A Soldier For Bella (Love Conquers Life #4) (14 page)

“Jordan grabbed it off the ground. You must have had it in your pocket when you tried to run from the car.” She hands me my phone.

Looking down at it in my hand, I shake my head and reply, “I don’t remember.” I shrug my shoulders. “Then again, I don’t remember much from the accident.”

“Do you know what day it is?” my father asks. I can hear the fear in his voice.

I take a minute to think about it before I answer. Finally, I say, “I believe it’s Monday.”

“You’re correct,” my father says.

I send a message off to Sloan, letting him know that I’m in the hospital and I need an update.

A couple minutes later, Patty and Carter walk in the room.

“Hey, man. How are you feeling?” Carter asks as he shakes my hand.

“I’m doing okay.” After I introduce them to my parents, my parents tell me they’re going to give us some time with our friends.

My father says, “We’ll go get dinner and be back with food for everyone.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I say as I watch them walk out the door.

“Dude, while you’re on your ass, Tobey and I went to Stuart House today.”

“Oh, I forgot all about that. How’d it go?”

“I think the guy nearly crapped himself when he saw Tobey walk in the door, but he’s actually been working on the things you requested.”

“Really? I honestly thought the guy was a total piece of shit and just didn’t care enough.”

“Nah, the rooms were clean and so were the patients. We couldn’t find a speck of dust.”

“Wow, that’s great!” I’m beyond excited to hear this guy is turning the place around.

“You want to hear something even better?”

“What?”

“He fired the chef.” He has a huge grin on his face.

“No way? What happened?”

“He said the kid kept screwing up. He told Tobey that he called him into his office to discuss getting the place into tip top shape and he didn’t take him serious, so he fired him.”

“I’m glad he took us seriously. We need our guys to get the best treatment possible.”

“We’ll see if he keeps it up. Tobey told him he was happy with the improvements but we would be back for more pop-up inspections so he needs to stay on his toes. He promised Tobey he would continue to make improvements and that he looked forward to the next inspection.”

“That’s great!”

A short time later, my parents return with the food they promised, so we all sit around, eating and chatting. Carter pulls out a deck of cards, and so we start a game. My parents laugh at our banter while Patty and Bella enjoy beating us.

The nurse comes in and tells everyone that they must go home for the night so I can get my rest. Bella stands up and folds her arms across her chest. She says, “They may have to leave, but I’m not going anywhere.”

The nurse raises her eyebrows in shock, but she actually laughs. “I can only set up a cot for one of you,” the nurse says in response to Bella’s sass.

“She can stay. We’ll get going so you guys can get some sleep,” my mother says as she stands from her seat.

“The bed in your room is all set up, Mom. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you, sweetie,” my mom says as she kisses the top of my head. My dad shakes my hand.

My mother turns to Bella. “You must promise you will go home tomorrow to shower and change.”

“Thank you, I will. I promise.”

“I will be right back with a cot and some pillows for you,” the nurse says as she saunters out of the room.

Carter and Patty say their goodbyes at the same time, and walk my parents out. We’re discussing what I need from home when the nurse arrives with my cot. “I snuck you some scrubs to sleep in too.” She winks at her and hurries from the room.

Bella quickly changes and then lies down on her cot beside me. We start talking again, but in minutes we’re both asleep from the long day we’ve had.

Chapter 13

Bella

I wake early to find Derek sound asleep and the room in complete darkness, but I want to get started on my day. I fold up the blankets the nurse brought me last night and move the cot out of the way to ready the room for his parents’ return. I peek out the door and find two new guards standing there.

“What’s wrong, Bella?”

“Nothing. I was debating getting a coffee from downstairs.”

“Please stay put. I will be more than happy to get you a coffee.”

He walks away, and I go back into the room to take a seat in the chair next to Derek’s bed. I check my phone and notice I have some messages that I should probably answer. One is from my agent asking if I’m okay, so I send her a quick response to let her know that I’m fine and to keep me posted about my next shoot.

I notice there are a bunch of messages from my fans on my social media page. I begin scrolling through to see how many there are and if I should answer them individually or as a group. There are tons of messages, and while I feel blessed to have so many great fans, it makes me realize I need to address this as one post on my media wall. I quickly begin typing out a message:

My dearest fans,

Thank you all so much for your kind words and thoughts. I thank you for following me and keeping up on what is going on in my world. I want to let you all know that I’m fine. However, I would appreciate your prayers for Derek, as he’s in the hosp…

I pause, delete the entire message, and start again. If I post online that Derek is in the hospital, my stalker may come after him again. I need to leave Derek out of this. There can be no mention of him.

My dearest fans,

Thank you all so much for your kind words and thoughts. I am truly blessed to have so many amazing fans. I want to let you all know that I’m doing fine and will be back in the studio soon. Some of you are really going to love my next project, so stay tuned for more details.

Xoxo

Bella

I read it through one more time and hit post. It instantly pops up on my wall, and within minutes fans are responding with messages of joy and happiness. I place my phone down on the nightstand as Derek’s parents walk in with coffee and some bags.

“We hope you don’t mind, but we brought some stuff from Derek’s that we thought could be useful.”

“Thank you,” I say as I look in the bag. There’s another charger, which is perfect because Derek and I have been sharing one. They also brought us our toothbrushes, toothpaste, Derek’s deodorant as well as a few other hygiene products. “This was very sweet of you. Thank you so much.”

“We knew you’d be running home to shower so we only brought Derek’s hygiene stuff, but if you want us to go back, we can.”

“No, that’s fine. I promised the nurse I would go home for a bit today and I will once he wakes and I get to say good morning to him.”

“Good morning,” Derek says, and we all start laughing.

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” I ask as I stand to kiss him on the cheek.

“Never, baby. I just heard your conversation, and I thought it was funny.”

“Well, don’t quit your day job anytime soon.” He pouts, and I lower my lips to his.

“You need to thank your parents. They brought you some stuff from home,” I tell him as I set up my phone on the charger they brought.

“You guys are the best. Thank you!” he says groggily.

“We brought you some real coffee too.” His mother proudly hands him the cup of coffee she brought for him.

“Seriously, thank you guys,” Derek says, sounding a little more awake this time.

“It’s not a problem, son. We just want you to keep us in the loop next time. We’re getting old, as you happily pointed out yesterday, and another phone call like this is likely to give us a heart attack.”

“Fair enough. I will keep you in the loop.”

He and his father shake hands, and we all sit in a comfortable silence, eating the bagels and drinking the coffee that Vanessa and Jesse brought us. After I finish eating, I stand and tell Derek that I’m going home to shower and that I’ll be back soon. I ask him if he needs anything else, and he tells me he’s all set. When I get to the door, I let the guards know it’s time to roll. Jordan is walking down the hall as we’re about to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“Home to shower,” I tell him.

“Okay. This is Brayden. He was brought on for added security after Derek's accident. He'll go with us.” He turns to the other guy whose name I don’t know because he’s also new and says, “You stay here and keep an eye on Derek.” He nods and takes his place back at the door. “Bella, please keep me aware of the plans you make so I can keep you safe.”

“I’m sorry, Jordan. I figured I was leaving here with both guards, so it was no big deal.”

”But it is because Derek wouldn’t have had someone to watch over him and clearly he needs it.”

“You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.”

“To be honest, I’m sure he would have been fine, but I don’t want to take any chances, okay?”

I nod as we continue our walk out to the car.

We arrive back at the house to find a vase of flowers on the front porch. Jordan carefully approaches and then tells me it’s fine to follow. I get up the stairs to see another handwritten note.

My Love,

I’m so sorry for your loss. I know Derek meant something to you but you have to realize this is for the better. He was in the way of my loving you and I just couldn’t have that. He had to be taken care of. I’m sure right now this hurts, but in due time I will be by your side taking away all your pain. Please give my condolences to his parents.

I’m so happy you’ve figured out who I am. It’ll make it easier when I show up to take you away. I love you Bella and promise you we will be together soon.

Love

Brian

“Holy shit, he thinks Derek’s dead,”

Jordan nods. “It appears he does. I’ll call the police.”

He turns to Brayden. “You wait out here and keep watch until we're ready to leave.” The guy just nods and takes his place on the porch.

I call Derek as soon as I’m in the house, but Jordan quickly takes the phone and cuts the call. He whispers, “What if he’s bugged the house or your phone? Wait until we get to the hospital or at least back in the car to call him and tell him.”

“Okay. Give me fifteen minutes to shower, and I’ll be ready.”

He nods as I go up the stairs. I pull a pair of jeans and a top from the closet and throw them on the bed. Then I run into the bathroom and turn on the shower. Running back into my room, I get my coloring book and gel pens, figuring I’ll color whenever Derek happens to nap. It relaxes me and allows me to clear my head, which happens to be filled with so many thoughts right now I could burst.

I jump into the shower and wash everything as quickly as I can. As soon as I’m done, I dry off and get dressed. I quickly blow dry my hair, put on my facial cream, and run back into the room, realizing I should get some clothes to sleep in and wear tomorrow. I toss everything in my travel bag, including my makeup bag, and run down the stairs. I think I’ve shocked Jordan with my speed.

“Ready already?” he asks.

“Yes, let’s go. I want to get out of here and back to the hospital.”

He nods and we leave. Jordan locks up the house behind us as Brayden takes me to the car. Jordan jumps in the driver’s seat, and as soon as he starts driving, I call Derek's cell.

“What’s up, Bella?” he asks, concerned.

“He thinks you’re dead.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Brian left another note at the house with flowers giving his condolences to me and your parents. He said he was sorry, but you had to be taken care of. He thinks you’re dead.”

“Where are you now?”

“I’m with Jordan, on my way back to the hospital.”

“Good. I have to call Sloan. I’ll see you when you get here.” He cuts the call.

“What did he say?” Jordan asks.

“He said that he had to call Sloan and that he will update me when we get back to the hospital.”

“Good. We can all meet quickly before these guys take off. Jared should be there when we get back.” I nod, and my head starts to spin. I’m trying to figure out how we’re going to catch this guy. I’m so deep in thought I jump at Jordan’s voice when he informs me that we’re back at the hospital.

As we walk to Derek’s room, people look at me funny because I have two guys in tow, but I don’t care at this point. I hate the thought of Brian getting to either of us. As we approach Derek’s room, I smile because, as Jordan said, Jared is standing at the door.

“Good morning, Bella,” Jared says as we walk through the door to Derek’s room. We find Richard in the room, chatting with Derek and his parents.

“Good morning, Bella,” Richard says as he hugs me.

“Good morning, Richard.” I turn to Derek. “What did Sloan say?”

“Richard was just telling us that the police already know that Brian thinks I’m dead. Sloan had already filled them in on that bit of info. Apparently Sloan has been helping them locate him, but it’s been difficult. Brian’s signal has been bouncing, so neither Sloan nor the officers can just track him through his social media posts.”

I growl in frustration. “This guy is driving me freaking crazy,” I shout. “Why is it so difficult to get him out of my life?”

“Baby, please calm down. I promise you we will catch him.”

“Before he kills one of us or after?” I say, my arms crossed.

Jordan steps up. “Now that we know he is after both of you, neither of you will be left alone. He will not get to either of you again. I can promise you that.” I sigh in defeat and look down to the ground.

“Thank you, Jordan.” That’s the only thing I can manage to say. I’m so tired and frustrated of this situation.

“Bella, the plan is for you to carry on as normal as you can. We need this guy to think we have nothing on him,” Richard says.

I look up at him. “He knows that you know who he is. He mentioned it in his last note, and he even signed it Brian.”

“Okay, so we need to be careful about what we say and release. I don’t want him to think we’re any closer to finding him. I’m getting updates from the police as well as Sloan on a regular basis.”

My phone rings, so I dig it out from my bag. “Hello.”

“Hey, Bella. It’s Madeline. How are you?”

“Hey, Madeline. I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m well. I know you’re dealing with some personal stuff, but the magazine wants to hold a meet and greet with all twelve of the models. Your shoot is next week, and they want to hold the meet and greet three weeks later. Do you think you’ll be able to make it to both of these events?”

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll make it work. Please email me all the info for the shoot and the meet and greet and make sure they know I will have a lot of security at both locations.”

“Not a problem. I already mentioned to them that you would need security. They informed me that there will be a select list of people allowed in and only select media will be there. I will just need you to swing by here and pick up your dress for the event. I’ll have it for you in a few days.”

“Perfect. Give me a call when it’s ready and I’ll swing by.” I cut the call and notice that everyone is staring at me.

“That was my agent, Madeline. Maximum wants to do a meet and greet with the twelve models from the magazine/calendar. It’s in four weeks. Our security will be allowed in, and the event is invite only.”

Jordan looks at me with a smile. “Trust me when I tell you that we will be prepared. We also have to figure out how to handle Brian discovering that Derek isn’t dead.”

“Forget me for a minute,” Derek says. “You have to realize he’s going to know about this event. He’s in the modeling world, and there’s no way this won’t be advertised. He will find a way into this event.”

“We’re counting on it. If we haven’t caught him by then, this will be the perfect event to do it,” Jordan says. Turning to Richard, he asks, “Mr. Carmichael, can you have some of the force there undercover?”

“Of course I can. I’ll have the place surrounded, but he’ll never know it.” Richard is wearing a smug smile.

“Perfect.” Jordan gives Derek a devious grin. “This bastard is going down.”

“Dude, you seriously love this shit, don’t you,” Derek says to Jordan.

“Catching the bad guy? Hell yeah, and he better hope and pray that the police are right behind me, because I may seriously trip, bashing his head into the ground for the crap he’s put you two through.”

Everyone in the room is looking at him when I say, “Jordan, you just went from my sweet bodyguard to a scary man.”