I Remember Love

That night Amalia went home, the weight of the world seemed to be crashing down on her. Typically, she would have just brushed anything that didn't immediately align with her goals. However, having neglected her grandfather so long, there was no escaping the guilt at her actions.

She walked through this place that been her home now for almost two years and felt her heart break. It was like she was losing her father all over again. She had to be strong though she chided herself. This was what she deserved. Deep down no matter how much she needed to, she could not let herself cry. To her this was an immediate result of the path she had chosen to walk. She wouldn't cry now. No matter how much she wanted to.

There were so many thoughts and feelings running rampant in her usually clear and focused mind. She felt suffocated. She needed to melt away the fatigue. She needed to breathe. She needed calm but she could not find her center.

Walking up to her room she stripped down to her t-shirt and crawled into the bed. Her eyes stared listlessly at the ceiling a she thought back on all the time she had spent her, how in all those years in her hurry to find her father's murderers she had neglected the one person who would have been family. The bitterness of her reality came crashing down upon her resolve. As she shut her eyes against the pain, one by one her tears began to fall until at last she cried herself to sleep.

*******

Hunter had just arrived back at the warehouse.It was late. He was tired but he still had some loose ends to tie up with the candy mess. David had been dispatched, thankfully, but his struggle didn't end there.

Entering his office he almost didn't notice the empty sofa there. He had grown used to the punk crashing in his office. When he sat down to finish his work and saw her spot empty his eyes narrowed. She had been so focussed lately, this behaviour was out of the norm for the last few weeks. Even he had noticed her unusual dedi

In fact he had noticed a few things. For whichever reason, the usually vigilant protector was nowhere to be seen. To be more process, he had been blatantly ignoring her. Idly, Hunter wondered if perhaps he had found out her secret.

Flipping open his phone he made a call to Cage.

"Come upstairs. Now."

Hunter ended the call in his usual no nonsense manner of doing things. His gaze was burning into the empty place on the couch where the punk used to sleep. Something was off. Not just with her, but with his club and he didn't like it. Lifting his phone he made one more call.

"Charles, get your ass in my office now!"

Hunter was so impatient he practically yelled out the order.

Moments before Cage arrived Charlie showed up. As he stood by the door Hunter could see the sweat pooling and beading and on his forehead. He watched a few moments while Charlies eyes darted around the room nervously.

He didn't mince any words.

"I don't know what is going on with you and Luke, but in the club, you are brothers. Don't think I haven't noticed the tension between you two. Whatever is, FIX IT." He demanded. "One wrong move or misunderstanding is life or death on the streets. I wont have you putting yourself or my other soldiers at risk over some stupid feud."

Charlie could only nod his head as he swallowed the fear that was building up in his throat. It was obvious that Hunter was pissed. He could feel the heat from his anger in his gaze, as though he wanted to incinerate him where he stood. He didn't dare tell him the reason for their argument was none other than Hunter himself.

"You're dismissed"

Hunter had said all he wanted to. It was partly the truth but mostly, because he suspected a lot of the reason behind the punks behavior lately was due to this other guys stupidity. She would never admit to it, of course, but he sensed that as much as she struggled to remain aloof the rift in their friendship was hurting her. Thought of her being in pain triggered in him a sense of protectiveness he hadn't yet experienced. It was foreign to him. All he knew was, regardless of what it was, he would not hesitate to remove any obstacles that stood in her path.

A soft rapping on the door disturbed Hunter from his thoughts. Walking in Cage could sense something was eating at his friend, following the line of his gaze he noticed the empty sofa and looked back to Hunter.

"She didn't sleep here last night?"

Hunter looked to the man who had been his friend for many years and shook his head. Raking his hand through his hair he sighed allowing his guard to drop as he spoke.

"Something is up. I can feel it in my gut. We still have that tail on her?"

Cage nodded, flipping through a stack of papers he used to keep up on her reports. Once Hunter had uncovered her actual identity it had become much easier to get intel on her.

"Amalia Patterson, she attends South Side Secondary School. Average grades, frequent absences…" Cage's voice trailed off while he read the reports before he found the address.

"She lives with her Grandfather, Ed Patterson, 161 Willow Crescent. It's about 2 blocks away from South Side"

Hunter listened intently. As soon as he heard the address he picked up his coat. I'm going. "

"Give me every detail you can find about her grandfather and call me once you have it." He ordered, picking up his jacket he left the room. His instincts were screaming that something was up. And his instincts had never let him down before.

************************

Charlie watched Hunter race out of the warehouse while a heavy feeling began to settle itself in the pit of his stomach.

His eyes began to scan the room narrowing as they did. When was the last time he had seen Luke here at the clubhouse? He wondered. Rubbing his temples he began to think back. Yesterday he had caught a glimpse of him at the school yard running laps. Later that evening he had been sparring.Then just as he was leaving he saw Luke heading to Hunters office.

The kid had moved like a zombie each time Charlie saw him. He knew Luke was over doing it, he wasn't sure why either. He just knew that as things were now, had he said anything to him he would have been blown off completely.

Luke had made it abundantly clear he did not want his concern.

Charlie furrowed his brow as he did a mental walk through of his day. In the last 24 hours. He could not think of a single time he had seen Luke. Whether in the warehouse or otherwise. Something was up.

Charlie however was at a loss, as without Hunters determination and resources he had no way to find out what had become of his friend.''

Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, Hunter was racing the through the streets when he a call came in on his ear piece.

"Hey Boss, It's me. I think I may have found her." Cage proceeded to rattle of the address of Saint Mary's Hospital.

Hunter pulled over on his bike, ripping off his helmet as he did. His eyes were staring out vacantly over the city. In spite of his urge to race to the hospital he made himself calm down. Visiting hours would be over. He wouldn't find her there. It was also late and it wouldn't go well for him to show up at her door, regardless of her condition.

Swallowing the urge to hunt her down, he did the only thing he could. He decided to wait, and in the meantime, he would take a hotel room for the night instead of driving back to the club. In the meantime, all he could do was urge her mentally, from the bottom of his heart, to just hold on. It would only be one more night, and he would be damned if he let her endure this alone.