The Price

by Kerry Kaya

  As he watched Billy signal for a third round of drinks, a trickle of worry edged its way down his spine. He couldn’t help but think that maybe Susan had been right, and that her husband was suspicious of them after all.

  “Oi, over here.” Turning his head, Billy raised his arm in the air.

  Fletch spun around. He took in the young woman walking toward them, and lifted his eyebrows questionably. “I thought it was all over between you and Keith’s missus?”

  “What?” Billy laughed. He grabbed at his crotch. “It ain’t my fault if she can’t keep away from the goods, is it? Besides, she’s got an arse that could crack a fucking walnut, mate.”

  Shaking his head, Fletch gulped at his brandy. Typical of Billy. So much for looking out for him. He’d only brought him along to the spieler, because he’d already arranged to meet his bit on the side here.

  “Hiya, babe.” Melody Lewis was all smiles as she approached them. Dressed in an impossibly short, black dress that left little to the imagination, she tossed her dark curls over her shoulder and draped her arm around Billy’s neck, staking her claim.

  “Fletch, Melody.” Billy quickly did the introductions. “And keep your fucking eyes off of him,” Billy warned, stabbing his finger in her face. “You’re here with me. Remember that,” he said, leaning into cop a quick feel of her backside.

  “Leave it out, Bill.” Shaking his head, Fletch could feel his cheeks flush pink. The older man was always the same once he’d had a drink, not that Billy needed much of an excuse to kick off.

  Billy’s face was deadpan. No one, and he meant no one, touched what belonged to him. “I mean it,” he warned.

  “Yeah, if you say so.” Melody wriggled out of his arms and gave a coy grin. “It’s all right for some, ain’t it? At the end of the night, he gets to go home to the little wife.” She threw Fletch a wink. “What’s good for the goose and all that, what do you reckon, babe?”

  “What did you just fucking say?”

  Inwardly, Fletch groaned. Melody obviously knew nothing of what her latest squeeze was capable of. “She didn’t mean anything by it, Bill.” He laughed off her words in a desperate bid to keep the peace. “It was just a joke, that’s all. Forget about it, mate.”

  “Forget about it? Who are you, her fucking keeper?” Billy snarled. He slammed his glass down on the counter, and shoving Melody up against the bar, his hand gripped tightly around her neck. “So, do you wanna rephrase what you just said? And think carefully before you answer me.”

  The action was so fast that Melody was barely able to breathe. Panic set in and her face turned bright red as she desperately tried to free herself.

  “Bill,” Fletch warned.

  Billy released his grip, and grasping hold of her jaw, he threw her away from him.

  “You could have just killed me,” Melody choked out. Terror filled her as she rubbed at the red indentations that Billy’s fingers had left around her slender neck.

  “No could have about it.” Billy stalked forward until she was backed up against the wooden bar once more, his eyes two mere slits and his voice a low growl as he spoke. “If I wanted you dead, I would have choked the life out of you. I would have made it happen.”

  Melody’s eyes widened and she cowered backwards. Looking at the crazed man before her, she didn’t doubt his words in the slightest. How on earth was she going to explain this away to Keith? It had taken weeks for her husband to be even able to stand in the same room as her, after he’d come home early from work and caught them in the act. There and then, she wished that she’d stayed at home, bored out of her mind, pretending to be the good little wife.

  “The fact that I didn’t is to remind you that you’re nothing but the shit beneath my shoe. I own you. In future, you surrender to every one of my whims, without question.” His hand shot out and grasped around her jaw for a second time. “Even if I tell you to strip butt naked and dance, you do just that. Do you understand me?”

  Tears sprang to Melody’s eyes and she glanced toward Fletch for help.

  “So, what are you waiting for?” Billy sneered. “If you want to act like a dirty whore bag, then that’s exactly how I’m gonna treat you. Now, fucking strip.”

  A hush fell across the room.

  “Leave it out, Bill.” Aware that all eyes were on them, Fletch took a step forward. “She gets the picture, mate.”

  “I told you to fucking strip,” Billy roared, batting his protégée away from him.

  Humiliation burned through Melody and tears stung her eyes, blinding her vision. Not once had she believed that he would turn on her. It had only been a joke, a bit of banter. She’d fully expected him to laugh it off, just like her previous lovers would have done.

  Fletch shoved out his hand. “Bill, this ain’t fucking right.”

  “You’ve got a lot to learn,” Billy sneered, as he stabbed his finger in Fletch’s direction.

  Ignoring the comment, Fletch put himself in between the two of them and nodded his head toward the exit. “Just get the fuck out of here,” he ordered her. Much to his relief, Melody did just that, and without a backward glance, she ran for the safety of the exit as fast as her high-heeled shoes would allow her to.

  “Yeah, you’ve got a lot to fucking learn,” Billy repeated, as this time, he shoved Fletch forcibly in the chest.

  Running his tongue over his teeth, Fletch stood his ground. “You were bang out of order.” He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “What the fuck is wrong with you, eh? Why do you always have to act like a prick? It was only a joke, and you go and attack her like that?”

  With his hands placed on the bar, Billy took deep breaths in a bid to calm himself down. He chugged back his brandy and swallowed the dark liquid down.

  “She’s only a dirty slag anyway,” he stated. Using the back of hand to wipe across his lips, he turned his head in the direction of the doors that Melody had escaped through and gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “Plenty more where she came from … two-bit slags, that’s all they fucking are.”

  Fletch shook his head. His chest muscles were taut as he picked up the brandy glass and took a sip. “Well, that escalated quickly,” he grumbled.

  Billy shot him a warning glance, and clicking his fingers toward the barman for a further round of drinks, he ignored Fletch’s protests that he should get back to the hospital and check up on Frank.

  As if he didn’t have enough on his plate already, Fletch inwardly groaned, as his boss placed a fresh glass in front of him. If Billy’s mood was anything to go by, then it was going to be a long, long day.

  * * *

  Two days later, Tina eyed Fletch from across the living room. “It’s not going to go away, you know that, don’t you?” She heaved herself up from the sofa and waddled toward the kitchen. “This baby. Our baby,” she corrected, “is going to come, whether you like it not.”

  Fletch gave her a cold stare. A familiar sense or irritation spread through him. He couldn’t bear to be in the same room as his ex, so intense was his dislike of her.

  “So, daddy,” she said, looking over her shoulder, “you’d best get used to the idea, and the quicker the better.”

  Watching her leave the room, Fletch screwed up his face. A baby was the last thing he wanted. Actually, that was wrong. A baby with Tina was the last thing he wanted. Despite the situation, if it had been Susan who was pregnant, he would have been over the bloody moon.

  Jenny walked into the room. “You okay, darling?” She eyed her son cautiously.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think that you’re scared. Having a baby can be daunting at the best of times.”

  Fletch screwed up his face. “I’m not scared, Mum. I just don’t want one with her.” He stabbed his finger toward the kitchen.

  “Don’t say that, Fletch. She’s the mother of your child.”

  “Yeah, and she hasn’t let me forget that little fact, has she?”

  “Look,” Jenny put her hand on h
is arm, “once the baby is born, things will be different. After you both get your own place to live, things will settle down, you just wait and see.”

  “Our own place?” Fletch’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t wanna live with her! It’s bad enough that you let her move in here.”

  “Well, you can’t all stay here forever, darling. What with your uncle being stabbed, we’re going to need all the space we can get when he comes out of the hospital.” She looked up toward the ceiling, whilst thinking it over. “I don’t think he’ll even be able to get up the stairs for a while. And as for your brother, well, you can’t expect him to sleep on the sofa forever, can you? No, once the baby is born, you and Tina will need your own space. You need to make a go of it—be a proper family.”

  Fletch shook his head. He could barely get his head around what she was saying. Why was his mum even taking Tina’s side? “I don’t want to make a go of it, Mum. I don’t love her. I will never ever love her.”

  “In time, you will do.” Jenny smiled gently. “When the baby is born, you will do.”

  “No, Mum, I won’t, and I wish people would stop saying that.”

  “What people?” Jenny frowned.

  “No one.” He lowered his eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”

  She smiled once more. “You just wait and see, my darling, everything will turn out just right.”

  Chapter 10

  “I don’t like it.” Tina was sulking. She placed her hands protectively across her bump and turned her face away from the car window.

  “You ain’t even looked inside yet.” Fletch gritted his teeth. Begrudgingly, and against his better judgement, he had driven them to view a two-bedroom apartment, in Romford, Essex, that had just come onto the market for rental. What with his uncle’s imminent release from hospital, his mum had been on his case for him to find them somewhere else to live.

  “I don’t need to see it,” she continued to sulk. “Look at it. This place is a dump.”

  “It ain’t that bad.” He leaned forward over the steering wheel and craned his neck to look up at the grey apartment building. Admittedly, it wasn’t exactly what he’d been looking for either, but being in the centre of Romford, it was handy for him to get to and from work, and not to mention, it was affordable. He opened the car door and climbed out. “Just have a look at the place. You never know, you might even like it.”

  “I doubt it.” Unclipping her seat belt, Tina followed suit, and with great difficulty, climbed out of the car. She looked up at the dreary building and gave a long sigh. “It’ll be a waste of time,” she groaned.

  Giving her a stilted smile, Fletch answered. “Well, it’s not as if you’ve got much else to do, is it? You haven’t stepped foot outside my uncle’s house for days.”

  “And, your point is?” Tina snapped back. “I am pregnant, unless it escaped your notice.”

  “Yeah, how could I forget something like that?” he grumbled underneath his breath.

  Tina glared. “Sometimes, I think you would prefer it if me and our baby just disappeared into thin air.”

  Fletch rolled his eyes and gave an agitated sigh. “Can we just take a look at this place without arguing for once, eh?” He walked toward the entrance door with Tina waddling behind him, and pressed the intercom. Moments later, the door was buzzed open and they were able to enter the building. He strode across the foyer, his footsteps loud upon the terra cotta tiled floor and pressed for the lift. In silence, they travelled up to the fourth floor, all the while, Tina scowled.

  The flat, in Fletch’s opinion, was perfect for them. With two good sized bedrooms, a sitting room, small kitchenette area, and a bathroom, it had everything they needed. They followed the estate agent around the flat, peering inside the empty rooms and cupboards.

  “It’s perfect.” Fletch nodded his head as he stood in front of a set of patio doors that led out onto a large wrap-around balcony.

  Tina’s head snapped toward him. “No, it isn’t,” she complained. “I want a garden.”

  “You can have a balcony instead,” he said, nodding toward the patio doors.

  “I don’t want a bloody balcony. I want a garden. In fact, I want to live in a house, not this dump.” Tina’s face had turned bright red, her nose was turned upwards, and she resisted the urge to stamp her feet like a child having a temper tantrum. “All of my mates are buying houses. I’m gonna to be the only one living in a poxy flat.”

  “We’ll take it, mate.” Fletch cut off her words, uninterested in where her silly little mates lived.

  Nigel Stubbs looked at the young couple in front of him. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife, and he cleared his throat, feeling more than a little bit uncomfortable. “Are you sure that you don’t want more time to think it over?” He gathered up his briefcase and adjusted his tie to hide his blushes.

  “No need to think it over. We’ll take it.”

  “No, we will not take it,” Tina snapped. “I’ve already told you, I want a house.”

  “I said, we’ll take it.” Fletch gave her a cold stare. “And seeing as I’m the one stumping up the cash, I’ll have the final word on the matter.” He turned away from her. It may have been a small victory, but the quicker she learnt that he wasn’t about to treat her like some spoiled princess, the better. He indicated for the estate agent to take out the paperwork. “We’ll take it, mate. Show me where I need to sign.”

  Nigel raised his eyebrows and opened up his briefcase. Taking out a series of paperwork, he hastily signed on the dotted line, before handing the sheets of paper over. His eyes flickered across to Tina as Fletch added his signature and he took note of her pursed lips. She could be a pretty girl if she allowed herself to smile, he thought to himself.

  “You promised me a house,” Tina sulked.

  “No, I didn’t. I said I’d get a place for us to live so we’re out of Frank’s hair for a bit.” He nodded around the sitting room. “And that’s exactly what I’ve done.” He passed back the signed sheets of paper. “I’ll pay in cash,” he smiled.

  His eyes lighting up, Nigel returned the smile. Business was business, after all, and seeing as he worked on a commission basis, securing the rental was at the top of his priority. He took the cash and passed across a set of keys. “Enjoy your new home.”

  “We will do, mate.”

  Nigel nodded his head, gave a stilted smile, and exited the premises as fast as his feet would allow him to.

  “I can’t believe you just did that.” On hearing the front door close after the estate agent, Tina’s eyes flashed with anger. Every inch of her bristled. “The very least you could have done is get us a house. I’m having your baby, and …”

  Interrupting her, Fletch poked himself in the chest. “Listen here. I didn’t sign up for this. You wanted to saddle yourself with me, and I’ve given you no promises, have I? I didn’t want this to happen. I told you from the start that I didn’t want a relationship with you. I don’t think I’m even ready to be a dad, and if I’m being totally honest, I don’t know if I ever will be.”

  “It takes two to tango,” Tina snapped back. “And I don’t remember you complaining at the time. In fact, the complete opposite.”

  “Nah,” Fletch growled. “You lied to me. You told me you were on the pill. You knew exactly what you were doing.” He stabbed his finger forward. His eyes were cold and menacing, as he recalled the look on Susan’s face, the expression of heartache etched across her beautiful features, when he’d told her he was about to become a father. “You set out to trap me, right from the very start.”

  Tina’s cheeks flushed pink at the accusation. It was true, she had set out to trap him. “You bastard … you rotten, arrogant, self-centred, piece of shit. You don’t care about me or … or about this baby … our baby,” she spat.

  “That’s right, Teen. I am a bastard, and you’re right on that one. I couldn’t give a shit about you,” Fletch roared back. He knew he was going too far, but he couldn’t stop the words from
spewing out of his mouth. “In fact, you can call me every name under the fucking sun, and I’ll tell you why, shall I? Because it’s true. I’m all of those things, and more. And no matter what name you want to call me, it’s not going to change anything, is it? It’s not going to change the facts. I can’t change who I am. I’m not suddenly going to care about you. I hardly even fucking know you, and I know for a fact that you don’t know me. You don’t even know my real name for a start, do you?”

  It wasn’t a question, it was more of a statement, and it was true. He had never told her his birth name. The only woman he had ever told was Susan. He stepped away from her and took deep, steady breaths to calm himself down. From across the room, he could see that his words had upset her, and rolling his eyes, he came to stand in front of her, the anger leaving him as abruptly as it had arrived. He placed his hands on her quivering shoulders.

  “I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I didn’t mean to yell at you like that. I’m just being honest, that’s all. I’m just telling you how it is.” He swallowed deeply. “I’m really trying to do my best by you.” He glanced around the empty room. “And this,” he said lifting up his shoulders, “is as good as it’s ever going to get.”

  Stunned, Tina’s mouth fell open. “You don’t mean that,” she cried.

  “Yes, I do. I’m not the man you think I am.” He took in her shocked expression and shook his head. “I’m not, Teen. I’m not right for you. We’re not right for each other, and you know that as well as I do, don’t you?” He gave her a sad smile, thankful that they had had this chance to talk, thankful that he had finally got his true feelings off of his chest, and that he was able to let her know the score.

  His words were like a knife to her heart, and she screwed up her face at the pain that flowed through her. He was right, and deep down she did know that they weren’t right for one another, but still she loved him, she couldn’t help herself. He was everything she had ever wanted in a man.