Rival

by Jacqui Rose

  ‘Fine, have it your way,’ he said, nodding as he looked up at her with his warm brown eyes.

  ‘I always do, Carter, I always do.’

  Without saying another word, Carter leant up and kissed Franny so softly on her lips it felt electric. He pushed her back on the bed and she could feel his hard body against hers as he gently caressed her, undoing her shirt. Then he bent over her and carefully took off the rest of her clothes.

  He smiled, not saying anything as he took off his jeans and shirt, watching her as she closed her eyes. In the silence of the bedroom save the sound of the distant traffic, Carter kissed her again as he pressed his naked body against hers.

  ‘Are you all right?’ he suddenly said as he saw a tear running down her cheek.

  She opened her eyes to look at him and smiled. ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘Franny …’

  But she shook her head and put her finger over his mouth. ‘Shush, don’t talk, Carter.’

  ‘But—’

  She touched his face. ‘Don’t worry about me. Strangers, remember?’

  He sighed, leaning his head down onto her shoulder. ‘Okay. If it’s really what you want.’

  She smiled again, stroking the back of his head as she whispered her words. ‘It is, it’s what I need right now.’

  He pulled himself up slightly and smiled back though it held a slight trace of sadness. ‘You really are different to anyone I’ve ever known.’

  ‘I’m going to take that as a compliment.’

  Without saying anything else, Carter pushed her long chestnut hair behind her ears.

  ‘Kiss me,’ Franny said.

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Yeah, I’d like that …’

  And as Carter kissed Franny again, his strong, muscular body hard on top of hers, she closed her eyes, trying to shut Alfie out of her head at the same time as wishing it was him and not Carter she was with …

  Back at the bar in Covent Garden, Alfie had his head in his hands. Having been unable to convince himself that Carter had gone round to Franny’s house purely for a coffee, he’d decided that getting wasted was as good a policy as any; it was a way of making him not think. Something over the past year he’d got particularly good at. So he’d resorted to another few fat lines of cocaine as well as several more shots of whiskey.

  ‘Alf? Alf, I need a word.’

  With his head pounding, and the room spinning, Alfie looked up at Rachel in a blur. ‘Listen, Rach, I’m sorry okay, I shouldn’t have—’

  ‘It ain’t nothing to do with that,’ Rachel said, interrupting. ‘I want you to meet someone.’ A young girl stood next to Rachel. ‘This is Sasha, Alfie. She was a good friend of my sister Louise. She’s got some information you might be interested in. It’s about Franny. She knows her and she thinks she might be in danger.’

  46

  In shock, Vaughn paced up and down outside the Aldwych Theatre in Drury Lane. He pointed his finger at Tia, his face and his voice full of rage. ‘This is like The Twilight Zone. How much more fucking news can one man take in a night? You see, this shit happens to people like Alfie, not people like me. Other people have daughters they don’t know about.’

  Having tried to calm him down for the past half hour, Tia spoke quietly. ‘I’m so sorry. I wasn’t ever going to tell you.’

  He stopped in his tracks and spun around to look at her. ‘You see, that’s what makes it worse. You were happy not to tell me that I had a kid out there.’

  Tia shrugged. ‘Well, there was no need.’

  Vaughn opened his eyes even wider. ‘No need? No need for fucking who, Tia?’

  Getting irritated herself now, Tia barked back, ‘Stop the victim routine, Vaughn. You were the one who left me in the first place, remember? You walked out without even having the bottle to say goodbye, so when I found out I was pregnant, I was hardly going to start tracking you down, was I?’

  ‘So she’s sixteen? You’re saying she’s sixteen?’

  ‘Bleedin’ hell, Vaughn, I know how old she is,’ Tia snapped.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘What? Am I sure that my own daughter is sixteen? Don’t be stupid, of course I’m bloody sure.’

  ‘No, I don’t mean that. I mean, are you sure she’s mine?’

  Tia said nothing for a moment. She just stared at Vaughn as her eyes narrowed. ‘What did you say?’

  Vaughn shrugged. ‘Is she mine? I mean it’s a question I need to ask, ain’t it?’

  Tia pushed him hard, causing him to have to step back to keep his balance. ‘No! No! No, you don’t get to ask me that! How dare you! Who do you think you are?’

  ‘Oh come on, Tia, back then …’

  ‘Back then, what?’

  ‘Well you put it around a bit, didn’t you?’ Vaughn said but immediately he regretted speaking those words. Hearing them they sounded harsher, meaner than he’d intended but by the look on Tia’s face it was too late to take it back.

  ‘You bastard! You bastard! If you mean, did I get palmed out by Wan’s brother to lots of different men before I met you, yes I did. But if you mean was I loyal, faithful and totally head over heels in love with you from the start, yes I was. And if you need to tell yourself an excuse why you didn’t know, why you didn’t stick around, why you can’t possibly be the father, don’t bother cos we don’t need you and I won’t be asking for anything, so don’t worry about that, Vaughn. Now why don’t you just piss off and leave me alone.’

  Ashamed, Vaughn lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘Sweetheart, I never meant it like that.’

  Tia’s eyes blazed. ‘Yes, you did though. We both know it.’

  ‘I’m sorry, I’m a jerk. I’m lashing out, okay. I’m a prime arsehole.’

  ‘At least we agree on something.’ She turned to go but he ran in front of her, blocking her way.

  ‘Tia, please. I am sorry. Look, it’s just a shock. Tonight has been like someone’s taken me fucking balls and just hammered nails in them.’

  ‘Oh grow up,’ Tia said wearily. ‘I ain’t got time for this. Somehow I have to go back home to Harry, who so far doesn’t seem to know anything but that doesn’t mean he ain’t suspicious. Oh and if you want another nail in your balls, I forgot to tell you, Milly’s pregnant.’

  Vaughn fell silent. His head was spinning and just for a moment he suspected that this is what Alfie’s life felt like on a continual basis: a car crash. A life that seemed to be constantly out of control. A life that just had shit flying at you from all angles and that was even before he added Franny to the mix.

  Taking a deep breath, Vaughn frowned. ‘But she’s …’

  ‘Only sixteen? Is that what you were going to say?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, no of course not, I was just wondering where she was. I mean Harry ain’t said a lot about her, but he told me she was trouble.’

  Bitterly, Tia nodded. ‘And you believe that? She wasn’t trouble; she was always a good kid. The trouble was with Harry. That was the problem. She couldn’t stand the way he treated me. It cut her up to see Harry being handy with his fists and words.’

  Vaughn recoiled at the same time as instinctively clenching his fists. He felt like killing Harry but then, he’d always known what Harry was like and he’d chosen to turn a blind eye to it, just so he could save his neck. Though, ironically, it turned out that it was Tia who’d been saving his neck, which made him feel not only a coward but a right cunt too.

  ‘I can’t even say I didn’t know but I’m sorry,’ Vaughn said, genuinely remorseful.

  ‘The point is, Milly stayed out rather than coming back home. She stayed away from him cos he not only was a bastard to me but he was to Milly as well.’

  ‘But that’s his daughter … well …’ He trailed off again feeling uncomfortable at what he was hearing.

  ‘He knew she wasn’t. He’s always known. I was honest with him from the beginning. Okay I didn’t tell him it had anything to do with you, but he knew I was pregnant from the off. He just t
hought it was some random bloke’s … A bit like you did.’

  Vaughn squirmed. ‘I shouldn’t have said that.’

  ‘No, you shouldn’t. I thought he’d take her on as his own – that’s what he said anyway. It couldn’t have been further from the truth. So when he found out she was pregnant he just used it as an excuse to throw her out, but like Milly says, he was always going to throw her out.’

  ‘Who’s the father, I mean who’s the father of Milly’s baby?’

  Tia shrugged. ‘She’s never told me, and I ain’t pushing her, not after everything that’s happened. All I can do is be there for her … Anyway, now you know and now I’ve got to face Harry. So I’ll catch you later.’

  Once again she turned to go and once again Vaughn stopped her. ‘Wait! Tia, wait! We’ll face him together. Yeah? You and me, not that I’m saying there’s a you and me, not that I wouldn’t want there to be a you and me and … Oh fuck …’ He trailed off then added, ‘What do you say?’

  Tia just nodded.

  It turned four in the morning as they drove home in silence and Vaughn turned into the cobbled mews just off Harley Street. He pulled the Range Rover up outside Tia’s front door and turning off the engine he spoke to her quietly. ‘I’ll do the talking and if it gets nasty, then I want you to come back to the car. Understand?’

  ‘Are you sure? You know what Harry can be like.’

  ‘I do, but I know what I can be like as well.’

  Getting out of the car, Tia put her key in the front door and took a deep breath but as she turned the lock and pushed the door open, she screamed in horror. ‘Vaughn, quick! Help!’ There, lying in the pool of her own blood, was her sister.

  47

  Tia ran to her sister. In shock she knelt down, cradling Tammy’s head as blood seeped onto her hand. ‘Tammy? Tammy can you hear me?’

  There was no response and Tia turned to look at Vaughn who stood above her, his face drawn with worry. ‘She must have fallen. Is she still breathing?’

  Tia put her head against her sister’s chest and nodded. ‘Call an ambulance. Quick, call an ambulance!’ As Vaughn went to call, Tia continued to speak to her sister. ‘Tammy, it’s me, darlin’. Can you try to say something? Just let me know that you’re all right?’

  Suddenly Tia heard a groan and she looked up at Vaughn who was busy talking to the emergency operator on the phone. ‘She’s breathing, tell them she’s breathing but only just. And tell them to hurry!’

  Not stopping his conversation, Vaughn nodded as Tia stared at her sister. She could see where Tammy had fallen down the stairs, banging her head on the black marble floor of the hallway, cracking her head open, her face bruised and bloody as well.

  Just looking at her sister caused Tia to fight back the tears. How long she’d been lying at the bottom of the stairs on her own was something she didn’t even want to contemplate.

  She turned again to Vaughn, who was in the process of repeating the address to the operator. ‘How long?’ she said urgently.

  ‘They’re coming as soon as they can but they won’t give me a specific time. If it wasn’t for the head injury maybe we could take her ourselves but they’re saying don’t move her.’

  ‘Tell them she’s pregnant. Tell them she’s just a couple of months pregnant.’

  Finishing his call, Vaughn looked surprised. ‘Tammy’s pregnant?’

  Tia nodded as she held her sister’s hand. ‘Yeah, she told me a few days ago.’

  ‘Jesus, I had no idea.’

  ‘Well why would you?’ Tia shot back but immediately added, ‘I’m sorry, I ain’t meaning to bite your head off.’

  He smiled kindly. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

  ‘It’s Harry’s,’ Tia said matter-of-factly.

  Vaughn walked up to where she was kneeling and crouched down himself. ‘Tammy is pregnant with Harry’s baby? Christ, Tia, what a fucking mess.’

  Tears came to Tia’s eyes though she didn’t say anything.

  ‘I’m so sorry, babe. This must be so difficult for you.’

  She turned to look at Vaughn and shook her head. ‘Oh, don’t be sorry. I ain’t bothered who Harry sleeps with – it ain’t that. I’m gutted cos I just know that Tammy thought that Harry might be her happy ever after. I guess that’s why she got herself pregnant but I know it ain’t going to end well.’

  ‘How could she think that Harry would be her knight in shining armour? More like the prince of fucking darkness.’

  Tia shrugged, checking the clock on the wall to see how long the ambulance had been so far. ‘We all need to feel love.’

  ‘But with Harry? She wouldn’t have got anything from him. The way he talked about her, he made her out like she was just some little scrubber. That’s hardly whispering sweet nothings is it?’ Vaughn said, his eyes full of warmth for Tia.

  ‘Sometimes you’ll just take whatever’s on offer to feel loved, even though the truth is staring at you right in the face. I know I did with Wan’s brother. I’m just worried about when she tells Harry. I warned her not to. I told her if she wanted to keep the baby I’d support her or if she wanted to get rid of it, I’d be there for her either way.’

  ‘And what did she say?’

  ‘She wasn’t having any of it but I know what he’s like. He’ll go mad, he’ll think that she’s trying to corner him, make a fool of him, turn him over. But Tammy, well she wouldn’t believe me, she just thinks that I’m saying it cos I’m jealous.’

  Vaughn turned to look at Tammy who let out a slight moan. He stared at her face and frowned and then looked at where she had fallen from the top of the stairs. ‘Maybe she’s already told him.’

  Tia frowned back. ‘Why would you think that?’

  In the quiet of the hallway he stared at Tia. ‘I don’t know for sure, and this might only be a guess, so I don’t want you getting upset, but look at her face. See those bruises on her cheeks and the way her lip is split? Well, that ain’t from being knocked about by the stairs; that’s from being knocked about by someone’s fist.’

  Tia continued to stare at Vaughn, letting his words sink in. She looked down at her sister, seeing exactly what he was saying. ‘Oh my God. Do you really think Harry was responsible for this?’

  Not wanting to upset Tia any more but believing it was true, Vaughn just shrugged and simply said, ‘I dunno. Who knows?’

  ‘Oh, come on, Vaughn, just be straight with me. This ain’t the time for keeping anything from me.’

  He rubbed his face, tired from the day’s revelations, tired from the mountain of trouble that was bound to be coming their way. He sighed. ‘Well I know I ain’t a doctor, but I’ve seen enough fat lips and busted faces to know that someone’s been handy with their fists. And if I was a betting man, I’d say Harry was at the top of the suspect list.’

  It was another ten minutes before help arrived and Tia watched the ambulance men load Tammy onto a stretcher. She could see her sister was stirring, which was good, and although they placed an oxygen mask on Tammy’s face, it didn’t seem like she was struggling for air.

  Walking by her sister’s side towards the ambulance, Tia squeezed Tammy’s hand and she smiled as Tammy squeezed back.

  ‘One of you can come with her if you like,’ the ambulance man said as he smiled sympathetically.

  Tia turned to look at Vaughn, the worry in her voice clear as she said, ‘Look, I’ll go in the ambulance and I’ll meet you there. Is that okay?’

  Vaughn nodded and although it was very clear the shit was about to hit the fan and he had to somehow work out what the hell he was going to do about Wan – which, in turn, also meant he had to figure out what the hell he was going to do about Franny – the idea of having a daughter was beginning to grow on him. ‘No problem. I’ll come and find you.’

  Tia turned away and jogged back to catch up with Tammy, watching as they loaded her up in the back of the ambulance, the idea of Harry being the cause of her injuries making her feel ill.

  ‘That�
�s it,’ she said. ‘You’ll be right in no time and then I’m going to look after you.’

  ‘I need to tell you something,’ Tammy muttered from behind her mask, though it was barely audible.

  Tia shook her head. ‘Tammy, don’t talk, darlin’ – that can wait until later. You need to keep your strength. You hear me?’

  ‘But I just need to …’ Tammy’s voice was weak and her breathing turned into staggered gasping.

  ‘Tammy, please, we can talk later. I love you, I always have and there’s nothing ever going to come between us. I’ll always be here for you.’

  ‘Harry knows … Harry knows about you and Vaughn … He’s going to kill you.’ But with the oxygen mask on and the sound of the traffic, Tia didn’t hear her sister’s warning.

  48

  It was almost eight in the morning and outside the ICU of University College Hospital on the Euston Road. Vaughn brought Tia a cup of coffee. ‘Here, get this down you. You need to keep your strength up.’

  She gave him a small smile. ‘That’s exactly what I said to Tammy but I ain’t sure that a watery cup of coffee from the machine is going to do the trick.’

  He smiled back, seeing the worry on her face and the tiredness around her eyes. ‘Listen, Tia, tonight has been a whirlwind. It’s been extreme. But throughout it all, and I should’ve said it earlier, it hasn’t been lost on me that you’ve … well, you’ve had some shit to deal with. I know that I was part of it, a huge part of it. I was the great big fucking avalanche that started it all. The whole snowball effect. If I hadn’t walked out, none of this would have happened. You and Harry wouldn’t have happened. Milly, Tammy and … well you know, the stuff you had to do …’ He swallowed hard, trying to find the words, hating the image of Tia with countless men, being used and … Jesus, he couldn’t even go there. He felt a combination of jealousy and rage that she’d sold herself for sex, even if she’d sold herself to help her daughter … their daughter. ‘What I’m trying to say, is I’m sorry. I know it’s too late for that but I am, and whatever I can do to help sort this shit out, I will.’