Page 173 of Hunt for You

“Yes, you are,” Gerald sighed. I could hear his footsteps following me, heavy and slow.

“No, I’m not.”

I was pacing the floor between the coffee table and the couch as Gerald took the seat where Jeremy had been a moment before and put his file on the little side table next to it before sitting back and taking a deep breath, then freezing. Then sniffing a couple times, frowning deeply.

“This chair smells like bacon,” he said, pretending to be confused.

Despite myself, I snorted. It had been a joke for a long time. Gerald knew I called Jeremy a pig. But then I straightened my face and glared at him.

“You aren’t funny,” I muttered.

He shrugged, watching me carefully. “I’m just being observant,” he said as he opened the file next to him and pulled out a sheet of paper, then pulled a pen from his pocket and clicked it. “Let’s get started. The sooner we do, the sooner I can get you out of here.”

“I said, I’m not doing this with you right now,” I snapped.

“And I reminded you that you have no choice. Come on, Bridget. You can’t really believe they’ll just let you run loose without an assessment afterthat.”

“I don’t give a flying fuck whattheywant. This was never—”

“Bridget,” he said quietly, a strange weight in his tone.

I stopped pacing and turned to look at him, folding my arms. “What?”

He sighed. “They won’t let you out of here without my sign off. AndIcan’t do that unless I’m certain you’re stable enough to be alone without being a risk to yourself.”

My jaw dropped “I’m not fucking suicidal! I just want to die—you said you understood the difference!”

“And I do.”

“Then leave me the fuck alone!”

“Not until we talk about what happened tonight and… and we come up with a plan of action for what you do if you hit crisis. Because… I’m sorry, Bridget, but I’m not seeing a woman in control of her world and empowered by bringing down the bad guy. I’m seeing a woman on the edge, and I’mterrifiedof where this will take you if something doesn’t change.”

“You’re always fucking terri—”

“Is that how you want to do this, Bridget? You want to make this one more fight we have to have?”

“I wouldn’t be fighting if you and Mr. Pork Chop weren’t holding me against my will!”

“You deal with Jeremy however you want, I’m not here for him. I’m here for you.”

“Well, I am saying I’m fine and let me the fuck out of here.”

“And what if they find out that the guy you fell for is connected to your father? What if he turns out to be a plant, Bridget? Are you going to be fine then?” he asked quietly.

Somewhere deep inside, the glass around my heart went fragile and brittle, and started to crack.

I went still. “You fuckingasshole,”I muttered through numb lips.

Gerald shook his head and looked down at his paper sadly, but he didn’t write anything. When he looked back up at me, his eyes were pained. “Bridget, I’m sorry,” he said slowly.

“For what?”

“Because these pricks have never understood what you’re going through. But I do.”

“Bullsh—”

“I’m sorry that it feels like no matter who you trust, they always turn out to have ulterior motives.”