Page 10 of Hunter
“What’d the camera show, man?” I don’t take my eyes off of her. If I do, she’ll be gone, and thinking about that has me feeling fucking insane for the second time today.
Earlier, she made me feel so fucking impulsive that I got it in my head that I needed a black cat tattooed on my chest. Because I watched her fade away once, and I couldn’t fucking stand it.When I saw her again today, I was instantly convinced that she’s got nine lives. And I want all of them.
FIVE
The bangingon the back door for the second time tonight has me on high alert, and I immediately step in front of her and the noise.
“We’ve got company, three at the back door,” Alvi rattles off a second after his phone chirps with a notification from what I assume is the security camera app. “Go hide her in the office. They’re not moving.”
She’s shaking. Trembling. Her blade is still in her hand, and there’s no way she’s letting go of that without it becoming aproblem. Right now, I’d rather fight whoever’s on the other side of that door than her.
“You know who’s out there, or am I finding out the hard way?” Alv asks her, dropping his tone and shaving the edge off his voice as he encourages her to talk. Her eyes are staring at the back hallway, like she’s expecting someone to walk through and grab her. Motherfucker’s gonna have to go through me first. “Fine, hard way it is. You don’t have to tell me, but you do need to go into the office now.”
“This isn’t your fucking problem. I’ll go out the front, just hold them off for a few minutes to give me a head start,” she says while turning toward Alv and the door that he’s still blocking.
“Like fuck it isn’t,” I bark out over the continuous banging. Is she fucking insane?Yes, yes, she is.
“This has nothing to fucking do with you, either of you. I only knocked on the door because the back light was on, and I took a chance to run through to the other side. Just let me go,” she explains, and there’s zero fucking way that I’m letting her leave.
“No dice, you stay,” he says while pointing his finger at her. “Go into the office. Now.” His voice is firm. I grab the fabric loop on her bag, lift it up to take the weight off her back, and I start to steer her body toward the shop office door.
She listens for once and doesn’t shake me off this time, as she takes two steps with me. Her fucking backpack is gonna slow me down getting her to safety, and every second counts.
I tear it off her and throw it over my shoulder. It’s a miracle that she's not fighting me for taking it off her back, and it’s a fucking supernatural phenomenon that she keeps walking in the right direction.This thing weighs as much as my fucking hockey bag.
Alvi gives me a chin nod before turning to go down the back hallway to deal with the latest fucking drama. His family is involved in some fucking heavy shit, and he knows everyone andeverything that goes on here. I bet that includes whoever’s in the alleyway.
It probably also includes Edison. He’s been lurking like a fucking creeper, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, while he watched me struggle with her. He’s probably seen her around the neighborhood.
I know she stays at the shelter a few blocks over and would have to walk past the front of the shop to and from HU.I hate that she stays there.
She’s so fucking stubborn and refuses to move in with my sister and Red. She’d have her own room if she lived with them. Red made sure to secure a three-bedroom suite, with the intention of her having a place to go after their dorm room became a crime scene.And did she fucking listen? No, no, she did not.
“Get inside, you’ll be safe here,” I tell her when we reach the office door. I’m right behind her, hovering over her little frame, boxing her in with my body to guard her from anything and anyone. I reach over to open the door and inhale her scent. She smells good, like peanut butter and crazy.
“Don’t tell me what to fucking do, and don’t make promises that you can’t keep,pendejo.” I've never seen so much attitude in someone so fucking small.
“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you,” I assure her while flipping the lock behind us. I put her bag down on the floor next to the couch that Alvi sleeps on most nights and watch her scan the small space.
“Why? Because you said so? Must be nice to live in your fantasy land,” she huffs out while crossing her arms over her chest. She’s still got her knife in her hand. Some girls wear bracelets and rings. This one clearly prefers metal blades.
“Because I’ll make sure of it, Edison,” I spit out while grinding down my molars. My jaw is about to snap. She alwaysdoes this. She doesn’t trust a word that comes outta my mouth and makes sure that I fucking know it. She questions me, pokes holes in whatever I say, and never takes me at my word.I don’t blame her one fucking bit, but it still annoys the shit outta me.
“No, pendejo, yo me cuido sola (No, asshole, I take care of myself).”
“What's that mean?”
“That I don’t fucking need you.”
SEIS
¡¡¡Quéchingado, wey!! What the fuck!!!How the hell did I end up in a hole with Hunter Wilton?!?! He’s the last person that I expected to see when I banged on that fucking back door.
This was the only light that was on in the back alley, and I took a chance that someone would be here to let me in. I just needed to run through and get out the front. I had a plan to disappear into the dark, and he’s fucking it all up. Now I’m stuck in here, hoping to Hecate that thepandillerosoutside get tired and leave.
Fucking gangbangers. Activity has picked up in the past year, and they’re staking claims all over town. I’ve seen some petty shit go down, but nothing like what I saw tonight.
Shooting someone in a dark alley is what I’d expect to see back in New York. Not in sleepy Virginia. If this town isn’t careful, HU’s gonna be the new Fordham University with its wrought iron-gated campus, brick and stone buildings, and green lawns. Smack dab in the middle of a fucking gang-fueled war zone.
