Page 84 of The Bodyguard

“Okay,” she sighs, getting up and crossing her arms back over her chest. “I’m going to see how Dad is.”

I watch her sit back down next to her father.

I watch her take his hand, squeeze it, whisper something to him that he probably can’t hear, and I feel my heart ache so much it hurts.

When this plane lands, Nielsen’s people will be there to take over. And that’s when I might need to disappear. Again.

Lena’s family, they’ll give me no other choice.

They won’t be finished with me.

And that’s something I might just have to accept…

Twenty

Lena

Nothing feels the same anymore. Nothing. And yet, here, at home, back amongst the family who lied to me, you’d be hard pressed to think that anything had changed. That anything was different, at all. Apart from the fact my dad, temporarily, needs a stick to help him walk until his leg heals properly, it’s business as usual. And I could go back to my own house, I could do that, nobody’s stopping me this time, but for some reason I feel like I should stay here. At the family home. Work on those problems this family has, even if they feel the need to bury their heads in the sand and pretend none of it happened. Novak’s out of the picture now, they think that means I’ll forget about it too. Forget about the lies and the deceit, but I won’t. I can’t.

“Dad wants to see you.”

I look up from the book I’m reading out here in the sunshine, shielding my eyes, narrowing them as Ollie approaches, hands in his pockets, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and that’s when I notice he’s acquired a few new tattoos. Must’ve had them done while I was in Germany.

“Did you know?”

He sits down in the chair opposite me and frowns, clasping his hands together on the table top.

“Know about what?”

“Don’t fucking do that, Ollie, you know what.”

He sits back, lets his hands fall into his lap, still clasped. “It’s over, Lena.”

I arch a brow. “Is it? Why? Because you say so? Because Dad says so?”

I’ve held back from asking too many questions, since we all arrived back home just over a couple of months ago, but I’m tired now. I want answers. I can’t just pretend none of what we’ve all been through never happened, and while that may be common place for the rest of my family, it’s not right. I’m not doing that.

“It’s over,” Ollie repeats, his eyes locking on mine. He thinks by telling me that, I’ll accept it. I won’t. Not anymore. “Go see Dad.”

“Did you know, Ollie?” I’m not leaving it, I’m not ending it, I want answers.

“Jesus, Lena, yes. I knew. But what was the point in telling you? Dad is your father, he brought you up, loved you, gave you this life…”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“No-one’s trying to make you feel better.” He leans forward, his hands now unclasped, his eyes carrying a hint of anger and frustration because he knows I won’t let this lie. He knows. Now. “You need to let it go, Lena. Novak is gone, he’s done. He’s nothing to you, never was. Never will be.”

I stare at my brother, and his frown deepens.

“Don’t tell me you actuallywantedto get to know him?”

I shake my head. “That was the last thing I wanted.” And that’s true. It was. “He’s not the problem. You are. My family. All this trying to protect me, don’t you see where that got me? Where thatputme? In fucking danger! And if Jonah hadn’t been there… You had people watching me, right? In Germany?”

“Of course we fucking did! You think we were just going to let you stay there, alone, without any fucking protection?”

“You knew Jonah was over there, too. Didn’t you?”

Ollie drops his head; runs a hand along the back of his neck. “We took our eye off the ball. We didn’t realise Novak had gone looking for you, we didn’t think he’d be that stupid…”

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