The Perfect Husband (21 page)

Not that the holiday was all about gifts,
but the fact he didn’t believe she was worth celebrating or
spending money on hurt. When she’d gotten the courage to approach
him about it one year, he’d confessed, after a particularly vicious
fight, that his mother had left on Christmas Eve, as if that
explained everything. It didn’t.

Her gaze drifted to her left to where the
street came to an end at the pier. The sound of the water lapping
the shoreline far below was soothing. She turned to take a seat in
the deck chair and a flash of red caught her eye. A shiny red car
was parked on the opposite side of the road, directly across from
Mason’s balcony.

She froze. It was Nigel. Even six floors up,
she recognized him. He sat in his distinctive cherry-red Porsche
Boxster Cabriolet. He had the hood down and she could see the top
of his head. As if sensing her scrutiny, he looked up and his gaze
locked on hers, pinning her to the spot. With her heart in her
throat, she ducked back inside, but not before she’d caught a
glimpse of his mocking smile.

He’d found her. Oh, God, he’d found
her.
The words kept echoing in her head. In panic, she rushed
around the apartment and locked all the windows and doors,
including the door that led onto the balcony. The apartment might
have a security system and be six floors up, but she wasn’t taking
any chances.

She ran down the hallway, her breath coming
fast. The kids were playing quietly in their room. They stared at
her curiously and she forced a smile and pretended that everything
was okay. It was incredibly hard to do.

“What’s the matter, Mom? You look kind of
funny.”

“N-nothing, Ben. I’m… I’m fine. I just
wanted to check that you were okay. Is everything all right? Would
you like something to eat?”

“No, we’re okay. Soph and I are doing a
puzzle.”

“All right, kids. Well, you have fun.” She
turned and walked back down the hallway toward the kitchen and
immediately picked up her cell phone. She dialed Mason’s number and
prayed silently that he’d pick up.

“Belle, how nice to hear from you.”

She could hear the smile in his voice. Any
other time, it would have made her smile in response, but she was
too frightened to do anything other than blurt out the reason for
her call. “Nigel’s parked outside your building.”

“Are you sure it’s him?”

“Yes, I’m sure. He looked up, right at me. I
was out on the balcony.”

“I’ll come home. I can be there in an hour.
In the meantime, call the police. He’s not supposed come within
fifty feet of you.”

“Technically, he hasn’t done anything wrong.
He was at least that far away. And I’m probably overreacting. Just
because he saw me on the balcony doesn’t mean he knows what
apartment I’m in.” She drew in a deep breath and puffed it out,
trying hard to stem her panic. “Stay at work. You’re busy. I’ll be
fine.”

“You saw him outside my building, Belle. I
don’t care if he’s within his rights, I’m going to make sure he’s
moved on. I’ll see you soon.”

“O-okay,” she whispered, secretly relieved.
The thought of Nigel waiting for her downstairs—

“Is he still there?”

She forced herself closer to the balcony
door and found the courage to release the lock. She stepped out
only as far as she needed to in order to get a view of the street
below. It was clear. She blew out a sigh of relief. “No, he’s
gone.”

“Good, but I’m still coming home. I need to
make sure for myself. Where are the kids?”

She heard the concern in his voice and it
warmed her through. “They’re playing in their bedroom. They don’t
know Nigel was outside. I didn’t see any point in telling
them.”

“You did the right thing. He shouldn’t be
there, anyway. He knows the terms of the AVO. He’s thumbing his
nose at us.”

“He’s not going to give up easily, Mason.
It’s just not in his nature to concede defeat.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see about how tough he is
when we report him to the police. I don’t care that technically he
hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s also not supposed to intimidate
you and he’s sure as hell managed to do that. I wish I could get
five minutes alone with him and teach him to pick on someone his
own size. I bet he wouldn’t be so brave, then.”

Isobel listened to Mason’s words in quiet
awe. She couldn’t remember anyone ever supporting her like that.
Even when she was a child, she’d never had a person champion her
cause. She was older than her sister by five years and it had
always been Kat who needed protecting. As the older sister, Isobel
had only been too willing to take on that responsibility.

She’d assumed when she’d married Nigel that
she’d be able to turn to him for protection if and when she needed
it. She never imagined it would be him she needed to be protected
from.

“Thank you for understanding, Mason, and for
all your support. It means the world to me.”

There was silence on the other end of the
phone. A moment later, his voice thick with emotion, he said, “I’m
glad to hear it.” He cleared his throat and then added, “Keep the
doors locked. I’ll see you soon.”

She shuddered. “Don’t worry, I’m not going
anywhere.”

“Turn the TV on. Find a movie. It will take
your mind off things. I’ll get there as quickly as I can.”

Isobel ended the call with a small sigh and
then forced herself out of her funk. Mason was right. A good movie
was just what she needed to distract her and make her forget her
fear. The doors were locked, the windows were shut. Like she’d told
Mason, she was fine. She was safe. Everything was going to be
okay.

She was halfway across the living room,
intent on switching on the TV, when the doorbell rang. Her nerves
immediately flew into overdrive. She dashed back for her phone and
had already started to dial Mason’s number when she came to her
senses and put it away.

It was just a knock on the door, for Pete’s
sake. Something as commonplace as blowing her nose. If she hadn’t
spied Nigel outside the building ten minutes earlier, she’d have
thought nothing of it. Did she really want to let him turn her into
a blithering mess of fear and indecision?
Hadn’t she lived
enough years like that?

The knock came again, more impatient this
time and she suddenly made up her mind. She walked over to the door
and looked through the security hole. All she could see was the
back of a man’s head. It was covered in a faded blue ball cap.

“Who is it?” she called in a voice that was
still a little shaky.

“Mail courier. I have a delivery for Doctor
Mason Alexander. Is he home?”

The man’s voice was a little muffled.
Probably because of the thickness of the door. She decided to play
it safe. “No, I’m sorry, you’ll have to come back later.”

“The parcel’s been sent as high priority.
Are you sure you can’t just sign for it? It won’t take long.”

Undecided on the best course of action, she
bit her lip. She pulled out her phone and tried Mason again,
intending to ask him if he was expecting a parcel. The phone rang
out and eventually went to voicemail. She ended the call without
leaving a message.

“Hurry up, lady. I don’t have all day!”

She peeked through the security hole again
and saw no more of the man than before. It was time she stopped
jumping at every shadow, thinking Nigel was behind every door. His
car was gone. He’d done what he’d come for—to frighten her out of
her wits and to remind her he could find her no matter how far she
ran. With a bit of luck, he was already miles away.

“Are you gonna open the door, lady? I’ve got
a lot more deliveries to make.”

The man’s whine propelled her into action
and all at once she made up her mind. Reaching up, she undid the
locks and unclasped the security chain. She started to open the
door.

Nigel burst in, knocking her out of the way.
She screamed and spun on her heel, intent on getting away. She took
a step, and a second before he grabbed her hair and dragged her
back again.

“You stupid bitch! Who the fuck do you think
you are? You should know better than to try and run. No one runs
from Nigel Donnelly.”

With terror flooding her veins, she tried to
find the breath to respond. “Get out of here, Nigel, before I
scream the roof down. This is an apartment building. The walls are
thin. Someone will hear and come running.”

He spun her around to face him and he stared
at her with eyes filled with hate. She shuddered and went icy cold.
Everything inside her froze.

“This is all your fault, Isobel. You’ve
fucking driven me to this. You’ve got no one to blame but
yourself.” He sucked in a harsh breath and appeared to make an
effort to get himself back under control.

“You need to come home, Isobel. You’re my
wife. I want you to come home. Now, go and get the kids and your
things and let’s go.”

Isobel heard his words and felt their impact
all the way to her bones. Yet again, he was ordering her about,
telling her what he wanted, telling her what to do. She’d put up
with it for nine long years. The time she’d spent with Mason had
shown her how much easier it was meant to be.

Mason. Where was he?

The thought of his constant reassurances,
his caring and concern gave her a strength she never realized she
possessed until that moment. Knowing he was right now on his way
over to protect her and keep her safe filled her with courage. With
a narrowed gaze, she took a step backward and stared Nigel straight
in the eye.

“Go to hell.”

Nigel’s bellow of rage echoed all the way
through the apartment. He raised his fist and brought it crashing
down. With a scream, she ducked out of the way and managed to avoid
it. He came at her and she screamed again, unmindful of her
children, knowing that having someone nearby to hear her could be a
matter of life and death. Hers.

“Help! Please! Somebody help me!”

She could hear her kids screaming. A moment
later, they ran toward her from the direction of the bedrooms and
she nearly keeled over at the shock and terror on their faces.

“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”

With no other choice, she turned her back on
them and ran toward the open front door and continued to scream at
the top of her lungs again. “Help! Somebody help me!”

A door across the hall opened and then
another a few doors down. Two male neighbors appeared, looking
concerned.

“What’s going on?” one of them said.

“Are you all right? Do you want me to call
the police?” asked the other.

Nigel was right behind her, but as the
neighbors appeared, he came to a sudden halt. He lowered his fists,
but his hands remained clenched. His breath came harsh and
fast.

“Are you all right, lady?” the man who lived
opposite Mason asked.

“Please, just keep him away from me.
Please,” she begged and indicated Nigel. The stranger stood taller
and shouldered his way in between them. She almost collapsed when
she realized she was finally safe.

“What’s going on?” the other neighbor asked,
again to no one in particular.

“Mind your own business,” Nigel growled.
“This has nothing to do with you. She’s my wife. We’re having a
little argument. It’s nothing to worry about.”

The man who’d placed himself between her and
Nigel frowned down at her. “Is that right? Are you two
married?”

Isobel nodded, still trembling with shock.
“Yes, he’s my husband, but four days ago I left with my children
and took out an AVO. He-he hasn’t taken it well and now he knows
where we’re living…”

The man grimaced. “What are the terms of the
AVO? I assume he’s meant to stay well away from you.”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“I’ll call the police,” the other neighbor
said, tugging out his cell phone.

“There’s no need to call the police,” Nigel
said abruptly. “I’m leaving.” He pushed his way past her rescuer
and eyeballed her before he stepped onto the open elevator. “This
isn’t over, Isobel. Not by a long shot.”

The malice in his eyes sent a shiver down
her spine. Her limbs suddenly refused to hold her upright. She
gasped and stumbled and fell against the kindly neighbor.

“Lady, are you sure you’re okay? Perhaps I
should call an ambulance?”

Isobel heard him as if from far away, but
managed to shake her head. “No, please. I’ll be fine. I don’t need
an ambulance. Can you… Can you just stay with us for a while and if
I need a witness to what happened today, will you help me?”

“Of course,” the man responded and helped
her back inside. The other neighbor nodded as well and followed,
still looking unconvinced that she was fine.

“I think we should call the police. You need
to report that guy. He’s crazy.”

Isobel managed a nod. “You’re right, he is.
And I’ll definitely report this to the police. I spoke to an
officer earlier in the week, when I approached them about getting
the AVO. He knows all about my husband and I’ll make sure he knows
about this. My friend can take me there later.”

The neighbor who’d helped her inside nodded
in agreement. “I think that’s a very wise idea. The man’s unhinged.
There’s no telling what he might do now that he knows where you
are.”

Ben and Sophie ran toward her and threw
themselves in her arms. “Mommy, Mommy! Are you all right? Why was
Daddy here?” Sophie asked.

“Did he hurt you again?” asked Ben, his face
pale, his eyes still wide with fear.

The two men made eye contact, squared their
shoulders and once again looked ready to protect Isobel and her
children from any threat.

Even so, Isobel’s heart broke in two. It was
happening all over again. How many times would she allow her
husband to put their children through so much trauma? She steeled
her spine and determined there and then that it would never happen
again.