sounds, I can’t. We need to talk,” Ryan said, trying to get the waitress’s attention.
“It can wait,” Hunter bit out.
“It really can’t,” Ryan assured him as he gave up trying to get the waitress’s attention and decided to help himself to her drink.
“Did someone win the challenge?” Hunter asked, continuing to reach for her hand when Ryan’s next words stopped him.
“The author of the letter that I showed you yesterday is here.”
*-*-*-*
“Get out of my way,” Hunter bit out through clenched teeth as he shoved Ryan out of his way and headed towards the hotel.
“Don’t do this, Hunter,” Ryan said, quickly catching up with him and grabbing hold of his arm.
“Consider it already done,” he snapped, tearing his arm free and kept going, eager to make that piece of shit pay for every fucking mark he’d left on Kylie.
As he made his way inside, there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to kill the asshole. He was going to make that piece of shit pay for everything he’d put Kylie through. He was going to-
“Don’t fucking do this, Hunter,” Ryan said, rushing to stop him.
“Hunter?”
“Hunter!”
“Goddamn it! It’s not the father,” Ryan said, making Hunter reluctantly come to a stop.
“Her mother and sister showed up at the challenge with a sob story,” Ryan explained, as he moved in front of Hunter.
“Who did they tell?” Hunter asked, slowly exhaling as he rubbed his hands roughly down his face.
“Everyone,” Ryan said after a slight pause.
“Fucking bitch,” he said, dropping his hands as he shook his head with disgust.
“That about sums it up.”
“What did they say?” Hunter asked, as he glanced back towards the door he just came through only to head back that way with a curse.
“First thing out of their mouths was to make sure everyone knew that Kylie was a liar,” Ryan said, catching up to him.
“What else?” Hunter asked, throwing the door open and heading back towards the pool area where he’d told Kylie to wait.
“Some bullshit about being concerned about Kylie stealing from Shadow Security and its clients. They claimed they were worried that she wasn’t taking her psych meds.”
“Did the men believe them?” Hunter asked when he spotted Kylie sitting at the table, worrying her bottom lip as she sat there, looking fucking helpless as his men stood near her, keeping her safe.
“Not one fucking bit,” Ryan said, which meant that they weren’t done trying to ruin Kylie’s life.
*-*-*-*
“Can you please just talk to me?” Kylie said, deciding that she’d waited long enough.
“Leave it alone,” Hunter said, looking lost in thought as they waited for the driver to finish helping Ryan with his bags.
She wasn’t sure that was a good idea, but she didn’t think that she had much of a choice, not when he was like this. She still had no idea what happened, one minute Hunter was reaching for her hand and the next, he was snapping at her to stay where she was and ordering his men to keep an eye on her before he took off with Ryan running after him.
Whatever happened had Hunter deciding to leave the convention early. She’d barely had time to wonder what was happening when Hunter came back, ordering his men to escort her back upstairs so that she could pack. Ignoring the pitying looks his men were sending her, she did what she was asked. Before she’d had a chance to close her suitcase, Hunter was there, closing it for her and handing it off to one of his men with orders to get her downstairs and stay with her until she was in the limo.
“What happened, Hunter?” Kylie asked when they started driving again.
“Nothing,” he said, staring out the window.
“This doesn’t feel like nothing,” Kylie said, trying to figure out what would cause Hunter to leave the convention early when it meant going back on house arrest only to feel her stomach drop when she realized that this was her fault.
He’d left because of her.
God, she was sick of this, sick of being afraid, sick of the nightmares, sick of letting her past control her life, she was just…
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, knowing that it wasn’t enough.
Hunter went still and then, he was reaching across the dimly lit car and pulling her onto his lap with a sigh. “What the hell are you talking about?” he asked, as he settled her on his lap so that she was facing him.
“Let’s just go back to the convention,” Kylie said, hoping to avoid this