Chapter 4 His dark past

HUNT'S POV

Popping a bunch of Ambien with bourbon was the easiest way to fall asleep these days but no matter how much I tried to fall asleep dreamless, I had the same dream every night.

I was Fifteen, running through the backyard as my father grilled some steaks for a Sunday dinner to celebrate.

"The contract has finally gotten through, can you believe it?" My father, Henry Hunt, had whispered and kissed my giddy, giggling mother.

We were upper middle class so it meant life was fairly easy for me. We were no millionaires but this deal my father spent months preparing for had finally fallen through. Steel Tech founded by his grandfather, was about to truly go global.

"Stop staring into space, doofus." May my sister, six years at the time, had bopped me on the head with her doll and ran around the yard, giggling. I tried to chase her, but my dad caught me by the shirt.

"Hey now, no running while there's a grill," my dad warned.

"Tell her to keep away from me, or I'll break her doll into two!"

"My boy, always with that temper of yours." My mother leaned down to give my hair a brush.

"Get away from me!"

Embarrassed, I ran inside and shut the reinforced glass door, sulking that I was still being treated like a kid.

I decided to stay inside and play video games. Few minutes deep into my game, I'd failed to pay attention to the flashing lights of cars pulling up to our house.

First, I heard dull thuds over my headphones because I always jacked it to the loudest volume.

Terror struck me immediately. Running to the backyard, I could see my family lined up on the floor, hands behind their heads. They were shouting something at me.

Standing above them were men in masks and suits, five of them, and they held automatic rifles pointing at their heads.

I could see my mother, tears in her eyes, shaking her head telling me not to open the door.

May was the first to go.

I close my eyes and can still picture the hundreds of directions her little skull spattered. A piece of her brain landed on the glass and snapped me out of my shock.

"Mailroom!! Daaaaad!!"

They tried shooting me through the glass but it richoeted against it, some bullets damaged the reinforced glass including the handle, which locked me in from the assailants. I heard them say something to themselves before jumping back into their cars and leaving rushing.

Neighbors had called the police upon hearing gunshots. I'd climbed to the roof through my room to get to the backyard.

Like a tornado had torn through the house; Shards of glass, blown bits of wooden furniture, blood, and the smell of burnt flesh was in the air.

My vision was pinholes as I pulled my sister's dead body close. She'd been shot through like Swiss cheese and my father's body was laying atop my mother's. I heard a low groan and her hand stretched out to reach for me.

"Hunt?" came her weak voice.

She was alive.

"Hunt"

"I'm here, mom. I'm here." Tears blurred my vision and streamed down my face.

In the middle of it all, despite the wreck, the grill was untouched, steak still sizzling.

***

"Hunt? Hunt? Hunt darling?"

I jolted out of bed, covered in a sheen of sweat.

To my left was Marcy? I think. Her hand was on my shoulder, a picture of concern and fright at the sight of me glaring at her.

I slapped her hand off my shoulder and Amy groaned and turned in the bed, still naked.

Getting up and pulling up my pants. I needed some fresh air.

"Get out."

"Are you sure? We could come out and-"

"Wake your friend up and get the fuck out of here. The agreement was "you never fall asleep here," I snapped at her who got to scrambling, shaking her friend awake to get dressed and heading out of my room to Saul that was surely standing outside, waiting to drive them home.

The girl shot me a look of disdain, holding on to her sleepy friend as they walked out.

I walked to my window, to enjoy the fresh air from this view upstairs.

I breathed in the scent of pine trees deeply, feeling my racing heart settle.

But not the fury.

My mother had survived that night, refusing to pull out or quit the company. My mother's family belonged to the Mafia, I had no idea until then. They had taken us under their protection and I grew up learning from them while my mother worked for the company, for the Steel name, bringing it into the spotlight.

I'd sworn revenge. Desperately tearing away at any inkling of a clue as to who ordered a hit on my family to prevent them from taking the contract.

Bringing myself back to the present, I swore softly. In times like this, I craved a smoke, but I was trying to quit.

The air was cool and moisture began to drop.

I looked up to the darkening clouds blackening the moon.

The weather changes so quickly in this state. But still, to be able to live where surrounded by nature...it gave me peace to come here every day. Even when I ran the risk of being ambushed versus a modern house.

I'd essentially become a mafia boss with a hand in corporate affairs. But I had to take a more prominent role in the latter two years ago. Finding a balance was hard. So I drowned the troubles of the night away making orders all day away in controlled drugs and meaningless sex.

A soft rap on my door came three times.

"Come in."

Darwin walked in. "They stole a lamp sir."

That was an Italian antique.

My impatience boiled over. I didn't have time for this.

"Tell them their services are terminated. Don't give them today's payment either and end the contract they have with that modelling company I set them up with."

"Yes boss."

Darwin was always straight to the point.

Walking towards me, he handed me several files.

I flipped through it. Plans of our competitors and their targeted weaknesses. Anybody would kill to have it. Flipping through it, I committed it to memory quickly.

"Boss...that lamp is worth nearly Two million doll-"

"No one crosses me Darwin. Besides, I am unforgiving, not tightfisted. If those girls are smart enough, they'll pawn it far away from here, or it'll end up on the black market under my control."

I handed back the files to Darwin.

"Burn it."

"Yes boss."