Logan
The doors to the elevator slide open and the Gazette office smells of recycled air and coffee. It also smells of deadlines, and fake handshakes, and late nights, and something else that I can't quite put my finger on.
And then I see him, and my blood runs cold.
It's Hunter, and yet again, he has his hands all over Natalie. He has one hand on her waist, and another hand running up her thigh and under her skirt. She's pressed against the wall of her office, and he has his mouth on her neck.
Rage flickers behind my eyes. I waste no time in approaching him.
"I should've known you'd be here," I growl.
"What the fuck is it to you?" Hunter says, stepping toward me in a dare and moving away from Natalie.
Natalie is shocked to see me here. She shakes her head as if she can't believe we're all in the same room again.
Hunter is a cocky bastard, and he's had his fun, but that fun is coming to an end.
"Do you really expect me to stand back and allow you to talk shit and run game all over my life? If so, you've fucking stupider than I thought," I say, stepping toward him.
"What the fuck did you just say to me?" Hunter squints his eyes and his feet are held in a wide stance. A fighter's stance.
"You heard me," I say.
I see Natalie waving her hands at us, telling us to stop.
"You guys are being ridiculous. Please don't do this. The whole block's going to hear you both acting like idiots," she says.
But we both ignore her. It's as if a wick on a stick of dynamite has been lit, and the flame is traveling toward the TNT. There's no stopping us now. There's going to be an explosion any minute.
"You think you're so fucking tough, but you know what you are? You're soft. And scared," Hunter sneers.
"Soft? You couldn't keep my fucking pace if you tried." I almost laugh. He wouldn't last one round with me in the ring. It's a joke to even think about.
Hunter throws his shoulders back and moves toward me, closing the distance between us. We are so close to each other now that I can practically feel his breath on me.
"A fight with you wouldn't go the fucking distance. Mark my word on that," Hunter says.
"I eat through fighters like you," I say. "You want me? Come get me. I'm right fucking here." I throw my hands up in the air, taunting him.
As I say this I point to my chest and open my arms, taunting him some more with the easy access. If he wants the first punch, he can have it. He stares at me for a moment, as if he's deciding whether or not to make the first move.
I'm so mad I decide to taunt him some more. "I ain't got nothing but time, Hunter. Let's go tough guy. What the fuck are you waiting for? You can sneak behind my back with Natalie, but you can't back that up to my face. You gonna stand up and do something, or are you gonna stand there like a little bitch?"
Hunter is breathing hard; his nostrils are flaring. He clenches his fist and says through grit teeth, "You're a fucking bitch. You wanna fight? I'll make easy work of you."
I laugh. "Sure you will. I'll knock you the fuck out! It'd be like watching a lion fight an ant. It's not even a fair match up."
Hunter holds my gaze. "We can settle this in the ring," he says.
"That's hilarious. I run the fucking ring. ME," I growl. We're now circling each other with fists clenched. His eyes are slightly squinted in anger and I can see the tension in his shoulders. My own heart is kicking in my chest and it's taking everything for me to not knock him out right now. If this keeps up, we won't make it to the ring. This will have to get settled right here. Right now. But I sense Natalie standing there in my peripheral vision. She seems worried that we're going to brawl right here in the office of the Gazette.
Hunter tightens his jaw. I can see him clench his teeth as well. "For all of your talk about honor, you sure don't know how to honor the dead."
Out of all the insults that we've exchanged, that one stings the most.
"Don't you fucking dare bring up Sarah. This has nothing to do with her. We can arrange a fight, but I'm warning you now. Prepare to get your ass schooled," I growl.
"I'll never taste defeat. Not from you. Not from any other fighter," Hunter growls. "I see your mouth moving but I don't hear shit."
Natalie steps between us. She's now refusing to stand on the sidelines and be a passive observer.
"Enough! Both of you—stop! Just stop!"
She positions her body right between both of our chests, and now we can't ignore her.
"This is my fault. I know that, and I feel bad," she says. From the look on her face, she's sincere. "I don't want you guys to fight. I don't want you to break your truce because of me."
Hunter and I are still staring at each other, our bodies tense, but I take a couple of deep breaths to steady my anger, and I unclench one fist. Hunter sees this and does the same.
"That's better," Natalie says. "Much better. Just forget that macho talk, will you? You guys are both great fighters. I know that … the world knows that … and there's too much at stake to end your no-fighting truce. There's no need for a fight. I mean it. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
I nod a little. As much as I hate to admit it, she's probably right.
We made Sarah a promise that we wouldn't fight each other. We should keep that promise. I look over at Hunter, and his anger seems to be subsiding as well.
"I have an idea," Natalie says. She drags one hand down my chest, and another down Hunter's chest. Then, running her moist tongue over her lips, she purrs, "I want both of you."