by LP Lovell
“My guy is looking for her. I’ll let you know when he finds anything.” I watch as her eyes slowly drift to mine. She nods. “So, I’ll just go.” I say awkwardly. I really want her to stop me. I want her to want me to stay with her or some shit. Fuck, I’m a total pussy. I feel like a stray dog just begging for her to throw me a bone. I don’t know where the fuck I’m at with her, other than confused. She hates me, then she wants me. She tells me to fuck off in one breath, then says that she needs me in the next. I do love her though, and because of that I want to help her through this thing with her mum. Whatever this shit is with her mum, it’s taking its toll on her. She looks haunted, her eyes showing a world of hurt that she won’t let me into. As always with her though, I’ll take what I can get. I’ll find her mum and make her leave one way or the other. There’s no love lost between Lilly and her mum. It’s probably best I don’t know exactly what the woman did to make Lilly hate her so much, what I’ve heard already sounds bad enough. Any more and I may just lose my shit.
I turn on my heel heading for the door. “Oh Theo?” I glance over my shoulder at Lilly. “Thank you.” She offers me a small smile. I dip my chin and leave.
Miles calls me a few hours later.
“Found her.” He says.
“That was quick.”
“Did I ever tell you I’m a fucking genius?” He laughs. “I found a mobile phone registered to her name and tracked the number. She’s staying in Tooting.”
“Good job. Send me the address and I’ll sort it.”
“You need some security?” He asks sounding concerned.
I laugh. “I’ll be fine. Thanks though.”
“No worries. Later.” He hangs up.
I stare at my sat nav as it says; ‘You have arrived at your destination.’ Seriously? I look around the street. It’s rough here, like seriously rough. I don’t know what I expected, but Lilly and Harry both seem to be from an okay background. They’re educated, well spoken…I expected her mother to have money in some form, even if she is a prize bitch. I look across the street to the block of flats. They look like council flats…the kind of council flats where you’re likely to get stabbed in the stairwell. I haven’t told Lilly I’m coming here. I know I said I’d send someone to deal with this, but I just can’t entrust this to someone else. For Lily’s sake I need her gone. I don’t know what it’s going to take to make that happen, so it’s best I’m here in person. I need to keep my shit together. Get in and out. Don’t think about Lilly, or what this woman has done to her, or this could go awry very quickly.
I get out of the car and cross the street. I glance back over my shoulder at my baby, looking so beautiful in this run down place. Fuck, she’ll probably have no wheels by the time I get back. With a resigned sigh I turn and keep walking. I pull the GPS tracker that Miles dropped by out of my pocket. It says she’s on the fifth floor of this shit hole building, or at least her phone is. The lift is out of order, not surprising, so I take the exposed concrete steps up to the fifth floor. The overhead lights flicker, and the whole place smells of piss and mildew. The walls in the hallways are covered in graffiti, and the floors are littered with cigarette butts, rubbish and god knows what else. I understand that some people are forced to live in less than ideal conditions, but would it kill someone to clear this shit up a bit.
The tracker shows she’s in the next flat on the left. I stop outside the door numbered 52. I knock and wait. For a while I hear nothing. I knock again. There’s a shuffling of feet and then the door swings open revealing a very thin bleached blonde woman. She’s older, her hair is greasy and her make-up is overly heavy.
She smiles revealing yellowed teeth. “Well, this might just be my lucky day.” She says in a course cockney accent.
For the first time in my life I have no idea how to respond to a woman. Fuck. “I’m looking for Jane Samson.” I say, trying to keep my voice stern. Truth be told the way she’s looking at me is scaring me a bit. If she tries to touch me I may vomit. The things I fucking do for Lilly.
“Oh.” Her face falls in disappointment. “She’s in here. Come in.” She winks. Why do I feel like I’m being lured into the dragons den? I step inside. It smells like a dive bar in here, of cigarettes and beer.
“Jane!” She shouts. I wait. “I’m Tracey by the way.”
“Nice to meet you Tracey.” I say politely. She leads me into a small living room. It’s dingy. The wallpaper is yellowing, the carpet looks about fifty years old, and the furnishings are no better. It is tidy though, which surprises me.
She smiles. “You sure are fancy to be hanging round a place like this. What brings you here?”
“I need to speak to Jane.” She keeps looking at me as though waiting for more of an explanation. “I’m friends with her daughter.”
Her smile comes back. “Oh Lilly. Pretty little thing. Doesn’t surprise me her getting herself a man like you.”
“You know Lilly?” I eye the woman again. How the hell does a woman like this know Lilly?
“Known her since she was a little girl.” Her eyes dim a little. “Shame about what happened to her dad.”
I’m just about to ask when the woman I saw yesterday steps into the room from a hallway. She watches me with cold eyes for a moment. “How did you find me?” She asks coldly. It’s scary how alike her and Lilly are, right down to the arctic tone of their voice.
I smirk. She has no fucking idea. “Do you know who I am Jane?”
She narrow my eyes. “You’re the man who’s made my daughter into his latest whore.”
I fix my expression into one that I know intimidates, an expression known to cause people to sign over millions of pounds and entire companies. “Firstly…I’m Theodore Ellis. Secondly, call Lilly a whore again and you’re going to realise very quickly exactly what that means.” I take a step toward her and she takes a stumbling step back. I see the fear flicker in her eyes. “It means…” I smile. “That I have more money and power than you can possibly comprehend. It means that if someone stands in my way, I roll the fuck over them, and it means that if you hurt what’s mine, I will return the favour ten-fold.” She swallows quickly. “Do you understand what I’m telling you?” She says nothing, just stares at me. I pretend to glance around the room, as if she’s not worth my time. Tracey is still standing in the corner, her eyes roaming over my body appreciatively. When I still get no response from Jane I continue. “Lilly is mine. What hurts her hurts me.”
“What do you want?” She finally asks.
“I want to know what it’s going to take to make you disappear.” I meet her eyes, never backing away, always pushing forward. This is how you negotiate, you give no leeway until you get what you want. Everyone has a price.
“I came to see my daughter.”
“And that was a real fucking happy reunion.” I force a laugh. “Did you enjoy the loving embrace of her hands around your throat?” I smile.
“You don’t know what you’re fucking talking about!” She screams.
“No? I know that your daughter hates you, that she begged me to come here and get rid of you before Harry finds you.” I cock an eyebrow. “Somehow I think he’d sooner see mummy dearest in a box in the ground than anywhere near his sister.” Her face turns red, her fists clenching. “Lucky for you, I have the better resources, but Harry’s definitely got the funds to track you down, so perhaps you should run before he finds you.”
Then she really blows. “That fucking bastard took everything from me!” She shrieks. “Lilly used to be good until he turned her against me.”
“You abandoned them. If it weren’t for Harry Lilly would be dead.” I say through gritted teeth. I’m going on a hunch here. The conversation I heard yesterday, the way Harry is with Lilly…I have a vague picture in my mind. I can’t let her think that I don’t know the situation. It will show a weakness in mine and Lilly’s relationship that I can’t afford for her to see right now.
Her face blanches. “I…I made mistakes. I regre
t it. I came to make it right.”
I laugh humourlessly and step into her space backing her against the back of the sofa. I let all my anger go. “You have no fucking idea do you. You let an innocent child down. You have to live with that. She wants nothing to do with you, it only hurts her.” I snap out of it, realizing that I’m scaring the shit out of her, and that it’s not my place to reveal anything to this woman about Lilly. I take a minute to regain my cool control. “We both know you didn’t come to find her because you wanted rekindle some long lost relationship. What do you want?”
“I told you.”
I sigh. “How much do you want?”
“I…” She stumbles.
“Look, let’s be realistic here. You’re not exactly living it up.” I gesture around the room,
“Hey.” Tracey pipes up from the corner I had forgotten she was standing in.
“No offense.” I say quickly.
“I could make your life considerably better. Nice house, nice car…you’d never have to worry about money again…versus staying and trying to make amends with Lilly, who is never going to forgive you. I don’t know what she was like as a kid, and you don’t know her as an adult, but let me tell you; that woman does not do forgiveness.” Fuck, isn’t that the truth.
“How much?” She asks. I try to hide my smile. I knew her whole ‘I want to make amends’ was bullshit.
“One million and you walk away today.” I hear Tracey make a choking noise in the corner. Now, I could offer more of course, guarantee her absolute compliance, but the idea of giving this woman anything when she has caused Lilly pain, irks me. I’ll get her out of Lilly’s life, but I’m not going to offer her more than necessary. She doesn’t deserve it.
She purses her lips. “I heard you were worth billions…” She says.
I laugh. “No. I’m worth a lot, but not billions. Your choice, one million pounds or a daughter who hates you.”
“One point five.” She says. The look in her eye says she knows how much I want rid of her.
I sigh. “Fine, done. Give me your details and I’ll get it wired. If I find out you’re still in London after tonight…well, let’s just say I know some people who aren’t above illegal activity.” I raise my eyebrows at her and she nods her head in understanding. She scribbles some details on a piece of paper and hands it to me. I tuck it in my jacket and turn to leave.
“Theodore.” She says my name and I pause, but don’t turn. “Be careful with my daughter.” For a moment I think she’s actually concerned for Lilly. “She’s not who you think she is.” Her voice is full of bitterness. I open the door and leave without a glance back. Bitch is crazy.
My car is still there when I get back, thank fuck. I drive back and wonder how someone could sell the rights to their own flesh and blood. Surely when you have a child you do anything for them. I know there’s obviously bad blood between Lilly and her mother, but if that was my child…if I realised I made a mistake, then I’d do anything to make it up to them. If she had turned down the money for a chance to make amends with Lilly, it would have spoken enough that maybe Lilly could have given her a chance…eventually. Fuck, I don’t know, I’m probably just grasping at straws. I guess the idea that she vaguely cared is too close to home for me. My mother couldn’t give a fuck. I know the sting of that. It pains me that Lilly has to suffer that too.
I decide to go straight back to her flat. Might as well get it over with and tell her.
Chapter Twenty
Lilly
Fucking Harry. I can’t believe this shit. Theo left earlier and I left to go to the dance studio, but before I could even make it to the street George came through the door with a smile on his face. So now I’m sat on the sofa, bored out of my bloody mind because Harry’s decided to go all macho and forced George to babysit me.
“This is bullshit.” I whine for the hundredth time.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re a miserable bitch.” George says from the kitchen. He’s attempting to bake me cookies. Bribery food, no matter what he says.
“Hey, you’re not the one with the psycho brother trying to keep you locked up.” The truth is, if it were anyone else I’d be out of here so fast, consequences be damned, but it’s Harry. He worries about me, and if staying here for one day is going to stop him worrying then I’ll do it. That doesn’t mean that the whole thing isn’t absolutely ridiculous.
I hear the buzzer for the door and practically run to get it. “Hello.”
“Hey sugar. Can I come in?” Oh god his voice is so smooth and deep, it still makes me go all weird every time I hear it..
“Hmm hmm.” I grunt as I press the buzzer.
I open the flat door before he’s even knocked. He smiles and it knocks the wind out of me. Isn’t he just the perfect distraction from my prison. I grab his shirt and pull him inside. He follows me to the kitchen where George is studying the back of a cookie dough box.
“Are you baking?” He frowns at me like this entire notion is ridiculous.
“Maybe.” I say.
“I’m baking.” George says. “Have you tasted her cooking?” He snorts.
“You’re not much better.” I retort.
“Hey. I’m trying to cheer you up. I get no thanks.” He feigns a wounded expression.
“You’re trying to bribe me. It’s totally different.”
“Bribe you into what?” Theo smiles.
“Staying in the house and not resisting arrest.” I cock an eyebrow at George letting him know I’m not happy. Hey, I may not fight it, but I don’t have to be happy about it. He volunteered for my bitching.
George rolls his eyes and snorts. “You should never have given up the acting classes, you’re sooo melodramatic.”
Theo watches the entire exchange with a small smile on his face. I grab his arm and drag him to the sofa. “So, what did you find?”
“Well, I found her.” I meet his eyes. “And it’s dealt with. She’ll be out of London by tonight. You won’t hear from her again.”
What the…? “You went to see her yourself? I thought we agreed.”
“I wanted to deal with it myself, ensure that she took the deal and left. This was too big a task to entrust to someone else.” He says carefully. “Look, it’s done. Harry won’t have a shit fit because you spoke to her, you don’t have to deal with her, everyone’s happy.”
“Did she…did she say anything to you?” My voice wavers slightly. Shit, this is bad.
“No. I made her an offer and she took it.” He’s lying. I can always tell when he’s lying because he rarely does it. The guilt is written all over his face. Whatever she said to him, he doesn’t want me to know. She wouldn’t tell him about Shaun would she? That thought makes me shiver involuntarily
I drop my eyes to my hands in my lap. “How much?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Theo, tell me. I want to pay you back.”
He smiles softly and reaches out to touch me. He runs his fingers along my jaw, then across my lips. My breath quickens and my skin heats. “You pay me back just by being. Your smile lights up my world. If her leaving will make you smile, then no amount of money in the world matters.” Oh god. My heart thumps harder in my chest. He’s breaking down all my barriers all over again. How can I fight him? How am I meant to stand against this when he says things like that to me? I ask for his help and he’s there without a second thought. He holds me when I feel like I’m falling apart. No matter how many times I push him away he’s always there. Truth be told, it’s killing me. He’s everything I want. He’s everything I need.
He leans forward and gently brushes his lips across mine in a whisper of a kiss. I close my eyes and savour his touch, the closeness. I take a big long drag of my addiction. Him.
He pulls away and stands. “Call me if you need me.” He smiles that beautiful smile that brings women across the country to their knees, and then he’s gone.
I lean my head in my hands. Fuck. One night and one day, and
that’s it. All the hatred I’ve built, all the barriers I’ve constructed, blown to shit.
I feel George sit on the sofa next to me. “Well fuck, if a man said that to me I’d jump his bones before he’d even finished. And if Theodore Ellis said that to me…” He starts fanning himself. “Seriously does he ever have a bad day? It would make me feel better if he had ugly days, or fat days.” I smirk at him and his little rant. He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Do you need me tell you this time?” I frown at him, confused. “He really loves you.”
“I know.” What else can I say? I know. I love him too, but everything’s a fucked up mess. Romantic.
He shakes his head. “You know, you could work through this if you really wanted to. If you don’t try how will you ever know? You could look back in ten years time and realise he was the love of your life, and you gave him up.” He places his hands on his chest dramatically. “You’ll be like one of those girls in a sad romance film.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re such a fucking queen.”
He laughs. “So, what are we doing tonight? Molly said she’s hanging with us, she’ll be back soon. If I get a vote, I’m saying pizza and Magic Mike. It’s been a while since I’ve had my Channing dose.”
“I’m not sure Harry would agree with you on that one.” I grin.
“Well, if Harry has a problem with it, he’s more than welcome to be a stand in. I want man candy and I don’t care what form it comes in.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.
“George. My. Brother.” I reiterate for what must be the thousandth time in our friendship.
He grins. “Your brothers fucking hot Lill’s. You guys got good genes.”
“Fine. We’ll watch Magic Mike.” I sigh.
“Don’t act like it’s a hardship.” He snorts. “We both know the old floor grind gets you going.” He says as he gets on the floor and starts imitating the exact move. I laugh.
“Fuck babe, how are you single with moves like that?”