Wondering how much Kimber had heard of the speech he’d just given Kata made him wince.
“Hi, little sister. You look great! When did you say your due date is?”
“Hello to you. Next week. Don’t change the subject.” She glowered, pulling away from Deke to approach him—and cutting a sidelong glance at Kata. “Tell me what’s up, or I’ll beat it out of you. Pregnancy hormones can make a woman vicious.”
“Shit’s really going to hit the fan now,” Tyler predicted with a laugh in his voice.
“Her temper is short these days,” Deke confirmed.
“Can it, both of you,” she tossed over her shoulder at the men.
“See?” Deke shot Hunter a look that warned him to cooperate.
If the situation had been less serious, he might have laughed. Instead, he glared at Deke. “Why is she here? No pregnant woman, especially my sister, should be anywhere near the scene of an attempted murder.”
“As if either of you could stop me from coming.” Kimber snorted. “Now, cut the macho crap, and start explaining why I’m hearing about your marriage from Deke, and not you.” She stopped before Kata and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Kimber Trenton, by the way. Can I get you something?”
Kata, looking both weary and rattled, shook her head and extended a shaky hand. “Kata Muñoz.”
“Edgington,” Hunter reminded, teeth gritted.
Kata looked away, and fresh dread sliced through his gut.
“So it is true that you got married? When?” Kimber demanded.
This wasn’t the right time, but nothing was going to stop Kimber from digging for information except the truth. “Last night.”
“God, you have steel balls. You got married without first telling your family? Did it ever occur to you that maybe we’d want to be there? In fact, not only was your family not invited, we’ve never heard the merest mention of Kata. How long have you two been dating?”
“We haven’t dated at all,” Kata piped up. “The marriage was a stupid impulse. A drunken mistake in Vegas. I’m sorry if I’ve caused your family any trouble.”
Those words cut like a knife. Marrying Kata was dead-on right. Even seeing her now, shaken and skittish, he knew that. Since she still wore her wedding ring, he’d hoped that, somewhere deep down, she sensed that they belonged together, too. She just hadn’t—or couldn’t—admit it. Yet.
“It’s not a mistake,” he bit out, facing her with challenge in his eyes.
The women ignored him.
“Kata, I’m not yelling at you,” Kimber assured, then she turned to Hunter. “But you . . . I don’t even know where to start.”
The wedding hadn’t exactly been planned, damn it, and he wouldn’t let Kimber rake him over the coals for not telling her in advance. But God knows, she’d try.
“Remember when you criticized me for my . . . unconventional relationship with Deke before my marriage? I could say, ‘Pot, meet Kettle,’ since you barely know Kata—pretty name, by the way. But I realize it’s your life.”
“It is,” he growled.
“Yeah. But it’s clear you know shit about being married. A year hasn’t made me a huge expert, but one thing I can tell you is that if Deke ever threatened me the way you just did her, we’d be doing ten rounds of verbal smackdown in the parking lot.”
Kimber had heard that? Damn . . .
Tyler coughed to smother a laugh. Deke pressed his lips together and turned away in a futile attempt not to burst out laughing. Hunter threw them both a killing glare.
Maybe Kimber was right, but Kata was independent, stubborn. She’d never admit to needing his help to stay safe. Begging her to accept his protection would likely fall on deaf ears, even though she could have been killed tonight. Besides, as Hunter glanced around at the crime scene, he got a bad feeling. Things weren’t adding up.
“Kitten,” Deke said to Kimber. “Kata’s been shot at, and you know how we men are about protecting our wives.”
“I’m totally familiar with testosterone overload. But if Kata’s just been attacked, she needs comfort and kindness, not someone threatening to tie her to the bed.”
“It’s not the tactic I would have taken,” Deke admitted. “But—”
“Bullshit,” Tyler chimed in. “You’d tie Kimber to the bed for just about any reason.”
“True enough.” Deke repressed a smile as he met his wife’s stare, then sobered again. “Kata thinks she’s going back to work before we know why someone is trying to kill her and, in Hunter’s shoes, I’d do whatever necessary to keep my wife safe, too.”
“Because threatening her after she’s just been threatened makes so much sense.” Kimber rolled her eyes, looking like her patience was about to unravel. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Hunter? Alone?”
He sighed. Kimber’s question was code for: Can I chew your ass out in private? But he figured he’d either pay now or pay in spades later. Whatever his and Kimber’s differences had been in the past, he loved his sister. If she wanted to talk, hell, he’d listen.
“You going to be okay for a minute?” he asked Kata, smoothing a gentle palm down her back.
“I’ve been insisting for a while now that I’ll be fine.” Kata braced her hands on her hips and raised her chin.
Even her pose didn’t mitigate how vulnerable and afraid she looked. Shaky. Rattled. Worry torqued his gut. Why was the woman being so stubborn? She said she’d seen enough of controlling men to last her a lifetime and likened him to her stepfather. But he couldn’t afford to ease up now, not with such a short time line before he returned to active duty and with a killer on the loose.
He nodded. “Sit down, honey. I’ll be right back.”
“As soon as Detective Montrose is done with me, I’m going home and going to bed.”
“Not alone. And not before you know whether someone dangerous might be at your place, too, waiting for you.”
Kata hesitated, and Hunter knew that possibility hadn’t crossed her mind. That fact alone told him that keeping her close, safe, protected, was the right move—even if she didn’t like it. Without someone able to watch her back, she could be dead.
“This wasn’t a random attack,” he pointed out. “Why would some killer assume there’d be anyone to target in the probation office on a Sunday? Your car is the only one in the employee lot, honey. He knew you were here and alone.”
“But how? You were the only person who knew I was here.”
Hunter reared back. The implied accusation was far worse than a slap. “I was on a plane,” he ground out, “talking to you from the moment you told me the address to your office until I heard gunfire over the line. How the hell would I have told anyone besides Deke and Tyler where to find you in those, what? Two minutes? Why would I call them to save you if I wanted you dead?”
God, he was pissed. Blazingly, furiously pissed. Not necessarily at Kata—though he couldn’t claim to be thrilled, either—but at the situation. If she thought for a second that he’d be capable of sending a killer after her, they had bigger trust issues than he’d thought.
Regret tightened Kata’s face. “You’re right. That doesn’t make sense. I’m sorry. I’m just . . .” She bit her lip, fighting tears. “I’m a little scared.”
Hunter didn’t want to scare her more, but he did want her to see reason. “I know. My theory is that this guy followed you from your apartment. Whoever wants you dead knows where you live. I want to make you safe again.” He turned to the other men for backup. “Tyler, Deke, you know she can’t go home alone.”
“No chance in hell.” Tyler crossed his arms over his chest and stood in front of Kata, effectively blocking her path to the parking lot. “Hunter’s right, baby.”
Hunter didn’t like the other man’s endearment directed at his wife. But before he could take Tyler’s head off, Kimber grabbed Hunter by the arm and dragged him about twenty feet away.
“Are you hearing yourself?” she hissed.
“Yeah, I stated a fact. She can’t go home alone until we know it’s safe.”
“Maybe, but it’s the way you said it.” Kimber smacked her forehead with her palm. “Damn, you’re thickheaded, Hunter. But I know you would have never married anyone, much less a virtual stranger, unless you were sure she was the one.”
Kimber’s insight shouldn’t have surprised him. His sister was a smart cookie. “Exactly. So I’m going to protect Kata.”
“I know that’s how you feel.” She lowered her voice. “But you have to tread a bit more carefully. You heard her, right? She already thinks the marriage was a mistake and doesn’t want to be bullied by you or anyone.”
Yeah, it wasn’t a surprise. Kata had been fighting him since just after they’d hit the sheets. She needed to know him better, be reassured, fall for him. Their first full day of marriage had begun inauspiciously, given that Kata hadn’t remembered they’d married at all. Since then, everything had become a shit storm. Knowing she was in danger made him really edgy.
“If you want to keep her happy and keep her in this marriage, you can’t run her over like a semi,” Kimber argued. “Dad did that for years to Mom. Look where that landed them.”
Hunter recoiled. “Amanda and the Colonel have nothing to do with Kata and me. I’m not giving up on this marriage without a fight.”
“You’re a goddamned idiot. Mom and Dad’s breakup has everything to do with your behavior. Get a clue. All this pushiness is going to bite you in the ass. Unless you want to watch Kata walk out the door, back off.”
“DO you know anyone who would want to kill you?”
Detective Montrose’s voice jerked Kata’s attention away from Hunter. What were he and his sister bickering about, while Deke and Tyler tried to edge close enough to hear? She was chewing Hunter a new one—and predictably, he wasn’t backing down. Kimber hadn’t given any indication that she disapproved of Hunter’s choice of a wife, but ...
Kata looked away. It didn’t matter if his family didn’t like her. She and Hunter weren’t going to be married long enough for her to care about their opinion. But Kata had to admit that she already liked Kimber. And the sight of Hunter taking a verbal lashing from his very pregnant baby sister made her smile. That he’d stand still and listen said something good about him. Certainly, Gordon would have never tolerated this kind of dressing down from any female.
The fortyish detective pushed his sunglasses up his nose, looking both fried in the hot late May humidity and annoyed at her lack of attention. “Ms. Muñoz?”
“Sorry. You asked about people wanting to kill me? Yeah. Like I said, I’m a probation officer, so there’s probably a list. I think you already wrote down Cortez Villarreal’s name. He’s my top suspect and one of the Gangster Disciples. There’s a warrant out for him already.”
He flipped back through his notes. “Right. I’ll see if we’ve picked him up.” The detective jerked his cell phone from his waist and punched a few buttons. “Boudreaux there? I’ll wait.” Then he looked at her again. “Anyone else who might want you dead?”
She mentally scanned through her caseload. No one else stood out. “I don’t think so.”
“A family member? A frenemy?”
No doubt, her stepfather disliked her, but Gordon had never been violent, just a manipulative jackass with a coal chip for a heart. She shook her head.
“Former lover?”
The only one who had any reason to be pissed at her was Ben, but he hadn’t been jealous that she’d married Hunter, just annoyed that she’d refused him more sex. He’d apologize in a day or two, as he always did when they fought. Despite having been a soldier, Ben wasn’t much of a fighter. “Definitely not.”
Montrose jotted a note. “You said you’d never seen your attacker before. You’re certain?”
“Positive.”
“Any chance he could be associated with Villarreal?”
She shrugged. “I guess. When this guy arrives at lockup, they should check him for ink.”
The detective nodded. “That’s the easiest way to tell if he has any street affiliations. The suspect should be there now. I’ll ask as soon as—” Suddenly, he turned his attention back to the phone. “Hey, Armand. You got a Cortez Villarreal in there? Would have come in on a warrant.” A moment later, he cursed. “You don’t. Talk to me about that perp who just came in for attempted murder, can you check—” The detective scowled. “What do you mean?” Then he flinched in shock. “Fuck! When?” The detective closed his eyes and sighed. “Keep me posted.”
