The Braille Club (The Braille Club #1) (31 page)

Chapter 1

The Braille Club, London, One Year On. The Braille Bible had updated as new zones and experiences evolved. New rules came with new zones. Pages were blank except for a series of dots. The first page contained the Braille alphabet. The second page contained Braille numbers, one to ten. All members would need to learn this method of communication…the language of Braille was the language of touch. They would have to learn quickly. Security at the club was tighter than ever, and those dots were the key to their entry.

Siena

Siena walked into the kitchen and clicked on the coffee machine. This was her favourite part of the morning.  She could indulge in a coffee while the twins took their nap and read over some work related items. Harrison’s, the club she and Benedict had opened was doing well, but it was the development of their shared passion that interested her; the secret Braille Club. It operated from within Harrison’s, an exclusive private members club within the heart of Westminster. Siena had been instrumental in financing the ambitious project, and Benedict had completed Phase 1 and 2 of the current renovations.

Members had access to Caligo, the in-house nightclub, now the hottest venue in London, and with Phase 1 and 2 complete; they had a full range of leisure facilities. Their manager, Guy Walker, reported both sides of the business were doing well, and Siena, a trained accountant, could see that reflected in the figures. She heard the post drop to the floor. She flipped through it, separating the junk from the more important mail when she stopped at the official looking white envelope. Her heart thumped…was it the DNA results? Her hands shook, was she ready for this? She knew this letter contained critical information that would not only shape the rest of her life…but was central to the court case against Nick.

She needed time to compose herself and poured her coffee before reaching for the cookie jar. The routine calmed her heart rate as she took a sip of coffee and a bite of cookie. Her gaze fixed on the envelope in front of her, all coherent thought gone as her stomach did a somersault. That letter contained the evidence that would put her mind at rest and sever Nick from her life forever.

Her coffee and cookie finished, she checked her watch. The twins wouldn’t sleep for much longer; her gaze strayed to the envelope that felt like a ticking bomb. She realised she couldn’t put it off any longer, but still she didn’t move. She felt frightened all the time now, it made her immobile and today was no different. Anger surged through her; she hated what she had become, what he had done to her. Squaring her shoulders, she reached for the envelope and ripped it open. With a deep breath she pulled the paper out and read. Yes, it was as she thought; the letter containing the DNA results. Her hands trembled as she read then reread the letter; her mind refused to accept what her eyes were seeing.

“No,” she gasped as tears of shock welled in her eyes. Sienna couldn’t breathe; as if fingers were squeezing at her throat, and her mind struggled to comprehend what was happening. Gasping, her breathing became more and more erratic; she hunted for a bag as the panic attack took hold. Hyperventilating, she crashed around the kitchen in utter panic.

She located a bag; shaking all over she snatched it up and breathed in and out in rapid bursts as her heart pumped furiously in protest. She sensed the attack would be severe, and her panic swelled to dangerous levels. Sweat and distress seeped from every pore.

Nick was in her head now, and her terror was absolute. His presence sent Siena’s mind spinning; she recalled the hatred in his eyes as they stared into hers. No longer in control, she felt his fingers tighten painfully around her throat, and a strangled sob escaped her lips. Her windpipe constricted, she dropped the bag and her hands clawed at her throat. Her mind was at breaking point and her body still under attack; she had forgotten everything she had learned to combat these situations. The room was beginning to spin, and she fell backwards as blackness descended.

Gradually she became aware of a noise; the sound riveted her attention. She slowly opened her eyes as she heard a sharp cry from the baby monitor. It was what saved her; stopped her blacking out again. The sound cut through her fog and fear. Her mothering instinct kicked in, rising above her turmoil as she heard the cry again. The sound forced her to breathe and concentrate; she saw the bag lying next to her on the floor but still could not move. The cries increased. She turned her head and body; pain shot through her as she tried to look at the screen. Unable to see it, the crying became more distressed. Frustrated, her fingers reached for the bag, but there was something wrong with her left arm, it wouldn’t move. Panicked but determined, she secured the bag with her right hand and at last blew into it.

Siena fought for control as a film of sweat covered her body. Her mind was her enemy now; she had to subdue her demons if she had any chance of getting up and attending to her children. She controlled her breathing, taking in small breaths and letting them out like a sigh. The crying ceased and she twisted again towards the monitor and her heart jumped in fright. Images of Reeva, choking, floated through her head…she was sure it was her crying. She turned onto her right side. The movement made her head swim, but her need to ensure the twins were safe made her reach up and grab the leg of the chair.

Slowly, painfully, she pulled herself upright and onto her knees, her left shoulder and arm hung uselessly. She rested against the island, the crumpled bag still clutched in her hand, and continued to blow into it; her need to check on the twins making her anxiety worse. Her head hurt, there was blood on the floor and her fingers felt for damage. She winced, and the sight of blood on her fingers made her nauseous and she gagged. Annoyed with herself, she concentrated on getting to the monitor. Moving gradually, her knees shuffled on the floor as she edged around the island, holding onto the granite until she could see it. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, her prize in sight, she clumsily leaned onto the bar stool for support; her laboured breathing the only sound in the room as the baby monitor remained silent.

Fear made her push up, using all her strength until she was standing, her legs wobbling at first but more steady now. She propped herself against the worktop and picked up the monitor. The video feed showed the twins asleep, and she let out of sob of relief. She stared at her daughter, searching her face. Reeva, fair skinned, looked angelic with her thumb jammed into her mouth, her white blonde curls framing her face like a halo. Her perfect bow lips were moving as she sucked at her thumb. She had burrowed into the side of her brother, his face turned away as he slept. They were not identical but fraternal twins; Leo had a mop of dark hair, his skin more olive, and a stark contrast to his sister.

How could it be possible? Her breathing still ragged, she knew the worst of the attack was over. Her throbbing shoulder was hard to ignore now as beads of sweat rolled down her back. With all of her remaining strength, she banished Nick and his invisible fingers from her mind.

Her graze fell onto the letter, the trigger point of her attack, and she froze. Her heart thumped as she reached for the DNA results once again.

They were still the same, and the words blurred as her tears fell. Benedict was at work, he had left early this morning for the office, unaware his world was about to change forever. Exhausted, distraught, and in pain, she reached for the phone, sick to her stomach…how could she tell him? Her hand faltered as she bent her head and wept.

Acknowledgments

To all my readers who have supported me,
thank you
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About the Author

JA (Julie Ann) Kerr was born in the spring of 1967 at Paisley’s Ross Hospital in Scotland and grew up in Glasgow. She was an office administrator and latterly a recruitment consultant before marrying and relocating to The Netherlands with her husband. After two years, she moved to Cheshire where her first child was born and returned to work part-time. Her final relocation took her back to her home town of Glasgow where she welcomed the arrival of her second child. She raised her family whilst harbouring dreams of becoming a writer. In September 2013, she started her first book and she is currently working on a sequel.

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