Page 84 of Hunter
CINCUENTA Y UNO
Thispendejo.He’s lost his mind. He’s out hereliteralmenteacting crazy, making deals about things that he doesn’t need, and sacrificing himself. I know nothing about sports, but I canfucking assume that it would be a big fucking fuck-up if this man did something intentional to mess up his game.
And I wasn’t the only one who thought that he was being reckless; tattoo guy did too.Pero no, but notTommy, this fucking old timer placed a fucking bet like he didn’t just watch all of this shit go down.And then he reminded Payton to give her grandma his regards.
After Gabe disarmed theprincesa de los psicópatas, princess of the psychos, Alvi’s guys swarmed the three amigos and kicked them out of the shop.¡Ya! ¡Vete! (Go away!)
Then Alvi lost his shit. He wasn’t playing. He was fucking pissed and gave zero fucks as he ripped every man remaining in the shop a new asshole over tonight. To his credit, he kept it together a lot longer than I thought he would. But then again, my bodyliteralmentepassed the fuck out to take a break frommy pinche primo,and to avoid her crazy ass.
I rolled my eyes so far back that I saw the fuckingXtat on the base of my neck as these grown-ass men acted shocked and shook while Alvie went off about Payton walking into the shop with a gun in her,‘Gucci’, pink purse.Fucking idiots.
I remember when Gabe surprised her with it one day after school. She was having another clinically insane moment, and he was standing at the King's south gate with a big bag that had tissue paper sticking out the top, and a fucking pink bow on the front of it.
He looked fucking ridiculous wearing X colors with his chain out, gangbanger ink, holding onto this huge-ass present, as he waited for her to walk out.
I also remember being so fucking relieved that he didn’t make me go with him to one of those fancy-ass stores to‘purchase’it. Not that he did that shit either, I fucking bet that shit’s from Canal Street.
She didn’t care, though; this bitch acted like it was real, and proudly carried that ugly ass purse around New York, while talking shit about someone else’s fake bag.
I had been right about the storm. I felt it coming,pero,I had no idea that it would go in and sabotage his future like this. The wind gusts felt like they were blowing at a hundred miles per hour, and they were so fucking strong, it was literally uprooting my man’s childhood dreams before it dumped them in the bottom of the pond that he told me he liked to skate on as a kid.
The damage that Hurricane Payton was causing was fucking catastrophic, and she wasn’t done yet. After they left, it still felt like there was a threat of another storm to ride out.
The air usually settles after it thundersyrains,pero, the heavy overcast of energy wasn’t clearing. It was stagnantystaleystuck. It was also full of painysuffering.
The one thing about growing up in New York is that you learn that the sky can change at any time; the weather can be fucking crazy. It can be unstable and act up just when you think that it’s safe to leave your fucking umbrella at home.
It can’t be trusted, and neither can Payton. She’s playing us. I feel it in my fucking solar plexus.
We sat there on that couch in silence, Hunter’s arm around my shoulders, and it felt like he was still shielding me from the storm damage. As much as I appreciated it, I can’t let him risk it all for me. I won’t let him take that chance.
He’s had a fucking dream and a plan to get there… and all I’ve got is a fucking target on my back. He wants to be the hero here,peronot at the cost of what he’s worked so hard for.
I had refused to leave when Alvi told us that our ride was here. He had insisted and arranged for one of his family guys to drive us back to the house, but I kept my ass on the couch when he pulled up. I don’t give a fuck; they could sit out there all night. I had questions that needed answers.
I needed Alvi to fucking explain to me about this game that Payton wanted my man to fuck with. Thiscabrónwas in a fucking trance and staring at the floor with a scary look on his face. He was locked in and too fucking stubborn to give me the key. All he kept saying was that it was gonna be okay.
Perohe can’t possibly know that. And no matter how many fucking times he said it, it doesn’t make it true. That’s what ran through my mind when Alvi told me that he had my man’s back and that he wouldn’t let Payton follow through with her threats…perothey weren’t just threats,fue su promesa, it was her promise.
CINCUENTA Y DOS
It was fuckingfour in the morning when I stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk. Alvi was fucking insistent about this Rossi Family guy staying parked outside as a precaution. I toldhim that he could leave, that it wasn’t fucking necessary, but he didn’t listen.Stupido.
I don’t know what the fuck they thought was gonna happen, but I could tell you that Gabe wasn’t leaving her side to come find me for round two tonight. I know this for a fucking fact.
He doesn’t play when Payton gets like this. I’ve caught his ass reading book after book about mental health, and he’s done his research. He won’t leave her ass, so he’s figured out how to deal with it all.
It’s how I know that every time she has one of these episodes, she ends up sleeping it off for literal hours if not fucking days. She’s comatose, and my cousin doesn’t fucking move. He would rather get fucking stabbed for not coming back to the X than leave her unprotected.
In our junior year, she had another one of these incidents, and he didn’t come back for a whole fucking week. He didn’t report in, and he took a knife to the hand as punishment. When it healed up, he got the imprint of her red lips inked over it so it would be like she was kissing it better.Pinche guacareada. Fucking vomit.
Back then, he was being diligent and made sure that her Pops didn’t get so coked up that he, "accidentally," walked into her room late at night. We never spoke about it, but I know he didn’t trust her father. He knew what a sick fuck he was.
Even with that motherfucker dead and gone, he won’t stray from her when she crashes out like this. I bet he’s keeping watch to make sure that his nasty ass friend doesn’t try any shit. And I bet that motherfucker would.
On their way out, even with Tommy holding blue suit guy by his fucking neck, thatbabosohad the balls to look over his shoulder at me and smile. I swear tomis diosas, I felt the sludge in my gut bubble up when I caught him licking his cracked lips. There’s something not right about his creepy-looking ass.
I guarantee it’s one of the reasonsmi primo’sfucking paranoid right now.Otro rasgo familiar. Another family trait.He’s probably out here locking every window and door of whatever fucking hole they’re staying in.Pero, in addition to his boy being a fucking creeper, Gabe knows just as well as I do that Princess fucking Payton was given a pardon tonight.
