They Are the Hunters by Gardner Faith

Author:Gardner, Faith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mirror House Press
Published: 2024-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

She must have arrived at the coffeeshop early. The sight of her name lighting his phone’s screen for the first time ever stirs something unnamable in him.

“I really appreciate your time today.” Carson stops the recording. “This gives me a lot to chew on. If you don’t mind, I’ll be following up with you soon to go over a few of these details again.”

“Don’t mind a bit,” she says, standing up. “You’re welcome anytime.”

Carson

Carson heads to the coffeeshop, Espresso Yourself.

As he drives and Diddy raps “I’ll Be Missing You,” Carson recalls the time he drove up to Angela Atkins’ family estate and knocked on the door with the lion’s head knocker. Their house was impressive. Landscaped to perfection, a fountain with a cherub that appeared to be continuously vomiting water.

The look on Angela’s face when she answered the door was something he’ll never forget—like she was seeing a phantom standing there on the welcome mat. She looked every bit as ravishing as she looked four years ago when he met her at the riverside party and she gave him goosebumps just the same.

She pointed a finger. “You’re—”

“I’m a reporter from the Riverwood Gazette,” he said.

It took her a second, but her posture slackened and a light bulb went out in her eyes. “Oh.”

“I was going to ask you a few questions about the assault and battery I heard about.”

Angela’s face hardened. “I’m not going to talk about that.”

“That’s all right,” he said with a nod. “I’ll tell my boss you said no comment.”

“Thank you,” she said, starting to shut the door.

He put his foot in the way to stop her. “Now that I’ve done my journalistic duty—can I take you out to lunch?”

Angela let out a snort.

Carson dropped the smile. “I never forgot about you, Miss Riverwood.”

She smiled and it was like the whole world brightened along with her. “Give me five minutes.”

They ate drive thru burgers together, sitting in the parking lot for two hours while she filled him in on the four years she’d been away getting her bachelor’s degree. She was living at home for the summer studying for the MCAT. He told her about his work at the Gazette, how he had plans to write a book one day. The easy roll of their conversation, the way they had so much to say and made each other laugh—it was like they had just been at the party the night before.

As he drove her home, he noticed the way her face dropped and the fire went out in her eyes. He tried to imagine her whacking her father over the head with a fire poker. Carson was dying to know how she could still be living there after that. He could have pussyfooted around the subject. He could have shut his mouth. But Carson has never been good at either. Life’s too short, let’s get right to it.

“So why’d you assault your pops, anyway?” he asked.

She paused so long he thought he lost her for good. “Because he’s a fucking monster.

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