Richard's POV
Terror slices through me as soon as I can make the name on the screen of my phone.
Arabel.
Why the hell is she calling at 2 a.m.?
As I step out of bed and quickly answer the call, the sleepiness in my eyes disappears.
“Arabel?”
“Richard,” her voice is raspy, filled with fear and dread. She remains silent for a moment, as if contemplating whether to tell me what happened or not. “Are you still in London?”
The questions come out in a whisper.
“Yes,” I answer firmly with a nod. “What happened? Why are you calling at this time?”
“A shot,” she only says, which gets my heart racing with panic. "I don't know, but I can still hear the gunshots. I'm scared. Daisy won't stop crying…I…I…” she trails off.
I find myself running out of the bedroom to the living room. My car keys are on the table in the living room, so I grab them and rush out.
Alex.
That jerk.
Ever since I saw him take a picture of her house, I knew he was up to no good. The only mistake I made was not assigning a guard to watch over her like I used to before she admitted she was Arabel.
My phone rings again, and I realise I ended her call without any word of assurance. Picking it up, I put it on speaker as I drive out at a high speed.
“Richard?” Her soft voice reaches my ears again, this time with a tiny whimper from someone in the background, whom I presume to be Daisy.
“Arabel, stay calm. I am on my way there. Don't go out or do anything. Give the phone to Daisy,” I say with gritted teeth, thinking of what I would do to Alex if he truly is behind this.
“Daddy?”
“Baby, don't cry, ok? I am on my way. I will be there in a jiffy. Don't be scared. Daddy will save you, Mummy, and everyone else. Stop crying.”
“Ok,” she sniffs and gives the phone back to Arabel.
“The shooting has died down, but I am scared for my staff. The guards at the gate…” she pauses, and a sob escapes her. “What if…”
I don't know what to say. If truly someone is in, then the guards will be long dead before I get there.
“Just wait.” I say and end the call before slamming my fist on the wheels.
With my right hand, I search for a name and dial the number as soon as I see it. It rings for a few minutes before he picks it up.
“Boss.”
“Where are you?”
“Washington,” he replied with a sharp voice, indicating he wasn't asleep. I know him. He is a night owl.
“Get on the next available flight to London. I have a job for you,” I order with implacable authority.
“Ok, boss,” he answers, and I end the call again.
Then I dial Leo's number. He doesn't pick it up, and it goes to voicemail. I keep calling until the fourth call, and his voice booms into the phone.
"Don't tell me you are asleep," I yell angrily.
“Sorry…yes…”
“Arabel and Daisy are in danger. The house is under attack. Do something!”
“Sure,” I hear the shuttling of feet, and I assume he is getting down from bed to get to work.
I disconnect the call again, wishing this was in New York and not in London. I wish I wasn't so far away from her. Wishing I had my private jet close by. It won't take more than ten minutes to get to her place.
However, making that call will take more time than driving here. I am tempted to call her again to check on everything and confirm that nothing has changed, but I resist the urge.
Thirty minutes after making a series of calls to Leo and Scott, I drive into her mansion. The gate is wide open and I quickly step down.
Two guards are down at the gate, and another two are at the entrance. I run back to the car, open the bonnet to fish out a gun, which I point into the darkness as I approach the gate again.
If someone were there, I would have been attacked before driving in. I know this, but I chose to be careful instead.
With steady steps, I approach the gate, pointing the gun from left to right until I get to the gate, and I hear no sound of someone or a shot.
Hurriedly, I shut the gate and race towards the entrance. I yank the gate open and sprint inside, only to encounter utter silence.
Painfully, my heart continues to thump wild at the silly imaginations running through my head. Without hesitation, I dash to Daisy's room, where I am sure Arabel will be.
I kick the door open to see an empty room.
A cold, dark panic courses through me as I freeze for a minute.
When I jerk back to life, I rush forward to check Arabel's room, a fearful feeling coating my system.
A whimper catches my attention, and I notice it is from her room. I turn the doorknob softly in order not to scare them off, and it opens to reveal Daisy in Arabel's arms. Her eyes are red and puffy with tears.
Natalie and the other members of the household are also there, looking frightened and scared.
Daisy runs out of her mother's arm and rushes to me. "Daddy," she says. As I lift her into my arms and lavish her with kisses, a profound sense of relief flows throughout my entire being.
Before I can say or do anything, I hear the sound of sirens. This is when Arabel falls down on the bed in relief.
Everyone else is relieved too.
Natalie is the first to go out, and others follow. I approach Arabel, dropping Daisy back on the bed.
“What happened?”
She sits up quickly. “I was asleep when I heard the gunshots. I thought it was a dream at first, until it rang out again and again. So I ran to Daisy's room to pick her up before rushing back in here with the others. I was so scared, I thought something was going to happen…” She pauses for a moment before gasping. “The guards….”
She clutches the edge of my shirt, a flash of fear in her eyes. “The guards. What happened to them?”
I watch her for a second, debating whether to tell her the truth or not. Realizing the police are already gaining entrance into the main house, I decide to tell the truth.
If I don't, they will definitely tell her.
Without a word, I shake my head, and she clasp her hands over her mouth, shivering with extreme fear.
I embrace her. “Everything will be fine.”
The urge to protect her overwhelms me. I feel a strong desire to spend every moment with her. To guide her and Daisy.
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “Nothing will remain the same. Those people, too, have families. I have no idea who the people who killed them are. Perhaps they came for me and took out their anger on my guards and…”
She is rambling.
Wanting to blame herself for their deaths.
"No, Arabel, it's not your fault. Trust me, we will catch and deal with those scumbags. But this is neither your fault nor that of anyone here. Let's just pray for their souls.”
She shakes her head, tears running down her eyes. Daisy is watching.
“Daisy is watching, compose yourself…”
The sudden entrance of two officers into her room interrupts my thoughts. I know they want to interrogate her and ask if she has any clues as to who might have done this.
Quickly, I grab her hands and lean forward as though I want to hug her more before leaning my mouth into her ears.
“Stay calm. Don't react to what I want to tell you. Alex is a suspect. The other day at the party, I saw him right outside taking a picture of your house. If there is anyone to suspect right now, then it is him.”
“Ms. Arabel?” The first officer calls, making me disengage from the hug and stare at her pale face and dropped jaws.
Her gaze does not leave mine, and the officer calls to her again and again until she drops back on the bed, unconscious.