“Oh.”
I chuckle. “That about sums it up. All I ask is that you don’t tell anyone that you have the bad boy wrapped around your little finger. Okay? I don’t want you to ruin my reputation.”
“Ha, right. As though I really believe that.”
Picking Gia up, I place her on the back of my bike.
“You have no idea how whipped I am. No idea at all.” I shake my head.
10
Gia
Four days have gone by since our loving on the beach. He’s slept every night in my bed, and because he’s there with me, I’ve slept soundly. In fact, I’ve slept better than I have since the attack. The only downside is that Hunter refuses to make love to me while under my father’s roof. He holds me in his arms every night and I wake up still wrapped in them.
After we dress he will kiss me briefly on the lips then he slips out of my room before anyone can catch us.
The days are more difficult as he stays protecting my father, and Chris stays on as my protection. Hunter said our relationship doesn’t change who protects whom. He trusts Chris and because he isn’t distracted with my beauty that he’ll be giving me one hundred percent of his attention, which is what he wants. I find this frustrating though. I hear what he’s saying, but I belong with Hunter.
I only wish that Hunter wouldn’t ignore me when my father is around. I try to hide the hurt from him and so far he hasn’t commented. It isn’t as though I expect him to kiss the life out of me in front of my father, or to initiate sex on the dining table. But a simple “hello,” or “have a good day,” wouldn’t go amiss. He can’t even manage that. I’m beginning to think that he wants to keep me hidden because he’s ashamed of me. Ashamed or embarrassed that he’d fucked someone a lot younger than him. Perhaps that’s why he wouldn’t make love to me in my own bed, and not because of whose house we’re in, all of these doubts are driving me insane.
As Hunter walks into the foyer of the house, I look up and meet his gaze briefly, which lasts a few seconds, while I continue to walk downstairs. Instead of doing what I usually do of staring at him until he acknowledges me or until he disappears from sight, I ignore him.
“Chris, I’m ready,” I shout upon reaching the last step.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Hunter turning in my direction, but I’m not giving him the time of day anymore. If he wants to ignore me during daylight hours then I’m allowed to do the same.
I let Chris lead me outside to my car, when I hear the front door opening.
Don’t look. Don’t look. Fuck!
I look.
“Just a minute,” Hunter says, jogging over to the car. “Chris, can you give us a minute,” he adds without removing his eyes from me.
“Okay.”
Hunter waits a few seconds then asks, “Why the silent treatment this morning?”
I’m stunned, and bitterly reply, “Are you seriously asking me that? You ignore me unless we’re in my bedroom, which by the way is changing. I don’t like the sneaking around so I think you should go back into the guest room.” I gulp, having gotten that out. “It’s for the best. As you said there is a large age gap between us.” I inhale and exhale. “I’ll see you around.”
Risking a glance up at Hunter, I see the mask he likes to hide behind start to slip. He doesn’t like what I’ve said, well tough. I’ve had enough and as I watched him briefly this morning, I’ve come to the conclusion that whatever connection we had to begin with has slowly been disappearing. I feel as though I’m just a quick fuck. Even though he’s physically here with me, I feel like him holding me during the night is just him bidding his time until he can leave—the job of bodyguard finished.
Inside the car, I turn to grab the handle to close the door and have a surprise when I’m met by Hunter’s angry face mere inches from mine. “We have some talking to do, but now isn’t the time. We’ll talk tonight.” He shuts the door for me as I watch him walk away.
When he walks into the house, I spot my father watching from the window.
Chris disturbs my thoughts when he climbs into the car and turns the engine over. “You ready, Gia?”
“Yes.” I force a smile.
All the way to the hospital I can’t shake the sudden feeling of doom that has fallen over my day since leaving the house.
Loosing track of time, we have parked up in the hospital lot and Chris is opening the door for me. I smile and climb out before heading inside and up to the children’s ward.
Chris refuses to come on the ward with me, but he’s standing guard at the doors. I’ve tried to pull him into conversation a few times, but he’s a man of few words so I’ve given up trying. The man I want to talk to me has been ignoring me until I’d turned the tables by ignoring him. All I wanted to do though is to get through the day without worrying over the conversation we’d have tonight.
“Gia, are you alright?” Ella questions, startling me.
“I’m fine. I’m in a world of my own. How’s Summer?”
“She’s holding her own.” Ella takes hold of my elbow. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve seemed sad lately and I don’t think it’s to do with your work here. How’s that guy you brought? Hunter was his name? He couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”
“You don’t miss anything, do you?”
Ella grins. “Not a thing.”
Rolling my eyes, I say, “He’s older than me. He’s actually closer to my father’s age than mine, which I guess doesn’t sit well with him. But he’s also here with work and will be heading back home soon.”
“Then make him want to stay,” Ella chuckles. “I’m sure you can use your imagination on that. And on that note, I’ll leave you to change.” She leaves with a wick in my direction.
Can I do what Ella suggested by making him want to stay? Did I have the courage? I’m tired of thinking about my life so I decide to concentrate on the children on the ward. A few of them won’t be around in six months time, which makes me sad, but I know that my interaction with them on a daily basis helps them—even if only for a short while.
With a heavy sigh, I push my way into the room, and open my locker. As I reach up to grab a new pack of scrubs, I freeze when cold metal touches my neck.
“One word and I’ll end it all right now. You understand?”
I slowly manage to nod my head, my heart thumping erratically.
My eyes are frantically searching my locker for something to use as a weapon, but scrubs and croc shoes won’t do much damage.
“C’mon.” He grabs my arm causing me to moan in pain as his fingers hold tight. “Keep your mouth shut and you might just get out of this in one piece. The boss isn’t really after you—you’re leverage for his upcoming trial.”
What the hell is he on about?
“Upcoming? As in not happened yet?”
Jerking me back against him, he snarls. “I told you to keep your mouth shut.”
He drags me back to the shower rooms, and to the door at the back. This is an emergency exit with the fire escape on the other side.
My self-preservation starts to kick in and I drag my feet, causing us both to stumble. I know once he gets me outside, I might not see anyone ever again. Tears start to leak from my eyes. Hunter. He’d never know how I’ve started to feel about him in the short time we’ve known each other.
But outside in the open, wouldn’t there be people around? Surely someone would help me.
Pushing through the door, I’m blinded by the sun as he half drags and half carries me down the fire escape. As we near the bottom, two doctors in green scrubs who I know from the OR come out of the door beneath us. “Not a word,” he hisses. The gun in his right hand digs into my stomach. “I’ve never missed, and I don’t intend to this time. Killing them would be on you.”
The bastard. I want nothing more than to scream for help, but I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me. If he gets away with me, I know Hunter won’t stop until he’s found me. He may act indifferen
t during the day, but something between us has kept him coming back to my bed at night, even if it’s just to hold me—at least that’s what I’ve convinced myself of.
The door bangs shut underneath us again and I look down to see the doctors have gone.
“Let’s go.”
He hustles me down the last few feet and as he starts pulling me toward his truck, I start to struggle. He presses the gun into my stomach just as I stumble, going down to my knees. He yanks me back up.
“You’re a feisty one,” he says pulling my front tight against his. “I might have to have a little fun with you,” he leers and kisses down my neck, biting as he goes.
Jerking with the sharp pain and without thinking, I knee him in the balls, which releases his grip on me. I fall with a hard thud to the road, which causes pain to shoot up from my bottom making my teeth rattle.
“You fucking bitch,” he hisses between his teeth with one hand on his balls and the other waving the gun at me.
I’d been afraid before, but nothing could have prepared me for the fear that runs through me now.
He looks mad. He looks like a guy who will pull the trigger. My heart bursts in my chest, racing with the fear overcoming me as I stare up at him, half blinded by the sun.
“You know what, bitch. I don’t give a fuck if Joe gets convicted, which means I don’t give a fuck if you die.”
He steadies his arm holding the gun and points it directly at my heart.
“Got anything to say? Any last words for dear daddy?”
Until he flipped, I really hadn’t believed that he’d kill me. If he planned on using me for leverage because of an upcoming case my father is involved with, then I’ll be no good dead. But as my heart pounds in my chest with fear, I realize he means to end my life on the back lot of the hospital.
“Hey!” Chris shouts running toward us, but ducks when the guy who has me turns the gun on him and fires a couple of shots. The silencer covers any noise that would have drawn attention.
I see the distraction as a way to try and get away from him. Perhaps I can make it to the cars parked about eight feet behind me.
Before I can get two feet he turns and fires at me the same time as a bullet rips through his face.
A white-hot pain grips me as I scream. Blood runs down my arm. I grab at it with my hand as I sob in pain and relief.
“Gia. Gia, fuck! I’m sorry. I should have gotten over my hang up with being on the ward and gone into the room with you.” Chris drops to the floor beside me, and looks at my arm. “It’s just a graze, the bullet didn’t enter. You’re going to have to have stitches though as it’s taken a chunk out of your arm.”
I nod.
“Here,” Chris says passing me a clean handkerchief.
“I didn’t realize anyone used them anymore,” I say and then I start chuckling when I realize how ridiculous it is to say that when I’m sitting here in serious pain with blood dripping everywhere. My chuckle turns into a hysterical laugh, which turns into great wracking sobs. Then the boys in blue show up.
“Your father and Hunter are on their way. I called them when I’d realized you’d gone.”
I nod my head and try to look behind Chris to where the guy is lying. Dead. I don’t even need to ask if he’s alive because I already know the answer.
“Don’t look, Gia. He’s not going to harm anyone again.”
Chris picks me up into his arms as my sobs begin to stop and carries me back into the hospital. I watch as some of my colleagues turn to look at me when we pass, but no one stops to help.
“She’s been shot.”
“Oh, my God. Gia, is that you? Shit! Bring her in here.”
Left on the examination table, Chris is backing out of the room.
I don’t want to beg him not to leave me so I stay quiet.
“I have to go back outside to talk to the cops, okay? You’ll be alright now.”
Will I really be okay now?
“Chris?”
“Yeah?”
I turn away and swallow down the sob that wants to break free before I turn back to him. “Thank you for coming after me.”
He looks embarrassed. “It’s my job, but I’m glad I got to you when I did.”
As Chris is halfway through the door on his way out, I ask, “Are you sure he was working alone?”
Chris freezes and turns back to me.
“One minute.”
He disappears and is back seconds later with Derrick, one of the security guards for the hospital. “He’s worked here a few years. Do you trust him?”
I nod my head.
“Okay. He’s going to stay here.”
“Alright. Thanks Chris, and Derrick.”
“It’s no problem, Gia.”
While the doctor and nurse start getting everything organized to clean me up, all I can think about is seeing Hunter. Of course I want to see my father and know that he’s okay. But it’s Hunter’s arms I want around me. It’s Hunter who I want to hold me while I have my arm stitched up.
I’m a wimp and hate anything painful, my pain tolerance is weak and if I remember correctly the local anesthetic will hurt like a bitch but it can’t hurt more than what I’m feeling right now.
“Gia, I’m going to give you an injection, okay? Before I clean the wound and stitch you up.”
“Okay,” I whisper, although I’m not.
Where are Hunter and my father?
11
Hunter
The minute Chris had called to tell me that Gia had disappeared and no one had seen her, I’d freaked the fuck out on the inside, but on the outside, I’d stayed calm. The last thing I want is for her father to catch on as to how I really feel about his daughter. Even though I’m not sure how I actually feel—no—that’s a lie because the minute I’d spoken to Chris, I knew exactly how I felt. My heart had dropped to my feet.
I didn’t want my heart to get involved, but she’s worked her way under my skin. The night at the beach had been heaven and I’d longed to repeat it, but as much as I’d broken the rules in the past, there just seemed something wrong with making love to her under her father’s roof. I’d played on that fact to try and keep my distance from her as well. For once in my life, I didn’t know what the fuck to do about a woman I have real feelings for.
And I haven’t worked in law enforcement for so long without knowing that Jarrod is on to us. I don’t think Jarrod knows the extent of our relationship, if we still have a relationship, but he certainly knows something.
Jarrod had an odd expression on his face after I’d come in from my brief talk to Gia before she’d left this morning, and he’d been standing at the window.
Normally I’m one for speaking my mind and getting everything out in the open, but the wildcat has my world turned upside down and I don’t know what the fuck to do about it.
Finally, the hospital has come into sight, and as I pull in to a parking space and cut the engine, we both jump out. Without a word between us, we go dashing through the main entrance not having a clue which way to head until I spot Chris talking to a couple of cops.
“Over there,” I point out to Jarrod.
“Where is she?” Jarrod asks.
“She’s in there. The docs have just finished stitching her back together.”
“Hunter,” she cries as I enter the room, seconds before she throws herself into my arms.
My arms go around her waist and hold her tight as I bury my face in her neck and inhale. She’s safe.
Gia wraps her legs around my waist and holds on to me for dear life. My hands go to her bottom for support.
Nothing has ever felt as good as it does having my girl safe and in my arms. My girl is safe. I love her. And her father will have to deal with it because I’ve had enough pretending otherwise.
“God, babe,” I whisper into her ear. “Are you okay?”
Gia moves her head so she can meet my eyes. Her hands caress each side of my face as she tells me, “I am now.”
While her father looks on, my lips meet hers in a slow seductive kiss. The taste of her does things to my body so before the whole hospital finds out just how I react to her, I pull back with a kiss to her nose.
“From now on you stay with me. Wherever you go, so do I. No sass. It’s happening. I don’t want you to go through anything like that again, and I can’t go through that again, either.”
A throat being cleared causes us both to turn and face Gia’s father.
With what feels like reluctance, Gia wiggles out of my arms and wraps herself around Jarrod.
“Daddy.”
That one word opens the dam of tears she seems to have been fighting.
It hurts to see her so upset and not to be able to comfort her. I find it difficult not to rip her out of her father’s arms, but I settle for rubbing her back. I meet her father’s gaze and instead of seeing anger, I see acceptance. I’m not sure if I’d be able to be so understanding if the situation had been reversed, and it was my daughter in the arms of the man who is supposed to be protecting her.
I watch Jarrod pull back and kiss her forehead before he gives her a nudge back into my arms. Holding her tight, I can feel the exhaustion in her body taking hold of her as her arms loosen around me.
“My arm is starting to throb. I think the pain stuff they gave me is wearing off.”
I cup her face in my hands and look at her. Even though she looks to be holding herself together by a thin piece of string, she’s beautiful to me. “I’m taking you back to your father’s house?”
“Thank you.”
“Gia, did he say why he was taking you?” Jarrod asks. “Forget it, I can see you need to rest. C’mon, let’s get you home.”
I refuse to let her walk and sweep her up into my arms, holding her securely against my chest. Leading the way to the car with her head resting against my shoulder, I can feel her watching me. Turning my head, I meet her gaze.
“I thought you didn’t want to be with me,” she whispers as tears form in her eyes.
Lawful: Gia ~ Hunter ~ Julian ~ Jarrod Page 6