Authors: Katie Reus
“Connor’s calling the locals right now.”
“Don’t they have their own guys?” It wasn’t as if she knew much about DEA procedure, but she’d assumed they’d want to keep this quiet at least for a little while.
“He wants everything done by the book so later when—if—we make it to trial, nothing looks fishy. We discussed calling in the Feds, but things will be wrapped up quicker this way.”
She noted the admiration in Hunter’s voice and guessed he’d finally put his trust in Connor. If she was honest, she had too. The moment she’d met the man, her instinct had told her he was one of the good guys.
“And you agree?”
He shrugged. “It’s a good plan to bring Davis down. Once this crime scene is processed, the DEA is releasing Davis’s picture to the media. My guess is he’s somewhere close to us so it will only be a matter of days before this is all over.”
“And you’re sure no one else is involved?”
He shook his head. “Not entirely, but from the start it’s only been them after us. Anyone else connected to Davis or Foster is already dead.”
“Then we can go home?” Her heart rate increased at the thought.
“Even if we don’t catch him, I think it’ll be okay to go home. If it comes down to getting out of the country or going to jail, I think he’ll try to flee. Especially when we put his picture on the news.”
“And that’s a good thing?”
“All the major airports will be alerted. Everyone will be looking for him.”
A burst of hope jumped inside her. They could go home. Instinctively she reached out to clasp Hunter’s hand. He was focused on the window. Outside, she could see one of Connor’s men.
“Why is he still on the phone?” Hunter’s lips pulled into a thin line.
Outside, Mike was still on the phone, and to say he didn’t look happy would be an understatement. The light from the kitchen and one of the bright deck lights illuminated his red, mottled face as he yelled into the receiver.
Connor set his cell phone down and she watched an odd, wordless exchange happen between him and Hunter.
Hunter spoke first. “Who’s he talking to?”
She’d assumed he was on the phone with the locals. Obviously so had Hunter.
Connor paused too long. Even Alexis could tell he was holding something back.
Before anyone could react, Hunter was outside and had yanked the phone out of Mike’s hand. The young agent looked startled, then fearful as Hunter held it up to his ear and started talking. It was too far for her to hear, but she knew he’d tell her what was going on when he got back inside. For now, she was staying where it was warm.
“Who’s he talking to?” Alexis asked Connor, her voice low and unthreatening. She figured it couldn’t hurt to ask him. The worst he could do was ignore her.
He sighed and rubbed a hand over his stubbly face. “Our contact with the CIA.”
“What?” Alan, who’d been sitting quietly at the table, was suddenly alert and pissed.
“You’re gonna find out anyway,” Connor muttered and glanced back and forth between the two of them. “We’ve got a guy on the inside who’s been keeping tabs on the situation on their end, and Mike’s been staying in contact with him.”
“And you didn’t think it relevant to keep
me
informed?” Alan’s voice was heated.
Before Connor could respond, Hunter and Mike walked back inside. Both their faces were grim. Mike quickly moved to the other side of the kitchen and took a seat next to Alan.
“Why have you been holding out on me Connor?” Hunter asked as he came to stand next to her.
A shudder ran through Alexis at his deadly tone. His words were calm. Too calm. She could practically feel the waves of anger and aggression rolling off him they were so potent, and she had no doubt the other men could too. His dark eyes had a predatory gleam.
Connor had the decency to look embarrassed. “It wasn’t relevant to your case and I didn’t want you getting spooked and running because we’re involved with the CIA. Arresting an agent is serious, something I don’t need to tell you. We’re keeping both agencies in the loop on this one. Considering your history, I think you can understand my hesitation.”
Hunter might be angry, but the majority of that fire had died down. It probably wasn’t discernable to anyone but her, but she saw it just the same. She could read the nuances of his body as well as he could read hers. “Anything else I should be aware of?” he asked.
Connor shook his head. “No. The locals are on their way down to secure the scene. They only have three full-time officers, but since the identity of the victim is known, they don’t need to bring in any outsiders to handle this.”
“Uh, is the body going to be gone by the time my son wakes up?” Her question sounded crass, but it was hard to care about social etiquette.
“Probably.” Hunter answered before anyone else. “If not, I’ll make sure he doesn’t see anything.”
Despite their argument last night, she sent him what she hoped was a grateful nod. But she couldn’t smile or even fake one. Her lips just wouldn’t work that way. She pushed up from the counter. “If you guys don’t need me, I’m going to check on my son and try to get a few hours of sleep.”
The three other men grunted at her, but Hunter followed her to the bottom of the stairs. “Are you okay?”
“I hate to say this, but I actually am. Jonathan’s fine and that’s all I really care about at this point. I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.” She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off a shiver and to keep her hands to herself. Standing so close to him, it was impossible to ignore what his presence did to her. Knowing it would be one of the last times she had the chance, she wanted to reach out and run her hands through his messy blond hair.
“Tomorrow—today will probably be a madhouse with all the extra police presence, but at least we’ll have that additional protection. This is almost over. I promise.”
“I hope so.” And she did. No matter what Hunter decided to do with his life, she wanted to get Jonathan back to his.
“It is. Don’t worry.” The tone of his voice made her wonder if he was trying to convince himself as much as her.
As she started up the stairs he stopped her. “About what you said last night. I feel like I’m a broken record, but I am sorry. I know you don’t believe me, but one day you’ll be able to see I was right.”
Her stomach balled up hard but she stayed silent until he looked at her again. “Please don’t take this the wrong way because I’m not saying it to be cruel, but the only thing I’ll be able to see is that you were a coward.” She didn’t raise her voice and she held his gaze, wanting him to see how serious she was.
His head jerked back slightly. “Damn, Alexis. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
She sliced a hand through the air. “Don’t tell me how I feel or what I think. I
know
you, Hunter. Whatever you think you’ve done, I know that the man I love is still in there. After six long years you came back to check on me, to make sure I was all right. You didn’t know we had a son and yet you stepped in and have protected us both. You could have gone on the run, started a new life somewhere else, but you didn’t. It’s because you’re a good person. Not everyone would have come back after so long. I deal with abused women every single day. Trust me, a lot of men out there aren’t so chivalrous.”
He was fighting himself. With his demons. She could see the battle raging in his dark eyes. He stared at her, allowing her to see the pain and guilt eating away at him. Whatever things he’d done could be forgiven. She was sure of it. But she wouldn’t ask him to confess those things. He’d have to tell her on his own.
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “I never told you how I got Calero to notice me.”
“Notice you?”
His eyes darkened. “For a man as smart as him, he didn’t let just anyone into his inner circle. Don’t you want to know how I became ‘friends’ with him?”
She nodded because she didn’t trust her voice.
“I became one of the foremost weapons distributors in Panama and I sold to anyone and everyone. If they had the cash, I sold them a weapon. AK-47s, AKM rifles, RPGs, whatever. And let me tell you, I made quite a name for myself. Someone needed something, they came to me. If I didn’t have it, I got it. Eventually I started making so much bank I got noticed and Calero decided he didn’t want to kill me, but go into business with me. I had the supply and the name to back everything, so I guess it was easier for him than offing me.”
She couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped.
A bitter smile stretched across his lips. “See? Not so pretty now, am I? I’m
not
chivalrous and I have no business being a father to our son. What happens when he wants to know where I was the first five years of his life, huh? And what are you going to tell your friends? That the father of your kid was a gunrunner for one of the biggest cartels in the Americas? That one will go over real well. Talk about awkward conversations at cocktail parties.” His eyes were icy. Filled with self-loathing.
She descended the few stairs separating them until she was eye-to-eye with him. She raised her chin a notch. “Did you enjoy your work?”
He frowned. “What?”
“It’s a simple question. Did you enjoy it?”
It was slight but she noted a shudder rake over him. “No.”
“Did you sell weapons to kids?”
“No.” His tone was firm and adamant.
“Did you go out of your way to hurt people? And did you hurt or abuse women?”
His frown deepened. “Hell, no.”
“Then whatever problem you’ve got with staying in Hurley Beach is your own deal. I want you in my life and I know Jonathan does. All that stuff you’ve just laid out is bad, I won’t lie. And will you have some uncomfortable conversations with our son when he’s older? Probably. But what you’ve told me is
not
unforgivable, especially considering why you did what you did. I know you want me to let you off the hook and tell you I don’t want you around us, but that’s never gonna happen.” She refused to make it easy for him to walk away again. “When I look at you I still see that intense, loving man who stole my heart six years ago. I want a future with you, but if that’s not possible, fine. I still want our son to have a relationship with his father no matter what happens between us. He deserves that much and you do too. Even if you don’t realize it or even believe it, you
deserve
a place in his life.” She placed a hand on his chest and was surprised when she felt his heart racing wildly. “The ball’s in your court, Hunter.”
“Mom, I don’t want to wear this stupid thing,” Jonathan grumbled.
Alexis pulled his kitchen chair closer to hers and tugged the blue-and-green-striped skull cap down a little farther on his head. “That’s too bad because it’s freezing outside and you’re not going out without it.”
He slid from the chair and tried to wiggle away from her.
“Wait.” The tone of her voice made him stop struggling. She grabbed his gloves from the kitchen table and held them out.
Sighing, he jerked them on. “Now can we go outside?”
“Yes, but we’re not going to bother the policemen or Hunter. Is that understood?” She stood up and pulled her own gloves on.
“Yes, ma’am.”
A blast of icy air assaulted them as they stepped outside, but it was a little after ten so the sun was already warming things up. She zipped her jacket up higher and Jonathan immediately ran to the trunk of beach toys.
“Honey, are you sure you don’t want another sweater?”
“Mom, I’m fine.” He didn’t even turn to look at her as he dug into the trunk.
She knew she was being slightly neurotic this morning, but she couldn’t help it. All morning men in uniforms had been milling in and out of the house. Taking pictures, asking questions and basically invading every inch of the downstairs. The dead body was gone, but the garish bloodstain and wretched stench wasn’t. Jonathan hadn’t seen it, but only because she refused to let him in the living room just yet.
“What are you doing?” Hunter’s voice caused her to jump.
She turned to find him standing in the doorway. His expression was unreadable, which further annoyed her. Simply being
near
him right now annoyed her. She needed to keep her distance from him if she was going to keep a level head about everything. “I’m taking our son down to the beach for some fresh air.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
“Well, Jonathan is antsy and I don’t really care what you think right now,” she shot back.
“Damn it, Alexis—”
“Oooh, Hunter, you’re in trouble now.” Jonathan bounded up to them, electric airplane in hand.
“What?” His expression immediately softened as he looked at Jonathan.
“You said a bad word.” Jonathan’s dark eyes widened expectantly as he glanced back and forth between his parents. He chewed on his bottom lip as he stared at her. Maybe he was expecting her to reprimand Hunter. Despite her dark mood, a smile tugged at her lips.
Jonathan had once repeated the same word in front of his teacher this year. He’d had to miss activity time and he’d lost his bedtime story at home. A very big deal to a five-year-old.
“I did?” Hunter looked at her for confirmation.
Suppressing a smile, she nodded.
Damn
wasn’t exactly a bad word for a man like Hunter.
Jonathan continued. “Yep, you said—”
“Jonathan.” She raised her eyebrows at him.
He instantly closed his mouth and ran back to the trunk of toys.
“We’ll talk later, Hunter. For now, I’m taking Jonathan to the beach. He needs to get out for a few minutes, and I don’t want him inside around…all that.” She waved her hand in a wide arc.
The back door opened, causing both of them to turn. “Mind if I smoke?” Alan stepped out onto the deck, already unzipping his jacket to pull out cigarettes.
She shook her head and motioned toward Jonathan. “Just not close to him.”
“No problem.” He nodded, flicked his lighter on and strolled to the other side of the deck, downwind from them.
Glancing back at Hunter she started to continue when the other man interrupted them. “You guys headed down to the water?”