A Dangerous Affair Chapter 25

A Chapter by Repgreece

Caught out

When Brick left the room to make a phone call, Stephanie looked down at the hospital robe she was wearing.

“I had better go and change,” she said, leaving Tom in order to find the nurse. She was given some clothes to put on and went back into the private room to change.

A figure stood behind the door, but was hidden as she opened it. She dropped an item of clothing on the floor and stooped to pick it up. The figure tensed, waiting for her to enter. She walked into the room and made her way to the chair. Before she could react, she felt a hand clamp around her mouth and drag her backwards. She went to struggle free but a pair of firm arms held her in a solid like grip.

“Don’t struggle, just listen. You aren’t safe here; someone will try to kill you. Get out now.” The voice was rough and deep but rasped out in a whisper.

With that she was released. She swung around, catching a quick glimpse of the side of his face through a glass window in the door as he exited.

“Henry!” she said aloud in surprise. Then her thoughts went to Tom and she fled out of the room.
She had no more than passed the exit when she saw an armed man at Tom’s door. At that moment voices could be heard approaching down the corridor, and the man turned, noticing Stephanie at the same time. Terror filled her then as she had no way of protecting herself should the man turn on her. She froze, her eyes focused on the gun in his hands. The man hesitated, as though unsure of how to proceed. Then he glanced down the corridor, past Stephanie, and seemed to make a decision. He turned and fled.

Stephanie ran in to check Tom, her heart pounding, and he looked up at her in surprise as she entered.

“I thought you were changing,” he said.

She sighed with relief to see him safe, and began to pace the room, her mind in confusion.

Tom watched her, perplexed by her sudden mood swing. “Stephanie, I thought we’d already done this scene. It’s okay I’m alive, remember? And then I get you on the bed, and then…”

“Shut up you idiot, you just almost got killed again,” she grated out.

“Yes, yes I know, if I didn’t let you up…”

She stopped in front of him with a frown, throwing her arms in the air. “What are you talking about?”

“Is this some kind of delayed reaction or something? Did you bang your head on that boat?” he asked.

Why was he so bloody blasé about everything? She continued with gritted teeth, pointing at the door. “There was a man outside your room just now with a gun.”

He looked a little surprised but not that concerned. “Are you sure you aren’t seeing things now?”

She growled. “Just be quiet and let me think.” She began pacing again.

Suddenly the door opened and Stephanie froze, but sighed when she saw Brick renter.

“Hey boss, Stephanie’s losing her mind, I knew it would happen eventually,” Tom joked. She glared at him and he grinned back, “I just hoped it wouldn’t be this soon.”

Stephanie turned to Brick. “There’s been a development Sir.”

He looked at her warily. “Go on.”

“Someone outside this room just now wanted Tom dead.”

Brick ran a hand through his hair.

“And there’s more,” she continued.

He looked up. “More?”

“Yes Sir, I’ve just had another visitor too… Henry.”

Tom sat bolt upright then. “Henry was here?”

“Yes, and I hate to have to admit it, but your theory about Henry not wanting me dead was right. He warned me to get out, said someone wanted me dead too.”

Brick frowned and shook his head. “This just gets deeper and deeper.”

Tom fell silent for a moment, thinking.

“Okay, but he only warned you, am I right?” Tom asked Stephanie.

“Yes but he’d know I would warn you anyway,” she answered.

“Hmm, but did he actually say that I was in danger too?”

She thought about it. “Well, not as such.”

“And where is he now?”

“Come to think of it, he didn’t want me to know it was him. It just happened that I caught a glance of him as he left.”

“Right, so he wants to stay incognito then,” Tom pointed out.

Brick cut in.” What’s on your mind Tom?”

“Well, let’s see, what do we know? From where I’m standing, or lying,” he grinned. Stephanie glared at him, amazed at how he could be making jokes in a situation like this, “Someone, probably Henry or his father, wants me dead. Henry on the other hand clearly doesn’t want Steph dead, but he does seem to want everyone else to think that he’s dead, drowned on his own boat. I think that he’s planning on running away somewhere, either from the police or some other people he’s got too heavily involved with.”

“Fine, but why on earth would he go to all the trouble of warning me?” Stephanie asked.

Tom looked Stephanie up and down. “He’s obviously got the hots for you.”

She huffed. “If he’s in that much trouble then I doubt that I’d be on his mind.”

Tom stuck to his guns. “Hmm, but have you ever heard of obsession Stephanie? I think that a guy like Henry is just the type to get sucked in by it, and you are obviously his recent obsession.”

“That’s a bit strong isn’t it?” She looked horrified at the thought.

Tom shrugged. “Some guys are like that. And Brick was right, we’re better off sticking together until this whole thing is resolved, because if he is obsessed, my bet is that he’ll come back for you before he disappears.”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but you seem to have forgotten that whatever Henry is upto, someone else out there wants us both dead. It has to be Hugh,” she concluded.

“Right, so you’re staying with me then.” Tom looked quite pleased with the idea.

“Oh no, you can take my spare room if anything.” Stephanie would feel a lot more comfortable with the whole ‘sleeping in spare rooms’ thing if she was on her own turf.

“Sounds fair enough,” Brick grinned. He enjoyed watching Stephanie put Tom in his place.

*************************

After Tom had been checked again by the doctor and both of them had spoken to the police, it was late afternoon by the time they reached Stephanie’s house. Stephanie went straight to turn the heating on as, although it was spring, there was still a chill in the air. When she re-entered the lounge, Tom was sitting on the sofa, flicking through the TV channels for something to watch. It seemed odd having him there, especially as he seemed to have made himself so at home on her sofa. But then that was Tom all over.

“I’ve put the kettle on, mug of coffee coming up,” he said, as she kicked off her shoes and sank down on the sofa next to him, feeling suddenly extremely weary.

“Thanks,” she smiled back.

He handed her the TV remote. “Here, see if there’s anything you’d like to watch, I’ll just go and make the drinks.”

He came back with two steaming mugs of coffee and rejoined her on the sofa, handing her a mug. She took the offering, cupping her hands around it and taking some warming sips. All went quiet for some moments before Tom put down his mug and turned to face her on the sofa.

“Stephanie, are you all right? You have been through one hell of an ordeal, but you seem extremely calm about it.”

“I could say the same for you,” she came back. “I’m all right,” she said, fiddling with the remote control which lay on the sofa next to her.

He studied her closely then. “You’d have stayed in there until the very last minute and risked drowning with me, wouldn’t you?” he said suddenly.

She turned to look at him, a little surprised, but then shrugged. “Well, I know you can be incredibly annoying at times Tom, but I don’t want you dead.”

He continued watching her. “There was no way that you could have got me out, that was obvious. So I’ll ask you again, why wouldn’t you leave?”

Her heart began to thud nervously from his insistent questioning. She looked down momentarily but then glanced up at him with a challenging glint in her eye. Turning to him, she rested her elbow on the edge of the sofa. “You said I was special.” She raised an eyebrow.

He wasn't fazed; he simply reached across to her dangling hand and began gently playing with her fingers. “You wouldn’t leave,” he smiled.

“You said you cared about me,” she came back, feeling more nervous than ever.

His fingers entwined with hers. “You wouldn’t leave,” he repeated, his gaze never faltering.

She began to feel mild panic setting in. “You said you thought that we could have...” She was going to say ‘something really good’ between them, but she stopped herself, not wanting to read too much into his words. He smiled slowly and ran a finger up her hand, resting it on her wrist. He could feel her pulse racing.

“You wouldn’t leave.” His eyes were intent as he watched her waver.

She sighed, unable to continue with the challenge. “I think you’ve over stated that point now Tom.”

“You haven’t explained to me why yet Stephie.”

There was a brief silence, and then in desperation she took her hand away and picked up the TV remote control, passing it to him.

“Shut up and find something for us to watch.”

He studied her for while as she stared blankly at the TV, avoiding eye contact with him and waiting for him to switch channels. He smiled again, and he suddenly couldn’t feel the cold, as a warm feeling spread throughout his body.