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Mia, ever the thoughtful one, smiled warmly. “We really appreciate this, you know. It was so much fun.”
Ava and Bella, not to be outdone, chimed in with their own chorus of thanks, giggling about the playful otters.
“It was our pleasure,” I said, smiling down at them. “I’m glad you all had a great time.”
Morgan’s eyes were bright with happiness as she looked at the children. “You guys were wonderful. We should do this again sometime.”
Their farewells were a chorus of happy voices as we dropped them off at the orphanage.
“Let’s go home,” I offered, and just as I was beginning to drive towards my penthouse, my cell phone suddenly rang. Glancing at the caller ID, I saw that it was Richard Conway. My mood shifted instantly.
“Hello, Richard,” I answered, trying to keep my voice even.
“Blackwater, enjoying your day playing philanthropist?” Richard’s voice dripped with condescension.
“What do you want?” I asked, my grip on the steering wheel tightening.
“You see, I got some lovely shots of you two at the zoo today. Heartwarming stuff, really. Might fetch a pretty penny.”
Morgan glanced at me, her expression turning to one of concern. I put the call on speaker.
“I thought we had an agreement,” I said coldly.
“Oh, we do. But I just thought you should know that I’m always watching. Always ready to capture those precious moments,” he replied, his tone smug.
“Your threats don’t scare me, Richard. Stay out of our lives,” I said firmly.
“We’ll see, Blackwater. We’ll see,” he retorted before hanging up.
“I’m going to kill him,” I growled.
“Hunter, we can’t let him provoke you into doing something drastic,” Morgan said, her voice laced with concern.
“I can’t just sit back and let him threaten us, Morgan. This goes beyond mere provocation,” I replied.
“But going to extremes isn’t the answer. There has to be another way to handle this without resorting to… to violence,” she insisted.
I glanced at her, my resolve firm. “When it comes to your safety, I’ll do whatever it takes. You may not like it, but I can’t allow anyone to harm you or use you as leverage against me.”
Morgan’s eyes flashed with a mix of frustration and fear. “I understand wanting to protect me, but sinking to his level, that’s not you, Hunter. You left that life behind.”
“Sometimes the past is the only tool we have to protect our future,” I countered. “I won’t let him, or anyone else, put you in danger.”
“Hunter, please,” she pleaded. “Don’t do this. Don’t become the man you’ve fought so hard not to be. There’s always another way.”
My jaw clenched as I considered her words, my anger simmering just beneath the surface. As much as I wanted to believe her, I knew deep down that if it came to a choice between her safety and Richard’s life, there was only one real option.
And it was always going to be her.
CHAPTER 23
Morgan
As soon as we walked into Hunter’s penthouse, the tension between us was heightened to another level.
I understood his need to protect me, but the way he was going about it was wrong. I had to find a way to make him see that there was another way, a better way.
“Hunter, please. Don’t do anything foolish,” I tried.
