Chapter 10

Monday 6.37pm

Hunter

Sweat is dripping in my eyes, lungs burning as we make it to Jack’s hut with the last of the daylight.

My muscles are groaning with fatigue as I help Natalie up and over the fence surrounding Jack’s property. We need to get indoors; I need to think and find a way to get Natalie out of here. She’s shivering, face pale, but she’s not complaining even though she must be in pain.

I hold her hand tight as we creep towards Jack’s cabin. It’s unlikely anyone will come up here tonight. Unlike his son Bobby, who’s reckless, impulsive and juvenile, Eddie Falcone isn’t stupid. His men will be well equipped, they’ll possibly have a local guide and will start searching first light.

Natalie presses into my side, trembling as I knock on Jack’s door. I don’t have time to say anything when Jack hollers out to come inside.

I twist the door and step inside, leaving Natalie behind me on the off-chance Waters knows about this place.

But Jack’s sitting in his usual spot by the fire with a book and bottle. He doesn’t even look up as I pull the door closed behind Natalie. “You took your time. Jensen cabin okay?”

Natalie edges forward, her eyes flicking around the hut. I wince at the bruising on her face and wish I’d smacked Waters harder and maybe shot the bastard a couple more times.

I clear my throat and take her hand. “There’s trouble on the way. I need some help.”

Jack peers up at me then switches his gaze to Natalie. He’s on his feet immediately. “Good Lord. Where’d you come from?”

Natalie swallows, looking about ready to collapse as she looks up at me. I squeeze her hand and look at Jack. “This is Natalie Jensen.”

Natalie extends her hand, arms shaking visibly even in the low light. “Um. I think we’ve met before. Jack Holloway isn’t it? I think you and my father went hunting together a few times.”

Jack frowns as he hobbles towards Natalie. “That we did. Heard he got sick. That’s a real shame. Good man, your Dad. A damn fine shot.”

Natalie’s bottom lip wobbles, but she manages a tiny smile that makes my heart squeeze in my chest.

“Come sit down. You look like you could use a stiff drink?”

I steer her to the only other seat in the shack. She sits, gripping the arms of the worn chair and shaking so hard I’m surprised her teeth aren’t chattering. Jack shoves a bottle into her hand. “You’re in shock, girl. What happened down there?”

She takes a swig while I answer. “My handler gave me up.”

Jack spits a curse. “She’s in no shape to run with you, boy.”

Natalie’s eyes widen as a spark of anger carries in her voice. “We don’t need to run.”

She stands and opens the purse she’s been clutching in a death grip. We both watch her as she pulls out a cell phone. Her hands are still shaking as much as her voice. “I started recording when I drove into the valley.”

Jack looks as confused as I do. “You recorded who, Waters?” I ask her.

She nods. “I’m not an idiot. When he called and asked me to meet him, I sent Jed a text and told him where I was heading, and I emailed my editor and told him I’d gotten caught in a Falcone case.”

She sounds so jumbled I’m not sure if I’m hearing her right or she’s done something incredible. “Back up. Start from the beginning.”

Natalie exhales slowly and taps on her cell before swallowing hard and looking at me. “I just sent the recording to my editor. I have a plan.”

She takes a shaky step towards me and flips the phone around so I can read a text.

Holding the press.

I’ll publish under staff reporter to protect your identity.

I’m still confused when she huffs a sigh. “I’m not some helpless victim. I knew something wasn’t right about this before I agreed to come back here.”

She swipes the phone and shows me another text from Jed.

I just got a call from the feebs. They are not happy with me right now. They haven’t got enough on Eddie Falcone to lock him up. He’s protected enough that nothing sticks.

Stay away from Hunter. You can’t help him.

My eyebrows rise as she chews on her lip. “He’s wrong. I can help. Waters said Falcone is coming to get you personally. What if we set a trap?”

I stare at her utterly gobsmacked, while Jack starts to chortle from where he’s sitting. “Gotta love her spirit.”

She meets my gaze, unrelenting, red hair tangled and wild, face bruised, blue eyes fierce. I frown at her, equal parts impressed and equal parts worried. “You’re in this, and I can’t stop that now. What I can do is try to minimize the danger you’re in. That means getting you as far away from here as possible.”

Her face scrunches up. “And then what? I have no idea if I can go home. People know I’ve been looking at your case files. They know Jed has been. But they can’t do anything if I publish the evidence I have.”

I blink. “When did you have time to come up with all this?”

Her shrug is weak. “I had two hours driving here to go over everything a thousand times before I reached the valley.”

I can’t help but chuckle as I pull her into my arms. “Holy shit, woman. You weren’t kidding about needing your purse.”

She wraps her arms around my waist and chokes on a laugh. “I also brought a gun, a flashlight, and some snacks.”

Jack eyes me from his position in front of the fire. “She’s your kind of woman, alright.”

I lean back so I can look her in the eye. “Damn straight, she is. But if we do this, you are not going to be caught in the middle, got it?”

She opens her mouth, and I can see the protest, so I kiss her hard enough to let her know she has no choice.

***

Natalie.

I kiss him back and try not to think about everything that can go wrong with my plan.

If I dwell on those things too long and don’t focus on what’s to be gained, I’ll never be able to go through with this insane idea. He breaks the kiss and grabs his pack. “Jack, we’ll camp out in your shed just in case.”

Jack waves a hand and carries on reading as though it’s no big deal mobsters might turn up in the middle of the night.

I follow Hunter back outside, instantly missing the warmth of the fire. Shivers rip through me as we walk a few feet to where a shack sits beside the woodpile.

Hunter opens the door and moonlight spills inside the flimsy shed with nothing more than a mattress, a few blankets and a pillow on the floor.

All the energy slides out of me now that we’re alone and out of immediate danger. I sink onto the mattress and wrap my arms around me to try to stop the chill that’s creeping over my skin.

Hunter sits beside me and draws me closer to him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and kissing my sweaty forehead. “Will they come looking tonight?” I ask.

He exhales, sending his frosty breath into the dilapidated shed. “It’s unlikely. It’s too dangerous. He’ll wait until morning then send a couple of his fittest men up.”

I shiver. “Then what?”

He sighs again. “If they find me, they’ll beat me up just enough so I can still walk, then they’ll take me to Falcone, and he’ll finish the job. Probably take his sweet time.”

My stomach starts to churn at how glib he sounds. I pull my purse closer to my stomach. “How do you know for sure?”

He presses his chin on the top of my head. “It’s what I would have done.”

I jerk away from him. “That’s what you did for him? You hurt people?”

He flinches as though I’ve struck him. “A couple times. Yeah. I did.”

I stare at the moonlight splashing over the rotting floorboards as my thoughts spin out of control.

He blows out a sigh. “I’m not proud of what I did to wind up here. I wish I could say that part of me doesn’t exist anymore, and for the last few years it hasn’t really needed to.”

He shifts until he’s looking at me with enough intensity to make my cheeks heat. “But I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

I swallow hard as a rush of desire runs through me. He’s burning with such raw heat; I can feel it transferring to me. When was the last time a man looked at me like that? Like I was his entire world, and he’d move heaven and earth just to look after me?

I have never been wanted this desperately with such ferocity. His desire is intoxicating, powerful, and overwhelming me like an irresistible aphrodisiac.

He lifts his arm and pulls me in so our lips are a whisper apart. He kisses me, tongue tantalizing as he pulls me onto his lap so I’m straddling him.

Hunter’s voice comes out ragged. “Why did you come if you didn’t trust him?”

“I was worried. I needed to make sure you were okay,” I whisper.

Hunter’s entire body seems to react as he grips me so tight I can barely breathe. His voice is rough. “Been a long time since someone was worried about me.”

He kisses me roughly. His tongue sending delicate waves of pleasure rolling through my exhausted body. I moan into his mouth as his hands slide under my shirt. He tugs it upwards, exposing more skin until my breasts are exposed.

My nipples harden under my bra, from his touch, from the cold air that makes my skin rise.

I kiss him harder until I’m struggling to think about anything other than how he makes me feel.

My hands slide under his t-shirt. I run my fingers over the solid muscles of his stomach and chest as my tongue flicks over his lips, his cheek stubble until he’s rock hard against me and I’m more than ready.

My fingers are on his belt buckle when he groans and tugs my shirt back down and pulls back. “As much as I’d like to finish this, it’s not a good idea. I need to stay focused.”

Heat smacks into my cheeks as I place a hand over my eyes. “I’m sorry. I got a little carried away; you’re just so, ah, you make me feel, so…”

He chuckles. “I make you feel what?”

I climb off him, shaking my head and trying to hide how embarrassed I am. I look at the floor and mumble. “Sexy.”

“You are sexy.”

I shrug, and his fingers grip my chin so I’m forced to look at him. “You’re more than just sexy. You’re smart, you’re kind, you’re funny, and you are worth so much more than that dipshit ex has made you believe.”

I bite down on my lip. He sounds almost annoyed at me for not seeing what he sees. He pulls me closer, his lip curling. “I’m hard as a rock right now, but I want to take my time with you.”

A flush of heat runs the length of me as he kisses me, making me think I wouldn’t mind taking things a little fast, but he’s pulling away, and I can see he’s switching himself off as he steps to the cracked window.

“How’s your Dad doing now?” he asks.

Surprise makes my reply comes out stilted. “He’s okay.”

Hunter turns and folds his arms across his chest. “But he’s in hospital. That’s serious.”

I nod, not sure whether I want to be talking about Dad right now. “He’s been in and out over the last couple of years. He gets better; they release him, then we wait for the next relapse. Then I go stay with him until he’s better.”

Hunter doesn’t say a word, just stares at me as if he’s waiting for me to say more. As if he thinks what I have to say is more important than anything right now.

I clear my throat, feeling oddly disloyal by saying something I’ve never told a single person before, not even Jed. “He doesn’t always take his meds, and sometimes he’s…hard work.”

I don’t bother to say that being the primary caregiver had added to the strain on my already stretched relationship with Jed.

But Hunter seems sympathetic as he nods slowly. “And you’ve been doing all the heavy lifting alone? No help from your sister? Your Mom? From dipshit?”

The words seem lodged in my throat when I finally admit it out loud. “Jemma’s always been unreliable. And Jed did what he could, but he was gone a lot of the time. He worked a lot of overtime. And Mom….”

Hunter shifts his weight to one foot and narrows his eyes. “Is gone?”

Pain gathers in my middle as I try to shrug it off. “She left when I was a teenager.”

Hunter curses under his breath as he slowly shakes his head. “Mine had her head in a bottle most of my teen years. My father was either in prison or on his way there. I swear to God if I ever have kids…”

His eyes snap to mine as a new emotion washes away the sting of loss I’m feeling. “What?”

He shakes off whatever he was going to say. “I just wouldn’t marry someone unless I was sure.”

Molten lava seems to be filling my veins as I hold my breath. “Nobody can be sure of anything.”

The slightest teasing grin appears on his face. “Until I met you, I was sure about a whole lot of things.”

I snort, glad the poor light is hiding my blush. “Like what?”

He shrugs then jams his hands in his jean pockets. “I was sure marriage was a bad idea.”

Why does this feel like either a veiled insult at my failed marriage or a backhanded compliment?

Either way, this isn’t the ideal place to discuss a future we might not have, so I tilt my head at him and change the subject. “Do you wish your parents were in your life? I mean, if things could be different?”

His mouth turns down, and his posture shifts to guarded, letting me know I’ve pried too much. “The past is the past,” is all he says.

He turns back around and opens his pack and pulls out a plastic-wrapped map and lays it on the table, so it’s visible in the moonlight.

His voice is quiet, but his words seem to boom around in my head. “The best anyone can hope for is doing better than their parents did. And maybe if you meet the right person, together you screw up your kids way less than you’ve been screwed up.”

I don’t know why, but hot tears start to pool in my eyes. I’m still readying an intelligent response when I note his voice has hardened slightly. “I need to talk to dipshit since he’s involved. Think he’ll listen if I call him?”

I smother a groan but force away the reluctance Jed’s name brings. After all, I brought him into this. I asked for his help and then told him I was coming up here.

It’s my fault he’s now a part of the plan. “Maybe don’t call him dipshit though,” I say through gritted teeth.

***

Tuesday 3.37am

Hunter

My body is near frozen as I creep across the grass. I check behind me, making sure Natalie isn’t following before I slip into the trees. Every one of my nerves is primed and on alert. I have no way of knowing whether this is going to work.

When I reach the burnt-out remains of Natalie’s cabin, my entire body is covered in sweat. My hands are shaking, and I’m pretty sure if I had anything in my stomach, I would have thrown up by now.

I’ve never had this much to lose before. Everything hinges on how this plays out. If Eddie Falcone shoots me on sight, I’m not just killing myself; I’m probably killing Natalie too.

I edge out of the trees, eyes darting around in the low light, muscles ready to move when I need to. I see him before he sees me. One of Falcone’s grunts like I was by the looks of his build. His back is to me, and he’s busy pulling out a map and laying it on the hood of an SUV.

Natalie’s truck is still here, but the doors are open, and everything has been pulled out, and I’m pretty sure I know millions of reasons why he’s been searching.

I can’t see anyone else. Either this guy came alone, which is unlikely, or he’s a scout sent to check out the environment.

I grit my teeth and inch past him, using the trees as cover until I’m past the vehicle and at the track. I pick up my pace until I’m jogging down the side of the track as fast as I can without risking sliding over and busting my ass.

I reach the road winded and need a couple of minutes to recover. The wind is biting cold as I jog past the laundromat, the coffee shop, and the vet clinic.

As far I can recall, Falcone Senior refuses to stay in hotels rated less than five stars. Since there is only one bed and breakfast upmarket enough for him to even consider staying in, I head south and hope that the scout isn’t going to move up the mountain until the others arrive.

Three more SUVs are parked in the lot along with a couple other cars. I take a minute to find my breath again and skirt the building until I find a fire escape.

My heart is slamming in my chest as I pull out my lock pick and get to work. I ease through the door in seconds and pause as I wait for any signs someone has heard me.

It takes me a few minutes to locate the sign-in registry so I know which room Eddie Falcone is staying in.

The house is still and silent, but in another hour, the owner will be up, getting breakfast ready for her guests, and then I’ll have an entirely different set of problems to contend with.

I keep my footsteps as light as possible given the age of the house and the loose floorboards and withdraw my lock pick. With a lock this basic, I have the door open in thirty seconds. I shove the pick in my pocket and pull my gun out from the back of my jeans and slowly turn the door handle.

I close the door, keep my back to the wall and scan every corner and every hiding place before I cross the floor towards the four-poster bed.

Falcone is fast asleep snoring with a sleeping mask on. I smirk at him. He’s so supremely confident I’d cower in the mountains that he’s not even considering I’d use the element of surprise. I edge closer and check the room again before pushing the gun against his temple and peeling the mask back.

He snorts awake and reaches for what is likely a weapon under the pillow. I jam the gun harder against his head and shake my head. “I’m not here to kill you, but you move again, I will pull the trigger.”

His eyes narrow until they are nothing more than slits. “You little fuck. Where’s my money?”

I edge back and gesture for him to get out of bed. He yanks his eye mask off, white hair sticking up on end, making him look deranged. “I’m here to make a deal.”

He coughs a laugh. “Dead men don’t make no deals, Sloan.”

I don’t say a word.

Falcone’s lips twitch into a smile. “Your poor little sister. What she must have gone through just so you could betray me to the feds. Smart though, isn’t she? Didn’t tell anyone where she was going, just picked up and left after the funeral.”

I don’t want to discuss my sister’s hasty relocation to New York without the feds' consent. It’s like a stab to the chest that I caused her to lose more than I did.

I keep my voice tight. “I didn’t betray you. I was set up. I had no choice but to take the deal.”

His bushy eyebrows rise. “Set up? By who?”

I exhale slowly, never taking my eyes off him. I’ve been waiting two years for this moment. I can’t screw it up now. “Bobby. He took the money and ran. He pinned it on me and told you I was talking when I wasn’t.”

Falcone eyes me. Seconds tick away as we just stare at each other. Sweat starts to drip down my spine as he just sits in his silk pajamas eyeballing me. “You expect me to take your word over my only son?”

I lower the gun slightly as a gesture of goodwill. I’m not dumb enough to think he’ll just take my word, Eddie Falcone isn’t going to just roll over and place nice. “I know where he hid some of the money. If I tell you, you leave Natalie out of this, and I disappear again.”

He starts to cackle until his eyes are watering. “You always did have balls, Hunter. But you really expect me to believe you’ll just disappear and never see this woman again? I don’t believe it for a second.”

His expression clouds. “Where is my money?”

I hold his stare and don’t blink. “Since they planned it together, I’m pretty sure your mistress has the money Bobby stole from you locked up in her safe.”

His cheeks flush as his chest starts to rise and fall. “You know what I think, Sloan? I think you’re a desperate man who knows he’s living on borrowed time.”

I gesture to the phone with the gun calling his bluff. “Why don’t you have someone check the safe?”

With a scowl in my direction, he leans over and picks up the phone, looking at me as he waits. The phone is picked up on the second ring. “Estelle, I want you to go open Vivian’s safe. Tell me what’s inside it.”

He puts the phone on speaker so I can hear the housekeeper’s clipped British accent. “Right away, Mr. Falcone.”

Falcone keeps his steely-eyed gaze on me as we wait. “She must be some woman to make you come out of hiding.”

I don’t reply. Any information I give him could be used against either me or Natalie. “Where’s Waters?”

Falcone shrugs as if it’s no consequence. “Who?”

I can tell by the smug expression he knows too well where the double-crossing agent is. Probably lying at the bottom of the ravine or dead inside his trunk.

Sweat creeps down my forehead as the seconds draw out into minutes. Finally, his housekeeper comes back on the line. “Are you there, Mr. Falcone?”

“Of course, I’m here. What did you find?”

The housekeeper clears her throat. “Madam Vivian’s safe contains several videotapes labeled ‘Bobby’ and what appears to be a large amount of money, Mr. Falcone.”

Falcone’s thin jaw works as he eyes me. He reaches over and ends the call with all the calculation I’ve come to expect from him. “My son knows nothing about loyalty and honor.”

I steadily lower the gun until it’s resting barrel pointing downwards at the carpet. “I can slip away. No one knows I’m alive. No one needs to know you met with me.”

He sighs and shakes his head like he’s deeply disappointed. “What did you tell the woman?”

My fingers tighten around the gun. “She doesn’t know anything about the case that wasn’t already public. She’s completely clueless.”

Falcone scratches his nose. “She’s a loose end who’s writing a story for her editor that’s what she is.”

Cold sweat creeps down my spine and forehead. My arm is rising again, palm slippery as dread surges through me.

He laughs and raises his hands. “What? Are you going to shoot me? Then what? Shoot everyone here? You’ve got balls Hunter, but you are not a murderer.”

My arm starts to tremble. All the horrific things, all the ways he’s killed people before, are running through my mind.

He’s not going to let this go. I was a fool to think I could get him to see reason. I flick a glance at the pillow at the foot of the bed and feel familiar anger flowing through me.

Falcone is everything I hate about this world. He’s everything Natalie isn’t, and if he lives, he’ll seek her out, and she’ll die in a far worse way than Waters did.

I detach from what I’m considering doing by thinking about Natalie, about what he’d have someone do to her before they slit her throat and dump her body.

I move too quick for him to shout. I shove the pillow over his face and hold him down. He bucks and kicks like a wild man, fighting me until his body stills. I don’t need to check for a pulse to know he’s dead.

Nausea twisting my gut, I slip out, pausing only to wipe my fingerprints off the door handle. My entire body is numb as I ease back out the fire escape and climb down.

I pull my hoodie up over my head and don’t hurry as I walk down the main street. I yank Natalie’s cell from my pocket and dial. He picks up immediately. “Well?”

Even the sound of his voice makes me want to kick his teeth in. “She’s with Jack Holloway. But one of Falcone’s men is already at the clearing; you need to move fast.”

He grunts his response. “Don’t you even think about contacting my wife again you piece of shit or you’ll have an arrest warrant on your head in every damn state.”

I scowl as I walk. “She’s not your fucking wife anymore, dipshit.”

I end the call, switch Natalie’s phone off, jam it in my pocket, and start walking towards the highway. I jerk my thumb out and keep my posture as stooped and defeated as I feel.

I’m a ghost again. A dead man. Just another worthless drifter hitchhiking into the city about to get lost forever.

Natalie will be safe with Jed looking after her, and even though I hate his fucking guts, that’s the only thing I can do for her right now.