by Nicole Fox
“You’re right.” Vanessa took a long sip of her coffee. “I haven’t felt like I could trust anyone in a long time. And I do need help. I need someone.”
“I know how you feel. My mother had no one to help her. She was completely isolated. She had nowhere to go to get away from it.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. Even if you need some time to yourself or have things to take care of, I’d be glad to watch her for you. Anytime.”
“Thanks.” Vanessa thought of Hunter and the date that she’d never exactly turned down. She leaned in conspiratorially. “There is kind of… possibly… a date?”
Mari raised her eyebrows and grinned. “Just let me know which night.”
“Can I tell you one other thing? I feel like someone should know the truth, just in case.”
“Anything.”
Vanessa leaned close enough to whisper. “Our real names. I’m Vanessa Powers and Katrin is Opal Powers. If you do watch her, it would be nice to have someone use her real name for a while.”
“I understand.” Mari put her hand on Vanessa’s arm. “Anytime you need to talk, just let me know. I get a break every day.”
Vanessa gave her a quick hug and hurried back to her office.
# # #
Hunter stood outside the apartment building, waiting. He knew from watching them that they should have been home from school by now. They were late today. This was risky, waiting here like this. But he had a good excuse. “Katrin” forgot her ball and he was returning it.
When their car appeared at the edge of the block, he watched for them to get out and for Vanessa to see him. When she did, her face went slack. She recovered quickly and put on a forced smile, but she was definitely uncomfortable. She opened the backdoor to let Opal out, then leaned in to bring out a grocery bag. So that was why they were late.
“Hiya,” he called, walking closer. “Just wanted to bring this back.” He tossed the ball in the air and caught it.
“My ball!” Opal ran to catch the ball as he tossed it at her.
“Thanks,” Vanessa said. She smiled again and tried to rush right past him.
He quickly kneeled down to Opal. “How was school today?”
“Good,” she said.
“What subjects did you have?”
“Umm.” Opal tapped her lip. “The usual stuff and art.”
“That sounds fun,” Hunter said. “What did you make in art?”
“I drew a bunny.”
“Awesome,” he said. He stood and grabbed the two remaining grocery bags from the car.
When he turned to take them toward the apartment, Vanessa looked surprised, but walked on, letting him follow.
“What color was your bunny?” Hunter asked as they walked up the stairs to their apartment.
“Blue. He’s a sad bunny.”
Vanessa opened the door and let them in. “Katrin, honey, why don’t you go play for a little while before dinner? Then we can do your homework and get a bath before bed.”
“Okay.” Opal hopped off toward her room.
Hunter followed Vanessa into the kitchen and started taking things out of the grocery bags.
“Oh, you really don’t have to do that,” she said. “Thanks for bringing them in for me.”
“My pleasure.” He continued to help until the bags were empty. Then he even folded the bags and set them on the counter. Might as well lay it on as thick as possible.
He turned to face her, leaning casually against the counter.
“Thanks again,” she said. She held herself upright, too straight and stiff. She was nervous around him.
“So,” he said with a crooked grin, “about our date…”
“Oh, umm…” Vanessa tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and looked away before meeting his eyes.
When their gazes met, they shared an intense stare. He felt drawn to her. He wanted to taste her lips so badly. Too soon for that. Much too soon, but he itched to reached out and grab her, to pull her close and feel her body pressed against him.
After a long minute, she looked away, cheeks turning a slight pink. “I just need to make sure Katrin will be okay with it. I haven’t dated anyone since…”
“I understand. Give me your number?”
“Okay.” She took out her phone and gave him her number. He texted her so she had his number.
“So, you’ll talk to her and when she’s okay with it, you’ll text me?”
“I will.”
“Or we don’t have to let her know right away.”
“Right. I’d rather be upfront and honest though. I don’t want to hide anything from her. There have been so many changes for us recently, I want to make sure this won’t upset her or cause her more distress.”
He pulled his mouth into a half smile. “I wouldn’t want that either. You just let me know what works for you. I would feel privileged to be able to spend some time getting to know you. It’s not easy to meet people.”
“I wouldn’t know, I guess. I haven’t tried.”
“All the better for me, then.” He winked and walked himself to the front door. He didn’t know if she’d text him or when, but one thing was becoming more and more clear. She was not the one putting on an act. Jeremy was.
Chapter Seven
Hunter
He didn’t have the highest hopes. So when Vanessa texted him a few days later and asked to meet for drinks, he was shocked. He tried to get her to go for dinner, some place a little more intimate, but the only place she would agree to go was a local pub. Not exactly his ideal date, but he’d make it work.
He walked in and saw her immediately. She looked gorgeous. Even more so in a short skirt and close-fitting top. He went stiff before he even reached the table and slyly adjusted himself as he slid into his seat.
“You look amazing,” he said.
“Thanks.” She blushed and looked down.
Must not be used to getting compliments. She might be tough to get to open up.
A waitress came over and they ordered drinks.
“So, tell me about your job,” he said.
“Well, I’m a school nurse. There’s not much to it, really. Kids come for medication or when they want to get out of class. Sometimes they come when they’re actually sick, but not often.”
Hunter chuckled. “I recall faking it a time or two myself.”
“They all do. It’s a decent job, though. Easy. And I get to be near Katrin all day.”
“You like to keep her close.”
“Sure. I think most parents do.”
The waitress returned with their order and Hunter took a sip of his beer before continuing. “You seem a little more careful than most parents, though.”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being cautious.”
“Maybe not. Just seemed like maybe it’s hard for you to trust new people.”
“There have been a lot of new people. Everyone is new.” She took a sip of her wine. “And like I said, I like to be cautious.”
“So, what made you move here, anyway?”
“My job. There’s usually only one nurse per school, so it can be hard to find an opening.”
“Have you ever thought of doing anything else? Some other sort of nursing?”
“No, not really.” She absently picked at the corner of her napkin. “I wanted to be close to Katrin.”
Hunter nodded. “There’s that distrust thing again.”
Vanessa looked down. “Sorry. I guess I am a bit over-protective at times.”
“Is that why you have her use a fake name?”
Her head snapped up. “What?”
“The other day when we were tossing the ball, she said by accident that her real name is Opal.”
“She said that?”
“Well, not in so many words, but basically.”
Her eyes widened. “Well, she uses that name to play pretend. It’s not really a fake name. Just a name to play pretend with.�
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“Joanna.” He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “It’s okay. You can tell me the truth. You’re running from something. Someone. I get it. I just want to have some clue so that if he shows up, I can protect you.”
“I…” She stared at him with an open mouth. “How…?”
“You’re much easier to read than you think.” He pulled his mouth into a half-smile and took another sip of his beer. “Your hesitation toward someone new, the fake name thing, the way you seemed so nervous over going out with me. It all points to one thing. A woman on the run.”
# # #
Vanessa gaped at him. She couldn’t believe he’d figured it out so easily. She thought she’d done a good job of hiding things, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. Who else might have guessed she was running from someone? What should she do now? Try to lie? Tell the truth?
Something about him made her want to open right up and confess it all. But that also seemed reckless. She didn’t know him well enough. Then Mari’s words came back to her. If she wanted help, she’d have to trust someone. She had Mari to help her, but having Hunter on her side would only help keep Opal even safer. Two people to trust was a better situation than only one, wasn’t it?
“You’re right,” she said. She took a long sip of her wine before continuing. “We’re running from my ex. We were married for over eight years, and it was after our first anniversary that he hit me for the first time. He was a drug addict, and he got worse and worse. He’d either get high and pass out — if I was lucky — or he’d go on a rampage and beat me. I thought it was best for our daughter to have her parents together. Even if it wasn’t the best marriage, at least we were all together. And he only ever hit me, not her. Until one night he did. We left the next day, when he was out scoring drugs. I filed for divorce, and he’s trying to take her from me. You were right about the names, too. We had to change them to make it harder for him to find us. I’m really Vanessa, not Joanna.”
“That’s a lot to go through.” He moved his hand to hers again. The warmth and his touch soothed her.
“I’m so afraid all the time now. That he’ll find us, that he’ll show up and take her. I have nightmares about it almost every night. I dream that I go to her from class, and she’s gone. Or I wake up in the morning, and he’s been in the apartment and has taken her, or that he breaks into my bedroom and…” She dropped off and looked away from him. That was one dream she didn’t want to think about long enough to talk about.
“You’re safe here. You’re safe with me. I happen to be the protective type. I feel much better when I have someone to look out for.”
“Well, thank you, but you barely know us. I can’t expect you to be on bodyguard duty.”
“I’d love to have the honor of protecting you,” he said. He squeezed her hand.
“I wish I could just go out with a handsome man and have a good time. But I can’t. I’m too busy looking around for a sign of my ex, or for someone who might be watching us. I’m the only thing keeping Opal from the meanest father you can imagine.”
“You never met my old man.”
Her lips parted, but she didn’t know what to say to that.
“And from now on,” he added, “You’re not alone. I won’t let anything happen to Opal. Or Katrin, or whatever name she has to go by to be safe. I’ll do my best to protect you both.”
“Thank you, Hunter. It’s strange to me to be able to trust a man, but I feel like I can trust you. It’s kind of nice, actually.” She smiled at him, and a warmth filled her. She was starting to really like him, despite herself. And his attraction was undeniable. It’d been years since she felt any sort of sexual desire for a man. She’d been so disgusted by sex and the way it was often used against her and forced from her that the idea of letting someone get that close and being that vulnerable was impossible before. But now, with Hunter making her feel as safe as he did, and her wanting him as bad as she did, she thought maybe it was time to see.
She took a deep breath and tried not to think too hard about what she was about to say. She squeezed her eyes shut and said it as fast as she could. “Do you maybe want to come back to my place for a little while?”
When she opened her eyes again, Hunter was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a gaze full of desire. He stood up and went to the bar to pay the tab.
Chapter Eight
Vanessa
Hunter followed Vanessa back to her apartment, still reeling over the fact that she’d invited him. He was hoping to get her to open up to him, and she had, but he never imagined this. They couldn’t drive fast enough.
Inside her apartment, he sat close to her on the sofa in her living room. He had to keep looking away to avoid that same drawn-in feeling he felt before. He still didn’t think she was ready for that, but she was like a magnet to his body. He wanted to move closer, but he forced himself to stay put, reminding himself that she likely didn’t invite him back here for a booty call.
He had to act like he didn’t want her so badly. Not just for her sake, to take things slow, but he still had a job to do. Jeremy had paid him $25,000 to kill this woman. And that meant there would be only two outcomes. Either Hunter would have to kill Vanessa, or Jeremy would come and take his money back. And likely not leave either of them alive. So there was really one choice now. Protect Opal and Vanessa at all costs, knowing Jeremy had hired a hit man once to kill her. He’d do it again. And he’d already shown plenty of violence toward her in the past. Jeremy was not someone to be taken lightly. The van, too, was worrying him. There might already be someone on him, or tailing her.
“Can I ask,” she said, pouring them more wine.
He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her question.
“Well, you said earlier that your old man was mean. I guess I was just wondering what you meant by that.”
“That.” He picked up his glass and took a sip, wishing she had beer instead. “Well, let’s just say that I know exactly how Opal feels.”
“Your father hit you?”
“My father, my mother, sometimes even aunts and uncles if they were around and bored. Bunch of junkies, all of them. Always high on something or drunk off their asses. I come from a long line of no-good criminals and addicts.”
“I’m sorry they were all like that.” She reached over and put her hand on his knee. The warmth ran through him at her touch.
“It’s all I ever knew. My whole life I was told I was nothing and would never be anything. They called me stupid and put me down all the time. Miracle I even made it this far. Or finished high school. They wanted me to fail. They didn’t even come to my high school graduation. Or anything at the school. They weren’t involved in my life at all, unless it was to go get them more cigarettes or make a run.”
“What sort of run?”
“Pick up drugs, drop off drugs, whatever. The riskier the exchange, the more likely I’d be the one to go. They said it was much less likely that a kid would get robbed or shot, so it was better for everyone if I went. I’ve been mugged more times than I can count, been beaten almost to death, was stabbed a few times, and was even shot once. All doing their business.”
Vanessa gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “That’s so terrible.”
He shrugged. “Eventually I got out of there. Left them to their own devices. They didn’t last long. Both died less than five years after I left home. Guess they had no one to buy food or do their dirty work anymore.”
He decided to leave out the part how when they died, he hadn’t gone to either funeral. Not because he didn’t want to. He didn’t have the choice whether or not he wanted to. At the time he was in prison, serving a ten-year sentence. He’d always been something of a protector, so when his high school girlfriend told him her father was abusing her, he took care of it like he never got to take care of his own parents. It was his first kill. He remembered how it felt. Powerful, dangerous, wrong. Might have been his only kill, except that he found out later she’d lie
d. The man had never touched her. That anger and deep-seated distrust flared hot in him and never cooled down. It gave him the hard edge he had now. But the protector in him wasn’t dead. Vanessa and Opal were resurrecting it. And maybe that wasn’t the only thing.
For a moment, he considered telling her all of this. But this was a first date, and she had trust issues. This wasn’t the time. Maybe someday.
