Bad Boy Soldier (Bad Boy 3)

"I'm coming back to Boston," I said, impatient to return and see things through.

"I can't talk you into staying there for another few days? Things aren’t in place yet to bring you in."

"I'll stay quiet. I don’t like being away when things are going to go down."

"Okay, but lay low."

I ended the call. What I really wanted to do was go and find Spencer and choke the man to death, but I'd leave justice to the justice system. Only if it failed would I take matters into my own hands.

I returned to Boston and went right to the warehouse. I slumped in a chair beside George, who sat in front of a computer, reading the newspaper.

He put down his paper and turned to me, his reading glasses perched at the end of his nose. "How are you? Back so soon? I thought you were staying for a week."

I rubbed my eyes, not able to put how I was feeling in words.

"It was bad?" George asked, frowning at me.

"Yeah, it was bad," I said finally, leaning my head back, closing my eyes. "Worse than I expected. But thanks for this nifty little piece of technology."

I handed him back the radio jammer and he slipped it into a drawer in his desk.

"Glad it was of use. Tell me what happened."

"Celia's stepfather," I said and shook my head. "I found evidence at his old cabin. He's going down."

"Is good, no?"

"Yeah, but I don’t know what, if anything, he did to her."

"Talk to her. See what she says."

"This isn’t something you just ask a person," I said and rubbed my forehead. "‘Hey, did your stepfather sexually abuse you when you were eleven?’"

George nodded. "Is delicate personal matter. You have thought through this whole business with her being your little bit of pussy? "

"I've thought a lot about it," I said. "Now, given what I've seen, I'm rethinking it. If there is any possibility that she was abused…"

George shrugged. "Is your decision."

"You think I should let her go?"

"I think nothing. You are good man, Hunter. You do wrong things for right reasons."

I gripped the armrests of my chair and exhaled. "I should have let her be. Paid the debt and let her alone. Now, I've got her in trouble. She's in Victor's sights."

"You have to protect her if nothing else."

"I will," I said, resting a hand on George's shoulder. "The Pottery Barn rule applies here. Graham got her in trouble. I got her in even more by becoming personally involved with her. I have to look after her.”

"You will," George said, nodding.

I would. Even if she didn't want anything to do with me, I would protect her.

Chapter 6

CELIA

My week without Hunter was strangely lonely, despite the fact that Spencer and my mom returned from their European cruise and we visited the hospital together. My mom wanted me to spend more time with her now that she was back, but I begged off, claiming that I was too busy with law school and wouldn’t be able to see her very much, given that I wanted to spend time each day with Graham.