AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He knew these woods, this path. He’d just run this trail with Gabriel a few days ago. As long as he could keep the jeep moving forward, he’d come out to the main road without anyone being able to put him at the Merrick house.
“How you doing?” he said to Kate.
“Oh, I’m swell,” she murmured.
“Hospital?” he asked.
“You’re crazy. He’d find us and shoot us in the waiting room.”
Her words were slow and almost slurring. Hunter ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t know where to go. He didn’t know who would help them. Everyone he knew was a target—or had left town.
itchen was clean, no food left on the counters.
But no sign of struggle or distress, either.
Then again, the cars were gone and the power dead. The Merricks weren’t here, but he had no idea whether they’d left voluntarily.
Kate pointed to the refrigerator.
Hunter eased it open.
Empty. Completely empty.
The breath left his chest in a whoosh.
Empty. If they’d been chased from the house, or kidnapped, or whatever, they wouldn’t have emptied the refrigerator.
Hunter was completely unprepared for the crushing weight of disappointment and loss. It socked him in the gut and made it hard to breathe. He’d known they were planning on leaving—had actually counted on it—but he hadn’t expected them truly just to ditch him here without a word.
He dropped into one of the kitchen chairs and rubbed his hands over his face.
“There’s no one here,” he said. “They left.”
God, he sounded pathetic.
Kate dropped into the chair beside him. She didn’t say anything.
She was probably thinking he was such an idiot for trusting them. Or maybe he was the one thinking that.
He wondered if they’d been planning this all along. Throw a party, distract him, get him to hook up with Kate—
Wait. It had been his idea to leave.
For god’s sake, though, he’d stood outside and listened to Michael’s bullshit last night, and they’d been planning to walk out on him.
He’d felt guilty about the fight with Gabriel. About letting Nick down.
He wanted to put his fist through this table. Casper thrust his nose into Hunter’s hand, and he patted the dog absently.
“I’m sorry,” Kate said quietly.
He lifted his eyes to find hers. “I knew it was coming.”
She inhaled like she was going to say something—but must have thought better of it.
Instead, she reached out and put her hand over his.
And that meant more than any other way she’d touched him.
