by Nikki Rose
“Are you sure we are being followed?”
“I’ve been suspicious for awhile. That’s why I made the turns I did. I was testing to see if he would follow.”
“What do we do?”
“Keep calm. We need to get back onto a more public trail. Chances are he won’t try anything if there’s a lot of witnesses. Whoever is after you doesn’t want a big public display, they want to use you to get to your dad.”
We came to a part of the park I wasn’t familiar with. The trail forked off into two directions and I cursed myself for going away I didn’t know well. I’d let my conversation with Caroline distract me from thinking things through. In an attempt to expose the person stalking us, I’d led us into isolation. I wasn’t too worried. I could handle that guy easy enough but I didn’t want an altercation with Caroline with me. If he was armed, someone could get hurt and I’d be damned if it was her.
I had to make a choice on which way to go and was running out of time to choose without making it look obvious. I took a deep breath and tugged Caroline’s hand to the left where the thick woods blocked her stalker from being able to see us after we rounded the bend.
“He can’t see us right now. Run.”
I kept a tight hold on her hand, pulling her along as we ran down the empty path. We only had a few minutes before he would be rounding the turn and see us running which would give us away. We needed to be out of sight before then.
Another trail cut through the thick woods and I drug her down the overgrown path with raised roots and stones making it more difficult to keep steady. The trail widened up ahead and I was hopeful we were coming up to a more populated area. We just had a few yards to go. Caroline stumbled and I glanced back to check on her. “Careful. Watch your step.” When I turned around again, a second, large man appeared from the brush and stepped into our path with imposing, stalking steps.
I stopped us in our path and turned to run back the way we came, we’d only ran a few feet when the first guy came into view. We were trapped between the two who closed in rapidly as I racked my mind to figure out a solution for getting Caroline out of the mess my mistake had caused.
“Chris.” She squeezed my hand tight and looked at me with questioning eyes begging me to know what to do.
“Stay behind me.” I chose to go after the larger man first, having Caroline go along with me until we got nearer to him. She jumped behind a bush and crouched low as we approached.
He took a swing at me but I ducked and managed to catch him in the kidney with a sharp jab of my elbow. I whirled around on him as he turned to charge me. His shoulder struck hard into my abdomen, half knocking the air from my lungs but I kept my control. I grabbed the back of his head and brought my knee up fast, catching him in the stomach. He got away, stumbling, he caught his balance, grabbing a knife from his hip, he took another swing.
I grabbed his arm, turning and dropping my weight fast, letting the bone snap and the knife fell to the ground. He cried out and I managed to turn in time for my elbow to hit him hard in the face again, sending him stumbling back. I punched his left eye and he fell to the ground.
His friend ran up to help, taking a sloppy swing at me which I dodged easily but his second swing connected with my face, sending a blinding light exploding behind my eyes. I stumbled back but recovered quickly. I took a swing, waited for him to dodge it and struck hard with my left hand in his gut, making him double over. Before I could hit him again, the bigger guy recovered, grabbing me from behind. He turned me around and swung. I grabbed hold of his arm, flipping him over my shoulder and crashing into the first guy again, sending him flying to the ground and his head hitting a large rock half buried in the dirt.
The smaller guy didn’t get up but the larger one stumbled to his feet once more. I was running out of stamina and needed to end this quick. As he plowed toward me, I kicked him directly in the breadbasket with a soft thud. A rush of air forced its way from his lips and he fell to the ground, gasping.
“Chris.” Caroline called out in a panic and I looked up. Three men charged down the trail from the direction we’d come from. I wanted to get these guys but I wanted to get Caroline out of there more.
I jumped over the skinnier guy, unconscious on the ground and grabbed Caroline’s hand, dragging her down the path. A bullet whizzed passed my ear and I pushed us to go faster. We rounded one bend then another, jumping over roots and rocks.
“Who are these guys?” Caroline panted as we ran faster.
“My guess is some thugs working for whoever hacked into the server’s files.” We finally reached the end of the trail that opened up into the main part of the park.
We slowed our pace just slightly, dodging couples out for a walk and parents strolling their babies. I glanced back across the park. Two of the men stalked quickly toward us with their guns hidden. At least out in the park, we didn’t have to worry about their guns. They wanted to keep a low profile. We jogged to the parking lot and jumped in the car.
I spun out of the parking lot and raced down the road, my car’s engine roaring as it switched gears. I glanced behind me as a SUV zig-zagged through traffic at a furious pace. My tires squealed as I took a turn to the left then back to the right at the next turn. I glanced back but didn’t see them.
I took a sharp turn, my backend fishtailing and Caroline gripped the armrest and braced herself against the window. “Chris, slow down.”
I didn’t listen, turning onto the long straight away that led back to Caroline’s house.
“Chris. Slow down. There’s no one behind us now.”
I glanced in my rearview. There was no one around. I finally slowed down when no one showed up behind us for several minutes but didn’t allow myself to relax even the smallest amount until we were safe behind the security gates of the Director’s property.
Chapter 14
I laid on my bed, my feet softly kicking at the air while I turned the page on one of my favorite books. It was one of those stories I loved to revisit every so often — like visiting an old friend. As a teenager practically kept under lock and key by my overprotective father, reading was my way to escape. Reading and watching tons of movies.
Chris peeked his head into the room and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Hey, what do you have planned today?”
“Nothing really, just being lazy. Why?” Hope rose in my chest at the thought of spending time with Chris. He hadn’t wanted us to leave the house much since the attack at the park. I couldn’t blame him for that but it didn’t make it any easier.
“Your dad needs me to go in with him to the office for a few hours. He was going to leave O'Neill here with you since I’d be with him. I wanted to check what you had planned to give him the day’s agenda.”
“Oh,” I couldn’t hide my disappointment and Chris walked into the room and sat on the edge of my bed.
“You were hoping I was going to suggest us doing something together?”
“Maybe. Yeah, but I get it. You have things you have to do. I’m just going nuts here.”
“I could see about O'Neill taking you somewhere for a little while as long as its somewhere secure.”
“No, its fine. Really. I’ll just hang out here.”
“Okay. I’ll try not to be too long.” Chris smiled at me, glancing toward the door before sneaking a quick kiss. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Hurry back.” I smiled up at him, not returning to my book until well after he’d walked out of sight.
Two hours flew by while I was lost in my book before I realized I hadn’t heard a peep from O'Neill or even seen him for that matter. I slipped a bookmark into my book and hopped off the bed. I barely made it out of my room before a loud scream tore from my throat. A large shadowed figure caught my eye in the poorly lit hallway.
He whirled around, the light from my bedroom revealing his face.
O'Neill.
“Geez, you scared me to death.”
“Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t A
ndrews tell you I’d be guarding you today?” His warm irish accent was subtle but somehow softened his intimidating presence.
“Yeah, he did.” I swallowed hard and leaned against the wall as I worked to calm my pounding heart. “I just didn’t expect you to be lurking outside my bedroom.”
“I was standing guard.”
“I don't think you have to stand at my bedroom door. Being in the house is good enough, don’t you think?”
“Seems too far away to me. I wouldn’t be able to respond quickly if something were to happen.”
“Okay,” If I thought Chris watching me was smothering, this guy was practically on top of me. “I was just going to grab some lunch.”
I walked down the stairs with my big towering shadow close on my heel.
“I’m going to make a sandwich. You want one?” I looked over my shoulder with my head stuck in the fridge as I pulled out the mayonnaise and a pack of turkey.
“No, thank you.” O'Neill stood near the doorway with his arms crossed looking every bit the part of bodyguard.
“You don’t eat while on the job?”
“No ma’am.”
“Why not? You have to get hungry.”
“I eat before work and after work or when the subject is secured.”
I glanced around the kitchen and motioned around me with my hand. “How much more secure could I get? We upped the security since the break in. I’m in a gated in home with security manning the entrance and video cameras all along the outside. I’m sure if someone managed to get through all that, plus the locked front door, you’d have time to drop your sandwich before saving me.”
“I suppose.”
“So...sandwich?”
“Sure. Thank you.”
I smiled and went about making the sandwiches for us both. I was slicing the tomato when the knife slipped and nicked my middle finger.
“Ouch.”
“What? What’s wrong?” O'Neill ran over to me.
“I’m fine. It’s just a little cut. Why don’t you finish making the sandwiches. I’m going to clean this up.”
He looked hesitant to agree but my argument from earlier must have worked because he agreed and took my place at the counter. I went into the guest bathroom and pulled out the first aid kit. It didn’t take me long to get the cut cleaned and wrapped in a bandaid. I was putting everything away when my cell rang.
“Hello?”
“He cheated on me.” A sobbing voice blubbered through the receiver.
“Amanda? Who cheated on you?”
“Carl. The guy I hooked up with last month.”
“I didn’t realize you two were exclusive.”
“Yeah, we decided to not see other people three weeks ago. He couldn’t keep it in his pants for three weeks.”
“I didn’t realize.”
“You’ve been pretty busy lately.”
“I’m so sorry. What can I do?”
“It’s okay. You’ve been dealing with a lot of your own lately and I’m sorry to even call, it’s just...”
“You want to come over?”
“I don’t really feel like going out.”
“Why don’t I come over there then? I’ll bring junk food and we will binge watch comedies until you aren’t even thinking about that jerk anymore.”
“Really? Will your dad and Chris let you?”
“They aren’t here. I just have to convince their stand-in. And I can be very convincing when I set my mind to something.”
“Thanks, girl.” Her voice had finally calmed down and she let out a relieved sigh that help was on the way.
I walked into the kitchen with purpose. O'Neill was inhaling his sandwich. I suppose the guy had been starving but was too controlled to let it get in the way of his job.
“Once you’re done with that, I need to go to Amanda’s house.”
“What? The boss didn’t approve that.”
“I’ve been to Amanda’s a hundred times and he’s never had a problem with that. I’ve got a crisis I need to deal with.”
“Crisis? What’s wrong?” He spoke around a bite of his sandwich and it was the first time I could see how young he really was. He couldn’t have been much older than I was but his stern face held so much responsibility that it added ten years to his features.
“Chill. It’s nothing like that. Amanda’s having some guy trouble. She needs me.”
“Okay.” O'Neill stuffed the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth and wrapped mine in a napkin to take along.
“Okay? Really? No fighting over it?”
“I have two sisters. I get it.” He shrugged and led me toward the front door.
O'Neill called to inform my dad of our outing on the drive to the store. After a quick junk food run, we pulled up to Amanda’s little ranch style house.
I jumped out of the car and Amanda ran out to greet us.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed my best friend.” She nearly crushed my neck with her hug while O'Neill got the groceries from the car.
“I missed you t—.”
“Oh my gosh. Who is the eye candy?”
I laughed at my friend’s short attention span. “That’s O'Neill. Chris’s stand-in for the day.”
“Wow. How do you get all the luck?”
“Oh yeah. I’m practically under house arrest while they try to hunt down some crazy people trying to get to me. What more could I ask for?”
“I’d gladly be under house arrest with him.”
“You rebound quickly.” I teased.
“What can I say? I’m resilient.” Amanda pushed passed me and stalked over to O'Neill who looked like a poor gazelle being stalked by the vicious - albeit tiny - lion.
“Hi. I’m Amanda.”
“O'Neill.”
“O'Neill? You got a first name?” Amanda fiddled with her hair. Always the flirt.
“Finn.”
“Well, it is very nice to meet you, Finn. Please, come in. Make yourself at home.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed when Amanda glanced back at me and we all went inside.
Amanda led us into the kitchen and O’Neill — Finn put the groceries on the counter.
“What is all this?” Amanda peeked into one of the bags while I unpacked the other.
“I got all the good breakup foods. Ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, cookie dough, and wine.”
“You are the perfect best friend. I take back all the horrible things I say about you behind your back.” Amanda teased and Finn looked a little uncomfortable like he didn’t know how to react.
I just laughed and playfully elbowed Amanda’s arm. “So, what do you want to watch first?”
“I don’t know. Let’s take all this into the den and see what’s available.” Amanda grabbed the bowls and spoons while I grabbed the bags of goodies.
“Perfect.”
Finn drove the car back to the house and I relaxed in the passenger seat. After watching two movies and downing half the junk food, it was time for us to head home. I’d had a great time with Amanda and she was definitely seeing the light at the end of her breakup tunnel by the time we left. I hadn’t missed it when she slipped her number into Finn’s hand as she walked us to the door. I also hadn’t missed the grin that stretched over his face when he stuck it into his pocket.
I missed Chris. I was glad for the day I’d had but it would have been nice to have spent the time with him too. Halfway through the second movie, Finn had gotten a check in call from Chris letting him know that he was home but my dad would probably be gone at the office all night. Finn was to drop me off at home and report back to my dad whenever he needed an escort back home since he was secure at the office.
We pulled through the gate just as the last of the sun’s red and orange hues faded into the dark. Chris met us at the front porch and Finn passed me back to him before climbing back into his black SUV.
“Welcome home.” Chris smiled down at me and led me into the house.
“Thanks.”
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah. We ate junk food, drank wine, and watched old movies.”
“Sounds like a good day.”
“It was but I didn’t eat any real food all day. Did Mrs. James cook?”
“No. Your dad won’t be home until tomorrow morning so I told her not to worry about it. I’m handling dinner tonight.”
“You cook?”
“I grill.”
“Oh. A grill master, huh?”
“You could say that.” Chris smirked and led me on through the house to the kitchen. “I was just about to put the steaks on and I got stuff to make a salad to go with them.”
“That sounds amazing right now. Want me to throw together the salad?”
“If you want. Thanks.” I started pulling out everything I’d need to make a great salad and Chris grabbed the steaks.
He was almost out the back door when he turned back. “How do you like your steak cooked?”
“Medium.”
“You got it.”
Once the salad was made, I tucked a bottle of wine under one arm, grabbed a couple glasses in one hand, and carried the plastic salad bowl out back. I sat everything on the table and flipped on the small white twinkly lights that lit up the patio with a soft white glow. Chris worked on the steaks but smiled back at me from the grill when he heard me come out.
“How’s it going?”
“This grill is a dream compared to mine.” He looked like a kid in the candy store as he rattled off several features but I wasn’t paying attention. I was lost in his smile, in the excitement and contentment in his eyes. There was something in that moment that felt — right.
I poured us each a glass of red wine and carried them over to him.
“This is nice.” I stood beside him, resting my head on his shoulder while he cooked.
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head, his voice taking on a dreamy tone, “Yeah, it is.”
We stayed like that for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence. Neither of us needed to say anything. We were just lost in the moment, soaking it up, hoping we could hold onto it forever.
