Risking It All

by Stephanie Harte

  Also by Stephanie harte

  Tangled Lives

  RISKING IT ALL

  Stephanie Harte

  AN IMPRINT OF HEAD OF ZEUS

  www.ariafiction.com

  First published in the United Kingdom in 2020 by Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus Ltd

  Copyright © Stephanie Harte, 2020

  The moral right of Stephanie Harte to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN: 9781789546279

  Aria

  c/o Head of Zeus

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  5–8 Hardwick Street

  London EC1R 4RG

  www.ariafiction.com

  Contents

  Welcome Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1: Gemma

  Chapter 2: Gemma

  Chapter 3: Nathan ?

  Chapter 4: Gemma

  Chapter 5: Nathan

  Chapter 6: Gemma

  Chapter 7: Gemma

  Chapter 8: Gemma

  Chapter 9: Gemma

  Chapter 10: Nathan

  Chapter 11: Gemma

  Chapter 12: Gemma

  Chapter 13: Gemma

  Chapter 14: Nathan

  Chapter 15: Gemma

  Chapter 16: Gemma

  Chapter 17: Nathan ?

  Chapter 18: Gemma

  Chapter 19: Gemma

  Chapter 20: Gemma

  Chapter 21: Gemma

  Chapter 22: Alfie

  Chapter 23: Gemma

  Chapter 24: Gemma

  Chapter 25: Gemma

  Chapter 26: Gemma

  Chapter 27: Alfie

  Chapter 28: Gemma

  Chapter 29: Nathan

  Chapter 30: Gemma

  Chapter 31: Gemma

  Chapter 32: Gemma

  Chapter 33: Gemma

  Chapter 34: Alfie

  Chapter 35: Gemma

  Chapter 36: Gemma

  Chapter 37: Gemma

  Chapter 38: Nathan

  Chapter 39: Gemma

  Chapter 40: Gemma

  Chapter 41: Gemma

  Chapter 42: Gemma

  Chapter 43: Gemma

  Chapter 44: Gemma

  Chapter 45: Gemma

  Chapter 46: Gemma

  Chapter 47: Nathan

  Chapter 48: Gemma

  Chapter 49: Gemma

  Chapter 50: Gemma

  Chapter 51: Nathan

  Chapter 52: Gemma

  Chapter 53: Alfie

  Chapter 54: Gemma

  Chapter 55: Gemma

  Chapter 56: Nathan

  Chapter 57: Gemma

  Chapter 58: Gemma

  Chapter 59: Alfie

  Chapter 60: Gemma

  Chapter 61: Gemma

  Chapter 62: Gemma

  Chapter 63: Gemma

  Chapter 64: Gemma

  Chapter 65: ?

  Chapter 66: Gemma

  Chapter 67: Gemma

  Chapter 68: Gemma

  Chapter 69: Alfie

  Chapter 70: Gemma

  Chapter 71: Nathan

  Chapter 72: Gemma

  Chapter 73: Gemma

  Chapter 74: Alfie

  Chapter 75: Gemma

  Chapter 76: Nathan

  Chapter 77: Gemma

  Chapter 78: Gemma

  Chapter 79: Gemma

  Chapter 80: Gemma

  Chapter 81: Gemma

  Chapter 82: Gemma

  Chapter 83: Gemma

  Chapter 84: Nathan

  Chapter 85: Gemma

  Chapter 86: Nathan

  Chapter 87: Gemma

  Chapter 88: Gemma

  Chapter 89: Gemma

  Chapter 90: Gemma

  Chapter 91: Gemma

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Become an Aria Addict

  In loving memory of Grace Christie

  19.11.99-11.2.17

  My much-loved niece, deeply missed, forever in my heart.

  1

  Gemma

  As long as I live, I’ll never forget Bank Holiday Monday, August 31, the day my world turned upside down. Returning to our flat after a fourteen-hour shift, I put my key in the lock, and as I did, my eyes were drawn to a red smear on the white woodwork. A shiver ran down my spine as I closed the door behind me. I could see Nathan in the kitchen running water into the sink.

  ‘Is everything OK?’ I slipped my arm around his waist and went to kiss his cheek. That was when I noticed the blood pouring from his nose, dripping rhythmically onto the stainless steel before swirling down the drain.

  ‘How was work?’ Nathan asked as he cleaned himself up.

  ‘Never mind that, what’s happened to you?’ I felt my heartbeat quicken.

  ‘It’s nothing; it’s just a nosebleed.’ Nathan brushed aside the issue of his mashed-up face.

  Peering over Nathan’s broad shoulder, I studied his profile. ‘It’s more than a nosebleed. Do you think it’s broken?’

  ‘I doubt it.’

  ‘You look terrible.’ I let out a long breath.

  ‘You should see the other guy.’ Nathan laughed.

  It wasn’t funny. I shook my head, frustrated by his attitude. It was obvious he’d been in a fight. ‘Aren’t you going to tell me what happened?’ Folding my arms across my chest, I eyed him suspiciously while I waited for his reply.

  ‘Let’s just say my latest business deal didn’t quite go to plan!’ Nathan smiled. ‘Honestly, Gemma, don’t look so worried. I’m all right. The blood makes it look worse than it is.’ Nathan paused and examined the dried stains on the front of his white T-shirt.

  While I took in the extent of his injuries, my hand ran up and down his back. Apart from his bleeding nose, Nathan had multiple cuts on the left side of his face, and his eye socket was swollen and bruised. He’d been beaten to a pulp.

  ‘Why don’t you pour us some wine? I could do with a drink.’

  *

  I was halfway down my glass of Shiraz when Nathan sat down next to me on the sofa. Leaning forward, he kissed me on the cheek and then took hold of my hand. He pushed my brown hair out of the way, pulled me towards him, and kissed the side of my neck. The familiar smell of Davidoff’s Cool Water filled my nostrils. I wanted to know what had happened to him, so I pulled away and shifted in my seat to create some distance between us.

  ‘I think you’d better tell me what’s going on.’ As I spoke, I looked Nathan dead in the eye.

  ‘Listen, Gemma, I can’t go into details. I don’t want to involve you.’

  ‘I’m your wife, so I’m already involved.’ Moving closer towards him, I squeezed Nathan’s hand. ‘Please tell me what happened.’ I bit down hard on the side of my lip while I waited for him to speak.

  Nathan lowered his dark eyes to avoid my gaze. ‘Somebody I know was selling cheap laptops…’ Nathan paused.

  My heart sank. ‘That doesn’t explain what happened to your face. Please tell me the truth,’ I said to fill the awkward silence.

  ‘I didn’t have enough cash for the deal, so I borrowed some money from a guy called Alfie.’

&n
bsp; ‘Alfie Watson?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  I let go of Nathan’s hand. Suddenly, everything had become clear. Just the mention of that man’s name made angry vibes radiate from me.

  ‘Oh for God’s sake, Nathan, why the hell did you do that?’ I felt fury flash across my face.

  ‘I needed the money quickly. The deal was too good to pass up.’

  Nathan’s judgement was somewhat impaired when it came to making financial decisions. His business ventures were never successful and always ended in disaster.

  Turning my palms up, I threw my hands in the air. ‘I can’t believe you were stupid enough to take a loan from Alfie Watson.’

  Nathan shrugged his shoulders and ignored my comment.

  ‘Have you lost your mind?’ I was so angry; steam was almost coming out of my ears.

  ‘No, Gemma, I haven’t.’ Nathan threw me the wounded look he’d perfected over the years, having used it a thousand times before. ‘I don’t know why you’re overreacting like this.’

  ‘I’m not overreacting. Look what he’s done to you.’

  Nathan and I had just experienced first-hand the way Alfie liked to carry out business. The man was a gangster. I touched the side of my husband’s face with my fingertips, but he turned away from me and suddenly stood up. Nathan went quiet for a moment. I wondered what he was thinking about as he watched me without blinking.

  ‘I brought this on myself.’

  My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open in disbelief. I stared at Nathan, stunned that he was trying to justify Alfie’s behaviour. But he was wasting his time; I was having none of it.

  ‘How did you come to that conclusion?’ I couldn’t control the sarcasm in my voice.

  ‘I provoked him by missing my first repayment.’

  I knew this was how people got trapped in a spiral of debt. ‘And that gave Alfie the right to kick the shit out of you, did it?’ I put my hands on my hips and glared at my husband.

  ‘I can see you’re annoyed with me.’

  I let out a loud sigh.

  ‘I’m sorry, I messed up.’ Nathan cast his eyes towards the floor.

  If someone had given me a pound every time I’d heard him say that, I’d be a millionaire by now, and then we wouldn’t be in this situation.

  ‘There’s no telling what Alfie will do if we don’t have the money when he comes back to collect it. Doesn’t that worry you?’

  ‘It’ll be OK. I just need to sell the laptops.’

  2

  Gemma

  I was woken in the early hours of the morning when Alfie and his four henchmen appeared in our flat. Adrenaline coursed through my veins when I saw the outline of their figures in the bedroom doorway. Terrified by their intrusion, I shook Nathan awake.

  ‘Alfie’s here. How did he get in?’ I whispered.

  Nathan threw me a sheepish look. ‘I forgot to mention Alfie made me give him my key.’

  My eyes sprung open. How could he forget to tell me something like that? Alfie was the first to enter our room. He stood at the foot of our bed, smoking a cigarette, watching us in silence.

  ‘Don’t look so worried. We’re not here to hurt you,’ Alfie said, as he sat down on the mattress.

  But one of the men undermined his assurance. He stood in the shadows catching a baseball bat in his huge hand as he swung it backwards and forwards. Tunnel vision made me focus on it, and I blocked out every other sight and sound in the room.

  Nathan put his arm around my trembling shoulder, and I edged closer to him. ‘Please leave Gemma out of this.’

  ‘Ah, isn’t that sweet?’ Alfie said, flashing a brilliant white smile. But almost instantly, his smile faded.

  Alfie stood up, and I saw something shiny in his hand. Something silver glinted in the darkness. My eyes were glued to him as he approached me. When he got closer, my breathing became laboured. The light bounced off the blade when Alfie placed the knife against my throat. Dry-mouthed fear took over me. Holding the weapon in one hand, he stubbed out his cigarette on my bedside cabinet with the other. Pulling the quilt off me, he ran his free hand up and down my arm. His touch made me shudder, and I felt the contents of my stomach rise. I thought I was going to throw up.

  ‘You’re a lucky man, Nathan. You’re married to a beautiful woman. It would be a real shame if something happened to change her good looks.’ Alfie smirked.

  ‘Please, leave her alone. This has got nothing to do with Gemma.’

  ‘If you don’t hand over five grand by six o’clock tomorrow evening we’ll need to renegotiate our deal.’ Alfie smiled.

  ‘Five grand? I only borrowed five hundred from you.’

  ‘I know you did, but you have a very bad credit history, Nathan, and lending money to someone like yourself is risky for my company.’

  ‘You’ll get your money back. I gave you my word.’

  ‘And in the meantime, I’m making sure I’m properly compensated.’ Alfie winked then smooth down his slicked-back hair that wasn’t out of place. ‘Gentlemen, if you’re ready we’ll call it a night.’ Alfie put the knife back inside his jacket, turned to his backup team and gestured towards the door. ‘I’ll be in touch,’ he said over his shoulder before walking out of our flat with his men in tow.

  ‘Are you OK?’ Nathan asked, pulling me into his arms.

  Overcome by terror, I was unable to speak and sat trembling in the bed. We stayed very still under the quilt, our eyes wide open, holding on to each other as Alfie’s footsteps echoed down the stairs.

  ‘Shush, it’s all right, they’ve gone now.’ Nathan stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  Nathan nodded.

  My mind began racing, as I replayed what had just happened. That was the most terrifying thing that had happened to me. I thought Alfie was going to kill me. But then I realised this was just a warning. If Alfie had wanted me dead, I wouldn’t be breathing now. I began to sob, shaken up by the whole experience.

  ‘Don’t cry. Everything’s going to be all right.’

  I collapsed into my husband’s arms with tears streaming down my face. Suddenly, I pulled away from Nathan and looked him in the eye. ‘How does Alfie know where we live?’

  Nathan shrugged his shoulders. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘What if he comes back?’ After tonight, I’m not sure I’ll ever feel safe in my home again.

  ‘He won’t. I’ll give Alfie the money tomorrow, and then he’ll leave us alone.’ Nathan weaved his fingers into my long brown hair.

  ‘Where are you going to get five thousand pounds from?’

  ‘Don’t worry. I’ll get it. Now, let’s get some sleep.’

  Even though I was mentally drained and physically exhausted, sleep was the last thing on my mind. As I tried to drift off, the recurring vision of tonight’s visit played over and over again. It was on a loop inside my head. I was scared to close my eyes. Every time I did, I could see Alfie’s face.

  Nathan pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around me. That was the last thing I remember before I fell into a fretful sleep. When I jolted awake, covered in sweat, Nathan lay beside me, staring at the ceiling.

  ‘It’s OK, you’ve just had a bad dream.’ Nathan stroked my cheek before planting a kiss on the tip of my nose.

  ‘No, it’s not OK. What will Alfie do to us if you can’t pay back the money?’ Turning onto my side, I stared at my husband.

  ‘He’s not going to do anything because I’m going to pay back every penny.’ Nathan avoided making eye contact with me and continued to stare at the ceiling.

  ‘But how are you going to raise five thousand pounds in such a short space of time?’ I slid my hand onto his bare chest to get his attention.

  ‘I’ll think of something.’

  ‘After you pay him back, promise me you’ll never get involved with Alfie again.’ I studied Nathan’s face for a reaction.

  ‘I won’t.’ Nathan turned towards me and looked deeply int
o my eyes. ‘I’m sorry I put you in danger. If I’d known what Alfie was capable of, I’d never have borrowed the money from him in the first place.’

  ‘Are you sure you’ll be able to raise that amount of cash by tomorrow?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Although I was furious with Nathan for getting us into this situation, he’d somehow convinced me the ordeal would soon be over, and at this point, I had no reason not to believe him.

  3

  Nathan ?

  Nathan pushed open the door of Mamma Donatella’s Italian restaurant. Rosa looked up from setting the table as her son approached her, and a huge smile spread across her face.

  ‘Can I ask you a favour?’

  ‘Of course.’ Rosa reached up, placed her hands on the sides of Nathan’s face and planted two kisses on his cheeks. ‘What happened to you? Did you get in a fight?’

  Nathan ignored his mother’s questions and got straight to the point. ‘Can you lend me some money?’

  Rosa shook her head before walking across to the counter. Picking up her handbag, she took out her purse. ‘You’re thirty-two years old, Nathan, but sometimes you still act like a little boy. How much do you want this time?’ she asked, taking out a twenty-pound note.

  ‘I need a bit more than that.’

  Rosa looked in her purse again. ‘That’s all I’ve got on me.’

  Nathan bit his lip and walked over to where she was standing. ‘Can I borrow five grand?’

  Rosa looked into the troubled face of her son. ‘That’s a lot of money. Why do you need so much?’

  ‘For a business deal,’ Nathan replied, running his knuckles under his chin.

  ‘I’m sorry, Nathan, I haven’t got that sort of money.’ Rosa went back to laying the tables.

  ‘Can you borrow it from Donatella?’ Nathan hoped his mother wouldn’t notice the desperation in his voice.

  Rosa stopped what she was doing and looked up at her son. Her eyes narrowed as she peered at him. ‘You want me to borrow five thousand pounds from my sister?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I can’t do that.’ Rosa shook her head.

  ‘Please, Mum, I wouldn’t ask you if I had another option.’

  Rosa let out a long breath. ‘OK I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.’