TACK
Hunter wakes up a lot overnight. At one point, I find her crying in the bathroom. She shares how Atticus planned to retire to Belize.
I wish I could convince Hunter to shove her pain in the back of her mind and leave it to die in the darkness. That's what I do.
Unlike me, Hunter owns her pain. I probably would have won her heart years ago if I could have been as brave.
My bad habits are on my mind as I convince Hunter to return to bed. She should have rested more yesterday, but she kept following people around.
"What did I do to make someone massacre people on the street like that?" Hunter whimpers as fatigue and guilt fight for dominance. "I try not to be bitchy, but I made someone mad."
"That's on them, not you. There are people in this world with something wrong inside them. Nothing can be done except to put them down like a rabid dog."
Though my words aren't particularly soothing, my fatigue insists I focus on revenge. Hunter doesn't seem impressed by my words. Still, she presses her body against mine and whispers she loves me. I like how easily she says those words.
We crash back into sleep after four in the morning. I expect an early wake-up time since Sleepy usually wants to go outside after dawn to take a piss.
That's why I'm startled to open my eyes and find my room filled with sunlight. Realizing Hunter and Sleepy are gone, I fly out of my bed and go searching for them.
The house is quiet with everyone having already started their day. On the porch, I stumble upon Indigo with Sleepy and Grumpy at his feet. My brother looks wiped out.
"Do you think they'll miss each other when you move in with Hunter?" he asks without looking up from the game on his phone.
"Probably," I yawn and scan the sunny day. "Where is Hunter?"
"At Carys's house. When I got up, Hunter was sitting out here with Sleepy. I figured she might have more fun with her girlfriends, so I scooted her in that direction."
"Any word on the assholes from yesterday?"
"If there is, no one's shared it with me. Noble and Zoot are supposed to be around by lunchtime. Maybe they'll tell you something then."
I go inside and clean up before finding Indigo staring out at the trees. He's wearing that look he gets when he's pissed yet won't fess up the reason. I consider why he might be angry. He could be thinking about yesterday. Or he might be mad about someone cutting him off in traffic a year ago. Indigo isn't easy to read.
"Did Golden piss you off last night?" I ask when he stands up and frowns at the grassy lawn between this farmhouse and the dirt road leading around the farm.
Indigo seems disheveled. His brown hair hangs loose. He looks like he slept in his clothes.
"No," Indigo mutters. "Did it piss you off when he kept asking how your dick felt after so long without sex?"
"Yes, it did."
Rubbing his jaw, Indigo mutters, "Golden never knows when to shut up."
"Yeah, but sometimes, it's better to speak up."
"Like when?"
"Hunter got all bent out of shape over how I never mentioned Sleepy."
Indigo stops frowning at the woods and glares at me. "Why wouldn't you tell her about your dog? She knew about mine."
"I was never sure what might be a dealbreaker between us, so I kept stuff to myself."
"Would she really care about your dog?"
"I wasn't sure. I mean, yeah, now it seems dumb to keep him a secret. But what if she didn't like him?"
"Why wouldn't she like Sleepy? What's wrong with him?"
"He's a dumb mutt. Can't even do tricks like Zoot's dog."
Indigo leans down to pet the two dogs. "That's because we never taught them to do anything. We just let them run around."
"I only wanted a dog to play with."
Indigo nods and settles on the porch swing. "You can take Grumpy when you move in with Hunter. She won't be staying at that condo, will she?"
"Why would you want me to take your dog?"
"You know Grumpy and Sleepy are bonded and won't do well apart. In fact, Sleepy will probably tear your new house apart if you keep him from his brother."
When I consider my dog feeling shitty, I suggest, "In that case, maybe Sleepy should stay here with Grumpy."
"Okay," he says without a second thought. "I'll keep them both."
I smile at Indigo's quick reply. "I'm going to miss my dog."
"No, you won't. You'll always be around. Sleepy will barely notice the difference."
Eyeballing him and wondering if I just got played, I mutter, "I ought to shove you in the mud for stealing my dog."
"Yeah, but you won't. Gotta put on a respectable mask for your rich girlfriend."
I look away from his smirking face to the line of black SUVs heading up the road.
"What is this?" I ask Indigo.
"Kovak Syndicate," he says and nudges my foot with his. "You aren't awake if that was a real question."
My brain catches onto the personalized front plates on the SUVs. Before I can ask why they're here, I decide I really am still half asleep.
After the SUVs pull past the front farmhouses and down the road, I leave Indigo and start walking. Sleepy lifts his head and considers following me. I see him struggling, but in the end, he tends to cling to Grumpy. Indigo isn't wrong about how the dogs won't do well apart.
The SUVs are parked in front of Carys's house when I stroll up to them. The security stands next to their vehicles. The men don't acknowledge my arrival.
In the living room of Pork Chop and Carys's homey one-story rambler, Hunter receives kisses on her bruised face from three-year-old Jacinda and Hector. The kids see me and smile.
"Hello, Snack," Jacinda says with such confidence.
As usual, I don't correct the kids when they fuck up my name. Carys snickers nearby as Natasha fans her. Hunter flashes me a warm smile in response to the kids flubbing my name.
"We kiss Hunter's boo-boos," Hector explains to me. "You have boo-boos?"
"No, I'm good," I lie.
"Tatínek have boo-boos," Jacinda says and smiles at Bear who appears next to me.
My club brother grins at the kids. I didn't think Bear had it in him to be a mellow family man, but he's gotten the hang of the dad routine. Doesn't even mind when the kids speak to him in Czech.
After Hunter is sufficiently cuddled, Hector and Jacinda go search for their friends. Siobhan joins Hunter and Carys on the couch, before tugging Natasha into the mix.
With her gaze locked on me, Hunter wiggles free from the girl pile on the couch. "I'll be back."
"But we just crammed all our asses on the couch," Siobhan whines and reaches for Hunter.
"Yeah, why exactly are you all on my couch?" Carys asks. "I've got chairs. One of your asses could spread out there."
Hunter ignores the sisters griping at each other and kisses me. I enjoy the sweet flavor of her lips and assume she's been drinking lemonade.
"You sleep deep," she says when our lips tug apart.
"Yesterday was tough, and those pain meds make me groggy."
"Sure, sure. Indigo said you sleep like a baby normally. The dog is your alarm clock."
Grinning, I admit, "Sleepy climbs on my head when I don't wake up to let him out."
Despite her tired eyes and bruised face, Hunter seems calmer today. I run my fingers over her slightly swollen nose.
"That airbag did a number on you."
"Better than what the dashboard would have done," Hunter says and then notices everyone watching us. "I'm having lunch here. Bear said there's a meeting for you guys soon. But afterward, maybe we could take a nap in your room."
Something about the way she says the word "nap" makes me think my dick is about to get lucky again.