Page 18 of Bear Hunt

“It’s all right, Paxton. Brock here is a friend, he’s safe.” The kid, Paxton, doesn’t move right away, and before he takes a step back, he lifts his hand to his face, his fingers in a vee, and swings them back and forth from his eyes to mine. The kid’s watching me.

As much as I love the way he’s protective of the women here, I hate that he feels the need to be. It just means that his life has been fucking hard and no kid should ever have to live a life of pain.

“Hi, Brock. Sorry about Paxton, he’s very protective of his momma and well…” She leans in and stage whispers with her hand over the side of her mouth. “And Athena, too. I think you might have some competition.” Her little giggle has my cheeks heating up and my head shaking soon after.

“Nah, it’s not like that, Maribel. I’m just checking on her, you know? Mac called so I wanted to come by to let you know thatwe’re taking care of it.” As I speak, my eyes roam, once more, the visible part inside the house, but still nothing. Or… no one.

“Right. Of course you are. I figured Mac would spread the word and we’d get this young woman the help she needs.” Maribel reaches out and pats me on the forearm. “She’s scared and confused, Brock, but she’s strong. If you want to speak with her, all you need to do is ask.” I grin at her words, knowing deep in my gut that Psycho’s methods were wrong from the get go. “There’s no need to stalk the poor girl.”

My grin dies just as soon as she finishes her phrase.

“She caught on, huh?”

“Like I said, she’s scared and a little lost but she’s not an idiot. You two, on the other hand, well… I’ve got questions about your maturity levels.” This time she’s staring daggers at Psycho, who just waves at her from across the street. I love that guy because even in the most tense situation, he can bring a little levity.

“My fault for taking advice from an irrational biker.” We both nod at my comment, knowing I’m right… again. “Look, I want you to take this.” Fishing out my wallet from my back pocket, I rummage around inside it and hand her a hundred dollars. “It’s not much but it’ll help her out for the time being. Whatever you need food wise or whatever, just let the club know and we’ll have it sent over.”

Maribel smiles, her eyes crinkling with the effort, and in that moment she reminds me so much of my mama that it sends a sharp pang straight to my heart.

It’s been ten years but I still miss her. Every fucking day.

“Thank you, Brock. And I will make sure she gets this money.”

“Yeah, um, just tell her it’s from you. Like, you know, something every woman here gets to… I don’t know… get back on her feet or whatever.” I’ve never, in my entire life, felt so shy and out of my depth but just the thought of Athena refusing this money has me panicking.

“Will do, son. Will do.”

“Okay, thanks. And, Maribel, anything y’all need, just holler. We’ll get it done.” With a sharp nod, I take one last longing glance at the entrance, hoping for a glimpse before I turn on my heel.

“Hey, Brock?” Maribel’s voice has me turning right back to face her.

“Yeah?”

“Just give her some time, all right? She doesn’t need someone barreling in on her. She needs support. Ain’t the same thing.”

Again, I nod but this time with a grin knowing Maribel’s got my back.

Most importantly, I know I’ve got Athena’s and with the hard beating of my heart behind my ribs, I’m pretty sure I’ve got it bad.

Chapter Eight

Athena

“Mom watched this all the time when Dad was out at the bar. She doesn’t know I used to sneak down the stairs to watch it too.”

“It’s a little violent, isn’t it?” I glance over at Paxton, who is eating the sandwich he made himself before joining me in the living room to watchNCIS. I have never seen it before today, with my own TV choices being severely limited to a few films I watched over and over again… and well, I’m really enjoying the drama of it.

“I’m twelve, ‘Thena, not two.” His large grin makes me shake my head at his sheer cheekiness. “Have you seenDeadpool?”

“Err… no? What isDeadpool?”

“One of Dad’s friends put it on the big TV downstairs once. He turned the volume up loud and I had to sit and watch the whole thing. I was eight, andthatI was too young for.NCISis child’s play compared to that.” He chuckles, but it’s not full and hearty, and I’m just happy for him that he and his mom are out of theirbad situation now… while he’s still young enough to actually be a kid.

“Paxton!” The shout—well, raised voice—comes from the hallway right before his mom appears. She looks paler than me, but better than she did yesterday afternoon when we all had dinner together.

There are three other women staying here, all for their own reasons, and they each have jobs that take them away from the home a lot. One is moving out in a few days so Maribel insisted on the meal as a… last hoorah is what she called it.

There was one who opted to stay in her room, and Maribel didn’t push her to leave it or do what she wanted. Instead, she was calm, understanding, and happily left a plate of food outside the woman’s bedroom door. I know that with my current life experience, that could have been me hiding in my room, but I’m lucky in that respect. My training has given me the tools I need to push through discomfort—most of the time—plus, I’ve watchedPitch Perfectso many times I could lip sync to it. Those girls have taught me almost as much about determination as my mother was able to.

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