“I could say the same about you and Rob.”
“Yeah, but we’re married,” Mara replied, leading me back into the room.
“Do you think we’ve crossed the line?” I asked, the sensation that I had lost the feeling in my limbs overtaking me.
“I don’t know…Hunter knows what he’s doing. We just have to trust him. I’m not sure what’s going on between him and his father though,” Mara answered.
I nodded my head taking a deep breath before speaking, “I forgot everyone was watching.”
Mara checked her hips against mine, “Everyone’s always watching Kate. Everyone just assumes that you’re a hot POW and he’s a hot man. It makes sense you guys are attracted to each other. No one here is questioning that.”
“Except Allan.”
“He probably wants to make sure Hunter still has the end game in mind,” Mara explained, “Whatever the hell that is.”
“Why can’t I breathe then? He kissed me and was about to tell me something, but then his father came—I’m never going to know what that kiss meant.”
“Don’t cry, Kate,” Mara said, coming to face me.
“I’m so sick of this,” I shook my head, “I have to say it out loud Mara. I love that man, and I’m so afraid that he doesn’t feel the same.”
“Hey,” Hunter interrupted my rant, and I could feel his hand on my shoulder.
I took a deep breath and turned biting my lip, “Hey.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes moving over my face.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Hunter probed, his thumb rubbing a tear away from my cheek.
“What was that about?” I asked, and every part of me filled with that fear again as his eyes darkened at the question.
“Let’s not talk about that right now. Let’s just enjoy ourselves,” Hunter slipped his hand in mine and guided me to the food, “This stuff looks amazing.”
“So now we’re just going to pretend nothing just happened?” I asserted as I stopped. I needed to know what it was about.
“Not at all, I fully intend to continue to enjoy the night in the same way…the way I planned it,” he squeezed my hand, “Dancing very close to you and singing to you—watching your smile and the way your eyes look when you’re really happy and being really happy myself.”
I could see the darkness floating at the edge of his eyes, but when I smiled and nodded my head it vanished.
“Good, now what should we try first?” Hunter asked.
Chapter 37
“You look tired.” Hunter observed as he jumped off the stage to where I was stood leaning against the wall.
“These heels are killing me,” I replied, slowly gliding my foot up my leg with a smirk.
“Me too,” Hunter joked as he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. He had tossed the jacket shortly before, and the sweat on his forehead along with the accentuation of his forearms made me want to tackle him. Somehow I managed to control myself.
“Ha-ha, so how long does this party last?” I asked as I observed that the crowd had thinned out a bit.
“As long as we want it to,” Hunter replied, his hands in his back pockets.
“Can I at least take off the shoes?”
“Of course, I think that Mara already has hers off,” Hunter nodded over his shoulder at her and Rob dancing.
“Alright,” I put my hand on his shoulder as I slipped one shoe off and then stumbled with the other falling into him, “Sorry.”
“Not at all,” he replied, the heat of his body wicking into mine. I took a deep breath of his scent and smiled.
“Would you like to dance some more?” I asked as I looked up at him.
He took a deep breath, “Of course.”
Seven more songs and despite my lack of heels I couldn’t feel my legs anymore. There were only a few couples still on the dance floor and everyone else had either left or was sitting along the walls with their eyes half shut. I was incandescently happy, and the fog of weariness was slowly edging into my mind causing a drunken smile.
“You ready to turn in?” Hunter asked with his forehead against mine. I nodded my head, and he swept me into his arms saying, “Let’s leave them wondering.”
“Always,” I whispered into his ear, and I could see the skin prickle there.
When we got into the apartment Hunter placed me on the bed as I loosened the pins holding my hair in. He sat down on the edge and looked over his shoulder at me. I really felt as if I was on a cloud as he reached over and brushed a hair out of my face.
“You’re so beautiful—I don’t want this night to end,” Hunter murmured with his voice soft, but it cracked at the edges as if something was wrong. His eyes said otherwise as he swept his thumb over my cheek and cupped my chin in his hand. I took a deep breath and smiled as I kissed the palm of his hand before I laid my head back on the pillow.
“I’ve never been this happy before,” I said as I closed my eyes.
“I could never be happier,” I heard Hunter whisper as I drifted off into a perfect sleep.
~~~
When I opened my eyes I was wrapped tightly in Hunter’s arms, and the smell of his sweet sweat wafted over me as I looked up at his sleeping face. It felt as though something inside me had changed, and I didn’t feel any apprehension as I leaned up and kissed his lips. His eyes fluttered open, and his perfect lips formed an irresistible smile.
“Hi there,” Hunter’s voice was graveled from singing the whole night.
“Did you sleep well?” I asked.
“I always do when you’re next to me.”
I shook my head as I sat up, “I can’t believe I slept the whole night in this dress.”
Hunter leaned up on one arm, “I still have my tie on,” he replied even though it was loose enough that he could have easily slipped it over his head.
“I think I need a shower,” I said, and Hunter nodded his head, his eyes troubled, “You okay?”
“Yeah, go ahead and take that shower,” he answered.
When I came out of the bathroom he was sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands tangled in his hair.
“I know you’re not okay,” I whispered as my voice cracked. I knew it had to do with whatever his father had told him, or had ordered him to do.
Hunter looked up and it looked as if he hadn’t really slept at all. His five o’clock shadow that usually made him look sexy now made him look weary as it combined with the gaze in his eyes. He shook his head.
“It got out that one of the Ericson tribe’s daughters was kidnapped. Their chief is desperate to find who has her because he thinks that she knows something that he wants to keep secret. He wants her back dead or alive and so does everyone else,” Hunter explained with his thin lips in a straight line.
“And your father wants to know if I really ran away?” I finished, struggling to breathe. Thousands of thoughts rushed into my mind as I thought of what Hunter’s dad must want him to do to me, and none of them were pleasant.
Hunter nodded his head, “He says I’m not thinking straight. That you could be lying to me—that I’m blinded by my feelings for you.”
“You think he’s right?” I stumbled with the words.
“No, but he won’t listen to a word I have to say. He’s obsessed with your eyes Kate. He sees your father in you. He’s determined that you are Kate Ericson. He wants to submit you to a polygraph test,” Hunter finished as he yanked at the tie around his neck.
“Fine,” I replied, nodding my head as I tried to keep the room from spinning. I could do it. I knew I could, or I hoped I could.
“I don’t have time to train you on how to pass it,” Hunter snapped, pulling his tie off and throwing it.
“What else can we do?”
“Run,” he suggested with his eyes locked on mine.
“He’ll know for sure who I am then. He’ll send everyone he has after us—we’ll never survive it,” I responded, coming to stand in front of him.
>
He took my hips in his hands and put his forehead against my stomach, “God damn it.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I’ll be there for the polygraph—worse thing comes to worse, I snap the guy’s neck, and we take our chances running,” Hunter looked up at me, “You can fool the polygraph if you really believe what you’re saying.”
“Okay, when do we have to do this?” I asked as I tried to concentrate on the feeling of his hands against my hips instead of the impending doom that hung over us both.
A knock came on the front door, “Now,” Hunter replied.
“You weren’t joking when you said there wasn’t any time to prepare.”
Hunter took a deep breath, “I really hate that man.”
That made two of us.
“Come in,” I said as I stepped back from Hunter.
“Are we good to go?” Hunter asked, standing as his eyes burned into the man at the door.
“Sure, you want to do it in here?” the man asked with his eyes darting around the room.
“Where does my father want this done?”
The man nodded down the stairs, “The interrogation room.”
Another room that I hadn’t realized existed. I should have paid more attention.
“That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?” Hunter questioned, stepping forward with his arms crossed.
“Umm…yes,” the man replied. The look on Hunter’s face apparently scared him and he continued, “In here then?”
“The kitchen should suffice, no?” Hunter recommended, nodding towards the room.
“Of course, Hunter,” the man submitted.
“Let’s get this over with then,” Hunter pointed to the kitchen.
The man shuffled in the door carrying an aluminum brief case, “This shouldn’t take long.”
I followed them into the kitchen. Hunter pulled out a chair and nodded for me to sit in it.
“I’ll put it on her,” Hunter explained as the man opened the box. The man looked up at Hunter and swallowed.
“Hunter, he can put it on if that’s what Allan wanted,” I commented, running my hands through my wet hair.
“Actually,” the man began and Hunter stepped back, his arms crossed, “Uh…thanks.”
The man set up the machine and then sat across from me, “I have a few questions to solidify your identity.”
“Of course,” I replied, and the questioning began.
“What’s your name?” the man asked.
“Kate.”
“Your full name?” the man pushed.
“I don’t know.”
“How long ago did you meet Hunter?”
“Seven or eight months ago,” I replied.
“How did you meet him?”
“In the woods,” I answered.
“Did you go with him willingly?” the man asked.
“Yes, under the assumption I was a POW.”
Hunter went to stand behind the man with his eyes never leaving the screen on the machine. His face was expressionless, so I had no idea how I was doing.
“Do you know who you’re family is?” he continued.
“Yes,” I replied, and both the man and Hunter looked up.
“Who is your family?” the man asked.
I locked eyes with him, “Hunter.”
“No one else is your family?”
“No,” I asserted.
“Are you involved with Hunter?”
“How do you mean?” I asked.
The man twitched, “Physically?”
“You want to know if we’re having sex? No.”
The man took a deep breath, “Are you in love with Hunter?”
Hunter’s hand was on the man’s collarbone, “I don’t see how that’s a valid question for the situation,” Hunter protested.
“Uh, I was just playing with you Hunter,” the man replied.
“Does that seem like a very intelligent idea given the present situation?” Hunter asked as his hand tightened on the man.
The man winced against the pressure, “S-sorry.”
“Do you think you have the information that my father wanted?” Hunter asked with his voice even, but the vein in his forehead continued to be distended. I didn’t know how to feel as I watched the interaction. I was telling the truth, but my nerves were fried because of the situation’s gravity.
“Kate, do you remember anything before you came here?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Did you know that your family might be a part of a war?”
“No,” I confirmed.
“Do you know any secrets that could destroy this tribe?” the man proceeded.
“No.”
“Do you have any intentions of hurting anyone in this tribe?” the man pushed.
“No,” I replied, but I could think of someone that I really wanted to hurt at that moment.
“I think that’s it,” the man said, relief washing over his face.
“Are you sure? I will not subject her to this a second time. You’ll have to deal with my father if you didn’t cover everything he asked for,” Hunter asked, coming and beginning to remove the machine.
“I should be all set,” the man replied as Hunter handed him the pieces to put back in his case, “Your father will be pleased with the results.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” Hunter snapped as the man shut the brief case and slid past us.
“Good to see you Hunter,” the man rushed out the door.
“You scared the crap out of him,” I commented, looking up at Hunter whose hand was on the back of the chair.
“I have that effect on people—well everyone, but you,” he answered, smiling down at me.
“Did I pass?”
“A plus.”
I looked down at my hands, and I knew I had to ask, “Why did you stop him with that particular question?”
“It wasn’t something he needed to know,” Hunter explained.
I looked up at him, “Yeah.”
I wondered if he just didn’t want to hear it himself.
“Well, I’m going to take a shower,” Hunter said, unbuttoning his shirt and slipping it off as he walked away.
“That’s not fair,” I retorted, watching him flex his back muscles as he opened the bathroom door. He knew exactly how to change the subject without even saying anything.
“You do realize how short your dress was, right?” Hunter responded as he looked over his shoulder.
Chapter 38
It would all come down to one moment of time. That one moment would be the one that sealed our fates. It would decide whether or not we would get away from the lies that bound us so tightly to the tribe that we felt no alliance to. Hunter’s face had been serious when he nodded over his shoulder to the coming twilight, and I knew that tonight would be the night that I would show him that I was ready. I only hoped it was the night where I realized it myself. I had accepted everything openly, and some would think without feeling, but there is a time when you realize that you can’t change what has happened. At that point there is no reason to try to rationalize what has happened because in the end it just is. I had faced one of the worst awakenings in the world; the realization that one’s family does not always have your best interest in mind, and even worse, they may not care at all. It’s harsh, but true, and once I accepted that I would be able to face whatever they threw at me. That simple fact gave me the strength to face whatever Hunter was about to teach me, or so I thought.
“So what’s next?” I asked as I stood across from Hunter in the open field.
Hunter’s face was iridescent white under the light of the moon and his face darkened as he spoke, “Killing with your bare hands.”
“I really don’t think I can snap someone’s neck Hunter.”
He uncrossed his arms and walked towards me, “Sometimes you don’t have to. The right strikes can do fatal damage,” he took a breath, “A well placed kick can crack the ribs into the lungs, puncturing
them fatally…A strong punch right here will burst the spleen and poison the body quickly. Injuring any vital organ can cause death—the most gruesome way though—you already said. It’s to snap the neck. It’s the most effective and most humane way.”
“Do you think I’m ready to fight you?” I really didn’t want to think about killing someone else, so I challenged him instead.
Hunter’s lips curled to one side, “Try me baby.”
I hit him twice before he could react, “I’ve been listening and practicing,” I said with a wink as I blocked a jab.
“Now I’ve taken all your innocence away,” he commented as he grabbed my arm and blocked my punch. His breath wafted over the skin of my neck and caught me off guard for a split second.
“You’re assuming I was innocent before,” I replied, kicking his legs out from under him.
As he fell he pulled me down with him, and in one quick movement he was on top of me, pinning me to the ground, “I should have known better.”
I used my legs to kick him back over my head saying, “Yeah, you should have.”
“I’ve taught you well,” Hunter observed as we faced each other both in defensive stances.
“What if they have guns or something like that—something that these skills can’t beat?” I swung my leg over his head and he ducked.
Hunter stepped back his jaw tightening, “My father has some intelligence on the issue, and it doesn’t seem to be going in that direction,” he explained as he ran his hands through his hair, tugging at it when he reached the back of his head.
“I don’t even know how to shoot a gun though,” I blurted in frustration as I threw my hands up.
Hunter pulled the pistol from the back of his pants and tossed it at me. I caught it in my hands, my breath stuck in my throat as the warmth of the metal from Hunter’s body sunk into me. Hunter stepped aside pointing at a tree twenty yards away.
“Shoot it.”
“Are you freaking kidding me?” I exclaimed, looking between him and the gun in my hands.
He put his hands in his pockets, “Shoot the god damned gun Kate. It’s not rocket science.”
“You’re an ass,” I retorted before staring down at the dull black weapon sitting in my palms.
In Between Seasons (The Fall) Page 15