Page 77 of Silent Vendetta (Vendetta Duet)

Outside, a flight of birds soared through the sky, free and limitless. Inside, I was caged with guilt at not finding him repulsive.

“What if I vowed to never get caught?” he mused.

I knew what he was asking me: could I look past all his crimes—if they wereongoing?

As disturbingly unafraid of Hunter as I was, the only thing tethering me to this life was my moral compass. And while the thread of it was definitely fraying, tempting me to do things that were immoral and corrupt…

“I can’t be with someone who murders people.”

Hunter seemed to consider this.

“Let’s say someone hurts you,” he said, his knuckles trailing down my neck to my chest. “Mugs you, for example. May I murder him?”

I couldn’t believe my mouth hitched up slightly, threatening to smile.

“No.”

Hunter frowned.

“Can I ask you something?” I said.

Hunter trailed his fingertips over my belly, the skin coming alive with his every touch.

“If you find your father’s killer, what will you do to him?”

Didhewant to change? Or was his urge too strong?

Hunter was quiet for a bit again before sighing. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever find him.”

“You’re giving up hope?”

“I’m accepting reality,” Hunter said. “Should’ve done it a long time ago.”

Hunter’s fingertips swirled around my hip.

“What about you?” he asked. “It’s looking like the new trial is virtually a guarantee. Which means after all your years of hard work, you will have saved your father. Where do you go from here?”

I stared at the ceiling, sifting through my confusing thoughts.

“You know, I thought the only thing I would feel would be happiness and relief,” I said. “But…saving my father won’t change the injustice going on in the world. I’m realizing that I can’t save everyone. I’m exhausted trying.”

Hunter’s fingernails trailed up my chest to my neck. He cupped my cheek and shifted my head so I would look at him.

“I think I want a normal life for a little while,” I said.

The pad of his thumb brushed my lower lip.

“If I could give you normal,” he said, “could you look past everything I’ve done?”

CHAPTER35

Hunter

“Ifound something, sir,” Barry began, his voice hesitant.

In the dim light of my home office, Grayson leaned against a shadowed wall, his gaze intent on me. Barry’s intense eyes hinted at the weight of his revelation.

The air was thick with tension and the musk of Barry’s aftershave.

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