“You’ve been using an American accent.”
Having let one piece slip out, Hunter loosened up and gave a bit more. Dropped the standard American accent, the one that didn’t give away where in the States he would have been from, and slipped easily back into the comfort of his regular voice. “Is this better?”
“You turn it on and off.” Will’s expression stayed blank. “That’s not particularly comforting.”
“I’ve been on assignments for U.S. companies with offices in the UK. Adopting the American accent helped with security concerns and led to better jobs.” Hunter didn’t care if Will bought the lie because he didn’t want to spend one more second talking about his real life or any potential holes in his cover.
Will’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I think that’s not the full story?”
“The bodyguards.”
This time Will’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
Probably not the smoothest subject change. Hunter could admit that, but he didn’t have the patience for bullshit. A CIA team he didn’t want to be a part of was lingering around somewhere and watching every move. Ed could be nearby; so could more shooters. And Hunter had no idea where Gatt fit in.
None of that even touched the problem of Peter, the one other Rivers heir probably left alive. “I want to talk about your bodyguards. Not me. The others you had sniffing around you.”
“Apparently we’re done talking about your personal life.”
That worked for Hunter. “Ed and…what was the other guy’s name?”
Will’s hand balled into a fist with a good grip of sheets locked inside. “The one you knocked out? Donald.”
“That’s it?” When Will nodded, Hunter continued. “What happened to the other one…Gatt, was it?”
“They found me as I was running through the house that night, looking…”
The way his voice drifted off intrigued Hunter. “What?”
“For you. I wanted to make sure you’d made it back upstairs and out to safety.” Will flattened his hand, letting the bunched material go, and stared up at Hunter. “Peter sent them after me. I was with them when I escaped the explosion through an underground tunnel.”
“You weren’t in the tunnel because I was.”
“You were in one of them.” Will swallowed a yawn. “Mine was family only, but Ed and Donald followed me in. Gatt showed up but disappeared after telling me about Stacia.”
Hunter had worked at the Rivers estate and gathered information on all of the players. When possible, took secret photos of the men and women who roamed the grounds. He’d made it his business to know names and faces, and neither Ed nor Gatt was familiar to him. That made them all the more mysterious and crucial to figuring out what was happening with Peter and the future of Pentasus.
Those two had popped up out of nowhere for a specific reason. Hunter was suddenly very interested in finding out what that was. “Gatt never showed up again?”
“Peter set up the apartment I was in. We were supposed to meet there in case of an emergency. He never showed up. Ed and Donald did, but no Gatt.”
“Then you waited it out until you went to the club last night.”
“To see you. That was the only reason. I figured if you were around, you’d show up.” Will spun around and leaned against the pillows again. “Then we got attacked and ran, and Ed and Donald are gone. Thanks for helping to lose them, by the way.”
Hunter also refused to be derailed by Will’s lighter tone or his words. He blocked the thoughts about Will taking a risk just to see him. Blocked them for now. “Why is that a good thing?”
“You ever get a sense that something is not right? That you have part of the story but the other part is seriously not good? That’s the vibe Ed gave off. He claimed he worked for Peter but I don’t remember him being with Peter.”
“Maybe he really worked for Stacia.” That was the only thing that made sense in Hunter’s mind. Who the hell knew in that family?
Having let one piece slip out, Hunter loosened up and gave a bit more. Dropped the standard American accent, the one that didn’t give away where in the States he would have been from, and slipped easily back into the comfort of his regular voice. “Is this better?”
“You turn it on and off.” Will’s expression stayed blank. “That’s not particularly comforting.”
“I’ve been on assignments for U.S. companies with offices in the UK. Adopting the American accent helped with security concerns and led to better jobs.” Hunter didn’t care if Will bought the lie because he didn’t want to spend one more second talking about his real life or any potential holes in his cover.
Will’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I think that’s not the full story?”
“The bodyguards.”
This time Will’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
Probably not the smoothest subject change. Hunter could admit that, but he didn’t have the patience for bullshit. A CIA team he didn’t want to be a part of was lingering around somewhere and watching every move. Ed could be nearby; so could more shooters. And Hunter had no idea where Gatt fit in.
None of that even touched the problem of Peter, the one other Rivers heir probably left alive. “I want to talk about your bodyguards. Not me. The others you had sniffing around you.”
“Apparently we’re done talking about your personal life.”
That worked for Hunter. “Ed and…what was the other guy’s name?”
Will’s hand balled into a fist with a good grip of sheets locked inside. “The one you knocked out? Donald.”
“That’s it?” When Will nodded, Hunter continued. “What happened to the other one…Gatt, was it?”
“They found me as I was running through the house that night, looking…”
The way his voice drifted off intrigued Hunter. “What?”
“For you. I wanted to make sure you’d made it back upstairs and out to safety.” Will flattened his hand, letting the bunched material go, and stared up at Hunter. “Peter sent them after me. I was with them when I escaped the explosion through an underground tunnel.”
“You weren’t in the tunnel because I was.”
“You were in one of them.” Will swallowed a yawn. “Mine was family only, but Ed and Donald followed me in. Gatt showed up but disappeared after telling me about Stacia.”
Hunter had worked at the Rivers estate and gathered information on all of the players. When possible, took secret photos of the men and women who roamed the grounds. He’d made it his business to know names and faces, and neither Ed nor Gatt was familiar to him. That made them all the more mysterious and crucial to figuring out what was happening with Peter and the future of Pentasus.
Those two had popped up out of nowhere for a specific reason. Hunter was suddenly very interested in finding out what that was. “Gatt never showed up again?”
“Peter set up the apartment I was in. We were supposed to meet there in case of an emergency. He never showed up. Ed and Donald did, but no Gatt.”
“Then you waited it out until you went to the club last night.”
“To see you. That was the only reason. I figured if you were around, you’d show up.” Will spun around and leaned against the pillows again. “Then we got attacked and ran, and Ed and Donald are gone. Thanks for helping to lose them, by the way.”
Hunter also refused to be derailed by Will’s lighter tone or his words. He blocked the thoughts about Will taking a risk just to see him. Blocked them for now. “Why is that a good thing?”
“You ever get a sense that something is not right? That you have part of the story but the other part is seriously not good? That’s the vibe Ed gave off. He claimed he worked for Peter but I don’t remember him being with Peter.”
“Maybe he really worked for Stacia.” That was the only thing that made sense in Hunter’s mind. Who the hell knew in that family?
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