Sinful Magic (Book 3 of the Ink series)

Chapter 26

"I think I should go home," I said. I walked a little quicker trying to put distance between Hutch and I. Anymore I was confused by him.

"I was looking forward to another one of our little sleepovers," he said hiccupping. He stumbled and regained his footing proving he was drunk but still coordinated.

"That wouldn't be a good idea," I said.

"Why the sudden change, doll?"

I wasn't sure if telling Hutch that I was afraid of him was the right idea. This might have been the one time being honest would bite me in my ass. I didn't know what to do.

"All this time I have been trying to help you. Did I do something wrong?" Hutch tilted his head to the side. "I'm drunk."

I didn't know where to begin. I stopped walking. "You would never do anything to hurt me would you?"

Hutch's fingers grazed his five o'clock shadow. He looked up at the stars as he considered his response. "I don't understand why you would even think that. I would think I proved that already."

It was hard to believe him anymore, but as I looked into his eyes I wasn't sure what to think. He raised his hands. "If you want to go home by all means, go." He backed away.

"I don't get you." I took a step forward. "One minute you're almost threatening and the next you're the sweet guy I'm used to."

Hutch clutched his chest for dramatic effect. "Ouch."

K's words replayed in my mind over and over again, until I wanted to burst from the thought of not saying anything. I didn't know anything about K, but if he was being truthful it wasn't good.

I needed to find out.

"Does this mean you're coming back to my house?" Hutch said following behind me as I headed down the boardwalk to his part of the neighborhood.

"Yeah, why not."

"I'm sorry if I came off as aggressive back at the greenhouse. It's been a bad couple of days." He put his arm around me. "Can we forget about it?"

"Of course." I squeezed his arm and painted on a sweet smile. "We're all entitled to a bad day."

Hutch seemed to be pleased. It was the perfect time to ask.

"I'm worried about those bodies." I followed him up the stairs to the front porch. He fumbled with his keys trying to get inside.

"I'm sure there is nothing to worry about," he told me.

I studied him. If he was lying he was good at it. He didn't seem nervous at all to be talking about it. "If anything ever happened to my dad I don't know what I would do."

Hutch let me go inside first. He shut and the lock the door. "Everything is going to be fine."

He brushed my hair away from my neck. "You're so beautiful."

"My dad means the world to me. I came all the way to California because of him," I told him.

I moved around Hutch and made myself comfortable on the couch. Hutch pulled his shirt over his head; he walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He took a seat and opened the bottle.

"Do you think anyone is happy with who they are, Hope?" Hutch asked.

I couldn't help but notice he called me Hope, not Doll like he normally did.

"I don't think so." I grew very uncomfortable. "Why do you want to know that?"

Hutch took a sip of the whiskey. "I'm not an idiot. I can read you like a bad romance novel."

I stiffened. Why was I so stupid? Of course he knew what was going on at all times.

"I'm growing rather tired of you not believing me when I say I have your back. Why is that so hard to believe?" Hutch waited for me to answer.

I stared at the floor. "Because if what I know is true I don't think I can believe that anymore."

Hutch smoothed his hair down. He sighed and dropped back against the couch. I wondered if he was growing more aggravated with me.

"I don't want to think you would do anything to hurt me, but if you did something to my dad than you already have." There, I told him it was out in the open.

"Your dad made the decision to sleep with the mayor's wife, I used it to my advantage and to yours," he said.

I couldn't believe it was that simple to get him to confess. How did he not think it was wrong to do what he did? "What did you do?"

"I knew the mayor would cover up such a big controversy. This puts you in control, don't you see that?" He set the bottle of whiskey down on the coffee table. "If you're working with him he can hardly bite you in the ass."

I stood up. How could he do such a thing? Who did he think he was to go around and play god? "I can't believe you risked my dad's life, his freedom, to help me. What part of that was a good idea?"

"What other choice do you have?" He wouldn't look at me. "Every choice isn't going to feel good."

I didn't understand why he needed to do anything. I wasn't his problem. I was just Hope, the girl that sometimes came around. The girl stupid enough to sleep with him and think it meant something.

"I could have figured something else out." I said, running a hand through my hair frustrated. "Killing people that is never okay, no matter what happens."

"The mayor has your entire life hanging from the balance. He could make a lot of things happen if he wanted to. This is your security, a way to live like normal people do." Hutch turned around. "You said you weren't this girl, that you wanted nothing to do with the supernatural. I tried to help you."

I shook my head. "You made things worse."

"No. Slade made things worse. He always has." Hutch informed me.

I refused to believe that. It wasn't Slade who chose to throw my dad into my mess.

"I want to go home," I said looking at Hutch.

He walked to the door opening it. "You mean the one you're not allowed to stay in because everyone knows who you are?"

I ignored him.

"You have no home because of him," Hutch said, he smirked. "But by all means run away from the one person who is trying to save you."

I couldn't believe he was trying to guilt me. No part of what he did was right. "Do you think this is romantic? You try to use my dad as a tool to help me. If that was even what you were doing."

"I care about you," he insisted. "So much so I used a couple of useless woman to help you help yourself."

"At one time I would have believed that. But now it just seems you're like all the rest." I walked through the door. "You're looking out for yourself."

Hutch came out on the porch. "How do you figure? If I was anything like you seem to think I am you wouldn't be leaving here so easily."

"Because you want someone to live with regrets just like you do. That's why you run Hutch. I won't be like that," I headed down the porch steps.

"I thought I understood you, but I was wrong. Not to mention the greenhouse and K," I told him. I learned a lot of very unimpressive things about Hutch. And I was grateful I was outside about to head home. Because knowing what Hutch did and was capable of I didn't want to be anywhere near him.

I was glad to be walking back down the boardwalk back to my home—even if it was only temporary.