Fatal Attraction (Dark Desires 4)

“I know right, but I’ve been thinking about it and I think it’s the right move for me. I have the right skills and the right connections. It won’t be easy and it might take some work at first, but it’ll be mine so I’ll control the hours and the jobs. I’ll only take on the jobs I want.”

My heart skips an excitable beat, that’s really great news, she wants to start up a firm so she can work the hours that she wants, so she can work around her life. She can have a life that involves me, and if she ever wants to make things work with me, and move in with me, then she won’t even need to work much because I can take care of her… not that I’m getting carried away here.

“That sounds awesome, Katy. I’m really proud of you. That’s so great. You’re really taking control of your life and doing what you want. That’s just so brave and amazing.”

I grab her hand tighter and give her a grin. I really am glad for her, whatever makes her happy, and I really do think that we can see what we are to each other now. That’s all I want in the world.

“Thank you…” She pauses thoughtfully for a moment. “I wanted you to know first.”

We drive the rest of the distance in silence, but it’s a happy silence where we’re both lost in our own thoughts. I don’t know what Katy is thinking about, but I’m secretly planning a future inside my mind. I’m seeing me, Katy, and Liam becoming this little cut family that are happy forever more.

What has happened to me? I can’t help but think. Who have I become?

If someone had told me a few months ago that I would end up planning a future with a woman I would have screamed with laughter, but then I didn’t know that Katy was about to rock into my life and change absolutely everything for the better. God, I’m so glad to have her. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her now, my life would be empty without her. She’s amazing.

Once we arrive at the court house, I park up the car and take a few deep breaths. On the drive down, I thought I would want to go over the speech again and again but now I just want to let it happen. I feel like I’ve rehearsed myself to death and I don’t want to do it anymore.

“Shall we take a walk?” I turn to ask Katy with a little tremble in my voice. “Maybe take a walk around the block or something? Work off some nerves?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever you want. Whatever you need to do.”

Katy pushes herself out of the car and she leaves all the paper work in the car so we can take a walk. She smiles at me happily and waits for me to get ready, but before I can join her, my cell phone blasts out, making me jump with shock it’s so loud.

Ring, ring… Ring, ring… Ring, ring…

“Oh, it’s Nancy, one of the nannies,” I tell Katy regretfully. “This might be about Liam so I better just take it. Is that okay? Will you be alright?”

“Sure,” she indicates towards the car. “You do whatever you need to do. I’ll just wait here. Take as long as you need, okay? I’ll just have a read through the opening statement again.”

As I walk away from Katy to find somewhere to take the call in private I feel all weird inside. Nancy is one of the better nannies, she never rings me unless she really needs to so this freaks me out. I really don’t need any bad news right now, not before my meeting. I just need to get my head in the game. But if it’s something related to Liam then I have to hear it. It might be important.

“Hello,” I say shakily. “Nancy, is everything alright?”

Then she says the statement that’s going to change everything forever…

Chapter Twenty – Katy

I glance nervously at the windshield anxiously as an unexpected bolt of ice cold terror circles my heart. I don’t know where it comes from, but it grabs my hard. Ever since Evan’s phone started ringing I had this weird feeling inside and now it’s just culminating into a volcano eruption.

What’s going in? I ask myself anxiously. Who is he talking to? What’s happening here?

I quickly tell myself to stop panicking because it’s pointless, it’s probably just my nerves for my upcoming meeting projecting into something else. Just because Evan’s phone has rung doesn’t mean it’s anything to worry about. It could just be someone from his work calling about nothing important, it could just be one of his friends, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.

But then Evan appears in view and the sickness intensifies. He’s pale, almost deathly so, and his hair is all tousled like he’s been pulling at it like there’s no tomorrow. It was something bad on the phone, I just knew it. I could feel it in my bones. Now my bones feel even worse, like glass that could be shattered at any given moment. I’m shaking, trembling, but I push my way out the car to see Evan. I hope this isn’t something new related to the case, I don’t know how we’ll cope with new information but whatever it is I need to

keep my cool for Evan. He clearly needs me right now.

I and race towards him quickly with my heart pounding in my throat. My brain buzzes with anxiety but I push all of that to one side and focus only on his beautiful, tormented face.

“What’s going on?” I gasp as soon as I reach him. “Are you okay?”

“It’s Liam,” he whispers back almost staggering as he does. “He’s hurt.”

Oh fuck, this is much worse than I was expecting. His son is hurt… this is terrifying. I don’t even know what to think. “Liam?” I ask desperately. “What’s happened?”

He stares at me, dead in the eye, which is the moment that I can see the true unbridled terror there. I understand it, his son is the last person he has in the world. All the rest of his family have been killed in a terrible accident, and now he risks losing the only person that he has left. This is killer.

“He was in a car crash,” he says as tears ball behind his eyes. “A car crash. Nancy was driving and she isn’t too hurt, but Liam, because he was in the back and he’s so young… he… he… he’s in hospital. He might need surgery and… oh my God, I have to go. I need to be with him.”