Nick
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
There was something about how he sounded. It seemed that Hunter had discovered something, and I needed to know what it was.
“It’s exactly as I said. It’s not like it’s too late already,” he replied. “You’re still alive.”
“I’ll assume that by that statement that Blake knows that I’ve gotten my memories back,” I scoffed. “So what next? Are you two going to kill me again?”
“Believe me, Nick, I mean it when I say I didn’t want any part in this,” he sighed. “I have done my best to ensure that this whole thing doesn’t escalate into something serious.”
“Something serious? I almost diedtwice!” I could feel my blood boil.
Aria held my hands and whispered, “It’s okay, Nick. Take it easy.”
I took a deep breath and turned to the receiver. “You say you have my best interests at heart. If you really did, then you would have prevented all this. I’m sorry, Hunter, but I’m having difficulty believing you.”
Hunter was quiet. The silence stretched on for some seconds then he let out a sigh.
“I will admit, it was my fault you were involved in that accident,” he said. “Blake was frustrated with you, and I told him to wait until you died of old age so he could take over.Unfortunately, Blake didn’t want to wait for your 90thbirthday to act.”
“What are you…”
“He seemed convinced that killing you right away was the answer, and the best I could do was to ensure you didn’t die,” he continued, “I believe the only reason you survived was because of Derrick.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “Then why didn’t you stop him if you were aware of his plans? You could have told me.”
“Let’s say that Blake knows a little too much about my past sins, and I wasn’t ready for him to tell the world about it,” he replied. “Besides, don't you think it’s odd that he didn’t press on in trying to kill you?”
Come to think of it, that was true. If Blake wanted me dead, he could have killed me right after the accident through a doctor or something.
“You had lost your memories, and I used that to convince Blake that you wouldn’t interfere anymore in his affairs,” he said. “My duty was to watch over you and ensure that you didn’t recover said memories. Which led to us living together.”
“I see,” I said. I hate to admit it, but he did keep me alive. “Well…thank you, Hunter.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he said. “What I did was wrong, and if only I wasn’t such a coward, maybe things would have ended differently.”
“What does Blake have on you?” I asked.
“Well, just something I’m not proud of,” he replied. “Nothing I can’t handle. For now, I’ll be willing to help you out in any way I can.”
“I’ll take it, but this doesn’t mean I have completely forgiven you. All it takes is one slip up, and I’ll have your head,” I warned.
“Jeez, you and your brother are alike in that manner of bloodlust,” he chuckled. “You have my word.”
“Now, on the first day of business, I need your help,” I said.
“What would that be?”
“My mother, how can I reach her?” I asked. My mother was my last option and the only way I could win this. That is, until another opportunity presented itself to us, “I need to know if you have a way of contacting her.”
“No one knows,” he replied. “No one has laid eyes on her a few months after your uhm…death.”
“No way. What happened?”
“She just upped and vanished,” he sighed. “Blake tried to find her but couldn’t.”
“Well damn, that’s helpful,” I groaned as I could feel the buildup of a headache. “Is there anything else you can do to help?”