chapter 7 - Claire

I was hoping that Andrew would ask me about My son Drew during the drive back home. Anything to assure me He cared a bit about our past relationship, but He didn't.

Maybe He already knows I have a child.

For him.

That's not possible, no man who sees his own son for the first time would remains so nonchalant. We ride in semi-silence, the only sound coming from the car stereo. Pink and Lily allen singing 'True love'

There is so much testosterone oozing from the Man beside me and it's driving me nuts. I can't understand how He can act so emotionlessly. Maybe I was truly a stranger to him.

7years and I am not sure I have ever gotten over him.

I berate myself and remind myself of all the hurt he made me go through. Just like that, hate begins to coarse through my vain, corroding my brain. I embrace it gladly until I can take it no more. I bring the car to a screeching halt.

"I can't play your games no more. I really can't"

"Claire?"

"This game you are playing with my Dad, my husband, I want no part of it. You can't come back into my life. Andrew you have no right to do this to me"

"Claire this is No game"

"You've got to go. I don't need a Bodyguard. Please Andrew. You've got to let me live without you"

"Claire start the Car"

"No Andrew. I want you gone"

"We are being followed. Start the car"

I become conscious of the space we are in. The car is parked just outside the city Mosque. From the car side mirror, I can see a white Mercedes C300 parked a fair distance from us. There are other cars nearby but the glasses of the Mercedes are tinted.

Andrew nods his head slightly at me confirming my fear "keep to the busy streets" he says

"Oh Geez!" I remember that I am a nervous driver

I start the car with fidgeting hands and the Mercedes follows Immediately behind us maintaining a steady distance.

"Now you bring hoodlums to tail Me?" I accuse him

"Is this the fastest you can go?" he replies

"I'm already doing 90" I say to him.

"130 Claire"

I have never driven at that speed before. It's taking me Everything not to have crashed this car yet.

10mins later I bring the car off the busy shopping streets and into the express linking Livingstone to Salstone, and that's when I hear the Gunshot.

"What are you doing?" Andrew says sharply " I told you to keep to the busy streets!"

"It's not intentional! oh geez!" I press my feet on the accelerator when I noticed the Mercedes C300 gaining on us. My heart beats wildly as I recall Agatha's kidnapping

"Not Everyone is as Calm as you" I say to Andrew who has his Guns at the ready. A pistol and a hand gun

"There" Andrew says pointing at a sandy road off the express that is barely motorable.There is a fish farm at the End of the road. I do what he says. Acting mainly on impulse I take a sharp bend bringing the car into the untared road. The Mercedes C300 copies my move.

Andrew exits the car in a very fluid motion, rolling into ground and I hear rapid Gunshots fired from his Gun, aimed at the Mercedes C300 which stops the assaulters from coming after us

Doing a quick spin, the assailants reverse back into the main road, driving off.

In the pandemonium, I swerve the car off course crashing the Burnett into a ditch, bruising my elbow. I let out a small scream

Andrew spares me just a glance. He pursues the fleeing car but returns after a while. He looks very pissed and curses under his breath. When he sees that I am stuck in the car, stuck in a ditch, he curses some more.

His gesture leaves me feeling a bit hurt.

I stretch out my hand to Andrew. All he has to do is hold them so I can climb than without falling. Instead, Andrew pulls me from the car a little too roughly and carries me on his arms like I weigh nothing. My hands come in contact with the hand Gun slinged across his shoulders and I flitch.

"I can walk" I remind him.

He puts me down cursing again, his hands return to the butts of his pistol.

"I shall phone Genevieve to come get us"

He says nothing but goes back into the car starts the Engine and successfully pulls the car free

"Get in" He commands

I obey and the pain on my elbow exacerbates, reminding how crazy the past few minutes has been. We could have been killed! Andrew is probably the reason why we are still alive. Maybe a bodyguard isn't really a bad thing.

"I'm going to say this once and for clarity sake Claire I hope you listen carefully. I am here to do a Job and I shall be here for as long as I am needed. I do not expect you to like it anymore than I do but I am a soldier, duty is all that matters to Me"

I swallow hard at his words. In other words I mean nothing to him.

"This is no Game Claire. Believe me, you need protecting"

"Does that mean I would be stuck with you? How long?"

For my sanity it shouldn't be for too long

If He doesn't like me then I shouldn't like him. Right?

Yet I had wet dreams about him the very first day he came back. I hate how gullible Andrew makes me feel.

"Not for long if we are both lucky" He starts the Car, driving us home

I turn on the Radio just in time to catch the last verse of Anne-Marie '2002'

The music helps me not to think about my Ex, my Bodyguard