Ties That Bind

He and Tristian had been best friends for as long as he could remember, but in the last couple of years, they had both been introduced to their darker sides… all because Angel had left them. He watched as Tristian closed the distance between them then schooled his features.

Lifting his lips in an all-out smile, Hunter headed toward them. “Glad to see you survived the helicopter,” Hunter teased as he placed a friendly hand on Tristian’s shoulder and squeezed, then nodded in greeting toward the other guy.

“Yeah, one day I’m gonna get a bazooka and blow that thing right out of the sky,” Tristian shrugged as Hunter laughed. Changing the subject, he added, “At least that’s everyone we’ve been expecting for the week. The last of the guests left over an hour ago so we are now down to just family and friends. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this place so empty, but it feels really good.”

Watching Hunter’s reaction closely, Tristian stepped back so he could introduce them, “Hunter Rawlins… meet Ashton Fox.”

Ashton stuck his hand out and gave Hunter a pretty tight grip as they shook hands. He had expected Hunter to tighten his grip in return and was surprised when he didn’t. The Indian kept the handshake friendly to match the smile he was wearing.

And to actually think he had been worried about meeting the Apache boy he’d heard so much about from Angel. To hear her talk about Hunter and Ray… one would think they walked on water plus could do everything you had ever seen an Indian do in the movies.

“Welcome to Sanctuary,” Hunter repeated the same thing that he would have said to any guest. “Are you ready to have fun this week?” The words sounded like a double-edged sword to his own ears but the other man didn’t seem to have a clue.

“Why not?” Ashton smiled, glad he wouldn’t have to open the lid on his testosterone just yet. “But first, I think I could use a shower and a chance to unwind after being in the air for almost ten hours straight.”

“Say no more,” Tristian said, leading him toward the main entrance. “Hunter, what room did you put him in for the week?”

“I’ll get the key,” Hunter said, moving past them into the lobby and making a show of opening the register books as if he was checking the list of names.

He knew exactly where he had put Ashton… right beside the room Ray stayed in for easy access, just not the easy access the boyfriend would have wanted. Ashton Fox had gotten one of the two rooms that seemed to angle off around the corner of the first floor hall, on the other side of the massive indoor swimming pool… away from all the other rooms.

Swinging around, Hunter grabbed the right key off the wall and handed it to Tristian. Glancing at Ashton, he made it sound like a good thing. “You’re lucky, the indoor pool and hotel gym are both right next to your room.”

Tristian noticed the number on the key and turned away from Ashton as he hid his expression. He was glad Hunter hadn’t put Ashton near Angel’s room, but he had thought it would at least be on the same floor… not that he was going to complain. If he had his way, Ashton wouldn’t be staying the whole week.

“Is everything ready for the pool party?” Tristian asked, knowing Angel loved to swim. He desperately wanted to remind her of all the things she had been missing since she had moved away.

Hunter nodded, “Yeah, Carley’s kids have several friends over for the night and they’ve already opened the Tiki-bar for self-serving.” Seeing Tristian give him a knowing look, he added, “Jason has given their guests the rooms next to him and his sisters… not that they’ll be sleeping in them.”

“True enough,” Tristian smirked knowing signing them into the extra rooms was for looks only. He hated the fact that his cousins were always trying to act like they owned the hotel when they were really just freeloaders who did nothing to earn their keep. They were known for having new boyfriends or girlfriends every month, week… sometimes every day. All they were really good for was sex… other than that, their dates usually didn’t stick around for very long.

“We’ll see you out there later,” he called over his shoulder.

When Tristian took off with Ashton, Hunter turned and grabbed the key to the best room Sanctuary had… one of the bridal suites on the fourth floor. It wasn’t like anyone would be using it this week and Angel would probably get a kick out of staying in one.

“Who’s staying in the bridal suite?”

Hunter swung around seeing Ray standing right on the other side of the counter with a box of fireworks tucked up in under his arm. He and Ray had been at odds ever since their mother had died a month ago. They had called a truce though they both knew it was only a thin line. He loved his brother but lately Ray had been acting odd enough to keep him on high alert.

“So, you’ve decided to do the fireworks tonight?” Hunter quickly changed the subject as he slipped the key into his pocket.

Ray’s dark eyes followed the protective movement but he let it go for now. “Yeah, we wanna start the week off with a bang, don’t we?”

“Sure. You coming to the pool party later?” Hunter asked, not liking the fact that Ray was keeping an eye on him.

“Yeah, I’ll be… around,” Ray answered with a leveled gaze as he grabbed some matches out of the bowl on the desk and tossed them into the box of fireworks before turning to leave.

Hunter stayed where he was until Ray was out of sight then slowly reached into his pocket to retrieve the key. Turning around, he started to hang it back where it was supposed to be but instead he slipped it into one of the desk drawers. Turning back to the key rack, he wiggled his fingers as if thinking, then grabbed the key to the room right beside his.

He would feel safer if he could keep a close eye on Angel… especially at night.

Chapter 2 “Secrets”

Angel stood in front of the glass doors looking in at her grandmother. She figured Isabel Hart would be in the huge sunroom overlooking the gardens this time of the day. She felt her chest tighten seeing her grandmother touch the buttons on the wheelchair as it moved closer to the terrace doors leading out into the garden.

The last time she had seen her grandmother, she had been standing tall and proud, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she told them goodbye. Placing her hand against the huge glass doors, Angel took a deep breath and opened them.

“Grandmother!” Angel smiled and rushed across the room toward her. Her smile brightened even more when her grandmother’s eyes widened in delight. Leaning down, Angel gave her a heartfelt hug. “Oh gosh, I’ve missed you so much!”

Isabel closed her eyes enjoying the real hug. That’s what she loved so much about Angel and Tristian… the fact that they weren’t fake like the rest of the family. When they loved someone… they loved them wholeheartedly.

“There’s my angel,” Isabel patted her weakly on the back. She felt some of her strength returning to her by just being near Angel. The girl always did have a way of lifting her spirits and making her feel loved. But, that wasn’t going to stop her from playing the illness for all it was worth. “I’m glad you made it back to see me one last time,” she let her voice hitch as if it was such a sad thought.

“What?” Angel breathed then pulled back so she could look down at her grandmother. “Grandmother? What are you talking about?” Just hearing her say something like that made her heart hurt and her eyes tear up.

“Oh, let’s not talk about me dear-heart. Tell me everything I’ve missed in the last couple of years and who is this so-called boyfriend I’ve been hearing rumors about?” Isabel gave her a soft frown. “I can't believe my baby granddaughter is trying to grow up in a place so far away that I can't even watch it happen.”

*****

Tristian stepped out of Ashton’s room, closing the door behind him as his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Seeing it was Ray, he quickly answered. “Hey Ray, what’s up?”

“The limousine just left and your girlfriend is on her way up the mountain. It seems to be the last of the allowed traffic. Do you still want me to lock the gate down here?” Ray asked knowing it had been Isabel Hart’s instructions.

“Yeah, grandmother is adamant about not wanting any uninvited guests showing up.” Tristian confirmed. “Just close it down tight and head back up here for some fun. If anyone needs out… then they’ll just have to have an escort off the mountain.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ray murmured.

He clicked the cell off and pulled the heavy iron fence closed. Snapping the three thick padlocks together, he looked up at the high spiked fence. Seeing the cell phone tower out of the corner of his vision, he took off in that direction. It was the only cell tower for about fifty miles and he had a feeling that it was about to become useless.

*****

Angel stepped out the terrace doors needing a moment alone to absorb the shock of seeing her grandmother looking so fragile in that wheelchair. Every time she had brought up the question of her health, Isabel had sidestepped the topic with questions of her own.

After only a short visit, her grandmother had claimed she was tired and needed to go lay down for the rest of the day, but she made Angel promise to come back and see her in the morning. It worried her that her grandmother was going to bed so early and she wondered just how sick she really was. Her grandmother had been in such good health before she'd left Sanctuary to go to California. She had even blossomed after grandfather's death.

Angel's lips thinned at the thought of the old man she'd always thought of as a monster. She had never hated anyone in her whole life, but a few hours before he had fallen down the stairs, he had caught her and Hunter coming back from swimming alone at the pond.

Her grandfather yelled at her, telling her she was too old to be playing with the Indian riffraff from the reservation. He told Hunter to get the hell off his mountain then slammed the doors behind him. Seeing Hunter leave like that was heart wrenching. When she tried to speak up on his behalf, her grandfather had turned and smacked her so hard that she'd fallen down.

Angel had cried out in pain but hadn’t said anything else knowing her grandfather was probably right. He hadn’t even known she and Hunter were doing things they shouldn’t have been doing… kissing, touching, and experimenting. If he had known about that, he would have hit her more than once.

“See, told you it wasn’t a statue of an angel. It really is Angel,” someone laughed from behind her, startling her right out of her melancholy. Swinging around, she smiled seeing Uncle Robert’s identical twin sons, Devin and Damien.

“Oh my gosh, you guys have grown up!” She smiled as they took turns hugging her and swinging her around in circles. They were the same age as Tristian, but they had somehow outgrown him in the last two years. Standing at least six foot, two inches, they looked like bouncers. Both of them were in skintight, black t-shirts with the logo, ‘Sanctuary’ on the front of them.

She placed a hand on each one of their upper arms, watching the pride flash in their gray eyes. “I guess that tells me what you two have been up to,” she giggled. “Been staying out of trouble? Or causing it?”

“Who? Us?” Devin laughed as he set her back on her feet, letting his hand caress her thigh and hip on the way down.