Chapter 14
Nora
The three days without Andreas have both flown by and dragged on.
It’s now Friday afternoon, three o’clock, and as planned, I’m wrapping up work early to get ready for tonight.
Nothing beats a long, luxurious bath, shaving, washing and styling my hair, painting my nails, and taking my sweet time to prepare.
Professionally, it wasn’t a bad thing to be alone this week.
I’ve gotten a ton of work done and managed to schedule many evening appointments.
But on a personal level, it wasn’t always easy.
The lonely nights felt long and were short on sleep.
I’ve missed Andreas more than I’d like to admit.
Sure, we called and messaged, but it’s not the same.
I need him here, physically. And tonight, finally, I’ll have him back. I’m excited, but also nervous.
“Hi Eric,” I say enthusiastically.
“Hey Nora, had a good week?” he asks, friendly but serious as ever.
“Sure did. And you? Manage to get some well-deserved downtime?”
“Downtime? Not really, there’s always something to handle, even when Andreas isn’t around,” he says with a rare laugh.
As I put my luggage in the trunk—because I can definitely do that myself—I see a black Jaguar driving away. I hadn’t thought about it before, but now I realize I’ve seen this car a lot this week.
“Eric?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“That car over there, the Jaguar, I think it’s been on this street every day, and usually there’s someone inside.” I point to the car as it drives out of the street.
“Is that so?” Eric doesn’t sound genuinely surprised—or concerned, for that matter.
“It’s kind of hard to miss a Jaguar. I’m pretty sure.” I assure him.
“I’ll look into it for you,” he says, though it doesn’t seem like he’s in any rush.
For someone in security, you’d think his curiosity would be piqued, but no such luck.
Something about this feels off. “Hop in, we need to get going.” With that, he interrupts my thoughts, and I shift my focus back to Andreas and the sea.
I knew I could expect something beautiful by the sea, but I’m completely blown away by what I see.
The villa of the De Graeve brothers is truly stunning.
The location is unbeatable. It’s one of the few houses along the entire Belgian coast that’s actually nestled in the dunes right by the beach.
Unlike his apartment, this villa is very modern.
It reminds me more of his latest purchase.
Facing the sea, every floor boasts floor-to-ceiling windows with terraces, while the ground-level terrace merges into a small garden of sand and dune grass.
Though not huge, the villa is perfectly designed as a getaway, equipped with every comfort.
More than perfect for a vacation home. Downstairs, there’s a garage, storage space for bikes and beach gear, a bathroom, a bar, and a lounge.
The window, with a view of the sea, can slide open completely.
On the first floor, I find the living room with an open kitchen, a guest room, and a small bathroom.
On the second floor is the master bedroom with a sea view, another small guest room, and a large bathroom.
The view is breathtaking. The distance between the sea and the promenade is usually quite large in Zeebrugge, but I see that it’s high tide and I feel an irresistible urge to dip my toes into the water.
After a week spent mostly indoors, I’m desperate for fresh air and open space.
Better to seize the moment now, Andreas likely has other plans for me once he arrives.
A thrill courses through me at the thought.
I leave my unpacking for later and head downstairs to find Eric.
He’s supposed to stay here until Andreas arrives.
I don’t know why, but I suspect they might have some work stuff to discuss.
He’s sitting on the couch, typing on his laptop.
“Eric?”
“Yeah, everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course. I just wanted to let you know I’m going for a walk on the beach. The weather’s so nice, and the sea is close. I’ll see you in about half an hour, okay?”
“I don’t know, Nora. Is that really a good idea? Andreas could land any minute now and be here in less than an hour, I’d guess.”
Right at that moment, both our phones ping. Andreas has landed in Ostend.
“Isn’t that perfect? I don’t plan to walk for more than half an hour. I’ll be back before Andreas gets here.”
I see Eric hesitate and think. “I’ll come with you,” he says. I don’t understand what the problem is.
“I really don’t need a bodyguard to take a walk on the beach.
” I laugh at his overprotectiveness, but the tension in his face doesn’t ease with my remark.
“Besides, I don’t need your permission, Eric.
I just wanted to let you know. I’ll see you later.
” Eric curses under his breath but doesn’t stop me.
I sprint back upstairs and swap my slightly too-formal dress for shorts and a loose, airy top.
I grab a bottle of water, slather on some sunscreen, and slip into my sandals.
Then I quickly run back down the stairs, through the garden, and into the dunes to reach the promenade.
A set of stairs leads me down to the beach.
It’s wonderful—the wind in my hair, the sand between my toes, and the sun on my skin.
I have only one goal: to get my feet wet in the sea.
It’s still a bit of a walk, but worth it.
The water feels wonderfully refreshing on my feet.
I stand still for a moment, soaking it all in, before strolling along the waterline.
The seagulls are screeching loudly. I love all the sounds of the sea.
Andreas sends me a message. He’s almost in Zeebrugge and can’t wait to see me.
I send back a photo of the sea and the setting sun.
I decide to loop back via the promenade after walking past a few beach cabins.
The beach is quiet now; most day-trippers have left, though a few groups linger.
The peace is lovely, and the movement feels good.
As I pass a lively group by a cabin—pizza boxes and beer bottles scattered around, reggae music spilling from a speaker—I notice him.
Noah. The last time I saw him, his hands were all over me, and Andreas had barely been in time to intervene.
I freeze. He spots me too, his grin vanishing as he rises to his feet.
My heart races as I veer toward an opening between two cabins, hoping to lose him.
The soft sand muffles any steps, leaving me completely unprepared when I’m slammed against the cabin’s wooden side.
Pain radiates through my shoulder and hip as I stare into Noah’s wild, dilated eyes.
The space between the cabins is tight. His hands grip my arms, his hips pinning me to the wall.
Fear floods my body, my legs turning to lead.
The smell of weed clings to him, and I recoil in disgust. I try to twist away, but his grip tightens.
My gaze darts desperately around, searching for help but seeing none.
“Well, well, Nora, what brings you to Zeebrugge? Miss me?” He grins grotesquely.
I find a spark of defiance and spit in his face.
The retaliation is immediate, a stinging slap across my cheek.
His smile vanishes, replaced by a glare that sends a shiver through me.
Gasping for air, I taste blood on my lip and struggle to focus through the haze of pain.
Mocking me, he presses his hand to my throat, squeezing hard enough to make breathing difficult, his control suffocating.
“This time, your boyfriend isn’t here to save you, Nora, so don’t get any ideas.” I whimper, unable to say anything. “Does he fuck you, Nora? Are you as good as Isabella? Maybe I want to compare, just like Andreas. What do you think?”
His thigh presses against me, and his free hand grips my breast. Terror floods my veins.
I try to shake my head, but with his hand tightening around my neck, I can barely move.
Tears spill down my cheeks, my body trembling as fear battles with my thoughts.
Isabella and Andreas? Were they together?
Did Andreas lie about what they meant to each other?
I already had a suspicion that something was going on between them, but Andreas swore to me that wasn’t the case.
“Maybe you can deliver a message since you two are so close? Tell him to leave Isabella the fuck alone!” he yells and spits in my face.
Leave Isabella alone? Are they still involved?
I want to vomit. But instead, I nod, agreeing to do whatever it takes for him to let me go.
Yet he doesn’t release me. His grip on my breast tightens, his arousal pressing hard against my thigh.
His hand moves from my breast to the button and zipper of my shorts.
I whimper and cry, but each sound earns a tighter squeeze on my throat, cutting off my air and forcing me into silence.
I can’t believe this is really happening.
Total panic takes hold of me. Breathing becomes almost impossible as he constricts my windpipe.
The squeezing also causes excruciating pain.
He has his hand on the edge of my shorts and tries to pull them down.
With the last shred of strength I have, I shove at him, scratching and kicking with everything in me.
But it only enrages him further. He curses, raising his hand to strike again.
I shut my eyes, bracing for the blow, turning my head away as I silently beg for mercy I don’t expect to come.
But the hit never lands. Instead, I hear a heavy thud, and the crushing grip on my neck is suddenly gone.
My eyes fly open. The next thing I see is Eric, launching himself at Noah and taking him down.
The two men roll through the sand, Eric landing blow after blow until Noah is clearly overpowered.