Page 10 of Hunter

“Phoenix!” I mock him before taking the drink that Jake is offering me. Phoenix glares at Jake, silently telling him to fuck off with just one look. Jake, in full annoying little brother mode, chuckles and walks away. I sigh and make a start to get up, only to find myself being pushed back down onto the stool, which pisses me off. I’m so sick of this attitude from him, especially when I have to follow his ridiculous rules. I wish Dad was still here…but then, so does Phoenix. Neither of us asked for this, and neither of us would hesitate to have things back to the way they were.

“Lou,” he sighs sadly, releasing some of that anger in one exhale of breath, “you know why I’m so goddam protective of you.”

“Ok, for starters, that was years ago; secondly, I’ve worked with those guys for over two years and they’ve never tried anything; thirdly, I’m not restricting my job search to cuddly old women employers.”

“They’ve only left you alone because I’ve made you dress the way you do. Now they know you look like an actual woman, they’ll be all over you, and I won’t be there to stop them!”

“Oh, for the love of God, Phoenix!” I yell while pulling on my hair through exasperation. “You have to stop trying to protect me all the time, I can look after myself!”

From the hard expression on his face, and the vein that’s popped up on his forehead, I know I’m not going to get anywhere. I jump off and slip past him before he can shove me back on that stool again. I then head behind the bar to get through to the back where we share a small but cozy living area. I need a break from the sensory overload of this place, as well as Phoenix and that ugly vein of his. Alas, the jerk follows me, obviously wanting to have the last word.

“Dad left me to look after you and I’m not going to go back on my promise to always be there for you,” he says, hitting me where it hurts - Dad.

I turn to face him, crossing my arms firmly in front of my body in an attempt to defend myself against his bringing up painful memories. He at least takes note of this and walks toward me a little more softly, and a little less angry-beast-like.

“I’ve seen what can happen to young, vulnerable women like you. Having a pretty face doesn’t help that either.”

I roll my eyes over my brother calling me ‘pretty’, only to feel my cheeks heating up over the influx of emotions this argument is bringing with it.

“Don’t make me leave my job, Phoenix,” I whisper as I look up into his big, blue eyes, the same shade as mine. “I love it there, and Theo, the other boss, is just as protective as you are. You should have heard what happened to his fiancée when she was younger. There’s no way he would let something happen to me, especially by another member of the team. Daniel isn’t quite as warm and fuzzy as Theo, but he’s been nothing but professional with me. I promise you I’m safe.”

Phoenix looks to the ground and begins kicking at the lint and crumbs on the carpet with his heavily booted foot. I can tell he’s still not completely happy, and I do understand where he’s coming from, but I need to begin living again. He sees it too; I can see him admitting defeat.

“Shit, fine,” he relents and I jump onto him for a relieved hug. “But you wear the outfits still!”

“Fuck, do I have to? It’s so embarrassing.” He glares at me before nodding, telling me this is his final offer. “Ok, but I’m ditching the glasses. I don’t even need fucking glasses!”

I then walk away before he has the chance to argue with me.

Chapter 5

Daniel

I almost couldn’t believe it when Louisa walked into the office, looking exactly the same as she always does, apart from the lack of glasses. She greeted me this morning as though nothing had happened on Friday night, and with as few as words as possible, then began her usual morning routine. I can’t help but stare, to the point where Theo catches me. He quirks his brow in question. I merely shake my head and get up to close the door on the both of them.

By lunchtime, no one has said much of anything to anyone. But when the clock strikes one, I hear the usual knock on my door. Louisa always makes her way to the deli at this time, and she always dutifully wanders around everyone to see if she can get them anything, including me.

“I was just heading out to get my lunch; would you like me to get your usual, Mr Hunter?” she asks politely.

“If you don’t mind…” I begin to say but then think better of it. “Actually, I’ll come with you.”

She momentarily freezes, for I’ve never offered to come with her. By the look of shock on her face, I wonder if she’s going to argue, but then she shakes herself out of it and instead, places on her usual professional smile.

“Oh, ok, I’ll meet you out front when you’re ready,” she says, and makes a swift exit before I can respond.

I lock my computer and look around my desk for my phone and wallet. I’m all fingers and thumbs this morning, and my usual orderliness has gone out the window. I’m flustered, which I hate; usually, I can’t not be in control. However, Louisa Flynn seems to have scrambled my head after seeing her on that platform the other night.

“Talk!” Theo suddenly says from behind me, and when I was so close to stepping outside into freedom. “You keep looking at Louisa strangely, and your usual penchant for being a control freak is all off-kilter this morning.”

“So?” I shrug at the same time as I defensively shove my hands in my pockets.

“So, if I need to know something, I would hope you would tell me,” he says with warning in his voice.

“Theo, will you relax? There is nothing for you to worry about,” I tell him as I place my hand firmly on his shoulder, “and if there were anything, you would be the first to know.”

I give him my best reassuring smile, which probably has the opposite effect, but it’s enough to get him to move aside. I take the opportunity to walk out around him and finally exit onto the street where I see Louisa. When I glance back, Theo’s still watching me intently, but I should have known my reassurances wouldn’t have been enough for him. We trust each other with the important stuff, the big stuff, but everyday little quirks are often kept to ourselves. It took him two years to tell me about his plans to go and win Izzy back, by which point, we were already booked to go to London the following week.

Before I reach her, I notice Louisa leaning up against the wall; she’s watching a man across the street from us. He’s watching her too, smirking in such a way, you would think they were checking each other out. However, she isn’t smiling; she’s offering him nothing but a slight narrowing of her eyes. Do they know each other?

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