by Elisa Leigh
I hit the steering wheel. “No! No, no, no! This can’t be happening!” I yell.
Arya barks and I realize for the first time in minutes that she’s in the truck and I still have her. Veering off to the side of the road, I wonder how long I’ll have before he gets to me. Is there time to run, will I even be able to get away? The truck finally stops, and I wait watching him in the mirrors to see what he’ll do next.
The black sedan parks about a car length behind me, but doesn’t get out of the vehicle. My heart is pounding, my breath already choppy from the adrenaline coursing through me. A thin but tall man gets out of the car and starts walking toward me. His piercing eyes are on mine the entire walk to the truck. As he approaches the driver’s side of the truck, I scoot to the passenger side, my back plastered against the door.
He tries to open the door, but it’s locked. “Open, the fucking door.” He yells in a thick Russian accent.
The only thing I can do is stare. No words will come out of my mouth. My phone vibrates in the cup holder, and I look down to see it’s Tina calling, probably wondering where I’m at.
I grab the phone, realizing this might be the last moment I have to get help.
“I need you to call Hunter. Tell him I was followed, and he got to me-”
“What the hell are you talking about? Where are you, Whit.?”
“Call him Tina. Tell him I love him. Tell him to get here as fast as he can.”
“Where are you?” She asks impatiently, the worry in her voice evident.
The man outside bangs on the window and is yelling things in Russian. “I’m on Country Road one-thirteen. Hurry!”
I hang up the phone, so she can’t ask me anything else. I need her to call Hunter. The man has been banging on the window over and over. I sit and watch in horror as the glass begins to splinter. Any second, he’s going to break through and be able to get into the truck. The last thing I want to do is use Arya against him. What if she gets hurt? But I have a child to think about, and this is what she has trained for. There is a slim chance of me getting out of this alive, but I’m going to do whatever it takes to make it out of this. As soon as the window shatters, I flip the switch on the door. He gets the door unlocked and swings it open.
“Arya, attack!” I say as firmly as I can. She lunges for his neck, and I hop out of the truck and start running.
I hear screaming and Arya snarling behind me, but I don’t dare stop and look. I need to get away. I run into the woods that run along the side of the road and hope the many plants will hide me from him if he comes after me. I run and run tripping over rocks and branches. My arms and legs are scraped, and my knees are bleeding, but I push on knowing I can’t stop.
A gunshot goes off, and my heart breaks. Arya? I turn while running, and fall, my head smacking into something hard. Everything is black, and I can’t move.
Chapter 19
Hunter
I’m sitting at work wishing I was with Whitley at the beach. She’s probably laying out in the sun, reading her kindle. I hope she remembers to put sunscreen on. Pulling out my phone to remind her, I see several missed calls from a local number. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I don’t bother listening to the voicemail the caller left.
“Hunter?”
“Tina? What’s wrong? Where’s Whitley?”
“She said that she was followed, and he got to her.” She rambles out.
“FUCK!” I yell, gripping my phone tightly.
“Hunter, you have to find her. She said you have to find her.” Tina begs me.
“Going to right now. Tina call the police-”
“Wait! She’s on Country Road one-thirteen. Please hurry!”
My heart sinks in my chest, and my blood runs cold. No one usually takes that road. It’s the perfect place for this asshole to do something and no one to see it happen and help. I hang up the call and run to the office where John is sitting at his desk.
“He’s got her John. I got to go.”
“Not without me, you’re not.” He stands and follows me out. We get into his department truck since it has the sirens on it. “Where are we going?”
“Country Road one-thirteen.”
Without saying a word, he pulls out of the parking lot and speeds, with sirens on, until we turn onto the road. I have no idea what we’ll find when we get there, but I pray to God she’s still breathing when we do. We’re only driving for a few miles when we spot my truck pulled over on the side of the road, but that’s it. Where’s the other car? Did he take her with him? Is she still here? John’s been on the phone with the police since we’ve been in the car and updates them when we spot my truck. They should only be a few minutes behind us.
I step out of his truck and run to mine, but before I can get to it, I spot Arya laying in the grass, bleeding heavily. “FUCK!” I yell again.
“John, we need to get an ambulance here. He has a gun!” I yell, and I see him tell the police. I lean down and pet Arya, and she growls. “It’s just me, girl. I got to get to your momma, but I’ll be back for you. Hold on, girl. Just hold on.”
I go to my truck and see that both doors are open wide. The window on the driver’s side door is shattered, and glass is littered across the seat. The truck is hot and is smoking under the hood. “What the fuck happened?” I yell. I walk around the truck looking for Whitley but don’t find her.
A police cruiser pulls up with an unmarked car. Everyone gets out, and I notice McManus gets out of the passenger side of the unmarked car.
He walks straight to me. “What do we know?”
“My dog was shot, so he has a gun. The vehicle wasn’t here when we pulled up, and the scene is exactly the way we found it.”
He studies the area briefly then looks back at me. “Any chance your woman has her phone hooked up to that Find My Phone app?” He asks.
My eyes go wide, why the fuck didn’t I think of that. I pull my phone out of my pocket and search for Whitley’s phone. “It’s close.”
“I’m going to go after him. Chances are your dog put up a big fight, and he’ll need someone to fix him up. Stay with the police and follow that app. Call me when you find her. If not, I’ll call you.”
He turns and goes back to the man he got out of the car with. After a brief discussion, he hands over his keys to McManus but doesn’t look too happy about it. McManus peels out of the area and does a u-turn back to town.
“I got her phone pulled up on that Find My Phone app. Let’s go.” I tell everyone who’s standing there.
I lead the way, walking in the direction of the phone. We are all calling for Whitley as we walk into the wooded area along the road. Spreading out, we cover more area as we search for any signs of her.
“Over here!” One of the officers call.
Thank you, God! I jog to where he’s standing and see Whitley splayed out on the ground, eyes closed, bleeding from the head. There are scratches all over her arms and legs, and her knees are covered in dirt and blood. I’ve never been happier to see her in my life, and more worried about her. All the men have gathered around us and are staring down silently.
“God, please let my baby be okay. Please let her be okay.” John murmurs.
“Whitley. Whitley!” I say louder the second time, hoping to walk her up. Kneeling down beside her, I try shaking her, and quickly realize my mistake. I’ve been trained for this situation.
I take her pulse, and while weak, it’s still there. “Whitley. Baby. I’m going to need you to hang on for me, okay?”
Standing, I pick Whitley up and carry her limp body in my arms. We all walk back to where we are parked, and once we break the tree line, I see an ambulance parked in front of my truck. I carry her over and lay her on the gurney the EMT’s have quickly pulled out.
“Fuck. We didn’t know it was Whitley, Captain.” One of the guys says, speaking to John. I think his name is Gage. We’ve only worked together a few times, but he usually works on my off days, so I haven’t gotte
n to know him well yet. He, along with his partner, another guy I don’t know well, start assessing her injuries.
“We’re taking her to Emerald Isle General. You can follow us.”
“Fuck you, I’m not leaving her side.”
They look to John, and he nods his head. “I’ll be right behind you, boys. I need to give her momma a call so she can meet us.”
The guys push the stretcher into the ambulance, and I jump in with her. For the entire ride to the hospital, Whitley doesn’t move or make a sound. They start an I.V. pushing fluids into her and then begin assessing her. “Are you thinking the same thing I am?” I ask.
“Possible concussion?” Gage asks.
I nod.
“It’s very likely why she hasn’t woken up yet. Except for the head wound, everything else is surface level and will heal in time.”
“She’s pregnant,” I say, and the comment hangs in the silence.
“Damn.” The other guy says.
We arrive at the hospital after only about ten minutes. The EMTs talk quickly as they pull her stretcher out of the back, telling the doctors and nurses who are waiting for us to arrive everything they know. I follow along, walking beside Whitley when one of the nurses turns to me. “Are you the husband?”
“Fiancé.”
“You’ll need to wait in the waiting room, sir.”
“No.”
They continue to push her down a hall, and one of the male nurses stops me with his hand to my chest. “You aren’t allowed back here. Once we have news, someone will update you.”
I shove away from him. “She’s pregnant. About ten weeks.”
I tell him and go to the waiting room and pace.
John and Diane enter the waiting room about five minutes later.
John walks to the front desk, while Diane walks up to me and engulfs me in one of her hugs. “She’s going to be okay. You have to believe that she’s going to be okay. Our girl is strong, she’s a fighter, and she’s not going anywhere, especially with that baby growing inside of her.”
John walks back to us from where he was speaking to a nurse at the front desk. “She doesn’t know anything yet since she was just brought back. She’s in a room, and the doctor is seeing her now, though.”
After about an hour, Ramsey and his girlfriend, Tina, James, and Trevor have all arrived and are waiting with us in the waiting room. A doctor comes out and speaks to the nurse who points in our direction. Walking over, he shakes John’s and Diane’s hands. “Mr. and Mrs. Grant?” They nod. “I’m Doctor Kittery.”
“How is she doc?” John asks.
“We believe Whitley has suffered a concussion and is part of the reason she hasn’t woken up yet. She has a deep wound to the front of her head that we cleaned and stitched up. She’s resting right now while she gets fluids.”
“How is the baby?”
Dr. Kittery smiles. “Your child’s heartbeat is strong.” We all breathe out a sigh of relief, making the doctor smile. The doctor looks between the Grants and I. “What your daughter, your fiancé, needs right now is rest. We’re going to keep her until she wakes, and then go from there. Right now, only immediate family are allowed back to see her, and only one or two at a time.”
John and Diane follow the doctor back to see Whitley. I sit in one of the chairs in the waiting room. The day’s events finally hit me. Ramsey punches my shoulder lightly. “She’s going to be okay, Hunt. You know that, right?”
“I know. Thank God nothing else happened to her, it could have been so much worse.”
Now that I know Whitley is going to be okay, the fog in my mind starts to clear. I call McManus.
“McManus.” He says, answering the call.
“We have Whitley, she’s at the hospital. She’s going to be okay. Have you found him yet?”
“Good. Yeah, a silent alarm went off at the local vet’s office. We found him there, holding the vet tech hostage trying to get treated. Your dog did a number on the asshole.”
Arya? “Oh shit. My dog.”
“Already taken care of her Stone. One of the officers brought her in a few minutes ago.”
“Thank you.”
“Sure thing. Look, you won’t hear from me for a few days. I’m driving this fucker back to headquarters. I’ll give you a call when I get back to town.”
“Sounds good McManus. Thank you again.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my job.” He hangs up just as John and Diane are walking back over to me.
“They got him. He’s in custody.” I say once they are in front of me. Everyone around us lets out a sigh of relief, and Diane starts crying into her husband’s chest.
“She’s asking for you.”
I shake my head, no. “I’m sorry I brought this on Whitley. I never meant for her to get hurt, but it’s my fault. I should have never come back.”
Diane takes my hands in hers. “Listen up, Hunter. My daughter was happy before you came back, but when you showed up, I saw her blossom into the woman I always knew she was going to be. Yes, it’s awful that this happened, and it has scared the crap out of me, but don’t be sorry that you came back. You and Whitley were always meant to be. Everyone knows it.” She tells me.
I look at everyone who have gathered around us and they all nod, even Ramsey is shaking his head. “I didn’t believe it when you came to see me the first day you were back in town. You showed me the ring and told me you were going to marry her someday. Ever since then, I’ve watched you with her, and I’ve seen how she is with you. Then I remember all those times before you left. I hate that she’s had to go through this, but I know you’ll always be there for her. Loving her for the rest of your days.”
“Go see your woman, Hunter. She needs you.” John says.
I’m not one to get emotional, but with everyone supporting me, forgiving me for what I brought to their doorstep, it’s more than I was expecting. Arriving at her room, I enter and find her sleeping, her head wrapped up on one side. Seeing her lying in bed, fragile and bruised, somewhat broken, it hits me. I could have lost her today. I could have lost them both. Tears roll down my face as I realize the gift I’ve been given today. I sit down beside her and hold her hand, trying my best not to wake her with my quiet sobs. Leaning over her, I rest my head on her hand and kiss it.
“Hunt.” She groans.
My head shoots up, and I look her in the eyes. “I’m right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Did they find him?” She asks in a trembling voice.
“They got him, love. He’s not going to bother you again.”
“And Arya?”
I wince not wanting to bring up Arya yet. “She’s being treated now. She was shot but is still alive.”
Her eyes close and then open, a single tear rolling down the side of her face, into her hairline. I wipe it away.
“I’m so, so sorry baby.”
“You didn’t do it.”
“But I’m the reason he was here. All of this,” I gesture at her injuries, “Is because of me.”
Whitley grabs my hand and places it over her stomach. “This is because of you too. The life growing inside me is because you didn’t give up on us. Don’t doubt your decision to come back, because I don’t.”
I lean up and place a soft kiss against her lips, trying my best not to hurt her. “I love you, Lee.”
“Love you too, Hunt.”
Epilogue
Whitley
His hand slides up my thigh and under the t-shirt of his that I stole. His hard dick presses against my back and I’ve been wanting this since I woke up from a dream I had of Hunter and I on a deserted island making love under a cabana.
“Are you wet for me?” He growls, then nips my ear. He grabs my thigh and moves it up, so it’s on top of his. Running his fingertips along my skin, he slides my panties to the side and rubs my clit, making me moan. “Oh yeah, you’re fucking soaked.” He pushes his dick against me and sucks on that spot between my neck and my sho
ulder.
He strokes two fingers through my folds, back and forth, teasing me with his touch, as his thumb rubs rhythmic circles around my clit. “Tell me how bad you want it, baby.”
“Hunter don’t tease me. We don’t have long.” I moan, knowing that any minute the baby is going to wake up and need us.
Hunter rips my panties down my thighs then plunges his fingers into my core. I clench around him, craving his touch, and needing more of it. I reach behind me and grab his dick, stroking it as best as I can. Hunter lifts his knee, opening me up for him and centers his cock at my center. He holds my lips open using his fingers, as he runs the head of his cock through my pussy and over my swollen clit.
“Hunter, please. I need you inside me. Now!” I moan.
“All you had to do was ask.” He groans, and in one stroke he’s bottomed out inside me, taking my breath away. It’s like this every time for me, the feel of him taking what’s his, touching me, surrounding me, giving me what I need. He’s the only one who can.
In one hand he holds onto my hip, and in the other, he’s twisting my nipples while he strokes in and out of my needy pussy. Over and over, he fucks into me, harder and harder with each stroke. Is this going to be it? I swear he brings me higher and to new peaks every time he touches me.
When I start moaning, he claps his hand over my mouth and starts rubbing my clit again. “Shhh, baby. Not yet. Almost there.”
With every stroke inside me, I know I’m going to come harder and longer than the last time. “You’re so fucking sexy when you moan for your husband.” He whispers in my ear. “Come.” He groans and pinches my clit. He thrusts into me harder, setting off my orgasm. I bite his hand he still has over my mouth as I come with him.
When he pulls out of me, I roll over to face him. “Good morning, baby.” He says, smiling at me.
“Good morning,” I say and yawn. “How was work?”
“Not nearly as exciting as what was waiting for me when I came to bed a few minutes ago.”
I quirk my brow. “Oh yeah?”
