Hunter, p.7
Hunter, page 7
With the house locked up tight, he didn’t want to drive out to her apartment to drop her off.
He reached out as if to touch her, but stopped himself. This was sex. This wasn’t going to be permanent. Big Dick was never going to find out what he’d done to his little sister.
Getting to his feet, he left the bedroom but couldn’t resist another glance back. Harlow belonged to him. No other man had touched her.
To Hunter, virgins had been a mystery because he’d never encountered one. Not a woman that had waited for him. He’d always gravitated to experienced women. Women with partners made life easier for him, especially when it came time to walk away. With that, he was an expert. Walking away was the easy thing to do.
Pulling his gaze away from the beauty in his bed, he made his way downstairs, and as he did, he heard the ringing of his cell phone. His place was big enough that any ringing shouldn’t affect the woman asleep in his bed, but he wasn’t willing to risk it, and he rushed to his phone, answering it after he saw who the call was from.
“What’s up?” Hunter asked.
“Where are you?” Smokey asked.
“I’m at home, just checking on a few things. I got an alert, but it was some cat or stray or something.” He didn’t like lying to his prez. Smokey had made mistakes over the years, but he was still his fucking brother, and the man had saved his back more times than he could count.
The truth was, Smokey was his best fucking friend, not that he’d get all warm and cuddly with that kind of shit. They were not going to braid hair, or do anything about it. Nor was he going to buy him a necklace.
“I need you down at the bakery.”
Hunter tensed up. There was no way Smokey fucking knew.
“Why?” Hunter asked.
“There was a hit on the place.”
“A hit?”
“Someone flung a brick through the window and it had a message on it.”
“What was the message?”
“Soon.”
“Soon?” Hunter asked, repeating him.
“Yeah. I need you to come and look. I’ve got Big Dick on the scene and a couple of guys. This is the Twisted fucks. You know it, and I know it. I’m not going to have them toying with my woman.”
“You’re sure it’s not just a bunch of kids messing around, causing damage?” Hunter asked.
They had sent the Twisted Bastards MC into hiding. They had wiped out Creed as well as a few of their members. There was no fucking way for them to come running back unless they were fucking stupid.
“No, trust me.”
With that, Smokey hung up.
“Shit.”
“What is it?” Harlow asked.
He spun around as he hadn’t heard her approach. “You were asleep?”
“Nah, I wasn’t. I’m a light sleeper. The moment you started to get out of bed and get dressed, I was awake.”
“Don’t do that kind of shit again. If you’re awake, tell me. I don’t play the game like that. What did you hear?” he asked.
“Something about the bakery,” Harlow said. “It wasn’t exactly clear. You were on the phone and I only really heard your side. You think it’s kids?”
“Someone tossed a brick through your window. Have you and Ava got any bad blood with any of the local thugs?”
Harlow shook her head. “Just to point out, in Fort Clover, you’re the local thugs, and nah, we’ve had a pretty easy time of it, since the whole club accepted Ava, and Smokey loving her and claiming her and all that. It’s an attack?”
“Unless you think tossing a brick through a window is a sweet love note.”
She snorted. “I might not be the expert on sex, but I do know that a brick through a window is not good. So not good on many different levels.”
“Why did you pretend to sleep?” he asked, more interested in why she’d do that than driving over to the bakery. He wasn’t afraid of the threat the club faced. They always had them. Those threats had only increased since joining forces with Carlos Santiago. The Twisted Bastards MC were just an old enemy, and like now, they would make a fuck-up.
Kind of like how you’ve fucked up big time by screwing Big Dick’s little sister.
“I … ugh … I didn’t know what to do.”
“So you pretended to sleep.”
“I’ve never done the whole morning after.” She shrugged. “I did what I thought I was supposed to do. It’s how all the good movies handle it. The morning after is not something people want to talk about.” She nibbled her lip. “Are you going to drop me off at my apartment?”
“No. I’ll tell them I saw you on the way over and I picked you up. Do you want any breakfast?” he asked.
He had intended to cook her something, but with the club calling, there was nothing he could do but answer it. This was his job.
“Nah, I’ll eat something at the bakery or the diner. It’s no biggie.”
He stepped around her. The temptation to organize another night was strong, but instead he went to the hallway and picked up his car keys.
“I’ll be waiting for you outside. Get dressed.”
He left her alone as he made his way toward the car. It was cold as fuck and his car had frosted over. Opening the door, he climbed in, turned over the ignition, cranked the heater up, and directed it over the windshield. It wasn’t long before it started to melt. Harlow didn’t take long. She held her bag against her chest and wrapped herself up in a jacket.
“I’m ready,” she said.
Just from his front door to the car, she had started to shake. She handed him the house keys, and then he turned his car around, got to the gate, wound his window down, and typed in the code. The gates opened, and the moment he was through, he waited until the gates were closed before heading out to the main street and back to town.
Harlow didn’t say a word. He heard her teeth chattering as she wrapped her arms around herself. The heat was already cranked up but he changed the direction of it so she would warm up.
Arriving into town, he saw there were more bikes close to the bakery than just Big Dick’s and Smokey’s.
There were not many people in town yet. Only the people who owned the places had arrived and were starting to open their shops. He ignored them and climbed out of the car.
“What the fuck are you doing riding with him?” Big Dick asked.
“Wow, it’s cold outside and you’re not worried that I froze to death? Real mature, George.” Harlow closed his car door and then looked toward him. “Thank you, Hunter, for being a real gentleman and stopping so I didn’t have to walk the whole way into town.” She shook her head and started to mutter about asshole brothers.
She played the part well and Hunter couldn’t help but smile before returning his attention back to Big Dick.
“What do we know?” he asked, getting the brother to stay focused on the matter at hand, which was the damaged bakery.
“This is personal. So far, whoever did it was able to wipe the street cameras,” Big Dick said.
“They were.” Hunter frowned. He didn’t like that. Twisted Bastards MC never had anyone on their team that was tech savvy.
“Smokey’s pissed.”
“Do you blame him? The Twisted is our problem but the first place they hit is the bakery. They are already crossing a line.”
“Going after family,” Big Dick said.
Hunter watched as Big Dick looked inside the bakery. Following his gaze, he spotted Harlow as she pulled Ava in for a hug.
“They could attack anyone.”
Hunter slapped him on the shoulder and made his way inside, ignoring Harlow. He went straight to Smokey who was inside Ava’s office. The brick and the note were there. He didn’t like that there appeared to be blood on the brick.
“What’s going on?” Hunter asked.
Smokey looked up.
“Raven has already taken a sample of the blood and sent it out to Santiago contacts. We should have an update within the next couple of hours and know who the blood belonged to.”
“Assuming they’re registered or in the system.”
“Yeah,” Smokey said, running a hand down his face. “The cameras were wiped out. We need to close the bakery.”
“If we do that, he’ll know what we’re doing, and we become easier targets.”
“I can’t have anything happen to Ava,” Smokey said.
“Nothing will. We increase the numbers.” Hunter sighed and then looked toward the back of the bakery. “It’s time we made another house call to the old Twisted Bastards MC compound.”
“Already did it,” Smokey said. “It’s abandoned.”
Hunter took a deep breath.
“So, we find out where they’re operating. Trust me, they’re a bunch of dumb fucks.”
“They’re a bunch of dumb fucks who have been able to go under the radar and now attack my woman’s bakery. I’ve got a kid and another on the way.”
Hunter looked at his prez. “You’ve got another kid on the way?”
“Yeah. Ava went and bought the test and we did it last night,” Smokey said, running a hand down his face.
“Congrats?” he asked, not exactly sure if this was the right or wrong time.
“Thanks.”
“You’re not happy.”
“Would you be?” Smokey asked.
“I don’t have any kids, so it would be a big shock to me.” He couldn’t help but think about Harlow, heavily pregnant with his child. This was fucked up and a whole load of fucking scary. He never wanted to have kids. Kids were a fucking pain in the ass, a nightmare. They didn’t bless life, but fuck it up. There was no fucking way he wanted forever with Harlow. This was just fun. An itch that needed to be scratched. Nothing more, nothing less.
Chapter Six
“It’s dog,” Raven said, stepping into the club several hours later. She approached Smokey’s desk and slammed the details down on it.
Hunter looked over to the woman and gritted his teeth. He could have handled a whole lot of shit but finding out that it was blood from a dog, now that pissed him off.
Smokey picked up his cell phone and it wasn’t long before he had Big Dick on speakerphone, giving him the update.
“That narrows it down,” Big Dick said. “There are a lot of old ranch holds, abandoned farms for fucking miles, but if it is dog, then that means they have to be out somewhere with dogs where they could hurt them, and dogs in pain can make a lot of noise.”
“Sick fucks. You find them, you tell us,” Raven said, clenching her hands into fists. “I want a piece of them.”
“Be careful and keep us updated,” Smokey said.
“Will do.”
The call ended.
“Carlos is on his way,” Raven said.
“Shit is about to get really ugly,” Hunter said.
“Where is Ugly?” Smokey asked.
“He’s at The Shack,” Hunter said. “It was Big Dick’s turn, and he’s dealing with Twisted, so Ugly subbed for him.”
“Speaking of Big Dick, I know this isn’t exactly club business, but while at the bakery earlier this week, Harlow started to ask me a whole bunch of questions.”
“I don’t need to deal with family shit,” Smokey said.
“I know, but I got curious and I know that’s the fucking kiss of death, but it happened.”
Hunter tensed up. What kind of questions was Harlow asking?
“You know the old beat-up apartment building she’s been living in?” Raven asked.
Smokey shook his head. “How the fuck should I know?”
Raven chuckled. “Okay, the deets. The landlord is charging her a fortune for a piece of shit apartment. She has no heat, no food, and is running into debt.”
“She told you this?” Hunter asked.
“No, she asked a bunch of unusual questions about rent and what it would cost, and the average rental for a place that sounded like shit. She made out it was some kind of business thing she was thinking of. I know Harlow. She doesn’t want to go to Big Dick about this.”
“I’ll deal with it,” Hunter said.
Raven turned to him and frowned. “You’ll deal with it.”
“Yeah, Smokey has too much shit on his plate right now, and you’ve got to deal with protection detail and if Carlos is coming, you’re going to be busy. I’ll take care of the landlord. Tell me what he’s done wrong, and I’ll fix it.”
Hunter was pissed off that Harlow hadn’t come to him. She hadn’t said a fucking word.
Smokey shooed them out of his office, and Raven pulled out her cell phone, handing it to him, and showing him all the details. Even Harlow’s bank statements.
She was actually in debt. There was no electricity going to her apartment, no gas, no heat. There wasn’t even a sign of grocery payments. Hunter thought about the diner, when she had a plate of fries and was looking through her purse, frowning. He had jumped in and paid the bill. He should have fucking known something was up.
“I’ll handle it,” Hunter said, about to make his way out, but Raven suddenly grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“Why?”
“What?”
“Tell me why you’re suddenly interested in handling this mundane kind of shit?” Raven asked.
“Because she’s Big Dick’s sister and I’ve got fuck all to do until I find where the Twisted Bastards MC are.”
“Is that all?”
“Why don’t you worry about keeping your husband in line and stop worrying about what I’m doing?”
“You know she has a thing for you, right?” Raven asked.
“So?”
“Be careful,” Raven said.
Hunter pulled out of her hold and made his way outside the club. He climbed back in his car because he wasn’t interested in riding his bike in the fucking cold and freezing his balls off. There was only so much he would do.
Climbing behind the wheel, he turned over the ignition and then headed out, going toward Harlow’s apartment building. They all knew it because Big Dick had told them where his sister was living. From what he could fathom, Harlow had told Big Dick to stay out of her business, so this is what he was doing.
Hunter pulled into the available parking to the apartment, and there was no denying it was a shithole. Climbing out of his car, he made his way toward the tower block. Harlow’s name was there on the intercom, clear to see. The doors should be locked as a security measure, but when he tried it, the door opened right away. Harlow didn’t even have that limited protection, which pissed him off.
He knew exactly where to go, seeing as it was labeled where the landlord was.
Knocking on the door, he heard someone call out that they would be right there. A large man in a stained shirt opened the door. He had messy hair that hadn’t been cut or washed, and layers of grease had accumulated, giving it an almost matted look.
“Who are you?” the landlord asked, looking him up and down.
“We’ve got to talk.” He pressed his palm against the door, and the other guy was no match for him as he pushed his way into the apartment. The stench of sweat, piss, and shit was heavy in the air.
“I got no problem with you. What do you want?” the landlord asked.
“Harlow Erickson. Does the name ring a bell?” Hunter asked.
“What the fuck has she done?”
Hunter tutted. “It’s not what the fuck has she done, but you.”
This man—no, not man, piece of filth—had taken advantage of Harlow’s naivete. Big Dick had told them at Christmas that life for Harlow wasn’t always easy with her parents. She had gotten out as soon as she could, tried to be independent, and fucking assholes like this man made life way too hard for her to cope, and it sickened him.
“How much do you charge her rent?” Hunter asked.
The man gave a figure, and that was a lie. Swinging out, the first blow landed to the face. The landlord collapsed on the sofa, which Hunter was pretty sure something crawled out of when he touched it.
“Get up,” Hunter said.
He tried to stay down, but after several minutes, he was on his feet again, and Hunter punched him.
“Tell me how much you charge her for rent.”
It took several blows, but finally the landlord told him the fee. Not only did he charge her rent, the landlord also confessed to charging her an additional fee for utilities. Harlow had been paying double for everything. Hunter was tempted to put the knife through his neck.
“You’re going to give all that money back, because if you don’t, I’ll be coming for you, do you understand me?” The landlord was on the floor at this point, whimpering. Blood came from his mouth, nose, and one of his eyes was already swelling shut.
He didn’t give a shit. Men like this sickened him. There were many of them through all walks of life, preying on the innocent and the weak. He made it a skill to find them, to hurt them. He loved to hunt men who thought they were powerful. Never did he go after the weak.
He left the landlord, after taking all the money the bastard had on him, and Hunter had a feeling he was going to have no choice but to pay him another visit soon. He made his way up to Harlow’s apartment. He already had her key from the landlord, so now he didn’t have to worry about the sick fuck snooping through her stuff.
Stepping foot inside the apartment, he looked around and saw Harlow barely had anything. The apartment was small and clean, but she didn’t have anything. There was a chair, no television, a few books on the floor were neatly placed.
There was no decaying stench in the air, but he saw she’d placed air-fresheners around. He hadn’t realized how she was living. Her kitchen was tiny. The fridge wasn’t working and there was nothing inside it. She didn’t have any electricity and when he tested the gas, he saw that wasn’t working either.
Now he was getting pissed off. None of this shit was good. He took a seat on the single chair and looked toward the door.
