going to get himself killed. He'd really gone off the deep end. This was exactly what Ryan Hardy was doing that made Mike furious.
"Dammit, Mike," Hannah groaned quietly.
"I know," he sighed, "I have to help Ryan… It'll probably end my career but I have to help him.
"Try and be careful at least," Hannah said, head in her hands, "Let's try to not repeat history again… You know I hate hospitals."
Mike scoffed. "It won't be me who gets hurt."
There was something like a sickening promise in that.
Hannah closed her eyes. "Don't let anything escalate…"
Mike grit his teeth. "No promises."
He knew how bad his temper had been. He had been calm and collected last year, the voice of reason. But now… after everything, he was a loose cannon. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold back if he got his hands on Joe Carroll or any of the others. He knew he'd release all the rage and frustration he'd held for the past year.
He was becoming Ryan Hardy.
"Look, I'll call you when it's over," Mike said, annoyed.
He hadn't waited for her to respond when he hung up. He knew this was going to be bad.
Hannah put her phone on the counter, hands in her hair. Mike was going to get himself killed. But she couldn't help him. There was nothing she could do for him to see it.
She could hear him becoming distant on the phone. He was losing touch with his moral center. He was a good, normal person outside work… but when it came to dealing with Ryan Hardy, Joe Carroll, and the followers, she wasn't sure what he was capable of.
Regardless, whatever happened today wouldn't be good, she was sure of it. She was just hoping she wouldn't have to see him in the hospital again.