Promise To Love Me, Even When You Hate Me.

Chapter 12

As days went by Kate felt increasingly guilty about searching Dutchy's house, she had avoided him for a few days in fear that her guilt would overcome her and she would give herself away.

She had been able to avoid being in his house for 8 days, opting for quick coffees and lunches out an about. Anytime she came close to being in his house she felt anxious, like it was judging her, it knew she was betraying him. She knew Dutchy was beginning to suspect something was up, the more she resisted the more plan he made. Every time she saw him it made her second guess all of her decisions, all of her actions, which she would never do with any of her other targets. The so called evidence wasn't adding up either, she couldn't even rely on that to ease her mind.

Worst of all, she was afraid that her fake feelings weren't actually fake. All she could see was a sweet, kind, caring man, not the scheming criminal that everyone was saying he was. She had to suck it up and put on her game face, remember why she did what she did.

It was the early hours of the morning and Kate was fast asleep, her dreams were interrupted by persistent knocking on her door. She grabbed her pillow and placed it over her head letting out a groan.

"No! Go away!"

The knocking continued, she flung back to covers with a huff and glanced at her watch, it was four twenty three am. Who ever was at her door was going to cop it, rubbing her hands over her face she stomped down the stairs. Flicking on the lights to stood at the door and called out.

"Who is it?"

"Guess.."

She frowned, she knew the voice, it was Dutchy. She flung open the door looking unimpressed, Dutchy smiled and looked extra cheery.

"Morning!"

She let out another groan and ran her hands through her tangled hair.

"It's barely morning, do you realise its like four am? What are you doing here?"

He nodded and looked at his watch as he stepped into her house.

"Actually, it's nearly four thirty, and to answer your question, we're going on an adventure…"

She slammed the door closed and folder her arms across her chest, she heard him laugh on the other side of the door and he swung back open.

"C'mon, get dressed, you're going to love it."

She stood there not moving, her arms still crossed defensively over her chest, Dutchy threw his head back and pushed her toward the stairs.

"Just go get dressed in something, umm, active!"

Kate stomped up the stairs, a few minutes later she stomped back down dressed in work out gear.

"I hate you…"

After 60 minutes of climbing up the mountain, over large boulders and trying not to fall down steep steps, Kate had had enough. She wiped the sweat from her brow and flicked it towards the ground.

"Okay, there better be chocolate after this..."

Dylan stood in top of a large rock and smirked, he reached for her hand. She reluctantly obliged, and he pulled her up to his level, she glanced around and gasped.

"Welcome to Windin Falls..."

Placing her hands on her hips Kate caught her breath and scoured the view forgetting her irritation.

"Dylan, this is amazing."

Kate went to step off the rock, her foot slipped on the moss causing her to stumble. Dutchy wrapped his arms around her preventing her from falling.

"Woah... I'm not trying to sweep you off your feet or anything but you're making it too easy!"

Kate grabbed on to his shoulders to steady herself and blushed.

They carefully climbed down the rock and sat on the water's edge, Dutchy plonked his backpack in front of her.

"Your reward…"

Kate wrinkled her face looking at the bag then back up to him, he rolled his eyes and pushed it towards her.

"Just open it…"

She cautiously unzipped the backpack, a pink balloon floated out of the bag and bobbed around in her face.

"Happy birthday!"

Kate moved the balloon aside staring at him gob smacked.

"How did you know?"

He winked at he as he unpacked the contents of the backpack.

"A boyfriend should know his girlfriend's birthday…"

Kate attempted to cover her nervousness with a smile as he poured them a cup of coffee. They sat in silence sipping on their coffee as they watched the sunrise, Kate leaned back on the rock and sighed. Dutchy glanced over to her wanting to ask her about their current status, she had let the boyfriend/girlfriend thing slide, so he could only assume they were okay, but he needed confirmation.

"So, is everything okay? With us?"

Kate had been waiting for him to confront her, she sat back up to meet his concerned eyes.

"We're fine, I guess I was just a bit overwhelmed…"

"Kate, you have to promise to talk to me, if you're feeling like this I need to know. I'm fine with giving you some space if you need it…"

Kate cursed his name, why did he have to be so understanding?

"Thanks…"

Dutchy rummaged around in the bag and pulled out an envelope and handed it to her.

"But wait, there's more."

She raised an eyebrow and took the envelope, she pulled out a gift certificate.

"It's a years worth of chocolate, they a new type to your door every week. I was trying to figure out a way to get you pasta for a year, but there's no service for that…"

"Pasta?"

"Yeah, remember when we were driving to Townsville, and I was making you pick things, you said Pasta, Chocolate and Sunrises."

Kate bit her bottom lip in an attempt to hold back the tears, it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. Suddenly, her breathing became shallow, her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. She lept up and paced around trying to calm herself, Dutchy followed concerned about her reaction.

She leaned herself against a tree trying to catch her breath, Dutchy rubbed her back attempting to reassure her.

"Are you okay?"

She placed her hand over her heart trying to calm herself.

"This is too much, this is not slow…"

Dutchy winced, maybe he should have waited seeming she had already admitted that she was overwhelmed.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to show you that we're not all bad…"

"I know, Dutchy, it's just a lot, I'm not used to the attention, or the…"

"The what?"

She looked into his eyes trying to find the words.

"The feelings…"

She quickly walked away and sat on a nearby rock, she focused on the cascading waterfall, it was mesmerising. Dutchy cautiously sat beside her and gently placed his hand on hers.

"Is that all that's on your mind?"

Kate didn't respond and continued to stare into the falls.

"Is this how you pictured your life?"

Dutchy turned his head to look at her, it was an odd thing to say in the moment.

"Ah, no, but I don't see that as a negative. I mean, wouldn't it be boring if your life turned out exactly like you planned? Where's the fun in that?"

She looked over to him for a split second then back to the water.

"I guess, so, you've never done anything you regret?"

He shifted closer hoping he could get her to open up.

"I think that's a different topic entirely. But, regrets can shape us, help us grow… So, I'm assuming that you've got a few?"

"You haven't?"

"You first."

Kate let out a scoff and tossed a pebble into the water.

"I'm a rule follower…"

"So, your regret in life is following the rules?"

She couldn't answer without having to explain, Dutchy was puzzled by her silence.

"But the Navy is all about rules... why did you join?"

"Ah, I guess at first it was out of spite, I know that sounds terrible but when I told my mum she laughed at me. She couldn't picture her little girl doing a man's job she said. And I guess I have a bit of a temper when it comes to people judging me, well actually, I assume they are."

Dutchy smiled in her direction, finally something real. Kate shifted on the rock and turned her body to face him.

"Can I ask you about you time in the gulf, how you saved your crew..."

It was Dutchy's turn to break eye contact, it was never his favourite subject, he hated the hero title.

"What about it?"

"How did you do it? I mean, risk your life, weren't you scared?"

"Yeah, but they were my friends, I couldn't just leave them. I'm sure others would do the same… but it cost someone else their life…"

Kate could see that he wasn't comfortable talking about it, she changed the subject.

"Well anyway, I'm assuming you want a family someday? Well, according to the size of your house?"

Dutchy hesitated at the sudden and strange topic change, he shrugged and sighed.

"I know it seems silly thinking about that now, I mean, I could get shipped back to the gulf. But I'd like to think that one day I'd take a desk job and have a normal life..."

It's exactly what Kate wanted too, they had a lot in common, and she hated that. She didn't understand how could she could have such a connection with someone who was supposed to be bad?

"What about you? Family or career?"

Kate picked at the moss on the rock, right now it was career, but not the career that he knew about, she didn't want to talk about something that she knew she couldn't have.

"When did this get so serious?"

She shoved him not realising he wasn't concentrating, he lost his balance and fell into the water. She burst out laughing, he resurfaced and wiped the water from his face.

"Oh, you're asking for it!"

Dutchy climbed out of the lagoon and pulled off his shirt, Kate couldn't help but stare at his chiseled body. He lunged for her but she escaped his grasp, she attempted to dodge him but he grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her and chucked her into the water. He bombed in next to her, splashing her as she resurfaced. She shook her head trying to remove the water from her eyes, Dutchy swam over to her and smirked.

"Now we're even!"

Kate couldn't bear his gaze on her, she was so torn, she felt a genuine connection with him but she couldn't be falling for him. She quickly moved away from him, Dutchy was confused by yet another strange reaction.

"Kate?"

She nodded and swam to the edge of the lagoon, she rested her arms on the edge holding her in place. Dutchy swam up behind her, she turned, their faces were so close that she could feel his breath. He reached out and lifted her head with his index finger and looked deep into her eyes, she couldn't bear to meet his gaze afraid that he would be able read her mind.

"Kate, what's going on?"

Kate sighed, she had to think of another excuse and fast.

"Everything aside, we're still breaking the rules, what if we get caught?"

"Well, I know it's not ideal but, c'mon, you don't want another regret to add to your list do you? Anyway, you're on the up and up, it's only a matter of time until you move on right?"

"Yeah, but…"

He moved closer, sweeping the stray hairs away from her face.

"Kate, some things in life are worth breaking the rules for, but for now, can we just relax and enjoy this beautiful place?"

She nodded ever so slightly as he placed his lips against hers.

That evening Dutchy dropped Kate home, she hopped out the car before he could kiss her again. Dutchy waited for her to be inside before he started the engine and drove off. Stopping at the intersection he watched a car turn in to Kate's street, his eyes narrowed feeling that the car seemed familiar. He was still staring in the rear-view mirror as the light turned green, the car behind him beeped. He gave them an apologetic wave and continued on his way, suddenly he realised why the car seemed familiar, it was the car that was sitting out the front of Kate's house spying on her.

He immediately slammed on the breaks and turned around and drove back to Kate's house, he parked a few doors down and watched as Kate invited the driver inside. He was about the jump out the car and run to her house when a scary thought crossed his mind, what if she was in on it? What if she was involved and not the victim? It would explain why she was willingly letting this criminal into her house. He was torn between his feelings for her and his suspicion, he waited for a few moments, if anything he just needed to know she was safe. 20 minutes past and he became anxious, he walked up her front path and peered into her window. He saw her sitting at her dining room table with the man, papers spread all over the table and they were talking, normally, like they were friends. He wanted to knock down the door and confront them, but he didn't want to disturb them if there was something else going on.

He had given her a chance to explain, at first he thought she was just nervous, but now it didn't add up, he had to tell someone. He got back into his car and drove to Mike house.

He stood at Mike's front door going over everything in his head, was he overreacting? The thing that worried him was that he couldn't think of a reasonable explanation. He knocked on the door and waited, Mike opened the door and smiled.

"Dutchy? What's up?"

"Ah, can I come in, Boss?"

Mike nodded, he closed the door and turned Dutchy paced around his living room. Mike raised an eyebrow, something wasn't right, he seemed irritated.

"Everything okay?"

"I'm not sure..."

Mike laughed nervously at his answer.

"Okay..."

"I just need to talk something over, no judgment, no accusations, I just don't know what to think..."

Mike sat on the couch worried at Dutchy's explanation of the situation.

"Are you in trouble?"

"No, I don't even know where to start, maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"Sit down, Dutchy, just talk..."

He took a deep breath in and sat next to him.

"It's about Kate..."

Mike raised an eyebrow at Dutchy's use of her name.

"Dutchy, I thought I told you to drop this?"

"I know but, I just, I think there's something going on…"

Mike was hesitant about getting involved, but Dutchy's behaviour troubled him.

"Okay... is she in trouble?"

"Umm..."

"Dutchy, you're better off saying something and it's nothing than the other way round right?"

He nodded and shifted on the couch and paced again.

"So, you know how I asked you the other week if you remembered the story about a guy in the Navy who was stabbed?"

Mike nodded along.

"Yeah, you said it was Kate's father?"

"Yeah, well, she told me it was actually her boyfriend who killed him…"

Mike's jaw dropped.

"What?"

"She said that they sent Daniel, her ex, in to kill him, her mother was killed too and she was also stabbed. But anyway, there's been a guy hanging around, and she tells me he's a part of the drug ring and they just randomly appear to show a presence, to intimidate her…"

Mike's brow creased, he wasn't quite sure what Dutchy was getting at.

"Okay, so why the reluctance to say anything, it sounds like she's in trouble?!"

"Well, that same guy, he was at her house today..."

Mike rose from the couch surprised that Dutchy hadn't mentioned this fact earlier.

"So, she is in danger? We need to call the police!"

Mike took out his phone went to dial, Dutchy shook his head and covered it with his hand, Mike looked over to him and frowned.

"Dutchy?"

Dutchy exhaled loudly, he felt so guilty.

"Ah, no, she invited him in to her house… I think there's something dodgy going on..."

"Dodgy? With Kate..."

He nodded reluctantly, Mike wasn't sure what to make of everything, he knew Dutchy wasn't someone to overreact but this was a serious accusation.

"Dutchy, you know what I'm about to say..."

"Yeah, I don't have any hard evidence..."

He plonked himself back on the couch feeling like a jerk, Mike sat beside him.

"Have you tried to ask her about it?"

"Yeah! She just shuts off, I mean I haven't confronted her about her welcoming the guy into her house but..."

"Dutchy, this whole thing could just be a big misunderstanding."

"I don't know what to do, that's why I came to you?!"

"Well, I think she deserves the right to explain, if this is some strange coincidence then that's fine, but if she is involved in something dodgy then..."

"I just can't imagine it, but I have this feeling..."

Mike looked up at him disapprovingly.

"Well, last time you had a feeling it caused issues with you and the X."

"I know, I'm sorry boss, but my instincts are usually right..."

Mike took a deep breath in as he rose from the couch, he tapped him on the shoulder.

"Okay, lets go…"

Back at Kate's house Warren and Kate sat at the dinning room table, Warren watched as Kate rummaged around the paperwork looking for any convincing evidence.

"You're awfully convincing you know?"

She looked up at him for a split second with a stern look on her face, then focused back on the pages in front of her. Warren let out a scoff.

"Oh, don't tell me…"

She looked up at him and frowned.

"What?"

He stood in front of her and raised an eyebrow knowing that she knew what he was talking about.

"Oh, c'mon Kate, don't play dumb!"

She stood to confront him.

"What?"

"You've finally failed, haven't you?!"

She wrinkled her face as she began to pace.

"Don't be ridiculous…"

"Kate, look as much as I hate to admit it, you are doing a great job, you could be an actor. But doesn't that mean someone else could be just as good an actor as you?"

Kate was about to retaliate but she knew he had a point.

"Kate, I think it's time to get you out…"

"What?"

"Don't lie to yourself…"

She walked away from him shaking her head.

"You're not in charge, Warren, plus, you know what, I don't need to explain myself to you…"

A knock on the door made them both jump.

"Kate, it's Dutchy…"

"You need to go! Now!"

She shoved him towards the back door.

"I've got this…"

End of Chapter 12.