Chapter 24
Natasha
All of my emails seem to have disappeared and my send and receive isn’t working.
Emma, my colleague, walks into my office. “Natasha, I have just forwarded you an email that came to my inbox by mistake.” I frown as I flag a problem with our computer tech team.
“Thanks, what is it?” I ask.
“Not sure, an email addressed to me but the subject line says please forward to Natasha Marx.”
My eyes look up from my computer. That’s odd. “What does it say?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Check it out. It should be in your inbox.”
I roll my eyes. “My computer is totally shit and I can’t access anything. Can I open it on yours?”
“Yeah, sure.” I move back from my desk and she leans over me and opens her email on my computer. “I have to go. I have an appointment. Do you want to have lunch?”
“Yeah, ok, if I can find this file I will. Otherwise, I’m in big trouble,” I mutter as I open the email addressed to me. Emma leaves the room.
I frown as I look at the email. Is it from Josh?
No, the sender says blocked…weird? I click on the attachment.
It’s a rolling picture and then it goes black.
Huh? I sit forward and play it again…it doesn’t make sense.
I play it again…I can’t make out anything.
Josh must have sent me something. I smile and dial his number.
“Hi Presh,” he answers.
I smile. “Hi baby, can you send the email again? I can’t make out the picture.”
He stays silent.
“Did you hear me? I can’t open the attachment.” I sigh as I doodle on my notepad.
“Ahh…Yeah, okay. What email did I send it to?” he replies.
I frown. “It went to my work friend’s email by mistake and she gave it to me.”
He stays silent.
“So anyway, just resend it, okay.” I repeat as I start ratting through my filing cabinet. “My email system has totally stuffed up and I’m in trouble if I can’t access this next client file,” I murmur.
He stays silent for a moment as he listens. “Do you want to have lunch today?” he sighs.
I smile. “Definitely, hey did you see if I left my phone at home this morning? I can’t find it anywhere,” I ask.
“No, I didn’t notice,” he replies. “What time is your break?” “One thirty.”
“I will call you when I get to the hospital,” he says quietly. “Okay, see you then.”
Adrian
Joshua and Ben walk in front of me as we search for a good coffee and two guards trail behind.
It’s 3.00 pm. Joshua is in a filthy mood.
He went to the hospital to have lunch with Tash and he was going to tell her about the tape.
This woman has other email addresses, and he knows it is only a matter of time before Natasha finds out, so he wanted to tell her first. Apparently her friend joined them for lunch though and they weren’t alone so he couldn’t do it. He’s not happy. Joshua’s phone rings.
“You found your phone, Presh,” he smiles as he answers it.
He listens and then stops dead. I nearly run into the back of him. “Where’s Natasha?” he snaps. I frown at Ben in question. Joshua holds his hand over the phone. “The hooker has
Natasha’s phone. Get her guards on the line,” he snaps to Ben. Ben shakes his head and immediately dials a number as Joshua continues to speak. He’s furious. “It’s ok. Max is looking at her right now. She’s safe,” Ben sighs as he holds the phone to his ear. Thank God.
“You have ten fucking minutes,” Joshua snaps. He hangs up.
His eyes flick to us. “We are meeting her, and I am going to finish this once and for all. I’ve had about as much shit from this bitch as I am going to take.”
We stand in the hall, waiting for the lift to take us to the fourth floor in the Novotel hotel. Joshua has his hands in his pockets and is looking at the floor. He’s furious. I am nervous as hell. What if this woman has bouncers up there waiting for us?
“Just stay quiet, everybody,” Ben says flatly. “Let me do the talking.”
Joshua’s angry eyes meet mine and he walks into the lift.
Knock, knock. Ben knocks on the door, and it opens in a rush.
The blonde opens the door and smiles sexily at us. Joshua glares at her.
“Come in.” She gestures into the room.
We walk in and say nothing. There is no one else in the room and it is empty except for a bed.
“What do you want?” Joshua snaps.
My eyes flick to Ben. I knew he wouldn’t keep quiet.
She fakes a laugh. “I don’t want to be spoken to like that, Joshua, or is it baby?”
Joshua narrows his eyes at her.
She crosses her arms in front of her. “It’s so pathetic how she looks at you like you’re a god. I was watching her run her hand up your leg at lunch today. She thinks you are perfect; how very wrong she is.”
He runs his tongue over his top front teeth in contempt.
“I didn’t come her to listen to your dribble. What do you want?” he snaps.
Ben holds his hand up to Joshua to signify silence.
She frowns at Ben’s hand. “This is between Joshua and me, goon, keep going and you can wait outside.”
Ben puts his hands on his hips and smiles slyly at her as he shakes his head in a threatening way.
Her eyes flick back to Joshua. “I told you I want five million dollars, or I will give the tape to the boring wife.”
Joshua turns his back on her, and I roll my eyes. “There is no way in hell you are getting five million dollars. You have got to be kidding. We are going to the police,” I snap.
She smiles and looks at Joshua. “This isn’t up to you, it’s up to Joshua. He’s the one that is going to break the stupid bitch’s heart.”
Joshua turns and grabs her by the throat and slams her head up against the wall.
“Joshua,” I stammer. “Stop it.”
He smacks the back of her head against the wall again as he squeezes her neck hard. Ben stops me from grabbing him…Jesus.
“You know what happens to dirty whores like you?” he sneers.
“They make a lot of money,” she gasps through her stranglehold.
“You’re going to end up in a body bag. I mean it, do not push me.
You have no idea who you are dealing with.
If you go near Natasha again, I will fucking kill you!
” He slams her head again. “Do you fucking understand me?” he screams into her face I stand still and shocked, my eyes wide. I’ve never seen Joshua like this.
She breaks free from his grip and grabs her neck as she chokes. “Don’t touch me,” she stammers as she holds her throat.
He smiles at her like the devil himself.
Shit, this situation is totally out of control. “Joshua, calm down. Stop it,” I yell.
“Start talking, stupid,” he screams.
“Five million,” she coughs.
He shakes his head. “One million today in cash and I want my men to go with you and take your computers and phone and all copies on the spot.”
She frowns. “You can’t take my computers and phone.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I can take anything I fucking want.”
“I want five.”
He shakes his head. “This is my first and final offer. One million, take it or leave it.”
She hesitates as she thinks, and we all stay silent. “I will show her,” she stammers.
Joshua smirks. “And then I will kill you…the choice is yours.” Her eyes flick to Ben who right at this moment I think might actually kill her…fuck this is crazy shit. They are even scaring me, and I know neither of them is capable of this violence. My heart starts to race as fear grips me.
“I want cash,” she looks at Joshua nervously.
“I can have it in thirty minutes,” Joshua sneers.
“What’s it going to be?” Joshua yells.
She’s scared it’s obvious. I’m fucking scared and I am friends with these two.
“You go and get the money, Joshua, and Peter and I will escort little miss here to get the computers and extra copies,” Ben says flatly.
Joshua’s eyes meet mine. “Search her house,” I snap at Ben.
He nods and grabs her by the arm and pulls her toward the door.
“One hour,” she sneers. “One hour back here with my money.” Joshua glares at her and I start to panic again. I think he’s losing control.
Natasha
Weeknights are meant to be relaxing and calm, but I have never been so anxious.
I was a regular person. I had a normal life…
that is until Joshua Stanton came back into it.
Now it seems I jump from one nightmarish situation to the next.
Totally unrelated stupid things that are making my head spin.
I feel like I am in an out-of-control plane and I don’t know if the landing is going to be ok or if I am going to crash and burn.
Cancer, serial killers, hit men, bodyguards, paternity…
Jesten, Joshua’s feeling about me. I just want some damn peace…
with a boyfriend who I know loves me. Why can’t I be in love with a normal man…
a boring, weedy, slightly overweight man?
My stomach clenches as nerves fill my system and I look at my watch for the fiftieth time tonight. Why haven’t they contacted me yet?
It’s Tuesday night and I’m waiting for the call from Bridget and Abbie to let me know that the fight between Jesten and Joshua is over…
and that Jesten is still alive. Nine pm, it’s got to be on soon.
I got home from the hospital at seven and have been waiting ever since.
I put my head into my hands as I sit on the toilet.
This is a nightmare. How am I supposed to be calm when I know what is going on in the Luna Park Convention Centre just across town? My phone rings, it’s Abbie.
“Hello,” I answer. “Hi, it’s Abbie.”
“I know who it is, what’s happening?” I snap.
“Right, so Joshua is fighting Jesten. I just saw it on the draw.” “Shit.” I was hoping that they wouldn’t be put against each
other. “Are they fighting right now?” I ask.
“No, not yet, I will call you when it starts.”
“Ok,” I hang up.
I walk into the kitchen and pour myself a vodka with soda and go out onto my balcony and light a cigarette. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I need to calm my nerves. I’m a walking basket case.