Page 56 of The Huntress and Her Hound

“No,” I stop him. “I’ll never bow to a man just so he’ll take care of me. I’d rather starve to death in the streets.”

“What if you really fell for someone though?”

I scrutinize Jude’s face. “That would never happen. No one would ever want to be with me long term.”

“How do you know if you haven’t been with anyone since high school?” Jude’s question is more thoughtful than accusatory, and I hate the way my walls crack when he starts digging—but this is one I can’t let him in on.

“I just know.”

His lips purse and he looks back out toward the street. “I won’t press.”

“Yeah, because you’ll just try to find the answer on your computer later,” I scoff, shaking my head.

He turns to me, grabbing my hand again and meeting my gaze. “Oh, I won’t stop until I find the answer.” Jude’s eyes darken for a split second, and I’m stuck trying to breathe. His threats are such a fucking turn on—even if I’m wishy-washy about whether or not he might be the person behind the weird texts.

“Henry says you have a sister,” I say as he pulls me toward a Mexican cuisine restaurant. “I didn’t know that.”

Jude laughs. “Yeah, Elizabeth. She’s a lot younger than me, but she won’t be talking to me now. She just made amends with my family.”

I hesitate, trying to read between the lines. “So...You’re not close to your family?”

Jude doesn’t answer the question as the hostess guides us through the chatter and chaos to a back booth. I slide with my back to the door, and let Jude take the seat facing the crowds. We both order a water, and then Jude jumps back into the conversation.

“I’m not close to my family. I was close to my sister, but that was only because she pissed off my parents.” He takes a sip of his drink and then shrugs. “I’ll never be back in their good graces, so I have to let it go.”

“Because of what you do now or what you did?” I run my finger across the tabletop, trying to calm my nerves. I’m not sure if this is a date or not, but...I kind of hope it is—even if it can never go anywhere.

“Neither,” Jude answers, drawing my attention back to him. “They could probably give two shits less about what I do or what I did. It has to do with the fact I got caught and served time. It’s a disgrace, and it’s been fucking twelve years since I talked to them.”

“Really?” For some reason, I actually feel sorry for him. “That sucks.”

“Yeah, but it’s all good. I found a family of sorts in prison. It’s the place I learned about bending morals to get what you want.”

“Did you have to—”

“No,” Jude cuts me off, rolling his eyes. “Just because I was a tech guy didn’t mean that I was made into someone’s bitch. I don’t know why everyone always assumes that.”

“That’s not what I was going to say,” I argue with him, my view of him having changed since I last thought of his prison sentence. He’s too fucking cunning to end up beneath some gang bangers.

“Oh,” Jude chuckles. “Then what were you going to say?”

“Did you have to figure out how to pay your way through prison?” I know the question is naïve, but for all I know, I might end up there one day with my habits.

“Uh,” Jude seems caught off guard by the question. “I mean, no one has to put money on your account for you to survive, but yeah, I guess I figured out a way to earn income—but there’s no need to go into details.”

“What was it?”

“I just said no need for details,” he replies flatly. “It’s not really that interesting. It’s just whatever it takes to make it.”

“So...” I lean forward. “Tell me.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this interested in me.” His eyes dance across my face, his soft strawberry blond hair swept messily off to the side. It’s painful how handsome the man is.

“I just want to know what you did,” I say, feeling giddy all of the sudden.

“I programmed and sold cell phones.”

“Oh,” I laugh, shaking my head. “I expected something way more devious.”

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