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Was she a new hire? Perhaps a babysitter for me, since Chase seemed to think I was a menace to the office.
“Take a seat Hunter,” Chase said pointing to a chair directly in front of the woman. Ash and Kade entered, taking chairs near where Chase was.
Something strange was going on, but I did as he asked. The sooner I got this over with, the sooner I could be back at work. I’d leave the office and check out the site of the latest theft just to get out of Chase’s crosshairs.
“Hunter, we’re all worried about you,” Chase started.
Ah, fuck.
“The last few months, you’ve been angrier, lashing out. Staff is noticing, and it’s making them nervous. So, I’ve asked Ms. Reynolds here to talk with you. She’s a therapist with an office in the building, but I’ve arranged this room for more discretion.”
My head snapped to Chase. “You think I’m crazy?” I looked at my other brothers. “You all think I’m crazy?”
“Not crazy, but something is up, Hunter,” Chase said. “We know your experiences in Iraq—”
“You know jack shit about my experiences.”
Chase nodded. It was strange how cool and collected he was. He was getting more like dad all the time. “I understand. What I was saying was that they impacted you, and it seems to be getting worse. Or maybe it’s the stress of the job.”
I bolted up, knocking my chair back. I clenched my fists, working to hold back my rage so I didn’t prove him right. “If you want me out, just say so, Chase. Why you’ve kept me around is a mystery to me. But just fire me, don’t put me through some bullshit in the hopes I’ll quit.”
“We’re not pushing you out, Hunter. We want to help you get back in control,” Chase said, seemingly not bothered by my outburst.
“I can’t believe you fucks are in on this,” I seethed at my brothers.
“Mr. Raven,” the woman spoke in a soft, soothing tone that actually only served to agitate me more.
I turned, and she was standing in front of me. Clearly, she wasn’t afraid of me, so what was Chase talking about?
“I can see you feel blindsided by this, and I’m sorry for that. Your brothers are concerned for you, and I’m here simply to talk,” she said in a calm voice.
“You think talk can fix what’s up here?” I pointed to my head and leaned toward her slightly, in what I knew was an aggressive manner, but if I could scare her off, then I could really have it out with my brothers.
She didn’t flinch. “I think talking can help release some of the pain and anger. I think we can look at ways to cope with extreme emotions in a way that isn’t volatile. Maybe we can stop the dreams.”
Dreams. How did she know about the dreams?
“You do have them, don’t you?” she asked.
I didn’t respond.
“I can’t make what happened to you go away, or rather, the horror of it. But we can work together so that it doesn’t have such a grip on you,” she finished.
“You’re a miracle worker?” I scoffed.
She shrugged. “The miracle only comes if you want it.”
I studied her more closely. She was more stunning close-up. She had hazel eyes that I suspected changed color depending on what she wore. I wondered if they changed color when she fucked too. Her skin was pale, but her cheeks were pink, as were her full lips. I wondered what they’d look like wrapped around my dick.
“What if I don’t want it?” I said.
“Then I’ll leave.” She said it like she didn’t give a fuck what I chose. I found that annoying. Didn’t she care what happened to me? Jesus, was she doing some sort of psychological voodoo on me?
“Hunter, do you really want to go through life like a fucking asshole?” Kade said.
I whirled on him. “It works for you.”
“I think what Kade so inadequately means is that you can’t be happy going through life always so angry and bitter,” Ash said. “I have no idea what happened in Iraq. I can’t imagine the toll it has taken, but if talking to Ms. Reynolds can quiet some of the anger, wouldn’t it be worth it?”
“If you don’t want me to be angry, stop pissing me off all the time.”
“What does that mean Hunter?” Chase asked.
“It means stop trying to be Dad and micromanage everything.”
“So, you want me to stop doing my job?” Chase said. “We should just leave you alone?”
“Yes.” Now he was getting it.
“If you want to be left alone, why are you here?” Chase asked.
I stepped up to him, getting into his face. To his credit, he didn’t back off, but both Ash and Kade stood up, apparently ready to intervene.
“If you want me gone, tell me to go. I’ll understand. I know I fucked up. So grow your balls, tell me off, and send me packing. I wish you would.”
