Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Orion’s gaze stayed glued to the familiar woman as she wrapped up her marketing presentation.
Katrina Holmes. That name was unrecognizable to him.
But the portion of the tattoo she revealed a moment ago when she’d leaned slightly forward, had to belong to that beautiful butterfly tattoo he’d seen on Hannah Rice almost ten years ago.
Just now, he’d only seen bright orange, outlined with black, but he’d put his life on the fact that what he saw were the tips of the wings of the butterfly.
His heart raced. He had her within his reach. Finally.
To get out of this room, she’d have to get through him.
He was tired of only dreaming of her. Nearly ten years had passed.
Would she talk to him now? It was time. Her hiding—disappearance— was crazy.
No, it actually wasn’t. He fully understood why she’d done what she did.
Her ex was part of a cartel. They’d killed her parents and her friend, so she made herself disappear. At least, that was how it appeared.
His heart sank, and dread coiled in his stomach at the thought she’d had to do this on her own.
No help from the authorities. As he watched from afar, he knew she and the police could not prove the Garcias were responsible for Alyssa’s murder and the accident that killed Hannah’s parents.
Though Sebastián Garcia was convicted of kidnapping and assaulting Hannah, the murders remained unsolved.
Everyone knew the Garcias were behind the deaths, but they were never charged.
So yes, it wasn’t a surprise to him that Hannah made herself disappear.
It was for the safety of all of them: hers, his, and her brothers.
Knowing what he knew, he should let her simply walk out of this room, but would he be able to?
He loved her. She’d ruined him for all other women.
There’d been a few in his life, but none that could measure up to her.
Funny, though, he’d only spent one weekend with her.
He kissed her twice, never had sex, but somehow knew she was the one for him.
He broke into a sweat. What if she’d met someone during the past ten years?
A woman like her would surely have been scooped up by any man in his right mind.
His gaze flew to her left hand. No ring.
He sighed with relief. Then, in remembrance of her parting letter to him and the silent promise he’d made to her, sadness laced his next sigh.
“Thank you, Ms. Holmes, we’ll be in touch,” Aaron Carlson, his CFO, said, knocking him out of his reverie.
Shit. She was going to leave the room. He couldn’t let that happen. Now that she’d practically been delivered to his front step, promise or not, this had to be a sign that it was meant to be, and he would not let her leave without at least talking to her.
After shaking Aaron’s hand, she spun to leave without so much as a glance in his direction.
He stood.
“Ms. Holmes, may I have a minute?”
She stopped dead in her tracks for just a moment, then took another step away from him without looking back at him.
“Hannah.”
She paused again, but this time she turned slowly toward him. His pulse ratcheted up a notch when she met his gaze.
His team’s gaze was on him. They probably wondered why he’d just called Katrina, Hannah.
“I just need a moment with Ms. Holmes. You can all go,” he said to his staff.
Aaron parted his lips as if he were going to speak, but then he simply exited the room with the rest of the crew, and shut the door behind him.
He would be content to stare into her bright emerald gaze forever, but he had questions for her. Lots of them.
When her eyes watered, he wanted to rush to her and wrap her in his arms, but his feet froze to the floor. What did she want him to do? Why were her eyes watering? Over the past ten years, had she thought about him at all? As much as he did her?
By the way she clutched her portfolio to her chest, he could only assume she was uncomfortable, maybe scared, but why would she fear him?
They’d gotten along great in the short time they were together.
He had abided by her wishes in the parting letter she’d left on his hospital bedside table almost ten years ago.
She’d asked him not to contact her, thinking it was too dangerous for her, her brothers, and him.
The last thing he wanted to do was put her and her few remaining family members in harm’s way.
She’d already suffered so much, losing her best friend and parents.
He abided by her wishes. She believed the Garcias would harm him, her or anyone she was close to.
After the trial, she fell off the face of the earth.
It was as if Hannah Rice disappeared. He’d tried to locate her several times over the years, not to see her in person, but hoping to see from afar that she was doing well.
He’d even tried to find her brothers. They, too, were gone.
Now that he saw the name Katrina Holmes, he realized, as he suspected, Hannah had intentionally disappeared.
But she was delivered to him now, as if by fate.
Hannah cleared her throat. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?” she asked as her brows knit, “and why did those people listen to you?”
At her questions, it occurred to him that she didn’t recognize his real name. Back then, when he’d first met her, he never used his given name. He went by Hunter, not Orion. Still, most times he used Hunter. He liked it better.
“Do you work here?” she followed up at his hesitation.
He grinned and nodded. “I own the stores,” he beamed proudly.
He’d come a long way during the past ten years. His business had grown far beyond his expectations. To own five thriving sporting goods stores at the age of thirty-three made him proud.
Hannah cocked her head to the side, loosened her grip on her portfolio, and opened it.
“Orion Samuelson,” she said.
“Yes. I’m Orion. My mother is a fan of Greek mythology and the stars, so she named me Orion, the God of hunting. Hence, Hunter.”
She pulled her brows together as if confused by his statement.
“Imagine as a kid, being named Orion. Hunter seemed like a cooler name, so I adopted the nickname and it stuck.”
Her almost scowl softened along with her gaze, but her stance remained stiff.
“You own all these stores?” she asked.
As if he couldn’t even control it, his smile widened.
“I do.”
“Wow.”
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
“So, where did Katrina come from?”
“Katrina was my grandmother’s name on my dad’s side, and Holmes was my grandmother’s maiden name on my mother’s side. I didn’t know how else to pick a new name.”
“It’s a nice name. How deep are you into hiding?” he asked, cutting to the chase.
Her facial features stiffened, and she pulled her portfolio tight to her chest again.
He cringed inside. Had he asked too much, too soon?
Her eyes shifted to the doorway, and he feared she’d bolt.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” he stated.
“It’s okay. I probably owe you an explanation for disappearing the way I did,” she said in practically a whisper.
When he thought about it, she didn’t really owe him anything.
The Dear John letter she’d left behind almost ten years ago said it all.
She cut him loose for his own good, as well as her well-being, and that of her brothers.
They all knew in their hearts, the Garcias were responsible for three deaths, so for the safety of everyone, she disappeared. He got it.
“Share with me what you want. I don’t want to pressure you.”
She snagged her bottom lip with her teeth and hesitated, letting him know that at least a small part of her wanted to continue talking with him.
The door to the conference room opened, drawing his attention. Sally poked her head through the crack.
“Sorry to interrupt, but your four o’clock appointment is here. Do you want to meet with him in here or in your office?”
“My office. I’ll be there in a minute.”
She nodded and shut the door.
“Hannah, can I take you to dinner tonight so we can catch up?”
His heartbeat ratcheted up a notch when those familiar gold flecks sparked in her emerald eyes. She was going to accept his offer.
Silence.
When those sparks of gold faded, he knew he’d be disappointed at any moment now.
“I can’t, and my name is Katrina.”
Those words felt like a champion boxer’s blow to his stomach. Her use of Katrina reaffirmed that Hannah no longer existed.
After all these years, they’d finally reconnected, only to have it end the same way—apart. He nearly doubled over in pain.
She spun and bolted out of the room.
He’d taken three long strides after her before he halted on a dime.
With as much as it pained him, he’d abide by her wishes. Pressing his palm to his chest did nothing to relieve the refreshed pain from the old wound.
Katrina practically ran out of the building, not allowing herself to glance back.
She knew if she looked into Hunter’s beautiful eyes one more time, she’d cave and leap into his arms. She had longed for the comfortable embrace of his arms countless times over the past ten years.
Good heavens, she missed him. This hiding was bullshit, but had to be done. It was best for everyone.
Those damn Garcias. She loathed the day she met Sebastián and fell for his charms. Though it didn’t take long for her to figure him out.
She’d thought when he’d been sentenced to ten years, she’d freed herself from his and his family’s control, but she was wrong.
Every decision she’d made during the past ten years had been made with him in mind.
What she called herself. Where she lived.
Who she associated with. Her social media presence was nil because she didn’t want to be found.
Who in the hell at thirty-two didn’t have a social media presence?
She, that’s who. Explain that to someone who wanted to connect.