12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Rory
I’d not spoken to anyone about Mia the way I had with Zeke, and also never voiced my desire to take my own life.
I grieved for Mia every single day, but I wouldn’t leave Carlotta with no parents to care for her. That would only spell disaster. Her only other living relative was Ernesto, and that was never going to happen.
The longer I sat on what Zeke had said, the more annoyed I got. By the time he returned, I was furious with Ernesto. My anger had spread to Zeke too. I couldn’t help but think some of this was his fault, but he’d gone out of his way to save Carlotta.
Add in the fact he’d agreed to help me care for her, and I was willing to forgive him.
Not only that, but the longer I spent with him, the more my attraction grew. I found myself looking at him in a different light.
I couldn’t take my eyes off his dark, glossy hair, high cheekbones, and luscious lips. How would they feel beneath mine? How would he taste?
How would his body feel pressed against mine? Would it be hard or soft?
All these questions filled my mind. Questions I’d never had before. The soft curves of Mia were all I’d ever wanted. Even the ladies at the school did nothing for me.
So why did Zeke awaken something I thought had been extinguished for good?
“Are you all right, Rory?”
I looked at the man slouched on the sofa. Since pouring my heart out to him, I’d lost the inclination to talk to him. There were things we still needed to discuss, but they could wait.
He’d selected a book from my extensive collection—The Chronicles of Narnia. A strange choice, but he seemed engrossed.
I had been trying to work with no success. I couldn’t concentrate, and Lisa had advised me, in no uncertain terms, to take the day off and not to argue.
Carlotta was still sleeping after another round of pain medication. The poor girl was suffering so much. Hopefully, they’d be able to do the operation tomorrow.
“I’m fine. Just when I think it’s all coming together, it’s like the world is out to ruin my life. First Mia, then the move, and now this thing with Ernesto.”
“Hey, it’s all going to be okay. Let’s look at what we can do to keep you both safe.”
He took a seat at the table, and I pushed a notepad and pen towards him.
“Carlotta leaves the house at around eight in the morning. I leave later, but I need to be at work for nine, although it’s not set in stone.
We have a nanny who takes care of Carlotta when I can’t be around to collect her or be here when she finishes school.
Weekends we do whatever we want to—cinema, shopping, meals out. ”
Zeke stared at me, writing nothing down.
“You need to take notes. How can you look after us if you don’t know any of this?”
“I know all this. I told you earlier. I’ve been watching you both for a while. I know where her school is, know where you work. I can take her to school in the morning and be back in time to get you to work.”
“I don’t need watching. I’ll be perfectly fine.”
“He threatened your life.”
“He said he didn’t care what happened to me. There’s a difference.”
“And you’re willing to risk that, knowing that in the end, he could end up with Carlotta? I will be a bodyguard to your family. Not just Carlotta.”
“Maybe. Look, I don’t want to get rid of you, but I have to cook dinner. We have nothing more to discuss. You have my schedule, although it won’t come into effect until Carlotta is back at school. I have no idea when that’ll be, but I’ll be in touch.”
“When she goes to the hospital, I’ll take you. I take my job very seriously.”
“I’ll let you know.”
I thrust his jacket at him, gave him the book, and pushed him towards the door. Today had been all too much. I wanted to take the rest of the day to calm myself.
I busied myself cooking dinner, and when Carlotta woke, we sat at the table to eat.
“No more to eat after this.” I dished up the last of the pasta in Carlotta’s bowl. “Nil by mouth again. Hopefully, you can have the surgery tomorrow and be on the mend.”
“I hate this, Papa.” She pushed her meal away. “Is Zeke police? Is this why we’re not talking to anyone about what happened? I’m not stupid.”
“No, you’re not, and while Zeke isn’t police, he’s going to help us find out who hurt you. And he’s going to be looking after both of us until we find out who.”
“He doesn’t look like a policeman.”
No, he didn’t, and there was something different about him. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“You need to eat up. It might be a while before you eat again.” I pushed the bowl back to her. “I’ll get you some water.”
She picked at her food, and so did I. My appetite had disappeared, and feelings I thought long forgotten surfaced.
Talking about Mia today brought her passing to the forefront of my mind, and my mood had darkened as the day progressed.
With Carlotta once again settled, I cleared the kitchen and decided to take an early night. The hospital had said they’d call early, and I made sure my phone was charged, the ringer turned up.
I tossed and turned all night, worrying about Carlotta, Ernesto, and Zeke. Had I done the right thing by inviting him to watch over us?
The phone woke me at six. “Mr Tushingham-Smythe. We have an opening this morning for Carlotta. If you can get her here within the next hour, we can have the operation done, and she’ll be home later on today. Is that okay?”
“Yes, of course. We’ll be there right away.”
I hopped out of bed and rushed into Carlotta’s room. “Honey, we’re a go for today. Get dressed. We need to leave as soon as I’ve had a shower.”
I washed away the listlessness I’d been feeling and dressed quickly, energised by the news. At the last minute, I messaged Zeke and told him we’d meet him at the hospital.
Zeke: Wait. I’ll be there in ten minutes
I was quite capable of getting my daughter to the hospital, but the moment we stepped onto the street and spied the black car parked with two men sitting inside, we quickly jumped back into the complex.
Rory: There are men on the street. We’re waiting inside.
Was I being paranoid? Better to be safe than sorry.
Zeke: Don’t go anywhere without me
He’d get no argument from me.
“Zeke said to wait. He’ll be here shortly.”
“What’s wrong, Papa?”
“Nothing. He’ll be here in a taxi to take us. We’ll be there in plenty of time.”
But she shook with nervousness. “It’ll be fine today, won’t it? What if I wake up?”
“They know exactly what they’re doing. The doctors have done this many, many times before. It’ll all be fine. I’ll be outside waiting for you and be the first thing you see when you wake up. You know this is the right thing, and you’ll be playing the piano before you know it.”
“I don’t play the piano, Papa.”
“Good time to learn, then.”
She laughed. At least I’d done my best to cheer her up.
A car horn honked outside. Zeke stood next to a car, beckoning us.
“Time to go.”
Cautiously I opened the door. The black car was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps I’d been overwrought after last night, and it wasn’t Ernesto’s men making another attempt to snatch her.
The taxi journey took no time at all this time of the morning, and before long, we were pulling up at the day centre.
Carlotta was trembling, her lip quivering.
“It’ll be okay, Carlotta. I’ll be here waiting.” I watched with trepidation as she was wheeled away to the operating theatre, my heart firmly in my mouth.
And wait we did. For three hours, I sat on the edge of my seat, willing the doctors to come out and tell me all had gone well.
Zeke stayed with me despite me telling him he could go.
“You’re paying me to watch over you. That’s what I’m doing, and I have nothing else to do.”
“What did you do before this? You know, before this thing with Ernesto.”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. In fact, you’ll probably laugh.”
“I could do with something to take my mind off Carlotta. Tell me.”
“I have a brother, Mal. We worked together until recently. We, erm, well, we ran a funeral parlour.”
“A what?” I looked over at him, trying to stifle a smile. “You worked at a funeral parlour. What on earth did you do there?”
“This and that. Mal takes care of most of it, and his partner, Jason, helps out now. One of the reasons I left, actually.”
“Partner as in business partner? Or?”
Zeke laughed. “Partner partner. They met a few years ago, fell in love, and now they live together.”
“I didn’t mean to pry. It wasn’t any of my business, and I’m not homophobic. I swear.”
He shrugged. “We love who we love. There’s no right or wrong person to fall in love with. Doesn’t matter to me. I’ve been with men and women.”
“You’re very open about that.”
“Why should I hide it away? It’s not a sin.”
“No, it’s not. I’ll admit I fooled around in school, but once I met Mia…”
“She was the one for you. It happens. We all have a soul mate out there. It takes time to find the right person. You were lucky.”
I had been incredibly lucky to meet Mia so early on, but now I was heading towards forty. Was I destined to be alone forever? Did I want to be alone in old age?
“And you? Have you got a special someone? Sorry, I’m prying again. You’re a good-looking guy. I’d be surprised if you didn’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend.”
“I like to spread the love. Or I did until recently.” He looked down at the floor. What had I said to cause such a response?
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say the wrong thing.”
“You didn’t. A short while ago, I found something out that changed my perspective. Changed my way of thinking.”
Not wishing to pry further, I changed the subject.
“So, where was home before London?”
“Down south, near the coast.”
Well, that was vague, but I took that as my cue to stop with the questions.
Several cups of coffee later, a nurse appeared.
I jumped to my feet, ready for the news. “How did it go? How is she?”
“She did brilliantly. She’s in recovery, and you can go through and see her soon. We need to give her a few minutes to come around.”
“Thank god.” Finally, I felt like something was going right. She’d be okay. I knew it, and by the time I got to see her, she was sitting up and smiling.
“How are you feeling?” I sat on the edge of her bed and held her other hand.
“I’m tired and feel a bit sick, but other than that, I’m okay.”
“You’re here for a while yet. Then you can come home. We’ll get you something good for dinner.”
“Will Zeke be there? I want to thank him for everything.”
“We’ll ask him, shall we?”
She nodded, but her eyes drooped, and I left her to sleep a while longer.
“She okay?” Zeke asked as I walked back into the waiting room.
“Fine. She’s doing fine.” The emotions of the last few days hit me hard. I rubbed my eyes, surprised when my fists came away wet.
A comforting hand landed on my shoulder, and without thinking, I turned and buried my face in the soft leather of Zeke’s jacket.
His arms surrounded me, and he held me as I cried, rubbing my back until I felt able to speak.
“I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“You’ve had a rough couple of days. I’d be surprised if you weren’t upset. Your daughter was kidnapped, then the accident, then Ernesto. It’s been a lot to take in.”
Embarrassed, I sat on the sofa. “I don’t usually cry. Well, not since Mia died anyway.”
“Crying is good for the soul. Crying helps us to reset and start again. Never be ashamed of that.”
“You should tell that to Ernesto. He was mortified when I cried when Mia died. I should have been a man and been an example to my daughter.”
“Ernesto is a cold-hearted bastard. We both know this.”
Zeke sat next to me on the sofa, his knee touching mine. A strong scent of leather and citrus filled my senses, and I inhaled deeply, taking comfort from the smell and him.
“We need to find a way to stop him,” I said, fearful for the future.
“We will. I caused all this. If I hadn’t told him I was pulling the plug, he never would have sent his men over here.”
“You mean you told him a while ago you weren’t going to work for him anymore?”
“About a week ago, I told him there was nothing to see, that you and Carlotta were living your lives with nothing to tell, but he persuaded me to stay a little longer. He sent men anyway.”
“Then it wasn’t your fault. This is all on him.”
We sat for a while longer, and eventually, Carlotta was released into my care. She was understandably tired and in pain, but nerve blockers helped manage that.
They’d reset her arm and inserted a small plate into her wrist to stabilise it. She’d need physio, but it would heal quickly enough. As soon as she felt able, she could go back to school on the understanding she was careful.
Zeke accompanied us home. He stayed for dinner, but it was a quiet affair. Some takeaway pizza followed by ice cream.
Carlotta crashed early, and after checking all was well, Zeke left, promising to check in the next day.
“Lie low for a few days. I can bring groceries around if you’re short of anything. I don’t want either of you going out for a while.”
He was taking this bodyguard business seriously.
I slept easier that night, knowing that Carlotta’s surgery was done. She was brave and would be right as rain in no time. I’d already heard her on the phone to her friends, telling them she’d be back as soon as possible, that staying home with her papa was sooo boring.
I’d never been so relieved to be called boring.
As for Zeke, his presence put my mind at rest. He could have told Ernesto anything to get his money. Instead, he’d told him the truth, but true to form, Ernesto hated that I was doing things right. That I was looking after my daughter.
She wasn’t being abused, nor was she being sold into child slavery. She was safe and happy in a loving home. A home I’d made sure to build for her.
He wouldn’t take that away from me. I wouldn’t let him, and if he wanted a fight for her, I’d be more than happy to give him one.