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Hunter slipped his arms around me, holding me tightly while I cried.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, kissing my cheek, wiping tears from my face. "I promise you that nothing else will happen to you. I promise you."
I let him hold me, for his arms were the only comfort I knew.
Later, Amy and then my Aunt Diane came to the hospital to see me. Even Graham used a wheelchair and dropped by and so my overnight stay in Mass General's observation beds passed quickly. Hunter stayed until after midnight, not letting go of my hand unless he had to leave to let someone else visit.
Strangely, the police didn't come until later in the evening. I expected it was because of what Hunter told me. They weren't going to do anything. Still, the two police officers, one female and one male, took my statement and then left with a promise to call me if anything happened with the case.
I knew nothing would.
"He will get justice, Celia," Hunter said to me before he left that night. "I promise you. He'll pay for what he did to you. He'll pay for everything."
I nodded and closed my eyes. Hunter leaned down and kissed me, his kiss tender. He lingered over me, adjusting my covers, my pillow, stroking my cheek.
Then he left me.
And that was the last time I saw him.
I woke early the next morning. Hospitals were so noisy, with nursing staff and cleaners bustling around at all hours. Even when they shut off the main overhead lights, there was still activity so my sleep was broken.
Still, they gave me some Tylenol for pain and I managed a few hours of sleep. A nurse came in the morning and asked if I wanted a shower, and I did. I'd had one after the rape kit had been finished, but I felt like I needed another one. I stood in the bathroom and stared into the mirror, at my two black eyes and swollen nose. Luckily, my nose hadn't been broken too badly and I'd show no long-term consequences. I didn’t want to look like a boxer, and the ER doc assured me I wouldn't, but it would take weeks for the swelling to go down completely.
To my surprise, Aunt Diane arrived and brought me some clean clothes she got from Hunter.
"Did you talk to him? Why didn’t he come himself?"
She nodded. "Yes, sweets, I talked to him. He said to tell you that he had to go out of town for a while. That you should come and stay with me until things get cleared up."
"What?" I frowned and texted Hunter.
CELIA: Hey, why aren't you coming to pick me up?
I waited and waited, but didn't get an answer.
CELIA: Why didn't you tell me you were going out of town?
CELIA: Hunter, please respond. Tell me where you are. Why am I staying at my aunt's place? It can't be any safer than your place.
No answer.
"What did he say to you?" I asked her. "Tell me!"
She had a guilty expression on her face, and avoided my eyes. "He said he was going away, and that you were going to have to as well. The FBI is going to come by today and talk to you about moving somewhere safe." Then she turned and faced me. "Celia, the truth is that you're not safe here anymore. Not as long as Sergei is free. You have to move away. Get a new identity. Start over."
"What?" I sat dumbfounded, on the verge of tears. "I'm not leaving. What about Mom? Graham? I'm in Harvard Law! You don’t just walk away from that."
"Everything will be arranged for you. New ID, new name and Social Security number. You'll have to have a cover story. You can apply to go to law school wherever you relocate. You were accepted at Stanford so you could always go there. You'll have papers that should help you get in."
"When did you discuss all this?"
"While you were sleeping. Hunter talked to his contact in the FBI and he agreed. You're in danger. Sergei Romanov hurt you once and he won't hesitate to do it again. He was likely the one who killed your stepfather. When he's in jail, we can re-establish contact, but there's no way to know how long that will take. He's a big fish. It takes longer to hook them and pull them in. Maybe a year or more."
I stared at the wall, tears in my eyes. "So Hunter hates Sergei so much, he's willing to send me away so he can catch him?"
My aunt took my hand and squeezed. "No. He cares for you so much that he has to send you away for your own safety."
I wiped my eyes, emotion overwhelming me. I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave Boston, my mother and brother. Harvard. Hunter…
