by Nicole Fox
It made her slightly dizzy and she had to set her down, but Vanessa didn’t care. She’d found them, and they were all together.
“Mommy! You’re okay!” Opal had tears in her eyes when she looked up at Vanessa.
Vanessa’s eyes filled as well. She squeezed Opal one more time before standing to fall into Hunter’s arms. They shared a kiss that didn’t last nearly long enough, but held all the passion and desire they were both feeling. When they were alone, they’d resume what they started.
She gave Mari a long hug, then turned back to Opal. She knelt down to talk to her and hug her again.
“We’ll be a family now. You, me, and Hunter. All together and all safe. Daddy can’t hurt us anymore.”
# # #
They walked out to the parking lot, Vanessa holding Opal’s hand, and wrapping her other arm around Hunter’s waist as he held her. When they reached Mari’s car, they stopped to say goodbye. Mari began crying.
“It’s okay. We’re all okay now,” Vanessa said.
Mari shook her head. “I don’t think anyone told you…”
Vanessa looked to Hunter, whose expression was sad. “Tell me what?”
“My—my—” Mari couldn’t continue.
“Jeremy’s thugs killed her parents,” Hunter said.
Vanessa gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “No, no, no. Oh Mari. Oh, oh…”
The tears filled her eyes again and the shock of it washed through her. How could he do such a thing? They were innocent. Not part of this in any way. And he’d had them killed in cold blood. It was her fault. She’d taken Opal there, and that was why they were now dead.
“I’m so sorry, Mari. This is all my fault,” she cried as she hugged her friend.
“No, no.” Mari squeezed back, trying to speak through her tears. “We knew it was dangerous. They knew the risk. It was Jeremy’s fault.”
After they stood crying together for a long while, Hunter put his arm around Vanessa. “Why don’t we all get home so we can rest? Maybe Mari can stay with us for a while so she’s not alone.”
“Yes, please,” Vanessa said, wiping her eyes.
Mari nodded and they climbed into Hunter’s car. Once they reached Vanessa’s, she made tea, and they sat in the living room while Opal played quietly. No one spoke much. They sat and sipped, trying to let the misery of the experience form into something more concrete in their minds. To find a way to heal and move on now that it was over.
That night, Mari slept in Opal’s bed. It was the best arrangement, because it made Vanessa feel like Opal was safer that way and had someone to comfort her, and Mari would be comforted by her presence as well. And that meant she and Hunter could finally be alone. She desperately needed him.
Once they said good night to Opal and Mari, Hunter took her into the bedroom. He held her for a long time.
“I love you,” he said. “I’m glad we made it through this alive.”
“I love you.” She put her face into his shoulder to let a few more tears loose. She was happy they were alive, sure, but she was heartbroken over Mari’s parents and worn out from all they’d been through.
Hunter scooped her into his arms and lay her gently on the bed. Then, he slowly undressed her, taking care not to pull too hard or yank. When she was naked on the bed, he covered her with the blanket and took off his own clothing to slip in beside her.
“Are you hurt at all?” she asked. “Bruised or anything?”
He shook his head. “Nothing a little Tylenol can’t handle. You?”
“I’m not sure. I feel achey and strange.”
“Probably all the drugs and fighting back. Adrenaline does weird things to a body.”
He ran his fingers down her cheeks, smoothing away the tear tracks. Every touch was gentle and soothing. He caressed her breasts and kissed slowly down her body. He flicked his tongue across her clit, but didn’t push his finger inside her.
They kissed for a long while, him over her like a protective covering. When she was hot and ready for him, she reached down and took hold of his erection. He moaned in response, and Vanessa guided him inside her.
He gently pushed in until he filled her completely. He moved slowly, sending waves of pleasure over her in a steady, soothing rhythm. When she came close to orgasm, she pushed her hips up and into him, sending him in deeper. Their thrusts sped up slightly, and they both moaned as they came together.
Afterward they lay wrapped together and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Hunter
They next morning, Hunter woke to the smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee. The bed beside him was empty. He must have been sleeping heavily if he hadn’t noticed Vanessa get out of bed. He climbed out, stopping to stretch before dressing. He hadn’t told Vanessa the full truth the night before. He was hurting. All the fighting and running and adrenaline had him aching badly. He would need a double dose of Tylenol today.
He walked out to the kitchen, and Vanessa turned to smile at him. Opal looked up from beside Mari and beamed.
“Morning!” Opal said.
“Morning.” He sat down and rubbed his face. Vanessa put a mug of coffee in front of him. “Thanks.”
She filled plates with food and they sat together eating, sharing small talk about how they’d slept and what they wanted to do today. Mostly, they would rest and watch movies, it seemed. Opal asked about getting a pizza for dinner. He was looking forward to a quiet day at home.
As he stuffed his last bite of eggs into his mouth, there was a loud pounding on the door. He exchanged a startled look with Vanessa, then got to his feet. He pulled out his gun as they called out, “Police! Open up!”
He put his gun down on the counter and took a deep breath. Then he went to open the door and find out what in the world was going on.
He opened the door and immediately put his hands up. Cops flooded into the apartment, guns drawn. Several had Hunter in their sight. He heard Vanessa shriek, but stayed still and didn’t take his eyes off the officer closest to him.
“Hunter Perrin?”
He nodded, still resuming eye contact.
“You’re under arrest for murder.”
Hunter swallowed hard. He should have seen this coming. Should have known he couldn’t trust Nicholas or any government agency. And the way he’d killed Jeremy? He’d messed up big time there. If he’d known they had surveillance in the hotel, and if he had even been in his right mind enough to think about it, he might have done things differently. It had felt so good to hurt him, though. And though he didn’t know what would happen now, he didn’t regret one bit of pain that he’d inflicted on Jeremy Beale. In fact, he wished he’d had longer to hurt the bastard. No amount of suffering would be enough to pay him back for what he did to Vanessa.
He had to focus for now. Think about what had to happen next and what he had to do. Some sort of lawyer would be needed. He still thought maybe self-defense could work. It had to. It was the only thing he had to go on. Build a strong enough case and maybe he’d get out in a few years instead of getting hit with life.
His hands were pinned behind his back and cuffs tightened around his wrists. He wished it didn’t feel familiar, but all he could think about was the last time he’d been arrested for murder and how badly that had gone.
As they pushed him from the apartment, Opal cried out. “Hunter! Don’t leave!”
He couldn’t stand to hear her voice calling for him. He glanced back to see Vanessa scoop her into a hug and hold her close. Opal’s hand stretched out to him, and he looked away.
“Wait!” Vanessa said.
He turned back and saw her and Opal rushing toward him.
“You can’t just take him. There’s video proof!” she said.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Stay with Mari. Stay together. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“No!”
Her hand raised toward him with Opal’s, and he stepped out of the apartment choking back tears. He would not
cry in front of these cops. No freaking way. He swallowed hard and thought of Jeremy.
Even though he was dead, he still managed to cause them problems from beyond the grave. Now his dead body was a ghost, haunting him, haunting Vanessa. Until this was all settled, they wouldn’t really be rid of him.
Hunter had to find a way to get the truth out there. To show people who Jeremy really was. To unravel the web of deception he wove in his lifetime. There was the slight chance, too, that Vanessa was still in danger. Jeremy might have left instructions for her to be put to death in the event of his own death. Who knew how far he would go to torture her? Maybe he wouldn’t stop until she was dead, even if he was already dead.
Well, all Hunter could do now was think through what needed to happen, how to build his case, and hope that if anyone had been ordered to kill Vanessa, he’d already killed them.
# # #
Vanessa picked up her phone with a shaking hand. “Nicholas? I need your help.”
“What’s going on?” he asked.
She set Opal on the floor, but kept her close. “Hunter’s been arrested for murder.”
Nicholas sucked in a breath. “Oh.”
“Oh? Is that all you have to say?”
“No. It’s just that… I guess I didn’t work fast enough.”
“Yeah, I guess not.” She couldn’t help the bitterness in her voice. He had helped them at times, but he’d also stood by and did nothing when she taken. Could he really be trusted?
“I’m sorry. I’m doing everything I can.”
“And what are you doing? Do you have a way to get Hunter out of jail?”
“No, not exactly.”
“What are you doing then?!” She tried to take several deep breaths, to keep the tears at bay. After all that had happened, she needed to just rest and relax today, not have another storm of stress crash over her. She couldn’t take it.
“Well, I still have to gather more proof, but I think I have something on Jeremy.”
She clenched her teeth together and forced herself to stay calm. “Why are you collecting proof against Jeremy? He’s dead. He can’t go to jail now.”
Then the awful thought flashed through her mind. Had she imagined that? Was he somehow still alive? Was it possible the nightmare was continuing and hadn’t even started to end yet?
“No, I know that. Let me explain.” She heard him take a deep breath and shuffle some papers. “Okay. Before Jeremy was killed, when we were still trying to bring him to trial and hoping to have him locked up, I did some research. I was looking for anything I could find that might help us, and might prove that he was the one who was endangering Opal. That’s my job, you know. I had to find a way to tie it back to her, or I could get in trouble myself for looking into things that—”
“Okay, I get it. What did you find?”
“Well, it seems that Jeremy was not only heir to a large fortune, as you know. He’s also a member of a crime family who’s involved in a huge crime ring in the city.”
“Like, the mob?”
“Yes.”
She let this information sink in. Could he possibly be correct? Could Jeremy have been a member of the mob?
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes. Like I said, I need further proof on a few matters. Proof to show the various crimes he was part of. But once I get what I need, this can help Hunter. It might not get him out of jail immediately, but when he goes to trial, it will help his case.”
“How?”
“Well, he’ll be able to prove self defense better. We can show that all the men Hunter killed all worked for Jeremy. He can count on Stand Your Ground laws to set him free.”
“On what?”
“It’s basically the right to use deadly force in order to protect oneself or others from harm.”
“That’s not self-defense?”
“It’s similar, but with both of those combined, he should be able to get off from any murder charges. We can show that there was plenty of intent for harm on Jeremy’s part and the part of his hired men. Besides that, the police might be quite pleased to know that Hunter took out so many big-time criminals. It could help his case, as well.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“Well, now that I know he’s been arrested, I’ll go to the police with what I know. I’ll advise them of the last bit of proof I’m waiting on, which is photo evidence from a nearby gas station that showed Jeremy and his men with weapons. Hopefully, it’ll be enough to get them to set bail instead of keep him until the trial. He committed a violent crime.”
“Okay, I like that.” He could be out soon if he was released on bail. Otherwise, it could be months until the trial, and who knew how often she’d get to see him in that case.
“I’ll let you know what I find out when I go down there.”
“Thank you, Nicholas.” She was starting to soften to him, to put some trust in him. Really, she had no choice. She had no way to get Hunter out. But Nicholas might. She needed him. And he knew it.
“You’re welcome. I’m doing everything I can for you both.”
“I know you are.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Hunter
“Come on, Hunter.”
Hunter looked to the end of his cell, where an officer was sliding open the metal door. He sat up on his hard cot, confused.
“You’re out on bail.”
“Bail? I thought that wasn’t going to happen.” He’d been told when they first brought him in that for such a violent crime—multiple crimes, really—that they would not release him on bail. Even talking to his lawyer hadn’t given him any hope that he’d see the light of day in the near future.
“Some new evidence has come in.”
Hunter walked to the door and stepped out. “New evidence?”
“Talk to your lawyer. I can’t tell you much about it.”
“I will, thanks.”
“Just sign at the desk to get your things, then you’re free.”
Hunter went to the desk and signed in a daze. He’d mentally prepared to spend months in jail, not mere hours. What could have possibly happened in that time to let him be a free man? And who even knew about his bail to post it for him?
He picked up his bag of things after the clerk retrieved it and walked through the metal door when it slid open for him. In the waiting room, Nicholas jumped up to his feet from one of the bright green plastic chairs.
“Hunter,” he said.
“Hi.” What in the world was he doing here? Of all people, Nicholas would be the last he would expect to encounter here.
“I’ll take you home.”
Hunter narrowed his eyes at him.
“I’ll explain everything in the car.”
Hunter got in the car beside Nicholas and as soon as he closed the door, he asked, “What in the world are you doing here?”
“I posted your bail.”
“You—”
“I also gave the police the evidence they needed to prove that your claim of self-defense is legitimate.”
“How—”
“I’m getting to that.” Nicholas then went on to explain what he’d found out about Jeremy’s family and their connection to the mob, how it proved that using deadly force was necessary.
“Wow,” Hunter said. “Well, for whatever trouble you’ve caused us in the past, you’ve sure turned out to be a big help. Thanks. That doesn’t even really cover it. You’ve given me time with those I love most. I can’t thank you enough.”
Nicholas nodded. “Well, there’s no excuse for my behavior. From the beginning, when I didn’t believe Vanessa. You don’t know about all the paperwork I filed to try to have Opal taken from her.” He shook his head. “Then to find out I was wrong and almost sent her back to an abusive father? Inexcusable. And when someone comes and tries to forcibly take Vanessa, I do nothing. I don’t want to be that man. I never thought I was, but I’ve learned things about myself in the last months that I wish I didn’t kn
ow.”
“Being in those situations isn’t easy. Especially if you’ve never been around it all.”
“Sure. I feel terrible, though. And it’s my duty, and my job really, to make sure that Opal is in the best environment possible. And that means being with her mother and being safe, which also means, having you around to keep her safe.”
