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My stepfather was dead – murdered. My lover – such as he was – was missing and hadn't contacted me for more than twelve hours, which was so unlike him.
I went to bed, tossing and turning for several hours, worrying that something bad had happened and I'd find out the next morning that he'd been arrested. Abducted.
Or worse.
Chapter 3
Celia
I woke in the middle of the night to sounds in the apartment, and a light flicking on over George’s desk, where he sat hunched over his laptop. He was speaking into a microphone in Russian, his words sounding angry.
I sat up in bed and watched as George closed his laptop and came over to my bed.
"I hear from Hunter's lawyer. Hunter was taken in by police earlier in evening."
Adrenaline coursed through me once more and my heart pounded. "Do they think he killed Spencer?"
George nodded. "Yes. But I know he did not. He would not, Celia. That I know for true."
"He was really angry when he saw my neck," I said doubtfully. "He even said he wanted to kill Spencer."
George shrugged. "He says many things in anger, but he is soldier. Special Operations Forces. Hunter does not lose control."
"I hope you're right," I said and sighed. "At least we know he's alive. I was afraid someone killed him."
George nodded and rubbed his forehead. "He is alive. You go to sleep, now, Celia. You have had big shock. You need rest."
"I can't sleep," I said and wrapped my arms around my knees. "What time is it?" I glanced over to the bedside table and saw that it was three o'clock in the morning.
"When did they take him in? Has he been in custody all day?"
"I don’t know. They arrest him in Alexandria. That's all I know."
Oh, God… Hunter was arrested in Alexandria? That's where Spencer was murdered. It had to mean only one thing – Hunter killed Spencer.
"Spencer was killed in Alexandria."
"Hunter is not killer, Celia."
I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling sick that Hunter might have killed Spencer because he saw my injuries. "I hope he's okay."
"He will be fine," George said, nodding. "He is strong. Tough. You'll see. Lawyer will get him out and he will be home soon."
I lay back down when George left and tried to sleep, but it was a losing venture. Finally, I took out my cell and checked my texts one more time.
There was nothing from Hunter, of course. It was too early to text Amy so I spent an hour searching on Google for news about Spencer. Much was made of the fact he was supposedly investigating the Russian mob. Political pundits talked about his work prosecuting thugs in the mafia.
A reporter claimed that someone identified as a 'close family friend' said Spencer was targeted by the mafia. Who was that? I had no idea who the 'close family friend' was.
Was that the case? Spencer had brought in Hunter's uncle and charged him with several offenses under RICO. The Irish mafia, the Russian mafia, the Italian mafia…
I hoped that Hunter hadn't gotten any more mixed up in it than he claimed – just providing security for them, legitimate work.
Finally, an hour before dawn, I got up and had a shower, deciding that since I couldn't to sleep, I might as well start my day. After drying off and dressing, I went to the kitchen to pour myself some juice and think about what to eat. The sun was just starting to rise on the horizon; its warm orange glow reflecting off the water in the bay. It was beautiful, and I could have appreciated it, if only I’d known what was going on with Hunter.
I couldn't stop thinking about him, wondering if he really had killed Spencer. I would never have thought it possible, but he was so angry…
I'd seen the results of his anger before in the broken and bruised skin on his knuckles after he beat up Stepan. He hated Spencer so much more than he did Stepan. What if he'd lost control? George didn't think it was possible, but Hunter hated Spencer was almost as I did.
