8– Temptation vs. loyalty

Hector King was coming down his stairs when Hunter was walking in. Hector had a glass of whiskey in his right hand. You could see that he had just filled the ice because the glass looked misty.

It was now almost 10pm and Hector was still in a suit.

“You shot my best man.” Hector said when he reached the bottom of the stairs. He stopped there. Hector was wearing cream suit pants and a navy blue golf t-shirt which was tucked in.

Hunter lowered his gaze, he knew that Hector would be mad about this. How mad, he had no clue. What if it cost him his new position?

Hector then continued towards him and came to stand before Hunter. Hunter couldn't look Hector in the eye.

“You shot Ricardo.” Hector repeated, as if Hunter hadn't already heard him the first time. “I know I told you to run shit, but I didn't know you'd go and shoot Ricardo.”

“King, I can explain.”

Just then Hector's front door opened. Hunter knew better than to get distracted while Hector was staring him down, so he didn't look behind to see who had opened the door.

He heard heels against the tiles and then giggling. He was now at ease because Hector was distracted now, looking at the door.

The giggling got louder and then, “Hunter is that you?” A female voice asked.

Hunter looked back at her. It was Gabriella King, Hector's daughter. She had her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a black leather mini skirt with a white tank top, a leather jacket and red heels. Almost touching the floor next to her, was her hand bag, hanging from her hand.

She beamed when she saw his face and then quickly tried to run to Hunter but staggered and fell. She was clearly drunk.

Hector shook his head. “Go help her.” Hunter rushed to help her.

When Hunter moved into Hector's house eight years ago, Gaby was fifteen. When he walked in with Hector that day she was sitting on the couch with three of her friends and they had all watched him. Hector had called Gaby and introduced her to Hunter. She had brown hair that stopped neatly under her chin and a French that stopped neatly just before her long eyelashes. She had smiled politely at him, and he saw her dimples. She had then asked him how old he was. He thought that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Not like the girls at the orphanage.

“Seventeen.” He had responded. He too wanted to ask her for her age, but he didn't have the confidence to, so he just let it be.

And when Hector and himself made it up the stairs where he's room was, he marvelled at the beautiful passageway. He had never seen any place like it. He's room was on the second floor. And when they stepped into his room, he couldn't believe that this beautiful place would now belong to him. At the orphanage he didn't even have a room. He only had a bunker. The bunk bed creaked loudly at night when the boy on top would toss and turn. Hunter had sat on the bed and felt the smoothness of the comforter with his rough palms. He had never felt anything softer. The first thing Hector had told him when he had stopped marvelling at the room was that he should treat Gaby as if she were he's sister. Of cause Hunter had no idea how sisters were supposed to be treated because he had never had that experience, but he knew that it meant that he had to stay away from Gaby. And he did just that. Staying away from her was easy because Hector was almost never at home so that meant that Hunter wasn't too. But on the days that Hunter was home, Gaby would always try talking to him and asking him questions about why he was always with her father. Overtime they became friends and would speak even in front of Hector, who didn't seem to mind anymore. And then one day, Hector and his wife had gone out for supper, and it was just them two alone. She came into his room without knocking. He was by the window, closing it. She closed the door behind her and had said, “We are alone.”

“Are you okay?” Hunter asked her when he got to her.

“She's drunk.” Hector said.

“Ouch...” Gaby complained rubbing her ankle.

“Come let's help you up.” Hunter told her putting her arm around his neck and then getting her up on her feet. When he was about to take her hand away from his neck, she placed the other arm too and then smiled up at Hunter, her eyes almost closing.

“Hunter, take her up to her room. I can't believe this girl.” Hector said shaking his head. “It's like this almost every weekend.”

“Come. Let's go.” Hunter told her. “Give me your bag.” He took her bag out of her hands and began walking her towards the stairs.

“No, take the lift. I don't want the both of you toppling down half way up.” Hector told him.

“Yes, sir.” Hunter said making a detour with her. She was now limping. The lift was close to the front door. They got in and then Hunter pressed number three.

“I think I broke my ankle.” She pouted after the doors closed.

“I don't think so.” Hunter told her trying to get her to stand on her own.

When she stood up on her own, she stepped closer to him and then leaned on him. He could feel her breasts against his chest, which made him uncomfortable.

“Gaby, there could be cameras in here.” Hunter told her.

“So?” She answered hugging her arms around him.

“So... you'll get me in trouble with King.” Hunter tried to take her hands away. He felt the tips of her long fingernails poke the back of his neck.

“You smell nice.” She said, smiling up at him.

“Thank you.” Hunter said still trying to gently undo her arms from around him.

“And you look good in a suit.” She continued.

“Thanks.” He said as the lift opened on the third floor.

“You know what happened today?” She asked.

“Come let's go.” He told her walking her out of the lift. Her room was right down the passage.

“You know what happened today?” She repeated.

“What?” He answered with no enthusiasm.

“So, we were playing a game, the deal was that if you lose, you take a shot. So–”

“That's why you're so drunk.”

“I'm not that drunk.” She laughed. “You should have seen Amy.”

“Amy the girl that used to like me?”

Gaby then gasped and stopped walking. “Who told you that?”

“You told me.” He said propelling her forward. “Continue walking.”

“I should really learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes.” She said. "Amy would get so mad if she hears that I told you.”

“She won't know.” Hunter told her, opening the door to her room.”

“You promise?” Gaby asked walking in backwards. Hunter now had his hands supporting her back, so she didn't trip.

“You told me like years ago, it doesn't matter.”

“No, promise...” She insisted.

Hunter sighed. “Okay fine. I promise Gaby, can you just go to bed now?”

“Are you gonna sleep with me?” She asked him, throwing her arms around his neck again. He felt her pointy fingernails at the back of his head.

“No. I must go back downstairs. Hector is waiting for me.”

“You're cute,” she told him. “You know that?”

“And you're drunk, Gaby.” Hunter told her trying to take her arms off his neck.

“Give me a good night kiss then.” She told him pouting.

“No, Gaby.”

“Come on.” She was now trying to force him. “There's no cameras in my room.”

“It doesn't matter.” Hunter said, placing her hand bag on the floor next to her bedside table.

“You're boring!” She told him as she sat on her bed. Sitting made her skirt pull up, exposing her chubby thighs. Hunter looked at them, he loved thick legs on a woman.

She then titled her head and looked at him with a disappointed look on her face. “Why don't you like me? Don't you find me attractive?”

That question brought back the image of Gaby standing at the door of his room that night. Confused, seventeen year old Hunter had responded, “Well, we're not really alone alone because there's guards outside.”

Gaby had then rolled her eyes, like he wasn't getting her. “Yeah, but it's just the two of us in the house.”

Not sure why she was mentioning something he was already aware of, Hunter just stood there waiting for her to elaborate. That's when she walked slowly towards him and stopped in front of him. She then opened her silky maroon night gown and had let it slide down her body to his carpet like they often did in the movies he watched, right before a sex scene. He remembered how it slipped slowly down with no friction. She was butt naked, her skin a blend of milk and light tea. Smooth. Hunter looked from her face right down to her feet slowly. She looked even better naked. When he had looked back up at her face she said, “I'm all yours.”

With a hard-on, he had still turned away. “Please leave.” He had said without looking at her again.

After that he didn't see her reaction, but he heard scurrying and then steps running away from him. When he turned, she was already out of the door.

Standing in her room now, Hunter smiled at the memory. He then stepped closer and kneeled down in front of her. He put his palm over her kneecap and lifted her chin up with the other hand. He brought his face close to hers and then whispered in her ear, “If you were not King's daughter, I would have fucked you a long time ago. You're fucking hot, okay? Just go to sleep now.” He then slowly kissed her on her cheek.

She stared at him with her half closed eyes. “You know that shit just turned me on more, right?”

Hunter smiled and then got up. “Good night, Gaby.”

“He doesn't have to find out.” She told him.

Hunter was already at the door. “Good night.” He said and then shut her door.

He then walked back to the lift. When he reached the first floor, Hector was now sitting in his living room, sipping his whiskey.

“Is she in bed?” He asked when he heard Hunter's footsteps approaching.

“Yes, sir.” Hunter said, coming to sit on the three seater next to the one seater where Hector was seated.

“So, you killed our gun trafficker.” Hector said it now like he was just saying something casual like 'it's cold today'.

“I just wanted them to respect me. They had no respect for me whatsoever before I shot Ricardo. But I'll never do something like that again.”

Hector nodded slowly. “Should I fear a massacre?”

Hunter shook his head. “It was just this one time. I'll never do it again.”

“You wanted to prove a point...”

“Yes…” Hunter wasn't sure whether that was the right way to respond to this question.

Hector nodded attentively. He then sat forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his thighs. “Look Hunter, I understand how all of this makes you feel. You're young and now you have such a huge responsibility on your shoulders and the only way you can take on this responsibility without fucking it up is if the people you're responsible for respects you. And now you thought shooting one of them would make the others respect you.”

Hunter nodded. Hector had explained how he really felt.

“Remember they've always respected you because I keep you close to me. If they're not respecting you now when you're underboss, do you know what that means?”

“They used to respect me because I didn't go telling them how to manage their businesses, now I am.”

“They are trying to take advantage of you, trying to see where they can break through you. Testing you to see if you're strong enough to handle them. And if you show them that you're not, then they know they can have their way. Don't give them what they are searching for. In fact, you don't even have what they're searching for— that weakness. I didn't promote you for nothing. I know what's in you and you need to show them that.”

“That's why I had to shoot Ricardo.”

Hector took a sip from his glass, “Look Hunter, you're trying to lead by fear. Try leading by respect. Keep doing your part and they'll slowly respect you. Look, no matter what the hell you say to them, they'll do it anyway because they have no choice. They know that I'll always back you up because the boss and the underboss are always a united front. You don't have to pull out your gun all the time.”

“They were talking back at me, questioning my decisions.”

“If they stop talking back at you, they'll continue behind your back, no matter how many of them you shoot.”

“So, what do I do then?”

“They'll slowly learn to respect you when they start seeing what I saw in you.”

Hunter nodded.

“But until then, continue keeping your head up and run this shit.” Hector gave him a smile. “Like you did today.”

Hunter smiled, he couldn't believe his ears. “What?”

"Marco Bianchi told me everything.” Hector said. "Poor Ricardo though. I hope his successor will keep the income flowing like he did.”

“He will have no choice.” Hunter told Hector.

Hector gave a smirk. “You have plans tonight?”

“Nah.”

“There's only half a bottle of this left.” He gestured to his glass. “Let's finish it.”

Hunter rubbed his palms together in excitement. “I'm down.”

“Mrs Rosa!” Hector called out.

An old woman wearing the mansions navy blue uniform and a white apron rushed towards them. Hunter knew her, she was working here even when he used to stay here. “Yes, sir?”

“Please bring us the whiskey bottle that's on top of the table in my office. The door is open.”

"Okay sir.” She said, scurrying away. Hector treated all the servants in the mansion with respect, but they still carried on like he was this brutal scary boss.

“Let's drink to Ricardo, shall we?” Hector said.

Hunter smiled and nodded. “To Ricardo.”