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“I was the target. Not Frank. Not Alice. It was me.”
“We don’t know that for sure, Hudson,” offered Logan.
Hudson dutifully nodded. “Oh, I think we do. There is no other reason. No other target was on that plane. Listen, men, keep digging, okay? We need to have definitive evidence to nail the perp, whoever it might be.”
The men nodded and left the table. The meeting adjourned.
Hudson fell into deep, murmured thoughts on his way back to the mansion.
“Another reason to keep my distance from Hannah and Nora. If I’m the target, being near them is not safe. I won’t let anyone hurt my family. Yes, I saidfamily. Okay?”
Hudson sadly nodded to himself.
NINETEEN
NORA
Nora woke to have her morning cup of coffee. She’d gotten up even earlier in the hope of catching Hudson and talking to him. She felt that he’d been avoiding her since they had sex, and she didn't like it.
She hurried down the hallway and frowned when she saw the kitchen was empty. She walked in to see the coffee was made, which indicated he’d already been up. He'd even left her a mug to use.
Anger spiked in her stomach. She grabbed the mug, wanting to throw it at the wall. She froze when she heard the front door open. She turned, hope filling her chest, but it was quickly put out when she saw the PT nurse.
She gave her a smile, her light blue scrubs bright against the darkness that surrounded the dark living room. “Morning, Nora. Is Hudson here?” She placed her bag down by the couch, flipping on some lights.
She turned, grabbed the coffee, and shook her head. “You just missed him,” she said and then lowered her voice. “Just like I did. Asshole.”
She turned back to the nurse. “Would you like a cup of coffee? I haven't gotten Hannah up just yet. She had a hard time sleeping last night. I think she moved too much this weekend.”
The nurse shook her head, emptying out her bag. "No, I had a cup just an hour ago. But thank you for the offer. And I know Hannah is probably in pain, but the exercise is so good for her."
She already knew that. She didn’t need to hear those words. It was Hudson who was just too fucking business-oriented to be here to hear them.
She took a couple sips of coffee before she started to help the nurse set up items for Hannah to work on. Hannah woke an hour later, ready to get going on her day.
She looked at the clock every once in a while, wondering when Hudson would be home.
She kept thinking back to their night and hated how quickly everything changed afterward. She felt used, and she hated how she kept looking for him like a broken girl. She wasn’t that person, yet here she was, pining after him.
“Nora,” the nurse spoke up. “You zoned out. Can you hold onto her leg?”
She quickly shook her head, reminding herself she needed to focus. Hannah needed her to pay attention. Hannah needed someone to be in her corner, even if her so-called father wasn’t.
That angered her even more. Hudson didn’t tell her where he went, and he left Hannah for her to take care of. It was her job, but he wasn’t just supposed to leave without informing her of where he was going.
She told herself it didn’t matter. She didn’t care that he rejected her. She didn’t want a husband who focused on work more than he cared for his family. And she really didn't want Hudson if, in the moments of stress, he sank himself into work. Not to mention that between his job and his clan, there’d never be time for her.
There was another ring of the bell, and she hurried to answer it. She gave Hannah a thumbs-up of encouragement before she turned to answer it. She pulled her phone out, sending Hudson a text.
She opened the door and took in a woman and two men wearing scrubs. There were faces that she didn’t know, but that wasn't uncommon. The therapy team was always changing, and a few new nurses had come before.
“Hello, we are here for Hannah’s next therapy session,” the lady said.
She opened the door farther, allowing them entrance. “Yes, come inside. I didn’t realize we were getting some new people.”
“Oh, yeah. The other girls were busy with a client that came up, so they asked if we could fill in. We can come back if now isn’t a good time.”
“Oh, no. Heavens, no.” She rubbed at her forehead, angry that Hudson wasn’t there. Surely, he knew they would be getting new help today. Why didn't he just tell her?
