Hunter's Rose (First Draft)

Chapter Nine

Dan sat on the couch across from us, his clipboard open as he shuffled through the papers. Once he found the one he was looking for he closed it and clipped it on the top, settling back on the couch he grabbed a pen and looked at me.

"You want these guys in here or would you prefer to talk alone?" Dan asked, quirking an eyebrow as he glanced around at the guys.

Hunter and I sat on the couch opposite from Dan, who sat on the same couch as Mak. Jai and Arthur sat on the couch in between us, Jackson was sitting cross legged on the floor opposite of them. Ace was leaning against the wall beside Dan and Mak's couch. I followed his gaze and glanced around at everyone, their faces were void of any emotion as they stared at Dan. All except Jackson, who looked like Dan had just told him Santa wasn't real.

"Excuse you, Dan. We're best friends now, and that means I'm where she is." Jackson stated before sending me a wink, making me let out a small laugh. Hunter glanced at me with a confused face, I shrugged my shoulders and sent him an amused smile.

"They're fine, for now at least. I don't think they would leave if you tried to make them." I said, sending Dan a nervous smile.

"Alright then." He said as he shook his head, sending another amused look around the room. "Let's start with basics. What's your name, age, and contact information?"

"Rose Brooks, twenty-seven. Umm, I don't really have any contact information." I mumbled, glancing away when Dan looked at me in confusion.

"You can just use mine for now." Hunter offered, his hand giving mine a small squeeze. I sent him a grateful smile.

"Ok. So, the suspects in question. What are their names?" Dan asked, giving me a reassuring smile when my gaze met his.

"The ones from the other night were Jed and Brad, I'm not sure what their last names are." I said quietly, looking down as my other hand came over to trace the lines on Hunter's hand.

"Were there more than just those two?" Dan's question barely registered as I continued my tracing.

"There was another, Jacob, but he's out of town right now. Or at least he was." I mumbled, my gaze latching onto a black line on the side of Hunter's arm. My hand turned his arm over before I realized what I was doing, on the inside of his forearm was a tattoo of a compass that I hadn't noticed before. My fingers moved on their own, tracing the delicate lines. I pulled my hand back when I felt his arm tense, his other hand quickly caught mine and placed it back on his arm. My breath caught as I glanced up to see him staring down at me with an expression I couldn't figure out.

"Are they always like this?" Dan's voice sounded amused, I felt my face heat up more and dropped my eyes back to the tattoo.

"Yeah, pretty much." Ace answered with a chuckle. My fingers began tracing the tattoo again, hesitating for a moment when Hunter's arm tensed before continuing when it relaxed.

"Continuing on." Dan said with his own chuckle. "What is your relationship with the suspects?" I felt my body tense for a moment, my gaze shooting up to meet his concerned one. I glanced away, going back to Hunter's tattoo.

"There was no relationship." My voice came out harder than intended, making me send Dan an apologetic look. He looked at me curiously, but gave me an understanding smile.

"How did you know them?" He asked cautiously as my fingers went back to tracing.

"I didn't." I mumbled out, my shoulders lifting into a small shrug. The room became tense, making me glance up from the tattoo and shrink into Hunter's side. Everyone was staring at me, concern and curiosity painting their features. Dan let out a small cough, making my gaze move to his.