Page 51 of Hunted (Desert Island Duet #2)

Without a word, Reece scoops me up in his arms and carries me outside into the backyard, followed by the other three. When the security guard says we’re at a safe distance from the house, Reece sets me down and grabs my hand, like he’s afraid I’ll run off.

Now my ears are no longer ringing, I can hear the distant sound of a siren, probably the emergency services on their way here.

“Alright, now you guys want to tell me what happened?” Reece asks angrily.

“You think we did that?” Bower asks in surprise.

“Sir, I think I know what it was,” one of the other security guards says as he comes over to join us .

“A package was delivered this morning, addressed to Miss Darla. I came to bring it inside but, uh…” He rubs the back of his neck and looks anywhere but at us as he continues. “You seemed busy, so I set it outside the back door and was going to bring it in to you later.”

My face flushes in embarrassment, realizing what we were doing. Did he see us through the door?!

“You think it was a bomb?” Weston asks in anger.

It’s only then that I realize what he said. It was addressed to me .

My knees grow weak and only Reece’s quick reflexes hold me up.

“Shit, she’s gone pale as a ghost.”

“Did she hit her head?”

“We should check for injuries, maybe we missed something.”

They all talk over each other as I’m lowered to the ground, leaning against Reece.

“I’m not injured,” I manage to whisper to him as I try to steady my breath.

“Quick, can someone find her some water?” Reece asks. My head spins as it tries to latch onto a single thought. Has the person who’s been after us the entire time, actually been just trying to kill me? And the others are just collateral damage?

“Look at me, sweetheart.” I blink and realize Kingsley is holding my face, his only inches away. “There you are, good girl. It’s going to be okay, nobody was hurt.”

I slowly shake my head as a bottle of water is pressed to my lips. I tilt my head and take a few sips before gently nudging it away.

“It was addressed to me, Kingsley. Don’t you get it? They aren’t after you guys, they’re after me! You’re going to get hurt just because you’re near m-me!” My voice catches on the last word and a tear rolls down my cheek.

“I don’t think that’s true at all,” Weston says, taking a knee so I can see him easier. “Remember on the island? They didn't even know you existed. They were after us.”

I consider that for a moment, but that only makes things worse. “Wait—are there two different people trying to kill us? One’s after you and the other’s after me?” My voice grows a little hysterical, even to my own ears.

Nobody answers, and it makes the sinking feeling in my gut grow even worse.

“Probably not, but it’s hard to say for sure,” Kingsley says gently. “Maybe it’s only one, but it was just us in the beginning, but now they want you gone, too, since you’re always with us.”

Reece’s phone buzzes underneath me and he pulls it out. “It’s my dad, I better answer it.” He wraps an arm around me as he speaks into his phone.

“Hey, Dad… Yeah, you heard?... Someone placed a bomb at the house… No, we're all okay… Thanks, yeah… Actually, could we come stay at your house for a couple of days until we find somewhere else? I’d go to a hotel, but it would be impossible to make that secure with other guests in the building… Thanks, I really appreciate it. We’ll see you soon. ”

“So I guess we’re staying at your dad’s?” Bower asks from where he’s seated at my side, his hand gently rubbing my leg.

“Yeah. I’m open to other ideas. But it might take us a couple of days to figure something else out. I have some extra clothes there, too. Although they might be a bit tight on you two.” I assume he means Bower and Weston as they are the biggest of the four of them .

I look down and am glad to see I’m still wearing my new bag. I place my hand over it, feeling Steve’s reassuring presence against my chest.

“Hopefully we can grab some of our stuff from the house soon,” Kingsley says, and we all watch as firemen and police officers flood into our backyard.

A few come over to talk to us, and eventually they convince us to let the paramedics look us over for injuries. Luckily, they don’t think anyone needs to go to the hospital and soon we’re in the SUV heading to Reece’s dad’s house, a place I visited often as a kid.

It doesn’t take us long to get there, and Richard greets us all warmly, asking what he can get for us. I’m surprised to find out it’s only one o’clock in the afternoon. It feels like midnight since so much has happened today.

Remembering all the gifts they just gave me, I glance up from where I’m sprawled out on Reece’s childhood bed and see the guys all sitting around the room, watching an action movie. “I hope my tennis racket and blanket didn’t get damaged.”

“If they did, we’ll just get you new ones,” Kingsley says, as if it isn’t a big deal.

I sit up and frown at him. “Aren’t any of you worried about this… assassin? Why haven’t the FBI caught them yet?” I ask in frustration. I don’t like thinking about my guys being in danger all the time. The sooner they catch Frank, the better.

“We’re clearly not easy to kill, Zee,” Bower says, running his hand down my back.

“Still—”

“Do you trust us?” he asks, cutting me off.

“Yeah, of course I do.”

“Then come here and cuddle me while we watch Bruce Willis single handedly take down all the bad guys. Try not to think about it. There is a whole team of FBI agents out there hunting him down. They’ll find him soon.”

I lay down, lay my head on his chest, and try to pay attention to the movie.

“And while we wait for that to happen, we get to just relax with each other.”

That has me frowning in concern. “About that, shouldn’t you guys be going to work?”

“We’re not going back until this is over,” Reece says, tossing a piece of popcorn in his mouth.

“You’re stuck with us until then,” Bower says, giving me a little squeeze.

“And then what?”

“Well, then we go back to work.”

“Weston, what about you, are you going back to flying?” I ask, dreading the answer. I’ll support him in anything he does, but none of us were exactly thrilled thinking about planes anymore. And the thought of him out there flying one all the time was damn near terrifying.

It takes him a few seconds before he answers.

“No, I think I’m done flying… for work. I can still fly us if we want to go anywhere.

But now I have something worth staying home for.

” He smiles at me, and I return it, my stomach filling with butterflies like it often does around these four.

“I might start doing some more engine repairs.”

“What about you, Darla? Do you know what you want to do?” Kingsley asks. “Your choices are basically unlimited. You could go to college or university, or start your own business. You could even come work with us.”

“I’ve been thinking about it ever since we went to Titan Tech.

I think it will take me a long time until I’m comfortable around larger groups of people, so school is a no go, unless it’s online.

For now, at least. I need something where I can work from home or on my own.

But I know I couldn’t sit at a desk all day either. ”

“Oh, I know!” Bower says, his hand gently rubbing up and down my side. “You should start your own YouTube channel, Darla’s Daring Adventures! You could show people how to survive in the wild.”

I know what YouTube is, but I’m not sure how I can make it my career.

Of course, the guys, realizing I’m missing out on fifteen years of YouTube, immediately flip the TV over to it and we spend the rest of the day binge watching episodes of Mr. Beast as they explain how you can monetize your videos to make money.

After dinner, we watch a few episodes of a show called Alive , where people try to survive on their own in the wilderness. It’s a lot to take in, in one day. But it gives me an idea as to the possibilities that are out there.

And since I’m now the sole owner of the Danver’s Group, I don't actually need to worry about income, so I can do something I truly enjoy.