Page 36 of Hunter

Louisa

As soon as I enter the bar, anger returns to me with full force. It’s not a sensible time to face him now, we’ll only end up arguing, and as much as I want to lay into Phoenix, I still hate it when we fight. So, with that in mind, I march past all the staring bar staff and head straight into the living room out back. However, I don’t even make it past the couch before my brother grabs hold of my wrist and gently pulls me back. I could shake him off, ignore his need to solve problems without stopping to think or let me make peace with what he’s done, but Dad’s calming influence must have rubbed off on me. I can never say no to Phoenix. How could I say no to the boy who saved my life when it was only just beginning?

Still, like a stubborn little kid, I can’t help but throw myself on the couch before him and cross both my arms and legs. I’m sure I look really mature right now. He says as much when he begins laughing at me. He then sits beside me in his dirty jeans and ripped shirt, dipping the cushion so low, I’m forced to roll into his side. This is the jokey brother tactic, the one he knows I find hard to ignore.

I turn my head away, but the bastard begins tickling me into submission. I end up laughing louder than he is, all the while trying to push him away. I hate him for using dirty tricks like this, but I also love the fact that I’m laughing with him at this moment. We haven’t been like this for a long time, which is sad after all that we’ve been through.

“I hate you,” I pout when he finally releases me, “you suck!”

“Talk,” he replies bluntly before tapping me on my knee with his giant fist, “we both know you love me really. And saying I suck is hardly a secret, to anyone.”

“I said tomorrow,” I sigh loudly, “I just wanna go in my room and sulk over my asshole brother being a giant asshole!”

“And you can and will after we talk,” he says with a smirk. “Mr too-much-tongue has gone so we may as well do this now, get it over with, and then you can carry on planning your payback on me.”

Little does he know that payback will come in the form of me moving out someday soon.

“Fine, but have you been drinking?” He breathes on me, and I grimace over his gross behavior. However, I can’t smell a hint of alcohol on his breath, so I decide to just let him have it, safe in the knowledge that it will be his reaction, not alcohol. “Javier wants you to do a ‘job’ for him.”

“He knows I don’t do that anymore,” he says with a shrug, like the guy is an idiot for even suggesting such a thing. “Besides, Javier has plenty of other assholes he can call on.”

“I told him that.” I roll my eyes over the obvious. “He said he owes you…” I then take a deep breath before I tell him the next part, much to his annoyance. “He said you would want to do it yourself, seeing that it’s the same person who killed…killed our mother.”

We stare at one another intensely, his eyes darkening by the second before he leaps up and begins pacing back and forth across the room. His hands run through his hair with quick, rage-fueled motions and I worry about what he’s going to do next.

“Phoenix, why does he owe you?” I venture cautiously.

My small question causes him to stop pacing abruptly. His stormy eyes dart onto mine so suddenly, I jerk back. A release of a heavy sigh has me bracing myself for the worst, but instead of breaking the tension and simply telling me, he slowly walks back over to the couch and lowers himself to sit beside me. He takes my hands inside of his giant ones and stares at them; he is clearly finding the idea of telling me whatever it is, extremely difficult.

“Because I let Javier and Tony help me deal with the guy who…” He sighs again, almost as if needing the oxygen to stop himself from being sick. “I let them take care of the guy who …raped you.”

“Oh,” I reply sadly as I look away with tears threatening to spill over his admission. He’s never told me what happened to my attacker, but I can imagine how horrific it would have been.

“I hate Tony for hurting you, but at the time, he was distraught and so full of rage, I couldn’t not let him get his own revenge on the motherfucker,” he says with a clenched jaw.

“Revenge for who, Phoenix?” My question has him frowning with confusion. “Revenge for me? Or for him?”

“I guess you, Lou,” he says as though I’m crazy to think otherwise.

“No,” I utter, trying to process the thought myself. “If it had been for me, he would never have hurt me like he did. I’ve done what you asked. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m tired, so I’m going to go to bed.”

“He did love you, Lou,” he says out of nowhere, having never once stuck up for Tony after we parted ways; it almost irks me. “I don’t know why he fucked up so bad, but I do believe he loved you. Still does from what I’ve heard. But I also know you deserve better than someone who can’t hold his shit together when their girl needs them the most.” He gets up and paces toward me, kissing me on top of my head and wrapping me up inside of his big, inked-up arms. “Goodnight, baby sister.”

“Night, pain-in-the-ass brother.”

_____

Louisa

Past

“Hey, Lou, get up,” Phoenix calls through into my bedroom, “Dad needs to talk to us.”

“Ok,” I yawn and stretch before crawling out of bed. The memory of kissing Tony last night infiltrates my mind and I suddenly perk up. I rush out into the living room, still dressed in my PJs, and join Phoenix on the couch. Dad is sitting in the armchair looking pale, so I guess this is about him maybe having to rely on us for a little bit, which I’m more than happy to do.

“Hey, kids, you enjoy your birthday yesterday, sweety?” he asks with a soft smile. I nod with a silly grin I can’t even try to hide. “Good, it took the boy long enough.”

“What’s going on, Dad?” Phoenix says with an impatient sigh. Concern is written all over his stern face, which instantly makes me feel anxious.

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