Page 4 of The Prey
Gia was going to stick this out, for Hala. Where else could she go, anyway?
Gia had moved home fully two days ago.Thiswas where she was staying for a long while. Until she figured out what she wanted to do next. She hadn’t felt safe at her apartment any longer, even though her lease didn’t run out for another three weeks. She could find a hotel room in Finley Creek quite easily, and could afford it, but how would she explain that to her family—especially her brothers? If they found outwhyshe didn’t want to stay alone any longer, they would go full caveman overprotective. And just make everything worse in so many ways.
No. This was where she needed to be tonight. Hala’s older brother could just go soak his head in the nearest toilet as far as Gia was concerned. A few more days, and Hudson would go back to his house three miles down the road and just stay there forever. Things would go back to normal between them. She was looking forward to that.
He wasn’t going to scare her away from her home. He just wouldn’t. She wasn’t going to let him.
She grabbed her sketchpad and began drawing. Until Ryan’s beautiful, precious little face emerged, that sweet look of mischief in his eyes. He did resemble his aunt greatly—and his father. He would probably grow up to look just like his father. No missing that.
Gia just kept sketching, trying to calm herself down enough so she could sleep again. Until the hours passed, and she finally felt that she’d regained control enough of herself to be able to sleep. To fight the nightmares she’d been having of her own lately.
Drawing had become her solace, she knew that. Her art had been one of the few things that had kept her sane back then. She feltsafehere.
No one got to take that away. No one. She wasn’t going to let them.
3
That demon womanhad cast a spell on him. It was the only logical explanation. Once he’d gotten into her home, her clutches, she had woven some sort of seductive feminine magic over him and…changedhim.
Hudson had turned into a drooling, slathering idiot in less than thirty-six hours’ time. That was it. She had changedeverything.
Giavonna Annalise Hiller utterly fascinated him now. He couldn’t explain it at all.
ThisGia, anyway. She’d been in and out of the ranch while he’d been there—and she’d been doing most ofhiswork since his accident, too—but he had just watched her when he could. Tried to figure out just what it was about her that he had so missed before.
Now, he finally had her alone. Almost.
Now, it was just the two ofthem.Finally.
And…six kids. He wasn’t even certain how it had happened. The six kids part. He’d just come out of his guest room andfoundthem all. Right there in the living room of the Hiller Ranch: Gia and six beautiful children around her.
Only one washis.
He did his best to help her wrangle her four nieces, her nephew, and Ryan. He was starting to feel a bit better, at least. He was ready to get back towork.He had a prosecutor’s office to run. He couldn’t take too much longer off—not only because it would drive him insane, but it wasn’t fair to the person who was taking up the slack for him while he was gone.
Not that Gia couldn’tmanageto do his job just fine, though. She’d proven that this past week, hands down.
That had been made perfectly clear to him before. But she was here now—and apparently Mike was running the office today. Gia had been working seven days straight to make up for Hudson’s absence.
Now, apparently, was her day off. She’d made it very clear she was taking it—and leaving Mike in charge.
Hudson was good with that—it would give him time to figure out this creature more fully. It was just them and the kids today, after all. Four of those children had to go to school. And the youngest two—they probably took naps.
Hudson was waiting for those naps. Desperately waiting for those naps now.
Hours passed, days—weeks, even. He just kept watching.
The Gia in front of him now was nothing like the cold, aloof, snappy woman he worked with every day. She cuddled kids—including his, while still making sure teeth were brushed, hair was combed and braided, shoes were tied, and backpacks were by the door ready to go.
She had lunches packed for the four oldest kids—including Ryan—and had them lined up neatly on the counter. She somehow managed to dress the two younger nieces, and make breakfast for eight people, all without getting flustered at all.
He just…did what he was told, and…watched her. Fascinated. She flat-out fascinated him.
This was the real Giavonna Hiller, he realized half an hour after he’d made his way to the kitchen. She was holdinghisson close on her hip, and cuddling him. Telling him that preschool in his cast was going to be okay. Reminding him that Aunt Hala was going to be in the kindergarten classroom just across the playground.
Hala had transferred in that very week, to replace a teacher who had retired early to deal with health issues. Hala would be waiting at the school to get Ryan settled with the cast and would drive him back here to the ranch after. The preschool was an all-day program if parents needed childcare, and was right across the street from the school. Two blocks from where Hudson worked every day. He had greatly appreciated that program once Ryan had gotten old enough to attend.
Hudson hadn’t even realized Ryan was that nervous about going back. Calvin promised to take care of him. That they were best buddies and that was what best buddiesdid.Just like their daddies were best buddies and took care of each other, too.
