"Don't push me away, you need me."
Hannibal raised his head a little higher, a small amount of superiority creeping into his gaze as he looked at Tobias, eyes narrowed a mere fraction after the other man had spoke. There was no circumstances under which this would be acceptable. The man was a threat to Hannibal based on what he somehow knew.
Perhaps this simple violin maker had more clarity and understanding than any member of the FBI, least of all Jack Crawford. That in itself was an amusing thought, but it did not change the fact that Tobias Budge would need to disappear, somehow. He could not be seen to have any connection with Hannibal though, that would arouse too much in the way of suspicion.
"For what do you think I need you?" Hannibal asked, as his brain worked through possibilities of potential next courses of action. Tobias was Franklin’s friend. Distance from Franklin would mean distance from Tobias, and a decreased risk of suspicion falling on Hannibal.
