Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
The annoying sound of Katrina’s phone alarm rang through her head. She yawned and stretched, pulling away from the warm body curled around her. Hunter pulled her back to him and nibbled on her earlobe. She giggled.
“I can’t. I have to go home and get ready for work. I have an on-site meeting this morning.”
A protesting sigh drifted into her ear.
“Stupid Mondays,” he said.
“Agreed.”
She’d love nothing more than to stay in this large, warm bed with this handsome man, but work called, and if she wanted to pay her bills, she’d better show up.
That man probably had no idea how hard it was for her to pull herself away from him and his comforting hold—his protective hold—his loving hold. With as long as she’d dreamed for this to come to fruition, it about killed her to roll out of his bed. She’d never expected this to happen. Ever.
She flung the covers back and padded off to the bathroom, first retrieving her clothes from the floor in the other room.
When she returned to the bedroom, she found Hunter dressed and ready for his day, but wearing a solemn look.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“I guess I’m just worried about you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your concern about Sebastián being released and coming after you. I really hope that’s not the case, but who knows?
The disappearance of the assistant district attorney is alarming.
Though there could be a number of criminals responsible for that, or maybe it’s someone else altogether.
But who knows? I’m sorry, I feel like I’m rambling and I don’t want to scare you.
I just...I don’t know. I guess I just feel like we need to be aware of the possibility. ”
“I know,” she whispered, as she stepped into his open arms.
Stepping out of his comforting hold was difficult, but had to be done.
“I need to go.”
“I’m going with you.”
The conviction in his gaze told her she wasn’t getting out of this house alone, and with as much as she liked that thought, she had to.
She couldn’t rely on Hunter to be with her everywhere.
That was too much to ask. He had his own job to attend to, and she’d decided long ago that she’d let Sebastián control her life too much, and this was where she drew the line.
After all, she’d changed her identity. The person he knew had disappeared nearly a decade ago.
She should be safe. Apprehension coiled in the pit of her stomach. She should be safe, but would she be?
Katrina held up her hand.
“You don’t need to. I’ll be fine.”
His gaze intensified.
“Please don’t push me away this time. I just want to make sure.”
His enduring look and words pulled on the heartstrings of the heart he already owned.
At her hesitation to speak, he spoke again.
“Okay, how about I just follow you to your place, and then to work? Then, I’ll head on into my office.
Make sure you get to both places safely.
Then, home again. Please let me do this for a while anyway.
At least until they find out what happened with the assistant district attorney. ”
How could she refuse that pleading look in his eyes? She couldn’t. But if she let him follow her, he’d know where she lived. Not that she minded him knowing, but that could lead to Sebastián or his family knowing if they tried to reach her through him.
Her heart begged her brain to agree. “Okay.”
His tense facial muscles relaxed.
Katrina watched in the rearview mirror as she drove back to her apartment.
The wonderful man following her matched her speed and every turn.
She also watched for any other vehicles that may be tailing her.
Those freaking Garcias. She hated living this way.
For about the millionth time, she regretted the day she met Sebastián.
How on earth did she ever get mixed up with a cartel family?
She was so plain and down-to-earth. What did he ever see in her? A conquest, maybe?
Hunter parked next to her and eased his truck window down. “Can I come in and wait?”
They’d gone this far, so she supposed that wouldn’t hurt anything, so she offered a nod.
After keying herself in, she spun and locked the door behind Hunter. Growing up in her small town, her family rarely locked the door; now she locked doors and windows.
Hunter didn’t comment; he just went with it. He followed her into the kitchen, where she started brewing a pot of coffee and then let him know she planned to shower quickly and they’d be on the road in forty-five minutes.
“Help yourself to some coffee and a muffin if you’d like. There are some hard-boiled eggs in the fridge and some bread if you want to make toast while you wait.”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
She smiled and tilted her head to the side. “That’s not what your growling stomach is saying.”
He laughed. “Maybe I will.”
In the shower, she regretted scrubbing Hunter’s outdoorsy scent from her body.
All the while driving from his home to hers, the very scent brought her peace of mind and assured her everything would be okay.
It reminded her of the hours of lovemaking they’d shared.
Never in her life had she spent that much time in bed with a man.
The hours just flew by. He gave her everything she needed last night.
Comfort, love, and understanding. The nourishment she needed to face the next day.
The coffee pot beeped, and Hunter poured himself a cup of coffee.
He popped some bread into the toaster and pulled two hard-boiled eggs from the six in the bowl in the fridge.
The tiny kitchen was clean as a whistle and organized, making it easy for him to find what he needed.
The plainness of everything didn’t surprise him at all.
Han—Katrina was no-nonsense. White plates, plain silverware, tan placemats on the table, smooth-edged salt and pepper shakers, one would find at a family diner.
The shower water shut off as he sat to eat.
She wasn’t kidding when she’d said they’d be out the door quickly.
When he finished eating, he rinsed his dishes and placed them in the dishwasher, then he refilled his coffee cup and headed into the living room.
A brown loveseat and matching recliner faced the television.
To the side was a forest green and tan plaid side chair.
The window shade blocked any sunlight from entering the room.
He supposed she kept the shades pulled all the time.
What a shame she had to live like this. It wasn’t fair.
On the bookshelf in the corner, one shelf was reserved for photos.
Curiosity drew him in to take a closer look.
The largest photo seemed to be a family photo.
Katrina looked to be about fourteen or so.
Trees full of colorful fall leaves provided the backdrop.
Katrina stood next to her mom, who she resembled, and her brothers stood at the ends, with her dad opposite her mom.
They made a nice-looking family. He swallowed hard at Katrina’s loss of her parents at such a young age.
On either side of that framed photo were smaller photos of people that he assumed were her grandparents.
Behind the larger photo, a photobook lay flat.
He reached around, grabbed it, and flipped it open.
An electric shock zinged straight into his heart as he stared at a photo of him and Katrina standing atop Lover’s Leap Falls.
Her smile lit up the sky. He recalled that she hadn’t smiled much at the start of the trip, but she did that day.
Before all hell broke loose, anyway. Within seconds, the exhilarating shock of their photo turned dismal, as the reality of that day set in.
Still, he flipped the pages to see the rest of the photos.
There were so many. He remembered Alyssa constantly snapping photos.
It was her thing. Obviously, Katrina had gotten hold of Alyssa’s camera and printed everything.
There were single photos of Bianca, Katrina, and him.
There were photos of combinations of all of them.
But what he quickly realized was that the photos of him and Katrina outnumbered the other photos.
They were smitten. Alyssa must have realized that and felt the need to document it for her friend.
What he also realized was the way Bianca looked at him and Katrina.
Sideways glances with her eyes slit and brows furrowed.
Recalling the way Bianaca tended to touch him possessively, and now, seeing the look on her face when she watched him and Katrina, she was jealous.
“I see you found my treasure.”
He flinched at the sound of Katrina’s voice. So engrossed in the trip down memory lane, he hadn’t heard her walk up to him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop. The picture of your family caught my attention, and then I saw this book behind it.”
Katrina edged closer to him and placed her fingertips on a picture of Alyssa. The expression of sadness Katrina wore broke his heart.
“I miss her. She was such a good friend.”
He slung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her to his side while still holding the photo album in his other hand.
“She was a talented photographer, and she captured so much of that trip.”
“Yeah. I was happy to see that when I viewed her camera chip. I look at this book often, though it is bittersweet.”
He nodded, imagining how it was for her.
He pulled his arm away from her, shut the book, and put it back on the shelf.
“And nothing from Bianca?” he asked.
“Nope. It’s like she fell off the face of the earth. Well, and then I assumed a new identity. There is that.”
She shrugged. “Maybe she tried to reach out to me at some point after I disappeared, but I doubt it.”
Katrina was probably right about that.