‘I know what I’m doing, Tawanda. We’ll be back. Keep the coffee warm.’
*
He didn’t relinquish his hold until they were down on the sand, facing the lake.
Autumn rubbed at her sore wrist. ‘I can’t pretend to be your girlfriend tonight. I just can’t!’ she shrieked.
‘Why not? I’ve seen you act in those over-elaborate music videos you’ve done,’ he responded.
‘That’s not the same. There are cameras, there are people giving me costume and make-up, there’s direction.’
‘It isn’t any of those things though, is it?’ Nathan retorted. ‘It’s because of who I am, or rather who I’m not.’
She looked up at him. His eyes were bulging out of his skull, his lips were tight, and she could see the tension in his torso. He started to pace, his hands on his hips, his bare feet in the sand. The cotton shirt he wore blew against his body with every breath of wind, and Autumn recalled seeing him without it last night.
‘You know I’m not the multi-millionaire owner of a software company called Drive. You know I’m a bodyguard, an ex-Special Forces agent from Hull who isn’t quite sure what knife and fork to use if there’s more than one set. You can’t force yourself to play a part with me,’ he said.
His eyes were fixed on her, throwing rays of rage from every angle.
‘No,’ she said softly.
‘No? So, I don’t disgust you? You don’t think I’m an ill-mannered bastard who isn’t even fit to be your driver?’
‘No, of course not,’ Autumn said, her stomach contracting as his words made her smart.
‘Then what’s the problem? What do I have to do to make you realize that none of this is a game? I’m not getting off on making things uncomfortable for you, and believe me, if there was another way, I’d be taking it. Someone, or some group wants to use you, Autumn, for their own gain. I don’t want that to happen. I’ll do anything I can to stop that.’
She nodded.
Air came out of his lungs like someone had just popped the valve, and he looked at her, seemingly gathering words together.
‘Listen, I know I can be hard. In the past, Tawanda’s pulled me up on it more times than I want to remember. And believe me, you don’t want to be on the wrong end of a right hook from her.’
‘Who is she?’ Autumn asked tentatively.
‘She’s an old friend.’
A flicker of something crossed his face, perhaps a memory. It stalled him for a second, his thoughts somewhere else.
‘To be honest, I don’t know how things are going to go tonight,’ Nathan told her. ‘I just thought you should have a bit of female company.’
Autumn sighed. ‘I’m off girlfriends after Janey.’
‘You can trust Tawanda, as much as you can trust me, okay?’
‘Okay.’ Autumn blinked back tears, the wind making her eyes water.
‘So, you’d better tell me—which knife do I use?’ Nathan asked, attempting humor.
‘Party etiquette dictates we have canapés.’ She adopted a poker-faced expression and then broke it, smiling. ‘Not even the Queen eats canapés with silverware.’
Fifteen
Tawanda fixed her hair in a French pleat, pinned tightly in place. She wore an emerald-green, full-length dress she’d picked out earlier and matching platform heels. She had no jewelry, but strangely, it didn’t concern her. She had butterflies in her stomach, though, for two reasons. First, she was going to a party she could be kidnapped from, and second, she was about to see her cheating boyfriend and her lying personal-assistant-cum-best-friend.
‘Oh, sweet girl, you look lovely,’ Tawanda announced as Autumn entered the lounge.
‘I don’t feel lovely.’ Autumn pulled self-consciously at the fabric around her stomach. ‘Do you think this is too tight? There wasn’t really anything else.’
‘Too tight? There’s barely anything of you! Now, are you sure these itty-bitty nibbles are going to be enough to keep you going the whole night? I could make you something real quick,’ Tawanda suggested.
‘Not for me. Tawanda, I’m very sorry about earlier. You know, brandishing the coffee pot at you,’ Autumn said, a wash of embarrassment flowing over her.
‘Tsk! It’s no matter! I think Mr Nathan was actually impressed you tried to challenge me.’ Her booming laugh rose up from her chest.
Autumn smiled, then let out a sigh as she sat down in one of the chairs.
‘What’s the matter?’ Tawanda questioned.
‘I don’t know what to make of him—Mr Nathan. I mean, Nathan.’ Autumn raised her eyes to meet the older woman’s.
‘He’s a good man,’ Tawanda said with a nod.
‘Is he? I mean, I can only guess the things he does to people,’ Autumn stated.
‘Whatever he does, he does for the right reasons,’ Tawanda told her. ‘Sometimes people have to do bad things for good causes.’
Autumn moved to the edge of the chair. ‘I can’t imagine living like he does, doing what he does. Does he have a family?’
‘All you need to know about Mr Nathan, is that he is a good man, and he will make sure you come to no harm.’
Autumn nodded and began to fiddle with the clasp on her purse.
One… two… three… four… five.
‘Are you ready?’
The sound of his voice made Autumn look up. He stood in the doorway of the lounge, dressed to impress. His suit was dark blue, and, from the look of the material and the cut, it was high-quality. Underneath, he wore a cream-colored, round-necked shirt—the latest fashion. His hair was spiked up, he’d shaved again, and on his feet were shoes he definitely hadn’t worn before.
She got to her feet. ‘Yes, I’m ready,’ she said.
‘Why, Mr Nathan! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so stylish,’ Tawanda remarked, another booming laugh escaping her mouth.
‘I’ll take the compliment. Come on, we need to get to the boat,’ Nathan said to Autumn.
‘Boat? You didn’t say anything about a boat!’ she exclaimed.
‘How else did you think we were getting off the island?’
*
She looked beautiful tonight. When he’d entered the lounge earlier, he hadn’t made his appearance known straight away. He’d watched her. She was
