“Astrid?” Jake’s echoey voice said from faraway. “Are you feeling okay?”
She clutched her head and swiveled away from the station entrance, but was confronted with the busy Manhattan street – which wasn’t much better.
Jake’s arms steadied her. “It’s okay,” he said. “Come with me.”
She allowed him to guide her to a quieter road that ran alongside the station, then she leaned on the wall, staring at the dirty ground – breathing deeply and trying to calm down. Now that she was safely out of the crowd and away from potential confinement, her dizziness slowly subsided and she focused on Jake’s boots – waiting for her anxiety to pass, which it always did eventually. She realized she’d never noticed before that Jake wore boots with his suit, rather than shoes. He was like a tough workman, wrapped up in designer clothes. He was rugged at heart. But under that tough ruggedness, she knew there was something else… A tenderness lost perhaps even to him.
But at the moment, he was a backstabbing asshole.
She realized he was talking. “I can drive you,” he said. “It’s no problem. My car’s at the Quinlan Brothers’ building. If you stay here I can get it. Or we can go there together.”
She refused to look at him. “No. I don’t need your help.”
“Well you’re not getting on the train, are you?”
“My therapist says I should face the fear. It’s the only way to overcome it. To get over something, you have to go through it. That’s what she says.”
He reached out and caressed her chin, then lifted her face to look at him. He gazed deep into her eyes – deep into her soul. “That’s very commendable, Astrid, but right now, you need to get back to your hometown urgently, right? And you don’t want to get on the train? So let me take you.”
She nodded reluctantly, feeling weak and stupid. She wanted to be brave and tough, like him. She looked down at the ground again, but didn’t argue this time. He wrapped a strong arm around her and pulled her close, then he guided her back through the crowd toward the parking garage. He was so secure and solid. She leaned into him, trying to absorb his strength. Somehow, being in Times Square, among all these frantic people, was okay when she was with him – when he was protecting her from her own fear. But she wanted to be able to do it alone. It just made her resent him even more.
He opened the car door for her and she climbed in, hating herself for being so stupid for not even being able to get on a train – or go into a station.
He turned on the ignition and threw her a kind smile. “Where to then?”
“Northfields. It’s a small town about eighty miles away.”
“I know it. I grew up around there.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, just a few towns along in Paxton.”
“I thought you were a city boy.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Astrid.”
“Probably.” She pulled her laptop out of its case. “And that’s the exactly how I hope to remain. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Jake drove them out of the City and toward the freeway as Astrid typed frantically on her laptop next to him, refusing to talk. The scenery outside was as dull and desolate as the atmosphere inside his flash Ferrari. The brilliant blue sky was a stark contrast to the gray high-rise buildings that were stacked tightly together like dominoes. But after a while, once they’d left the confines of NYC, the landscape started to change… to relax into green fields and autumnal trees. Fall always signified the beginning of the end, and Jake wondered whether that was true for his brief encounter with Astrid.
He glanced at her as he drove, knowing she was livid with him, and he understood why. She was fixated on typing – and he wondered whether she was even typing her report as she’d said, or whether her furious fingers were just writing the words ‘What a fucking asshole’ over and over.
Ordinarily, he would’ve been happy to drive in silence, to put this fling down to experience and forget her. He could’ve used this time to start planning the next stage of his life… his treasure hunt… what he was going to do with all that money. That’s what he usually did when things went wrong – bury his feelings, brush himself off, and start looking for some other relationship to ruin in five minutes flat. But there was something about Astrid… he liked her too much to quit this early. The thought of losing this lovely woman rusted his soul.
He’d fucked up, and he was now prepared – for the first time ever – to put in some effort to make amends.
He cruised down the freeway, enjoying the feel of his gorgeous car all around him, and decided to try small talk – something he hated.
“So… Astrid… what do you… er…?”
She stopped typing and shot him a look of irritation. “What?”
He gripped the steering wheel. What the hell was wrong with him? He was so tied up in knots over this woman, he couldn’t even string a sentence together. “Um… you got any siblings?”
She sighed and resumed typing. “Yeah, one sister. But – unlike you – I don’t spy on people for her.”
He focused back on the road and sped past a Porsche – receiving a few honks from angry drivers. “Look, I said I was sorry about what I did. I obviously didn’t intend for you to find out like that.”
She scoffed. “Oh well, that’s all right then, let’s just forget it ever happened.”
He knew she was being sarcastic, but ordinarily he would’ve just tried to forget it. But not this time. Perhaps there was a way to get her talking…
“You two don’t get along then, huh?” he asked.
Her fingers paused mid-type. “What?”
“You and your sister… what’s her name?”
“Emma… I didn’t say we don’t get on.”
“I’m pretty good at reading people. You’ve gotta look for clues in my profession… body language. Vocal tone.”
Her hands were still hovering above the keys of her laptop. He stared at the road ahead, but he knew she was intrigued. He suppressed a smile.
“And what did you infer about my sister from my vocal tone?” she asked, haughtily.
“That you don’t get on. You practically hissed your reply to me.”
“That’s because I’m upset with you, Jake.”
He threw her an apologetic smile. “I know. But there’s some sibling rivalry between you, huh?”
Astrid gazed out the window. “No. Just that my parents love her more than me. She’s younger and they treat her like she’s the best daughter ever. But she’s a brat. I’m a good daughter, but they take that for granted. She’s always doing stupid stuff to get their attention and they seem to love that.”
“Stupid stuff like what?”
“Staying out all night. Drinking. Going missing.”
“She still lives at home?”
“Yeah. She’s only nineteen.”
“She’s not at college?”
“No. She’s not academic. She wants to be an artist.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. She’s really cool, you know? Everyone thinks so – apart from me, which then makes me sound like a bitch… And…”
“What?”
Astrid gazed at him with her captivating blue eyes. “She’s much prettier than me.”
Jake shook his head. “I very much doubt that.”
She watched him for a moment. He smiled kindly, then focused back on the road. Astrid stared out the windshield briefly, before looking back down at her laptop and continuing with her work for the rest of the journey.
Gotcha, Jake thought…
Chapter Nine
Astrid’s hometown was like a large village. It was set in a valley, and as they approached it from the road above, Jake thought it looked as if it had been dropped into the surrounding woodland and fields from on high. It centered around a grid of no more than fifteen roads, with a stone church in the center – which had a tall spire pointing up to the blue sky. Jake had grown up in a nearby town, but he’d forgot
ten how charming and welcoming such a place could feel. The peace and tranquility hit him like a feather pillow.
Trying not to disturb the peace too much, he drove his noisy Ferrari down a winding hill, which fanned out at the bottom into rows of houses and shops – all made of the same red brick, giving the place a uniform quaintness.
The reds, greens, and golds of fall looked stunning on the surrounding trees, and even Astrid stopped typing to appreciate the scenery.
“So pretty,” he said, gazing at her.
She glared at him. “Yes, it’s a very pretty place. Just drive to the end of this road, and pull up near the church. Then you can go.”
He smirked, and followed her directions. Outside the church a little crowd had gathered for an impromptu meeting. There were about thirty people standing out here in the weak sunshine, shouting at each other, arguing. But as the bright red Ferrari cruised toward them – and parked up – the crowd fell silent and watched with interest.
Jake climbed out and opened the door for Astrid, who was packing away her laptop.
He offered his hand, and was surprised when she actually took it. But the car was low, and she was wearing a tight skirt and heels. She probably wasn’t keen to fall on her ass in front of all her friends and family.
“They’re probably expecting a VIP,” she said, climbing out.
“Then they won’t be disappointed…”
Astrid straightened her smart designer suit, then – ignoring Jake – strode over to the crowd. Jake adjusted his tie, and followed. There was no way he was being snubbed after driving her all this way… and he still needed to make amends for everything he’d done.
He halted next to her as a middle-aged man broke away from the crowd to speak to her. He was dressed in a casual shirt and jeans, and he looked as if he’d worked hard in a physical job all this life. He embraced Astrid, clearly pleased to see her. “Baby, thank you for coming so quickly.”
“That’s okay, daddy. What’s happened? Have they found someone to lynch yet?”
Her father ignored her sarcasm and inspected Jake. He seemed pleased that his daughter had brought this well-dressed Ferrari-driving city boy along. “Who’s this?”
“Hi, I’m Jake.” They shook hands firmly.
“Martin,” he said. “Are you two… you’re not…” He frowned at his daughter.
“No, dad, we’re not. In fact, Jake’s just leaving.”
Jake folded his arms across his chest. “So… what’s going on? You said someone had broken into her old room?”
“Yeah,” Martin explained. “Everyone here seems to have an opinion on who the burglar is – you wouldn’t believe the old grudges that are coming out now and accusing each other.”
“Have you called the police?”
Martin sighed. “Our local law-enforcer is… how can I put this delicately?”
Astrid interjected. “You don’t need to be delicate, dad. Our sheriff is useless at best, and at worst corrupt.”
Martin nodded. “He does seem more interested in lining his own pockets than getting his hands dirty with any actual police work.”
“Sounds like half my old police colleagues,” Jake said.
Martin’s attention was seized by a ruckus behind him, so Jake glanced at Astrid. He could see she was tense, and not just because he was here. “Is Simon around?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I can’t see him.”
Jake opened his mouth to ask what he looked like, but Martin rejoined their conversation. “Anyway, the local sheriff says he’s looking into it – for what it’s worth. This sort of thing just doesn’t happen around here. It’s shaken everyone – you can hear how agitated they all are.” Martin frowned, raising his voice above the sound of the angry crowd. “Jake, did you say you were a cop?”
“I was. Do you mind if I look at the scene of the crime, sir? Maybe I can help?”
Astrid raised an eyebrow at the prospect of him seeing her childhood bedroom.
Martin opened his mouth to reply, but a young woman stepped over. She was stunning – blond, curvy, and covered in make-up. Not Jake’s type, but certainly her clingy red dress made her stand out in the crowd.
Jake realized he was staring with his mouth open. He could feel Astrid’s eyes burning into him.
The young woman was captivated by him too. “Who’s this?” she asked, looking Jake up and down.
“Jake,” he said. “You must be Emma – Astrid’s little sister. Right?”
“Oh, you’ve heard all about me, then?”
“I sure have.”
Emma glanced at her sister. “Hello, Astrid.”
“Emma.”
Martin frowned at Jake. “So you think you might be able to help us?”
“I’m not promising anything, but maybe something will stand out for me.”
Martin glanced at Astrid. “You okay with that, Astrid?”
“He seems pretty perceptive,” she said. “It won’t do any harm, I guess.”
“Okay,” Martin said. “Come this way.”
Chapter Ten
It was strange for Astrid being back here. She’d lived at home when she’d been studying at college, so she’d only been away for six weeks in NYC, but already this place seemed like a dream to her. It was so open and quiet. And it was possible to see the sunshine and blue sky above, because the buildings were restricted to three-stories maximum. They were made of a natural-looking red brick – not steel and glass – and the stores in this town were all independents, run by people she knew on a first-name basis – there were no corporate brands for miles. It was both refreshing and terrifying in equal measure.
Jake’s presence here was warping her sense of reality. He was like a Hollywood superstar who’d been airdropped into normal life. The air around him seemed to glisten with an expression of his inner-confidence and physical attractiveness. People would stop and stare – and not just because he was a stranger in town.
Astrid smiled automatically and relaxed as they walked up the driveway to her childhood home. It felt good to be home in this old two-story building, set in its own grounds – it was like taking the phone off the hook of real life for a while. There was plenty of space to spread out here – unlike her crammed apartment back in the City. But as they stepped inside, she remembered how mentally restricted she’d felt living here – somehow being anonymous in the City was quite appealing. Perhaps it was just because she was worried that somewhere around town Simon was lurking…
In the homey kitchen, Astrid hugged her mom – sinking into her arms and realizing how much she’d missed her. Her mom – Sally – was in the middle of making a pie, and trying not to get too drawn into the latest town scandal. She was usually very calm and level-headed, but even she double-taked when she saw Jake – clearly impressed by the specimen Astrid had brought home from the big city.
“Shall we go up to your room then?” Jake asked Astrid, with a smirk.
Sally raised an eyebrow. “Your room?”
She blushed. “He’s a detective. He’s going to look at the scene of the crime.”
“Ah,” Sally said. “Sure.”
Martin led Jake, Astrid, and Emma up to Astrid’s old bedroom, which hadn’t been decorated since she was in her late teens. She was so embarrassed about Jake getting a glimpse of her youth – it was like he was looking into her soul and seeing all the parts she was trying to hide. He smiled coolly as he eyed-up the posters of rockstars on the walls and the bookshelves crammed with schoolwork.
Astrid loitered by the door and took in the ransacked room. “Oh god, what a mess.”
The burglar had clearly been looking for something in a hurry – he’d emptied all Astrid’s drawers and strewn her old clothes on the carpet. Astrid had a suspicion this had something to do with Simon, but she decided to let Jake do what he was good at – snooping around in other people’s business and dishing the dirt on them. Anger spiraled up inside her – she still couldn’t believe how stupid she’d been
to let him play her like that. As soon as he’d finished up here, she was going to send him back to NYC and insist he leave her alone forever.
The prospect of never seeing him again squeezed her heart with dread. Damn him! Why had she let him in so fast? She needed to harden herself against him, otherwise she was going to end up with more pain.
She watched as Jake’s gaze collided with her old vanity table, which held toiletries and a jewelry box. He opened the lid of the jewelry box and it played a tinny piece of classical music, which Astrid found strangely soothing, because it reminded her of carefree childhood times. He gazed at the contents and frowned. It was mainly full of costume jewelry, but there was an expensive Rolex in there too, which he seemed interested in. He picked it up and turned it over, reading the inscription, which read: ‘Happy Eighteenth Birthday to our beloved Astrid. Love mom and dad.’
He dropped the watch back into the box and closed it. “Astrid, anything missing?”
“I’m not sure. Let me see…” She strolled inside. “I guess I didn’t leave too much here anyway – nothing worth stealing, you know…”
“Other than an expensive Rolex with sentimental value,” Jake said, accusingly.
“I left it here because I didn’t feel safe with it in New York.”
“Un-huh.”
Astrid didn’t know what he was implying, but her attention had now been seized by the rug covering the wooden floorboards by her bed. She remembered exactly what was stored under those floorboards and she tensed, cringing internally.
Jake picked up on her change of posture. He lifted the rug. “Something under here?”
“Just my old diaries,” she said, blushing. “With my deepest teenage thoughts. I’d be devastated if anyone read them, but they aren’t worth anything of value.”
“Hmm… they might be to someone…”
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