Page 31 of Degrees of Innocence
“No work tomorrow, doctor’s orders,” he says. “Now get into bed and rest. Your eyes are so heavy you can barely keep them open,” he says, kissing me on the forehead.
“I’m really sorry for all this mess. I had no idea I had ventured that far,” I say, sliding into bed as he pulls the comforter over me. He gently pushes the hair out of my eyes. “There is absolutely nothing for you to be sorry about. The team members will be contacted to find out if they want to stay in Aruba until Monday or fly home tonight and back in on Sunday night. My guess is most will stay and enjoy the island for the weekend. She gave you good advice: rest, no alarms, computers or televisions,” he says, kissing me gently.
“I should go back to my own room. You must have better things to do than watch me lie around,” I say.
“I want you where I can keep an eye on you. Now stop worrying about everything and go to sleep,” he says.
“Don’t you have to go back to the States?”
“I can work quite comfortably from here. I have an online meeting and then I’ll be back to check on you,” he says.
CHAPTER TEN
I wake up and tryto acclimate. The clock on the nightstand registers three thirty a.m. and I go in search of Chase. He’s stretched out on the couch with the Mac on his lap. “I woke up and you weren’t there,” I say. He puts the Mac on the coffee table and pulls me into his arms.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. You just don’t expect something like that to happen. I went too far and by the time I remembered your warning, it was too late,” I say.
“Shh…. Baby,” he whispers, holding me close as I nuzzle into his chest. The steady sound of his heartbeat and the hand gently stroking my hair is calming. I feel my body start to relax as he keeps me held close and protected until I drift off to sleep.
When I wake up, I find myself all alone on the couch and him on the balcony working. “It’s almost ten thirty. You must have needed sleep,” he says.
“I probably slept so long because you kept waking me up,” I say, recalling the multiple attempts to rouse me in the night.
“Doctor’s orders,” he says, smiling. “I just called to have breakfast delivered and was going to come wake you. Feeling more rested?” he asks.
“Much better. What happened to the men who attacked me? Did the police take them into custody?”
“Yes, Jay learned they are part of a criminal ring that targets unsuspecting tourists. They all have priors and after yesterday, I don’t anticipate they will be back on the streets anytime soon. Jay filed the official report, but they’ll need your written and signed statement. I can drive you over to the police station a little later in the day,” he explains.
“That’s good,” I say, feeling relieved that they will no longer be able to ply on other tourists. “Just out of curiosity, you really had a whole team of security guards following me every day?”
“Do you really feel up to talking about this right now?” he asks.
“I do… I’m not sure if I should be mad at your assumption it would be okay with me, but on the other hand, I’m so thankful that you did. I don’t know what would have happened if Jay and the team had not shown up.”
His face doesn’t give away his emotions. “Katarina, I hadn’t planned to discuss this with you today, but you’re going to need a lot more in the way of security in the future,” he says, excusing himself to let room service in. They place a large tray in the middle of our balcony table. I’m famished and help myself to scrambled eggs, fresh fruit and a croissant while Chase pours the coffee.
“Why do I need more security?” I ask.
He sighs. “Jay had the three men checked out and while we don’t believe you were attacked because of your relationship with me, there are others who would prey on you to get me to change my position on certain things. It’s completely possible this was a random mugging, but I am not taking any chances where you are concerned. Jay and the team are still investigating the situation.”
He reaches across the table and takes my hands in his. “Katarina, if you are in a relationship with me you’re going to need full-time security, and it’s probably going to feel like an invasion of your privacy.”
“Full-time?” I ask, trying to fathom what that really might mean.
“Yes, around the clock, Baby. After a while, you’ll get used to it and barely know they are around. In addition, you’ll also need to live in an apartment that provides an adequate level of security.”
“Chase, honestly, I can probably live with having a little security after yesterday and I don’t mind renting an apartment with security, as long as I can afford it. It’s actually good timing since I was planning to look at vacancies when I get back to Chicago.”
He strokes the inside of my palm with his forefinger. “I think we should talk about this in more depth when you’re feeling better.”
“I’m feeling much better, just needed to catch up on my sleep,” I say, between bites. “I’ll look at apartments that have security options when we get back to Chicago. Since working is out of the question today, I may walk down to the beach area and get a little sun.”
“Great idea. I have a few conference calls scheduled, but I’ll make sure Jay knows where you are going,” he says.
I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m only going to the beach, but thank you, and for taking care of me last night,” I say.
