Page 92 of Playing My Rivals

“Hey, beauty. I’ve been trying to reach you. Is everything okay?” His fake shield is solidly in place.

“Um…yeah. Aiden’s doing better.” Her head falls forward.

“That’s great news. Have you been at the hospital this whole time?”

He’s digging.

She’s unaware or unwilling to admit he’s having her followed, so she probably doesn’t catch on to his game.

“No. They wouldn’t let me see him yesterday, so I went up to the mountains.”

My eyes widen. I’m shocked she unexpectedly owns up to it. I’m mildly impressed, but not holding out for much more.

“Why did you go to the mountains?” he asks.

Keep on digging, Hunter.

I can’t wait to see how he gets her from this point to the trooper finding us in the cabin. Gotta watch and find out.

“There’s a hot spring in Glenwood Springs that Aiden used to take me to. I wanted to feel close to him and remember the good things in my life.” She continues down the path of truth.

When will she deviate from it and take a sharp detour?

“Did you go by yourself?”

Boom!

It didn’t take him long to get her backed into a corner.

“Not exactly.”

I shake my head. Anyone with an ounce of emotional intelligence knows that answer spells trouble. It’s like a train wreck happening before my eyes. I want to help her, but I can’t stop what’s already in motion.

“Does that mean Jamison was with you?” Hunter’s not nearly as calm as he was a few seconds ago.

I can picture him pacing in his office right now. Can’t say I don’t find the humor in it. As a matter of fact, it’s probably one of the only times I haven’t taken on any guilt.

“Can we talk about this later?” She lowers her voice as she tries to muffle her response.

There’s the detour I was expecting.

I consider writing a script for her to follow to make this easier on her, but there’s just not enough time.

“You can bet your life we will, but I already have my answers. This one time, don’t lie to me.” His warning does something to me.

Instead of making snide comments to myself, I want to stand in front of her and protect her. He has no idea what threatening her will make me do now that she’s put her trust in me. I’ll walk into the mouth of hell in order to keep her safe. He can bet his life on that.

She doesn’t say anything, so I try to find her gaze. She’s hiding her face, but it’s no use. Tears fall off her cheeks and onto her jeans, leaving tiny wet spots in their wake. It guts me and I want to soothe her pain away.

“Where did you sleep last night?” Even from where I’m sitting, I can hear his mounting fury.

She rubs the back of her neck. “I was in a car accident and got stuck on a deserted road. I found a cabin and had to break into it to keep warm.”

“What kind of accident? What happened? And most importantly, are you okay?”

I’ll give him a point for that one. At least he cares about her well-being.

“I’m not hurt. The deer I hit can’t say the same and neither can the rental car I was driving. Other than that, I’m fine.”

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