Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
The look of fear in Narelle’s face was palpable, and Andy had no idea what caused it.
Her reaction to when he went to call the nurse confused him.
A few seconds ago, she’d been happy for him to hold her hand.
There were times she’d sought him out, as if needing his comfort.
Now it appeared that she wanted nothing to do with him.
He stood, holding his hands up as he backed away from the bed, the chair scraping along the floor behind him. “Okay. I’m moving away. Do you want me to go?”
As much as it would kill him to do so, he would, if that was what she wanted. If she never wanted to see him again, he would heed her wish. No matter how hard that would be for him.
“I—umm.” She licked her lips and then shook her head. “Is it you?”
“Is what me?”
“Are you the reason I’m here? Did you try and kidnap me in Bali? Did you cause my accident? Are you working with the nurse who tried to drug me?”
There was a lot to unpack there, but what stood out the most to him was her comment about the attempted kidnapping in Bali. If he didn’t already believe someone was after her, then his new information cemented it even further.
“No. I swear. I’m not involved with any of that.” She didn’t look convinced, and he didn’t blame her. His words were an automatic response. He would have to do more to convince her he wasn’t involved with any of the things that happened to her.
“I don’t know if I believe you. All this stuff happened to me after I met you. You have to admit it’s suspicious.”
When she put it like that, he couldn’t blame her for jumping to that conclusion.
“You’re right, it is suspicious, and I’m not sure how to convince you that I’m not responsible.
I can’t explain why I was at the intersection at the same time as your accident.
” He pulled his shirt from his trousers her eyes widening.
“I got jumped when I was chasing the nurse. I didn’t see who it was.
Or what they hit me with, but it was with enough force to knock me off my feet and wind me. ”
He hadn’t looked at the bruises forming, but at Narelle’s gasp, they had to look bad.
Him being bruised badly wasn’t anything new. He’d taken a fair beating at the hands of Lauren’s ex, Patrick.
“Are you okay?” Her concern gave him hope that she was beginning to believe him.
“I’m fine. I really don’t know how to reassure you that you are safe with me.
Except that you are. I would never hurt you.
” Perhaps if he laid himself bare to her, it would go a long way in turning things in his favor.
“I like you, Narelle. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since our night together.
It would’ve been so easy for me to get Wilt, our computer expert, to try and find you, but I didn’t, because I didn’t think it would be fair to you.
I was trying to get beyond why you were always in my thoughts, when the accident happened.
Seeing you injured was a punch to my stomach.
I prayed you were okay, because if you weren’t…
” He broke off and shook his head, not wanting to relive those moments when he thought she might have been dead.
“From the second you walked out my hotel room, I wanted to chase after you and get your full name and number, but I didn’t know if you felt the same way, so I stayed where I was, and kicked myself for not taking a chance. ”
For endless seconds, Narelle didn’t say anything.
Did she believe him? Or did she think it was an elaborate story?
Whether she did or not, he would walk out of the room if she wanted him to. But he wouldn’t leave her alone. He would watch her from afar, all the while trying to find the people responsible, and eliminate them so she could live her life without the threat hanging over her head.
“You were always on my mind, too,” she eventually said, and a flicker of hope ignited. “I wished that I’d gotten your details too. I want to believe you, Andy, I really do, but part of me still says I need to be cautious.”
“I understand that but believe me when I say I’m going to do everything to make you trust me again. I’m waiting to hear back from Wilt about the nurse. I contacted him as soon as I could stand. I’m hoping to hear something soon.”
Would now be a good time to show her the footage of her car crash?
No, he didn’t need to traumatize her more.
“Okay.”
He didn’t know how long they’d been alone in the room, but he hoped they had a few more minutes before her parents came back. He had to ask her about what happened in Bali, and he had a feeling she’d prefer it if her parents didn’t hear those details.
Hell, he’d prefer it as well.
“Can you tell me what happened in Bali?” He made sure he kept his attention fully on her, so that she knew he wasn’t lying or acting like he had no idea.
As she spoke, his shoulders got tighter and tighter, and the desire to protect her got stronger and stronger. “Thank god you listened to your gut. I can’t tell you how many times gut feelings saved me and my team in messy situations we were in the middle of.”
“I wasn’t sure if I was just making a big deal out of nothing, but when the hotel concierge told me that my ride had been cancelled by me, and I knew for sure that I hadn’t done that, I knew I’d dodge a bullet.
I guess my instincts let me down on this one,” she said, pointing to her leg with her good arm. “Although…”
“What?” He looked over his shoulder at the door, as if he expected someone to burst through it.
“I’ve had this weird sensation since I got back, that someone was watching me.
That I was being followed. I had it before I got on, and off, the train, the day of the accident.
I didn’t see anyone though. Apart from the usual commuters, that is.
Most of them had headphones on, and their attention was on their phones. None of them were looking at me.”
Someone who was good at surveillance could blend into the background. Andy had done it many times on missions.
Narelle’s parents bustled into the room, halting their conversation. Andy was glad they hadn’t come in two seconds earlier. Their faces looked grim, and he had a feeling they hadn’t received good news.
“Bad news?” he queried, figuring it was best just to rip that Band-Aid off in one go, instead of pulling it gently.
“It’s fine,” Julie said, forcing a smile, as if to assure her daughter everything was okay.
“Don’t do that, mum. The insurance company isn’t going to cover the cancellation of flights or anything you’ve got planned, right?”
Mike placed a hand on Julie’s shoulder and squeezed. Andy loved seeing the support they gave each other. “Yes. We’d lose most of our money. Some of the accommodation we arranged can be cancelled without penalties, but, yeah, it’s not good.”
“You’ve got to go, then. I don’t want you to lose all that money.
” Narelle looked like she wanted to cry, and he didn’t blame her.
If his parents were still alive and had planned a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, he’d be encouraging them to go.
Even if he was in the same position as Narelle.
No one deserved to lose the money they’d worked hard for and obviously saved for a long time.
“We’ve already said we’re not going to leave you.” Mike’s words weren’t as strong as they once had been. As if he was torn between taking the trip and doing the responsible thing and look after their child, regardless of how old they were.
“Dad, please. This trip is so important to you. I’ll be fine.” She may have said the words, but the uncertainty that she was anything but fine, shone in Narelle’s eyes.
“Think about it, Narelle, you’ve got a broken leg and arm. Your ability to do things is severely inhibited. You live in a two-story town home. How are you going to manage the stairs? Not to mention, what happened today when someone tried to harm you. You’re not safe.”
Andy could see the conversation delving into an argument, and no one wanted that. He was about to suggest something that had been floating in his mind ever since Wilt had told him that Narelle’s accident wasn’t an accident. “She can stay with me.”
Three heads swiveled in his direction, as if they’d all forgotten he was in the room. Which was a surprise, considering he was still sitting next to Narelle.
“What?” The word came from everyone, bar him.
“I said, Narelle can stay with me. I have a single-story house, so she won’t need to worry about climbing stairs.
I also have a state-of-the-art security system, and I work for a security company.
” He was about to lay out just how much he would do for the woman in the bed.
“We’re already investigating what happened today, to find out if we can locate a connection between whoever they are and Narelle. ”
No way was he going to mention the details of her accident, nor what happened to Narelle in Bali, to her parents. If they knew those details, they would never go on their trip.
“We can’t ask you to do that,” Julie said, although he was sure there was a hint of relief in her gaze.
“You didn’t ask. I offered. Please forgive me for being blunt, but I feel like I need to say this.
” Andy hoped what he said was received with the good intentions he was trying to convey.
“From an outside observer, it’s clear that this trip means a lot to you, Julie and Mike.
From what little you’ve all said, it’s something you’ve been saving for, and looking forward to, for a long time.
I can also understand that you don’t want to leave your daughter when she needs you.
I want to help. I promise, I will do whatever it takes to make sure nothing happens to Narelle.
I’ve upgraded the security system at my house, and all of my colleagues will keep an eye on Narelle as well.
” He paused, hoping they could hear his sincerity, because he wanted to do this for them all.
“Let me keep your daughter safe while you go. And if you’re worried anyone will think less of you for going, ignore them.
We know the truth. How hard this decision is for you. ”
No one spoke for a few moments. Andy had no idea if his little speech made a difference or not.
He wanted it to. Narelle had made a good point.
If her parents were out of the picture, then it was two less people he would have to worry about keeping safe.
There was no guarantee whoever was after Narelle would go after her parents as leverage, but he’d rather not risk it.
“Would you give us a few moments alone to discuss this, as a family?” Mike asked.
“Of course. I’ll be outside.” He gave Narelle’s uninjured leg a quick squeeze and left them to it.
He’d take the chance to call Wilt to find out if he had any new information. The fact his phone had remained silent didn’t bode well.
Who were these people?