God damn it, Hunter. This is why you don’t fuck the good girl. No matter how fucking gorgeous she is. No matter how tight that * is. No matter how much you both want it.
I looked in my rear-view mirror as I drove away from her, and saw her head sink between her hands and drop on the steering wheel. Her shoulders were shaking. She was crying.
Yeah, that’s all you will ever get from me, darling. The fuck of your young life and tears. Might as well just accept it.
I got to the end of the block and hit the brakes. I looked back in the mirror again and could see her still just sitting there, head against the wheel, car not moving.
Who gives a fuck, Hunter? Keep going. You’re gone. You’re fucking gone. Hit the gas, asshole.
I punched the gas pedal, but not before I had thrown the truck in reverse. The same feeling that had been eating me the night I left Boston had crept back in. It was the same feeling that made me shoot my co-worker in his smirking face before he wasted that family, and it was the same feeling that brought me back to the diner this morning.
What the fuck is your problem, pal? Goddamn it. God fucking damn it.
Was I losing my mind? Was this what they meant when they talked about guys losing their fucking nerve?
I pulled back up beside her window and hit the brakes hard.
“Kelly, fuck. Listen to me.”
“Leave me alone. Please.” She was crying and shouting, not even lifting her head from the wheel.
Just then Deacon slid his beast up next to my window and hit the horn.
“Hey, dickhead. What the fuck are you doing?”
I rolled down the driver’s side window and yelled down to him.
“Deacon, listen, man. This chick. I know this chick. Her car is all busted and I’m going to give her a tow. Park that machine at my place, put back some of that bottle, and I’ll be there in fucking fifteen minutes.”
“You know her, hey?” Deacon leaned forward in his seat so he could get a look at Kelly in the car.
“Wow,” he said, and let out his signature whistle. “I tell you what, pal. Why don’t you tow her to the shop and then bring her out to the farm with us? The three of us could have a little party tonight, you know? I could go for a little bit of what she has going on.”
My vision went red. Deacon and I had shared our women from time to time, but there was not a fucking chance I was going to let him get his goddamn hands on Kelly. She was different. She was way fucking different. I looked around the truck and grabbed an empty beer bottle, throwing it as hard as I fucking could at Deacon.
“You watch your fucking mouth, you piece of shit. I will fucking end you. Right fucking here.”
Deacon just laughed as the bottle shattered against the outside of his car.
I was seething. I had wanted to beat the shit out of him before, but I wanted to fucking cut his head off right now.
“Ha. Jesus, Hunter. My deepest apologies to you and your girlfriend.”
“You fucking dickhead, get the fuck out of here. I told you I don’t need you around.”
“Yeah. And I told you that you do. Listen, I don’t know who the fuck that is,” Deacon said, motioning to Kelly, “but clearly you’ve got some business other than checking out vacant properties tonight. Text me the fucking address, I’ll check it out, and you can tow her wherever and do whatever. Fucking white knight psychopath of Boston.”
I just glared down at him. I was calming myself down, but my blood was still high.
“Yeah, fuck, do whatever you fucking want, Deacon. Leave, stay, whatever. I don’t give a shit.”
Deacon just chuckled as he started up his car again.
“Text me the address, asshole. Say hey to the missus for me.”
He sped off down the road and I thought about firing a shot through his rear windshield just to straighten him out.
Fuck is wrong with you, Hunter? Not fucking like you to get mad at Deacon over a piece of ass.
Then I remembered. I remembered exactly what was fucking wrong with me. It was the girl sitting in the car next to mine.
The girl who had turned my plans upside down.
The girl I couldn’t resist.
The girl I was about to let fuck up my entire life.
Chapter 25
Kelly
I HAD MY HEAD PRESSED firmly against the steering wheel and my eyes were closed as tight as I could make them. I could feel tears streaming down my face and I didn’t want to look up. I didn’t want to see Hunter sitting there looking down at me. All I wanted in that moment was to open my eyes and wake up in my bed at home, to realize that this had all been a bad dream and that I was safe.
I heard arguing, glass smashing and then a car tear off into the distance. I knew that I wasn’t dreaming. I could feel the cool night air on my skin and knew that his eyes were burning into me. I knew he was real and he was right beside me.
“Kelly, god damn it, listen to me. Look at me,” I heard him shout.
Don’t look up, Kelly. Don’t give in. Just let him go. He will. He will go away.
I could hear the engine of the truck idling and then heard it slowly pulling down the street.
I breathed out a deep sigh.