Page 45 of The Rise

“Told you she could handle it.” Tamsyn grins, looking at Angel.

“I didn’t doubt her,” Angel snaps back.

“You two were betting on me?” I ask them. They both laugh and nod their heads.

“We were trying to see how long you’d last. It takes someone special to be able to handle these men,” Tamsyn tells me. She’s not wrong. An average girl wouldn’t last ten minutes with one of them.

“How are you feeling?” I turn my attention to Becky. She doesn’t come around much, so I’m surprised she’s here now. I’ve heard the stories of what happened with all of them and mostly about Levi. It broke my heart for her.

“I’m good. Everything’s going well,” she replies, looking down at her plate.

“Do you know what you’re having yet?” I ask her. She smiles this time and looks up at me.

“A boy.”

“Really? Aww, congratulations!”

“Thank you. It’s been weird, you know? Levi wanted a boy, and now it’s a boy,” she says, looking a little sad.

“I think it’s great. I can’t wait to see him,” Tamsyn declares, making Becky smile bigger.

Tamsyn passes me a plate of food, and I start to eat when I feel someone behind me. I turn and look over my shoulder to see Hunter standing there, staring down at me.

“What?”

“Nothing. Eat your food,” he encourages, smiling at me. I turn back to my food as Becky excuses herself. She walks to the bathroom, but before she can enter, Hoax stops her.

“What’s that about?” I ask, nodding toward them. Everyone at the table turns to look at the two of them talking.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen Hoax talk to her,” Angel says.

“Me either,” Rylan adds. “But he isn’t getting near her. That’s Levi’s baby.”

“It doesn’t look like he’s trying to do anything,” Silas adds now. We all sit and watch until she nods her head and walks into the bathroom. Hoax turns to see us all and flips us off before walking into another room.

“Well, that’s weird,” Hunter says, grabbing himself a plate and sitting next to me. We eat in silence before the guys start talking about what they’re going to do. Hunter is still a little pissed the Kings are involved in this, but Rylan makes it a point to remind him we’re all family here, and that’s how shit’s going to be run from now on.

“When are we doing this?” Silas asks.

“I want to leave tonight,” Hunter tells them. My head jerks to the side to look at him.

“That soon?”

“Yeah. They know where we are, and this place isn’t easy to find, Lana. We’re off the map for a reason. I wish we had found the chip in your arm sooner,” he says. As much as I hate it, I get it. I nod my head, go back to my food, and finish eating while the guys talk.

I zone out for a while. Wondering what it’s going to be like to see them again. What they’re going to say? What they’re going to think when they see I’m with Hunter? I’m lost in my head when I hear him snapping at me.

“Get up, Lana!” The roar vibrates through my body as I’m pulled out of my head and back to reality.

“What?” I ask, looking up at him.

“I said, get up.” I shove away from the table and stand to my feet, where Hunter quickly shoves me to my knees. I glare up at him, wondering what the hell his problem is now, but he just smiles at me.

“You look so fucking beautiful on your knees at my feet.” I almost want to stand back up but I don’t. “You wanted to be a part of this, Lana, but then you don’t listen.”

“I was … I’m sorry.” He’s right. I wasn’t listening to a word they said.

“Where were you?”

---