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The gun went off. Clare cried out. She fell to the ground, just as her father raised his arm, pointing the gun at Hunter.
Hunter didn’t think.
He pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER 5
“So what did you learn?”
Hunter slumped in the free chair in his dad’s office. He’d been up all night—and his dad had already made it clear that he expected Hunter to go to school.
Clare and her mother were in the hospital.
So was her father, under police guard. He had a bullet hole through his left shoulder.
“A lot of things,” said Hunter.
“Specifically?”
“I should have told you she took the gun.”
His father smiled, but there was an edge to it. “No, that one I understand. What did you learn about her?”
Hunter set his jaw and looked out the window, where sunlight was just beginning to crawl into the sky. “She was using me.”
“And what did Jay tell you about girls?”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “To use them first. That doesn’t even make sense. You want me to go through life using everyone I meet?”
“If it will keep you safe, yes, I do.”
Hunter didn’t say anything.
“Even last night,” said his father. “Even knowing she’d stolen from you. You wanted to help her. Didn’t you?”
“Who wouldn’t want to help her? Can’t you imagine what she must have been going through? Do you blame her?”
“She could have told you, Hunter. If she cared about you, if she trusted you, she would have. Jay was here in uniform last night. She could have told him.”
Hunter scowled.
“If nothing else,” said his father, “say you used her for the lesson.”
“What about you?” Hunter snapped.
“Me?”
“Do you use Mom?”
“You keep saying the word use like it’s a bad thing. As if there’s nothing given in return. Your mother wanted security. A family. A husband who would take care of her. She got those things.”
Hunter snorted. “You make my whole existence sound like a barter transaction.”
“Good. Start thinking of every relationship in your life that way.”
“What fun.”
“You can think about it while we’re gone. I think you’ll figure it out.”
