Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
SAVANNAH
E verything here felt different. It was strange how someplace could be your home for so long, and in a blink, it felt like you had never lived there. New businesses and buildings lined streets that were once filled with trees. The smell in the air was different than I remembered, and as I looked around, it became glaringly apparent that when I left, I never wanted to come back here.
“Are you okay?”
I jerked at the sound of Goran’s voice and looked away from the window. “Yeah, I will be. Just a lot of memories associated with this place, and not all of them pleasant.”
“Nathaniel told me that you were engaged before you met him?”
I wasn’t sure if Goran was probing because he was genuinely curious or if it was a recon mission for Nathan, but there was nothing new to share that Nathan didn’t already know.
“I was, but I caught him sleeping with the neighbor.”
“Ouch. What did you do?”
I smirked as I pictured the look on Shawn’s face when he was ordered out into the snow naked. “Let’s just say it is a good thing I don’t have Nathan’s temper, or more than a vase would’ve been shot.”
“Damn, no wonder you and Nathaniel get along so well.” Goran chuckled. “Then again, you’re right. The bodies would’ve been in black bags if it had been Nathaniel, so you showed a lot more restraint.”
That made me smile. “It didn’t stop me from getting slapped with mandatory time off and anger management classes.” I looked over my shoulder at the three vehicles behind us and then at the other two in front, leading the parade. “Do we really need everyone to pull into the parking lot and come inside? I mean, it is a hospital. We don’t need to draw that kind of attention.”
“No, only the four of us will go inside. The rest will be circling the area and keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.”
I glanced at the two silent soldiers in the front seat. I didn’t even know their names.
“What are your names?”
The driver looked at me in the rearview mirror. “Vlad.”
The second one looked over his shoulder. “Guy.”
“So here’s the thing, guys, I have no problem with you coming in and keeping an eye on me, but please try to remember that this is a hospital. It’s best to be inconspicuous, which means no tackling people unless you’re positive they’re a threat. Don’t pull your weapons for anything unless someone pulls a gun first. No coming into the washroom with me, and try not to scare the other patients. You all look like you’re ready to go on a murder spree. It’s not really hospital vibes.”
“We are supposed to stay with you at all times,” Goran said, and I could picture him coming into the bathroom to make sure I didn’t crawl out a window or get attacked by a little old lady with a cane.
“Goran, I know you take your orders from Nathan, but I don’t want everyone wondering why I need so much muscle. That draws attention. Also, and this is very important, no one mentions that I took off my ring.”
The three men sucked in a collective gasp. Goran looked at my hand, his face paling. “Why? Where is it?”
“I never take this off,” I said, pulling out the chain hidden beneath my blouse and showing off the red diamond ring beside the heart locket that held the picture of my sister. “My mother doesn’t know I got married, and this is not the time to spring that on her. Since Nathan likes to make grand gestures, the ring won’t exactly go unnoticed.”
“Oh my god, you’re going to get me killed.” Goran ran a hand down his face as our SUV pulled into the hospital parking lot without the rest of the procession.
“Trust me, that is not my goal. I don’t have the best relationship with my mother, and she is here for heart surgery. I’ll tell her about Nathan once she’s done her rehabilitation.”
“Okay…but please, for the love of everything holy, don’t tell him that we knew and didn’t force you to put it back on. You will get us killed, maybe worse.” I nodded.
“I promise it is only while I’m at the hospital. I’d never rat you guys out,” I said, and Goran smirked.
“You aren’t going to ask what is worse than death?”
We pulled into a parking spot, and I looked out the window as I shook my head. “I’ve seen firsthand that there are many things worse than death, and I don’t want any of you to end up in one of Nathan’s torture rooms. So as soon as I leave the hospital each day, I’ll put it back on.”
I grabbed the door handle, but Goran laid a hand on my shoulder. “Let us get out first, always. That is not just a rule for here, but anywhere we go.”
Nodding, I answer, “Alright.”
The three men got out together, and it didn’t take long for Goran to tap on my window before opening the door. I looked up at them and realized that no matter what, they were going to stand out. They could’ve been auditioning for any Secret Service part and gotten it. Black suits, wrap-around glasses, little bugs in their ears, and I knew they had guns hidden under their jackets. It was a reality slap like this that worried me about Cutter’s future. What did that look like? Would he end up on an FBI board somewhere?
I’d made my bed the day that I made the conscious decision to throw caution and sense to the wind and sleep with Nathaniel Mikhailov. If I died because of this world, that was one thing, but it would destroy me if something happened to Cutter or any other children we had.
My shoes softly clicked on the white floor as I made my way to the wing where my mother waited for surgery. Shawn had texted earlier with that information. Could I be so lucky for him not to be here? We followed the hallway to the waiting area, and I groaned as soon as my eyes landed on the familiar face sitting in the corner.
Shawn looked up as if sensing me and smiled as he stood. He looked the same—like he’d just walked off the front cover of a golf magazine. I walked over to him and couldn’t figure out what it was that I ever saw in him.
“Anna, it’s so good to see you,” he said, practically lunging at me for a hug. As subtly as I could, I held up my hand to stop Goran or one of the other guards from breaking both of Shawn’s arms and legs.
“Has my mother already gone in for surgery,” I asked and stepped back out of his hold. His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything as he looked over my shoulder.
“I wouldn’t advise making sudden moves like that again. I’ve had some trouble with work and need to take guards with me wherever I go. I wouldn’t want you to get shot accidentally, ” I said, my lip curling up. I let the comment sit between us, knowing full well that the last time I’d seen him, it was me who had been waving the gun around.
“Oh, is it serious?”
“I can’t speak about it. You know how it goes. So, is she in surgery? I didn’t think she was scheduled for another hour.”
“They were running ahead of schedule, so they took her in early. Can we grab a coffee and chat somewhere a little more privately?”
I really didn’t want to do this, but I figured that we might as well get it out of the way now.
“Sure, there was a private sitting room back the way we just came that was empty.”
Leading the way, I stepped into the room, and Shawn followed. But before Goran could follow, I turned to him and shook my head. His face was void of all emotion, the sunglasses hiding his eyes, but I could still feel his reluctance to let me be alone in a room with a man he didn’t know.
“Can you ask Guy or Vlad to grab a couple of regular coffees and just guard outside the door?” His lip twitched, and I was positive he was going to argue. Instead, he closed the door and stood right outside. The back of his black suit showed through the glass panel and nothing else.
“They are pretty intense.” Shawn pointed at the door.
“Yes, they are. But it’s always best to be safe, and they are the best.” Walking over to the chair, I sat down and crossed my ankles. Shawn sat down across from me on the small couch and rubbed his hands on his legs. He seemed nervous, and I didn’t like that. It meant that whatever he wanted to talk about would annoy me. This was taking far too long. “Didn’t you want to talk to me about something?”
“Yes, it’s just…you seem different,” he said, and I lifted a shoulder, not sure what he was referring to. “Maybe it was all the time you spent in Italy.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Just that Italy must have been good for you. You look amazing.” He looked away. “How did you get Valerie into a private hospital?”
“Perks of working with a powerful government organization,” I said. It had nothing to do with the FBI and everything to do with Nathan.
He cleared his throat and leaned forward on his knees. “I never got the chance to really apologize for what happened between us.”
“There’s no need to now. It was four years ago, and we’ve moved on with our lives. I’m sorry if I came off as rude yesterday when you called. I was just shocked that my mother had you as her emergency contact, but I do understand why.”
“Since you left for Italy, your mom and I have kept in touch. She was looking for someone to chat with, like when she’d call looking for you. I felt bad that she didn’t have anyone here to look out for her.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Are you saying that because I was in another country, I couldn’t take care of my mother? She does have free international calling. If she wanted to talk to me, she could call any time.”
“You know what I mean. She needed someone to take her shopping or to an appointment, and that obviously couldn’t be you.” He waved his hand in the air, his patented way of dismissing a conversation. “But what I really wanted to talk to you about was giving us a second chance.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Look, I’ve done a lot of soul-searching these past four years, and I realized that I just wasn’t ready for a serious relationship and took it out on you.” That might have been the most mature sentence Shawn had ever said to me. Four years too late, but good for him for finally growing up. “Not only that, but you must be tired of being a single mom.” Then he said shit like that and ruined all the progress. “I’ve decided that I’m ready.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Ready for what?”
“For us. For us to try again and for me to be involved in my son’s life.”
My mouth dropped just as the door opened, and Guy stepped in with two coffees. “Thank you,” I said, taking my offering. I burned my tongue but didn’t care as I swallowed a mouthful down and wished that it was something stronger.
“First, we are not getting back together.” Shawn’s eyes darkened, and his lips pressed into a firm line. “Second, he’s not your son. Third, let’s pretend he was your son. You let me live in another country with him and never contacted me until now when you’re ready. You must be joking.”
“He has to be mine. I was the only one you were with, and the timing matches up.”
I smiled, unable to believe what I was hearing, but it quickly dissolved into laughter. “Shawn, do you not remember the man on the phone that night you called?”
“Well yeah, but I assumed you just put someone up to that to piss me off.” I shook my head.
“Does that really seem like something I’d do?” He sat back on the couch and crossed his arms. “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I’m not getting back together with you, and you don’t have to worry about suddenly needing to step up as a father. My son is not yours. Not only that, but I’m living in California now and have no plans on moving back.”
Shawn shot up out of his chair. “So, you’re telling me that not only did you really fuck around with whoever that asshole was on the phone, but you’re not going to be here when your mother gets out of the hospital? What kind of daughter are you?”
The door opened, and Goran stepped inside the room. “Back away right now, or you’ll need the doctor,” he said. There was no wiggle room for interpretation. He was getting ready to charge Shawn.
“Tell your dogs to back off. We’re just having a discussion,” he growled and pointed at Goran.
I slowly stood and hitched my purse up onto my shoulder. “Goran is not a dog. He’s doing his job, and do not speak to him or me like that again, or I will let them throw you out of the hospital.” I stepped into Shawn’s personal space and stared up into eyes that hadn’t changed. Everything he’d said about being different was nothing more than lip service. “Let me make something very clear to you, Shawn. I owe you nothing, and what I do regarding my mother’s care is also none of your business. I appreciate you helping take care of her while I wasn’t here. I’m sure she has enjoyed having you around, but you do not question my love or ability to take care of my mother ever again. Now, if that is all you wanted to talk about, you have my answer. My life has moved in another direction. It did the day you made the conscious decision to cheat on me, and I have never looked back.”
There was something so rewarding about seeing the shocked and annoyed look on his face. Turning, I walked to the door, and Goran silently glared at Shawn. I looked over my shoulder at him. “I wish you well, Shawn. I hope you find what it is that you’re looking for. But you’re misguided if you think that it’s with me.”
Stepping out of the room, I went on the hunt for someone who could tell me how long my mother would be so I could get the hell out of there.