Page 30 of Hunted

Dominic sighed, taking his knuckle to his nose. “That’s entirely up to her.”

Abigail didn’t want to hear from him. She wanted to go back to living here with her new life. Whatever closure she thought she needed, she knew she couldn’t trust Luke to give it to her.

She had prepared for this. She knew it was possible that he or Christian would find her and that she would have to fight. Christian was certainly angry enough, and Luke…

Things just hadn’t felt resolved when she left. But something more was at play here. This scenario wasn’t working out how she thought it would, all the times she relived that day in the classroom and had to talk herself down from it. What more could he possibly want with her?

Abigail finally gave her answer after what felt like hours of deliberation. “I want to hear what he has to say.”

A harsh gale blew in, and she shivered slightly. They watched each other carefully, eyes not budging. They said more with their silence than they ever had through conversation.

“Okay,” Dominic tried to counter the tension with a jovial manner of speaking. “But I’m not leaving your side.”

“Actually, I’d prefer privacy, if that’s—” Luke began, but Dominic cut him off.

“I don’t know you, and I don’t trust you,” Dominic interrupted him with sudden aggression. “So, why would I ever leave you alone with her?”

Dominic calmed himself, seeing that he had upset Abigail. She was happy to see him defending her, but the terms weren’t unreasonable.

Also, Abigail was starting to feel something new as she gazed at Luke. No longer driven purely by vengeance, she could see how pathetic he now appeared and felt a little sorry for him.

“We are going to go inside my house, and you will talk out whatever you need to talk out,” Dominic spat. “Consider that an act of kindness, and don’t expect anything more. I will be watching and listening. If you have a problem with that, you can get off my territory.”

Luke nodded with a grimace. “That’s okay by me then. Whatever we need to do.”

They trudged into the house.

“Shit,” Dominic cursed, realizing he had left the pot boiling. Water was starting to spill out of it. Any longer outside and they might have caused an electrical fire. He was usually such a methodical and careful cook that Abigail realized how much this whole situation had roused him.

After he had cleaned up the mess somewhat, he guided Abigail and Luke to the dining room, seating himself across the room from them.

It was a very awkward arrangement.

“Just pretend like I’m not even here,” Dominic said before picking a book off the adjoining bookshelf and flipping it open.

Luke looked around the room, delaying the conversation. “Nice place you got here.”

Dominic looked up from his book and sneered, shaking his head.

Fuck.

This was going to be a difficult conversation, but it had to happen.

Chapter 14

Abigail

Abigailhadneverbeenmore conscious of Dominic’s presence than she was in that moment.

He was giving her—givingthem—space and privacy, by staying on the far side of the room.

Luke spoke first. “How could you just leave me?” There was such grief in his voice that something painful washed over Abigail in response.

That, along with her real injuries, made her want to double over with pain.

Dominic must have seen the distress on her face because he straightened and moved toward her. She looked beyond Luke, at Dominic, and shook her head.

Luke did not miss the subtle movement of her head and his brow furrowed with confusion and hurt.

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