Emery spoke our minds though. “You cheated on me, but you’re asking me to date you again for a stupid excuse like that? And you want me to forgive my would-be killer, and you want that woman to deliver your baby? So I don’t even have a say in that? Sometimes I wonder if we’ve not dated long enough, Hunter. You don’t seem to understand me at all. What makes you think you can tell me what to do?”
At that point, even Emery thought it was pointless talking to him. She shook her head in disdain. “Get out. Before I change my mind about sparing you.”
Hunter’s face fell as she glared at Emery intently. But then he remembered how terrifying an angry Emery was, so he shot up. “I’m Xavier’s father. Nothing can change that. I’m bowing my head here so everyone can live in peace, but you burned that bridge, Emery. You’re gonna get what’s coming for you.”
Emery tossed him a dark look. “Is that all? Right. F*ck off.”
Hunter frowned, but he couldn’t say anything, so he stormed out. I looked in his direction, then I realized there was a sports car at the gates. “Can I borrow one of your cars?”
“I thought John took you here.” Emery gave John a weird look. “What are you guys doing?”
“Just tell me, yes or no,” I insisted.
Yep, I could imagine John’s smug look without even turning around, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to let him take me around anymore. We did meet some important people, but I could have met them some other day, and it would still be the same thing. Not Ashton though. I wouldn’t rest until I saw him safe and sound with my own two eyes.
Emery lent me the most expensive car she had. I quickly went to it, then John knocked on the window the moment I revved it up.
Dammit. “Take your jokes somewhere else, John. I don’t have time today.”
“I’m not stopping you, so easy with the attitude.” John leaned against the car languidly. “I wouldn’t have opened the firm if I knew you’d be working yourself to the bone. Just when I finally managed to take you on a day off, you just had to run off no matter what.”
Wait. What was that? Was he actually complaining? Gosh, men were getting weird. Where’d the stardust crusaders go? Well, I didn’t have time to fool around, so I floored the accelerator and dashed toward Thora’s hospital.
Unbeknownst to me, John made a call the moment I left.
I went to the same elevator and descended down the basement. Then I quickly went to the place I came the night before, but nobody was there to stop me. The corridor was mine to explore, so explore I did. My first stop—the room Ashton was in.
Darkness. Nothing but darkness. I fumbled around for a switch, then I flicked it on. The lights shone brightly, but the room was empty. Well, that’s it then.
I went back up, feeling nothing but emptiness inside. Everything around me looked ethereal when I came back out. I couldn’t understand what happened. There was no need for Joseph and the bodyguards to guard that room if it was empty, and if it was, then why did he knock me out?
There was only one possibility. Someone moved everything in the room somewhere else. John was acting weird that morning too, so it was plausible.
I wasn’t looking where I was going, being deep in my thoughts. Eventually, I bumped into someone.
“Oh, sorry, sorry.” I moved aside to let him pass, but he backed me against the wall, then I looked up.
The moment I met Ashton’s gaze, I leaped to him, giving him the tightest hug I could. I was afraid he might leave me again if I didn’t.
