Chapter 49

Hunter wasn’t one of those pussies afraid of commitment or his emotions, but he wasn’t the only part of this equation. He’d pushed Kata to her mental and physical limit before leaving on this mission. He was coming off three days of adrenaline rush and sleeplessness. His mood was bad, his temper worse. Normally, he wouldn’t go near Kata until he was rested and calm. But since he had to leave again Sunday morning for what would likely be months, he couldn’t waste time. He had to see—and deal with—her now.

Inside the hospital’s too-white lobby, Hunter bypassed the sleepy receptionist and headed for the bank of elevators. He counted to ten ... twenty. Fuck, counting to a thousand wouldn’t calm him down. If Tyler hadn’t been on top of the situation, Kata could have fallen prey to an assassin’s bullet; the heart Hunter still sought to earn could have stopped beating. The very thought turned his blood to ice.

With a muted ding, the elevator stopped on the third floor. Hunter j