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When she pulled up to Mari’s, she backed in. Maybe if her license plate was hidden, it would be less obvious that this black Honda Accord was hers and not one of the hundreds on the road. She tore open the car doors and got Opal out, then rushed her to the front door.
Mari was waiting for them, the door already open. “Are you okay?”
“So far.” Vanessa glanced to the road. No black van in sight. She handed the book bag to Mari and knelt down to hug Opal tight. “You do whatever Miss Snyder says and be real good, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
“I’ll see you real soon.” She kissed her forehead and held her tight, trying not to lose it. She stood and gave Mari a tight hug. “Thank you.”
“Go. Be safe.”
Vanessa dashed back to her car and was on the road in seconds. As she drove, a thought haunted her. She had just told Hunter everything about them. Right before Jeremy showed up. Maybe her previous suspicions of him were correct. Her blood turned cold as she thought that maybe he was the one who had told Jeremy where they were.
# # #
Hunter yawned and reached for his phone. Jeremy was calling. Again. How many updates could he give this guy?
“Yeah?” he said, stretching out on the couch. He’d fallen asleep watching TV.
“Well, I guess I can understand why you’d be sleeping. I’d be worn out, too, after a night with Vanessa.”
Hunter sat up. So his suspicions were correct. Jeremy was having him followed. “It was nothing special.” He had planned to play this off as nothing more than part of the job. No ulterior motives whatsoever.
“Is that how you treat all your dates?”
“No, it’s how I treat all my jobs. Sometimes I have to use a romantic relationship to get closer to my mark. You don’t want to chance me hurting the child, do you?”
“Enough of the bullshit! You spent hours with her alone, and Opal was out of the house. You had more than enough time. I’m through with your lies and manipulation. You’re not the only hit man I have on speed dial, you know.”
“And you think your other man would be able to get the information I’m about to get from Vanessa? Believe what you want, but when she takes off, I’ll be the one she confides in.”
“Why would she take off?”
“If she suspects you’ve found her. Do you honestly think she doesn’t have a plan? What do you think I’ve been doing all this time, getting close to her? I don’t expect you to understand how a hit man works, but I do expect you to let me do my job. Now do you want to scare her off and lose them again, or do you want to let me do it my way?” He let his voice be full of anger. That would make it seem more realistic.
There was a long pause. “Actually, my men have already lost them.”
“What? What did you do?”
“I called her. She needed to know it was all over. But they took off. I had someone on them, but she managed to shake him somehow. Now I don’t know where either of them is.”
“You stupid moron. God, if you’d just have let me do my job, I could have avoided all of this. I guess it’s a damn good thing I went out with her, wasn’t it? No one is in a better position to find out where she is and where Opal is than I am. You can apologize at any time.”
“I, umm…”
“You idiot. You will increase your rate by $10k, or I’ll help them instead of you. What’ll it be?”
“Fine. Another 10. But you have until morning. I want them both in my possession. Got it?”
“Then keep your shitheads out of my way so I can do my job.” He hung up and punched the bed.
This wasn’t how it was meant to go at all. Jeremy had called Vanessa and scared her. Who knew where they were now. How could he protect her and Opal if he didn’t know where they were?
He pulled on his boots in a hurry. Why hadn’t Vanessa called or texted him? Didn’t she trust him enough to call him to help her? Maybe he hadn’t gotten as close to her as he thought.
He called her. No answer. He sent a text: “Are you okay?”
He didn’t want to include any specific information, but he wished he could tell her that Jeremy was coming. That he knew where they were in case she didn’t already know, and Jeremy had been lying. He couldn’t put anything past that man at this point. Clearly, he would resort to any means necessary to get what he wanted. And Hunter was going to make sure that didn’t happen. If his life depended on it, he would keep Jeremy from Vanessa and Opal.
