Chapter 14

Iput the lipstick back in the tube after swiping the soft peach color across my lips. Leaning closer to the mirror, I rub my lips together to even it out, and use my pinkie to swipe away a smudge from the corner of my mouth.

Over my shoulder, in the mirror, Hunter appears in the bathroom doorway. A small smile plays on his lips as he leans against the frame. I spin around and give him a big grin.

"Sorry I'm late." His eyes sweep up and down my body. I'm wearing a tight, deep lavender dress with thin shoulder straps. The hem stops a couple of inches above my knees. On my feet are a pair of strappy sandals with low heels. My black hair is swept up and pinned at the top of my head with a few loose pieces falling around my face. "You look absolutely stunning."

"Thank you."

He steps forward, coming to a stop in front of me. His arm whips out from behind his back, revealing a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flowers.

"For you, Mrs. St. James."

Lowering my head, I bury my nose in the sweet-smelling flowers. "They're beautiful. Thank you."

"Anything for my beautiful wife." With the flowers between us, he drops his head and lays a tender kiss against my lips.

When he lifts his head, I keep mine tilted back to look at him. I've known Hunter since I was twenty-one years old. I've learned all of his expressions and can tell his mood just by looking at him. As he stares down at me, I see love shining in his eyes. It's a look I've seen on his face every day since he first told me he loved me, only weeks after we met. I love the look, and it always manages to make my stomach flutter.

However, underneath the love, something else lurks. An emotion I'm not sure I know the name of. It almost looks like sadness and remorse, and maybe even a hint of guilt.

I frown and reach up to trace my finger over the line between his eyes. "What's wrong? Something's bothering you."

The line smooths out and his eyes skitter away from me for a brief moment before returning. "Nothing. Just work stuff."

Something heavy settles in my stomach, making a knot of dread form. "You don't have to leave again, do you?"

"No." His expression softens, and he tightens his arm around me, squashing the flowers. "I won't be doing that again for a while."

Relief floods through me, loosening my tense muscles. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just being here with you is all I need." He drops another kiss on my lips. "Why don't you put these in a vase while I shower? I'll be ready in fifteen minutes tops."

I laugh. "Men are so lucky. Fifteen minutes isn't long enough to shower, let alone get dressed and do my hair and make-up."

"You could be in rags with not a stitch of make-up and your hair dull and flat, and I'd still think you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever met."

My heart flutters with his compliment. It's even more special because I really believe him.

With another quick kiss on my lips, he hands me the flowers and gently pushes me toward the door. "Now go. I was able to reschedule our reservation, but I doubt they'll hold it if we don't show up on time."

With a smile, I leave him and go to the kitchen. After grabbing a vase from one of the cabinets, I set the flowers on the counter and remove the wrapping. Once the stems are cut at an angle, I fill the vase with water and place the flowers inside. Carrying it over to the sink, I set it on the window sill so I can look at them while I'm in the kitchen.

I'm rearranging the flowers when something outside catches my eye. It's dark outside and the back porch light isn't on, but the light from the window I'm in front of illuminates a small patch of yard.

My lungs freeze and my heart stutters to a halt when one of the shadows suddenly moves. Someone is in our backyard.

An ear-piercing scream fills my head. It's only when I'm out of breath and sucking in more air to scream again that I realize the sound is coming from me.

"Caterina!" Hunter's voice shouts from behind me. He's at my side in an instant, gripping my arm and turning me to face him. "Baby, what's wrong?"

Numbly, I notice the gun in his hand. The only thing he's wearing is a pair of slacks with the button undone.

My breathing is stuttering and I'm shaking like a leaf.

"Cat." Hunter's harsh voice snaps my gaze back to his.

"S-someone's out there." I dart my eyes to the window. "I saw a sh-shadow."

His jaw hardens and his eyes become alert as he stares out the window. In the next moment, Hunter ushers me to a door in the kitchen and he practically drags me down the stairs to the basement. I feel numb, like I'm not really in my body, as I'm shuffled to a steel door. After keying in a number on the keypad, Hunter drags me inside and straight to a chair in a corner.

He squats in front of me. "Stay in here," he orders. Pointing to one of the computer monitors set on a big desk across the room, he continues. "Don't open the door unless you see me on the screen." He shakes me gently when I don't respond. "Cat," he barks my name. "Baby, are you listening?"

"Y-yes," I croak.

"Only my face, okay? I'm going to go check things out."

When he stands, I scramble to my feet and clutch his arm. "No!" I shriek, wincing at the desperate sound. "Don't leave me. You can't go out there. What if they hurt you? Stay here with me. Please, Hunter. We'll call the cops."

His face twists painfully, but he gently pushes me back into the chair.

"Nothing will happen to me, Cat." He holds up the gun. "I have protection."

Hunter is very much capable of protecting himself. Not only is he proficient at using a gun, he works out daily and has a black belt in two different martial arts. Knowing this, it still doesn't alleviate my fear of him getting hurt. There's always the possibility that someone will have more skills than him.

I squeeze my eyes shut, blocking out the image of Hunter lying in the grass, blood soaking the dirt beneath him, and his eyes staring sightlessly at the star-filled sky.

"Baby, look at me." I open my eyes and get snared in Hunter's. "I'll be okay as long as I know you're safe in this room. If I feel like I'm in danger, I'll come back to the house and come straight to you."

It's the best concession I'm going to get. No matter how much I plead with Hunter, I know he won't listen. He has this unreserved need to protect me at all costs. While I love that about him, it also scares me because I'm absolutely certain he'd put his own life on the line to protect me. The thing is though, I would do the same for him. We'd both fall apart if something happened to the other.

"Good girl," he says when I nod, then presses a hard kiss against my lips. "Only my face, okay?"

With a knot the size of a bowling ball stuck in my throat, I nod again. "Please be careful."

"You know I will."

Standing, he walks to the steel door. It bangs loudly when he slams it shut behind him. As soon as the lock automatically engages, I rush over to the bank of computers and sit in one of the chairs. Looking from screen to screen, I don't relax until I spot Hunter in the kitchen. He's holding his gun up with one hand and rests the butt of it in his other.

I keep my eyes glued to the screen as he slowly walks across the room. I'm forced to switch to another monitor when he enters the dining room where the back door is. Although the video has audio, not a sound comes through the speaker as he opens the door and steps outside.

On another screen, Hunter slowly descends the steps of the back porch. The porch light is still off, but the cameras are equipped with night vision.

When Hunter suddenly takes off running, I tense in my chair and all the air in my lungs whooshes out. One minute I see him on the edge of the camera and the next, he's gone. I look at each screen we have outside, but no matter how much I wish it, he doesn't reappear. My airway becomes blocked and tingles form on my scalp. I clutch the edge of the desk and lean over it to look closer at the screens, as if I can mentally command him to appear.

Dark memories try to worm their way past the formidable walls I've built in my head. Memories I've buried so deep, they'd burn if they saw the light of day.

I strengthen those walls, adding steel barriers in front of them and pouring concrete in the small cracks trying to form. I can't let those memories out. If I do, I know deep down, my mind will fracture, and I'm afraid there will be no piecing it back together.

Tears pool in my eyes and leak down my cheeks the longer I look at the screens and don't see Hunter. It feels like my soul is oozing from my pores as I'm forced to wait. I keep conjuring up horrific scenarios of what could be happening to him, and it's driving me insane.

I should never have let him go out there. I should have made him stay in the safe room with me. In here, nothing can get to us. In here, we're completely safe.

What feels like hours later, but could only be minutes, Hunter finally reappears on the camera centered on the back porch. He looks whole and unharmed as he walks up the steps, the gun resting at his side, and goes to the back door. I sag in my chair, covering my face with my hands as deep sobs wrack my body. Nausea rolls in my stomach, and I'm forced to swallow back the bile.

"Cat," Hunter's voice calls through the speaker. "Open the door."

I scramble up from the chair and smash the required numbers on the panel beside it. It takes me three times to get it right because my hands are shaking so badly.

Once the door is wide enough for me to squeeze through, I throw myself into Hunter's arms. He catches me, and it's only once I feel him holding me that I truly believe he's safe.

"Shh, baby, I've got you," he croons in my ear. "Everything's okay."

I can't stop the pathetic noises coming from me. I clutch his back, digging my nails into the skin, knowing I'm leaving marks, but uncaring at the moment. Suddenly, I'm lifted off my feet and carried out of the basement. The whole time my face stays buried in his neck, breathing in his sandalwood scent.

He settles down on the couch and forces my face out of his neck. My cheeks are caught in his big palms and his thumbs under my jaw lift my head up so I'm looking at him.

"Cat, you're breaking my heart," he says hoarsely. "I'm okay."

I stare at him helplessly. "When you disappeared from the screen, I wasn't sure what happened to you."

"Nothing happened. I heard a noise and ran after it."

That does not help my frightful mood, and from the tightening of his jaw, he knows it.

"It was just the neighbor. Their dog got loose and ran through our backyard. The shadow you saw was Jordan looking for him."

"Oh."

His lips quirk up. "You scared the shit out of Jordan when he heard you scream."

Mortification stings my cheeks. Jordan is a thirteen-year-old boy who lives with his parents and younger sister across the street from us. Both he and his sister are sweet kids. Jordan has mowed our lawn a few times to earn extra money.

"I'm such an idiot for overreacting."

The smirk on Hunter's face straightens and his hands still around my cheeks brings my face closer. "Don't ever think you overreact. I'd much rather you overreact when you shouldn't than not react the way you should when you need to."

"I feel horrible. His parents must hate me."

"I've already spoken with them, and they're fine. Judy knew you would feel this way and she said you shouldn't. Jordan should have knocked on the door instead of wandering into the backyard."

I nod, but I still feel horrible for scaring him. The issues I have are my own. They shouldn't affect the people around me.

He wipes away the wetness on my cheeks with his thumbs. "Do you still want to go out for dinner?"

"Do you mind if we stay in instead? We can go out tomorrow."

"Whatever you want, baby." Leaning forward, he gives me a tender kiss. "We'll order takeout and have a nice quiet night in."

"That sounds perfect."