“Pinky swear.” Loveless stands abruptly and leans down. “Will you be okay for a minute by yourself?”
I nod. “Sure.”
Without giving me an explanation, she slips into the crowd. I'm following her as she drifts over to the right, back toward the stairwell, when my eyes latch onto Hunter.
He's leaning against a corner of a smooth, mahogany bar, drinking something out of a glass. Probably West Bourbon. He looks really, really tired, and he's holding his left shoulder like it hurts. He's swaying gently back and forth, and I get the impression he's looking for someone.
I consider not going over to him, because I don't know for sure that Priscilla isn't here. But I can't stop myself.
I stop right in front of him, and it takes his eyes a second to lock onto my face.
"Libby?" The word is low and almost strangled, and I immediately wonder if he doesn't want to talk to me.
"It's Elizabeth," I say smiling a little ruefully, "but I answer to Libby as long as it's coming from you." I look into his eyes, waiting for him to smile, and when he doesn't—the left corner of his mouth twitches a little, but he can't seem to summon a smile—I feel that worried sting again.
I look him over, from his damp blond hair, the handsome face that's bruised along the jaw and around his right eye; the green eyes he's barely holding open. He's wearing a faded blue button-up that's rolled up to his elbows, over black slacks and casual loafers. My eyes make it to his hands and I can't suppress a gasp. They're wrapped in white gauze, but the brilliant stain of blood is already showing through the knuckles.
"Holy crab cakes."
"Lost my gloves," he murmurs, looking weary and distracted. I remember; he didn't lose them—he pulled them off, to go at Lockwood with his bare fists.
I step a little closer to him, enticed by the warm, earthy smell of his cologne. "What happened out there?" Immediately, I wish I hadn't asked that. It's so nosy. Prying. So I rephrase. "Are you okay? You just look...really tired and I noticed you were bleeding on your back."
He blinks, and whatever daze was over him, it's lifted. His eyes narrow, and he's back to shrewd Hunter. He brushes a hand down one of my pig-tails, fingering my brown hair gently. I can see his tired face soften as his eyes search mine. "What are you doing here, Libby? I saw you sitting with Geneese Loveless.”
I shrug, scrambling for a way to play it off. "We're old friends."
"So you’re friends, are you?" His tone sounds weird. Almost..too interested. As if. He chews his lip, and I think I just might die of Sexy. "It's...anthropology or sociology. Ethics?"
I grin, irrationally pleased. "How'd you know?"
He shakes his head, bringing the glass of amber liquid to his lips. When he lowers it, he's smirking. "Lucky guess."
My heart is probably about three beats away from bursting through my blouse.
But Hunter's expression quickly darkens. Worry creases his brows, and his full lips meld into a pensive line. "You should be careful with Loveless. She's...a hard-hitter. So are some of her friends."
I wonder what on earth he means by this, and then I realize and it takes every ounce of willpower I possess to swallow back a laugh. That's how he describes prostitutes? Hard-hitters? I lick my lips, somehow managing to restrain myself. It's probably best to play it off. I don't even crack a smile as I casually say, "Her friends have been nice so far, but I'll remember that. Although," I can't help adding, in defense of my new friend, "Loveless seems pretty level-headed to me."
"She is." He leans closer, so I get a magnificent whiff of his cologne. With his other hand he's swirling the liquid in his glass like he's starting to get edgy. I notice he's scanning the crowd once more.
I edge away from him, and his fingers loosely curl around my hair as his attention boomerangs back to me, and his eyes grow soft again. "Just be careful, that's all I'm saying."
I'm hit with the full force of those green eyes, and there's no mistaking the concern there. He withdraws his hand from the loose curls of my pigtail and grabs onto the bar counter behind him.
"Why do you care?" I whisper. The question comes from some self-destructive place, because I expect him to say, “Well, I don’t, really.” Part of me hopes he will say it. I hope he’ll tell me that he and Priscilla are forever, and she might be a p**n star but I’m fat virgin garbage.
Okay, crazy, we’ll deal with that later. I smile tightly, blushing furiously in the dim lights of the bar. "I'm sorry. I appreciate your kindness. I'll be sure to think on my feet."
The universe smiles on me for a moment, because as I speak, Hunter is tossing down the rest of his drink; this means I can't see his face. In the last glimpse I have of him as I turn to go, he's rubbing his forehead with a pained look on his face.
"Have a good night, Hunter. You be careful, too."
I point myself toward the booth where I last saw Loveless and I tell my heart to keep beating. Hunter West is still a mystery to me, and a mystery he'll stay. We're moving through this world at two very different speeds: his is light, and mine is much slower.
Chapter Twenty-Two
~HUNTER~
I've scared off Libby, but I can't go after her because I'm going to be sick.
I look down at my drink and groan at what a stupid SOB I am, but then I remember Marchant ordered this drink, before he left to meet Dave. The drink's not drugged. It's me. My back. My shoulder. Lockwood got a knuckle shot right on my shoulder blade, and it's been bleeding ever since. Fever is pulling on me like undertow. Marchant got me a prescription painkiller, and he tried to make me 'talk' like he used to do in college sometimes, but in the end he just talked at me. Not smart to beat the shit out of Lockwood. Not smart to break mirrors. Not smart to let Priscilla whip your back to shreds.
Thanks, bro.
We came up to the bar together, and for a long time I was watching Lockwood, over in the corner surrounded by a bunch of strip girls. He looked bad, but not as bad as I’d hoped. Both his eyes were black, and his nose was swollen—probably broken. But he was enjoying himself.
Marchant ordered me two drinks, and I downed one before he left and the second right after that. Combined with this f**king fever and not a lot of sleep...
Fuck me.
My eyes are almost closing on their own as I stumble down the dim hall to the men's room. I lost track of Lockwood when I saw Libby, but it's okay; one of our people is here somewhere and they've got their eyes on him, too. Christ, I can't even remember who it is. Was Julie gonna stop by here? I rub my burning eyes. Whatever.