Chapter 5 #2
“A fucking gun,” Cameron snaps. “This is bullshit, who in the hell would want him dead? You’re the police. Do some- thing about this. What are you going to do about this?”
I blow out a breath as my nerves hit a new level. “Peter, can you go and check on Natasha. Why is she taking so long?”
“Yeah, sure man.” He leaves the room.
“Did you get a look at any of them?” the second police officer asks.
“No, only what I told you the other night. It was filtered light. One of them had dreadlocks. I think his hair was red.”
“Yes, we saw that. Anything else you can think of?” I hunch my shoulders, “No.”
“I would keep a close eye on your wife if I was you. Until we get this under control, she is not safe either.”
I frown as my eyes flick to Cameron. “How do you know I am married?”
“It’s on the front page of today’s newspaper. Headlines read you married your sex therapist.”
I drop my head to my hands. “This is a nightmare. How does this shit get out?”
The policeman shrugs. “You are in a hospital with hundreds of staff and visitors. It was only a matter of time. Don’t go anywhere without your bodyguards and like I said I wouldn’t let your wife out of your sight if I was you.
If you think of anything, no matter how small, give us a call. I have given my business card to Ben.”
I nod as I look at the floor while the policemen leave.
“What’s Natasha going to say?” Cameron sighs. “Natasha is not to know about this. Not a word,” I snap. “Are you kidding?” Cameron gasps.
I shake my head. “No, I said no! She has been through enough, she lost her father and now she’s been having nightmares where I get murdered. She had one just last night. I have never seen anyone so terrified. It took me half an hour to calm her down.”
“Bloody hell. This is a total fuck up,” Cameron snaps. “What the hell does she dream about?”
I sit on the bed as her fear runs through my mind. “She said it’s the same dream every time. They have us underground in a wet tunnel. It’s nighttime. Ben’s body is slumped on the floor and she is tied up and forced to watch me get bashed to death by a group of men. Then they gang-rape her.”
“Bloody hell, no wonder she’s terrified.” Cameron runs his hands through his hair. “We need to get Adrian in here.”
I blow out a breath and nod, “Give him a call.”
“Give who a call?” Adrian asks as he walks into the room with a beaming smile. I turn, smile and embrace him in relief.
He pulls back and frowns at me. “Ok…What’s going on?
Why are you cuddling me?”
Cameron holds his hand in the air in exasperation. “Where shall we start? Oh, I know, how about Joshua
nearly got murdered on Friday night in an ordered hit. Now the police think he and Natasha are in danger and Joshua doesn’t want to tell Natasha because the poor petal is having scary dreams.”
I glare at Cameron. “How about I shut that smart mouth for you,” I snap. He fakes a smile.
Adrian’s eyes widen. “How do we know it was a hit?”
“It seems my car was returned to the work parking garage on Friday night. The keys were on the passenger seat.”
“My God,” Adrian whispers as he slumps into the chair. “We also have another problem.” He pulls his newspaper from under his arm. He opens it and shows me the front page, a huge picture of Natasha with the heading ‘Joshua Stanton secretly marries his sex therapist’.
I angrily snatch the paper from him. It is a picture of Natasha and Max crossing the road out the front of the hospital. Natasha is laughing and looking gorgeous and Max has his hand in the small of her back guiding her across the street. The story reads:
Joshua Stanton, the infamous wealthy LA playboy, has secretly married his Australian sex therapist. They met in Sydney on his recent stay after she treated him for his sex addiction.
Natasha Stanton has rushed to his side from Australia after he took a cocaine overdose over the weekend.
The handsome playboy who formerly dated Heidi Mills and Vanessa Shortland…
I stop reading the dribble in front of me.
“The fucking paparazzi, they just make this shit up,” I snap.
“This is just perfect, at a time when I need her to be in disguise, she’s on the front of the fucking paper.
” I put my head into my hands. “What am I going to do? She has been through enough. I don’t want her frightened,” I sigh.
“What’s with the nightmares?” Adrian asks.
“She’s been having the same recurring dream where she is tied up and forced to watch me get bashed to death and then they gang-rape her.”
“Gang-rape? Christ,” Adrian gasps.
“Let’s not forget that they kill Ben,” Cameron snaps. I nod and Adrian screws up his face. “You don’t want to tell her?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. She’s been through enough.” Ben walks through the door.
“Where’s Tash?” I snap.
“Talking to your mother. She’s safe. Relax.”
“Ben, I want the security doubled around Joshua and Natasha. Natasha is to have four bodyguards with her at all times,” Adrian asserts.
This is why I love this man, he’s a micromanager. He takes control of any situation and has the ability to make important decisions quickly. I smile, feeling better just having him here.
I look at Ben. “I want Max taken off guarding Natasha. You swap with him and I only want trusted long-term staff with her.”
“Why? Max is the best bodyguard we have. He is more qualified than me. Why can’t he guard Natasha?” Ben frowns.
“He just can’t,” I snap.
“Fuck off. Are you jealous?” Cameron spits.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Did you know that he has been staying in the house with Natasha? I am paying him to guard her, not cut my fucking grass.”
Ben bites his lip to stifle his smile.
“Yeah, this is hilarious, Ben…you ass,” I spit.
My phone rings and Cameron picks it up, glances at the screen and hands it to me, the name Amelie on the screen. I push reject and Cameron shakes his head.
“Have you had that conversation yet?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No, I haven’t had time.”
“How’s that going to go?”
“How do you fucking think?” I snap.
Adrian shakes his head. “You, Stanton, are a tosser. You’re jealous of her bodyguard, when you are the one who makes her have one. And now that she actually needs one, you want to take the best man off the job because you’re insecure.”
“I am not insecure. He’s just too.… familiar.”
“He’s twenty years older than her. Grow up,” Adrian replies flatly.
The door opens and Natasha breezes in. Her warm smile cuts through me. What if something happens to her because of me? I couldn’t bear it. She sits next to me on the bed.
“What did the police want?” she asks.
“Umm…nothing. They were inquiring where I got the drugs from the other night.”
Her eyes hold mine. She knows I’m lying but is staying silent while the others are in the room.
“Tash, Ben will be swapping with Max to guard you,” I mutter. She frowns as I pick up her hand and hold it in mine. She looks nervously at Ben. “Ben, I don’t mean to be rude, but I would rather stay with Max. I am only comfortable with Max.”
Ben and Cameron both smirk at me. I narrow my eyes at them.
“Then Max can stay with you, baby, that’s ok,” Adrian interjects.
“Now that you are in the States, Tash, you need more protection that’s all.
There is a nasty story in the paper today about you and you will be followed by photographers.
They are really pushy. You cannot go anywhere without protection. ”
“What kind of story?” Her eyes widen as Adrian hands her the paper. She slumps into the chair to read it.
A nurse enters the room. “Nurse, please let the doctor know I am checking out this afternoon.”
“Joshua,” Natasha snaps. “Your treatment.”
“Tash, I need to go home.” She frowns at me.
“I am going to find the doctor.” Cameron stands and leaves the room.
“Josh, I want you to do this drug rehab, it’s really important.”
“I know, Presh. I promise I will continue the treatment from home.” My eyes flick nervously to Ben. “The pap has access to me in here, baby. We are safer in a more protected environment.”
She rolls her eyes. “I think you are being a bit of a drama queen, Josh.”
“It is safer at Joshua’s house, Natasha. I will go and make arrangements for the transfer,” says Ben as he leaves the room.
I pull her to lie down next to me on the bed and I hold her tight. “You ok, baby? That was a pretty awful nightmare you had last night.”
She smiles warmly and kisses me, and her lips linger on mine. “The wake-up call I got has erased all bad memories, thank you Mr. Stanton.”
I squeeze her tightly. “Good…Tash do you want to go travelling for a while? Take a couple of months off, see the world.”
Her eyes widen. “You are serious about this? Could you take time off?”
“I don’t see why not.” I smile warmly.
“Oh, I have to go back to Australia this weekend. I need to be back at work on Monday.”
My eyes widen, “Well that’s not happening. I need you with me.”
“Joshua, I am going back to resign and there is not a thing you can do about it. My boss has been so good to me and two other staff are on holidays and I am booked solid all week. I will come back in two weeks.”
“I will come with you then. I am not letting you out of my sight.” Bloody hell, this is a logistical nightmare.
The doctor enters the room. “Cameron has just explained the situation to me. I understand you are checking out.”
“Yes, I have to go to Sydney on the weekend, Doctor, so I will just pick up my treatment over there.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. You are unable to fly for at least two weeks, your heartbeat is too erratic. Let’s not forget that you almost died three days ago. You will risk a heart attack at that altitude.”
“Josh, I will just come back in two weeks. It will be okay,” Natasha urges as she picks up my hand again.
“I will send a nurse in to put a drip in for a couple of hours to rehydrate you and then I will hook you up to an angiogram for an hour and if the results are all good, I will check you out this afternoon. Definitely, no flying for two weeks.”
Natasha
It’s four o’clock. Josh has been hooked up to a drip for three hours. I’m tired and I just want to get the hell out of here. I stand and stretch, the nurse pushes in the heart rate thingy and starts to stick things to Joshua’s chest.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom outside in the waiting room, Josh.”
He frowns and mouths the words, “Just go in here,” as he gestures to his bathroom with his chin.
I smile and shake my head. “The private rooms outside are
riddled with guards. I will just be a minute.” He shakes his head apprehensively. “Be quick.”
I smile and leave the room. I head through the lounge area and I see Max.
“Max, I think I want a coffee. Let’s go for a walk.”
He frowns. “You can’t leave the room till the other guards get back.”
“Where are they?”
“They have gone back to check Joshua’s house and prepare for the transfer.”
I roll my eyes. “This is ridiculous: prepare for the transfer.
This isn’t an episode of bloody Star Trek you know.”
He smiles. “I will go get the coffee. Do not leave this room.”
I give him a salute. “Aye, aye captain.” As he leaves the room, security buzz through.
“We have an Amelie Richards here to see Joshua Stanton.” Max looks at me for approval and I nod as I head into the bathroom. Great, bitchface is here. I suppose it is better she comes here rather than to the house to see him.
I finish up in the bathroom and am washing my hands when she walks in.
“Hello Natasha.” She smiles.
“Hi Amelie. Thank you for coming. He’s in the room. Just go in.”
“I didn’t come here to see Joshua. I came to see you.”
I frown. “Really, what about?”
“What has Joshua told you about him and me?” she replies flatly.
My stomach drops and my heart rate picks up speed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. What do you think Joshua’s and my relationship is?”
“That you are close friends,” I whisper as dread creeps through me.
She tutts. “Did he tell you that we have been sleeping together since he got back from Australia?”
I stumble back from her in shock. “You’re lying,” I snap.
“Go ask him yourself. You see Joshua is confused. He thinks it is you that he wants but the reality is he can’t let me go. We made passionate love as recently as Friday.”
Pain lances through me as I step back from her in shock.
That’s five days ago.
“I don’t believe you!” I whisper.
“Natasha, I think it’s time you realize the harsh truth. You cannot make him happy like I can. He is only with you out of obligation. Wake up and smell the coffee, dear girl. Joshua is in love with me.”