He had no time to pay attention to the wound or to examine the impact of the damage it caused. He couldn't allow himself more than a second to close his eyes and sharpen his senses to bear the pain. If he took even a second more to linger his attention elsewhere, he would die for sure.
Hera's beautiful face flashed across his vision. He remembered how she looked at him when he left. Her eyes were anxious, her lips pouting in disappointment while her cheeks tinted pink with anger. He missed her smile already. He had promised her that he wouldn't die today and his best friend had ordered him not to die.
He opened his eyes in time and caught the hand that stabbed him. The man was about to strike him again. Hunter recalled, he was one of the two who he saw in Liam's car.
Hunter remembered knocking him out a while ago, but he wasn't paying attention to the littered unconscious bodies on the ground.. He never second-guessed they might regain their consciousness and get up at some point in time.
'A grave mistake on my part.'
He noted, learning his lesson from his mistakes.
The main of the bounty hunters got back to his feet and rushed at Hunter again. He lifted his foot to kick, his aim was Hunter's injured knee, but Hunter took a few hurried steps back missing the kick by mere inches. His leg hurt from the strained movements, and he yelled in frustration. He was pissed more at the feeling of helplessness than at the ache caused by his injuries.
Coming closer to the killer, he punched him in the abdomen, effectively throwing him off balance and when the man staggered back and doubled over clutching his stomach, he landed another hard punch to his jaw. Hunter groaned, along with the killer as his knuckles hurt.
A smile made its way into Hunter's face as he imagined Michael's reaction to his death if he died today.
'Mike would throw a fit over my dead body that I dared to ignore his command.'
He imagined how hilarious it would be to see Michael yelling and kicking his dead body. It was Hunter's way of distracting himself from the pain, and it worked. It always did.
Liam's friend shifted his knife to his free hand and attempted to stab Hunter again. His other hand stayed still arrested in Hunter's tight grip. The muscles in Hunter's neck tightened as he clenched his jaw and his fist collided with the man's face, no doubt smashing his nose in the process. When he yelled in pain as the blood started to whoosh out both from his mouth and nose, his cries felt like music in Hunter's ears.
Hunter didn't waste another second and rushed towards the leader. The frustrated hired killer swung his knife, hoping to stab him. He wasn't aiming at any particular part. At this point, he just wanted to hurt the boy anywhere he could. Huffing out a curse, Hunter attempted one last front flip kick, his breath coming in short gasps.
The kick wasn't that hard, but it delivered the required result, and the bounty hunter collapsed.
Hunter sat on the side of the road, allowing himself a few seconds to relax. His legs hurt too much, and he was sweating because of the hot burn his muscles underwent, and he felt feverishly hot. He checked his knee and grimaced at the wound. It was swelling across his knee, and the stabbed wound on his right thigh was worsening as well. The blood had soaked the material of his pants around it.
Wincing, he tried stretching his knee straight. He knew he wasn't sporting a broken knee. His bones were all intact. His father had taught him about human anatomy better than any teacher or books would. Hunter knew where to hit to break which bone or what nerve to press to cause severe damage.
The hurt intensified, so much that his eyes watered. He closed his eyes for a second, and his mother's angelic face smiled at him behind his closed eyelids. He imagined her fingers running through his hair as he laid his head on her lap. She would've died if anything had happened to Hunter today.
That thought made him snap his eyes open.
"Fucking stop acting like a pussy. You're not going to die because of a leg injury," Hunter scolded himself for getting emotional. He wasn't afraid of death, but he was frightened of the thought of hurting his mother. She wouldn't survive the news of his death, and he knew he was his father's world.
Hunter couldn't afford to lose his life. It was too precious for so many people. His parents, grandparents, best friends, Mathew, his Hera, they all owned his life. He knew how much his life meant to them.
"Goddess, I miss you," he whispered into the air. Hera loved him so much, and Hunter wouldn't want her to shed tears because of him. Supporting his weight on his hands, he slowly stood to his feet. The man from Liam's car stirred at the same time, and Hunter dragged his feet towards him.
As the man pulled himself to a seating position, bending to the man's level, Hunter used his fist to punch him on his jaw. The man dropped himself to his back and grunted in broken sobs. "What's your connection with Liam?" Hunter asked. His victim opened his eyes to look at him, and the cold stare in Hunter's intimidating large eyes made him recoil in fear.
"Nothing," he started, shaking his head. "He was just a living GPS to track your current location. I offered money, but the boy refused, blabbering about betraying a friend and all. But my blade made him change his mind immediately," he explained. Hunter nodded and walked back to the head bounty hunter.
Hunter pressed the man's cheek with his boot, and the killer stirred, opening his eyes. He yelped, cursing and crying when Hunter placed his right foot on his neck and applied pressure. His opponent's hand moved, searching near his body for his discarded knife. Luckily he found it, but before he could grab it, Hunter's foot pressed hard against his throat, cutting his air supply.
"Who sent you?" Hunter asked while the bounty hunter struggled to breathe. "Give me the name, and I'll spare your life," he offered generously. As if noticing it now, Hunter looked around and scoffed. He was really generous today. He hadn't killed anyone yet.
The big man squirmed under his foot, and Hunter noticed him as his face turned pale, eyes rolling back. Hunter lessened the pressure on his windpipe, letting the man suck in the air, filling his lungs with much-needed oxygen. When he felt he'd inhaled enough air, Hunter pressed his boot-clad foot hard again.
"I don't know him," the bounty hunter spoke in a broken whisper. Deciding to show some mercy, for the time being, Hunter removed his foot and took place beside him on the road.
Hunter pursed his lips, took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. It hurt to move. The metallic scent of his own blood smelt disgusting, and he scrunched his nose up in a grimace, his pants torn and ruined with bloodstains.
'I would die of blood loss if I didn't do something to stop the bleeding.'
Hunter thought and rolled his eyes. That was too exaggerating to imagine because he knew his injuries weren't that serious. The man's gruff voice captured his attention back.
"We sealed the deal over the phone, and the man sent someone with your picture and the money," the hired killer confessed. Hunter nodded, his expression thoughtful. "The one who placed that bounty on my head, didn't that motherfucker give you my name?" Hunter asked. The man shook his head in reply.
Hunter smiled charmingly with the innocence of a child before revealing his real name to the killer, and the said killer's eyes widened at the revelation.
Panicking, the man used all his strength to get up and tried to move away from him, but Hunter shook his head in warning. "You know why am I sparing your life?" Hunter asked but continued without waiting for the reply. "You didn't know who I am. So, I'll forgive your mistake. It's your lucky day because I feel generous today," He said, and the bounty hunter sighed in relief.
"But don't forget to tell that coward to start counting his days. Whoever he is, the day I get his name, I'll hunt him down no matter where in the world he's hiding," Hunter vowed. "Now tell me about the one who brought you my picture and the money," he asked.
The bounty hunter hesitated before opening his mouth. But he knew he couldn't waste Hunter's time, so he spoke. "His name is Jackson, and he contacted me through one of my friends. My friend is a local drug dealer. Sometimes he participates in street racing, but today he's not here. I don't have Jackson's number or address," he explained, hoping the mafia boss in front of him would believe him.
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