Page 135 of Bloom

“Nowhere,” he responds too quickly. “Just checking on the horses. Thought I heard something.”

Lux and I exchange a look. “You need your keys for that?”

His hand pauses halfway to his car keys. He says nothing, he doesn’t look at us either, and when he tries to grab them real quick and run, a noise akin to a growl leaves his sister. “Stop.”

Reluctantly, he does.

“Turn.”

Face pinched, he does that too.

“Spill.”

He tries to hold out, he really does, but a freaking Navy Seal couldn’t hold out against a Lux Jackson stare down. “Tommy called,” he reluctantly admits, and I swear my heart stops beating. “There was a fight.”

41

Caroline was right.

Red is an angry color.

And right now, it’s all he sees.

In the thirtyminutes it takes to drive into town, my imagination conjures up the worst case scenario. I picture the big guy protecting my honor, pounding on my much smaller, likely inebriated father, and I wince at the ugly, ugly image.

Except when I burst into Bishop’s, a bloodbath is not what I find. It’s pretty close to the opposite; the room is strangely calm, the patrons eerily quiet as they all stare at…

Hunter.

Quietly, calmly pinning my dad’s head to the bar.

My dad who has blood on his face, running from his nose and pooling on the wood beneath his cheek. Staining his teeth too, I notice when he sneers at the sight of me. “Call off your fucking dog, Caroline.”

Beside me, Lux snickers. “More like a bear.”

Ignoring her, I step forward with a tentative, “Hunter.”

“It’s okay, honey.” He smiles reassuringly, even as he shifts his grip to smush my dad a little harder. “We’re just talkin’.”

“He attacked me!”

Hunter’s mouth flattens as he stoops to hiss in my dad’s ear, “I threw a glass at your face. You call that attackin’?Huh.”

“You broke my nose.”

“And my bar.”

My gaze flits to Tommy where he stands on the other side of the counter, bafflingly nonchalant as he leans against a mini fridge and gestures at the counter. Following his pointed finger, I notice a crack in the dark mahogany.

Right underneath Dad’s head.

“My bad,” Hunter mumbles without an ounce of guilt or apology. “But you heard what he said.”

Tommy briefly meets my gaze, and I flinch at theknowingswimming within his.

Dad wriggles furiously, but his struggle is futile. He barely budges an inch. “Get off of me. I’ll fucking kill you.”

Hunter laughs. He actually laughs, a noise that sends a shiver up my spine, and I don’t think fear is the source. Looking huge and intimidating anddark, he yanks my dad upright. “You can try. I’ll even give you a free shot. If you apologize,” he jerks his head in my direction, “to her.”

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