"You have to go champ, we already agreed and made all the arrangements."
"I'm not fucking leaving her here while that fuck is on the loose."
"This is your career..."
"And she's my fucking life, what the fuck?"
"If you pull out now it may affect your endorsements, we're at a place in your career when we're calling the shots, we should be pushing forward hard, strike while the iron's hot. You're on everyone's lips, the best thing to happen to the league since the game went pro … "
"You're fired." There was nothing but dead air as I headed for the door; fucker was shocked speechless.
"Hunter get back here you thick son of a bitch."
"Not this time, I always go your way because I didn't give a fuck about anything else but the ring and you're the best man for the job. She trumps all that shit you included."
"Fine, I just thought I should remind you of what's at stake here. We can face fines and other setbacks if we don't handle this thing right."
"Whatever, none of that shit matters, if the asshole is in that much of a hurry to get his ass beat tell him meet me on the street."
"Let me see what I can do, maybe we can spin this in our favor."
"No, I don't want her name mentioned, not in this."
"Well short of death there isn't much else we can use to make this thing work."
The clock was running down. I was on a plane in less than twelve hours and there was still no sign of Carl. How could that little asshole stay one step ahead of the cops in not one, but two states?
I knew it would come to this, knew that I had no intent on leaving her unprotected. As to fines and other repercussions, I give a fuck she comes first. I did everything I could in the days leading up to the wedding to try to find this guy, but he was always just one step ahead. At least I've been able to keep her from being aware that he was even still a threat. As far as she knew, he was out of the picture, given up and moved on.
It was my decision to have Jace feed her that lie. I had grown to know her very well in our time together and though my baby likes to play it tough, she worries. If the fucking cops and the PI I'd hired couldn't find this fuck, how was I supposed to reassure her that she had nothing to fear?
So instead of letting her spend each day under a cloud, I chose to let her enjoy the planning of her one and only wedding. That seminar chick would have a field day with my logic, but again, I don't give a fuck.
All I care about is Traci and her happiness. I'm glad I'd convinced her that she had nothing to be afraid of because yesterday she'd shone like an angel and not once did I see a hint of fear or worry in her eyes. That's one more win for us, we didn't let him interfere with our big day, which is exactly what I wanted for her.
We'd spent the night wrapped around each other like we were starved for each other. By the time she hopped off my dick in the early morning light, we were both well and truly fucked. I'd left her asleep in the hotel room to come take care of this shit.
There were armed guards stationed outside her door with strict rules, no one in no one out; not even my mother. I left him to handle things and went back to her. She was just starting to stir when I walked into the room. I sat on the side of the bed and she flew into my arms and burst into tears.
"What the fuck? What's wrong?" I looked at the phone wondering if somehow he'd found us. I knew he didn't know her cell number since I'd changed it and added her to my plan which had about as much security as the queen's.
"I thought you'd left without saying goodbye." She could hardly get the words out as she clutched at me. I held the back of her head and rocked her gently while she cried like I'd gut punched her.
"Weren't you the one who told me it was okay to go?" I knew she was full of shit when she kept telling me it was okay for me to go off and leave her the day after our wedding. " I don't care, I change my mind, I don't want you to go."
"Look at me. You don't want me to go then I won't." She stopped crying and wiped her face in my shirt. "Really?" My brave girl looked all of twelve with her red swollen eyes and puffy cheeks.
"Yes really, in the future don't play games with me. If you don't want me to do something just say so. I may not always be able to give you what you want, but I will always try."
"I didn't want to sound like a cry baby. I guess I failed that test huh."
"There's no test baby, I didn't want to leave anymore than you wanted me to. Now let me take a look at you, you were pretty sore after that last round."
I laid her back against the pillows and spread her legs for a look. She was a damn mess, all red and swollen and a little tender. "Come one, I'll give you a bath." I pulled her up and headed for the bathroom.
Chapter 13
Wyatt
I lucked out and got a postponement on my fight but my handlers were only able to get me a seven-day reprieve and if we didn't find this guy by then I'd still be in the same predicament.
"There's one thing we could do to force his hand."
"What would that be?" I was hanging out in the family room with the boys while Trace was in the kitchen with ma and her girls cooking for an impromptu get together.
When I wasn't with her I was either training or focused on this guy, as far as I was concerned, I'd wasted more than enough time on him already. If something didn't give soon I was gonna take her outta school and have her give notice at the judge's if the bastard didn't get off his high horse. Of course every time I thought of doing that the guilt ate away at my gut. It was almost as though I was saying my career was more important and nothing could be farther from the truth. Just one more reason for me to hate this hump.
"We could use her as bait, set a trap that we're sure he can't resist."
"Are you fucked in the head? You're not using my wife as bait. Why don't you do your job and go find this bitch?"
"Hey your high paid goons haven't been able to find him either." He was right about that, no one could find this guy, not even a whiff. He hadn't tried anything since a few days before the wedding. That's the last time I intercepted something he'd tried sending to the house as a wedding gift.
Turned out to be something harmless that was tossed.
I had eyes and ears on her at all times when she was out of my sight, which wasn't that often. But I wasn't dumb enough to believe this guy had given up and gone away, he'd tried to kill her on a busy street surrounded by about twenty people. I'd studied what little Jace had on him and the things he was suspected of back in his hometown pretty much showed a serial offender.
If he hadn't killed someone already he was well on his way to it; there was even suspicion of rape in a few unsolved cases. No fucking way I was leaving the state with him on the loose.
We killed the talk when the women came back into the room and spent the rest of the evening goofing off. "I feel guilty." She was sitting on my lap because she'd had too much to drink thanks to her girl Cris and a rigged game of spades. "Why do you feel guilty? You're my angel I'm sure you couldn't possibly have done anything."
"Yes I did. I saw what the papers are saying and that stupid blonde on that stupid TV show. They think I'm a bad influence on you, that since we got married you're not as good as you used to be." I sure wish she wouldn't watch or read that shit.
"Babe they're catching at shit because no one knows why I've taken time off. Let them say what they want we know better. Besides, I thought I told you about that shit." I hated her even buying into that shit. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me. I'd quit the ring but I would never leave you, does that answer your question?"
"Hunter." I looked at the clock before turning my gaze to the sleeping woman next to me. As usual she was sprawled across the sheets boneless from our night of fucking. I'd shaved this evening to give her some relief from rug burn and that shit had tripped both our wires. I love her bare pussy with the protruding mound and fat lips and she couldn't get enough of my smooth groin. She'd licked every inch of it before swallowing my dick.
We'd fucked like minks all night until about half an hour ago, now somebody was interrupting my beauty sleep. "We've got him." My feet hit the ground running, I didn't need to ask who ‘he' was. I recognized the voice of the muscle I'd hired to hunt his ass down.