Unexpected Reality: Book 1: Gamer Girl (3 page)

Chapter 5

When they finally dressed and were ready to go, Claire told him that getting her things was not urgent and he said he would put it off for a little while. “How do you feel about a cruise around the bay to take your mind off the nasty stuff? I can go and make a booking?”

“Actually.” Claire told him. “I have never been on one so it will be a new experience. You can book dinner on them and see the sights as you dine.”

“Later today then.” He said. “We’ll do that. I’ll go and book and then come over to the office.”

She collected her things and left them in his suite and took her tablet and laptop to the office. They went in one car because he could drop her off and then go to the pier. In the car she told him. “I am so glad you decided to come and visit. I don’t think I would have been able to deal with all of this on my own.”

“Yes you would. You are the brave and independent Claire Costas but I am glad I came as well- and not just to give you moral support.” She smiled, kissed his cheek and set the sat nav to take him to the ferry booking.” Then she watched him drive away before going inside to the furore that the video had caused. The man in the parked van pulled out and followed him to the pier. Claire had turned away by then and Adam was intent on finding the way to the ferry.

Kassie and Karl were perusing screens and both got up to see her when she arrived. Kassie flung her arms around her friend. “This is so horrible. Are you okay?” Claire smiled and told her she was fine. She had reported the new threats to the police and they were going to patrol passed her house. “I’ve booked into Adam’s hotel and left Delta with Val. At least I know he’s safe.” Karl said he had been trying to get this stuff taken down but without much success. “I do know someone with software that might be able to back track and find the place it was posted.”

“That’s an idea.” She answered. “See if the police get anywhere and if not we’ll try that.” She told them she would do one last blog and announce her retirement as a blogger. She would thank her followers and wish them well. “Then I will eventually open another Twitter account under a different name.” Kassie was relieved. She had wanted Claire to do this for some time. They settled to work and Claire posted her final blog. She turned off comments and did not look at Twitter at all.

Adam headed for the wharf, following the sat nav directions and stepped out to a world of color and tourism. The pier was always busy and catered for the holidaymaker in no uncertain terms. From cafes and restaurants to nautical gifts and fruit stalls, it was a sea of awnings, tubs of flowers and palm trees. Walking on wooden decking always made you feel at the sea side and he stepped out looking for the cruise booking office. Skirting past the seats that let people rest and watch some entertainment, he found it and booked a two hour cruise with dinner for two for seven thirty. The assistant assured him the sunset would be spectacular, the bridge looked wonderful from the sea and there might be whales in the vicinity. “You have a good day.” She chimed and fluttered her eyelashes at this very handsome man. “Some lucky girl.” She thought and put on her synthetic smile for the next customer. The next man did not seem half as pleasant and she wondered why he was going to take a cruise by himself and not even have a meal. She shrugged and thought it took all sorts. ”Maybe he just likes sea lions.” She muttered and waited for the next booking to arrive. The man tucked his ticket into his pocket and didn’t bother following Adam back to the car. Adam stopped to buy fruit for the office workers and a bunch of flowers for both Claire and Kassie.

He found the office still agog over the remarks and threats against Claire on Twitter. Some of it had been taken down now by the social network site itself and quite a few of the staff were trying to find a connection between tweets that might lead them to finding out who he was. Claire finished the work she had to for the new game to be released and breathed a sigh of relief as she knew it was done and sent off. They had the video that Adam had directed running on the big screen with the sound turned down and there was no doubt everyone was impressed. He was greeted with congratulations when he appeared and even more enthusiasm when he produced fruit and doughnuts for everybody.

“Karl told him he could stay permanently as he stuffed the first doughnut into his mouth and settled back with a games console in his hands. Claire appreciated the gesture and Kassie was over the moon with her flowers. “I am going to post that Adam Osoracsos gave me flowers today and it has made my year.” She found a vase and put the flowers in water and then went off to compose her tweet. Adam smiled and asked Claire if she could get away. “Yes. I have finished the game work and retired from blogging. I am going to take some holiday.” She answered.

“Right. Let’s go.” He said. “I’ve booked the cruise for tonight but we can go elsewhere this afternoon.” He picked up her things, called goodbye to everyone and they left. “Where to?” He asked Claire.

“I fancy a bit of retail therapy.” She said and maybe a light lunch somewhere.” They jumped into his car and swept away. Claire was prepared to push the threats made against her to the back of her mind and enjoy being with this wonderful guy. She knew she had fallen for him and there was no going back. They went hand in hand down the little side streets and found funny things to buy. Lunch was at a table outside a sweet café and under a gaudy umbrella. “This is just such a treat.” She told him. “I  know I should be worrying about the nasty man but I cannot remember ever being so happy. Down to you so thanks for coming to visit.” He covered her hand with his own on the table and told her he felt the same. In that frame of mind they did some sightseeing and found their way back to the hotel with time to shower and change for the cruise on the bay.

Inside the hotel suite he closed the door and took her in his arms. “I have so wanted to do this all day and he kissed her gently on the lips. She pushed him away, grabbed his shirt front and pulled him towards the shower. “Come and wash my back.” She invited and reached in to turn on the jets.

He didn’t need a second invitation and struggled out of his clothes as she slipped out of her clothes and stepped under the warm water.”Mmm” He said and wrapped himself around her. She turned and faced him and he covered her lips with his own, He felt the heat rise with the steam and felt her finger nails scrape across his back and her teeth nibble at his shoulder. He wanted to feel every part of her, to keep her close and shield her from harm. The thought of the harm that might come to her made him pull her even closer. She turned into the embrace and pressed against his wet slicked body. She yearned for the feel of him and knew this man was what she wanted. If this exquisite pleasure was all there was, then she would take it and remember it forever. He turned her against the tiles and entered smoothly and gently. The quiet pleasure they both felt from the rush of the warm water and the rise of the steam was like a journey on a cloud of warm air and they reached that top together. Claire thought as she reached that delicious climax that this man was all she wanted in life. “I’ve been waiting for you.” She thought and slid over the other side of the peak and stood breathing evenly with her arms around his neck and feeling complete.

Dressed, they set off for the cruise and walked hand in hand down the pier towards the boarding platform. The area was quiet now and there was time to look over the handrails and take in the views. The sea lions lay on their platforms and almost looked as if they had been placed in position. The signs told you not to feed them and as the boarded the cruise ship Claire wondered if they would see any whales.

They stood at the rail and watched the jetty slide slowly into the background. The girl had been right, Adam thought about the bridge looking wonderful from the sea. It really was a spectacular view and the sun started to set in glorious shades of red and pink. “This was such a good idea.” Claire said and used her phone to take photos of the views and Adam against the rails of the ship. A couple of selfies of the two of them together and they went to the restaurant for the dinner. The follower had not booked dinner and stayed in the shadows on the deck.

“This so romantic.” Claire said as she finished a delicious dessert. “Thank you.” He raised his glass and toasted the beautiful woman across the table. “To us.” He said and she lifted her glass to make the same pledge.

“I must make a trip to the rest room.” Claire said and laid her napkin on the table. She took her purse with her to freshen the makeup. Adam sat back and watched the bay glide by. Claire used the toilet and stood at the mirror to brush her cheeks and renew the lipstick. There was a slight noise behind her and she turned to see the door handle being slowly turned. Her hand flew to her mouth as she tried not to scream. The handle returned to normal and then started to turn again. “Who’s there/” She asked in a shaky voice. “Go away.” The handle shook the door and continued to turn back and forth. Claire started to scream. “Help. Help.” Then she fumbled in her purse for the phone and speed dialled Adam. “Adam there’s somebody trying to get into the rest room.” He knocked the chair over in his rush to get to help her and grabbed a member of staff as he went. They arrived at the rest room but, of course, there was no one to be seen. “Claire.” Adam said. “It’s me. You can open the door.” She did and collapsed into his arms.

“What happened?” The man from the ship asked her and found a chair for her to sit.

“Somebody kept trying to open the door. They turned the handle and shook the door but they never said anything.” The member of staff suggested it was just someone else wanting to use the rest room but Adam said that Claire had been threatened and they must report it to the police. The waiter took them to the captain and they explained it all again. Claire was calm again but shivering violently despite the evening being warm. The ship found a blanket and Adam sat with his arm around her until the shivers went away. “Adam, he’ll still be on board.”

“He won’t get to you. Don’t worry.” Adam replied.

“But we might be able to spot him as he leaves.” She added. “If we pretend to go down the pier and then stand behind a stall, we might spot someone that looks likely.”

“We can try it if you are game.” He told her. “Probably a man on his own and we can try and photograph anyone suspicious. The police might have records.” He kissed her on the nose. “That’s ma girl. Go get ‘em.” That raised a smile and they snuggled together on a seat and watched the coastline slip by.

Chapter 6

Adam and Claire walked back down onto solid ground again and linked arms as they walked away from the ship. They deliberately did not look around and when they reached the first building which was now closed for the night, they slipped around the side of the shop and waited to see who would pass. Several couples and a family all went off towards the car park, chattering as they walked and  then a single man  passed the building. Adam  took several photos with his phone but the man was walking away from them so his face was hidden. He was carrying  a large camera and had a backpack. “I think he was probably a photographer.” Claire whispered and then clutched Adam’s arm as another man came into view. This one had no bags or cameras and walked quickly without looking to either side. He had a hood over his head and wore a dark coat. Adam took several more shots and just as the man reached the next building he turned and the final photo before he disappeared was of his face. “Might be too far away to make out his features.” There were a few other families and couples and nobody else who looked to be on their own. Adam and Claire set off back to the car and drove to the hotel.

“Should I ring the police tonight?” Claire wondered but they decided to leave it until the morning and slipped into the big king size bed as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He folded his body around hers and held on tight. “That feels so good.” She said and he kissed the back of her head. “Sleep tight, sweetheart.” He said and before long they both drifted into dreamland. Adam awoke suddenly with a bad dream still haunting his memory. A dream where Claire was bleeding on the ground and he was helpless to stem the flow. She stirred in his arms and he silently vowed to protect her at whatever cost.

She turned to face him and he kissed her on the nose and the lips and she woke looking into those wonderful dark brown eyes. “Mmmm” She murmured. “What a lovely way to wake up.” He smiled and ran his hand down the length of her back and she moved against him. They made love slowly and gently and looking into each other’s eyes, rolled over that hilltop together and stayed close together afterwards, holding onto each other and savouring the happiness.

A huge breakfast buffet delayed the visit to the police department but they managed to see the officer who had taken note of what had happened before. “So it looks as if the threats have actually moved closer to home and are becoming a reality.” They said that it looked that way and told him that she had left her house and moved into the hotel, that the dog was safe at her cousin’s house and they were staying together as much as possible. “I have taken my blog off the internet and not put anything on Twitter.” He agreed that it was probably the best thing to do and took the photos. “If the IT people can enhance that last shot and put it through face recognition, we might get lucky.” He said. “We have passed it on to the people who deal with this specific sort of threat and we’ll let you know if they come up with anything.” There was nothing more to be gained and he gave them a direct number in case they needed to give him anything else. At the door Adam and Claire went to their separate cars. Adam said he would go and collect her things and come to the office. Claire had thought about some tests she could do to trace this troll on her account and she needed to use the equipment. “See you there in about an hour.” He said and kissed her on the cheek but he waited in his car until she drove away safely before leaving for the house.

Kassie was delighted to see her friend but said. “I thought you were taking holiday and where is the gorgeous Adam?” Claire smiled and gave her colleague a hug. “He’s gone to my house to collect some gear and then he’s coming on here. I thought of trying the software that tracks hits to see if I could match up my Twitter feed and the comments on the blog. If it throws p some matches, I might spot something to trace the bastard.” She told the story about the ship and her friends were duly horrified. “I’ve been to the police and they’ve got the photos. You never know what might come from it.” Karl handed her a coffee and she found the software she needed to start her search. Kassie came and whispered in her ear “What was the sex like?”

Claire laughed and said that on a scale of one to ten it was a hundred. “Wow.” Kassie answered. “Wow.”

Adam used Claire’s remote to open the gates and drive inside. He left the gates open because he was only collecting some equipment and leaving again. He glanced around the garden and wondered if she would sell and move elsewhere. He could understand the need to do that after being targeted so precisely on the internet. How many millions would have access to this address. “Shame.” He thought. “Her favourite plants could be taken up and moved but she had taken a lot of time and trouble to get the place the way she wanted. The thought flitted across his mind that he would like to be part of her future and he climbed the three steps to the front door and took out the key. The door moved at his touch and he froze. Then he saw the marks that told him the door had been forced open. He looked around and listened. There was no sound at all as he gently pushed the door open. The hallway was empty and silent. He stepped inside and found his heart was pounding. When he pushed open the door to the living area he saw the back of a man and even in the shock of seeing someone there, he thought it looked like the back of the man he had photographed on the pier.

Adam Osoracsos was in good shape and had taken martial arts classes at one point in his younger life. He was six feet tall and at that point furious that this moron would be ransacking Claire’s house. He stepped inside. “Easy to threaten women and steal their things.” The man turned around in an instant. He had a mask on and moved with enormous speed and on an immediate reaction. The intruder sprinted across the room straight at Adam and he was holding a very nasty knife. Adam was taken by surprise as the man bowled directly into him and slashed with the knife. It sliced across his face and he felt the blood spurt out. He stumbled backwards with the weight of the assailant but as he went down he reached out and grabbed. The intruder was going to run for it but Adam’s hand grabbed at the leg as it was leaving the room. He held on and the man went down on the floor. Adam hauled him back into the room by the leg and threw him across towards the window. The guy was pretty tough because despite this treatment he jumped up and came at Adam again. He was still holding the wicked looking knife and slowed down to approach with a threatening motion of the weapon. Adam braced himself and waited for the man to get close enough for a judo hold and when the attack came he didn’t move back but took hold of the clothes that he could grip. He attempted to turn the assailant around for a throw but it was a long time since he had done any martial arts and the two of them swung each other about. Adam did bang the guy against the window and his head broke the glass with an enormous crash. Adam let out an almighty roar and started to shout in the hope that someone outside would hear him and then the intruder picked up a heavy ornament from the windowsill and smashed it over Adam’s head. The world went black and he knew no more.

Two hours later Claire had found some clues but looked at her watch and rang Adam’s mobile. It went to voicemail and she told the others. “I’m worried now.” After a few more tries Karl asked her if she would like him to come to the house with her and Claire nodded and grabbed her purse and jacket. After a fast drive where she imagined all sorts of horrible scenarios they arrived at the drive to find the gates open and three police cars in the drive. “Oh My God.” Claire screamed and ran to the door. An officer caught her before she rushed straight in. “It’s my house. What happened? Where’s Adam?”

“Calm down miss.” He said and held her shoulders. The man who was here is in hospital but he will be okay. Stay here till I get the detective in charge. It’s a crime scene.”

“Oh.” Claire said and grabbed Karl’s arm. He put an arm on her shoulders and told her the man said Adam would be okay. The detective was the man they had seen at the precinct and reassured her that Adam had sustained blows, cuts and bruises but would be alright.”

Karl asked what happened and the detective told them that apparently Adam had disturbed an intruder and in the ensuing fight he had shouted and the neighbour heard the commotion and raised the alarm. “By the time we arrived the intruder had gone and Mr Osoracsos was stunned and lying on the floor. He’s at Mercy Cuthbert.”

“Can I come inside?” Claire asked but he said no because the place had been messed up and they would have to go over it for DNA and fingerprints. ”I have your phone number. We’ll secure it when we finish.”

Karl kept his head but drove as fast as he could to the hospital while Claire just closed her eyes and prayed that Adam would be fine. She could not bear it if anything happened to him and as the car screeched to a stop outside of the emergency entrance, they left it there and ran inside. She had to take a deep breath to get out the questions to the receptionist and when she was asked if she was related, she said had the presence of mind to say she was his wife. They were directed to the room where Adam had been taken. She slowed down and opened the door. Adam lay against the pillows with his eyes closed, bandages across his face and his normally olive complexion was very pale. “Oh My God.” She said, walked over to the bed and took his hand. Adam opened his eyes and gave a half smile when he saw her there. “They took my phone away so I couldn’t let you know.” He apologised.

“How are you?” Karl asked and Adam said he had got a blow on the head so he had a bit of a headache and he slashed my face with a knife but nothing that won’t get better.” Claire sat down with a jolt beside the bed and Karl said he would go and move the car and come back.

“Thank God it wasn’t worse.” She said and Adam said that he thanked God it was himself and not her that had opened the door. She dropped her head onto his chest and a few tears slipped out. He stroked her hair and said “Shh. We’ll get through it all.” The nurse put her head around the door and said “Five more minutes, Mrs Osoracsos.” Adam looked at her and smiled and she said that she had to say she was related to get in to see him. He lifted her hand and kissed it. Karl came back in with two coffees and sat beside them. “I’ve got a text from Kassie to say that she followed up your connections on the emails and she thinks she has a clue to the blogger.

“You’ll have to go and see to it.” Adam said. “I’ll be fine here and they might let me out later. I’ll demand my phone back.”

She kissed his cheek and said she would be back as she and Karl headed for the car to go back to the office. Kassie and the others were trying to get through on the mobiles but he drove fast and said they would explain when they arrived. Karl headed straight for the coffee machine and the others clustered around to hear what had happened. Claire had got through most of the tale and was explaining how Adam was at the hospital when the detective, Ed Jones, arrived with his partner and a uniformed officer. He looked serious.