His Secret Past (19 page)

Neither spoke, but with Jonathan on the floor and the fire crackling, he finally began to experience what a normal family was
supposed
to be like. Until that moment he hadn’t realized this was what he’d been waiting for his entire life. Unexpected memories of going hungry, wondering if his mother would show up at all that week, jumped into his head as vivid as the movie in front of him. A hollow ache settled in his stomach.

His son was never going to know that kind of life. If it killed him, he was going to give Jonathan everything he’d never had growing up. If he couldn’t be there for him, he’d at least provide for him. He needed to set up a life insurance policy as soon as possible. If anything happened to him, he wanted them taken care of.

The doorbell rang, jerking him back to the present. Now wasn’t the time to get caught up in what could never be. “I’ll get it.”

Sighing, she stood. “I’ll make sure their rooms are ready.”

The doorbell chimed again, but he ignored it. “I think we should bring Jonathan downstairs into your room. Or I’ll sleep on a cot and he can have my bed.” Hunter and Alexis’s rooms were adjoined and even though his gut told him he could trust Connor, he wasn’t taking any chances with his son’s life.

She nodded, and when the bell chimed again, her expression changed to one of annoyance. “You’d better get that,” she muttered.

“Who’s at the door?” The insistent bell ringing finally tore Jonathan away from the television screen. He rolled over onto his elbows and placed his chin in his hands.

“It’s the people I told you about. Stay in here for a little while, okay?” Used to giving orders, he had to constantly remind himself to ask things, not tell.

Hunter looked through the small glass window before opening it.

Sure enough, it was Carl Connor, Alan Saltz and a man he didn’t recognize. He opened the door just as Alan was about to ring the bell again.

“Give that thing a rest.”

Alan shrugged and picked up his duffel bag. “Took you long enough.”

He stood back as they entered the house single file.

Once they were inside, Connor shook Hunter’s hand and nodded toward the two other men. “You know Alan. This is Mike Alterio. He’s been with me for three years. You can trust him.”

After shaking hands with both men, he motioned to their bags. “Just leave those here for a minute and follow me.”

Once they were all seated at the kitchen table, Connor spoke first. “Where are Alexis and the kid?”

“She’s moving her stuff into my room and he’s in the living room watching television. And the kid’s name is Jonathan.”

Connor nodded. “Right. One of us will be posted downstairs at all times. At night, we’ll sleep in shifts.”

“I hope you’re including me in that equation.” Hunter shifted in his seat. Alexis should be done by now.

“I am. As of right now, we’ve got a task force working ’round the clock looking for Davis and Foster. Until we find them, or until we deem it safe, you’ll be under the DEA’s protection. In the meantime, we’ll start going over your timeline down in the Americas.” Connor leaned back in his chair.

Hunter looked up as Alexis walked in. She took a few tentative steps inside. Keeping his eyes on her, he directed his response toward Connor. “That wasn’t part of the deal. I’m giving you what you need to bring Davis down. That’s it. You don’t get details about my life.”

Alan cleared his throat and stood. The scraping of the wooden chair against the tile grated on Hunter’s growing headache. “Since I’m first on night shift, I’m gonna hit the sack for about an hour. Mind showing me where my room is?” Alan asked.

“Follow me,” Alexis said.

Connor spoke as soon as they were out of sight. “Come on, Hunter, you’ve got to have names, dates and meeting places that might be helpful.”

“What’s the point? Calero is dead.”

“His associates aren’t,” Connor said.

For the first time, Mike spoke more than two words. “Any information you provide us with will be invaluable to the drug war. After all your years with the administration, you have to know that.”

Years ago he’d been just as gung ho as the man sitting before him. Back when he thought he was invincible. Back when life had been simple. He bit back a few comments. “I’ll help, but I don’t want Alexis listening to any of this. We’ll work on this stuff when she’s not around. That’s the deal.”

When they both nodded, he stood. “Come on. I don’t know which room she put Alan in, but you might as well get settled in too.”

Back in the foyer, Connor handed Hunter a plastic bag.

“What’s this?”

The other man shrugged, but a shade of crimson crept up his neck. “I don’t know. It’s some kind of handheld educational computer game. It’s for the kid…uh, Jonathan.”

Hunter raised his eyebrows, unable to hide his shock. “You got this for him?”

Again, he shrugged. “The administration paid for it, but when I told my wife there was a young child involved with this case, she said he’d like this.”

“Thanks, man. I’ll let you give it to him yourself.” Shaking his head, he led the two men up the stairs.

It took a lot to surprise him anymore. Unless Connor was completely diabolical, that small act convinced Hunter of the other man’s integrity. A man didn’t buy gifts for a kid he was planning to kill.

Chapter 11

Alexis pulled the blanket up around Jonathan’s shoulders and tucked him in tighter. He mumbled something in his sleep, but he was knocked out to the world. The door creaked behind her so she swiveled around and almost lost her footing.

“The house is quiet.” Hunter stepped into her room and shut the door behind him. “How is he?”

She turned back to Jonathan. His peaceful form comforted her. “Sleeping, finally.”

Hunter wrapped his arm around her shoulders in an almost friendly, chaste gesture. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll take the cot and you can take my bed.”

She stiffened against his hold and stared at her son sleeping peacefully in her bed, and couldn’t fight the wave of weariness that washed over her. “You can sleep in your bed instead of the cot.”

Next to her, Hunter stiffened. “Are you sure?”

“I can’t stand the thought of you sleeping on that horrible thing. I’ll sleep with Jonathan.” She’d tried lying on the small cot and her legs hung off the end.

Hunter’s weight alone would probably cause it to collapse.

He started to say something but she interrupted. The intent expression on his face said he wanted to talk about what had happened last night and she didn’t have the energy. Not right now. She already knew they had no future. She didn’t
need
to hear him spell it out for her. Talk about pouring salt in the wound. “I’m going to grab some water, and I’m sure you want to take a shower before bed?”

His dark eyes narrowed, as if he’d read her mind. At least he didn’t argue. “Okay.”

Her feet were silent along the carpeted hallway. Despite the fire burning downstairs and the heat going, a constant chill seemed to follow her. Something ominous hung in the air. She could feel it straight to her bones. Hunter acted like he had everything under control, and maybe he did, but she wasn’t afraid to admit she was scared. Really, really scared.

She felt like she was stuck in a thriller movie. Her heart never seemed to settle in her chest, and it was as if someone was always watching them. Maybe she was imagining things, but she couldn’t shake her continuous anxiety at the thought of constantly being in the crosshairs of a sniper rifle.

Reality hadn’t set in until they’d been chased down at the beach with Jonathan in tow. Now men with guns had shown up at the house. Being a single mother, she’d always prided herself on being able to keep it together. She’d always had to be strong for her son, but tonight, all she wanted to do was curl up under the covers and hide from the outside world. And she really wanted to let Hunter wrap his arms around her. He would if she asked him to but she had to hold on to some of her pride. He’d already made it clear that last night was a onetime thing.

The muted television flashed from the living room as she walked through. One of the agents—Alan, she remembered—was positioned by one of the big windows, hidden by one of the curtains. She presumed the television was turned on to make it look like someone was there. His back faced her, but the way his spine stiffened told her he was absolutely aware of her presence.

Rubbing her temple, she continued on to the kitchen. She’d told Hunter she wanted water, but she really needed a few aspirin.

She stopped short in the arched entryway when she saw the other man standing at the counter. “Sorry. I didn’t know anyone was down here. You’re Michael, right?”
Should be easy enough to remember.

The youngest of the three agents looked up from where he was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “No problem, ma’am, and that’s right…but I prefer Mike.”

He was taller than the other men, probably standing at six three. With his bright red hair, gangly arms and legs and baby face, he looked like he was right out of high school or college.

“How long have you been with the DEA?” she asked as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, mainly to make small talk, but also to find out a little more about one of the men protecting her family. It wasn’t as if she could ask how old he was outright, so she opted for subtlety.

“A few years. I’m older than I look.” His lips curled up slightly as he took his plate and sat at the table.

Okay, so he probably gets that reaction a lot.
She started to leave when she noticed a gold band on his left hand.

She took a seat across from him. “How long have you been married?”

He put his sandwich down and his face split into a wide grin. “Six months, ma’am.”

Ah, a newlywed. “Any plans for kids?”

“In a few years, but right now we’re both focusing on our careers. She works for the EPA.”

Her brows knitted together. There were so many acronyms for the various agencies, she could never keep them all straight.

Confusion must have been evident on her face, because he chuckled. “That’s the Environmental Protection Agency.”

“So you’re saving the world from drugs and she’s saving the world from itself?”

Smiling again, he shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich. When she couldn’t stifle a yawn, Alexis knew it was time to hit the sack and stop avoiding Hunter. Before she had time to excuse herself, Hunter’s angry voice sliced through the room.

“Shouldn’t you be patrolling the house instead of slacking off?” His arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorway.

Mike didn’t stand, but she didn’t miss the uncomfortable way he shifted in his seat. Probably because Hunter was staring at him as if he’d like to pummel him. “Actually, it’s not my shift. Alan should be out there right now.”

Which he was. Alexis had seen him when she’d first come downstairs. And Hunter no doubt had seen the other man too. Sighing, she snatched her bottle off the table and brushed past him. His anger was obvious even if she didn’t understand it, and that only made her edgier.

She sensed Hunter behind her, but didn’t bother turning around as she walked up the stairs and stalked into his room. After a quick check on Jonathan, she ignored Hunter completely and pulled out a long pajama set then locked herself in the bathroom to change. When she emerged, Hunter sat on the edge of the bed. Without a shirt on.

Her abdomen clenched with need. Instead of joining him, she leaned against the door frame. “Why were you so rude to Mike? He’s helping protect us and he’s practically a kid.”

He rubbed a hand over his face and scooted back farther onto the bed. “I didn’t mean to take anything out on him.”

When he didn’t elaborate, she pushed. “So, what’s going on then?”

“I get the feeling you’re trying to avoid me.”

“No.” The denial popped out before she could stop herself. At his raised eyebrows, she shrugged. “Okay, maybe a little.”

“Why?”

“You had this look like you wanted to talk about what happened last night.”

“I do. I wanted to see if you were all right.”

“All right, as in…” Something mean sprung up inside her as she let her words trail off. She wanted him to feel uncomfortable.

His jaw clenched tightly. “As in after what happened between us.”

“I think I can handle having sex, Hunter. I’ve had it since you left and I’ll likely have it after you’re gone from our lives.” The words were cruel. She knew that. She meant them to be. The fact that he’d be leaving again hurt so much that she wanted to lash out at him. It was childish and she hated herself for it, but at the moment she just didn’t care if she hurt him.

He sucked in a deep breath and nodded. Finally he spoke, his words deadpan. “You’re right. You will. You’ll find someone a hell of a lot better than me, and you’ll be grateful I’m not in your life anymore.”

Something cracked inside her chest. “Will I?” For all her desire to hold on to her pride, the stupid question popped out.

He nodded again, and this time she saw a peek of sadness in his dark eyes. It was raw and vivid and made her chest hurt. “You’re dodging a bullet, Alexis. You just don’t know it yet.”

Her throat tightened painfully as his words sank in. He was determined to leave. No matter what. “And what about our son? What am I supposed to tell him once you’re gone? You’re in his life one day then gone the next. How the hell am I supposed to look into my five-year-old’s eyes and tell him you left again and this time, you’re definitely not coming back?”

“It’s better this way,” he muttered.

“Better for who?” Her voice rose a notch with barely suppressed emotion.

“For both of you.”

She narrowed her eyes and made a sound of utter disgust. “Better for
you,
you mean. Whatever your reasons are for leaving, don’t hand me some crap about ‘doing the right thing.’ This decision is about you and your own issues.”

When he opened his mouth, she didn’t want to hear him defend himself. She stabbed her index finger at him. “If you don’t want to be in our lives, then
you
are the one making the decision and it’s
you
who will have to live with it. After last night I might as well not even deny that I love you.” When his eyes widened a fraction, she let out a sharp bark of laughter. So much for holding on to her pride. “I never stopped loving you. But if you leave and walk out on our son, anything I felt for you will die. And I feel sorry for you because Jonathan is an amazing kid. He’s so much like you and me, and if you don’t get to know him, then that’s your loss and you’ll have to live with that forever. Whatever sins you think you’ve committed, none will be worse than walking out on our son.
None.
” Unable to look at him any longer, she hurried to the next room and shut the adjoining door. The urge to slam it was strong but she didn’t want to risk waking Jonathan.