by Bella J.
Hunter leaned slightly forward, his gaze never leaving hers. “Then I guess that makes us both reckless.”
She moved her lips closer to his and he wasn’t sure if he was about to kiss her or if she was about to kiss him. He just hoped like hell someone was about to kiss the other one.
Just as her lips lightly brushed against his, sending what felt like a jolt of electricity down his spine, he readied himself to devour her mouth. He was so fucking hungry for her taste, ready to take from her what he needed so badly. But then she paused and he felt her hands brush against his stomach, taking his shirt in her hand. Her touch felt euphoric and deadly at the same damn time, burning his skin yet making him feel more alive than ever.
Slowly she lifted his shirt, and traced her finger gently along the tattoo just above his pants. Just that one subtle touch of her finger against his skin was enough to provoke the animal in him, creating a lust of apocalyptic proportions that raged inside his loins. God, he wanted this woman.
“Scar—”
“Regret,” she said before pulling her hand away, leaving burning flesh behind.
He watched with hungry eyes as she reached for her own shirt, pulling it up and giving him a glimpse of the body he had tasted, and needed to taste again, and again, and again. The sight of her skin fueled his most carnal urges—his need to be one with her while he fucked her until her entire body would start shaking.
She grabbed his hand and placed it over the tattoo on her side. A groan escaped him as the warmth of her skin seeped through to his very fucking soul.
“Torment,” she whispered, allowing his finger to trace across the black ink that marked her body. It was one of those pivotal moments shared between two people, solidifying a connection that went soul deep. The only difference was their connection had a slim chance of surviving all the brokenness they carried around inside them.
She removed her hand from his, but he didn’t take his hand away from her side. Instead, he flattened his palm against her skin, staring at the ink as he gave a tiny step forward, wanting to close the gap between them—physically and emotionally.
“You see, Ace.” She made him look at her—into the eyes that would soon be his undoing. “We’re just too fucked-up for each other.”
Gently she took his hand in hers and pulled it away from her side. She leaned closer, placing a soft kiss just below his ear before she whispered, “Two broken souls can’t make a whole.”
And then she walked away.
Jesus Christ. Hunter placed his hands on the Ducati, letting his head hang down, trying to calm the raging thoughts inside his head. The vice his body was currently in was the worst thing he had ever felt. Wanting her, needing her, yet not being able to have her. It was torture.
If only he could stop it. If only there was a switch he could flick off when it came to her, it would be so much easier. If he could stop wanting to protect her, to make her his, none of this would be so damn hard. But he couldn’t, and it finally dawned on him why. He finally realized why it was just too fucking impossible for him to walk away.
His heart was already in it. If he walked away now, he would be leaving his heart behind, and apparently, that just wasn’t an option anymore—not for him.
He turned around and called out, “Scar?”
She stopped, but didn’t turn around. “Yeah?”
“You were going to take a ride, weren’t you?”
“I sure was.”
He snorted. “Not stupid, huh?”
She turned and faced him. “Actually, I think I am. I might just be the stupidest woman in the history of mankind.”
“Why do you say that?”
“If I was clever, Ace, I would have never allowed myself to like you in the first place.”
Hunter lifted a brow. “Like?”
“Yeah, like.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I once heard someone say that people like us are incapable of loving.”
Hunter narrowed his eyes, but then she turned and walked out of the garage.
She’d heard. Scarlet had heard what he told Baxter the day before when he got stitched up. Motherfucker, of course she heard. Just another sign the entire universe was against them.
Unfortunately for the universe, it chose two highly stubborn individuals whose lives it was trying to dictate.
“Fuck you, universe,” he said up into the air. “Fuck you and that bastard named Murphy.”
Hunter stomped out of the garage, but not before taking one final glance at all the impressive cars and motorcycles.
“Adam, you son of a bitch. You would have loved this.”
Suddenly, Hunter missed his cocksure best friend. He could practically here the bastard say, “Goldilocks, out of all the pussies in the world you had to go and pick the one that managed to get you into this huge bucket full of shit. Congratulations, dildo.”
Hunter snorted. Yup, that was exactly what Adam would have said.
After hovering around the garage for a bit, trying to get his shit together, Hunter made his way back to the house. As he walked up the stairs to the front door, the door opened and Colton came walking out.
As if his day couldn’t get any shittier.
Colton glared at him. “I was looking for you.”
“Sorry, soldier boy, I don’t roll like that. My dick prefers pussy. But I don’t blame you. Since you lack in the testosterone department, you’re looking to compensate with my abundance of the male hormone.” Hunter shrugged. “I get that.”
Colton stared at him, straight-faced. “Are you done?”
“Oh, I haven’t even started yet.”
“Okay, well, once you’ve managed to thoroughly convince yourself that your dick is bigger than mine, we need to go over the plan for tomorrow.” And then he walked back into the house.
“Oh, mine’s definitely bigger than yours,” Hunter said after him. “Plus, I have the balls to back it up.”
Ugh. Hunter’s comebacks were starting to get lamer by the second.
Fucker.
Colton might act like the good guy, but Hunter didn’t trust him. And come tomorrow, he would be keeping a close eye on the fucker. In fact, Hunter had a little plan of his own. There was no way in hell he was taking any chances—especially when it came to Scarlet.
Chapter 14
“You ready?” Hunter stared at Scarlet worriedly.
“No.” She zipped up her boot, then continued to fidget with the zipper.
“You didn’t sleep at all last night, did you?”
“Nope.”
There was no way in hell she would have been able to. In a few hours she would be facing the devil, the man who started it all, and the man who wanted to finish it all.
Today, Scarlet would come face to face with Brent Wolfe. The last time she stared into those evil hazel-colored eyes was while he defiled her body in the worst possible way.
Now, she would have to act braver than she had ever before in her life. She had to make sure she showed no weakness, no trace of the blackness he had left behind in her. She would not give him that satisfaction.
“Scar.” Hunter sat down next to her on the bed. “I’ll be there with you every step of the way. I will not let you out of my sight for a second.” He gently placed his hand on her chin and turned her to look at him. “I promise you, I will protect you.”
The determination, the resolve she saw in his eyes made her heart swell. It made her feel just the tiniest bit more…secure—which was probably why she did the most unexpected thing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. And it wasn’t just a normal kind of hug. It was a real I care kind of hug.
She tightened her arms around him and buried her face between his neck and shoulder, finding a little comfort in his familiar wild spice scent and the warmth of his skin. God, she needed him. She needed him more than she would ever care to admit.
She felt him place his arms around her waist, hugging her back. “We got this, kitten. We got this.”
/> Scarlet wanted to cry. She could feel the tears stinging the back of her eyes, threatening to make a fool out of her yet again. Deep down, the young girl in her was screaming not to let her face him. She wanted to beg Hunter to find another way. But she knew better. She knew Hunter needed just half an excuse to not let her go through with this. He had made no secret of his dislike of this motherfucking stupidest idea ever—as he put it—from the start. If she broke down now and told him that she didn’t have the courage to go through with this, Hunter would put a stop to it all in a heartbeat. But Scarlet also knew this was the only way. If she wanted a chance at stopping Brent once and for all, a chance at getting her life back—or some semblance of a life—she had to do this.
“Thanks, Ace.”
She pulled away, but Hunter didn’t remove his arms from around her waist. Instead, he kept her close, his gaze darting from her lips to her eyes. And then there was that damn crackle of electricity again, humming all around them, her body and soul very much aware of the feelings he so easily evoked in her. It was always there whenever they had a moment like this. No matter how hard they tried to fight it, it was like her body always became acutely aware of his, how good it felt to have it against her. The warmth, the strength, the pure exhilaration—it was addictive. There was no drug like Hunter Keaton, and she was afraid she would never conquer this addiction she had. In fact, she didn’t know if she wanted to.
He lowered his face toward her, not taking his gaze off her lips. He moved so damn slow, it was like he was waiting for her to stop him.
But she didn’t.
She couldn’t.
She didn’t want to.
Warm lips kissed the corner of her mouth. It was so soft, delicate, yet powerful enough to cause her body to tremble in his arms. The sensation was amazing, and it swept through her like a hurricane.
She closed her eyes and relished the tender touch of his lips, wishing he would kiss her more, that he would claim her mouth like he did all the times before. But then his lips were gone, leaving her aching for more.
When she opened her eyes, she saw him staring at her with a kind of longing that mirrored her own. A longing to be together, to just be normal. Unfortunately, normal no longer existed for people like them. For Hunter, normal died when they buried Willow. For Scarlet, normal died when Brent buried her soul.
Hunter loosened his hold around her waist and placed his hands on her shoulders, his fingers playing with the collar of her jacket. More shivers swept through her body when his fingertips touched the skin of her neck.
“If anyone can do this, Scar, you can. You’re the strongest person I know.”
Scarlet tried to shoot him something that resembled a reassuring smile, but she was sure she failed miserably.
“Come on.” He took her hand and helped her up. “Let’s get this over with.”
Hunter held her hand the entire way to the foyer. They were both so fucking tense, so highly strung, that it felt like they were walking on death row.
Besides the fact that they were about to embark on a journey to hell in order to meet Satan himself, there was also that question no one wanted to know the answer to, which was why no one had asked.
Would he stop? Would Brent stop once Scarlet took all the money from him? Or would it only give him more reason to hunt her down and punish her some more?
Hunter tightened his hold on her hand. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“I can literally hear those wheels turning inside your head. Don’t think about what’s going to happen tomorrow. You just concentrate on getting through today. Okay?”
She looked up at him. “Okay.”
Hunter’s face was still bruised, the cut above his eye slightly swollen from the way she’d punched him a few days ago. Why he allowed her to do it, she didn’t know. He said it was because she needed it, but she suspected that maybe he needed it more. After that night in Winnetka when he took her to an illegal cage fighting match, she was well aware of his masochistic ways. It was how he dealt with his shit.
Come to think of it, the night she met him at Twisted Fable was the only time she had seen him without a bruised face. The bruises were starting to become part of his facial features.
Colton and James were already waiting by the foyer when Hunter and Scarlet came walking down the stairs.
She saw how Colton’s gaze zeroed in on Hunter’s hand enclosing hers. He looked away and leaned his head to each side like he was loosening his muscles, easing the tension in his shoulders.
Everyone was on edge.
James stepped up to them. “You want to go over the plan one more time?”
“No,” Scarlet replied. “I’ve got it.”
“You sure? This has to go according to plan, Scarlet. Brent knows about this meeting, and he’ll do anything to stop it from happening.”
Hunter let go of her hand and moved forward, blocking her from James. “We got the plan, Baxter. And believe me, she knows the risks better than any of us.”
James rubbed his head. “Sorry. I know you know the risks. I just…I wish I could go with you.”
Scarlet nudged Hunter out of the way, wanting to face her dad. “I get why you can’t. I do. So don’t worry about it. I’m sure between Hunter and Colton, I’ll be safe.”
“Yeah.” James turned toward Colton, who was still standing by the front door. “You ready?”
Colton nodded.
James faced Hunter. “Take care of my little girl.”
Hunter gave a slight nod, and then Scarlet noticed this look between the two of them, like they knew something the rest of them didn’t.
“What was that?” Scarlet whispered as they both approached Colton.
“What was what?”
“That look between you and James.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Scarlet glanced up at him. “Of course you don’t.”
Colton straightened when they stopped next to him, and reached behind him before holding out a gun toward Hunter.
Hunter shook his head. “No need, soldier boy.” He lifted his shirt, showing off the gun at his side. “I have my own.”
“Fine.” Colton reached for the door handle, but paused. “Don’t be a hero, Hunter.”
“Don’t be a pussy, Riggs.”
Scarlet just shook her head. There was no way those two would ever like each other, which was why she never told Hunter about Colton’s sister. It wouldn’t change Hunter’s mind about him—not in the slightest.
When they stepped outside, there were four black SUVs waiting. Each would be going in a different direction just in case they were being followed.
Scarlet, Hunter, and Riggs got into the first vehicle. According to James, people were always more likely to choose the second or third vehicle. He compared it to when you used public bathrooms at the mall or wherever. Most people never used the first toilet cubicle, or the last, and just skipped right to the middle cubicles. Why? Who the fuck knew. The human mind was a strange and wonderful place.
Hunter got in right behind Scarlet, and Colton slammed the door shut.
Scarlet was starting to get real nervous. Panic was already starting to fill her lungs instead of oxygen.
“So just for the sake of clarity,” Colton started. “We’ll be doing another switch two blocks from the attorney’s office. Once we do the switch, I’ll phone the attorneys and tell them due to the sensitivity of it all, there’s a last-minute change in location to a restaurant around the corner from them. Brent probably has all the entrances to that building covered by now.”
Scarlet just nodded. Hunter didn’t say a word.
“Our security team is already set up at the new location. We’ve had people scout the building since yesterday, checking everyone who enters and exits. If we follow the plan, this should go down smoothly.”
And then Hunter snorted.
Colton glared at him. “Got something to say?”
�
�I still think your plan sucks.”
Colton leaned back in the seat and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Do you?”
“Yeah, I do. You’re underestimating the fucker. I don’t think you get how resourceful this son of a bitch really is. In seven years he has always managed to find her, even with you lot watching over her. And he also tracked us to my apartment, and to my friend’s house in Winnetka. Again, you’re underestimating him.”
“I assure you, we’re not. Like I said, every security measure is in place. We just need to stick to the plan.”
Hunter also sat back in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck. He was nervous…or annoyed…or both.
Colton reached for his earpiece. “We’re entering the underground parking to do the switch now.”
Scarlet’s stomach started to churn, and her palms were sweating. Her knee also started to go apeshit, moving up and down like crazy.
Hunter placed his hand on her knee, stilling it. She looked up and into his eyes.
“It’s okay. I got you, Scar.”
His words were meant to reassure her, to make her feel safe. And they probably would have if it wasn’t for the concern she saw in his eyes. There was no doubt about it—Hunter Keaton was nervous as fuck.
The van came to a stop and Colton reached for the door. “Let’s make this quick.”
Hunter grabbed Scarlet’s arm and basically pulled her out of the van, dragging her toward the four-door black Mercedes. There was already a man holding the back door open for them, and Hunter all but shoved her inside the car, jumping in behind her.
God, the adrenaline was pumping through her veins and she could hardly take a breath in a bid to settle her vigorously beating heart.
Colton got in on the other side of her, his hand clutching the weapon at his side. The minute his door shut, the car started moving.
Fuck. Scarlet felt like she was about to throw up. “You guys are aware that I’m claustrophobic?”
Hunter placed his hand on her knee. “Just breathe, kitten.”
