“She went home.”
“Home! By herself? She needs protection.”
Pain ripped through his abdomen when he tried to sit up. Hunter’s hand flew to the opposite shoulder that his mother held. They both applied pressure to keep him lying down.
“She’ll be fine,” Hunter said. “The drug dealer is dead.”
“How?”
“Brown County Sheriff’s Department found him. There was a high-speed chase. The guy crashed and was killed, so Emma’s safe.”
A wave of relief washed over him.
“Yes. She went home,” his brother said quietly.
The room seemed to tilt.
“Home?”
The seriousness in Hunter’s gaze caused his stomach to flop. It wouldn’t have been so bad if not for the hint of hurt that accompanied the seriousness. Something wasn’t right.
“Why?”
Silence.
Hunter reached over to the table and picked up a folded piece of paper. His brother’s chest slowly inflated and then deflated.
“She left you a note.”
His heart seized. He remembered all too well a similar situation when Hunter had received a note from Hannah while lying in a hospital bed. A bad note. One that broke his brother’s heart. But, in the end, that situation turned out well because Hunter and Hannah got back together and married.
Married. For chrissake. What was he thinking? He’d just met Emma a few days ago.
The paper shook in Cap’s hands, and it took a few seconds for the words to come into focus.
He could feel his family staring at him as he read the note, not once, but twice.
Emma’s words echoed in his head.
You got hurt, almost died, because of me.
I dragged you right back into the dangerous life you left.
Love shouldn’t cost you your life.
Please don’t come after me. I need you safe.
His heart cracked in half. She had left him after all they’d shared.
Cold, hard anger quickly replaced the hurt in his heart. He’d been down this path before when Blythe dumped him. When was he going to learn? Never trust a woman with your heart.
The door to his room opened, and his brother’s new wife walked in. She edged her way between Hunter and Cici. She gave Hunter a light peck on the lips and held his gaze for a moment. The love radiating between the two of them was unmistakable. Hannah turned her head and focused on him. A soft, caring smile stretched across her face.
“You gave us quite a scare. How are you feeling?” she asked.
Well, he felt like shit both physically and emotionally. But seeing her with his brother gave him hope that he could resurrect this thing with Emma. Still, should he? Was Hunter and Hannah’s relationship an anomaly?
Cap recalled Hunter’s pain. Hunter’s story was a little different. Hannah had been forced to go on the run, even changed her name to escape the wrath of her ex, whose father was the head of a cartel. For chrissake, how had it come to be that both he and his brother got mixed up with women evading cartels? Was this some sort of sign, or was he just grasping at anything to hold on to?
