Tough Love (23 page)

She found him and Kia at the swings in the park. She had to tell him about the news that would break the next day. ‘Tony, I don't want you to think bad of me. I knew he was married and I was young and stupid, but I can't regret it because I have Kia …'
she said. If Tony was going to be part of Kia's life he, above anyone else, deserved an explanation.

‘You don't need to explain yourself to me,' he said, drawing her close to him. ‘Just talk me through what you're panicking about.'

Leanne told him exactly what Victoria had told her on the phone. By the time she had finished she was crying.

Kia got down from the swing and came over to them. ‘What's wrong, Mum?' she asked.

‘Nothing, darling. I banged my knee this morning and it keeps hurting.'

‘Want me to rub it better?' Kia asked.

‘Yes, please,' Leanne said.

Tony squeezed her hand. ‘Who would do this to you?'

‘It's not just me, though, is it?' Leanne said, nodding at Kia.

‘Just because someone says they're a family member doesn't mean they are. If they're not identifying themselves, it could be anyone.'

Leanne shrugged. ‘I really don't know.'

Suddenly Tony looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

‘What's wrong?' she asked.

‘It could have been Monica,' he said.

‘But why would your pretend-wife go to the papers about me?' Leanne looked at Tony warily. ‘And how would she know anything about it for that matter?'

Tony looked startled that Leanne might think that he had told Monica anything.

‘I'm not saying she knows anything, certainly not from me. But she's read the papers and the gossip mags enough to cobble together a story.' Tony sighed.

‘She thinks we've destroyed her life. She needs to pull something good out of the bag to convince the authorities she should be allowed to stay.'

‘Do you think she would have gone that far?'

‘Only one way to find out,' Tony said, and called her. He walked away so that Kia didn't hear the conversation. A few minutes later he was back.

‘What did she say?'

‘She wasn't very polite about my mother, put it like that. I didn't mention specifics, just asked her if she'd called the papers about us. She didn't seem to know what I was talking about, just told me I was an ego-maniac.'

‘Do you think she could have done it?'

‘She doesn't know anything, other than what she's read herself. Anyway, she doesn't get English newspapers. Everything she ever looks at is Russian – Russian food, Russian papers. It's a wonder she ever wanted to stay here. My gut instinct is to say no, but you never know …' Tony sat down next to Leanne.

Leanne thought about her mum, Scott, Karina and Jodie. None of them would have wanted to
make money out of Kia. They just wouldn't. She had cousins strewn around Bradington, but she couldn't think any of them would sell her out, but whoever it was would have received a pretty penny for the story, so maybe … Leanne decided she couldn't wind herself up about it any more. She would just have to weather the next few weeks. She knew from previous experience that it would be rough, and if she ever found out who was behind it, she'd never speak to them again.

When Jodie had arrived back from work the previous evening, Leanne had treated her to a little chat about what they could expect the next day. She had had a few gin and tonics after work and even though she'd heard what Leanne had said, she'd taken it with a pinch of salt.

So, when Leanne shook her and Tracy awake the next morning and ordered them not to open the curtains, Jodie was, to say the least, a bit surprised. She couldn't help but do the opposite of what she was told, though, and opened the curtain a notch. More than thirty photographers were standing outside the front wall and began frantically taking pictures.

Jodie tugged the curtain shut. ‘Shit!' she said. She galloped downstairs to the lounge where Kent and Tracy were smoking nervously. She couldn't be bothered to ask what Kent was doing back – she'd said barely two words to her mother since their fight.

Leanne soon followed her into the room. ‘I've left Kia in bed. No point waking her. I've got to ask this, and it breaks my heart, but does anyone know how this got into the papers?'

‘How what got into the papers?' Tracy asked blankly.

‘A family member has gone to the tabloids and told them that Jay Leighton is Kia's dad.'

‘Well, that's charming, that is,' Tracy said. ‘You think we'd shop our own to the papers? Sometimes I don't know where your head is. Up your arse, I suspect.' She stabbed her fag out exaggeratedly.

‘I'm not accusing anyone, just telling you what I've been told. And someone's done something, haven't they, because Brad Pitt doesn't get this much press!' She nodded at the drawn curtains.

‘I wouldn't know. We've not been allowed to look out.'

‘Well, it's not me, Leanne, I promise,' Jodie said.

‘And I'm not going to sit here saying it's not me because I shouldn't have to,' Tracy put in loftily.

Leanne sighed.

‘And it's not me.' Kent jumped on the bandwagon.

‘Well, it wouldn't be you, Kent, would it, because you're not family?' Jodie said, having a dig at her mother through Kent.

‘Oi! He is!' Tracy claimed.

‘This week,' Jodie retorted.

There was a knock at the door. ‘Jode, will you get that?' Leanne asked. ‘It's Tony. He's bringing the paper so we can see what's been said.'

Jodie ran to the door and the noise from the crowd outside spilt into the house.

‘Can we have a comment from Leanne on today's revelations?'

‘Is Leanne in there?'

‘Does she expect to have any contact with the Leightons on this matter?'

‘Piss off!' Jodie shouted, as Tony rushed in.

‘I wanted to knock out each and every one of them.' Tony threw the paper on the floor. ‘But I didn't say anything. On my best behaviour, like I promised.'

They stared at the headline, which read, ‘The Leightons, Leanne and the Love Child'. Underneath it said, ‘By the person who knows her best'.

‘Who knows me best?' Leanne asked angrily.

Jodie could see that her sister didn't want to read the article, but she had to know what was in it.

Tracy began to read: ‘“The sordid love triangle between Jay Leighton, Lisa Leighton and Leanne Crompton has finally been exposed today as true. A close family member who has asked to remain nameless told us, ‘Kia is Jay's. There's no two ways about it. Leanne often talks about Jay in glowing terms and she even has a picture of Jay that she points to and calls Daddy.”'

‘That is such bollocks! Who would say this shit?' Leanne shouted angrily.

The door edged open and Kia came in. ‘What's going on?' the little girl asked sleepily.

Jodie went to her. ‘Nothing, darling. Just reading the paper,' Jodie said. ‘Want some breakfast?'

Kia nodded and followed her into the kitchen.

Tracy continued to read the article aloud, but Leanne swiped it from her. ‘Mum!' she said sternly, nodding after Kia.

Tracy tutted and rocked back in her chair.

Jodie had an idea who might have sold this eight-page story. And when she'd got dressed and battled her way through the paparazzi, she was going to wring her scrawny neck.

*

Lisa was staring at the paper in horror. This was such a non-story, but it condemned her and Jay. The paper had spun the article in such a way that it read as if everything it said was the truth when in fact it was some lily-livered family member, who wasn't even brave enough to put their name to the article, trying to make a quick buck out of someone else's life.

A few paparazzi were gathered at the gates, but Lisa knew that most them would be at Leanne's house, making her life a misery.

Jay wandered through from his games room. He had read the article and had needed an hour on his Wii to get his head together. ‘What are we going to do?' he asked, slumping on to the bed.

‘“We” are going to do nothing,' Lisa said. ‘You can do what you like. It's a farce anyway. That kid's yours. You don't look after the one we've adopted, so you're hardly going to look after one you fathered seven years ago and clapped eyes on once.'

‘Why does life have to be so difficult?' Jay whined.

Lisa gazed at their magnificent bedroom. Neither she nor Jay would ever have to go out to work again if they didn't want to. Something inside her snapped. ‘Life is easy, Jay. So easy that we – or should I say
you
? – concoct little bullshit exercises to make it difficult. If you didn't we'd have the easiest life of anyone in the country.'

‘You want all this as much as I do.'

‘All what?' Lisa asked. ‘I want the house, I want the car, I want the nice clothes. But I don't want the loveless marriage and the shitty, snivelling husband who goes with it. You used to be a man. What happened to you?'

‘I
am
a man!'

‘Then why are you wailing like a little girl?'

The phone rang. ‘Who's that?' Lisa asked. ‘Steve C with more good news? I do look forward to his weekend calls.' She picked it up. ‘Yes?'

‘Lisa, it's Steve.' She glared at Jay. ‘I've got a helicopter picking you, Jay and Blest up this afternoon at two. I've booked you a week away on a private island. There'll be a cook, a nanny and a butler, all vetted by Madonna's people so you've nothing to worry about. You two need a break. Time to reconnect. What do you think?'

Lisa sighed. The idea of getting away from the madness was heaven, and even the knowledge that she'd have to come back to it at the end of the week didn't cloud it. Jay was off before pre-season training started. There was nothing stopping them. The only problem was that she'd have to spend the week with Jay.

‘Send it. We'd love to go.'

She clicked the phone off. ‘Pack your bags,' she told Jay. ‘We're going on holiday.'

‘Where?' Jay asked.

‘Somewhere even you can't manage to get your end away.'

*

‘All right, all right, I'm coming. Jesus! Don't put the door through,' Karina moaned. Whoever was banging on her door meant business.

She opened the door to find a fire-breathing Jodie in the hall.

‘So, all your new clothes you've been bragging
about, your week in Marbella, all bought and paid for by you, you said. Not Gaz this time, you've got your own money. Isn't that what you told me?'

Karina stepped out of the flat and pulled the door to behind her. Izzy was playing in the hall and she didn't need to hear this. She pushed Jodie towards the main entrance to the block. She could do without the neighbours hearing it too. They moaned enough about her and Gaz playing music. She didn't want them griping about her noisy sister as well.

‘So, what's your problem? You jealous 'cause I've got a decent wedge and you have to graft your tits off in that shithole pub for a fiver an hour?' Karina wasn't having Jodie coming round shouting the odds like this.

‘Me? Jealous? And you're not? You think that me and Leanne are off living the high life while you have to sit here with no chance of modelling?'

That hit Karina hard. It was one thing for her to think she wasn't as good-looking as her sisters, but to have one of
them
say it was quite another. She grabbed Jodie's hair and marched her to the door. ‘Is that what you've come to say to me, Jodie? That you think you're fitter than me? Because if it is you can fuck off.' She launched Jodie into the car park, still clutching a clump of her hair.

Jodie flew at Karina and grappled her to the floor. Once she was straddling her, she tried to pin
her down, but Karina kicked and flailed. There was no way she was lying still so that Jodie could take a free shot at her.

‘No. I've come to say I know it's you that's gone to the papers about our Leanne. It's you, you spiteful bitch. Selling your own sister out, dragging our Kia through the mud. You're nothing but a piece of shit.' Jodie swiped at Karina's face.

Karina screamed. ‘I don't know what you're talking about, you demented bitch!' she shouted.

‘You do! Where's all the money come from then, if you didn't shop Leanne?'

‘I've done a coke deal, you cunt! Now, get off me!' Karina pushed with all her might and sent Jodie flying backwards. Now it was her turn to leap on her sister. She was so intent on slapping the face off Jodie that she didn't see the two photographers standing in clear view, taking pictures.

It was only when Gaz pulled in on his way home from a late Saturday night at work, jumped out, rugby-tackled one and sent the other fleeing down the street that the two women noticed they weren't alone.

‘What the fuck are you doing, you pair of tits? Your Leanne's all over the papers so you two brawling in the street is just want they want. Get inside,' Gaz said angrily.

Karina and Jodie stood up, pulling bits out of their hair, then went in sheepishly. Gaz showed Karina the paper.

‘You thought I'd done this?' Karina gawped at it, then at her sister.

‘Well, you've done it before.'

‘Get lost! I once told a newspaper our Leanne would be in town at a certain time with Jenna James and made up a story – but I couldn't do this to our Kia! You must think I'm a complete bitch.'

‘So where's the money come from?' Gaz asked.

‘Not you an' all.'

Karina couldn't believe that Gaz was ganging up on her. Izzy was wandering about between them, mainly wondering what all the shouting was about. Karina calmed down and admitted meekly, ‘I got a stash from that guy you know – the heavy-metal roadie bloke.'

‘My supplier, you mean?'