Hunter

by Blaire Drake

All I had was hope that Adriana was strong enough to survive it.

  Deep down, I knew she was. She could weather any storm that was thrown her way, because that was what she'd been taught. Her mother was a pillar of strength, and I knew that Alexandria had given every ounce of that to her daughter.

  Adriana also had a hefty dose of attitude, so I was more than a little afraid that she'd mix that with her strength and get herself more stupidity than anything. Lord only knew she was pretty fucking impulsive and tended to act before she thought sometimes.

  I glanced to the side at Gaige. He was staring out of the window, and I wondered how impulsive she'd be if he challenged her once in a while. From what I'd seen and she'd told me, he was quick to do whatever she wanted.

  Like leaving her house the first time we met, right after she tried—and succeeded—in throwing me into the pool. If I were him and I'd just found the chick I was in love with close to another guy in a pool, I sure as fuck wouldn't be leaving the house. She would have had to try and physically shove me off the property, and even then, I'd probably find myself a way back onto it.

  “Angelo messaged yet?” I asked, finally sick of him pressing the button to brighten his phone screen and check.

  “Nope.” He clicked his tongue and put his phone face down, only to check it again a minute later.

  I stopped myself from rolling my eyes and glanced at the time. We were just approaching the Hamptons, and I knew that if the house wasn't clear, I'd be emptying my gun faster than I'd anticipated.

  “Can you text him? I need to know how to get in.” I was getting impatient. Our time was limited as it was.

  Wordlessly, he tapped at the screen.

  Fuck, I hate this guy.

  I rolled my shoulders as we entered the Hamptons and studiously avoided looking at him. If I had to go in there and shoot every motherfucker I came across, then it was gonna be a bad fucking day for them, wasn't it? I was getting to Adriana, and I didn't care if I'd be covered in blood by the time I did. I just knew I was getting there. I'd run out of fucks to give and there was no two ways about it.

  I was getting my girl back.

  “It's not clear,” Gaige said, looking at me.

  “What a fucking shame,” I replied in a flat tone.

  I was disassociating myself.

  I was switching from Carlo to Hunter.

  From man to assassin.

  From lover to killer.

  The two pieces of me split apart, ripping down the center. Like two rough edges, they fit together, but like polar opposites, they couldn't touch.

  Gaige stared at me as I focused on the road ahead. “You're going in there anyway?”

  “Is Adriana stuck in a basement cell?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then there's your answer.” I turned the car. “There isn't a person in that house that can kill me before I kill them, but I'd like to see them try.”

  “You're real confident, Rosso.”

  “You call it confident, I call it knowledgeable, Pontarelli.”

  “What if they get you?”

  I slowed the car and looked at him. “Then you're gonna have to grow a fuckin' pair, aren't you?”

  “I'd do anything for her,” he protested.

  “Except die.”

  He didn't reply.

  I knew it.

  I'd give my life for hers.

  He wouldn't.

  The difference between us glared.

  The house appeared in the distance.

  He ground his teeth.

  I touched the gun at my waist. “You know you might not make this out in one piece, don't you?”

  Slowly, he turned to face me again. “Will she?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, yes. I know.”

  I killed the engine. “Let's go.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Adriana

  I lolled my head back against the wall.

  It was cold, so cold.

  I was cold.

  Everything was cold.

  Angelo promised help was coming. He promised I wasn't alone.

  I felt alone.

  Felt it as it pumped through my veins, slid through my arteries, drained through my bones.

  Felt it everywhere.

  Alone.

  Cold.

  Where was everyone?

  Why was I so alone?

  Hunter.

  Heartbreak.

  Darien.

  Anguish.

  Hunter.

  Where was he?

  “You have to be careful,” he whispers, pushing my hair from my face. “People want you, my bella principessa.”

  “I know, but I just wanted ice cream. Besides, you came with me.” I look up into his pretty silver eyes. “You said it was okay.”

  “I know.” He sighs, then wipes a little blood from the small cut on my cheek. “I hope this doesn't scar.”

  I shrug. “I don't care. We sure kicked their butts, huh?”

  His grin lights up his face. His smile tells me he did it all, but his eyes scream that he's proud of me for booting that idiota in the balls. “Sure, Addy. We kicked their butts real good.”

  I reach forward and wipe my thumb across his bottom lip. The cut is bleeding, so I grab some tissue and press it there for a moment. “Cacciatore. You keep bleeding,” I whisper, dabbing at it.

  “Principessa,” he responds, wrapping his strong hand around my much smaller one. “It's just blood. You're okay. That's all that matters.” His hand travels to my cheek. The warmth from his rough palm travels across my skin, and I close my eyes for a second. I open them in time for his next words. “I will always protect you. No matter where you are or what trouble you've gotten yourself in. I will always be there to save you.”

  But he wasn't.

  Where was he?

  Why wasn't he here?

  My eyes burned.

  He promised.

  He promised he'd always protect me. He promised to always save me.

  Where was he?

  “Hunter.” It was the barest whisper, but in the darkness of my prison, it screamed, echoed of every single wall.

  He wasn't here.

  I'd been here forever.

  Why wasn't he?

  I needed him. I didn't care he'd lied. I didn't want to be here anymore.

  I wanted him.

  Needed him.

  Hunter?

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Hunter

  “Stop,” I hissed to Gaige.

  He was moving too fast. He didn't know this property the way I did. We needed to go slow, get in when no one could see us. It was already bad enough because I knew Addy was so close. She was so fucking close that if I ran, I could be with her in mere minutes, but it wasn't that simple. Going too fast would only put her in danger.

  Sometimes the guards were inside the basement walls. If we went storming in...

  I didn't want to think about that.

  I gripped my gun tightly. I'd seen no one so far. That bode both well and badly. Either all the outer men had been removed, or they were all inside. “Anything?”

  Gaige shook his head once more.

  Fuck. The Pontarellis needed a mafia masterclass.

  I snatched the phone from his grip. It was locked. Fuck me. “Unlock it.”

  He paused.

  “Fucking now.”

  He unlocked it and passed it back.

  I brought up the contacts and dialled Angelo. It rang and rang, so I called again. And a third time.

  He finally picked up. “What?” he snapped.

  “What the fuck is happening in there, Pontarelli?” I demanded, keeping my eyes on the doorway of the house.

  “Carlo?” he asked.

  “No, the fucking Sandman.”

  “Hold on.” A few seconds passed with the shutting of a door. “All but a few, but I'm pretty sure they're working on my side. They've refused to leave and know she's downstairs.”

  “Don't assume with these fuckers. Can you get
her up?”

  “Without her being shot? I don't know.”

  “Can we get in?”

  “Without shooting someone? I don't know.”

  “Don't know a whole fuckin' lot, do you, Pontarelli?” I snorted. “See you in around sixty seconds.”

  I hung up before he could say another word and shoved the phone at Gaige.

  “Ross—”

  I slapped my hand over his mouth as I saw Anthony Rossi pass us. When he'd disappeared, I kept my hand there. “If they look like they want to kill you, they're gonna fuckin' kill you, so kill them first. Make sure your gun is ready to shoot. Hell, kill them even if they don't wanna kill you. I'd rather you kill someone on our side than be killed.” I tightened my grip on my gun, grabbed his jacket, and tugged him after me, still keeping my voice at a whisper. “I don't know what we're gonna find in there, but I know how to get to where she is with my eyes closed. Follow me.”

  “Got it.” He pushed my hand from his jacket, but when I looked back, he was following me.

  I stopped us and peeked over the bushes when we reached the front of the house. There was still no one around, so I looked through the softly frosted front windows. Again, nothing.

  It looked silent.

  I motioned for Gaige to follow me, then ran for the door. I opened it quietly and slowly, making sure to keep my senses on full alert for everything around me. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. Like someone was waiting.

  I didn't know if I was being paranoid or smart.

  Both options were equally fucking viable.

  I glanced behind me. Gaige's stance was much the same as mine, gun out, eyes scanning the wide open hallway. He was closer to my side now, and it was hard not to get distracted.

  I was so close to Adriana now.

  Even if I was still so far away. We were close.

  The bullet sliced through the air, lodging itself in the wall just three feet away from us. A warning shot.

  We'd only get one.

  It was all I needed. Idiots just told me exactly where they were.

  I raised my gun right as someone came running around the corner. I had no idea who it was as instinct made me pull the trigger and shoot my own bullet into their chest.

  They dropped.

  Gaige shot behind me, and I moved forward. One down—I wondered how many more people I'd have to kill to even get to Adriana.

  Five. Ten. Fifty. I didn't care. I'd take down an entire country for her if that's what it took to keep her safe.

  I moved down to hall to where I knew the locked entrance to the basement was. Maybe fifty people would be a few too many—I needed a bullet left to shoot the damn thing off unless Angelo appeared like magic to unlock the door. Even then, I knew shooting the lock off would be quicker. I needed quick.

  I fired three more bullets, hitting my targets every time. I stepped over one of the bodies and kicked the gun in his hand away. Fuck it—I stepped back and grabbed it. If there was anything better than one gun, it was two guns.

  I had a feeling I might need both.

  “Quick.” The basement door opened, and Angelo Pontarelli's face appeared in the gap. “Gaige will be fine.”

  I slipped through the doorway, tucking one of the guns inside my jacket. “Why is she still down here? And Gaige?”

  “Gaige will probably run away.” Angelo reached around me and locked the door from this side.

  I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

  “And Adriana's still here because it was easier to let you come in and kill everyone than it was to have her killed trying to get her out.”

  “I only shot three people,” I argued.

  “Associates.” He snorted. “Nobody else was stupid enough to stay. There was a rumor you were headed this way.”

  “My reputation tends to precede me, admittedly.” I shrugged a shoulder as I followed him down the basement hallway. “Where's Isaiah?”

  “Waiting for Enzio's plane to land in fifteen minutes.”

  Nothing like cutting it close.

  I didn't say anything else as he fumbled with the ring of keys and put one in the lock of a door. It was solid, and I knew instantly which room she was in. “Did anyone touch her?”

  Angelo shook his head. “I'm the only person who's been in the room. Isaiah tried, but I forced him to wait for Enzio. My bad cop act was convincing, obviously.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Addy?” he said softly, pushing the door open. “I'm turning on the light, so cover your eyes.”

  “'Kay,” she replied quietly.

  My heart clenched.

  She sounded so fucking broken.

  Angelo clicked the switch at the top, and it was so bright that even I had to blink harshly several times before my vision adjusted. I knew how hard she'd be struggling to cope with the sudden onslaught of light, so I pushed past him to see her.

  She was curled in a ball in the corner beneath a blanket, with her hand covering her eyes. Her face was turned into the wall, and I swallowed hard.

  God.

  I didn't even know what to say. A lump lodged in my throat as the sound of bullets echoed on the floor above us. I hoped Gaige was doing okay, but in that moment, I didn't care. I didn't even want to fight—I wanted to take this girl in front of me and hide her away forever.

  “What's going on up—” She paused as she dropped her hand from her eyes and saw me. “Hunter,” she whispered.

  “Hey.”

  Hey. Fucking hey. What a fucking dick I was.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Saving you. Although...” I looked down and noticed some blood staining my light blue jeans. “The armor needs a little work.”

  “What's going on upstairs?” She shook off the blanket and stood. Her legs almost gave out, and I shot forward to grab her. She managed to steady herself by the wall before I could touch her, but she inhaled sharply when my hand wrapped around her arm.

  “Sounds like Gaige is shooting everyone,” Angelo offered.

  “Gaige is up there? Shooting people?” she questioned, her eyebrows drawing together as she glanced over my shoulder at him. “Wow. Why aren't you up there helping him?”

  She had a point.

  “I, er...” Angelo stopped.

  “That was a get the fuck up and help him, Angelo,” she clarified. “Now.”

  He left without a word, and reluctantly, I let her arm go. I didn't want to, but she looked like she might kill me.

  “Is Enzio here?”

  I shook my head. “He will be any time.”

  “Okay.” Her voice is quiet, and she tugs her lower lip through her teeth slowly. Her tongue flicks out to wet it, and she meets my eyes. “Did you kill everyone yet?”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Adriana

  It was a reasonable question, given the blood that dotted his clothes. I wondered if he even realized that his pants were splattered with more than a few drops, and he even had one dripping down his cheek.

  “Only three people,” he replied, his lips twitching upward on one side.

  “What did you do? Slit their throats?” I reached forward and wiped the blood from his cheek with my thumb. Maybe I should have been horrified, but if I was honest, it wasn't the first time I'd seen him covered in blood that wasn't his own.

  His playground fights when we were kids meant I'd thrown away more than one stained cloth in my life.

  “If I had a knife, maybe.” He grinned. Not maliciously, just... grinned. “There's a chance one was close-range.”

  I ran my finger down his jacket to remove the blood. The gunshots above us had ceased, so I hoped that meant everyone that wanted to kill me were now dead themselves, and that Gaige and Angelo weren't among the bodies I knew would be littering the ground.

  Hunter wrapped his fingers around mine, still holding his gun in the other at his side. His silver eyes were bright, even in the harsh light that flooded my prison. They changed from relieved to concerned, but they swam with guilt. />
  I hated the way the emotion darkened his eyes.

  “Don't,” I whispered, gently grasping his jacket. “We can talk after.”

  “What if we can't?”

  “Are you doubting me, Hunter?” I looked into his eyes. “We will talk after this. You and me. Alive. Okay. Without my father lording over this family as if he owns it.”

  He fought as his lips twitched. “Yes, Boss.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but instead, I half-smiled. Yes, I was hurt, and I was sure as hell angry with him, but now wasn't the time for it. No matter how much I wanted to snatch his gun from him and whack him in the face with it. Maybe even shoot him with it.

  Non-fatally, of course. Like his elbow or something.

  “Let's go. Before he gets here,” Hunter said, holding his hand out to me.

  I stared at his bloodied palm. “And how am I supposed to go up there with no way to protect myself?”

  “That's what I'm for.”

  “That's cute, but I'm not fucking Cinderella. More like Merida.”

  “Who's Merida?” He frowned.

  I stilled. Of course he'd have no idea about any kind of princess that wasn't born into blood. “Never mind. Just give me your gun.”

  He looked appropriately horrified. “That's not gonna happen, Addy. Take this one instead.” He pulled one form the inside of his jacket and handed it to me.

  “You just happen to have a spare?” I frowned as I wrapped my fingers around the handle. There was the tiniest amount of blood spatter on the barrel, and I wondered if he was ignoring some people when he said he'd only killed three.

  “Yeah. Doesn't everybody carry a spare?” He flashed me a grin before a rich chuckle escaped his mouth. “No. I took it off some associate upstairs.”

  “Once he was dead... right?”

  “Absolutely. Almost dead at the very least.” He turned around, rolling his shoulders, and headed for the door. His gun clicked as he checked the magazine for bullets.

  I slowly shook my head. “You're a little disturbed. You know that, right?”

  “I'm more than a little disturbed, bella. I'm downright fucked up.” He glanced over his shoulder. “But downright fucked up is what's gonna keep you alive tonight.”

  Well. When he put it like that... “Let's go,” I muttered, checking the gun he'd just handed me. Loaded and ready to shoot. I was glad.