Believe

by Natalie Gayle

“I’m aware of that,” I said quietly.

  “Well, I can’t make the decision for you, just as long as you know the risks you’re running.” Dane’s phone chose that moment to sound and I watched him check the screen before saying that he needed to take the call. He rose from the table and stepped outside.

  The silence that had descended between us was deafening.

  “I know you probably don’t believe me but I just want to teach Maths, detective.”

  Mark nodded with a resigned look on his face. “I can see your predicament and I feel for you Arianne, I really do. But these things have a habit of blowing up in your face. You seem like a really nice lady who’s working hard to do her best for her son. I’d hate to see you lose that chance.”

  “Thanks. My plan is to get out as soon as possible.”

  Silence settled again and he looked at me curiously. “This is off the record but are you and Dane an item?”

  “Why would you say that?” I asked curiously. “Besides I don’t date violent men. I’m trying to get one out of my life. I don’t need another.”

  Mark let out a great big belly laugh at my words and I felt my forehead pull together in a frown.

  “What?”

  “Just both of your mannerisms and the bit of history you’ve given me suggest something else. Dane’s a good mate of mine and I’m looking out for him. But you’re totally wrong with Dane being violent. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  “Let me remind you of Marcel and the carpark.”

  “Well there are a few flies that need swatting and your ex sounds like one of them. But Dane would never hurt a woman or child. I’ve trained with him for years and he has his shit together. Xander wouldn’t let him teach kids if he didn’t. He’s solid and doesn’t use violence to make a point.”

  That had me even more curious. “So you don’t think martial arts is violent?”

  “There’s violence and then there’s violence, Arianne. What Dane and I do is the controlled measured type that is designed for improvement, preparedness and protection. It’s not about being a thug. In fact, the exact opposite.” I could feel his eyes studying me. “Is the fear of violence what’s holding you back?”

  I sighed not really appreciating where Mark had gone with his questions. This was my choice and it had nothing to do with others.

  “Well, put it this way. Would you be willingly, putting yourself in a position where you knew someone was more than capable of beating the hell out of you or doing worse, to you or your son?”

  He nodded. “But have you ever thought, that the same person, is also equally as capable of protecting you and your son?”

  “We’re not Dane’s problem,” I said emphatically.

  “Really? I don’t think he shares the same opinion somehow.” I didn’t really want to hear that. It was easier to believe my own reality, rather than think I may have got it wrong.

  “And besides, as a police officer, isn’t it your job to protect us?”

  “It is. Problem is we can’t protect every citizen 24 x 7. Dane seems to be quite okay filling that role.”

  Before I could respond, the door opened and Dane stepped inside.

  “Sorry, just had to take that call. It was from a supplier overseas that I’ve been trying to get a hold of all week,” Dane explained apologetically.

  “No problem mate. We were just finishing up, weren’t we Arianne?”

  “Yes.”

  “So—all done?” Dane asked.

  “For the moment. But I think you two probably have a few things to talk about.”

  I chanced a glance at Dane and he was nodding.

  Mark pushed his chair back; Dane and I followed suit.

  “So who’s going to be the third damsel in distress you rescue this week mate? These things come in threes don’t they?” Mark asked Dane with good natured humour in his voice, and I was plain confused.

  Dane looked a little embarrassed. “I think two’s plenty but if I happen upon another, I’ll do the same again.” I wondered what the devil Mark was referring to.

  Who was the other woman? Why hadn’t he said anything? But then it wasn’t exactly as if we were friends or were we?

  I didn’t know.

  “So far you’ve managed to keep the paperwork to a minimum. I appreciate it!” Mark joked.

  “All part of my damsel in distress service, so happy to oblige you, Mark.”

  Mark walked us to the front doors of the station house and passed me a card.

  “If you have any questions or concerns at all, about anything, call me. I’ll contact you on Monday as soon as I have the protection order sorted out for Queensland. Try to stay safe and stick with this guy if you can. He won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Thanks, Mark. I’ll remember all that. I appreciate your help with this.” All of that was true. I did appreciate his help and his honesty. The reason I felt like crap about it was all my own doing.

  “I’ll catch you at training on Monday night, mate. And Arianne, I hope the next time I see you it’s in a social setting rather than a professional one.”

  I nodded in agreement. “I’m all for that, Mark.”

  What had I just admitted to?

  Chapter 7

  Dane

  Neither of us spoke until I pulled out of the Police Station car park and onto the road, and the silence continued as I drove a little way then pulled into a strip shopping centre that had a Coffee Club. It wasn’t an ideal setting but it would have to do.

  She glanced over at me. “What are we doing? Don’t you have to teach?”

  “I called Xander while I stepped out. I just need to be there for the last hour. We lock Onigashima up early on Friday night. All I’ve got to do is a quick workout with a couple of the guys that I promised.”

  She nodded but said nothing. It wasn’t difficult to tell that Arianne had a lot on her mind.

  “Come on, let’s grab a coffee. Mark’s right, we have a few things to chat about.”

  A few moments later we were sitting in a quiet booth with coffees ordered.

  She’d been looking at me in a way that was quite unsettling since the police station. At last she spoke. “What did Mark mean when he mentioned the other woman you rescued?”

  I shrugged. “Just that. The night I left my truck with you and took off on foot to Onigashima, I came across three guys trying to drag a girl off the street.”

  Arianne gasped and her eyes went huge, she paused for a couple of seconds as if taking it all in. “What happened?”

  “The guys were a good way to being pissed as parrots. I took out the first two easily, then had a discussion with the third guy who was holding the girl. He decided it was in everyone’s best interest if he let Eden go. Then I took her back to Onigashima.” I kept my voice as unemotional as I could.

  She was still shaking her head. “What? How did this happen? What do you mean took out? I’m struggling to comprehend it.”

  This thing she had with violence was really starting to get old. “Shit happens, Ari. I just happened to be coming through that way and heard her scream. Then a few moments later, I realised it was a girl Xander’s keen on, Eden. I barely touched the first two guys; they hit the deck super easy. The other guy dropped Eden like a hot potato once I mentioned he was trying to assault Xander’s woman. He was smart enough to see the error of his ways. I had no choice. There were three of them, and I wasn’t about to let anything happen to Eden. As it was, those guys got off lightly. They should be really hurting or locked up for pulling that sort of shit.” I was still feeling really pissed about it and the fact I felt I needed to explain in such detail.

  Arianne was still shaking her head. “What are the chances that you’d rescue two women in a week?”

  I shrugged and turned my palms up. “I’m sure you’d have a lot more idea on that than me, seeing as playing and figuring out the odds seems to be your thing.”

  She sat back as if I’d struck her and I immediately regretted the
amount of sarcasm in my choice of words. It was probably too harsh.

  “I’m not going to apologise for what I do, Dane. Having a special needs child with a requirement to go to a fancy school with the programs he needs means I have to do things I’m not particularly happy about. Gambling is the only way I’ve found to be able to support his requirements. It’s not as if we live high. I do it to make ends meet!”

  This was going to be a problem.

  “Look I’m not judging you. I guess I’m just worried because Mark made it pretty clear that what you’re doing runs the line of being illegal.”

  “I’m careful with what I do, Dane. I don’t break the law.” She huffed out a frustrated breath. “Oh hell, I probably do on occasion, but it’s only illegal if you get caught…and you have no idea how much it pains me to say that. I just want to teach Maths. Why the devil does life have to be so hard? Don’t answer that. I already know because I made a really bad choice in letting my teenage hormones run wild and hitching up with Marcel Beauchamps. Besides, isn’t assaulting people illegal as well?”

  “Sure is,” I snapped back, working hard to prevent raising my voice too much. “But so is assaulting women.” Arianne opened her mouth to say something but closed it sharply as I continued on with my little rant. “Answer this—what judge in their right mind do you think, is going to uphold charges for assault in a situation like the two I’ve been in this week? In both cases there was already a crime being committed and a woman in obvious danger. What should I have done? Let Marcel assault you, Isaac or both of you? What about Eden? Should I have let her get dragged off and gang raped or worse? My martial arts experience aside, what sort of guy would I be if I stood by and did nothing? Certainly not the man my parents raised me to be.”

  Then the waitress brought the coffees to the table and discussion was put on hold again.

  We eyeballed each other across the table for a bit, before she finally spoke. “Okay, this seems to be a real sticking point for us whatever the us is, because I’m really confused.”

  My temper was only slightly cooling. “Well, let me spell it out for you a bit better. For some reason, that I’m struggling to fathom right now, I seem to really enjoy your company even though you detest a very large component of my life. I’m not sure what kind of sucker that makes me, but anyway.” That last sentence I said more to myself than Arianne.

  “My intent was to ask you out on a date some time soon. Mark seemed to inadvertently support the idea more with his suggestions. But fate seems to keep tossing us together anyway! And to be honest I have no idea, how you’d respond if I actually did ask you. This isn’t ideal or comfortable ground for a guy, when he’s about to ask a woman out. Let me just say this, I’m trying to do things right here. Because you need to know the desire to kiss you has been dogging me for days.”

  She looked completely stunned. Then giggled a little coyly.

  “Are you serious?” She skipped the kiss bit and latched onto the violence component. “And for the record it’s not that I detest what you do; it scares me. You have to understand I’ve been a victim of violence. I ended up in hospital for a week and I couldn’t care for my son. In a lot of ways that hurt me more than the physical wounds. I was worried sick about him the whole time. And yes, you did the right thing in helping both the other woman and myself. You’re right we both would have probably been subjected to something unthinkable.”

  Her statement right then summed up so much I’d learned today and over the past weeks about Arianne. She was more than happy to put herself at risk in order to do everything she could to provide the best she could for her son. That was a very admirable characteristic in a woman and it spoke more than words about her personality type. It was also concerning.

  “I know violence scares you and I understand why, but I’m not sure how I can convince you that it’s about the mindset of the person enacting the violence. Not the violence itself.”

  This time she nodded. “I’m starting to realise that, Dane. In fact, I can actually understand what you’re saying. But at the moment I’m still struggling with what my head tells me and what my heart feels. Logic doesn’t much factor when fear is involved. I want to believe you—I really do.”

  I reached across the table and took her hand. Her eyes seemed to rest on our joined hands rather than my face.

  “Ari look at me,” I demanded quietly. Slowly her big wounded eyes found their way to mine. “I can’t promise you I won’t be involved in violence. It’s what I do. But I can promise you I will never be violent towards you or Isaac.”

  Her eyes looked soulful. “I want to believe you and trust you, Dane. But my fears are not just something that I can turn off immediately. They took more than a couple of weeks to be created and I dare say they will take a decent whack of time to be expelled—if ever.”

  Arianne’s words may not have been exactly what I wanted to hear, at least they held some level of positivity and hope for me. I could see a lot of frustration too.

  Did I want to try for something more?

  It would be easier to walk away before there was even an us. One thing I had to give her was—she was being honest. That I appreciated.

  “Well then, I guess I have to never give you a reason to doubt me.”

  “That would go a long way to helping,” she agreed with amusement in her voice.

  I rubbed my thumb slowly over the soft skin on the back of her hand. Who would have thought the skin on the pad of my thumb was so sensitive? Not me. Every little circle seemed to raise the heat in my blood another degree.

  “About the other thing I mentioned, is there any interest on your side?” She looked up at me and I realised I was holding my breath. I was never this nervous or unsure around women. What was this all about?

  Then a look came over her that I read almost as regret.

  “Dane, putting my issue with violence aside, you’ve been working overtime ticking all the boxes for eligible, dateable men.” My confidence slightly rose. “But…” There was that dreaded word and down it went again. “I have Isaac to consider and he has to be my number one priority. We come as a package deal and on that I’m not negotiable.”

  I’d thrown the ball to her and now she’d laid out her position.

  Isaac would make alone time a little more challenging, but for the first time ever that didn’t really seem to be my priority, whereas in the past it was the first and probably last thought I had about a woman.

  “Isaac isn’t an issue for me, Ari. I like the little guy—I like kids. They’re fun to hang with and they come out with some of the funniest things.”

  “Well, he certainly does. That’s for sure. Although sometimes you do need an off button.”

  I nodded my understanding. “I guess he could get a bit intense at times, but no kid is perfect.”

  “Very true.”

  I squeezed her hand, held my breath and jumped. “So let’s give a date a try this weekend.”

  She looked at me through serious eyes. “What did you have in mind? I have Isaac.”

  “I’ve got some stuff to take care of tomorrow morning, how about I swing by tomorrow afternoon. It’s supposed to be ordinary weather in the afternoon. I’m thinking a Jurassic Park movie marathon is exactly what we need. We can order pizza and then on Sunday I’ll take you both to see Jurassic World at the VMax cinemas. You need the 25 metre screen to get the full effect!”

  She giggled. “How old did you say you were? Are you sure that the movie is suitable for a kid?”

  “Well, there were a heap of kids there when I went and saw it. There’s a couple of kisses at the end. Other than that, just a few scary dinosaurs, but Isaac strikes me as the type of kid that would be more interested in studying them than being scared.”

  “Well, you’ve certainly got him pegged. That’s him to a tee.”

  “Good, then that’s settled.”

  “I have to say I’m surprised. It wasn’t really what I thought you’d go for in a date.”
Arianne raised one eyebrow at me, and that’s when I realised this was her attempt at flirting!

  “Well, I wasn’t about to put more pressure on with everything that is going on at the moment. That doesn’t mean I won’t hold your hand in the dark movie theatre or try to steal a kiss.” I gave her a playful wink.

  “Thank you! I appreciate that. It does make things easier for me.” Then she seemed to look at me as if studying me. “But something tells me you’ve reined in the charm so far.”

  “Sprung. Okay, I might have been on my best behaviour to date, that’s only because I was being respectful and giving you some room, not through preference.”

  Arianne giggled. “And here I thought this was all one-sided!”

  “Oh Miss, that is so not true.” I gave her my best melt smile and she suddenly looked a little flustered and rosy in the cheeks.

  “What have I agreed to? I think I just realised how lethal you can be,” she said fanning herself with a napkin.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you!”

  “My hero.” I gave her the double eyebrow waggle and she giggled. “Clown.”

  “Well, I hate to cut out on this, but I need to bolt.”

  She nodded and made to get up from the both. “You realise we didn’t even talk about most of the stuff from before with Mark”

  “Yep. But I think we essentially solved most of those problems anyway. I’m probably going to be Marcel’s biggest deterrent. I’ve got a few things I need to do this weekend, other than that, I was going to take it as it comes. Now I’ll just hang out with you guys.”

  Then concern came over her face. “Please don’t think you need to babysit us, because of this. I’m quite capable of ringing the police.”

  “I know, Ari. But this gives me a good excuse to get to know you better and something tells me you’ll be less likely to chase me off if I’m helping keep Marcel at bay.”

  Then she looked at me earnestly. “You have no idea how embarrassed all this makes me feel. The fact that I married him in the first place. What was I thinking?”

  “Well maybe you can explain it to me some time soon, if you feel like it.”