3. Trinity
Chapter Three
TRINITY
My heart stutters.
Mike Holloway is calling.
But Mike Holloway is standing right in front of me.
The name flashes on my screen like a warning, my finger frozen above the answer button. I clutch my towel tighter with my other hand, suddenly aware of my vulnerability. The phone keeps ringing, each tone more accusatory than the last.
“Who are you?” I say, looking up at the man I thought was Mike. Gone is the easy charm, the relaxed posture. His jaw is tight, eyes darting from the phone to my face. I’m suddenly conscious of just how massive he is, towering above me, all thick muscular biceps and broad shoulders.
“Don't answer that,” he growls, taking a step toward me.
I step back. “Stop! Don't come any closer.” My voice shakes, but I stand my ground. “Who the hell are you? And why are you pretending to be Mike Holloway?”
The phone stops ringing, blessing us with silence for three heartbeats before it starts again.
He runs a hand through his dark hair. “My name is Hunter Blake. I'm not Holloway.”
“I figured that much out.” I back up another step, looking around for anything I could use as a weapon. “What is this? Some kind of sick game?”
“It's not what you think.” His voice has lost the teasing edge it carried earlier. “Mike Holloway is dangerous. I came to warn you.”
The phone stops ringing again. This time, a text notification chimes.
Holloway: Where are you? The bus arrived hours ago. I was only twenty minutes late. Call me now!
My mind races, trying to process what's happening. I'm in a remote cabin with a stranger who lied about his identity. My clothes are upstairs. My money is in my bag by the door. I'm trapped.
“So you thought the best way to warn me was to kidnap me?” I spit out, anger rising to replace fear. Anger is safer. I learned that with Rennick.
“I didn't kidnap you,” Hunter protests, but his expression shows he knows how this looks. “I was going to tell you the truth at the bus station, but then you looked at me with such relief, and I just... I couldn't do it there.”
“Why should I believe anything you say?” I edge toward my bag, the cold air from the door raising goosebumps on my bare skin.
“Because if I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it already.” His bluntness stops me cold. “I brought you to a public diner. I gave you a separate room. I never tried to?—”
The phone rings again, cutting him off. This time, I answer it, keeping my eyes fixed on Hunter.
“Hello?” I try hard to keep my voice steady.
“Trinity? Where the hell are you?” The voice is gruff, annoyed.
“Who is this?” I ask, though I already know.
“It's Mike. Mike Holloway. Your husband-to-be? I've been waiting at the bus station for hours.” He’s slurring slightly.
Hunter steps closer, tilting his head as if trying to hear the conversation. I turn away from him.
“I... I got a ride. From someone else,” I say carefully.
“What? Who ?” Suspicion laces every word. “You're not backing out of our deal, are you? Because I paid good money for that site membership, and you owe me, girl.”
His entitled tone sends a chill through me. Like I'm property he's purchased.
“No, I just... needed time to think.”
“Don’t you dare try and swindle me, girl. Where are you now?” Holloway demands. “I'll come get you.”
“She's with me,” Hunter says loudly enough for Holloway to hear. He steps forward, hand outstretched for the phone.
I shift away, clutching the phone tighter. “I'll call you back,” I say quickly and end the call.
The phone immediately rings again. I power it off.
“Tell me who you are. And why do you care what happens to me?” I adjust the towel as it starts to slip.
Hunter sighs, leaning against the wall, giving me space.
“I’ve lived in Ember Heart Ridge all my life, one of seven brothers.
I work with the Ember Heart Search and Rescue team, along with most of my family.
I heard about Holloway's 'bride' coming to town from one of my MC brothers and.
.. let's just say Holloway has a reputation.” His eyes darken.
“His last girlfriend left town with a broken arm.
And at the bar last week, he was talking about 'training' his mail-order bride.”
I swallow hard. It's not like I expected Prince Charming, but I'd hoped for someone who at least wouldn't hurt me.
“So what's your plan now?” I ask, hating how my voice trembles. “Play hero? Save the damsel? Get a reward?”
His eyes flash and it sends an unexpected jolt of heat through me.
He rakes a hand through his hair, the movement causing his shirt to ride up slightly, revealing a strip of tanned skin and the edge of what looks like another tattoo disappearing beneath his waistband. I force my eyes back to his face.
“There's no reward, sweetheart. I’m trying to keep you from getting hurt.”
“And lying to me was the best way to do that?” The betrayal stings more than it should. I barely know this man. But he'd been kind at the diner, gentle with the dog. I'd let my guard down, thinking I was finally safe.
Just like with Rennick. The thought hits me like a slap.
“Look, I was going to tell you tonight,” Hunter says, a muscle working in his jaw.
“Sure you were. I need to get dressed.” I clutch my towel tighter.
He nods, stepping aside so I have a clear path to the stairs. “I'll make coffee.”
I hurry upstairs, closing the guest room door and leaning against it, trying to steady my breathing. I'd escaped one dangerous man only to land in another trap. Or had I? Hunter could have hurt me already if that was his intention. But maybe he’s playing a longer game.
With shaking hands, I pull on my clothes.
The worn blue dress is wrinkled, but I put it on anyway.
I sit on the edge of the bed, head in my hands.
I could run. But where to? I have $37 to my name and no way to get back to town except with Hunter.
And now Holloway knows I'm with another man. This won't end well.
Downstairs, Hunter is moving around the kitchen, the rich scent of coffee drifting up the stairs. Risky whines outside my door, scratching lightly.
I open it, and the dog trots happily inside and immediately pushes his head against my hand. His warm brown eyes look up at me with complete trust, tail wagging gently.
I scratch behind his ears and kiss his fuzzy head. “At least someone here is honest.”
When I finally work up the courage to go downstairs, Hunter is on the phone, his voice low and urgent.
“Yeah, Marcus... I know, I know. I screwed up… she's still here. I'll explain later, just… yeah. Thanks, bro.”
He hangs up, turning to face me. “Coffee's ready if you want some.”
I approach cautiously, and he slides the mug toward me, the movement causing his muscles to flex beneath his shirt. I force my eyes away. “I need to go back to town.”
“And do what? Meet your future husband? The guy who was bragging about 'training' you like you're some kind of animal?”
“I don't have many options. Or did you forget that I'm broke and on the run?”
One dark eyebrow lifts. “On the run from what, exactly?”
I look away. “That's my business.”
He takes a sip of his own coffee. “Look, you don't have to trust me. Hell, I wouldn't trust me either after the stunt I pulled. But you need a place to stay tonight, and I'm offering one.”
“Out of the goodness of your heart?” I can’t keep the sarcasm out of my tone.
He sets his mug down. “Yes. Guest room is yours, door locks from the inside. I'll sleep down here on the couch if it makes you feel better. Tomorrow, I'll take you wherever you want to go.”
I consider my options. Stay with a stranger who lied to me but hasn't hurt me yet, or meet a different stranger who has a history of hurting women? Neither is ideal.
“Why should I trust you?”
“Risky likes you,” Hunter says simply. “And he likes me, too. He's a good judge of character.”
As if on cue, the dog leans against my leg, his warm weight oddly comforting.
“Wait…that's your argument? The dog likes me?” I have to stop myself smiling. This is all so ridiculous.
His lips quirk into a lopsided smile. “That, and my mom raised me better than to hurt women. Ask anyone in town about the Blakes. We're the good guys.”
“That’s your last name… Blake? You mentioned brothers earlier.”
“Six of them. There are seven of us in total. I'm the second youngest. Marcus is the one I just called. He's the brains of the family… can find out anything about anyone.”
I take a cautious sip of coffee. “You're having him investigate Holloway?”
“And maybe whoever you're running from,” Hunter says, watching me carefully.
“I didn't say I was?—”
“Sweetheart, no one agrees to marry a stranger in a town they've never been to unless they're desperate. And desperate usually means running from something.”
Or someone. I set the mug down harder than intended, coffee sloshing over the rim. “You don't know anything about me.”
He crosses his arms in front of his chest. “I know you're scared, Trinity. I know you haven't been eating or sleeping well. I know that cheap flip phone is probably a burner. And I know you've got good reasons for all of that. I also know I want to help you.”
“Why?” I meet his intense gaze. “What's in it for you?”
Something flickers in his eyes, a heat that makes my skin tingle despite everything. His gaze drops to my lips for just a second before returning to my eyes, and my breath catches in my throat.
“Maybe I just want to do something good for once.”
“Or maybe you want what Holloway was going to get. A wife. A housekeeper. Someone to warm your bed.”
His expression hardens, jaw clenching in a way that shouldn't be attractive but somehow is. “I don't need to trick women into my bed, Trinity. Or buy them.”
The way he says my name, low and rough, sends a shiver down my spine that has nothing to do with fear. I turn away, confused by my reaction to him. This man had lied to me, practically kidnapped me, and yet my body betrays me with a flash of heat when he moves closer.
An uneasy silence falls between us, broken only by Risky's contented sigh as he settles at my feet.
“One night. I'll stay tonight, and tomorrow you take me back to town.”
Hunter nods. “Deal. Hungry?”
I nod.
Against my better judgment, I sink back into the couch with Risky at my feet. The fire's warmth seeps into my tired bones, and I watch Hunter move confidently around the kitchen. He pulls ingredients from the fridge, chops vegetables with practiced ease, his strong hands surprisingly deft.
This isn't how I'd imagined my first day in Ember Heart.
“So you have six brothers?” I ask, needing to break the silence.
Hunter glances over. “Yeah. Logan's the oldest, then Ryder, then Troy, Axel, Marcus, me, and Zander’s the baby of the family. He doesn’t work SAR, he’s a firefighter over in Snowflake Falls.”
“All boys? Your poor mom.”
“Mom loved it,” Hunter says. “Said she was blessed to have an army of men to protect her. Dad was killed in a rescue accident. We all stepped up.”
“That's... admirable.” My experience with men had been exactly the opposite. Men who abandoned their responsibilities. Men who took rather than protected.
As Hunter works, I find myself studying him.
The way his shirt stretches across those big shoulders when he reaches for spices on a high shelf.
The gentle way he speaks to Risky when the dog wanders over hoping for scraps.
I catch myself wondering how those strong hands would feel against my skin and heat pools between my thighs.
As we eat dinner, I relax. Hunter keeps his distance. And yet I'm hyper aware of his every movement; the way he leans back in his chair, stretching his long legs out under the table. How his fingers wrap around his beer bottle and the flash of his smile when I accidentally make him laugh.
Each time our eyes meet, there's a charge in the air that makes my skin electric.
He gazes at me with an intensity that makes me flush, his eyes lingering a moment too long on my lips or the curve of my neck, only to quickly look away.
When he shows me to the guest room again, Risky follows faithfully at my heels.
“You can lock the door if it makes you feel safer,” Hunter says softly. “I'll be downstairs if you need anything.”
His scent is leather and that hypnotizing hint of cinnamon.
For a moment, I imagine what would happen if I leaned forward, closed the small distance between us.
Would his lips feel as firm as they look?
Would his stubble scratch against my skin?
The thought sends another rush of warmth through me that pools low in my core.
I should be terrified. I should be planning my escape. Instead, I find myself smiling, my heart racing for reasons that have nothing to do with fear.
I press my thighs together, trying to ignore the lingering heat from my inappropriate thoughts about Hunter. How can I be attracted to someone who lied to me? Someone I met only hours ago?
As I slide beneath the cool sheets, Risky jumps up to settle at my feet, his warm weight an unexpected comfort.
Tomorrow, I'll figure out what to do.