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“I realize that now. I shouldn’t have pressured Tank into taking us to Kelly’s store. It won’t happen again.”
John swallowed deeply. “You’re right. It won’t happen again because you won’t be working with Bella anymore. I trusted you with my daughter’s life and you let me down.”
Rachel’s mouth dropped open. “But it was one mistake. Tess and I found her and she’s going to be okay.”
John gripped the armrest of the chair he was sitting on. “Do you have any idea why Bella ran to Tess’ old apartment?”
“No. Tess and I have just arrived. Tanner won’t tell us anything.”
“A man followed her down the street. The craft store was closed, so she went into the café. She thought she could hide in there. She took her jacket off and tried to look as though she belonged to another family.”
John had to stop talking. The terror that Bella must have felt was eating away at him. Part of that terror was of his own making. He’d never imagined that starting his own company would put his daughter’s life in danger.
He took a deep breath. “Bella heard Tess talk about her apartment when she went with you to look at the bridesmaids’ dresses a few weeks ago. When she went into the café today, she couldn’t see Tess to tell her about the man. Instead of telling someone else, she ran into the alley and up the back stairs to Tess’ apartment. She identified the man from images on the security camera in the café. The police, the FBI, and the CIA are looking for him now.”
“Is it possible that he wasn’t following her?”
John knew that everyone was keeping an open mind about what had happened until they knew more about the man. “It’s possible.”
“Why didn’t she call out when the police searched the apartment?”
“Bella doesn’t remember hearing them. Her doctor thinks that she may have fallen asleep. Because she was so cold, she would have been unresponsive to any noise or movement going on around her.”
Rachel didn’t move from the seat beside him. He’d expected her to leave, to say goodbye to Bella, then get on with her own life. But she didn’t do any of those things.
She turned to him and put her hand on the arm of his sweater. “I know how upset you must be, but telling me to leave now isn’t going to help Bella. I could stay another week, wait until she’s feeling better. I don’t want you to pay me. I could stay in my own apartment and drive to your home each day.”
John didn’t have to think hard about his response. Rachel had already become more than Bella’s teacher. He couldn’t risk her getting any closer. “Bella will be okay without you. Tanner will take you home after you’ve seen her. He’ll check that your apartment is safe, and continue as your bodyguard during the day. When the death threats have been resolved, he’ll no longer be needed. If you want him to stay with you tonight, he’ll be happy to do that.”
Rachel took her hand off his arm and dropped her chin to her chest. “I don’t need Tanner tonight. I’m going to stay with Tess and Logan until this is over. Logan installed a state-of-the-art security system when he moved into his home, so I’ll be safe.”
“That’s good.”
She glanced quickly at him. “What else are you worried about?”
John leaned back in his chair. He didn’t know where to start. “Apart from a Technical Development Team that are now on high-alert and under twenty-four-hour surveillance, and the Department of Defense breathing down my neck, I still don’t know why Bella left Tank’s SUV. She knows she has to be careful. It’s out of character for her to run away.”
“It was important to her.”
“Scrapbooking supplies aren’t important.”
Rachel sighed. “Have you asked Bella why she needed them?”
“Of course I asked her. She said it was a surprise.”
“It was for your Christmas present. She wanted to finish it tomorrow so that she could give it to you on Christmas morning. Don’t be too hard on her, John. She’s only eight-years-old. We all make mistakes.”
“Mistakes don’t usually cost you your life.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. His wife had made a mistake the night she’d gone out with some friends and taken Bella with her. She’d drunk nearly a full bottle of wine, got behind the wheel of their car, and driven four miles before hitting a tree and killing herself.
Rachel picked up a bag that she’d left on the seat beside her. “I saw Mrs. Daniels at the nurses’ station. She thought Bella might need some dry clothes, so she dropped these off. She said she’d see you both when you arrive home.”
For the first time since Bella had gone missing, he really looked at Rachel. Her normally pale skin was whiter than usual. Her big blue eyes swam in her face, filled with regret and so much worry that he felt as though he was looking at a reflection of his own face.
“I’m sorry, Rachel. This isn’t how I imagined saying goodbye to you.”
Rachel wiped her hands on the knees of her jeans and stood up. “I enjoyed spending time with Bella. I’ll say goodbye to her on my way out. Good luck with finding the man who followed her.”
Rachel left the room. He looked at the bag of clothes and tried to think of something positive that had happened today. But all he could see was the disappointment on Rachel’s face when he’d told her that she wouldn’t be teaching Bella anymore.
His daughter was resilient and would soon bounce back from what had happened. She’d miss Rachel for a few days, then find something else to make her happy.
He didn’t know if he could honestly say the same thing about himself.
CHAPTER TEN
Rachel woke up in one of Tess and Logan’s spare bedrooms. It was still dark outside, but that was nothing unusual for this time of the year. The sun, when it remembered to peek its head out of the clouds, would be a welcome relief from the gloomy mornings and early evenings.
She wondered if that was why so many people strung Christmas lights around their properties. They brightened the streets, lightened people’s hearts, and brought smiles to most people’s faces.
The only lights she remembered from last night were the blow-up characters in John’s front yard. The drive back to his home hadn’t lightened her heart or made her smile.
After she’d left the hospital, Tanner had taken her back to John’s home to pack her bags and say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Daniels. It had been a quick, tear-filled visit that made Rachel realize how much of an impact people could make in your life. She’d miss Mrs. Daniels’ baking, her wonderful sense of humor, and the joy she brought to John’s home.
But she couldn’t afford to dwell on what had happened. If she kept thinking about what was missing from her life, her heart would break all over again.
She squinted at the watch on her wrist and sighed. It wasn’t as early as she thought. She rolled out of bed, opened the suitcase that Tanner had carried inside for her, and looked for some clean clothes.
After she’d had a shower, she went downstairs to see if Tanner had arrived. He was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee, and looking through the morning paper.
She smiled at her bodyguard. “Good morning. What time did you get here?”
“About five-thirty. The same time that Tess left for work. She said to come to the café for breakfast. She’ll cook a few extra pancakes for us.”
“Us?”
Tanner’s face moved into what could have been a smile. “There’s got to be some perks to the job.”
Rachel poured herself a cup of coffee. She almost felt sorry for Tanner. Making sure she didn’t hurt herself, get kidnapped, or even get killed, couldn’t have been the most satisfying job in the world. After yesterday, he definitely deserved a double stack of pancakes with all of the trimmings. “Do you know how Bella is this morning?”
“She’s doing okay. She left the hospital at eight o’clock last night and went straight to bed. Mrs. Daniels made her breakfast about two hours ago.” Tanner closed the paper. “She asked where you were.”
Rachel leaned against the kitchen counter. She swallowed the lump in her throat and took another sip of coffee. “Are you making that up?”
“Tank’s on duty. He wanted to know if you were okay with calling Bella when you woke up. She misses you.”
Rachel nodded. “I miss her, too. But I can’t call her. John wouldn’t want me to.”
“I guess that’s up to you, then.”
Rachel looked sharply at Tanner. “You wouldn’t be alluding to the fact that I’m a determined, independent woman, would you?”
“Who me, ma’am? I wouldn’t dream of it. A determined, independent woman wouldn’t worry about whether she was stepping on anyone’s toes. She’d be more worried about making sure an eight-year-old was happy.”
Rachel tipped the rest of her coffee down the sink. “That’s good, because I wouldn’t want you to think that I don’t care. I do care, more than anyone realizes. But if John found out that I’d called Bella, my name would be mud. He’d send the National Guard to keep me away from his daughter.”
