by Nicole Fox
It seemed to take hours of her explaining and answering questions. The male nurse who’d given her information earlier came back to check on her.
“She should be resting now,” he told the officers and social workers.
She was so grateful, she could hug him. But just as the nurse was finishing up, Nicholas came in the room. He introduced himself and shook hands with the group questioning her.
“I believe I can lend some insight to this complicated situation.”
Everything Nicholas said backed up what she’d told them. And they knew she hadn’t had time alone to talk to him. They had to believe her now, right? She listened to Nicholas recount things from his end, starting with the phone call that sent him to Vanessa’s apartment. Then the set up with Hunter and the break in. She noticed he didn’t go into too much detail about how he was hiding in the corner while she was trying to shoot her attackers and fight for her life.
The questions and explanations seemed to be winding down and she was feeling tired. But she was also aching to see Opal and Hunter, especially after having to recall and relive everything they’d been through. Where were they? Were they both okay?
The social worker turned to her. “Your daughter is with her emergency guardian, Mari Snyder. We’ve cleared you to be allowed to see her, and we’ll be in contact with CPS to provide information for the case.”
Nicholas nodded at this, giving Vanessa a reassuring smile. So was that a good thing, then?
The officer closer to her was next. “We’re not going to detain you or arrest you. Once your vitals are stable and they say you can go, you’re free to do so.”
“Thank you,” she said as the group left the room. She turned to Nicholas. “You came at the right time.”
He pulled a chair closer and sat. “Well, it’s the least I could do. I’m so sorry about my behavior during the break in. I’ve never experienced anything like that before, and I didn’t know what to do.”
“We can’t all be heroes like Hunter, I guess.”
“He certainly is.”
She saw that the nurse who’d helped her was still there. She caught his eye. “Hey.”
He came over and checked her IV.
“When can I go?” she asked.
“We’re going to keep you at least overnight for observation.”
“Observation? So, I’m fine?”
“You’re stable right now, but the only way to make sure is to see what happens over the next 24 hours.”
“Are my vitals stable or whatever?” she asked.
He crossed his arms. “They are. Are you planning an escape?”
She shrugged with one shoulder.
“Well, I can’t say that’s a good idea. Your body has been through a lot.”
“I know, but my daughter.”
“I get it, believe me. I have a six-year-old myself. I’d do anything for that little girl. But I still can’t recommend you leave just yet.”
“But you won’t tell on me if I do?”
He pulled his mouth into a half smile and pointedly turned away from her. “I can’t report what I don’t see.”
He left the room and Nicholas stood.
“You’re not going to try to leave, are you?” Nicholas asked.
She sat up and assessed the IV in her arm. It was the only thing left tying her to the hospital. Aside from her missing clothing. “Can you see if my things are in the closet?”
Nicholas went to the closet and opened the door. He pulled out a bag of her clothes. She dressed the best she could with her IV still in. Then, she peeled off the tape and carefully slid the needle out. It hurt worse than it would have if a nurse had done it, but she got it out.
She pressed the tape back down to cover the hole that was now bleeding, and pulled her shirt over her head.
“Vanessa, you can’t leave yet,” Nicholas said. “You might not be okay.”
“He said I’m fine. Just observation. I have to see Hunter and Opal. I have to. Thanks, Nicholas. I’ll see you soon, I’m sure.” She dashed from the room hurrying, but trying not to look too suspicious.
She punched the button for the elevator and slid in as soon as the doors opened. When she stepped out on the lower floor, she wasn’t sure where to go. She didn’t have a car here or any way to get home. She needed to call someone. Were there phones?
She wandered down a hall full of doors that held no answers. She turned down another hall, and what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. At the end of the hall, walking out of a room, was Opal, Hunter, and Mari.
They saw her a moment after she saw them, and Opal took off running. Vanessa ran to meet her, and they crashed in a tight hug, Vanessa lifting and swinging her daughter around.
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 ya
nk. 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 furt
her 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.”