The Intimidation Game (Game Series Book 1)

by C. L Stewart

  I don’t talk much for the rest of the half hour we spend with Anna, mostly due to the fact that I’m close to tears at the sad sight I’m witnessing. Having seen a picture of Dan’s mum, and knowing how she looked before this tragedy happened, I feel a profound sense of loss for both of them. Dan lost his mother, his nurturer and Anna lost herself and her children. Her scars must run deeper than the physical ones that are extremely apparent. There is no mistaking that this woman has suffered a trauma to her head, but I wonder how anyone can possibly know what she may be feeling inside. She can communicate, but not to the extent that she can tell anyone how she feels. I wonder if she’s be happy to be sat here all day every day, knowing there’s never going to be anything else. Does she remember the person she used to be? And worse still; does she remember every day what happened to her?

  We say goodbye to Anna when our time is up and before we leave, I watch as Dan places a soft kiss on his mother’s cheek. “I love you mama,” he whispers to her. As he turns away from her, a tear rolls down her cheek and, in this moment, I feel like I am going to die of heartache for her. As soon as we are outside her door, I let go of all the emotion I’ve felt whilst I’ve been in Anna’s company.

  “Hey, Nikki, what’s wrong?” Dan steps towards me and pulls me in close to his chest.

  I take a huge shuddering breath and savour the warmth and protection of his body. “Oh, Dan I’m so sorry.” It’s all I can manage before I am sobbing hard.

  “Let’s get out of here. It was wrong of me to bring you here after what you’ve been through today. Come on we really need to talk.”

  He takes my hand and leads us back out of the building to the car. Our drive to the country house is silent. Neither of us even glances at the other. It’s a strange atmosphere and I feel an uneasy sense of foreboding about what’s to come tonight.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Dan’s home is eerily quiet in the dark. More so than it was the first time I was here. I sit at the huge breakfast bar in the kitchen and watch as Dan makes coffees for us both. Given that this place is huge, and he has to have any number of staff that would probably do this for him, he moves around the place with such ease that it’s clear he doesn’t take advantage of that. I take a sip of the steaming coffee and he’s made it exactly as I like it. Shit! Hugging the warm mug into my chest, I watch as Dan sits down on the stool next to me. I daren’t say anything and I’m extremely grateful when he breaks the silence.

  “Nikki, I want to apologise for everything right off the bat here. I behaved incredibly unprofessionally towards you and I’m sorry. You are a very talented woman and, even though you haven’t been with SecuriSoft long, I can see you have the potential to go far in this industry, whatever you plan to do.”

  “Dan, I’d be a pitiful fool to blame you. Do you think I didn’t want any of this to happen? You’re an attractive man, no sorry, you’re fucking insanely hot. You were under my skin the minute you stepped into that lift.”

  It’s true. The moment I saw him I knew there was something about him. I still do and being so close to him right now and not being able to touch him is hellish. I’ve stroked the taught muscles that now strain against his rolled shirt sleeves. I’ve writhed under that sculpted body and been kissed in places I’d never known existed by those talented lips. I’ve seen the beautiful soul behind those eyes and as much as his actions hurt me, I know there’s more to it than what I was led to believe.

  “Why did you hurt me like that Dan?”

  He sighs and shakes his head. “Oh Nikki,” he says raking his hand down his face. “I have an explanation and it’s going to sound crazy. This is the reason I wanted you to meet my mum. She’s where it starts.”

  “About that. What the hell went on there?”

  “She survived the shooting and a lot of money was thrown at keeping her safe.”

  “Who put the money up?”

  “My grandparents were multi-millionaires, and she was their only child. When they passed away, which was within around a month of each other, she was the sole beneficiary of their entire estate. But it was put in a trust and she was never allowed to access the money directly. My grandparents were never happy with her choice of husband. They knew he was bad news and didn’t want him getting his hands on their money. She was given a payment of a thousand pounds a week and that was all she ever got. She would have had access to the whole lot within a year if she’d divorced my dad or if he had died and she was still able to make decisions for herself. Neither of those things happened so the money stays where it is. I sometimes think that was my father’s plan all along. If he couldn’t get his dirty hands on that money, no one could. There was, and still is, a set of trustees who deal with the money and they take care of my mother to this day. The man who spoke to you in my office is one of those trustees.”

  I can feel my brows furrow hard. “Dan, I think I know where this is going.”

  “Tell me your theory and I’ll tell you if you’re right,” he says with a smile.

  “You were given money to start your business from your mother’s trust fund, but there was a catch. The trustees either had to have a controlling stake in your business or they had to form part of your board.”

  He smiles and nods his head. “Well done Miss Olsson, I knew you were smart. Yeah, they are my entire board. In actual fact I control very little of my own company.”

  “Wow, I really wasn’t expecting to be right you know. But why was I kicked to the kerb like that? What had I done wrong?”

  “You got too close to me. Simple as that. These people have become extremely over-zealous when it comes to controlling the company. They’ve lost sight of what my mother would actually have wanted. She doesn’t have the mental capacity to do any of that herself, so I’m stuck with them until I’m able to walk away from the business or until she passes away.”

  “Why would you walk away? Can’t you just buy the trust out? Or contest it. SecuriSoft is an amazing company, you have so many amazing people working for you. God, isn’t it worth fighting for?”

  “Not when it’s ruined the only chance I ever had to be truly happy.”

  I let out a sharp breath at his words. He was happy with me. Truly happy. And the crazy thing is, so was I. I had, for want of a better word, an epiphany sitting in that police cell tonight. I finally realised that I’m worth a lot more than I have allowed myself to be in such a long time. Hearing everything the police had to say made me see how much Mike had worn me down. How much his actions had damaged me to the point where I wasn’t able to distinguish what was love and what wasn’t. Mike never truly loved me. He loved the control he had over me and it must have almost killed him when I took that away. The thought makes me smile.

  “You think you could be truly happy with me Dan?”

  “I do. I’d move mountains to make you happy, keep you safe. I’d never make you feel like you were worth anything less than you deserve to be. You are a beautiful human being Nikki. What that fucker did to you was despicable beyond belief. He deserves to rot in hell. Any man who thinks it’s his right to take away a woman’s rights doesn’t deserve to walk this planet. It’s only money. I have lots more where that came from and I can easily start again.”

  His words hit me full force. “Dan I…”

  He puts his finger on my lips. “Nikki, I can’t remember the last time I wanted more with anyone, not since Irena. I realise now that I never really had anything with her. I know how hurtful it is to feel used and I know you felt exactly the same way on Monday. I hope you can forgive me for that. I never want to make you feel like that again.”

  I put down my mug and get off the bar stool. Moving in between his legs I run my fingers down his cheek and skim his stubbly jawline.

  “I love you Dan,” I whisper.

  His lips part on a sigh and he leans into my touch, his eyes never leaving mine. I watch as his nostrils flare slightly and before I know what’s happening, he grabs my hips and stands taking me with hi
m. His lips crash into mine and we kiss like a couple of horny teenagers as he carries me through the house and up the stairs. My need for him to fill the overwhelming void I’ve felt since we last saw each other is almost killing me. He sets me down when we reach his bedroom and it appears neither of us can wait to be naked as we each strip ourselves, clothes flying around the room in rather a comedic fashion. We stand looking at each other for a few seconds before Dan charges at me, flinging us both onto the bed.

  “I’ve missed you,” he says on a ragged breath as he kisses me hard.

  Our warm bodies writhe against each other and I can take the anticipation no longer. “Please Dan, I need you.” My words come out stuttered and I fear that my impending tears will put an abrupt end to this connection that my body so desperately needs.

  He lets me go long enough to put on a condom and then he’s back, looming over me. His presence all at once intimidating and fiercely protective. He readies himself at my entrance and looks at me for an agonising second. I can’t take the anticipation any longer. Raising my feet behind him, I pull him slightly towards me, urging him on and it seems it’s all the encouragement he needs as he rams himself right into me, pushing me up the bed slightly.

  “Oh,” I gasp as goose bumps form on my skin and my body jerks up to meet his thrusts.

  “Nikki,” he whispers as he thrusts harder and harder, the bed shaking under us and it doesn’t take much until he comes on a great wave and I watch as beads of sweat form on his forehead. I reach up and stroke his biceps.

  “Are you okay?” I ask knowing from the look on his face that he’s anything but ok.

  “I’m sorry,” he says, his voice cracking as he pulls out of me. “That was incredibly selfish of me.” He turns and sits with his back to me.

  “Hey,” I say as lightly as I can and lean on his back, putting my arms round his waist. He is warm and slick with sweat. “It just means you owe me now,” I smile against his back, kissing his shoulder blade and tasting the salty tang of his sweat.

  “Come here,” he says pulling me round from behind him so that I’m sitting in his lap. He moves my hair away from my face and runs the back of his hand down my cheek. “How could anyone ever hurt you? You are a beautiful person inside and out. You should be worshipped.”

  A tear slips from my eye and he swipes it away with his thumb.

  “Thank you for saving me,” I say on a tiny sob and he pulls me in close, the heat of our bodies melding us together.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  My feelings of safety and thinking that Mike couldn’t hurt me again were short lived when I received a call from the police just after six this morning. As I sit in one of Dan’s huge formal reception rooms holding a piece of paper in my shaking hands, I wonder just what kind of cruel joke the universe is playing on me. I’m trying not to look at it, but I can’t stop. The words ‘This is your fault Nikki’ taunt me in their jagged scrawl. Mike wasn’t done with me when I was arrested and he decided, in the worst and most final way possible, to make sure I’d never forget him.

  “Nikki are you okay?” The female police officer asks, her voice soft and soothing.

  “How could he do this? It’s just so… oh God I think I’m going to be sick.” My stomach is flipping and my mouth watery. I swallow hard and try to compose myself. From nowhere Valerie appears at my side with a glass of water. I try to take it from her, but my hands are too shaky, so Dan takes it. Valerie puts her hand on my shoulder and gives a little squeeze before she leaves. The police officers have just finished recounting how their operation to arrest Mike ended with them having to deal with a suicide. The piece of paper I am holding is a copy of Mike’s suicide note and, just as he always did, his last act was to make sure I knew I was to blame for it.

  My Darling Nik,

  I love you and I can’t live without you. You’ve hurt me in the most unimaginable way possible and I can’t forgive you for that. It was one thing to run away without telling me but to have an affair with your boss was as bad as stabbing me in the heart.

  You say you love the rain,

  But you open your umbrella.

  You say you love the sun,

  But you find a shadow spot.

  You say you love the wind,

  But you close your windows.

  This is why I am afraid,

  You say that you love me too.

  This is your fault Nik. My death will leave blood on your hands and I hope you never forget, for the rest of your life, what you did to me.

  All my love

  Mike

  That bastard must have found out where I’d gone pretty soon after I left, because that’s the same thing that was written on the roses I thought Dan sent me. I’m now certain the balloon was his doing too. I’m starting to wonder whether I was imagining being followed or whether he had been here the whole time

  “Nikki,” the female officer says, breaking into my thoughts. “You have to understand that this is all part of an abuser’s tactics. Mike knew his game was up and that he’d very soon be arrested. I have to admit suicide is a very extreme way of dealing with that and it’s not something we see very often, but it is the ultimate way to try and hurt you and make you feel guilty. I’ll say it again, you are not to blame for this.”

  “I can’t believe this,” I say shaking my head. For some morbid reason I can’t take my eyes off the note.

  The male officer clears his throat. “Do you know someone called,” he pauses to look at his notebook, “Astrid Jansen?”

  Dan and I shoot a look at each other.

  “Yes, she was an employee. She’s actually under investigation for intellectual property theft,” says Dan. “Why do you ask about her?”

  “We found numerous text messages in Mike’s phone between the two of them. The first one dated second of April.”

  This is getting worse by the second. “What were they talking about? I had only been here around three weeks at that point. I hadn’t even met Astrid yet.”

  “From what we can glean from the conversations they were having, Mike had found out where you were working. His first text to Astrid told her that he had got her number from a friend who was related to her. He never mentioned a name but having pieced the evidence together it seems that he enlisted her in taunting you.”

  “That’s why she took an instant dislike to me, but worse than that, now I know she’s the reason he found out where I live.”

  “I think she’d have been the same even if Mike hadn’t got her involved,” says Dan. “She’s a truly bad person but it’s obviously that fact hid her real motives with you. No one would ever suspect anything because she was horrid to everyone.” He drags his hand down his face. “I’m so sorry Nikki. If I’d known…”

  “Dan please don’t apologise. This is not your fault.”

  “Unfortunately, we can’t take any action against her because ultimately she didn’t break any laws,” the female officer says as she leans forward and hands me an envelope. “This is a list of names of some really good counsellors and I’d definitely try and see someone if I were you. You have a lot to process and talking to a professional will help.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper as my head starts to swim in all different directions.

  “What happens now?” Asks Dan.

  “Well that’s the one other thing I need to talk to Nikki about.” The female officer looks at me. “We’ve contacted his next of kin. His wife.”

  “But he said he was divorced. She wouldn’t be his next of kin.”

  “Unfortunately, he wasn’t divorced, and his wife was under the impression that he was simply working away when he wasn’t at home. It appears you had unwittingly become his mistress. I have to tell you that we found out he also had a child and his wife is also around six months pregnant with a second.”

  My stomach coils and now I actually am going to be sick. I stand up and run for the door we came in earlier, but this house is so huge I have no idea where I’m going. Whe
n I push open a door off the kitchen that may be a bathroom, I find myself in a huge laundry room. Thankfully there’s a sink and I lean over it, throwing up the minuscule contents of my stomach.

  “Nikki?” I can hear Dan’s voice in the kitchen. “Nikki, where are you?”

  He hears where I am when I run the cold tap and spoon some water into my mouth with my hand. He opens the door and steps inside.

  “Hey angel, are you okay?”

  “He had kids Dan,” I say as I start to cry, uncontrollable tears and sobs take over my body.

  Dan comes to me and wraps me up in his big warm body. “Nikki this isn’t your fault.”

  “But it is Dan. How could I not have known?” I lean back from him, noticing the wet patches my tears and the water from my face have left on his T-shirt. “How the hell was I with him for a full year and not know he had children? What sort of person does that? His wife assumed they were still married, still a happy family. I could have coped with them just being separated, but she had no idea. And his poor kids.”

  “Come back through and listen to what the officers have to say. I think you’ll be able to forgive yourself after you do.”

  When we enter the reception room, both officers give me a sympathetic look and I feel so wretched.

  “Are you okay Nikki?” Asks the woman.

  “Yes, I’m sorry. That was just a shock to hear, I wasn’t prepared for that.”

  “We completely understand. Are you okay to continue?”

  I nod and she lifts a notebook I hadn’t noticed before. She flips a couple of pages and starts talking again.

  “So, during our enquiries to find Michael’s next of kin, we contacted the police in Johannesburg. They told us some interesting things about him and his wife, and I think they may be relevant to your relationship to him.”