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88|Huge Gamble
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Save Him 89|Collateral-Part 1
True to her word, bright and early Wednesday morning, Aunty Viv sent Natalie a text with the location pin for the drop-off and followed it up with a phone call."Good morning, doll! Hope you slept well. You'll need all the energy for the day I've planned for you."Tired as hell from lack of sleep, emotionally unstable from everything she'd been through in the past 24 hours, Natalie lost her shit. "Listen here, Aunty Viv, I have a day job! I can't be at your beck and call the whole day. I'll deliver your package after work!""I don't remember giving you a choice. Stay close to your phone. After the delivery, I'll send you new instructions."As soon as she hung up from Aunty Viv, Natalie called Norah and explained she had a family emergency. Something had come up with Jamie, and she needed to head to Sparrow Beach ASAP."Oh, dear! I'm so sorry. Take all the time you need, as long as you keep your laptop close to you. I might need to send you some reports."Her normally aloof manager sou
Save Him 90|Collateral-Part 2
As soon as Natalie stepped out of the gate, she called Aunty Viv. "It's done. I have the envelope.""You've really outdone yourself, doll!" she showered her with compliments she didn't want or need before issuing more instructions. "You're holding a lot of money in your hands. Be careful with it. You have to deliver it to its rightful owner now. I'll send you the location."Natalie didn't know where she plucked up the courage to refuse, but she did. "No, I'm not delivering anything until I get what I want.""Excuse me?" Aunty Viv was outraged by her audacity and flabbergasted that she would dare defy an order.This time Natalie was more adamant and vocal in her refusal. "I said I'm not doing it. I'm not going to the second location until you reactivate my profile.""Are you out of your mind?""I've never been more clear-headed. How do I know you'll stick to your end of the deal? I need some sort of collateral. It's amazing how much one can learn in one morning.""Natalie, Natalie, Nat
Save Him 91|Rosewood Motel-Part 1
Natalie didn't realise how far Rosewood was until they were actually on the road, with Josie splitting her attention between driving and stealing anxious glances at her the whole time.Eventually, Natalie got tired of her unspoken questions. Turning to her, she asked, "what is it?""Rosewood is pretty far.""So?""So, I'm just wondering if you'll be able to pay for all these trips. I mean, I've just been driving you around the whole morning."Natalie laughed and stared outside her window. "Don't worry, I may be an idiot in a lot of ways, but I'm not a thief or a liar. I'll pay you.""That's good."Happy with her assurances, Josie relaxed visibly and increased the volume on the stereo by just a notch. "So why are we going to the back of beyond?"Natalie wasn't in the mood to chat, but she mumbled anyway. "Work.""What kind of work?""The kind I regret."And that shut Josie up.The next time she spoke again was exactly two hours later when they pulled into Rosewood Motel, a shady place
Save Him 92|Rosewood Motel-Part 2
Natalie didn't know how long she stood there and watched Igor and his cleanup crew efficiently wrap Ethan in the now bloody rug and bag him up in black refuse bags.It all felt so surreal. But even in her dreamlike state, she knew she was next. There was no way Andrei would let her leave alive now. Not when she'd just witnessed a murder.Did this make her an accessory to murder?It wasn't hard to figure out where the cops would stop first once Ethan's body turned up somewhere. After all, she'd delivered his finger to his residence. Even with her pathetic disguise, she had no doubt in her mind Mrs Wilson and the housekeeper would easily pick her out in a police lineup. She didn't have that familiar grocery store face look. She stood out in a crowd.While she was still processing the craziness in front of her, the door burst open, and in came two middle-aged men, dressed in casual clothes, with comms pieces looped around their ears and their weapons already drawn.She wanted to shout wi
Save Him 93|Lived To Tell The Tale
Seconds after Andrei left the room, Zachary and his partner came in."Ms Taylor, we have to take you home," he said as he gently picked her up and carried her down the two flights of stairs and into the back of the car parked in front of the motel's office.With Natalie safely strapped in, Zachary slid into the passenger seat, and a moment later, his partner joined him behind the wheel.He turned around in his seat, passed the handbag to her and introduced himself. "I'm Carlos; I believe you met Zachary last night."A still shell shocked Natalie nodded. "So it's real.""What?" Both men gave her a questioning look."Your name."Zachary smiled. "Yep. As real as this fleabag motel.""But you're not a detective?""Ex-detective," Zachary replied. "Both of us."They were pulling away from the motel when Natalie suddenly remembered Josie. "Wait, we can't leave."Carlos hit the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching halt."Why? Did you forget something?""Josie, my Uber driver," Natalie rep
Save Him 94|Some Of Us Are Atheists
Emily jumped out of the car, her face flush with outrage and disapproval."So this is Sparrow Beach?" she demanded as she grabbed her backpack and a few grocery bags from the back seat and locked the car."How did you even find out about that?" Natalie asked as they took the stairs to her floor."Norah made all of us pray for Jamie at the daily catch up, never mind that some of us are atheists." Emily rolled her eyes and carried on. "But when I checked you on the 'Find My' app and saw you all over the map, I knew something was up.""So you cut work just to catch me in a lie?""Yep," Emily nodded. "I had to see for myself what sort of mischief or trouble you'd gotten yourself in."Natalie unlocked her door and led her inside, irritated at the intrusion. She really should disable that app. But it was one of the rules in their companions' chat to always have it on because it was their way of looking out for each other, however passive."So, what the hell were you doing in Glen Eagles and
Save Him 95|Lil Baby
Natalie didn't understand what the heck was going on.One minute she was watching WrestleMania in her living room with Emily, and the next, Andrei's goons had stormed her place, threw a pillow slip over her head and drove her around for hours.Now she was back at Rosewood Motel, in room 233 where Andrei sat in his chair with the sunlight streaming through the window like a halo around his golden head.She had no frigging clue what he wanted with her this time. She'd done everything he'd asked. Hadn't opened her mouth about Ethan to anyone. Not even to Emily. So this meeting made no sense, and as she stood paralysed in place, she was so afraid to breathe, let alone ask why he'd summoned her.Andrei quickly put her out of her misery and took control of their meeting like he'd done earlier. Was it earlier or yesterday? Natalie honestly couldn't say what day it was; time and space seemed to have converged into one gigantic mess of hallucinations and warped reality."Did you know Noelle is
Save Him 96|Like A Phoenix
On Thursday, the day after his last conversation with Natalie, Levi was still fuming. The idea that she thought she could end things with him, over a phone call at that, was laughable in itself. But her fearlessness was mind-blowing, to say the least. He couldn't understand how anyone so tiny could get herself into so much shit in just a matter of days, especially when he'd given her strict instructions to stay out of trouble while he was away."And what the hell does she do?" Levi turned to Mark for the hundredth time since his check-in with Zachary and Carlos over an hour ago."Exactly what you told her not to do?" his partner replied for the hundredth time as he moved through his adjoining room, picking up his toiletries and stuffing them inside his luggage bag. He paused and frowned at him through the open doorway. "Shouldn't you be packing?""I was done with that yesterday morning when I was ready to fly back home, remember? I only have a few items to put away," Levi reminded him
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Save Him 214|Follow The Sun
"Something's different," Natalie murmured as she flicked her gaze through the room.Levi gave her a back hug and kissed the top of her head. "I installed shutters.""Why?""This is our second home, Nat, and I wanted you to feel safe and comfortable.""Thank you," she turned around and hugged him, resting her head on his chest. "The windows don't look as scary and frightening as they did when I first stayed over.""That was the plan. To make them look less frightening." He tapped her nose and asked, "are you hungry?""For something else.""I was hoping you'd say that!" he replied and promptly threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he carried her to their bedroom."You sexy brute!" Natalie scolded him. "Put me down. The housekeepers will see us!"But he paid her no mind and only set her down once they were in their room."Say it again," he commanded as he moved over her on the bed and nibbled her lower lip. "Tell me all the filthy things you want me to do to you."Natalie
Save Him 213|Precious Love
Natalie had to blink a few times at the picturesque scene before her. It was hard to believe this place, decorated splendidly in ivory and silver motifs, was the same town hall used by Sparrow Beach's residence association to host their weekly meetings."This is amazing," she whispered as she swept her gaze through the room, at all the tiny details, the little things she would never have thought of if she was left to her own devices. Cynthia and the wedding planners had done an incredible job transforming it into a venue fit for a grand wedding reception. Natalie couldn't pry her eyes away from string fairy lights draping the ceiling. But the smell of white lilies permeating the room transported her back to her balcony at The Empress the night Levi proposed to her, and she turned him down. It felt like a lifetime ago, and as she gave him a sidelong glance and caught him looking at her, she couldn't help but be glad he never gave up on her, and she had the sense to say yes on his sixth
Save Him 212|Runaway Bride
At the altar, Seth and Mark seemed to be way more nervous than Levi."Are you sure about this?" Mark asked for the hundredth time, and Levi gritted his teeth for the hundredth time."How many times should I tell you? I love Nat, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.""Well, I'm just saying marriage is forever, you know." Mark dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief."Why are you sweating? It's not even your wedding," Seth said as he pulled out his own handkerchief and patted his face."Can I have some water?" Liam asked. "God, I need some water. What did that crazy Russian do to me last night?""You fell for his dare again," Mark tried to fill in the blanks for him. "He made you a Russian fuck bomb—that's what he called it. Still don't know what was in it. But you were a goner after you drank that shit, and we had to help Eden carry you back to your room at the B&B.""No wonder she's mad as fuck at me," Liam whispered. "Is she looking at me right now? Guys, I can feel he
Save Him 211|Heart Is At Ease
The weatherman had predicted strong winds and heavy rain. But Natalie's big day dawned bright and sunny. The sky was as blue as the ocean behind her house, with no cloud in sight. Amber and Colleen thought it was a good omen, and Emily, not a believer of anything really, agreed with them."You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen," Amber said for what felt like the hundredth time since Natalie had stepped into her wedding dress.They were in one of the smaller administration rooms on the chapel's grounds, and the stylists had turned it into a makeshift dressing room."What are you talking about? I'm the only bride you've ever seen!" Natalie teased, but she really was overwhelmed by all the love her sister and friends had shown her, and she was trying so hard not to cry and ruin her makeup."Just accept the compliment already," Colleen scolded her as she fussed over the hem of Natalie's dress."Yeah, Nat, you need to learn to work on accepting compliments graciously," Emily agre
Save Him 210|Cold Feet
"Is everything okay with you two?" Colleen approached him. "I'm sensing a weird vibe. Are you guys getting cold feet?""I don't know about Nat, but I'm not," Levi replied and pushed his hands in his pockets. "How was she today? I don't know…These last two weeks, she's been so calm.""And how is that a bad thing?""Because I know Nat. A wedding is a huge, life-altering event, and she doesn't do life-altering events well. Her knee-jerk reaction is to run. I'm just scared that—Never mind.""No," Colleen refused to let him leave her with half the info. "You're scared of what?""She's too calm, Leeny. The last time she was this way was when she threw you the welcome party. The very next day, she made a run for it without telling me about the twins.""That was months ago!" Colleen reminded him. "You're overthinking this. I've seen the way Nat looks at you. She's crazy about you and your babies. She won't leave you in the lurch! Besides, where would she run to? This is her home town."Right,
Save Him 209|Midnight Rendezvous
Julian and Andrei took it upon themselves to throw Levi the biggest and craziest bachelor party Sparrow Beach had ever seen.And Levi was only happy to blame Mark for everything."What did I do? I followed your 'no bachelor party' rule to the T." His best friend held up his hands as they watched Liam, Jaxon and Matthew try to outdrink each other over a beer pong game."That's exactly why it's your fault. You didn't enforce the rule hard enough," Levi replied, his attention stolen away briefly by Julian and Andrei sipping champagne from the navel of one of the three models-slash-strippers they'd flown in for the occasion.The said model was laid out on the pool table, her half-naked body out on display for everyone to see, and Levi wondered just how Joe had allowed this debauchery to carry on at his family-friendly establishment."Seriously, Mark, as my best man, how do you think Natalie will feel about all this crap?"Ten—maybe even two years ago—this was totally his scene. But now, a
Save Him 208|One Thing Right At Least
In theory, the idea of having twins had sounded fun and appealing. But the reality was far from it, as Natalie and Levi soon learned over the next few weeks.Indeed, it was double the blessing, double the fun, and double the joy. But it was also double the work, and it didn't help that the first week after they brought them home, Juno and Mars decided to go on different sleep schedules.If she and Levi didn't have a strong support system to rely on, Natalie knew they would have lost their minds in those first few weeks.Mrs Ackerman semi-moved in with them, splitting her time between the Blue Mountains and Green Point. It was nice having her around; she was a pro at the never-ending laundry of tiny-sized human clothes and the general upkeep of the house.Levi suggested hiring a nanny full time, but Natalie wasn't sold on the idea. She wanted to be hands-on and involved in the twins' upbringing."Love, it's not working," he said after one particularly difficult night. They were running
Save Him 207|Life's Little Moments
Natalie received a clean bill of health five days after the twins' arrival, and two days later, they were all finally allowed to leave the hospital.After months of being cooped up in bed and eating terrible hospital food, she couldn't get home fast enough.She couldn't stop raving about all the stuff she'd do when they got home, like taking an actual shower and sleeping in her own bed—all the things she used to take for granted before her bed rest.Zachary and Carlos picked them up, and they spent a few minutes gazing at the twins in their double infant stroller, trying to decide who they resembled the most."I really can't tell who they look like," Carlos admitted at last."Neither can we," Levi said with a smile as he covered the twins with a light blanket and turned to Natalie. "Ready to go?"She took one last look around the ward, ensuring they had all their stuff. Satisfied everything was packed away, she nodded. "Yep, let's go home."She hooked her arm around Levi's, and he pus
Save Him 206|Juno and Mars
Levi called his assistant on his way back to the hospital and cancelled all his meetings for the week."Sir," Angela said before they could hang up. "We are all thinking of you. Norah and Natalie's team are beside themselves with worry. But she's a fighter. She'll be out of the hospital in no time.""Thank you," he smiled into the phone, praying with all his heart she was right. He'd lose his mind if anything had to happen to Natalie and their twins. They'd come too far for him to lose her now, especially after everything they'd been through.After he hung up from Angela, he called Amber. She was hysterical, and it took him a long time to calm her down and assure her Natalie, and their babies were fine, and there was no need for them to drive down to Rock Union.He was immensely relieved when he found Natalie sitting up, chatting with his folks and her bestie.Now that he was back, his parents and Emily excused themselves, promising to return later to relieve him."See, I told you I'l
