Page 20 of The Rise

“I want to hurt you,” he admits.

“In the same way?” he shakes his head.

“No. In my way.” I nod my head because I have loved everything he’s done to me so far. I wasn’t sure that I would, but I did. Before I can say anything else, he leans in and crushes his lips against mine. His tongue sweeps into my mouth and toys with mine. I moan, and he eats it all up before biting my lip hard. I groan and he pulls back, holding out his hand to me.

“What are we doing?”

“We’re going to the fair,” he says. I narrow my eyes at him, thinking he’s lost his mind. “What?”

“The fair?”

“Yeah. The fair.”

“You … you trust me enough to take me there?” Something in my chest tightens. Does he trust me?

“You can run, little rebel, but I’ll hunt you.” His words cause a shiver to run through my body. Without another word, Hunter drags me toward the door. I watch him punch in a code, but I don’t see what it is, and then we’re outside, walking to a blacked-out SUV. I don’t bother to look around. I just climb in when he opens the door for me and I settle into the seat.

Hunter walks around the car, and I can’t help but watch him. The way he moves with authority and precision. He climbs into the car and starts it up before pulling down to the gate. Again, he punches in a code, so the gate opens, and he pulls through.

Once we’re outside the gates, I glance around.

“You know where you are?” he asks. I shake my head as he looks at me for a second and back to the road.

“Don’t tell me.”

“Why not?” he chuckles.

“It’s safer that way.”

“Are you afraid that they’re going to find you?” That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. What if they find out I’m here with Hunter? Or that I was sleeping with him? There are too many ‘what ifs’causing a chill to wrap around me. I cross my arms and start rubbing one with the other and Hunter notices. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

“But I am.”

“But you don’t need to be,” he tells me.

“Why? There’s a chance they could find me, Hunter, and the fact I’ve literally been sleeping with the enemy isn’t going to go over well.”

“Did you have a boyfriend?” he asks casually.

“He wasn’t really my boyfriend. He … I was-”

“You don’t have to tell me,” he adds.

“It’s fine. I was pregnant. I was not very far along, but my brother was mad that I didn’t follow his rules, and he beat me. I lost the baby.”

“Fuck, Lana. I’m sorry,” he says reaching over to grab my hand in his. It’s soothing and reassuring.

“Don’t be. I’m not. They wouldn’t have let me keep it, and I can’t imagine losing my child the way these other people have.”

“Yeah, but that was still yours. Did the dad want it?”

“Gabe. His name is Gabe. He acts like he did, but he’s a coward. I’m not sure he even cared about me. He claimed he did, but he wouldn’t stand up for me. He let my brother do what he wanted.”

“He’ll die for that,” Hunter growls. I glance over, and I see the way his knuckles turn white as he grips the wheel. He doesn’t say anything else and maybe that’s for the best.

Instead, I sit back and watch out the window until all the lights come into view. Then, a small smile lights up my face.

Chapter 11

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