Page 104 of Mine

“Come on, I have a bag packed for you and I have your equipment,” he said, picking her up.

It was sexy how he handled her and yes, I know it was a bad time to say that, but his protectiveness was sexy.

“Did they damage anything?” she whimpered.

“A few expensive things,” Hunter said, as she cried harder. “We can replace it Lenny, but I’m so glad you are here.”

“Do you need anything specific?” I asked, looking around.

“Just… my… bag I came in with,” she cried.

I grabbed her bag, walking out first to make sure no one was in the hallway. Hunter walked out and I locked the door, keeping an eye on our surroundings. It was late enough that no one was in sight, but I still felt on edge.

Hunter’s car was parked close by. I held out my hand so he could give me the keys. He shook his head, “Hey Lenny, I’m going to pass you to Ro, so I can drive.”

She nodded, still crying, holding her hand out to me. I immediately took her into my arms, holding her close without it being too tight. Her arms wrapped around my neck as Hunter opened the door for us. Getting into the car was a little challenging, but we made it work because I was not letting go of her.

The drive to Hunter’s was quick and Valencia’s cries slowed down. I didn’t know what to say, so holding her and rubbing her back was all I could do. Hunter parked in his garage, close to the elevator. It was impossible to get out with Valencia in my arms, so she got out first and as soon as I was out, I picked her up.

I grabbed her back as Hunter grabbed the stuff he got from her apartment earlier. We went up the elevator, keeping an eye on our surroundings because I didn’t trust anyone at this point. We entered Hunter’s apartment, and I went straight to his bedroom.

Valencia’s breathing had evened out and as I laid her down, she didn’t even stir. It gave me time to really look at her as I tucked her into the bed. Her face was swollen, and there were black bruises around her eye. Anger was eating away at me, and I needed to blow off some steam or hit something soon. She shouldn’t have been alone to deal with this and I felt so guilty.

Hunter was entering the room as I was leaving it. He said something, but I kept walking. Thankfully, he didn’t stop me, giving me a moment to myself. Who the hell would do this to her? What the hell would they gain from it, a few seconds of fame?

My phone rang and I immediately pulled it out since I was waiting for a call from my hacker friend. I had him investigate Joshua more and if anything led him back to the gossip magazines. Great, It was him.

“Hello,” I said.

“Dude, this is bad,” he said quickly. “I think you need to sit down.”

“Just tell me,” I snapped.

“Seriously, sit down,” he said calmly.

I scoffed, walking to the sofa. “Ok, I’m sitting.”

“It wasn’t Joshua who tipped them off, it was your dad,” he said, as he continued to type.

“What do you mean?”

“It looks like your dad hired a PI to follow you and he had some evidence of your threesome and a private photo,” he said, as a swoosh sounded. “I sent you everything. They did everything online, which was stupid, but your father didn’t want to be seen.”

I put him on speaker as I opened my email. The first photo made my stomach drop. It was Hunter and I kissing in our hotel room, zoomed in. The next was a kiss we shared near our cars and then there was another one of all of us together in my bed. The last photo was of Valencia as Ruby, without a mask.

Holy fucking shit, this was bad.

My phone slipped out of my hands as I tried to digest what the fuck was happening. My friend started talking and all I could hear was buzzing. My own blood was fucking me over and the woman I cared about. Anger replaced the shock.

“Wait, how did he know about Valencia?” I clipped.

“The PI did some research on V and he found Joshua,” he sighed. “I don’t have their conversations, but there was a wire deposit that matched one from your dad to Joshua.”

“I gotta go,” I said.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” he yelled. “Let me compile a few things, so if you are dumb enough to handle this on your own, you have something to threaten them with. Josh will be easy, but your?—”

“I have something on my dad,” I said. “Thanks man. If you can delete all evidence, I’ll pay you whatever you want.”

---