Chapter 86
CLAIRE’s POV
I furrow my brows. “And you don’t know who this man is or where he resides, right?”
“Not at the moment, but trust me I am looking into it. With my legal access to everything, it won’t take long. Maybe they took on a new identity. You know I.D. fraud happens all the time.” Nathalie says.
God, how bad can this get.
“So, what you’re saying is that I am not out of the woods yet?” Fear mounts from my lower abdomen into my chest giving me pains, that feel like a damn heart attack. I’m still only young, I should not be experiencing this kind of shit.
All I wanted in life was my job, a career, my life with Jonathan, and eventually children to look after and be there for them. And you know, to live happily ever after.
Was that really too much to expect?
How could a normal girl like myself from normal upbringing and background, become so embroiled with a man like Jonathan? No wonder my mother and father never really took to him.
My mom always used to say she didn’t trust him and that there was something off about him.
Of course, I thought it was my mother being my mother. Nobody was good enough for her daughter.
“Just keep on high alert. Listen, I have to go, I need to be back in my office within the hour and I still have to get myself cleaned up.”
I go to the window and look out, admiring the large, statuesque trees of the forest. They are beautiful and I have this urge to go running amongst them and to feel the cold air on my face and inhale deeply. Maybe later I can go running. Oh, wait. Clive won’t think to pick up trainers and running gear for me. Perhaps I can ask him to take me into his local town in a day or so. I can walk in the meantime.
“Talking of cleaning up, what has happened at the house?”
She lets out a long breath.
“Claire, you do not need to worry about any of that, trust me. I have it all covered.”
“What do you mean covered?”
“I know people.”
Oh, that doesn’t sound good.
“What sort of people, Nat?”
“Just people. Listen you don’t get to be a in legal without coming across the deadbeats of this world, sis. It comes with the territory. I’ve got it handled.”
Okay, I guess I have to trust her, after all she is the one that saved my life. She is the one that has always been there for me even growing up. As a kid, before her sex change, naturally, my twin would always make sure that nobody gave me any kind of shit.
“Okay, listen I have to go too. Clive has just pulled up thank God, because his brother creeps me the fuck out.”
There is a silence.
“What brother, Claire? I didn’t think Clive had a brother.”
I bite my lower lip and watch as Clive puts the Range Rover into park and hops out of the driver’s side. He goes round to the back end and opens it.
From the back he begins to load out some bags, wow he has a few. He also has groceries, I guess he needs to stock up now that I am here. It makes me feel like I am a burden appearing on his doorstep like this.
Hector bounces around his legs, adorable. Maybe I could walk with him and Clive after I have my shower.
“His name is Jake, a really creepy, twisted looking kind of guy. Honestly, Nat I have locked the bedroom door and placed a chair under the handle. He just looks off, nothing like Clive. He has that junkie look about him.”
“I’ll look into it, Claire and come back to you. In the meantime, stay safe and try to stick as close to Clive as possible.”
“I love you, Nat,” I tell her warmly.
“I love you too, speak soon.”
We hang up and I throw the mobile on the bed as I continue to watch as Clive comes towards the cabin. Hector all the while bouncing around his feet.
I hear the front door open and the men’s voices. Naturally, with the thick wooden doors, I can’t hear what they are saying only their voices. Hector starts barking. Clive tells him to be quiet.
Hector from the little I know of him is not a barking dog. So, why is he barking now? Is he barking because Jake is in his home? Shudders run through me, there is definitely something off about this situation.
It could be that I am merely paranoid. Dammit, I need to shake this off but it’s not that easy. I still feel shell shocked and reeling from what happened earlier.
My stomach has settled down, thank goodness and I no longer feel as if I am going to throw my guts up.
There is a knock on the door.
“Claire, it’s Clive. I bought you some clothes. Shall I leave them out here in the bags?” His Scottish accent is melodica and I could listen to him voice all day long. It makes me feel safe and secure. I am overjoyed that he is back and I am not alone with Jake in the cabin.
“Wait a second, Clive I will unlock the door.”
I move towards the door and take the chair away putting it to the right-hand side. Then I open the door and see a robust Clive standing there with bags in his arms.
“Did you buy the entire shop?” I ask him in surprise.
He chuckles, it is deep, almost like a rumble from his chest.
“Not quite, but I figured you would need pretty much everything. I know you love to run, so I got some trainers in a couple of sizes as I didn’t know your shoe size and some jogging pants.”
“Oh, wow thank you. Did you guess my size?”
“I told the assistant you looked small; she helped me out.”
“Sorry come in, you can put them all on the bed.”
He moves into the room, his large frame taking up almost the entire space. The man has muscles on his muscles, and is an extremely good-looking guy.
I try not to stare at his rippling forearms too much and quickly look away as he lifts his head and our eyes meet.
“Get showered and if you’re up to it, we can all eat together. I see my brother arrived,” he says. Funny, the way he says brother doesn’t sound real.
Okay, I am seriously over imagining things now.
Of course it is his brother, right?
I mean, why would he say it otherwise?