Without a thought, I scream as loud as I possibly can,“DAD!”
Grabbing the top Hunter had just removed, I quickly press it to the cuts on his chest, hoping it'll help slow the bleeding that removing the t-shirt has just started back up. I need help, and I know I do.
My dad barges into my room, gun out, his head turning quickly to check if there is a threat. When he sees me standing over Hunter on the bed, holding his top to his chest, he quickly puts his gun away and rushes to the bed.
“What happened?”He asks, concerned.
“Craig,”I say as I remove the top so he can see what we're dealing with.
Without another word, he removes his phone and puts it up to his ear.
“Get to my house now. Bring your fucking bag. Don't bother knocking; come straight to Jackson's room!”He shouts down the phone before hanging up.
Turning his attention back to us, he sits down next to Hunter on the bed and gently moves the t-shirt so he can see the damage. His eyes flash with rage when he sees the damage. He quickly pushes the top back down.
“Med is on his way. We’ll get you patched up, okay, Hunter. You're not going anywhere until I've spoken to your fucking parents, and maybe not even then.”
He's not happy. I know how much he cares about Hunter; he's been my best friend since we were like four years old. Dad's watched him grow just like he has me and Alex. No way is he going to let this continue.
Less than five minutes later, Med's in my room, cleaning Hunter up. Med's a former EMT, which is lucky for us because apparently he's going to have to stitch Hunter's chest becausethe wounds are pretty deep and won't heal on their own. I step away from the bed to talk to my Dad while Med works. I don’t want to watch my best friend get his torso stitched back together; it’s all making me see red, and I’m struggling to control myself.
“What did he tell you?”Dad asks, his voice low so he’s not overheard.
“It's been going on for a long time; I’m not sure how long, but he made it sound like it’s been a long-term thing he has been dealing with, and it's getting worse. He couldn't even get out of bed this morning to come to school because of the pain, and he’s now being stitched up by your goddamn medic. You gotta do something, Dad. Please.”
I’m prepared to beg at this point; I’d do anything to keep Hunter safe.
“Don't worry, I fucking will be Jackson. His parents best have a good fucking reason for allowing this to happen to him.”My dad snarls.
The following day, while Hunter's resting with Alex watching over him because he feels terrible that he wasn’t there last night. Dad, along with me and a few members of Devil's Inferno, go to Hunter's house.
Dad doesn't even knock when we arrive; he just barges into the house, finding Hunter's parents sitting in the kitchen having breakfast. They start to scream for us to get out, but Dad just nods his head, and Shock and Gunner walk behind both of them, slapping hands over their mouths to shut them up. He isn't messing around, not after he learned from Med all the injuries Hunter has covering his body. All old, healing, and new.
“You're sitting here without a fucking care in the world; do you even know where Hunter is or the condition he's in right now?”Dad snarls at Mr and Mrs Daniels.
The guys remove their hands so that they can answer him. I'm not sure my Dad cares what they have to say, though. There's no excuse for what's happened to Hunter under their roof.
“What are you on about? Hunter is upstairs in bed; where else would he be?”Mrs Daniels answers in a snotty tone.
Mr Daniels, though, is staring at my Dad, trying to figure out what's going on. He looks really worried.
Letting out a humorless laugh Dad replies,“Wrong. He's currently in my fucking house, after turning up last night beaten black and blue, cut to pieces thanks to your fucking son! I had to have my fucking medic stitch him up because of how bad the cuts covering his torso were! What sort of home are you fucking running!?”
All the color drains out of Hunter's dad’s face.
“What?”He whispers.
“No.”He sounds horrified.
Hunter's mom, however, doesn't look surprised. That's when it clicks in my mind. Mr Daniels is always working; I've heard Hunter moan about it enough times, but Mrs Daniels is always at home; she doesn't work. She knows. There is no way she doesn’t.
"Yes, it's true, Mr Daniels. I'm sorry to tell you Craig's the person behind Hunter's injuries; he told me it’s been going on for a long time, sir, and from the look on your wife's face, she's fully aware of what's been happening,”I say, interrupting the adults.
Anger overtakes his face as he stands from his chair and looks at his wife's face before he leans over her.
“Why would you allow your son to hurt his younger brother?!”He roars.
That’s when I remember that Craig isn’t his son; he’s his wife's child from a previous relationship.
