Tangled Lives

by Stephanie Harte

  Dad glanced over at me, so I went to stand next to him. I looked out at the incredible view, struggling to understand what had caused my wife to behave like this. I knew she hated Alfie being back in our lives, but I didn’t for one minute think that she would do something as extreme as this. Why hadn’t she confided in me? She obviously didn’t trust me. The thought of that left a bad taste in my mouth like I’d been sucking on a sweet made of battery acid.

  ‘Are you OK?’ Dad asked, squeezing the top of my shoulder.

  I turned to face him. Overwhelmed by the amount of stress I was under, I felt my face twist in agony, mirroring what was going on inside my body. ‘I feel like somebody’s just punched me in the gut. I can’t make sense of the situation; it’s too confusing to try to sort through.’

  Dad didn’t reply, but he slapped the top of my arm to show his support.

  ‘This is all my fault. If I’d known Gemma was that worried about being in London, I would have brought her and Luca home. Anything would be better than this.’

  ‘You can’t blame yourself, Nathan. You weren’t to know this would happen.’

  I clasped my fingers behind my head and fought to hold back the tears that were threatening to make an appearance. The thought of being separated from my wife and child was more than I could bear. They meant everything to me. Growing up without my father had left me with a fear of rejection and abandonment. I didn’t want to go through that experience again. Gemma’s departure had floored me.

  Guilt gnawed away at me. Why hadn’t I taken Gemma’s concerns more seriously? She was terrified that Alfie was going to harm Luca. I’d seen how edgy she’d become. It was impossible not to notice her uneasiness, but I’d chosen to ignore it. I was convinced Alfie was just throwing his weight around. I didn’t think for one minute he’d hurt our son, but he needed me to work for him while his guys were doing time. Even if we could have given him back the money we took from the yacht, he wouldn’t have wanted it. It wasn’t about the money; Alfie wanted to control us.

  I knew I’d been selfish insisting that we go back to England, but I was so desperate to meet my dad after all the years we’d spent apart. I’d put my own needs before that of my wife and child. Their happiness was just as important as mine. If I hadn’t insisted on going back to London, we wouldn’t have bumped into the Watsons again.

  I hated to admit it, but my selfish streak ran deep. My behaviour stemmed from being an only child. I was used to getting my own way and wasn’t good at compromising. I’d taken Gemma for granted again, and this time she wasn’t prepared to put up with it. I promised myself I wouldn’t stop until I found her. I didn’t want to consider the possibility that I’d pushed her back into Alfie’s arms. That was too painful to contemplate. But I needed to know the truth for my peace of mind. I had so many unresolved questions.

  ‘I know I haven’t been there for you in the past, but I want you to know you can rely on me now. I’ve got your back,’ Dad said.

  I smiled to acknowledge my dad’s words of support, but I remained quiet. There was a huge lump in my throat, preventing me from answering. Gemma’s leaving could easily send me into a downward spiral.

  ‘Don’t worry, Nathan, we’ll find them.’

  I ran my fingers through my hair before letting out a loud sigh. ‘I’ve been trying to work out where Gemma might have gone, but I haven’t got a clue.’

  ‘She can’t have got very far without the car,’ Dad pointed out.

  I turned away from the windows and faced my dad. I’d been considering what to do when his comment gave me an idea. ‘The underground car park has CCTV cameras. I think I’ll go down and talk to security and see if they’ll let me have a look at the recent footage.’

  ‘That’s a good idea. It’s got to be worth a try,’ Dad agreed.

  *

  I walked into the foyer on the ground floor of the building and caught the two overweight guards having a snooze behind the front desk. Why would the management company employ people like that? There was no way they would be able to catch someone who was up to no good, so they were paying them to do nothing. Unless sleeping on the job was one of their duties. I cleared my throat to get their attention before explaining that my wife and son had disappeared. At first, I asked for their help, but they were reluctant to trawl back over the tapes as it would have interfered with their siesta.

  Thinking on my feet, I added that I was worried my wife and baby had been kidnapped by a stalker. I told the men my wife had noticed somebody following her a few days ago. I wanted to see if the footage held any clues to their whereabouts before I contacted the police. When one of the guards stood up and stretched, the buttons on the front of his shirt only just managed not to pop open as the fabric gaped widely.

  The men had a phobia of work, so I was going to have to make this easy for them if I wanted their co-operation. ‘I’m not asking you to go through the tapes – I appreciate that’s very time-consuming. Would it be possible for me to look over them instead?’

  The guard who was still seated ran his fingers down each side of his thick black moustache before he glanced up at his colleague. ‘What do you think, Miguel?’

  The standing guard folded his arms across his enormous stomach and then shook his head. ‘Not possible,’ he replied in a thick Spanish accent.

  Tensing my jaw, I leant over the counter. ‘I tell you what, I won’t report you for being asleep when you’re meant to be working if you let me see the footage.’

  Dad put his hand in the pocket of his jeans and produced two twenty-euro notes. The sight of the money persuaded the men to give me access to the recordings. Dad and I began scanning through the frames. I soon noticed two black Mercedes parked adjacent to my Jeep. Neither of the cars were in the car park now. When I looked further back, I found the camera had captured pictures of the cars when they entered the car park in convoy. I scrutinised the next images. They showed the occupants getting out of the blacked-out cars. Cold sweat began seeping from my pores when I saw the clear pictures of Alfie, Jethro and Knuckles.

  I’d told the guards I thought Gemma and Luca had been kidnapped to appeal to their better nature and encourage the men to help me. I didn’t think they had been kidnapped until I saw the Watsons had visited the building. When I scanned more of the footage, my worst nightmare was confirmed. Gemma and Luca left the apartment block yesterday in Alfie’s Mercedes.

  My chest tightened when I saw my wife and child getting into the car, and a feeling of regret washed over me. I had let them both down, and now Alfie was holding the two people I loved most in the world. All I could think about was getting them back.

  I blew out a breath then began pacing towards the lift. While I waited for Dad to catch me up, I impatiently pressed the up arrow multiple times. ‘Where do you think Alfie has taken them?’

  Dad paused for a moment. ‘My guess would be Darkwood Manor. The place is like a fortress.’

  Dad and I didn’t waste time mulling over our options. I grabbed the car keys from the grey granite worktop, and we took the lift back down to the car park. Leaving the Jeep in its parking space, Dad and I got into the Mondeo. Only hours after arriving, we were travelling back to Santander and would take the first available ferry to Portsmouth. Now we knew Alfie was holding Gemma and Luca, we didn’t have a moment to lose.

  73

  Gemma

  I still couldn’t work out how Alfie knew I’d gone. If he’d been watching Gareth’s house, I wouldn’t have made it this far. My curiosity got the better of me, so I asked him the question.

  ‘How did you know I’d left England?’ I tore my eyes away from the cotton wool clouds that were rolling past the window and looked him in the eye.

  Alfie laughed. ‘I wouldn’t have done if Nathan hadn’t unintentionally raised the alarm. He turned up at Darkwood Manor in a right state looking for you. For some reason, he thought I’d kidnapped you. What a terrible thing to accuse me of,’ he replied.

  My heart sank; I
shouldn’t have put Nathan through that; it was cruel. If I’d done the decent thing and told my husband I was leaving, he wouldn’t have gone to Jethro’s house looking for me. My plan had backfired in spectacular fashion, and I’d inadvertently tipped Alfie off to my disappearance.

  ‘Poor Nathan was beside himself with worry when he turned up at my dad’s house.’ A huge smile spread across Alfie’s face. ‘He’d got it into his head that I’d broken into Gareth’s dump of a place and spirited you away in the middle of the night without anybody noticing. It was almost impossible to convince him that your disappearance had nothing to do with me. He seemed to find it difficult to accept that his wife had left him for no apparent reason. But you have got a reason, haven’t you, Gemma? A very good reason, in fact.’ Alfie flashed me a bright white smile.

  Alfie had me over a barrel, and he knew it. He was going to milk the situation for all it was worth. The walls on the private plane appeared to be closing in on me. I suddenly felt lightheaded as I broke eye contact with Alfie and stared into space. The pulse began pounding in my temples. I had to hold it together, but I could feel myself beginning to lose the battle.

  I’d thought running away was the answer, but I hadn’t got very far. Alfie had eyes and ears everywhere. He was a dangerous man and a respected figure in the underworld. It was stupid of me to think I could disappear without a trace. If I had managed to get away, I’d have spent the rest of my days living in fear.

  74

  Nathan

  When the people-tracing service found my dad, I’d decided it was the perfect time to return to the UK. Gemma had made it clear she didn’t want to go, but I brushed her concerns to one side and forged ahead with my plan to leave Spain. If I’d known at the time Alfie wasn’t behind bars, I would have taken her protest more seriously.

  I’d waited years to make contact with my dad and Gemma made no secret of the fact that she was missing my mum. I knew my wife was struggling with the demands of motherhood, and in a bid to support her, I thought if we went back to England, my mum would be able to help her with the baby. Even though, at the time, I hadn’t felt ready to make peace with my mum, there was no reason for Gemma not to see her.

  If something had happened to Gemma and Luca, I would never forgive myself. I should have protected them from Alfie. I knew more than anyone what a maniac the man was. When I’d first got involved with him, I’d been blissfully unaware of the feud that existed between our families. It had been bubbling under the surface for years. The Watsons had been waiting for an opportunity to stir up trouble again. When I’d borrowed the money from Alfie, I’d kick-started the grudge and became involved in the feud myself.

  Jethro and Alfie both wanted revenge on my family. Both the men felt they had scores to settle. There were more twists and turns to the story than a country lane. Jethro despised my dad because he blamed him for his brother’s death and Alfie credits my mum for splitting up their family, even though she had nothing to do with it. It wasn’t my mum’s fault that Jethro and Nora had a miserable marriage. If Alfie wanted to accuse anyone, the finger pointed firmly at Jethro. But they would never hold one of their own accountable. They were professional blame-shifters.

  When all of this started, both of my parents were completely innocent of any wrongdoing, but that didn’t stop the Watsons holding a vendetta against them. There was no escape from the bitter legacy. The war between our families had already spanned generations, and there was no sign of the conflict being resolved any time soon. The bitterness continued to fester, and it had the potential to impact generations to come. By taking my wife and son, it was another way for the Watsons to make my family suffer.

  I’d always known Alfie was pure evil, but I didn’t have any real knowledge of Jethro. That was before Dad enlightened me. The whole family were responsible for making our lives a misery, and now that I had my dad by my side, I wasn’t sure I was prepared to turn a blind eye to that. We had all been made to suffer at their hands. I had a growing urge to get back at them, but I’d have to try not to give in to temptation. It would be better to practise moving on than staying trapped in the past. I knew I shouldn’t waste time planning how to get even with the Watsons, but I couldn’t seem to get the thought out of my head.

  I’d have plenty of time to do some much-needed soul-searching on the long journey back to England. Grudges hurt everyone involved. Dwelling on what had happened wasn’t a healthy thing to do. It was destructive and didn’t change anything, but when somebody wronged you, the desire to get even was a natural reaction. Even if Alfie didn’t harm Gemma and Luca, I would want to get him back for putting me through this nightmare.

  I knew that thought was toxic. At this rate, the scores would never be settled. Holding on to a grudge was draining. It was time-consuming and counterproductive to carry around hatred. If I had any sense, I’d banish it and move on with my life, but Jethro and Alfie were never going to let that happen. Forgiveness wasn’t a word either of those men understood.

  75

  Gemma

  ‘Did you think I was going to let you walk away from me?’ Alfie’s laugh echoed around the room.

  Alfie was not going to let me take his baby without a fight. He was determined to be part of Luca’s life whether I liked it or not. Even though I was no pushover, I knew I was no match for him, and without Nathan by my side, I was at my most vulnerable. Alfie was the type of man who was going to use this situation to his advantage.

  I’d weathered life’s storms before, and managed to come out the other side. I had to find the strength to do it again, but my resolve seemed to have disappeared overnight, and I knew I was a shadow of my former self. Right now, I had to be brave in the face of adversity. Otherwise, my weakness would be my downfall.

  ‘I’m disappointed that you didn’t keep your side of the bargain. I underestimated you. I didn’t think you’d have the guts to double-cross me again.’ Alfie got to his feet and walked across the room with a self-assured swagger. He pulled back the sleeve of his suit and checked the time on his Rolex. ‘It’s getting late.’

  ‘Is Knuckles going to drive me home?’

  Alfie laughed. ‘No, you’re staying here tonight.’

  I let out an involuntary groan, which brought a smile to Alfie’s face.

  ‘I’ll show you to your room; you need to get some sleep.’

  As if that was going to happen. Knowing there was a psychotic gun-toting lunatic under the same roof, I’d be too stressed out to close my eyes. I’d be tossing and turning all night. I didn’t want to stay at Darkwood Manor, but there was no point arguing about it, so I stooped down and picked up Luca’s carrycot.

  ‘Allow me,’ Alfie said as he went to relieve me of the burden.

  ‘It’s fine. I can manage.’ I forced out a fake smile. Luca’s basket wasn’t heavy, but it was awkward to carry. Even so, I wasn’t about to let Alfie get his hands on my son.

  Alfie shook his head, then rolled his eyes at me. I dutifully followed him across the marble floor of the hallway and up the grand sweeping staircase. My shoes sank into the deep pile of the pale grey carpet as we walked along the landing. Alfie opened the door to the vast bedroom with the dressing room and en-suite bathroom I’d used before to feed Luca in. It was one of the guest suites.

  ‘I’m assuming I can trust you to do what I’ve asked this time. You’re not going to attempt another moonlight flit, are you?’

  Alfie’s question was met with silence. I broke eye contact with him when his stare became too intense and walked over to the enormous circular bed covered in lilac silk bedding and scatter cushions. When I turned around to face him, a slow smile spread across his handsome face.

  ‘In that case, we’d better keep hold of the baby, so we can ensure you don’t do another disappearing act.’

  My grip tightened on the handle of the Moses basket, as a mixture of fury and fear flooded my body. I looked up and glared at Alfie when he swaggered across the room and took the carrycot contain
ing my sleeping baby out of my hands. ‘Where are you taking Luca?’ I kept my eyes on Alfie because I didn’t trust him.

  ‘We’re not taking him anywhere. Knuckles is going to watch him while you get some rest. Don’t worry, Gemma, he’ll be perfectly safe. He’s in good hands. Knuckles loves babies.’

  The idea of this enormous ogre-like man liking babies was so alien. He looked like he ate small children for breakfast. I wanted to banish that thought from my brain as soon as it appeared. Now I was being ridiculous, thinking Knuckles might have cannibalistic tendencies. But that’s what my irrational mind did when I was scared. It took my thoughts and rather than come up with a logical explanation, it twisted them into something that ended up terrifying me even more. Instead of listening to the voice inside my head, for once, I decided to ignore it.

  Alfie took a set of handcuffs out of his jacket pocket and went to place them on my wrists.

  ‘Do you think that’s necessary?’ I asked. I was horrified that he’d go to such lengths.

  Alfie smirked. ‘I’m not sure I can trust you, Gemma, given your track record.’

  ‘You don’t need to lock me up. I promise I won’t try to escape.’

  Alfie considered my answer for a moment.

  ‘I’m not going to go anywhere while you’re holding Luca, am I?’

  I didn’t want to see my baby come to any harm. Tempting as it was to say that, I kept the thought to myself. The slightest thing could antagonise Alfie. He was fully aware of the effect his verbal intimidation was having on me. He could see from the look on my face, I was terrified of what might happen if I disobeyed him. The feeling of his threat hanging over me was enough to curb my desire to run. Alfie was prepared to go to any lengths to ensure I didn’t try to leave, even holding his son hostage.

  Alfie put the handcuffs back in his pocket. ‘Now take these – they’ll help you sleep.’ Alfie took a pot of pills out of the other pocket of his suit jacket. He opened the lid and shook two tablets into the palm of his hand before offering them to me.