Chapter 12

Natalie

Wednesday 1.26am

Given the sleeping pill I took, I should be fast asleep. But I’ve never been able to sleep when I’m stressed, so I’m wide awake and staring at the ceiling.

Through the paper-thin wall, I can hear Jed snoring in the living room. It should give me a measure of comfort knowing he’s close. Instead, it just adds to the feeling of hopelessness.

I exhale slowly trying to sort through my feelings, pulling them out one by one until I can make sense of what’s happening. Mom is back. But Hunter is gone. Is that the way the universe works? For every absence, that space is filled in a person’s life again?

I roll over and stare at the cream walls, wishing I was staring at the mountains still.

Dad doesn’t know about the fire yet. I don’t have the heart to tell him. Not when Mom has walked back into our lives again. I don’t know what she thinks is going to happen. She’s been gone for ten years, how can she possibly expect us to just accept that?

Jemma is deliriously happy. She thinks it’s a good thing. But she’s always had a selective memory, always seen what she wanted to see.

I give up trying to sleep and throw the covers off me. Normally I’d switch on the lights and make some tea, but with Jed sleeping, that’s not an option.

It’s astounding how he can sleep. But he always could. Through terror alerts, after arguments, after a buddy of his got shot, he’d never have any trouble falling asleep.

I release a sigh as I walk as softly as I can towards my desk.

He doesn’t want me to use the internet, and I’m not dumb enough to, but I can start to write the story I promised Geoff. Even if it never gets printed, I need to do something to stop from going crazy.

I keep my eyes on Jed as I unplug my laptop and tuck it under my arm. I’m walking back to my bedroom when his phone vibrates on the coffee table.

I frown at him, wondering if I should answer since he’s oblivious. I sigh and pad to the coffee table and pick it up, ready to wake him up.

My eyes go wide as I see my name on the screen. My heart starts hammering in my chest, palms sweating. I flick a look at Jed and back away until I’m in my room. I close the door and sit on my bed in the dark and exhale slowly as I press the talk button.

I press it to my ear and nearly cry when I hear Hunter’s agitated voice on the other end. “Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been trying to get hold of you.”

I choke on a sob and squeeze my eyes shut. “Hunter. It’s me.”

There’s silence, the sound of a car horn tooting, then a rush of air. “Where’s Jed?”

A strangled laugh escapes. “That’s what you want to say to me? How about sorry for lying and leaving you.”

“Natalie…where’s Jed?”

I flick a look at my bedroom door and huff out a breath. “He’s asleep.”

Hunter growls down the line. “He’s asleep? Useless sack of shit. Natalie, go wake him up and put him on the line.”

I press the phone tighter against my ear as I ease to the door. “Did you—”

He cuts me off. “Yeah, I did. And if it means keeping you safe; I’d do it again.”

I hear him breathing down the phone. “Just listen to Jed, do what he says. You need to stick close to him, okay?”

I nod as tears spill down my cheeks. I don’t trust my voice, but I have to know. “Are you going to be okay?”

He barks a laugh. “You’re worried about me again? Damn, honey.”

The way he calls me honey after admitting he murdered a man, does little to settle my conflicting feelings towards him.

Back in the living room, Jed finally sits up, gun in hand. “Who are you talking to?”

Hunter grunts down the phone. “Sounds like dipshit is awake. Put him on.”

I hold my breath as Jed pulls himself to standing, looking furious with me as he gestures to his phone. There’s no way he’ll let me answer the phone again after this, so I steal my last chance.

I turn away as my voice comes out raw and throaty. “I don’t regret anything, Hunter. I just wanted you to know that.”

I don’t have time to hear his reply before Jed wrenches the phone away from my ear. “You are this dumb? You call my—”

Hunter’s voice is so loud I hear every word as he cuts Jed off. “You’re fucking sleeping? What the hell kind of protection—"

Jed spins around so his back is to me and stalks away into the bathroom so I can’t hear his reply. I glare as I catch snatches of conversation, getting even more frustrated at being treated like an imbecile and not being included in what is probably pertinent information.

When he returns a few minutes later, his expression has switched from angry to his impassive cop mask. He eyes me as he dials another number. “Pack a bag. I’m calling my contact. We’ll be leaving for the safe house sooner than I thought.”

My skin breaks out in goosebumps. “What? I thought you said here was safe for now?”

His expression is deadly serious. “Falcone Junior called your phone. He knows where you live. Could be they’re just trying to scare you. But if he thinks you know the location of the money Hunter stole—"

I shake my head. “But there isn’t any money. I heard Hunter tell his handler myself.”

Jed snorts, and half rolls his eyes. “There’s money. Stacks of it. And since Hunter Sloan and Robert Falcone were the only two people who had access to it, and since Bobby is looking for Hunter, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why.”

I have no time to think on whether that might be true when Jed grabs my elbow and steers me back into my bedroom where my suitcase is waiting. “Finish packing, just the essentials. Medicine, stuff like that. But no electronics and no contact with anyone.”

“No contact? Not even with Dad?”

Jed’s face contorts into a grimace. “I’m sorry. But especially not your Dad. He’s an easy enough target as it is. They bug his phone, or Jemma’s and they find you…”

He doesn’t need to finish. I know what he’s saying. I know what this means.

Tears brew in my eyes as I stumble around my room, Jed standing guard at the door as I try to think of what I can’t live without.

I won’t be able to see Mom and find out why she’s here again. I won’t be able to see Dad or explain in person. Is this what I have to look forward to? A future where I’m always looking over my shoulder, wondering when someone will show up and torture me for money that may not even exist?

This is exactly what Hunter was trying to prevent from happening to me. But this is so much worse than I imagined.

Not only is Hunter gone, but now I can’t see Dad or Jemma or have anything resembling a normal life.

I start to sob, shoulders shaking as I crumple onto my bed. I brought this all on myself. I willingly went back to Hunter when I knew he was a criminal.

Jed was right. I made my bed, and now I have to lie in it.

***

Hunter

4.34am

I inch closer, keeping to the shadows as I keep my eyes on the man watching Natalie’s apartment.

My fists are clenching at my sides as I think about the threat any number of Bobby Falcone’s men would take great pleasure in carrying out.

He couldn’t have known it was me on the other end of the phone. If he did, he’d probably have gone into more detail about what he intended to do to Natalie.

It’s just as well the little shit didn’t. I’m wild enough as it is.

I’ve managed to slip under law enforcement radar by doing pretty much what no one expected. I came back to the one place I said I wouldn’t.

It’s reckless. It’s worse than stupid. But since the guy who swore black and blue he’d protect Natalie then fell asleep and didn’t answer his phone, I don’t really see I have a choice.

All I have to do is wait for the Feds to arrive then I can slip away, and know for sure Natalie, the woman crazy enough to give a shit about me, is as okay as she can be.

I hang back, watching the thug as he blatantly smokes a cigarette in the street, highlighting exactly how close an eye they are keeping on her.

Minutes tick by as cold bites into my cheeks. I shift my weight and rub my hands together to keep the blood circulating in case I need to act in a hurry.

What is taking Jed so long? It’s been three hours since I finally got hold of him. He thinks I’m on the way to the border. And I’m under no illusion that he won’t arrest me if he sees me this close to Natalie’s place.

Hired thug jerks his head in my direction, and for a moment I think he sees me, but he ditches the cigarette and starts walking away as a couple black SUVs roll down the street.

One stops outside her place, double parking as a couple of agents get out. The other vehicle drives down the road, leaving me frowning at why they haven’t come in larger numbers.

I keep my eyes on the two agents as they climb out and nearly curse aloud when I recognize the tall, lean, black dude who placed me in the care of Waters.

Jed’s face appears at the top of the stairs, and he motions the two agents inside and closes the door. I lean back against the wall and watch as the second SUV appears again at the same time Natalie’s apartment door opens.

The female agent leaves first, hand on her gun as she scans the street, Jed comes second. My heart starts to tap too fast in my chest as the door to the second SUV opens.

Every muscle in my body goes on alert as Natalie appears at the top of the stairs, ready to climb inside the SUV, just like they made me do two years ago.

Falcone’s man is probably still up the road, sitting in his car with his cell. I have seconds to make the right decision. If I make the wrong one, we’re both dead.

I know Bobby Falcone too well. If his father told him about her, I know he’s not going to let Natalie slip away. She’s not safe in the hands of the Feds. And Jed sure as shit can’t keep her safe. That only leaves me.

If that means making a deal with the devil, it’s a price I’m willing to pay.

I pull Natalie’s phone out and switch it back on, praying the number is still in use.

The phone is answered just as Natalie reaches the bottom of the stairs, bag in her hand, sandwiched between the agents.

His voice growls down the line. “Who is this? And how’d you get the number?”

My stomach twists into knots. “It’s Sloan. If you want your money, rethink your plan to kill them all.”

Bobby chuckles. “Sloan? You finally showed up. Hope you brought my money.”

The SUV door slides shut, and both vehicles take off. “You’ll get the money. And you’ll also get to kill me and claim the credit. Your father never got either.”

I know I have his attention when all I hear his heavy breathing. “I’m listening,” he grunts.

I keep my eyes on the SUV’s taillights. “I’ll come to you with the money.”

He exhales slow. “You paid my father a visit, didn’t you, Sloan?”

I work my jaw and pray to God I’m right about the level of Bobby’s animosity towards Falcone Senior. “I tried to do business with him; he was more interested in your lack of loyalty.”

Bobby hisses down the line. “You even think about fucking with me again Sloan, I kill your bitch slow, and even if it takes me the rest of my life to find her, I’ll go after your little sister.”

It takes all of my self-control not to react, but I spit the words down the line. “You’ll get the money when I get Natalie.”

“The cop is an ongoing problem.”

My lip curls into a snarl. “I’ll take care of him. As a show of good faith.”

***

Natalie

The agents aren’t saying much, which only makes this so much worse. Jed is sitting beside me, looking tense, and entirely out of his depth as we pull away from my apartment.

We pass the coffee shop and tears spring to my eyes. I’m sick of crying. Sick of my future being in someone else’s hands.

I wish I’d stayed in the mountains. Hunter was right. We could have made it work. I could have stayed with him.

I dig my fingernails into my palms as we head towards the highway. But it’s pointless even thinking about what might have been. Hunter still would have been in witness protection, and his handler still would have turned on him at some point. We were doomed from the moment we met.

I lean my head against the backrest and smother a nervous yawn. I’m exhausted. Nerves frayed from jumping at every sound and every shadow. The sleeping pill has only served to make me drowsy, my responses, and reflexes inhibited.

It’s so quiet in the SUV I can hear Jed’s phone when it buzzes in his pocket. The agent sitting beside him gives him a filthy look and Jed looks almost irritated when he near growls. “It’s Natalie’s sister.”

My pulse speeds again. Yet another surge of adrenaline pumps through me. The agent nods. “Go ahead. Keep it natural. But keep it brief.”

Jed looks across at me as he answers. “Jemma?”

I hear her voice; she sounds shaky. “Where is Nat? I’ve been trying to get hold of her.”

Jed glances at me. “I’m with her right now. Jemma, you should know Natalie’s in some trouble. She’s going to—”

Jemma interrupts him with a choked sob. “He’s in a coma. Dad’s in a coma. He signed a DNR order, and Mom says we should obey his wishes. What do I do? What do I do?”

Jed swallows, his eyes wide as I start to shake and my stomach starts to churn.

DNR.

Do not resuscitate.

Dad doesn’t want us to save his life.

And Mom wants to let him die.

This can’t be happening. Not now. Not all at once.

I’m too numb to do anything else, so I just slide against the back seat and cry silently at how everything has gone from bad to abysmal.

Jed’s hand goes to my knee, and I don’t bother to remove it. “Can she visit the hospital? Try to sort his out?”

I know what the answer will be, but when it comes, it still makes my chest ache. “That’s not possible.”

I huddle against the door, closing my eyes as Jed tries in vain to plead my case.

In my drug and grief-addled mind, I hear the slightest squeak of a wheel; then the vehicle jerks violently sending me crashing into Jed.

The agent draws her gun immediately as the vehicle comes to a slamming stop. Everything happens at once. Jed pushes himself against me, his gun in his hand as the agents scramble out of the vehicle.

My heart is slamming against my chest as gunshots come from all around us. Jed yells in my ear, yells at the agents and shoves my head down.

The window beside me shatters, and I scream and cower in the backseat, Jed’s body covering mine as he shoots out the window.

I peek through my fingers as the shooting, noise, and shouting carries on around me. The radio blares to life as the other vehicle tries to get our driver’s attention.

I’m paralyzed by fear, breathing rapid when the door behind me is yanked open, and I’m staring at a gun-toting man wearing a mask. He aims and shoots Jed before he can raise his weapon.

I have no time to scream when the masked man grabs me and yanks me roughly. I tumble awkwardly out the door, screaming for Jed as I fall.

Pain shoots through my kneecaps as I slam into the sidewalk, landing in a twisted heap. I’m wrenched up violently; something shoved over my head so I can’t see anything.

Guns shots come from all around me as I’m dragged further back, heels scraping on the sidewalk.

My screams are muffled by the bag, breaths constricted, but I fight as hard as I can, hoping and praying Jed or one of the agents comes to my rescue.

I’m lifted off the ground and hauled like a sack of potatoes over someone’s beefy shoulder. I scream, thumping my fists into his back, flailing and screaming Jed’s name until my attacker shouts at me. “Dipshit can’t help you. He’s a little busy bleeding.”

I freeze, ice pumping through my veins as I’m carried hastily away, my assailant’s breathing ragged as he jostles me on his shoulder.

Did I mishear? I strain my ears, but all I can hear is gunshots fading, my own hammering heart and the labored breathing from the man who’s carrying me.

We pause, I’m jostled on his shoulder as I hear a car unlock. I’m shoved inside, and the doors lock as the engine starts.

I try to wrench off whatever has been placed over my head, but a low voice growls at me. “Leave it on for now. It’s safer.”

Through the fog of fear, a tiny amount of hope flickers to life. “Hunter? Please God, let that be you.”

“Shit. Natalie. Don’t talk. Not yet. Just wait.”

I start to cry as I huddle into the doorframe, babbling incoherently about Dad, about Mom coming back after being gone ten years, about Jemma probably not fighting to keep him alive, until Hunter exhales loudly and the car jerks to a stop.

The bag is pulled off my head. Light spills in as I blink rapidly and try to focus on Hunter’s face. I’m so angry at him that when I see his frowning face, I slap him hard, not once but twice.

He doesn’t move, just holds still while I take out all my frustration on him until I’m a heaving, sobbing mess, and my arms are around his neck.

He pulls me closer and squeezes me tight. I only cry harder as he strokes my hair. “Your Dad doesn’t want to live?” he asks softly.

I nod, crying into his neck as his words sink in. He pushes me back gently and swipes his thumb over my cheeks, wiping away the tears. “We need to keep moving. I made a deal with Bobby Falcone. This can all go away for you, but you have to trust me.”

I’m so stunned that he’s here and acting like he knows what to do, I just stare at him. He pulls out my cell phone and calls a number, his eyes on the road ahead of us.

His voice is tense as he growls into the phone. “I need to detour to the hospital. I’ll be twenty minutes late.”

He ends the call and gives me a tight smile. “We’ll go see your family, but you’ll have to be quick. It’s the best I can do.”

I gulp as he pulls out on the road and heads towards the hospital. My head is spinning as we drive, thoughts muddling in on top of each other. “Is Jed alive?”

Hunter’s lips press together, his jaw tight. “I did what I could. But Jed was not my priority.”

I stare out the windshield as pink hues start to appear on the horizon. My voice comes out a croak. “What do you mean you did what you could?”

He slides a quick look at me just as we pull into the parking garage of the hospital. “I shot him myself. Any of Falcone’s men shot him; he’d be dead already.”

A whimper escapes as my eyes go wide. I wrap my arms around myself and try not to panic as the car comes to a stop. How am I supposed to deal with all this?

His voice jars me. “Natalie? I know this is a lot for you right now, but you can see your family for a couple minutes, that’s more than the feds were offering you right?”

It is. I thought I’d never see them again. I shake off my horror, and nod at him, my hand already on the door handle.

I push the door open, and nearly fall out as my knees don’t seem to be able to support me.

Hunter is at my side immediately, steering me towards the elevators, his eyes flicking around, posture tense as if waiting for someone to spring out of the shadows.

We make it inside the elevator, my breathing rapid as sweat starts to make my back clammy. I walk on shaky legs as Hunter’s eyes dart everywhere, making me even more nervous.

By the time we reach Dad’s room, I’m so overwhelmed; I’m close to hyperventilating. Hunter grabs me by the upper arms and looks me in the eye. “You have five minutes to say goodbye.”

I give him a shaky nod, eyes filling rapidly as he pushes open the door for me and steps back out into the hallway.

I take as deep a breath as I can and hope Jemma will just think the state I’m in is related to hearing about our father.

The room is dimly lit, nothing but the sound of the respirator to compete with my pounding heart.

Jemma gets to her feet immediately, but my eyes are locked on my mom as she hovers beside the bed.

She’s dressed more conservatively than I remember from my youth. Her face is lined, pallor pasty in the low light. Her eyes meet mine, and a tiny smile appears as she straightens. “Natalie.”

I force away my glare and speak to Jemma. “I need to speak to you privately.”

Jemma’s mouth opens as she slides a look at our mother. “Um. Okay, I can leave—”

I shake my head. “Mom can leave.”

Our mother’s shoulders stiffen, her lips pinched in silent protest. But she grabs her purse and tucks it under her arm and nods. “That’s fine. I’ll get us some coffee. We have a lot to talk about.”

I don't waste time waiting for the door to close. I grab Jemma and try to infuse as much passion into my voice as possible. “Listen to me. I’m in trouble; I came to say goodbye.”

Jemma blinks as I fight to keep my eyes from overflowing and my voice from shaking. “What?”

I try to form my thoughts so the most important things get said. “I have no choice. But please, please. I know you always hoped Mom would come back. But this is too much of a coincidence. Mom doesn’t know she’s not the sole beneficiary of Dad’s will anymore. Test her; if she leaves after finding out, you’ll know why she came back.”

Jemma starts to cry again. “What’s going on?”

My stomach twists with guilt. “I have to go. I don’t know if I can make contact with you again. If he wakes tell him has so much to live for, tell him we need him.”

I’m trembling as I give her a tight hug. “Promise me. Promise me you won’t let him die?”

Jemma’s grip only increases as she sobs in my ear. “I can’t do this without you. You always took care of everything; you were always the one making the decisions. I don’t know how to take care of him like you did.”

I flinch. “You’ll have to figure it all out.”

I step away from her and sit beside Dad, watching him as my throat starts to close over. My lip starts to wobble as I take his limp hand and squeeze. “I’m so sorry. I love you so much. If you can hear me, don’t you dare die.”

I kiss his cheek, chest heaving as I have to choke down sobs threatening to overtake my body.

Jemma is waiting as I rise, ready to walk away from them all. “When will you be back?”

I can’t even speak, just pull her into a hug again. “I don’t know. I’ll do my best to call.”

I leave the words hanging like a promise in the air. A promise I hope I won’t need to break.

I don’t look back as I slip out of the door.