Chapter 45: Chapter 45

TOBY.

Aiden and I had to travel on a business trip the morning after the award night, leaving Ruby in bed alone the next morning. I thought of leaving her a note or waking her up to tell her of my plans but I chickened out last minute. We did not have that type of relationship and what if she regretted what happened between us? Then what would I do? Everything would just be awkward, maybe the only reason we had sex was that we were drunk. The whole situation had me confused at this point, could we possibly make our relationship work or should I just stick to the original plan? My conversation with Aiden on the jet earlier kept running through my mind, "Are you sleeping with her?" He asked.

"Who?" I asked cluelessly.

"Ruby." He gritted out.

"Oh, her," I answered nonchalantly.

"Are you sleeping with her?" He asked again.

"How is that any of your business though?" I answered.

"It is my fucking business, Toby. I told you I liked her, you know I want this woman and you go messing around with her." He ranted angrily.

"Look, she's my wife, I'm a man and things happen."

"You have Yasmin for heaven's sake! What happened to her not being your type huh? What changed?"

"Nothing's changed, you can have her. Make her fall in love with you already so I can have my peace of mind back." I said feeling very unsure if I meant it.

"Good! Promise me you won't change your mind."

"Aiden, this is childish, why don't I just lock pinkies with you and we can make a pinky promise?" I laughed.

His face was dead serious as he said, " You have to promise me on this one Toby."

"You have my word on this, I promise you can have her and I won't change my mind."

"What have I done, what the hell had I gotten myself into?" I said resting my head against the cool headrest of the leather padded seat in my car. I was alone except for Ant, my driver and bodyguard. Aiden's mother came to pick him up from the airport so I was riding home alone. Just my thoughts and I.

"It seems like we are being followed," Ant said, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand messing with some dials on the console. "I've let headquarters know, so we'll just take the scenic route home." He added, making an unknown road.

I turned back and everything seemed normal, I didn't spot anything out of the ordinary. "Which car is following us and for how long?"

"It's a black minivan and it seems like they've been following us since the airport." He answered with his eyes focused on the road.

"I'd have to admit I've been distracted but still I didn't notice a thing," I said, turning back and spotting a black minivan at a safe distance away from us.

"I have to give it to them, they are good. I almost didn't spot them." Ant said.

We drove down an almost deserted road before the shooting started," is this the brightest idea," I yelled at Ant, panicking, "we could have kept to the crowded roads and traffic, maybe that way, we could have lost them."

"Don't worry boss, I have it under control.” He said, his hands gripping the steering wheel and driving recklessly, trying to avoid bullets hitting our tires. The rest of the car was invincible against the bullet raining on us but the bullets seemed to be aimed at our blind spot, the tires. The sound of bullets hitting the metal car body had me crouching down in fear even though I knew that the windows were also bulletproof.

The rumbling of the car made me sick to my stomach. Ant refrained from driving in a straight line instead he swerved left and right, zig-zagging across the road. He had his gun out and clutched it firmly in one hand while the other steered. It took all the restraint in me not to scream like a high school girl when a loud boom sounded from the back of the car. At the sound of our back tire exploding, an enraged Ant lowered the driver's seat window and took a few shots toward the back of the car, using the rearview mirror to aim. Our back left tire was gone, so the weight of the car tilted to the left and the metal rims of the tire made a sickening screechy sound against the asphalt. A bullet hit the back right tire and another explosion followed. Ant continued to drive like a pro, pumping the gas. "Come on, come on, come on." I willed the car forward as I watched the minivan close in on us from the side, A man poked out from the sunroof wearing a mask, the rifle in his hand aimed at our front tire.

We heard the sirens blaring before we saw the police cars, the occupants of the minivan must have heard it too because they took a u-turn taking off in the opposite direction. Ant got to the breaks bringing the car to a screeching stop. He was drenched with sweat and visibly shaken for a man of his kind job and demeanour. I was shaking like a leaf from head to toe. What the hell was that about? The paramedics were the first to assess us while some police officers chased after the minivan. The paramedics took extra care of Ant and I before they then handed us over to the police.

"Do you have any enemies?" The detective asked.

"Not that I know off," I answered shortly. I was over the whole thing, I was the one who was attacked here yet I was being questioned.

"Do you know anyone who would want to harm you, maybe someone you have wronged?"

"No." Maybe my wife but I don't think it has gotten to that yet.

"Are you sure? I want you to think about it."

"Can I go now?" I asked standing to my feet, I needed to go home and forget this whole thing happened.

"Yes but think about what we discussed, someone might want you dead." I left the station in a police car with a headache forming, who the hell would want to kill me?

"Any news, was the minivan caught?" I asked last minute before walking out the door.

"They lost them." He said. How the hell does a minivan outrun a couple of police cars?

The patrol car dropped me in front of my building and sat there while I walked into the lobby. I watched them until the elevator doors closed. Who the hell wanted me dead?