His brother’s next electric pause was out of sheer surprise. Hunter understood that. Always, before this very moment, he’d flatly refused to cut himself any slack. What had happened that day...it hadn’t been him. Somewhere deep beneath his civilized veneer, a cornered, wild animal had emerged, lashing out, caught up in bloodlust, doing things Hunter would have denied possible.
Yet he’d done them, and yeah, little by little, he was glad that savage part of him existed, because otherwise, he wouldn’t be here now. If he hadn’t reacted that way...he probably would be buried in a shallow grave, and his family might still be searching for him. It would have broken his mother, destroyed his father, and Memphis—his too-smart, too-determined brother—would never have given up hope.
Finally, Memphis said quietly, “One guy had outstanding warrants for suspected kidnapping and possible murder. From what I could tell of redacted info, Jodi ran him off the road. If a cop hadn’t shown up, she probably would have killed him.”
“You don’t know that.” But did he think Jodi was capable of such a thing? Yes, he did.
“Later, the guy was convicted of rape against a different woman, and I’m willing to bet that’s why Jodi targeted him.”
Huh.
“She picked up another guy at a bar and he was never seen again. Cops talked to her, but she was a little beat-up and said the guy had manhandled her in a park, so she walked home. He’s still missing.”
His brother sounded admiring...and damn it, Hunter was a little impressed, too—not that he’d admit it.
“A really fascinating detail?” Memphis continued. “She’s close with Kennedy Brooks.”
“Kennedy Brooks,” Hunter repeated. He remembered that framed photo in the box in her kitchen. “Should that name mean something?”
“She’s a well-known author and speaker. You should look her up. Her topic? Human trafficking, how to be alert to your surroundings, what to look for but also escaping capture, and how to survive if you can’t. She speaks mostly at colleges, but she visits high schools, too, and other venues.”
Strained breath left Hunter in a rasped, “Fuck.”
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly,” Memphis said.
Hunter briefly closed his eyes. He’d known. Jodi hadn’t shared everything, but she’d shared enough to make it clear. And still it hurt him to have it confirmed.
So how must it have been for her to live through it?
Remembering her stricken face, the harsh, uncontrolled way she’d trembled while trying to tell him, he knew the answer to that, too. She’d lived through her own private hell and it would forever be with her.
“Another interesting tidbit,” Memphis continued. “Ms. Brooks has high-level security now, though she didn’t always. You can find out a ton about her professional life but nada on anything personal. Much like Jodi, if something shows up online, it gets squelched real fast. Those names you gave me? Parrish, Madison, Reyes—”
“Wait.” Hunter’s senses came alert from one second to the next. He glanced at the empty doorway. There was no shadow, no sound, but he knew he was no longer alone. Silently he strode forward, stepped out—and found Jodi, all narrow-eyed and mean, standing in the hallway. Well, shit.
Letting his brother know they had company, he asked, “Been there long, Jodi?”
Her patented smirk didn’t fool him—she was hurt as well as pissed.
Pointing past him, she indicated the small camera on the trunk beside her bed. “Just finished in the utility room. But you’ve got video and audio, so I didn’t need to be here.”
Damn it. He’d assumed she was still busy cleaning. Her utility room, which was a very small space between her kitchen and bathroom, was crammed full with the water heater, laundry sink and a stack washer/dryer. He’d pulled out the appliance for her and then left her to remove cobwebs, dust and grime from the walls and floor.
Unsure how to handle her now, he made a quick decision and pressed the speaker button. “Memphis, you’re on speaker now.”
Wasting no time, Memphis said, “Jodi Bentley, my God, it’s a pleasure. How did you do it?”
Suspicious at his motives and taken by surprise at his upbeat tone, Jodi folded her arms and narrowed her eyes even more. “How did I do what?”
“Bring my brother out of his self-imposed exile. Whatever tricks you used, you have my full approval. Keep it up.”
Flabbergasted, Jodi said, “I didn’t do anything.”
“Cute and modest. I can see the appeal.”
Her scowl turned ferocious. “I’m not cute.”
“Oh, you are,” Memphis rumbled to her in that low voice Jodi considered flirting.
“Back off, Memphis,” Hunter warned.
“She’s beyond cute and you know it—though she’s not my type, so I promise I’m not hitting on her.”
“I’m so relieved,” Jodi shot back, obviously flustered by his outrageous brother.
“Hunter, though? Clearly you’ve worked wonders with him.”
Done with that whole inane subject, Jodi snapped, “You’ve been snooping around about me.”
“Guilty. For what it’s worth, I applaud you—”
“Memphis.” Hunter would not have anyone, not even his brother, encouraging her in illegal activity.
“—just keep in mind, though, big brother is a different type of man. More proper, a real stickler for walking the straight and narrow. Mum’s the word, okay?”
“Jackass,” she snarled, more with exasperation than rage. “You were just spilling your guts to him!”
“Oh. Interesting how you knew that, since I assume Hunter didn’t have me on speaker the whole time.”
Instantly clamming up, Jodi flushed.
Yes, Hunter decided, it was interesting. “Jodi?”
Her chin notched up. “Yeah, so? You already know you’re being watched. You know I have powerful people—how was it you put it, Hunter?—looking out for me?”
“So they’re hacking my phone?”
She shrugged one shoulder.
“Un-fucking-believable.”
Going all kinds of defensive, Jodi said, “It’s barely raining now. You and Turbo can take off. Thanks for the help.”
No, he wouldn’t let her brush him off like that. It was another of her damned defense mechanisms, acting like she didn’t care, but he knew better. “We have the day planned.”