Page 29 of Hunted Innocence

My legs shakeas I think about my brother.

Where the hell could he be?

Standing up from my chair, I throw my stuff into my purse and hitch the strap over my shoulder. I need to see Brody. I need to see with my own eyes that he’s okay. It’s a gut feeling fueled by Landon.

Isn’t that everything when it comes to my life, though?

A gut feeling fueled by Landon Tate.

When I feel like I’m being watched, when I have any kind of uneasy feeling, I know it’s him, and at the least, if he’s not watching me physically, then it’s something he’s done to me in the past to make me feel anxious.

I can’t sit around and feel this way, not when it comes to Brody. I just know that Landon has done something to him. I can feel it down to my bones. Moving through the office, I go in search of Grayson.

I’m not sure where he is because I don’t keep his schedule, only Theron’s. I know that Theron has already left for the day,because he let me know when he was on his way out, Lucille at his side.

But I can’t find anyone else. My last stop is the surveillance room, and without knocking, I open the door only to squeal at the sight in front of me. It’s Colette bent over with her hands on the table, and Merrick buried inside her.

Flustered, I apologize and close the door. “Knock next time,” I whisper to myself.

Trying not to picture myself in that compromising position, I shake my head as I attempt to erase the memory from my mind. I’m not sure it works, but it does help to distract me from my concern about my brother.

I’m not sure if I should be feeling embarrassed about seeing them together, but it was cute. They’re in love, and I’m happy for them. Anyone could have walked in on me and Grayson doing the same thing, except we had the good sense to do it against the door, so they wouldn’t have actually walked into the room, but whatever.

Before I realize what’s happening, I look around and realize that I’ve walked not only downstairs but also outside. Again, I’ve lost track of where I’m going and what is happening around me.

Now I’m standing next to my car in the middle of the open parking lot, alone. I might as well be wearing a gigantic red target on my body. I’m right here in the middle of this area, alone, completely and totally alone.

I’m not even sure if the security cameras are out here. Looking over my shoulder, I try to find one of the guys, hoping that they’re somewhere close by, but I see nothing. I can’t wait for another minute, though. I need to go.

Opening the car door, I sink down inside and start the engine before shifting it intoReverse. Instead of going to my brother’s compound, a place I try very hard to avoid, I head straight for his construction company.

I have two strategic reasons for this. One is that it’s under surveillance by Securus. The other reason is that if my brother is not there, his men will be. It’s a neutral place where I know nothing bad will happen to me.

Not that I think my brother’s men will do anything, but sometimes unsavory people hang around their compound, and I don’t trust them at all—or any of them, really.

Gripping the steering wheel, I keep glancing in my rearview mirror, wondering if I’m being followed. Landon knows where I am, and I’m under no illusion that he’s following me somehow. Maybe he’s put a tracker on my car or something.

Then my stomach rolls thinking about that.

Granted, I don’t know many places, especially right now. My apartment, work, and now Brody’s construction company. And this wasn’t somewhere I was planning on going. I had planned on only going to work and home. But if they wanted to use me as bait, I’m making it really fucking easy for Landon.

I just hope that Securus truly has my back.

Because I feel like I’m walking straight into the flames on this one. It doesn’t take me long to get to Brody’s company. It’s just on the outskirts of town, in an industrial area. There isn’t much out here at all, which is good for Brody and whatever shit he’s into, but not good for me in this moment, especially with how I’m feeling.

Pulling into the construction company yard, I look around for any kind of movement, but it all looks empty. Glancing down at the clock, I frown because it’s four in the afternoon, and they should be coming in to switch from their construction equipment to their motorcycles, which are usually parked behind the shop.

With a heavy sigh, I open the car door and unfold from the front seat to go on a search. Walking up to the front door of the shop, I reach for the handle of the door and turn it. Tugging, Iam surprised to find it locked. Although I shouldn’t be. I don’t think they always keep regular hours.

Shifting my focus to the other side of the building, I walk around until I am standing at the back, and there isn’t one bike here. Not a single one. And that is a red flag in and of itself. But does Nadine stop there?

No, she doesn’t.

Why, you might ask?

Because I’m an idiot.

I move toward the back door and reach for the handle to see if it’s unlocked. And it easily opens. Bending over slightly, I stick my head into the back of the office and call out for anyone inside.

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