Hidden Killers: Hunters in the Wind (Book 2)

2 - Abby POV

Silence...

Pure... agonising... silence.

The only thing that you could hear was the sound of cutlery scraping the plate as we ate our food.

Mum, not able to go all out as she wanted, laid out a spread of bread, ham, cheese, salad and crisps for us to pick and choose from.

My father sat at the head of the table. My mum sat to his left and I was on his right. We were both leaning back slightly as dad was having a staring contest with the man sitting at the other end of the table, Colt; Jason was sitting in between myself and Colt as dad didn't want me next to Colt.

Colt, unfazed by the stare down, had a blank expression on his face as he tucked into his meal. Jason, on the other hand, was looking between Colt and my dad, searching for any sign that the argument that was brewing in the air was to come. You could literally cut through the tension between them with a knife.

"Colt, Jason, would you care for another cup of tea?" My mother, trying to break through the awkward silence that engulfed the room, held out the teapot towards our guest. Unwelcome guests in my father's eyes.

"No, thank you, Mrs Stanton." They both say, turning to her with a smile which I could tell by my dad's face that it rubbed him up the wrong way.

"Oh please, anyone close to our Abby can call me Helen." Mum clearly wasn't paying attention to the foul mood this was putting dad in.

"Thank you, Helen." Colt responded, a cheesy smirk crossed his face as he made eye contact with my father, not being subtle with his actions.

"Mr Stanton will do for me." He doesn't even attempt to hide his annoyance as he stares down Colt and Jason.

"Edward!" My mum chastises him.

"You know how I feel about strangers." He whispers, loud enough for everyone to hear him, to my mother; his teeth grinding together as he speaks. "Especially ones who show up whilst we have been away unannounced."

"Dad." I glower at him. "They are my friends, OK? Can you lay off with the third degree, please?"

"If they are your friends, how come we have never heard about them before?"

"Becuase I knew you were going to act like this - you act like this every time I bring someone new over." This time, I was the one in the staring match with my dad. Not as intense as it was with Colt or Jason, this was more questioning from his side to see if he could sense a lie in my tone. Get ready for the interrogation stage, Abby.

"OK then, how long have you known them for?" He studies me, slowly finishing off his sandwich as he reads every part of my face to see if I twitch.

"Back in the spring. Jason began working as a security guard at my work and I met Colt at the spring barbeque they threw; Jason had invited Colt as his plus one."

Hope he doesn't notice that lie. I figured I would have to lie about the time scale of when we met each other. At some point, I would have to tell them about the pregnancy so if I give myself a few extra months on the events then at least I wouldn't have to explain why I managed to have the quickest full term pregnancy in human history.

"I see..." Was all my father could say before he turned his gaze back to Colt. "And when did you two start dating?"

"Dad, we sta-"

"I'm asking him." He holds his finger up to me to silence me, earning scolding looks from Colt and Jason. I glance at them, begging for them to rein it in. Did not want any wolves coming out at this already awkward lunch.

"Not too long, sir. About two month; maybe a bit more." Colt stated, his teeth slightly gritted. "I didn't want to rush things but I knew I liked Abby from the moment I laid eyes on her."

"Arrr, how sweet." Mum gushed over his words.

"And have you two... done anything?" He raises his eyebrows at us.

"Dad!" I whisper shout at him, but oh how on the nose he was; he didn't even know the half of it.

"I don't like him." That is not a suprise. He takes a bite out of his food before glaring at Colt. "He looks like one of the thugs I've seen walking the streets - hope that isn't how you make a living."

"You calling me a criminal? Or a hooker, sir?" I could see a vein start to pop in his forehead. My dad was starting to get under his skin.

"Amongst other things..."

"How did you two meet, Mrs St- I mean, Helen?" Jason jumped in, hoping to divert the questioning away from our made up story plus mine and Colt's relationship and what Colt does for a living.

"Oh, we were smitten with each other. Met at The Archer when it was owned by its previous owners. It's why Edward here bought the pub as an anniversary present when it went on the market." She clasped my father's hand as she recounted the story; it was the only time this whole meal where my dad broke his icy exterior to stare lovingly at my mum.

"So Jason, you're the third wheel now in this?" Never mind.

"Dad.. Jason and I have become good friends because of work and that Jason is teaching me self-defense moves."

Cutlery fell from my dad's hand as my dad stared at me, stunned in disbelief. "He is teaching you self-defense?" Oh boy.

"Yes... I asked him too."

"Why didn't you come to me if you wanted to learn self-defense? I have taught you before."

"Weren't you the one who told me the more people you learn from, the better?" I swear, my tolerance was wearing thin and he had only been back an hour.

"Do not use my words against me, Abby."

"Why not?" Time for me to be challenging him. "You said yes then and now you are saying no!? Way to be confusing."

"I meant have actually professional training. Not random sparring matches with a security guard."

"Oh, a security guard who was trained how to, I dunno, take people down!?"

"Clearly not very well if he is guarding a journalist building rather than VIPs. You will have more luck being guarded by that teapot."

My fists crash down on the table, making the plates and cutlery clatter slightly as they shifted with the force. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Just getting to know the strangers in my house." He nonchalantly proclaims and he picks up a crisp.

"No, you are treating them as if they were beneath you - like they are not worthy to be sitting here."

He leans back in his chair and folds his arms. "Are they? Worthy, that is." His bluntness ground down on my last nerve. "Are they worthy to be your friend? Or your boyfriend as he thinks he is?"

I have had enough of this.

I rise from my seat, gesturing to Colt and Jason to do the same, before turning to mum. "Thank you for lunch, mum. I'm going to run Jason and Colt back to theirs then head to the pub."

"And where do they live?" Dad throws his last question as my mum holds her head in her hands.

"Well, as you didn't bother to treat them with respect, it's none of your damn business." I hardly ever got into arguments with my dad, and I had a feeling this one hadn't ended as I walked with the guys out of the house, picking up my car keys on the way.

"Your dad is intense." Jason breaks our silence as we make our way over to the car.

"Just get in." I did not want to be dealing with any of this right now. If I could rewrite this day, I would: No pregnancy, no interrogations from my father, no nothing.

Jason sat in the backseat as Colt climbed into the front passenger seat, clasping my hand as I settled myself into the driver's seat.

"Everything will be alright, Abby." Colt reassures me. I wished his words provided me with the comfort they normally did but they weren't right now.

Right now, I was clocking my dad staring at us through the window whilst I turned on the ignition.

Shaking my head in dismay, I pull away and drive us back to White Crescent, wondering why my dad had taken particular offense to the guys being at the house.

Was it because this was the first time I had brought a guy home? Or was there something else?

I brush my hand over my stomach, thinking about the life growing inside. Just another thing to add to the list to sort out. I think to myself, and the five month deadline I have to sort it in.