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I tossed two hands up in frustration. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“But you don’t remember seeing it until now?”
“No.” The words dried to ash before I could speak anymore. Every breath I took felt like swallowing sand.
“Take a seat,” Hunter said, and he helped me back down into the booth. He called the cafe worker over and requested a glass of water. “It’s okay. We’ll figure this out. Just relax.”
It was easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one receiving a letter threatening a fate worse than my house burning down. What the hell did that even mean? What was worse than my house burning down? Was someone planning to murder me if I didn’t leave town? It could all be one huge bluff, something to startle me without a legitimate reason.
Did I want to take the risk?
The worker appeared with a glass of water, and Hunter held it to my lips.
“Here,” he said, still kneeling in front of me. “Drink.”
So I did. I practically inhaled the water straight down my gullet, and yet my throat still felt raw.
“Thank you.” I managed only a couple of words, then added, “I’m fine. I just need to go home.”
“I’ll take you,” Hunter said.
“No. It’s fine.” The last thing I needed was Hunter complicating things even more. Wasn’t it bad enough that I’d already screwed up by kissing him in the first place? Not to mention doing so in plain view of everyone who cared to see. Now, he wanted to take me home? I’d be in confined quarters with him for too long. Certainly longer than I had left to fight in me.
Especially now with this letter, I had even less reason to hold back. I wanted him to comfort me. I wanted Hunter’s arms around me, holding me, telling me everything was going to be just fine. And in his arms, I would believe every word.
But out here, in the real world, I knew that wasn’t possible. There were dark forces at work against me, some visible, some known. Though others were quite clearly hidden from view.
“You think I’m going to let you go home alone after receiving something like this?” he asked. “Not to mention you’re completely shaken.”
His hand stroked my knee, a motion meant to be calming. However, it had the opposite effect. God, how in hell was I to convince him he couldn’t come home with me when every inch of my body was begging me to take him?
“I’ll take a cab and pick up my car in the morning,” I said. “I’ve clearly had too much to drink anyway.”
He closed his eyes, head shaking. “No. I can drive you home in your car if you’d like, or I’ll go with you in the cab. It’s your choice. But, I’m not letting you go home alone.”
“What about your car?”
“I walked.”
There had to be some excuse to keep him from coming with me. If I told him the house was a mess, he’d either expect it after the fire or say he didn’t care. He was clearly concerned. While it should have triggered emotions of love and warmth that he cared so much, all it inspired was dread. Things were spinning out of control. I needed to think of something to push him away.
“How do I know you’ll be able to handle my car?” I asked, regretting the question instantly.
His eyes shifted upward, as if thinking about the question in depth. Though the humor in his words told a different story. “I do drive a huge fire truck on occasion, usually at high speeds and usually through a ton of traffic. I think I can handle your….I’m guessing, Mercedes.”
“Is this really the time for jokes?”
He flashed that heartwarming smile once again. The one that almost made me forget all the fears assailing me now. “I’m sorry. But we aren’t arguing about this. I’m taking you home.”
“Fine, but then you leave as soon as we get there,” I said, and rose to my feet. I wobbled to the side, and he took hold of my arm to steady me.
“I’ll leave as soon as I am sure the house is secure,” he corrected.
I tugged my arm free from his hold and bent down to collect the remaining pages on the floor. “And what are you going to do? What are your plans if there is someone in the house?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t feel comfortable just dropping you off without checking the house first.” His hands closed around my shoulders, lifting me up to face him. “Lyndsey, please. Will you just let me do this? For my peace of mind.”
The worry in his clear blue eyes wove their way into my heart, and in that moment, I would have granted him any wish he wanted.
