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“I dropped Hunter off the other day. I was sitting outside waiting like I often do to take him anywhere else he may want to go. That's when Fabre approached me.”
Oh no.
“He knew about my mother," he continues. "And he knew about my financial situation. Hunter pays me fairly but I've spent a lot of the money on bullshit. I'm not a saver."
Please God, no.
"Fabre offered to pay me more money than I’ve ever seen in my life at one time to simply take a drive and not answer my phone for an hour. That's it.”
“Parker!” I cry. “What have you done? Hunter would have given you the money to pay your Mom’s hospital bill.”
His forehead creases.
“It never crossed my mind that Fabre wanted to snatch you, Megan. I swear. I thought he was going to take Naomi and just didn’t want any problems when he did.”
"So you were fine with throwing my friend under the bus? You've been around her a million times, Parker."
"When it comes to saving my mother's life, I'll throw anybody under the bus."
“So if you drove away and didn't answer your phone, how did you find me all the way here?”
“Everything happened faster than I guess he planned. I was just about to drive off when you approached his car, and I saw the other guy forcibly put you inside. That’s when I realized just how badly I fucked up.”
“Why didn't you help me? Why didn’t you immediately tell Hunter or even Lars? Do you give a shit at all about me, Parker? I thought we were friends?”
“Wearefriends which is why I came here to West bubble fuck Arizona, to try and figure out the best way to handle this.”
“Okay, great. Why not just call Hunter and tell him everything so we can put an end to this?” I demand.
“That’s the complicated part, Megan. I initially followed y'all here to figure out a way to bring you home and not get myself killed in the process. But I've had some time to think. It was one thing to sell out Naomi but now that you’re involved, and especially because you're pregnant, Hunter is never going to forgive me.”
"His first inclination may be to fire you but I can help you get your job back once you come clean."
"Fire me? No, college girl, Hunter Middleton will put me six feet under in a place where no one will find me."
“Hunter is not a cold-blooded killer.”
“Where do you think your daddy is?” Parker scoffs. “Do you honestly think Hunter put him in some sort of relocation program for abusive fathers?”
I've tried not to put much thought into what became of my father, his wife, and my half-sister. Whatever their fate, I'd already decided that ignorance was bliss.
“Hunter will not kill you, Parker. This was just a huge misunderstanding.”
“This was not a misunderstanding. It was a betrayal.”
“The one thing Hunter will want is me back in one piece. So maybe if you're the one to return me, he’ll be more forgiving." I try talking some sense into Parker. "I’ll talk to him for you. I’ll explain the situation. He’ll listen to me. Just let me call him. I need to hear his voice and tell him that me and the baby are okay.”
Parker turns his head and gives me a blank stare that makes me question whether I’ve ever been a good evaluator of character.
“I’m sorry, Megan, but it's decided. I’m not taking you back.”
Chapter 6
I Have To Find Her
HUNTER
The metal shovel weighs heavily in my hands as I use it to penetrate the dry top layer of earth underneath my boots.