by Nicole Fox
Vanessa nodded. “It was.”
“It was scary!” Opal said. “But then you came and swoosh! Scooped me up to save me.”
Vanessa patted her shoulder. “You need to thank the man.”
“I’m Hunter Perrin,” he said and bent down closer to Opal. “What’s your name?”
Vanessa tensed, but Opal answered correctly.
“Katrin. Thank you, Mr. Hunter.”
“Anytime.” He patted her head and stood, putting his hand out toward Vanessa. “Nice to meet you.”
She shook his hand. “Yes, especially given the circumstances. I’m glad you were there. Thank you for what you did. I can’t imagine…”
“Well, let’s not think of what could have happened.”
“Right. I’ve been trying not to. I’m Joanna, by the way.”
His explanation of working nearby explained why he was close to their house earlier, but not why he was here now. He was alone. No girlfriend or wife, no child tugging at his sleeve. What sort of grown man went to a fair alone? There was something not right about this. She didn’t trust this Hunter.
“Mommy! Look at those bears! I want to win one!”
Opal was hopping from foot to foot, pointing to the ceiling of a game that displayed several large teddy bears.
“They’re very nice,” Vanessa said. “And probably impossible to win.”
“It’s a shooting game,” Hunter said. “I happen to be excellent at those. I can give it a shot.” He bent down to Opal. “How about I try to win you one of those bears?”
Opal looked to Vanessa, unsure. Maybe her own paranoia was rubbing off on her daughter, but the look on Opal’s face made it clear that she wasn’t sure she should let Hunter win her something. It would seem stranger to say no and walk away probably, than to just let him try. After he played, they could just thank him and move on.
She nodded at Opal, who then ran to the game’s counter, waiting. Hunter walked up and handed the man a few dollars, then picked up the toy gun. The game started and Hunter shot out several ducklings in quick succession. Within seconds, he’d knocked them all down. The man behind the counter looked unpleasantly surprised.
“Well, which bear will it be, little lady?” the man asked.
Opal pointed to the pink one. The man pulled it down and handed it over.
“Be sure to thank your daddy now for winning you that bear,” the man said.
Opal clutched the bear tight. It was half her size. But she looked at Vanessa with that same unsure look. She didn’t know how to respond when the man at the game assumed they were a family.
“Thank Hunter,” she said, leading her away from the game.
“Thank you!”
“Well, after saving her life and winning her a bear, I think you’ve done your share for the day,” Vanessa said with a smile. “Thank you. Have a good evening.”
She turned away from him, making it clear that it was time for them to part. She wanted to be away from him, even if he looked really hot playing the game. A man with a gun shouldn’t excite her like that, but Hunter with a gun turned her on. She definitely had to get away from him as fast as possible.
Chapter Four
Hunter
Hunter watched Opal and Vanessa walk away, and a layer of unease settled on him. He left the fair quickly. He’d already scooped out the nearest hotel and had a room booked. Of course, he’d done that thinking it might take a few days of surveillance before he found them and knew for sure it was them, but now his reason had changed. He drove to the hotel and checked in, then dialed Jeremy Beale.
“Good news,” Hunter said. “I’ve found them.”
“You have? Where are they?” The excitement in Jeremy’s voice was obvious.
“Can’t tell you that yet. In my experience, once a man knows where his missing child is, not much will keep him where he is. But if you come here, you’ll only be in the way and might scare them off.”
“Okay. So, how long will it be until you can bring my daughter home to me?”
“Well, that’s another thing,” Hunter said. “Having the child around complicates matters some. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your daughter there when everything goes down.”
“No, no.”
“So, it’s going to take a little more time. I need to make sure I can get Vanessa alone, but also that I know where Opal is so I can bring her to you.”
“I see. I want my daughter safe, so take as much time as you need. I want this done right.”
“Of course,” Hunter said. “That’s the only way I do it.”
Hunter hung up and stared at the wall for a long while. Then he picked up the photos and flipped through them again. He paused on a shot of Vanessa, Jeremy, and Opal. Why had he never noticed before how Vanessa held herself in this photo? She stood slightly between Jeremy and Opal, her body angled away from him as if she didn’t want to be near him. And as if she was trying to keep Opal from him.
Something about this situation was not adding up. The description of Vanessa Powers that he’d been given by Jeremy did not fit the woman he met today. He’d seen enough abuse to know what to look for. Opal didn’t shy away from her mother. She didn’t hesitate to take her hand, she didn’t look afraid or nervous to be around her. The child had no visible bruises, which didn’t mean anything alone, but since the weather was no nice, she’d had on short sleeves and there were no marks on her arms.
Hunter thought back to his own childhood. It wasn’t a place he liked to visit often in his mind or in conversation. But for this, he needed to. He pictured the family photos, not that there were many of them. He thought of how he always wanted to get away from his parents. How he never wanted them to touch him in any way. In photos, he stood a little apart from them. When they went somewhere, he walked a few steps away from them. Any touch at all, even the most innocent pat on the shoulder, would cause him to flinch and retreat. Because when you were a kid being abused by a parent, no touch seemed okay and being far away from them was always the best option.
But when he was with Opal and Vanessa, or Katrin and Joanna as they claimed, the child was in no way hesitant or shying away from her mother. He’d looked for any little flinch or pulling back and had seen none. By all accounts, they seemed like a very loving mother and child combination. So, it came to two options. Either Vanessa was a fabulous actress and somehow won her daughter again and again between abuse cycles. It wasn’t unheard of, but was unlikely. Or, and in his opinion what made much more sense, was that she was not the one abusing Opal.
But he needed to know for sure. He couldn’t kill Vanessa if she wasn’t the monster Jeremy made her out to be. And if she wasn’t the one hurting Opal, then Jeremy was the most likely candidate. And in that case, maybe he’d kill Jeremy instead. But before he made any move, he had to know more.
He could watch them. He could spend days and weeks watching them and trying to see how things really were. Maybe even hide some cameras in their apartment. But cameras only showed what happened inside their house, at the present time. It wouldn’t show him the past. It wouldn’t show him what had happened while Vanessa and Jeremy were married.
On the other hand, if he used a more involved method, he could not only get insight to their present, but also their past and future. That would mean doing something like dating Vanessa. Getting her full trust and the full trust of the child. Then, he could get them to open up and find out the truth. In the meantime, he’d have plenty of chances to observe them on a more intimate basis. From what he knew, abusers couldn’t hide forever. Eventually, Vanessa would get mad and lash out at Opal. Even if she controlled herself in front of new people, that façade only held so long. He’d see through it.
That was the best plan. To date her, be her romantic interest, get to know her on a deeper level. It would be just for the job. Had nothing at all to do with his attraction to her. Though maybe it would help make it seem more authentic. And if he got some action out of it, then so be it. It was all in the
name of the job in the end. So long as he kept that in mind, he could work well and get what he needed.
# # #
“Come on, Opal, get into bed.” Vanessa stood by her daughter’s bed, waiting for her to come in from the bathroom.
She came bouncing in a few minutes later. “What a fun day!”
“It sure was.” Though she could live without the part where Opal almost died and without the strange man showing up. Hunter, she reminded herself. He had a name.
Opal slid under the covers and snuggled her bear close to her.
“You’re sleeping with your new bear?” Vanessa asked.
“Of course! I love her!”
“Did you name her yet?”
“No. Maybe Pinky?”
“That sounds like a good name to me.” She sat on the edge of the bed to lean down and kiss her goodnight.
“Or maybe Pinker, like Hunter. Since he won her for me.”
“I like that idea.”
“Was it weird?” Opal asked. “Since we didn’t know him and he saved me, then won me this bear?”
“A little. Don’t you think?”
Opal nodded. “A little. But he seems okay to me. Does he seem okay to you?”
“I think so.” Vanessa hugged her and kissed her forehead. “You let me know if you see him again, okay? Like at school or anywhere else.”
“Okay.”
Vanessa turned out the light and stood in her doorway. “Night night, Livy. I love you.”
“Love you,” she mumbled.
Vanessa sat in the living room with a cup of tea and reflected on the day. So much had happened and so many different emotions ran through her. Here was this man who had saved her daughter’s life while taking the risk of being hurt himself. Then he shows up at the fair—a huge public event—and she’s suspicious of him. He wins Opal a huge bear that she loves and still, she’s going to distrust him? He was probably just a nice guy. And she was thinking the worst of him.
Tears filled her eyes and spilled over to run down her cheeks. She hated to feel this way. To look at everyone with a skeptical eye, assuming they were out to harm her or Opal. She longed for the normalcy they used to have. Even though the rest of it was awful, she missed not looking at everyone like they were a threat, not having to watch over her shoulder, not making her daughter lie and use a fake name. This was necessary for now, but would they ever have a normal life again? Or would they forever be on the run, hiding out from her ex?
She wished meeting Hunter was like meeting anyone else. Like he was just some nice man, helping them out. Like she didn’t have to watch him and question him and think he was out to hurt them. She’d been distrusting everyone she came across these days. It didn’t feel right.
There was one thing more important than normalcy, though. She needed Opal to be safe. As many times as she told Opal to wait for her or that she’d protect her, she was losing confidence in her ability. Hadn’t Hunter come from out of nowhere and snatched Opal away? Sure, it was to save her life, but if someone came along and tried to take Opal, how would she stop them? Hunter had moved so fast, she hadn’t had time to react. That, more than anything, had her shaken and worried. It was one thing to know Opal was almost hit by a car, but another to realize that she would have no chance if someone came to take her.
But if she had someone like Hunter around, maybe Opal would be safer. Another person there to protect her. And he was someone who looked like he could do a lot of protecting if it came down to it. His body was so toned and strong. She finished the last sip of her tea and thought about Hunter’s wavy caramel blonde hair, his sparkling blue eyes, and those lips… She imagined what they would feel like pressed against hers.
It was strange to think of any man like that. She’d been married for the last eight years, and had been just starting college when she met Jeremy. She didn’t have a ton of experience with men, and the experience she’d had while being married had not been good. She’d been so focused on Opal and keeping her safe for so many years, that she never stopped to think of things like a romantic relationship.
She climbed into bed, thinking again about what life might be like if things were closer to normal. Could she date someone like Hunter? What would it be like to date anyone at all? And what if it turned out just as bad as her marriage had?
As Vanessa drifted off to sleep, she fell into a dream. She stood in the dining room of her old house—the one she’d shared with Jeremy. Only this time, the room was painted a bright yellow instead of the tan it was in the real house. She happily set the table and called for Opal.
“Go get Daddy,” Vanessa told her when she bounced into the room.
Opal danced away and came back tugging a man by the hand.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he said, laughing.
When they entered the room, Vanessa put her arms around her husband and kissed him deeply. She pulled back to look at him, and she was staring into the eyes of Hunter Perrin. The dream shifted and they were standing on a beach, alone, still wrapped in a tight hug.
“I’ve waited so long to make you mine,” he breathed into her ear.
Even in her dream, chills ran through her at his touch.
“Now that we’re alone, nothing is going to stop me.”
Before she knew what was happening, Hunter had her lying down in the sand. The soft grains caressed her skin, more like a bed of satin than sand. He kissed along her neck and chest. His hand slid down her body and lifted her skirt. Then he was inside her, making love to her on the beach. She cried out in pleasure and sat up in bed.
Heart racing, she clutched her sheets and looked around to orient herself. The beach was gone. Her home was gone. Hunter was gone. She was alone in her bed in her apartment, as she should be. But her body still thrummed with the sensation of his touch. It had felt far too real, and as she lay back down to get back to sleep, a small pang of desire settled in her chest. She wanted the feel of strong arms around her as she slept, to protect her and keep her safe. She wanted Hunter.
Chapter Five
Vanessa
Vanessa cleaned up the breakfast plates as Opal sat at the table, coloring. Every Saturday, they made pancakes, and today was no exception. She rinsed the sticky syrup from the dishes and dropped them in the dishwasher.
“Can I go play outside?” Opal asked, setting her crayons down.
Vanessa glanced out the window to the playground in the center of the apartment complex. There were several kids down there and a few parents. It was a beautiful day, and kids should be outdoors playing in weather like this. She hated to keep Opal inside so much, but it was just safer. She almost said no, but maybe going out for a little while wouldn’t hurt. She’d keep her eye on her and take her gun.
“Let me finish up these dishes, then we’ll go out, okay?”
Opal nodded and returned to coloring while she waited.
A few minutes later, Vanessa and Opal went to the playground. Vanessa took a seat on a nearby bench, holding Opal’s ball while she ran to the slide. In her past life, she would have brought a book and sat and read while Opal played. Not anymore. She couldn’t take her eyes off her for even a second, for fear she might be taken.
Opal slid a few times, then came to get her ball and started bouncing it off things. The wooden beams, the climbing bars, the pole of the swing set. Anything but the ground. She bounced the ball and caught it, then repeated.
“She’s pretty good at that.”
Vanessa managed to keep herself from crying out in shock as she jumped at the sudden sound. A man sat down beside her on the bench, watching Opal bounce the ball. Of course, it was Hunter. Where had he come from? What was he doing here?
“She is,” Vanessa agreed, refusing to look at him. She kept her eyes trained on Opal.
“Has she ever talked about playing basketball?”
“Nope.” Vanessa wondered if he would take the hint and leave. If she kept ignoring him and giving him short answers, how long would it take
him to go?
She didn’t like how he just kept showing up. And he showed up at places with kids, when he came alone. That seemed far too creepy. He could be a child molester. One of these men who hung out at playgrounds and watched kids. Until he decided to take one.
“You just here to watch the kids play?” she asked. Maybe if she hinted at what he appeared to be, he’d get it. Or maybe he’d give her some information that could be helpful someone to her. Something about why he was hanging around.
He scratched his head. “Uhh, no. Not exactly.”
“Then why are you here?”
“It’s a nice park, nice day. Why not?”
Vanessa spared a moment to glance at him. Mistake. He was even more gorgeous than she had recalled in her dreams. “It seems a little strange, is all. You show up at the fair, now the playground. Places where kids are, but you never have a kid with you.”