Page 96 of Hunter
That seemed to work well enough for their reporting, and Gabe’s story checked off all their boxes. I told him to swing by the shop tomorrow and we’d work out the details of his new employment.
“Good, come by tomorrow, after hours,” I tell him as he stands with her in his arms. I see one of my guys nod me over and I start to walk away.Looks like Tommy Boy’s got himself a new guy to train.
I look down at my phone and can tell that my wife’s in her office. She flipped the bathroom light on. I have sensors tracking every light in the building by her fingerprints and get notifications on my phone of what room she’s in at all times.
I also have bugs everywhere. Her office, her bathroom, her car, and all over her fucking house. I want to be able to hear her voice whenever I fucking want. I tap the bug that I have in her office bathroom and hear her faintly crying. I hate that this is our life. That I’m on one side and she’s on the other.
I swipe the app away and breathe out. There’s nothing to do but respect her choice, even if I wasn’t it. I cover up a yawn and feel fucking exhausted as I walk up to Hunter and his brother, rolling my goddamn eyes.I’m getting too old for this fucking shit.
Because literally up against the fucking police tape, outside of a crime scene of literal shit that I just cleaned up, are these two idiots squawking off at their boy Max like the three of them are about to fight.I swear there isn’t enough fucking coffee in the goddamn world for this.
EPILOGUE
We were toldto wait in this spot before we were let go, and either Max or my brother must have called the girls to come out and get us. At least I can apologize and say some shit to everyone all at once. After all, they had my back through thick and thin tonight.
I’m standing over by the yellow tape and have Ed tucked into me. All I want to fucking do is get her home, get her showered, and get us into bed. Then we’re not fucking moving until furthernotice.She’s gonna have every meal naked for the next fucking week.
“Hi, my name is Evie Wilton, and-d-d I’m here for my fiancé, and-d-d brothers, and also my friend who is here,” I hear my sister say to a police officer. I get stuck on a new word.What the?
“Wait, what did she just say? my brother asks me. We both turn at the same time to look at Max, who already has his arms out and is ready to embrace our sister.Our sister, who just referred to him as her fiancé… is my fucking sister engaged?
“She said fiancé,” Ed says, “When did that happen?” she questions as we walk past the tape to get to Red’s car.
“I have no fucking idea, I didn’t fucking know,” I say, still looking at them, before turning to my brother, who’s squeezing the absolute shit out of Red, “Did you?”
“Do I look like I knew?!” he snaps and looks at his girl, “Did you know?”
“I would like to exercise my Fifth Amendment right at this time,” she says while holding up her right hand.
“WHAT THE FUCK, MAX?!” Chase yells, “YOU CANT FUCKING PROPOSE!”
“I can and I did, brother,” he says with a stupid fucking grin.Brother.Oh my fucking God, she’s gonna fucking marry him.
“Evie, what the fuck?!” I question as Max puts his arms around her shoulders.
“Isn’t it so romantic?!” she responds like she’s the happiest girl in the fucking world. “I know it’s not happening right away, but still, I’m so so so excited!” she squeals, and Max kisses the top of her head. The news is so distracting that I momentarily forget that we’re walking away from a fucking murder scene.
“I’m going to marry my brothers' best friend!” Our sister says, and I look at said best friend, who doesn’t seem to give a shit that this is fucking bananas.
“You don’t have a ring,” I follow up with, after scanning her finger. Isn’t that a legal thing, like you need one or some shit to propose?
“She doesn’t need a ring to be engaged,cabrón,” Ed hisses out. “Don’t be an asshole, congratulate your sister, and your friend.”
“So what, even though I don’t have a ring, I could just ask you to marry me, and if you said yes, then we’re engaged too? Just like that?” I ask her.
“Yes, that’s how it works. Even I know this shit.”
“It hasn’t been that long, isn’t there fucking rules about that?”
“You’re a fucking idiot, no, there’s no fucking rules. When you know you know, I guess. Let them be happy.”
“That’s what you really think, smartypants? That when you know, you know?” I ask her, pulling her into me as I lean up against the white SUV.
“Since you, yeah, it’s all that I actuallyneedto know,” she says with emphasis, and I clock her sweet little smile before leaning down to rest my forehead on hers. What I know is that this girl is my home, and that she’s coming back with me and never fucking leaving.
“Careful, little demon, that almost sounds romantic, like you’d actually say yes.” I feel this flutter in my chest when the last word comes out, and know that she’ll be Ed Wilton in the future. Because that’s what she’s giving me.
“One day, when you ask me, that’s exactly what I’ll say. And then we’ll live fucking happily ever after.”
“Si, hermosa?”
“Si, mi vida.”
El fin.The End.??
