It was the smartest idea he’d had in hours.
“I guess I could work from home,” Vaughan offered.
“If you do that, you’ll still be surrounded by your driver and staff.”
“I trust them with my life,” the poor man couldn’t understand.
“But do you trust them with your daughter’s life?” Ed didn’t have the luxury of being subtle. Not while Anastacia’s life was in his hands. The whole attack had to be orchestrated by someone she, or her father, trusted. “Who knew she was at the ball?”
“No one, I mean, only her friend who gave her the ticket and me.”
“Who knew she was coming back to Australia after her marriage broke down, I mean she must have friends all over the world.”
“Only my office and her friend Bella. She wasn’t ready to make her marriage breakdown or return back her public.”
“Okay, then I want you to forget that you’re a soldier and act like a grieving or scared father.” Ed had the start of a plan.
“She’s my daughter.”
“And you made bloody sure that she’s my job. We need to cover our tracks. Who else knew I was coming to see you yesterday?”
“Only Jessica.”
“Then, I’m going into the office to firm up an alibi. You will use your phone to confirm that I am going to Afghanistan off the books to look into, I don’t know, missing ammunition.” Ed thought quickly, this could work. “That ties into the work I finished yesterday.”
“Plausible.”
“Yep. Make the calls and I will go in and make sure people see me blow off some steam about being your errand boy. Storm around and then disappear.”
“That doesn’t sound like you at all—especially when you hid your feelings so well yesterday.” For the first time, Vaughan offered him a smile.
ANASTACIA
“How’s she doing?” she awoke to her father’s voice but couldn’t open her eyes.
“As good as could be expected.” A cultured voice – maybe the doctor from yesterday but she couldn’t be sure. “We expect her to wake up anytime now. She’ll still be a bit groggy but is healing nicely.”
“How long is it essential for her to stay here?” Anastacia wanted to smile—she could listen to that voice all day and hoped he’d find another book to read.
“I would still prefer to keep her for at least a week,” the doctor paused, and Anastacia could only assume there was head shaking going on. “If that’s out of the question, then let me at least examine her when she wakes up.”
“I want twenty-four-hour security with people you can trust.” Who was her father talking to?
“Sir, I can’t control the environment here in the hospital for long. I’ve already made phone calls and everything should be in place within twelve hours.
“Do I want to know?”
“Sir, I can only protect you both if I have your trust. The less people know the better.”
Anastacia fought to open her eyes, wanting to see her father but his voice faded away with the doctor. Something about pain medication and watching out for signs of febrile convulsions. She needed to call him back, but then the voice started reading to her again. His calm and lilting tone serenaded her back to sleep.
“Daddy,” Anastacia woke to see her father alone in the room, fidgeting in a large chair to her side. She’d never been happier to see him, but unfortunately the man with the voice had disappeared. Perhaps, he’d only been a drug-filled dream. After all, he had been reading her favorite books.
“Staci, oh, Staci!” her father cried, immediately coming to her bedside. “I want to give you a hug, does that hurt? Do you need any pain meds, or water?” Anastacia had never seen her father flustered and in a way it was sweet and amusing.
“Daddy, I’m fine—well, at least I think I am.”
“Is that a ‘yes’ to a hug then?”
If only she could raise her arms with all the wires and tubes, he wouldn’t have had to ask. “Absolutely! Daddy, I was so scared I thought I was going to die but then I tried to remember what they looked like and what they were saying. Daddy, I was so scared but I wanted to make you proud.”
“Sweetheart, I’m proud of you and all I care about is that you’re alive.”
“Well, it’s definitely a bonus,” her laugh died in her throat as she realized at least for her father, it was too soon for any joke.
“I’ve got a bodyguard for you.”
“No, daddy, I don’t want one. I’m here and fine. Can’t we just wait for the police to do their job?”
“It isn’t a question. He’s a friend of mine—I’ve known him for years and he’s the only person I would trust with your life.”
“I know that what happened to me must have scared you, too—but I seriously don’t need a bodyguard.”
“Staci, you might have been able to convince me before the other night—but now I’m not accepting any argument.”
“But …” she didn’t have the strength to keep arguing. But she’d just run away from being watched twenty-four hours a day and the thought of being trapped like a bird in a cage was intolerable. Then again, she’d do anything to erase the look of anguish from her father’s face. “What’s he like?”
“I told you, I’ve known him for years. He came as soon as I called him, while you were still in surgery. He only just left your bedside half an hour ago or so to get a change of clothes and get his place ready.”
“What do you mean, ‘get his place ready’ for me?”
“It wasn’t my first idea, but no one will look for you at his apartment and he’s convinced me it will be the safest place for you until we get all of this sorted out.”
Anastacia tried to think, what if they never found the people who kidnapped her? She could be trapped in her father’s loving cage forever. “What if I don’t want to?”
“Darling, I hate to be blunt, but the reality is—do you want to die?”
Growing up within the cocoon of Defence bases, she’d fought to remain independent; refusing to allow her father’s position to curtail her zest for life or ability to make her own mistakes. Wanting to press her case, she tried to take a deep breath before crying out in pain. Clutching her chest, she pressed down on her ribs, eyes rolled back while trying to find a spot on the ceiling to focus on, ignore the pain. Sighing, she accepted that the attack had changed the rules. “Okay, it looks like I’m going to have a babysitter.”
“I wouldn’t call him that to his face—although he originally had the same response as you had. He’s a bodyguard, not a babysitter—and a highly decorated veteran at that.”
“I stand corrected,” she said, her father’s relief palatable. “Well, I should at least know his name—or is that a national secret?”
“We haven’t discussed how much about him is safe for you to know, but when he gets here, I’ll be led by his advice.”
“What do you mean, you’ll be led by his advice? If he’s still serving, don’t you out-rank him?”
“I mean exactly what I said. Staci, he’s one of the best soldiers I’ve ever had in my command; he’s a good friend and I trust him with my life and more importantly—I’m prepared to charge him with your safety.
“Do you know who did this?” she asked tentatively, hoping it wasn’t her ex-husband. He’d done enough to ruin her life without threatening to take it.
“All they’ve told me is there is a recording of your attack and at some point they are going to post a video of it online. Do you know anything about a debt?”
“I promise, I don’t owe anyone any money,” she cried, the memories of the attack coming back. If she couldn’t convince her father, how could she convince strangers who demanded payment?
“Have you and Thielman discussed a divorce settlement at all?”
“No, I was prepared to walk away with nothing. I didn’t even bring my dog.”
“I’ll get you a new dog.”
“That’s not the point. I walked away with nothing. I
didn’t want anything from him because I didn’t know …” she broke off, unwilling to tell her father that she didn’t know how much of her lifestyle had been funded by money she could never enjoy.
“The only money I have is what mummy left me.”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll set you up with whatever you need.” Typical soldier, her father had already moved into solution mode. “Whatever you need, just ask.”
“I thought it would be a quick and easy divorce settlement because I walked away with nothing.”
She flinched at her father’s hug, as much as she needed his love, her entire body ached.
“Sweetheart, that just makes what happened even more dangerous. If you don’t have what they’re looking for, then how can we negotiate on your behalf?”
Something she’d already tried not to think about. “So, this guy—the one who’s been here all night?”
“I hope he didn’t bore you—he found some old books and started reading them to you to keep awake.”
“Really?” Anastacia remembered the calming voice. If she was going to be trapped with a man, then she could always close her eyes and ask him to keep reading.
“That sounds like him now!” Her father looked towards the door as she heard the nurses giggling in the hallway.
“Sounds like they’re excited to see him” she laughed, clutching her ribs to stop the pain. “I assume he’s not one of your stodgy friends!”
“You’re about to meet and see yourself, but Staci remember that this is his job. Please don’t make it difficult.”
The man of the hour walked in and Anastacia’s gasp echoed around the room. Quickly, she recovered and blamed it on a shot of pain.
“Nurse!” her father called. “My daughter needs help.”
The man her father trusted, the calming voice that lulled her to sleep—how could he be the same man who set up the attack?
In the midst of nurses fussing, water offered and her bed being readjusted, Anastacia tried to think. Her father had described the stranger as a close and trusted friend. If he had set up the attack, then why would he have turned up to the hospital? And if he was responsible, why didn’t he finish the job when her father had left her alone?
Nothing made sense.
The stranger winked, he knew she’d been thrown for a loop. She frowned at the slightest shake of his head until realizing he didn’t want her to say anything in front of her father—at least not until they had a chance to talk. That was fine with Anastacia, a list of her own questions needed answering before her father got the full story about the masquerade ball.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Her father had run out of things to fuss over.
“I breathed in too deeply and got a sharp pain.” She needed to clear the room, “Do you mind finding me some lemonade or something sweet?”
“Of course, mate, can you look after my daughter while I check on a few things?”
“Yes, sir.”
And just like that, they were alone.
“You!” she croaked before he offered her another sip of water.
“You, yourself! Welcome back princess—or should I call you the lady in red?”
“What are you doing here?” No matter how much she wanted to trust her father’s judgement, this man, “Ed” was the person who put her in the taxi cab. “How do you know my father?”
He topped up her water, “It’s a long story and one that I’m happy to explain, but before he comes back—do you want us to explain how we met to your father, or do you want to think about it a little longer?”
“Who are you?” The man was infuriating, still full of more questions than answers.
“Okay, I’ll be quick because the Colonel will be back in in a minute.” Ed looked towards the door, but they could still hear her father talking to the nurses in the hallway. “My name is Ed and I used to work for your father. The day of the ball, he called me to his office and asked me to look after his daughter. I had no idea that it was going to be you I even told him that I didn’t want babysitting duties but after last night everything changed.”
“What changed?”
“That kiss.” He sighed into her eyes—so sincerely that she wanted to believe whatever came next. “Despite what it probably looks like, I don’t walk around kissing random women.”
“You put me in that taxi.” He still hadn’t explained letting her go.
“I knew something wasn’t right,” he said, holding and stroking her hand. “But I put it down to that bloody kiss.”
“The ‘bloody kiss,’ is that how you’re going to describe it from now on?” Her laugh choked off in a coughing fit which only ended up with her wincing in pain. “Oh, don’t let me do that again.”
Ed couldn’t have been more attentive, helping her to sit up and offering her more water. “Look, Anastacia, by the way it’s a beautiful name and I wish you had told me it last night.”
“Really, you would have preferred to know I was my father’s daughter last night? Before or after our first kiss?”
“In my defence, you kissed me first, and hell no! I don’t and never have dated army brats or army ex-wives so look what you’ve done to me!”
“They could have killed me—but they didn’t.” The tears welled for the first time. “They could have killed me.”
“Let’s focus on the fact they didn’t.” With a quick look towards the door, he kissed her bruised cheek. “But I have to say that was a pretty messed up way to get my attention.”
“Then don’t let me lose it!” she joked feebly, tiring quicker than she expected.
“Oh, Anastacia, my beautiful Lady in Red.”
All her doubts about him faded. Yes, there had been truth in his kiss and in the voice that had comforted her during her drug-induced sleep. “What did you tell my father about us?”
“I thought that was a decision we should make together.”
“He doesn’t need to know.” She didn’t need to think twice. Her father had clearly been shaken by her attack and Anastacia didn’t know how he’d react to the way she already felt about her new bodyguard.
“He asked me to defend you, to protect you.”
“I know that, and last night shouldn’t change a thing.”
“Of course it changes things,” he broke away, looking into her eyes before he could continue. “That kiss was …” he couldn’t finish.
“It certainly was,” she said, smiling. She wasn’t the only one to feel the connection that started across the room. “But …”
“I know, sweetheart. You’re scared and you have every right to be—but I’m asking you to make a big decision.” He leant down to kiss her hand, and she appreciated him not trying to move her. “Do you want me to look after you or not? If you want me to look after you—you can’t tell your father about the kiss.”
“But you just asked me if I wanted to tell him.”
Ed spoke quickly as they heard her father’s conversation finishing. “Vaughan would have every right to hand your protection over to someone else and even though that’s exactly what I wanted him to do yesterday, now I know I’m the best chance of keeping you safe and finding out who the fuck did this.”
“Did you have anything to do with those men in the car?” Anastacia had to ask even though if this man had been the ringleader, he was hardly going to admit it to her face.
Emphatically, Ed shook his head. “Firstly, I owe your father my life. Most of the men that I have served with, owe their lives to your father. I promise that I would never do anything to hurt you and I’m never going to let anyone else hurt you again.”
“Ed—is that short for Edward?”
“Lieutenant Colonel Edison Alexander, at your service.”
Anastacia tried not to laugh, “I think I’ll stick with Ed, if that’s okay.”
“Your father’s coming back—what I need to say quickly is I am professional enough to put my own feelings aside and focus on what matters.”
“Which is?
”
“Keeping you alive is my highest priority.”
This time she chuckled without choking, “I’m not going to complain, as long as you’re good at your job.”
“So, it’s settled?”
All she wanted was another kiss before she closed her eyes, “What’s that?”
“We keep you alive and figure out what to do about us later.”
“I’ll try not to be a spoilt army brat.”
“Princess, I wouldn’t have you any other way.”
“Ed, can I have a moment?” Her father stood at the doorway, motioning for Ed to leave, his face grimmer than when he used to catch her sneaking out at night.
“I’ll be back.” Still with his back to her father, Ed blew her a silent kiss.
“Daddy, wait!” She used up too much energy in calling out, but at least it worked. “You can’t keep having conversations without me. It’s my life on the line and I have the right to know what’s going on.” The harder her father tried to hide the truth, the more she needed to know.
Instead of answering, her father looked to Ed for advice.
“Sir, unless knowing will put her in more danger, my advice is that an informed client will be more willing to participate in her own safety.”
Anastacia’s heart sank when her father came in and closed the door, the noise from the busy hospital fell silent.
“I received a call from one of my overseas contacts. It appears that Mr. Thielman has gone and gotten himself kidnapped.”
“What!” she cried, crashing back into her pillows. No matter what she thought of him, at one time, she’d loved Hudson. “No!” She looked to her father, pleading with him to take back his words. “No,” she cried softly.
“Is there more, sir?”
“The overseas authorities had already frozen his bank accounts because of some questionable transactions, so if he has been taken to extract a ransom, there is no money.”
“Are we thinking his kidnapping is a red herring?” She couldn’t understand how Ed could be so composed. What if Hudson was being tortured somewhere?
Defend Her: A military suspense romance (Aussie Military Romance Book 4) Page 6