“I called and you didn’t answer.” His voice was ragged and almost distant.
For a split second, she could feel herself being transported back six years. The way he looked at her now with that dark, hungry gaze it would be so easy to lean in and give him what he wanted. Take what she wanted.
She instinctively moistened her lips. Hunter let out a small groan.
Pressing a hand to his chest, she didn’t push him away like she knew she should. Her fingers fisted into his shirt, tugging him closer.
He brushed her hair out of the way and traced his finger along her jaw before dropping a brief kiss on her neck, right below the sensitive spot near her ear. Then he pulled back and stared at her, silently asking if this was okay.
Slam!
The sound of the bathroom door shutting made her jerk back.
Frozen to the spot, she was too stunned to move or react. Her skin tingled where he’d left his mark. Instinctively she rubbed her neck, then cursed him for having such an effect on her. The man was a menace to her sanity.
Technically, he hadn’t kissed her on the mouth. And the fact that she was thinking in “technical” terms meant something was seriously wrong. Hunter’s actions were completely intimate and inappropriate.
So were her thoughts.
Guilt swelled in her chest. She knew there was no future with her and Hunter, but she couldn’t marry Michael. Not when she was lusting after another man. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair to him. She needed to end things but how could she do it over the phone? Michael deserved more, but there wasn’t another choice. It didn’t matter how much she wanted to deny her attraction to Hunter, it was useless. The next time they got close she worried she wouldn’t pull away. She couldn’t live with that guilt.
She turned when Jonathan tugged on her hand. His big eyes were filled with curiosity and concern. “What’s going on? Are we staying here?”
“No. I found an unoccupied place for us.” Hunter’s voice softened as he answered Jonathan. He sidestepped her and grabbed the two bags off the bed.
“Unoccupied?” she asked.
“Ah, no one will know we’re there.” Hunter’s voice was wry.
“Good, this place stinks,” Jonathan muttered and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Are we going to be able to go back to Michael’s and grab the rest of our stuff?” she asked. Hunter had managed to snag some of their stuff earlier but he hadn’t gotten everything.
Again, he shook his head, and all that need and hunger she’d seen mere moments ago was gone. He was back in battle mode. “Anything we need, I’ll pick up somewhere else.” His words were clipped.
Okay then. Sighing, she hooked her purse over her shoulder and picked Jonathan up off the ground. His small arms wrapped tightly around her neck as he buried his face against her shoulder. He was almost getting too big to hold, but right now it was obvious he needed to be comforted. If she was honest, so did she.
The place Hunter had found had almost exactly the same layout as Michael’s house and it was only a few miles down the road. At least it was a bit more private. They’d parked their vehicle a few blocks away and had used the cover of darkness to enter the house unnoticed. With all the blinds and drapes drawn, they were keeping most of the lights off. She wasn’t sure how long they’d be staying there, but it was a lot better than the motel.
Right now Jonathan was stretched out on the living room floor completely absorbed in a movie. He’d been so quiet since everything that happened, it was nice to hear him laugh again.
“So what did your old boss say?” She kept her voice low even though they were in the kitchen. She’d wanted to talk to Hunter about the meeting in the car but not with Jonathan so close.
“They’ve been watching Davis and they have a pretty strong case against him.”
“Wait, the DEA has been watching the CIA? Is that even legal? Do you believe him?” She closed her mouth, trying to stop the machine-gun fire of questions she was shooting at him.
He nodded. “It is legal, but I don’t know if I believe him at this point. I’ve got someone checking out his financials to make sure he’s straight, but after our conversation, my gut tells me he is.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Her hand tightened around the stem of the glass.
“Their case is strong, but it needs to be airtight. If they bring charges against a veteran CIA agent, there can’t be any room for error.” Hunter rubbed a hand over his face.
“So what does that have to do with you?”
“Remember all that stuff I told you about?”
“The papers and stuff Calero was using to blackmail Davis?”
He nodded and understanding set in.
“You’re going to give Carl Connor all that information?”
“It might be the only way to put all this behind us. If Connor brings a case against Davis, you can return to your life.”
There was something about the way he said “your life” that bothered her, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
Before she could respond, the house phone rang and she jumped. Hunter had texted Michael the number earlier so there was only one person who should be calling.
After one ring, it stopped.
When it rang again, she snatched it up before he could. “Hello?” Her hand fisted around the receiver.
“Alexis, put Hunter on the phone.” Michael’s abrupt tone took her off guard.
“What?” She was accustomed to Hunter’s domineering attitude. That just came natural for the man. Michael had never spoken to her in that manner.
“Sorry. I need to speak to him. It’s important.”
She handed the phone to Hunter and tried to temper her annoyance. “He wants to talk to you.”
She hit the speaker button as he held it up to his ear. Lifting her eyebrows, she silently challenged him to do anything about it.
“Is Alexis near you?” Michael’s voice streamed through the phone line.
“Yep, and she just put you on speaker phone.”
“Damn it,” Michael muttered.
“Whatever you say to Hunter, you can say to me.” Her life and her son’s life were in danger. She wasn’t going to be kept in the dark about anything.
“Is Jonathan around?” he asked.
“No,” they both said in unison.
“All right, well, I guess there’s no way around this. Maria Gonzales didn’t show up for work this morning.”
A fist tightened around her heart. She already knew what he was going to say before he said it.
“As a precautionary, Sheriff Barton sent a man over to her house… She’s dead—murdered, Alexis. It happened well over twenty-four hours ago. I’m so sorry.”
Hunter looked at her questioningly.
“She works—worked—as a temp at the center. We’ve spoken a few times, but we didn’t work together often. Our schedules were so different. Gwen knew her, though…” She broke off and clutched the counter for support. “Is Gwen—”
“Gwen’s fine, Alexis,” Michael interjected.
Hunter moved toward her, but she took a step back. If he touched her now, she was liable to melt in his arms. And she couldn’t afford that.
“Do you think it has anything to do with us?” Hunter asked.
It was obvious he was asking for her benefit. Of course it had something to do with them. If it didn’t, Michael wouldn’t be calling.
Michael cleared his throat. “She was tortured methodically and slowly, but not sexually assaulted. And nothing was taken, so it wasn’t a robbery. The police aren’t one hundred percent sure, but my guess, it has everything to do with what’s going on. Whoever did this might have been trying to get information on your location.”
“Did you ever get a picture of that guy lurking around town?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah, one of my guys got a side-view picture. It’s not the best, but I can email it to you.”
Hunter rattled off an email address, then Alexis interrupted. “How’s Gwen?”
“I’ve increased her security at the house and the center. She’s never alone.”
“What about the other women?”
“Gwen called a meeting and filled them in as best she could. I don’t think she mentioned you, but after what happened to Maria she’s warning all the women. She’s telling them it’s a deranged ex-husband who’s pissed off.”
Even though the women didn’t know everything, they at least knew to be careful. It didn’t ease Alexis’s guilt any. She went to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. Tortured. The word echoed in her head. She hadn’t known Maria well, and yet the woman had probably died because they worked in the same building. Whoever had tortured her had wanted information on Alexis. Bile rose in her throat so she clutched the sink.
Hunter took the phone off speaker. As if through a tunnel, she heard them continue talking, but she couldn’t bear to turn around. She was barely able to stand as it was. Anyone who could torture an innocent woman wouldn’t have any problem doing worse to her or her son.
She heard them disconnect, then Hunter placed a steadying hand on her back. “You okay?”
Unable to speak or even look at him, she shook her head.
“Come on. I’m going to check that email. Why don’t you finish the movie with Jonathan?”
She had no interest in watching a cartoon, but her rubbery legs were about to give way so she walked to the other room and collapsed onto the couch. Completely oblivious to anything, Jonathan watched his movie. When he let out a belly laugh, she sent up a silent prayer of thanks that her son was still safe. If anything happened to him…no, she shuddered, she’d keep him safe. No matter what.
As she stared at the flashing screen, her heartbeat slowly returned to normal and her nausea subsided. Hunter was still gone so she decided to take care of what she’d been dreading. And she didn’t want Hunter around listening. In a roundabout way this concerned him, but it was more a decision about the rest of her life than anything.