Page 93 of When He Hunts

Luna made no move to approach the delivery.

“Do you trust Ronan?”

Luna glanced up as Esme closed in on her. The other woman could sure move soundlessly when she wanted. Luna admired that skill.

“With your life, I mean? Do you trust Ronan with your life? Not necessarily your heart because I suspect he’s broken that, hasn’t he?”

A lump rose in her throat. Luna choked it down. “I trust him.”

“Then know that he will be safe. We will stay here with you. And before you know it, Ronan will return to you.”

Luna shook her head. “He’s not coming back to me.”Tyler is right. I can’t just run out wildly. I can’t save Ronan. I wouldn’t know what to do. Where to go. I’d put a bigger target on my head, or God forbid, on his.Panic and pain had been driving her. “I don’t want to ever hurt him.”

Esme reached for her hand. “He will come back.”

“He never said he loved me.” Maybe if they’d had more time together…

“Why would he have to say the words? Saying them doesn’t make the emotion more real. Perhaps you should look at what hedidinstead.”

Luna blinked. Tugged her hand from Esme’s. “Heleftme.” That was what he’d done.

“That was a bad choice of words on my part.” Esme grimaced. “Shall we have something to drink?”

No, the last thing she wanted to do was drink. What she wanted was to speak with Ronan. To tell him that his life was important. To warn him not to risk himself for her.

But he was gone.

And she was trapped.

“I-I have information that you want.”Harris Croft gripped his phone a little too tightly as he stood behind the desk in his Key West office. The club was closed down. It didn’t usually open until 8 p.m., and it was still early afternoon. No staff members buzzed about the place. No waitresses. No security. His breath rushed out. “I know you wanted him dead, but I’m not a killer. Consider me an…intermediary.”

He heard laughter on the line. It was the kind of laughter that could chill a man’s soul. He’d had a few interactions with Marcus Aeros over the years. Each interaction had left him more and more certain that he did not want to ever get on the guy’s bad side.

According to the gossip, Marcus Aeros had a very, very bad side.

You wanted men like him to owe you favors. You didn’t want them to have you locked and loaded as a future target. Marcus’s targets had an unfortunate tendency to wind up dead.

“I know you put out a hit on Ronan Walker.” Did his voice tremble? Harris hoped to hell not. “You gave a description of the man. Sent his photo.” Maybe Harris had some bad connections in this world. So what? If you were gonna be a club owner in the Keys and Miami, you didn’t just mix with thegoodpeople out there. Business had to be handled.

That was what he was doing right then. Handling business.

Marcus hadn’t spoken since answering the call. Harris had identified himself, then had quickly mentioned their previous interactions so the other man wouldn’t hang up on him right away. Once upon a time, Marcus had wanted to invest in one of Harris’s clubs.

But at the last minute, Marcus had gone with a different hotspot. One in Vegas, not Miami. And Harris had been thrilled to avoid that particular business tie.

Yet, here we are…

“Marcus?” Harris’s breath rushed out. “Are you still there?”

“I’m waiting to hear more.” The words were almost bored.

So Harris talked even faster. “I-I saw him. The man you’re after.”

“I don’t know why you thinkI’mafter anyone.”

His mind spun. “I have connections. I know what’s going down. You’re the one who put the target on Ronan Walker.”

No confirmation. No denial.

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