She twisted her body so her back was to Chase before continuing. He’d still be able to hear, but she couldn’t say this and still see his face.
“We do work well together, but you know we are more like siblings than anything else. The one date we had was pleasant enough, but we both deserve more than pleasant. We deserve passion and fireworks,” she said, needing him to understand.
“We spent our whole lives knowing we were meant to be together. Everyone we know wants it. We could run the Company together, be together in every way.”
Beth knew her parents would be happy if she married Oliver, knew that was why he had said it, reminding her of the way their lives were already intertwined, but she also knew her parents wouldn’t really want her to marry someone she didn’t love with all her heart.
“You don’t love me like that, and a half promised arrangement our parents made when we were born can’t change that.”
Oliver talked for a while longer, and when she finally ended the call she replaced the headset with a heavy heart. With everything that was going on she really needed her friend, but it seemed that wasn’t to be. She hated the way things were between them, but, without really understanding why, she knew with a hollow certainty that she could never love Oliver as more than a friend.
Chapter Twenty-One
Stretching out on the long couch in the sitting room of Beth's apartments, Chase released a litany of curses under his breath. If he'd had an ounce of self-preservation he'd have taken the bed in Anne Worthington’s room when it had been offered. Logically though he had decided that he was better placed to protect Beth if he was in the lounge. All the other rooms led off of that room, meaning no one could get to her without getting by him first.
Unfortunately, the proximity also meant he could hear how restless she was. It was also making it difficult to forget what it felt like to hold her in his arms as she slept, what it felt like to wake up and find her still there. What the hell was wrong with him? He needed to keep his distance from Beth, but the pain in her eyes when he'd tried to explain why had been like a knife to his chest.
His name was tainted. He had vowed to do whatever it took to clear his dad. That vow would always come first, and it wasn't something he could drag her into. Dragging her into it might make his investigation easier, but he wasn’t sure he could find it in himself to use her like that. Yet, as he lay on the narrow, rock hard couch listening to her restless movements as she tossed and turned, he had to fight to remember why his vow mattered so much.
The memory of standing next to his dad's grave, alone, was still so fresh Chase could feel the rainwater dripping down the back of his collar. His father had been his inspiration, a steady presence throughout Chase's childhood, and his strong morals had cast a heavy shadow over the family home. The few people loyal enough to the man to attend his funeral had been long gone by the time Chase's mum had pleaded with him to come away from the graveside. Lost in thought he had refused. The blame for all those deaths placed firmly at his feet, his dad had been broken, his once successful business destroyed, his faith in himself gone. The fear that he had missed something, the muttered accusations and whispered judgments that he’d cut corners, used cheap materials to create his parts. His dad had always taken pride in doing quality work, and those rumors had hurt him deeply. The pain of his loss was fresh. All Chase knew was that his dad was dead, supposedly driven to it by the shame of causing that air crash. Yet, when Great Britain Air had suffered another crash just last year the finger had again been pointed at one of their engineering suppliers, another small family company facing ruin for a crash that was being blamed on them and their parts.
No matter what anyone else said, it was too much of a coincidence. Chase was determined to get to the bottom of things. He had to figure out who was really to blame for the accidents. It wouldn’t bring his dad back, but Chase was going to find the truth.
****
“This is a really bad idea,” he said, suppressing a groan as they climbed out of her Mini, relieved to be able to stretch his legs. The rush of blood as he moved them sent pins and needles through his calves.
“So you’ve said,” Beth replied.
Turning to face her, he raised his eyebrows. There was no way he was about to let her get away with handling him. He’d seen her do enough of that with her staff to know she was being deliberately neutral about his concerns to stop the conversation in its tracks.
“Doesn’t make it any less true though, does it?” he said. The only reason he’d allowed them to be here at all was because Beth’s best friend Bree was married to one of his colleagues, Jake. There was no chance Jake would have allowed the invitation to stand if he hadn’t taken measures of his own, and looking around Chase felt reassured to spot the familiar signs of a back-up team surrounding the area. The Commander had been true to his word and made sure there was no way anything could kick off here. It was just a shame he couldn’t have this level of protection around Beth all the time. A single, controlled location with structured defenses was the stuff of dreams. The instincts that had been drilled into them from the first day of basic training showed clearly in the spot Jake had chosen for his family home. The house and street were unassuming but perfect from a defensive perspective.
She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by a high-pitched squeal.
“Auntie Beth, you came to my party.” A little brunette whirlwind shot out of the front door to the terrace house they’d parked opposite, grabbing Beth around her legs.
“Mummy said you wouldn’t, but you’re here. I was right. I told Mummy you would never ever, ever miss my party. I gots a bouncy castle and a unicorn. Come and play with me now.”
Chase stood with his mouth open as he took in the bundle of energy that barely paused for breath in her urgency to spill every thought in her little head to Auntie Beth. He knew Jake had a kid with his wife Bree, but hadn’t actually met her. Since meeting Bree a few years before, Jake had stuck to jobs in this country. Between that and Chase’s own endless missions they had little chance to work together anymore, and he missed his mate. Seeing the little person that made his friend a dad, he realized just how long it had been.
Beth leant down and picked up the little girl, the genuine smile that she showed so rarely reappearing and lighting up her whole face, as she listened earnestly to the little girl whose arms wound around Beth’s neck, holding on for all she was worth.
“I would love to have a go on your bouncy castle, Emma.”
“Where did you go?” Emma asked, leaning her body away from Beth so she could look at her. “Mummy said a bad man tried to hurt you.” The little girl’s brow was furrowed in concern.
“Really, how exciting?” Beth laughed. “I just went away with my friend Chase here for a few days,” Beth replied, gesturing to Chase as she did so.
He noticed that whilst she didn’t actually answer the question, she didn’t lie to the child either. She had simply deflected the concern by making it sound preposterous.
Eyes wide, the little girl looked Chase up and down before leaning closer to Beth.
“Is he your boyfriend?” In the way of children the world over she half whispered, not having yet learned that whispering had to be quiet to be successful.
Glancing over, Beth’s eyes met his, and the pain that flashed there took his breath away. If he hadn’t been looking closely he’d have missed it completely, as her tone as she replied certainly didn’t suggest the question had bothered her.
“No, he’s just my friend. He’s been keeping me really safe.”
“Good,” Emma said. She twisted in Beth’s arms to get down and walked over to him. Looking up at him with one hand on her hip, she pointed at him with her other hand. “You gots to keep my Auntie Beth safe,” she ordered, her voice as serious as her pose.
Part of Chase wanted to laugh at the audacity of the little girl, ordering him around, but she was deadly serious and he knew it was important for her to understand
that the woman she considered her aunt would be okay. Careful to keep his jacket over his weapon, he crouched down so he could look her in the eye and nodded seriously.
“I promise you I will keep your Auntie Beth safe,” he said.
“Pinkie promise?” she said, moving her hand so her smallest finger was curled out to him.
“What’s a pinkie promise?” he asked, confused.
“You gots to curl your pinkie around mine like this.” She pulled his smallest finger out and hooked it around her own. “Now you say you pinkie promise and you can’t break a pinkie promise. It’s a rule.”
“What happens if you break a pinkie promise?” he asked.
“Alfie at school says you die,” she said solemnly.
Chase looked up at Beth, who was studying the interaction with a strange expression. Whilst he realized he wouldn’t actually die from breaking a pinkie promise he wasn’t in the habit of making promises he wasn’t certain he could keep. That said, he had realized days ago he would rather die than let any harm come to Beth. He turned his face back to Emma.
“I pinkie promise that I will keep your Auntie Beth safe.”
When he glanced back at Beth her eyes were brimming with tears, but before he could react Emma had spun around, grabbed Beth’s hand and was dragging her towards the house, chattering away about everything she had for her birthday. Beth spun around and mouthed the word “present” to him. With a sigh he took the gift-wrapped bundle from the car and dashed after them. It might just be a party, and at Jake’s house at that, but he wasn’t happy with her entering anywhere before he had had the opportunity to secure it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
As Beth was propelled through the front door Emma was stopped in her tracks by her mum.
“Look, Mummy, Auntie Beth did gots here.”
“Emma Williams. I told you that if Auntie Beth made it today you were let to her come and have a grownup chat before she played with you.” Bree mock-frowned at the little girl.
“Sorry, Mummy, but Auntie Beth wants to come on the bouncy castle with me.”
Beth felt her resolve begin to wobble as her best and oldest friend looked at her knowingly.
“I know she does, but Mummy really needs to see Auntie Beth first. I promise we’ll come out to the bouncy castle soon.”
“Okay,” Emma said happily before running the length of the corridor, a loud crash following her as she entered the kitchen to go out to the garden.
Bree closed her eyes and took a deep breath at the sound.
“Do you need to go check that out?” Beth asked.
“No. Jake’s back there. I’ll let him deal with it. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay,” Beth said, but the sincere concern behind the question brought everything to the surface. All the pain at the distance between them since Chase had seen her home. Her concern for her father and sister. Her fear for herself. It all swelled up, and despite her best intentions Beth felt tears filling her eyes.
Without another word Bree crossed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her. The feel of her friend’s arms around her, the familiarity that came with years of friendship warmed her. It gave her a sense of comfort that had evaded her since this whole nightmare began. Oblivious to the sound of the door opening behind her, Beth only realized they were no longer alone when Bree pulled back.
“Maddox?” she all but shouted. Beth looked over Bree’s shoulder to see Chase standing in the doorway, his expression tight.
His body tense, he didn’t reply. He was standing absolutely motionless, but she could see his body was coiled with suppressed energy, ready to react to any threat. Confused, she looked between the two of them.
“You know each other?” Beth asked
At her words Chase briefly took his eyes from Bree and looked at Beth cautiously.
“We do,” he said before turning to address Bree. “Any better at bowling yet?”
“Oh my God! We saw you at the wedding,” Bree squealed before launching herself at him and wrapping her arms around him. “You look so different!”
“Yeah,” he said, hugging her back before releasing her and awkwardly running his hand over his longer hair. “It’s been a rough few years.”
Watching the interaction, Bree finally made the connection. Chase was the man who had played a major part in saving Bree’s life years ago when the two women had lived together. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t figured it out earlier. But then, why would she? She’d never met the man, and it had been five years since Bree had been taken hostage by one of their own colleagues, all in an effort to blackmail Bree’s now husband Jake into helping with a smuggling operation.
“Why are you together?” Bree asked, her hair swiveling between Chase and Beth.
Beth looked back at Chase. She wasn’t sure how to answer that. He was here to protect her, but it wasn’t like he was an employee. He meant so much more to her than that, and as it turned out, not just to her but to her best friend as well. In her usual way Bree had gotten straight to the heart of the problem. Unfortunately, Beth didn’t feel much like explaining all of it, especially not with Chase in the room.
“I’m her security,” Chase said, his simple response solving her dilemma at the same time as feeling like another stab to her already damaged heart.
“Well it’s great to see you, but she’ll be safe with me for now. Why don’t you go through to the kitchen and make yourself at home while we have girl talk? I know Jake will be thrilled to see you,” Bree ordered.
“Where will you be going?”
Bree rolled her eyes. “We won’t be going anywhere. We’ll just sit in here.” She gestured to the lounge through a doorway to the left.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t let Beth out of my sight and still do my job.” The determined set of his jaw let Beth know he wasn’t going to back down.
“What exactly do you think is going to happen at a three-year-old’s birthday party?” Bree asked, her gentle tone making it clear she was used to dealing with obstinate men.
Chase opened his mouth to reply, but Beth spoke before he could. She had thought there were security measures in place for her to be able to come today, but Bree was her best friend and if there was any chance of her bringing danger to Bree or her family, Beth would be gone before anyone could blink.
“Do you think it’s necessary here?” Beth asked Chase quietly.
“I don’t want to take any chances,” he said simply.
The way his eyes kept darting towards the lounge doorway made it clear that he really wasn’t happy about her being out of his sight.
“Okay,” Beth said, nodding to show her agreement. She turned to look at Bree. “Let’s chat in the garden. That way Chase can keep an eye on us all at the same time.”
Bree looked between the two of them, her jaw hanging slightly.
“You’re really in danger, aren’t you?” she finally said.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Beth said.
“Oh God. I thought Jake was just overreacting.” She pulled Beth into a hug. “Do you need a place to stay?”
Beth felt a sudden prickling behind her eyes at her friend’s offer. After everything Bree had been through all those years ago she wouldn’t have blamed her for wanting to keep harm as far from her door as possible, but here she was offering her sanctuary. Not for the first time Beth thanked her lucky stars that she’d had the good fortune of meeting such a wonderful person.
“No. I’m staying at home, but thank you.”
Chase coughed, drawing their attention. “Between the Commander and Jake there’s enough security here for a small country. I just don’t like it when I can’t see Beth.”
Beth felt her heart swell. He might not want to be a part of her life the way she wanted, but that didn’t change that fact that he was a good man trying to do his best.
“Well, if you or Beth ever need us we’ll be here for you. You know Jake and Emma would feel the same way.”
&nb
sp; Taking a deep breath Beth blinked hard, fighting to hold back the tears. Jake had been working undercover at her family airline, posing as a pilot when they had all met. Even he hadn’t known the truth about her identity, at least to start with, although he’d soon figured it out, and since he’d married Bree he’d been like a brother to her. He might not be very chatty, but his razor sharp-intellect had helped her work through some knotty issues at the company. Pressures of work meant Beth didn’t get to see them as often as she’d like, but she usually came around to catch up with Bree and Jake for dinner once a month or so. Emma gave her a hard time if she left it much longer!
As if summoned by the mention of his name, Jake appeared behind them, his tall, broad frame filling the doorway.
“Ace?” Jake exclaimed, greeting him by his nickname as he caught sight of Chase. “You’re shitting me!”
“Hey, Wolf,” Chase replied in kind, grinning.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jake asked, making easy work of the small hallway and grabbing his friend and teammate for a hug.
“Protection detail,” Chase replied with a nod to Beth. Not sure how she’d take it, he’d deliberately not told Beth about his connection to Bree and Jake.
“Damn, you got stuck with her then?” Jake said with a laugh as he looked from Chase to Beth.
“Hey!” she exclaimed, hands on hips in a mock huff. “Standing right here.”
She knew Jake well enough to know he was teasing, but that didn’t mean she was about to let him get away with it.
“The Commander let me know he was setting up extra protection so Beth could come today, but he didn’t say you were running point. Need any help?” Jake asked, looking Chase in the eye.
“By being here for Beth you are helping,” Chase replied.
Holding eye contact for a few seconds, the two of them did some weird silent man thing, before releasing their grasp, Jake smacking Chase on the back.
“Welcome to the madhouse,” Jake said, steering the group through to the kitchen and handing Chase a beer. She watched Chase take the bottle with a frown on his face. She knew he would be considering whether it was appropriate or not to drink it.
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