Hunted (Love like Yours Series Book 3) Read online

  I pulled my hand back and my gaze landed on a novel sitting on the bed side table. I picked it up.

  ‘The Longest Ride’ by Nicholas Sparks.

  I smiled. It was one of my favorite books.

  I opened to the first page and began reading aloud.

  ***

  “So… are you going to tell me, or am I gonna have to drag it out of you?” Ellerslie locked her blue eyes on mine.

  Dammit.

  I knew I wasn’t getting out of it that easily. I’d been hopeful for a while. We’d been in our favorite café for an hour, and she’d been filling me in nonstop on all the details from her honeymoon. I’d only had to remind her three times that her husband and my brother were the same person and the thought of their wild sex made me gag. So all in all, it was going well.

  Now it was my turn to talk.

  “If I say it out loud, it’ll make it real.”

  El laughed. “It’s real either way, Q. At least if you tell me, you won’t be alone.”

  I guess she was right… not talking about Harrison wasn’t going to make him go away.

  I sighed. “It happened that night in the hospital.” I sat my coffee down. “I was saying goodbye to Reeve and Lisa… and I just glanced at him. It was like my whole world came crumbling down.”

  El frowned. “Well that’s a good thing right?”

  What the hell?

  “No it’s not a good thing!”

  How on earth would that be a good thing?

  “Well you know he likes you, Q, it just took you longer to get –”

  I held up a finger to stop her talking. “Who the hell do you think we’re talking about here?”

  She gave me a ‘you are so weird look’. “Ah… Colt?”

  I hung my head down.

  Oh god… this is so bad.

  “Oh shit.” She whispered. “We’re not talking about Colt are we?”

  I looked up at her and shook my head slowly.

  “Oh my god… you’re talking about Harrison.” Her mouth fell open. “You’re fantasizing about your boyfriend’s brother!” She yelled.

  “Jesus, El, keep your voice down.” I hissed at her. The two tables closest to us were staring at me now.

  Just fucking great.

  “He’s not my boyfriend for god sakes… and… and I think it’s worse than fantasizing.” I admitted guiltily.

  El studied me carefully and I was willing to bet my favorite pair of boots that she was recalling our conversation from the night of her wedding reception.

  “He’s the one.” She finally said. “He’s the one you called me about isn’t he?”

  I nodded, telling myself off internally for having called El that night. I’d only phoned her and Lawson to let them know that Harrison would be okay, but I’d also ended up asking vague questions about love at first sight and in turn making my best friend very suspicious.

  Stupid.

  “You’re in love with him?” She quizzed me.

  I shook my head quickly. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve never even spoken to the man.”

  “You’re acting like you’re in love with him.” She accused.

  “There’s some kind of pull there that I can’t explain, El. It’s like gravity. I just felt like I knew him.”

  “You felt all that, that night at the hospital?”

  And again when I went back…

  I left that part out. I didn’t want El thinking I was some crazy stalker.

  Even though I am…

  “Yeah. It was… intense.”

  Ellerslie fell silent for a moment; I could tell she was going over it all in her mind.

  “You’re totally doing the one, two combo.” she smirked.

  “The freaking what?”

  “You know.” She snickered. “Bang brother number one… then bang brother number –”

  I held my hands up for her to stop. The old lady at the next table was staring again. “Okay. Okay I get it… Jesus.” I interrupted her. “I can’t take you anywhere.” I muttered.

  “Oh my god.” She cackled. “Your face… you’re definitely doing it.”

  “Calm your farm.” I hissed. “I haven’t even met the guy yet.”

  El laughed. “Now you know what it’s like when you embarrass me.”

  I shook my head at her and sipped my coffee.

  She finally settled down and stopped laughing at my predicament.

  “So what are you going to do, Q?” she asked quietly.

  Here she is… helpful El.

  “I don’t know.” I whispered. “It’s a mess.”

  “Can you end things with Colt today?”

  “I’ve tried, El… I really have. I just feel like such a bitch doing it to him while Harrison’s health is still so up in the air. I wanted to wait until he woke up.”

  “You’re right. That sounds kinder.” She agreed.

  I slumped down and rested my head on the table. “What a mess.” I murmured.

  How could I have made such a mess of everything? It’s all my fault…

  “You’re not a bad person, Quinn.”

  Ellerslie always knew when I was giving myself a hard time.

  “Aren’t I?” I asked her, sitting back up straight again. “I feel like a pretty shitty person right now… ‘Oh hey Colt, I don’t want to see you anymore, but I’d really like to see some more of your brother if you know what I mean…’ Jesus, El.”

  “Well you’ll have to have a little more tact than that.” She joked.

  I didn’t laugh.

  “It’ll work out. You’ll work it out, Q. What other choice do you have?”

  That was the problem… I didn’t think I had a choice at all anymore.

  ***

  I visited Harrison at the same time, every day, for the next four days, I read to him while he slept and nobody bothered me.

  It wasn’t until the third time I’d visited that he opened his eyes and looked at me.

  His eyes weren’t like the photo I’d seen of him; they were darker, more intense. I’d wanted to study them further, but just as quickly as they’d opened, they’d shut again. I’d frozen as he’d looked at me, but when he’d drifted back to sleep, I stayed and read to him for another hour – peeking at him constantly, hopeful he might wake again.

  He didn’t.

  I’d avoided talking to Colt too much over the last few days, partly because I felt sorry for him, and I knew I was going to hurt him, but also because I didn’t want to slip up and reveal that I’d seen his brother every day for nearly a week.

  I couldn’t end things with him yet – he was still right on the edge with worry for Harrison and he wasn’t the only one… I was becoming increasingly concerned about him too. I was sure they must have been missing something.

  Surely he should have woken up by now…

  It was early Sunday morning and I knew it was risky coming to see him today. It was Colt’s day off and Reeve could be around too. I pushed it out of my mind and hoped that it was early enough not to be an issue.

  I peeped around the doorframe and into his room.

  All alone.

  Where is the rest of his family? His parents?

  I sat in my usual spot and began reading, the book was getting to a really good part, and I hadn’t bothered to look up at Harrison for a while.

  I jumped as his hand rose and pushed the book down towards the bed.

  “Holy shit.” I shrieked, my heart thumping. “You scared me.”

  He groaned.

  I jumped to my feet, the book falling to the floor. “Are you okay? Shit… you’re awake... I’ll get the nurse.” I rambled, flapping around helplessly.

  “Don’t bother.” His voice was gravely and scratchy, like he desperately needed some water.

  “Why?” I asked. Ignoring him, I pressed the call button on the panel above his head three times.

  “I’m only dreaming.” He answered, watching my every move with an intense focus.

  “You�
��re not dreaming.” I told him softly, leaning over the bed slightly.

  “I must be.” He answered with certainty. “Because you’re here.”

  I gasped.

  Two nurses burst through the door.

  “He’s awake.” I stated dumbly to the older one, pointing at him. I stumbled backwards, out of the way, my back pressed up against the cool wall.

  They both began fussing over him, adjusting his bedding and offering him water, he swatted at their hands with his free arm, his eyes still meeting mine.

  I reached for my coat and backed away, still staring at him. He twisted and turned, struggling to keep his eyes on me as I retreated out the door.

  I stepped out into the hallway and broke our connection.

  Shit.

  For the second time within these hospital walls, I turned and fled.

  2. Colt

  “Hey this is Quinn; leave me a message after the beep and I’ll get back to you when I can.”

  Voicemail again.

  This was the third time I’d tried her today and still no answer. I shoved my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and lugged the last box of vodka back into the storeroom. My one day off for the week, and of course, last night’s delivery was delayed, so here I was anyway.

  I shut and locked the store room and headed downstairs, flicking the lights off as I went. I needed to swing by the hospital and I was hoping I’d get to see Quinn after that. I hadn’t seen her since New Year’s Eve when she’d left the hospital and I was craving her.

  She was avoiding me. I knew it as well as she did. She was probably trying to end it with me again. She’d been trying for a while now, she’d even managed it once, but I wasn’t too concerned. I knew she liked me, she had come back to me once and she would again. She just needed more time to realize that we were good together.

  She had to; I was in love with her.

  My brother Mitch had given me endless shit when I’d told him that I loved her. He seemed to think I fell in love with every girl that gave me a second glance.

  He was full of it. I’d banged plenty of girls and not fallen in love with them. But in some ways I guess he was right, I was young, and I’d been in love more times than I could count – I guess I just fell easily.

  My phone rang from my pocket and I grinned as I reached for it.

  Here she is…

  A blocked number was calling me.

  Dammit.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Hi there, is this Colton Hunt?”

  “Speaking.” I replied as I unlocked my car and slid into the driver’s seat.

  “It’s Vanessa, a nurse from the hospital. I’m calling to let you know that Harrison is awake.”

  I froze. “Is… is he… okay?”

  “He’s fine Mr. Hunt.” She reassured me. “He’s great actually, he’s lucid, drinking plenty of fluids and he’s asking for food.”

  I blew out a deep breath.

  Thank fuck for that.

  “That’s good… that’s… I’ll be right there.” I stammered.

  “Well we will see you soon then.”

  “Thanks Vanessa.”

  I hung up and started the engine.

  “‘I don’t believe in magic.’ The young boy said.

  The old man smiled. ‘You will, when you see her.’”

  - Atticus

  3. Harrison

  No one could tell me who she was.

  Not one bloody person.

  I didn’t know what kind of fucking ship these people were running – letting strangers into an unconscious man’s room without any idea of who they were. This was the kind of shit law suits were made of – and I would know, I dealt with it every day.

  “She had green eyes.” I told the nurse in front of me as she worked on making me tube free.

  Deep, piercing, green eyes.

  “Brown hair.”

  Long, dark and silky.

  “Tall.”

  Banging body.

  “Pretty girl.”

  Fucking ten out of ten.

  “Do you know who she was?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know, I’m sorry.”

  Useful Katrina, really useful…

  I let my head fall back against my pillow.

  I’d dreamt of that woman for what felt like forever. Another nurse had informed me that I’d been out for over a week, so that explained why I felt like I’d had so many dreams.

  “I called your brother.” She informed me.

  “Colt?”

  “Yes sir. He said he’d be over right away.”

  “Thank you.”

  Colt was a good guy… sheltered as all hell though. He didn’t seem to understand that there was a big wide world outside of his own little life. The bar, his mates and now his precious Quinn were all he ever talked about.

  I’d never met the girl, but I was willing to bet that she wouldn’t last long. He always did this, ripped in, all guns blazing and scared them away. He needed to do some serious growing up; he needed to experience something… anything… that was out of his comfort zone.

  “Right,” I nodded at her. “So how long do you think it’ll be until I can get out of here?”

  She smiled at me in that way people do when they are trying not to be patronizing. “Well now, let’s just let the doctors check you out first and we’ll go from there.”

  She clipped my chart back into place at the foot of the bed.

  “Also the police have been calling, they need a statement from you, so I’ve let them know you’re awake.

  Fuck… the police.

  It all came flooding back to me. The girl with the green eyes had made me forget everything else.

  The alleyway.

  The men.

  The betrayal.

  The darkness.

  ***

  “I’ve told you already, I don’t know why it happened to me, I guess it was just the wrong place at the wrong time.” I looked the cop straight in his hard, dark eyes, willing him to believe my bullshit story.

  “This ain’t the first time you’ve wound up in this joint.” He stated in an accusatory tone.

  I shrugged and winced.

  Fuck that hurts.

  “I box.” I told him, repeating the lie I’d told the hospital staff the last three times I’d been admitted.

  It wasn’t a total lie, I actually did box, I’d just had never had a beating like this from inside the ring.

  “Maybe you ought to give it up; you clearly ain’t very good.” He was goading me, trying to see if my temper would flare up – it wouldn’t.

  I laughed. “Yeah… that’s probably not a bad idea.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. The guy wasn’t stupid. He was a good detective and he knew his shit.

  “You in some kind of trouble boy? Cause if you are, we can help –”

  He was an older guy, maybe my father’s age, and he was trustworthy, I could tell. But I still wasn’t going to say a word.

  “I’m not.” I interrupted. “Like I said, it was just unlucky.”

  “Right.” He scrawled something down on a note pad and then shoved it in his back pocket. “I’ll be back in touch son.” He turned and nodded at his partner who’d stood silently in the corner the entire time, they turned in unison and walked out of my room.

  “Why?” I called after him. “I’ve told you what happened.”

  He turned back slowly and looked me in the eye. “Yeah.” He drawled slowly. “And I’ll be back when you’re ready to start telling me the truth.”

  I didn’t reply.

  This wasn’t over. I knew it, he knew it, and Max Barceló had better know it too.

  ***

  I’d been doing my best to make a complete nuisance of myself for the past three hours in the hope that the nursing staff would be as keen to get me out of here as I was, but they were still trying to convince me to stay overnight for observation.

  Fuck that.

  Colt ha
dn’t turned up yet either and I was starting to get pissed off, I needed him to show up and spring me from this joint.

  I found my phone charging next to the bed, and I scrolled through to his number.

  “Hey where are you? I’ve got the all clear. Can you come get me?”

  He muttered a string of curse words. “My fucking car just broke down on the way over, I’m waiting for a tow.”

  For fuck sakes.

  “I’ll get a cab.” I told him, as I attempted and failed to swing my legs over the side of the bed.

  “Don’t be stupid. I’ll get there. I’ll call Quinn for a ride.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  I think I’d rather take a cab.

  I knew I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to be able to get out of here without a babysitter – if they agreed to let me out at all. The doctor had already told me as much. I wasn’t allowed to be on my own for at least forty eight hours, and I’d probably need help for the next couple of weeks. I wasn’t even an hour into my time and I was already over it.

  “Yeah okay.” I agreed. “Let me know if I need to call Reeve instead.”

  I should have called him in the first place. Only my guilt for leaving him shorthanded with our business had stopped me. Reeve would already be run off his feet over there without me, the last thing he needed was to be my private chauffer on top of that.

  “I’ve got this.”

  I hung up and lay back down on my bed with a groan. I hated feeling restricted like this.

  Is it over yet…

  4. Quinn

  “So hold up, let me get this straight. You’ve been visiting your boyfriends brother at the hospital… without anyone knowing about it –“

  “Not my boyfriend.” I interjected.

  El snorted. “Yeah okay… whatever helps you sleep at night.”

  I rolled my eyes. I didn’t have the energy to argue with her.