The Truths We Seek, page 4
Opening my mouth to speak, I try to find the right words, then shrug. “Trent arrived, threw around some toxic bullshit like always, cornered me, jabbed me, and that’s all I remember.”
His frustration reflects mine with the lack of details, but if Trent is dealt with, they don’t matter. Though… “Do I want to know what ‘dealt with Trent’ means?”
A sadistic look flickers on his face. “You never have to worry about him ever again. You’re safe.”
I could ask for more, but I don’t know that I want to know. Opening my mouth to say as much, I’m cut off by the ringing of his phone. He pulls it from his pocket and frowns. “It’s Meyer, I need to take this.”
He answers the phone as I nod. “What’s up?”
Standing, he leaves the room as I’m assuming Meyer speaks to him. Frustrated, I let out a sigh and leave the room myself, heading up to my room. When I get up there, I see my bag from the gala lying on the bed. I grab it and check my phone, but it’s dead.
Of course it is.
I find my charger and plug my phone in before heading to my closet and dressing, all while trying not to obsess over what’s happening with Hunter, and what Rory meant by ‘dealt with Trent.’ I’m fairly certain I don’t want to know, but a small twisted part of me wants to know he suffered.
Suffered for what he did to me.
For what he did to Hunter.
But the other side of me, the more rational side, knows that knowing probably isn’t going to help me. Even if it will distract me from the fact that Hunter is in freaking critical condition.
Guilt spikes through me as I pull off Rory’s t-shirt, replacing it with a tank to go with a pair of leggings and a hoodie. My body aches too much, so comfort is my only aim right now. I check my phone and it’s finally on, but there are no notifications.
Weird.
Instead of obsessing, I sit at my dresser and pull a brush through my now-dry bird’s-nest-like hair while trying to let a reasonable enough amount of time pass before I go and find Rory to discover what Meyer told him.
My stomach twists with worry and I chew at my lip.
Checking my phone again, I ignorantly push down my worry at the lack of notifications. Not that there’s many people that would check on me, but I haven’t heard from Tommy. My gut tells me it’s bad. That there’s absolutely no way he wouldn’t have gotten in touch, but the rational side of me that is still trying to cling to my sanity isn’t allowing me to voice my concerns.
To think about them too hard.
Because if the worst happened to Tommy in all of this… I don’t know if I’ll survive it. I’m just barely clinging on by sheer force of will. The determination that all of this wasn’t for nothing. That Trent can’t win.
Rory might not have said what happened to Trent, but he said I was safe and that I wouldn’t have to worry about him again, so I have to assume he’s dead and gone.
I should feel bad that I’m relieved by the thought, but I don’t.
Not after everything I just found out.
Fifteen minutes pass once I finish brushing my hair and my curiosity pushes me from my seat. It doesn’t take long to find Rory, but the look on his face makes me pause. He looks like he wants to tear someone in two.
Oh, God.
Hunter.
No. Please no.
Swallowing past the lump that rises in my throat, I call on the shards of courage I have left before I open my mouth. “Is he alive?”
CHAPTER SIX
It’s been four days since I woke up and I have finally convinced Rob and Rory to let me out of this freaking room without a chaperone. To say I’ve been climbing the walls is an understatement.
Especially once I got my memory back and Rory filled in some of the missing details. Hunter is still in the hospital. He’s stable, but they thought he wasn’t going to make it at one point. Yet Rory’s been here with me.
Why we couldn’t all just go to the normal hospital is beyond me, but Meyer said it wasn’t safe for me there with all things Trent going on. Hunter’s injuries are being explained as an attack by someone they don’t know.
He hasn’t filled me in on exactly why, but I intend to get that information today. From either him or Meyer. Meyer who hasn’t left Hunter’s side the entire time.
Meyer who must be exhausted.
I get the feeling that he’s going to need a hospital bed of his own if he doesn’t take care of himself soon, but I’m keeping my mouth shut for now.
My lips have been sealed since I climbed in the car with Rory and Rob twenty minutes ago. The two of them have been talking quietly up front while I’ve stared out the window in the back. Guilt over everything that’s happened with Hunter clogs my throat. Because he wouldn’t be in the hospital if it wasn’t for me. The guys wouldn’t have nearly lost him if they hadn’t taken me in.
I text Tommy again, but he hasn’t responded to my message from this morning and that alone makes me feel uneasy, but no one has mentioned him since I woke up, so I’m telling myself he’s busy.
That has to be it.
Except there’s a gnawing in my stomach that tells me I’m sticking my head in the sand.
Too much has gone wrong.
There has to be something wrong with him too.
Why else wouldn’t he answer me?
I shake my head and take a deep breath, trying to refocus my thoughts on something, anything, else.
Racking my brain, I shoot off texts to Tina and Shae, checking in with both of them. I’m fairly certain neither of them know what’s going on so I keep it casual, just a friendly check in, but something to focus on as the miles pass.
I pull up my thread with Yen too. It takes a few moments of deliberation, but I said I’d try, so I send her a message too.
Me
Hey, you doing okay? Just checking in. Been a wild few days.
Yen
Oh thank god you’re okay. I heard from Meyer. Fuck me being okay you crazy bitch. How are you? How is Hunter?
Leaning my head on the window I take another deep breath.
Me
I’m alive, that’s enough for now. Hunter… I don’t know. We’re heading to the hospital now.
Yen
Okay, well if you need anything, let me know. And I mean it. Anything. Hunter is like a brother to me.
Me
I know. And I will. Thank you.
Yen
Anytime. Let Meyer know we’re holding down the fort, he can be there for as long as he needs to be.
Me
I will. <3
I smile softly before sliding my phone into my pocket, finally seeing the hospital just down the road. About goddamn time. We might have only been in the car for half an hour, but it felt like hours.
My foot bounces as we creep through the parking lot before pulling into a space. When the car is off, Rory glances back at me in the rearview mirror. “You ready?”
I gulp but nod. “Yes, it’s already been too long. Are you ready?”
It occurs to me that Hunter is like his brother and he’s been stuck with me. Another wave of guilt crashes over me because I hadn’t even thought about how Rory has felt about the whole Hunter thing.
Fuck me, I’m a selfish bitch.
Rob climbs from the car without a word, and once the door closes, Rory starts to speak. “I’m fine. Seen and survived worse. You are my main concern, Quinn.”
“But Hunter—”
“No, Quinn. You. Hunter has been through shit before. Was it hairy for a minute? Undoubtedly, but he’s stable. He’ll be pissed that Trent did what he did, but otherwise he’ll be fine. Mostly. You though… what you went through, after everything, and now Hunter. I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine,” I say quietly, glancing down at my clasped hands. “I still haven’t heard back from Tommy, but I’m sure he’ll respond soon enough. Now, can we please go see Hunter?”
I don’t look back up at him, because I don’t want him to see the pain, guilt, and worry in my eyes. He always reads me too easily and I know I’m not hiding it very well right now.
“Quinn,” he starts, but I shake my head.
“Please, can we just go in?” I plead, needing to see Hunter for myself.
“Okay, Jellybean. Let’s go see Hunter. But we’re not finished with this conversation, understand?”
Finally, I look up, catching his gaze in the mirror again. “I understand.”
He holds my gaze for a moment before nodding and reaching for the door. I follow suit and climb from the car. He takes my hand the minute I’m beside him and I can’t decide if I’m clinging to him, or if he’s clinging to me.
Either way, the hold grounds me and the world doesn’t seem quite so terrifying with him at my side.
I feel like everything with Trent has put me back so freaking far. That him finally finding me confirmed every insecurity and fear that existed inside of me. Giving voice and power to that monster that lives within me.
Quieting it now is exhausting, like I’m almost doubting myself, because the monster was right before.
Trent did find me.
The worst did happen.
How am I supposed to be able to trust that the monster isn’t right about everything else?
Rory squeezes my hand, as if he knows the monster is winning, as we walk through the entrance of the hospital, following Rob through the maze of halls until we reach the elevator. Nerves rush through me as the doors close on us and we head up toward the floor where Hunter is being held.
The ding makes me jump when we reach the seventh floor, and when the doors open, I’m surprised by how quiet and empty it is. I look over at Rory, then over to Rob, who shrugs before exiting. We follow behind him again as he leads us down another maze of halls. We pass nurses and people I assume are other visitors, but everyone is quiet as a mouse.
It’s weird and kind of eerie.
It’s only when I see Meyer down the hall, phone pressed to his ear, that the feeling leaves. He keeps his voice low, but when he sees us, his eyes widen. “I need to go.”
Without a pause, he ends the call and strides toward us. I move straight to his open arms. He looks as exhausted as I worried he would, but that doesn’t stop him from holding me so tight that I know just how worried he’s been. I don’t struggle or say a word, I just let him hold me like that for as long as he needs to, with my face buried in his neck.
The sound of footsteps and a door opening and closing is enough to tell me that Rob and Rory have given us some space.
“I am so sorry, Quinn.” His voice is scratchy, little more than a whisper, but my heart shatters.
“You? Why on Earth are you sorry, Meyer?” I ask, pulling back, searching his face for answers I’m not sure he’ll give me.
“This is all my fault. I should’ve kept better track of Trent. I dropped the ball. All of this, what happened to you and Hunter, is because of me. You will never know how sorry I am, and I’ll understand if you don’t forgive me, but know I’m going to spend as long as you’ll let me trying to earn your trust and forgiveness back.”
I stare at him, mouth agape, blinking. “Are you shitting me?”
He looks shocked at my response, but there’s no way in Hell he’s more shocked than I am. “None of this is your fault, Meyer. I brought this problem to your door. Trent was here for me. If we’re not blaming Trent, then the blame sits with me.”
“No—”
“It’s not on you, Meyer. There’s nothing to forgive,” I say, cutting him off. I open my mouth to keep speaking but the door behind him opens and Rory’s head pops out.
“He’s awake and he’s asking for you.”
Hunter has been in the hospital a week and I’ve barely left his room since I recovered from my drug-induced coma. Knowing that he’s here because of Trent, because of me… I just…
They’ve both told me repeatedly that it’s not my fault, but the voice that lives in my head doesn’t believe them.
Meyer left us an hour ago to go handle something with Rory and I’ve been lying here beside Hunter because every time I’ve tried to move, even in his sleep, his arm tightens on me. The doctor said earlier that he’d be able to come home in a few days, which is good, because when Rory first told me what happened to him, I was terrified he wouldn’t make it.
I still don’t know everything about the Trent situation, but I’ve been trying to focus on Hunter. They would’ve told me if there was anything else urgent I needed to know, that much I trust.
But the doctors said Hunter’s healing is almost miraculous. He laughed and said he always knew he was basically a god, but also, apparently, he’s always healed from stuff quickly. Though he did mention he’s never been in this bad a way before either, so he didn’t know if his super power would work.
I swear, that entire conversation, I’m not sure who rolled their eyes harder, me or the doctor. Meyer and Rory just laughed along with Hunter, like this is par for the course in their life.
“How is it that, even with this many drugs in my system, waking up with you pressed against me still makes me rock hard, Angel?”
His voice is thick with sleep as I tip my head back to look up at him, a wry grin on my face to match the cheeky one on his. “Hunter Myers, you are incorrigible.”
“Maybe so, but I’ve been in this bed without tasting you for far too long.”
A devilish thought takes me and I wonder if I’m not only bold enough, but stealthy enough to get away with it.
Sliding from the bed, I go and make sure the door is locked before flipping the blinds on the window so no one can see in.
“What are you up to, Angel?” he asks, curiosity and an edge of laughter in his tone.
“Well, there’s no way you’re going to taste me,” I say softly, glancing around the room to make sure there are no cameras. I don’t see any, so I move back toward the bed. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t taste you.”
Removing the sheets from his legs, he tears off the gown he’s wearing so he’s lying there, naked, save for the bandages still covering his wounds. I bite my lip for a second, wondering if this is a good idea with him still healing.
“Don’t you back down now, you little minx. I’m good.” His dick bobs, almost as if nodding its agreement, and I laugh softly. “Get that pretty ass of yours up here and kiss me. Better yet, get naked first.”
I make quick work of my white summer dress, kicking off my sandals in a hurry to avoid giving myself too much time to backpedal. We both need this, a little lightness in this dark tunnel of scary events.
With one last quick glance at the door, I face Hunter in only my matching panties and bra before crawling into the bed with him.
His moan is long and loud, like the mere touch of my skin is enough to make him come.
Well, he's gonna have to hold off because I have plans for him and that hard, thick cock resting against his abs.
"Well, I think you said something about… a taste test?" Wiggling his eyebrows, he nods his chin to his dick just as I wrap my fingers around it and squeeze enough to make the breath woosh out through his parted lips.
"Always so impatient." I murmur, my attention too focused on how fucking gorgeous his cock is in my hand. Strong and bold, a red tint at the base of his head where I'm guessing most of his blood is pumping.
I love the power I hold over him, knowing that every move I make could be his undoing.
"Only when it comes to you, Angel." I love that and I'm sure he knows it.
Darting my tongue out, I lick up the bead of pre-cum at the slit of his cock head before wrapping my lips around it and sucking enough to earn me a deep rumble of a groan.
Emboldened, I lean in closer, taking him more and more as his cock slowly slides to the back of my throat before I pull back and lock eyes with him.
"Don't move." It's silly, really… where the fuck is he going to go?
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Shimmying out of my panties, I pop the latches on my bra off and straddle Hunter's lap, backwards. It's not exactly a sixty-nine position but he's got access to me while I feast on his cock and he doesn't waste time putting his hands on me.
"Now this is a view I could get used to, even in here." I shake my ass, teasing him with all the things we could do once he's better and we're back home, earning me a spanking on both of my ass cheeks.
As I lean down, I make sure to spread my thighs enough that he can touch me, rub me, giving me all the attention he can. Once my lips gently graze the velvety skin of his cock, the desperate moans coming from behind me only spur me to continue. To give him more.
And so I do.
When my tongue licks up the root of him, Hunter rubs me between my lips, my cum coating the inside of my thighs from all the forbidden things we're doing. When my mouth engulfs his entire length, he pushes two fingers inside my cunt and pumps them in rhythm with my sucking.
Every time I pull away, he pulls out. Every time I take him all the way to the back of my throat, he fucks me harder and harder with his fingers.
I don't know where I begin and he ends. I don't know if the thrill running through my veins is from the pleasure he's giving me or my hunger for him.
I suck him hard, just as he curls his fingers and presses his thumb into my ass with only my cum to lube me.
The touch of pain with the all-consuming pleasure only makes me suck him more, harder… longer.
I'm blinded by my need to make him come, to bring him the pleasure he deserves, but also by my need to give him my orgasm, the one he wants to give me.
So, I bury his cock so deep in my throat that tears begin to fall over his thighs as I choke and cough and gag with every inch he gives me.
