Born to Fight (Can't Resist You Book 1) Page 8

  She thought for a moment. “Do you want me here?” Her mind couldn’t help but drift to the life she had before, where she had to remain hidden away and was punished for being seen or spoken to.

  “I absolutely want you here, if here is where you want to be. Is here where you want to be?”

  Rain bit her lip and stared at the man before her, who had turned his back to his party to make sure she was comfortable. She thought about him carrying her for miles to make sure she was safe. And then, in a moment of sudden clarity, Rain realized that where she wanted to be was wherever Hunter was.

  “Yes,” she said with certainty.

  “You tell me if it becomes too much, okay?”

  Her heart warmed at the way he wanted to protect her. She nodded.

  They began walking forward again, but this time, with Hunter’s fingers laced with hers, Rain didn’t feel one bit of worry. She knew she’d be safe with him.

  Chapter Seven

  RAIN’S LIPS PRESSED TO his as she rocked her hips against his body. Hunter held her tight, losing himself to the pleasure of her body on his.

  She moved up, giving him a perfect view of her beautiful breasts. He couldn’t resist, so he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her chest through the thin material there. A moan escaped Rain’s throat, and it sent a pulse of pure pleasure down his body.

  He wrapped his arms around her, wanting nothing more than to drive into her. He held her tightly against his chest. Her moans were getting louder and he knew he couldn’t wait another moment to rip the clothes from her body and sink into her.

  Her breath hitched. And not in the good way. She shoved against his chest.

  When Rain sat up, tears were filling her eyes.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked, putting a hand on her forearm.

  “I’m ruining you.”

  “What are you talking about?” Hunter’s head was spinning. This was not something he wanted to do right now. He wanted to pound into her, to make her come, to keep going until both of them were swimming in ecstasy and…

  “I always thought we’d have more time,” Rain shrugged. Hunter shivered, a distant memory playing back in his head.

  Another tear fell from Rain’s eyes. “Don’t forget what they’ve taught you. Don’t ever stop fighting. Don’t ever lose sight.”

  His mom’s lasts words to him… “Rain, why are you-”

  A gun discharged. Loud. Close. Rain instantly became white as a ghost.

  It took a moment for Hunter to register the moisture he felt on his abdomen… blood. Rain’s blood. And it was pouring from her chest.

  He shot up, he grabbed her, he tried to stop the bleeding. She was getting paler each second, her eyes falling, her pulse weakening.

  Hunter screamed.

  “No! Don’t leave me! Don’t you fucking leave me!”

  “I love y-” another bullet, straight through her head.

  “No!” Hunter shouted as he pushed up in bed, ready to kill, ready to slaughter.

  But Rain was gone. There was no blood. His joggers were on and his room undisturbed. The room was cool and quiet.

  Hunter had been dreaming.

  His heart beat furiously, adrenaline still pumping through his veins and nausea churning in his stomach.

  It was just a dream. It was just a dream.

  He shoved out of bed. He had to be sure.

  He walked to the door of his room and opened it slowly, knowing Rain was only a short walk away. He stealthily moved down the hallway, not wanting to attract any more attention than his screaming probably already had.

  When Hunter found himself at Rain’s door, he paused. He inhaled, held the air in his lungs, and then slowly pushed the door open. He saw Rain’s still form beneath the covers. She was facing the opposite wall, so he couldn’t see her face, but… her chest was rising and falling. Slowly. Regularly. She was fine.

  He let out the breath he’d been holding in.

  Hunter turned to walk away, but a small voice stopped him.

  “Hunter?”

  He turned back towards her. She hadn’t moved.

  “Hunter, is that you?” she asked again.

  He swallowed. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s me.”

  She leaned up on her elbow, as if thinking, and then sat up to face him. She wore a white t-shirt, her long mocha-colored hair flowing over her shoulders. “What are you doing here?”

  “I, uh, I had a bad dream,” Hunter admitted. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  She bit her lower lip. Normally, that would’ve had Hunter thinking a whole slew of naughty thoughts, but not now. Now, he just wanted her safe.

  “I can’t really sleep,” she finally said.

  Hunter just stared at her. He waited.

  “Can you stay with me?” she asked, breaking the silence after a good two minutes had passed.

  Hunter’s heart picked up again.

  “Do you think that’s wise?”

  “No,” she said. “But I’d really like it if you’d stay.”

  Hunter let out a sigh. He knew he couldn’t say no to her.

  He walked through the threshold, closing her door behind him and bolting it shut. Something she should have done. Then he strolled toward the bed and sat on the edge.

  Staring at her then, seeing how beautiful and hopeful she was, seeing how strong and sexy she was, Hunter couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her cheek and make sure she was real.

  Rain smiled, and it lit up her face. So beautiful.

  She inched closer to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her head in the crook of his neck. He squeezed her back, happy to have her there, happy for her to be safe.

  But no matter what, he couldn’t stop seeing her blood soaked chest. He couldn’t stop seeing her die in his arms. Executed, the same way his mother was. The same way anyone who got close to somebody like him would be.

  Hunter was good at his job because he had nothing to lose. He had nobody close enough to him for them to use against him.

  Sitting there, holding Rain, it finally dawned on Hunter that he was afraid, for the first time in well over a decade. He was afraid of losing the woman he held in his arms, afraid of hurting her or seeing her hurt in any way.

  If Hunter would protect her, he’d have to do it from afar.

  It was dangerous to be close to him, and he’d take the hit to keep her safe. He would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  Even if it meant letting her go.

  ***

  Rain walked out of her room and looked around. Slowly, she put one foot after the other and moved to the end of the hall. She made it to another door and pushed it open to find yet another long, dimly lit hallway.

  She walked down it, gaining momentum as she went.

  Rain hadn’t spoken to another person aside from the doctor since Hunter’s party, and hadn’t spoken to Hunter in over two weeks. He’d sat with her one night in her room, held her close while she slept, and disappeared by morning.

  Then, the doctor had given her orders that she was to be isolated for the time being. Apparently, the great leaders didn’t trust her to be out and about.

  And Hunter didn’t bother jumping to her defense, at all. He didn’t even bother visiting her.

  So be it.

  Rain was free, and she wasn’t going to sit in that dreary little room for one more moment. She may have spent the past couple of years living in her little underground bunker, but she was free to come and go as she pleased, answered to nobody, and spent plenty of time outdoors enjoying the fresh air.

  She wasn’t wasting any more time being cooped up and isolated, with twice-a-day food drop offs and once daily visits from the doctor.

  Rain sighed. She had to admit, she liked the doctor. He was a kind man, the type of man who was probably an incredible father.

  As she opened the next door, she was hit with light and movement. People, walking this way and that, hurrying around like they were on a mission. As
Rain slowly debated her next move, a hand fell on her shoulder.

  She turned to see a woman, about Rain’s height, with pretty brown hair and hazel eyes. She was smiling a big smile, and Rain couldn’t deny that it put her at ease, despite not knowing who she was.

  “You’re Rain, right?” the girl asked.

  Rain nodded.

  “I’m Kayla! I’m Hunter’s friend. He asked me at that party to show you around, but you haven’t really been accessible since that night.” She giggled.

  “I was on lockdown. But I broke free,” Rain smirked.

  Kayla laughed. “It’s a normal procedure. I went through it, too! I knew you’d be out and about today so I figured I’d swoop in and get you situated.” She winked. “I know you just got out today, but everyone has a job here, and soon, you’ll pick yours. I’ve been patiently waiting to show you what I do! Come, come!”

  Rain obeyed and began moving with Kayla, arm in arm, until a large man stepped in front of them. He was the same size as Hunter, with broad shoulders and stern eyes. Rain could’ve sworn she recognized him…

  Yes! She did! From the last night at the bunker!

  Now what was his name…

  “Sawyer,” smiled Kayla.

  He immediately smiled back at her, his face lighting up with it. “Hello, Kayla.” He lingered on her name before turning to Rain. His face hardened ever so slightly. “Rain. We need to speak with you.”

  “Why? I was going to show her the nursery,” Kayla said.

  Sawyer shook his head. “Later.” He turned back to Rain. “Would you come with me, please? It won’t take long.”

  Rain sighed and obliged. At least he had said please.

  “Sawyer, can you bring her to the nursery after you’re done?” Kayla pouted.

  Sawyer smiled and touched her shoulder, his hand lingering there. “I will hand deliver her to you myself, if it would please you.”

  Kayla blushed. Rain suddenly became aware of the heat in the air and turned away to smile to herself.

  Then she followed Sawyer and tried to anticipate what would come next.

  ***

  11 July.

  The people have been obedient, a great feat for cockroaches like them. Ever since I expanded upon the weekly hangings, things have fallen into place nicely. I think that it is good for them to see their friends and family dying for even the slightest insubordination. A healthy dose of fear never hurt anybody. Quite the opposite.

  The location of my wife still eludes me, but I am certain she’ll return soon. How could she not? It’s a bad world out there.

  I fantasize every day about punishing her when she gets back. It thrills me.

  My patience is wearing thin, but I’m sure she’ll return shortly.

  And, until then, the lottery hangings will continue in her honor. My darling wife never could bear to see others hurting. Something we fail to find common ground on... I just can’t get enough.

  A.

  “Hunter?”

  Hunter slammed the journal shut and looked up to see Hayden. He released the tension in his shoulders.

  “Still reading the Governor’s diary?” Hayden laughed.

  Hunter shrugged. “I know that you already went through it, that there’s nothing strategically relevant in here. I’m kinda just interested in knowing the guy. Knowing my targets makes them easier to hunt.”

  Hayden smiled and nodded. “Your mom, too, right? Didn’t she always love to read?”

  Hunter froze. Hayden was the quiet one, the observant one, the reflective one. And because of that, he always knew too much. Too fucking much.

  “What do you want, Hayden?”

  He cleared his throat. “Your girl is being questioned in the main room. I thought you’d want to be there.”

  Questioned? Rain? “Why?” Hunter demanded.

  “You know that it’s standard procedure.”

  Hunter dropped the book and shoved past Hayden. He could hear the other man’s steps at his heels, but he didn’t bother turning.

  “Why didn’t anybody tell me?”

  Hayden’s silence was answer enough. Hunter picked up his pace.

  ***

  “How did you end up at the bunker?” Sawyer asked her.

  Rain shrugged. “Stumbled onto it.”

  The two men seemed to huff out together in frustration. They sat in a semi-circle in front of her. Dim yellow lights lit up the room. Rain sat in a chair in front of the men, clearly the central focus. It made her nervous, but she’d become pretty good at keeping her cool in situations like this. She had plenty of experience…

  The only thing that would mess up her focus was-

  A door slammed. Rain jumped and spun around, seeing Hunter bound through the door along with one of the other Resistance men. When she looked at Hunter, she swore she could see steam coming off of him.

  “Why wasn’t I told?” he demanded.

  “Brother, calm-”

  “Fuck off, Sawyer.”

  “Hunter, c’mon, man. We didn’t think it would be good for you to be here,” spoke the man who sat by Sawyer.

  “Oh yeah? And why, Derek, did you think that was okay?” Hunter asked.

  Derek’s chestnut eyes widened. “Because of how you’re acting right now, man.”

  Hunter stopped. The room went quiet. Quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Rain stared at Hunter, desperate to be angry at him for disappearing for so long, but unable to contain her excitement at seeing him, now.

  Before she could realize what she was doing, Rain stood up and hurried towards Hunter, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  He froze, and just as the pangs of rejection began stirring in her stomach, Hunter silenced them by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.

  He pulled away before she was ready to let go.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she answered. “I’m fine.”

  He looked to the other three. “Is this absolutely necessary?”

  “Yes,” Sawyer said, stepping forward. “You know that it is.”

  Hunter sighed and looked back at Rain. “Then I’m staying.”

  After everyone had settled down, they returned to their seats. The four men sat across from Rain in a semi-circle, with Sawyer and Hunter in the middle, and Derek and Hayden on the ends. Rain was back at her focal point position, and now Hunter was there to break her ironclad armour.

  Wonderful.

  “How did you make it to the bunker?”

  She sighed. “I really did stumble on it. Literally.” Rain shifted in her seat as she prepared to finally open up… a little. “I escaped the compound-”

  “Compound?” Derek jumped in. “You were at the compound?”

  Shit. “I mean the district.” She could tell by the stares that she got from Sawyer and Derek that they weren’t buying it. “It’s been so long since I’ve been there, and I was so young… I meant to say the district.”

  They just continued to stare. Rain held onto her composure.

  The compound was at the center of everything, a large town-like area that was surrounded by a huge wall. That’s where high-ranking UNR officials lived, where the Governor lived, where Rain had lived. But they couldn’t know that. The compound also housed the prison and was the center for all UNR operations.

  The districts were the communities surrounding the compound. They were policed by UNR officers, yes, but it wasn’t quite the same. The people there were more independent, so long as they stayed in line.

  The district is where Rain had grown up, and the compound was where Rain had become a prisoner.

  “Don’t worry about the terminology. We know you were at the district.” There was Hunter, jumping in to save her, again. She smiled at him and he gave her a wink.

  “Continue,” said Hayden.

  “I escaped the district and ran into the forest. I thought it would be safer there. By the time I had found the bunker, I’d gone almost two weeks without food and
could barely stand.”

  Rain looked to Hunter and saw sympathy spread across his face. “I tripped on the hatch. Opened it up. Ate some food stores. Planted a garden… I spent the last two years there.”

  “Did anyone leave with you?”

  Rain’s stomach knotted. “No.”

  “How did you escape?”

  Rain shifted in her seat. Dead giveaway. She couldn’t help herself. Her heart threatened to leap from her chest it was beating so hard.

  “I…” she paused. Swallowed hard. Bit her lip. Then she started again. “I did some bad things.”

  The men just stared at her, waiting. Only Hunter’s face showed emotion, and she couldn’t quite tell what it was that was dancing around in his eyes. She knew he was trying to hide it.

  “It was all such a blur,” she lied. It wasn’t a blur at all. Rain could remember every single agonizing detail of her escape.

  “What do you remember?” Derek asked.

  She couldn’t bring herself to speak. Just as she was about to slip into complete panic, Hunter stood and spun around to the men, blocking their view of Rain with his body.

  “She’s done here.”

  “Hunter-”

  “We’re done.” He stood there, no doubt having a stare down with his brothers. Then he spoke again. “Her escape was years ago, and she’s just gotten over an illness. I am sure that Rain will happily come to any of us if she remembers anything else.” He turned his face toward her, not moving his eyes from Sawyer. “Won’t you, Rain?”

  “Y-yes,” she agreed.

  “See?” Hunter asked. “We’re done.”

  Rain was certain that the others would protest, but somehow, only silence filled the air. Hunter walked towards her, put an arm around her, and led her from the room.

  When they’d gotten a sufficient distance from the others, Rain stopped walking. Hunter turned towards her and raised an eyebrow.

  It was time to be honest.

  “I lied to you, Hunter.”

  She watched a twitch in his eyes, as if he was squinting and then stopped himself. His jaw hardened and he suddenly seemed much taller, much wider, much bigger. Rain swallowed. He’s still my Hunter.