CHASING TROUBLE

Caroline’s smile became rueful. “I’m an employee, Nicholas, not part of a team.”

It was a decision, a hard battle of a decision, that she had come to during the long, wakeful hours of the night. Much as she hated the idea of leaving him, dreaded it, Caroline knew it was the right thing to do. This thing between them had gone too far. She was a fool for falling in love with him, for ever allowing things to get so out of control between them, but she certainly wasn’t a masochist.

Nicholas was frowning as he reached out to cover her hand with his as it rested on top of the lowered window. “Don’t make any crazy decisions when you go back, hmm?” he encouraged huskily as it was announced that the train was about to leave.

Caroline’s expression was one of deep sadness. “We both know what my decision has to be, Nicholas,”

“No, it doesn’t!” he rasped, “Promise me that you won’t do anything crazy,”

Caroline raised her brows. “Do anything crazy, Nicholas?” Her mouth twisted derisively. “What do you imagine I’m going to do-take another couple of lovers as soon as I get home so that I do have something with which to compare your own performance?”

His eyes narrowed even as his hand tightened painfully on hers. “Don’t even think about it!”

Her eyes widened. “Aren’t you being a little dictatorial, even for you?”

Even for him… Is that what she really thought of him-that he was some sort of dictator, who insisted his instructions be obeyed? Admittedly in the past he had been pretty single-minded. He had always known what he wanted and where he was going, but that wasn’t the point right now, “You know what I mean, Care,” he said, “Don’t do something crazy like quitting your job.”

Her smile was pained. “Goodbye, Nick,” she murmured huskily as she got into the train and Nicholas watched as it began to pull out of the station.

___________

NINETEEN MONTHS LATER

____________

Nicholas Connelly sat in his car shaded beneath the orange trees lining the quiet street, elbow resting against the window, fist tucked under his chin. On the other side of the road ran an imposingly high fence the length of the pavement and beyond. Small intermittent signs warned trespassers against breaching it.

Nicholas’s narrowed gaze rested on the gate ten meters away that admitted people onto the land behind the fence. He’d watched the gate for two minutes and knew he should move on before he attracted the attention of the armed guards on the other side of it. He’d wanted one last look. He’d had it. Time to go.

He switched the engine on and put the car into gear. Before he could make his intended U-turn, the gates opened.

He put the gear stick back into neutral. A car slowly nosed its way through the gates and pulled onto the road. He held his breath as it passed him. The tinting of the car’s windows made it impossible to identify the driver.

In his rear-view mirror he watched the car shrink into the distance and take a right at the end of the street. Nicholas rubbed his chin and then, with a burst of adrenaline, put his foot on the accelerator and spun his Porsche around. The road the car had joined was quiet this hot mid-morning, making it easy to keep tabs. When it joined the V-21, he made sure to keep three cars between them. The deeper into the city they drove, the thicker the traffic.

When the car indicated to turn into the huge shopping complex, his chest tightened. By the time the automatic sensors had read his license plate and he’d waved his bank card in front of the scanner, he’d lost sight of her the car.

It was for the best, he thought, grimacing. He was behaving like a crazy stalker. It had been a strange burst of sentimentality that had found him outside the estate in the first place and curiosity that found him wasting precious time tailing an old lover to an underground car park.

A week after he’d returned home, Nicholas found himself asking his father questions about Caroline Anderson, although he was very subtle so his father wouldn’t start to wonder why he was so interested in her. He knew that she still worked for his father, although not as his personal assistant anymore. Caroline was a department head now and he was proud of her… Also grateful that she hadn’t quit her job like he’d been worried she would. After she’d left him in Texas, he’d tried to reach her before he returned to New York, but she’d been adamant in her decision to cut him off, so he’d gone without seeing or speaking to her.

He would forget about her eventually, he told himself, but although he had moved on with his life, he never really forgot about her. Memories of her came back to him once in a while, and now that he was home, he wanted to see her again. Knowing the way things had ended between them the last time, he knew she wasn’t going to welcome him with open arms, so now here he was….. Stalking her.

It was insane, because he’d never done anything like this before. As he followed the exit signs, he caught sight of the car parked ahead. It was only as he approached it that he realized it was in a row of spaces reserved for parents and children. He slammed his foot on the brake. The car behind him sounded its horn in protest.

Why the hell would Caroline park there? Pulse suddenly surging, he cast his gaze around for a free space and, cursing under his breath, drove straight to the closest one, which was still a good distance away.

The distance didn’t matter. Out of the car, he could see clearly enough.

What he saw made his blood freeze. Caroline, long auburn hair bouncing in all directions, was scooping a small infant from the back of her car. The blood in his head defrosted into a burn in an instant.

She carefully placed the child in a buggy, strapped it in, then reached back into the car and removed a large bag which she slung on the back of the buggy. The elevators into the complex were directly opposite where Nicholas had parked. In silent horror, he watched her stride towards them. He needed to hide. One slight turn of her head and she would see him.

But he couldn’t move. Couldn’t wrench his gaze from the lover he’d walked away from and the child- baby-he’d had no idea existed.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.