Her name is Lana. I met her through Chase. His girlfriend, Morgan and her are good friends. She is a nurse and has just been accepted to a graduate program at Emory here in Atlanta.
Our food arrives before she can say anything in response. After we are about halfway through the meal, I ask about the good doctor. She looks down at her plate, and I see her blush quickly. When she looks up at me, she smiles and tells me that Hunter is a really good friend and she is grateful that he is the one looking after dad; even though he has just finished school. He is in Atlanta for the holidays because this is where his family is. His dad is over emergency and trauma, and his mom is head of pediatrics; both at this hospital. So with him working at the hospital, he has access to the best doctors in town via his parents, and he will use them if need be to get the best care for dad. She continues, “we met on campus, while he was holding a seminar for incoming medical residents. We were introduced by a mutual friend and have been spending time together when we can. We thought we were going to be apart for the holidays because he was coming to work with his dad and I was supposed to stay at school, but when I got the call about dad I called him, and he made sure he was assigned to him for me.”
Okay, so I can’t really say anything bad about him, yet, but I will withhold judgment until I get the full report from Brad. I tell Clara that as long as Hunter is good to her, I will try to stay objective and uninvolved, but at the first sign of trouble, I will turn right back into the overprotective asshole brother she knows and loves. She giggles at that.
We still have two hours before the next set of visiting hours, but Clara wants to go back to the hospital just in case there are any changes. When we are walking back into the hospital, I see the same car that was at the restaurant; this makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Clara looks up at me when she sees it. As we are walking in the door, she starts to ask me about it, but we hear her name called. We look over and see a group of three doctors and a woman. The woman squeals my name and takes off at a run towards me, that’s when I realize that it is Nicole. I pick her up in a bear hug. Just as I set her down the other three are walking up; one of which I recognize as Dr. Brantley who immediately goes to Clara. Nicole makes the introductions for Dr. Bryan Lewis and Dr. Michael Wright. As we stand there talking the automatic doors open and in walks Andrew Young. I instantly stiffen my posture, which does not go unnoticed by the group. When Andrew is down the hallway, Clara tells me he is the man from the car and restaurant parking lot. “Are you sure, Clara?” She assures me it is. This has Hunter stepping up asking what is going on. Before I say anything, I tell the girls not to leave and excuse myself from the group to make a call.
I call Brad to get an update even though I know it has not been long. He answers by saying, ‘this can’t be good if you are already calling me back.’ I tell him about the appearances Andrew Young has made at the restaurant and back at the hospital, and I tell him Nicole is here too. I add in the fact that she does indeed know the good doctor and apparently, his associates too. I tell him to rush the report on Young and to be ready I may need him and a few guys if this escalates. For now, I will keep an eye on the girls and will have the docs help keep track of them too.
When I get back to the group the tension is high, they know something is going on, just not sure what it is. I ask Hunter if there is some place quiet we can all go and talk. He leads us to an office on the 4th floor. I begin by telling the guys what I do for a living, so they have an idea of my point of view. Nicole tells them that her brother works for me. This seems to shed some light on the subject for them, as apparently, they have heard of Brad and what he is capable of. I tell them about Andrew Young, and what he is capable of. I also tell them what he said to me this morning along with him showing up at the restaurant. I explain that at this point, I am not sure what he is up to, but he is definitely up to no good. I don’t like that he seemed to know what happened to dad and that he knows who Clara is. If he knows Clara, then he more than likely has at least an idea about Nicole by association. All three guys seemed to move a little closer to the girls during the conversation. It seems that they are protective of them as well. Hunter asks what they can do to help. I tell them I do not want the girls alone at any time. Before Clara speaks, I tell her I know she is a big girl and the years of Krav Maga have taught her to take care of herself, but I will still feel better if she is not alone. Hunter puts his arm around her and tells her that I am right and he agrees her and Nicole shouldn’t be alone; it simply is not worth the risk. She smiled at him and nods. Point to the good doctor; I like him better already! Dr. Wright, Michael I think his name was, asks who will be with the girls when they are on duty or do they need to call off shift to stay with them. I tell him I will stay with them and that some of my guys will be coming down if necessary, including Nicole’s brother Brad.
Hunter stands and tells us he will take us to see dad before we go home. As we all stand to walk out my phone rings. It’s Lana, and as bad as I want to hear her voice I know I need to see dad so I can get Clara and Nicole away from the hospital, so regretfully I send the call to voicemail. I promise myself that I will call her a soon as we get back to dad’s house. When I follow Clara out of the room, she looks up at me and tells me that I should have answered the call. I reassure her (and myself) that I will return the call soon as we get home.
Dr. Brantley leads us all to dad’s room. As he goes over the machines and checks his vitals Clara and I both stand at the bedside and quietly tell dad, he will be ok and we can’t wait until we can all be at home together. Clara tells him that she has checked on Judy, that her flight arrives tomorrow and that we will take care of her until he is better.
We only stay a few minutes; we don’t want to raise any flags or get Hunter in trouble for letting us back when it is not visiting hours. When we start making our way back downstairs, all three of the doctors are paged. Hunter hugs and kisses Clara then shakes my hand and tells me he will be in touch. Both Clara and Nicole have vehicles at the hospital. We go to each of them so I can check them out before they get in. I tell them once they get to the house they both need to park in the garage, this will decrease the chances of someone messing with them. I will park in the driveway.
Once we are at the house, I secure the doors and windows and lock everything down tight. I’m not taking any chances with Clara and Nicole. I know Brad would look out for Clara like she is his little sister and I intend to do the same with Nicole. The girls are settled in the living room with the TV, so I make my way to the office upstairs so I can get set up to work to figure out just what the hell is going on. When I get logged into my secure network, I see an update on Josh, and that reminds me I need to call Lana back.
Lana answers on the second ring, “Hello.” ‘Hi treasure, sorry I couldn’t answer the phone earlier, we were in the back fixing to see dad.’ Our conversation flows from there with typical small talk about packing, my drive up to Atlanta, how dad is doing, and seeing my sister. Lana confirms that Chase made it to her house and has basically moved in and will not even consider other options. I am relieved that Chase didn’t let her talk him into leaving; especially when he tells me that Josh has been sitting just up the road from her house. She never said a word about him being at the end of the road, and when I asked her about it, she didn’t lie but said she didn’t want me to worry. I hate knowing that I am not there to protect her. It is crazy how much I miss her already. I feel torn as to where I need to be. I need to be here for dad and Clara; especially since she may be in danger now too. At the same time, I feel I need to be with Lana. What is it with the people in my life suddenly being in trouble and needing protection? It almost feels like they planned it to make me go crazy.
I need to talk her into coming to Atlanta early, instead of waiting. Although I am not sure, at this point, if she would be any safer here now that Andrew is hanging around. At least here I could be with her and protect her myself. Who am I kidding, I just want her here so I can offic
ially make her mine.
Chapter 15
Lana
I am so tired of being in my house. Everything is packed and ready to go. I just have to wait on the movers to get here, which is another four days. I will go bat shit crazy if I stay in this house another four days.
Chase and Morgan are both here with me. They come and go as needed, but every time I leave, I have to be snuck out in hopes that Josh doesn’t follow. He is always at the end of the road; he sits just outside the range of his restraining order so the police cannot do anything.
Ash is still in Atlanta with his family. They finally moved his dad out of ICU and into a normal room. They are hoping to be able to bring him home by the end of this week. Ash has also been working while there; I can practically feel his stress through the phone when we talk. He was not happy that I did not tell him about Josh being at the end of the road, said I should have been the one to tell him and not Chase. I will have words with Chase; there was no reason to tell Ash, he has enough on his plate in Atlanta without worrying about what is going on here. Telling Ash as much earned me a laugh.
After noticing Josh being gone for a solid twenty-four hours, I make the decision to pack my truck and head to Atlanta. I just have to talk Morgan and Chase into going out without me so I can leave without one of them trying to go with me, after all, they need to get back to their lives. They will be pissed off, but they will get over it once I am there safely. I know Morgan will understand once she calms down. So, I start to plan. There is a new movie out that they both want to see; I will buy the tickets online and make them dinner reservations. Once they know I have paid money for them to go they will break down and go, but of course with the agreement that I stay in the house. I will tell them a little white lie, I know it’s wrong, but hey it’s the only way. I will tell them that I talked to Paul (Dr. G) and when his shift is over he will come over and stay with me until they get back.
At four o’clock I hand the movie tickets and dinner reservation info over to Morgan and Chase. I go through my rehearsed story about Paul coming over and tell them that they need a night out alone. I also remind them that Josh has been gone for about thirty-six hours now, so it is safe for them to go. I will only be alone for about thirty minutes to an hour at the most. It takes about half an hour to convince them to go, but they finally relent. As they are getting ready to go out, I make my rounds through the house making sure I haven’t left anything critical that I may need on the trip.
I’m in the kitchen making a pot of coffee when Morgan walks in. She leans against the counter and says “I don’t know what you are up to, but you are definitely up to something.” I just smile at her ‘you always think I’m up to something, but if I remember correctly it is usually you that is up to no good.’ That earns me a laugh. I straighten up to walk over to her and wrap her in a hug. ‘I just want to say thank you and make sure that you and Chase have time as a couple.’ She hugs me back and says thanks for making the arrangements and making them go tonight. Chase chooses that time to walk into the kitchen. When he walks up, I hug him too, then smack him on the butt and tell him to take our girl out. We all share a laugh.
I walk them to the front door so that I can lock it behind them. When they are down the road, I head back to the kitchen and pour me a travel mug of coffee to take with me on the road. I double check my luggage, and my guns. I have one in my purse and one in the truck door; both are loaded with the safety on. I write a note to Morgan and Chase apologizing for the deceit but explain that I had to go. I have held them up long enough. I tell them I look forward to seeing them soon. I leave details about the movers coming for the rest of my things.
I’ve been on the road for about four hours when my phone rings. I knew this call would come; I’m just glad I had time to get ready for it. I look at the screen and confirm that it is Morgan. As soon as I answer she starts, “you sneaky little bitch, I knew you were up to something. I didn’t think, however, that you were actually stupid enough to leave on your own.” When she stops to take a breath, I take over the conversation. ‘Morgan, I’m sorry, but I it was time for me to go, I couldn’t keep you and Chase tied up any longer. You need to go back to Dallas and check on your dad, and as long as I was there, you wouldn’t do it. Chase needs to go back work, and damn it I had to get out of that damn house. I love you and miss you already, but it was time. I promise to be careful, and I will call or text you when I get there. One more thing, Morgan, I need you to not tell Ash that I left. He needs to focus on his dad and the case he is working on. If he knows I am headed that way he will try to divide his focus even more. As long as he thinks I am at home with you and Chase with no sign of Josh, then he can focus on what he needs to do.’ After a few arguments, she reluctantly agrees that she will not say anything. I know he will be pissed off that I didn’t tell him, but I am hoping he will understand my reasoning.
I stop for fuel shortly after getting off the phone with Morgan. I make sure that I stay alert to my surroundings. I automatically make a mental note of the cars in the parking lot. I use my card at the pump then park by the front door to go in for the restroom. There are two cops inside getting coffee, and another one just pulled up to the fuel pumps. If I hurry, I can be back out to my truck before they all leave. I breathe a sigh of relieve when I exit the restroom all of the officers are all still here, so I take the time to get a drink and some snacks for the road. I walk back to my truck; I search the back of the truck before I get in and lock my doors.
Just as I get back on the road my phone rings. I glance at the screen to see it’s Ash. I answer hoping he is just calling to check in and not because Morgan cracked and told him I’m on the road. Either way, I can’t not answer it.
‘Hey Ash,’
“Hey my treasure, how was your day?”
I breathe out a sigh of relief, he is just checking in; at least that is what it sounds like so far. I tell him my day was uneventful and ask about his dad and sister. Then he tells me his dad is getting better and stronger every day, unfortunately, though it looks like his work case and his dad’s accident are related. Ash is upset and feels like his dad was hurt because of him and is also afraid that they will target Clara next. I hate hearing him so stressed. I tell him to try and relax so he can get some rest, and remind him if he is too stressed or too tired he will be no help to anyone. We end the call on that note and say good night. I am relieved that Morgan hasn’t said anything to him about me being on the road. Even though we just met it feels like we have known each other forever, and I don’t want to add stress and worry about me; he has enough to worry about right now.
After the quick conversation with Ash, I take a look at the clock; it has been just over five hours since I left and I have about three and a half to four to go. I crank the radio up and finish my coffee. I seem to be making good time, before I know it I am making my way through Birmingham, AL. So that leaves me with about one hundred and fifty miles or so to get to the hotel I have reserved for tonight. This leads me to thoughts of Ash and how it will be hard being so close to him without seeing him. It is a good thing I will have plenty to do setting up my new place and learning my way around to keep me occupied. He doesn’t need me distracting him; especially now that he believes his work case and his dad’s accident are related.
I am so ready to get to my hotel. I forgot just how tiring this drive is, especially at night. I am already dreading tomorrow (I guess later today is a better way to put it) because there will be so much for me to do. I spoke to my new landlady about arriving early, and she was more than happy to let me. I tried to pay rent for the extra time, but she was having none of it. She said she was just happy to have someone back in the house. We are meeting around 1 pm today so that I can get the keys from her. Once I get the keys, I need to go shopping for a new bed and living room furniture. I sold my other sets to make the move easier. Morgan is handling the transfer for me. I am not one to make big purchases easily, but with the life insurance policy, Jake left me I c
an afford to do so. I still don’t want to spend more than I have to. That money needs to last me through school.
Finally, I park the truck and walk into the lobby of the hotel. I am completely exhausted; I feel like just falling face first on the bed and to hell with everything else until I get some sleep. As I make my way through the lobby, I stop mid-stride; thinking I must be tired because I am seeing things. Because sitting in one of the chairs with a laptop open on his lap is Ash. Before I can convince myself that it is not really him, he stands and starts walking toward me; with a sly grin on his face.
His To Protect (Four Seasons Security Book 1) Page 7
