Page 42 of Betrayal

CHAPTER SEVEN

Hunter’s fingers curledinto a fist.Easy to drop Nick Richardson where he stood.His gaze on Anna reminded Hunter of a slobbering, rabid fox.He’d never have brought Anna here tonight if he’d known Nick would be here.Seeing Marygai in her sterile home ground had eased some of the nausea in Hunter’s gut from his last sighting of her in his mother’s home—the nightmare of waking to find her in his bed with her hand on his cock.He rolled his shoulders, old shame shifting to disgust.Laying ghosts was how he’d seen tonight.

Anna tugged on his arm.“I need somewhere with dim lights and quiet.”

Nick leered, rocking back on his heels, tucking his hands in his pants pocket so his jacket was open and his hips thrust forward—a practised aggression move.Impotent rage was a familiar feeling.Hunter’s nostrils were clogged with it.

Marygai had ambushed him.Or maybe it had been Nick’s idea, like finding Marygai in his bed all those years ago had been Nick’s idea.

“We’re gone.”Hunter steered Anna toward the door.

“Nick Richardson is a dirty old man,” she said without inflexion.

Hunter hadn’t known he’d been holding his breath.He stumbled, but her grip tightened, propelling them in the direction of the entrance.Then, her request cut through his disgust and anger.Anna Turner of the carefully planned getaway had asked him to take her home.

“Nearly there,” she murmured.“Eyes on the prize.”

“What’s the prize?”he managed.

“Fresh air.”She was gooseberry tart, her astringency an antidote to the cloying bullshit he’d been listening to for the last hour.The majordomo must have been watching her, because he had her coat ready and the front door open.Within seconds, they were outside.She picked up speed, dragging on her coat as she moved.

“Where are you going?”Hunter asked.

“The bar around the corner.”

“Where you’ll arrange your own transport?”Ridiculous to feel disappointed.But he wasn’t surprised.He’d let down his guard, allowed himself to think he could spend some time with Anna untainted by contact with Nick.

“Where we’ll have a quiet drink and discuss what in blue blazes just happened.”She stopped and spun to face him.“Then we’ll discuss transport.”She grabbed his hand, her fingers linked with his for the next block, her bracelet brushing against his wrist, only releasing his hand when she pushed through the door of the bar.

Once inside, Anna scanned the room, then settled on a quiet and secluded booth in the back.

“You don’t have a headache?”

“I have a low tolerance for fakery.”

“I’ll get drinks, then you can tell me why.Hot chocolate?”

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