Hunter

Light glowed from the surveillance monitor, casting light across the darkened office. Neco had tried to get me to leave, had offered to watch Lulu tonight, but I’d sent him home. I’d sent everyone home. I didn’t want to think too hard about why it had to be me.

Jesus, being alone with Lulu in that cabin had been a phenomenal mistake. The chemistry between us was as strong as ever. Shit, stronger. Which was messed up, all things considered.

She’d been more than willing, though—the woman I’d once trusted, once cared about beyond reason—and I’d lost my head, my control.

But when she looked at me and I saw the old Lulu, my Lulu, staring right back, I had to lock it down, close it all off. And fuck, I got angry, so fucking angry. She’d done that, she’d destroyed what we’d had, and I’d never forgive her for it. For taking the only good thing I’d ever had away. The one thing I’d thought was all mine.

Cursing, I watched her stand and pace away from the bed and then back. She was chewing her fingernails. Obviously agitated, distressed, which was to be expected. It was also the reason Lulu was here. Maybe some time to cool her heels would loosen her tongue. If not, I still had the meeting with Pierce in a couple of days. Would be good to get the jump on that asshole, though. Find out where he was beforehand and ambush the motherfucker.

Without my say-so, my gaze slid over Lulu’s curves, the way her tank hugged her tits, the way those shorts displayed her round ass to perfection. Her red hair was down, tumbling over her shoulders in thick waves. My cock surged behind my zipper and I hissed.

I used to fist it, wrap my fingers around the soft, warm length, and hold tight while I drove into her. Lulu had loved it.

Or maybe I’d just told myself that, saw what I wanted to see.

Maybe she was a better actress than even I gave her credit for.

An image of big gray eyes staring up at me, soft fingers gliding over my cheek, cupping my face. I love you.

The lie echoed through my head and the knot in my gut tightened unbearably. “Fuck.” I shot to my feet, tearing my eyes away from the monitor. Why the hell was I doing this to myself? Why was I torturing myself like this? I hated her. Fucking loathed her. So why wouldn’t my cock get the goddamn memo?

I stalked to the workout room. I didn’t want to look at her any more. I didn’t even allow myself to look at the door she was behind as I walked by.

I needed to run, to burn of this messed-up hunger inside me, this almost desperate need to go to her, throw her on her back, and have her again. To make her scream my name. To make her beg my forgiveness as she clawed at my shoulders. I cursed again, scrubbing my hands over my face, and went to the locker room. Stripping off, I tugged on a pair of shorts then hit the treadmill. Cranking up the music, I let it drown out the noise crowding my goddamn head. I don’t know how long I ran, but I didn’t stop until I was dripping with sweat, until my legs were close to giving out.

I dried off on my way to the break room and downed a bottle of water. We always had food in here, so I grabbed another bottle and couple sandwiches and headed back down to the holding room. Yeah, I wanted to avoid her, but she had to eat, right? I told myself that was the only reason I was going to her, why I couldn’t even wait the ten minutes it would take to shower and change.

Lulu shot to her feet when I shoved the door open and strode in.

Her eyes slid over me, lingering on my bare chest and arms, before dropping to my abs. I took a sick kind of satisfaction at the way her eyes flared. I didn’t want to think about why that pleased me so damn much either.

I threw everything on the bed. “Brought you some food.”

Her eyes snapped back to mine and stared at me, like a deer in headlights.

I knew I should go, should turn around and walk back out, but I couldn’t make myself leave, not yet. She was nervous, maybe even scared, and being the sick, angry individual I was around her, I liked that. I liked that she understood just how close to the edge she had me.

So, I leaned against the closed door and crossed my arms.

She lifted her chin slightly, defiance creeping in behind her eyes, overtaking the wariness but not the heat. That was still there. “You can go now.”

I shook my head slowly, pleased when she swallowed nervously. “I think I’ll stay for a while.”

“I want you to leave,” she fired back.

“I don’t really give a fuck what you want.” I stepped away from the wall and she backed up a step. I liked that, too. I also fucking hated it. Jesus, I was messed up over her, and that just pissed me off even more. “It’s just you and me here, and I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

She bit her lip and my cock stiffened in response. It knew exactly what it wanted. I ignored it. Not happening. Not again.

“You ready to talk yet, Lulu?”

Her fingers curled and uncurled at her sides. “I told you, I have nothing to say.”

Silence engulfed the room, apart from our breathing. Hers choppy, mine rough. The light was off, but the streetlights shone brightly enough though the high window that I could see her clearly, the way her cheeks had colored, the way her gray eyes were locked on me. I hadn’t planned to question her again tonight. I was going to leave her to stew for a day, take advantage of her fear, her worry over what happened next.

I sure as fuck hadn’t planned for the next words out of my mouth, or the bitter edge to my voice that gave far too much away. “So did you . . . laugh? You and Pierce, when they locked me up, when they believed your lies? Did you celebrate? Go out for a meal maybe? How about a bonus? You get one of those, Lulu?”

She shook her head, keeping her mouth clamped shut.

“Did you report back to step-daddy after we were together? Did you get off on making a fool of me? Did you get off on waving your rich-girl ass in my face and leading me around by the dick? The stupid fuck from the wrong side of the tracks?”

She’d pressed herself against the wall, hands flat at her sides, eyes still wide, still locked on me. Mouth still fucking closed tight.

I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but all of a sudden, the answer to those questions became everything. I needed something, anything. I needed to make sense of it all. I needed her to tell me the truth.

“You played a long game, sweetheart. You were good, too. You sure as fuck had me fooled. Two years we were together. Two years I confided in you, trusted you, believed you . . .” I closed the gap between us, crouched low, so we were eye level. “But it was all a lie, right, Lulu?” I growled, hating how much I wanted her to deny it, to give me an explanation that I could get my damned head around. “’Cause if you loved me like you said you did, you wouldn’t have framed me for arson, right? How can you love someone then destroy their life?”

She turned away, but I grabbed her chin and made her look at me. “You played it coy, made me work for it. Those first six months, you had me fooled, thinking you were some shy, innocent little thing. Only letting me kiss you, not letting me even touch your pussy. Shit, you only let me fuck you after a full twelve months. Playing like we were hiding from your stepfather, like we were some big secret. Never staying over, always taking off after I got you off.” I shook my head at my own stupidity. “All that time you were plotting, scheming.” I slammed my hips into hers. “Fucking say it,” I hissed. “Fucking tell me the truth. Tell me why you chose me, why it was me you decided to fucking destroy?” The last come out as a roar. “Tell me!”

Her full lips quivered, then her eyelids slid shut, locking me out. Refusing to give me anything. To put me out of my damned misery.

I cupped her face in my hand, my fingers digging into her cheeks, my face so close, our noses touched. “After what I came from . . . when you walked into my world . . . shit, I actually felt warm. I’ve never felt warm, Lulu. I was desperate for a little bit of affection, so desperate, I allowed myself to be blinded by what you really are. I’d been cold for so damn long. That ice in my veins, freezing my heart, started to melt.” I slid my nose along hers, my breathing rough, blood pounding through my ears. “Ironic, isn’t it? When I was fucking a goddamn ice princess.” She flinched and I shoved away, walking to the door.

I yanked it open and turned back to her, waiting, hoping that she’d tell me what I needed to hear. Fucking anything.

She kept her eyes screwed shut, refusing to even look at me.

I shook my head and walked out, slamming the door behind me.

I’d come to terms with the fact that the woman I’d been in love with three years ago was nothing but a figment of my imagination. I didn’t know why I was trying to get her to prove me wrong.

I wasn’t.

She was as cold as me.

Lulu

I had no idea how long I’d been in this room, but it felt like a week. The silence was getting to me. Any minute, Hunter could come back through that door and fire his accusations, his pain and anger, at me.

Tell me why you chose me, why it was me you decided to fucking destroy?

His words had echoed through my mind all night and all day. His anger toward me was so thick it was suffocating. And all I could do was sit and wait for his next move. Surely, they couldn’t keep me here much longer? I needed to get Josh and get the hell out of this city. I needed to find somewhere safe, somewhere far away from Pierce, from Hunter, from the memories and the pain.

The lock rattled and nerves bombarded my belly as the door swung open. Ruby walked in with a bottle of water and a burrito.

She held them up. “Dinner.”

I slumped against the wall. My emotions were already all over the place. One more confrontation with Hunter like last night and I didn’t think I could keep it together. “Thanks.”

I took them from her and sat on the edge of the bed. At least they hadn’t decided to torture me into talking through starvation.

She dumped a bag on the bed. “I bought you a change of clothes. Thought you might like a shower?”

I was desperate for one. I felt disgusting. “Thanks.”

“I’ll take you when you’ve finished eating.”

Ruby waited while I ate my lunch, then led me to a door own the hall.

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

“Out on a job. But don’t get any ideas.” She held up a Taser. “I will use this if I have to.”

“Right.” I didn’t doubt her for a second. The idea of getting a hit by God only knew how many volts of electricity wasn’t something I’d like to experience. Didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to get past her. I had to do something. This could be my only shot to escape.

“What do they actually do here?” I asked, stalling, mind racing, trying to come up with a plan.

She glanced at me, a small grin curving her lips. “A bit of this, and a bit of that.”

“P.I work, right?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, and . . . other stuff.”

Ruby didn’t need to elaborate. I knew exactly what Hunter was capable of. Van and Neco, too. They were hard, and they were ruthless. I’d seen Hunter in action when he’d worked for Pierce, had just experienced it for myself.

Ruby motioned me forward. “This way.”

We walked through a large room. It had been set up like a gym, with treadmills and weights. I thought about using one of those weights as a weapon, but quickly changed my mind. Something like that could do a lot of damage and the idea of hurting Ruby that bad didn’t sit well with me. She was only doing her job, after all. We entered a small locker room with “Women” written on the door.

“Since I’m the only woman here, this bathroom is all mine.” She motioned to a shower stall across the room and handed me the bag. “Hopefully they fit.”

I was still contemplating my escape plan, when she held up the Taser and shook her head. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t. I may be small, but I can kick ass.”

For some reason, I believed her. She backed to the door, opened it, and slid out, shutting me in. I heard the lock slide into place.

“Shit.”

Might as well take a damn shower. By the time I’d finished, I’d decided the only thing for it was to rush her. Come at her with everything I had. I was bigger than her, definitely outweighed her. If I could just knock her down, I could lock her in and give myself a decent head start.

I quickly dried off and pulled the clothes Ruby had given me out of the bag, yanking off the tags. Panties but no bra. I put my own back on, tugging the plain blue T-shirt over the top, and dragged on the black tights. I’d squeezed the moisture out of my hair, but I could feel it dripping down my back, soaking through the fabric, making me shiver.

You can do this.

I slid back on my shoes and went to the door. “I’m done,” I called out.

I heard footsteps approach, so I moved to the side. If I knocked her off balance when she opened up, maybe I could shove her into the bathroom and lock her in the gym? My nerves shot higher. God, I hoped so.

The sound of the lock disengaging came next.

The door opened and I charged. But instead of colliding with Ruby’s small frame, I collided with something hot and hard and unyielding. My arms were instantly caught in a tight grip, and I was shoved back several steps. The sound of the door slamming and the lock sliding into place came before I was pushed back against the wall.

“Nice try. But you aren’t going anywhere,” Hunter said, hard eyes staring down at me.

“Where’s Ruby?”

“Gone.”

“Gone where?”

“I’d be more worried about myself if I were you,” he said. “You seem kind of anxious to leave us?”

“You know I am, asshole.” The insult flew from my mouth, borne of anger and frustration, not just from having my escape plan foiled, but from the way my body was reacting to Hunter standing in front of me. That’s all it took.

“You’re right. I am an asshole. The asshole that right now gets to decide when you eat, when you piss, when and if you get to leave.”

“You can’t hold me here forever.” I shoved at his chest, doing my best to jerk my arms free.

He didn’t let go.

I needed him to not touch me, because I knew what happened next, what always happened when he touched me, what was already happening. The pulse between my thighs grew more intense. I fought harder.

He chuckled, making me heat up even more.

Self-preservation kicked in, and before I knew what I was doing, I’d leaned in and sunk my teeth down on his hard-muscled chest, the only place I could reach.

He growled, spun me around, and shoved into the wall, my face pressed against the cool tile. “Oh, I know that. And I can’t wait until you’re nothing but a bad memory again, when you’re someone else’s problem, believe me.”

“Then just let me the hell go.”

He didn’t. He pressed closer. A shiver slid through me before I could stop it, my body tingling from head to toe.

“I don’t think you want that,” he said, voice harsh. “Do you now, Lulu?”

His hands went to my hips, fingers digging in. I gasped. “Please.”

“Please what?”

My mouth opened and closed. I knew what I should say, but I couldn’t make myself say it. I couldn’t form the words.

“You may have been playing me back then, using me, but there was one thing you couldn’t fake,” he rasped against my ear. “You used to beg me to fuck you. You remember that?”

The hard ridge of his cock brushed my ass. I whimpered. I ached for him, despite the way he taunted me. I wanted him still.

“You were so damn wild for me, I used to have to hold you down. You loved it as much as me.”

I had. I’d been living in my fantasy world, where it was safe. When I was there, with Hunter, the monster couldn’t hurt me, couldn’t touch me. Nothing scared me. I’d let Hunter do anything he wanted to me. Loved all of it. I had been wild. I’d been wild for him.

My back arched before I could stop myself, my ass pressing against his hard cock.

He hissed. “Fuck, you’re wet for me now, aren’t you?”

I shook my head furiously, even as I squeezed my thighs together to ease the deep, relentless ache.

He made a tutting sound. “You can’t lie to me, not about this. Never about this.”

I gasped. “Don’t.”

He ground his cock against me again, a growl tearing from his throat. “You don’t want this?” he said, anger making his voice deeper, rougher. “Neither do I. I want you out of my fucking head.”

I felt him slip a finger under the elastic of my tights and start to slide them down, taking my panties with them. “Tell me no,” he rasped. “Tell me no, and I’ll walk away.”

I couldn’t do it. A sob exploded past my lips. “This is wrong.” I shook my head. “Jesus, Hunter.”

He made a rough, angry, animalistic sound that vibrated through his chest. “Not the right words. Say no,” he barked. “Say fucking no, and I’ll stop.”

God, I couldn’t say it. I didn’t want to.

The silence stretched out between us. Charged, electric.

Then he laughed, cruel and dark, and I tried to jerk away, but he shoved my tights all the way down. His hand slid between my thighs, rough fingers delving between my slick folds. I cried out at the contact. How could this feel so good while my heart was being torn to shreds?

“You can’t say no to me, can you, Lulu?” he said, lips brushing my ear. “You’ve never been able to say no to me.”

I felt his hand working behind me, the sound of foil tearing, and then the head of his cock was at my opening.

“Last chance.”

I gasped for breath, clawing at the tile wall, and still the word wouldn’t come. How could I want this? How . . .

My thoughts shattered when he thrust up inside me. I was forced onto my tiptoes as he slammed into me repeatedly from behind. My heated cheek was pressed against the tiles, lips parted as I cried out. The sounds coming from me were full of anguished need, hunger, and despair.

One of his arms banded around my hips, jerking me back, lifting my ass higher, forcing himself deeper with each angry, jarring thrust. He felt huge inside me, hitting that spot that had me seeing stars.

“This is the only thing between us that was honest. Real. Pure animal need.” He slammed into me again. “You wanted me as much as I wanted you.”

I whimpered. “Hunter . . .” Then I screamed, my orgasm hitting before I knew it was on me, hard and fast. I clamped down on him over and over again, my body trembling, my cries echoing off the bathroom walls.

My breath caught in my throat, my eyes squeezing shut when his large, rough hands started sliding from my hips up my sides then back, when I felt his eyes burning into me, watching me as I blew apart. The touch was rough, God, possessive. I couldn’t take it.

Then Hunter grunted, fingers digging into my flesh. He planted himself deep. I felt him pulse inside me. He growled and jerked me back with each grinding twist of his hips.

We didn’t move for several seconds. His panted breaths brushed the side of my throat and I squeezed my eyes closed at the intimacy of it.

Finally, he pulled out, spinning me to face him. My legs nearly gave out, and he caught me around the waist, holding me upright.

His eyes burned into mine, and what I saw made my heart bang harder in my chest. He looked almost vulnerable. But then his lips curled, and that hatred broke through. “Like I said, you can’t lie to me, not about this. You may have fucked me so you could set me up, but I know you loved every damn second of it.”

I flinched at his words, but I didn’t miss the way his features had shifted. There it was again, that hint of vulnerability. I realized that, for some reason, he needed this from me. I couldn’t tell him he was wrong, that I’d been with him because I’d loved him then, that I still loved him now. That none of it had been a lie. But I could give him this. I at least owed him this.

I forced myself to hold his hostile stare. My knees started to shake. “You’re right. I’ve never wanted another man the way I did you.”

His nostrils flared as he sucked in a harsh breath. He saw it, the truth in my eyes. I knew he did. But he said nothing, gave nothing more away. Instead, he pushed away, tossed the condom in the trash, did up his jeans, and walked to the door.

“Let’s go.”

My face heated as I tugged up my pants and moved toward him. He opened the door, but when I started to walk through, his hand went to my belly and he stopped me.

I stared up at him.

“That,” He motioned to the wall he’d just had me against. “Is never happening again.”

He knew my weakness. Him. And he was going to use it to punish me the only way he knew how.

I dipped my chin and walked back to my prison.

Somehow, I managed not to cry.

Hunter

“What time’s the meet?” Jude asked, arms crossed over his massive chest. “You think he’ll show?”

“If he wants her, he will.” I rubbed a hand across my chest. “And from what I hear, he does. Badly.”

Something didn’t feel right, but I ignored it, ignored that weird tingle between my shoulder blades, that niggling sense of wrongness, and buried it down as deep as it would go. I didn’t trust my instincts for shit right then. Not when my emotions were all over the place.

A vision of her upturned ass, curvy body pressed against the bathroom wall as I thrust into her, filled my head.

She’d given me no resistance.

I’ve never wanted another man the way I did you.

“You should stay here,” Van said, cutting through my thoughts. “You’re too close.”

“Not happening. Pierce is mine.”

“Let Zeke take him out of commission. We’ll hand him over to whoever puts their hand up first. Pierce has a lot of enemies. Let someone else clean up the mess. Your hands stay clean, and that fucker gets put in the ground. Win, win.”

My brother played the part of the businessman well, covered the ink and the scars with his suits when he needed to. But under it all, he was ruthless, a street thug—just like me, like most of us here. He wouldn’t lose sleep over his part in Pierce’s death. None of us would. We weren’t average guys, and we didn’t do an average job. That would never change, no matter how you dressed it up.

Zeke rubbed a hand over his beard then dipped his chin, black eyes locked on me, telling me he was on board with the plan.

I shook my head. “I want him first.”

Van cursed, jaw going tight.

“When I’m done with him, we’ll put out the call.”

Neco stood, shoulder propped against the wall. “There gonna be anything left to hand over?”

“I don’t like this,” Van rounded his desk and got in my space. “I just got you back. This isn’t the time to take risks.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Taking Lulu was a huge fucking risk. You’re not thinking clearly. And why the hell does Pierce want her?”

I shrugged. “Don’t care.” Liar.

“She’s getting off easy, clean and clear. More than she deserves,” Neco growled.

The air in the room shifted, the temperature dropping several degrees. “You think she’s in serious danger from Pierce?” Jude’s rough voice rumbled across the room, eyes hard as stone.

At least once our lives, we’d all picked up someone we loved off the floor, cleaned off the blood—or in some cases, a hell of a lot worse. So I understood his concerns.

“He won’t get the chance,” I said. “She’s bait, nothing more. We get to the drop, Pierce sees her, shows himself. Zeke takes him down. We take him for a ride and a nice little chat. Hand him over. She’s at her aunt’s by nightfall.”

And then I’d walk away. I had to try and let her go. Let the rage go, before it ate me up. I’d said and done some shit in that cabin, here at the office, I wasn’t proud of. Lashing out, trying to hurt her like she hurt me. Being around her was fucking toxic.

Van shook his head. “Since no one will listen the fuck to me, let’s go get this done.”

Zeke pushed away from the wall and left without a word. He needed to get to the drop off before the meet. Take point and wait. The rest would follow and take position out of sight before Lulu and I arrived.

A short time later, after everyone had left, I took the stairs to the holding room. After today, Lulu didn’t exist for me. She’d be a bad memory. Nothing she could say to me could make up for the years I spent inside, but I still wanted an answer from her, wanted to know why she did it. If she’d done it for money, that was something I could at least get my head around. People did shady shit for money all the time. But from what I’d seen, and the small amount of intel Neco had dug up since she surfaced, she hadn’t been living large. The opposite. She’d been working for her money. Going by the Hooters tank she’d been wearing when I picked her up, they weren’t well-paying jobs.

I didn’t get it and, fuck me, I needed to before she walked away for good, for my own piece of mind.

I entered the code, pushed the door open, and froze.

Lulu was lying on her side, body still. Her legs were bent, knees tucked into her chest, hands together under her cheek, like she’d been praying and had fallen asleep again. My gaze lifted, against my will, to all that thick red hair fanning out across the pillow.

Fucking beautiful.

She was my drug, my poison.

The best, and worst thing that had ever happened to me.

It was time to end this, for good.

Lulu

I blinked several times, working the heaviness from my eyes. Somehow I’d fallen asleep, locked in this room, surrounded by people that thought I was lower than dirt. God knows how I managed that, especially after what happened in that bathroom. I shivered. Every time I thought about it, my body heated. I was more screwed up than I thought.

The light in the room was diluted, gray. I guessed sometime late in the afternoon.

I froze. I wasn’t alone.

Hunter. His volatile energy filled the room, saturated it. My skin prickled and I sucked in a sharp breath. I didn’t move, stayed right where I was. I had no desire to find out what came next. I was still here for a reason. I didn’t know what that reason was, but considering the way he felt about me, things were not looking great.

“I know you’re awake.”

His voice was rough, low, but not angry for once. Something else, something I couldn’t name, set off little zaps of electricity in my lower belly. I’d decided before I fell asleep that I was done talking. Every time I opened my mouth, I pissed him off. And since he didn’t believe a word that came out of it, I was going to save my energy. With that in mind, I sat up, shoved my hair back from my face, and waited.

He was standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed over his wide chest, chin dipped, head tilted, eyes locked on me. I couldn’t read his expression. But he was studying me in a way that made me want to squirm.

His jaw tightened, not much, but enough that I saw it. That gaze got more intense, so intense I couldn’t hold it any longer. I picked at the hem of my T-shirt, fidgeting.

“Why?” he said into the quiet room.

That’s it. That one word. I knew what he was asking. I’d heard that one word, Hunter’s voice, echoing in my head, for three years. The pain and anger distorting it as he was dragged away by prison guards.

I had nothing.

Nothing I was prepared to give, anyway. I made myself meet his gaze. It wasn’t easy. God, how I wanted to tell him everything, but I couldn’t and clamped my mouth shut instead. I refused to put Josh at risk just to appease my guilt. No good would come from telling him what happened, not now. Nothing would change. Nothing would make any of this all right. If I knew without doubt that Josh was Hunter’s, maybe I’d open my mouth. But I didn’t know that. Telling Hunter would only turn a spotlight on my little boy. It would make him a target, if he weren’t already. I’d die before I did that.

Hunter’s expression hardened. “You fucking owe me an explanation.”

I didn’t move, didn’t blink, just kept my eyes locked on his and my mouth shut.

He shook his head. “What did I ever do to you, Lulu? To make you hate me so damn much?”

I jolted, a full body spasm. Oh God. It was him. There he was. My Hunter. Just a glimpse of the man I loved beyond reason. It hurt to see him again. I wasn’t prepared for it. I looked down at my hands, tears stinging my nose, the back of my eyes. I swallowed down the lump threatening to choke me. My tattered heart couldn’t take much more of this.

I felt his gaze hot on me, waiting. Hoping I’d give him what he needed, give him the answers he wanted. I couldn’t do it.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he hissed through his teeth.

I looked up, couldn’t help it. His eyes were back to that cold, dead stare. He was gone again.

He tilted his head toward the door. “Time to go.”

I wanted to ask where, but since I’d just made a point of not talking, I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut. I stood as he opened the door and followed him back upstairs. I must be demented, because my eyes drifted to his butt. As always, the worn denim hugged it just right. When we were together, walking down the street or waiting in line at the movies or whatever, I’d slide my hand in his back pocket, and his arm would come around me, curling around my neck. I’d loved it. Making sure everyone around us knew that I was his and he was mine.

We took the elevator to the underground parking lot, then into his waiting car. Hunter remained silent as we headed across the city. He’d obviously given up trying to make me spill my guts, and I was thankful for it.

I tried not to get my hopes up, but I’d gone four nights without seeing Josh, and I was aching to wrap him in my arms, to snuggle beside his little, warm body and just breathe in his scent while he slept. It hurt how much I missed him. I hated to think he was missing me, wondering where I was.

But I knew Hunter wouldn’t just drop me at my aunt’s and let me off the hook. Why would he do that? It didn’t make sense. He’d gone through all this trouble. Kidnapped me. Locked me up. No. He had plans for me. I just didn’t know what.

We eventually left the city and headed out a little ways. It wasn’t an area I’d been to before, and it was seriously rough. Run-down buildings, graffiti, burnt-out cars. My nerves steadily rose the farther we went. He took a left, the street all but abandoned. No one. Not a living soul in sight.

Then he rolled to a stop beside an empty lot. There’d been a building there once—I could tell by the large concrete patch covering most of the ground. It was cracked, and straggly weeds had broken though, desperate for sunlight.

Whatever we were doing here, I knew I wouldn’t like it, not one damn bit.

Adrenaline spiked through my veins, my pulse thudding erratically as I scanned the area around us frantically.

I turned to Hunter. He wasn’t looking at me.

He pulled out his phone, punched in a number, and held it to his ear. “We’re here.” He was silent a beat. “Zeke in position?” He glanced out the window, to the right. “Good.” Then disconnected.

The only sound in the car was my heavy, panicked breaths exploding past my lips, and the rush of blood in my ears. I stared out the window, straight ahead, trying to get my shit together, trying to calm the hell down. A car appeared in the distance, coming toward us. As it got closer, I could see it was shiny black, sleek, expensive. It stopped about three or four yards away.

Hunter went still, unnaturally so, letting off that scary-as-hell vibe again.

I went still as well. I didn’t know what this was, but every instinct I had told me to run. To get as far away as I could and never look back. Nothing happened for a while, and then the door opened and a guy in a dark suit stepped out. His hair was slicked back, his prominent, pointy nose sticking out like an arrow from the middle of his face. He had beady eyes that were a little too close together. The kind of face you didn’t easily forget.

He was one of Pierce’s men. Derek.

I’d seen him in our house plenty of times. Pierce never liked to go anywhere without at least two men covering his ass, and the guy in front of me was always one of them.

I started to shake, uncontrollably.

Hunter was handing me over to Pierce.

My fingers curled into fists, anger flooding me. Anger and indescribable fear. For some fucked-up reason, deep down, I’d believed him when he said he’d let me go.

I wanted to scream because Hunter fucking knew me. He knew me. He should have worked it out. He should have known I would never willingly betray him. He’d been my everything, and I’d been his.

And he was going to just hand me over to that monster and never look back.

The guy in front of us put his phone to his ear and half a second later Hunter’s rang.

He hit the call button, listened for a few seconds, then, “Yeah, I have her. You got the money?”

Pain lanced through me. Money? This was about money? All of it?

I guess Hunter wasn’t the only one wearing blinders. I obviously didn’t know him either. Because as it turned out, he was just another asshole taking his pound of flesh from me. Did he have any idea what would happen to me? That at best I’d be a prisoner, and at worst . . .

I shuddered.

“Told you, I fucking have her,” he rumbled into the phone. I could see Derek’s lips moving, still talking. “Fine,” Hunter said, “Here’s your proof.” Then he hit a button on the dashboard. The windows of the car were tinted, giving them a grayish appearance from the inside. When Hunter hit the button, they lightened, cleared.

Pierce’s man lifted his head, stared directly at me, and a grin curved his lips. Hunter punched the button again and the windows darkened, hiding us from sight.

I wanted to throw up.

Disbelief and, yes, betrayal pounded through me. I might not survive whatever happened next. I may never see my little boy again.

My mind roared.

This wasn’t happening. I wouldn’t let this happen. I’d rather die than be Pierce’s prisoner again, his creature. Blood thundered though my ears as I reached for the door handle. I had no plan, nowhere to go. All I knew was I had to get away. I had to get away from here.

Yanking the door open, I dove out and took off running as fast as I could.

Shots rang out behind me, the sound of bullets drilling into the side of Hunter’s car, echoing down the street. Boots pounded on the road behind me. Tires screeched. Someone hooked me around the waist, jerking me off my feet. Then we were on the ground and I was being shoved down. Hunter was covering my body with his. I heard him on his phone barking orders.

“Stay down,” he said in my ear.

There were more shots and the sound of an engine revving. Hunter returned fire. My ears rang. My heart tried to pound right out of my chest.

Then everything stopped, the street becoming eerily silent.

Hunter moved, climbing to his feet, dragging with him. Van was walking toward us, Neco at his side.

“He got away,” Van said.

Hunter cursed and grabbed me by my shoulders. “You could have gotten yourself shot.” He shook me. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I lost it. Just flipped the hell out. I shoved at him. When he wouldn’t let me go, I punched and fought and bit and scratched. “Let me go!” I screamed. “Let me the hell go!”

Hunter shook me again. “What the hell is going on? Why are you afraid of Pierce?”

I fought harder. Not caring if I hurt myself in the process. I needed to get to Josh. I needed to get out of this city.

“Tell me.” he barked. “Fucking tell me.”

I didn’t stop fighting, shaking my head, desperately trying to pull free.

“Hunter,” Van’s deep voice cut through the air like a blade, through my hysteria.

I stopped fighting, but then I started shaking again. Hunter was frowning down at me.

Van touched his shoulder and he finally looked away. “I know you want Pierce, Hunt, but this isn’t the way. Let me take her to her aunt.”

Hunter stilled. He was breathing hard, still holding me immobile as his blue eyes came back to me, boring into me. I couldn’t hold his stare. “You’re afraid of Pierce. Why?” he asked again.

“I’m not,” I lied.

“You just dove out of my car and ran like hell when you realized it was him.”

I shook my head. “How the hell would I know it was Pierce in that car?” I tried to pull free, but still he wouldn’t let me. I made myself meet his hard stare. “I wasn’t running from him, I was running from you,” I said, doing my best not to choke on the words.

His jaw went tight. Finally, after a long tense silence, he shoved me toward Van. “Take her.” Then he strode away, back to his SUV.

A second later, he was gone.