Chapter 14

Hunter

I keep my eyes away from the butcher knowing he’ll look to Bobby for direction. “I’ll take you to it, but she comes. That was the deal.”

Bobby pauses, works his lip and glances back at Natalie. “Not just a piece of ass to you then?”

I jam my lips together. I have to play this right. Bobby knows she means something to me. He knows it’s killing me watching him touch her; I have to be careful even though I’m fantasizing about punching his teeth in.

I try to make my voice come out even. “You’re smart enough to know that already.”

Bobby snorts and shakes his head. “Don’t try to suck up, Sloan. We’ll follow you, but she rides with me.”

Natalie’s eyes go wide, and she looks ready to say all kinds of things that will land us in the shit, so I rush to answer before she wrecks out chances.

“You ride with me, bring one of your goons, but I’m not leaving her alone with you for one second.”

Natalie’s shoulders go rigid as Bobby makes a big production about thinking it over. His eyes land on Natalie, or more accurately her tits, making heat rush through my body.

She flinches as he steps closer to her but doesn’t shift when Bobby smiles at her and grabs her ass. “You want to come for a ride, sugar tits? Sit in the back with me?”

Natalie’s eyes find mine. She swallows hard and seems to be struggling to look at Bobby. Her voice comes out shaky. “I get car sick. I need to sit in the front. And I need to drive.”

I hold my breath as Bobby stares, unbelieving at her. It’s a genius move, one that I wish I’d thought of. Since Bobby already thinks she’s just an airhead with a great body, he seems to be thinking it over.

He turns and looks at the butcher still standing beside me, his knife at the ready as he waits for direction.

Bobby lifts his chin ever so slightly, and the butcher puts the blade away without a word.

I gesture to Natalie, and she almost runs to my side to move away from Bobby.

Bobby’s eyes are on Natalie when he licks his lip. “Hunter goes with Frank; sugar tits rides with me.”

Ice trickles down my spine as Bobby sends a hungry look in Natalie’s direction. But I can’t say a word to warn her or him; this is our only chance.

Bobby saunters across the room and stops directly in front of her. “You even think about doing anything stupid; Frank will gut him like a pig then go after your family.”

Her lips press together, face paling before she answers in a croaky voice. “I understand.”

I hope she does. I really do. Because if Bobby changes his mind, we might not make it out of the city, let alone all the way to the mountains.

***

2 hours later

Natalie

My hands are shaking, every muscle tense and knotted. I’m almost in a half-exhausted daze as we pass the hotel I stayed in on the main street of Haven Springs.

I’m concentrating so hard on ignoring Bobby Falcone and his constant unwelcome advances; I jump when he speaks. “Sure he didn’t tell you where the money is?”

His voice is treacle-sweet, smooth, just the way it has been the entire drive here as if he thinks I’ll suddenly forget the way he groped me in his office.

I shake my head. Irritated at him. Irritated at Hunter. Worried about Dad, about Jed, about so many things, my answer comes out a little snippy. “I didn’t know anything about money. The first I heard of it was when Waters dragged me up here to find Hunter.”

Falcone snickers. “There’s a certain satisfaction in getting to it when the Feds couldn’t, and when my father couldn’t.”

From my peripheral vision, I see his face darken. “I don’t know what Hunter told you about me, some of it is true, but first and foremost I’m running a business. I need that money. Without it, I have no chance of making a name for myself.”

I don’t know what to say, so I keep quiet and let him talk about himself as I’m discovering he loves to do.

“My father wanted to keep doing things the old way. No matter what I said, he argued it wouldn’t work. Well, I’m running things now, and I won’t make the same mistakes he did. He never wanted to get his hands dirty. Never wanted to put in any effort. He got soft. Fat and bloated. No wonder his woman got tired of his limp old dick.”

My heart starts to tap too fast as he pulls a gun out from under his jacket. He toys with it, waving it around in the air as he speaks in an agitated voice. “Hunter did me a favor taking him out. But debts need to be settled; amends have to be made.”

I shudder at what that means and try not to think too hard on whether some terrible fate awaits us.

With too many unanswered questions I don’t dare ask about and nothing else to do to occupy my thoughts, I let them slide back as they have been for the last two hours and find myself thinking about how Dad is doing and whether Jed made it.

I wish I could call Jemma and find out, but that’s completely out of the question and probably doesn’t even beg dwelling on.

The other vehicle is right behind us, driving so close I can see Hunter in the passenger seat, gripping the handhold and staring right at me.

When we reach the clearing, I park the car and at Bobby Falcone’s prompting, climb out on legs close to buckling.

I risk a look at Hunter and find his eyes locked on me, his posture tense and face hard. As Bobby complains about the cold, the mud, and being so far from the city, Hunter eyes me so fiercely; I don’t doubt he’s capable of worse violence than I’ve seen him do.

Bobby grabs my arm and tugs me towards Hunter. “Where?”

Hunter jerks his thumb. “Up at an old shack I store shit in. You’ll have to climb.”

My eyes go wide as Bobby laughs. “You think this suit is made for climbing?”

He flicks a hand at the men waiting. “You go with him. Get the money; I’ll stay here.”

The idea of staying here with him makes my stomach roil. I look at Hunter and try not to look as terror-stricken as I currently feel. Hunter’s eyes drill into me. But he doesn’t say a word.

Panic starts to flood my veins. I grasp at the one thing I think I understand about Bobby Falcone and pray to God it works. “You aren’t going? Oh, I must have misunderstood. I thought you wanted to run your business differently than your father.”

Hunter’s eyes pop, Bobby’s men stare at their feet, and I know I just crossed a line when even Frank with the knife, gives me a pitying look.

Bobby’s face screws into a hideous scowl. My stomach starts to twist into knots, palms dampening as the seconds tick by.

I’m fully anticipating it when he slaps me hard enough to make my eyes water.

Hunter stiffens, and his lips press tightly together. But he keeps quiet as I rub at my burning cheek. In a rush of angry air, Bobby pivots and turns his glare on Hunter who shrugs lazily. “She’s right. Your father wouldn’t have the stones to climb up and see for himself.”

Bobby’s jaw works and turns to look at the others, all standing looking awkwardly out of place in suits and shiny shoes. “Follow, but not too close.”

Relief swims through my exhausted and battered body. It’s obvious Bobby’s pride isn’t going to let him back down. He’s so desperate not to be like his father; he’s willing to hike in what must be a thousand-dollar suit.

Hunter edges closer and takes my hand, my fingers curl into his, strengthening me a little as he gestures to Bobby. “Try to keep up.”

I try to smile at Bobby in the hopes he won’t see me as a threat, but his expression stays hard as we start to climb. We make for the oddest tramping party; I can only imagine what anyone would think if they came across us right now.

Given the way the men behind us are huffing and puffing as we traverse the mountainside, they aren’t used to this kind of physical exertion.

I sneak a look behind me. Bobby’s cheeks are growing redder, but he’s in better shape than his men, Frank is hanging back at the rear, looking dangerously close to having a heart attack as he struggles to keep up with the blistering pace Hunter is setting.

I have to tug on Hunter’s hand so I can catch my own breath. He turns slightly, and eyes me, then slowly winks as if everything is going to be okay. As if he has everything under control.

I open my mouth to ask where he’s taking us when the slightest movement coming from behind the trees ahead makes me pause.

I have just enough time to register the sound of a gun cocking before Hunter grabs me and we crash to the ground.

***

Hunter

There wasn’t ever going to be any other option. Not with these assholes. Death. Real death was always going to be the only solution.

I can feel Natalie’s heart thumping against mine as I press her to the ground. She’s squirming, but I’m not about to let her get up. Not until I know we’re in the clear. I keep my head down and check to see what Bobby is doing.

He’s cowering behind a tree, breath still ragged, looking wild, gun in hand as his eyes meet mine.

Two of his men are dead. Too distracted by the blistering pace I set, unaccustomed to hiking and the environment, I had them at a major disadvantage.

The butcher, Bobby’s oldest and most loyal man, is an ugly shade of purple, but he’s firing back.

I launch myself at Bobby before he has a chance to squeeze the trigger. I tackle him around the middle sending his gun flying as I smash my fists into his face. He stands no chance against me, and with every bone-shattering punch I land, I pay him back for double-crossing me.

When he’s wheezing through blood-soaked teeth, I haul him up by his shirt front and slam him into the tree trunk. “This is for putting your hands on my woman,” I smack him hard so his neck snaps back.

He groans, blood spilling down his front as I hear Jack shout the all-clear from behind me. Bobby’s head is lolling about, eyes unfocused as I drag him away from the tree.

Natalie is staring at me from where’s she’s crawled, arms wrapped around a tree trunk, wide eyes, pale and looking like she’s about to throw up.

I can’t look at her as I haul Bobby towards where Jack is standing, rifle now over his shoulder, gun in his hand, expression hard as he looks at what’s left of Bobby.

Jack’s voice is level when he looks me in the eye. “You’ve got too much blood on your hands already, boy.”

My stomach twists but I set my jaw and make sure Natalie doesn’t hear my reply. “He stole my life and would have taken hers.”

Jack nods slowly, understanding in his eyes as he places his 44 in my palm.

Bobby seems to wake up enough to understand what’s about to happen. He struggles in my grip, pleading with me, whining pathetically for mercy I know he’d not give if the circumstances were reversed.

Without looking at Natalie, I drag Bobby further up the path, knowing what I’m about to do and hating myself.

But for Natalie. For Grace. For us all to have a chance at a normal life. I need to do this.

I don’t give him time to react, just squeeze the trigger against his head and watch him drop like a stone.

I close my eyes, listening to the bird song, the faint sound of the water running, and for the first time in a long time, I start to think, maybe, just maybe, this can be over.