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“I should have let you get in trouble. Maybe you’d lose your job sooner rather than later because we both know you won’t keep your nose clean.”
He shook his head, huffing out a breath. I thought he was going to argue with me or tell me again that I didn’t know him, but instead he asked, “Why did you come? If you think I owe you now, you have another thing coming. I don’t owe anyone shit, especially a Hunt.”
Venom dripped off my last name. Was all this because of Bec? Was he that pissed Rex had stolen his girl?
“I don’t want you to owe me. I did this for me, not you. I didn’t want your inevitable fuckup on my conscience. You can handle that shit all on your own.”
The moon was bright enough that I could see his face, could see his brows furrowed the way they almost always were, and the hard set of his lips. “Don’t use me to clear your conscience. Get out of here, Hunt.”
“Shit.” I rubbed a hand over my face. The last thing I wanted was to give an inch when it came to Riven, but I hated being like my family more. Fighting with Riven made me feel like them because I could see he was trying. It was more than I could ever say for my dad or Rex. “Listen, we have to work together. We need to find a way to be civil to each other.”
“You mean the way you were when you pushed me? You’re lucky I’m on parole, otherwise I wouldn’t let that shit fly. You act like I’m the only one with a temper, but you’re not that different. You’re not any better than I am.”
I’ve never killed someone… Even though it was true, those words felt somehow wrong to say, and when it came down to it, Riven was right. Plus, it had been self-defense; he hadn’t intended to kill Jerry. “I had no business putting my hands on you.”
“Don’t do it again.”
“I won’t. Listen, I don’t like you any more than you seem to like me, but we have to work together, and I’d rather not be miserable every day.”
“Then leave me alone,” was all Riven said before he turned and went inside, slamming the door behind him.
CHAPTER FIVE
Riven
“How’s work going?” Tom asked when I finished pissing in a cup for him. It hadn’t technically been a week since I’d seen him, but Tom had arranged the dates so I could meet with him every Friday after work.
I twisted the lid on tightly and handed it over. It was pretty fucking demeaning to have someone grill me about my life while I was taking a leak.
“Fine,” I replied, zipping up, then washed my hands.
“Just fine?”
We walked out together.
“It’s work. I don’t know what you expect. I like doing shit with my hands, and that’s good. Harold seems like a solid guy. I don’t have a whole book to tell you about it.”
Tom cocked a brow. “Fair enough. You get along with everyone?”
My gaze snapped to his. Had Parrish said something to him? Told Harold, who reported it to Tom? I wouldn’t be surprised. The Hunts seemed to take everything away from me. The shitty part was, I couldn’t just blame them. I’d allowed it.
Deciding to play it safe in case he didn’t know anything, I shrugged. “It’s fine. This guy Wayne keeps trying to get me to go out with him.”
“Like a date?” Tom asked, which almost made me swallow my tongue. I hadn’t expected that. Before I’d gotten locked up, I hadn’t been openly bisexual. Anytime I’d hooked up with a guy, it had been in Bedford and on the down-low. I didn’t give a shit now. If someone didn’t like it or me, they could suck my dick, but it also wasn’t something I’d told anyone because who would I have told?
“No. Just for a drink as a friend.”
“It’s okay if it was a date.”
“I know. Jesus, I don’t need you to approve of my sexuality.”
“I don’t even know your sexuality. I just try not to let myself make assumptions that straight is the default. Sometimes I slip up, but I do my best.” That was cool of him, though I didn’t have it in me to tell him. “But continuing on that thought, while I agree that your sexuality isn’t anyone’s business and you shouldn’t care what others think, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention you do have a bit of a chip on your shoulder. You act like you don’t need anyone, and that’s tough out here. You don’t want to get close to the wrong people, of course, but we all need people, Riven. It’s okay to lean on those you care about. It’s hard to make it through life if you don’t.”
