by Leigh, Elisa
There’s also the matter of the new Bratva leader supposedly lurking around. I haven’t seen or heard anything to that effect, and I’m hoping that nothing comes of it. The sheriff checked the video that John gave to him and ran the best image he had of the guy through their software, but nothing has hit on him yet. Life has gone on with nothing happening out of the ordinary. While the question of the open window at Whitley’s place weeks ago is still unanswered, life around here has been normal.
Whitley has taken to Arya just as I’d hoped, and I feel better knowing Arya is there when I’m not able to be. Whitley walks her around the neighborhood every morning before work and in the evenings after she gets home. On the days that I’m able to, I join them. Arya has also settled down around me and has accepted me as part of her family, it took her long enough.
Things between James and I are square. Once he got all of that off of his chest, we haven’t had any issues. To be honest, I don’t think it was as much about Whitley as it was about me coming back into the picture and disrupting their normal. I still watched the fucker the few times we’ve all gotten together for dinner.
I text Whitley to remind her I won’t be here when she gets home since I’m meeting Marshall McManus for a drink.
Whitley: Thank you for letting me know. I completely forgot. I’ve been so tired lately.
Me: That’s what I’m here for baby.
Whitley: I hope it goes well.
Me: Me too.
Whitley: Dinner?
Me: I’ll grab something for us on the way home. What are you feeling tonight?
Whitley: French fries! All the french fries you can get your hands on. And a Coke, but only if it’s in a styrofoam cup.
Me: LOL. You got it, baby. If you want anything else, let me know. I love you!
Whitley: I love you too
Before leaving the house, I look at Arya who’s following me to the door. “You be good tonight and take care of our girl,” I tell her, and she barks. I lock up and use my security app to set the alarm in the house. As I’m pulling out of the garage, I notice a black sedan parked across the street. I immediately think of a few weekends ago when Whitley was upset about a vehicle just like this one. As I make my way to the bar where I’m meeting McManus, I keep checking my rearview mirror and spot him a few cars behind me. I take a few unnecessary turns to see if he’ll follow me, and he does. Fuck. Pulling into the bar, I watch as he slows down as he passes the entrance and then speeds off, tires squealing behind him.
Shaking my head, I wonder if this is the end to all of the peace around here. I walk into the bar and spot McManus sitting in a booth away from everyone else. Smart. I sit down across from him and wait for him to talk.
“Took your sweet ass time getting here, didn’t you son?” He growls at me.
“You’re what, ten years older than me? Don’t fucking call me ‘son,’ McManus.”
He studies me and lets my comment drop.
When he doesn’t say anything, I fill him in on what had just happened. “I was followed here.”
His shoulders tense. “How do you know?”
I crack my neck. “There was a car parked across the street from my house. It followed me, and all of my extra turns here. When I parked in the parking lot, it slowed down like whoever was inside was watching me, and then sped off.”
“Did you get a look at the person inside the vehicle?” He asks.
I shake my head, no. “The windows were too dark, but there’s something else.”
“What?”
“I believe Whitley saw this vehicle three weeks ago. I brushed it off as someone who was lost, but it spooked her enough to come in the house and set the alarms.”
“Has she seen the vehicle since then?”
“Not that she’s told me, and this is the first time I’ve seen it.”
“Keep an eye out, Whitley as well. If you see it again try and get a plate number so I can run it and catch this mother fucker. I’d say this could be nothing, but I doubt that at this point. The last thing I want either you or your woman to do is engage him.”
A woman comes up to our table with an apron tied around her waist. “Hey Honey, can I get you something to drink?”
“A beer, whatever you have on draft is fine,” I say and look back at McManus.
“We have a few choices -”
“Pick one, I don’t care, just as long as it’s cold,” I tell her and wait for her to acknowledge my request.
Her expression changes and I can tell I’ve pissed her off. She looks at McManus, and before she can ask, he holds up his drink to signal he’d like another then he looks back at me. She walks off to get our drinks calling us assholes.
McManus slides a picture across the table. “His name is Alexei Vasiliev. He’s Kozlov’s nephew. He flew into New York a few months ago and has slowly made his way down south. Word is he’s looking to make a name for himself by killing the people who put his uncle in prison.”
“Fuck.”
He gives me a curt nod. “That’s pretty much where we’re at. Since you opted out of witness protection, you’re first on the chopping block I suspect. I think we can use this to our advantage, though.”
The waitress drops off our beers and walks off without saying a word. We both take a healthy drink and set our beers down, not paying her any attention.
“How?”
“You’re not going to like it.” The man doesn’t spare words.
“So, help me God, if the next words out of your mouth are to use Whitley as bait, don’t fucking say them,” I warn.
He’s quiet for long moments. We both take another drink of our beers.
“He doesn’t want Whitley, he wants you and your parents, Hunter. Unfortunately for him, and you, he can’t get to your parents unless he has you.”
And it dawns on me, he doesn’t want Whitley. “You want to use me as bait?”
He nods sharply. “I think it’s our best option of not getting anyone else caught in the crossfire of his plan.”
I’m quiet, thinking of all the possibilities of how this could go down. What if I don’t make it? “Look, technically I can’t ask this of you. But waiting until he makes a move isn’t always the best choice. Who knows what he’s thinking or what brand of fucked-up he’s willing to dole out?”
“Give me a few days to think about it. If I agree, I’ll need assurances from you.”
He’s about to say something but holds it back and shakes his head in agreement. I lay a ten on the table and get up to leave. “I’ll let you know if I see the car again.”
“Will do. Talk to you in a few days either way?”
I nod. “I’ll let you know.”
When I get out to my truck, I check my phone and see I’ve got a few texts from Whitley asking for a double cheeseburger and an apple pie in addition to her fries and Coke. She also sent me a selfie of her and Arya laying on the couch.
It’s about seven o’clock when I get home. Whitley and Arya are in the same spot as the picture she sent me. She looks up when I set her food down on the side table and gives me a soft smile.
“I’m so happy you’re home.” She says and yawns.
“You’re only using me to bring you food.”
“This is true, but I’m also using you for your body, so there’s that too.” She says and laughs.
Whitley sits up so I can sit beside her, and Arya jumps down to lay on the floor. I hand over her drink, in a styrofoam cup because she’s weird like that, and her food then sits down next to her.
She leans over and kisses me softly. “Thank you, babe.”
“You’re welcome. Anything for you.”
She has a fry halfway to her mouth when she stops and looks around. “Where’s your food?”
“I had a late lunch, and I’m not really hungry right now.”
She pops the fry in her mouth and chews it quickly, then points another fry at me. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. You’re always hungry. What happened
tonight with the Marshall?”
I know I need to tell her about the car following me, but she’s finally not jumping from every noise. It kills me to have to be the one to take away her feeling of safety. “On the way to meet with him, I’m pretty sure someone was following me.”
“The car was black, wasn’t it?”
I nod, and a single tear rolls down her cheek. “Hunter…”
“What is it, baby?”
“I’m pregnant.” She places her hand over her stomach then looks up at me. “I took a test today when I got home. I was going to wait and see the doctor and get one of those ultrasound pictures. I had it all planned out. I wanted to surprise you.”
Placing my hand over hers, I call her name, and she looks up at me. “Knowing my child is growing inside of you is gift enough. I can’t wait to be a father… or a husband.”
“A husband?”
I kiss the side of her face and stand. “I’ll be right back, baby, stay here for a second.”
Hurrying to our bedroom, I go to my dresser and pull out the engagement ring I’ve had since before I moved back. I open the blue velvet box and stare at the ring, hoping she loves it. Snapping the box closed, I walk back out to the living room where Whitley is sitting in the same spot that I left her.
I kneel at her feet, and she gasps as I take her left hand in mine. “Whitley Ann Grant, I love you more than anything in this entire world. I loved you before I even knew what love meant. I will treasure you in entirety until my dying breath. Please do me the honor in becoming my wife as you become the mother of our child.”
I wipe her tears away with the back of my knuckles, then pull out the ring box and pop the lid, showing her the ring I spent weeks searching for. “Will you marry me?”
Whitley springs from the couch, wrapping her arms around my neck as we fall to the floor, our bodies tangled and lying side by side as we look into each other’s eyes. Then she peppers my face with kisses.
“Tell me that’s a yes, baby,” I say laughing and a little unsure since she hasn’t given me an answer yet.
She smiles wide. “I love you so much, Hunter Stone. Of course, I’ll marry you.” She says and gives me a long, deep kiss.
I ended up dropping the box when she lunged at me, so I sit up and look around for it. Whitley sits up too. After a few seconds, I find it and pull the ring out of the box and grab Whitley’s left hand, sliding the ring onto her ring finger.
Whitley holds her hand up to her face and studies the ring. She’s quiet for the longest time as she looks it over. I start to worry that she hates it, but finally, a small smile breaks across her face, and she looks up at me. “It’s so beautiful, Hunter. Something I would have never picked, but absolutely stunning and perfect in every way. Thank you.”
“The intricate design surrounding the round diamond was unique, and something I hadn’t seen before. It’s rare just like you.”
“I love it.”
“More than me?” I joke.
She looks down at the ring and then back at me. “I don’t know Hunt, the ring might just win this one.” She teases me.
“You little brat.”
She sticks her tongue out at me, and when I go to grab her, she jumps up and runs down the hall to our bedroom. I’m up and quickly following behind her, catching her just as we get to the bed.
We spend the rest of the night, making sweet love. I get up in the middle of the night to make sure the house is locked up and throw her forgotten food in the trash. While in the kitchen I peek through the blinds of our bay window looking to see if the car that followed me is there. When I see nothing, I breathe out a sigh of relief and go back to bed.
As soon as Whitley told me she was pregnant, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do what McManus wanted. I couldn’t take the chance of leaving her to raise our child on her own. Whatever happens, I’m going to be here, protecting her and our unborn child. McManus and I will have to figure something else out. Leaving isn’t an option.
Chapter 18
Whitley
The bed dips down on my left a few moments before I feel warm fingers push hair out of my face. “Baby, I’m leaving. I pulled the truck out and turned it around, so you won’t have to back it out today when you leave.” Hunter says in his thick country, drawl.
“Thank you.” I murmur, my voice still thick with sleep.
“Alright love, I’ll see you tomorrow when I get home,” Hunter says and then kisses me on my temple.
Still in bed curled up in the blankets, I wave goodbye and mumble I love him, needing at least another hour before I can fully function. It’s the weekend, and that means I get to sleep in and I’m not missing out on my extra hours.
I wake up over two hours later to a text from Andi telling me she won’t be able to make it to the beach with us today because she has to work an extra shift at the animal clinic. I can’t wait until she finishes veterinarian school and doesn’t have to work there anymore. I’ve tried convincing her to get another job, but she won’t listen to me. Since this is the only vet close to home, she feels lucky she even got the veterinary tech job. The problem is the vet is an asshole who can’t keep his hands to himself. She tells me she can handle it, but I’m not so sure.
Ramsey is supposed to be bringing his new girlfriend with him today, and he promised she’s the complete opposite of his ex, Julia and that I’ll love her. God, I hope so. He and Julia ended up breaking up right after Hunter questioned Ramsey a week after our date that ended in disaster. Ramsey had no idea about what had happened, but once he knew, he ended things with her immediately. Ramsey and I are close, no one messes with his little sister. I guess other things were going on in their relationship that no one knew about, and this just proved what he knew needed to happen.
I roll out of bed and use the restroom, forgoing the shower since I’ll be at the beach today. Going to my dresser to find my bathing suit, I grab it and pull my tankini top over my head and down over my stomach. I’m not showing yet since I’m only a couple months along in my pregnancy, but the top fits tighter than it used to, especially in my boob area. For the first time in my life, my clothes fitting tighter is a good thing. Our child is growing, and I couldn’t be happier.
I pick up my phone and call Tina to make sure she’s still able to attend.
“Hello?” She says.
Something sounds wrong. “Are you okay?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
I know there are things in her past that bother her sometimes. I wish she would share with me and get it out, so it won’t haunt her anymore. Tina is one of the kindest and funniest people I know, and I hate seeing her like this. “I’m just checking to make sure you’re still coming to the beach with us today.”
“Whit., I don’t know if I’m up to it today.”
“Ah, come on Tina. There’s nothing the sun, hot sand between your toes, and eating grilled burgers while hanging out with your favorite people can’t solve.” She doesn’t say anything for a minute, so press on. “I’ll come pick you up. Hunter is letting me borrow his truck today, so I can bring the big cooler and umbrella that won’t fit in my tiny Honda Civic.”
She snorts. “Tell me he didn’t drive your car to work today.”
“Yeah. I wish I was awake to see him squeeze into it. I doubt it’s a comfortable ride.” I say and laugh.
“I’m so happy for you Whit. Hunter loves you so much and treats you like a queen, just how you deserve. Guys like that are hard to find.”
“I know it. I count my lucky stars every night that he came back for me.”
“Alright. I need at least thirty minutes to get ready.”
“Perfect, by the time I’m ready and drive over, I should be there.”
Disconnecting the call, I finish getting ready and packing my bag for the beach. I grab the snacks I bought last night for today and take them out to his truck and see that Hunter has already put the large cooler in the bed of his truck. He’s absolutely perfect! I walk back inside
and put Arya’s leash on her and make sure the house is locked up before I set the alarm and leave. When I open up the passenger side for Arya, she jumps in and lays on the floorboards. Getting into the driver’s seat, it takes me a few minutes to adjust the seat and mirrors to make sure I’m able to drive this monster of a truck. I already know it’s going to be a pain to drive since it’s so different from what I’m used to.
“Ready to go to the beach girl?” I ask Arya.
I pull out of our driveway and start heading out of our neighborhood. I’m only driving for a few minutes when I look in my rearview mirror and notice the black sedan that I saw months ago. A chill runs down my spine, and I’m filled with fear. Is he going to follow me too? What happens when I get to Tina’s apartment, will he drive off like he did with Hunter, or will he get out of the truck? Amid my panic, I miss the turn for Tina’s apartment. I decide to take the long way around and try and lose him.
Turning on a backroad and press down on the accelerator trying to get some space between me and the car that’s following me. It’s then that I notice the steering wheel jerks and it’s hard for me to steer. Then the engine starts smoking while the AC has stopped working. Fuck, what am I supposed to do? I’m panicking and not thinking straight. Stopping isn’t an option, if I stop who knows what he’ll do. Checking in the rearview mirror, I see the car is keeping a steady pace behind me, with no other cars around us to help. What was I thinking, turning down this old country road? I try and accelerate, but the truck begins to shake and jerk back and forth. My body is shaking and tears rolling down my eyes as I try and figure out what I’m supposed to do and how I’m supposed to make it out of this. The power in the truck turns off completely, and it starts to slow down.
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.