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Vanessa nodded and turned out of the driveway. “How in the world did I ever convince you to be my friend?” She chuckled.
“Because we were both messed up once. We’ve been through a lot.”
“And we’ve been through a lot together, too. When we first set up our system to keep Opal safe, I never thought we’d have to use it,” Vanessa admitted.
“I thought we might, but not nearly so fast. I’m just glad I could help. I wanted to be the person who finally helped you break free, like the woman who helped my mom after years of abuse.”
“And now she has your step-dad and she’s happy.”
“She is. Really happy,” Mari said.
“I’m so glad you’re my friend. Thank you for all your help.” She gave her a warm smile.
“I know it’s going to turn out okay. You’ve got a strong man who only wants to protect you. You should hear the way Opal talks about him. Like he’s her biggest hero.”
“Really?”
Mari nodded. “You’ve been through too much for this not to work out well for you. Everything is falling into place.”
“Thank you for being so optimistic. But Mari, if something happens…”
“I’ll take care of Opal.”
“Even if Hunter and I are both dead or in jail? Would you take care of her forever if I were gone?”
“Of course.” Mari reached over and squeezed her hand. “Like she was my own.”
# # #
“We have to make sure we document everything,” Nicholas said.
Hunter rolled his eyes. “We are.”
Nicholas took out the recorder from his pocket. “I need you to record your confession that Jeremy hired you to kill his wife.”
Hunter stared at the recording device. Everything about complying with this felt wrong. Was he just setting himself up to be arrested and charged with attempted murder or conspiracy to murder?
“We already have the recording of my interview with Opal,” Nicholas said. “We have Vanessa’s photos. If we get you admitting that you were hired to kill Vanessa, and then we get Jeremy to back it up with his own confession, then it’s easy. Open and shut, and Jeremy goes away forever and Opal and Vanessa live happily ever after ever.”
Hunter’s fist clenched at the reminder of the photographs. It was all he could do to keep them out of his mind and not punch a wall. In his dreams the night before, he kept seeing Vanessa covered in bruises, bleeding and swollen, unable to walk properly, and in the dream, he was running, trying to find who had done it. But every time he failed, she had a new bruise. He’d woken up panicking with a renewed sense of determination to find Jeremy and kill him.
“Fine.” Hunter wanted that happily ever after for Vanessa and Opal. And though he wanted desperately to be a part of it, he would do whatever it took to make it happen for them, even if he couldn’t be there for it.
He answered all of Nicholas’s questions while the recorder ran. Most were the same they’d discussed right after Nicholas was shot. What Jeremy had said, what he’d been paid and when, that sort of thing.
When they were done, Nicholas shut off the recorder, then checked to make sure it had captured everything.
“Be careful tomorrow,” Nicholas said. “You might have a conscience, but men like Jeremy don’t.”
“Oh believe me, I know,” Hunter said. He thought of how angry Jeremy was that Vanessa was still alive, and how he never bothered to ask about Opal. Like he didn’t care at all. He just wanted to hurt Vanessa. More than he already had.
“Okay.” Nicholas stood up and walked to the door. “I’ll go bug the hotel room, and we’ll be all set.”
“Thanks for your help,” Hunter said and held up a hand as Nicholas walked out.
He sat back down long enough to text Vanessa and tell her they were all set. Then he headed out to complete one final task.
