illicit funds • j cody

FOURTEEN

💸 HUNTER, NICE TO MEET YOU 💸

Today is the day I meet J's grandmother. They're having some big party tonight at her house tonight. J says it's her last hurrah.

Things have been good with us since we got back together. We've had fun, gone out, gotten in trouble with my father for being too loud at night. I'm renting a place down by him where I stay at least once a week now. Things feel normal, and it's nice. There's been no boxing, no business, just two kids being kids.

All eyes are on me when I walk into the party. I stick out like a sore thumb with the diamond studded, solid gold Cuban link chain around my neck.

"Are you J's girlfriend?" A man with long, dark brown hair asks.

I nod, "Yeah, you know where he is?"

He shrugs, "No idea, but I'm Craig."

"Hunter, nice to meet you."

He looks at me suspiciously, "Where are you from?"

"All over," I smirk, "born in Colombia, raised in Bel Air, and if you're wondering why I talk the way I do, my father's English."

I look down at my nails, hoping to conversation will end here, but I accidentally flash my plata o plomo tattoo. I know he saw it, and I pray that he doesn't ask about it, but I can see he's suspicious. Who wouldn't be? Rich girl born in the coke capital of the world just so happens to have a menacing tattoo in Spanish, and also has no problem with dating a boy in a small scale crime family. Yep—nothing to see here.

"Nice tattoo," he remarks, "silver or lead."

I brush it off, "I'm a big fan of Narcos."

"What does your dad do?"

"He's a lawyer."

"And what do you do?"

"I box," I decide to lie with unimportant details to bore him and get him off my case, "He wanted me to be a lawyer too, but I'm dyslexic can't read so well, and that doesn't exactly work with being a lawyer. Luckily I'm better at boxing than reading so that's working out nicely. I have my own gym."

"One of my brother's fights, you should give him a lesson some time."

"I could probably do that," I breathe a quiet sigh of relief when I see J coming. "So what do you like to do in your spare time?"

I can tell he's becoming less suspicious and more comfortable with me by the moment, "I used to surf a lot," he says, "but I don't have much spare time now, my son was just born."

"Congratulations," I reply warmly, "I can't decide if I ever want to have kids. I probably will if I end up with the right person."

"I never saw myself as a father," he laughs, "but here I am."

"Here you are," I smile, "and good luck, parenting is no easy task."

Finally J arrives at my side, "Sorry, I didn't see you come in."

"It's no biggie," I take his hand, "I was just getting to know your uncle."

"Isn't she cool?" He asks his uncle.

"Almost too cool for you," Craig answers.

J just rolls his eyes and leads me away. "How'd That go?" He asks, worry creeping into his voice.

"Just fine, except he asked me about my tattoo and I just played dumb about it. He seemed to believe me," I stop him as we walk by the pool, he still seems anxious about something, "Everything's okay," I peck him lightly on the lips, "Why are you so tense?"

"I'm just worried about you meeting Smurf," he sighs, "she isn't as stupid as Craig."

"I know, we've been over it a million times," by now I'm sure everyone at the party is watching us, "come on, I want to go meet her."

He only nods and walks me into the house. I lock eyes with Smurf for the first time. Her gaze is one that chills even me to the core. To anyone else she probably seems warm and friendly, but through the facade I see her cruel smirk as smug and sadistic.

"You must be Hunter," she purrs, "I've heard a lot about you."

I put on my most convincing smile, "Hopefully only good things."

"All good things," she beams, "I have very high expectations."

I force myself to laugh, "Well, hopefully I live up to them."

"J says you're quite the fighter," she leans casually on the countertop, but somehow the gesture seems menacing.

"I'm alright," I reply modestly, "I have lots of improvements to make before I'm great."

"I'd love to see one of your matches sometime," she's trying to analyze me, but I give nothing.

"I'll be fighting again in a couple months, I should be fully recovered from my injury by then."

"I heard it was pretty bad," she murmurs.

"Healing is really only half the battle," I continue, "I wasn't able to train at all for months, and I'm horribly out of shape."

"You look perfectly in shape to me," she chuckles.

I shrug, "I'm getting there."

She continues to attempt reading me, "We should go get lunch sometime."

"I agree, I feel like that would be a much better environment to get to know each other," I hold my hand out for her to shake, obviously displaying my tattoo. That'll give her something to fucking analyze. "It was nice finally getting to meet you."

She shakes my hand with slightly narrowed eyes, "Nice finally meeting you too, Hunter—you never told me what your last name was."

I smirk, "Thorpe."

J looks like he's going to pass out so I hook his arm with mine and go back outside. "She's so fucking onto us," he murmurs.

"Relax," I reply, "I have far too much power for her to do anything to either of us. Stop shitting your pants."

"You don't know her—"

I roll my eyes, "Just enjoy the party, J. She doesn't stand a chance against you and I."

💸💸💸

Hunter and smurf are going to straight up duel heheheeh