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Ana returned from the shower to find Liam staring out the bedroom window. Shadows rimmed his eyes and his unshaven jaw remained tense. Her heart ached as she pressed her lips together. She knew these past twenty-four hours hadn’t only been hard on her.
‘You didn’t sleep well, did you?’ she asked, placing her folded pyjamas into the bag Liam had packed her. She hadn’t been sure what he’d grab in his haste, but the three-quarter jeans and pink singlet and blouse she wore worked well.
Ana crossed the room, stood behind him, and slipped her arms around his waist. She inhaled and buried her face against his shoulder. Liam sighed and rubbed her arms affectionately.
‘I caught a few winks.’ He turned and joined her in the embrace. ‘How are you?’
‘I’ll be okay.’ She inhaled deeply, her hands hardening on his back. ‘After having slept on it though, I don’t think hiding here is going to solve anything. We should go back to town and lure him out so that Cade and Brett can send him home.’
Liam’s spine straightened. ‘And what? Use you as bait?’
‘No. Bait is defenceless and weak, and I’m not either. We’ll go to town and eventually, he’ll show up. He won’t stalk and terrorise me for long. Rick’s a control freak and even though everything has to be done his way, he also has no patience.’
Liam shook his head. His grip around her waist tightened. ‘I won’t risk him coming to hurt you. It’s a ridiculous idea. I’m not having it.’
Ana smiled gently and brushed her hands up and down his back. ‘He won’t get to me.’
Liam swallowed. His jaw tightened and blue eyes turned to steel. ‘Ana, baby, there are two ways he can do this. He could show up and give us time to get Cade and Brett there, hopefully before he beats you up. Or he can sneak up on us and leave you bleeding and broken again.’
Ana swallowed as she considered those options. Yes, anything could happen. But anything could also happen if they stayed on Shadow Creek, and they couldn’t do that indefinitely.
‘He’ll confront me sooner or later, Liam. I’d rather it be sooner.’
He nodded slowly, but his eyes didn’t soften. ‘Ana, we can’t put you at risk.’
‘I’m at risk no matter what and we won’t catch him by hiding out here.’
‘Then what do you suggest?’
She exhaled. ‘We go back to town and I act as though I’m not afraid. We go live our lives. Carefully.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Is that what you want?’
She nodded, confident about that. ‘It’s not like I’ll be alone. I don’t want to hide anymore, Liam. He scared me. It worked. I ran. But if I hide, he hides. If I don’t, he’ll come for me and we can send him back to where he belongs. I don’t want to be afraid and I don’t want him to have this power over me. Elizadale is where I want to be and I won’t let Rick destroy that. I want him gone and out of my life for good.’
Liam’s eyes searched hers. His shoulders relaxed. ‘I guess I can’t argue with that.’
She smiled. ‘Good.’
Ana stretched up onto her toes and kissed him. She meant every word. She needed to protect her life and everything she’d found in Elizadale, but she wouldn’t be complacent. Her heart pounded and her knees felt strangely wobbly, but she was safe. She wouldn’t be alone. She trusted Liam, trusted Cade and Brett, and everything would be over soon if she remained calm and didn’t give into her fear.
She and Liam arrived downstairs where Deborah was cooking breakfast, the rich smell of pancakes filling the air. She offered them each a cheery good morning as they sat at the table. But when Ana shared her plans for the day, Deborah stilled, horrified.
‘You’re not going back to town!’ She shook her head vigorously. ‘No. I won’t hear of it. Cade and Brett will find this man and send him packing. There’s no need to put yourself at risk, Anastasia. None at all.’
Ana sighed. Deborah’s use of her full name sounded like an echo of her own mother.
‘I won’t be putting myself at risk,’ she explained gently. ‘If I stay here, he’ll still find me eventually. So, I need to go back. We’ll remain in public. Yes, I’m afraid of what could happen, but what can he do to me in a crowd?’
‘What crowd? Elizadale’s a tiny place, Ana! You can’t lose yourself here.’
‘But we can all gather at the park with the dogs and hang out at the Royal. He won’t walk into the pub and start bashing me.’
Deborah’s shoulders softened, but her frown remained. ‘Well ... if you think it’ll work.’
‘We’ll be smart,’ Liam said. ‘I’ll call Brett and let him know.’
‘But you’ll come back tonight, yes?’
Ana nodded. ‘If we don’t find Rick and it’ll put you at ease, then yes. We’ll come back tonight.’
* * *
‘You’re going back to town?’ Lucy asked, following Liam upstairs as he went to grab their bags.
‘Yes. For some dumb reason, we are.’
He’d still rather stay on Shadow Creek, but Ana did have a point. She needed to go back to town and resume her life if not for anything else but to feel less victimised. He couldn’t discourage her in that after everything she’d already sacrificed.
‘Well, I’m sure everything will be okay,’ Lucy said. ‘But I’m glad you’re coming back tonight. You’re tough, Liam, but I don’t think it’s wise to stay in town.’
He turned to face his sister. ‘What’s not wise is being here with you and Mum in the house. You never know what could happen, Luce. We don’t know what Rick’s capable of, which is why I’d much rather leave it to Cade and Brett. But I also know that’s not possible. If they haven’t found him yet, then Rick obviously doesn’t want to be found. So, I don’t know what to do.’
Liam ran his hand down his face, exhaled, and picked up their bags. ‘I’m at a loss here, Luce. All I know is that I have to look after Ana.’
‘That’s all you can do, Liam.’ She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. ‘We can always count on you. That bastard is bloody stupid if he thinks he can get anywhere near my brother’s girl.’
‘Thanks, Luce.’ He was grateful for the support, but if he came up against Rick, Liam wasn’t sure what he’d do. He wasn’t the type to fight like Jack and Adam were, but a man had to do what a man had to do. ‘You’re a good sister, you know that, right? And I love you.’
Lucy grinned. ‘I’m the most awesome sister in the world.’
‘Yeah, except for when you’re being a pain in the arse.’
‘I wouldn’t be awesome if I wasn’t. And because I’m awesome, I’m telling you now that you should marry Ana. Trust me, Liam. You don’t want to wait. If you love her, you should just do it.’
‘You are a pain in my arse,’ he said, ignoring the tightness in his chest. ‘But you’re also awesome. If she wants to, Luce, I’ll marry Ana one day. But I won’t have you or anyone else bugging me about it.’
‘Suit yourself,’ she said as he moved from her embrace and out the door. She followed him, leaning over the banister as he fled downstairs. ‘But you know I’m right. You never know what could happen, Liam! The sooner the better!’
‘I’m ignoring you! Bye, Luce!’
Liam put her unnerving advice out of mind as he arrived outside to find Ana chatting with his mum. ‘All set?’
‘Yep. Thanks for having us, Deb.’
‘We’re always here for you when you need us.’ Deborah pulled her into a hug. ‘Please come back tonight, although I hope they find Rick today.’
‘Me too.’
They collected Steph and Louis and climbed into the LandCruiser, waving goodbye before driving back to Elizadale. Exhaling, Liam forced himself to relax. Everything would be okay. He had this.
But he couldn’t unclench his hands from the wheel.
‘We need to stay in public,’ he said. ‘We’ll stop by my place to get that work you need, then we’ll go to the park and let the dogs run around. There’ll be other people nearby, but we’ll ring Meg and I’m sure Adam will come too.’
‘Sounds good. Thanks.’ She placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t hide. I love living here and I’m not going to let Rick take that away from me.’
‘I understand.’ He took her hand. ‘We just need to remain sharp.’
‘Yep.’ She let out a deep breath. ‘How about I call Adam and see if he wants to hang out?’
Adam said he’d love to bring Rusty to the park and suggested they wind down the afternoon with a beer in someone’s backyard. Liam agreed because why not? By the end of the day, a beer might be just what they needed.
They returned to town and drove to his house. Ana wanted her lesson plans for next term to work on and he’d forgotten food for Steph and Louis, who’d eaten leftover chicken last night. Leaving the car idling and the air-conditioning on for the dogs, they alighted and crossed the front yard.
A hard feeling formed inside Liam’s chest as he considered what Lucy had said. He loved Ana and marriage wouldn’t happen in the timeframe Lucy suggested, but as he unlocked the door and let Ana inside, he knew his sister had a point. Anastasia Hamilton was the woman he wanted to spend his life with. They had so much fun and had come to know each other well over the past few weeks.
Liam scratched the itch at the back of his neck as he grabbed his hat off the hook by the door. Ana’s footsteps echoed towards the kitchen. Maybe he’d wait until July or August and see how he felt about marriage then. He’d have to buy her a ring. Suss her out and discover what she liked. Maybe make a phone call to Natalia because she should know. Or should he let Ana choose it?
He headed for the kitchen, cursing Lucy for forcing these ideas into his head. It was too fast. He was probably going to start panicking now that—
There was a thump. A cry. The sound of papers scattering to the floor.
Liam ran the few steps into the kitchen.
Ana was on the floor.
Pain filled the back of his head and his vision blurred.
Everything went black.