CHAPTER FOUR
“I told you to stay out of this,” Hunter says, his voice dangerously quiet.
“I... the door was open,” I lie.
“Bullshit,” he says, stepping into the room. “You figured out the code and broke in like a little thief.”
I don’t deny it.
He runs a hand through his hair, looking more stressed than I’ve ever seen him.
“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” he asks. “I tell you to stay out of something and that just makes you more determined to stick your nose in it. Maybe I need to start telling you the opposite of what I want you to do from now on.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “But Hunter, if your brother is in danger, maybe I can help.”
He laughs bitterly. “Help? How exactly do you think you can help?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “But keeping me in the dark definitely isn’t helping. Maybe if I knew what was going on, I’d be able to answer that.”
He stares at me. I’m surprised he hasn’t shot me down yet. It looks like he’s seriously considering what I said. I decided to push.
“Besides,you know I’m just going to keep snooping until I figure it out anyway.” I add, tilting my head to the side.
He continues staring. I desperately want to look away, but I force myself to maintain eye contact. I have to look strong. Then all of a sudden, something shifts in him. I notice his shoulders relax as some of the tension leaves his body.
“You’re right,” he says finally. “Clearly trying to keep you out of this isn’t working.” He gestures to one of three chairs in the room. “Sit. I’ll tell you everything.”
I sit, and Hunter begins to pace.
“As I told you, Luke and I met when we were kids in foster care,” he begins. “I was a teen actually, and Luke was a child. He’s 10 years younger than me.”
I nod, pretending I don’t already know this information.
Hunter continues. “Luke’s father, John, was in prison for drug trafficking.
And his mother was a junkie who could barely take care of herself, let alone a kid.
That’s why Luke was in foster care. Luke was eight when we met.
I was eighteen and about to age out of the system.
I could have left and never looked back.
I could have started fresh. But I couldn’t leave Luke behind.
So I adopted him. I worked my ass off, got my GED, started investing.
By the time Luke was twelve, I had enough money to set us both up for life. ”
Damn. I widen my eyes slightly and nod, trying to convey to Hunter the depth of my admiration for him. I don’t want to interrupt him, but I want him to know I’m listening. He gives me a small smile and continues.
“So Luke and I left the shithole town we grew up in and moved here, to Stockchurn. It wasn’t much back then.
I don’t even know if you could call it a town.
But I saw the potential this place had. I wanted something we could build from the ground up, something that could really be ours.
I mean, not fully because I don’t own all of the land, but I do own a good chunk of it.
Anyway, I bought the farm, started the bank, convinced businesses to move here.
Got real estate companies interested in the area.
Soon enough people were moving here. The place took off.
All of the investments I made in this started paying off.
At some point, Luke went to college, got his degree.
Then he came back and started working for me. Everything was perfect.”
I sense a but coming.
Hunter’s jaw clenches. “Everything was perfect,” he repeats, “Until John got out of prison.”
An emotion I can’t quite place flashes through Hunter’s eyes. I can tell he’s trying to control himself. His voice becomes calmer, as if he’s deliberately sucking the emotion out of it. But I can feel it.
I nod at Hunter and he continues.
“At first, John just wanted money. I gave it to him, hoping he’d leave us alone. But it was never enough. He kept coming back, wanting more and more and more.”
What an asshole.
“So eventually I cut him off,” Hunter says. “I had no choice. He was dealing drugs around here too. Dirtying the place up. It wasn’t safe anymore. Families were leaving. I couldn’t have that. And I’m not a charity.”
“He sounds like a real piece of work,” I say quietly.
“You have no idea,” Hunter says. “Anyways, he didn’t like it when I cut him off like that. Which I expected. What I did not expect was the lengths he would go to to get back at me, or just to get money. It’s hard to say what his real motivation is these days.”
“What did he do?” I ask.
“He kidnapped Luke. I bought a good amount of Bitcoin back when it was worth around $5,000 a coin. It’s worth a lot more than that now.”
I nod. “Yeah,” I say, “70k or so, right?”
“More like 100,” he says.
Damn, I think to myself. A small twinge of regret runs through me. Why didn’t I invest in Bitcoin back when it was $5,000?
“Anyway, do you know how Bitcoin works? How there’s a seed phrase?”
“I’m not sure,” I say slowly. “Is it like a password?”
“More or less,” Hunter says. “Think of it like a master key. It’s usually 12 or 24 words. If you know it, you can access somebody’s wallet and take all of their cryptocurrency.
“All of it?” I ask.
“Yep.”
“So John wants your seed phrase?” I ask.
Hunter nods.
“And he’s holding Luke hostage until you tell him the phrase?”
“Correct,” Hunter says.
“Oh my god,” I whisper. “Have you considered just giving it to him? I mean, you can always recover the money after, right? Sue him or something?”
Hunter laughs darkly. “It doesn’t work like that, sweetheart.
If I give John the phrase, he’ll kill Luke.
Don’t ask me how I know that, but trust me, I know that’s what he’ll do.
And then he’ll disappear. He’ll make it to the Cayman Islands or something and I’ll never see him again.
Giving him the phrase is not an option. If I give it to him, Luke is dead. ”
“So what are you going to do?” I ask.
“I’m working on it,” Hunter says vaguely.
“Let me help,” I say.
“Absolutely not,” Hunter says immediately.
“Why not?” I ask. “You said yourself I’m stubborn and reckless. Maybe that’s exactly what you need.”
“What I need,” Hunter says, “is for you to stay safe and out of the way. I don’t need one more person to worry about.”
“But—”
“No,” he says firmly. “One person I care about is already in danger because of me. I’m not putting you in danger too.”
There’s something in his voice, a note of genuine concern that makes my heart skip.
“You care about me,” I say softly.
Hunter’s eyes meet mine. “Of course I fucking care about you, Lorelai. Did you think this was all just a game?”
“I... I don’t know what to think,” I admit.
He crosses the room and cups my face in his hands. “I know I’ve been an asshole. Secretive, controlling. But it’s because I’m trying to keep everyone safe. Especially you.”
He kisses me, deeply and passionately, and I feel my body melt into his.
When we break apart, he rests his forehead against mine.
“Promise me you’ll stay out of this, Lorelai,” he says. “Please.”
I want to promise. I really do. But I can’t.
“I can’t,” I say quietly.
He pulls back, frustration written all over his face.
“Then at least promise me you’ll be careful,” he says.
“I promise,” I say.
He looks like he wants to argue more, but instead he just pulls me into his arms.
“You’re going to be the death of me, woman,” he mutters.
I smile against his chest. “Probably.”
The End