Chapter Five – Arabella
Henry was in the hospital for almost a week, during which time Grayson increased his political activity. It was unfortunate for him, but Arabella could see up close how passionate he was about this cause. Almost nothing could break his concentration.
Olivia and Hudson both asked to see Henry, so, with Grayson's permission, Arabella bundled them in coats and hats and drove them down to the hospital later that week. It was a good step forward for the mission, him trusting her to take the children out by herself. He didn't even send bodyguards with her.
It would be very easy to just take them and disappear, but that wasn't the plan. She still had a week left before the kidnapping and to accelerate the plan would be dangerous.
It certainly didn't help that she still tasted Grayson's lips on hers whenever she went to bed at night. Or that she dreamed of his smile, of him kissing her knuckles and telling her what a wonderful person she was. Even worse were the daydreams – telling her that there was real passion, real care, present when they had had sex, and that it was different from every time she'd been with a man before. The daydreams that told her she had a future here.
The ridiculous emotions wouldn't leave her alone. It was making it hard to focus on the mission. And when Olivia or Hudson cuddled in next to her while she read, or crawled into her lap when they were crying . . . it was getting to be too much.
But she had to complete the mission as it was given to her. Nobody else was going to look out for her.
When she got to the hospital, Grayson took the twins in to see Henry. Arabella stayed outside the room, saying she wanted to give them privacy. She sank into a chair, resting her face in her hands.
What was happening to her? She played nanny for a few weeks and suddenly she was Mary Poppins? This wasn't happening. She wasn't going to give up her life and future for these people. It wasn't like there would be any permanent effects from the kidnapping. Grayson would be scared and more careful in the future, but the children would be fine.
A high, childlike voice broke through her thoughts. "Can I help you, Miss?"
Arabella's head snapped up. Kennedy stood in front of her wearing crisp blue scrubs, her brown hair wound into a bun at the back of her head. She wore a pair of glasses with small diamonds in them. Arabella jumped to her feet, her hands clenched. She opened her mouth to demand to know what her colleague was doing there but stopped herself just in time.
"Actually, I was just wondering where the bathrooms were," she said, fighting to keep her voice level.
"I'll show you to them. They can be tricky to find." Kennedy walked away and Arabella followed.
"You better have a good reason for this," Arabella warned her in a hiss.
Kennedy checked the stalls when they entered the bathroom, then turned to Arabella. "Finally we can talk."
"What are you doing here?" Arabella resisted the urge to strangle her. "You were given strict instructions—"
"You have the targets with you. Now is the perfect time to put the plan in motion," Kennedy interrupted. "We take the kids to the drop point and then we're home free. Or do you not want this mission to succeed, sister?"
Arabella laughed, though her heart was pounding. "Of course I want this to succeed. Which is why we stick to the plan and you stop your cowboying around. I am in charge – you do what I say. We stick to the plan."
Kennedy's eyes narrowed. "Stick to the plan. The plan that you refuse to share? You know what I think, Arabella? I think that you're getting awfully close to the targets. Too close, maybe. You're letting emotion cloud your vision."
"I am in perfect control," she spat back. "You're the one who lacks discipline. How well do you think you will be received if your impatience ruins yet another mission? Maybe the organization will want me to kill you once we're done so they don't have to deal with you anymore."
"As if you could."
"Please," Arabella smirked at her. "It would be like stepping on a squirming little mouse."
Kennedy's eyes flashed. With a growl, she launched herself across the narrow space between them. Her fist swung at Arabella's face, but she was too quick. Arabella dodged the blow and followed it up with a strike to the ribs that left Kennedy gasping for breath.
"Had enough?" Arabella mocked her.
She kicked out Kennedy's knee, but her colleague used her momentum to swing around and wipe Arabella's feet out from under her. Arabella threw herself onto her back and kicked out, both feet colliding with Kennedy's face. The other woman cried out, rolling over twice and ending up underneath the sink.
Arabella got to her feet and locked the bathroom door quickly. She rolled to the balls of her feet as Kennedy scrambled back up, rubbing her jaw. The familiar anger was in her eyes and Arabella could have grinned. All it took to beat Kennedy was to make her angry. She wasn't exactly the cleverest girl in the organization and when she was angry. Her focus narrowed too much, making her an easy target.
Although, considering their location, continuing the fight wasn't in either of their best interests.
"We're in a hospital and there are witnesses just outside this door," Arabella said, her voice lowered. "How long do you think it'll be before someone needs to use the toilet? Stand down, Kennedy. You are the one who will be arrested if this continues, not me. And where will that leave you?"
Her colleague growled again but lowered her fists. Arabella nodded, satisfied, and unlocked the door again. She strolled to the mirrors and fixed her hair.
"Here." She handed Kennedy a small container of foundation from her purse. "To hide the bruise that's going to form."
Kennedy took the foundation with a scowl. "We're not the same tones."
"It'll look better than a big black bruise." Arabella, satisfied with her appearance, headed for the door. "Get out of here, Kennedy. I don't want to see you again. If I do, I'll tell the higher-ups that you're putting the mission in jeopardy."
When she returned Henry's room, Grayson was just stepping out. His skin looked gray, his eyes tired. Hudson was in his arms and when he saw Arabella, he leaned forward, reaching for her.
"There you are." Grayson smiled at her. "I was wondering where you had gone."
Arabella took the toddler, trying to ignore the pang in her stomach as Hudson curled into her arms, one of his arms wrapping around her neck. He clung to her like a little monkey and she was reminded once more about how she was going to put them in danger by taking them from their father.
As long as everybody sticks to the plan, they won't be hurt.
It wasn't comforting. Kennedy had already proven she wasn't going to stick to the plan. Why should Arabella expect it was going to go smoothly?
"Arabella?"
"I thought it should just be, you know, friends and family."
Grayson put an arm around her and guided her into the room. "Nonsense. You're as much family to the twins as anybody now."
He smiled down at her again. She remembered the kiss, the one she thought would help her weasel in deeper to his affections and make this job all the easier. It made her legs turn to jelly. Kissing him had been a bad idea. She needed to stop this, turn back from these affections. Maybe Kennedy was right. Maybe she should just take the children away now instead of waiting.
Henry sat in the hospital bed, Olivia on his lap. The steady beep of the heart monitor and the bounteous tubes sticking out of him didn't seem to bother the little girl at all. The hospital was a regular part of their lives. She almost flinched. Her job here was paid for by the people who had put them in this position in the first place. If she was successful, the mining companies would continue putting people in these situations.
But if she wasn't successful? What would the personal consequences be? It wasn't like she could just go to her superiors and say that they should drop the job because it was morally wrong.
"Livvy told me that you like reading to her," Henry said, bringing Arabella's attention back to him. "They're very fond of you. I don't think I've ever seen Hudson cling to anybody but Grayson before."
Arabella forced herself to laugh. "He's a little monkey. We're going to start working on getting him talking, aren't we? He needs to start letting us know what he wants, instead of relying on Olivia to translate everything."
"Hud don't talk," Olivia said wisely. "Unca Henwy, you sing to me."
Maybe she could take Henry instead of the twins. It was clear that there was a deep bond between him and Grayson. They were more like brothers than best friends. Arabella shifted Hudson in her arms. If they took Henry, then the children wouldn't be in danger. Although that would be changing the plan and how could she justify it when she had already proven that she could take the children away from Grayson's house?
Maybe she could be 'kidnapped' with them. Then she could keep them calm and when it was over and she received her freedom, she could stay on. She could see if there was something more that could develop between her and Grayson . . . and she could encourage him to pull back from politics so that the organization would never target him again.
Her mind spun in circles, leaving her breathless. What was she thinking? She couldn't do that. It would end up getting them all killed.
"I'm going to get coffee," she blurted, passing Hudson to Grayson. "I'll be back."
She left the room quickly, hands trembling. What was wrong with her? Why were all these emotions pressing in on her? She poured herself a coffee and added sugar and cream, surprised at the burn of tears in her eyes.
I can't do this.
Soft footsteps sounded behind her and she knew it was Grayson. Her stomach cramped, her heart flipped and the lump in her throat increased.
I have to do this. What choice do I have?