“Why?” Some color had returned to her face, but worry lines etched deep around her eyes and mouth.

Michael didn’t say anything, but his entire body tensed and he eyed Hunter as if he’d like to pummel him. At least they had something in common.

“I have something they want.” Truthfully, he’d given them exactly what they requested in addition to sacrificing six years of his life. They wanted to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid, and kidnapping his son was the way to ensure that. For all they knew, he’d sacrifice Alexis, but his son…it was the perfect leverage.

“What is it?” Michael asked.

“That doesn’t matter. We need to get out of here.” His internal clock ticked loudly, telling him to run. As if on cue, the phone he’d lifted off the dead guy’s body buzzed in his pocket.

He held it out for them to see.

“What is that?” she asked.

“I got this off the man who tried to attack you. He’s probably past his check-in time.”

For a moment, all eyes trained on the buzzing phone. A reminder that they needed to leave. Unwanted adrenaline raced through his veins as he contemplated where they could escape to. He was minutes away from kidnapping Alexis and his son and just disappearing.

“I don’t understand any of this. I thought you worked for the DEA. You told me—”

“I did work for them. Something happened.” He’d sacrificed a lot for them. Then he learned he’d just been a pawn in the so-called drug war.

“Wait a minute, if you have what the CIA wants, then why not just come after you? Why come for Alexis after all this time?” Michael asked.

“Technically I gave them what they want. But they know I made backups and I’m guessing they need a guarantee I’ll give them everything before they kill me. If something happens to me, the information I have will be made public and they know it. And the reason they’re coming after her should be obvious. They want to use her or my…son against me.” Did they really need him to spell things out?

“Where exactly have you been the past six years?” Alexis asked.

He wanted to lie. Common sense told him to, but he couldn’t. Not to her face. Not after all he’d put her through. “In Panama mostly.”

“Why?”

He swallowed, but refused to break eye contact. “Working with Juan Calero.” Well, he’d been doing more than that, but the simple answer was easiest right now.

Michael frowned. “I think I saw in the news that he was killed last week.”

“Who is Juan—wait, the drug lord? That’s where you’ve been?” Raw pain and betrayal flashed in her pale eyes.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. This wasn’t how he’d wanted to tell her. It wasn’t as if he’d been involved in the drug trade or been exclusively working with Calero the past six years. No, he’d had to make a name for himself just to get noticed by the bastard and that had taken years to build his cover, but she didn’t need to know that. Hell, if it helped her to hate him, it would be better for when he had to eventually leave. She wouldn’t want someone like him in her life anyway. “I was working for the CIA doing undercover work. Specifically for a man named Tom Davis.” Even to his own ears, he could hear the venom in his voice when he said Davis’s name. “This job wasn’t supposed to have lasted so long. I was supposed to set up my cover and…” Six years ago everything had seemed simple. Get in, get what they wanted, and get out. Then he’d clear his name. Too bad life was never that simple.

Abruptly Alexis stepped out of Michael’s embrace and headed past Hunter.

“What are you doing?” Michael asked before Hunter could.

She paused midway to the stairs. “What do you think? I’m packing a suitcase. I’m not taking any chances with my son’s safety. Two men have tried to kill me today. If this is as bad as you say—” she looked at Hunter “—I’m picking Jonathan up now and we’re getting out of here at least until we can figure something out.”

“Alexis, wait just a minute. We need to make a rational decision before we race over there. Five minutes and we leave, okay?” Michael took both her hands in his.

She shifted from one foot to the other, then looked at Michael with a defiant thrust of her chin. “Sixty seconds.”

Hunter couldn’t contain a small smile. Still as stubborn as ever. And for that he was grateful. One minute was one minute too long, but he’d just have to deal with it.

Michael glanced at Hunter, then back at Alexis. “I’ll be in the kitchen in two seconds.”

Alexis muttered something incomprehensible and disappeared down the hallway.

“Did you know she was pregnant when you left?” Michael asked.

Of all the things he could have said to him, that surprised Hunter more than anything. “No.” He didn’t have to think about his response.

Michael nodded and followed Alexis. Hunter stood there for a second. Would he have done things differently if he’d known? Even he couldn’t answer that.

A hollow feeling settled in his gut. Hunter had known seeing Alexis after all these years would be difficult, but he hadn’t imagined the emotional pain at seeing her with another man. It was as if a vise cinched around his chest, and with every breath, it tightened.

Hunter might not have a place in her life long-term, but Alexis would be safer with him than with her fiancé. After everything he’d put her through, he owed this to her. Considering he wouldn’t be around permanently, he owed it to their kid too. If he could give his son a chance at a normal life, he’d do everything in his power to keep them safe. Now he simply needed to convince her of that.

Chapter 4

Alexis understood that Michael wanted to think about their options before going on the run, but her heart pounded mercilessly against her chest. He hadn’t been the one almost killed today. Twice. And she desperately needed to get to her son. Through her kitchen window, she glimpsed the giant oak tree in her backyard. It stood tall and proud, secure of its place in the world. The peaceful sight normally made her feel safe. She snorted at the thought. Safe.

“Honey, we’ve got to do something, and fast,” Michael said as he entered.

“I know.” Someone wanted to use her son as a bargaining chip. She wanted to scream in frustration. If she wasn’t a parent, any decision would be so much easier. “We need to leave town, but for how long? And where will we go?”

Hunter walked into the kitchen and she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself. As if that could protect her from anything, least of all him. He’d already shown her what he was capable of today.

“I think you should call off the wedding.” Hunter’s words sliced through the air like a machete.

“What?” she gasped.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Michael asked almost simultaneously.

Hunter stepped in from the entryway with the grace of a panther. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

She frowned at his words. “I’m not following you.”

“You call off the wedding, then leave on vacation to get away from the gossip. You don’t tell anyone where you’re going, least of all Michael.” Hunter held up a hand when Michael took a menacing step toward him. This time he looked at Michael when he spoke. “You’re going to know where she is, but as far as everyone else is concerned, you don’t. This keeps everyone she cares about relatively safe. Pretty soon, the man who sent our two dead friends is going to get antsy when they don’t check in. We need to get out of here while we still have a chance.”

“Where will we go?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she could scarcely believe herself. Was she actually agreeing with him?

Michael scrubbed a hand over his face and she could tell he was battling with himself about what to do. “I’ve got a beach house in the Outer Banks.”

“Really?” Her eyebrows rose.

“Yeah… It’s actually not a bad idea sending you all there,” he said grudgingly. “As soon as you’re gone, I’m going to talk to Sheriff Barton. He used to work for the FBI and he’s still got contacts. He’ll exhaust every resource he has finding out more about this Tom Davis.”

Everything was happening so fast. She needed time to think, but that wasn’t an option. Not when her son’s life was in danger. “Wouldn’t whoever’s looking for us have access to your information?”

He shook his head. “The house is owned by a dummy corporation so it’s not in my name. Eventually someone might figure it out, but at the very least, spend a couple of days there until we know who we’re dealing with, and until I can join you.”

That was interesting. She’d known he was wealthy, but to have a place not listed under his name seemed odd. How well did she actually know him? That didn’t matter right now. “I can’t leave Gwen unprotected.” Gwen was the closest thing she had to family. If they sent someone after Alexis and her son, they wouldn’t stop at hurting her friends. And Gwen was more than that to her, she was a mother figure and friend rolled into one. The thought of anything happening to her made Alexis ill.

“I’ll hire extra security at the center. He’ll be there as a temp and she’ll be the only one who knows why he’s really there.” Michael’s neck muscles corded tightly.

“I guess that could work.” She bit her bottom lip.

Hunter stepped farther into the room and placed the dead guy’s cell phone on the table.

“Another call?” She didn’t know why she bothered asking. His intense expression already told her the answer.

“Yeah, and there are three texts. Look for yourself.”

With trembling hands, she picked it up. Is it done? Short and to the point. She pulled up the second message, sent two minutes later. Don’t waste time with the woman. Just get the kid. Then, Do you need backup?