He berated himself for not having thought of the tunnel entrance. He hoped he and the security staff hadn’t overlooked anything else that would leave Jenna vulnerable.
Perhaps he needed to come clean with Jenna so she could be involved in her own safety?
Shit. How was that conversation going to go down?
Hi, sweetheart. You don’t remember, but not only are you a wealthy, unmarried mother-to-be, but someone’s already tried to kill you at least once and most likely twice.
Oh hell, yeah. That would be one difficult conversation and he doubted she was up to it yet. Security would have to remain a secret for now.
Chapter 13
‘Maaax!’
Max bolted out of bed at Jenna’s scream and sprinted across the hall to her room. Flinging open the door, he searched the softly-lit room for an intruder. Jenna was the only person there.
Shit!
Anxiety tore at his guts when he saw her sitting on the bed hunched over, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. As she stared straight ahead of her, tears streamed down her cheeks from hazel eyes that were glassy and expressionless.
Had the strain she’d been under caused a complete mental breakdown?
‘Mr Bennett?’
Max swung around to block the room from the view of the security guard who’d also come running at the sound of Jenna’s scream. ‘Nightmare,’ he said by way of explanation.
‘Okay, sir.’
‘Sorry to disturb you,’ Max told the guard before entering Jenna’s room and closing the door behind him. ‘Jenna?’
She didn’t even look at him—didn’t appear to register his presence.
Fear for her mental well-being sliced through him as he walked to the bed and sat down in front of her, trying to establish eye contact. He tried to prise her fingers away from her knees so he could hold her hands, but she resisted, her grip tightening. ‘Darling, it’s okay.’
She looked at him fleetingly and gave a slight nod of her head in acknowledgement. The gesture eased his tension a notch. She was, at least, aware of him. But she was still rocking.
Changing position, he moved behind her so he could ease her body back against his and hold her still. Her frame became rigid—almost catatonic. Running his hand over her hair, he found it was slick with perspiration at her temples and the nape of her neck. ‘I’m here, Jen.’
Her whole body shook violently against his and she gulped in great, shuddering breaths of air.
‘Everything’s okay, sweetheart, I’ve got you.’
The almost-yelping sound she made threw him close to panic. He wondered whether he should call for the security guard to fetch Dr Gerber.
Deciding to give it a little longer, he held Jenna close and tried to soothe her as he would a distressed child. All the while, his gut churned. Had she had a nightmare or was her memory returning and was she reliving the crash? ‘I’m here.’
The only response was a few tiny whimpering noises emerging from her throat every now and then. God, but he was becoming all too familiar with the feeling of being powerless to help the woman he loved. It grated not knowing what to do to help her.
He placed his lips against her temple to kiss her there. One of his arms remained wrapped around her securely while his other ran up and down her arm in an attempt to stop her from shaking.
Seconds stretched into long minutes and nothing about her posture changed. ‘You’re okay, darling. It was all just a bad dream.’
His words elicited a violent shake of her head and she pressed herself closer to his body, even while her arms remained locked around her knees. ‘No. Not a dream.’
Holy hell. She was remembering something traumatic. It must be the accident.
He should probably call for Katherine Gerber in case he said the wrong thing or reacted in a way that was detrimental to her memory returning, but he didn’t. Jenna would find it too intrusive to have a professional person here witnessing the private anguish that’d catapulted her into this almost unrecognisable state.
‘Talk to me,’ he murmured close to her ear as he rested the side of her head against his cheek. ‘What’s got you so shaken up, darling?’
She still stared straight ahead.
Max shifted sideways so he could watch her expression and hopefully make eye contact with her again.
A faint crease formed between her eyebrows. ‘I’m sure it wasn’t a nightmare, Max. It was too real.’
He wasn’t going to try to pacify her by insisting it was a dream. His gut told him it was a memory, but he needed to know more. ‘Tell me what it was about,’ he encouraged as he stroked her arm with his fingertips.
The question appeared to shake her out of her almost trance-like state. It took a few seconds, but her arms dropped away from her knees and she turned very slowly to face him. Even in the soft light from the lamp, he could see the blank look in her eyes had been replaced by fear. Her tension transmitted itself to him by the way she grabbed hold of his arms and the sting of her fingernails bit into his biceps.
‘My car crash was no accident,’ she told him urgently. ‘I remember.’ Another shudder ran down the full length of her frame.
What the hell was he supposed to say to that?
‘What do you remember?’
Letting go of his arms, she raised her hands and massaged her scalp in agitated movements. ‘I was driving.’ She closed her eyes and frowned. ‘I was in a hurry. I knew they were after me.’ Her eyes flew open and her hands dropped to cradle her tummy protectively.
Covering her hands with his, he coaxed, ‘Who was after you, Jen?’
She shook her head and her frown deepened. ‘I don’t know. I don’t remember that, but I remember running for my car. They were chasing me.’
Shit. They’d been after her before she’d been driving the car?
‘How many of them?’
‘Two. Two men, but I can’t picture their faces. It was dark. Maybe I didn’t see their faces.’
‘You were at Herlstone Park?’
She nodded and his stomach hollowed out at the confirmation.
‘It’s almost there … I can see … No. I don’t know why they were chasing me but one of them yelled, “Get her!” They wanted to hurt me … or … Max, I think they wanted to kill me!’
‘It’s okay. You’re safe, darling.’ He kissed her forehead, wanting to chase away the crease of her frown, but all the while he had to fight to keep from frowning himself.
Until now, as a worst case scenario, he’d thought a car had been waiting for her as she left the estate to make her way to London. According to what she’d told him now, her attackers had been chasing her on the estate.
Had they been lying in wait for her?
Was it a bungled burglary she’d interrupted?
‘What else do you remember?’
‘I ran for the car. I got in and locked the doors. The keys were in the ignition. I started the car and I thought I was going to run over one of them. He jumped away at the last second. I’d got away from them. I thought they’d given up. I couldn’t stop shaking. I was almost to Mayberry Estate and I saw the headlights in the rear view mirror.’
Why had she driven towards Mayberry when it was a couple of miles away?
Why hadn’t she run into the house to seek help?
Another forceful tremor wracked her frame and he felt the trembling of her hands in his.
‘The car was closing on me. I thought if I could make it to Mayberry Estate, I could get help.’ She shook her head again and a tear spilt down her cheek. ‘It hit me from behind.’ Her eyes closed as she relived the terror. ‘Oh God, that car kept coming at me. I couldn’t go any faster. Whoever it was kept ramming into me from behind. Then, the car tried to pull alongside me and push me off the road.’ Her panicked eyes flew open and her chest was rising and falling quickly with each shallow breath. ‘I veered into the other lane to try to cut them off. They fell back. I thought I was going to make it to Mayberry. I was almost
there. They rammed me again.’ There was desperation in her voice and all he could do was rub her cold hands as she swallowed hard. ‘Oh, Max, I lost control. I knew I was going to hit the tree. It all happened so quickly. I couldn’t avoid it.’
Max gathered her up in his arms, pulling her onto his lap so he could hold her tight. ‘You’re safe now.’
She turned so she was looking up at him. ‘But it wasn’t an accident! Someone tried to kill me.’
‘Was there one person or were there two in the car?’
‘I’m not sure. There were definitely two men who chased me on foot to my car but I didn’t see who was in the car when it rammed me.’ When he didn’t respond, she looked at him worriedly. ‘I’m not imagining it, Max.’
‘Of course you’re not.’
She paled and her eyes widened. ‘My God! You don’t think … Could it have been James and David? Did they try to kill me to get my money?’
‘No. They both had a solid alibi.’
Her gaze sharpened and her jaw dropped open. ‘You knew,’ she accused on a gasp. Levering herself off his lap and out of his arms, her features fell and she looked wounded.
‘Jen—’
Her hurt expression vanished as a spark of anger flared in her hazel eyes. ‘You knew all along it wasn’t an accident.’
Hell. He’d lowered his guard in an attempt to ease her distress, but he’d only increased it. ‘Yes.’
‘How did you know?’ she demanded as she edged her way off the bed.
The move away conveyed her mistrust. Her reaction hit him so hard, it was an effort to draw in enough air for speech.
‘There were dents to your car from where you’d been rammed.’ He hesitated as he weighed up whether or not he should tell her everything.
Her jaw sagged open again as she stood up. ‘It really was a memory, then?’
‘Unfortunately, it was.’
Reality appeared to hit her. Then, she glared at him in outraged disbelief. ‘Someone tried to kill me and you didn’t tell me?’
Her reactions were jig-jagging all over the place and he couldn’t really blame her.
‘The police psychologists and Dr Gerber all said you shouldn’t be told—that you needed time to remember on your own.’ His words didn’t do anything to calm her. If anything her fury built.
‘If it wasn’t James …?’
‘The police believe those three capitalised on your amnesia but don’t believe any of them put you in hospital in the first place.’
‘Did they know I’d been rammed into the tree?’
‘Sweetheart, it was public knowledge,’ he said as calmly as he could. ‘The police gave a statement to the press and asked people to come forward if they could shed any light on the crash. They were waiting for you to come out of the coma so they could ask you questions. When you were diagnosed with retrograde amnesia, they backed off. They were told not to go anywhere near you until your memory returned.’
Her voice was distant. ‘Now they’ll want to question me.’
‘I’ll call them soon and let them know you’ve had some recollections of the night.’
There was rising hysteria in her voice when she accused, ‘Someone tried to kill me here at Herlstone Park and you brought me back!’ She pointed a finger at him angrily. ‘When every instinct told me I shouldn’t be here, you thought it was a good idea! I couldn’t fathom the reason for my fears about returning. Goddamn it, Max, I even shared my concerns with you and you didn’t explain.’
Every word punched a hole in his gut. ‘Hold on, Jenna. I didn’t—’
‘Even though I thought you’d probably brand me as mentally disturbed, I confided my fears in you when we drove here and you still didn’t tell me the truth.’
‘Jenna—’
‘I trusted you, Max.’
He stood up swiftly and took hold of her forearms.
‘Let me go! Get out of my room!’
‘No.’ Maybe he’d made a mess of things but he wasn’t about to walk out when she was in this state. He wasn’t going to let her convince herself he wasn’t to be trusted. ‘Listen to me, Jen. We’re going to talk this out.’
She wrenched herself out of his hold and glared at him. ‘I’m—a—target,’ she raged as she backed away from him. ‘You let me come back here knowing you were putting me and our baby at risk of another attack. That’s what happened today, wasn’t it? Someone is still trying to kill me!’ One hand went to rest over her abdomen. ‘What happened in the stables was no accident.’
‘Stop it!’ The words cracked into the air like a cowboy’s whip. ‘You’re safe. We weren’t sure you were ever a target, but in case you were, I arranged security here for you.’
‘Security?’ Her voice was shrill. ‘Where was security when we both nearly got killed today? Were you prepared to use me and our baby as bait?’
He ran his hands through his hair as frustration pounded through his veins. If she saw him as the enemy all they’d built would be destroyed. ‘Bringing you back here wasn’t an attempt to draw out your attackers. Being back is supposed to help you regain your memory and that’s what’s happening.’
‘It’s not happening! I don’t see their faces. I don’t know who they are and it could be anyone. I could’ve passed them today as we went around the park. I could’ve waved to them.’ Her hands made agitated movements as she spoke. Then, the fight drained out of her posture, her features crumbled and she looked lost and vulnerable. ‘I’m petrified, Max.’
His heart contracted in agony at her silent appeal for help. He held out his arms, not really sure whether she’d accept or reject his offer of comfort.
He met her halfway as she moved towards him. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he wanted to tell her he was anxious for her safety too. But he couldn’t confess to his fear. She needed him to be strong for her.
‘I would never—never—use you or our baby as bait and I would never knowingly put your safety at risk.’ He let one hand move in what he hoped was a comforting circular action against her back.
‘Why, Max? Why would somebody want to kill me?’
The anger had seeped out of her body and he sensed her trying to draw strength from him as she found herself completely lost.
‘I don’t know, sweetheart. The police and my private investigators have been trying to figure it out. Nobody has any theories because we know of no person who’d want to hurt you. There isn’t anybody we know of who quarrelled with you, or who bears a grudge against you.’
She gave a little sniffle as she moved her head so she could look up at him. Her voice was quiet but a thread of sarcasm ran through it. ‘So much for everybody loving me. Obviously somebody wants me dead.’
‘I said everyone at Herlstone Park loved you and as far as I know it’s true.’ He watched the see-sawing of reactions across her features. He sensed her need to trust him and lean on him was strong, but she was wary. ‘I know you’re scared, sweetheart.’
‘Oh, you have no idea, Max.’ There was a slight huff of scorn in her words before she asked shortly, ‘How can you possibly know what I’ve been through?’
‘Because I’ve been through it with you.’
Her head snapped back and her eyes narrowed. She took a half-step backwards and created some space between their bodies.
‘You called me just before the crash,’ he explained as his hands slid to her upper arms. ‘Your message went through to my voicemail and, while you’ve forgotten the details of the crash until tonight, I’ve relived every second of it repeatedly.’
He saw her annoyance fade as understanding dawned. Even though he realised she lashed out at him in fear, he wasn’t prepared to be her whipping boy.
‘I spent every day you were in a coma worried sick about your prognosis and your safety and, on top of that, you were discharged early and it took five long weeks to track you down. During those weeks I had no idea how sinister Mendles’ intentions were and whether you were safe. As far as I’m concerned, un
til your attackers are caught everyone is a suspect.’
Her lips pressed together and he knew she weighed his words.
‘I’m sorry.’ Her shoulders lost some of their rigidity. ‘I know this has been hard on you, but I had a right to have been told I’m in danger.’
‘You would’ve expected to have awakened from a coma and be told someone tried to run you off the road when you didn’t even know your own name?’
Raising the palms of her hands to her temples she turned away from him and walked a few paces towards the door. Restless, nervous energy radiated from her in palpable waves. ‘Okay.’ She lowered her hands and turned back to face him. ‘I see your point. This is all a mess, isn’t it?’
‘Look, Jenna. It doesn’t really help you to know you’re in danger. We still don’t know who wants to harm you or why.’ He dismissed an earlier thought that she’d interrupted a burglary attempt. For starters, nothing had been reported as missing and, secondly, he doubted the burglars would come back and try to kill her in case her memory returned and she identified them.
The Sinclair family had never expressed their wealth in terms of priceless artworks or reams of jewellery. There were no particularly valuable items in the home that’d make it worth a burglary attempt. The grand home and layout of the property might have convinced a thief otherwise, but after today’s attacker having known about the cellars, and having moved around the estate with relative ease, Max knew there had to be someone on the inside involved.
Think!
Jenna slumped back down on the edge of the bed. Her voice was small as she asked, ‘What am I mixed up in that someone would want to kill me?’
‘You’re not a criminal, Jenna.’
‘How do you know? I don’t even know. My God, I could’ve done anything!’ Every burst of speech became more panicked. ‘Aren’t there always scandals in the horse world? I could be accused of any crime and I’d have no defence.’
Her thoughts were a dangerous runaway train that’d end up derailing her. Moreover, all this stress wasn’t good for her and it couldn’t be good for their baby, either.
Seduced by the Stranger (Billionaires & Babies, #2) Page 16
