Aftermath (Dividing Line #6) (31 page)

“So you were watching? I knew it,” she said, pushing herself up on her elbows.

Her messed up hair and flushed cheeks did nothing to calm him.

“You’re a fucking bloated spider spinning her web to see which poor bastard you can catch next. Well I’m not going to become one of your trapped flies, waiting to be devoured. I’m the fucking devourer around here. You lady are on a knife edge. You do one thing I don’t like, you sneeze when I don’t want you to and I will bury you, blood or not. In the meantime I’m going to tell Rachel and Ryan about your part in their son’s death.”

She jumped up. “That was nothing to do with me. I don’t hurt kids. I didn’t even know she was pregnant.”

“Didn’t you notice her big belly?” he yelled.

“No because she was wearing baggy clothes.”

Mikey recalled that was indeed correct. Rachel had wanted to disguise her bump while the Jordans were around. He knew he was really angry at Alex but he couldn’t take it out on him because he was where he should be - decaying in a shallow grave - so Jules was the only available target. “Your brother and sister-in-law will decide what happens to you. You might start wishing you’d tried harder to get on Big Brother’s good side.”

He stormed out, slamming the door shut behind him and Jules sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. “Nice one Jules. Why didn’t you keep your fucking mouth shut?” Like Alice Parker had drummed into her, no good ever came from telling the truth.

Beth sighed and buried her face in her hands. Archie had been screaming and shouting for a full hour and was showing no sign of tiring. Luckily Holly was with her grandparents and Alfie was at school. She’d kept Archie off school all day because he’d had an appointment with the child psychologist that morning and she’d known he wouldn’t be in the right frame of mind for school after that. The psychologist had been doing well with him and had got him to open up a little, until she’d asked Archie if his dad had ever hurt him and he went into a rage that was still going on. He’d done this twice before and from experience she knew she could only wait it out until he’d either calmed down or exhausted himself. If she went in there too soon he’d only throw things at her.

Attempting to distract herself from the one-boy riot going on upstairs, she switched on her laptop to check her e-mails. As she idly scrolled through her messages, not really seeing them, one popped up from Riley. She grinned. He was online at that very moment. Since he’d responded to her initial e-mail they’d messaged each other every day. Even though he was back with his regiment he didn’t seem to be doing very much, which was a relief. Last night their e-mails had even got a bit x-rated and rather than scare her they’d only excited her, bringing back every steamy detail of their one time together in the castle.

How’s things?
said Riley’s message. She liked how he wasn’t a man of many words. There were too many people in this world with too much gob and not enough to say.

Not good. Archie saw the child psychologist today and now he’s tearing his room apart. At my wits end. What do I do?

Wish I had an answer.

Maybe sometimes more words were good, thought Beth.
I wish I were back at that castle in Scotland, away from here. If I could have a second chance there I would have made much better use of my time.

What do you mean?

You know what I mean.

Do I?

“Jesus Riley, course you bloody do,” she muttered, starting to type.
I mean with you. I shouldn’t have run out on you like that. I wish I’d stayed.

Why?

So we could have done what we did again, maybe even spent the whole night together.

That’s what I wanted to do.

I was stupid. Forgive me?

Already have.

Beth smiled at the screen, huffing out a breath when the phone started to ring.
Hold on, phone ringing.

I know.

She frowned at the message then its meaning dawned and she leapt up to answer it. “Hello?” she said eagerly.

“Hello Beth,” said Riley.

“It’s so good to hear your voice.” She’d e-mailed him her number but he’d never made use of it before. She was delighted he finally had.

“Yours too. What’s that in the background?”

“That’s Archie.”

“I didn’t think one little boy would be capable of making such a racket. Do you want me to call back another time?”

“No, it’s fine. I won’t be able to do anything with him until he’s calmed down anyway. So, how are you?”

“Bored.”

“They haven’t got you working?”

“I mean I’m bored of the whole thing.”

“You mean you’re fed up of the army?”

“Yeah. I wish I was back in England, I miss everyone.”

“Even…me?” she said tentatively.

“I miss you most of all.”

She bit her lip to stop herself from shouting out,
yes.
When she thought of how close she’d come to messing this up she got short of breath. She didn’t deserve him.

“I’m thinking of leaving.”

Beth gripped the phone hard, a variety of responses running through her head but she was frightened to use any of them in case she made him change his mind. She wanted him to leave the army and come home.

“You’ve got so much here for you now,” she said, deciding that was the safest option.

“I do.”

“Is this definite?”

“I’m not sure yet, the army’s been my life for so long. I don’t know what else I could do.”

“You could go into security. Battler and Bruiser would probably give you a job, their business is doing really well,” she said, cringing when she heard how eager she sounded.

“So I believe. I’ll think about it.”

“It would be good if you weren’t doing such a dangerous job,” she said meaningfully.

“Does that mean what I think it means? If I give up the army there might be a chance for us?”

“I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to bribe you but yes, it would greatly increase the chance.” She closed her eyes when more loud thumps and bangs sounded above her head. “But be warned I come with a lot of baggage.”

“Kids are a blessing, not baggage,” he replied gently.

Beth’s eyes filled with tears. He said the deepest things sometimes. “What’s that?” she said when she heard frantic voices calling him in the background.

“Sorry Beth, I’ve got to go. Looks like we’ve finally got a shout.”

“Be careful, please.”

“I will. I don’t know when I’ll get to talk to you again but I’ll let you know what I decide.”

“Okay. I’ll let you get to it then. Bye.”

“Bye,” he said curtly before putting down the phone.

Slowly she replaced the receiver and tilted her face to the ceiling. “Please let him stay safe,” she whispered.

The phone began to ring again and she snatched it up. “Hello?”

“Beth, it’s me again,” said Riley. “I miss the sound of your voice already. Sod it, I’m done. I’m going to leave the army.”

“That’s wonderful. When will you be home?”

“Not yet. I have to give notice. I’ll talk to you later. Love you. Bye.”

He hung up again and she stared at the phone in amazement. Did he just say he loved her or had she imagined it? She recalled Alex and Nick saying the exact same words to her, but they were gone and they weren’t coming back. Rachel was right, all Nick had wanted was for her to be happy and Riley could make her happy, she knew it.

“I love you too,” she said to the Nick that still lived in her head but, most importantly, to the phone, replaying Riley’s words over and over. She dumped it back in its cradle and danced around the room. “Yes,” she exclaimed.

She was brought back to earth with a thump when all went quiet upstairs. Finally Archie had tired himself out.

“Mum,” called a small voice from the top of the stairs.

“It’s okay sweetheart, I’m coming,” she said, feeling much more able to face him now she knew Riley was coming home.

CHAPTER 34

“Well?” said Rachel.

Ryan’s face was a piece of carved marble as he stared at the results of the DNA test on his laptop screen. “It’s true. Jules is my half-sister.”

Rachel wasn’t surprised, she was already convinced both Jules and Estelle had been telling the truth. “So what now?”

“Now, nothing,” he said, deleting the e-mail.

“But…”

“I know what you’re going to say sweetheart but I want nothing to do with her. Just like her pseudonym indicates, she’s venomous, poison and if we let her into our lives she’ll infect them. Look at the chaos Lexie caused.”

“Which Jules helped sort out.”

“If Lexie was capable of causing such carnage what do you think Jules will do?”

Rachel didn’t know what to say.

When the home phone rang Rachel went to answer it, for some reason her stomach plummeting when she heard Mikey’s voice on the other end. “What’s happened?”

Ryan watched Rachel’s face turn white and pain fill her dark eyes. “What’s wrong?” he said, leaping up.

She just held the phone out to him and he took it and pressed it to his ear. “What did you say to her Mikey? You’ve really upset her.” He gave one hard nod before saying, “we’ll call you back.”

“Alex set up the abduction,” said Rachel, slumping into a chair. “He did it because he hated us and Thomas paid the price.”

Ryan released a growl and put his fist through the wall before releasing a heavy sigh and resting his forehead against it. “Thomas.” He breathed the word out like a prayer.

“Jules was following me and I didn’t even notice. How could I not?” said Rachel, tears standing out in her eyes. “If I’d realised I would have called you, I would have got away, I would have done something and he might be alive now.”

Ryan pulled her into his arms. “Don’t say that. It’s on them. They took Thomas.” The pain was constant, relentless, dragging back with it the memory of holding his tiny lifeless body in his arms and it bubbled over. Rachel pressed the tips of her fingers to the tear that ran down his cheek then kissed it away. “They took our baby,” he said.

“Mikey said Jules didn’t know I was pregnant.”

“Bullshit.”

“It might be true. I was trying to disguise my pregnancy then and think about what happened to her, how she hated what the Parkers did to those children and what she said about Cara. I’m sure if she’d known…”

“She did know. That sob story she gave us was bullshit.”

“I believed her. All she did was tell Jan Jordan where I was.”

“Isn’t that enough?” he exclaimed.

“Not for me. Mikey will have her executed if we give the word. Is that what you want?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I fucking do.”

“Alex and the Jordans were ultimately responsible for what happened to Thomas and I will not condemn someone else to death for it, someone I think might be saved.”

“Saved? Jesus Christ Rachel that woman is beyond saving. She should be locked up in the funny farm. We should tell Mikey to do the world a favour and go ahead.”

“I won’t do it.”

“She contributed to Thomas’s death.”

“She didn’t.”

He shot to his feet and paced the room.

“Killing’s the easy option,” she told him. “I’m tired of it. If you go ahead you will regret it.”

“I can safely say I won’t.”

“She will haunt you for the rest of your life, you will never be free of her.” She went to him and cradled his face between her hands, forcing him to stop pacing. “The people who took our son from us are dead. Killing your sister won’t bring Thomas back, nothing can and we have to live with that,” she said, letting her own tears fall. “No more murder, especially not our own blood. We’ve lost too many.”

Ryan clung onto her ferociously. “I miss him every day. I can’t stop wondering what sort of little boy he’d be now, if he’d like Spongebob and Lego like his brothers. Sometimes I picture him running around, asleep in his little bed, what it would be like to cuddle him. Oh fuck,” he breathed, pressing his face into her hair.

“I know babe, I know,” she soothed, her tears mingling with his own. “But Jules shouldn’t be punished because we’ll never get to find out.”

“She stopped you getting taken again, she stopped my worst nightmare from happening and for that reason alone I’ll let her live.”

“Thank you, thank you,” she said over and over, weak with relief.

“Right, I understand,” said Mikey. “Sorry to drop that on you but I thought you had a right to know. Yeah, you too. Bye Rach,” he said before hanging up.

Mikey stared at the phone in his hand, not sure how he felt about Rachel and Ryan deciding Jules should live. Part of him had hoped they’d tell him to go ahead. Grant could have put two bullets in the back of her skull, problem solved, but that was selfish. Not even he really believed she was responsible for what happened to Thomas, that was on Alex and the Jordans, but he wanted temptation out of his path. That encounter with her in the flat had genuinely frightened him, not a feeling he was used to. He worshipped Amber, she was perfect but there was just something about Jules, although he had no idea what. Killing her so he wouldn’t be tempted to stray was plain wrong, he would just have to be careful not to be so weak again.

Amber’s curly red head popped round the door. “Everything okay? You look really pale.”

“Fine, just a bit tired,” he said, forcing a smile.

“You’ve been working so hard lately,” she said, entering the room, closing the study door behind her.

He smiled and pulled her to him, enjoying how tiny her waist was beneath his big hands. “Tell you what, it’s Saturday tomorrow. How about I have a day off and take you and Jamie out?”

“That would be lovely,” she smiled, going up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Let’s go to that new theme park. There’s lots to do for Jamie’s age.”

“Sounds good,” he said, kissing her, pushing her back onto his desk, his fingers scrabbling at the hem of her skirt.

“Careful, I’m on your pen,” she grimaced, pulling a biro out from under her backside.

“Sorry,” he said with his charming grin.

“What’s wrong? You’re frantic.”

“It’s been a difficult few days. I need you Amber.”

She welcomed him and once again his wife stamped out all thoughts of Jules.

Jules sat in the flat she’d been forced to live in, chain-smoking, pondering whether she should just grab her stuff and run while she still had the chance. Ryan would want her dead, of that she was certain, but it was possible Rachel wouldn’t allow it, not after she’d helped her escape from Cole’s men. There was something honourable about Rachel Law, something slightly old fashioned that meant she never forgot a favour and always paid back her debts. Allowing her to live would be her way of coughing up. She hoped.

While she was still deciding what to do the front door opened, even though she’d locked it.

“You have your own key,” she said, feeling even more miserable.

“Of course,” replied Mikey.

Jules waited with baited breath as he entered and closed the door behind him. Although he was capable of finishing her off on his own it was a relief to see he was alone. She felt sure he would have brought Grant if he was going to kill her.

“Why aren’t you ready?” he said.

“You mean ready to be taken into the woods and shot?”

“I mean ready for the MMA fight. It starts in an hour. Rachel and Ryan said you live.”

Jules refused to blow out the breath of relief wanting to burst out of her ribcage. “And what do you think about that?”

“What I said still stands. Last chance. One foot wrong and you’re gone. Permanently.”

“I won’t forget.”

“Hurry up and get ready. You’ve got five minutes. Any longer and I go without you.”

Jules stubbed out the cigarette and disappeared into the bedroom to change. She returned precisely four minutes later wearing her black leather jacket, figure-hugging black jeans and a cropped black sleeveless vest that revealed plenty of snake curling around her exposed abdomen. Despite how quick she’d been she had even managed to put on make-up, eyes heavy with black, lips a slash of red. Her glossy dark hair was for once styled. She looked good, really good.

“Right, that’s me,” she said, picking up her mobile phone.

“Wait a minute. Take off the jacket.”

Jules thought it prudent to take Cassandra’s advice and keep her wisecracks to herself. When she held the jacket out to him he snatched it off her and began searching the pockets.

“May I ask what you’re doing?” she said politely.

“Checking for weapons.” He was glad to see her wrists were bare of the leather sheaths.

Once he’d ascertained the jacket didn’t contain an arsenal he told her to hold up her arms. She watched him as he approached, that knowing smile playing on her lips.

“Turn around,” he said when he caught her scent. His palms sweated as he patted her down, running them over her hips and down her legs, ignoring her soft exhale as he ran his hands up her inner thighs.

“Alright, you’re clean,” he said, straightening up, dismayed by how shaky his voice was.

She turned back to him with that irritating smile. “You missed a bit,” she said, looking down at her chest.

“That top barely conceals you never mind anything else. If you do have a weapon down there it’ll be too small to be much of a threat. Before we go I wanted to ask about Leighton Parker?”

Jules vigorously shook her head. “Not yet.”

“When?”

“When I can bring myself to talk about it.”

Genuine distress filled her eyes, her fists clenched and unclenched themselves and her left knee started to jiggle.

“Alright. Let’s go,” he said.

Jules pulled her jacket back on and followed him to the door.

“Just one more thing,” he said before they left. “I’m very happily married to an amazing woman so stop all the flirting, it’s annoying. And we’re related.”

“It’s legal between cousins,” she replied.

“What did I just say?”

“Sorry, I can’t help myself around good-looking men and you boss are very fine.”

“You need to learn some self control. You’ll be seeing Cassandra twice a week instead of once a week.”

It was his turn to smile when her grin dropped.

It was noisy in the packed arena, Jules and Mikey negotiating their way to their seats at the front, right before the cage.

“Brilliant,” she grinned. “We’ll be able to feel the blood spatters. Alright little bruv?” she said, nodding at Jez.

“Hello Jules. Settling in?” He was much more zen about her little nicknames than Ryan and Mikey.

“Great, just great,” she said, looking very excited at the prospect of the show.

Mikey, sat in the middle of the two of them, merely raised an eyebrow.

“How are you getting on with the vampire queen?” Jez whispered in his ear.

“Oh fantastic,” he said sarcastically. “It’s like trying to manage a bipolar rattlesnake.”

“Regretting your decision?” said Jez, dropping his voice so she wouldn’t hear him.

“Only time will tell. There’s Dane.”

He was sat across the room to their left, likewise right at the front of the cage. He gave them a nod, his eyes flicking to Jules, unable to resist. She merely glanced at him disinterestedly before looking away. Despite the distance Mikey could see the muscle in his jaw throb at her dismissal.

The fighters entered the ring to moody heavy metal music, Jackson wearing nothing but tight black shorts, the name of his gym emblazoned across his backside in bright orange letters. He turned, arms in the air to wave at the cheering crowd, the massive tiger on his back Mikey had seen on the camera roaring back at them, deep red welts in its face from Jules’s nails. He’d made no attempt to cover them up and Mikey wondered if he was wearing them as a badge of honour. On the other hand, a professional MMA fighter couldn’t be seen wearing make-up. His arms and shoulders sported black tribal tattoos, which only highlighted the muscles even more.

“Christ look at that. Isn’t he stunning?” exclaimed Jules.

“Have you forgotten our conversation already?” said Mikey.

“I only meant he’s an amazing fighter.”

“Yeah, right.”

His opponent was equally massive, a large black man with glowering dark eyes. He and Jackson were fighting for the Professional Middleweight Championship title, both equally matched in strength and brutality but Jules knew out of the ring they were the best of friends.

“The opponent standing to my left,” called the announcer, having to yell over the noise of the crowd, “has a record of twenty one wins and no losses. Weighing in at one hundred and ninety pounds, please welcome Jackson The Jackhammer Driscoll.”

The crowd went into ecstatics as Jackson raised his gloved hands and strutted around the ring. The announcer had to raise his voice even more to be heard.