CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kelsey couldn’t get close enough to Hunt. Couldn’t touch him fast enough. Couldn’t show him quickly enough just what his words meant to her.
Gripping him tighter at the shoulders, she spread her legs to make room for him where he knelt between her thighs. Her breasts pressed against his hard chest as he tugged her closer. Aching to feel him—all of him—she rocked her pelvis against his hips, torturing them both.
He groaned. Nipped at her bottom lip, then sucked the spot until she moaned. “I need you, Kelsey. I need to be inside you.”
“Yes.” Oh fuck, yes. Fingers trembling, she grappled with the buttons on his shirt and slipped the first one free. “I need you too.” Desperate, she kissed him hard and whispered, “Now. Right now.”
His answer was a low growl as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the bench. She held on to his shoulder, kissing him again and again as he carried her to the bed and laid her out on the mattress.
She dragged him down on top of her, kissing him deeply while her fingers went right back to freeing his buttons. She needed skin, wanted him naked. He drew back so she had to arch up to keep reaching his lips, then slid his hand down her leg and flipped her right shoe free from her foot, followed by her left. They clattered against the carpet. Hooking his thumb into the top of her sock, he yanked off the first and then the second.
She braced her bare feet on the bed as he climbed back over her. Reaching up, she shoved the two halves of his shirt aside, then sucked in a breath at the sight of his chiseled abs and chest. He drew back from her mouth long enough to wiggle out of the sleeves, and she skimmed her fingertips over his chest, loving the way it made him shiver. Tossing his shirt behind him with frantic moves, he leaned down and closed his mouth over hers with a hot, wet kiss again, then wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her higher on the bed.
She moaned as he kissed the corner of her mouth, her cheek, her jaw as he worked his way down her neck and pushed her soft sweater up her torso. Cool air tightened her already straining nipples to stiff peaks beneath the thin lace bra. He drew back and looked down with rapt attention. Licked his lips as if he couldn’t wait to taste her. And knowing he wanted her that much, knowing he was hers, created a tidal wave of want inside her that condensed between her legs.
Her stomach caved in under his heated gaze. Grasping the hem of her sweater, she swept it over her head and tossed it on the bed. And wasting no time, he flipped the front clasp free on her bra, slid his palm around the outside of her breast, then lowered his mouth and traced her nipple with the tip of his tongue until she groaned.
“Hunter . . .” She arched her back and sifted her fingers into his hair, desperate for more, desperate to feel him everywhere. “That feels good.”
“No, baby, you feel good.” He moved to her other breast, licking and laving and tormenting until she was writhing beneath him. She flexed her hips against his chest, pressed her knees into his ribs, dug her fingernails into his shoulders, wanting only more. He took the cue and dragged a line of molten kisses down her belly. With one hand, he rolled her left nipple between his thumb and forefinger. With the other, he toyed with the right nipple until she arched her back and cried out. And then he licked a line of heat across her lower belly and popped the snap on her jeans open with his teeth. “And in a second I’m going to make you feel amazing.”
He released her nipples, drew back on his knees, grasped her jeans at the waistband, and stripped them and her underwear straight down her legs.
She gasped and quickly tugged the straps of her bra off her arms and tossed the garment over her shoulder. And then, bracing herself on her elbows, she watched as he lowered his knees to the floor, hooked his arms under her thighs, and yanked her to the edge of the mattress with the hottest, sexiest, most gorgeous eyes she’d ever seen locked on her.
He pushed her thighs wide. Smiled that wicked, for-her-eyes-only grin she loved so much. And then he glanced down and breathed hot over her swollen flesh as he whispered, “This is what I’ve been craving.”
She held her breath and bit her lip, anticipating that first touch. And when she felt it, when she watched him lick up her center with the flat of his tongue, she cried out and arched up to meet his mouth, wanting only this, wanting only more, wanting only the pleasure and emotions and perfection he could make her feel.
“Oh, yes, Hunter. Just like that.” Her fingers gripped the comforter as he circled her clit and pleasured her with his mouth. She rocked against his touch, moaning and begging for more. He feasted on her, drawing her closer to the edge with every frantic flick of his tongue. And when he slid two fingers inside her slick channel and stroked in time with his licks, she lost track of time and space and everything that had happened the last few days and flashed like lightning into an orgasm that consumed every inch of her body.
She collapsed on the bed in a sweaty mess, still shaking from her release. But he only gave her a moment to breathe. Trailing his lips back up her body, he found her mouth and devoured her like a man starved, like he couldn’t get enough, like she was his everything.
Desire resurged inside her. Lust morphed to an all-consuming need to feel him everywhere. Lifting one hand to his face, she pressed her tongue against his and reached down to help him push his jeans off. He was already ahead of her, though. Naked and already tearing a condom open. She reached for it, wanting to help him, but he pulled away from her mouth, grasped her at her hips, and flipped her to her stomach.
She hit the mattress with a gasp and tried to push up on her hands. Foil crinkled at her back, and then he was there, the rough scratch of his leg hair brushing her inner thighs, his hands tugging her hips up so she was braced on her knees, his fingers sliding through her wetness until she was so hot and eager for more, she pressed back against him and quivered.
“I like the way you tremble when I touch you.” He nudged her knees farther apart with his thighs, then slid the thick head of his erection through her wetness. She held her breath as he leaned over her back and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. And then he flexed and slowly pushed inside her, stretching her around his girth until she moaned. “But I love the sounds you make when I’m inside you.”
He pressed all the way inside her, slow and deep, and held still as her channel relaxed around him. Just as slowly, he drew back, causing her to tighten every muscle to keep him from sliding free. His fingers gripped her at the hips. He sighed, then pressed in deep all over again, this time a little harder, groaning at the way she clenched to hold him tight.
“Kelsey . . .” His thrusts picked up speed. He drove inside her again and again, making her wetter with each plunge as her desire grew. Sliding one hand around her waist, he slipped his fingers between her legs and found her clit, stroking in time with his thrusts until she was rocking back against him, their pace growing more frantic and more desperate with every second.
“Oh, yes.” Pleasure streaked through her body, tightening her nipples, making her skin hot and tight, centering every thought only on that place between her legs he was stroking and filling the way only he could.
He grunted in her ear. Thrust harder. Wrapping his free arm around her waist, he drew her up from the mattress and back against his chest. She gasped and spread her legs wider so he could continue to flick her clit, so he could press farther inside her with every sinful plunge. Gripping her face, he turned her mouth toward his. His hot breath tickled her lips as he whispered, “God, I love being inside you.”
He captured her bottom lip and sucked until she groaned, then he pushed his tongue between her lips and consumed her like a man possessed. His thrusts grew frenzied. He drove deep again and again, rubbing hard against that spot that made her wild.
“Kelsey.” He kissed her lips and smoothed the damp hair back from her face as she gripped his arm. “This is real. We’re meant to be together. You know this is as right as I do.”
Tears burned her eyes. Tears not just because he loved her, but because he loved her in spite of all her many flaws.
Her heart squeezed so hard it stole her breath. Tipping her head back against his shoulder, she pressed her mouth to his and kissed him deeply, tightening on every thrust so he could feel what was in her heart and she could take him over the edge with her.
“I do know.” She grasped his arm at her waist for stability. “Just don’t let go of me.”
“Never. I am never letting you go. I promise.” He swelled inside her and groaned against her lips. “Come with me, baby. Come all around me.”
His entire body jerked with the force of his orgasm, and knowing it was consuming him triggered hers. Heat exploded inside her in a wave of bliss that was sweeter than anything had ever been. And as it washed over her, she cried out at the sheer force, savored it, and told herself she could make this last. That they could make this last. All she had to do was believe. Even if believing was the hardest thing for someone like her to ever do.
She didn’t remember sliding to the mattress, but when she blinked, she felt Hunt’s weight at her back and his body still twitching with the aftershocks of his release.
She smiled, loving his heat against her, and reached for his hand on the mattress near her head.
He groaned and rolled off her. But he didn’t go far, and as soon as he was on his side, he tugged her up against his sweaty, sweet, tantalizing body.
She sighed as he trailed his fingertips down her spine. Against her forehead, he pressed a soft kiss and whispered, “I told you that you were crazy about me.”
She grinned as she rested her cheek against his chest, loving that he knew the perfect thing to say, even now. “Proud of yourself, huh?”
“For that? No. For the way I made you scream my name a few minutes ago? Hell yeah.”
She couldn’t stop herself. She laughed. And, oh, how good it felt to laugh. She hadn’t done much laughing the last few months. The last few years, really. “I did not scream.”
“Okay, screeched.”
She swatted his arm playfully. “I didn’t screech either.”
“All right, maybe it was a shout.” He tipped his chin down and grinned at her. “Bet I can make you scream my name before this night is over, though.”
The wicked heat re-forming in his eyes made her suck in a sharp breath. And this time she didn’t even try to fight what she knew she wanted. “I would love to see you try.”
Smiling, he rolled her onto her back and kissed her once more. “That is one challenge I will never decline.”
Kelsey sighed in the dark and snuggled closer to Hunt under the covers. The storm whipped around outside, rustling trees and grasses, but in Hunt’s big bed, she was warm and content and quiet. Well, her lips were quiet. Her brain was another matter entirely.
After he’d pleasured her thoroughly in her room, he’d taken her into the big shower in the master bedroom and soaped up every inch of her skin. He’d tried to drive her mad with his fingers under the spray, but she’d told him she needed food before he wore her out again, so he’d dragged her into the kitchen, pushed her into a chair at the table, and cooked her an omelet. And when hunger was sated, he’d proceeded to have his way with her right there on the table before dragging her back to his room and completely destroying her in this bed.
She couldn’t remember the last time a guy had cooked for her. Couldn’t recall the last time she’d been so relaxed. Wasn’t sure she’d ever been so happy. But she was absolutely positive she’d never had so many orgasms in one night. And just thinking about all the delicious ways he could make her moan made her want another one, right this very second.
Biting her lip, she slid her hand across his chiseled abs. Above her, where his head rested in the pillows, he let out a low groan. “How the hell are you not exhausted? Every muscle in my body feels broken.”
She smiled, remembering his acrobatics during that last round. “That’s because you got too creative. All I had to do was lie there.”
He brushed his hand down her arm. “Yeah, next time you get to do all the work.”
Heat gathered between her legs.
He sighed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let me sleep a little, baby. Then I promise to rock your world again. We both need the rest.”
He was right. She knew he was right. She was probably too tired for another round, anyway. Sighing, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift, let her muscles relax, let all her worries slip away.
She wasn’t sure how much time passed or how long she slept, but when Hunt jerked beneath her, it startled her awake. Blinking several times, she pushed up on her hands as he climbed off the bed. “What’s wrong?”
“The fan’s not running.” He crossed to the closet and tugged on a pair of jeans.
Blinking because she was still half-asleep, confused because she had no idea what time it was or how long she’d actually slept, Kelsey glanced up at the ceiling fan blades unmoving above her. “Didn’t you turn it off before we went to bed?”
“I didn’t turn it off. I never turn it off. I need the white noise to sleep.” He opened the bottom nightstand drawer, typed in a code on the small safe inside, and pulled out a 10mm. “Stay here.” He checked the magazine. “Get dressed just in case. I’m gonna check the security system.”
Her brain jolted wide awake at those words, and she sat straight up in bed. “Hunt. Oh my God.”
He moved back to the bed and grasped her at the nape as he kissed her. “It’s probably just the storm. Odds are good the power just went out. I’m a light sleeper. I’m sure the generator’s going to pop on any second, but stay here and wait for me just to be safe. And lock the door as soon as I’m gone.”
Her heart raced like wildfire as he moved into the hall and closed the door at his back. Scrambling out of the bed, she found her suitcase in the corner of the room where Hunt had dropped it after they’d decided she was staying in his room, tugged on her tank and a pair of pajama bottoms, then crossed to the bedroom door and flipped the lock like he’d said.
Seconds morphed to minutes, which lengthened and frayed her already tattered nerves. In the darkness, she paced and told herself he hadn’t been gone that long, that everything was okay, that he’d be back any second. But every moment he didn’t return shot her heart rate up and made her palms sweat even more.
“Come on, come on, come on,” she muttered.
A buzzing sound startled her. With a quiet yelp, she jerked toward the bed. Hunt’s cell phone illuminated the room in an eerie white light.
Heart in her throat, she lurched for it, sure it was Hunt calling from the landline downstairs to tell her everything was fine. But the second her fingers closed around the device and she read the words on the screen, her blood ran ice cold.
Do I look like a small dog kind of guy?
Even sporting dogs like Princess live ten to thirteen years. That’s not exactly short.
Not exactly long either. What’s the point in getting attached to something that’s going to be gone in ten years?
They were her own words texted back to her. Hunt’s too. Spoken only days ago in this house. When they’d first arrived and she’d seen him playing with Princess on the beach after his run.
She swallowed hard. Somehow she knew the text was from Foster, coming through on Hunt’s phone, not hers. But she didn’t understand how. Or how he knew what they’d said to each other in this house.
The phone buzzed again, and another text appeared on the screen. Only this one wasn’t a repeat of any conversation.
Poor Princess didn’t make it to ten. Guess your boyfriend’s going to be disappointed. He should learn to get used to disappointment, though, seeing as how he’ll be next.
Fear clamped an icy hand around Kelsey’s throat and squeezed so tight she couldn’t breathe. She rushed for the door, flipped the lock, and raced into the darkened living room.
“Hunt!” Unable to find him, she tore into the kitchen, searched the entire upper level, then ran for the stairs, hoping he hadn’t gone outside to check the generator. Hoping and praying that she could stop him before he did. “Hunter!”
Panic surged up her throat when she hit the basement level and he didn’t respond. “Hunter O’Donnell, answer me!”
Only there was nothing. Nothing but the sound of her racing pulse echoing in her ears and her frantic breaths.
A new sense of terror consumed her. Shaking, she backed into a dark corner in the basement and tried to breathe, tried to think, tried not to completely break down.
And as she did, she felt it again. That sense of dread that told her something horrible was about to happen. Only this feeling was so strong, she knew it wasn’t a false alarm.
Hunt flipped the switch on the generator, confused as to why the thing hadn’t automatically popped on.
As he’d thought, the storm had cut out power all over this portion of the coast, and no lights could be seen for miles on the hillside around him. Shining his flashlight over the machine, he checked for any evidence it had been tampered with but couldn’t find anything. There were no cut wires or broken pieces. In fact, the entire property checked out. Everything was normal. Which meant he’d scared the crap out of Kelsey for no reason.
He waited while the generator fired up. When it was running with a steady hum, he headed inside the garage, turned the light on, and looked up as the room was illuminated. The generator seemed to be running fine now, which he was thankful for.
He moved to the breaker box and checked the switches just to be safe. Just as he was closing the panel, a muffled scream echoed from inside the house. Kelsey’s muffled scream. Coming from beneath him.
His heart lurched into his throat. Reaching for the gun tucked against his lower back, he tore into the house and raced down the stairs to the basement. The room was completely dark except for a sliver of light. He stilled as soon as he hit the carpet and squinted to see through the weight-lifting equipment set up to his left. Heavy breaths met his ears, putting him on high alert.
His stomach tightened as he gripped the gun. Someone was standing in the shadows in the corner. Someone he couldn’t see. His adrenaline surged. A muffled sob met his ears.
“Kelsey?”
“Hunt?”
The air whooshed out of his lungs. Hitting the safety, he quickly tucked his gun into his back waistband and crossed to her. “What are you doing out here? I told you to stay in the bedroom. Are you okay?”
“Oh my God, I thought . . .” She moved into him in one swift move, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek to his chest in a way that ramped up his pulse even more. “I was so scared.”
“It’s okay.” He rubbed a hand up and down her spine. “It was just the storm. The generator already kicked on. We can turn the lights back o—”
“No.” She shook her head and pushed back, fear making her voice lift an entire octave. “You don’t understand. Your phone. It just buzzed. It just came through.” She pushed his phone into his hand and tapped the button to illuminate the screen. The room glowed blue-white. “Look.”
Hunt scanned the message, his blood turning to ice as the conversation replayed through his memory.
“How does he know what we said?” Kelsey whispered. “Was he here the other day? And Princess . . .” She covered her mouth with her hand. “What if . . . ?”
“Motherfucker.” There was no way the fucker had been here the other day. There was no way he’d gotten into this house without Hunt’s security being tipped off. Which meant only one thing. One thing he hadn’t considered until right now. “He hacked your phone.” He powered the phone down and shoved it in his back pocket. “The son of a bitch was using it like a microphone to listen to our conversations.”
“But this is your phone.”
“If he hacked yours, he could have easily gotten my number and hacked mine. Son of a bitch.” He needed to get a screwdriver and pop the battery out of her phone so the asshole couldn’t use it against them anymore. But first he had to get Kelsey somewhere safe, just in case.
“Can someone do that?” she asked in a small voice.
“Yeah, hackers can do all kinds of shit these days.”
“But how? I don’t understand. You gave me my phone after the bombing. You said it was secure.”
He raked a hand through his hair, working for calm when he felt anything but. He didn’t want to scare her more, but he knew Kelsey well enough to know she wasn’t going to listen to what he needed her to do if he didn’t explain this.
“Remember the cameras at your warehouse? You had the new phone with you when you went back there the morning after the bombing. My guess is he got access to your phone there, through your already compromised network. Remember the hacker who stepped forward and told the FBI how to hack the iPhone after the San Bernardino terrorist attack? Apple didn’t even know how to do that. A good hacker can find a way into anything, even one of my secure devices.”
He raked a hand through his hair, still not sure how Graham Foster had done it. Nothing they’d learned about the guy painted him as an elaborate hacker.
He froze, understanding widening his eyes as he remembered that photo that Kelsey had received when they’d stepped off the plane in Oregon. “Oh shit.”
“What? What now?”
Hunt turned toward her. “Trey Foster designs online security software. He would absolutely know how to hack into your phone.”
A memory flashed from their meeting with Trey Foster in that coffee shop. The man had paused to type something on his phone. He’d probably been signaling a camera to take their damn picture right there in front of them.
“Trey? The son? But—”
“Listen to me.” Urgency pounded through him as he gripped Kelsey’s shoulders. “I need you to go in the safe room and stay there until I come get you.”
“What? No. You should come with me.”
“I can’t. I need to check the perimeter and call my team to get over here.”
“Hunt . . .” Her voice trembled with fear.
It took every bit of strength he had to keep his voice even when he said, “I don’t think he’s here. I think he’s just toying with us like before. But I need to be sure. And I won’t be able to think straight and do what I need to do if I’m worried about you.”
“But—”
He slid one hand under her hair and around her nape and cupped her cheek with his other hand, forcing her to look up at him. “I’ll join you if there’s any sign the system was bypassed, and we’ll wait for the cops together. But I need you to do this for me. Please go in the safe room.”
Her eyes searched his in the dim light, then she finally whispered, “Okay.”
More relieved than he wanted her to know, he pulled her against him and held her, soaking in the rapid beat of her heart against his as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s going to be okay. I don’t think he’s here. And Princess is probably fine. He’s just trying to scare us. Okay?”
But in the back of his mind, he couldn’t be sure. The fucker had already set one bomb off and tried to kill him and her and dozens of other people. Hunt had no idea what he’d resort to next.
She clung to him and nodded. And though all he wanted to do was go on holding her, he wanted this over with more. He drew back and reached for her hand. “Come on.”
The access to the safe room was off a closet in the back of the lowest level. It looked like nothing more than a shelving unit, but when Hunt tapped a special button on the side of one shelf, the entire piece swung back and revealed a steel, blast-proof door. After typing in the access code on the panel, he placed his hand on the screen for the fingerprint analysis. A click sounded, and he turned the lever and opened the heavy steel door with a hiss.
Since the house was built into a hill, the safe room was made of concrete, steel sheathing, and bullet-resistant fiberglass. It could withstand high winds, heavy rains, a tornado, a shitstorm of bullets, even a bomb blast. The lights immediately flipped on as the door opened, and he moved back to let Kelsey step past him into the room first, scanning the downstairs behind him as he went to make sure no one was lurking in the dark.
The interior of the safe room wasn’t anything special. To their left was a leather couch, a coffee table, a couple of side chairs, and a flat-screen TV on the wall. Pointing to the doorway just past the TV, Hunt said, “There’s a bathroom through there with a full shower.” Adjacent to the doorway, he nodded to a counter that ran halfway down the twenty-foot wall. “There’s water and nonperishable foods in the cabinets there, and a fridge.” Moving to a metal cabinet just past the counter, he pulled the door open and showed her supplies he hoped she wouldn’t need—blankets, extra clothes, flashlights and batteries, along with a first aid kit. “Anything else you need will be in here.”
Wide-eyed, Kelsey nodded to her right, where floor-to-ceiling steel cabinetry bookended another counter, this one topped with a bank of monitors. “And that?”
“This is the command center.” He moved to the counter, tapped a button on the keyboard, and typed in a code. All twelve monitors flipped on, illuminating different rooms in the house and locations outside on the property. “This room runs off its own generator, so regardless of what’s happening outside, everything in here will still work.” As she drew close he showed her how to toggle between screens to access different cameras. “From here you can see everything going on in and around the house. Cameras monitor every room. If you want to change the temperature in here or outside in the house you can do it from this panel. There’s even an intercom system accessible here that lets you talk to anyone who might be out there, but don’t use it. If there is someone lurking around, I don’t want them to know you’re in here.”
She nodded, but her cheeks were completely pale, telling him she was probably only catching half of what he said.
Moving to the cabinets to his left, he typed in a code and flipped the door open, exposing the rack of guns and weaponry. Choosing a small 9mm that would fit her hand, he popped the empty magazine free on the Ruger LC9 and replaced it with a fresh one. “Do you know how to use one of these?”
Kelsey paled even more and stepped back, lifting her hands. “I-I don’t want that.”
“You’re not going to have to use it. It’s just a precaution.” He closed the cabinet door, a click sounding as it locked. Moving toward her, he lifted the small gun so she could see it and said, “This is your safety here. It can’t hurt you with the safety on. Once you flip that off, all you have to do is point and shoot. It’s easy, and the kick isn’t too bad on this one. Just don’t point it at yourself, and don’t shoot me when I come back.”
He held it out for her, but she didn’t take it, just stared at it in his hand with a nervous expression. Not wanting to push her, he set the gun on the command counter near the keyboard, then grabbed one of the two-way radios and clipped it to his belt. “If I need to talk to you, I’ll do it with this. Yours is over there. I’ll come back and get you when I know the place is clear.”
He moved past her for the door, but she reached for his hand as he drew close, stopping him. “Wait. Just . . .” She curled into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Be careful, okay?”
He held her tightly, knowing she was scared. He was too, but he already felt better knowing she was safe in here.
“I will be. And I’ll be right back.” With one finger under her chin, he lifted so her eyes met his and added, “Hang out here and wait for me. And don’t go outside no matter what you hear. Can you do that for me?”
She nodded.
“Good. Everything’s going to be fine.” Pressing a swift kiss to her lips, he pulled away from her and moved for the door. But one look back at her worried expression told him she wasn’t convinced. “I do this for a living, Kels. And regardless of what you think right now, I’m actually pretty good at what I do.”
“I know you are.”
He flashed a smile for her sake and reached for the door handle to pull it closed behind him. “Relax, okay? Bolt the deadlock after me and find something to watch on the TV. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
The door hissed closed at his back, and silence met his ears, followed by the shelving unit automatically sliding back into place to conceal the safe room door. Because the safe room was sound proof, he couldn’t even hear her flipping the deadlocks, but he knew she’d listened and would do what he said. Knew because she was motivated by fear right now, which regardless of how much he hated that at the moment, just might be what could save her life.
Breathing easier, he decided to start with the basement. He checked every room and nook and cranny for signs of anything out of the ordinary.
Confident the bottom level was secure, Hunt moved into his office, shrugged into a light jacket, and powered up a new burner phone. Then he dialed Davies.
“It’s me,” he said when Davies answered. “I’m on a different number. My cell was compromised. I need a team out here ASAP.”
“You got trouble?”
“I don’t know. I’m going out to search the perimeter. Power went out and the generator didn’t come on. System hasn’t gone red, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
Keys clicked in the background. “I’ll get a couple guys out to you right away. Helicopter will be fastest.”
“That’s fine. Have you found anything yet?”
“About Foster? No. But just out of curiosity, I ran some searches on Vivienne Armstrong and Catarina Brunelli.”
Hunt glanced toward the door, anxious to get outside and search the perimeter. “Give it to me fast. I’ve got stuff to do.”
“This is probably unrelated to Foster, but Armstrong and Brunelli had a huge falling out a few years ago. I did a little digging, and it looks like the blow up was about a guy—Royce Sloane.”
“I know that name.”
“You should. He’s a huge movie producer in Hollywood. He gave Armstrong her first big break on a really bad B horror flick, which was filming just about the time Kelsey McClane was conceived.”
“Shit. You think the guy is her father?”
“That’d be my guess.”
“Her autobiography mentioned a relationship with a guy not in the film industry.”
“She was probably protecting him, don’t you think? On her own or because he threatened her never to ever use his name. You know how some of those bigwig Hollywood producers are. Think they’re gods.”
“Her attorneys said the guy was married.”
“Makes sense then.”
“Maybe. But we met with Brunelli two days ago. She’s the executor of Armstrong’s will. If Brunelli was fucking her ex and the two had a huge falling out because of it, why would she trust Brunelli with her estate?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they patched things up. Women do strange things. But this part is even more interesting. Brunelli is not only the executor of Armstrong’s will, she’s also the beneficiary.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Wish I was. And she’s in debt to her ears right now. Has been for a while, but it’s been getting worse. Spends way more than she earns. She’s a heartbeat away from filing bankruptcy.”
“Shit. That gives her motive to want Armstrong dead.”
“Yeah. Or Armstrong’s long-lost daughter who stands to inherit the whole thing.”
Hunt’s mind tumbled, rushing back over the conversation with the actress in Beverly Hills. His pulse picked up speed. “She couldn’t do it all on her own.”
“No. She couldn’t. Which was the first thing I thought. I mean, she’s an actress, right? She’s not a rocket scientist—especially if she’s nearly bankrupt. So I looked at her past movies, and wouldn’t you know, she starred in a thriller a few years ago called Revenge about a sociopath with a handful of names he’s ticking off a list. And to disguise the fact he’s actually committing targeted murders—”
“He plants homemade bombs.” Hunt’s stomach dropped. “Shit. I remember that movie.”
“Thought you would. After I found that, I thought I’d see if Ms. Brunelli’s been up to anything lately. I mean, if she devised this entire plot, she’d have to recruit people to do the dirty work for her, right? So I dug a little more, called some people, found out where her favorite hangouts are, where she likes to be seen—or not seen, and if she’s been dating anybody recently. And I got a hit at a little bar in Malibu. Not unusual to see the Hollywood types there, right? She probably thought it was safe. Turns out, she’s met with a guy in his late twenties or early thirties out there a few times over the last few months. I got a copy of his picture from the security system. It isn’t super clear, and you can’t see the guy’s face, but his size and shape are pretty damn similar to Graham Foster’s son Trey.”
Hunt squeezed the phone tighter. “Take everything you found to Brett Callahan at PPD tonight. It might not be enough to arrest Brunelli, but it’ll be enough for bring her in for questioning.”
“So you don’t think this is a stretch?”
“Hell no. I’m pretty sure Trey Foster is the one who hacked our phones. Kelsey just got another text, this time on mine. He was playing us the entire time. And it makes a hell of a lot more sense that Brunelli is the one who recognized Kelsey’s face in those fashion photos. The woman was wearing ten different designer labels when we met her. She even brought up Kelsey’s design company before we mentioned what Kelsey did for a living.”
“Okay. I’m on it. What about the older Foster? Graham?”
“Do you really think he’s still alive? He hasn’t been seen since before the Portland bomb blew. Would you leave him alive if you were planning to set him up for a federal crime like domestic terrorism?”
“Poor fucker.”
“Worry about the ones we can. Get over to Callahan. Then call me when you have news.”
“Will do.”
Thirty minutes later, Hunt stood on the covered side porch outside the kitchen, convinced Trey Foster was messing with them. A thorough check of every inch of the property had produced no security breach. Nothing indicated his system had been tampered with, and there was no sign of the neighbor’s dog—dead or alive.
A shiver rushed down his spine beneath his jacket. As the wind whipped his hair back from his face, he typed in his closest neighbor’s number and lifted the new phone to his ear. A buzzing sounded, indicating the phone lines were down. Since he knew his neighbors ran their phone through their Internet, that wasn’t a surprise, especially since he’d already checked with the power company and gotten confirmation the grid in this area was down from the storm.
He stuffed the phone into his back pocket, pulled the door open, and moved into the dark kitchen. With a few key clicks, he rearmed the security system, breathing easier with every passing second. In the morning, when the storm had passed, he’d check in on Princess and his neighbors and make sure they were okay. They would be, though. He had no doubt Trey Foster just wanted to scare them. And hopefully by now Brunelli was already being questioned abou—
His phone buzzed. He reached back and pulled it out as he headed for the stairs that led down to where Kelsey was waiting. “Hey, Brett. Did Davies get to you with everything he found?”
“Yeah. I’ve relayed everything to the Feds, and Beverly Hills cops should be on their way to see her.”
“Good.”
“Thought you’d want to know I just got off with the Palm Desert Police Department. Hikers stumbled across Graham Foster’s body in a ravine about five miles from his house. Looks like he’s been dead at least a week.”
Just as he thought. “They ID’d him already?”
“His vehicle was found a few miles away. Official ID will take a few days, but it looks like a match.”
“Shit. They set him up to look like the bomber. He already had an unstable background.”
“That’s the way it’s looking. Nice kid, huh?”
Yeah, really nice kid. Who’d told Hunt and Kelsey to their faces that he didn’t like his father.
“We’ve been checking PDX cameras for any sign Trey Foster came through the airport in the last day or two. So far nothing, but we’ll keep on it.”
“Thanks. He’s here somewhere. If he isn’t here already, he’s on his way. I know it.” Hunt’s phone buzzed. “Hold on, I’m getting a text.”
Callahan muttered something about needing to get back to work, but Hunt ignored him and pulled the phone away from his ear, then froze when he read the words on his screen.
Thanks for bringing her right to me. This was way easier than I ever planned. Don’t you know how easy it is to fool a fingerprint analysis with some glue, a digital camera, and a glass? Thankfully I had plenty of time while I was hanging out here waiting for you to do just that. Ready or not, here I come.
His heart stuttered, then felt as if it completely stopped. And in a rush of understanding, he realized his security system had never tripped because he’d told Kelsey how to arm and disarm it when she’d been here just a few days before. Each time he’d given her instructions, she’d had her phone on her. Her phone that had already been hacked by Trey Foster and had been relaying their conversations like a microphone. And the fucker was right. The fingerprint analysis on his safe room was a minor security measure any person could bypass by creating a fake fingerprint with dried glue, a digital camera, and his own fucking fingerprints he’d left on a coffee mug in the kitchen before they’d left for California. All someone had to do was have access to those things and already be in the house.
He sprinted for the stairs, only one thought in his mind. “Brent? Get a unit to my beach house as fast as you can.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
“He’s here.” Fear wrapped like a boa constrictor around his chest and squeezed until all he knew was pain. “He’s here, and he’s got Kelsey.”