Page 7 of Hunt

“Larsson. You’re a Kaiser, ain’t you?” She pointed that finger at me accusingly.

I shrugged my shoulders indifferently. “So what?”

“What do you want from Riley?” I couldn’t figure out if she were possessive of Riley, being a good friend, or something else.

“Why do you care?” I challenged her to see if she’d crack. “And have you told her who I am?”

“No,” she swallowed, looking a little nervous. “Not yet. I wasn’t sure until now, although I had my suspicions. I can’t figure out why you always chase and watch her like a freaky freak.”

“You’re callingmea freak? Have you looked in the mirror lately?” Yeah, like I was ever going to confess to this scrawny thing what my plans were.

“Haveyou? You’ve got your sweater covering half your face. Geewhizz, that doesn’t look suspicious at all.” She’s bitter and brave, as if she had a bone to pick, but I couldn’t see what her resentment had to do with me being a Kaiser.

I cocked my head to the side. “Geewhizz? No one has said geewhizz since nineteen fifty-four.”

“I notice you’re avoiding my questions.” I was bored with her rant, so I stepped away to find out who she was.

Just as I turned the corner, I heard her squawking at me, “Kaiser scum.”

Did she want to go there? If she knew I was a Kaiser, then why would she do something as stupid as calling me a scum. Not that I cared, and I wouldn’t do anything about it because she seemed a little unhinged.

I checked my phone again and still no reply from Riley, but she had a shift at the club tonight, so I’ll wait for her to show up there. Once back inside my Stang, I pulled my hood down and started a search on who that little weirdo in glasses was. I didn’t get far in my search because I didn’t know where to start, so I’ll ask Riley when I see her next.

Or I could ask her now. I swiped Riley’s number, but it went straight to voicemail, so I assumed she was in class and had turned her phone off. But I still felt uneasy about it, so I called Ronan, who answered after the third ring.

“Yep, sup,” he answered.

“Have you seen Riley recently?” I asked him. “I’m concerned about her safety after seeing that cop, and I can’t find her. She’s not answering my messages, so I'm worried something has happened to her.”

“Cool it, bro. I’m watching her now, peering inside a glass tank of seaweed in a laboratory,” he stated, and my shoulders relaxed.

“Where are you?” I snapped, jealous that he was with her and I wasn’t.

“I’m waiting to go into class, and I can see her through the lab window. She’s alive and doesn’t look too upset, although she’s too busy concentrating on whatever she was inspecting in that glass tank.”

My heart rate dropped, knowing she was okay, but I’d rather be there perving at her through the window than Ronan. “You know, I don’t remember her being a water baby when we were kids.”

Silence fell down the line for several beats before he said, “Don’t you mean Annika?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I’m struggling to separate the two because I’m convinced they are the same person.”

“You mean you wish they were the same person,” he challenged me and I could tell by his tone that he was hoping that Riley and Annika were not the same person, so he could continue to fuck her.

“In a way, I wish they weren’t the same person, and it would make life so much easier, but I know deep down that she is, but I need solid proof.”

He sighed. “I think sometimes, Gunner, you are blinded by your obsession with Annika,” he stated slowly, and a cut of pain jolted my chest with every honest word he spoke. I knew he was telling the truth, but it didn’t make it easy. “It’s getting in the way of you having healthy relationships with girls.”

“Yeah, I know,” I mumbled as the weight of grief landed on my shoulders, wearing me down. “It’s not working, by the way.”

“What?” he snapped. “What’s not working?”

“You’re trying to convince me to walk away from Riley and find another girlfriend so you can have her for yourself.”

His deep laughter radiated down the line. “Sure, dude. I didn’t think I could convince you of anything.”

“We can share Riley until we find out she is Annika,” I told him.

“That’s very sweet of you, bro,” he stated sarcastically. “But I don’t need your permission to pursue my selkie.”

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