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‘Let’s get you into bed,’ he lifts the covers,
and I slide between the soft sheets, exhaustion instantly consuming me.

********

My eyes open and I glance around, Nate is
nowhere to be found.  On every occasion that I awoke, during the night, he
was lying beside me, holding me tight, providing me the security I craved.

‘Nate!’ I call, glancing around the
darkened room.  The blackout blinds are still down, but I know it is
daylight hours by the sound of activity around the hotel. 

‘I’m here,’ he calls back, opening the
bedroom door and dropping onto the edge of the bed beside me. ‘everything
okay?’

‘I didn’t know where I was,’ I lay back
against the pillow.  ‘What’s the time?’

‘Just after noon, the boys are here for
an update,’ he enlightens me.  ‘They won’t be here long, how are you
feeling?’

‘I’m fine,’ I swing my legs out of the
bed and stand in his shirt.  I glance down, confused for a moment as to
why I dressed for bed.  I usually sleep naked, it doesn’t matter where I
am. I fidget in bed and clothes only wrap around me, so I decided as soon as I
left my grandma’s house, to sleep naked.

Nate stops me and lifts the shirt to
inspect my bruise, ‘do you need painkillers?’

‘No, I’m fine, Nate,’ I cup his
jaw.  I’m going to have a bath.’

He nods, ‘then we’ll have something to
eat and we’ll talk.’

Over brunch, Nate informs me that the DNA
results from the semen they extracted from my clothes will be back this
evening.  He also updated me that the statements they took in the bar last
night, didn’t highlight anything unusual and no one claimed they saw anything
out of the ordinary. So, they were holding out hope that the semen would expose
a person known to them and who will feature on their database.

‘I guess I should get back to the
apartment,’ I glance down at my fingers, as homesickness cloaks me. I want to
go home.  The thought of returning to Ollie’s apartment, alone, fills me
with horror.  I would be secure at home, in London.

My everyday life back home was far from
perfect, in fact, the majority of it was work, but at least I was safe and I could
be myself. I would be among my belongings, my friends.  Realising my
vulnerability as a woman has unsettled me immensely.

I need to go home and lick my wounds,
forget about Ollie, dad, and Krystal. Deep down inside of me, I wish that I had
never replied to Ollie’s pleas for us to talk, to mend our fractured
relationship.  I would now be in my successful salon, with familiar people
surrounding me and my best friend twenty minutes away. 

What about Nate?  My mind enquires. 
I don’t think I’ll ever forget about Nate, but he’ll never look at me in the
same light again, not now.  I am tainted goods. I remember his words of
last night, ‘
it will never be okay.’

Nate hadn’t touched me with anything
other than comfort, since last night.  I wouldn’t expect him to, neither
want him to, but I thought he would perhaps give me some sign that things
between us were still as they were.  At the moment I feel as if I am a
victim of a crime he is investigating.  The truth is, I am a victim of a
crime he is investigating.

‘Sophie,’ Nate interrupts my
deliberations.

I glance up, warily. 

‘We are staying here,’ his voice is
quiet, but commanding.  ‘I need you in my bed in order to protect you,’ he
expresses, blandly.

‘I can’t do this,’ I whisper.  ‘I
need to go home, I miss home,’ I explain, softly.

‘We have to resolve this first, babe,’ he
pulls me onto his lap and wraps his arms around me. 

‘This isn’t me,’ I whisper, ‘I am a
strong, independent woman,’ I tell his chest, ‘not a clingy, emotional wreck.’

‘That hasn’t changed, Sophie. 
Someone has hurt you, tipped you off balance, but you are still you,’ he plants
a kiss in my hair.  ‘You are just taking some time out, to heal.’

‘God, you’re perfect,’ I sigh.

‘Baby, I’m far from perfect,’ I feel his
lips smile against the side of my head.  ‘But I am perfect for you,’ he
whispers tenderly.  His words send my nose tingling; I am going to cry
again. 

‘I don’t know what to do?’ I sniff, into
his neck.

‘Then don’t do anything,’ he suggests,
‘when you know what to do, you will know what to do. For now, you take some
time,’ he stands and places me on my feet.  ‘I need to go to work,’ he
announces.  ‘Mum said you are welcome to join her downstairs, or if you
are tired she can come up and sit with you.’

‘I don’t need looking after,’ I notify
him.

‘See,’ he sweeps a hand over me,
‘already, you are reverting to the stubbornly independent woman you will always
be,’ he encouraged.

I smile.

‘One of my guys is in reception, he will
monitor who is coming and who is going,’ he glances over to gauge my
reaction.  ‘Any calls that come through the switchboard are traceable;
your mobile phone also has a tracker on it.  No one can contact you
without us knowing,’ he walks over to the table and hands me an oblong plastic
box, it is the size of an earring box.

‘What is it?’ It looks like a doorbell
button.

‘A panic button, you feel threatened or
need help, you press that button and someone will come running.

I nod, ‘We must be down to about
thirty-six hours now?’

‘You do not worry about that,’ he
commands ‘no one will get to you here, Soph,’ he promises.

‘He got to me in a crowded bar with my
bad arse detective… lover, standing by,’ I scoff.

‘Ass,’ his lips tilt.

‘What?’ I look at him with confusion.

‘It’s bad ass, not bad arse,’ he corrects
me with half a smile.

‘In my country, it’s arse,’ I argue.

‘You were born in New York,’ he reminds
me.

‘I was a few weeks old when I left
America,’ I conflict.

‘You are an American, you need to start
using the language, babe,’ he teases.

I smile, softly.

He crushes me against him, ‘no one will
get to you, you have half of Krystal police department surrounding you,’ he
lifts my chin and places his lips against mine.  ‘I need for you to hold
it together, London.’

‘I’ll try,’ I whisper.

********

The urge to run back to London is
immense. But, I can’t leave, if I leave,
they
will come for Nate and his
family, I know they will.  I am sitting in the lounge of Marnie’s
hotel.  She has been her usual, sweet, brilliant self as she tells me about
her family and how her son, Kyle, Ellie and Nate’s brother, is due to arrive
home from training domestic security forces to battle Islamic State fighters in
Iraq. The pride in her face is evident in the contemplation of her family
reuniting. 

Marnie’s husband died after losing his
battle to cancer three years ago. Nate hadn’t spoken much about his dad other
than he was lucky to have had him as a major influence in his life.  I
knew he had passed, but Nate’s face had closed down when I had questioned him
further regarding his father.  I had read his expression and known not to
probe too deep. 

Being only three years ago, it was now apparent
that Nate was still grieving the loss of his dad. 

My eyes drift to the clock, calculating
how much time remains before the letch, who assaulted me, could potentially
return and make good on his promises.  My body shivers with the notion of
his grubby little hands all over my body. 

‘You okay, honey?’ Marnie fails to miss
the tremor that quivers through me.

‘I think I’m going to have a lay down,
Marnie.  Is that okay with you?’ I stand, my legs are still wobbly. 

 ‘Of course, honey.  You want
me to come up?’ She offers, ‘I can sit and read for a while?’

‘Thank you,’ I move and hug Marnie tight,
‘but I am going to crash out,’ I assure her.

‘Okay, you need anything Sophie, you call
down to me, you hear?’ She cups my jaw, her eyes running over the small cuts on
my cheek and neck.

‘I hear,’ I force a smile. 

Realisation that I have to prevent Marnie,
and her adorable family from being touched by this mess, rushes through me
along with the affection and envy of such a close knit unit. 

Marnie
walks me
to the lift and presses the call button. 

I notice the marked police car sitting
outside the main entrance of the hotel, with two uniformed officers sitting in
the front.  It’s then I know I can’t stay here and wait for the inevitable
to happen.  I have to be proactive in resolving my brother’s dramas, the
quicker I do, the sooner I can go home and forget this whole sorry event. 

‘Actually,’ I turn to Marnie, my brain
whizzing.  ‘I think I will go back to the apartment and collect some more
of my belongings and my car, first. If Nate and I are going to stay here for a
few days, I need some of my personal items.’

‘Oh, Nate wants you to stay here, honey,’
Marnie looks unsure of what to do. 

I am an adult, I am capable of making my own
decisions, but I also have the Krystal police department tailing me. 
There is no way for me to escape without causing a scene.  I have the
apartment keys in my clutch bag from last night.  It just so happens I
brought it down because it also holds my mobile phone.

‘The guys can drop me back to the
apartment,’ I suggest as I walk towards the double doors of the hotel, ‘don’t
worry,’ I call over my shoulder, ‘I won’t be long.’  I hate lying to Marnie,
she has been so good to me and is as charming as hell, but I need a head start,
there isn’t a lot of time left.  I will fly to Boston and get the money
from my dad, he owes me that much.  The quicker the debt is paid, the faster
everyone can get on with their lives. 

In reality, how long will it be before
someone fucks up and
they
manage to get through to me, or Nate? 
No, I have to end this.

The police officers look surprised by my appearance.
I imagine that Nate had informed them that I would be remaining at
Marnie’s.  They instantly agree to drive me back to the apartment over the
salon, but they exchange a glance that suggests they aren’t entirely happy
about it.

‘We should call it in Ma’am,’ the blonde,
younger officer advises me.

‘Oh, don’t do that, I just need some
clothes,’ I send him my best smile. ‘All you will do is worry Nate,’ I suggest.
‘We can be back in twenty minutes,’ I charm him.

They exchange another dubious look, but obey
my request.

When they drop me outside the salon, I
glance at the sign stuck on the front door that Nate had evidently planted,
informing my clients that the salon is closed for the foreseeable.  I feel
a dipping in my stomach, a sadness that I wouldn’t be continuing to run the
salon.  I had been happy working here, it escalated my familiarity with
the locals and made me feel like I belonged. 

Whatever happened, I was done with
Krystal.  I prevented my mind from deciphering the implications of that statement,
because I knew being done with Krystal also meant being done with Nate. 
That wasn’t something I had the time, nor the emotional stability to
contemplate, right now.

The officers exit the vehicle and insist
on checking out the apartment before I enter.  I stand outside and wait
until they give it the all clear, notifying me they will wait downstairs on the
sidewalk.  I have no doubt they will then decide to,
call it in
! I knew
I didn’t have a lot of time.

Opening my laptop, I locate and book a
last minute plane ticket to Boston, which leaves in four hours, which gives me
a limited amount of time to drive to Denver, and check-in.  The only seat
available is a first class ticket, at an extortionate price.  I load the
cost onto my credit card and decide to worry about the bill when I am home and
safe.

I grab a weekend bag and locate my
passport and a change of clothes, stuffing it all inside with my makeup. 
Picking up my car keys, I take a deep breath to calm my nerves and jog down to
my car, which is parked at the rear of the salon.  I climb inside, my
heart hammering within the confines of my chest cavity, I plead it to slow it
down before I hyperventilate.  I am scared, but I am determined to put
things right.

My mobile phone begins to ring, as soon
as I pull into the light Krystal traffic.  I glance over to observe the
screen,
Nate Calling.
  I allow it to divert to voicemail and ignore
the clenching of my gut.  He will be fuming.  When I hit the road
leading out of Krystal, I detach the battery of my mobile phone and throw it
into the glove compartment.

I only feel relief when I sit in the
first class section of the plane, and it commences its journey onto the
runway.  I had an awful premonition that Nate would discover my intention
and stop the flight, relief flows through me.  Laying back with my eyes
closed, I force my body to relax, my muscles aching with the tension that holds
my body tight.

I accept a glass of champagne, when the flight
attendant offers it, with two painkillers to numb the throbbing of my rib and
head before dropping into a dreamless slumber.

********

‘I’m sorry Ma’am,’ the blonde woman on
the reception desk of The Boston Tower, looks regretfully towards me, ‘but, Mr.
Parker says to tell you he is in a meeting.’

‘Really?’  Fury rushes through my
tired veins.  ‘Well, can you tell,
my father
,’ that should get her
attention, ‘that this is a family emergency,’ my tone is sickly sweet, my body
is tense. 

‘Oh, err,’ her face fails to conceal her
shock at my announcement. I had introduced myself as Sophie, purposely omitting
my surname to prevent being associated with my dad.  Now, I couldn’t give
a shit.  I feel sorry for her, she is evidently torn between wanting to do
the right thing and following orders from a higher hierarchy.  She glances
nervously to the doorway behind her, ‘just a moment, please.’

I pace up and down, anger blinding me. 
If my father doesn’t respond, I will make such a scene that he will regret
dismissing me as a nobody; I promise myself. 

It’s another ten minutes before he
appears, obviously aggravated by my impromptu arrival.  His jaw is tense,
his grey eyes gleaming with anger, or is it embarrassment?  He wordlessly
directs me through a door to the left of the reception area into a small office
that I assume is maybe the security staff’s base.  I’m clearly not
important enough to enter his penthouse office, the one that Ollie had informed
me had the most incredible view over the harbour. My stomach pains.  I am
what I am to him, what I have always been to him, a nonentity, someone he
doesn’t wish to admit to having, because he knows deep down inside, him
deserting me would be frowned upon by all that have a heart, a
conscience.  He would be judged badly for not claiming and loving a
daughter he had with his dead wife.

‘I’m sure there’s a broom cupboard
somewhere,’ I mutter, ironically.

‘I don’t have time for this shit,’ he
growls.  ‘What the fuck do you want Sophie?’

‘Wow, it’s good to see you too, Dad!’ I over-empathise
the word
dad
to remind him of the fact.

He has the decency to flush slightly. I
guess that’s something.

‘I take it your staff and friends don’t
know that you have a daughter?’ I hear the hurt in my tone and internally
chastise myself.  Why do you care? I ask myself.

‘I am a private person,’ he announces as
if this justifies my neglect.  ‘I have a busy schedule, what is it you
want?’ He repeats.

‘I want you to pay off Ollie’s debts,’ I
demand, impassively.

He scoffs dramatically.  ‘So, I was right
all along you are after money!’

‘Not for me, believe me, I wouldn’t touch
your guilt money,’ I half wince, the truth being, the monthly maintenance money
he had sent me throughout my childhood had set up my first salon.  ‘For
Ollie,’ I tilt my chin stubbornly.

‘Newsflash, darlin’, your brother is
dead!’ He is so cold in his expression it leaves me wondering how on earth I am
related to him.

‘My mother must have been a fool,’ I
accuse.

‘You don’t fucking ever talk about your
mother!’ He shouts at me, the fury in his eyes sending them crazed.

‘Why not?  I’m the image of her,
apparently,’ I express, passionately, ‘and yet, I can’t for the life of me
understand how she could have loved and procreated with a cold-hearted bastard
like you!’ I am almost snarling with the pent up anger that is surging through
me.  ‘How would she have felt about you deserting me, DAD?’ Again, I
over-emphasise the word,
dad
.

He pales, which  encourages
me to continue, to air all the hurt and upset that has laid
stagnant inside me from as far back as I could remember.

‘I don’t imagine,’ I inhale a sharp
breath, ‘she would have been elated at the news you had me flown out of the
country as soon as it was legally permitted. Dumped me on family, who were
grieving the loss of their daughter, and who projected all that grief onto a
tiny baby too young to understand, but very quickly became aware, as a toddler,
that her arrival into this world came at a price.  A price that not one of
you would have paid if given the choice. Torn from my family, my mother barely
cold,’ a sob escapes my mouth, and I clasp a hand across my lips to hold
together the pieces.

‘It wasn’t like that!’ He mutters, his
voice weak.

‘Then tell me, DAD.  What exactly
was it like, what did I do that warranted being disowned by you?’ My voice is
now only a whisper.

‘You killed the only person I could ever
love!’ He roared, his face so red, he looked as if he would combust at any moment.

Tears are rolling down my cheek,
silently, apart from the odd hiccup that erupts from the strength of my
devastation.  ‘That wasn’t my fault,’ I wipe a tear.

‘Whose fault was it then, Sophie?’ He
scoffs.

‘I didn’t ask to be born,’ his ignorance
is unmeasurable. 

He runs both hands over his ageing face,
in frustration, in desperation? He wants me gone.  I remind him too much
of her.

I take a steadying breath in.  ‘I
came to America to say goodbye to a brother that I was never allowed to know,’
I continue, quietly.  ‘A brother who was shot because he was apparently
involved in drugs,’ I look at my father’s face to gauge his reaction.  Did
he know?  His gaze flies to mine, oh yeah he knew.

‘He’s an adult, he made his own choices,’
he mutters, offhand.

‘This is how I consider it goes,
DAD.  After thirty-six years of you supporting Oliver, pandering to his
every need, grooming him to take over the businesses, you find out he is not
only gay.’  Again I analyse his facial expression.  His lips curl,
yep, he knew that too.  ‘But, he has zero interest in your empire,’ I wave
my hand around the small, dingy room. ‘So, what do you do?  Do you support
him as his only living parent, encourage him to live his life, choose his path?’

‘Fuck you, Sophie!’ he makes to leave the
room.

‘I suggest you don’t take this
conversation outside these doors, DAD.’ I warn.  ‘I wonder what everyone
out there,’ I point to the door, ‘will think about our little fairy
story?  Or will welcome your bigoted nature?’  My voice is becoming
stronger, more confident as I continue.  He stands perfectly still, his
jaw tight, the hate for me palpable in his cold gaze.