Page 21 of Hunter

“What the hell do you think you’re playing at pimping her out to this motherfucker over here?”

He throws his hand out toward Trent without showing any concern about the brick wall of a man standing beside him. I’d find it funny if my jaw didn’t feel like it was about to fall off.

“Tony sent me a recording of the whole thing, Lou, including you dancing with frat-boy. He then got some other prick to take a picture of the moment he managed to grab hold of you,” he growls, causing his sister to wince over the fact. “Came with a nice little note, ‘Look how easy it is to get to my property!’ I swear, I nearly took off in the other direction to go and kill the motherfucker. Do you see what you’ve done, Suit? Do you see the danger you’ve put my little sister in?”

“Look, I had no idea about this guy, Mr Flynn, but now that I do—”

“You what, huh? You fucking what, Suit?!” he shouts, practically running toward me and pushing his chest against mine. “You have no idea, you fucking rich prick, no fucking idea what you’re dealing with.”

“Phoenix, the dancing was me, all me. It was meant to be a no-camera zone!” Louisa snaps before pushing at her brother’s arm to finally get his attention. “How was I to know Tony would be there filming it all?”

“You’re a fucking idiot, Louisa!” he snaps. “Have you learned nothing?”

“Hey!” I shout, not giving a crap that the guy’s built like a bear. “Don’t talk to her like that!”

“Or what, pretty boy?” he says in an eerie tone of voice. “You gonna take me on?”

“You continue disrespecting Louisa I will, yeah,” I reply with a sneer.

He laughs, throwing his head back, sounding mirthless and threatening. He then returns to his full height and comes pacing back toward me, so I ready myself for the ensuing fight.

“Stop it!” Louisa screams, freezing us both on the spot. “I’m the one he raped, Phoenix, not you, so stop acting like the victim in all of this!”

When we all look over at her, it’s the first time I see her with streams of tears running down her face. I never realized how heartbreaking it would be to watch someone who is usually so strong, finally lose their fight in front of you.

“You stay away from my sister!” Phoenix warns, with his finger pointing at me again. “Lou, let’s go. NOW!”

“Not a chance!” I scowl at him but he’s already walking back to his bike, mounting it with determination to get as much distance between me and them as possible.

“Louisa…” I walk slowly toward her as she tries to take my jacket off, but I put a hand over hers to make it still. “Keep it. Give it back on Monday. You will be in on Monday, won’t you?”

“If you’ll still have me,” she says sadly. I smile with as much reassurance as I can give before taking a chance to kiss her on the cheek.

“Of course.”

She turns to walk away but then stops and turns back to face me with a resolute expression on her face.

“Daniel, I expect to be treated with professionalism,” she says with confidence, “which means no pitying or sympathetic looks…please.”

I nod with affirmation and then she turns to walk toward her brother and mount his monstrous bike. He glares at me while he waits for her, and when she’s finally behind him, she lays her head against his back, unable to look at any of us. We all stand there watching as they disappear into the darkness in a fog of noise.

“Dude, you are going to look seriously badass tomorrow morning,” Trent says with a grin while lifting his hand for a high five.

“Shut up, Matthews,” I sigh. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

With nothing else to do in the here and now, we all slowly turn around and make a slow ascent back toward the festival.

Chapter 10

Louisa

Phoenix didn’t say a single word last night but the looks he leveled at me were more than enough to tell me he was disappointed in me. When we got back to the bar, it was closed; not even Jake was there. I sat on a stool and watched him throw his weight about, screaming through his teeth, trying to exhaust himself because he was just that angry. I let him have it, his moment to restore his mind to neutral; I get it, I really do. The poor guy has been saving me ever since I was still in diapers. Being only seven years old at the time, he’s never had the chance to learn how to channel his devastation into something that didn’t look like this. He’s never had a relationship with a girl that extended past the bedroom, and he’s only ever had other hot-headed bikers for friends. Not to mention what he used to do before he took over this bar. But that’s another story.

“Just say something,” I eventually blurt out when I can take his steely silence no more.

“I can’t think of a Goddamn thing to say to you right now,” he growls, slamming a few stools on top of the tables as he does. “Dad is probably cursing me from his grave, and Mom…well, she’s probably wishing it was me instead of her—”

“Phoenix!” I practically scream with my hands now clutching the sides of my head. “Could you not do this every time something shitty happens?!”

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