Hunted

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “Looks like we beat them here,” Laz said and parked in front of Geneva’s house.

  Myles stayed put and glanced around her neighborhood. She lived on a quiet tree-lined street in a cute house that didn’t fit her bigger-than-life personality. A better fit for her would be a luxury high-rise or maybe even a loft. His loft, to be more specific. Since their conversation the other day, he’d been thinking about asking her to move in with him and Collin. Their relationship was still relatively new, but Myles knew without a doubt that he didn’t want anyone else.

  “Here they are now,” Kenton said, as Parker pulled up behind them. “Do you want us to stick around, or are you planning to ride back with them?”

  “I’ll hitch a ride with them. Thanks, fellas, I’ll catch you later.”

  Myles didn’t wait for Kenton to open the back door for him. He climbed out before the big guy had a chance. He hadn’t seen Geneva all day and couldn’t wait a moment longer.

  He hated that she’d left the house without telling him, but at least she hadn’t ventured out on her own.

  “Thanks for bringing her, man,” Myles said to Angelo, who opened the truck door for Geneva.

  “No problem.”

  Myles smiled when Geneva climbed out of the vehicle. It didn’t matter that he shared her bed and saw her every day. His heart still thumped a little faster whenever she was near.

  His grin grew wider when she sashayed to him. Just the sight of her in the short, body-hugging sweater and jeans that accentuated her curves had his body stirring with need.

  He couldn’t wait to get her back to the guest house and have his way with her. Or better yet, maybe they’d be able to get in a quickie while they were at her place.

  “When you look at me like that, you make me want to strip out of my clothes and strut around butt-naked in front of you,” she said by way of greeting, that wicked gleam in her eyes shining brightly.

  Myles slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her before they strolled up the walkway. “And when you talk dirty like that, you make me want to take you roughly up against the nearest wall.”

  Geneva burst out laughing. “Ohh, Mr. Carrington, I’m loving this talk-dirty-to-me side of you. You’ve come a long way, baby.”

  “Sweetheart, you ain’t heard nothing yet. Wait until I tell you about all the ways I’m going to make love to you tonight. But first, let’s talk about why you’re out running around town. I thought we had an agreement that you would lay low.”

  “Myles, I tried. A week is my limit. I needed air. You know I can’t stay cooped up for long. Don’t worry, though; this is my last stop, and I’ll make it quick. I just want to grab some more clothes and my cosmetic bag. A girl can only live on just concealer and lip gloss for so long.”

  “Okay, well, let’s make it quick. I told Collin we’ll watch a movie with him. We just have to pick up popcorn and gummy bears on the way back.”

  “Oh, gummy bears, my favorite,” Geneva cracked.

  She unlocked the front door and they strolled inside.

  “I promise. It’ll only take me a minute. Angelo is challenging me to grab everything I need and be outside in seven minutes,” she said and headed down the hallway toward the bedrooms.

  “All right, I’ll be right here. I’m just going to grab some water or whatever you have in the frig.”

  Myles strolled into the kitchen and flipped on the light. He had just opened the refrigerator when he noticed the dishes in the sink, which was odd. Dirty dishes in the sink were one of Geneva’s pet peeves. He knew that because she had fussed at him the other morning about that exact thing. Besides, she hadn’t been to the house in over a week.

  Myles glanced around the kitchen and the adjacent dining room. Something wasn’t right. It wasn’t anything major that stood out, only small things, like a dirty mug next to the stove and a cereal box on the counter near the pantry.

  It might’ve been nothing, but…

  It was also too quiet. Nothing about Geneva was quiet. Even if she were just gathering clothes, she would be singing, laughing, or even talking to herself.

  “Hey, babe. How much longer?” he called out, hoping she’d say something so he’d know that she was all right.

  Nothing.

  Something was definitely wrong.

  Myles bent down and removed his pistol from his ankle holster, and slipped it into the back of his waistband. He might’ve preferred using his knife, but he wasn’t sure what to expect, and his gun would be a better choice.

  When she still didn’t respond, Myles sent a quick text to Angelo, letting him know they had company. He told them to stay put and give him ten minutes before breaching the back door. Now all Myles had to do was lead whoever their unwanted visitor was to the front of the house.

  Dropping the phone back into his pocket, he remembered seeing a bat behind Geneva’s front door and grabbed it. Maybe the person would think that was his only weapon. But Geneva would know better.

  Myles moved slowly down the hallway toward her bedroom. That’s when he heard feet shuffling and muffled sounds.

  “Geneva, don’t forget to grab that red dress of yours that I like. I’m thinking you can wear it tomorrow evening.” He had no idea if she had a red dress, but at least she’d know that he knew she had company.

  He moved past the guest bathroom, where the door was open, and the room was dark. There was no other sound, and only her bedroom light was on.

  When he finally reached her door and glanced into the room, his gut twisted. Ice clogged his veins.

  Bile rose to his throat at the sight of a man with his arm around her neck and a pistol against her temple.

  Myles assumed this was Cyrus. The man’s pale face and dark circles under his eyes made him look as if he was physically ill or hadn’t slept in days.

  Either way, he was a dangerous man with a gun pointed at Geneva.

  Myles moved to the center of the doorway with the bat in his hand. Instead of entering the room, he stayed in the hallway. He wanted the guy out of the bedroom just in case Angelo and Parker entered before Myles could get Cyrus out in the open.

  “Well, well, well, we finally meet,” the guy said. “I was wondering when she’d return home. But today must be my lucky day since you came with her. And just think, I thought I would have to have her call you. This makes my job so much easier.”

  “You okay, baby?” Myles asked, ignoring Cyrus and giving his full attention to Geneva. A tear slipped from her eye, but she looked more angry than scared.

  “Yes,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Instead of worrying about her, you need to be concerned with what I plan to do to you,” the man growled.

  “And who are you?”

  “Don’t play dumb. I know you were in my apartment. I spotted you and your friends leave.”

  “Okay, so what do you want?” Myles asked, gripping the bat tighter and slowly easing away from the door, hoping Cyrus would follow.

  “I want you dead, but first, drop the bat.”

  Myles took another step back. “Not until you release her.”

  Cyrus was still holding Geneva close when they appeared in the hallway. “You’re in no position to be making demands,” Cyrus said. “You either put the bat down, or I put a bullet in her head. Your choice.”

  “Okay, fine, I’m setting it down.”

  He lowered it to the floor. Now that they were all in the hallway, that gave Myles and his guys better access to the man.

  “Now, let her go. Whatever this is about, it’s between you and me, but I’m at a loss here. What did I do to you?”

  “You ruined my life! It’s because of you that my parents are dead.”

  “Is that why you killed Whitney and shot at me the other night? You think I did something to your family? That’s crazy. I don’t even know you or your family.”

  “Don’t lie to me!” the man roared and charged forward with Geneva in tow. “It took me four years to hunt you and Samantha
down,” Cyrus said, using Whitney’s alias. His eyes bulged out of his pale face, making him look crazed and on edge. “But I did it. I killed her, and you’re next!”

  “How did you find me?” Myles asked, trying to stay calm while fuming inside.

  “Senator Pickett. I blackmailed him. He was a friend of my dad’s, and I knew he’d give me your names. At first, he wouldn’t help me, but I convinced him.” Cyrus released a sinister laugh, and the sound was like that of fingernails clawing down a blackboard. “He was cheating on his wife with an agent named Ruby Wallace, and he didn’t want anyone to know.”

  A sick feeling settled inside of Myles’s gut. He recognized both names.

  Ruby was an FBI agent who had worked on Cyrus’s father’s case. She and Pickett had been found dead a few months ago. Gunshot wounds to the head.

  Myles made eye contact with Geneva, who hadn’t taken her eyes off him the whole time. It was as if she was asking him: what should I do? He needed her to stay calm while he tried to get Cyrus to lower his weapon. Myles didn’t want the man to shoot her, intentionally or unintentionally.

  “Okay, if you think I had something to do with your parents’ death, fine. Be angry at me, but leave her out of this. Let her go, and then it’ll be just you and me. Be a man. Come get me.”

  Cyrus growled under his breath, and his agitation visibly amped up. Myles was getting to him. At some point, the man would make a mistake and give him just the opening he needed. But first, he had to get Geneva out of the way.

  “I should’ve known you were a coward,” Myles taunted. “Using a woman as your shield. What kind of man—”

  “Shut up!” Cyrus roared and swung his gun to Myles, but he still had a death grip around Geneva’s neck. “Just shut up. You don’t know anything about me or what I’ve been through.”

  “I don’t give a damn about you,” Myles continued. “Let. Her. Go!”

  “You don’t tell me what to do!” Cyrus shoved Geneva to the ground. “I’m the one who—”

  The back door burst open just as Myles whipped his gun from around his back and shot Cyrus between the eyes. He dropped to the hardwood floor with a loud thud, and Myles raced to Geneva, who was screaming and scooting away from the body.

  Myles’s heart hammered loud enough to be heard in the next county as he pulled Geneva up and practically carried her into the living room while Angelo and Parker tended to the body.

  Myles blocked her view of the hallway and frantically cupped her face between his hands. “You okay? Did he hurt you?”

  “No. No. I’m fine,” she panted while swiping at her eyes. “My ears are ringing, but I’m okay. I’m okay,” she kept saying before burying her face against his chest.

  Myles held her tight. “It’s over, baby. It’s all over.”

  “I’m so glad,” Geneva said, her voice muffled against his chest. She leaned back and looked at him, tears hanging from her lashes. “I thought he was going to kill me. I didn’t know how to warn you that he was in the bedroom. He was hiding in the bathroom, Myles.” Her composure shattered, and she dissolved into sobs.

  “Baby, I’m so sorry you went through this. I never meant—”

  “You saved my life,” she sniffled as she pulled herself together. “How did you know he was here?”

  “I didn’t know at first. I noticed a few things out of place, but what really gave it away was how quiet you were. You’re never quiet.”

  Geneva sputtered a laugh and swiped at a rogue tear. “God, I’m so glad you know me.”

  “Not as glad as I am.” A few more tears leaked from her eyes, and Myles brushed them away with the pad of his thumb. “I love you so much, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you know that.”

  “I already know, and I love you, too.”

  Epilogue

  Eight weeks later…

  Geneva wasn’t used to letting anyone drive her Mustang, especially considering how long it had been in the shop. But Myles wasn’t just anyone. He was the man she planned to spend the rest of her life with.

  He was also the man who was up to something. She just didn’t know what.

  He pulled her car into Lenox Mall’s parking lot and found a parking spot a long way from the building. He’d been driving around Buckhead, a suburb of Atlanta, stopping at a few stores and picking up items he claimed he needed for their picnic. So far, he hadn’t bought any food, but maybe some edible items were in the large basket he had in the backseat.

  Geneva turned to him and frowned. “I love the mall as much as the next person, but why are we here?”

  His picnic idea sounded crazy since it was the middle of December. Atlanta’s weather was unpredictable this time of year. The day before had been thirty-five degrees, while today it was fifty-five. That was still a little too cold to be eating outside, in her opinion. Yet, Geneva agreed to go along with his anniversary plan.

  They’d been dating for over two months, and it had been some of the best months of her life. Sure, their relationship might’ve started out like a nightmare, but after Cyrus’s death, their lives eased back into some normalcy.

  “Don’t worry. This is just a little detour,” Myles said, putting the car in park, then turning to her. “You’ll get that picnic, but we have one more stop to make first.” He reached into the center console and pulled out a red and white bandana. “Here, put this over your eyes.”

  “What? And mess up my eye makeup? I don’t think so.”

  Myles laughed, something he was doing a lot more frequently. “Just do it. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

  “It better be,” she joked.

  Geneva wrapped the scarf around her head and made sure her eyes were covered. She secretly loved surprises and was just giving him a hard time, not that it bothered him at all. Myles was a master at dealing with her fickle personality.

  When she felt the car moving again, she didn’t question it. Instead, her excitement grew. Over the last couple of months, they’d been getting to know each other better. Geneva hadn’t known that she could fall more in love with him with each passing day.

  A week after Cyrus was killed, she put her house on the market, something she never thought she’d do. She loved her little gingerbread house, but it was impossible to live there after what had happened. She considered herself pretty tough and unflappable, but watching someone get shot and die right in front of her had rocked her. Nightmares, cold sweats, and anxiousness had been a part of her life for a couple of weeks after the shooting.

  But through it all, Myles was right there. He had moved her into his loft with him and Collin, and the two of them, along with Coco, were the best cure for dealing with a traumatic experience.

  That and therapy.

  Her house had sold within a week, even after the buyer, a mystery writer, was told about the killing. He claimed that bit of history might help his muse.

  Myles had also sold Whitney’s home. Though she hadn’t wanted a funeral, Yvette had insisted on having a very small memorial service for her, which was held at the house.

  Collin still didn’t understand the concept of death, but he was adjusting to his new life. He talked about Whitney from time to time, and occasionally, he’d have crying spells, saying that he wanted her to come back from heaven. The family therapist said it would take time, and already Geneva could see the changes in him.

  His friendship with Miracle also helped. Collin had pitched a fit when they moved out of the guest house. He didn’t want to leave Miracle. He eventually settled down when Geneva and London came up with the idea of the kids having weekly play dates.

  Then there was Coco. The dog had been a godsend to all of them. When Geneva first adopted her from the shelter, she never imagined how much her baby would change her life. Not only hers but also Myles and Collin’s. She was such an essential part of their family, and now they were thinking about getting another dog.

  Myles was turning out to be full of surprises. It had been his suggestion for
them all to start seeing a therapist. He had taken a month off of work to try and make sense of his new life.

  He amazed Geneva. Watching how he was with his son, how he also made her feel loved and cherished, all the while taking care of Whitney’s estate. He was a real-life superhero. Task-oriented and organized, she was convinced that there was nothing he couldn’t do. Myles was the reason the three of them were doing as well as they were. They’d become a family overnight, and Geneva never knew she could be as happy as she was with him and Collin.

  “Okay, we’re almost there,” Myles said, cutting into her thoughts. “I need you to keep your blindfold on until I say you can take it off.”

  “God, you’re bossy but all right.”

  He chuckled. “You know you like it when I’m bossy.”

  “I more than like it. I love it. I love you.”

  Myles grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “Not as much as I love you. Okay, are you ready for this?”

  “Well, considering I don’t know what this is, I guess I’m ready.”

  “Sit tight. I’ll grab the picnic basket, then come around and help you out of the car.”

  Giddiness bubbled inside of Geneva. She loved surprises, and Myles had been full of them over the last couple of months. Not in a million years would she have guessed that he was a romantic. Everything from candlelight dinners to bubble baths for two, he pulled out all the stops when it came to her.

  Myles opened the car door and grabbed hold of her hand. “We’ll go slow, especially since you decided to wear four-inch heels. Who wears heels to a picnic, anyway?”

  “I do. Now quit yapping and tell me what you’re up to,” Geneva said.

  She had a death grip on his hand. Walking blindfolded in high heels over uneven pavement wasn’t an easy feat.

  “Okay, you’re going to take a small step up,” Myles instructed.

  A few minutes later, they were inside some type of structure because it was a lot warmer than it had been outside a few minutes ago.

  Geneva inhaled, expecting to smell food, but instead smelled perfume…the type Journey wore.