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"That police report says different. Stop seeing him. Don't see him again. If you stay away from him, I'll up your allowance and you can stop working part time. Make high honors and you'll be a shoe-in to Harvard Law. I have markers to call in. I can help you."
"I don't need your help, Spencer," I said, tears in my eyes. "I can do it on my own. I got into Harvard on my own."
"No, you didn't. I gave you the edge. If you disobey me, you'll get no money until you're twenty-one. You'll have to work two part-time jobs and you won't be able to keep up your grades. You won't make it. Is some thug worth it? Really?"
We stood there, facing off against each other. He had hit me for less than this before, but I wasn't afraid of him now. In fact, if he were to die tomorrow, I wouldn't care, except for how it would affect my mother.
"If you don't obey me, I'll call up my contacts in the Marines and get him thrown out of that. I can make a lot of trouble for Hunter, and I will—unless you promise me you won't ever see him again. I'll put a call in to the commander at Parris Island. If I want, I can get him kicked out before he even gets there. But I'd rather see him become a Marine than stay here and continue to bring Graham down or, God forbid, ruin you."
I fumed silently, my fists clenched.
"I won't see him again," I said finally, confused about the police report, and not wanting Hunter to suffer because I was being selfish. Maybe Hunter had beaten up that man. I was too upset to think but I knew that he was going somewhere and doing something noble with his life. He wanted to escape his family's dark heritage. I wouldn't be the one to force him back into their clutches.
"You have to promise," Spencer said, his face dark. "I don't want you to even call him or speak with him. He's a bad seed, Celia, and his family is no good. I'm breaking the law bringing this file to you, but I thought you needed to know what he's capable of. Don't think he wouldn't do that again – or worse – if he felt he needed to protect his family. I'm doing this because I care about your future. You have no future with him."
I turned away, wanting to hide my eyes, which were brimming with a mixture of anger and sadness. Anger that Spencer would stoop so low as to block Hunter from a career with the Marines; sadness because I really liked Hunter and believed him when he said he wanted to escape his family, but for him to do that to the man who owed his uncle money?
Spencer came around and peered into my face. "Promise me," he said, his voice insistent. "If you don't, I'll call my contact and turn over the evidence I have on Hunter and his family. There are more files like that one," he said and shook the file. "Like death threats. Prostitution. Gun running. If the Marines knew about his involvement in that, they'd turn him down, no questions asked."
I shook my head. "All right," I said, and exhaled. "I promise. I don't want Hunter to be hurt because of me. Don't report him to the Marines. It's his escape from his family."
"If I find out you’re seeing him behind my back, I won't hesitate to call my contact. I mean it," he said, pointing his finger in my face.
"I won't," I said emphatically. "I'm not that selfish. He's leaving soon for Parris Island. I promise I won't see him again."
"Starting tonight," Spencer said, his frown dark. "Tonight."
I nodded. "Tonight. He'll probably email or text me, and I'll tell him I can't see him again."
"Do it now," Spencer said. "While I'm here. I want to see you do it."
I took out my cell and opened it to the messenger. I typed in a text to Hunter, my gut all knotted up.
Celia: Gonna have to cancel our plans. Too much work and can't afford to be distracted. Have to keep my grades up to keep my scholarship, so, thanks for everything. Have a good life.
I sent it and then showed it to Spencer, who grabbed my cell and frowned as he read the previous texts.
"Disgusting." He practically threw the phone back at me. "I'll be watching. I'll know if you see him. Believe me."
"You have someone watching me?"
"I have eyes everywhere."
Spencer gathered up the file and stuffed it back into his briefcase. Then, he headed for the door. Before he left, he turned back to me. "One day, you'll be happy I saved you from getting mixed up with him."
I didn’t reply, too upset to even open my mouth. I turned away and, finally, Spencer closed the door and left me alone.
Later that night, when I was sitting on the tiny two-seater sofa across from my television, I got a text from Hunter.
Hunter: Just got this. Are you okay?
I debated whether to reply, chewing my nail, torn about my response. If I left the text unanswered, he might come over and check to see if I was okay. I knew he was concerned about Spencer having hit me in the past. I had to respond and find a way to make it clear I wasn't interested.
I had to just shut it off. I couldn't get the picture of the man in the hospital bed out of my mind. How could Hunter do something like that?
It was all there in the police report. Hunter never told me or Graham about it, at least that I knew of. Even if we had a great time together, I knew Hunter would be out with some new woman in no time flat. He was never alone for long, and probably had a list of women happy to spend their nights with him.
I bit my lip and tried to word my text just right.
