Page 48 of Promise of Hellfire

Hunter chuckled. “Well, this is kind of kinky. What are the three of you planning to do with me?” he asked as Ethan grabbed his hand, encouraging him to stand up.

“Guess you’ll find out soon, big boy,” Ethan joked. “You can’t see anything right? I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

Dominic smirked at them. “Surely, you aren’t doubting our amazing blindfolding skills. I have it on good authority…”

The easy banter continued well after we were in the car and I laughed at them, my nerves slowly dissipating while they talked and hummed along to the music. When we pulled up in front of the gallery, I was amazed at how the outside had been transformed. Hundreds of fairy lights were strung up on the exterior and in the bushes. Everything felt like magic when I heard the light music from inside the building.

Dominic grabbed the ends of the blindfold, allowing Hunter to see for the first time. He inhaled sharply when he saw where we were, his eyes wide. “Guys, I know this isn’t what I think it is.”

Ethan patted his shoulder and opened the car door. “It’s exactly what you think it is and you’re going to love it.”

Waiting outside of the SUV for Hunter, my mind started racing. I thought he would be upset; I didn’t expect fear. Dominic stood beside me, tapping his fingers on his thighs, and when his patience finally ran out, he opened the door and unbuckled Hunter’s seatbelt. “Come on. Your mom’s inside and so is Oliver. We can’t leave them waiting.”

Hunter’s shoulders stiffened further as he grimaced. “I can’t believe you guys,” he mumbled as he finally stepped from the vehicle. He clutched my hand in his tightly. “We’ll talk later,” he told me as we walked to the building.

My stomach dropped at his words and I hoped Ethan was correct. He would have time to reassess the situation before we made it home.

Once we were inside, I couldn’t help but be happy. People milled around looking at the paintings and chattering quietly to themselves. On the wall that was originally blank hung Hunter’s paintings in all of their glory. My cheeks flushed as I realized they were all of me, even if no one else knew. I grabbed a flute of champagne sitting on a tray and took a sip, trying to find something to preoccupy myself with.

The woman with fluorescent red hair saw us and excused herself from the conversation she was in, smiling widely. “So this is the artist,” she declared as she grabbed Hunter’s free hand.

He plastered a pleasant-looking expression on his face. “I don’t know if I would call myself an artist exactly. This is just something I do to relax,” he told her.

“Nonsense,” she replied. “And with no training. You should be proud of your work.”

Hunter blushed at the woman’s praise.If he could only see what the rest of us saw. “Thank you.”

Next, Heidi approached him, wrapping him in a tight hug. “They’re beautiful, Hunter,” she gushed. Her grasp didn’t loosen as she spoke. “Why have you never shown me any of these?”

He let out a nervous laugh. “Because you always wanted me to have a reliable career. Something I could depend on. I’ve seen you struggle my entire life and wanted to make you proud. This was just something I did to de-stress. If it weren’t for these three–”

Ethan cleared his throat. “You can thank Rayne, Ms. Nicholson. This was her idea.”

I elbowed Ethan in the ribs and he grunted as I gave Heidi a tight hug. “It was my idea. I wanted Hunter’s work to be seen and not shoved in the back of a closet.”

He leveled me with a look and Heidi laughed. “I can’t thank you enough. The pieces are gorgeous.”

A woman I didn’t know in a long black dress eyed us curiously as we talked to the other people we knew. Kourtney and Victoria giggled over glasses of champagne and Rory shook his head at them, evidently the designated driver of the evening. Kourtney’s girlfriend was still absent, as always, probably off on a business trip. Ignacio stood beside Lexi, a fairly sizable gap between them as they drank bottled water. I was still curious what their story was, but wouldn’t pry. At least not tonight.

Oliver, Paul, and Aldo stood in the corner drinking tumblers of whiskey. “I’ve told you before that your talents were wasted in finance, but I had no idea,” Oliver stated. “I would’ve hired you to paint murals at the community centers instead of shaking down people that owed me money,” he added in a low voice.

Hunter grinned. “Well, that wouldn’t have exactly prepared me for a future with your girl.”

“I’m serious, Hunter. We’ve been discussing it, the three of us. Next week, I want to talk about it. Sit down with some drinks. Hell, you could do a few pieces for me. Marie’s been on me to redecorate the club.”

Finally, the woman who had been eyeing us found the courage to speak to Hunter. “Are you the artist?” she asked.

Hunter nodded and squeezed my hand that was still folded in his. “I am.”

“This might be presumptuous of me, but I wanted to leave you a card. The gallery owner wasn’t certain if you’d be interested in selling them, but there are several pieces that I’m very interested in. That is if you’re willing to part with your art.”

He took the card from her hand. “Thank you for the offer, but they aren’t worth anything.”

“I’m willing to argue that point, Mr. Nicholson. I hope to hear from you soon.” She turned on her heel and sauntered out of the building, holding her head high.

“Man, look who might be able to retire from finance and crime to pursue his dream of being an artist,” Ethan smirked.

“Don’t joke about that,” Hunter glared.

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