Beautiful Catastrophe

Chapter Seven:

"Who were those men back there?"

Kim had finally processed all of the events that had previously happened that night. It took her some time to finally speak, an hour had passed by the time she opened her mouth.

"Investors from your father's company." Nathan didn't take his eyes off the road as he spoke. He was on high alert, checking every few seconds in his rear view mirror to make sure no one was behind them.

"So they're working for my father? Why would they want to kill us?"

"They aren't working for your father Kim, more like he's working for them. The Japanese investors involved in the deal you stole the files from are powerful men. They want to take you back to Chicago to your father so you can fix what you've done."

Kim remembered five years previous and how she thought she had been doing a good thing. She would finally earn her father's complete approval after years of trying to make something of herself in the company. Her father had led her to believe she was making something very beneficial for the company and the investors, even her fiancé had convinced her to go ahead with the plans although she was more than apprehensive.

Despite how she felt about the whole thing, she began to make malware for computers her father's customers would use. She later learned that it would be used to steal important information from the U.S. government for the Japanese investors and as soon as she found this out, Kim stopped what she was doing. She knew she had made a huge mistake. Her father knew she was the only one he could trust that was skilled enough to create this specific, intricate weapon. And so when he found out she had pulled out of the job, he and the Japanese investors were not happy at all.

Kim immediately stopped working on the project once the penny dropped and she realised what her father wanted her to do. Someone else took had taken her place on the project. The person Kim thought she knew so well her entire life, the person she trusted and love- her fiancé. He too was a computer programmer and a good one too, but not as good as her.

Shane, her fiancé, had betrayed her. She had told him everything about the project the night she returned home after her discovery. Kim was an intelligent woman, she realised her fault and finally she had found out her father's true colours, although she had been ignoring it all along, she knew then there was no going back. She didn't want or need his approval for anything else in her life. She was done taking his orders and being tricked into his wicked and dangerous games.

Kim had decided she wouldn't allow her father to know that she had discovered his true plans but told Shane everything. He was someone she was extremely close to, she loved him after all and trusted him, too much. Shane went straight back to Kim's father and exposed her. Shane wanted in on the project and so continued on with the work what little work had left behind, she had destroyed everything she possibly could in order to make it difficult for them to continue on with the project.

Her father took all of the work she had spent weeks on and allowed Shane to completely take over. Although she knew that Shane would never be able to continue on or finish what she had started, she wanted to take back what was hers before she flew out to Portland to start fresh. Kim managed to get into her father's system in the company and take back what was hers before sneaking in to the main offices to retrieve any paper work so very little at all would be left behind.

Kim began to wonder how long Shane had decided he favoured her father over her. She couldn't help but think that their entire relationship was partially because he loved her but mainly because he wanted to get closer to her father. Maybe he asked her to marry him because he thought it might land him a higher spot in the company? Was everyone in her life, her friends too, influenced by her father and what they could get from her? It seemed so. Kim learned quickly that through the difficult times she faced, not a single friend remained loyal. No one came to visit her in Portland, no one called or texted.

"There's no way in hell that I'm going back to Chicago." Kim continued on with their conversation, her words came out steely and stern.

"I'm not sure you'll have much of a choice if they find you." There was a nervous silence for a moment. "I'm not the enemy Kim, I hope you'll understand that now."

She turned from looking out the window to him, her eyes full of scepticism. Nathan shot her a glance but then turned back to the road. Her eyes trailed from the stubble that crept onto his jawline to the bloodstained shirt he was wearing. It was then that she remembered he had been shot.

"Your shoulder." She was close to gasping but didn't want to seem like she cared that much. She leaned over in her seat. Kim was glad that he hadn't tied her up this time in the car. She went to place her hand near the wound but he hit it away.

"The bullet isn't too deep, I'll fix it up in the morning. For now, we need to get as far away from here as possible." Nathan brushed his injury off like it was nothing. He had learned to deal with bullets from a young age and the pain hadn't yet kicked in. It would take some time for the adrenaline to wear off inside of him.

"B-but it must hurt? You need to go to the hospital and get it fixed up."

"I'll be fine Kim, honestly." It sounded a little irritated then by her fussing. It made her regret ever saying anything at all. Nathan sensed how she had become slightly wounded by his words and so, spoke again. "Just try to get some sleep, we'll sort everything out in the morning." He urged her, his tone gentler than before.

She nodded weakly before turning to look out the window at the passing darkness around them again. Despite her soaking clothes and troublesome mind, she fell asleep quickly.

*****

"Nathan?" she mumbled quietly. She was still half asleep and wondering what she was doing standing up with her back to the car. "What the f**k Nathan?" she looked down and noticed he was undressing her.

"Oh shut up Kim, you think I need to wait until you're asleep to try anything with you? I'm getting you changed because you're wearing wet clothes. You were shivering in your sleep."

"Why not just wake me up then?" she questioned but allowed him to continue on. She stepped out of her trousers, one foot at a time.

"You don't think I tried? I spent five minutes shaking you but you wouldn't wake up."

"I can be a heavy sleeper sometimes." Kim felt a little embarrassed. "Don't look." She said.

She was still sleepy and her mind was slow at processing things but she knew he was taking off her underwear and she didn't know what to do. Nathan rolled his eyes and looked away, continuing to help her. He slid off her underwear and helped her step into new ones. Kim yawned as he glided her sweatpants up her legs. She placed her arms on his shoulders to steady herself.

"Ah Kim! f**k!" Nathan winced in pain. "My f*****g shoulder." He growled at her.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry."

He stood back and threw her a baggy top that she guessed was his. She didn't question why she was going to wear his t-shirt instead of her own, just turned and changed out of her wet shirt into her new one. When she turned around, she saw Nathan pressing his hand down on the roof of the car, trying to compose himself.

"I need to get this thing out." He grimaced.

Kim's eyes widened at his words.

"Yourself?" she asked.

"No, I brought a doctor in the trunk with me. Didn't you see him when I put you in there? Of course I'm going to do it myself." Nathan grumbled.

"You don't have to be a b***h about it..."

"Just get in the car."

"But I thought you were going to take that bullet out of your arm?"

"Yes, I am. But I need to sit down."

Kim watched intently a couple of minutes later, close to looking away from the graphic scene unfolding before her eyes. Nathan rested the arm attached to the injured shoulder on the compartment between the two front seats. He was looking at his shoulder, trying to pick the bullet out for the past minute or two.

"Ahhh!" he grumbled with rage. His eyes were closed shut, his body trying to cope with the immense pain he was conflicting on himself. He looked away for a minute to take a breather. He almost had the bullet but needed to take a break. The pain was becoming too much to bear.

Kim felt sorry for him; she didn't want to see anyone go through this type of pain. Sure, she didn't particularly like this man but she had learned that he was the one who was supposed to be keeping her safe from those people the scary Japanese investors called on. She wanted him to be okay.

Nathan felt her soft fingers wrap around his free hand and squeeze it tightly. He turned quickly to look at her, blinking a couple of times. She looked nervous for what was about to happen and he could see her gulp. Their eyes met for the short silence that filled the car. Neither said a word for a moment and then Nathan began to take the bullet out again, squeezing her hand tightly as he done so.

He retrieved the bullet from his shoulder in a matter of seconds after his minute or so break. The relief of it was felt by not just himself but Kim too.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

"I'm fine." He said gruffly, he let go of her hand then and turned to set his eyes on the road ahead of them. Kim tried to brush off his indifferent gesture, she tried not to care and told herself to not be so soft the next time something like this was to happen. She had to continue to be tough, strong and brave Kim- not some sensitive and soft girl he could walk all over. He felt her touch too intense to take at that moment and needed a distraction from the shots of electricity that were going through his hand and arm where her touch lingered.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?