Did she believe him? Or did she think it was an elaborate story?
Whether she did or not, he would walk out of the room if she wanted him to. But he wouldn’t leave her alone. He would watch her from afar, all the while trying to find the people responsible, and eliminate them so she could live her life without the threat hanging over her head.
“You were always on my mind, too,” she eventually said, and a flicker of hope ignited. “I wished that I’d gotten your details too. I want to believe you, Andy, I really do, but part of me still says I need to be cautious.”
“I understand that but believe me when I say I’m going to do everything to make you trust me again. I’m waiting to hear back from Wilt about the nurse. I contacted him as soon as I could stand. I’m hoping to hear something soon.”
Would now be a good time to show her the footage of her car crash?
No, he didn’t need to traumatize her more.
“Okay.”
He didn’t know how long they’d been alone in the room, but he hoped they had a few more minutes before her parents came back. He had to ask her about what happened in Bali, and he had a feeling she’d prefer it if her parents didn’t hear those details.
Hell, he’d prefer it as well.
“Can you tell me what happened in Bali?” He made sure he kept his attention fully on her, so that she knew he wasn’t lying or acting like he had no idea.
As she spoke, his shoulders got tighter and tighter, and the desire to protect her got stronger and stronger. “Thank god you listened to your gut. I can’t tell you how many times gut feelings saved me and my team in messy situations we were in the middle of.”
“I wasn’t sure if I was just making a big deal out of nothing, but when the hotel concierge told me that my ride had been cancelled by me, and I knew for sure that I hadn’t done that, I knew I’d dodge a bullet. I guess my instincts let me down on thisone,” she said, pointing to her leg with her good arm. “Although…”
“What?” He looked over his shoulder at the door, as if he expected someone to burst through it.
“I’ve had this weird sensation since I got back, that someone was watching me. That I was being followed. I had it before I got on, and off, the train, the day of the accident. I didn’t see anyone though. Apart from the usual commuters, that is. Most of them had headphones on, and their attention was on their phones. None of them were looking at me.”
Someone who was good at surveillance could blend into the background. Andy had done it many times on missions.
Narelle’s parents bustled into the room, halting their conversation. Andy was glad they hadn’t come in two seconds earlier. Their faces looked grim, and he had a feeling they hadn’t received good news.
“Bad news?” he queried, figuring it was best just to rip that Band-Aid off in one go, instead of pulling it gently.
“It’s fine,” Julie said, forcing a smile, as if to assure her daughter everything was okay.
“Don’t do that, mum. The insurance company isn’t going to cover the cancellation of flights or anything you’ve gotplanned, right?”
Mike placed a hand on Julie’s shoulder and squeezed. Andy loved seeing the support they gave each other. “Yes. We’d lose most of our money. Some of the accommodation we arranged can be cancelled without penalties, but, yeah, it’s not good.”
“You’ve got to go, then. I don’t want you to lose all that money.” Narelle looked like she wanted to cry, and he didn’t blame her. If his parents were still alive and had planned a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, he’d be encouraging them to go. Even if he was in the same position as Narelle. No one deserved to lose the money they’d worked hard for and obviously saved for a long time.
“We’ve already said we’re not going to leave you.” Mike’s words weren’t as strong as they once had been. As if he was torn between taking the trip and doing the responsible thing and look after their child, regardless of how old they were.
“Dad, please. This trip is so important to you. I’ll be fine.” She may have said the words, but the uncertainty that she was anything but fine, shone in Narelle’s eyes.
“Think about it, Narelle, you’ve got a broken leg and arm. Your ability to do things is severely inhibited. You live in a two-story town home. How are you going to manage the stairs? Not to mention,what happened today when someone tried to harm you. You’re not safe.”
Andy could see the conversation delving into an argument, and no one wanted that. He was about to suggest something that had been floating in his mind ever since Wilt had told him that Narelle’s accident wasn’t an accident. “She can stay with me.”
Three heads swiveled in his direction, as if they’d all forgotten he was in the room. Which was a surprise, considering he was still sitting next to Narelle.
“What?” The word came from everyone, bar him.
“I said, Narelle can stay with me. I have a single-story house, so she won’t need to worry about climbing stairs. I also have a state-of-the-art security system, and I work for a security company.” He was about to lay out just how much he would do for the woman in the bed. “We’re already investigating what happened today, to find out if we can locate a connection between whoever they are and Narelle.”
No way was he going to mention the details of her accident, nor what happened to Narelle in Bali, to her parents. If they knew those details, they would never go on their trip.
“We can’t ask you to do that,” Julie said,although he was sure there was a hint of relief in her gaze.
