19. Start At The Beginning

Chapter 19

Start At The Beginning

Megan

I rest my hand on Hunter’s knee, only imagining how difficult this conversation must be for him. He’s the kind of man who likes to have control over everything, and Lacy must feel like a wild card right now.

“I’m just saying that it’s better for you to get the college thing out of the way now,” he says to Lacy in a tone I don’t recognize. “Work will always be there.“

I close my eyes in silent exasperation. He’s known her as his sister for all of five seconds, and now he wants to plan out her entire life. Typical Hunter. He’s going to scare her off before they have a chance to get to know each other.

“You know,” I interrupt, trying to keep some semblance of peace. “Instead of making all these decisions right now, why don’t you two just wait? Spend some time with each other, get to know each other, and of course, you can keep coming here and working, Lacy. We certainly need you if we’ll ever serve a decent chicken wing after Billy leaves.”

I sneak a peek at the thunderous expression on Hunter’s face and wince. I guess I’ve overstepped, but I’m doing this as much for him as I am for Lacy.

“I mean, that’s my suggestion,” I say, trying to clean things up. “I’m certainly not firing you, especially if this job gives you the stability you need while you two maneuver this um…new situation. I’m sure Mr. Middleton would agree.”

I enunciate each word of my last sentence, hoping that it breaks through Hunter’s primal urge to control and protect. That’s not what Lacy needs right now.

“This is a lot to process,” Lacy says, her face turning a shade of pasty grey.

I haven’t known her for that long, but my chest suddenly feels tight with emotion for her. Imagine finding out your brand new boss is actually your brother. This is all kinds of reality show crazy.

“You’re right, Lacy, this is a lot. But maybe you could look at it from this point of view as well. You don’t remember Hunter, but he definitely remembers you. You’ve just been reunited with your older brother. These things don’t just happen every day. You’re no longer alone in this world,” I tell her almost wistfully. “You’re one of the lucky ones, Lacy.”

It’s noticeable when my words finally register with her. She rubs her swollen eyes and says, “Yeah, that’s true.”

“You can stay with me tonight, and then I can help you move into Hunter’s place tomorrow.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Is that okay?”

“I have to live with you?” She looks warily at Hunter.

“You don’t have to do any of this, but it would be a good idea if you did,” he tells her in a steady voice. “I will get you your own apartment, maybe in our building if you like it, but for now, it’s safer that you stay with me until things settle down. I have a guest room that will be perfect.”

“What do I call you?” she softly questions, and I see that the realization of who she is now may be starting to sink in. It may not be a full understanding because who can actually grasp the fact that they’re the baby sister of one of the most dangerous men in Los Angeles in ten minutes?

“Hunter, you can call me Hunter.”

“Why don’t you go wait in my office?” I suggest to her when it seems that the conversation has fizzled out. Both she and Hunter seem to be struggling to find anything more to say, and we’ve all had a harrowing night. God knows I need a good shower and maybe a shot of something from the bar. “When I’m finished up for the night, we can go home together.”

Christian is still waiting outside, and I realize that Hunter has basically assigned his friend to shadow Lacy for the time being.

“How are things on the floor?” he asks Christian, referring to the club, which surprisingly is still open for business. It’s as if nothing in the back of the building ever happened.

“Normal.”

“How could things be normal when there was just a series of gunshots in the back?” I ask, dumbfounded.

“The main walls of the club are soundproofed to meet the requirements of city ordinances. Between that and the decibel level of the music, no one could hear a thing that happened outside,” Christian explains.

Incredible.

No wonder so many crimes go unnoticed around here.

“Take care of her,” Hunter tells Christian.

“Like a newborn baby.” He smiles.

I realize that we’ve monopolized the kitchen for far too long, and the staff needs to get back in here if we’re going to serve food tonight, so Hunter and I finish talking in his office. When it’s finally just the two of us, I ask him cautiously, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he mutters, but his expression is anything but fine.

I don’t like assuming what other people are feeling but I also cannot just turn a blind eye toward Hunter. I care about him, and without knowing much about his childhood, I know that his finding Lacy has had a tremendous effect on him. He’s moved in a way that I’ve never seen. A way that I thought him incapable of feeling.

Hoping that he won’t snub me, I say, “You probably expected this to go in a completely different way, but you have to keep in mind that she doesn’t remember her life before foster care at all. Not many people remember things from the age of three or four years old. You basically just informed her that not only does she have a brother but that she is also no longer broke and that she now has opportunities in front of her that she never expected to get. Living in a plush Los Angeles apartment and going to college were probably never things she ever considered. Give her some time to adjust to it.”

I step towards him, and he wraps his arms around me as if seeking my warmth. I do the same, wrapping my arms around his waist and tilting my head up to meet his stormy grey eyes.

“You can be pretty smart sometimes,” he says with a smile.

“I have my moments.”

“I don’t want her to have to work. Have you looked into her eyes, Megan? She looks so tired, and she’s not even thirty yet.”

“Don’t try and control her that much. Give her some breathing space, or she’ll just resent you. You can watch over her from a distance and let her cover that distance herself.”

“I wasn’t always rich.” I feel the sigh that leaves Hunter. “When I was just graduating high school, my mother had Lena with some inconsequential man she met at a bar. She couldn’t afford to feed us both, so I did what I could to keep the lights on and food in the fridge. I became a man on the streets of LA, but the way the streets are set up, it was destined for me to lose my family.”

Hunter mindlessly plays in my hair as he continues a story that I know must be difficult for him to share.

“I got involved with a gang, and I was framed for something I didn’t do. Nobody cared about the truth; they just needed to prove a point so they wouldn’t look weak, so they dragged me to my house and made me watch as they set it on fire. They told me stories of all the horrific things they’d supposedly done to my baby sister and my mother and then held me back from rushing inside to save them.”

Hunter’s words are soft as he walks through memories of his past, and I listen with bated breath. I want to cry.

“A part of me died as I watched the flames of that fire. The protective son and brother disappeared, but out of those ashes rose a Phoenix. It took me years, but once I consolidated power and made something of myself, I tracked down all of those who were still alive and killed them slowly, one by one. Of course, it never brought my family back to me.”

My eyes feel like they’re burning. “You have Lena back.”

“She doesn’t even remember me,” he says, and I hear the trace of thick grief in his voice. “It’s interesting how not one of those assholes ever mentioned that Lena was alive as I sent them on their way to hell. Someone had to know. How did she end up in foster care?”

“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that you don’t have all the answers,” I look up at him. “Now you get to be the big brother and protect her, and she has a chance to get to know you without experiencing the grief of missing you all those years.”

“Maybe,” Hunter meets my gaze.

“There’s no maybe.” I give him a firm nod. “Once she falls into the younger sister role, you’re going to have your hands full. Besides, it’s nice to have somebody in your life who puts you first. I remember, when I was little, I would often wish that some unknown relative would come swooping in like some sort of superhero and whisk me away from everything.”

Hunter studies me. “Your childhood was that bad?”

“Like you didn’t do your in-depth research into me.” I give him a wry smile.

“I know some of it but I didn’t want to totally pry.” He shrugs. “I would rather you come tell me your secrets yourself.”

“Is that why you told me this one about your sister?” I ask.

“I involved you because I trust you and because I wanted you to know. You belong to me now, Megan, and there shouldn’t be anything we can’t share with each other. I would move heaven and earth to keep you safe and happy, and in time, I’m hoping you’ll feel the same way about me.”

His words make something quiver inside my chest, and I try to breathe past it. “You don’t play fair.”

“That’s because I’m not playing,” he says thickly.

“Of course, I feel the same way about you. I’m just not as eloquent with my words.”

He buries his face in my neck. “When I’m inside you, your body says everything I need it to say.“

“Now you’re just being fresh,” I chuckle, my heart racing at his words even as I try to remain unaffected.

He just smiles against my skin as his hands slide around and caress the cheeks of my butt, but I think he’s using physical intimacy as a defensive tactic to avoid the topic. Maybe he always has, and I never noticed.

I pull back and stare into his eyes. “Does it really bother you that I haven’t shared everything about my past with you?”

Hunter gives me a steady look. “I’ve shared more with you than I have with any other woman, so yeah, maybe it bothers me a little.”

“There’s nothing I can tell you that you can’t find out yourself.”

“Is that the kind of relationship you want the two of us to have? Because it can be that, but I don’t want you to resent me for it a year from now.”

“A year from now?” I echo back.

“Unless you plan on going somewhere,” he says through tight lips.

I sigh and wander over to the couch, pulling my legs up under me. He follows me, sitting beside me and pulling me into his chest.

This was supposed to be a physical relationship, something fun, and then he decided to give a name to it. I honestly never thought that Hunter would ever want to be involved in something serious with me. I’m a college student. I’m a starving artist. I work for him. I’m so much younger than him. I could go on and on about all the differences between us and all the reasons why the two of us don’t make any sense at all, but the respect he shows me, the care, I’ve never experienced anything like it before. It makes me want to share some part of the pain that still lives inside of me, especially after what I’ve seen happen between him and Lacy today.

So, for the first time ever…I decide to trust someone, and I start at the beginning.

“My parents were inhumane monsters.”