by K. M. Scott
Touched by his concern, she smiled up at him. “I’m fine. It’s just nice to be out of that apartment, even if it’s this way.”
“Well, I don’t think the world would forgive me if I hurt Alexis Marchand. I’d be the most hated man on the planet.”
She giggled at his ridiculous claim. “Just a little exaggeration, don’t you think?”
Focused on the road, he smiled. “Well, then I wouldn’t forgive myself. Hang on.”
The car swerved again and she closed her eyes. Who would have imagined it could be so scary in a car speeding down the road, but not being able to see where they were going or what was ahead of them made it truly harrowing.
No matter how frightened she got, though, she knew she was safe with Hunter. Opening her eyes, she looked up at him and even in her fear, she couldn’t help but smile. He really was very good looking, and he had a real knight in shining armor way about him.
She didn’t know how long it took or how many times the car swerved left and right, but it didn’t matter. For at least a short time, she’d escaped her world, but it didn’t feel like when she and Lauren ran off to Atlantic City.
No, this time was different. She didn’t feel so much like she was running away but moving toward something. She didn’t know what it was, but she liked the anticipation that came along with it.
A few minutes later, Hunter tapped her on the top of her hand. “We’re out of the city. I think you can get up now.”
She sat up in the seat and gave her legs a badly needed stretch. “Should I put on my wig?”
Hunter turned to look at her and shook his head. “No. I like the way you are naturally.”
Out of habit, she put her hand up next to her face to hide herself. “But what if someone sees me?”
“Not to worry. I can outdrive anyone.”
She relaxed and slowly let her arm come back down to her side. “I’m not worried. I trust you, Hunter.”
Looking over at her, he smiled, and her stomach did that flipping thing she loved.
Chapter Twenty-One
After five hours of driving, Hunter pulled up to the guard shack at the entrance to the Blackmore Estate and rolled down the window. Freddie, the man on duty, made some small talk about it being nice to see him again and how the weather had been nice in the past few days. Then he leaned down out of his shack and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw Alexis.
“Is that…are you Alexis Marchand?”
Before she could answer, he started rattling off every movie of hers he’d ever seen and telling her which of them was his all-time favorite. Hunter wondered if he was the only man on the planet who hadn’t seen even a second of any of her movies.
As he tried to explain to Freddie that they needed to get onto the estate for official Project Artemis business, she leaned over and rested her head on Hunter’s shoulder.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m so happy you enjoy my films. You’ve made my day, Freddie.”
The guard beamed his happiness, but still he continued to hold them at the estate entrance. Pointing toward the road in front of him, Hunter said, “We really need to get in there, so if you could just open the gate, we’ll be on our way.”
Alexis nudged his arm, and he turned to see her scowling at him. “We really need to get going. I’m sure we could have the Alexis Fan Club meeting some other time,” he whispered.
“You really don’t get how this whole movie star thing works, do you?” she asked with a smile.
Just then, the gate opened and Hunter quickly pulled the car through. “I guess I just don’t see you that way, so when something like that happens, I don’t really understand it. To be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d deal with that as well as you did.”
She nudged him again and moved back over onto her seat. “I don’t know. I just did what I always used to do. I didn’t even think about it.”
“See what a little time away will do for you?” Hunter asked with a grin as he drove toward the guest house at the back of the property.
Alexis stared out the window at the main house in the distance, saying very little and obviously impressed with Persephone and Nick’s place. He had to admit the estate was pretty damn nice.
Certainly better than everywhere else he’d ever lived.
“How many of you live here?” she asked.
“Seven of us. Well, six of us since Roman and Kate moved out of the house I’m taking you to. And then there’s the other staff and Persephone and Nick.”
“Wow! This place is stunning. The grounds are so beautiful. I wish I could have moved to somewhere like this instead of a penthouse apartment in Manhattan.”
Hunter heard sadness in her voice and turned to see it all over her face. Hoping to cheer her up, he joked, “Trust me. If you asked any of the guys here, they’d probably take your place over living here any day. Once you leave the estate, there isn’t much to do, unless you want to go into DC.”
“I’d love it here. It’s so peaceful and beautiful,” she said in a faraway voice. “It sort of reminds me of my house in LA, except mine wasn’t even half the size of this.”
He stopped the car at the rear of the guest house that until about a month before had been the home of Roman and Kate until they bought a place a few miles away. Hunter knew Persephone wouldn’t be happy that he’d brought Alexis to the estate, but he hoped she didn’t make a big deal out of it.
If he knew her, she’d be all sweetness and light to Alexis, but he’d pay for his decision after the case ended. It was all worth it if Alexis got to relax for a few days, though.
The guest house on Blackmore Estate would technically be called a cottage, but as Hunter escorted her inside, he thought about how many of his homes had been even smaller than this place. Calling it a cottage made the three bedroom, eight room house sound quaint, but in truth, most people lived in more modest places than this one.
Alexis turned around in awe as he set her bag down on the coffee table in the living room. Obviously happy, she smiled like he’d never seen her do before.
“This is so nice, Hunter! I love this house! If the main house is anything like this one, I can’t believe anyone would want to ever move away from here.”
“Living with six other men and a bunch of other people isn’t as great as it sounds. I would think you’d know that.”
She spread her arms and twirled around in the middle of the room. “But it’s so wide open and charming. It’s nothing like the penthouse where all the rooms are like little boxes.”
“Well, imagine it with Lauren, Carla, and the bodyguards and it doesn’t sound so charming anymore.”
The smile slid from her face. “Well, when you put it like that, I guess not. But I still love this place.”
The knock at the front door he’d been dreading since he pulled away from the guard shack came a second later. Hunter knew Freddie would tell anyone who would listen who he’d seen in the car with him, but he’d hoped he and Alexis would have more than a few precious minutes alone before the rest of the estate descended on the cottage.
No such luck, though.
Alexis looked over at him wide-eyed, so he took her hand in his and kissed her softly. “I had a feeling we’d have guests. You’re pretty popular with a few of the guys here. I can send them away, but I’ve got to answer the door at least.”
“Oh, they’re fans of mine?” she asked in a surprised voice.
“Yeah. It seems I’m the only one who’s never seen any of your movies. I need to get out more, I guess.”
She smiled at his tepid attempt at a joke. “I like that you haven’t. It means you like me for me.”
“Well, I do, but brace yourself because these guys like you for entirely different reasons.”
As he walked toward the front door, he just hoped the men he worked with would behave themselves when they met her. Something told him they wouldn’t.
Opening the door, he saw Xavier and Gideon standing there w
earing shit eating grins and behind them stood Persephone with a far more serious look on her face. In the distance, Julian hurried across the lawn to join them.
“Hi, everyone. What’s new?” he asked casually.
“We heard you brought a friend home with you. We just came to welcome her,” Xavier said as he leaned around Hunter to peer into the cottage.
“It was a long drive, so maybe later. You know, after we have a chance to relax a little,” Hunter said, trying to put them off.
The way Persephone’s eyes narrowed to slits told him it was no use. They would be coming in, whether he wanted them to or not.
“It wouldn’t be very polite of the owner of this estate to not at least introduce herself and make one of her guests welcome, Hunter,” Persephone said icily.
Gideon and Xavier grinned even wider when he said, “No, I guess it wouldn’t. Please, come in everyone.”
He stepped off to the side and watched as they filed past him directly toward Alexis. Closing the door, he hurried over to help her as they descended on her like a pack of wolves, but she handled them easily. In fact, Hunter felt proud of her as he watched her deal with them with grace and confidence.
Persephone pushed the men who towered over her aside and smiled at Alexis. “It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Marchand. My name is Persephone Gilmore. I’m a huge fan of yours, as are my employees, clearly. What brings you to our little corner of the world?”
Everyone but Alexis picked up on the edge in Persephone’s words. Smiling, she shook hands with the head of Project Artemis.
“Oh, please call me Alexis. I asked Hunter to take me to where he lives, so we got in the car and drove down here from my new apartment in New York City. Your home is gorgeous, Persephone. Thank you for letting Hunter bring me here to see it.”
Hoping his boss wouldn’t turn on Alexis’s kind words, Hunter waited to see Persephone’s reaction and breathed a sigh of relief when she smiled in that way he knew meant she genuinely liked Alexis. What she thought of him he suspected tended toward another emotion entirely.
“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay here. Please come to the main house so I can give you a tour before you leave. It’s not Hollywood, but it’s home.”
“Oh, I will, for sure. Thank you.”
“I need a few minutes of Hunter’s time, so I’m sure you’ll be in capable hands with Gideon, Xavier, and Julian here.”
And with that, Persephone’s sweetness turned as she spun around to look at him while he cringed at her mention of any of the guys having their hands on Alexis. The leader of Project Artemis walked toward him with a flinty look in her dark eyes and her mouth set in a straight line across her face.
“Come with me,” she said in a low voice before walking outside onto the back porch of the cottage.
He followed her, and closing the door behind him so no one would hear what she had to say to him, he walked over to where she stood with her arms folded across her chest. She grimaced at him and didn’t say anything for a long moment as Hunter braced for what would come when she finally did begin to speak.
Her body language alone practically berated him.
“I let you get away with things I shouldn’t because of what Nick thinks of you. But he’s not here at the moment, and I’m going to tell you right now this whole thing is unacceptable, Hunter. You are a good man who I’ve come to rely on, but this is too much. You’ve endangered everything we do here, and for what? So some movie star can enjoy a few days away? Why aren’t you working on the case you were assigned in the place where it’s happening?”
“I work hard for this mission. You know that,” he said, careful in his defense not to anger her more. “You don’t have to worry about Alexis. She won’t tell anyone about this place. I promise.”
Persephone looked into his eyes, studying him for a moment and then shaking her head. “I see you’ve been breaking the rules all over the place. You’re too close to her. Too close to the client. I think maybe Gideon should take over this case. I know he’s been working on it anyway from here, and he’s had more than enough time watching TV with Xavier.”
Jealousy coursed through Hunter, making his fists clench at his side at the mere thought of Gideon protecting Alexis. “No, don’t do this. I can finish this job.”
Persephone pointed her finger at his eyes. “Do you think I don’t recognize that look in your eyes, Hunter? I remember that look in Nick’s eyes. You aren’t thinking clearly because you care for her.”
“So what if I do? Why was it perfectly fine for Nick to care about you when he was saving you but not okay for me to care about her?”
“That was different, and you know it.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter because I’m thinking just fine. Let me find the person who’s doing this to her and finish this case. I think I’m close to solving it, so let me do my job.”
“And our secret? This place?”
“You brought Kate back here to the estate when Roman’s assignment went sideways. Why is that okay but me bringing Alexis here isn’t?”
“She was shot, Hunter! Or did you conveniently forget that detail?” Persephone said angrily. “How are you going to make sure she doesn’t tell anyone?”
He didn’t worry about that. Alexis could be trusted to keep this place and all they did to herself.
“She’ll be fine. She won’t say a word. I’ll make sure of it.”
Persephone looked up at him and smiled. “You never doubt that your charm is going to get you what you want, do you, Hunter?”
Charm wasn’t what he relied on with Alexis. He hadn’t used that on her. He trusted she would keep their secret because he trusted her.
“She won’t say a thing. I promise. You have my word.”
“You better hope she doesn’t. Be careful, Hunter. Movie stars aren’t like other people. You’re supposed to help her find out who’s stalking her, and that’s it. Whatever else you’re doing is only going to make this case harder. I can see in your eyes you already have stepped over the line. That’s not good.”
“I’m fine. I know how to do this job. You know that. Nick knows that.”
“Nick sees too much of himself in you, I think. By the way you were looking at Miss Marchand in there, I think he must be right. You’re too close to her, and you know it.”
Hunter didn’t answer her, so she nodded, knowing she was right. “Don’t lose perspective, Hunter, or you’ll endanger her life and yours. I don’t want to lose one of my men any more than I want to lose a client.”
“I’ve got this handled, Persephone. Assuming Gideon did what I asked him, I should be able to find her stalker and wrap this case up in no time.”
The fact that just saying those words made his chest contract let him know Persephone was right. He was too close to Alexis, but there was no turning back now.
Persephone smiled and patted him on the arm as she walked back into the house. “Be careful what you wish for.”
He followed her inside and watched as she moved the men away from Alexis so the two of them could talk. Xavier and Julian sulked for a few moments before leaving, but Gideon headed toward him with a look on his face that told Hunter he had something to say.
Hopefully, he had news about those names he’d given him.
“Did you get me anything on that list I texted you?” Hunter asked impatiently.
Shrugging, Gideon shook his head. “I found nothing. They’re all clean. No records, no pending charges, or even a parking ticket. One of the assistants owes a little too much money for most financial planners’ comfort, but other than that, nothing.”
“Which assistant?” he asked, silently hoping he wouldn’t have to break Alexis’s heart if he found out Lauren was behind the letters.
“Carla. Not enough to convince me she’s up to no good, though.”
“What about the envelope and letter I sent you?”
“I just fucking got it like a half hour ago. You know, you could have just brought the
damn thing with you,” Gideon said, busting his ass.
“Yeah, yeah,” Hunter said as he looked over his friend’s shoulder to watch Alexis and Persephone talking. “I didn’t know I was coming here until after I sent it by courier.”
“Hey, what’s going on here?”
Hunter looked at him, confused. “What are you talking about? I’m trying to find the person who’s stalking her. Did you forget what the hell we’re working on?”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Gideon said, staring at him with a strange look in his eyes. “You can’t stop looking at her. Are you two…”
“Stop. This is the job. I’m supposed to keep my eye on her, remember?”
Gideon turned to look at Alexis, and Hunter saw her glance over and smile, knowing she probably wanted him to come over. He didn’t want his friend to think anything was going on between them, though.
Turning back to face him, Gideon studied him for a moment. “I’m seeing something here, man. She looks at you like you’re some kind of hero to her, her knight in shining armor, and you’re practically climbing out of your skin with the need to go to her. What’s going on with you two?”
Looking away to hide how he truly felt, Hunter said, “Nothing. Don’t be stupid. I’m doing my job.”
In a voice he was sure both Alexis and Persephone heard, Gideon said, “Holy shit! You slept with her? You dog!”
Hunter cringed at how loudly he said that. “For Christ’s sake, keep your voice down.”
“Damn! You didn’t even know who she was before you got this case. I’m impressed, man. I wasn’t sure you had it in you. So what’s going on?”
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Gideon, who at the moment sounded more like a high school kid than a grown man. “Nothing. Just do your job and stop acting like a teenage girl. She doesn’t need you getting into her business.”
Gideon’s smile spread until it practically reached from ear to ear. “You sound pretty protective there, buddy.”
Hunter looked over at Alexis and she smiled at him. He couldn’t help but be happy, but then Persephone turned around to face him and scowled.
