“No, not at all. Anna’s great. And training is fine. You have nothing to worry about.”

“But…”

James was unable to hide the apprehension etched on his face. He’d never be able to convince Tim that everything was hunky dory. “Well, it’s just…I got this weird phone call this morning. I mean really early. I wasn’t even up for training yet,” James began. When he had explained the situation, Tim just stared at him blankly.

“James, I didn’t want to worry you. You know, with everything that has been happening lately, I didn’t want to add to your stress.”

“Tim! Spit it out,” James snapped, sitting up rigidly.

“I have been receiving some pretty strange letters too. None are signed and they all basically say the same thing. They keep repeating for you to stay away from her,” Tim admitted.

“What? How many?”

“Seven.”

“Since when?”

“Since your engagement was announced. Here,” Tim said, opening the bottom drawer of his desk and handing James a manila folder.

James took the folder and opened it slowly, unsure of what was awaiting him. Each letter was addressed directly to James and all demanded the same thing. They were all neatly typed and printed out on thick cream parchment paper.

“What the fuck is this? Some kind of sick joke? ’Cause I’m sure as shit not fucking laughing,” James snapped. He hated the idea that he was fighting a faceless villain.

“James, I didn’t tell you about these because I thought it would be a waste of worry on your part. But if it has escalated to the point where you are getting calls on your private mobile number, it’s time we get the police involved,” Tim suggested.

“I don’t understand. Who am I staying away from? What does this maniac want?” James was pacing back and forth across the office, wringing his hands violently.

“James, you’re not stupid. You know who they want you to stay away from. You just don’t want to admit it because as soon as you say it out loud, then it becomes real. I know you. It’s Anna. You know it and I know it.”

“But why Anna? How do you know? It might not be her.”

“Come on, James. Wake up.” Tim sighed heavily. “You announce that you’re engaged, you introduce her to the world, and then within days strange letters and threatening phone calls start arriving. James, don’t pretend to be an idiot. It doesn’t suit you. And now you know what you have to do. You have to tell Anna.”

“No!” James shouted menacingly. “I can’t.”

“James, she has to know. If someone out there is telling you to stay away from her there’s a reason. And if they are truly after Anna, she needs to know. She needs to know what’s going on so she to keep her eyes open. She’s in more danger if she’s kept in the dark. And even if you don’t want to admit it, you know I’m right,” Tim appealed to James’s sense of duty and his love of Anna.

After a silence that felt like it would never end, James slumped down in the armchair and looked James straight in the eye. “Okay. I’ll tell her. You can let the police know. And let the English know I am unavailable. I’ll go with the rest of the team. And that isn’t up for debate,” James stated as he walked out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

James spent a long time that morning walking the streets just watching people passing, wondering who was turning his life upside down. After training late that afternoon he knew he couldn’t delay it any longer. With a heavy heart, he climbed into his car and headed towards Anna’s.

On the day he wanted to delay the trip as much as possible, the day he wished for every red light, the world was against him. He pulled into a parking spot before he’d rehearsed his speech in his head. The reality of the situation was beginning to overwhelm him. He was being stalked. And somehow Anna had become collateral damage. With a few short words, and the flash of a picture he had dragged her into the spotlight, and in doing so he had put her in danger. Now someone wanted to hurt her and James was powerless to protect her.

Walking up the pathway, James was caught in a dream when he ran collided with Anna. The surprise was evident in Anna face. “Hey!” She smiled as she jumped into his waiting arms.

“Hey yourself. You heading out?” James asked.

“Just grocery shopping. Nothing exciting. But you’re a much better offer.” Anna giggled, spinning around and leading him back into the building. Once they had flopped down in the old comfy chairs, Anna snuggled into his chest. “So, what can I do for you?”

“We need to talk,” James grumbled, pulling away from her.

***

Anna

The first thought that went through Anna was sheer terror. She couldn’t help it. And she couldn’t stop it even if she wanted to. There was a harshness in James’s words that freaked her out.

“What is it? What’s going on?” she spluttered.

Once James explained what was going on Anna was almost shivering. She had been shaken to the core by his revelation. She had never imagined she could become a target. When it finally sunk in, Anna leapt off the lounge and rang her parents. She didn’t know what else to do. Anna’s family were initially shocked to hear what was going on but quickly slipped into the practical problem solvers Anna knew them to be. Within minutes it had been arranged that Anna, James, and James’s family would escape to Anna’s parents place on the coast for a break. They would use it as a retreat, a place where they could relax out of the media’s watchful eye, and hopefully the letter writer’s as well. Despite the reasons for the hasty retreat, they were all silently looking forward to getting to know each other and relaxing at the same time.

Chapter 9

Along the sandy shores of the beach in the small coastal town hidden between the mountains and the forest, James and Anna acted like love struck teenagers. As the clouds rolled in with the afternoon storm, a thick blanket of mist consumed the horizon. Refusing to let the weather ruin her euphoric buzz, Anna swallowed. The little girl inside of her always associated a storm rolling in with the change that it would inevitably bring.

Wrapping her arms even tighter around James’s shoulders, Anna buried her head in his neck. She was perched precariously on his back, her legs wrapped around his waist as he piggy backed her down the beach. The wind whipped the sea water into a fine spray, coating them both, but neither noticed. They were so caught up in just being together.

Up ahead they could see a young family playing cricket on the water’s edge. Small children filled the rock pools searching for crabs, starfish and pretty shells. James laughed merrily as a young girl with strawberry blonde hair called to her mother, “Mum, Mum! Guess what I’ve found? I got a starfish. Quick, Mum! Come look.” James could see the giddy excitement in the child’s face as her mother rushed over to see.

James looked at Anna, whose eyes were fixed on a small boy and his father building a sandcastle. The small freckle-faced boy was running up and down the beach carrying buckets of water. As they got closer to the sandcastle, the boy stopped and stared straight at them. His face changed in an instant, almost as if he had seen a ghost. Then, without another thought he dropped the bucket and pointed at James. “You’re James Thompson!” he stated, looking up at James, waiting for confirmation.

The young boy had recognised James walking the beach. He couldn’t have been be any more than six or seven years old yet he still knew who James was. “That’s me,” James confirmed with a wide grin. “What’s your name?”

The boy’s father saw his son shaking hands with a tall stranger and rushed over to intercept. It was an in-built reflex, like he half expected James to hurt his son. He ran across the beach and grabbed his son’s arms, yanking him out of James’s grasp, without even pausing to glance at James.