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“What sort of news?”
Hunter closes his eyes, his face etched in pain. “It turns out Steph obtained information from Dan after all.”
Neither of them speaks for seconds that tick by like tortured years. Torian is skeptical. Already. This doesn’t bode well.
“Is that so?” Torian asks.
“Yeah, that’s so. But I’ll let you talk to her about it. She’s here with me now.”
“I don’t want to talk to her, Hunt.” The tone is lethal. “I want to talk to you.”
My heart seizes. I’m frozen. Hunter stiffens, too, his apprehension clear.
“You already told me she knew nothing,” Torian continues. “If memory serves, you vowed it to me.”
Hunter releases his hold on my leg and wipes a hand down his face. “I was wrong. Apparently, she was too scared to talk.”
“Hmm.” There’s a wealth of judgmental disappointment in that one sound. “You’ve been wrong a lot lately.”
“Once isn’t a lot.” Hunter shoves to his feet and walks onto the grass, stalking back and forth like a caged predator.
“Give me the name. Who is it?”
Hunter pauses and meets my gaze, his eyes filled with bitter sorrow. “It’s your dealer in Newport. Dan told her it was Vaughn.”
I bite my lower lip, my fingers tangling in the warm wool of my sweater. Torian doesn’t believe him. I can feel it in the sinking sensation taking over my stomach.
Please. Please. Please.
“Okay. Now, I’m willing to talk to her.”
Hunter nods. “Good. I’ll put her on the line.”
“No. We do this face to face.”
The strong man before me snaps taut. His eyes widen, his lips part, before he finally bows his head. Defeated.
I’m not going to panic. Nope. We’re still on track.
“Tell me when and where, and I’ll make it happen.”
“I’ve got plans this morning. I’ll call you when I have time.”
Sweet relief rushes through me as Hunter disco
“This is good.” I push to my feet. “We’re moving forward.”
I’d hoped Torian wouldn’t want to see me. That all this could be fixed with a simple phone call. But after years of searching and scheming, that result wouldn’t have given me closure.
I need to do this properly. To articulate my words with utter perfection to ensure my dance of victory is the sweetest imaginable. To see the hatred for Jacob in Torian’s eyes and know he will punish my tormenter far greater than I could.
He approaches, climbing the step in front of me to wrap his arms around my waist. He tilts his chin, meeting my gaze. “Are you still confident?” His fingers rub up and down my back. Calming. Comforting.
“Yes. We’ve got this.”
“You’ve got this,” he corrects. “As much as I hate it, all the pressure is on your shoulders. I can only be by your side to help you through it.”
“And I appreciate that.” I drape my arms around his neck, wanting to stay like this for a while. Just the two of us. Just words. Not menacing actions.
“You know, you only have to ask, and I’ll end this for you.”
“No.” I press my lips to his, breathing him in. “You’re not killing anyone. Okay?” His risks are already too high without being held entirely responsible. “Okay, Hunter? Promise me.”
He nods, his nose brushing mine. “I promise.”