CHAPTER ONE
I freeze. My entire body goes cold as I recognize Hunter’s voice. The cop immediately pulls away from me and fumbles with his zipper.
“Sir, I can explain,” the officer stammers.
Hunter approaches us, his face a mask of controlled fury. His jaw is clenched so tight I can see a vein pulse in his temple.
“Uncuff her. Now,” Hunter says, his voice deadly calm, despite the rage written all over him.
The officer’s hands shake as he unlocks my handcuffs. As soon as they’re off, I grab my clothes and start dressing as quickly as possible. My fingers are trembling so badly I can barely pull on my pants.
“Sir, she was—” the officer starts.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Hunter cuts him off. “Get in your car and leave. Now.”
The officer glances between us, looking like he wants to say something, but thinks better of it. He gets in his cruiser and drives off, leaving me alone with Hunter.
I finally get dressed and turn to face him. His green eyes are blazing with an emotion I can’t quite place. Anger, definitely. But there’s something else there too.
“Get in the car, Lorelai,” he says quietly.
“Hunter, I can explain—”
“Get. In. The. Car.”
I’ve never heard his voice like this before. It’s not raised, but there’s a steel edge to it that makes me immediately obey. I get in the passenger seat and he gets in the driver’s side. We drive in complete silence.
When we pull up to the house, he gets out and opens my door. He doesn’t say a word as he leads me inside and straight to his study. Once we’re inside, he closes the door behind us.
“Sit,” he says, pointing to the chair.
I sit, my heart pounding.
He paces back and forth for a moment before stopping in front of me.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he asks.
“I... I don’t know,” I say quietly.
“You don’t know,” he repeats. “A cop was fucking you on the side of the road and you don’t know what you were thinking?”
My cheeks burn. “I was trying to get out of trouble,” I offer meekly.
“By seducing him?” Hunter asks incredulously.
I don’t answer.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?” he asks. “What if I hadn’t come along? What if he’d hurt you? Do you have absolutely zero common sense?”
“I had it under control,” I say defensively.
Hunter laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Under control. Right. That’s why you were handcuffed and bent over his car.”
“Why were you even there in the first place ?” I ask, suddenly defensive. “Were you following me?”
His eyes narrow. “Don’t turn this around on me. You’re the one who snuck out in the middle of the night.”
“To follow you,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
The words hang in the air between us. Hunter’s expression changes from anger to something else. Wariness, maybe.
“Why were you following me?” he asks slowly.
“Because I heard you on the phone,” I admit. “I heard you talking about Luke and money and Maria’s.”
Hunter’s jaw clenches. “You were eavesdropping again.”
“You’re hiding something,” I say, standing up. “Who’s Luke? What’s going on?”
“That’s none of your concern,” Hunter says.
“None of my concern?” I ask. “I’m living here. I think I have a right to know if something dangerous is happening.”
“You have a right to know what I choose to tell you,” Hunter says. “Nothing more.”
“That’s not fair,” I say.
“Life’s not fair, Lorelai,” he says. “You should know that by now.”
I cross my arms. “So you’re just going to keep secrets from me?”
“They’re not your secrets to know,” he says.
“Fine,” I say. “Then maybe I should just leave.”
I start toward the door but he grabs my wrist.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he says.
“You can’t stop me,” I say, even though my heart is racing.
“Can’t I?” he asks, pulling me closer.
I’m pressed against his chest now, looking up at him. His eyes are still blazing with anger, but I can see passion there too.
“You want to know what I think?” he asks. “I think you followed me because you’re curious. Because you can’t help yourself. You followed me because you’re nosy and stubborn and reckless.”
I purse my lips. He’s right, but I don’t want to admit it.
He smiles. He knows he’s right. “You tried to seduce a cop because you like danger. Because you like pushing boundaries. Because you’re an adrenaline junkie who gets off on doing things she knows she shouldn’t.”
His words hit close to home. Fuck. I look away.
“Look at me,” he commands.
I look back at him.
“I’m going to punish you for what you did tonight,” he says. “Understood?”
I nod.
“But first,” he says, “Because I know how curious you are and because I’m such a generous man,” he pauses for a split second, then continues, “I’m going to answer one of your questions, Lorelai. Just one, though. So choose carefully.”
I think for a moment. There are so many things I want to know. But one question stands out above the rest.
“Who’s Luke?” I ask.
Hunter’s expression softens slightly. “Luke is my brother. Not by blood, but in every way that matters. We grew up in foster care together.”
“And John?” I ask.
“That’s two questions,” Hunter says. “But I’ll answer anyway, since it’s related. John is Luke’s father. And he’s holding Luke hostage.”
My eyes widen. “What? Why?”
“Because I have something John wants,” Hunter says. “A Bitcoin seed phrase worth millions. And he won’t let Luke go until I give it to him.”
“Oh my god,” I whisper. “Hunter, that’s—”
“Enough,” he says. “You got your answer. Now you’re going to take your punishment like a good girl.”
He releases my wrist and walks to his desk. He opens a drawer and pulls out a leather paddle.
“Bedroom. Now,” he says.