Page 29 of Coming Home

Thinking back to that night gives me warm feelings down below, and on reflex, I squeeze my legs together at the thought. He is a great lover and was such a gentleman at dinner; he can’t possibly be doing all this just for business. Unfortunately, I can’t trust my own judgement lately. I have just travelled halfway across the world to start my life up again with my Uncle Ray, who as it turns out could be the very person with a hit out on me. And what about Stephen? Poor Stephen, who didn’t know any of this. What is it going to do to him? I hate to think what he is going through.

I rub my eyes; all this thinking is giving me a headache.

I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths, smelling the lavender. I am tired, I am so tired of running, always second-guessing myself and my choices. I just want to stop. I just want someone to scoop me up and take care of me and let me know everything is going to be all right and to know that I have someone in my life who is in my corner.

Just then I hear the door open, and Shaun walks in.

“Mind if I join you?” he smiles suggestively as he starts to undo his shirt buttons.

“Not at all, come on in”. The bathtub is huge; you could fit six people in here, so I don’t need to move to make room. As Shaun undresses, it gives me the perfect opportunity to admire him some more. His broad shoulders and his well-maintained muscles down his chest.

“See something you like?” Shaun’s eyes are hooded as he looks down at me while he removes his Calvin Klein boxer briefs and steps into the bath. He moves around and sits behind me, pulling my back to his chest. He starts rubbing my shoulders and massaging my neck, clearly the tension I hold there is visible to others. Not just me.

I let out a small moan at the release of tension, his hands feel so good against my skin. If this wasn’t such an awful situation this would actually be quite romantic. “There is more evidence coming to light each and every hour. I don’t want to panic you, but I think it is important for you to be aware that this has the potential to absolutely ruin your Uncle, and as a result, Stephen may get caught in the crossfire. I want you to remain here with me until all this is out in the open and your safety is assured. My team is working through the night to gather evidence with Stephen's help, and we should have enough by the morning to call the authorities and get this all sorted out. By tomorrow, we should have you removed from any hit or target that Ray has put on you.”

I sigh. Is it too much to want to just crawl up in his bed and pull the covers over my head now?

“I spoke with Stephen and offered him to come here as well, but he wants to stay at home...”

“WHAT!” I bolt upright, turning to look at Shaun. Water splashes around us and over the side of the tub. “Why?! How?! What is he thinking?”

“He thinks that if he leaves then it will alert Ray that something is up, so he is just going to head home and lock himself in his room for the night and get back into the office early in the morning. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was adamant.”

“We have to go get him. He can’t stay in the house with that man! Uncle Ray is a lot of things but stupid isn’t one of them. He will know where Stephen is and what he is doing at the office, so he can’t go home; we need to go get him.” I stand up and step out of the bath, water sloshing everywhere as I grab a towel.

“Scarlett, wait, we cannot go over there. You are not leaving here, not until it is not safe for you to leave.”

“Then we call the police, we send Romeo, we send one of the guys from the basement, god knows there’s enough of them down there. We can’t let Stephen go back there; he needs to be safe.” Shaun steps out of the bath and ties a towel around his waist. Water drops are running down his bare body, eyebrows pierced together in a scowl. “Okay, let me call him again, but I can’t force him, Scarlett. He is his own man, and I can’t just kidnap him and bring him here.”

“I want to speak with him. I am not taking no for an answer!” I am adamant. Stephen will be in survival mode, but I know what it is like to be without your father so he will also be confused, angry, and emotional by these latest revelations. I march into the bedroom and put on some fresh clothes, my semi-relaxed bath now a distant memory.

“Here,” Shaun says, “use my phone.” I punch Stephen’s number and wait for him to pick up. It goes to voicemail. “Stephen, it’s Scarlett, call me on Shaun’s phone as soon as you get this message.”

I look up to Shaun, his face in a scowl again. “What? What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking it is odd he isn’t answering.” Shaun grabs his phone.

“Romeo, go to the Heatherstone Enterprise building and check on Stephen. We need him safe and back here if possible. Take the men that you need to ensure a seamless visit.”

I look at Shaun. “I don’t have a good feeling about this, Shaun, not at all.”

37

Shaun

Scarlett looks at me with her deep blue eyes, and I see they are filled with pain and concern. What I wouldn’t do to take all that away from her. I have all the money in the world, the country’s best security team, and yet I still can’t guarantee her safety. It drives me crazy.

Seeing her over the past weeks, I have come to understand that she is so much more than I ever thought, but if I can’t protect her then I don’t deserve her.

I put on my black Henley top and jeans and run my hands through my hair for what feels like the millionth time today. How can I fix this? How can I make this better so that I can start living a life with Scarlett that she deserves? After all she has been through, I want to show her the world, show her happiness and love. Love. I never thought I would ever think that about a woman. But yet here I am, certain that is the feeling I have for her. Does she even feel the same way?

Stephen getting paperwork and evidence from the office is a risky move, but one he wanted to take. I know he is overwhelmed and concerned, but he is willing to do the hard work now to ensure that Scarlett is safe, regardless of if it is his own father causing the mayhem we are currently experiencing. I just hope that he is unharmed. Surely, a father wouldn’t hurt his own child? The thought that he possibly might, sends a shiver down my spine.

Old man Ray. I knew he was a slimy bastard. I always had a feeling he was dirty. My father was right about him all this time to never trust him and to always be wary. It is one thing to wash money and falsify accounting and financial information, but murder? Murdering your own flesh and blood, your own brother! That is a whole other level of crazy. I think of my own brother Marco and wonder how mentally unhealthy you would have to be to cause your own brother pain like Ray did.

As Scarlett gets dressed, I take a moment to quickly call Marco and fill him in on the situation. We never keep anything from each other, and I have kept him updated throughout the day with quick texts, but now I need to hear his voice.

“Shaun,” Marco breathes out my name in a sigh of relief.

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