Hunt Me Down

by A. L. Jackson

  Table of Contents

  Epilogue

  Hunt Me Down

  Also by A.L. Jackson

  Copyright

  Broderick

  Lillith

  About the Author

  Hunt Me Down

  A Fight for Me Stand-Alone Novella

  A.L. Jackson

  Contents

  Hunt Me Down

  Also by A.L. Jackson

  Copyright

  1. Broderick

  2. Lillith

  3. Broderick

  4. Lillith

  5. Broderick

  6. Lillith

  7. Broderick

  8. Lillith

  9. Lillith

  10. Broderick

  11. Lillith

  12. Broderick

  13. Lillith

  Epilogue

  Also by A.L. Jackson

  About the Author

  Hunt Me Down

  A Fight for Me Stand-Alone Novella

  A.L. Jackson

  This novella can be read as a stand-alone and does not give away any spoilers to other titles in this series.

  Also by A.L. Jackson

  Bleeding Stars Series

  A Stone in the Sea

  Drowning to Breathe

  Where Lightning Strikes

  Wait

  Stay

  Stand

  The Regret Series

  Lost to You

  Take This Regret

  If Forever Comes

  The Closer to You Series

  Come to Me Quietly

  Come to Me Softly

  Come to Me Recklessly

  Stand-Alone Novels

  Pulled

  When We Collide

  Fight for Me Series

  Show Me the Way

  Follow Me Back – Early 2018

  Lead Me Home – Spring 2018

  Hollywood Chronicles, a collaboration with USA Today Bestselling Author, Rebecca Shea – coming soon

  Copyright © 2017 A.L. Jackson Books Inc.

  First Edition

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the publisher.

  Please protect this art form by not pirating.

  A.L. Jackson

  www.aljacksonauthor.com

  Cover Design by RBA Designs

  Photo by Focus and Blur

  Editing by AW Editing

  Formatting by Mesquite Business Services

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Names, characters, places, and plots are a product of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  1

  Broderick

  I’m not sure how you handle things where you come from, Mr. Wolfe, but I can assure you it is not how we handle things in Gingham Lakes. Mrs. Tindall has been a value to our small community since the fifties, and her family long before then, and I have every intention of securing that legacy for many years to come. Why don’t you make things easier on yourself and remain in your high-rise office, which I’m sure affords you quite the dramatic view of Manhattan. You seem better suited for that than our ‘provincial’ town.

  I didn’t even fight the satisfied smile that pulled at my lips as I let my eyes retrace her latest email.

  God, this woman was a handful.

  Determined and feisty.

  A challenge I couldn’t wait to take on.

  For the last five months, we’d been going back and forth via email. My interactions with this tough-as-nails attorney, who was working pro bono for a tiny company in an even tinier city in Alabama, had escalated with each click of send.

  Maybe it was a little sick that I’d come to crave this game.

  Cat and mouse.

  Round and round.

  She was sharp and obviously loyal. I’d never even seen her. But apparently, I didn’t have to. Just sitting there and reading the fight in her words made my dick hard.

  There was nothing like a strong woman who knew what she wanted.

  The best part was I wanted it more.

  My laptop screen burned through the dim light of my high-rise office, which did indeed offer the most spectacular view of Manhattan. With a smirk, I leaned forward and let my fingers fly across the keyboard.

  That is where you’re mistaken, Ms. Redd. I’m sure you’re well aware of our company’s reputation. The Wolfe name is the very definition of success. It’s the cornerstone on which our company has been built, and I will not let that name be tarnished. I will have that building, and in the end, my hotel will stand in its place. I’m trying to be fair, but make no mistake, if you force me into a corner, I will come out, teeth bared. I’ve been told they’re sharp.

  A shock of lust curled in my gut as I sent the email. Why did I get the feeling I would love sinking my teeth into this woman?

  It took only a few moments before my inbox pinged with a new message.

  Is that a threat, Mr. Wolfe? Because if it is, I can assure you, my nails are equally as long, and I never hesitate to fight back.

  Visions assaulted me. Ones of her nails clawing at my shoulders and raking down my back. Her body straining beneath mine as I ravaged her.

  My breaths turned shallow as I typed out a response.

  Is that a promise or your own threat, Ms. Redd? I’m up for either.

  God. What the fuck did I think I was doing? I’d always been about the job. But this woman…this fiery woman had me stepping out of bounds. Saying things I knew I should never say.

  Her response was almost immediate.

  Don’t flatter yourself. You’re clearly compensating, and I definitely don’t need that kind of disappointment. Save yourself the trip. You wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself with that kind of failure.

  “Oh, you went there, did you?” I murmured beneath my breath. I fucking loved that she didn’t hold back. My teeth scraped my lower lip, my mouth watering as I gave into the chase.

  Failure is not a part of my vocabulary, Ms. Redd. I think we’ve already established that. But don’t worry, at the end of all of this, you will be thanking me.

  I pressed send a little too eagerly, becoming even more excited when I clicked into her quick response.

  Only in your lofty, lofty dreams, Mr. Wolfe. I will see to it those dreams are crushed.

  A chuckle rumbled free, and I rubbed at my jaw. She had no idea just how much pleasure I would take in crushing her.

  This could have been an easy acquisition.

  We’d made a more than generous offer, after all. Instead of accepting it and moving on, they let nostalgia taint their decision and rejected the small fortune.

  Some people didn’t seem to understand when it was best to take the path of least resistance.

  But you wouldn’t see me complaining. They had no clue just how much I relished the battle.

  My cell bleeped and lit up where it rested on the glass desk, and I subdued the irritation that fought to work its way up my throat. I cleared it as I rocked forward and accepted the call.

  “Father,” I said by way of hello as I stood and shrugged into my suit jacket before closing down my laptop and sliding it into its leather case.

  “Son. Tell me you’ve taken care of the issue.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Working on it isn’t good enough. I needed this finished yesterday.”

  I gritted my teeth in an attempt to keep from spitting the words at him. “I told you, I would handle this one my way.”

  He huffed. “Haven’t you figured out yet that your way do
esn’t work?”

  A jolt of bitter laughter tripped from my tongue. “I think I’ve cleaned up enough of your messes that you would have realized by now that it does.”

  If it were up to my father, he would have gone in there and basically stolen that building right out from under that old lady. His men had no qualms about making a threat or two to get what he wanted, bending people to his will by cowardly shows of force.

  Silence traveled the line, the two of us at odds, the constant contention that had churned between us since I was a little boy so close to reaching its boiling point.

  “Two weeks, Broderick. Two weeks,” he finally said. There was no missing the threat.

  “I won’t need them.” My voice lowered. “And I’m warning you—do not interfere in this. I will do this my way.”

  “We’ll see.” That was the last thing he said before the line went dead.

  Fuck. I squeezed the phone in my hand. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to send my phone sailing through the air.

  Broderick Wolfe Sr. thought he was the epitome of success.

  Believed his efforts were what Wolfe Industries was built upon.

  When in truth, the man was nothing but underhanded deals and greed.

  Those were footsteps I refused to walk in.

  I worked relentlessly for what I wanted.

  Chased it.

  Hunted it until I had it in my clutches.

  And when I won? It was because I was actually the best at what I did.

  I buttoned a single button on my jacket and shook out the cuffs. Lifting my chin, I grabbed my case and strode out the door.

  I had work to do.

  And I was going to love every second of it.

  2

  Lillith

  “So help me God, if he even looks at me wrong, I will snap. I think there’s a legitimate chance someone will have to keep me from strangling him, Nikki. Gah…he’s so infuriating.” With my phone pressed to my ear, I tipped my face toward the sky and sucked in a few breaths of cold air as if it might stand the chance of cooling some of the anger still boiling in my blood.

  Never had I hated a man as much as I hated Broderick Wolfe. That snarky, arrogant voice made my skin crawl. Of course, it was a voice I’d never actually heard. What was most frustrating was the fact that even in its silence it skated my skin like sex and sin.

  No question, that was what this man was.

  Sin.

  Wicked and immoral.

  Ten minutes ago, I’d left a meeting where we were planning exactly what strategy we’d take tomorrow when the big dogs from Wolfe Industries descended on our city.

  I needed a few moments to vent.

  My best friend Nicole laughed through the line. At least someone found some humor in the situation. “Oh, I seriously doubt you’re going to actually strangle him. You might have spent the last five months fantasizing about it, but I know you, Lily Pad, and you are the pillar of self-restraint. But if the stories are true and he’s as gorgeous as everyone says he is, you have been fantasizing about all the wrong things.”

  The winter air was chilly, and I tightened the belt of my coat, my black patent heels clicking on the gray-bricked sidewalk that ran the quaint downtown street. I strode beneath the trees, their barren branches stretched over my head like a shield of protection. Rays of sunlight darted through the spindly limbs, creating a pattern of warmth on the ground.

  Gorgeous old buildings rose up on each side of the street. Most of them were one-to-three stories high, the upper floors apartments and the bottom floors family-run and independent stores.

  Many had been there since long before I was born.

  So yes.

  I could admit many were run down and in dire need of repair.

  But that didn’t make the histories held within their walls any less important.

  Our city had always stood for something—family and community and coming together when things got rough.

  There were parades on almost every holiday, and our parks and lakes were meticulously maintained—a safe place where children could run and play—all thanks to the residents who devoted their time and efforts to make sure the public areas were cared for. And when someone was in need? Those same residents came together with fundraisers and food drives to help ease the burden.

  That was something I would do everything in my power to protect.

  “Believe me, Nikki. There is absolutely no fantasizing on my part other than imagining his complete demise. The man is an arrogant slime ball. I don’t care if he looks like Charlie Hunnam—I’m talking SOA here—I don’t want anything to do with him other than to run him out of town as quickly as I can.”

  Nikki gasped as if it were the most horrific statement I’d ever made. “That is some serious hate, Lily. SOA? Are you sure you’re really going there?”

  I sighed, and a tumble of nerves rolled in my stomach as I approached the storefront at the heart of it all. My gaze traced the plate glass windows with the store’s name and logo printed in white.

  Tindall’s Thimbles.

  “You think that hate is undeserved?”

  Nikki hesitated, and I could almost see her chewing furiously at the tip of her thumbnail, as if she weren’t sure what to say. Her voice dropped. “Is there really anything wrong with revitalization? The city could use the jobs.”

  A sigh filtered free. “Of course we could use the jobs. But you know this is different. They’re forcing this without consideration of the people who have been here all along. They’re steamrolling people out of their homes and out of business without a second thought other than the number of dollars that will line their pockets. It’s not as if they actually care about Gingham Lakes. You know the second they sign on the dotted line, they’re out of here.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “If you were to read the emails I’ve shared with them, especially him, you’d understand, Nikki. This is all about the money. Any bullshit they’re feeding us about pumping fresh blood into the community is just that—bullshit.”

  A tease made its way into her tone. “And we all know the bullshit stops with Lillith Redd.”

  Memories of when I couldn’t see through people’s bullshit barreled through me, and I pushed out the words on a whisper. “God, I hope so.” I shook them off before I got too lost to them. “All right, I need to get inside.”

  “Okay, but I’ll see you tonight at seven, right?”

  Shit.

  I’d forgotten about that.

  “Of course,” I muttered noncommittedly.

  I could almost see Nikki raising her eyebrow at me. “Do not bail on me, Lily Pad. You need to unwind. I don’t care how busy you are or what you need to prepare for, you are getting a night out. Do you understand me?”

  I puffed out a breath. “Fine. I’ll be there.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  “Okay, see you then. Don’t make me show up at your office to drag your ass out.”

  A short laugh rumbled free. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll see you then.”

  “Bye.”

  I ended the call and slipped my cell into my bag. Sucking in a breath, I reached out and pulled open the door. A bell dinged from above, the light tinkle ushering in a thousand more memories.

  The overwhelming relief I’d felt every time I’d stepped through this door.

  The warmth and the comfort.

  The hope when the only thing I’d felt was fear and defeat.

  Movement pulled my attention to the far corner where an arch led to the back room filled with sewing machines and fabrics and tools. On the opposite side of the sewing machines were racks full of hanging garment bags waiting to be picked up by their brand new owners or to be reunited after a repair or tailor.

  Addelaine all but floated out, the old woman willowy and thin. Hair long and silver. Grayed, blue eyes keen.

  “Lillith, child,” she murmured through a tender, wrinkled smile. �
��It’s so wonderful to see you.”

  Immediately, I went to her, wrapped my arms around her frail body, and hugged her close. She smelled like baby powder and cotton, the way she always had.

  “Addelaine,” I whispered.

  For a long moment, I clung to her before I forced myself to untangle from her familiar warmth. Even still, I reached out for one of her weathered hands. “Tell me how you’re holding up? Has anyone been harassing you? Have you received any more letters?”

  Softly, she smiled. “I couldn’t be better.”

  A frown pulled at my brow. “You don’t have to pretend for me, Addelaine. I can’t imagine the type of stress this has put you under.”

  She touched my cheek. “Hmm…child…why do I get the feeling it’s you who is the one who is stressed? I told you before, whatever will be, will be.”

  “And what will be is you staying put, right here, where you belong.” The words were out, strength behind them. I wouldn’t allow myself to fathom another outcome.

  Her chuckle was slow as she worked her way back around the counter and began to sift through the orders she would start that day. “With you on my side? I have no doubt about that.”

  “They come in tomorrow.” I glanced around the space. “The people who are trying to steal this building from you.”

  I knew she wanted to hide it, but I saw the resigned fear that flashed through her features. “It’s going to be a fight.”

  “A fight we will win.” I took an emphatic step forward. “We’re fighting for what’s right.”

  Her smile was sad. “I’m the one who got myself in this mess, Lillith. How many years am I behind on my taxes? And now the mortgage has gone late? I’m the one who hasn’t been holding up to my end of the bargain. I took out that second mortgage thinking I’d be able to repay it, and you and I both know I just can’t. Sometimes it’s better to admit it’s time to let things go.”