CHAPTER 41
Ghost From The Past
Hunter
Saturday afternoon, I was at a packed MacGregor with Josh, Cade, and Shaun after finishing at the Remingtons’ shooting range to grab a bite.
I’d been spending more time there, perfecting my aim and familiarizing myself with different firearms. I credited years of football for honing my marksmanship skills, for I hit one bullseye after another at today’s session.
There was a part of me that wished Enzo Bellafiore were there so I could make him eat his words from last week’s dinner.
Weaving through the busy bodies of patrons, a waitress finally brought over our food and drinks.
Josh’s phone pinged incessantly as we began to eat.
“You want to get that, Mr. Popular?” Shaun teased, popping a fry into his mouth.
Josh picked up his phone, unlocked his screen, and said, “Oh, it’s the girls.”
Cade perked up. “The girls?”
At his brother’s inquisitive tone, Josh shrugged and plucked a straw, unwrapped it, and dipped it into his soda. “It’s our group chat. Mine, Ella, Darla, Dacia, and Hera’s.”
“Excuse me, you have a group chat with the girls?” Shaun asked incredulously.
“I do,” he quipped.
“Why are you in this group chat?” Cade appeared affronted. “And why aren’t we?”
“Because I’m cooler and more fun than all of you combined?” Josh gestured at us with his drink before taking a hearty sip. “And I’m resourceful? Not to mention, they added me. Sometimes I even get invited to their hangouts.”
Amused, I asked, “You’re allowed at their girls’ night?”
“’Course, I am.” Josh shrugged like it was no biggie, while Cade and Shaun battled with their newfound jealousy. “I’m in charge of bringing the tea and cookies to their gossip sesh.”
“Add us to the group chat,” Shaun ordered. “We deserve to be there just as much as you.”
Cade nodded, looking grim. “Agreed.”
Josh raised his hands in surrender. “Listen, I’m not betraying their trust. If they wanted both of you there, they would have invited you.”
“But you’re there,” Shaun spat. “How is that fair?”
Josh snickered. “To be honest, I earned my spot after all the labour I’ve done for them.”
“What labour is that?” I inquired, slicing into my chicken cutlet with a knife.
“Well,” he drawled dramatically, keeping us on edge.
“There was that one time where they kidnapped me when I was high as fuck so they could break into someone’s house and have me sift through their laptop for intel.
Not to mention, my poor back was used like a stepping stone.
Ergo, I’ve put in the work and deserve to be in the group chat.
The rest of you have done nothing of the sort.
Therefore, you aren’t granted the honour of being there. Plain and simple.”
I remembered Josh recounting that to me last year. It made me chuckle then and it made me chuckle now.
Cade and Shaun weren’t happy. The latter cleared his throat and folded his arms across his chest, leaning back in his chair. “Fine. At least tell us what you talk about in this group chat.”
Josh clicked his tongue and picked up his club sandwich. “Why? Afraid that they’re talking shit about you guys?”
“Are they?” Cade hedged.
“Nah.” Josh took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, dragging it out while both men stared at him in impatience. “But I will tell you this one piece of info. There’s this guy named Idris that Hera recently met and I’m pretty sure they’re going on a date soon.”
Cade threw an alarmed glance at Shaun.
Who had completely frozen over.
I was about to say something when my eyes unceremoniously caught a figure leaving the back offices of MacGregor before blending into the crowd and heading towards the exit leading to the side alleyway.
It was a split second.
But I caught him.
I would recognize that face anywhere.
What were the odds that I would see him here, after all these years, on an unassuming weekend afternoon in a crowded bar, appearing like a ghost from my past?
I scraped my chair back and stood up, telling my friends, “I’ll be back.”
They called after me, but I was already power-walking after him. Afraid that if I wasn’t fast enough, he’d slip through my fingers and disappear for longer this time.
The noise from MacGregor drowned in the background as my vision became laser-focused. My attention was solely on his broad back, cloaked in a long black coat.
As I flung open the exit door and sped after him, my heart pounded and the cold fall air nipped at my skin. The alleyway was deserted, save for an inconspicuous charcoal sedan.
I caught up to him right as he neared the car and hollered his name, “Donovan!”
He stiffened, pausing.
A hand went to his waistband, probably to cradle his gun, before he whirled around and pinned me with a wary gaze.
He stared at me like he was seeing a stranger.
It took three seconds for recognition to flash in his expression. “Hunter?”
I smiled and advanced towards him. “Hey, Don.”
A slow smile spread across his face in reciprocation.
Donovan Shaw still had that larger-than-life demeanour and intimidating stature to him.
Gone were the boyish features I remembered.
Now they were refined with age. His brown eyes harboured steeliness, like he’d seen much of life and wasn’t impressed, and he sported a short brown beard, a hint unkempt like his tousled hair.
And that ever-present gangster swagger of his remained as he crossed the six feet separating us and dragged me into his arms for a brotherly hug.
“Hey, Hunt.” He clapped my back once, strongly. “Didn’t recognize you there for a moment. When did you get so tall, kid?”
We were the same height now. “Right about the time you left.”
There was sorrow in his eyes, mixed with something bittersweet. Not a single part of me expected an apology. At the end of the day, Donovan had to do what was right for him, and if that was escaping the city and the memories of his and Heidi’s past, then so be it. I wasn’t one to hold a grudge.
“How are you?” he rasped, tucking his hands in his coat pockets.
“I’m good.” I gestured back at MacGregor’s exit door. “I was having lunch with my friends when I thought I saw you. Chased you down to make sure I wasn’t seeing a mirage.”
He cracked a rare grin I hadn’t seen in years. “I’m surprised you spotted me.”
He used to be the closest thing I’d had to a brother. I hoped he remembered that. “You’re family, Don. I’ll always spot you in a crowd full of people.”
He reached forward to ruffle my hair the way he did when I was young. It brought back old memories of whenever I finished playing a game and he took me to a pizza parlour for my post-football treat.
“How are you?” Last I remembered, he left Montardor about five years ago. “What are you doing here?”
A muscle in Donovan’s jaw ticked. “Had some business with Mac.”
“Oh.” I shoved my own hands in my pockets. “What kind?”
“He’s getting old, wants to sell this joint, and I’m buying it off of him.”
“Wow. Congratulations.” MacGregor was one of the oldest Irish pubs in the city, with a long history and a loyal clientele. It was a smart and interesting move. “Does this mean you’re back in the city?”
I didn’t ask him where he’d been. If he wanted to reveal that tidbit, he would himself.
“Not exactly.” He relaxed against his car and chin-nodded at the establishment. “Mac is still going to manage it until he’s ready to retire and I’ll be hands-off. Plus, I have other business to take care of.”
Business that wasn’t here, was what he meant to say.
Donovan looked like he wanted to say something else but was fighting against it. His jaw clenched. His fingers combed frustratedly through his hair. Eventually, he sighed. “How is she?”
In that instant, all I felt was sadness for both of them. He couldn’t say Heidi’s name and she never said Donovan’s either. Not since he left.
“She’s fine.” I hesitated, then bit the bullet. “Still thinks about you.”
Raw pain burst over his features.
Hearing those words surprised him. Did he really expect Heidi to forget he ever existed? It was evident that he hadn’t forgotten her either.
Donovan swallowed roughly and shutters fell over his expression, rendering him a blank slate. He squeezed my shoulder in farewell. “It was nice seeing you, Hunt. Take care of yourself.”
I hoped it wasn’t the last time I saw him. “You too, Don.”
“Do me a favour?” he asked as he opened his car’s door.
“Anything.”
“You didn’t see me. As far as anyone is concerned, I was never here.”
Meaning he didn’t want Heidi or Jaden to know.
I respected his choice. “Understood.”
We said goodbye and he drove away. Though despondency lingered, for the most part I was happy that I got to see Donovan again, even if it was under these circumstances.
On my way back into the pub, goosebumps erupted over the exposed skin of my forearms and an odd sensation slithered down my spine.
I turned my head to eye the busy street.
It was hard to tell with the amount of bustling traffic, but for a second, I could have sworn that I spotted a hooded figure watching me from across.
They retreated into an alleyway, blending with the rest of the passersby.
I chalked it up to my eyes playing tricks on me and went back into MacGregor.