Page 68 of Any Kind of Life

“Yes and no,” Juliet said, eyeing the clock on the wall. She really needed more pain relief soon. “I’d had enough. Then, that threat just pushed me towards the decision much quicker. I always would have taken early retirement whether I was in danger or not.”

“Ron was found guilty. How did all of this come about with him inside?”

“Cara.” Juliet managed a sarcastic laugh. “She’s his niece. I had no idea when I employed her.”

Hannah only appeared even more confused than before. “She’s been working for you since you opened the bloody bar, Juliet. Why the hell would she do that? Jesus, she’s sat drinking with us all before today.”

“She was very good at playing the game, it would seem.” Juliet couldn’t believe she had been so stupid. But then again, Cara had never once hinted at anything untoward. “None of us had any idea. Even Henry didn’t figure it out.”

“Henry is your security guy.”

“Henry was actually employed by me because of the threat. Paige was the only person who knew why he was always around. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth.”

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” Hannah asked, sighing. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Honestly? I didn’t want to lose the very few friends I do have. If you’d all known, you wouldn’t have been around. Who wants to sit in a bar with a guy watching their every move…or walk around the city knowing you could be in danger simply for being in my life?” That had been one of the reasons she hadn’t told anyone about Henry. The thought of losing her small support system terrified her. “Cara was so genuine that I thought the threat had gone in the end. Henry and I had no issues with her being alone with me. We worked plenty of shifts together over the time she was at the bar.”

“Why now?”

Juliet smiled, fidgeting with the edge of the sheet covering her. “Because I was happy.”

Hannah frowned. “I’m sorry?”

“Ron told Cara to wait until I was happy. Once I had a great life, it was her job to take it away.”

Hannah lowered her eyes and sniffled. “I can’t believe this.”

“I’d like to think it’s all over now, but the police can’t find Cara, and Henry hasn’t been informed of any sightings.”

“Where will you go until they find her? And Paige, what will she do?”

Juliet had no idea what they were going to do. All she knew was that she had to keep Paige safe. “I don’t know yet. With any luck, they’ll find her before I’m allowed to leave the hospital.”

“But Paige is out there alone…”

“Henry is on her at all times. Just the way he was with me. I’m safe here. The police are outside, so Henry is with her.” Juliet knew this had to be a lot for Hannah to take in, but she felt lighter knowing the truth was out there. “Hopefully, this will all be over soon.”

“I had no idea any of this was going on.”

“That’s just the way it was meant to be, Hannah. I’m sorry I kept it from you, but I don’t regret doing it the way I did. You have Edie and Caz; I couldn’t risk anyone knowing. Because the moment you knew, you’d have been in danger. These people aren’t stupid, Hannah. They watched my every move. If they even had an inkling that you knew about any of this, it would have been game over for one or both of us long before now.”

“You…protected me.” Hannah smiled as a single tear slipped down her cheek.

“I did what I could to keep the people around me safe.”

“That fucking bitch.” Hannah clenched her jaw, anger flaring in her eyes. “God, my skin is crawling just knowing I was nice to her.”

“Join the club, kid. I can’t believe how stupid I was to believe her.”

“Do you think they’ll catch her?” Hannah’s voice held a slight hint of fear, but her eyes gave off a determination Juliet had never seen before. “She better hope they do. Because if I get my hands on her, I’ll throttle the fucking life out of her.”

Juliet grinned, appreciative of the friends she had in her life. “Settle down, Rocky. I’ve had enough drama to last me a lifetime.”

Her phone bleeped to the side of her, Paige’s pretty face displayed on the screen. Juliet lifted it and answered the call. “Hi, beautiful.”

“Babe, I’m on my way back over soon. I’m going to grab some lunch for us. What are you feeling like?”

Juliet would take anything at this point. She hadn’t expected to feel so hungry, given what she’d just been through. “Mm. Surprise me.”

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