by Nicole Fox
“I’ve noticed.”
“Don’t act like you didn’t like it.”
“I did, but Hunter…” She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked away.
“I know.”
She met his eyes for a moment, and he wished he could read her mind.
# # #
She looked deep into Hunter’s eyes. How could she tell him there could never be anything between them when she wanted there to be so badly? She was so torn. It was like being back in the days when she was still with Jeremy. Then she’d been torn, too. Torn between wanting so badly to leave but still wanting Opal to have a family. It had taken seeing Jeremy hit Opal before she changed her mind. Would there be a moment like that with Hunter, too?
She wanted him and saw good in him. She wanted to feel safe and protected, especially after feeling so unsafe for so long with Jeremy. But the violence and the danger were too much for her. And it put Opal at too much risk. Maybe he’d hurt her and prove he was no protector after all, and she would be able to leave him like she left Jeremy. Or, there was the possibility he might turn from his hard life. If she provided him a sort of safe place, a real home, a family. Would he ever change his killer ways?
She stood and walked over to where he was messing with his guns. “Why do you need so many guns?”
“Some are better for concealing. Some are better for distance. Some have more rounds if there are many people. I need to be prepared for any situation. And not run out of ammo in the middle of a gun fight.”
She reached out and gently took the gun from his hand. It was lighter than she expected. It felt almost like a toy, it was that weightless.
“That one’s better for carrying,” he said. “Nice and light and small.”
She put the gun down and looked over his small artillery. “I don’t want you to have to kill Jeremy. You’ve killed too many people already. You’re better than that.”
“I’m not.” He pulled his mouth into a half smile. “I’m doing this for you, though, so you won’t have to worry.”
“I know.” She stood facing him, and put her hand on his chest. “Yes, you are better than that. I know you like to think of yourself as a bad man, a hard ass, a tough guy. But you have far too much compassion for any of that. Real killers don’t have consciences. They don’t change in the middle of a job, because they realized the person they were hired to kill wasn’t who they thought they were.”
“You think far too much of me.”
“You’d kill for me. Not for money. Not for any reason but to protect me and Opal, and really, now you’re saying you’d do it just to make our lives better.”
“It’s still to protect you.” He covered her hand with his.
“But you’re going after him, not waiting until he attacks us. And you’re doing it for me.”
“I am.”
She looked into his eyes and knew she’d never let him do it. She couldn’t live with the guilt of knowing he’d murdered for her. But just knowing that he would, that he cared that much about her and Opal, made her warm all over.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Even though they couldn’t have a relationship, even though he wasn’t what she needed long term or for Opal, he was what she needed right now. This man who would end a life to save hers. Who cared that much about her and her safety. She’d never had anyone care about her like that.
Hunter’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. She pressed her body against his, feeling his hardness press into her. She liked that he wanted her, and it made her damp with desire.
She broke from the kiss suddenly and turned. With one sweep of her arm, she knocked all the guns and his bag to the ground. The weapons tumbled over each other with a clatter and when she looked back at him, he gave her a raised eyebrow and an unamused look. But when she threw herself backward onto the bed and motioned to him with her finger, his expression changed to raw hunger.
As he climbed over her, she pulled his shirt over his head. Her fingers tangled in the hair at the top of his chest and she pulled him down to kiss him again. His hands found her breasts roughly, pushing aside her bra so he could squeeze and pinch her nipples. He bent down to suck on one, then the other. Each suck or pinch sent a fresh wave of wanting through her.
Vanessa wiggled up and out of her pants and yanked her shirt and bra off. They hit the floor beside the guns. Hunter pushed her legs open and slid down to put his tongue in her.
She grabbed the pillow, gripping it hard as he pushed his tongue inside her and around her lips. He flicked her clit and slid a finger inside her.
“No,” she said, pulling on his hair to get his face away from her.
“What?” he asked breathlessly.
“No. Not your finger.”
His eyes grew dark with desire and he slid her bottom over to the edge of the bed. The rough motion of it, the harsh possession by someone who she wanted to want her, electrified her.
Hunter knelt in front of her and thrust inside her in one deep movement. She cried out as he filled her, and it took a moment to stop the room from spinning.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and sat up, hugging his neck to be closer to him. In this position, she could rub her clit against him, sliding in her own wetness.
Hunter took a fistful of her hair and pulled down. Vanessa’s head tilted up, exposing her throat. He bit gently along her neck, then to her earlobe. She rocked on his hard cock, the intense pleasure rushing over her.
He lifted her off the bed, holding her with his arms. His muscles bulged against her as he bounced her up and down on his dick.
“Oh God, yes,” she said.
She was getting close. Hunter slid one hand under her and slipped his pinky finger into her ass. Instantly, the orgasm crashed over her. She dug her fingers into his back, screaming in pleasure. He grabbed her waist and slammed her hard, going even deeper and harder than he had before.
“I’m coming,” he said, groaning in her ear.
When he stilled, he set her back down on the bed, sliding out of her as he did. Vanessa crumpled to the bed, unable to move except to breathe heavy. The sweat covering her body grew cold in the air of the room.
He stood, but slid onto the bed beside her, pulling her close to him. Their bodies stuck together with sweat and heat. She shivered in the afterglow and closed her eyes.
She almost wished he wasn’t such a fabulous lover. It would be easier to say goodbye to him if he didn’t make her feel so good.
Chapter Sixteen
Hunter
After he’d collected his guns and sorted them from when Vanessa carelessly tossed them to the ground, and after they’d showered and dressed, they were ready to head out. He took his bag of ammo to the car then returned to lock up.
When he slid into the driver’s seat, Vanessa looked over at him and put her hand on his to stop him from starting the car.
“Wait, Hunter.”
He looked into her eyes, waiting as she’d asked.
“I think there’s another way to do this,” she said.
“Do what?”
“I think we can get Jeremy out of the way and keep us safe without having to kill him.”
“How?”
“We could go to the cops. Tell them he hired you.”
He gave her an incredulous look. “Right. Go tell them I kill people for a living.”
She shook her head. “They don’t have to know that you’ve done it before. Only that he hired you to do it this time, and you couldn’t go through with it. Is it a crime to take money to kill someone if you don’t actually kill them?”
“Yes.”
“But it has to be a much lesser crime, right?”
“Vanessa.” He dropped his hand from the ignition. “We’d need a lot of evidence to build a case against him. They’re not going to just take my word for it.”
“But there’s your word and mine and Opal’s.”
“Not enough. And we’re all on the same sid
e. Too easy for us to all be lying for each other. It’s not evidence. Not enough to put him away for any length of time.”
“How do we get evidence?”
“I don’t really know. I’ve always been better at avoiding having any sort of evidence than gathering any.”
She tapped her finger, thinking. “And there’s evidence against me. Like from the doctor, and from CPS. They’ll say I was the one who hurt Opal.”
“Exactly.” He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “It’s much better for me to kill him. Otherwise, you might end up getting yourself arrested, and it would be too hard to try to get enough evidence for us to get him arrested.”
“There has to be a way to make it work. I don’t want you to have to do this.”
“Why not? I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.”
“I know, but I don’t want to be the reason. I don’t want to feel guilty for the rest of my life, knowing you killed for me. What if you get caught? What would I do then?”
He looked over at her with an unamused gaze. She clearly didn’t have enough faith in him and his ability to do his job well. “I know how to do my job without getting caught. I’ve done this many times.”
“And you never once came close to getting in trouble?”
He took a moment to answer. Should he lie or just be honest? “Not any time recently.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Recently? So you have been arrested? Have you been in jail?”
He clenched his jaw and nodded.
“When? For how long?”
The last thing he wanted to do was sit there and describe his horrible decade and what led to it. He tried to give her enough info to satisfy her interest without going too much into it.
“A while ago, for about ten years,” he said. A year maybe wasn’t quite “a while ago,” but it would do for now.
She shook her head. “There’s no way I could handle watching you sit in jail for ten years. And who knows. It might be more. What if they put you away for life and it was my fault? I couldn’t live with that.”
She really cared more about his freedom than being rid of her ex? Well, her plan backfired. Knowing that just made him want to do it that much more. She had such a good heart, even for this man who had done nothing but treat her and her daughter badly. It was almost crazy that she didn’t want him dead. But the fact that she’d rather send him to jail to spare Hunter gave his heart a little spark like he’d never felt before.
Usually people wanted him to do their dirty work and didn’t much care what happened to him. They were paying for a service, and if he failed to keep himself out of trouble, it was on him. When he’d gotten caught killing his high school girlfriend’s father, he’d been so in love and so angered that she’d faced the same thing he had, that nothing would have stopped him from going through with it. Except maybe the truth of knowing her father hadn’t really done the things she claimed.
He looked over at Vanessa, at the determined look in her eyes. Then he decided to lie. At least for now. “Okay. Then let’s figure out how to get evidence against him.”
“Really?”
“It’ll take a lot. And we’ll keep killing him as a backup plan.”
As far as she was concerned. It was his main plan. But she didn’t need to know that. She could try to find evidence, and when it didn’t work, he’d come in and save the day. She wouldn’t even have to know until it was done. He could stage the photos while she was sleeping. Not that he even needed to go that far. He could go right now and sneak up on the bastard and take him out. Just like any other hit.
“I like it better as a backup. I don’t want you to get in trouble, but even if I knew you wouldn’t, I don’t want to know that you took another life because of me. That has to affect your soul. And I don’t want to be responsible for a dark place in any part of you.”
He took her hand and kissed it as he drove off. “You’re the brightest thing in my life.”
# # #
“Turn here,” Vanessa said, a plan suddenly coming into her mind.
“Why?”
“I have an idea. We might not know how to get evidence, but I know someone who will.”
She gave him directions to Mari’s family’s farm house. The closer they got, the more the excitement and anxiety built in her. She was about to see Opal—she hoped. There was still the chance something had gone wrong. When they pulled up and saw Mari’s car, there was some relief. When she knocked on the door and heard small feet running, her worry vanished, and she held only joy in her heart.
Opal tore the door open and grinned up at her. “Mommy! We’ve been having so much fun!”
Vanessa wrapped her arms tight around her little girl. Mari had kept her hidden and safe. Just as she promised.
“Heya,” Mari said, coming around the corner. “How’s everything?” She gave Vanessa a meaningful look.
“Things are… okay.” Vanessa pressed her lips together and glanced over at Hunter.
Mari’s eyes ran over him, then back to Vanessa. A hint of a smile played at her lips. “Opal, do you want to go watch the movie we started watching earlier? I have to catch Mommy up on some things.”
“Okay.” Opal hopped off into the living room.
Mari led Vanessa and Hunter into the kitchen. “Can I get you anything?”
“Water would be great,” Vanessa said.
Mari filled a glass and set it in front of her at the table, then slid into a seat. “So?”
“We need your help,” Vanessa said. “Well, more than you’ve already given us.”
“Of course,” Mari said, leaning closer.
“Child Protective Services showed up at my house this morning. On a report of child abuse.”
Mari sucked in a breath. “What happened?”
“Well, Opal wasn’t there, so not much. He’s going to come back. That’s not the main thing we need help with, though.” She glanced over at Hunter again, knowing this had to work if she was going to save him from committing murder on her behalf. “We need to build a case against Jeremy, so we can have him locked up. Otherwise, he’ll have me killed. He’s already tried.”
Mari’s face grew sad and worried. “So, the men who are after you—”
“Aren’t just after me to get Opal. Jeremy hired Hunter to kill me. Luckily, Hunter has a conscience and decided not to go through with it.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she worried that she might have done something wrong. Sure, Mari was on their side, trying to help save them, but Hunter probably didn’t want a bunch of people knowing the truth. Maybe he would be really pissed about this. She didn’t look at him.
Mari gave Hunter another look, longer this time. She held her hand where Hunter couldn’t see it and gave Vanessa a thumbs up. Despite what he was capable of, Mari approved. It almost made Vanessa laugh. She’d gone from being married to a wife beater to sleeping with a hit man. She sure knew how to pick them.
“The problem is,” Vanessa continued, “I don’t know how we can get evidence to have Jeremy arrested. Right now, there’s more evidence pointing to me than to him.”
“You said CPS came and will come again,” Mari said. “So use that to your advantage.”
“How can I? Jeremy already accused me of hurting Opal.”
“Exactly. So turn it around. Tell the truth. Tell them what he did to you and Opal and what he’s doing now. They have to listen and do a full investigation. Use emails, text messages, phone messages, photos, whatever you have that will show how Jeremy hurt you and paint a picture of what he’s really like.”
“You think that will work? They’re not going to think I’m making it all up?”
“Vanessa. They won’t find any proof at all of you mistreating Opal. And when they talk to her—”
“Whoa. Talk to her? I’m not letting her go off with some CPS guy and let him scare her. What if she misunderstands or says something wrong?”
Mari put her hand over Vanessa’s. “Trust her
. She’ll tell the truth. And you’ll instruct her to tell the whole truth. It might seem scary, but having her talk to the CPS guy will help. He can see what Opal is like and how happy she is, and when she tells him the truth, he’ll understand.”
Vanessa sucked in a long breath and looked to Hunter. “Do you agree?”
“I think Nicholas will know Opal isn’t lying. They’re trained to look for that sort of thing. To see if a parent has coached a kid in a certain way.”
“And you think having the CPS guy—Nicholas—on our side will help in a case against Jeremy? Won’t it look bad that Jeremy called him, and I didn’t if I was the one being hurt?”