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Hunter cursed and poured himself some more scotch. “Okay. So now what?”
“Is it true?”
“Yes.”
“Why haven’t you ever said anything about that?”
Hunter put the glass down and shoved his hands through his thick blond hair. He stared at the floor for a long moment and then looked up. His gray eyes were dark and there was something in his gaze that Kingsley had seen only one time before—when they’d both been locked up in the holding cell.
“I was afraid you’d think I was guilty,” he said at last.
Kingsley walked over to his friend and clapped him on the shoulder. “You know that you’re not.”
Hunter didn’t say anything and Kingsley dropped his hand. “You do know that, right?”
“I don’t. I mean, the entire night is hazy. I’ve never been violent. You know I can’t even go hunting or anything. But I’ve never really been able to remember what happened. And it’s only been by searching for the truth that I hope I will find it.”
Damn.
This sucked. Majorly sucked. He’d been on this path believing they were wrongly accused. He’d been prepared to ruin another man’s life because of Hunter. Because he believed that they were both innocent.
“Why the hell haven’t you said anything before this?” Kingsley asked.
“You were the only one who had faith in me. You’re the only person in the world who looks at me like I’m a man and not a monster, King. I couldn’t give that up.”
He got it. He knew what it felt like to have the entire world staring at him as if he were a monster.
“What do you remember?”
He needed to get to the bottom of what Hunter had done that night. Maybe if they were able to match it up with what the other witnesses saw...they could both be satisfied that Hunter wasn’t guilty.
Hunter walked over to the French doors that led to the patio. The patio where Kingsley had that first date with Gabi. That night had changed things for him. Made him believe that once he finished this investigation he could move on—have a future. But the things she’d said tonight...well, maybe that wasn’t truly in the cards for them.
“I have been over it a million times,” Hunter said.
“Not with me. So we were both at the party, drinking, dancing—I left with Gabi. What happened while I was gone?” Kingsley asked.
“Stacia and I went up to my room to be alone. Things were so intense between us and I knew things would change once I was in the pros, so I wanted to cool it down...but I couldn’t. She was... She was in my blood, King. I mean, I told her I thought we should cool it down, but she thought I was joking. And for a second I let her believe that but I knew I wanted to enjoy being young and a football god so I had to break it off with her.”
“Football god?” Kingsley asked.
“Yeah. You know how cocky I was back then. Anyway, we fought. She got mad and said she didn’t need me and left. I stayed in my room for—I don’t know, maybe twenty minutes, and then Chuck came up and dragged me back to the party.”
“I got back about then,” Kingsley said. “You and Chuck were at the keg, right?”
“Yes. But I wasn’t in the mood to drink,” Hunter said.
“Beer. You weren’t in the mood to drink beer, but we both started doing shots.”
“Yes. When Stacia came back in, she was with all those guys. I didn’t like it, but knew I couldn’t stop her.”
Things were starting to become clearer for Kingsley. They’d been doing shots when Chuck got up and left. Then someone had brought over the next round... Kingsley searched his mind, but it was hazy. He’d been conflicted over Gabi. But it was beginning to come back to him, how Hunter had been pouring his heart out once they’d gotten a little bit drunk. How Kingsley had been consoling him.
“I remember now. You were telling me that you loved her but she was better off without you. That you weren’t ready to be tied down.”
Hunter looked up. “I said that?”
“Yeah.”
“Damn. Then I didn’t kill her, did I?” Hunter asked. “I mean, we were too drunk to do anything.”
“We were. Remember I spilled the bottle of Jägermeister and someone brought us another one... I can’t remember who, do you?”
Hunter tipped his head back, staring up at the ceiling, and then shook his head. “No. Did Gabi get anything else from the witnesses?”
