Page 5 of Hard To Stay

Chapter Three

Brad

‘What the fuckwas I getting myself into?’ I wondered as I made my way through the hallway towards the lobby. A few familiar faces passed me by, exchanging greetings and knowing smiles. I passed a mirror and saw my reflection, silently telling myself to get a fucking grip. I was also questioning why I was this worked up over a chick I had known for less than 10 minutes.

Plowing my hand through my hair, I tugged on the ends. I didn’t want to embarrass her by telling her how stupid it was for her to go to all this trouble just to get away from a guy. She was such a walking contradiction. There was something so vulnerable about her even though she tried to act strong. I could smell the fear coming off of her. When her sparkling blue eyes looked up at me it felt like the wind had knocked me on my ass.

While our chemistry was undeniable, I knew I had to take my emotions out of it. I was a professional, and I was going to treat this situation just as I would any other person needing some help from a cop. I snapped my neck back and forth and pulled on my cuffs, straightening the sleeves of my dress shirt. I was not looking forward to this conversation.

I started to scan the lobby looking for the troublemaker. There was a gentleman in his fifties sitting in a chair doing work on his laptop and a couple cuddling in the corner by the bank of elevators. I silently cursed myself for not getting a description from Lexi. I was about to turn around when I noticed a guy who was around my age leaning up against the wall by the stairwell entrance.

He was well dressed in a Brooks Brothers shirt and crisply pleated khakis. His hair was slightly wavy and his skin was that golden tan that you could only get if you lived in the South.

Bingo. I was sure this was the guy.

He immediately straightened up when he saw me approach. “Mr. Hunt?” I asked, stepping right in front of him.

He gave me a once over then slowly began to size me up. “Who wants to know?”

I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out my shield and ID. “Detective Brad Morgan, NYPD.”

He tried to act surprised, but the way his face tightened, it told me that he knew exactly what this was about. “What can I do for you this evening, Detective?” He replied in a polite but casual manner.

“I understand you’re trying to get in touch with a guest who is attending an event in the ballroom?”

His eyes were calculating and his posture became slightly aggressive when he answered me. “By guest, you mean my fiancée?”

“That’s odd.” I brought my stance to match his. “Because she referred to you as her ex-fiancée.”

His body stiffened, suggesting a challenge that I couldn’t wait to fucking meet. “Is that so?” His voice was tense. “Detective?” he asked, pausing again. “I’m sorry, what did you say your name was again?”

It was clear that he was trying to control the situation and jerk my chain a little. “Detective Morgan.” I replied tightly.

Most people would be a little intimidated at being approached by a cop, but Colton just rocked back and forth on his heels like he didn’t have a care in the world. He was either a full-blown narcissist or he didn’t respect law enforcement. Based on my conversation with Lexi, I was sure that it was both.

“I’m really not sure what business it is of yours what the status of our relationship is.” Then he stopped and tilted to his head to the side and snapped his fingers like he just had a brilliant idea. “Unless, you’re fucking her! Is that it?”

It was clear that he was trying to provoke me.

I saw a few people begin to take notice of our exchange so I moved in close and spoke to him through clenched teeth. “I’m not going to dignify your question with a response. As for what business is it of mine…” I stopped and rotated my jaw, ignoring the urge to wipe the smug look from his face and finished. “When I see a woman cowering in the corner of the bathroom afraid to come out because she is afraid for her safety…” I inched my face into his “… I make it my business!”

Rage flashed in his eyes as he narrowed them into slits. It was clear to me that this guy had no clue as to how close I was to smashing his head up against the wall. He stared back, his eyes undeterred and body seemingly unthreatened. This was a man who wasn’t used to backing down from anyone and it wouldn’t take much to get him to lose his composure. I would bet money that if he had a loaded gun on him, he would have no problem pulling the trigger.

“Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with Detective?”

The bite to his words was undeniable and I could feel my hands starting to ball into fists. “Mr. Hunt. I’m very well aware of who your daddy is.” I cleared my throat. “But as you already know, you’re not in Georgia anymore and I’m the sheriff in these parts. Now I’m only going to tell you this just once and I will say it slowly so a redneck hick from the South like you can understand me. Leave Miss Manning alone.”

“Or what?” he asked, folding his arms in front of his chest trying to intimidate me. He reminded me of a little boy who threw a temper tantrum whenever his toys were taken away. People were just possessions to him. I had no doubt that he viewed Lexi as one of his most prized possessions. You could tell by his demeanor that he came from old money and was comfortable knowing that his family connections could and would fix any trouble he decided to create.

Men like him never walked away from a challenge. He wasn’t going to go away without a fight. But it seemed as though he was more comfortable fighting with Lexi than wanting to fight me.

I kept my face straight and my temper in check. I was a professional and trained to deal with shit heads like this. “Or Mr. Hunt, you’ll be dealing with me.”

I didn’t know why this was so important to me. It wasn’t like I didn’t already have enough on my plate, but for some reason I felt compelled to help her. There was no denying my attraction to her, but it was also something else too. It was subtle, but I could still feel it. It had been a long time since I’d felt anything.

He faked a condescending laugh, sending my defenses into high alert. “Detective Morgan, right? Since you’re somewhat familiar with who I am, you should also know that I never back down from a challenge.”

And there it was. This was about me trying to take away his possession.

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