They left work earlier than usual, and Emily complained the whole time they drove to the meeting spot, an industrial town two hours away.It wasn't Natalie's idea. She'd wanted to pass along the information to Levi and Mark and let them follow up on the lead. But Colleen had made it clear she'd only talk face to face and only with her.If Natalie so much as tried something stupid like call the police or involve third parties, Colleen had threatened to vanish without a trace again. She'd done it before and had no problem doing it again.Caught between a rock and a hard place, Natalie had agreed to her demands.Hunched over the steering wheel, Emily asked. "So, what's the plan?"Natalie shrugged. There wasn't a plan. But convincing Colleen to return to Rock Union seemed like a solid start. If all went well, they'd be back in Green Point by 10:00 PM latest."I think we're walking into a trap. This has Paul written all over it," Emily said for the hundredth time since they left Chassis.T
They were silent for some time, processing Colleen's announcement.Having had her fair share of run-ins with the owner of Dreams, Natalie couldn't say she was surprised, though.But Emily...Emily really seemed to be struggling."What do you mean Aunty Viv wants you dead?"Colleen laughed, but her eyes remained limp, and the sound splattering through her cracked lips wasn't cheerful at all. "I'd get out if I were you. No matter what Aunty Viv says, don't trust her."Sensing a meltdown looming, Natalie tried to redirect the conversation to a less stressful topic. She couldn't have Colleen getting agitated again. Aunty Viv was clearly a sore subject for her. "Why did you want to meet with me?""I wanted to see Paul's other victim. I was curious to see the idiot posting about brass knuckles and a plastic surgeon on a forum where Paul can easily find you," Colleen said as she ran her hand through her tangled hair."I'm not a victim. I'm a survivor," Natalie said with conviction. It took h
"He's an asshole, but he's not bad—" Colleen tried to say. Natalie cut her off, though. She'd listen to everything, but that. After watching him kill Ethan in cold blood, she refused to be an Andrei sympathiser.She shook her head incredulously. "He pulled a gun on your brother, and you say he's not bad?""When?" Colleen turned ashen at her announcement."Levi will tell you when you see him, but I sure as hell hope you've cut all ties with Andrei.""There's no love lost between us, but I'm still alive because of him. He helped me get away from Aunty Viv, and he brings me supplies every month.""Why? What does he want from you? What does he get out of this?""Indigo," Colleen replied. "Half of it.""Jesus Christ." Natalie couldn't believe her ears. "For fuck's sake, he's the fucking mob, do you honestly think—""I know who he is!" Colleen held up her hand. "Don't you lecture me about Andrei! I grew up with him, and you know what, between him and Aunty Viv, I'll take my chances with him
They spent half the night trying to convince Colleen to return to Rock Union with them.Colleen admitted she missed her family, especially her twin, but the risk of damaging their reputation was too high. She couldn't, wouldn't destroy her father's life's work."So you plan to live this way for the rest of your life?" Emily asked, making a point of roaming her eyes over the shabby living conditions."Andrei asked me to sit tight while he figures something out about Dreams.""What is he planning to do?" Emily was brimming with questions."I don't know much," Colleen shrugged. "But I know he's trying to offload his shares at Dreams, and once he has, what comes after won't be anything good for Aunty Viv and Paul.""So basically, there is no plan, and you trusted Andrei's word?" Natalie was totally flabbergasted."We both need time to figure things out," Colleen retorted sharply."We can go to the police," Natalie said, stunning them all with her suggestion.The thought had never crossed
Levi was in a meeting with the executive committee, discussing Chassis' quarterly earnings, when Angela walked into the boardroom with a relieved smile on her face.She leaned closer and whispered for his ears only. "Mr Van Holt, Ms Taylor's just arrived, sir."Levi glanced at his phone and frowned.11:05 AM.He never clock-watched any of his staff, never really cared what time they came in or left as long as they produced results. But when the staff member in question was his girlfriend and didn't spend the night with him in his bed and in his arms, then he cared deeply."What about Emily Hart?" he asked quietly."They came in together."Levi nodded and forced himself to focus on the pie graphs splashed on the screen. But hard as he tried to make sense of the numbers floating in front of him, he couldn't.With his mind and heart already on the third floor, the last hour of the meeting went by at an excruciatingly slow pace.As soon as Mark wrapped up his sales report, Levi shot out o
Natalie didn't have high hopes for the weekend after their fight earlier. But promptly, at 3:00 PM, she followed Levi to his car parked in the basement and did her best to ignore the electric jolt shooting up her arm and all the way to her heart when their hands touched lightly as he held the door for her.She'd missed him last night, and she desperately wanted him to hold her and kiss her now. But she didn't have to be psychic to know there'd be no kissing this weekend. No cuddling either. Levi was furious with her, and rightfully so. She'd blatantly lied to him. But what other choice did she have? It was either that or risk losing Colleen's trust and have her vanish again—"Seatbelt," he said curtly, breaking through her inner turmoil.Natalie nodded quickly and snapped it on, sighing at the memory of their time in Sparrow Beach, back when he helped her put the seatbelt on, and she thought he was going to kiss her. It was hard to believe their trip was just a little over a week ago.
They were the picture of love and bliss as they snuggled and held hands. If Natalie didn't know better, she would have thought she was no longer in the dog box with Levi; that's how loving and attentive he was throughout their chat with his parents.Leviticus, though, seemed to smell their bullshit from a mile away, his frown darkening the longer he scrutinised them from beneath his bushy greying eyebrows."How long exactly have you two known each other?" he asked, looking at Natalie, but the question was directed at his son.Levi was about to take off with him again when she placed a gentle hand on his arm. She'd handle this."I'm sure you've already figured it out from the background check you ran on me," Natalie smiled sweetly at him. "But to answer your question—long enough to know he's the man I want to spend the rest of my life with."Levi gaped at her, stunned disbelief written on his face. Natalie was mighty pleased with herself, glad to see she could still surprise him."How
Supper was served promptly at 6:00 PM.As Ms Baker took her to the formal dining room where Levi and his parents were already waiting, Natalie wondered just how many dining rooms there were and the difference between a farm and a ranch. But the latter wasn't something she'd ask out loud. She'd google it, lest she sounded ridiculous. There was no reason to give Leviticus more reasons to look down on her.Levi held the chair for her, and she sat down.All the dishes decked out on the massive dining table looked scrumptious, but she couldn't understand why they'd cook so much food for only four people.Throughout their meal, Cynthia asked Natalie numerous questions, from her childhood to her hopes and dreams for the future.She answered them all with a warm smile and even pulled out her phone to show her photos of her siblings."Look at all that hair," Cynthia gushed when she saw Jamie's curly afro. Laughing, she patted Natalie's hand. "I wish my hair was as thick. Don't ever age, dear."