The Millionaire Falls Hard (13 page)

'Is anyone with you?'

Carrie's 'no' came out in another sob.

Jake didn't like this. Last he'd heard Carrie was doing well and getting stronger by the day.

He barked orders out down the phone. 'Don't answer the door 'til I get there. I'm fifteen minutes away. I'll phone Alan.'

He put a call through to Alan and told his chauffeur to put his foot down.

He'd landed less than an hour ago, having had a difficult few days in the States. It was now clear he had the wrong people running the operation over there and he was going to have to go back for a longer period to put in a new structure. Phil was working on all sorts of scenarios at the moment ranging from replacing the management team to selling the business. He hated it when a business didn't work properly. He had strong models in place that every office around the world successfully implemented but the team in the States had decided they knew better and it had all gone horribly wrong.

Thankfully, as a result of Phil's stringent controls it had been picked up before too much damage had been done. It had still taken him away at a time when he'd have preferred to have been at home.

He was tired, but thoughts of seeing Carrie had somehow made the last couple of days seem shorter.

He'd discretely kept in touch with her progress through Phil, whose discretion he knew he could count on. He'd told Phil what had happened in London, but not shared anything with him about his confusing thoughts, or the fact that he'd kissed her and could remember every touch of her lips.

Until he knew whether Carrie had said anything about the part he'd played in London, he didn't want to embarrass her by phoning the house all the time. He had decided while he was away that he would take things very slowly with her. He sensed it would take a lot for her to open up to him and trust him enough to let an intimate relationship develop between them. He still couldn't work out why earning her trust mattered so much to him.

As they got nearer to the Estate, his thoughts turned to the news Alan had given him while Carrie had slept on the flight back from London. The harasser had phoned the number at the project office with a message for Carrie - 'tell her that's just the start'. They'd decided between them not to share that news but to get the security at her house increased. It was clear he was beginning to come out of hiding.

*

Carrie stared at her mobile as Jake hung up. She was rooted to the spot in the hall. She stayed there as if moving would somehow trigger the end. She had no sense of time passing.

The buzzer at the gate sounded. Carrie let out an involuntary scream. She managed to drag herself to the camera. She didn't recognise who was there and stood shaking. The buzzer sounded again. She started crying and fell down to the floor.

Just then the sound of machine gun fire peppered the air, and then came the sound of shattered glass.

The gun fire continued.

Carrie screamed and screamed until all she could hear was her own voice. She couldn't stop.

She heard her name being shouted out in the distance. The voice sounded familiar.

Jake!

She forced herself up from the floor and saw him through the camera, standing there at the gate. She fumbled for the button to release the gate and unlocked the door with shaking fingers.

Moments later she fell, sobbing, into his arms.

Jake gathered her close. 'It's over, Carrie. They've got him. It's over.' He kissed her hair. 'Sweetheart, it's finished. It's going to be OK.' He gathered her into his arms and carried her out to his car. The police could take care of everything at the house.

As Jake had arrived, so too had Alan and half a dozen police cars. They'd surrounded the harasser in a circle of light from their headlights just as he'd fired his shots. The policeman who had been first to arrive and buzzed the gate had dashed round to the side when he'd heard the noise.

The man had dropped his gun, screaming 'don't shoot! Don't shoot! I only meant to scare her.' Jake had heard it all as he'd waited, impatiently, praying Carrie was OK enough to open the gate.

Another voice had called out 'got him'.

When Jake had heard the shattering of the glass, he'd silently cursed that Carrie had built her house so close to the boundary wall. It had been too easy to get to her. He'd stopped breathing between that sound and Carrie opening the gate. He'd thought for a dreadful moment that she'd been shot before he'd had a chance to tell her how he felt.

It had taken this to bring him to his senses. This was the one woman he wanted to spend his life with, but what dreadful timing to realise it. There was no way she'd be ready to hear that. It would take an iron will in the coming weeks to take things slowly.

Jake stopped his car just long enough to let Alan know where he was taking her and headed on up to his apartment.

He carried Carrie inside and lay her down on the bed in the room next to his. She hadn't spoken and was still crying, but they were silent tears that streamed down her cheeks. She clung to him when he tried to leave her.

'You're safe Carrie,' he said gently, 'you're in my home. I'm going to make you a drink and then I'm going to 'phone for the doctor. I'll be right back.'

He lent over and brushed her forehead with his lips. She released her grip.

*

Carrie slept fitfully over the next few days. The doctor had given her medication to help calm her, and it had helped for the first few hours following the attack, but then she woke every few hours, screaming and soaking wet from sweat. From the first scream Jake had never gone far from her side, his housekeeper relieving him for the short times he did. When he wasn't comforting her, he just sat watching her, worrying about her, reliving Friday evening and what he'd witnessed down at the house afterwards.

Moira had arrived the night of the attack with some nightwear for Carrie and had helped her into bed. She'd then stayed with her for a while so that Jake could go down and see what was happening at the house. There had been shards of glass everywhere, across every surface of the living room. Some of the sofas were damaged and bits of glass, and bullets, had lodged themselves in the opposite wall. Wooden furniture was scratched. Every pane of glass along the length of the living room had been shattered. It was going to take some amount of effort to get it all cleared up, new glass fitted and the room back to how it had been. The police had set up security to ensure no-one could enter the property.

With flashing lights and a mass of police and forensics everywhere it was going to be impossible to keep this quiet. No matter the lateness of the hour, Jake had got his publicity people onto it to minimise the information released. He'd been completely stunned when Alan had told him the identity of the attacker.

One thing the two men had agreed on was that Carrie shouldn't see the house until it was all restored.

Back in his own home, Jake had relieved Moira and declined her offer to stay and help, wanting to stay by Carrie's side and be there for her himself. If Moira had wondered about his motives, she'd wisely said nothing.

Jake had cared for Carrie, keeping her fresh each time the nightmares overwhelmed her. Her body had shut down. She seemed completely unaware of being given fluids, of being helped to the bathroom or of sitting in a chair whilst the bed linen was changed. She just appeared to be a shell, staring ahead when she was awake, only making her presence felt when the screams started. Jake wondered if they would ever stop. The doctor had told him it would just take time and to keep doing what he was doing. Sooner or later the message would get through to Carrie that she was safe.

Jake had handed over control of the business to Phil and was past worrying about what his friend would make of him caring for Carrie.

There was one moment of reflection when he thought Phil would have a field day knowing Jake had fallen for a woman with a child. Mostly, he tortured himself with what might have happened if Carrie had been in that room during the gunfire.

Carrie stirred again, muttering in her sleep.

He looked at his watch, she seemed to have slept for longer than previously. Jake hoped that was a good sign. It was now Monday afternoon and he wanted her consciously aware so he could arrange the next stage of her recovery.

Knowing the pattern by now he sat on the bed, ready to comfort her when the screaming started. He pulled her into his arms and held her until her body went limp. He spoke the same words to her as he did every time this happened, telling her she was safe, she was with him and no-one would hurt her again. He brushed his lips against her forehead. He was amazed at how deeply he felt for this woman. It was killing him holding her body close and not being able to act on his desire. He had it bad when his body responded to hers while she was limp and unresponsive in his arms.

'Wake up sweetheart. You're safe. It's over. Carrie, you're safe. Charlie's asking for you. Come on Carrie. Please. Wake up.' Jake rocked her gently as he spoke.

He felt pressure against his chest and realised she was pushing against him. He held her away from him and looked into her eyes. For the first time in what seemed like forever she looked straight back at him.

'Oh, thank God! I thought you'd never wake up.' Jake felt his body relax for the first time since Friday night.

'Wh- what happened? Where am I?' Carrie started to struggle as she became more aware of her surroundings. Jake released his hold on her.

'You're in my home. I've been looking after you.'

'Why?'

Carrie's eyes widened and she started to shake as she remembered.

'Gunfire, I heard gunfire……' She put her hands to her head. 'And glass….. shattered glass…. and someone screaming.'

She looked back at Jake.

'My house! There was someone at my house!' Carrie's voice rose in panic as it all came back.

'He's been caught Carrie. It's over. He can't hurt you again.' Jake rubbed his hands up and down her arms to reassure her.

'How long have I been here? I don't remember coming here.' Carrie croaked on the last words, her throat feeling incredibly dry.

Jake reached for the glass of water and encouraged her to drink. 'Nearly three days.'

'What! Where's Charlie? Who's been looking after Charlie?' Carrie pushed the glass away and started to get out of bed, frantic to find her son and make sure he was OK.

Jake put a hand out to hold her back.

'He's fine. Lynne had him for the weekend. He's still at school just now. I'll get Lynne to bring him here instead of take him to hers. Charlie just thinks you went away for a few days.'

Carrie relaxed slightly.

'Why am I in your house? What's wrong with mine? Who's been looking after me?' Her mind started to work quickly.

'Your house was damaged in the attack, the living room needs substantial repair. In answer to who's looked after you,' he paused, 'mainly me.'

Jake held her gaze and waited for her response.

'You! Why? I don't understand why I'm here and not at Lynne's or Moira's.' Carrie looked down at herself.

'Who undressed me?'

'Moira, initially, but I've been changing your nightclothes and the bed regularly because you've been drowning in sweat each time the nightmare hit.'

Carrie coloured dark red at the thought that Jake had seen her naked. She tried to pull the bedclothes around her.

'You have underwear on Carrie, I'm not a voyeur.' Jake smiled slightly at the direction her thoughts were taking.

'If she's worried about what I've seen of her body, the trauma might fade quickly,'
he thought. While he was caught up in his thoughts Carrie threw back the covers and jumped out of bed catching him unaware.

She stumbled. Jake stood quickly and steadied her before she fell to the ground.

'Steady. You've been in bed for nearly three days, your body can't cope with quick actions.'

'I need to go to the bathroom. I want to get dressed and go home,' she cried.

'Let me go please!'

'You're not going anywhere until the doctor has checked you over. In the meantime, I'll help you to the bathroom and ask Eve, my housekeeper, to get you something light to eat.'

'You are not taking me to the bathroom!' Carrie started to struggle against him.

Jake let her go, part of him pleased that she was already showing a fighting spirit.

'OK, I'll stay here until you're safely in the bathroom and then I'll go and arrange some food and the doctor. I'll be back Carrie.'

*

Carrie gasped when she saw what stared back at her in the bathroom mirror. She went scarlet at the thought that Jake had seen her gaunt face and lank hair, and worse still, her near naked body, and she hadn't known anything about it. She laughed to herself! Well, she could probably safely assume that he hadn't taken advantage of her when she looked such a mess! In fact seeing her like this had probably killed off any thoughts he'd had. Probably just as well, but there was a small part of her that minded.