Page 19 of The Rise

“Do you want something?” I ask him. He just smiles at me.

“I’m just thinking.”

“About what?” I ask.

“You.” I glance over at Hunter, but he’s still looking down at his phone, not paying us any attention, so I turn back to Hoax.

“What about me?” I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I’m wondering how you got him to keep you.”

“Who said he was keeping me?”

“He isn’t letting you go.”

“And that bothers you?” I ask him, listening to Hunter chuckle under his breath.

“No. Not as much as I thought it would. Honestly, I’m not sure what to think about you, Lana. You’re one of them,” he says, shoving up to stand as I do the same.

“I’m not one of them.”

“Yeah, you are.” He’s pissing me off. He’s pushing my buttons, and I don’t know why.

“You know what? Fuck you, Hoax!” That’s when I move, lunging toward him, taking him by surprise, and tackling him to the ground. My fist pulls back and slams into the side of his jaw as he laughs at me. He fucking laughs at me! Tears spring to my eyes as I swing again, only to be lifted off him in one move. Hunter has me around the waist, dragging me toward the other side of the room. He spins me and slams me against the wall, knocking the air from my lungs, then stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at me.

“What?” I snap at him.

“You can’t just go around attacking people, especially my people.”

“He started it,” I snap at him, wiping at the tears on my cheeks.

“Was he wrong?” he asks me. My mouth falls open at his words, but he’s right. I was one of them, but I’m not anymore.

“I’m not one of them. Not anymore.”

“Then what are you, little rebel?” My heart skips a beat every time he calls me that.

“I want to help you.”

“Doing what? Torturing people?” he muses, his head tilting to the side.

“If that’s what I need to do.”

“You’re not a killer, Lana.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t know me,” I argue, trying to defend myself. Clearly, I’m not doing a very good job at it, though. Hunter steps closer to me, wrapping his hand around my throat and pulling my body closer to his.

“You’re right. I don’t know you, and you haven’t offered up anything, either.”

“I don’t know you either, Hunter.”

“I’m Hunter Ray. I’m twenty-six years old. I’m a fucking God by birth, but I earned my spot here. I kill and torture for a living. I’ve never hated anything more than traffickers aside from my dad, and I killed him. That about sums me up,” he reveals.

“I’m Lana St. John. My father sold me to his friend when I was seven. I lived with him until I was sixteen, and he no longer wanted me. I was his toy to use and abuse. When I came back, they acted as if I was never gone and put me to work. That was eight years ago. I’ve taken care of those kids as best I could. I never want to go back to that life again.”

“You’ve been hurt,” he says softly.

“More than you could know.”

---