Surrender to Me (37 page)

Then Hunter mentioned the one subject guaranteed to rile all the other alpha males in the room.

“What do you mean, someone is trying to kill Kata?” Logan glared at his brother.

Their father followed suit, eyeing her protectively. “Suspects?”

Oh, she didn’t need more drama—or testosterone—right now. “No one has made a move against me since Sunday. Maybe . . . he’s given up. Or the hired killer who died in jail took his secret to the grave. Or someone realized they had the wrong girl.”

“Or maybe they’re hiring someone new as we speak. Between the fact that I’ve tried to protect you and you haven’t stayed in one place for too long, we’ve been lucky,” Hunter stated.

Kata wasn’t feeling acquiescent. “Really, who would be trying to do
me
in? So I pissed off a gang thug by issuing a warrant for his arrest. I’m a probation officer,” she supplied for Logan and the Colonel when they looked confused.

Hunter shook his head. “I don’t think a punk from some street gang has the kind of connections to hire an assassin with that kind of equipment.”

“Professional?” The idea looked like it pissed Logan off.

“All the way.” Hunter nodded.

“What do we know about this guy, except that he’s dead?” her father-in-law asked.

“Not much. He had no ink or affiliations that we could find. Guy was iced ten minutes after hitting lockup. They still haven’t ID’d the body.”

Logan whistled. “Quick work. Someone wanted their loose ends covered.”

“Yeah, and fast.” Hunter grabbed her hand, squeezed. “Jack knows all the local cops. As soon as they figure out who this John Doe is, he’ll call me. Maybe that will be a clue. For now, Kata can’t think of anyone trying to kill her, other than this Cortez Villarreal.”

“Something’s not adding up.” Arms crossed, the Colonel stared her way.

He looked like he wanted to interrogate her, and frankly, Kata wasn’t in the mood. “Damn it, no one else has cause to be angry with me. I don’t know who else would want me dead or why. If I did, I certainly wouldn’t be keeping it to myself.”

The Colonel raised a thick, tawny brow at her.

Hunter looked like he was repressing a smile. “Kata hasn’t had a good night’s sleep or a real meal in two days. This morning was particularly . . . demanding.”

Oh, he didn’t just say that, grinning with that cat-that-ate-thecanary expression. The second she got him alone, she was going to kick his ass. Still, she felt a flush crawl up her face.

As Logan’s phone beeped with a new text message, he grinned broadly at them. Even the Colonel had a knowing look in his eye. Kata glared at Hunter, the rat bastard, then excused herself. No one laughed—but they wanted to, she was sure.

She walked into the next room and sat on the sofa, taking Mamá’s hand in hers. A second later, the doorbell rang, startling her mother awake.

Logan grabbed the food and dispensed with the delivery boy in less than sixty seconds. Hunter set out paper plates, grabbed beers and bottles of water. The Colonel headed her way.

“Carlotta, time to eat. I’ll make you some eggs and toast.”

Mamá turned and saw all the little white cartons and the pile of fortune cookies on the table. “No need to trouble yourself, Caleb. Chinese is fine.”

“You’re taking heavy antibiotics. Spicy foods may upset your stomach.”

“Really, do not trouble yourself for me.” She reached out to Kata for a hand up.

The Colonel edged Kata aside. “I’m going to take care of you properly. No arguments.”

Before her mother could speak, the big man bent and lifted her mother into his arms.

Mamá looked Kata’s way, shock spreading across her face. “Caleb, I assure you, I can walk. I do not wish to be a bur—”

“Barely twenty-four hours ago, your fever was one hundred three. That’s a serious illness. You’re family now. You’ll find the Edgingtons take care of their own.”

Her mother gaped at the tight-lipped soldier. “My husband would not approve of you holding me this way.”

The Colonel’s expression turned even more grim. “With all due respect, Carlotta, any able-bodied man who expects a woman to cook for him hours after being released from the hospital doesn’t deserve the privilege of having a wife.”

True, but the Colonel was matter-of-factly making sure her mother didn’t exert herself . . . and not really hearing her discomfort. Kata winced.

Mamá’s mouth pursed. “I—I would prefer to walk.”

“When you’re stronger.”

“Colonel, I can help her. We’ll be fine,” Kata assured.

“Hunter says you’re only staying until tomorrow afternoon. It’s best that your mother and I get used to each other. I mean to take care of her until she’s well.”

End of conversation, at least as far as the Colonel was concerned. Mamá surely heard that tone, too; neither she nor Kata argued again.

If the man was going to insist that her mother eat something bland, like eggs and toast, then Kata could fix it and put her mother at ease.

As the Colonel set her mother at the kitchen table, then tucked the throw blanket around her, Kata headed for the kitchen. “Eat your dinner while it’s warm. I’ll make Mamá’s meal.”

Hunter frowned as he followed her into the kitchen. “Honey, you’re about to fall down. Sit, Kata. Eat.”

“Mamá needs my help, and I’m fine,” she lied as fatigue crept in. “The snack earlier helped.”

He grabbed her arm. “I’m willing to bet that you don’t last ten minutes. Stop being so stubborn and let me do this.”

Yanking away, she anchored her hand on her hip. “Do I need to get a string? You remember I told you that if you tried to control me outside the bedroom I would string you up by the balls?”

“Fine,” he said, his hands up, wearing a hint of a smile. “Let me help you at least.”

It went against his grain not to demand, and Kata appreciated his offer, but she wasn’t helpless. “Bacon and eggs aren’t hard. Really, I’m good.”

Hunter didn’t say a word. He merely watched as she rummaged through cabinets until she found a pan and set it on the stove with shaking hands. Exhaustion pulled at her.

“Do you think your mom will want juice?” Hunter asked, opening the fridge. “I can get you some, too.”

Hell, why hadn’t she thought that Mama might want juice? Worse, her hands wouldn’t stay still.

Right now, she didn’t have the strength to string Hunter up by the balls even if she wanted to.

“Sure. Thanks.”

Hunter poured the juice, setting a glass aside for her and giving the other to his dad, who stood waiting with a frown.

Ignoring them, Kata trudged to the refrigerator. Her legs felt weak as she withdrew the staples she needed. Gripping the door handle to keep her upright, she dug for the energy to lift the bacon and set it on the counter behind her, then grab the carton of eggs. She drew in a bracing breath.

As she made her way across the kitchen again, eggs in hand, her weary legs gave out for a split second, and she stumbled. Tears filled her eyes as she realized Hunter was right; she didn’t have the energy to do this.

Hunter was there to catch her with an arm around her waist and a hand under the eggs. His voice was a soft warmth on her cheek. “Honey, are you okay?”

Damn it, she didn’t want to admit weakness. “I’m just tired. Give me a minute.” She reached for the juice glass and gulped some. “I’ll be fine.”

The “family” face he’d been wearing all evening dissolved. The “Dom” face took over. “Don’t lie. Time for you to rest. Dad, will you take care of Carlotta? Kata and I are going to have a chat.”

With that, he dipped down and picked her up, bringing her against his chest.

“What are you doing?” she screeched.

Logan did his best to smother a laugh.

Hunter didn’t answer. Marching down the hall, he shouted, “Save us some dinner.”

Kata wriggled . . . but he wasn’t letting go. “Damn it, put me down! Don’t you dare embarrass me like this.”

No response. A dozen steps later, he kicked the door shut behind him, then dropped her. Kata felt the bed at her back. Her fury seethed. Was he fucking serious, dragging her away in front of everyone like a child in need of discipline?

But she couldn’t deny that the bed felt heavenly soft. Kata was sorely tempted to close her eyes and sink into sleep.

“This is totally ridiculous.” She struggled to find her feet and get them under her.

“I agree.” His big body came over hers. His face, even in the shadowed room, said he was very serious. “I love your spirit, but if you don’t take care of yourself properly, I’ll intercede.”

Every word out of his mouth sounded too much like the Colonel talking to her mother, commanding and making decisions, without regard to her feelings. Without really listening.

Kata sagged back to the mattress, closing her weary eyes, though thoughts ricocheted through her brain. Were they both destined to be like their parents? The awful question crashed over her. Hunter behaved like a younger replica of his father—determined, protective, bossy, unbending. Just this morning, she had realized that she was more like her mother than she’d ever imagined.

A part of her had been hoping that Hunter was right, that the budding love between them would prevail. But how, when every day brought more proof that this relationship would probably destroy her—and she, slave to the increasing submissive weakness inside her, would let it happen?

Hunter leaned over and placed a brief kiss on her forehead. Even while furious, the connection between them sparked across her skin. Everything inside her yearned for more.

The truth hit her—a slap across raw cheeks. She’d fallen in love with a man who would steal her independence, even as she became addicted to his touch and was ruined for every other man.

The Colonel had cowed her mother into silence in less than five minutes. Granted, she was beat down with sickness and years with Gordon. But Kata wondered how long would it take Hunter to twist her into the same submission. Five years? One? Less? How long before she lost herself to him and her self-respect?

That was a question she had to make certain she couldn’t ever answer.

Chapter Seventeen

H
UNTER and Kata emerged from the bedroom to find that the Colonel had fixed Carlotta’s dinner, as he should have, in Hunter’s estimation. He’d spent the last twenty minutes with his lips against hers, his hands soothing her aching muscles. He wished she’d sleep, but she was too worried about her mother to do that now. Once Carlotta got settled, he’d be sure that Kata did the same.

Rolling his stiff, still-healing shoulder, Hunter reheated the Chinese food, then sat down to a plate of steaming vegetables, kung pao chicken, and steamed rice. Carlotta watched Kata pick at her beef and broccoli—and sneak a puzzled glance every now and again at his father.

After the meal, the men cleaned the kitchen with efficient silence, admonishing the women to stay put. Then the Colonel lifted Carlotta in his arms. Despite the woman’s tired protests, he carried Kata’s mother to her bedroom upstairs, down the hall from his own.

Kata followed the pair, then gave her mother some medicine, tucking her in. After Kata planted a kiss on her mom’s cheek, and Carlotta gave her daughter a weak smile, the woman drifted off. Hunter watched from the doorway as concern fell across Kata’s face.

“She’s going to be just fine.” He caressed her shoulder. “She’ll get plenty of rest.”

“If she takes a turn for the worse, I’ll get her back to the doctor ASAP,” his father vowed.

“Thank you,” she addressed the Colonel. “Remember that she’s hurting more than physically. She needs not only your care, but for you to listen to her.”

With that, Kata shouldered her way past them, out of the room. Hunter saw his father wince.

“I guess that’s your wife’s way of saying I’ve been a bulldozer. She’s right.”

“She thinks the same of me.” Hunter shoved his hands in his pockets. “You and I, we’re cut from the same cloth. I don’t know a different way to take care of Kata. I love her.”

The Colonel shot him an unreadable stare. “Tread carefully, son. If you hold on too tightly, she’ll force you to let her go.”

Hunter heard the voice of reason, experience.

“Is that what happened with you and Mom?”

He shouldn’t ask. Hunter knew it . . . but damn it, to this day he didn’t understand why his father had simply let Amanda go. The Colonel had never explained, and after she’d left, Hunter had never seen his mother again. Maybe understanding would help him with his own disintegrating union.

“In retrospect, yeah. I controlled so much of her life to avoid losing her that it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.” The Colonel rubbed the back of his neck. “Amanda wanted more affection, wanted to know I valued her feelings and opinions. The only things I was good at were protecting her and, when I wasn’t deployed, showing her how much I desired her. It wasn’t enough.”

Hunter damn near choked. It sounded too fucking parallel. “She wanted to leave. I get it. But you gave up and let her go so easily.”

“You think that was
easy
?” the Colonel growled. “Letting her go was the fucking hardest thing I’ve ever done. I loved her, but didn’t know how to be what she wanted. I gave her some space, agreed to the separation. I’d hoped the strategy would show her that I’d changed. But then I found out she’d been seeing someone else. I was so furious, but up until the day she was killed, I kept hoping that she would come back to me. Eventually, I realized that I’d loved her enough to set her free. She just didn’t love me enough to come back. And I couldn’t force her.”

Hunter felt every word down to his bones. His mother had been so miserable being controlled that she’d walked out on a husband and three children and never looked back. Kata had been fighting him since before they said “I do.”

Dread rolled through his belly as the years peeled away. He remembered his parents’ ugly fights, the rage his mother had spewed. Her pleas for freedom. She’d finally grabbed it the only way she’d known how. Even in middle school, Hunter had become aware of the depression and anger that plagued his mother. Still, he’d been shocked when she left. He’d always assumed his father would keep the family together.