44. Tyler

Iknew something was wrong the moment I got that text.

In an instant, I was off the floor and getting dressed. I had my phone in my hand, calling the one person who knew Hunter better than I did: Jarman.

The next thing I knew, I had Cal driving just in case we needed a getaway car. I instructed Jamie to record no matter what. We followed Maps to Million Dollar Row.

The eerie silence of the house did nothing to quell my anxiety but the one thing I knew was that I was not letting the world take another person from me. Not now, not ever.

Jarman and his father were out of the car with us, and we entered the home, thankful the front door was unlocked. I followed the sound of a doorknob rattling until one swung open, revealing my man—covered in blood.My mood reflected the red that splattered Hunter's crisp white top.

Like exposing a weakness on the ice, I had to expose his father in order to secure my goal: to have Hunter free of his wrath once and for all.

With his final jerky nod, I knew we won. I rushed to Hunter, who was pale and bleeding. I had seen so many things in my life—my dad in a casket, my mum wasting away, but seeing his broken gaze and blood covering every inch of him broke me. I took him in my arms and Jarman was quick to help me with his weight.

"I've got you, babe," I whispered in his ear. "I have you."

"I want to go home."

His father needed to see my man walk out; he needed to see he couldn't break him. "Use me as support and walk out of here, babe, one last time. Then it's done. You won, babe. It's you and me from here on out."

Glazed golden eyes looked back at me, and even though I knew he was in pain, he stood proud as we made our way out of the house that had been his prison.

As we got to the pavement, Jarman's father called out to us, "Get Cal to follow me; we'll get him checked out properly."

I nodded and slid into the back of the car. Hunter's head fell into my lap, and he looked up at me with tears streaking the blood that coated his face.

"You came."

"Always."

My hand brushed his blood-soaked hair off his face, noting the cut above his eyebrow—the one that used to be just a scar. I shifted, pulling off my cardigan, and blotted his head with it. Hunter didn't even wince, just looked at me like I was the only person in the world.

"I'm free."

"You're free, babe, now to get you healed so you can finish out one last season with me."

He sighed. "Why does it have to be the last?"