Demons

by Beth Abbott

  “And he asked you to interfere?” Megan asked, her voice a little more brittle than she’d intended it to be.

  “He didn’t ask me to do anything.” Robbie assured her. “I hoped that he’d have had enough chances to explain things to you by now, but for some reason he’s been monumentally stupid about it. After you drove off the other night, I had a go at him, and that was the first time he found out I knew about the two of you.”

  “And he convinced you to plead on his behalf?” Megan scoffed. “He’s playing to your soft side, Robbie.”

  “I gave him a chance to explain himself, Meg, which is what I think you should do.” Robbie sighed. “He didn’t make excuses for what he did, but he did explain why he’d done it. All things considered, your ages when it happened, and the circumstances, well, I can understand him, even if I can’t actually forgive him for hurting you. I think you’d feel differently if you listened to him, even if forgiveness was off the table.”

  “Robbie, you have to understand that what he did to me, well, it left a really deep flesh wound. The kind that doesn’t heal well.” Megan bit her lip, trying not to get overly emotional. “What you’re asking me to do is open up the wound, so he can poke around in there again. I don’t think I’m strong enough to do that, and what’s more, I don’t think I owe it to him to do that. Whatever he did was of his choosing. I’m the one that had to live with the pain, while he went back to the army and the women, and never looked back.”

  “Do you trust me, Meg?” Robbie asked, his voice gentle, as though he were talking to a timid creature he was trying not to scare off.

  “Robbie, don’t emotionally blackmail me, just because you’ve bonded with your new pal, Evan!” She warned.

  “It’s not that. And if I thought he’d hurt you again, I’d take a fucking baseball bat to his head.” Robbie promised her. “But I’ve heard his explanation, Meg. Nothing was like you thought. He lied to you back then, and now you deserve to hear the truth.”

  Megan lay back against her pillow and rubbed her eyes.

  If she said no, she would be no worse off, but Robbie would be disappointed.

  If she said yes, she might end up even more hurt than she’d been the first time, but there was just a small chance that she could lay some ghosts to rest.

  “When do you want me to meet him?” She whispered, hardly able to believe she was going along with this.

  “He’s dropping me at the club for some junket with the families at about nine-thirty in the morning. They’ve asked us to bring a family member for some media story they’re doing, so seeing as I didn’t think you’d want the publicity, Cerys is meeting me there. She’s got a party she refuses to miss tonight.” He explained.

  “She’s welcome to it.” Megan hissed. “I’d rather scratch my eyeballs out.”

  “Ok, then.” Robbie was obviously sensing victory. “After he drops me off, Evan could probably be back at your place by ten o’clock, if that’s not too early?”

  “He can pick me up and take me somewhere for a coffee.” She agreed. “He’s not coming in here, so tell him to meet me outside my building at ten.”

  “I will.” Robbie agreed much too quickly, making her wonder if Evan was sitting next to him.

  “And Robbie? I make no promises, and you shouldn’t get your hopes up.” She warned him. “In fact, have Alpha Company’s number on speed-dial, because you could very well be looking for a new protection officer by lunchtime tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, Ok.” Robbie reluctantly agreed. “Call me after you speak to him to let me know how it went.”

  “If he comes back covered in blood, I think you’ll have your answer.”

  Megan disconnected the call and hugged her phone to her chest.

  How had Evan managed to convince Robbie to act as go-between?

  Obviously, he’d given Rob some cock and bull sob story, but to give her baby brother credit, he wasn’t completely gullible.

  She’d just have to bite her tongue for long enough to find out what this tale was going to be about.

  Still, at least she was going into it with eyes wide open this time.

  This was one fairy story she already knew wasn’t going to have a happy ending.

  Chapter 25 – Jay

  Jay put the call on speaker and gently lay the phone on the table.

  “Yeah, of course I recognise your voice from the other night.” He grinned at Reggie. “I was wondering if you’d changed your mind, seeing as you’ve left it to the last minute.”

  “I want it done this week. Is that going to be a problem?” Heather’s voice sounded impatient.

  “No, no problem.” He reassured her. “I’ve got some guys who can help me.”

  “You can’t do it yourself!” Heather said sharply. “We’ve been seen together in public, so there’s a good chance we’re on CCTV together in the club. If you fuck this up, I don’t want any evidence leading the police back to you and me.”

  Jay glanced at his brother, who shrugged and nodded. It wouldn’t be too much of a problem, because they had three guys in their crew that they could call on to do the actual snatch.

  “Ok, that’s not going to be a problem.” He confirmed. “I’ve got a good team I can rely on to do this properly.”

  “You’d better be sure about that.” She warned. “The instructions are simple enough a buffoon could understand them. I’ll contact you roughly twenty-four hours before the snatch to confirm it’s on, and again about two hours before to confirm the location. It will be within a fifteen-mile radius of Birmingham, so that’ll give you plenty of time to get there. You snatch the target and hold them until I give you the instruction to release them. Then you take them out into the countryside and leave them in the middle of nowhere. Unharmed! Is that clear?”

  “It’s all very clear.” Jay nodded. “Except we’re the ones doing all the work, and you’re the one getting paid the ransom money. How do we know you’ll come through with the half a million you promised me?”

  “As soon as I find out the target has been released and found, safe and unharmed, I’ll transfer the money to a bank of your choosing.” Heather said confidently.

  “That’s all well and good, but we’ve got overheads that we need to stump up for.” Jay pointed out. “Van, men, food for everyone. You do want us to feed them, don’t you?”

  “I’ll transfer five thousand pounds into your account before the snatch, which should cover the basics, and another five when I hear you’ve picked the target up.” She was probably making it up as she went along. “You’ll get the half million on top when the ransom is paid, and the target has been recovered.”

  Jay glanced up at Reggie who was nodding his head.

  “Ok, that sounds workable.” Jay thought he sounded casual enough not to come across as over-eager. “There’s just one thing we need to get straight before we agree this deal.”

  “And that is?” She didn’t sound nearly as confident this time.

  “You try and fuck us over and not pay us the half million, and I send some rather incriminating evidence to the cops.” Jay smiled at Reggie who gave him two thumbs up.

  “And what sort of evidence do you think you’ve got over me?” Heather scoffed.

  “Well, you were pretty shit-faced the first time we discussed this, so you probably didn’t notice me filming your side of the conversation.” Jay grinned at his brother. “And every phone conversation since has been recorded, so put the two together and I don’t think the police will find it hard to track you down, especially if they show your picture to the target and their associates.”

  There was a short silence on the other end.

  “Seeing as it was never my intention to fuck you over, that shouldn’t pose a problem.” The voice was definitely shakier now. “Send me some bank details to this number and I’ll let you have the five thousand by the time I call you next week to give you the twenty-four-hour warning.”

  “Excellent.” Jay grinned. “Looking for
ward to hearing from you.”

  The line clicked to let them know the call was ended.

  “Did you actually record her spouting all that shit last week?” Reggie smirked at him. “Or were you calling her bluff?”

  “Oh, I got it all right!” Jay nodded. “Just like I got the recordings of all the phone calls since.”

  “So, my baby brother has at least one active braincell? Who’d have thunk it?” Reggie laughed, making Jay roll his eyes.

  “Yeah, well you’re not the only one with an app on your phone!”

  Chapter 26 – Evan

  Evan stood next to the car, waiting for Megan to appear from her building. He could feel his heart pounding inside his chest.

  He couldn’t remember feeling quite this nervous about meeting someone who wasn’t carrying an AK-47 or something similar, since… well, since the day he’d lied to Megan to get her out of his life.

  Well, wasn’t life all about ‘what goes around, comes around’!

  He glanced at his appearance in the reflection of the glass in the driver’s door window and wondered if she’d even realise that he’d dressed up for her.

  Ok, so he wore a suit and tie every day for work.

  But this was his best Armani suit, and the tie was silk, and had cost him more than the shirt he was wearing.

  He looked down, trying to make sure his shoes were still as clean as when he’d polished them this morning. Yep, you could almost see your reflection in them.

  “Good morning, Evan.” Megan’s voice caught him completely off guard.

  “Oh, hey.” He smiled, embarrassed at being caught examining himself. “I was hoping you’d let me take you to brunch. Or just coffee, maybe. Whichever you prefer.”

  Megan looked around as if considering their options, giving Evan a chance to look at her properly for the first time in daylight. Her long dark hair was loosely knotted in some sort of bun, and she wore just a touch of eyeshadow and pale pink lipstick. She was still as beautiful as the first day he’d seen her, but now she carried herself with a maturity that hadn’t been there when they’d been married.

  “There’s a coffee shop at the end of the road that does sandwiches or cakes.” She pointed away from her building. “Or if you’d prefer a late breakfast, there’s a café the other way that does all day full English. It’s a proper greasy-spoon café, if you like that sort of thing.”

  Evan didn’t really like greasy food very much, but more importantly, he didn’t think it would be Megan’s choice.

  “The coffee shop sounds good to me, if it’s Ok with you.” He smiled. “Do we walk, or shall I drive?”

  “It’s fine with me, and walking would be easier.” Megan shrugged. “You won’t get a parking space any nearer than where you’re parked, and any closer and it’s all pay-machines.”

  “Walking it is.” Evan deliberately walked closest to the traffic, letting Megan set the pace.

  “So, how has work been?” Evan asked politely. “Working with sick kids can’t be easy.”

  “It’s not.” She agreed. “They suffer, and sometimes they die.”

  Evan glanced sideways at her. There was obviously more to that statement than met the eye.

  “Have you lost any patients recently?” It was a guess, but an educated one.

  “Last week.” Megan admitted. “A little girl. It was tough on the staff, but not nearly as tough as on the parents.”

  “I’ll bet.” Evan nodded. “How do you usually cope with that sort of thing happening. I’m guessing you have some sort of coping strategy.”

  “Some of my colleagues go out and get pissed.” She shrugged. “Drowning your sorrows in a bottle of vodka is apparently quite effective, as long as it doesn’t happen too often.”

  “You were never a drinker.” He pointed out.

  “I’m still not.” Megan shrugged. “If I come off shift at night, I just read until my eyes won’t stay open any more. If I come off a night shift early in the morning, I tend to go to the local swimming baths, and do laps until my arms won’t keep me afloat. The pain in my muscles usually cancels out the pain in my chest.”

  They reached the coffee shop too soon, and Megan led the way inside and up to a counter. The room was half empty, and she pointed to a sofa at the back next to an armchair.

  “Grab those seats.” She instructed. “I’ll get the drinks and something to eat. Still a milky coffee for you?”

  Evan automatically reached for his wallet to pay, but when Megan glared at him, he backed down.

  “Yeah, a milky coffee is fine.” He nodded, heading for the sofa.

  He watched her place an order at the counter and pay for it, before making her way over and sitting in the armchair.

  “I ordered you a chicken sandwich and a custard slice.” She informed him.

  Evan couldn’t help the grin that broke out on his face.

  “Do you remember the bakery on Carlisle Street in Splott?” He rolled his eyes. “Best custard slices I ever tasted. Biggest, too.”

  “I lost about twenty pounds after I moved away from Cardiff.” Megan almost cracked a proper smile. “Almost entirely as a result of not being able to buy cakes and pasties on my doorstep.”

  “I don’t see how you could have.” Evan scoffed. “You wouldn’t have had twenty pounds to lose.”

  Megan’s trace of a smile was instantly gone.

  “You haven’t seen me for almost eleven years, Evan.” She pointed out. “I hardly think you’re qualified to comment.”

  Thankfully his blushes were spared when the woman from behind the counter arrived with a tray and started handing out mugs and plates of goodies.

  As if by unspoken agreement, they paused their conversation to eat their sandwiches.

  When they’d finished eating, he noticed she hadn’t bought herself a cake, but after the last attempt at general chit-chat ended fairly disastrously, he decided not to say anything.

  “Would it be Ok if I started to explain things to you?” He sat back, ignoring the custard slice.

  Megan picked up her tea and sipped the hot drink carefully.

  “If you think it’s necessary.” She nodded slowly. “But let me make it clear... if I hear anything I don’t like, I walk out of here. More importantly, you don’t follow me. Understood?”

  Evan had no choice but to agree. She’d made the concession that had got them in the same room, so it wasn’t an unreasonable condition.

  “Do you remember when I was posted to Afghanistan?” He hoped her recall was as good as his, or this conversation was going to be even harder. “There were about twenty of us from the barracks that had gone through basic training and were on the military transport together.”

  “Of course, I remember.” Megan said quietly. “You had a team photo taken the week before you flew out, standing outside Cardiff Castle. It was a rugby international day, Wales versus Ireland, I think. You got a copy of the picture framed, and you wrote all the names on the back so when you talked about them in your letters, I’d know who you meant.”

  Evan nodded, remembering that last weekend well.

  “We were a bunch of kids going off to do a man’s job.” He said quietly. “I was one of the older ones at twenty-one, and even I thought some of them were just kids. Babies at just nineteen years old.”

  “You thought you were so mature.” Megan whispered. “You were all just a bunch of wannabe soldiers.”

  Evan nodded.

  “I won’t go into too much detail, but it’s fair to say that in the first month, we grew up fast.” He explained. “Men in other regiments were getting killed and injured going out on the front line. Those same regiments were coming to the end of their tours, and when they went home, we were in line to replace them. It was scary as hell.”

  Megan was listening to him intently, cradling her mug of tea in her hands.

  “A couple of months before we came home, we were out on patrol, about thirty of us spread across six vehicles. We were attacked by a b
unch of assholes carrying RPG’s.” Evan explained, trying to keep his voice unemotional so as not to upset her. “A couple of the trucks tried to get out of direct range and ended up driving straight over some land-mines. These were the old-style military vehicles that didn’t have the full bomb-proof kit on them, and the bottom of each truck was ripped right off. Two boys were killed, and one guy lost multiple limbs. Quite a few others had serious shrapnel wounds.”

  “Were you injured at all?” Megan murmured.

  Evan shook his head.

  “Physically? Not a scratch. I was in the fourth truck and we were shielded from the attack and the blast by the trucks in front of us.” He shrugged. “Of course, like quite a few others, I ended up with a fairly decent dose of PTSD, but I didn’t know that back then. We were just told to suck it up, so we did.”

  “That was two months before you came home?” Megan clarified, and he guessed she was alluding to him coming home and dumping her.

  “I had two months to think about things, and all I could think about was the visits those boys’ families would be getting from the military to let them know their sons weren’t coming home, or if they were, they were injured so badly that their lives would be changed beyond recognition.” Evan said quietly. “As irrational as it might sound now, all I could think about back then was that I didn’t want you to get that knock on the door to tell you I was dead. Moreover, I never wanted you to have to take me back if I came home severely injured. I didn’t want you to have to face that sort of future.”

  Megan was staring at him in disbelief.

  “So, instead of telling me the truth, you lied to my face and told me you were having an affair?” She hissed.

  “I did what I thought was the best thing for both of us at the time.” He nodded. “Obviously, with the benefit of hindsight, I now realise it was a decision made when I was completely traumatised, and undoubtedly suffering from PTSD. It helped ease the nightmares once I’d made up my mind.”

  Megan looked like she wanted to scream at him, but, thankfully, her medical training was kicking in, and she understood that at that point in his life, he wouldn’t have been capable of making a rational decision.