Page 53 of Hunter

“Yes, Daniel mentioned you have a brother; he has an unusual name, doesn’t he?”

I take another large gulp knowing that I’ll have to explain our rather odd family dynamic.

“His real name is Warren,” I admit, “but everyone calls him Phoenix.”

“I bet there’s a story there,” his father says with a sudden keen interest, “but I’ve just heard the bell ring, so that means dinner is ready!”

I breathe out a sigh of relief as Daniel helps me to my feet and walks me toward the house for lunch. He kisses my temple reassuringly, but it doesn’t help my nervous disposition. I’ve never had a bell to signal any meals in my entire life; I’ve never sat down for a formal meal with a family that I haven’t known since childhood. I’m bound to put my foot in it…use the wrong fork…or choke on my own fear!

“You look fucking hot in that dress, Flynn,” Daniel whispers, snapping me out of my mental breakdown. I look up at him and feel comforted, knowing he’s here at my side, supporting me through everything that might come my way. He smiles as if knowing what I’m thinking. “I can’t wait to rip it off later.”

“Neither can I,” I eventually whisper my reply, but mainly because it will mean this excruciating experience will be over.

“I’ve got you, Flynn,” he whispers as he brings my hand up to kiss, and I believe him, wholeheartedly.

“I…” I stop myself from saying something momentous and in the heat of the moment. He smiles with a perplexed expression, waiting for me to finish what I just started. “I know,” I tell him, before looking back toward the open door, to which he laughs softly.

_____

Louisa

So, lunch wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I have to admit, Daniel’s parents aren’t at all as intimidating as I imagined. His father is some hotshot businessman dealing in electronics of some kind, whereas his mother is a high school teacher at the local state school. They talk warmly and openly with me and seem genuinely interested in what I have to say, even though I do keep my replies to a minimum, purely because I’m that shy with new people. Put me in a room with a bunch of foul-mouthed bikers and I’m fine; put me in a room of suits and professionals and I wither into nothing.

The way his parents talk and interact with both Daniel and Charlotte is interesting to watch, probably because I haven’t witnessed this sort of relationship since I was in my mid-teens when I still had Ava and the Ortega brothers in my life. They tease them frequently, but it’s also obvious how much they love each other. The whole family is so well-mannered and respectful of one another, taking a genuine interest in everyone’s week. It’s both heart-warming and heart-breaking to watch, knowing that Phoenix and I lost this at such a young age. Though at least we have each other, even if he does piss me off ninety percent of the time, he’s still the most important person in my life. With that thought, I realize how much I want him to leave Javier’s offer alone, even if it is in retaliation to whoever slaughtered our families; it’s too big of a potential price. If I lost Phoenix, I’d literally have nobody left.

After lunch, Daniel gives me the grand tour of the house in which he grew up, and I take it all in with great interest. I love nosing around other people’s places, especially somewhere as gigantic and as grand as this. When we reach the study, we find his father shuffling around with some papers, but he waves for us to come in anyway. The room is full of books, everything from classics to modern-day romance novels. His desk is mostly tidy bar the few pieces of paper he was just looking through, and he has a few armchairs placed around the desk. Photographs of all the children are arranged in pride of place around his workspace, and there’re some ornaments, mainly nautical equipment, placed here and there.

Daniel excuses himself to go and help his mother with something on her tablet, leaving me and his father alone. I stand awkwardly but when I spy an old acoustic guitar sitting in the corner, collecting dust, I instantly gravitate toward it. The familiar object makes me feel like I’m being drawn by some invisible force, one that is guiding me to comfort. I look at the details of the wood, the grain, before studying the strings, all complete and waiting for someone to pluck them.

“You play?” his father asks.

“Only a little,” I answer with nervous laughter. “My father taught both my brother and me when we were little. Phoenix has always been the professional though.”

“Please, give it a go. The poor thing has been sitting there collecting dust ever since Kevin died.”

I look up, suddenly remembering the fact that this poor man has lost a son, a child. I can appreciate how that feels on some level; a sadness that gives us some sort of bond to hold onto.

“Daniel told me about his brother,” I utter sadly. I feel awkward because I’ve never quite known how to look in these sorts of situations, even when it was with Tony and Javier after their parents were killed. In fact, whenever Phoenix talks about Mom, I feel like an intruder to his sadness; he knew her, but I never did. “That must have been-”

“Probably much like losing your parents when you were still a child,” he finishes for me, then smiles reassuringly. “You never get over it, you just learn to exist with it.” His admission leaves us both standing in sad silence for a few long moments. “Anyway, what are you going to play for me?”

He picks up the guitar, brushes off the dust, then passes it over before gesturing to the armchair in front of his desk.

“Wow, I haven’t really played in a long while, not since…” I trail off because I stopped playing after I was attacked. That’s not the sort of subject you want to get into with your new boyfriend’s father, especially not on your first meeting. “I can just strum for a bit though?”

He nods, so I start plucking little melodies over the strings, the sort of thing Phoenix does when he’s warming up his fingers.

“So, tell me about your brother’s name,” he asks as I play softly in the background.

“Well, when I was one, there was a housefire. He was the one who rescued me. They had all but given up hope of any of us surviving, but then Phoenix appeared with me in his arms while the house crumbled into nothing behind us. From then on, he was known as Phoenix.”

“Wow, he sounds like a fascinating guy, and you clearly love him.” He smiles as he watches my fingers dance over the strings without any thought as to what I’m playing.

Truth be told, I was as good as Phoenix once upon a time, but I never had the confidence to play in front of an audience. Sure, I can sway my hips about to music, and pretend to be someone I’m not, but when it comes to showing off any sort of talent, I just can’t do it. It’s why I’ve stuck to office work and stuff behind the scenes.

“I do, he’s all I have left now. He’s been like one of my parents my whole life,” I admit, feeling a well of emotions building up inside of me. “But I’m worried about him. He’s so angry and…lost.”

“Do you have a picture of him?”

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