by Nicole Fox
Until now, Hunter never had much to lose. Sure his freedom was important to him, and so was his life. There was always the chance he could be shot back or arrested and do time. He wouldn’t have gone into this business if he wasn’t somewhat accepting of the consequences. Or at least fully understanding of the reality that it could easily happen. It wasn’t prison or even death that had him tossing and turning. It was the one thing that would hurt to lose more than either of those. Vanessa.
He was wrecked. He’d gone and done the thing he swore to himself he’d never do. He’d fallen in love. How could he be so stupid to get himself into this mess? Now, here he was, all tangled up in his head over this woman and her daughter. Wondering what Opal was thinking and doing, if she was okay. Wondering if Vanessa would wait for him at all if he went away. Would she wait if it was only a year? What about five or ten? If it were more than a year or two, he’d insist that she move on. He’d be the one to end it. As much as that would kill him, he couldn’t watch her wasting her life, hoping he’d come home to her.
If he went away, it wouldn’t be for a year. Even some sort of conspiracy or intent to kill would give him a sentence of at least five to ten. Longer if there were multiple charges. And if he did manage to actually kill Jeremy? If they knew it was a hit, premeditated and everything? He’d be gone for life. Maybe parole someday. Maybe. But that would be something like 25-35 years from now. Vanessa’s whole life, Opal’s whole childhood and early adulthood. On the slight chance she’d try to wait for him, he wouldn’t let her. It was that simple.
But compared to sitting in a cell for thirty years, alone, knowing Vanessa was in the world, married and happy, death would be better. He could go out as a hero, her savior. He wouldn’t hear rumors of her moving on. He wouldn’t feel the ache of missing her all the time. He wouldn’t wish every day that she’d write or visit. He’d be gone, and he’d be out of his misery. And she could move on, not feeling guilty that she’d given up on him. She might pull something like that. If he killed Jeremy for her, she would feel obligated to stay with him, to bring him money in prison and send him things, to visit and accept calls and write. She would do it all, and then he would be the one feeling guilty. What a horrible outcome.
So, that was it. If he was going to go away, it was better that he be shot back and killed than to rot his life away behind bars. Only problem was, how did he make sure he’d be shot? No way to do it unless he pulled the trigger on himself. And as long as there was a chance he’d be a free man with Vanessa at this side, he wouldn’t be able to.
She was now the most important thing in his life, and Opal was a close second. He would do anything for them, and he was about to. But the fear ran through him like ice water. He didn’t want to lose her. He wanted to feel her warm body in his arms like he could right in this moment. He wanted her close forever. He wanted her and all of her for a long, long time. Hell, maybe they’d even get married.
That almost made him laugh. He’d never pictured himself as a husband. One of those whipped guys in a plaid shirt, shopping for tampons for their wives or spending whole Saturdays mowing the lawn and doing yard work. It had always seemed awful. And some of it still did. But he didn’t think it’d be like that with Vanessa. She wouldn’t try to control him or take over his life. She just wanted him to be safe and happy. And that was what he wanted for her, too.
He pressed his nose against her temple and breathed in her scent. How could he ever let her go? It was a wonder she was here with him. He couldn’t blow this. He had to make sure he’d be able to get back to her after this. And that meant he might have to make an even bigger sacrifice than he’d imagined. He might have to hold back and not kill Jeremy if the chance arrived. Not sticking a bullet in that asshole now that he knew what he’d done to the love of his life would be much harder than shooting him. Killing him was almost easy since it was such a strong desire in him. Really not much of a sacrifice at all now that he thought about it. The biggest sacrifice he could make for her was letting that bastard live.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hunter
When Hunter woke, a dread settled over him as the morning light hit the window, making the curtain seem to glow. He could lose everything today. Or, if luck was on his side, gain it.
He slid out of bed, trying not to disturb Vanessa. She rolled over and groaned when she found him gone.
“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice scratchy.
“I have to get going. We slept late. I need to be at my hotel before Jeremy gets there.”
She sat up and rubbed her hands over her face, then looked at the clock. “Oh. It is late.”
She jumped out of bed as he pulled on his pants.
“Can I make you something to eat?” she asked.
“I don’t really have time. I’m just going to take a quick shower.” He gave her a peck on the cheek before disappearing. It was a quick shower, though part of him said he better enjoy it, because it might be the last hot shower he got for a long time.
When he stepped out, he smelled coffee and eggs cooking. He shook his head. She really was something, wasn’t she? She was the type of woman who would take care of him every day. He wanted that so badly. And now was the time to go fight for it.
After he finished dressing, he went to the kitchen to find her. She stood at the counter in her cotton shorts and t-shirt, still rumpled from sleeping. He loved the way her blonde hair was still a little tangled from the night before, when he’d bent her over right there. His dick went hard and he wrapped his arms around her from behind, wishing he had time to bend her over again before he left.
“I made you something,” she said. She turned and presented him with a foil-wrapped sandwich. “You can take it with you and eat in the car.”
“Thank you.” He set the sandwich down and gave her a long kiss.
She followed him to the door and kissed him one last time.
“Oh, and this.” She handed him a cardboard cup with a plastic lid. “Good luck? I guess. I don’t know what else to say. Be safe. Be careful. I love you.”
“I love you.” With one more kiss, he closed the door behind him and walked to his car.
He peeled back the foil and took a bite of his sandwich. Hot egg and cheese melted over his tongue. How could anyone mistreat this woman like Jeremy had? What a monster he must be inside to do the things he’d done.
The sandwich and coffee were gone by the time he reached his hotel room. Inside, he tucked his guns away. One in his ankle holster, one at the small of his back. Nicholas already had set up a hidden camera and microphone to capture the meeting. And that meant that he either had to make it look like self-defense or there’d be footage of him murdering Jeremy.
He stood in the middle of the room, facing the door. All he had to do now was wait. Jeremy was usually punctual, and he still had a good twenty minutes before their meeting time.
His mind wandered back to every moment with Vanessa. Their first meeting, their first kiss, their first time sleeping together. His heart ached for her and Opal. He needed them to be safe and come out of this alive and well. Then he thought of the conversation he’d had with Vanessa not long ago. Maybe there was one more thing he could do.
He dropped down to his knees and folding his hands. He hadn’t prayed since he was a little boy and it felt strange to be in this position. He didn’t know if anyone was listening or not, but he spoke out quietly into the room, aware of the recording that would capture even this.
“God, if you’re there, I know I haven’t been good, but this isn’t about me. Keep Vanessa and Opal safe today. Help me do whatever I need to do to make things better for them. Even if it means going away and not being with them, I’ll do what I have to do.” He stood up, then dropped back down to his knees. “Amen.” He stood again and paced a few steps.
In that moment, it felt like all the years of abuse he’d suffered were somehow worth it. As horrible as it had been, what his parents did to him, even how his h
igh school girlfriend lied and tricked him into killing her dad. If none of that had happened, he wouldn’t be in the position to meet Vanessa. He laughed to himself. What in the world would they tell people about their early dating life and how they met? Well, I was hired to kill her, but she was just too gorgeous and amazing, so I turned around and killed her ex instead. No one would ever know their real story, aside from those who already did.
Knowing that he now had the love of a good woman and the heart of a child gave him the strength he needed to do this. To sacrifice himself for their sake. He felt, for the first time in his life, that he had purpose and direction. He had a reason to exist, a reason to wake up and keep going every day. He had to make their lives safe and happy. No matter what his life looked like to make it happen. And that alone filled his chest with warmth. It gave him the reassurance that everything would be okay somehow, because she loved him. She’d saved him from a life of loneliness and without love, and now it was his turn to save her.
# # #
Vanessa paced in front of the door. She had to stay here with Nicholas. Hunter had to be alone to do this. She knew that. Jeremy wouldn’t think he was still on his side otherwise. But she didn’t like not knowing. When would Jeremy get there? What would happen? Would everyone survive? The questions plagued her. Her stomach turned and she looked over at Nicholas.
He sat with his hands between his knees, tapping them together in a rhythm as he also shook his leg. He might even be more nervous than she was. Though why, she wasn’t too sure. It wasn’t his child who was in danger. It wasn’t the love of his life about to walk into a situation that could end his life or land him in jail. What did Nicholas have to be nervous about? His job? Or did he know something she didn’t know?
Someone knocked on the door, and Vanessa jumped. She almost screamed, but caught herself at the last moment. She looked over at Nicholas who was staring back at her with wide eyes, face paler than it had been.
“Who’s that?” he whispered.
“I have no idea,” she hissed back.
“Pizza Warehouse!” came a voice from the other side of the door.
Her and Nicholas exchanged looks again.
“I didn’t order pizza,” she whispered.
“Me either.”
“No one ordered pizza,” she said loudly.
This could easily be a trick, and she wasn’t about to open the door to find out.
“What?” the pizza guy said.
She walked closer, but stood to the side of the door. “I’m sorry. No one ordered a pizza. There’s some mistake.”
“Are you kidding me?”
She wondered how old this guy was. He sounded like he couldn’t be past his teens. “Sorry.”
She listened as he grumbled to himself and finally walked away. She ran over to the window and carefully peeked out. After a minute, she saw a guy with a pizza get back into his car, talking on the phone as he did. There was no other suspicious looking vehicle parked down there.
“What do you think that means?” she asked Nicholas.
“I don’t know, and I’m afraid to find out.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hunter
The knock came. Three fast raps. Hunter took one final breath. This was it.
He opened the door and made a show of looking around Jeremy and the parking lot before letting him inside.
“Were you followed?” he asked.
Jeremy glared back. “Are you kidding me? I’m the one who has people followed, not who gets followed.”
“Right, and were you followed? Did you have your people follow you here?” Idiot. What did he think he was asking, if the cops had followed him?
“My people are everywhere.”
Sure they were. Asshole. He could barely stand to be feet from him and not punch him in the face. Every time he talked, Hunter pictured his hands tight around his throat.
“You wanted me here to explain, so explain. This is taking too long,” Jeremy said.
“I know, but I’ve never done a hit where there’s a child involved.”
“I never asked you to kill the child. Just don’t shoot her when you shoot her mother. It’s not that difficult, but clearly you can’t handle it.”
“I’m not going to shoot Vanessa with Opal in the room.” Picturing that made his chest tight with agony. “I think that would do a lot of psychological harm to her.”
“Psychological harm? What do I care about that? You know what? Forget it. The deal is off. I know where Opal is, and I already have someone on their way to get her. I’ll have Vanessa taken care of in the meantime, and it’ll all be done by the end of the day. You took too long, and you pissed me off. I’ll be expecting back the money I gave you as a down payment.” Jeremy crossed his arms and glared at him.
Hunter swallowed and tried to keep his feet from dashing out the door. “I said I’ll do it. It just needs to be done right.”
“Too late. She’ll probably already be dead by the time you make it back to the apartment,” Jeremy said smugly. “Oh, but that’s right. You won’t be making it back to the apartment.”
Hunter watched in disbelief as Jeremy opened his coat and pulled a gun from his inside pocket. Hunter’s hand twitched. This was the perfect set up. It would be self-defense, no question. He never expected Jeremy to do something like this.
He reached his hand to his back, but Jeremy pulled the slide on his gun. His years of training kicked in, and he saw Opal’s face flash through his mind before he acted. There wasn’t enough time to pull out his gun.
Hunter lunged for Jeremy and collided with him hard, sending him to the ground in a crash. Jeremy still had hold of his gun, and turned it so that it pointed at Hunter’s shoulder. Hunter spun out of his aim.
He threw his body over Jeremy and slammed his fist down on the arm holding the gun. Jeremy moaned in pain, but didn’t let go. Hunter considered reaching again for his own gun, but it would take too long, and the risk was too high.
Jeremy tried to throw Hunter off him by twisting under him, but Hunter was too heavy for him. As Jeremy turned, Hunter grabbed the hand holding the gun. They struggled for several minutes—Hunter trying to get the gun, Jeremy desperately holding on.
Hunter got his hand on the gun, and Jeremy lost his grip. He quickly got to his feet. Jeremy rolled out of the aim of Hunter’s gun, and scrambled to his feet.
He ran at Hunter, jamming his head into Hunter’s chest and causing him to drop the gun. It hit the ground, and the men dove for it. Jeremy reached it first and closed his fingers over it.
He pointed the gun again at Hunter. Before he could pull the trigger, Hunter slammed his hand down. The gun fired.
For a moment, Hunter wasn’t sure what happened. Who had been shot. Was someone dead? This was such a messy way to do this, and all of his hits had been clean and simple. None of this fighting with the mark stuff.
He didn’t feel any pain, and Jeremy wasn’t moving. Hunter carefully stood up. A hole was at the front of Jeremy’s chest and blood trickled out.
Hunter ran out the door without another glance back, only one thing on his mind—get to Vanessa. Now.
# # #
She almost texted him or called him a few times, but she knew that would only make things worse. He was playing a role, pretending, and he couldn’t seem like he cared about her at all. But the wait was killing her. She needed to hear Hunter’s voice, know he was okay. She had a bad feeling about all of this and was terrified something would go wrong and someone would get hurt.
She looked at her phone again. He was going to call as soon as he could. As soon as he was alone. Still nothing.
As she put her phone back in her pocket, she turned to face the door, still pacing. The door flew open with a loud bang. She screamed as three men in black ski masks burst into the room.
Her mind spun. What should she do? Could she fight back? Would they hurt her or take her or both? They had to be hired by Jeremy, but was he one of them?
As she got into a fighting stance, she recalled her gun. She’d stashed it in the top drawer of the little table near the door. The one right by her side.
Vanessa tore open the drawer and grabbed her gun. She pulled back the slide and pointed, then squeezed the trigger.
Actually firing the gun was terrifying and exhilarating. As many times as she’d gone to the range to practice, this was very different. There was a person, a real live living person at the other end of her aim this time. But, this was a person who was coming to hurt her or abduct her. She had no choice.