The Window to the Soul

Chapter 16: A Fresh Start

~

My dad was talking to Hunter, his eyes growing big.

"What do you mean she bit you?!" he yelled.

"What do you think, idiot," he snarled, lifting his sleeve to reveal a swollen and bruised bite mark on his arm.

"Shit, that little bitch." I took it he was referring to me. He picked up a beaker, slamming it to the floor, shattering into small shards. Running his fingers through his graying hair, he fumed.

"Why would you let her that close! You stupid asshole!" he yelled again, pushing Hunter against the wall.

"I thought I would be able to know, by her thoughts but I-"

"But you what. But 'I didn't know she was capable' blah blah blah."  My dad released his hold of Hunter's shirt collar, the larger man relaxing a little.

"And better yet...those stupid twats rescued her like knights in shining armor. At least you established a bond with her. That was one thing you did right," he said, plopping himself down in a stainless steel desk chair.

"Well, let's track the son of a bitch down."

~

I was given such a jolt I woke up screaming, stretching my arms out to both of my sides, grabbing whatever was near me. I opened my eyes, the voices around me growing loud and concerned.

"Jesus Christ," Riley yelled, swerving the truck.

I opened my eyes, glancing around me. We were in Riley's truck, and he was driving with Colton in the passenger's seat. Gabriel was to my left, and Dante to my right, still scratched up and still shirtless. Damn, those abs.... I had a fistful of Gabriel's shirt, and on my right I was gripping Dante's arm. I had to admit, I was kind of nervous to be around Dante. They Gabriel looked at me with concern, Dante trying not to meet my eyes. Why was he looking shameful? Guilty? Wait...why was I in this truck? Where were we going? I started to panic again.

"Hey, take it easy," Gabriel said, his voice soothing me. He placed his hand on my leg. Colton turned around from up front as Riley switched lanes.

"Chin up, buttercup. Congrats, you're not dead!" he beamed. I appreciated his enthusiasm, but really? I managed to roll my eyes, despite how weak I felt. He smiled at me, the same smile that melted my heart every time. I release my hold on Gabriel and Dante, and Dante moved his arm away from mine, turning to face the window. What was his problem? I shifted closer to Gabriel. He was scaring me, not to mention how distant he was being. 

"Where are we going?" I inquired.

Riley looked to change lanes to get on the off-ramp. 

"Well, we can't go home, so we're going to stay with some friends of ours."

Ours? I hated new people. Social butterfly my ass.

"Yeah, the girls are pretty hot," Colton snickered.

Wonderful. Nothing like competition with my fellow females. God, I hated caddie bitches.

"Shut it, Colton," Riley glared at him. He raised his arms, signaling to him he meant no harm by his comment.

I watched as Riley turned onto a dirt road in the middle of nowhere.

"Where are we?"

"Houston." Riley replied.

Colton makes static noises. "Houston, I have 99 problems but a bitch ain't one," he laughed.

I smiled a little. I appreciated his attempts at getting me to cheer up. Gabriel burst out into laughter next to me, high-fiving Colton. In the mirror I saw Riley smile, but Dante stayed silent next to me.