“Did you find Bruce?” I press Matt for answers, needing that motherfucker six-feet under as soon as possible.
“Nah. His trail dies out halfway down the mountain. It’s like he disappeared into thin air.” Matt rubs at his jaw, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
“Part of this lands on Ericson. He didn’t tell anyone about the bunker’s rear exit.” My jaw ticks, knowing that my friend fucked up more than once.
“I get not wanting to show all your cards, but damn, they were on lockdown. Who’d have thought that their threat would come from within their own family, not ours.” Matt chuckles, but there’s no humor in it. “Did Ericson ever figure out what Bruce wanted in the first place?”
“Money. Isn’t that what’s behind most bullshit anyway? Apparently, it wasn’t the first time Bruce had raided his house, looking for things to pawn.”
Matt’s brows raise, his hand running through his hair as he whistles. “Shit, he did a lot more than taking things to pawn.”
“Yes. He did.” I count to five in my head, trying to calm the demons that threaten to take over. “And as soon as I find him, he’ll pay for that.”
“Well, it might have to take the back burner. There’s been some developments down in Mexico. El Jefe’s brother has gone missing.”
“When did this happen?” I’m taken aback by this news. I’ve had eyes on the Cardenas’ compound since El Jefe and his brother were taken in as prisoners. None of my alerts had gone off.
“That’s why I came to find you. You left this behind in Florida.” He hands me one of my tablets. The one that’s directly linked to Raul’s cell.
Shit. If I thought Mel’s safety was important before, it blows everything else out of the water now. Raul is known for his ruthless acts of violence, and he knows full well what our family is hiding.
“Do the other brothers know yet?”
Matt raises a brow, his gaze assessing. “No. I figured this was something you wanted to keep to yourself, otherwise you would’ve told us about the miniature surveillance hub you’ve got going on.”
I smirk. “You’re right. Let’s just say there’s stuff I’m holding onto, and when it gets out, you won’t want to be anywhere near it.”
Matt’s head jerks back in surprise. “You know I’m here if you need to share the weight, brother. It isn’t fair for you to carry that burden all on your own.”
I nod, appreciating the gesture but not planning to take him up on it. There’s only one other Crown brother that knows the truth, and that’s Jace.
Our father trusted him with El Jefe’s will. The will that lists Austin Crown as his sole heir. That’s a can of worms I prefer not to go down unless it’s absolutely necessary.
“Thanks, Matt. I appreciate it, but for now, how about you just help me find Bruce? I’ll worry about Raul.”
My brother’s brows hit his hairline. “You aren’t planning on going after him all on your own, are you?”
I scoff. “Fuck no. I’ve got Mel to protect.” But I do plan on pulling in Jace and his men. He’s the one with the will, and there’s no doubt that he will be Raul’s first target.
“Soooo, how are you going to go after Raul?”
“Don’t you worry about that. Just get back to Florida. I have a feeling things are about to get hectic down there.”
Matt shakes his head before turning around and heading toward the door. “Fine, brother. I don’t know what you’ve got planned, but this shit feels like it’s about to bite you in the ass.”
“God, I hope you’re wrong,” I mumble under my breath as Matt clears the threshold, the bell chiming once more overhead.
There are only two things that have the power to bring me down—something happening to Mel, and Austin finding out who his biological father is. Both have the power to rock me to my core. The first because Melissa is my world, and the second… well, it unleashes Pandora’s box.
Melissa
“Just how many properties do you own?” I’m staring at the expansive windows overlooking Lake Opalaka in this stunning cabin.
This place is unlike my own tiny house or where we first made love. It’s huge, with a u-shaped sectional overlooking the lake and a massive chef’s kitchen to the right.
“A few.” Hunter is so nonchalant about this it makes me chuckle.
“Just a few.” I shake my head as I let my hand trail over the granite countertops before heading straight for the fridge and pulling it open. “Is this where you live? It’s fully stocked.”
Hunter shakes his head. “No, I live further up the ridge.”
As he’s talking I notice that not only is the fridge stocked, but it’s stocked with all of my favorite things. “How… why?”
I’m at a loss for words, yet again. Yes, I’m still leery of his intentions—that phone call still lingering in the back of my mind—but damn, does he have a way of making me feel special, right before he’s tearing me back down.
I guess that’s what I’m expecting. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, because if history has taught me anything, it’s only a matter of time.
Right on cue, strong arms wrap around me from behind as Hunter lowers his lips to the crook of my neck. “I told you, baby doll. I know everything about you.”
A shiver runs through me before I get it together and give him some sass. “You know, some might say that’s a little creepy.”
Hunter laughs. “I don’t give a shit what some might say. I only care about what you have to say.”
“Well, I have a lot to say, and I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”
Hunter quickly turns me around, his eyes searching mine before he’s lifting me up and seating me on the counter. It’s too much too soon and the motion makes me wince, my body still sore from the beating.
Hunter takes note, his face contorting as he takes a step back. “Fuck, baby. I’m so sorry. I should’ve been watching. I should’ve kept you by my side.”
“But you didn’t. You pawned me off on my brother and then treated me like shit when you called.”
Hunter rolls in his lips and nods. “I see you’re still upset about that.”
I scoff. “Of course I’m still upset about that! I get why you said you did it, but it doesn’t change the fact that it destroyed me when you did.”
A pained look takes over his masculine features and my chest squeezes. How can I hurt for this man when I’m still licking my own wounds? Because you love him.
“I know it hurt you, baby, but if it meant keeping you safe, then it had to be done. I won’t ever regret doing something that was in your best interest.” His brows drop and his eyes search mine, trying to convey his truth, but I just don’t want to hear it.
“No. I don’t want that. I want you to trust me with the truth, no matter how painful or how dangerous. I’m a big girl and you can’t keep me safe from the world.” I look past him and out the window, a lone tear trailing down my face. “Look at what happened in the bunker. You did everything you could to keep me safe, even hurt my heart in the process, but in the end—it wasn’t enough.”
Hunter sucks in a sharp breath, and it’s then I realize how this all sounded. Needing to rectify my wrongs, I cradle his sharp jawline in my hands, the thick stubble scraping against my palms and making them itch to touch more. “Hey… This wasn’t your fault, so don’t you think that for a second. I’m not blaming you. I’m just saying that no matter what you do, you can’t control every single thing that happens around me.”
Hunter scoffs. “Fuck if I don’t try.”
I’m shaking my head when Hunter presses his forehead to mine, the tender act making my heart swoon.
Wrapping my legs around his waist, I press myself closer, needing to feel his body on mine. “Promise me, Daddy. If you want this to work, then you have to give me nothing but the truth—even when you think I can’t handle it.”
“Baby, you know I can’t deny you when you ask me so sweetly.” Hunter rolls his hips, and it’s then I feel the thick bulge pressing against my slit.
“Mmmph, that feels so good.” I grind against him, making sure to let the top of his massive length nudge my clit and make me groan. “Doesn’t Daddy want to slide inside his girl’s tight little cunt?”
“Fuuuuuck, Mel. Don’t talk to me like that or I’ll be forced to push you down on this counter and rut into you, making that wet little snatch drain every last bit of my cum.”
“Well, if you want to play, then you have to promise.” I’m raising a brow while trailing a finger down his chest, my fingers wrapping around his impressive girth.
“Baby,” Hunter hisses, but his next actions surprise me. He’s taking my hand and removing it from his body. “In all seriousness, as much as I’d love to be balls deep in you, you have to know that I can’t give you what you want.”
My mouth drops open in disbelief. He’s rejecting me. Again.
“Are you kidding me right now?” I scooch to the side before dropping to the ground with a wince. “All I’m asking for is honesty, and you can’t even give me that?”
Hunter sighs, his head dropping back before he answers. “Not if it means costing you your safety.” His head falls forward as his eyes seer into mine. “Not tasting you, not feeling your walls grip around me… that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make if it means I’m keeping you alive.”
“But it’s not only your choice to make!” I’m shouting at the top of my lungs, trying to make this man understand, but it doesn’t seem like I’ll be getting through.
“It is when I’m the one holding the information, baby doll.”
“No! Don’t you ‘baby doll’ me.” I take a step back, pacing in front of the massive windows, needing to get my head on straight. “This. I knew this would happen.”
“What?” Hunter’s brows push together and his nose scrunches, the act making him almost look childlike. Oh, but I know better.
He’s just like them.
“You followed me around all this time, luring me into this false sense of safety. He really cares. He must really love me. No, I never thought you loved me as more than an honorary little sister, but I at least thought you truly cared.” I throw my hands up in the air, a deranged laugh falling from my lips. “How stupid was I? Believing in intentions that I had conjured all on my own. You never once told me you loved me or that you cared. Not once. Yet here I was, creating all of these make-believe scenarios in my head where one day, you’d finally see. See that you love me. That you need me as much as I need you.”
Hunter takes a step forward but I shoot my hand up, palm exposed. “But, baby doll, I do care.”
“No. Enough with this baby doll bullshit. All I’ve ever asked for is honesty. That’s it. And you couldn’t even give me that. If you truly cared this wouldn’t even be a thing, you’d just agree to it, and we’d move on. We’d be upstairs, fucking—good and hard—before making sweet love.”
Hunter’s body shudders at my words and I see how much he’d like that. Well, too bad. He doesn’t get access anymore. Never again will I trust him with that part of me.
“Melissa. I see what you’re saying, but you need to know that I love you enough to give up that part of us if it means I’m keeping you safe.” He takes two steps forward, his hands landing on either bicep before his fingers dig in deep. “You need to see that, baby. This is for you. All for you. You are my world, and if anything were to happen to you, I’d die. There’d be no point to keep going. You’d take every bit of joy and suck it right out of this life because you’re what makes it worth living.”
My lip wobbles and vision blurs, but I refuse to give into my heart and his pretty words. “And I see what you’re saying, but that isn’t love. That’s control. You want to control the situation, uncaring of what impact it has on my heart. What good is my living in this world if the life I lead is a miserable one?”
This makes him blink, his jaw set and cheek twitch. “Mel—”
A cell phone rings off in the distance and the moment is broken. Just when I thought I’d gotten through to him, life intervenes once more.
“I have to take that. It’s my brother’s ringtone.” Hunter drops his hold on my body and it’s a miracle I don’t crumple to the ground as he turns.
If ever there were a sign that we aren’t meant to be, this is it. No matter how hard I try, how hard I push, Hunter Crown will never truly be mine.
