My Mob Wedding

Chapter 6 - Midnight Memories

I drive home happy to know that someone other than myself knows how I completely feel about this whole situation. Jared was shocked and immediately wanted to involve the cops but I made sure that he didn't. I couldn't possibly risk Destiny's well-being even for the slightest moment.

Jared and I ended up skipping classes all day but miraculously managing to stay in the building undetected. We accumulated a few more friends throughout the day to add to the fun but Jared and I were together all day and I definitely needed that.

I finally get home and after a couple hours of peanut buttering, I trudge over to the front room in the dark of the night to where my suitcase is. I drag it down and into my room where I set the suitcase on my bed and realize that I have absolutely no clue what I'm supposed to be packing.

I grab my phone and go to call Hunter, but I realize I don't have his number. I grab my jacket and am about to head down the street until I find a jackpot waiting for me on the dining room table: my dad's phone. He works for Vince. He should have Hunter's number. I scroll through his contacts and find Hunter's name with ease. I hit the 'call' button and decide that I'm going to have a little bit of fun with this.

"Hello?" he answers after just two rings.

I deepen my voice while speaking, "Hello? Hunter? I'm calling for some very important business thing. And you're in trouble too. And, uh, yeah. Get down here this instant or else."

"Okay, Diana. I'll be down there in a minute," he says accusingly.

I laugh but quickly cough to cover up my girly laugh. "This is Chris Saunders. Not my daughter, Diana. Why ever would you think that I am my daughter?"

I can almost hear the facepalm. "Chris wouldn't call me down for 'some very important business thing.' Actually, Chris hates me. He wouldn't call me down at all, Diana. Especially at midnight."

"Damn it. Well, okay. Maybe it is Diana but still did you want to come down here and help me with something? Pretty please?" I ask using my normal voice.

"Fine," Hunter sighs. "This better be good missy."

I laugh and hang up my dad's phone. I almost walk away from it but I add Hunter into my contacts and clear Dad's call history for good measure. I don't need anymore fights between us before I leave.

Quickly yet quietly, I run to the back door and open it. I wait only moments before Hunter comes strutting up to the house. He probably thinks I want him over here for something more important. That's funny. I only want him to be a packing guide. I frantically wave him over to the back door once I see he's heading over to the front.

Once Hunter is in the house, I sneak him into my bedroom and I believe we made it in undetected. That's ninja status right there.

"So what did you need me to sneak into your bedroom for in the middle of the night?" Hunter asks, making himself comfortable in my bed and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"It seems," I say, "That I am not quite sure what I'm supposed to pack to take with me to California."

"Ah, so that's why you wanted me here, huh?" Hunter asks with a chuckle.

I nod. "Sorry it wasn't anything mind-blowing."

He smiles. "You need to bring anything you want to have over there. Clothes, personal items, stuff like that. You're moving to a house that already has furniture. Take whatever else you want."

"Okay." I turn to my suitcase and start packing. I head over to my closet and prioritize. Only things that I actually wear are coming with me.

Eight t-shirts. Five pairs of skinny jeans. A couple camisoles. One pair of jeggings. Four pairs of shorts.

"Who's this?" Hunter asks.

I turn around to look at whoever he's looking at. He's holding up the picture of Destiny in all her blonde glory with me and Mom on Destiny's graduation day. It was about three weeks before Mom was killed and Destiny went off the deep end.

"Come on ladies. Just one more picture," Dad pleaded. His grin was almost wider than his face if that's even possible.

"Fine. Last one, though," Destiny announced. In her defense, she had posed for easily a hundred pictures with family and friends. That's just all part of the graduation experience.

Mom smiled and wrapped her arm around Destiny's shoulder, resting her hand on mine. "Last one," she reminded us through her smile.

The camera flashed, blinding us all for the umpteenth time today.

"Diana?" Hunter waves his hand in my face.

I jump. "What?"

"You kinda zoned out there for a minute." He glances back down to the frame in his hand. "Who is this?" Hunter asks again, pointing to Destiny.

"That's Destiny. She's my older sister," I explain.

I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. "Is she the one that Vince-"

"Yes. Yes, she is," I cut him off. I turn around so I don't see the look of pity on his face. That would be too much for me and I might cry.

"She doesn't look crazy to me," Hunter comments.

I swallow hard. "She's not crazy. She had a mental breakdown. And that picture was taken before that happened."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," Hunter apologizes.

"It's fine." I begin packing again and soon am back in the same rhythm.

All my bras. All my underwear. Some socks. A sundress. To finishing my clothes, I toss in a few sweatshirts, my bikini, and some nicer outfits. I'll probably need them at some point.

"What's Colton like?" I ask Hunter after awhile. He apparently took it upon himself to start examining the contents of my room.

"Huh? Oh. Colton? He's a pretty good guy. Gets his shit done, makes good money, doesn't get involved in the bullshit. Most people seem to like doing business with him," Hunter says.

I frown a bit. "I meant more about his personality. I'm not exactly considering a business deal with him."

"Oh, right," Hunter says. "He's real nice. He always helps and looks out for the people he cares about. You could be forced to marry a lot worse of a guy."

I shrug.

He sets down a scrapbook from middle school and turns it towards me. "Is this that same kid from this morning?"

I step closer and look. In the picture, Jared stands with his arm around my shoulders. We both are laughing. The two of us had a paint fight and were covered in paint from head to toe. Mom had told us to go paint the shed and we did paint the shed...a little. Just more of it made it on us than the actual shed. "Yeah, that's Jared."

"You sure that y'all aren't together? Guys don't usually stick around that long unless they want to get some." Hunter raises an eyebrow.

"I promise you we aren't together and that he definitely doesn't want to get some." I laugh to myself. Jared and I usually look like a couple to people. No matter where we are, we're almost always together. If people only knew the truth about him.

Hunter rolls his eyes. "Okay." He goes back to creeping through my childhood via photos.

I quickly decide that just a suitcase won't be enough as soon as I look at my shoes and I know that the only place I can think of for boxes, is being guarded by Vince and his minions (minus Hunter, of course.) I don't know what the best option would be. I could go down there myself and risk harassment without Hunter. I could bring Hunter down there with me but that could get weird. I could also send Hunter down there and have him deal with them. I just don't know if Anthony would understand Hunter going down there and going in, knowing that he hangs with the shady people that hang out around the back of his store.

I give Hunter the keys to the back door and strict instructions not to do anything he wouldn't want a nun to see and then send him down to get the boxes. I still have a lot to do and not much time to get it done.