Chapter 15
HUNTER
I sit in my hotel suite with my heart breaking, waiting for Jamison and Dorothy to let me know how she’s doing.
My phone rings beside me. It’s from a number I don’t recognize.
I answer. “This is Hunter.”
“Hunter Efron?” a man with a deep voice asks.
“Speaking. Who’s this?”
“This is Wayne Stout. I’m representing Isabella Carter. She gave me your information.”
My pulse quickens. “What can I do for you, Mr. Stout?”
He clears his throat. “Call me Wayne.”
“Okay, Wayne. What is this about?”
“Isabella tells me she’s pregnant with your son. Are you aware?”
“Yes.”
“Good. She said you were, but you never know when cases like this cross your desk.”
I stand and trek to the window in my suite with growing concern. “Is everything okay with the baby?”
“Yes, but we need to discuss what happens with him if Isabella gives birth while she’s detained. ”
A stake of protective iron takes root in me. “She’s not even five months pregnant. Don’t you think it’s a little early for this talk?”
“No. If she goes into early labor due to stress, I need to know where you stand.”
“Stand with what?”
“Taking temporary custody of your son.”
A moment of hesitation hits me. I shake it off. “He’s my son. I’ll do whatever he needs.”
“That’s where we have a problem.” His tone thickens with control. “Isabella would like someone other than you to take custo?—”
“She can’t do that. I’m his father, and I have rights.” Adrenaline courses through my veins. “I know who she wants to give him to, and there’s no way I’ll let that happen.”
He sighs. “I was afraid you’d say that. Do you have representation I can speak to?”
My blood boils, and I march to the desk in my room. “Why would I need representation? Lay it out for me so we can get to the bottom of this today.”
“She wants you to give up your rights so she can make sure her son is raised by people who want him.”
“Never. I won’t let that happen.” I tighten my jaw. “We have nothing more to discuss, Mr. Stout. My attorney will be in touch.”
“Very well.”
I hang up without saying goodbye. This woman is going to make me a murderer. It will be a cold day in hell before I let her hand over my son to a mobster. A man who took my mother from me and ruined my life. And he still wants to continue to do so years later.
I hit Aiden’s number on the screen of my phone as I pace the room. The phone rings twice.
“Hey, Hunter. What’s up?”
“Tell me the FBI is taking down my mother and the crime organization that’s behind all her actions.” My hands sweat and shake.
“Um…I don’t know. They aren’t telling me anything about the case.”
“Do what you can and find out.”
“That could be a problem.”
I still myself. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Your mother’s trying to cut a deal and has implicated me in some shady business practices. The department is investigating her claims.”
“Fuck! She’s still running loops around me.” I’m losing control of everything.
This cannot be happening. What do I need to do to get back in front of her?
Aiden’s quiet for a moment. “Sorry, Hunter. I can’t be of any more help to you.”
“Do you have an attorney?”
“What for?”
“If she’s telling them you’ve been working for your dad and uncle, and hiding their connections to those trafficking rings, they’re investigating you and building a case. If they file charges against you, you’ll need one.”
He releases a defeated sigh. “I’m aware, but I’ll take my punishment. After thinking about everything that’s gone on, I deserve it. Besides, I don’t have the money to hire anyone.”
I pause. Dorothy wouldn’t want Aiden to go to prison. She would want him to take responsibility and have consequences, but not be locked up for the rest of his life.
I make a quick decision. “You’ll be hearing from an attorney sometime later today. I need to arrange some things first, but you will have representation. That means don’t speak to anyone about what you did.”
“Why would you do that for me? I put the person you love in their hands. You should want me to go down.”
“No matter how you and Dorothy feel about each other right now, she’ll be devastated if you get locked up. She’s gone through enough. I’m not going to put her through any more hell, and you going to prison would kill her.”
“Um…okay.” He moves, and something brushes across the speaker, causing interference. “Thanks, Hunter.”
“You’re welcome. But if you think of anything that can help put my mother away, you need to get a hold of me immediately.”
“Done.” He pauses. “Have you heard from Dori today?”
A pang of hurt zaps my heart. “No. You?”
“No, but I’m sure Jami is part of the reason.”
I rub the side of my stiff neck. “Your sister does what she wants. If she’s not calling, it has nothing to do with Jamison.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“Then you don’t know her well enough. She’s known for locking people out of her life while she takes time to get her thoughts together.”
“I know, but she’s never done that with me.”
I huff. “You’ve never given her a reason before now.”
His voice rises. “She’s my sister and shouldn’t shut me out. I did this to keep her safe.”
“Think about it, Aiden. She speaks to your parents maybe four times a year because of how much they’ve hurt her. What we did to her is a million times worse.”
“But Jami was a part of that, and she didn’t turn her back to him.”
I roll my eyes. He’s as stubborn and childish as Dorothy is when he’s trying to prove a meaningless point.
“Aiden, I’ve tried to explain this to you, and you’re not hearing me. Your sister loves him. She’s tried to be away from him, and it never works. There’s something about him that draws her to him, and I don’t see her walking away. Especially after being abducted.”
He growls. “She needs to hear our side of the story before she cuts us off. ”
“She will. Just give her time to wrap her head around what happened.”
My other line beeps.
I glance at the screen, and my muscles loosen. “Speaking of… That’s her on the other line. I’ll call you later.”
“Yeah, sure. But will you tell her I…”
“I’ll do my best. Now let me go so I don’t miss her call.”
“Okay, bye.”
“Bye.” I click over as my chest heats. “Hey, beauty. How are you?”
“Better today. How are you?”
I sink onto the couch as love for her swims through my veins. “Good, now that I’ve heard from you.”
“Are you still in town?”
“I am. Why?”
“We need to talk. Can you meet me somewhere? Wait. Hang on.”
Melanie says something to her in the background, so I give her a second to answer.
Dorothy comes back on the line. “Sorry about that. Melanie needs me, so I can’t talk long.”
“Name the time and place, and I’ll be there.” I glance around the room, thankful Dorothy wants to meet up.
She takes a second to consider something. “Where did you stay last night?”
“We’re all in the same hotel.”
“How do you know that?”
“Jamison told us where you were staying, so we got rooms here.”
“Oh. In that case, would you mind meeting me in the restaurant downstairs?”
“Anything for you.” I peek at the clock on the side table. “When?”
“Jami went to get me some clothes at the store across the street. He should be back in half an hour, so how about in an hour to be on the safe side?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you then.”
“Thanks.”
We hang up, and I sit, running through everything I want to say to her. A heaviness fills my insides. I know I have to let her go, but it’s harder than I thought it would be. It’s probably the hardest thing I’ll ever do.
I wish it could be different, but there’s so much in our way. She’s pregnant with Jamison’s baby. I’m having a son with Isabella. And now I’ll be fighting for full custody of him. Which reminds me…
I pick up my phone and call my attorney. Isabella thinks I’ll walk away from my son, but she’s sorely mistaken. If anything, she’s unleashed my wrath and will be feeling the effects of it until the day he’s mine and only mine.
She can count on it.
My blood races as I spot Dorothy coming into the restaurant. Her hair is pulled to the side in a braid that rests on her chest. She doesn’t have any makeup on and still takes my breath away.
She steps up to the hostess and says something. I stand and wave her to the table where I’m waiting for her. She dips her head in acknowledgment and thanks the woman she was speaking to.
She smiles as she strides over to me. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
“No, I just got here.” I take her in my arms and breathe in her floral and vanilla scent, knowing it’s the last time .
I relish the moment, wishing for a million more. We hug until she backs away and pulls out a chair.
I swallow my pain and sit across from her. “You look well rested and absolutely beautiful.”
Her cheeks flush, and it’s enough to break me in half. I’m going to miss the hell out of her.
“Hunter…” She hides her face as she shifts to get comfortable.
“I’m not trying to put you in an awkward position. It's just a habit, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying it how it is.”
She lifts her gaze to me. “Thank you, but it’s not something I’m comfortable with.”
“I understand.” I lift the menu. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes. Melanie had a buffet set up in our room.” Dorothy smiles, and it lights up her eyes. “She’s worse than any grandparent.”
I furrow my brows as I place the menu down. “How so?”
“She’s doting on me like I’m a child.”
“I’m sure she was just showing you how much you mean to her.”
Dorothy's expression grows serious. “I know. She was a mess last night. The situation hit her at once, and she broke down as soon as we got to our suite.”
“That doesn’t sound like her. I expected her to be joking or giving you hell.”
“She was at first, but I’m not here to discuss Melanie.”
The server comes over, and we order coffee. She retreats to get our drinks.
Dorothy scoots to the edge of her seat as soon as we’re alone again. “Jami told me everything.”
My stomach knots as I rest back in my chair. “I figured he would.”
“Do you have anything to add? ”
I grip the arms of my chair and analyze her. “What would you like me to explain?”
“I don’t care that you used me as bait to get to your mom.” She shakes her head as anger flickers in her eyes. “That’s not true. I’m really hurt, but I’m not going to focus on anything that makes no difference now. I made it out, and she’s behind bars where she belongs.”
“If you’re not here to berate me, then why are we here?”
“Let’s talk about my job.”
“What about it?” My heart blips in double time.
I didn’t expect Jamison to tell her about that, seeing that I told him I wasn’t going to tell her she’s been reinstated.
She places her palms on the table and moves closer to me. “Why didn’t you tell me I could come back to work? I know you told Jami you were keeping it from me so I wouldn’t interfere with your plans to catch your mom, but then you told him you decided not to tell me at all. Why? I don’t understand.”
My shoulders go slack. “I’m sorry, beauty. It just won’t work.”
“That’s not your decision to make. The board reinstated me. You don’t have any say in the matter.”
“But I do.”
She jerks back. “Are you saying you don’t think I deserve it?”
“Not at all. I think you’re great at what you do, but why would you want to come back when you know where it will lead?”
“What does that mean?”
I lean forward and stare hard into her eyes. “It means if you come back to Efron Worldwide, this cycle never ends. I love you. The second you and Jamison have a ripple in your relationship, you’ll come right back to me, and I won’t stop you.”
“That’s not true. Don’t you see, Hunter? I love him. I’ve always loved him, and nothing can change that.” Her gaze darts around my face. “That’s not what this discussion is about. I just want to understand why.”
I take a second to consider everything. Is it my place to take away her dream job? How would it work if she came back? A sliver of hope spears into my weak heart.
What if I don’t have to let her go?
“You’re right. It’s not my place to decide for you. If you want your job back, you can have it.” It’s out of my mouth before I can stop myself. Then I remember something. “I’m surprised you’d want to return.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I can’t imagine Jamison will be too happy if you stay at Efron Worldwide while he’s in Miami, considering your condition.”
Her face bunches up. “What condition?”
Unexpected pain ricochets through my chest. “I was there when Jamison found out about your pregnancy.”
She bites down on her lip then shakes her head. “That was a misunderstanding. I’m not pregnant.”
More hope snakes up my spine. “You’re not.”
“No.” She glances off to the side, releasing a sad sigh. She seemingly centers herself. Then she faces me. “What are you going to do about your son now that Isabella’s in jail?”
Why would Dorothy ask me about that? Maybe she wants to help me raise him like we originally planned. Is she thinking about coming back to Efron Worldwide and me?
It’s highly unlikely, but I need to know for sure. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“What do you mean?”
I tilt my head to the side and study her closely. “Are you reconsidering the choices you’ve made?”