Page 64 of Hunter

“Well, I saw her,” she huffs before helping herself to a cola from the fridge. She then walks over to sit on the chair next to me. “She looks-”

“I don’t think I need to know how she looks, Charlotte,” I grumble, “in fact, I don’t need to know anything about her.”

“Jeez, bitter much?” she replies with a frown of disapproval. “I was going to say, she looks awful! I’m talking, haven’t eaten, haven’t slept, and cried way too much, awful.”

She then smiles like she’s proud of bringing me what she thinks is good news.

“Well, considering her brother, her only surviving family member, is in hospital, I’m not overly surprised. What’s your point?”

“Her brother is absolutely fine.” She leans in closer with a wicked look in her eyes and a mischievous grin on her face. “And I mean, fine! If I wasn’t already married…” She looks off into the distance as though she’s imagining doing obscene things with him.

“You see?” I point at her in frustration. “Even you want a Neanderthal like Phoenix, and so does she! Her playing tonsil tennis with someone like Tony proved that.”

“Ok, I’ll admit, kissing her ex the other day wasn’t a very well-thought-out move on her part.” When I look at her, giving her a ‘case in point’ expression, she rolls her eyes and continues to talk over me. “But you said so yourself, she pushed him away afterward. Maybe it was a kiss to end all kisses if you get what I mean.”

“She wouldn’t be kissing anyone if she had any genuine feelings for me.” I slam my fist on the table, feeling both irritated and justified over it all. “Would you forgive Callum if you caught him kissing one of his exes?”

“Oh, hell, no, but then he’s not had the same traumatic background as her,” she says as though pondering on that thought. “I would like to think I would at least hear him out.”

“I don’t know if I can, it just seems easier to let it all go to shit,” I laugh sadly. “It was a bad move anyway; she’s my PA.”

“Well, then, maybe it wasn’t love after all,” she says with a shrug, “if it were, you wouldn’t be giving up so easily. Just because she wants someone who isn’t all caveman and all, doesn’t mean she doesn’t want someone who would fight for her.”

I huff out a long stream of air, trying to think about how much I’m willing to put myself out there for a girl who’s already betrayed me. Charlotte places her hand over mine and I squeeze it tightly, silently thanking her for her support but also telling her that I’m done with the conversation, at least for now.

_____

Daniel

I spent Saturday at my folks’ place, helping Dad with the house, then spending time sulking with Mom. She spoiled me with all my favorite things to eat, including carrot cake and homemade sandwiches - good, old-fashioned comfort food. I didn’t say a thing about my broken heart, and neither did they, which was why I chose to go there; I knew they wouldn’t. Sunday came around quickly and I chose to honor my tradition of taking a bottle of JD with me to the cemetery where my brother is buried. The last time I came here I had seen Lou and Phoenix visiting their father’s grave; I guess it’s where our relationship began. All the more reason to drink this early on the Sabbath.

His grave is a mess of overgrown foliage and dead flowers, so I spend a good twenty minutes or so tidying it all up, trying to make it look semi-reasonable again. I then break open the bottle and salute him before swigging it back with a delicious burn down my throat.

“Well, well, well, not even I come and get drunk in a cemetery!”

A familiar gruff voice laughs from behind me. I don’t even turn around because I can’t be bothered to deal with the asshole right now; I just want to come and have a drink with my brother. Course, Kevin’s not really here, Daniel.

“Morning, Phoenix,” I eventually huff when I don’t hear him leave, “I trust you’re well now?”

“Very,” he replies with a smirk, taking this as some sort of invitation to come and join me. He kneels down beside me, wearing his ripped jeans, worn leather jacket, a motorcyclist scarf wrapped around his neck, and a collection of tattoos laced around his arms. It all adds up to the same badass look that Lou’s ex shares with him. The guy is built like Fort Knox, and woe betide anyone who crosses him.

“Lou, though, she’s not so good…in case you were wondering?”

“Look, Phoenix, I didn’t hurt her, she made her choice, it wasn’t me, so I really don’t know why you’re over here talking to me. I adhered to all your rules so we’re square.”

“Nah, not yet we’re not,” he says, looking ahead to the gravestone with Kev’s name on it. “I wanna tell you a story about Lou before you give up on her, so get comfy, sweetheart. I don’t do this sort of shit…well, actually, I never do this. But I would do anything for my baby sister, even sit in a cemetery with a tipsy Suit and tell him why he should give my sister, my favorite person in the whole world, another chance.”

“Fill your boots,” I chuckle as I pour another drink. I even offer him one, but he declines.

“When Lou was six, Dad got a call to go and talk to her teacher at school,” he says with a nostalgic smile. “The little swat had never been in trouble; in fact, she didn’t really speak for a long time. So, Dad goes in, all nervous over what he’s about to find out. The teacher, a real Miss Honey type, says she’s worried about the little mite. Says Lou spoke to her for the first time that year.”

I smile now, thinking of Lou as a sweet little six-year-old with big eyes and so much curiosity and wonder before she was so horribly hurt.

“Apparently, Lou had drawn a rainbow with a house next to it. The generic four windows, front door, chimney, and flowers in the front yard. There was a little girl and a woman stick person next to the door, all smiles and pretty hair and such. No big deal, right? But when Miss Honey, I forget her actual name, asked her who they were, Lou said it was them. Then she asked her teacher if she could come and live with her so she could be her mommy and live in a normal house.”

“Ouch, that must have hurt your dad,” I comment with a genuine wince.

“Well, yeah, but he was realistic about it. What motherless six-year-old little girl wouldn’t want to imagine having a new mommy who was going to be every bit as perfect as that picture? He took her around to meet Tony and his mother. He didn’t know many people who still had the whole traditional family set up but knew Javier’s father from his old days doing shady shit in an MC. Tony’s mother, Ava, fell in love with the doe-eyed little girl and she agreed to have her whenever my father was working at the bar. I was cool with that because it meant I could hang out with Javier instead of looking after a six-year-old girl who refused to talk. I still looked out for her, especially when she got older, but Javier’s little brother, Tony, was more than smitten with her.”

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