Loved

Hunter’s p. o. v.

———————

” Yes you nitwit, I’ll inform her” I groaned into the receiver.

” You better, I’m bored already. I miss her so much” Dylan moaned and I scoffed at his cry baby instincts.

He left for Saint Alamos very early this morning and it’s just four pm in the evening. He’s not even been gone a day.

” Tell her yourself then, you idiot”my feet were sprawled out on my desk as I reclined in my chair.

There was a slow influx of work today so it wasn’t as tedious as usual and I’m grateful for it. Work hours are almost done with.

The dinner at Reid’s went on successfully and three days later I’m anticipating my next plan.

I could possibly tell him all about it now.

” She ain’t picking up you dumbass” Dylan retorted.

So much for asking me to do something for him nicely.

” Has it occurred that maybe she doesn’t want to speak with you?” I smirked at my response because I knew fully well what was happening.

Dylan planned his return and didn’t inform Iris of the date, according to him he didn’t know how to break it to her.

So when Iris woke up this morning and saw Dylan with two briefcases and a ticket, let’s just say she realized silence is the best answer to a Dylan.

” You’re an idiot” he spat and I could feel his irritation growing at my mockery, but if I don’t do it, who will?

” Tell me something I don’t know” my smirk practically increasing.

” For once in my life Hunter be a useful donut and do something good for me”

” That’s not possible, I’ve already done something good for you in sixth grade when I gave you my lunch during our visit to Uncle Tucker” I sacrificed the most amazing peanut butter sandwich for this goat.

” Jesus! You remember that?”

” What kind of a cousin would I be to forget?”

” Err- I don’t know, a good one”

” Nope, I’ll be a dumb one”

More groans from my lovely cousin over the phone.

” You should really save that noise for the bedroom, except you’re into me now and I don’t dig that” who knew teasing could be so much fun.

” Ewwwwwwww!!!! You know what? Forget it. I’ll call her when I can. Goodbye!” He ends the call before I had a chance to respond.

I laughed out so loudly that anyone nearby would assume I’ve gone crazy.

Today has just been delightful.

I began saving and closing up documents on my laptop when a soft knock on my door pulled my attention.

” Come in” my gaze lingering in the direction of the incoming person.

” Mr McConnell? It’s me”

” Clarissa? You’re still around? What’s going on?” She usually leaves thirty minutes before closing hours except on instruction, due to the far location of her home from this place.

” Uhm, yes sir. I mean, I have something for you” she slowly stepped into the room whilst scratching behind her head like she was nervous.

” Clarissa?” She was actually getting me worried by the way she’s acting.

” Err- Mr McConnell, something happened” she took two steps forward and pulled out a little package that I just noticed she held behind her.

” Go on” I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back for her explanation.

” I went to powder my nose before heading home and I came back and met this on my desk” she lifted the box but still held it at a distance from herself while coming closer.

” So? Who’s it from?”

” That’s what I don’t know. We checked every corner of the package but we saw no information about the sender. It was only directed to you”

” No one saw who dropped it?” I asked because this story was sending my thoughts to an extreme overdrive.

” Mr McConnell, even the security cameras didn’t capture the person. It went blank between the seconds”

” Do you have any idea on what’s inside?”

” We used a garget detector in case of bomb threats, and it’s clean. But there’s something the duster found” she dropped it before me and took few steps back.

” What’s is it?”

” Gunpowder”

Gunpowder!?

This has soldo all over it.

” Thanks. You can go home now” I dismissed her and started to open the package.

” Mr McConnell are you sure you wanna open that? In here? Right now?” She was really riled up about the mystery package but I know soldo to the point that I’m sure he wouldn’t try to burn the Brooks and Shields building to the ground.

” Go home Clarissa”

” Uhmm.. Miss Jules is the last one in. Except you that is”

” Okay, close up the register. I’ll collect it tomorrow”

She nodded and left me alone with the odd gift.

I gently sniffed the wrapped up box and indeed it was gunpowder.

That only heightened my current fear.

” Okay Hunter, open it slowly” I coaxed myself with some words of encouragement and finally took the step.

Unfolding the sealed ends little by little and holding back my breath, the task seemed a lot harder than I thought it would in my head.

After a few unfolds, the wrap was released and a slim rectangular box with the cursive writing of the letter S came to view.

I released my first breath and held another for the next task that presented itself.

It took me fifteen seconds to develop the will power. And when I did, I opened the package to face whatever was inside.

It wasn’t threats or the limb of my loved ones.

It wasn’t even a gun.

It was a photo.. infact photos.

Photos I never wanted to be seen.

Iris’s p. o. v.

—————

I was closing up the windows when quick movements by my door caught my eye.

” Hey, what’s up?” I asked with a smile on my face.

The look on his rather, wasn’t entirely one that displayed a jolly mood and like I predicted, he wasn’t in a good mood.

I concluded by the way he threw a wad of pictures towards me and they landed at my feet.

He immediately stomped out without giving me a second glance.

Are we at this again? What the hell have I done this time?

I looked to my feet and saw the reason for his actions.

The first picture to greet me was a photo of Mason and I on the beach. Where we just stood side by side.

I crouched to pick up the rest and view them.

Every photo sent a recoiling feeling into the pit of my stomach.

There was a photo for every time I had been with Mason, even down to our last moment when we kissed.

Someone’s been watching us.

This is bad. If these photos get leaked to Mr Reid, Hunter’s deal is done.

I ran out of my office to figure out how Hunter got these but I arrived just in time to see him in the closing elevator.

As fast as I could, I ran in the direction of the stairs. Skipping it two by two, I was approaching faster than I should on heels.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

By the time I had arrived at the last flight, I was completely worn out and breathless.

But I still made my sprint for the parking lot.

Hunter was just inserting his keys into his car door when I got there.

” Hunter how did you get these?” I asked in between every breath I managed to take.

” Wow!, You’re really something aren’t you?” He whirled around to face me squarely.

Huh?

” What??” My confusion should be streaked across my face right now.

” Someone’s got photos of you and the Reid’s son in various compromising positions and your question is how I got them? It’s like you’re missing the point here Miss Jules”

He’s back to calling me Jules!?

” Please do enlighten me on the point” I crossed my arms and waited for his explanation.

” Hmm.. well let me see. Oh here’s a thought to ponder. Someone’s finally got a leverage over my deal with Mr Reid!” He shouted and threw his arms in the air.

” You’re talking like it’s my fault!” I screamed back.

” Of course it is!. If you had simply listened to my instruction from the start the effect of your stubbornness would have never surfaced!”

” I had no idea of the reasons then!” I was totally oblivious. You can not possibly blame me.

” You’ve never had any ideas from the start Jules!”

” You never told me!” I threw my hands up in frustration. He wasn’t even analysing from my point of view.

” I don’t know about you, but being hunted down by a drug Lord because of a debt isn’t something you should be proud of” he lifted one brow as he stated his obvious.

” Well I’m sorry. If I had known better I would have done better” this isn’t my fault in anyway.

” Like you would have cared” he rolled his eyes at me and turned back to his car.

” Don’t blame me for this!”

He whipped around so fast that I had no time to give him room. We were clearly almost eye to eye.

” I don’t blame you for this. No. I blame myself. For believing I ever had a way of escaping this. You made me believe it could still work for me but you used your own hands to destroy it” he pointed a finger at me. Never breaking eye contact.

” You’re acting like I took those photos. Need I remind you that they aren’t selfies rather stolen shots”

” Save that explanation for the gods Jules”

” You know what? I’m not going to stand here and watch you think like a block head. If you wanna take out the anger of your failed plan on me, fine! But I will not stay here and watch you treat me as a fool” I marched back into the building to gather up my things and leave.

What an insolent presumption.

There’s no way I would have let those photos get taken if I knew it would.

He doesn’t even want to think about how to attend to this, rather he’s taking it out on me.

In fact? I don’t care. Let him do whatever it is he wants.

I got to the entrance of the building and was about to open the door.

I could have said I made a successful exit from the heated argument if not for the sound of a gunshot that froze me in my tracks.