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He had his own missions, ones he was sent on alone, with no backup, and nothing other than a target. He was a hunter. There was no escaping him, there was no hiding from him. And it seemed like I’d just put myself in the crosshairs.
“Meyah is worth more than you turning your fucking back on her,” I told him clearly, just laying it all out there. If I was going to make an impression, there was no fucking pulling the punches.
He flinched.
This man who was larger than life, and who looked like nothing could ever rattle him, visibly flinched. Telling me that with Meyah, I’d hit a nerve.
“None of your fucking business,” he hissed, pointing at me and narrowing his eyes. “Now get the fuck off my land before I keep good on my word to burn those colors. Or maybe, I’ll just throw your entire body on the fire for good measure.”
He turned to walk away, dismissed me like I was nothing, but fuck that.
“She draws,” I called, catching him before he got more than two steps. The men around him not saying anything, just watching things play out. Romeo stood back, leaning against the bonnet of the SUV, but his body was tight, ready to jump in if need be. “She sketches. She’s fucking good at it, too. It helps her to keep calm. Gives her something to focus on. Gave her something to get excited about when her mom practically wrapped her in cotton wool.”
That got his attention.
He rolled his shoulders and turned back to face me.
“You know… Meyah hasn’t always been this girl? She hasn’t always had the strength to voice how she feels. She hasn’t always had that smart fucking mouth. Her confidence was less than zero.” I just kept talking. I wanted him to know where she’d come from and how far she’d come. This wasn’t about me having her as my Old Lady. This was about her.
“She was teased at school. Tormented by this rich kid. Made to feel worthless.” My words were harsh, and with each one, I could feel myself getting more and more agitated. “She didn’t have a lot of friends. She was raised to hide from her problems. To walk away. Not to make waves. Not to draw attention to herself. She wasn’t allowed to play sports, or go to parties, or anything else that even had the possibility of her twisting an ankle or skinning an elbow.”
I saw Ripley squeeze his fists and look over at his father.He cared.I could see it in his eyes, the way he hated hearing me talk about the way she was treated, or how she was confined into this bubble that her mom had created for her out of fear. That, at least, would be worth this bullshit if Huntsman did decide to burn me alive.
“And let me guess, she met you, and suddenly she found this amazing strength,” Huntsman fired back. “That you two have some fucking amazing bond.”
I snorted loudly, followed by Romeo’s deep chuckle from behind me. “Are you kidding? Meyah has grown into this amazing woman. She’s powerful. Beautiful. And doesn’t take shit from anyone. And that’s in no way because of me. Or because of her Uncle Leo who practically helped raise her. Or her mom who tried to keep her to herself. And it definitely fucking wasn’t any thanks toyou.”
He wanted to kill me.
He pulled out his gun, taking three giant steps forward and pointing it directly at my forehead, point-fucking-blank range, but I didn’t even fucking flinch.
“It’s all because of her. She didn’t need anyone. Because she’s fucking amazing, and you’re a fucking dumbass because you’re gonna miss out on having her in your life.”
“You come here, disrespect my club, disrespect me, and expect to just walk away with your head intact?”
I stared him straight in the eye. Not giving a shit that I could lose my head right now because all I cared about was him knowing what he was missing.
It was all true.
She would say she found her strength within the club. Or that I gave her the boost she needed. Or maybe say it was because of her family.
It was none of that.
It was because ofher.
Because she was fucking powerful.
“Whether you’re in her life, or whether I’m in her life or not, she will not stop making strides and moving forward and fighting to be the woman she wants to be. The kind of person who’s going to make her own decisions, her own choices, and fuck anyone else,” I rambled on, this time for good measure. “We’re just along for the fucking ride.”
She was going to be the kind of Old Lady who would break down behind closed doors, but who would put on a brave face, lift her chin and stand by me when I needed her. And I would stare down the barrel of a fucking gun if it meant this stubborn asshole might make an effort to be in his daughter’s life.
“You’d be surprised what I would do for, Meyah. I’ll fight for her every damn fucking day if I have to.”
There was complete silence.
Huntsman continued to hold his gun at my head, and I continued to stare straight down the fucking barrel and into the eyes of a man who didn’t ever show any mercy, but who seemed to have heard what I had to say. “You got balls, kid.”
“Right now, they’re hiding just in case you decide to cut them off,” I responded, as a joke, but not really.
“You ever talk to me that way again, I’ll slice them into tiny pieces, stir-fry them and then feed them to you.” He slowly lowered the gun.
I nodded, trying not to look too relieved. “Noted.”
Releasing a long slow breath, I allowed my body to relax a little.
“Oh, one more thing kid.” He didn’t even allow me a moment to brace, his fist swung around, the heavy blow connecting with my cheekbone and sending excruciating pain vibrating through my skull. The punch was so hard it spun my body, and I stumbled, hitting the bonnet of the SUV with my body, trying to hold on to it as my legs wobbled under me.
“Fucking hell, Huntsman. You couldn’t just leave it, could you?” Romeo groaned as he reached over and held me up while my mind fought to stay conscious.
“Fucker called me a dumbass,” Huntsman retorted before adding, “Come on. He’s gonna need a drink when he comes to. I already do.”
