Page 177 of Hunt for You
I believed him.
My heartsang.
“Sam—” I rushed forward, but he was already backing up, his hands held up, palms towards me.
“You can’t be here, Bridget. They have a restraining order against me—”
“I don’t give a flyingfuckabout a restraining order—why aren’t you answering my texts?”
He stopped backing up, but his shock turned to rage. “Because youset me up!I blocked your number! You can’t seriously think—”
I took the two or three steps left between us and threw myself into his chest, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his mouth.
He turned his head away, grimacing, his forehead creased to lines. He tried to push me off, but I didn’t miss that he was still careful not to hurt me.
“Stop. Bridget, you have to stop.”
“No!”
“I’m not supposed to be within a hundred feet of you!”
“I don’t care.”
“Well, I do!” he snapped, prying my arms and legs off of him, forcing me to stand in front of him, and putting a hand up in front of me when I took another step closer. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I’mnot.I’m not touching you, I’m not kissing you, and I’m not going to let you destroy my life—again.”
“I’m not trying to destroy your life, you idiot! I’m trying to talk to you! Because I get it!”
“Get what?!”
“I get it! Cain! Sam! The two of you… you’re one person. Not normal. Definitely not normal—I get it!”
His head was turned slightly away from me, and his brows pinched. There was a moment when his eyes softened and he swallowed, but then his whole face shuttered, and he shook his head and backed away again.
“No, no, you need to get out of here. They’ve already got me on breach of parole. If they listen to you, I’m going back to prison, and I’m not coming back out. I can’t do it, Bridget. I just can’t!”
“You won’t have to.”
“Why? Are you going to get yourself killed before the trial? I guess at least then they’d know that this was onyou!” he spat—and I heard tones of Cain’s growl in the gravel of his voice again.
My heart danced. I knew I shouldn’t be smiling, but I was.
“No! But that’s the point! I don’t want to testify against you. I don’t… you aren’t… you weren’t what I was hunting for, Sam. But you’re everything I need.”
He blinked at me, staring, then shook his head slowly. “You’re out of your mind. Is this another sting? You’re wearing a wire, aren’t you? You’re going to—”
“No!”Even though I was smiling, it was true I was getting a little desperate. He didn’t trust me because I brought the FBI to his door. I understood that. But I needed him to trust me. I needed him to tell me the truth. Then I had a burst of inspiration.
I pulled out my phone with shaking hands, turned it around and set it to video, before starting to record.
“My name is Bridget. My original legal last name was Reynolds, but I go by several different last names now. My father was Gordon Reynolds. And I am a criminal,” I said, confidently.
Sam’s eyes bulged and my heart thumped, and I smiled wider.
“I was looking for guys on the dark web, and when I encountered Sam Priestley, he was the only one who tried to convince menotto get myself killed. He was the only one who tried to help me instead of egging me on. I went after him because I’m deeply attracted to him, and wanted to make him break his vow to God and fuck me silly. He still hasn’t done that, but I’m not giving up.”
“Bridget—” he sighed, dropping his face in his hands, but I kept going.
“I know that Sam Priestley isn’t a murderer. And he isn’t even a criminal anymore. I pulled him into this whole stupid plan. The man is innocent. And… and I’m in love with him.”