by Raine, Alice
Stella’s taut, emotion-filled expression surely matched mine, and as my mother turned to walk away, Stella flicked an uncertain glance at me and then looked back at my mum.
‘Maybe we could all get a coffee sometime?’ Stella asked cautiously, looking from me to my mother hopefully, and obviously deciding that it might finally be time to put the past behind us.
My mother stayed quiet, leaving the decision to me, and as I thought back over all that she must have also endured I found myself feeling uncharacteristic sympathy towards her.
‘Fine by me,’ I replied gruffly, not sure what the hell had gotten into me. Whatever it was, my mum looked thrilled and her eyes filled with tears again.
‘I would love that, Stella … Nathan, thank you.’
I thought that she was about to break down and cry, but my mother dug up some inner reserve of strength, gave us both a teary smile, and turned to follow the officer.
Watching her walk away, I drew in several breaths and did another calming countdown. Stella stayed quiet by my side and simply offered me the support of her close contact.
She must have been counting with me, because as I reached zero, Stella reached up and placed a brief kiss on my lips. Her eyes showed she was clearly worried she’d overstepped the mark.
‘I hope that was OK for me to do?’
‘It was fine. After what my mother told us just now I’m starting to see things in a different light, and I have a lot of questions. You did what I hadn’t been brave enough to do. Thank you.’
I was still going to get my security team to perform a background check on my mother, just to be on the safe side, but if what she had said was true then the least we could do was meet for a coffee.
‘I’ll admit I kinda hated her at first for what she’d put you through, but I agree, after hearing her side of things I’ve changed my mind … She just seemed so lost,’ Stella murmured as she relaxed against me and let out a relieved breath.
‘Let’s head to the hospital and check on Rebecca and Kenny.’ I took Stella’s hand and pulled her from the police station, still feeling as if my brain had been put through a spin dryer of emotion.
Chapter Eighteen – Stella
Nicholas and I had left a happy and healthy Rebecca to get some rest ten minutes ago, and had finally navigated the maze of hospital corridors to find the accident and emergency ward where Kenny had been taken.
Drawing in a deep breath, I pushed back the curtain to see Kenny sitting on a hospital bed as a male nurse tended to his thigh. The left leg of his jeans had been cut away from just below his groin, exposing his leg, and I winced as I saw the amount of blood coating his skin. Going by his animated expression and dramatic arm-flapping it seemed he was OK, though, and I immediately relaxed. Kenny appeared to be replaying the events of this afternoon and using the situation to get a little bit of attention from the nurse, which was about right for my favourite drama queen.
Once his leg had been stitched, the nurse cleaned it up and pulled the curtain back around the cubicle, leaving us together.
I immediately stepped up to the bedside, running my gaze over him to reassure myself that he was definitely all right. ‘Oh Kenny, I’m so glad you’re OK!’ I pulled him into a hug and gave him a slightly extended squeeze as the events of the day finally caught up with me and started to sink in.
‘How’s Rebecca?’ he asked, once I had released him from my vice-like cuddle.
‘She’s being kept in for observation, but she’s OK, thank goodness, and so are the babies.’
‘Babies?’ Kenny repeated, his face twisting with confusion and causing me to grin.
‘Yes, Nicholas just told me and Nathan that they’re having twins. Isn’t that great?’
‘Wow. Twins, eh? Bet that was a surprise! Well, tell them I’m always happy to babysit.’
Nathan stepped up beside me and wrapped a protective arm around my waist before clearing his throat. ‘You were very brave today, Kenny. Thank you. You quite possibly saved all of our lives.’
Kenny puffed his chest out proudly, and his cheeks flushed as he accepted the compliment from Nathan. It would seem from that blush that he still had a little bit of a crush on my man. Not that I could blame him, really. With his chiselled good looks and striking figure, Nathan had more than his fair share of admirers. It made it all the sweeter that he was all mine.
I saw Kenny pull in a breath as if he were going to speak. Then he hesitated as he looked at Nathan. ‘Nathan, I’m … well, you know, I’m sorry how everything turned out.’ He obviously had the same thoughts as me about today’s events. Mr Jackson might have been a vicious bully who had emotionally abused his sons for years, but he had still been Nathan’s father, and now he was dead, it felt right to say something on the matter.
Beside me I felt Nathan tense, and let out a slow breath, almost as if he were doing a quick, calming countdown. Then he nodded briskly and dismissed Kenny’s words. ‘Thank you, but I’m fine. He was like a stranger to me. He threatened my family; he doesn’t deserve our sympathy.’
An awkward tension hung in the air for several moments. Sensing a need to change the subject, I looked at the line of stiches on Kenny’s exposed thigh. They were tight and neat, but even though it had been cleaned, the skin was bruised and discoloured. ‘So, is it going to scar, then?’
‘I bloody well hope so!’ Kenny exclaimed with a scoffed laugh. ‘It’s not every day you get shot, is it? I at least want to be able to show it off!’
Beside me, Nathan gave a disbelieving snort. As I glanced up at him, I saw him rolling his eyes.
‘I think Tom will be seriously impressed with it,’ Kenny added proudly.
Just then, the man in question burst in through the privacy curtain. He got momentarily tangled in its folds before throwing the blue material back and darting his gaze around the room. Tom looked far less calm and controlled than when we’d last met him, and after giving Nathan and me a cursory nod of acknowledgement he rushed to Kenny’s side.
‘Kenny, I got here as quickly as I could. My God, are you OK?’
If I’d ever needed confirmation that Tom really was serious about Kenny, I got it right at that moment, because the poor guy looked absolutely frantic with worry.
‘I’m all right, T, honestly, don’t worry.’ I raised my brow at Kenny’s significantly played down reply. Maybe Tom’s calmer nature was helping Kenny wind in his overtly dramatic side.
Tom’s hands were shaking slightly as he gently laid a palm just below Kenny’s bullet wound. ‘I can’t believe you’ve been shot.’ His voice was quiet and hollow, as if he was imagining what the outcome might have been if the bullet had been a foot higher.
It was something I’d considered briefly, too, but I needed to focus of the positives. He was OK, so, with a shudder, I pushed the unpleasant thoughts away and tried to give my bestie a bit of a boost in front of his beau.
‘Kenny was amazing. He saved us all,’ I murmured, giving Kenny’s hand a squeeze. Tom looked at me with wide eyes, but, my words were completely true. If Kenny hadn’t made the noise in the kitchen and distracted Mr Jackson, then who knows how the afternoon might have turned out. That thought gave me another shudder, which Nathan picked up on this time, because he slid his grip from my back and instead gave my hand a reassuring squeeze as he looked down at me in concern. Giving him the brightest smile I could manage, I squeezed his hand back then focused on the boys again.
‘Jesus, Ken …’ Tom wheezed, seemingly overwhelmed. ‘Can you walk?’
Kenny gave a shrug. ‘I dunno. I’ve not tried yet. The doctor said he was coming back later to assess the muscle damage and talk about physio options.’
Tom nodded then gave us all a determined look. ‘Well, you can’t stay on your own. You’re moving in with me while you recover, no arguments.’
From the thrilled expression on Kenny’s face, he hadn’t been about to argue at all, and I had to supress a smirk at just how excited he looked at the prospect of
being pampered by Tom for a while.
‘In fact …’ Tom flashed Nathan and me a slightly embarrassed glance, as if he wished we weren’t in the room, before taking hold of Kenny’s hand and looking him directly in the eye. ‘ Move in with me full time. I … I love you, Kenny, and I have the space … what do you say?’
Instead of saying anything, Kenny emitted the strangest noise I think I’d ever heard him make. It was like a high-pitched squeal mixed with a breathy wheeze, all wrapped up in a slightly wet sob. ‘Oh my gosh, I love you, too, Tom! I’d love to live with you!’
Gasping at how exciting this all was, I was just about to dive on them both and offer my congratulations, but I felt Nathan give my hand a tug, and looked up at him. He, too, was smiling at the sweet scene that had just unfolded, but flashed me a wink and jerked his head towards the door. ‘Come on, let’s give them some privacy. We need to rest, too. This has been a really stressful day all round.’
That was a serious understatement if I’d ever heard one, but he was right about needing a rest. I felt so drained from today’s rollercoaster of emotions that I was amazed I was still standing up, and so, after offering brief congratulations to a thrilled-looking Tom and an overwhelmed but gleeful Kenny, we headed off, glad to escape the neon-lit corridors of the hospital.
Chapter Nineteen – Stella
We walked back out to the carpark in silence, but my mind wasn’t quiet; thoughts of today’s events were churning around in my brain, over and over again. The shock of seeing Mr Jackson once more, him hitting Rebecca, the sight of her blood on the snow-white sofa, the gun, Mr Jackson dying on the carpet … A huge shudder ran through me and I tucked my arms tightly around myself to try to get some warmth back in my chilled body.
While we’d been in the hospital we’d had a call to say the crime scene had been released and we were free to go home, but after everything that had happened, I really didn’t want to.
It was all too much. So much so, that when we arrived at Nathan’s car I didn’t get in. Instead, I reached out and grabbed his arm as he opened my door for me. ‘I … I don’t really want to go home tonight.’
Moonlight illuminated his features, and I saw Nathan’s face soften, his brows creasing deeply in the middle as sadness filled his expression. Nodding, he drew in a deep breath and instantly circled me in the warmth of his arms. ‘I completely understand. I kinda feel the same way.’ Glancing at his watch, he sighed. ‘It’s too late to head to the new house, but seeing as your mum has William for the night, why don’t you and I just check into a hotel?’
All my tension seemed to dissolve as I nodded keenly. ‘God, that sounds amazing.’
Nathan smiled at my enthusiasm and leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips. ‘In the morning, we can head over to the house and grab some clothes, then get Will from your parents and head to the new place if it’s ready.’
Thank goodness our current house was a temporary rental until we moved to the place in the Cotswolds, because after all that had happened today I honestly couldn’t see myself ever wanting to go back in there. ‘That sounds perfect. Thank you, Nathan.’
Nathan, being Nathan, didn’t take us to any old hotel, oh no. Nope, there certainly wouldn’t be any budget accommodation looming in my near future, because after just 15 minutes he was pulling into a car park outside The Dorchester on Park Lane.
I mean, seriously? The Dorchester? Until today, the only time I’d ever been on Park Lane was when I’d played Monopoly as a kid.
As he reversed into a space, I gawked at the line of cars opposite us; there was a fire red Lamborghini, a sleek black Ferrari, a stunning vintage Rolls Royce, a Bentley … My god, it’s like a supercar showroom!
‘Shall we?’ Nathan’s amused tone broke me from my trance and I quickly reeled my tongue in and turned to him in astonishment.
‘There’s a much cheaper hotel just down the road,’
I squeaked, panicking that my rumpled clothes really weren’t anywhere near smart enough for a swanky place like this. I’d been attacked by a gun-wielding maniac, spent hours with the police, then plodded around the hospital. I hardly looked fresh.
Nathan made a dismissive raspberry sound in reply to my suggestion and raised an eyebrow. ‘I don’t think so.’
He was so set in his ways that I suppose the chances of me persuading him to lower his hotel expectations were fairly minimal, but perhaps I could grab a change of clothes from somewhere. The problem was, the only shops we’d passed around here were really fancy-looking ones. Joining him beside the car, I desperately looked around us for inspiration, but all I could see was the greenery of Hyde Park and two large, red double-decker buses making their way along the road.
‘Is there anywhere around here where I could buy some clothes? I feel really scruffy,’ I said, eyeing the fancy hotel behind Nathan. ‘I’ve been wearing these all day, and after being in the police station and the hospital I feel really dirty.’
Nathan’s nostrils flared slightly, as if he was also getting a flashback of our day, and he nodded briskly, before talking my hand and tugging me back towards the car.
‘Wolfe and Badger isn’t too far. I think you’d like their clothes. We can drive.’
‘Wait! We’re in central London on a Saturday night. Parking will be a nightmare; let’s grab a cab.’
Nathan dipped his eyebrows at my suggestion, and a giggle bubbled up my throat as I had a sudden recollection of the first time I’d taken him on the London Underground. My man and his compulsive need for cleanliness did not do public transport; a fact that I had somehow forgotten in our time together.
To my surprise, Nathan conceded, and a few moments later, we were climbing into one of London’s famous black cabs. Just like he had on the train that time, Nathan sat himself down with the ultimate care, resting his hands on his knees and looking extremely uncomfortable with our transport even though the interior was spotless and smelt far better than some cabs I’d travelled in.
As soon as we climbed out after our short trip, Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. He dug into his trouser pocket before pulling out a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Offering a squirt to me, he then proceeded to give his hands a very thorough clean while I desperately attempted to suppress my amused smile.
‘Do you have one of those in every pair of trousers you own?’ I joked, but my attempt at humour fell flat, because Nathan merely looked at the bottle, and nodded in complete seriousness, obviously not hearing the humour in my tone at all.
‘Pretty much.’ Pocketing the sanitizer again, he took my hand and dragged me towards the shop. He cast a sulky look over his shoulder at me. ‘And we can walk back. I’m not going in another cab.’ The disgusted curl to his lip had me stifling another laugh as I rolled my eyes at his funny traits and followed him inside.
***
Nathan had been right; I did like the clothes in here. They had everything from on-trend dresses and heels to casual jeans, and seemingly catered for all budgets. Once I’d picked out an outfit, I paid for it and asked the lady serving me if she’d mind me keeping the clothes on. I used the mirror in the changing room to apply some minimal make-up, and then emerged dressed in smart black jeans, a pale pink top, and my own jacket, feeling much happier with the prospect of going inside a fancy hotel.
I grabbed a set of underwear for the morning, too, and Nathan picked out a change of clothes for himself, but chose to remain in his suit for the time being. Typically, even after the stress of the day, he still looked immaculate, with barely a hair out of place. I have no idea how he did it, but I’d love to know his secret.
Once we had made the 15-minute walk back to the hotel, Nathan grinned at me as a uniformed doorman immediately stepped forwards to open the door for us with a flourish before giving a small bow.
‘After you, madam,’ Nathan murmured in amusement, waving a hand before him and grinning when my eyes boggled as I stepped in and got my first look at the sumptuous foyer.
Blimey. It w
as so fancy that I practically tripped over my own feet as I struggled to take in the beauty of the décor around me. With the polished marble floors, pillars, soft, leaf-green sofas and exotic palms lining the reception area, I almost felt as if I was in an exotic jungle hotel somewhere.
Unlike me, Nathan seemed completely at ease with the luxury surrounding us and merely buttoned his suit jacket, smoothed his already perfect hair, and took my hand as we approached the reception desk.
The smartly dressed gentleman behind the counter also gave a small bow of his head and smiled at us. ‘Good evening, welcome to The Dorchester. Do you have a reservation, Sir?’
Nathan gave his shirt cuffs a brief tug and then shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not. We’ve had a … situation at our house and need a room for the night.’
A situation. That was certainly a polite way of describing the hell we’d gone through today.
‘Of course, Sir. Have you stayed with us before? You look familiar.’
Nathan smiled and adopted his customary wide-legged stance which screamed cool, calm composure. ‘ Not for a while, but I do book you for my business acquaintances when they’re travelling in from out of town. I was hoping one of the suites might be available. Perhaps the Eisenhower?’
‘An excellent choice, Sir! Let me check for you.’ The man had raised his eyebrows with apparent pleasure at Nathan’s request, and from his thrilled expression I could only assume that the suite Nathan had requested was probably quite expensive. Why we couldn’t just get a normal double room was beyond me, but I knew it was pointless saying anything.
After a few brief clicks on the computer before him, the man looked up. ‘You’re in luck, it’s available.’
