Chapter Thirty-Nine
Eleanor
Stars are pretty alone but spectacular when experienced together.
No one has ever trusted me with the demons in their soul. Hunter has laid bare his vulnerability completely, and it’s a gift I will treasure for as long as I live. I haven’t lied; I will include him in my plans, but I can’t turn away from my own vengeance. He should more than understand that, given his history. I recognize the guilt still guiding his actions, and I want to reassure him it fades with time. But even now, I am driven by the retribution I need to deliver on behalf of my mother. The ever-present knowledge that she’d still be breathing if it wasn’t for me, sits heavy on my chest.
He’s quiet as we finish the journey back to his apartment, and I find myself hoping for his unfailingly optimistic and sunny outlook to reappear from the storm clouds riding with us. But they follow us all the way, sitting heavy on our shoulders as we head up the stairs and into his home. Charlie greets us like we’ve been gone for weeks, and apart from a gentle tummyrub, Hunter doesn’t acknowledge him before drifting down the hallway and disappearing into his bedroom. His door clicks closed, and I sigh at Charlie who looks confused.
The problem with Hunter moving my shit into his room is I have nowhere to retreat to that’s my own, and he clearly doesn’t want to be disturbed. I take Charlie out to the yard for a toilet trip, only to realize he squats rather than cocks when he pees. I dawdle as long as possible, but once we’ve had enough of the blazing sun, we head back in. Charlie settles in front of Hunter’s door, a soft whine echoing around the room. My laptop is on the dining table, so I make a coffee, grab a slice of pie from the refrigerator, and snort at Hunter’s latest message.
Leave a slice for me, trouble.
I fall into my work, finally finding a little information on Jonathan’s rescheduled retreat. His new location is in LA. Figures. Home of the rich and famous where criminality is an expectation. Plus, the more exclusive you make it, the more people clamber to get in. What is really interesting is the timing. Next weekend. He hasn’t postponed it at all; in fact, he’s brought it forward.What are you playing at, Jonathan?
Christopher has sent my Grace email a total of four hundred fifty-six emails now. He’s escalating as opposed to losing interest. I have the emails flagged for keywords, so I don’t have to read them all to figure out if he’s actually located me. I still think we are making a mistake staying here. The only reason Christopher is attempting to get to me through emails, rather than banging on Hunter’s door, is because whatever chaos Hunter unleashed is taking up his time. That won’t last forever. My gut tells me Christopher won’t send someone in his place to find me. He enjoys the fear, the anxiety, the lookingover shoulders too much to hand it off to someone else. He would want to witness it all and bask in the power he holds before snatching me and I disappear like many before me. Not. Happening.
Jonathan hasn’t been on the flight manifest for any commercial airlines, and it doesn’t look like he’s used any of the private jets he typically commandeers from his high-profile customers.Where are you?On a whim, I set off a worldwide search to delve a little deeper, as well as scanning the dark web for chatter about his latest shipments. He rarely gets his hands dirty. If he did, I would have been able to take him down much sooner by having undeniable proof. But he keeps enough layers between him and the lowest tier of people to ensure plausible deniability.
I glance at the time on my laptop. Two hours, and he still hasn’t come out of his bedroom. I glance at Charlie, both of us worried for the seemingly unflappable man we live with. I get it, more than he realizes. I don’t want to pry, but I would prefer to have my eyes on him right now. Plus, we have unfinished business. This time, I’m going to make sure I don’t pass out cold on his bed from an orgasm—even a mind-blowing one. But I should try to remain conscious to get to the main event. I could march into his room and demand he fuck me senseless, but it would be a temporary reprieve. He has to choose to come out of the torment. Maybe I should give him an incentive?
I flip open my phone and pull up the message thread with Gail, then change my mind and switch to Honor. She knows him better, and it’s not my psychological needs I’m mastering here, it’s his.
Ghost
Hypothetical situation...
Her response is immediate.
Honor
Hit me.
Ghost
If the man you are falling for is lost inside his own psychological pain and torment, how would you get him to come back to you?
Honor
First of all, gghhjjjllllsssskkkmmmmm.
Ghost
That doesn’t even contain a vowel.
Honor
It’s my response to you falling for Hunter. I KNEW IT. You’ve made me a very happy girl as Fox now lost our bet.
Ghost
I don’t even want to know.
Honor
Okay, what kind of pain and torment are we talking about here?
I don’t want to betray his confidence and tell Honor his secrets, but I need to give her enough for context.
