Aftermath (Dividing Line #6) (27 page)

“Yet you told us about them so easily. Why?” said Ryan, suspicion in his tone.

“Because I was talking for my life.”

“Damn right you were,” he replied. Menace gathered around Ryan like a cloak and his eyes darkened.

“Well, we’d better be making tracks,” said Mikey, deciding it was time to leave.

“Give us a hug you,” said Rachel, throwing her arms around his neck, breaking the awkward moment. “Are you sure about taking Jules under your wing?” she whispered in his ear.

“No but it’s better than the other option,” he whispered back.

“Be careful. She’s a rattlesnake.”

“I will.” He leaned back to look into her eyes. “I hope this is the last time we have to come charging down here. Next time we’ll be coming for a holiday.”

“I hope so too.”

When he released her Rachel stood before Jules to say goodbye. There were no hugs for her. “Thanks for helping us out with Cole’s men. I appreciate it,” she said.

“No worries,” replied Jules. “Thanks for sorting my shoulder.”

“Least I could do.” She leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Don’t betray Mikey, he doesn’t have to do this for you.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“If you are disloyal Ryan won’t have to kill you because I will already have done it.”

“I don’t intend to be disloyal. No one’s ever given me a chance like this.”

Rachel nodded in acknowledgement, glad Jules appreciated what Mikey was doing for her.

Jules turned to Ryan. “Going to give your sister a hug?”

“I think I’ll pass. Behave yourself and you never know, we might start to get on.”

Her grin fell. “I’d like that.” She turned to the car then hesitated. “Something occurred to me Ryan. We got our genius IQ’s from Mummy Dearest. How mad is that?”

“For once we agree. It’s completely insane,” he replied.

Jules looked up at Dane. “Are you travelling down with us? We could snuggle up in the back seat.”

“No I’m not. I’m going in my own car.”

She went up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “I appreciate you running all the way down here for me.”

He was unmoved. “I did it for myself too, and you appreciate nothing.”

“But I was still in your thoughts,” she smiled into his ear, voice soft. “I always will be.”

“You’re a tic that burrows its way in and won’t go,” he growled back.

“Love you too,” she whispered. She turned her back on him because she knew he hated it. “Right, if this love fest is over can we get moving?”

With that she flounced into the back of Mikey’s black BMW and slammed the door shut.

“I guess that’s our cue to leave,” smiled Mikey.

“Take care, won’t you?” said Rachel.

“If it’s Jules you’re worried about, I can handle her,” he replied.

“You’re going to need eyes in the back of your head with that one,” said Dane.

Mikey stood nose to nose with Dane. “You want to keep doing business with us don’t ever keep anything from us again. You got it?”

“Got it,” Dane replied flatly, inwardly cursing Jules all over again.

With one last glare Mikey stalked to the car and threw himself into the driving seat, Jez taking the passenger side.

Rachel felt a bit sorry for Dane, who looked so hangdog as he watched the car drive away. She understood what it was like to be in trouble because of your feelings for someone.

“Mikey doesn’t bear grudges,” she told him. “Just make sure you’re completely honest with him in the future and everything will be fine.”

“I don’t intend to make the same mistake twice.”

“I know it’s none of my business but will you and Jules ever get it together?”

“God no,” he replied without hesitation. “We’d end up killing each other. She’s just always had this hold over me, I can’t explain it.”

“I suggest you remove yourself from that hold before it chokes you to death,” said Ryan, although his tone was almost sympathetic. “I’d hate to see her drag you down.”

“Maybe Mikey can tame her?” said Rachel.

“Not unless he’s got a whip and a chair,” replied Dane. “Wait, she’d only enjoy that.” He dragged in a deep breath.

“Go home and get her out of your head,” said Ryan.

“Easier said than done. Now she’s working for Mikey I’ll see more of the demented cow than ever.” He held out his hand to Ryan. “Thanks by the way, both of you, you’ve been pretty good about everything.”

“You came through for us when we needed you. Just returning the favour,” he replied, shaking his hand.

Dane nodded before climbing into his Audi.

Rachel and Ryan returned to the kitchen, where only Battler and Bruiser were left.

“Any luck finding out anything about the disappearances?” said Rachel.

“Not yet, we haven’t had chance,” replied Battler. “We’ll let you know as soon as we turn anything up.”

“Sorry, we have been taking up all your time,” she said.

“Like I said before, anything for you and your family.”

After arranging to meet up with Ryan and Rachel for dinner one evening the brothers left too.

“Alone at last,” said Rachel, enjoying the peace and quiet. She slid her arms around Ryan’s waist and gave him a mischievous smile. “Do you know what I’d really love to do now?”

“I can guess,” he smiled, pressing himself against her.

“Get back on my beautiful new bike and go out for a nice long run until it’s time to pick the kids up.”

“Oh, okay,” he said, trying not to sound disappointed as she took his hand and led him to the door. On the bright side, at least he’d get to look at her backside again.

CHAPTER 29

“Mum,” screeched a voice. “Tell him to give me my Minecraft toy back.”

Beth sighed and spun on the office chair set up before her laptop in the living room to see her boys fighting over a plastic toy, Holly looking on with her thumb stuck in her mouth.

“Archie, give that back to Alfie right now. That’s his toy,” said Beth.

“It’s not, it’s mine,” pouted Archie.

“It’s his and you know it. Please don’t start Archie, Mummy’s really tired,” said Beth, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You’re always tired,” he yelled, throwing the plastic toy against a wall where it broke into three pieces. Then he ran upstairs.

The look on Alfie’s face was heartbreaking as he stared at the mangled remains of his favourite toy, doing his best not to cry, his eyes shiny with tears.

“It’s okay sweetie, I’ll buy you a new one,” sad Beth, getting up out of her chair to give him a hug.

“Okay,” he replied in a small, choked voice.

Beth wiped away the single tear that had managed to escape. “My big brave boy,” she said. Alfie considered himself to be the man of the house now, looking out for not only his mum but his younger brother and sister too, the traumatic past having turned him into a quiet, serious nine year old.

Beth held an arm out to Holly, who watched them with big worried eyes, frantically sucking on her thumb. She rushed to her and threw her little arms around her mum’s neck. Beth hugged both her children to her, stroking their hair until they’d calmed down.

“Alfie sweetheart, will you watch your sister while I check on Archie?”

“Okay Mum.”

She kissed him. “That’s my boy. You can put on the X-Box if you want.”

“Yes,” he grinned, seating Holly in front of the television before putting on a game, his eagerness making his sister giggle.

Beth drank in the sounds of normality from below as she tramped upstairs to Archie’s room. It turned out he wasn’t as resilient as his brother and sister. Whereas they were coping with what they’d endured at their father’s hands, Archie was an angry ball of nerves and temper who threw horrible tantrums when he didn’t get his own way. He hadn’t resorted to hitting yet but she knew it was only a matter of time. He was only seven.

“Archie?” she said, pushing the door open.

He was lying face down on his bed, knees tucked under him, arms wrapped around his head.

“Oh baby,” she said, sitting beside him and stroking his back, her eyes filling with tears. Alex had done this to him. Archie had seen and heard more than Alfie, who’d snuck out of the warehouse where they’d been held prisoner to get help. Archie had been left to listen to Alex beating and stabbing his Auntie Rachel. He’d also seen him try to rape her. Unlike Holly he was at an age where all those memories would stay with him for life. Her middle child had been hit hardest by events and had gone from being a happy little boy who liked playing football and computer games to a sullen, hate-filled child with an interest in nothing except winding everyone up. She’d started taking him to a child psychologist but Beth couldn’t tell her the whole story. All she’d said was that her dead husband had been violent and Archie had witnessed some of his savage attacks. The psychologist did her best with him but he wasn’t interested in getting help, responding to all her gentle questions with grunts and Beth was afraid for him.

“Archie sweetheart, look at me,” she gently urged when he refused to acknowledge her presence, his face buried in the bedclothes. “Please baby.”

Finally he turned his tear-stained face to her. “I’m not a baby.”

“I know. Sorry,” she said, stroking his hair.

“Are you going to shout at me for breaking Alfie’s toy?”

“No, but I do want to ask why you did it.”

He shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“Were you angry with Alfie?”

He nodded.

“Why?”

“I wanted to play with his toy and he said no.”

“It’s Alfie’s toy. If he said no then you should have accepted that, you’ve got plenty of toys of your own.”

“I wanted that one.”

“We can’t always have everything we want.”

Archie pushed himself up to a sitting position, scowling. “Dad always takes what he wants. He wanted Auntie Rachel and he tried to take her.”

Beth’s mouth fell open. “Archie, what your dad did was very wrong. You do understand that, don’t you?”

He shrugged again.

“Listen to me. No one has the right to take something that isn’t theirs or to force someone to do something they don’t want to do, no matter who they are. He hurt Auntie Rachel a lot and he scared her. What he did was…it was evil. People shouldn’t do that to each other.”

“He did it because she’s a fucking bitch.”

“Archie,” she exclaimed. “Do not use language like that.”

“That’s what he calls her. Why can he say it but I can’t?”

The way he always spoke about Alex in the present tense freaked her out. Both she and the psychologist had explained that his dad was dead and gone but she wasn’t sure how well he understood. “He shouldn’t have said it, it was very naughty. Archie, you have to understand your dad wasn’t well. He wasn’t in his right mind.”

His handsome face screwed itself up with rage. “You think he’s mad. That stupid woman you make me see every week thinks I’m mad.”

“No one thinks you’re mad Archie. You’ve been through a lot and we want to help you, that’s all.”

“I’m fine. Why can’t everyone leave me alone?”

“You’re not fine, you need help…”

“I said leave me alone you stupid cow,” he yelled in her face, drawing back his fist.

“Archie,” she cried, holding her hands out before her.

The boy caught himself at the last moment and mashed his fist against his forehead instead.

“Stop it baby, please,” she said, grabbing his hands. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

“I’m scared Mum,” he sobbed. “The bad things in my head won’t go away.”

She pulled him into her arms and rocked him. “It’s okay, Mummy’s here. I won’t let them hurt you sweetie.”

Beth held him as he cried in her arms, kissing his dark Maguire hair. They were up there so long that Alfie popped his head round the door to make sure everything was okay. When he saw how upset his brother was he quietly closed the door and retreated back downstairs, deciding it best to leave his mother to it.

Eventually Archie cried himself to sleep and Beth tucked him into bed, still fully clothed.

“We’ll make the bad things go away, together,” she said, planting a kiss on his forehead before tiptoeing out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar so she could hear him if he needed her.

Alfie was still playing his computer games when she returned downstairs, Holly fast asleep on the couch.

“Thanks for looking after her,” Beth told her eldest son as she slumped into a chair, drained.

He switched off his game and turned to face her, all seriousness. “Is Archie okay?”

“He’s fine sweetie.”

“No he’s not. He’s angry and mean and he hit me.”

“When?”

“Yesterday. He punched me on the arm because I beat him at Skylanders.”

“Has he ever hit you before?”

“No.”

“What did you do?”

“I wanted to hit him back,” he said, looking ashamed. “But I didn’t because I know he’s upset about what Dad did.”

“You did the right thing sweetheart. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You’ve enough to worry about.”

A lump formed in her throat at the force of her love for this little man. “You know Alfie, I’m so proud of you I could burst.”

“Thanks Mum,” he smiled coyly.

“We’re going to have to be really strong to help your brother. He’s not being mean on purpose, he’s just got a lot of stuff in his head that he doesn’t know how to deal with. We must be patient with him, but that’s no excuse for him hitting you. If he does it again you must tell me.”

“Okay.”

“Me and you against the world, eh?”

“Yeah Mum, always.”

Beth rubbed at her eyes, groaning inwardly when she remembered she had eye make-up on.

Alfie giggled. “You look like a panda.”

“Thanks,” she said wryly. “Come on, off to bed. It’s late and you’ve got school in the morning.”

Alfie got to his feet and kissed her on the cheek. “Night Mum.”

“Night sweetheart. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

After Alfie went up Beth carried Holly upstairs and put her down to sleep. The little girl was so tired she didn’t even stir.

Before returning downstairs Beth popped her head round Archie’s door and was relieved to see he was still out for the count. She watched him sleep for a few minutes, her stomach churning with anxiety, wishing there was someone else to share this burden with her. She couldn’t really confide in her parents, they’d just say it was her own fault for marrying Alex in the first place. They’d been dead set against the marriage from the start. Rachel was in Devon and there was no other adult in the house. She wished Nick was still alive, she was sure he’d know what to do. Even if he didn’t at least he’d be there to support her.

Beth went into the kitchen and poured herself a large glass of white wine.

Nick. She had no mementos of their time together, no photographs, letters, e-mails, nothing. He hadn’t even bought her a present because they’d both been so terrified of Alex finding evidence of their affair. All she had of him were the memories stored in her head and even they were starting to fade, his face blurring, the timbre of his voice changing. One day she’d wake up and be left with only the vague impression of someone she’d once loved and it broke her heart. Sometimes she even missed Alex, the Alex she married who’d loved her and doted on their kids, before he became obsessed with the Slovakian slapper. Beth took a gulp of wine and stared miserably into the glass. Rachel had told her Katia had given birth to twins - Alex and Daniel Maguire. How fucking creepy. The boys were back. A chill ran down her spine, which she decided to deaden with more wine. It was tempting to slide into a bottle and blot everything out with alcohol. She might have done if it hadn’t been for the kids, they were the only things keeping her sober. When had her life become so fucked-up? That was an easy question to answer - it was the day she’d met Alex Maguire.

Her dead husband’s smiling face flashed in her mind, his gentle touch, his loving kisses and a loud sob escaped her throat. She clamped a hand down over her mouth in case she woke the kids. The house they were living in now was new, she’d sold their old one because Alex was everywhere and she couldn’t bear it. Even here sometimes she swore she felt him occasionally, but it was nice - his lips on her forehead just as she was on the verge of falling asleep, his hand touching her hair. Once when she was getting dressed she’d thought she’d heard him calling up to her from downstairs, telling her he was home, like he used to when he gave a shit about her. Maybe she was going mad? How could she miss him anyway? He was an evil bastard who’d tried to rape and kill her best friend. But it was like there were two Alex’s. She still loved the one he was and hated the one he became.

Wearily she tramped back into the living room, glass of wine in one hand and the bottle in the other. Sod it, she’d get pissed tonight and get the nanny to drop the boys off at school in the morning.

As she sat back down at the computer she noticed she had a new e-mail. Opening it up she was delighted to see it was from Riley.

Hello Beth

Good to hear from you and yes I’m fine. Hope you and the kids are well. Would love to be friends. Please keep in touch because your e-mails are the only thing that make me smile out here. It’s hot, sandy and miserable.

Miss you too.

Riley.

Beth grinned from ear to ear. He was fine and he was still willing to talk to her, which was much more than she deserved.

After tipping the glass of wine down the sink and replacing the bottle in the fridge she returned to the computer and tapped out a reply with a smile on her face.