Chapter 363
Chapter 363:
He pulled away from the curb, merging into traffic with dangerous speed.
“A reality show,” he said, his voice low and rough. “With the man who tried to destroy you. With the man you were married to p>
“It’s a job, Alistair,” Skye said, reaching out to touch his arm. His muscles were rock hard beneath his jacket. “It’s access. Julian says p>
“Julian.” Alistair spat the name. “Julian treats people like chess pieces. He doesn’t care if you get hurt, as long as he wins the game p>
“And you don’t?” Skye asked.
Alistair slammed on the brakes at a red light, turning to face her. His eyes were dark, burning with an intensity that made her breath hitch.
“I care if you breathe, Skye. I care if you survive. Putting yourself back in Liam’s orbit… letting him play house with you on camera… it’s dangerous. He’s unstable p>
“I can handle Liam,” Skye insisted. “He’s broken. I broke him p>
“And Graves?” Alistair countered. “You think playing the celebrity is going to protect you from a man who kills for sport p>
“It puts me in his sightline without being a business threat,” Skye argued. “He doesn’t kill his toys, Alistair. He collects them. I need to get close enough to find the Ledger p>
Alistair didn’t respond. He just accelerated as the light turned green.
They drove in silence for twenty minutes, leaving the city center and heading toward the rugged coastline on the outskirts.
The scenery changed from skyscrapers to cliffs and dark, churning ocean.
He turned off the main road onto a gravel driveway marked only by a rusted gate. They wound through a dense forest until a sprawling estate came into view.
It wasn’t a modern mansion like the Kensingtons’. It was a fortress of stone and timber, blending into the landscape.
“Where are we?” Skye asked.
“My safe house,” Alistair said. “Or one of them p>
He parked the car. Before Skye could unbuckle, the front door of the house opened.
A man stepped out.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing tactical pants and a tight black T-shirt that strained against his chest. He had a military buzz cut and a scar running through his left eyebrow.
𝖨𝘧 𝗒𝗈u 𝘴𝗲𝖾 𝘵𝗵𝗶𝘴 n𝗈𝘃𝘦𝘭 o𝗇 𝗮ոу 𝗌і𝘵е oth𝘦𝗋 𝘵𝘩a𝘯 b𝘦𝗅ոo𝘷𝘦𝗹𝗌.c𝗈𝘮 𝘪t і𝘴 a 𝘤о𝗉𝗒
It was Hunter Vance. Julian’s younger brother. The one who had been in Special Forces for the last five years.
“What is he doing here?” Skye whispered.
“I called him,” Alistair said, opening his door. “If you’re going to walk into a war zone, you need a soldier p>
They got out. The air here was salty and cold.
Hunter walked down the steps, his boots crunching on the gravel. He didn’t smile. He looked at Skye, then at Alistair.
“You let her sign it?” Hunter asked Alistair, his voice a deep rumble.
“She signed it before she told me,” Alistair said, walking around the car to stand next to her. He put a hand on the small of her back, a possessive gesture.
Hunter shook his head, looking at Skye with a mixture of pity and frustration.
“Skye. Do you have any idea what Graves does to the women he ‘discovers’? I’ve seen the files Julian hides. The ones the police never see p>
“I’m not going to be one of his victims,” Skye said, lifting her chin. “I’m going to be his downfall p>
“You’re a civilian,” Hunter said bluntly. “You know spreadsheets. You know how to ruin a stock price. You don’t know how to handle a predator who doesn’t care about money p>
“Then teach me,” Skye said.
Hunter looked at Alistair. The two men locked eyes. There was a history there, a rivalry tempered by mutual respect.