“My family’s been through a lot,” she said, eyes wide and earnest. “My mum and dad have both been kidnapped. They worry about me a lot and I promised I’d go somewhere public with you until I get to know you better.” She expected him to take the huff and flounce off or for him to take a macabre interest in her family’s dark past, as Reid would have done.
But he did neither. “Okay,” he said with a gentleness she didn’t know he possessed. “I get that. But I thought we could go bowling.”
“You like bowling?”
He nodded. “I love it. Do you?”
“Yeah, it’s fun.”
“Good.” The grumpy look returned. “I’m not going to drag you down any alleyways or anything.”
“I didn’t think you would,” she smiled. “Come on, let’s go before we miss the bus.”
Rachel and Ryan’s enquiries had told them that Michelle Wright worked out at a gym they owned every day at four thirty, once the kids were home from school and Dominic was back to look after them, or rather drink on the couch while they looked after themselves. Rachel and Ryan ensured their gym had a special discount rate for those on a low income, which was how Michelle was able to use the top-of-the-range facilities. Both of them had been raised in low income families, so they understood the constant struggle people like Michelle endured.
So Rachel decided to change into her workout gear and head over to the gym. She found Michelle furiously bench pressing weights, her sizeable muscles popping out of her arms and shoulders.
Rachel jumped onto a treadmill from where she could discreetly watch her, jogging at a steady pace. Michelle looked furious, her scowl ensuring everyone gave her a wide berth but Rachel got the impression she was lost in her own world, her rage aimed at someone who wasn’t there, no doubt her loser of a husband and her annoying brother.
She couldn’t be sure Jacob had told her about his date with Leah, so she’d decided the direct approach was the correct one to take while Ryan did the surreptitious digging.
Rachel nimbly leapt off the treadmill and crossed the room to where Michelle worked out, taking her time, stopping to chat to passing members of staff to check on how the place was running. Not that there was much to say, the gym was doing very well, the manager ensuring it ran like clockwork.
She hesitated by Michelle, as though surprised to see her. “Excuse me?” She had to repeat herself louder when it appeared she hadn’t been heard.
Michelle frowned up at her, dumped the weights back in the cradle and sat up. “Rachel Law.”
“I see my reputation precedes me,” she said with a friendly smile.
“I’ll bet you’re used to that,” she said with a raised eyebrow.
“Sadly, yes. You’re Michelle Wright, aren’t you? Jacob’s mum?”
She nodded once, mistrust in her blue eyes.
“Your son’s on a date with my daughter, Leah.”
“Yeah. So?”
“So I thought it might be nice if I said hello.”
“You following me or something?”
“No. Why would you think that?”
“Cos you and your husband were lurking outside my house yesterday and now you’re here. Bit of a coincidence don’t you think?”
“Not really. We own this gym.”
“Oh. But what were you doing at my house? It’s not the sort of street someone as loaded as you hangs around.”
“You’re right. Leah told us about her date and we wanted to…”
“Do some snooping?”
“I wouldn’t put it quite like that. Our family’s been through a lot. We needed to make sure Leah would be safe.”
Michelle got to her feet, standing a good couple of inches taller than Rachel. “And you saw his dad and uncle fighting in the garden and me bang their heads together and you still let her go on her date? Sounds a bit fishy to me.”
“Not at all. You seemed to have everything under control.”
“I don’t believe a family like yours would let your girl go out with a boy from a family like ours. So what’s the deal?”
“Despite what you may think Michelle, we’re not snobs. Leah seems really smitten with Jacob. As you no doubt know, teenage girls are difficult to handle. If we’d said she couldn’t go out with him she would have made our lives hell.”
“Why should I know about teenage girls? You know I’ve got a teenage daughter, don’t you? You have been snooping.”
“Jacob told Leah about his sister and she told us.”
“Oh,” she said, the wind taken out of her sails a second time.
“She also said how clever he is and what good company he is, even though he can be moody.”
“My boy’s got a good heart but no one will give him a chance.” Michelle sighed. “You know, I was suspicious when I saw you hanging around the house then he told me he had a date with Leah, I thought you were up to something but if you’re willing to give him a chance then you’re alright by me.”
“Fancy grabbing a coffee, if you’re done here?”
“You want to go for a coffee with me?” she said, pointing to herself.
“Yeah, why not?”
“Because we’re the local lepers,” she said miserably. “We were driven out of our last home and it looks like the same’s going to happen here too. Shame. I like Newton Abbot. My kids do too.”
Rachel recognised that Michelle was a genuinely loving parent. “Come on, let’s grab a coffee and see if we can come up with a solution.”
“Alright lady, you’re on.”
The two women headed to the changing rooms together, Rachel as usual drawing admiring glances, as she did wherever she went but if they didn’t come from her husband they were meaningless to her. One man however gazed adoringly at Michelle as she passed him by, his eyes eagerly taking in all those bulging muscles, not paying Rachel any attention.
“You’ve got an admirer,” said Rachel, nodding in the man’s direction.
Michelle glanced his way before dismissing him as uninteresting. “Too skinny for me. I’d snap him in two.”
Rachel laughed. She liked Michelle already.
On the bus to the bowling alley Jacob was quiet and sullen, gazing out of the window. This was the college bus and Leah could sense everyone watching them, hear the hiss of whispers running around the vehicle. She wanted to talk to Jacob but she couldn’t bear for him to be stroppy with her in front of everyone, so she remained silent too.
It was a relief when they got off the bus, Jacob loping ahead of her as they walked to the bowling alley.
“Oy,” said Leah, struggling to keep up with his stride. “If you don’t stop now I’m going home.”
He stopped and looked at her. “Why?”
“Because you’ve not spoken to me since we left college. What’s the point?”
“I didn’t want to talk on the bus. Everyone was watching us.”
“We’re not on the bus now but you were practically running away from me.”
“Not my fault you’re a slow walker.”
“I am not slow,” she huffed.
“You want to go bowling or what?”
“Only if you’re nicer to me.”
“I’m paying for you to throw a load of balls about. That is nice.”
Leah couldn’t help but laugh at that statement.
Jacob’s lips twitched. “Listen, I know I’m a pain in the arse but I’m crap at talking to people, always have been. But I like being with you Leah. I don’t feel awkward around you, I can just be myself and that is a big deal to me. So, do you want to go bowling or what?”
Leah recognised the honesty in his eyes. “Yes I do.”
He held his arm out to her. “Let’s go then before the place shuts and they demolish it to make way for another gym like that monstrosity,” he said, indicating the huge glass-fronted building to the right of the complex.
Leah didn’t like to mention that her parents owned that gym. In fact they owned the entire complex. Instead she t
ook his arm. “There, that didn’t hurt, did it?”
“Just slightly,” he said with an adorable lopsided smile.
After showering Rachel headed to the café next door to the gym to find Michelle already there, who had an uncertain look on her face, as though she wasn’t sure whether Rachel would actually turn up or not.
“I got you a latte,” said Michelle. “I hope that’s okay. You look like a latte type of person.”
“Actually I am,” she said, sitting down and taking a sip. “How did you guess?”
She shrugged her big shoulders. “I’m pretty good at weighing people up, gauging their likes and dislikes. I can always tell when someone’s lying too. That talent of mine has got my cheating bastard of a husband into trouble more than once.” Her small blue eyes dug into Rachel. “Which is why I know you’ve been lying.”
“I have?” she said, taking another sip of coffee.
“Don’t give me that butter wouldn’t melt look, it doesn’t suit you. You’ve been digging into my personal life. Well let me tell you that if your daughter is on a date with my boy just to dig up some dirt on us then we are seriously going to fall out. I don’t care who your family is. No one hurts my kids.” She flexed her muscles. “No one.”
“And I respect that. But your fears are unfounded. Leah genuinely likes Jacob, she begged us to let her go on her date. At first we said no…”
“When you discovered who she was going out with?” she said, eyes narrowing.
“Yes. Like you, I was just protecting my child. I’m sure you can understand that?”
“Protect her from the Waster Wrights. That’s what they called us in Exeter.”
“I heard you caused a lot of people a lot of hassle there. What do you expect?”
“Correction, my useless husband and brother caused them hassle.”
“And the children too?”
“My kids were bullied at school and when they fought back they were called for it. Yeah, alright,” she sighed at Rachel’s sceptical look. “They can be little sods, especially my youngest, Billy. Only six and he’s a demon but that’s because he gets bored easily and he’s full of fire. The teachers don’t know how to handle him.”
“I heard Jacob’s had a dark past too. Don’t look so pissed off, I’d do some digging on any boy my daughter dated, even if their parents were billionaires.”
“Fair do’s. Yes, he’s had some trouble in the past but that’s his stupid uncle leading him astray. Jacob has such a good head on his shoulders, I’m determined he’ll be the first Wright to make something of his life. Plus he’s had to put up with loads of hassle over the years because of his family and he’s got into a few scraps.” The corner of her mouth curled into a smile. “I heard your daughter’s had a few fights too, as well as her brothers.”
“What can I say, they take after their parents,” replied Rachel, eyes full of both amusement and warning. “And what about your daughter, Danielle?”
Michelle’s eyes filled with genuine dismay. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “I’ve tried everything but nothing works. I hate to say it but I’m at the end of my tether with her. You should know…”
“What is it?” said Rachel when Michelle hesitated.
“It’s only fair you’re warned.”
“Michelle, what is it?”
Michelle was shocked by how black Rachel’s eyes had gone. She was so pretty and affable it was easy to forget who she was. “Danielle has an unnatural attachment to her brother, she always has. Treats him more like a boyfriend than a brother. Not that anything inappropriate has happened between them,” she hastened to add. “She just gets really possessive, says he’s hers. I know her feelings have been a burden on him for years but he’s the only one who can control her when she gets…upset.”
“And what does Danielle do when she’s upset?”
“She gets twitchy.”
“Twitchy?”
“And a little stabby.”
“Are you trying to say that if she was jealous she might just hurt Leah?”
“No, she wouldn’t go that far.”
“How many people has she stabbed before?”
“Just…three.”
“Just three? I want you to call home right now.”
“Why?”
“To make sure Danielle’s there.”
“She is.”
“How do you know? Call home.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“Call home right now,” snarled Rachel.
Michelle, once again taken aback by the real Rachel Law took her phone out of her bag, a very basic pay-as-you-go model and dialled. “Dominic, it’s me. Put Danielle on the phone. Never mind why, just do it.” She sighed with relief when she heard her daughter’s voice. “No, it’s alright sweetheart. Go back to your books.” Michelle hung up. “See, at home, like I said she was.”
“Good,” said Rachel, calming down.
Michelle watched in fascination as Rachel’s eyes lightened slightly. “You can be a scary bitch when you want to be.”
“I didn’t think you’d be so easily intimidated.”
“I’m not,” she said before taking a sip of coffee. “But I’m not sure I’d like to take you on.”
“You wouldn’t,” said Rachel with a hard look, picking up her mug. “Do you know where Leah and Jacob have gone?”
“Nope. He’s playing his cards close to his chest.” She gave her a wry look. “He’s not taking her anywhere dangerous, don’t worry.”
“So,” said Rachel, deciding a change of topic was in order. “I hear your family’s already causing trouble.”
“Not my family. Just Dominic and Darren.”
“Then why keep them around?”
“We’re not all in a position of privilege like you are lady. Some of us need all the cash they can get and sadly I need the pittance they bring in.”
“What if you didn’t?”
“Then I’d kick their useless backsides out.”
“What about the kids?”
“Oh I wouldn’t kick them out.”
“No, I mean wouldn’t they be upset if you kicked out their uncle and father?”
“No, they can’t stand them. It would be good to get Darren away from Jacob too, he does like leading him astray.”
“What if I could offer you a job that would bring in enough cash so you wouldn’t need them anymore? Well, not me exactly. A couple of friends of mine need someone to help them out.”
Michelle stared at her in astonishment before leaning in closer. “Listen,” she said quietly. “I’m not doing anything illegal. Despite the rumours about my family, we don’t deal in drugs.”
Rachel was torn between outrage and amusement. “It’s nothing illegal. My friends run a private investigation business, all legitimate, they even have a high profile clientele. They’re after someone to help out because they’re getting so busy.”
“What makes you think I’d be any good? I know nothing about private investigation?”
“You said yourself you can tell if someone’s lying and you’re good at reading people. Plus you look like you’d be really handy in a fight. I saw how you handled Dominic and Darren. Sometimes things can get a little…intense.”
Michelle gaped at her before shaking herself out of it. “Why are you doing this?”
“Why not?”
“We’re nothing to you. I thought we’d be too lowly for you to bother with.”
“My family came from a scummy estate in Manchester, scrimping and scraping for years just to get by. I know what it’s like and I want to help.”
“But why? I don’t get it.”
“I like helping people.”
Michelle gaped at her.
“Well, if you’re not bothered,” said Rachel, getting to her feet.
“No, wait. I didn’t say I wasn’t interested. It’s just a bit…weird.”
“You want to meet my friends then?”
“Is it far?”
“Torquay. It’s only a twenty minute drive. Do you have time?”
“I don’t know. How much is the salary?”
“Well, of course you’d have to be on a trial period. Starting wage is forty thousand a year.”
Michelle blinked rapidly three times, mouth hanging open. “F…forty thousand?”
“Yep. You coming then?” said Rachel when Michelle remained where she was, body limp.
“Too right I am,” she said, leaping up.
“We’ll take my car,” said Rachel as they headed outside.
“We’ll have to. I don’t have one.”
“You’ll get a company car if you get the job. Can you drive?”
“Yeah,” said Michelle, unable to believe her luck.
CHAPTER 12
“Yes,” exclaimed Leah, throwing her arms into the air as she scored her third strike of the game.
“Beginner’s luck,” said Jacob, folding his arms across his chest.
“I’m not a beginner, I come here every week with my dad and brothers. Sorry, did I not mention that?” she smiled.
“No,” he retorted. “You didn’t.”
“Your go. Don’t worry, I’ll try to go easy on you from now on.” Leah knew she should be trying to connect with him on a deeper level and not wind him up but she loved how his dark eyes flashed when he was annoyed and the way he pouted was too cute.
With a sigh he snatched up a large purple bowling ball, took aim with intense seriousness in his eyes and rolled the ball with a single powerful stroke. It was his turn to cheer when he knocked the lot down in one go.
“Looks like you could be in for an arse kicking,” he smirked.
“Oy Leah. You want to join us for a game?”
Jacob looked livid and Leah sighed to see Ricky Cotton, the hottest and most popular boy at college with his thick blond hair, clear blue eyes, muscular body and clear complexion in the lane next to theirs. His family was almost as rich as her own and their parents were on friendly terms. Ricky had asked her out before but she thought he was an arrogant arsehole.
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