Exposed
Page 34
I sense there’s more bad news to come, and take a long sip of my prosecco.
‘So, the reason I was late arriving today was because today was my last day working on Operation Cicada. As of Monday morning, my transfer will be complete, and I’ll begin work at my new station.’ He looks up and fixes me with a pained stare. ‘I’ve left it all in great hands, and your sister is doing an incredible job of keeping everyone focused on what’s at stake. She’s so resilient, and reminds me a lot of you, but maybe a touch more fiery. She’s even got Rawani planning on postponing his retirement for another year.’
He sits back and pulls down his tie a fraction to unfasten his top button. ‘I’m leaving London, Emma, and I’ve just put a deposit down on a flat near Dorchester, so you’ll be seeing a lot more of me – if you’ll let me, that is.’
My mouth drops open. ‘But you love London.’
He shakes his head, his lips turning down at the edges. ‘Not anymore. When you spend enough time in the smog and swamp, you eventually reach a point where you’ll never be able to get your hands clean. The atrocities I’ve seen there these past few months have really put things in perspective. I don’t want to become just another faceless commuter unable to claw my way out of the detritus. I need a fresh start, and transferring to Dorset police gives me that opportunity.’
‘How come this is the first I’m hearing about this?’
‘I didn’t want to let on until it was all sorted. I wasn’t sure the transfer would be approved, but it helps having a fierce recommendation from one of the former detective inspectors.’
‘Zoe Cavendish,’ I mouth.
He nods, smiling awkwardly. ‘With her now transferred to London, they’ve just promoted a sergeant in her team into her role, so there was a vacancy. She had a word with the recruitment panel, and I can’t have screwed up the interview too much because they offered me the job.’
‘But you haven’t taken the sergeant’s exam…’ I start to say, but he is nodding his head again.
‘I passed it last year, but then the opportunity came up with the NCA so I put applications on hold. Now feels like the right time to move.’
My shoulders finally relax. ‘Congratulations.’
‘Thank you,’ he says, but there is still caution to his tone. ‘The thing is, Emma… What I wanted to speak to you about… I was thinking… well, actually, I was hoping… that you might be open to the prospect of maybe you and me… seeing a lot more of one another.’
My entire body stiffens.
‘You know that I like you, don’t you,’ he says rhetorically. ‘But the thing you don’t know is that you’re the first person I think about when I wake up in the morning. I wonder, what will Emma be up to today? Should I call her? Or will she call me? Every time you’re close, my brain reverts to its twelve-year-old state, and I don’t know how to tell you how much you mean to me. I don’t expect you to give me an answer now, because I’ve put you on the spot, but I’d like you to think about the possibility of letting me become your boyfriend at some point in the very near future.’
Poor Jack is deathly pale as he waits for me to speak, but I don’t know how to answer him. It feels like a dream, and I’m terrified I’ll be woken from it any second and none of this awkward but cute exchange will be real.
‘Yes,’ I eventually say.
He blinks several times. ‘Yes?’
My eyes fill as I nod. ‘Yes.’
He smiles like the cat who’s got the cream. ‘Can you hear that?’ he says a moment later. ‘Sounds like the DJ is starting the music. Do you fancy having a boogie with me?’
He should know better than to ask me to dance in front of a room full of people, but for the second time today, I swallow my fear and doubt, and stand.
‘I should warn you,’ Jack says, standing so close I can smell his cologne, ‘Mila says I’m the worst dancer because I’ve got two left feet. My counter argument is that I’m the best worst dad dancer, so in a way I’m good at something. I’ll try not to embarrass you too much.’
Our eyes meet, and in a surge of awkward anticipation, I lean forward and place my lips on his. Only, with my eyes closed, I misjudge exactly where his mouth is, catch the tip of his nose with my top lip, and his moustache with my bottom one. My cheeks burn instantly.
Jack looks shocked at the awful attempt, and I’m convinced he’s about to take back all the nice things he just said, but instead he apologises.
‘I’m sorry… I wasn’t ready. Can we try that again?’
My humiliation is hovering precariously above the precipice, so I just nod.
Jack wets his lips and places his warm hands on my even warmer cheeks, and tilts my head slightly as he pulls me towards him. And this time the kiss is everything I’ve dreamed it would be: soft, tender, and my heart feels ready to explode.
‘Oi, you two, get a room!’ Rachel calls out to our left.
I turn and smile at her, as she clings tightly to Daniella.
‘Come on,’ she urges, as she approaches, ‘we’ve got to do our first official dance in a minute, and I want you pair up on the dance floor straight after, so your clumsiness will make the two of us look more graceful.’
She collects each of our hands and pulls us along into the hall, which has been quickly transformed into a neon-lit wall of sound. There are tables and chairs around the edge of the room where a few guests are sitting, waiting for their cue to hit the dancefloor.
Anna appears through a side door, and I actually gasp as I lay eyes on her dress. It’s the first time I’ve seen her in an outfit that accentuates her femininity. She is beautiful, and I couldn’t be prouder to beckon my sister to join us. She remains at the back of the room, reluctant to let her guard down. I cross through the tables and take her hand in mine.
‘Just one dance,’ I promise her. ‘Please?’
For the briefest moment, it’s like we’re back in our parents’ yard in Weymouth arguing over that stupid skateboard, but rather than retreat, she takes a deep breath and nods, following me back to where Jack is patiently waiting.
‘Do you mind?’ I ask him, but he shakes his head.
‘I’ve waited long enough for this moment, I can hold out for a few minutes more,’ he adds with a smile that warms my soul.
But he doesn’t have to wait long as Freddie sashays up to us, clasps Jack’s hand and tells him he can lead. Poor Jack doesn’t know where to look first, but doesn’t resist and my heart could explode with the love I have for these five people.
My family.
Because that’s what they are, and there is nothing that will break us.
And that is where this story ends. There is strength in unity, in the family we choose as well as the one we inherit. I wouldn’t be who I am without them, and that is why I will continue to fight for all of them.
And as for the monsters who still lurk in the shadows, physically and emotionally abusing those they should be caring for, know this: I’m coming for you, and this time my sister will be right alongside me.
We won’t stop until you’re caught.
THE END
We hope you enjoyed Exposed!
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Acknowledgments
And just like that our time with Emma Hunter draws to a close. I’m in tears as I write this, having just completed the copyedit of Exposed. Living inside Emma’s head has been as much of an adventure for me writing her as it has been to the legion of loyal fans who have clamoured to devour each new entry in the series. She was my best friend during the pandemic in 2020, and I’m really going to miss her outlook on life, and how she always wants to put others first in her struggle to uncover the truth.
I hope the ending to the series was as satisfying for you as it was for me. From the first book I always planned that Emma would discover the truth about
what happened to Anna, I just wasn’t certain about some of the developments that would come along the way. And what do you think the future holds for Jack and Emma? Will they live happily ever after, or is there more pain to come their way? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on what happens to Emma, Jack, Anna, Freddie, and Rachel in the years to come.
I am active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, so please do stop by with any messages, observations, or questions. Hearing from readers of my books truly brightens my days and encourages me to keep writing, so don’t be a stranger. I promise I will respond to every message and comment.
I’d like to thank my editor Bethan Morgan, and the brilliantly creative team at One More Chapter, for supporting me in the creation of this book and the other books in the series. I’ve never been prouder of a writing project than I am of this, and it wouldn’t have been possible without all of you. Thanks to Lucy Bennett for her work in producing the series’ covers; to Lydia Mason, whose copyediting was painless; and to Tony Russell, who kindly completed the proofread to pull out those all embarrassing spelling mistakes.
I’d like to thank my own parents and my parents-in-law for continuing to offer words of encouragement when I’m struggling to engage with my muse.
Thank you as ever to my best friend, Dr Parashar Ramanuj, who never shies away from the awkward medical questions I ask him. Thank you to Alex Shaw and Paul Grzegorzek – authors and dear friends – who are happy to listen to me moan and whinge about the pitfalls of the publishing industry, offering words of encouragement along the way.
I want to send my love and gratitude to my wife, Hannah, and my children, Emily and Ethan, who put up with me staring off into space when imagination takes over mid-conversation. You are the reason I continue to write, even when my confidence is shaken or I’m struggling to put words on the page.
And thanks must also go to YOU for buying and reading Exposed. Please do post a review to wherever you purchased the book from so that other readers can be enticed to follow Emma’s quest. It takes less than two minutes to share your opinion, and I ask you do me this small kindness.
Thank you for reading…
We hope you enjoyed Exposed!
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Do leave a review if so on all your preferred platforms to help spread the word!
You can also add the paperback edition to your collection!
Don’t miss the first standalone psychological thriller from M. A. Hunter with the absolutely gripping Mummy’s Little Secret…
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Four little words can ruin a life.
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When Jess meets five-year-old Daisy and her mum, Morag, in a local London park, they seem a perfectly happy and loving pair. Until Daisy whispers four little words that send ice seeping down Jess’s spine…
* * *
She’s not my mum.
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Determined to save Daisy, Jess becomes obsessed with unearthing Morag’s secrets. As she digs ever deeper, her friends and family start to question her own increasingly paranoid behaviour…
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Four little words can end a life.
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But Jess knows what she heard and she’s certain the fear in Daisy’s eyes was real. Of course she isn’t imagining things… Or is she?
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Happy reading!
About the Author
M. A. Hunter has been a huge fan of crime fiction series since a young age and always fancied the idea of trying to write one. That dream became a reality when One More Chapter signed The Missing Children Case Files.
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Born in Darlington in the north-east of England, Hunter grew up in West London, and moved to Southampton to study law at university. It’s here that Hunter fell in love and has been married for fifteen years. They are now raising their two children on the border of The New Forest where they enjoy going for walks amongst the wildlife. They regularly holiday across England, but have a particular affinity for the south coast, which formed the setting for the series, spanning from Devon to Brighton, and with a particular focus on Weymouth, one of their favourite towns.
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When not writing, Hunter can be found binge-watching favourite shows or buried in the latest story from Angela Marsons, Simon Kernick, or Ann Cleeves.
Also by M. A. Hunter
The Missing Children Case Files
Ransomed
Isolated
Trafficked
Discarded
Repressed
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