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“My stepmother went into hysterics two days after he missed his flight. Saying he left her and is cheating on her. Every accusation you can think of she threw at his good name. I found it strange that she would jump to these conclusions so quickly.”
Needing to punctuate my next point, I stop playing with the material of my dress and stare over at Connor. “The next week I was being told I was to marry you.”
He takes a sip of his drink then passes his glass to me. I take it, needing another gulp of liquid courage.
“Strange…things have happened since his disappearance too. The brakes on my car failed. A motorcycle tried to run me off the road when I was out jogging. Little things as well, like lights falling and almost hitting me.”
“All those things have happened to you in the last four months?”
“More like the last four weeks.”
“Son of a fucking bitch,” Connor grunts, running an agitated hand over his jaw.
“But it wasn’t until today that I had my suspicions confirmed.”
“Did you see something?”
“No, I heard something. I was having difficulty getting this stupid dress off and wandered out of the dressing room for help. I overheard my stepmother whisper-yelling at someone about how they needed topull the triggernow so that she could get her hands on my life insurance money.”
Connor is up and off the sofa in the next beat. Pacing the length of the room, he fists his hands at his sides.
“Did you know about the life insurance?”
“No. I had no idea I had any.”
“Were you made to sign anything recently? Or after your dad went missing?”
Pressing my tongue to the roof of my mouth, I try to think back. Nothing immediately comes to mind, then it hits me.
“Oh my God, I had to sign a stack of papers for my car.” He gives me an odd look, like he’s not understanding. “Instead of signing off on the work at the dealership, papers were brought to the house. By my stepmother. I remember thinking it was weird that she was telling me where to sign and rushing me along.” Hunching over, I cradle my head in my hands. Tears of frustration pool in my eyes. “How could I have been so stupid?”
“Hey now,” Connor says, coming to kneel in front of me. He has to practically swim through tulle to grasp my hands, but he does. “None of that. You were tricked. And you’re right, all of this sounds suspicious.”
“I ran,” I confess to him. “As soon as I heard that conversation, I just grabbed my purse and ran. You were the first person I thought of.”
“You can always run to me, Ivy. I protect what’s mine.”
His words are bittersweet. I’m sure he means that I’ll be his wife, so soon I’ll be his by name. Yet my heart wishes it meant more. That what I felt building in my chest was a mutual thing. That maybe, one day soon, our relationship could be real. A lasting kind of thing.
Another silly thought. One driven by hope and adrenaline.
“It was mentioned you have a military background. I don’t know why they stuck you with me, but I hoped you’d be able to help me. Maybe if we get married now, they’d give up their pursuit of me.”
“Maybe,” Connor repeats but there’s no conviction in his tone.
All of a sudden I’m exhausted. Everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours on top of the anxiety over what my dad’s disappearance could mean starts to weigh heavily on my chest. I rub my forehead, trying to clear the negative images flashing through my mind.
“Angel,” Connor soothes me, pulling me into his arms. His heat engulfs me, comforting me in a way I’ve never felt before. I feel safe in his arms, cherished with every gentle squeeze and murmured word. Coming to him had been the right choice.
We don’t really know each other. Not yet. But I know I can trust him. It’s in the way he looks at me. The concern and attention he’s given me as I tell my story. There’s no doubt in my mind that he thinks something sinister is happening.
“It’s been a long day for you. Why don’t you call it a night? You can sleep in my room tonight.”
Staying within the circle of his arms, I push back, shaking my head. “No, I can’t do that. I’m happy to—”
“I insist. Please. None of the other rooms are furnished and there’s no way you’re sleeping on the sofa.”
“But I—”
