Page 65 of Reforming Hunt
Hunt had failed to protect her son; of course she wasn’t waiting at home for him. That didn’t stop him from calling her.
Only Abby didn’t answer. And she didn’t answer the next day, either.
Hunt loomed the halls of the remodeled Cade estate like a ghost, walking around the workers in a daze. He had no idea where Abby had gone, and Noah wasn’t at the kids’ program. Hunt knew because he’d gone the last two days, looking for Noah and making sure the program was running okay.
Lewis set his clipboard on the new kitchen counter and glared at him. “I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
“It’s my house,” Hunt said incredulously.
Lewis shook his head. “Don’t care. You’re driving the workers and me crazy with your moping. You’d think a guy who had an essentially brand-new house in under three weeks would be more excited.”
Hunt hadn’t filled Lewis in on the club drama or the losing-his-wife drama, and he wasn’t about to now. “So you’re kicking me out, just like that.”
“Pretty much,” Lewis said. “Go make yourself useful somewhere. You know, at your place of work or with your new wife. Where is she, by the way?”
“Busy,” Hunt grumbled.
He looked around the kitchen, which was nearly complete and insanely beautiful. He wanted Abby to see it, but of course that wasn’t possible. Why would she return to the husband who’d nearly gotten her son killed?
If it weren’t for Hunt, Noah wouldn’t have even been there the day the boat accident happened. Hunt had been the one to drop Noah off, out of his desire to rush his family into the new house. But who cared about a house if there was no family to make it a home?
Somehow, he had to make things right.
* * *
“Did you find anything?”Hunt asked Kaylee once he made it back to the club.
Kaylee closed her eyes. “You’re never going to believe this, but we think it’s one of the new employees we hired for the kids’ program. He hasn’t shown, and he doesn’t appear to live where he said he did. I also can’t get a hold of the references he gave me.”
Hunt’s face turned hot and he felt like his head might explode. “You didn’t check the references?”
Kaylee’s mouth twisted in annoyance. “Of course I checked. But his references aren’t answering the phone now, and one of the numbers isn’t connected anymore. Everyone who works with the children has been fingerprinted, and nothing’s come up. Whoever this guy is, he’s never been arrested.”
“But you don’t know it was him that released the boat and tied down the throttle. You’re assuming.”
“Well, yes,” she said. “Except that Brin saw him on the boat that afternoon before it was unmoored.”
Hunt ran stiff fingers through his hair. “So this is all circumstantial.”
“Yes, Mr. Lawyer, but it’s pretty damning. It would help if you could talk to Noah and see if he remembers anything.”
“I can’t,” Hunt said, clenching his palm into a fist.
Kaylee’s brow furrowed. “Is he okay?”
“I don’t know. Abby won’t return my calls.”
“I thought you lived together.”
“We did, but she hasn’t come home.” Hunt would not cry. He was a man. Real men didn’t cry.
Fine, he’d cried a time or two, but not since he was a kid. Fuck, why did he feel like crying now?
Kaylee studied his face and her eyes widened. She stepped closer and gave him a side hug. “I’m sorry. Do you want me to try to get a hold of her?”
“No. Wait—yes. Find out if she and Noah are okay. I don’t even know if they have enough money. Or who’s watching Noah when she’s at work.”
Kaylee smiled. “I got this. You go back and finish that house you’re remodeling.”
