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“Hey… Yeah, we’re on it… Just keep us posted… I will.” He hangs up the phone and hands it back to Anya. “Grant is the lead officer on the case.”
“Good,” Alec says. “That’s good.”
“So you’ll help?” Anya looks at her brother with wide, eager eyes and as much as Alec may want to turn down this job, he won’t. Not only will he not refuse to help his sister, but if there’s kids involved, he’s not going to stop until they’re safe.
“Yeah. We’ll help.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Anya
Hunter is always quiet.From the moment I met him, he’s been a man of very few words. But even with the silence, it’s never filled with tension and anger. Not the way it is right now. It’s been two days since I had to leave the office and rush to Alec’s house. The entire situation with Noah has been one mess after another. The authorities agree that it’s kidnapping since she took her kids out of her visitation time and fled. Lars tried to help once he was threatened by the cops that he would be charged as an accessory. Unfortunately, no matter how many times he tried calling Noah’s ex-wife, she wouldn’t tell him where they were and she didn’t stay on the line long enough to be traced. After a few times, she stopped answering all together and their phones were turned off.
Tanner apparently was able to track them down, and luckily Grant is one of the officers on the case. So Tanner has been doing the leg work and passing the information onto Grant so he can go about getting the kids back within the letter of the law. We want everything to stay as above board as possible to ensure no more issues in the future. But it hasn’t been an easy feat so far. Noah has been going out of his mind, but Tanner has assured me that everything should be taken care of tonight and Noah should have his kids back by tomorrow morning.
I don’t know the details about what that will entail, and I know it’s probably best that I don’t. I’ve been trying to reassure Noah that it’ll all be okay, but it’s hard to do without telling him the truth. Alec told me that without fail, I need to keep Dark Matter Security’s name out of it. They don’t want any of this to fall back on them, and I completely understand that. At this point, I don't care what actually happens, as long as the kids are returned safely to their father and Alec and his men don’t take the fall for anything.
I groan and turn away from my computer, looking out the window. Hunter is sitting in his car, staring at the office like he’s afraid it’ll disappear if he so much as blinks. He’s still staying at my apartment, basically glued to my side. But he’s barely spoken a single word to me since the other day. He hasn’t touched me at all, and I hate how much my body misses him. He still sits next to me on the couch and watches TV while we eat dinner. But the commentary he usually has while watching the fake Psychic is gone and when it’s time for bed, he doesn’t so much as tell me goodnight. I can’t tell if he’s just angry at me for something, or if he’s just completely lost interest. I don’t know why, but that thought sends a wave of sadness through me. I’m not sure exactly what I expected to come from the other night. It’s not like I thought Hunter was suddenly going to commit to me and want to spend his life with me, but I also didn’t think he was going to just be done with me without so much as a word. I have no doubt now that he’s only around me because my brother ordered him to, and it sucks.
“You okay?” I turn back around to see Willow walking into my office and taking a seat. I let out a loud huff and lean back in my chair.
“Have you heard from Alec?” I know she and my brother are basically in constant communication, but she knows what I’m specifically talking about right now. And I can't help but feel a tug of frustration when she shakes her head.
“He told me not to worry about it and that they’ll handle it.”
I roll my eyes at that. “I just want to know when it’s all over.”
“You will.” I know she’s right, but as much as I know Ishouldbe kept out of the loop, I kind of hate it. And with everything going on with Hunter, I feel like I’m completely out of control, and Ireallyhate that.
“Anya? What’s really going on?” Willow is my best friend, and has been since we were kids. For the longest time I thought we told each other everything. It wasn’t until I found out the real reason why she married her ex-husband and the crap her mom and sister put her through, that I realized just how much she hid from me. Ever since then, we’ve been better about being open and not hiding things from each other.
I allow one more glance out my window and my eyes immediately find Hunter, still sitting in the same spot. I comb my fingers through my crazy curls and let out a sigh.
“I slept with him.”
“Noah?” I jolt in surprise, but after a moment I realize how she might jump to that conclusion given our conversation.
“No, of course not!” Her brows furrow and she looks at me with confusion for a moment before realization overtakes her features.
“Hunter?”
I throw my face in my hands and groan, resting my elbows on my desk. “Yes!”
I squeeze my eyes closed tightly as I stay with my face toward my desk, waiting for the onslaught of questions. But nothing comes. After a few moments of silence, I risk a look at my best friend. Her mouth is agape and her eyes are wide with shock. Suddenly her body jumps and excitement overtakes her features. Within seconds, she’s bouncing like a little kid on Christmas eve.
“Oh my gosh! How was it? Was it amazing? I bet it was amazing! When did it first happen? I bet he has incredible stamina!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I hold my hands up to slow her down. “It happened a few nights ago, before everything went down with Noah. It hasn’t happened since.”
Her face falls with disappointment. “What? Why not?”
I shake my head a couple of times, trying to figure out exactly what I want to say. Even despite her history, Willow is a romantic at heart. She believes in fairy tales and true love, and I don’t want to ever be someone that dashes those dreams for her.
“Will, chill out.” Her mouth immediately closes, and I pull in a deep breath before I continue. “It was just a one-time thing.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he can barely look at me now.” I avoid looking directly at her because I really don’t want her to see how much saying those words hurt. I may not know Hunter very well, but there’s something about him. Something that’s drawn me to him since the first time we met. He’s quiet and reserved, but I can tell that even despite that, there’s a lot going on in his head.
