Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
Present Day
Andy gazed out the window at the sun glinting on the Swan River. A light breeze blew, creating tiny waves over the water’s surface. Behind him, one of his colleagues chatted on the phone, but he wasn’t hearing what was being said.
Ever since he’d been attacked the day Reed’s wife, Lauren, and her daughter Charlee, had been taken, he’d been second guessing himself and his skills.
He should’ve known Patrick had been lurking nearby. The man should’ve never gotten the jump on him.
Yet he had, and if he looked deep inside, he knew why he’d missed it all, even though his instincts had been screaming at him that danger was close by.
He’d been thinking about Narelle—again.
In the past, he’d never let a woman he was dating, let alone someone he’d spent only one night with, distract him from doing his job efficiently.
Why was a woman he’d spent less than twelve hours with still taking up so much of his thoughts three months later?
That was a question he kept asking himself over and over.
A fleeting moment in time was all they had, yet it was as though it had been burned into his mind for him to never forget.
“You good, Andy?” Reed came up to stand next to him. His colleague still had that “just married” glow.
“Yep, just thinking through things.” Not that he was going to tell his friend exactly what he was thinking about.
“We’ve had this conversation before, but I feel like we need to have it again. I don’t bear any anger toward you for what happened with Lauren and Charlee. Patrick fooled us all. The biggest thing I’m happy about is that you’re standing next to me.”
Reed didn’t need to say anything more, as Andy knew what he meant. Andy had been a stumbling block Patrick had to neutralize to get access to Charlee and Lauren.
Patrick had also shot Reed twice. The man had wanted Reed dead because he knew Reed had the capacity and the means to stop him from implementing the nefarious plans he had for his daughter. Which, even seriously injured, Reed had accomplished.
“I know.” Andy faced his friend, about to lay himself vulnerable because Reed was fortunate to be alive as well.
“For years, our jobs weren’t easy. Our mortality hung over our head like a hammer waiting to drop.
We got through that. But even if it had been a car accident or another incident, when you’re faced with the very real idea that your life is about to end, it changes things. ”
“I get it. I discovered that once I got Lauren and Charlee away from that asshole, I wasn’t letting them go.
I had no desire to wait months to marry her.
I was desperate to make it happen as soon as possible.
” Reed studied him for a few seconds. “Is there something else going on? Something or someone who’s making you reconsider things? ”
How much did he tell his friend?
Even though they were a close-knit team they didn’t share every single detail about their lives. Steve and Reed were both still in the honeymoon phase of their marriages. And he was happy for them.
Maybe it would be better if he talked about it. Maybe if he did, it would expel it from his mind and then he could move on with his life, and everything would be fine.
He looked around and found the others were busy. Wilt was pounding away on his keyboard, no doubt getting information for their next case or doing a background check on a new client.
If he really wanted, he could’ve asked Wilt to find out about a guest who stayed at the same hotel as him with the name of Narelle.
But he hadn’t, because what if she lived on the other side of the country from him?
It wasn’t as if he could do anything about it.
The option of him relocating to another part of the country wasn’t something he would consider.
He liked living in Perth. He loved his job, and he didn’t want to start over again in another part of the country.
“Andy?”
He’d been lost in his thoughts. Reed was staring at him, his worried look even more intense than it had been when he’d first walked up.
“Sorry. Just thinking.”
“I’ll leave you to it then.” Reed turned to walk away.
“Wait.” Reed paused, and Andy took a deep breath. “Let’s get a coffee and go for a walk.”
Perhaps being outside would make it easier for him to talk about what he’d done in Bali. He’d done nothing he was ashamed of, but the whole situation was messing with him, and he needed to get his shit together.
“Sure.”
Together, they headed for the door. Damon poked his head up from where he was working. “You guys good?”
“Yep, going for a breather outside.”
Damon nodded and went back to what he was doing.
That was the good thing about where they worked. They all respected each other and their space. They also didn’t blink if someone needed to get out of the confines of the building. They all had their own little quirks from their time in the military.
“If anyone needs us, they can get us on our cells,” Reed told Margot, their receptionist, as they walked past.
“Sure thing.”
“Do you want anything to eat or drink while we’re out?” Andy asked, something he always did when he went for a walk.
“Nope. Tabby gave Steve some treats this morning. I’ve been eyeing a slice of her lemon poppyseed cake.”
It was a surprise the whole team hadn’t put on a few extra pounds with all the delicious treats Tabby continued to provide them with.
“If there are any choc chip muffins, keep one for me,” Reed said.
“Will do. Do you want anything set aside Andy?” Margot asked, her usual friendly smile on her face.
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks anyway.”
They left the building and headed toward the pedestrian bridge which would take them over to the path that followed the Swan River.
As he’d noted from the window, the breeze was light, so they wouldn’t get buffeted by the fierce afternoon sea breeze that blew in, cooling down a hot summer’s day.
They’d been walking for about five minutes before Andy found the courage to start talking. “Do you recall when I went to Bali to do that solo mission for Bayden? The joint assignment with the AFP and FBI?”
“The one a few months ago?” Reed asked.
“Yeah.”
“What about it? You said everything went off without an issue. Did something happen that you didn’t tell us about?”
“No, it ended up being a pretty easy job. It was something that happened the last night I was there. I did something that I haven’t done in a very long time.”
“Ahh.” It was all Reed said, but Andy knew his friend understood what he was getting at.
“Yeah. I don’t know what it is about her, but I can’t get her out of my mind.
” What he admitted to next could change how his friend thought about him.
Regardless of what Reed had said earlier, his thoughts could change once Andy finished.
“I was thinking about her when the situation with Patrick happened. I’m sor—”
“If you fucking say sorry again, it’s gonna get ugly.”
“But because of me not being aware—”
Reed made a slashing movement with his hand.
“Enough. What happened was months ago. Lauren and Charlee are okay, and we’re married.
Do you think I was fully aware of what was going on when Patrick got the jump on me in my own driveway?
No. All I could think about was getting Lauren inside my house. ”
The guilt still ate at Andy, and he didn’t think it was going to go away anytime soon, but now Reed was aware of what had been going on in Andy’s mind at the time. Maybe it was time to let the guilt go. To move on with his life and maybe find peace with the whole situation.
Would it be possible? He didn’t know unless he put his mind to it.
Was he ready to forget about Narelle?