by Gillian Joy
"I'll be honest with you Connor; the ladies I'm thinking of scare me. They're fit, they're strong and I can assure you they can hold their own against your average male, Lydia could start this afternoon and I can pull Jamie from her current job and have her available from tomorrow. They can alternate eight hour shifts with Gus and we can keep her covered twenty-four hours for you. We can meet tonight if that's convenient and start straight away."
"That would be great Liam. Thank you."
"What time suits, and where do you want to meet?"
"Can we make it five, and I'll confirm where, she has two young children and I don't want them to know what's going on at all so I'll need to find a babysitter."
"Are the children a target Connor? I've been authorised for one person twenty-four hours, so…"
"He's never been interested in the girls, so I don't think so, but I'll check with Ash and make sure. If we need another body, I'll fix up the difference."
"I don't think it would be an issue Connor, after my assessment, I will have to get back to them if I think more than one person is required."
"Either way we'll sort it out if we need to tonight. I'll call you later with an address to meet, do I use this number?"
"You can reach me at any time on this number Connor. I'll see you tonight, Lydia will be with me."
"Thanks Liam."
Connor ended the call and checked out the time on his phone. He'd wasted half an hour, but he still had far too long to wait, and he had to figure out what to do with the girls this afternoon while Startrust security were over. He pulled up his contacts list and called Deb.
Connor had another long winded conversation while he explained what was going on and convinced her to babysit the girls, and feed them dinner so that he and Ash could discuss the security needs with Liam and his guards. Deb was on board pretty quick, as soon as he explained about Mark. She even offered for the girls to stay the night if it made things easier, although he didn't think Ash would be keen on that idea with the girls having to be at school tomorrow. So again, all Connor had to do was wait.
****
"The guys an arrogant arse and he needs the fear of God put into him. I'm not letting this go Geoff."
"Just for the time being Tyson, we can't harass this guy; he's a lawyer and it'll bite us on the arse if we do."
"Well we damned well can't ignore it, if the first thing he does when I walk out of his office after I've told him he's not to contact her again, is to try to call her. I know we won't be able to hold him, but we need to let him know we're serious about this, otherwise we might as well just go over there and slit that woman's throat ourselves."
Geoff Byron stopped and looked hard at the officer before him. "I thought she said there had been no physical violence."
"She had the fear of God in her eyes Geoff, whatever he's done to her has her terrified; if it's not physical, it's the worst form of mental abuse I've ever seen."
"I'll send a car by to pick him up at home. We'll keep him overnight, but there's no way we'll be able to keep him any longer than that."
"Thanks Geoff."
****
By four thirty, with still no sign of Ash, Connor was starting to worry. He'd actually started pacing by the time he heard her car pull up in the driveway.
"Where have you been?" He asked as soon as she walked in the door.
"Well hello to you too." Ash snapped back.
Connor looked at her in anticipation of a real answer, before noticing the grocery bags she was emptying onto the kitchen bench.
"I called in at the supermarket for a few things. What's the problem?"
"I was worried, and Deb will be here in about ten minutes to take the girls back to her place for dinner."
"What? No I'm making spaghetti."
"Please mum, can't we go?" Sarah smiled up at her pleading.
Beth added her smile alongside.
"Why would you do that?" She asked Connor.
"I needed to, trust me on this please. They'll have a good time and we'll go and pick them up after dinner."
"Please mum, please?" Beth started pleading as well.
Ash ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation at the girls pleading before relenting.
"Sure." She said with a shake of her head. "So are you staying for dinner then?" She asked Connor.
"We'll sort something out later." He answered, taking the mince out of Ash's hands and putting it in the fridge. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms before giving her a quick but soft kiss on the lips. He desperately wanted to deepen the kiss, but wasn't going there with the girls standing right beside them. He was about to shoo them away when there was a knock on the door.
"Argh... I'll get it." He moaned as he pulled away.
Ash slapped him on the arse as he walked off. "It'll be your sister anyway."
Deb walked into the kitchen while Sarah and Beth grabbed Bianca and dragged her off to their room to show her all their things.
Deb didn't say anything, just walked up and pulled Ash into a hug.
"I'm here Hun, if you need anything at all, let me know."
"Connor told you?"
"Yeah, don't be angry with him. I'd be angry with both of you if no one let me know what was going on. You're family now Ash, we love you, we want to help you, okay?"
Ash nodded into Deb’s shoulder as a tear slid down her cheek.
"I offered to take the girls overnight, but Connor said you probably wouldn't agree to that. The offer is there if you need it."
"Thanks Deb, I appreciate that. I think we'll be all right tonight though, and they've got school tomorrow so it's better if they sleep in their own beds."
"All right, but the offer stands if you need it."
"I'll go round up the girls." Connor interrupted, looking at his watch.
He had wanted to have a chance to talk to Ash before Liam got there, but he was quickly running out of time. He hoped Deb would take the hint, otherwise Ash was probably going to be really pissed at him before the night was out.
Unfortunately, Deb wasn't quick enough, though not through a lack of trying. The girls dawdled and Ash kept thanking her over and over again. Liam pulled up out the front in a Startrust Security vehicle with the logo fully in view as Deb was loading the girls into the car. Connor and Ash were both beside the car saying goodbye to Deb and the girls. Ash looked at the car with a frown as Deb backed out of the driveway.
"Why is there a security car here?" Ash asked, wondering out loud. The look that crossed Connor’s face had her frowning.
"Connor?"
"I'll meet you inside in a minute; give me a sec, okay?"
"Please don't tell me you've been having me followed."
"No. No, no, not yet anyway. I'll be back in a sec and I'll explain everything, okay? I wanted to talk to you before they got here but you were late and then Deb showed up and, well… It hasn't worked out as I planned. I'll only be a minute."
Ash glared at him but wandered back inside anyway.
Connor walked down to the car as Liam stepped out of the vehicle.
"Connor Maise?" He said as he approached, hand extended.
Connor took his hand. "Liam, hi."
"Was that your girlfriend? She didn't look happy."
"I was hoping to talk to her before you got here. Things didn't work out as I'd hoped."
"No worries, Lydia won't be here for about half an hour anyway. Do you want me to wait out here till she arrives?"
"No that's okay. Come on in, I'll introduce you. You can probably explain better than I can anyway."
Liam nodded and followed Connor into the house.
Ash made them all coffee as she thought about their plan. She had started off angry, then she simmered down a bit to annoyed. She was thankful Connor hadn't arranged for it all to happen without her even knowing. Then she would have been really pissed off. At least they were giving her a say about it. Well, maybe not.
"Ash, Lydia will be
here in about ten minutes, why don't you meet her and then see how you feel; not that it matters, you won't even know they're there. I can assure you, our guards are totally discreet."
"It is the idea of it all." She interrupted.
"Ash, the record label doesn’t use our services just for the sake of it. They would have put a lot of thought into it before they even called us. We've all seen the texts, and spoke to Connor about the phone calls in depth. The police don't usually recommend intervention orders unless they have reason to believe there is a problem; generally, they try to talk people out of it, and yet they had to talk you into it. There is a reason for that Ash, the police are worried about your ex. Connor is worried about your ex, the record label are worried your ex and quite frankly, I am worried about your ex."
Ash sighed, she didn't know what to say, she didn't want a security team on her twenty-four seven, but she was feeling railroaded, and was pretty sure if she said no, she'd have Connor and Hayden and all the boys following her around constantly anyway. At least if she didn't know they were there...
"Ash," Connor interrupted her thoughts. "Please let me protect you the best way possible. I'll do it anyway, but this is the easiest, least obtrusive option."
"Ash, the record label might insist on our services regardless of what you say, they have been known to override a clients’ request in the past if they strongly believed safety was a serious issue; they have a duty of care towards their clientele."
"But I'm not their client."
"But Connor is."
Ash looked back and forth between Liam and Connor, she was pretty sure they were bullshitting her, but if they were, neither of them was giving anything away. Eventually she sighed in resignation.
"Okay, alright, okay. What do I need to do then?"
Connor jumped up with a whoop and pulled her into a hug, relief washing across his face as if it was flashing in Neon, and Ash knew it was the right decision even though the entire thing still left her feeling uncomfortable.
"You don't have to do anything Ash; I'll introduce you to Lydia shortly, after which she'll make herself comfortable outside for the night until she's replaced. You do what you'd normally do, don't try to run off on us though and you'll never even know they're there."
"What about when I'm in the car?"
"They've got a car, they'll follow you."
"What if they get stuck in traffic?"
"They won't Ash, they know what they're doing. Unless you deliberately try to give them the slip, and you're really good at it, they won't lose you. Unless you want them too though, they won't enter your house or your place of employment; they'll wait around for you outside."
"Sounds like a really boring job."
"It can be at times. It takes a special mindset to keep your concentration on the client all the time. My people are very good at what they do."
"Thank you." Ash said, as there was a knock on the door.
"That'll be Lydia."
Lydia was a lot smaller than Ash had expected, she imagined a big Amazonia type woman, with bulging muscles and a buzz cut, a female body builder more or less. In reality Lydia was pretty average, average height, slim build, although she was obviously fit, medium length brown hair, brown eyes, tan skin. It occurred to Ashthat she probably modelled her style so she could blend in. She had an attractive face that with the right sort of makeup would be striking, but with the minimalist approach she took to her makeup she was average looking. Ash found herself a lot more relaxed about the whole security thing than she had at first been, especially when Lydia started explaining to her exactly what she'd be doing and how. The more they talked the more relaxed Ash felt.
****
Tyson stood outside the holding cell listening to Mark Cross yelling at anyone and everyone. To say he wasn't happy about having been bought in would be an understatement. Tyson walked into the room and stood in front of the lockup.
"Mr. Cross, I specifically told youthat you were to have no more contact with your ex wife and yet as soon as I left your offices, you called her again. You're not a stupid man, you are a lawyer who should be well aware of the legal repercussions of your actions."
"You can't keep me here. It's against the law."
"It's too late now Mr Cross. In the morning we’ll process the paperwork, you'll go before the judge and be given a court date for a hearing on the charges. Until then Mr Cross, enjoy your sleep."
Tyson left the room, still listening to Mark Cross calling out obscenities about the legalities of keeping him overnight.
****
Ash was happy to have the girls tucked into bed so she could relax a little. It was weird knowing that sitting just outside there was a woman, watching out for her, to make sure she was safe from Mark. She really didn't want to talk to him and Connor seemed pretty determined to make sure she didn't have to. She loved the way he protected her, the way he made her feel safe. She watched him pocket his phone as he came back into the lounge room carrying two beers. He passed her one as he plopped down onto the couch beside her.
"What's on?" He asked, gesturing to the television.
"I don't even know, I just sat down myself and flicked it on."
Connor put his arm around her and pulled her close.
"Officer Callum called. Mark will be in jail overnight tonight for breaching the interim order conditions. But he'll be out tomorrow, as soon as it goes before a judge."
"Should we send Lydia home until tomorrow?"
"No, I think we'll leave things as they are."
"Connor, don't you think twenty-four-hour security is a bit much?"
"No Ash, I don't think that at all. I don't want to risk you for anything. I love you so much. I couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to you."
"I love you too, Connor."
"I need to know what he did to you Babe. I need to know why you're so afraid of him."
Ash lowered her head and snuggled into his side. "Not now please Connor, I'll tell you all about soon, okay. Just not now please."
Connor lifted his head to look towards her. He placed his fingers gently under her chin and tilted her head up slowly until her lips met his. Ash melted into his arms as all thoughts and memories of Mark flittered away into obscurity, the only thing she could think about were Connor’s lips on hers, so soft and yet so demanding at the same time. He consumed her entirely every time he kissed her, and Ash didn't mind, not one little bit.
****
Chapter 22
Relaxed and sated, Ash lay silently wrapped in Connor’s arms, listening to him trying to slow his breathing and heartbeat back to a normal pace, much the same as she was trying to achieve with her own. Lying there, she felt nothing but contentment, right up until the moment he opened his mouth and brought her crashing back to reality.
"Ash, please tell me."
"Argh, come on Connor. I don't want to think about it."
"Please Ash, don't think about it, simply lie here while I rub your back and neck and tell me what he did."
Ash sighed; she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to remember, and to tell him, she had to remember. The thought terrified her, the memory terrified her.
"We'd been married for about a month, only back from our honeymoon a week."
With his arms around her, Connor started rubbing her back while she talked, she relaxed against him and tried to not think about what she was saying, but it didn't work, she couldn't help it. The memories filled her mind as she spoke.
"That's when he started telling me how useless I was. I'd cooked a surprise dinner for him, I thought it was fine, but apparently the beef stroganoff tasted like donkey spew. I didn't pay too much attention at the time, but after a week of the constant negativity I started to get angry."
Connor didn't comment. He wanted to but for now he only listened.
"Within a week it had extended to my clothes, my shoes, my makeup, my job, my housekeeping skills. Everything was wrong. I figured I was a stron
g independent woman. I wasn't going to put up with that shit, and I told him so. I didn't care if we were married or how long for, I didn't care who he was. If he was going to keep treating me like that I was leaving."
"Everything was good for about two days, that's all he lasted before he started again. I confronted him with my bags packed and he told me if I even so much as thought about leaving him again he would put a gun to my head and shoot me. He told me how vital I was in my role to his career. He needed me to be a fine upstanding wife so he could achieve partnership in his firm."
Tears slowly leaked from Ash's eyes as she continued.
"I didn't believe him, why would I. He'd never been violent to me at all and I didn't imagine he'd ever actually hurt me. But he did scare me at the time, so I stayed the night and the next morning, after he went to work, I snuck away and knocked on Annabelle's door. We were still on speaking terms back then. Even enough she didn't like Mark, she hadn't cut me off."
Connor still stayed silent and listened while Ash tried not to choke as she told the most horrific story of her life.
"It took him two days to figure out where I'd gone. It shouldn't have been all that hard but he didn't expect me to be at Annabelle's place. She wasn't home when he showed up, I'd answered the door before I even realised it was him and he shot me in the leg with a tranquilliser dart. I still have no idea where he got it from, but he used it on me. When I woke up, I was handcuffed to our bed at home. I was naked and he was sitting beside the bed with a revolver in his hand, spinning the barrel with his thumb before rattling three bullets in my face. I can't tell you exactly how I felt, humiliated comes to mind, as well as terrified."
Ash was shaking by now, and Connor was desperate to tell her to stop, but he needed to hear the story, he had to know what happened. "Does he have a weapons license?" He asked softly.
Ash shook her head and gave a shrug, not knowing the answer as she continued to tell the story with tears sliding down her cheeks.
"He slowly loaded the three bullets into the barrel. It only had six spaces, I can still see the thing clearly, but then the fact that he pulled it out quite regularly and waved it in my face didn't help me to forget it. Every time he thought I was getting a bit antsy he let me know he still had it. I searched the house from top to bottom looking for the damned thing when he wasn't there, but I couldn't find it. I would have called the police if I'd ever found it, but he had it too well hidden for me to find..." Ash faltered.