Hunting Truth (Orion the Hunter Part Four)

by J. D. Chase

  HUNTING TRUTH

  (ORION THE HUNTER PART FOUR)

  J. D. CHASE

  © J. D. CHASE 2014 (All rights reserved)

  All characters in this book are fictitious and have no connection whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. All events are either a figment of my imagination or are linked to personal experiences! Any similarities are purely coincidental . . . or just plain luck!

  All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in a file retrieval system, or otherwise without the express permission of the author.

  For ‘my girls’ who show me daily what unconditional love really is. I love you more than you’ll ever know. You make me proud. You make me laugh. You make me climb the walls in frustration. But I love you with all my heart and I’m there for any of you in a heartbeat, whenever you need me xxx

  For my readers, particularly those who’ve stayed with me through all the trials and tribulations of the last twelve months, thank you so much for your support, patience and understanding. I know how long some of you have waited for this, the final instalment of Issy and Lucas’ story. I’m not going to go into everything that has happened here, but 2013 was not a good year for me. It taught me much about life, love and loss. I urge all of you to live every day as though it were your last and I wish you all the very best in whatever you do. You guys are the best!

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Six Months Later . . .

  Chapter One

  I was rudely awakened by brilliant spring sunshine. I scrunched my eyes shut and ducked under the bed covers. From the pounding inside my head, I knew I had a hangover but I couldn’t remember anything about the night before. I don’t know how exactly, but I knew I wasn’t in my own bed.

  Eventually I managed to peep out from the bedclothes. I was definitely in someone else’s bed. But I had no idea whose. Well, from the looks of things, it was a room that belonged to a man. A man who liked rock music, judging from the magazines on the bedside table. Oh God. Please tell me I didn’t get off with a musician and decide to go to his place instead of mine. Why aren’t I with Lucas? . . . Lucas . . . Oh hell!

  That thought triggered a memory slideshow. I let my head fall back onto the pillow and closed my eyes. Flashes of events from the day before flitted through my mind at lightning speed, making me feel queasy. Then it freeze-framed on Lucas’ face, showing his immense guilt and torment; confirming that he’d killed his own mother. My stomach lurched and I felt like I was going to throw up. I threw my feet out of bed and sat up.

  Slowly, the queasiness began to subside. I tried to recall the events of the day before and what had happened after I’d confronted Lucas, but my mind was blank. I still had no idea where I was. Realizing I was fully clothed, I decided to bite the bullet and find out.

  I opened the door and walked out into a hallway. I immediately knew my whereabouts from the familiar posters on the walls. I was in Chad and Scott’s apartment. I’ve slept in either Chad or Scott’s bed! Oh my God, please let me have slept alone! I’d never been in either of their bedrooms before and nothing I’d seen in the room revealed which of the two the room belonged to.

  I padded down the hallway and turned into the living room. There, fast asleep on the sofa, was Scott. That solved the mystery of whose bed I’d slept in and assured me that I’d spent the night alone. I puffed out my cheeks and blew out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Then I heard noises in the kitchen and went to investigate.

  As I walked through the door, Chad did a double take and his eyebrows furrowed as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

  “Hi, Issy. How did you get in? Is Scott up?” he asked, breaking into a smile.

  I shook my head. “Um. No, he’s still comatose on the sofa.”

  “Oh, I wonder why he didn’t . . .” An expression of comprehension settled over his features before he turned away quickly. “Ah, I see. Coffee?”

  “Yes please. That would be lovely. And what do you see?”

  He turned to face me, looking uncomfortable. “Well, you were in his bed so . . .”

  I raised an eyebrow. “And Scott’s on the sofa. So?”

  He gave a nod, turned and busied himself brewing coffee. I needed to find out more about the events of the day before. All I knew was that I’d had a few drinks before falling asleep in Scott’s bed.

  “Chad, do you know what happened yesterday? How I came to be here?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Sorry, I didn’t see you, did I? Is something wrong?”

  I sighed. “Just trying to fill in the blanks in my alcohol-fogged brain.”

  He laughed. “Ah. I see. Do you remember whether you were drinking with Scott? Or did he just bump into you and get you safely back here?”

  “I honestly have no idea. I can’t remember a thing.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, Issy. You really shouldn’t get in the states that you do. Was it a shock waking up in Scott’s bed and not knowing how you got there?”

  I gave a wry smile. “Yeah, but not as much as if I’d woken up naked.”

  Chad laughed loudly before turning and handing me my coffee. His laughter was infectious and I joined in, despite my banging head.

  “What’s the joke?” came Scott’s sleepy voice from behind me.

  I spun around not knowing what to say, but Chad burst out laughing again. I slapped his arm and tried to look innocent.

  Scott rubbed his eyes and muttered, “Never mind. I need a shower.” He yawned and stretched as he left the room.

  “Shouldn’t you have asked him how you ended up in his bed?” asked Chad.

  I shrugged. “You saw the state of him. He probably can’t remember either. Best to wait until a shower has woken him up properly.”

  I walked back into the living room with my coffee after refusing Chad’s offer of breakfast. I didn’t trust my stomach to keep anything down. I sat and tried to remember what had happened the day before. I re-ran the conversation with the stranger who had turned out to be Lucas’ brother in my head. Only he wasn’t Lucas was he? Well, I guess he was but it wasn’t the name he’d been given at birth—only a name he’d chosen.

  Lucas Hunter. So Luke became Lucas. But Hunter? I wondered why he’d chosen that name. I thought of his chosen career path. Then I thought of his office building—the Orion Building. Orion the Hunter! I sipped my coffee as I contemplated this. Hunter or hunting was obviously significant to Lucas in some way. I wondered whether it was to do with the sport of hunting. But he’d never mentioned it and there was no sign of a fondness for hunting in his apartment. I shook that idea from my head. No, Lucas wasn’t a hunter of animal prey. I wondered what else hunting could relate to but, before I could think of anything remotely likely, Scott sauntered into the room and sat down opposite me.

  I could see the corner of his mouth twitching. There was obviously something he wanted to say. Something amusing. Well, for him anyway. I had a feeling I might not see the funny side. I did my best to ig
nore him, sipping my coffee and looking away from him. But after a couple of minutes, I couldn’t stand it.

  “What?” I demanded, turning to face him.

  His mouth spread into a huge grin as one eyebrow lifted. Then he laughed softly and shook his head.

  I glared at him and folded my arms. “Fine. Be like that.”

  He stopped laughing with some difficulty and regarded me with amusement. “You really don’t remember, do you?”

  “Remember what?” I said crossly.

  His incredulous expression made me feel slightly uncomfortable. “Last night. What you did. What you said. I can’t believe you don’t remember. I know you were pissed but still . . .”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. He wasn’t laughing anymore. He seemed to be genuinely amazed that I couldn’t recall the events of the night before. I wondered what I’d done that was supposed to be so memorable, although I’d obviously been very drunk. I took a deep breath. “Scott, please just tell me what I did. Whatever it was, don’t you think I deserve to know?”

  There was an almost imperceptible nod of his head. “Do you remember me finding you here, on the doorstep, half drunk?”

  I had no idea what he was talking about. I shook my head. “I think I must’ve been more than half drunk by that time. Otherwise I’d remember.”

  He frowned. “You just seemed a little drunk, not slaughtered. Do you remember getting drunk before you came here? Where you were? Who you were with? You refused to tell me when I asked.”

  I tried so hard to think but there was nothing. I remembered Lucas’ face and walking away from him. That was the last thing I could recall. My stomach lurched at the memory and my hands felt clammy. I stood and walked to the window, trying to clear the vision of his face that had formed, crystal clear, in my mind. “I had a row with Lucas. Well, not a row exactly—more a parting of ways. That’s all I remember.”

  “Ahhhh,” said Scott. “So you went and drowned your sorrows.”

  “I assume it was something like that. We didn’t part on good terms and I was upset.” I turned to face him. “I can’t even remember leaving my apartment. I wasn’t drinking then. It’s as if my mind has blanked everything out. All I can see is Lucas’ face and I obviously left but then . . . nothing. Waking up in your bed with a hangover is the next thing I can recall.”

  Scott’s face was the picture of concern. “Something bad happened, didn’t it? It must have done. Yes, you were pissed last night and I’m not surprised you can’t remember everything. But you weren’t that pissed when I found you waiting outside. And you should remember what you did after leaving your apartment and turning up here at the very least. Your memory loss is most likely psychological, Issy. It isn’t alcohol induced. If you want to tell me what happened with Lucas, I’ll listen and be your friend. If you don’t, I won’t be offended.”

  I contemplated his words. Could my memory loss be psychological? My emotional reaction to finding out about Lucas’ dark past was severe. But surely I’d have blocked that out . . . unless I couldn’t. Perhaps I could block out my reaction to it, but not the event itself. I guessed it was possible. I really needed someone to talk to. I missed Angel so much all the time but, at that moment, I needed her like never before. But she wasn’t here and wasn’t returning my calls or messages. I decided to confide in Scott instead. I sat next to him and told him about the events of the day before.

  He listened patiently as I told him all about the stranger who’d turned out to be Lucas’ brother and what he’d said. When I told him about Lucas’ obvious guilt when I’d confronted him about killing his own mother, I couldn’t hold back my tears. Scott’s face showed his shock before being overtaken by compassion as he put his arms around me and just held me until my wracking sobs subsided.

  It felt so good to be held in big, strong arms. Obviously, because he was a drummer, his arms were very strong. They felt comforting and safe. I relaxed into his chest and we just sat there in silence for some time. It felt good to have my friend Scott back after his recent odd behavior. I don’t know why, except for the fact that I missed Angel, but I asked him to stroke my hair. I thought it would soothe and relax me like it did when Angel did it, but having a man do it reminded me of when Lucas did it. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the ache in my chest caused by the memory of his tenderness.

  A not-so-subtle cough made me jump. Scott and I jerked apart at the sound. Chad was staring pointedly at Scott before reminding him that the band had a practice session. Scott told him not to worry, that there was plenty of time. With one last glare at Scott, Chad turned and left the room.

  “What’s wrong with him?” I asked, surprised at Chad’s apparent moodiness.

  “Oh, ignore him. He’s been like this since Angel ran off without a word. Plus, he’s worried about upsetting Lucas the Great in case he withdraws his support for Denial. With our impending tour he says we can’t afford to piss Lucas off when he can do so much for our future. Well tough—you can stay here as long as you need to.”

  I hadn’t given the band a thought. I felt so guilty. I realized that me being here was not good for relations between Lucas and the guys. I didn’t want to spoil their chance at making it big. They were too good for that and they were way too nice.

  “Scott, I don’t want to mess this up for you. If Lucas knows I’m here it could have repercussions for the band. That would be unfair. I feel uncomfortable going back to my apartment, well it’s Angel’s apartment, and she’s made it clear I’m not welcome to stay there now. I’ll find somewhere.”

  “No way. You’re staying here. If you’d rather Lucas didn’t know then I won’t tell him. I take it all your things are still in the apartment?”

  I nodded ruefully. “Well, except the things I’d taken to Lucas’.”

  “Okay. You’re welcome to come to our practice. It might take your mind off things. I don’t think Lucas is going to be there. Or you can stay here and relax. Once practice is over, I’ll take you to your apartment and we’ll collect your things.”

  I looked at this big bear of a man; his unruly, wavy blond hair that tumbled over kind blue eyes, and felt such a rush of affection. I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. Typically, it was at that moment that Chad decided to return to tell Scott it was time to leave for their practice.

  “If you two don’t mind, we’re going to be late. That won’t look good if Lucas is there, will it? I’ll be in the van!” With that he stomped off and I heard the front door slam.

  Scott chuckled. “Do you see what I mean? I hope Angel comes back soon because I don’t think I can take much more of him acting like a lovesick puppy. He’s even worse now he knows that you and Lucas have split. He probably thinks Lucas will dump us.”

  “I haven’t told him yet, Scott.”

  He caught my eye and began to guffaw loudly. “Oh my God. No wonder he’s pissed. He must think you’re here, cuddling up to me, cheating on Lucas. Oh crap—that’s priceless. Why haven’t you told him?”

  “I haven’t really had a chance. When I woke, I was disorientated and hung over and just needed coffee. I was barely awake when I saw him earlier. I’ll stay here. You can tell him in the van. I don’t mind.”

  He grinned, a wicked glint in his eye. “No way. After his moodiness, it’s payback time. I’m going to have me some fun first. By the time we get to practice, I’ll have him convinced that we’re having a hot illicit affair behind Lucas’ back. He’ll be beside himself!”

  “Oh, you are a torment. Go on then, have your fun, but don’t let him think that I’ve got anything to do with it when he finds out it’s a wind up.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t. Now make yourself at home. Feel free to take a shower, although I’m not sure there are any clothes in my wardrobe that will stay on your slim frame. You’ll probably have to put your own clothes back on.”

  “I’ll be fine. Go before Chad comes looking for you.”

  He kissed the top of my head and strolled ou
t the door, just as Chad impatiently blasted the horn.

  I was glad that Scott was acting normally again. He’d got through that weird phase that Lucas had thought was because he had feelings for me. I smiled to myself thinking how last night and this morning had proven that theory to be a fallacy. He definitely wouldn’t have put me in his bed and slept on the sofa had he felt that way about me. No, things were back to normal and any feelings Scott had for me were purely platonic.

  I made myself another coffee, then decided to have a shower. I took my time, delighting in the luxury of just standing under the hot jets of water and allowing them to wash away my lethargy, and I began to feel more alert. But then my mind began to think about Angel and those photographs of me and Chad having sex that had proved to be fakes. I wished she’d stayed around long enough to find that out. But then, almost immediately, I felt angry that she hadn’t had enough trust in me or Chad to know we wouldn’t do that to her.

  I missed her so much and knew she’d not really been herself at the time. Her dad’s health scare had really shaken her up. I wondered how she was; whether she’d reconsidered her actions and had any regrets. If she had, she’d chosen to do nothing about it. That was very unlike Angel—she wasn’t usually stubborn. I began to feel worried about her. And guilty that I’d been too wrapped up in my own life with Lucas to be a better friend to her.

  I dried myself off and put my clothes back on. Then I curled up on the sofa, wondering how I could possibly make things right with Angel. Her absence was obviously affecting Chad even worse than me. I resolved to try to sort things out for all of us.

  The next thing I knew, Scott was gently shaking me awake. I’d dozed off on the sofa. I yawned and gave a full-body stretch. As I opened my eyes, I noticed Scott’s eyes sweeping over my torso. Fleetingly, Lucas’ words passed through my mind but then Scott looked at me and smiled. There was no desire in his eyes, only friendship. I smiled; he was just being a typical male!