Hunt pushed himself up from lying down on the metal bed, feeling the weight of the night hanging heavy on his shoulders. What the fuck happened?
For the last five hours, he’d been running over everything in his mind, but he wasn’t sure how he gothere. All he remembered were the words her brother said. The threat against Lottie, the fear he felt as that threat felt like a promise, and something in his brain just…snapped.
With every step out of the cell as he silently followed the cop, shame fell deeper into his gut. He protected, he served, heneverlost control. He was only too glad that the incident didn’t happen in his jurisdiction. He wasn’t sure he’d recover from being in his own station behind bars.
From the very beginning, he’d told the truth , but with the video evidence of the punch, it was his word against Leo’s. The video only captured Hunt’s hit, not Leo’s threat. It was Hunt’s word against Leo’s, and the evidence was damning against him.
When he finally made it out of lockup, he found Rhys in the waiting room, a frown marring his face.
Needing to get out of there, to draw in fresh air, Hunt gestured toward the doors as he approached, and Rhys remained close on his heels as they exited the station.
Outside, a car waited at the curb. Once Rhys got into the back seat, Hunt joined him, slamming the door shut behind him.
“Thank you for getting me out,” Hunt said as the driver drove off, the street quiet at the late hour.
“It’s not a problem,” Rhys said, dark circles under his eyes, a telling sign he’d had a long day and because of Hunt had an even longer night. “I’ve got a good lawyer on this.”
“Appreciate that.” Hunt thrust his hands in his hair, guilt distressing him. “I—”
“We’re on our way to Kieran’s,” Rhys interjected, pulling at the cuffs of his dress shirt. “Archer’s waiting there too. Might as well save what you’re about to say, so you don’t have to repeat yourself.”
Hunt agreed with a nod, rubbing at his tired eyes before his gaze fell on the clock on the dashboard:12:12. Christ, he’d only been in the holding cell for a less than five hours, but his body ached like he’d been there for days.
He fetched his cell phone from his pocket. No calls from Lottie. No texts. That couldn’t be a good sign. Not that he expected a call. He’d broken his promise. She’d call him out on it, of that he was sure.
The remainder of the drive passed in silence. Hunt stared out the window, the streetlights all blending together as they passed. Retreating into his mind, he went over every single moment. By the time they arrived at Kieran’s house, he stood firm that he wouldn’t have changed a thing, regardless of the consequences.
Rhys’s driver waited at the curb but cut the engine as Hunt followed Rhys up to the house. The moment he entered through the threshold, he found Kieran and Archer drinking whiskey in the living room.
Kieran immediately rose, heading to the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room and poured two more glasses. He handed the larger drink to Hunt. “Good to see you, man,” Kieran said, cupping Hunt’s shoulder.
“Thanks. It’s been a night,” was all Hunt said before he drank half of the drink back. He sat down on the love seat, while the others filed in around him. “That fucker threatened Lottie’s life.”
Rhys asked, “You think he was serious?”
Hunt finished his next smaller sip, tasting the oaky hints of the alcohol. “If she doesn’t give him what he’s looking for, I have no doubt he will make good on his word.” He couldn’t get his head wrapped around all this. There had to besomethingthat she was missing, thathewas missing. “Where is Lottie now?”
Archer answered, “At home with her friend Nessa. Ronan and Hawke are with them. They’re armed—no one will get near her.”
Both were trained Navy Seals. Hunt almost wished her brother tried to get close to her. That’d end things quickly. “Good,” Hunt said with a nod. “How… how is she doing?”
“Scared,” Archer said, resting his elbows on his knees. “She went to see Leo at the hospital to get him to drop the charges.” At Hunt’s obvious next question, Archer added, “She’s safe, but I heard him make a similar threat.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Hunt snapped, rising and moving to the window. “They were gone for two weeks? What possibly brought them back?”
Rhys offered, “Perhaps they did believe her that she had nothing, but more evidence revealed she does.”
“It’s possible,” Hunt agreed. He stared out into the darkness, a streetlight farther down the only light on the quiet street. “How the fuck do I fix this?”
Silence hung behind him. Silence so thick that he glanced back over his shoulders at his friends. “What?” he asked.
Kieran, his longest and closest friend, said gently, “Archer told us that Lottie suggested going to the police and telling them about her brothers.”
Hunt turned to face them. “If she did that, she’d not only incriminate herself in buying fake identification, but she’d seal her death. She needs evidence to get her brother in jail for life, or she’ll never be safe.”
“Having her go to the police may be the only way to clear your name and make all this right,” Kieran said.
Hunt’s nostrils flared, his fingers tightening around his glass.
