Harkett's Haven (25 page)

‘No!’ She pushed him from her and sat up, finding her voice.

‘Didn’t the way I left you tell you anything Tom?’

The look of shock on his face gave her strength to continue.

‘I left you the way I did because I didn’
t want to be with you. Leaving you like I did was the only way I could tell you how I felt. I was.....I was scared of you.’

He stood up and paced to the window, his anger obvious in every movement of his perfect body.

Rachel considered making a run for the door but knew that she wouldn’t be able to outpace him.

‘How can you say that I scared you?
How?’ The anger in his voice was sharp and cutting.

‘I would have given you anything, everything. You were my world Rachel. You still are.’

She stood up and took a quiet step towards the door. Tom still faced the window.

‘You raped me Tom.’

He turned as fast as a snake.

‘What?’ he exploded.

Rachel took another step back towards the door.

Her voice came out as a barely audible
whisper.
< [spe widt/span>

‘You heard me Tom.’

‘Never. Never did I rape you Rachel.’ He took a step towards her, noticing the few steps that she had taken towards the door and closing the gap.

‘That night.....a few weeks before we were to be married....that charity dinner
..’

A fleeting look of recognition and a brief glance at the floor betrayed his denial.

‘You flirted with that man all night. In front of me. I....I....couldn’t stand it Rachel.’

Anger now bubbled to the surface
, replacing the fear she had felt.

‘So you dragged me home, threw my birth control pills away and....and raped me. Why? To assert your control of me, to ...to.....’

‘I felt so angry I could have killed that man. I watched him watch you. I saw the way he wanted you, touched you. I...I maybe shouldn’t have been so ......rough with you but...rape?’

Fury exploded in her.

‘Rough? Rough? You ripped my clothes from me! You forced yourself on me and there was nothing of love in that act. It was possession. That’s all it bloody well was. Possession!’

His face was straight and serious and he continued to step towards her, a slow game of emotional chess.

She took another step back.

‘I felt suffocated. You removed the air that I breathed. You had me watched, monitored, followed. I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything without you knowing. I had no privacy, no room to breathe.’

She paused, the memory of her previous life making her feel claustrophobic. The walls of the house seemed to close in on her.

‘I want you to leave here Tom. Leave me and let me get on with my life. Please.’ She begged him and she felt dismay at the fear she heard in her voice.

‘I had you watched and followed by some of the best bodyguards in the world because I love you. You don’t have my wealth without making some enemies along that way and I couldn’t bear anything happening to you.’

He took another step forward.

‘I want to marry you. To have children with you. It’s always been you Rachel.’

Rachel slowly reached out behind her, trying to feel for the door handle that she knew couldn’t be far away now
.

She turned fast, deciding to make a break for the door, to try to get help from Agnes.

Her hand touched the cold metal of the door handle and turned it.

His hand enclosed hers and she stopped.

‘Now Rachel. I don’t think that’s a good idea.’

She pulled her hand from his, his body close to hers, his breath on her neck. Without turning, she pleaded,

‘Please Tom. It’s over. We have to move on with our lives.’

He took her shoulder and spun her to f [sputo move onace him. H
is face was like granite, implacable and resolute.

‘You will grow to love me Rachel. I made a mistake.
One stupid mistake. You can’t throw away what we had because of that.’

She turned her face from him, unable to hold his gaze.
She could smell his expensive aftershave, see the flecks of steel in his blue eyes, feel the strength of his body so close to hers.

‘I was only happy with you for the
briefest of times. I can’t live your life.’ Her heart was beating wildly. She felt like a trapped animal.

‘
We can make it work Rachel.’ He paused and lifted her head to look into her eyes. ‘I will make it work for both of us.’

Summoning all her strength she pushed past him and turned on him.

‘No! ......I’ve....I’ve met someone else Tom..... I love him.’

He leaned back against the door and laughed. His eyes crinkled at the corner
s but his laugh was cold and mocking.

‘
Ahh yes. Doctor Eric Harkett.’ He stopped laughing. ‘You’ve only just met him Rachel. You did a brave thing. You rescued his daughter. He’s grateful. You’re lonely. But it stops here.’

‘You’re treating me like a child. Please give me the courtesy of speaking to me as the adult I am.’

He sighed and smiled.

‘If you acted like an adult Rachel, I would treat you as one.’

He stood up straight.

‘I’ve had enough of this conversation Rachel. I want you to pack your bags and come with me. My car’s waiting for us.’

Rachel backed up against the glass at the far side of the room from him. She felt terrified. The hardness in his voice was unmistakeable and she could tell that his anger was only just contained. He had got to the business part if the conversation. She had to play the only card she had left.

‘I’m going nowhere Tom. Eric’s asked me to marry him and I’ve said yes
.’

He strode towards her, taking her by the arms.

‘Since you left I’ve not touched another woman. I never gave up hope of finding you and I’m not letting you leave me for some...some flight of fancy....for a man you hardly know. I’m doing this for your own good Rachel. Fuck packing your bags. You’ll thank me when you’ve calmed down enough to see what a mistake you were about to make.’

He lifted her effortlessly over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift and she yelled in shock.

There was a sharp knock at the door.

‘Rachel? Are you OK?’ It was Agnes. She must have heard her shout.

Tom quickly put Rachel back to the floor and held her tight. He pulled her close and whispered urgently in her ear.

‘I have a lady on standby, someone you might know. If yo [t k urgenu don’t do as I ask, I will simply place a call to her and she in turn will accuse your Doctor
Harkett of every unspeakable act she can think of. His reputation will be in tatters by the time she’s finished with him. His daughter will never look at him in the same way again and he’ll have no career left to pick up once he’s been dragged through the courts.’

He brushed her hair from her face and she flinched from his touch.

‘Think about it Rachel....think about it...’

He pushed her hair off her face again and she let him touch her this time
.

‘That’s better.’ He smiled, ‘Now go and tell Agnes that we’re fine and that we’ll be taking a walk along the beach.’

A black curtain of despair shrouded her mind and she could see no way out.

Gulping back a sob,
she made her way to the door and opened it.

‘Are you alright Rachel? I thought I heard a scream....’
Agnes was visibly concerned.

Rachel nodded weakly.

‘I’m well now Agnes, thanks for asking........Mr Sullivan and I will be taking a walk on the beach.’

Rachel noted that Agnes looked unconvinced by her protestations of wellbeing
. Rachel dropped her gaze and closed the door on her.

She could no longer think clearly. Tom’s threat to ruin Eric left her with no option but to leave
Esme and Eric behind and do as Tom wished. She felt numb. She had convinced herself that things would work out with Eric. She had been so desperate to believe that it would be alright that she had put her worries about Tom to the back of her mind. Underestimated him.

Tom closed his arms around her, watching the last of her fighting spirit crumble.
He ran his hands up her back and pulled her close to him. She laid her head on his chest and let her tears roll silently down her cheeks.

‘Everything’s going to be good Rachel.
You’ll see.’

He took her hand and led her through the door, out of the house and into the chauffer driven car.

The sun had gone, dark storm clouds gathering above them.

‘To the airport.’
Tom commanded the chauffer as he opened the door for them. She sat in the back of the car, heart broken and hopes dashed. Tom pulled her close and put his arm around her, stroking her shoulder absently.

‘
I never want to hear that man’s name again Rachel. I’ll not let you go again.’

12

T
hey travelled in silence for a time. Slow drops of rain fell on the car tapping their intermittent beat, quickening to a drum roll and then building to a cacophony of sound. A fork of lightening cut through the dark sky m ^t k ubeaaking Rachel jump and cry out.

Tom’
s irritation sparked from him. He spoke to the chauffer through the intercom.

‘Call the airport and check what the situation is
.’

Rachel held her breath, not believing that he was about to fl
y her out of the country so fast.  It made sense of course. From Tom’s point of view he would want to get her on to his home territory as quickly as possible. Rachel had been too shocked to think straight but now her mind raced trying to work out how to get away from Tom.

A
s they waited for the answer Tom’s long fingers tapped impatiently on his leg.

‘Where are you taking me Tom?’

‘Until I get you on that plane I’m not going to tell you anything Rachel. Just sit back and enjoy the journey.’

He was distracted, watching the deteriorating we
ather conditions.

And then suddenly his attention was on her.

‘You are even more beautiful than I remember.’

Rachel turned her head angrily from him, fixing her gaze on the blur of lights that the car passed as it cut its way through the countryside.

‘You can’t do this Tom. It’s kidnap. You’ll be locked up for this. Eric knows about our past. He’ll call the police.’

He laughed.

‘No Rachel. No. You don’t understand how it works do you? If you really care for this man, this man you profess to love, you’ll do exactly as I ask. It’s quite simple really. I can arrange for his world to come crashing down and although I would happily make that call here and now ..... well, I’m not completely heartless. His daughter’s lost her mother. I wouldn’t like her lose her father too. I think it would be better all round if you just do as I ask. Don’t you? And as for Doctor Harket calling the police. Well his ex is with him at the moment telling him how you’ve left willingly with me. That he’s lost you and of course, she’ll be there to comfort him in his hour of need. And if he doesn’t accept that, then I have the back up of a threat against his daughter which expires only after 48 hours.’

He smiled aga
in at her and despite his heart stopping good looks, Rachel could feel only fear and loathing.