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Chapter Nine
Vanessa
Vanessa knocked on Mari’s door, her apologetic expression already on her face. But Mari opened up with a huge smile and ushered her inside.
“How was your date?”
Vanessa couldn’t help grinning when she thought of Hunter. “Fantastic. I’m so sorry I’m late.”
Mari waved her off. “She fell asleep two hours ago. She was so much fun, I’ll look after her anytime. Like maybe the next time you have a date?”
The smile returned. “There will certainly be a next time with Hunter.”
“Good. I’m so glad you found someone.”
“I’ve never felt so safe in my life.”
“Then I’m even more glad. You need to have that peace, and so does Opal. She seemed very happy to have me call her by her real name, even if she knows I still have to call her Katrin at school.”
“It’s so good to be able to tell people the truth,” Vanessa said. “I told Hunter, too, and he wants to protect us. It’s strange to feel that, though. To have a man want to keep us safe instead of hurt us.”
Mari pulled her mouth into a half smile. “Just be glad you’re able to trust like that. My lack of trust has ruined quite a lot of relationships. Probably why I’m still single.”
“It’s a miracle, really. I have no reason to trust him. And Jeremy was really the only serious relationship I had. Maybe not having a lot of bad experiences has helped me, I don’t know.”
“Maybe.”
Vanessa scooped Opal up from the sofa and cradled her against her chest. “Thank you so much. It really means the world to me.”
“Any time.”
Vanessa drove home and got Opal tucked into bed, all the while feeling the absence of Hunter. He’d been there, so close to where she was now, and she wished he still was. She undressed slowly, wondering what it would be like to undress for him. The idea of it gave her delicious chills.
She had just slipped between her cool sheets when her phone rang. A grin broke out across her face and she snatched up her phone from her bedside table, eager to hear Hunter’s voice.
“Hello?”
“Well, if it isn’t the little misses.”
Vanessa’s heart stopped, and she sat up in bed. The room spun around her and a cold sweat broke out across her skin. “Jeremy.”
“That didn’t take long, now did it? I found you in under two months.”
Vanessa’s mouth was dry and she couldn’t think. What did this mean? Where was he? What did he know?
“You missed our little date, dear. You know how I hate to be stood up.”
“What date?” Her voice sounded like a haunted version of what it was. Her tongue was thick and stubborn.
“Our court date. The one where the judge would have given me full custody of my daughter. Convenient that you missed such an important occasion.”
“You’ll never have her.”
He laughed a cruel, hardy laugh. It was the laugh he made anytime she said something he didn’t agree with.
“I know where you are. And I will send the police if you don’t hand her over.”
She pressed “End” and jumped out of bed. She was shaking so badly, she almost couldn’t get the snap done on her jeans. In her closet was a bag. She’d packed it the day they moved in and hoped to never need it. It held everything they needed to run. Clothing, money, new identification.
