by F. C. Clark
‘Yes.’
‘So that means…’ Before I have a chance to finish, Luke lowers goggles over my eyes. ‘Holy fuck! Luke, no!’ I shout at him, begging him to understand what he’s asking of me.
He lowers goggles over his eyes too.
‘Ever jumped out of a plane, baby?’
‘No, and I don’t want to… Luke, I can’t jump, are you shitting me?’
‘No, I’m not shitting you, and yes, we are going to jump – together. Like I said, do you trust me?’ He looks at me, waiting for a response. After all these weeks, he’s finally found a way to silence me. ‘We illegally entered Russia, so we have to return to England undetected too.’
Before I have time to think, Luke connects my harness to his chest. This can’t be happening. I have no desire to jump out of a plane – and never will. From the corner of my eye, I notice the other men on the plane signalling for Luke.
‘My bag,’ I shout.
‘Sullivan will bring it with him to London.’
‘I’m scared.’
‘I’ve got you.’
The door at the side of the plane opens. Luke begins to walk us to the edge. My heels dig into the metal floor, leaving Luke no choice: he picks me up and carries me to the edge of the plane. I glance at the young soldier counting us down. Holy shit, I can’t look.
He jumps and we begin to free-fall. The intense pressure feels amazing, and truly terrifying, at the same time.
‘You’re doing well,’ Luke shouts.
Silence. I can’t speak; I can just about breathe.
We continue to free-fall: just the two of us gliding in the air, no guns or explosions. My eyes open wide, looking at the view. The feeling is frightening, and breath-taking. Still, I was not put on this earth to evade hostile forces and jump from planes…
Then Luke reaches up and pulls a cord. The parachute opens.
‘Are you still with me?’
‘Just about.’
‘Amazing feeling.’
‘I guess… No, I don’t want to do it again.’
Very quickly, the ground grows closer.
‘Kate, lift your legs when I tell you.’
‘OK.’
The ground is only metres away.
‘Kate, lift them now.’
I do as he asks. As we reach the grass, Luke breaks our fall. His back hits the ground and I land on top of him.
My entire body relaxes, and relief washes over me. Luke pushes me up to a sitting position and unclasps our harnesses. Within minutes he has removed his own harness and goggles, leaving the parachute discarded on the ground. He stands and helps me to join him, unclipping my harness.
He pulls me to him by my jacket and kisses me with more passion than ever before. A kiss of life!
‘You did well, baby.’ Holding my face in his hands, he reads my eyes. ‘Not something you want to repeat?’
I shake my head. His lips cover mine again, offering me tenderness.
We gaze across the field towards the sound of a car. From the distance I recognise Luke’s black Range Rover – and his driver. Within seconds it draws up and Max comes running towards us. I can’t help but smile as he sidesteps Luke and pulls me into his arms.
‘If you ever do anything like that again… You don’t want to know what I’ll do to you.’ He pulls away to see for himself that I’m safe and well. ‘Kate Harper, you’re a pain in the fucking arse. Christ, I knew you were up to no good… You and your lunatic mate – Kiki.’
‘I’m sorry, I had to go… I didn’t mean to lie.’
‘Jesus, Kate, you’ve aged me another ten years.’
‘What about me?’ Luke stands with open arms.
‘You do this shit all the time, Sutton. This girl is…’
Alive. I’m alive.
Before long, Max weaves through the rat runs of London. The closer to South Kensington we get, the calmer I feel. Luke says that Mum and Harry, along with Kiki, Molly and Barney, my three closest friends, are staying at his house. Controlling or caring? Either way, he has kept them safe.
The large gates open to Luke’s impressive home – which I have nicknamed the palace – and the Range Rover stops outside the large black door. I step out with Luke at my side. Luke’s home is now my home. God, I love it here. He squeezes my fingers. I turn to him.
‘Are you ready to face everyone?’
‘No – listen, I just wanted to say, I appreciate what you’ve done for me.’
Before he can speak, I press a kiss to his lips. ‘I don’t know what to say to Mum. She lied to us our whole lives…’ I shake my head.
Luke pulls me close. ‘She loves you both.’
I raise my head and look for strength in his dark eyes.
‘I love you more than anything in the world.’
‘I’m here for you.’
Luke inputs the security code and the large black door opens.
I walk through to the kitchen, and conversation stops dead. I glance at everyone. Mum and Harry look tired and emotionally drained. Standing to the side is Kiki, using Barney for support. Molly leans against the worktop, her hand resting across her stomach, protecting her baby. The sight is too overwhelming.
As I turn my head, I meet Aunt Christina’s eyes – the woman who sold the photos of me to Ivor.
3
My eyes lock on Christina’s. ‘We need to talk.’
Mum comes bounding towards me. ‘Kate.’ She places her hands either side of my face as tears roll down her cheeks.
I gaze across to Harry, who nods, confirming that Mum knows exactly what went down yesterday.
‘I’m fine, Mum, but I need a minute with Christina.’ She looks empty and sad; I guess her world has been crushed too. I place a kiss on her cheek. ‘Give me two minutes and then we can chat, OK?’
‘OK, darling.’ Mum looks at Harry, a little confused.
Christina follows me towards the grey lounge.
‘You know why I’m pissed off, so don’t stand there and act bloody clueless.’
‘Kate.’ Her face falls.
‘How much did he pay you? I hope it was worth it.’
‘Kate, it wasn’t like that.’ Christina’s emotions grow as she realises I know about her deal with the devil – Ivor.
Luke moves to my side, taking my hand. ‘What’s going on?’
I look at Luke. ‘The photos in the creepy room – she sold them to Ivor.’ I take a deep breath. ‘Obviously, It’s been going on for years.’
‘You don’t understand… I gave him the photos so he wouldn’t contact you.’ She moves closer, bridging the distance between us.
‘OK, so what about the money? Or is that in a bank somewhere?’
Christina looks away.
‘No, of course it’s not. Why does money fuck with everyone’s moral compass? Did you really feel the need to sell out your own brother? I hope for your sake it was worth it.’ I shake my head. ‘You need to go. I can’t even look at you.’
‘Kate – I’m sorry.’ Her eyes fill with tears and regret.
‘I suggest you leave before I remove you myself.’
‘Kate! That’s enough,’ Luke commands.
‘Don’t defend her! I’ve had the worst twenty-four hours of my life. Sorry, but I’m not in the mood for forgiveness. Luke can show you out.’
I go back to the kitchen. I can hear Luke talking, then the door closing. Thank God.
In the kitchen, everyone swarms round me. ‘Sorry, I needed to ask Christina about… some paperwork.’ That’s all I can think of.
Mum takes my hand and ushers me to the sofa.
‘Let me look at you.’ Tears roll down her cheeks. ‘I’m so sorry, darling.’
My arms lock around her. ‘Everything should be fine now.’ I release her and take her hands. ‘Dad – Luke said he
’s stable.’
‘Yes, he is. But it’s not fine. I didn’t know much about your… your real dad… Katenka – your…’ Her words trail off. ‘Sorry. It’s so painful to watch you girls go through this; I never thought this day would come. Your birth mum said your father would never contact us or you, and until last night I believed that.’
‘He’s gone. It’s just us.’
‘I don’t understand. Harry said there was money and—’
‘The money was never mine. Like I said, he doesn’t want me – us. He’s not part of our lives.’
‘But you’ll both want to see him.’ Mum’s voice is barely a whisper. ‘Your… real mum.’ She tries to find the right words. My real mum is dead.
I shake my head. ‘Don’t, Mum. I can’t think straight. Our lives aren’t what we thought they were.’
Ashamed, Mum bows her head.
‘You’re still our mum, that will never change.’ I look at Harry for solidarity.
She sits next to Mum.
‘Let’s take it slowly,’ Harry says. ‘I’m struggling to process it all.’
‘All I can think about is Dad lying in hospital. Honestly, my head is about to burst, Mum.’
‘I know, darling. He idolises you both.’
Tears roll down my cheeks. ‘I’m so angry right now…’
Mum hopelessly looks at me. ‘How can I make this better? Ask me anything and I will answer the best I can.’
I rub my forehead, trying to ease the tension. ‘I’ve run out of questions.’
‘We need to sit and talk openly. I need to know if you were ever going to tell us,’ Harry says. ‘Not today… but when we all feel up to it.’
I shake my head. ‘Never’ is the only word racing through my head.
‘We lied to you,’ Mum confesses. ‘I need you to understand we never meant to hurt you; it was part of the…’ Tears roll down her cheeks.
‘You had your reasons.’ My words are to ease her pain, not mine. Can I forgive them for lying? ‘Honestly, I can’t believe what’s happened. I need some time to figure out who I am.’
‘Kate, you mustn’t say that.’
‘She’s right, Mum, I feel odd too.’ Harry says.
‘Oh God, this will kill Dad. He’ll never forgive himself that you’ve found out. He promised…’ Once again her words trail off.
‘He’s too fragile to talk to him about all this at the moment. Harry’s right; we need time.’
Mum nods. ‘Kate… Harry.’ She holds our hands. ‘I can’t lose you both; it would…’ Her tears are filled with the fear of losing her children, the children she longed for all those years ago.
I break free and stroke her face. ‘You’ll never lose us.’ I lovingly kiss her cheek. Yet I can’t stop thinking of Ivor. Why? He doesn’t deserve my head space.
Luke stands at the doorway and points to his watch. For once he has a point – I am exhausted. He disappears into the office with Max.
‘Let’s concentrate on getting Dad better and on his feet. In time we will talk about this – and our…’ I look at Harry. ‘The adoption.’ I need to cry. I have to be alone.
‘You’re right. Dad needs to mend and then we can start to put together our family.’ Her eyes are full of sadness. I can’t rescue her; I want to run away and forget about the last twenty-four hours.
Barney has been there, silent, all along. He comes to my side. ‘What’s going on with lover boy? He looks like an extra from Mission Impossible.’
I can’t help but smile.
‘I don’t even know where to start. Come over next week.’
‘You got it, babe.’ He kisses me on the cheek.
‘Hey, you.’ Kiki sits on the edge of the coffee table in front of me. ‘Jesus, Kate… I can’t believe you went.’ To hear her voice again is a relief.
‘Me neither.’ I take her hands. ‘I can’t imagine what Luke said to you – I’m sorry.’
‘Nothing I can’t handle; that’s what best friends are for… He knew something wasn’t right, like he sensed you weren’t with us.’
‘Yes, that’ll be his security team. They’re there to sense my every move.’ I lovingly stroke my watch.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Let’s save the love story for another day – my brain is fried.’
‘OK. What about everything else?’ I know she’s inquiring about Ivor.
‘Honestly, I don’t know. Lunch this week for a catch-up?’
I stand and walk over to the kitchen island. From here I watch everyone. Thankfully Harry has the support of Molly, her pregnant best friend. Mum is comforted by Luke’s housekeeper Rosie, the most adorable woman I know. Poor Jerry, Rosie’s husband – my little piece of Ireland – is unsure about Barney and his over-the-top gayness. I sigh with relief that they are all safe. Despite the last few hours, life in the palace remains the same. How can it, though?
I feel like lightening the mood around here, and the only weapon for the job is food.
‘Anyone hungry?’
The next thing I know, everything goes dark. Then I hear, ‘Kate, Kate.’ I’m lying on the sofa.
‘Max, get my medical kit.’ Luke studies me. ‘Does anything hurt?’
‘No,’ I manage to say, although I feel woozy.
Max returns with the bag.
‘Check my email for the lab results. If they’re not there, get hold of Sullivan and find out where they are.’
The room is silent. All eyes are on the man dressed in black playing doctor. He takes my blood pressure first, followed by my temperature and oxygen levels.
‘Keep still,’ Luke orders.
‘Is she OK?’ Harry asks.
Luke stands and runs his hand along his jawline, obviously feeling troubled about sharing too much information.
‘I found Kate in a house in Russia… She had been drugged.’
Horror sweeps across Mum’s face, and I’m grateful he has refrained from saying how he found me.
‘Fuck!’ Barney pushes his hands through his hair, panicked.
‘She still has the sedative in her system.’
‘I don’t understand why.’ Mum moves closer to me. ‘Why would anyone do that? I can’t take much more, what with Dad in hospital, you drugged… I think we should call the police. What about the officer who came to see us in hospital?’
‘We can’t do that, Susan. Kate and I both entered Russia illegally. I’m taking care of the situation. You have to trust me. Can you do that for Kate?’
‘But someone needs to tell the police in Russia, or wherever the hell she was, that she was kept against her will. Luke, this is wrong.’
Luke moves closer to Mum.
‘I agree with you, but it isn’t quite that simple. Ivor – Kate’s biological father – might have been responsible, and he is nowhere to be found. I have friends who are experts in finding people. The main thing is she’s here with us and we’re all safe.’
I try to sit up. ‘I’m fine.’
‘No, you’re not fine, you should be in bed resting after what you’ve been through. Luke, tell her.’
Oh great, give my control freak boyfriend more ammo.
‘I think we should give Kate some space,’ Kiki says.
‘Kiki’s right – Kate needs time to process the last twenty-four hours. You all do. It’s safe for you to return home, but be vigilant and call me if something doesn’t feel right, OK?’
For the first time, we’re alone. Luke takes my hand and walks me to the bathroom. My tears begin to fall as I feel my weary body flagging.
‘Hey.’ Luke pulls me into his arms.
‘I was so scared.’
He looks at me. ‘I’m pissed off at you, but fuck me, Kate, your strength has left me floored.’
‘Me? You have serious expl
aining to do.’
‘Later.’
‘Don’t sidestep me. Christ, Luke.’ I take his hand and place it over my heart. ‘You killed someone in front of me… You didn’t even blink.’
His breathing alters, and his eyes close.
‘We can talk once you’ve rested.’
‘You can’t back out of this – I need some answers.’
There are no more words, just my lips greedily taking what I need from him. No matter what I have witnessed, I seem to need him more than ever. Luke pulls away, taking my face in his hands.
‘Jesus. I want to be inside you more than you know. But you need to rest. The shock will hit you… Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.’
I look down, feeling rejected. I turn to walk away. Luke pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly.
‘Argh.’ An intense pain in my ribs bites me.
‘The jump may have hurt you – that’s another reason you should be resting.’
I shake my head. ‘You can’t wrap me in cotton wool. I need to breathe… I need you – that’s when I feel safe.’
‘I can’t argue with that. At least if you’re under me I know where you are. I love you.’
‘I love you too.’
‘Shower, food and bed,’ he commands.
Luke turns the shower on and then removes my Converse, followed by my socks, jeans and T-shirt.
As he removes my bra a small piece of paper falls to the floor. It slipped my mind that Fiona gave it to me – Christ, it was only yesterday morning at Pete’s bar, and yet it feels like a lifetime ago. It’s a bonus to have a friend like Fiona who’s from the same country as my biological father!
Luke picks it up. ‘Did you have an offer while in Russia?’
‘No, I bloody didn’t. If you must know, Fiona gave me the name and address of her Russian friend. She said he owed her a few favours and I could call if things went tits up.’
‘Undoubtedly things did, but why put it in your bra?’
‘I thought if I needed help, the chances are I’d be on the run, so it seemed like the safest place.’
‘Lucky you, having a Russian friend.’
‘Says you, who had friends in a secret hideout in Russia.’
Luke laughs. ‘What am I going to do with you? As for your plan, which may I remind you did go tits up,’ his hands move over my bare breasts – not fair and stop teasing. ‘Unfortunately, the address was no use to you because you were tied up.’