CHAPTER 11
Lara froze when she heard what Riley had called the man. 'Did he just call him Gibson?' she asked herself silently, trying to make sense of things in her mind. 'Gibson Vanderbelt, the guy who had raped and murdered Riley's sister and tried to do the same to me? No! it can't be the same one'.
Lara realized then that she was holding her breath. Slowly she released the air and asked Riley straight out if this man was Gerrard Vanderbelt's son.
"Yeah, one and the same" Riley looked disgusted with the man in the chair as he turned back to him. "You make me sick, do you know that Gibson? You can't have been out long and you've already tried to do it again!"
"I been out three weeks Jackson! And yeah I'm trying to do it again. Come on look at that bird!" Gibson growled in his thick cockney accent as he nodded in Lara's direction. Riley glanced over his shoulder, quickly turning back to the prisoner "You like her don't you Jackson?" Gibson knew exactly how to wind people up for his own entertainment. He chuckled evilly as he stared at Riley straight in the face "I don't blame ya! You know, I thought she looked good in her running kit, but you wanna see her with the kit off! And wet too! That was very." he never finished his sentence, Riley had rammed his fist full force into Gibson's face, sending the chair toppling backwards.
He turned to face Lara; she was standing, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as though trying to cover herself.
"What was he talking about?" her face was hard and emotionless, matching her voice.
"He said something outside," Riley sighed, wishing he didn't have to tell her what he knew.
"What did he tell you Riley?" slowly, Riley brought his gaze up from the floor to meet Lara's eyes.
"He said he was watching you..through the window"
"What?" her voice was almost inaudible.
"I'm sorry Lara, if I had known he was doing it. I.. well, he wouldn't be there now!" Riley pointed to the fallen chair containing the brute.
"He watched me bathing?" Lara visibly shivered at the thought of the man taking pleasure in viewing her private time like a film at the cinema.
Riley crossed over to her and pulled her into his arms, she stiffened at first but as he lightly stroked his hands over her back, knowing where not to touch her, she relaxed against his strong chest, slipping her arms around his waste.
"I'm so sorry Lara!"
"you have nothing to be sorry for, you saved my life, took me in and, even though I'll never admit it again after this, you gave me the protection I needed" Riley smiled and rested his cheek against the top of her head, breathing the scent of her hair in deeply. He moved his head back slightly to meet he eyes. Their faces were so close they could each feel the others breath on their skin. Slowly, riley stroked a strand of her hair away from her eyes.
"I'd do it all again, in less than a second"
Lara smiled and leaned a little closer to him. Her full lips brushed against his mouth ever so lightly. She didn't know how Riley was going to react to the action, she was pleased when he repeated it a few seconds later. When he pulled away, he looked deeply into her brown eyes and smiled. Tenderly, he placed a hand on the side of her face and kissed her again, more fully this time. His heart jumped with joy as she snaked her arms around his neck and deepened their embrace. She could feel his heart beating fast against her, as they explored each others mouths with their tongues.
Eventually, they were both pulled away from the passionate kiss by a banging noise. Instinctively, they both looked toward the chair. It was now empty. The ropes they had tied Gibson with were loose on the ground. A sharp shard of glass from the once beautiful doors lay near the rope, it had blood on its edges and it was obvious that while Lara and Riley had been occupied with each other, he had used the glass to cut himself free. The main door to Riley's home now swung in the wind, banging shut only to fly open again seconds later.
Riley swore and ran through the front door. Lara followed close behind him. But there was no sign of Gibson. He had vanished back into the trees. "SHIT!" Riley kicked at a stone on the ground as he yelled a few more curses into the night air. Lara placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned to face her. "If you were right, and it's Gerrard who wanted you dead, then Gibson's going to run straight back to him and tell him everything. Then they'll come after you again. It's not safe here anymore, you should find somewhere else"
"So should you!"
"But it's not me they're after!" he placed his hands on both of Lara's arms as he said it.
"You remember what you told me you heard? The thing that made my attack seem odd to you?" riley nodded "he said it was because I got 'involved'. Riley, if there is something that they don't want me telling anyone, then they're after you too now. They won't know if I've told you, and Gibson saw us kissing in there so he'll mention that." She smiled at him at the mention of the kiss. Her lips tingled as she continued "they're after you too now."
Riley stepped a little closer to her and stroked her cheek softly "You're right. I never thought of that! Well, it's not safe to stay here anymore. Gibson can probably find it blindfold. So where can we go?"
"Well, they'll look here first right? So I say we go back to Croft manner, grab a few things then head out of town, lay low while we figure this out"
"That, Lady Croft, sound like a plan!"
Lara froze when she heard what Riley had called the man. 'Did he just call him Gibson?' she asked herself silently, trying to make sense of things in her mind. 'Gibson Vanderbelt, the guy who had raped and murdered Riley's sister and tried to do the same to me? No! it can't be the same one'.
Lara realized then that she was holding her breath. Slowly she released the air and asked Riley straight out if this man was Gerrard Vanderbelt's son.
"Yeah, one and the same" Riley looked disgusted with the man in the chair as he turned back to him. "You make me sick, do you know that Gibson? You can't have been out long and you've already tried to do it again!"
"I been out three weeks Jackson! And yeah I'm trying to do it again. Come on look at that bird!" Gibson growled in his thick cockney accent as he nodded in Lara's direction. Riley glanced over his shoulder, quickly turning back to the prisoner "You like her don't you Jackson?" Gibson knew exactly how to wind people up for his own entertainment. He chuckled evilly as he stared at Riley straight in the face "I don't blame ya! You know, I thought she looked good in her running kit, but you wanna see her with the kit off! And wet too! That was very." he never finished his sentence, Riley had rammed his fist full force into Gibson's face, sending the chair toppling backwards.
He turned to face Lara; she was standing, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as though trying to cover herself.
"What was he talking about?" her face was hard and emotionless, matching her voice.
"He said something outside," Riley sighed, wishing he didn't have to tell her what he knew.
"What did he tell you Riley?" slowly, Riley brought his gaze up from the floor to meet Lara's eyes.
"He said he was watching you..through the window"
"What?" her voice was almost inaudible.
"I'm sorry Lara, if I had known he was doing it. I.. well, he wouldn't be there now!" Riley pointed to the fallen chair containing the brute.
"He watched me bathing?" Lara visibly shivered at the thought of the man taking pleasure in viewing her private time like a film at the cinema.
Riley crossed over to her and pulled her into his arms, she stiffened at first but as he lightly stroked his hands over her back, knowing where not to touch her, she relaxed against his strong chest, slipping her arms around his waste.
"I'm so sorry Lara!"
"you have nothing to be sorry for, you saved my life, took me in and, even though I'll never admit it again after this, you gave me the protection I needed" Riley smiled and rested his cheek against the top of her head, breathing the scent of her hair in deeply. He moved his head back slightly to meet he eyes. Their faces were so close they could each feel the others breath on their skin. Slowly, riley stroked a strand of her hair away from her eyes.
"I'd do it all again, in less than a second"
Lara smiled and leaned a little closer to him. Her full lips brushed against his mouth ever so lightly. She didn't know how Riley was going to react to the action, she was pleased when he repeated it a few seconds later. When he pulled away, he looked deeply into her brown eyes and smiled. Tenderly, he placed a hand on the side of her face and kissed her again, more fully this time. His heart jumped with joy as she snaked her arms around his neck and deepened their embrace. She could feel his heart beating fast against her, as they explored each others mouths with their tongues.
Eventually, they were both pulled away from the passionate kiss by a banging noise. Instinctively, they both looked toward the chair. It was now empty. The ropes they had tied Gibson with were loose on the ground. A sharp shard of glass from the once beautiful doors lay near the rope, it had blood on its edges and it was obvious that while Lara and Riley had been occupied with each other, he had used the glass to cut himself free. The main door to Riley's home now swung in the wind, banging shut only to fly open again seconds later.
Riley swore and ran through the front door. Lara followed close behind him. But there was no sign of Gibson. He had vanished back into the trees. "SHIT!" Riley kicked at a stone on the ground as he yelled a few more curses into the night air. Lara placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned to face her. "If you were right, and it's Gerrard who wanted you dead, then Gibson's going to run straight back to him and tell him everything. Then they'll come after you again. It's not safe here anymore, you should find somewhere else"
"So should you!"
"But it's not me they're after!" he placed his hands on both of Lara's arms as he said it.
"You remember what you told me you heard? The thing that made my attack seem odd to you?" riley nodded "he said it was because I got 'involved'. Riley, if there is something that they don't want me telling anyone, then they're after you too now. They won't know if I've told you, and Gibson saw us kissing in there so he'll mention that." She smiled at him at the mention of the kiss. Her lips tingled as she continued "they're after you too now."
Riley stepped a little closer to her and stroked her cheek softly "You're right. I never thought of that! Well, it's not safe to stay here anymore. Gibson can probably find it blindfold. So where can we go?"
"Well, they'll look here first right? So I say we go back to Croft manner, grab a few things then head out of town, lay low while we figure this out"
"That, Lady Croft, sound like a plan!"