Hunt and Prey (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 8)
Page 35
“Then, you don’t want me to hire another company?”
“No. I already had Lisa pay Grady out of my account for the money he gave you. As far as I’m concerned, the land can remain untouched. Maybe someday when Nick is older, he’ll build a house for himself there.”
“That would be nice,” Hattie said, smiling as she imagined it.
“But as I said, all that is between us. As for the instigator who caused the problem…” I stood and walked over to Wild Card, waiting for him to look up at me.
“Did you want to play?” he asked, holding up the deck of cards.
“No, thanks. I’d rather know why you think you have the right to interfere in my life and scare off the contractors for the cabin build! Why you think it’s okay to stress Hattie out about contractors walking off the job.”
He jumped up and stepped backward as I walked toward him. Once upon a time my acting skills were horrendous, but both Charlie and Haley had been practicing with me. As far as Wild Card knew, I was steaming mad. He continued to walk backward, as I continued to advance.
“So, you’re pissed I take it?” he asked with a slight smirk. “How pissed?”
“How pissed would you be?” I said, fisting my hands to my hips.
“Well… Since you’re already mad. Maybe I should confess something else…”
I had no idea what he was about to confess, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like it based on his nervous expression.
“Oh, no,” Charlie said, laughing. “You’re not going to tell her now, are you?”
I glanced over at Charlie. She was watching Wild Card but she had a hand over her mouth, muffling her laughter.
“She’s already pissed!” Wild Card said to Charlie while waving a hand at me.
“Spit it out! Confess what?” I ordered.
“We’re still married!” Wild Card said, taking another leap backward.
A collective inhale could be heard around me. As for me, I stood staring at Wild Card, trying to process what he’d said. Married? What? I signed the papers… I left them… Shit. I left them for him to file. I never checked to make sure he did. Why didn’t I check?
I looked back at Charlie. She stood there grinning at me, unashamed and not hiding it.
“How long have you known?”
“No, no, no.” She shook her head at me. “You’re not putting this on me. I only found out a couple days ago. With everything going on, I couldn’t even tell you what day he told me. But I knew he was going to tell you, so it wasn’t my place to say anything.”
“We—” I pointed between us “—are family. Family are supposed to be honest with each other.”
“By that same reasoning,” Charlie said with a smirk, “you and Wild Card are still family, too.”
I turned back to Wild Card. He was standing in a defensive stance, waiting for me to attack. I reflected on my emotions, and oddly enough, I didn’t feel angry. Embarrassed, maybe. If Wild Card and I were still married, that meant Grady and I…
I turned and looked around, finding Grady standing next to Hattie by the lounge chairs. Pure rage radiated from him. I looked at Hattie and jerked my head to the side, telling her to move away from him. Pops walked over and pulled her back.
Grady’s focus was on Wild Card. He didn’t see me.
I stepped in front of Wild Card, facing Grady.
His eyes lowered to meet mine.
I stood there, shoulders back, head held high, and I absorbed his anger from a distance. And while doing so, I saw the rage melt into something that could only be described as heartbreak. And I knew that’s what it was, because I felt it myself.
The truth was, I was in love with both men. But by standing in front of Wild Card, willing to defend him, Grady had his answer. I saw it streak across his face as if it caused a physical pain. In his eyes, I’d chosen Wild Card. And for the first time, I realized it too. But that didn’t mean my heart didn’t break right along with Grady’s. He’d been by my side for some of the worst times in my life. I owed him more than I could ever repay. Standing against him felt like a betrayal.
Grady turned, walking toward the house in a slow steady pace.
Another piece of my heart cracked.
“I should be happy,” Wild Card whispered from behind me. “But he’s my friend.”
“You should know better than to keep secrets from me,” I said before turning and rushing him, surprising him enough that as he retreated backward, he forgot about the pool. I placed both hands on his chest and gave him a rough shove just as he was inches away from the edge. Without waiting for him to surface, I grabbed the kids’ hands and led them toward the mansion. “Who’s hungry?”
“Me!” Carl answered, hurrying to catch up.
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Hunt and Prey Amazon Page
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Special thanks to my amazing beta readers: Kathie and Judy. I treasure the feedback you both provide.
Editing services by: Sheryl Lee at BooksGoSocial
Cover Art: ebooklaunch.com
Heroes and Hellfire (Book 9)
A drug cartel, a hitman, and a two-sided love triangle?
Kelsey Harrison has experienced the end of her emotional rope on a few occasions. But when Charlie’s life is in danger, Kelsey vows to burn down anyone and anything that stands in her way of saving Kid.
Don’t miss this explosive wrap to the Remirez backstory in Book 9: Heroes and Hellfire!
Kelsey’s Burden Crime Drama: Amazon Series Page
All books by Kaylie Hunter (to find standalone novels): Author Page
About the Author
Kaylie Hunter lives in Michigan where she’s been known to slam on the brakes for a yard sale in the summer and hibernate indoors all winter. Not known to travel much, she appeases her sense of adventure within the pages of her books instead. But when she does travel for leisure, you can be certain she’ll find a warm-weathered beach and at least one of the bags she packed will be filled with paperbacks.
To connect with me on Facebook: @BooksByKaylie