The Vine Cross (The Vine Series Book 1)

by S P Dawes

  Jesse grabbed his keys off the desk in front of him.

  “Do you want to get back up?”

  Jesse glanced at him with a look that told him everything he needed to know.

  Martin ran over to his own desk, picking up his wallet, radio and mobile. Martin drove Jesse’s car toward Hayley’s house. When they arrived, Jesse jumped out, barely letting the vehicle stop. Checking the front door, he realised she locked it, so he ran round the rear.

  Martin checked the front garden, but there were no visible anomalies. Arriving back on the path, they looked up at the windows to the flat.

  “There’s nothing here,” concluded Martin, watching his friend’s face turn paler. “She might have just gone out, forgotten her phone.”

  “Caitlyn told my mum she was going out with her today,” Jesse confessed.

  “There you go then?” Mystery solved, thought Martin, but Jesse didn’t look convinced. In fact, he looked like someone had beaten his grandma.

  “Hayley wouldn’t just go with Caitlyn. She was the one who invited the guy to the party,” explained Jesse.

  “The guy?” Asked Martin, concerned he’d only heard half the story. “Which one?”

  “I can only guess that it was Demy or Gleeson,” answered Jesse. “Neither is good news. It could have been either of them at the party. Hayley never told me his name. Caitlyn told me she didn’t know Gleeson, but she’s been concerning me more and more these days. Rob identified Gleeson at his home, but I didn’t show him a picture of Demy, so I’ve no idea if he was there too.”

  “If Demy or Gleeson has her, we need to bring the DCI in,” said Martin grimly.

  “And what if they haven’t?” Asked Jesse. He was still juggling the whole relationship thing and work. He didn’t know which ball to drop first, but he needed one to help the other.

  “It’s your call.” Martin leant on the car, looking at Jesse going through the pros and cons of turning their investigation on its head, and adding a missing person to the list.

  Jesse grabbed his phone out of his pocket and rang Caitlyn. If anyone could answer a few questions, she could.

  Hayley could hear something, but she couldn’t place where it was coming from. Caitlyn was praying it would shut up.

  Hayley unclipped her seat belt, diving into the back, searching. Caitlyn took the slip road as Hayley careered across the back seat, crashing into the headrest. A minute or two later Caitlyn pulled into the car park of an old warehouse. Getting out, slamming the door, she left Hayley still in the rear.

  Climbing through to the front, Hayley opened the passenger door. Scrambling out, she watched Caitlyn storming into a warehouse. A shadow came out from around her. Turning, she saw two large men wearing black jeans and black T-shirts moving towards her.

  Scrambling to get the front passenger door open again, she fumbled from fear. They were on her quicker than she could pull it open. Grabbing her arms and shoulders, they forced her towards the warehouse. After a few attempts to pull away, she realised it was futile and meant using precious energy that was best saved for when it could be victorious. But what the hell was Caitlyn up to?

  Inside the warehouse Hayley tried to focus on the new surroundings, but her eyes only saw green, because of the brightness from outside. With the broken dusty windows and beams above her, coming into view, she noticed the icy stone flooring below her. A green haze covered everything else.

  “Long time.”

  Hayley froze before gulping what moisture she had left in her throat, and then her stomach lunged with bile to replace it. The last time she’d heard him, he had been shouting at her, only to be lying on the floor in a pool of blood minutes later. She had hit him over the head with a plank of wood in their garden and then jumped the brick wall surrounding it into the woods. She knew she hadn’t killed him, but she’d hoped he’d suffered some type of debilitating deformity.

  Walking from the darkness into the light that beamed from the open door, the sight of him made her feel even more nauseous.

  “I see the wood didn’t work,” she spat out.

  “Neither did the brand,” he spat back calmly.

  Hayley looked away. Every time she showered or bathed, she felt it. Every time she had a relationship, it had to be discussed. It had done its job; it had stained her life, left a constant reminder.

  “Let’s try this instead.”

  Hayley’s eyes widened as she tried to see what he had in store for her. What more pain could he inflict? Or would he finally end her misery and kill her? Hadn’t he ultimately destroyed her already? Maybe it had been his plan all along? Give her time to rebuild her life, enjoy it, think everything would be OK, only to whip out the rug from underneath her. Just to assure her she would never have control over her own life; that he had always held the power. Demy beckoned something from behind him, and then she saw her worst nightmare walking out between the old rusty filing cabinets.

  The girl walked towards him, taking the hand he offered her. Hayley’s eyes prickled with tears and her stomach dropped.

  The girl staring back at her was so pale, gaunt and bleak. But it was the swelling under her clothes that made Hayley’s legs want to give out. She had escaped with her life, only to let him get his hands on her sister. Bending at the waist, Hayley violently threw up.

  Tears ran down Hayley’s face as she tried to wipe her mouth after spitting the remnants of bitter bile on the dirt floor.

  Last time she had seen her sister she had been a child of twelve. The woman in front of her was a stranger, but the similarities were unmistakable.

  “She need’s her sister back. She needs you there at the birth,” said Demy, watching her every move. Hayley could feel herself shaking as bile burnt her throat and nose. “Trouble is, when you deserted her, she was more than eager to take your place.”

  Hayley wanted to scream, claw his eyes out and slit his throat all at the same time. How could he have done this to her little sister? What had he done to her? What had she done? She had taken the easy route and left Lyndsey fighting for her life. She could never make that up to her, even if she tried every day of her life.

  “How could you?” Begged Hayley falling to the floor, landing on her knees.

  Lyndsey hadn’t wanted to leave. She hadn’t understood the danger, and the more time she’d spent trying to convince her, the more time she offered him to find her. Her recapture would have been the end of her. She had disobeyed him too many times by then for him to simply punish her. No, he’d have made her pay with her life. That’s when she had decided she had to leave, but Lyndsey had been determined to stay with their Dad.

  Looking at the bump, she felt nothing but sorrow and guilt. Going through the process every month, him wanting a positive test while she suffered beatings every month when another egg didn’t take, had taken a toll on her physically and mentally. Of course, it had been her fault, and she’d took the punishments like a pro.

  Demy stepped closer to her, leaving her sister where she was. Looking up, he hovered over her and gave her that salacious grin he liked to use on her so much. “You’re coming home.”

  Hayley didn’t take her eyes from him; he was capable of anything, and she needed to prepare herself. Squatting down, he levelled his gaze on her, before wiping his thumb across her trembling bottom lip.

  “I’m going to enjoy being reacquainted with this body,” said Demy, giving her the once over.

  Hayley bit her lip as tears spilled down her face.

  “Tut tut tut, we’ll have none of this,” he said, wiping her face with his palms. Hayley couldn’t stop her body from shaking at his touch. Drawing his hands down her chest, and to her hips, he gently guided her back to her feet. Stood, she could feel for her rapid pulse rushing through her body.

  “You can go now,” he said to Caitlyn, flicking his wrist to dismiss her. Turning back, Hayley had forgotten she was there. Caitlyn stood like a statue, flicking her gaze between everyone present. “Go!” bellowed Demy, making
Hayley jump. Caitlyn looked once more at Hayley before scrambling outside. A few seconds later they heard her car pulling away on the gravel.

  Demy watched Hayley as she tried to bring her body under some kind of control. Smiling, he seemed to enjoy her battle. “Strip,” he said, after stepping back from her.

  “What? No!” Answered Hayley, looking around at the men surrounding them.

  “Aw, she’s shy,” laughed Demy, which spurred the others on. “Maybe she needs a little incentive.”

  Hayley shook uncontrollably as he crowded her personal space once again. Grabbing her neck, he assaulted her lips. Lifting her up from the floor. She kicked to gain traction, but he was holding her just high enough to stop friction. Choking, she tried to gasp for air.

  “She looks just like you, doesn’t she?” He whispered in her ear. “But she doesn’t feel like you.”

  Trying to prise his fingers from her neck, she tried to speak, but couldn’t get any coherent words out.

  “Guy’s,” said Demy, holding her up. “Take that bitch while I get reacquainted with my wife.”

  Seeing the men grab Lyndsey sent Hayley into a frenzy, trying to get free. She watched the brutes pick Lynnie’s arms up, dragging her out of the warehouse. Once she was out of sight, Demy lowered her feet to the floor whilst maintaining a vice like grip on her throat.

  “I’m going to make you wish you’d never been born,” seethed Demy.

  “I already do,” croaked Hayley.

  “Did you really think you could escape me?” Asked Demy, pulling her head back by her hair.

  Hayley knew better than to say too much, so kept quiet.

  “Lynnie’s on her way to Russia.” Hayley would have looked at him in horror if he wasn’t holding her head back so roughly. Instead, she had to remain still so as not to snap her own spine. “Now we’re going home and you’re going to show me just how sorry you are. If you do a good enough job, I might let you live.” Demy let go of her hair and pushed Hayley towards the opening and into a black Chrysler waiting outside. Once inside, the driver locked the doors, and the partition rose out the back of his seat, closing them off.

  “What are you doing with her?” pleaded Hayley, trying to see out of the back window at the range rover behind them.

  “You didn’t think that sprogs actually mine, did you?” He asked, looking at her for a reaction. “I don’t take sloppy seconds.”

  Demy grabbed her thigh, making her flinch. “God knows I’ve missed you,” he said sniffing her hair as he buried his face into it. “A year in prison does things to a man.”

  “How would you know?” Hayley sneered before regretting her outburst.

  But he just laughed as though she had said the funniest joke ever.

  Hayley had to get back into survival mode, but she was rusty and any more slip-ups like that could cost her dearly.

  “That’s what I like about you, you never give up.”

  Hayley watched traffic and houses go by the window, wishing Jesse was on his way. But after the way she had treated him, she’d probably never see him again. She couldn’t do this again. Her need for Jesse was unbearable. Closing her eyes, she remembered their time in the hotel, the closeness, his gentile personality, the care he gave her. Then she opened her eyes and was brought back down to earth. She couldn’t do that to herself, those memories would make her weak. She had to forget him, to learn how to survive again. Besides, he’d hauled her into an interview room today. How could she be sure things hadn’t changed between them?

  Chapter 18

  Back at the police station, Jesse was in the office with DCI Walker. Martin stood outside, pacing the floor, listening to their raised voices now and then, but he wasn’t going anywhere. If Hayley was in danger, they needed to move, take the heat, and make a plan.

  Detective Chief Inspector Walker was a stocky man of almost six feet tall. He’d been in the job long enough to know that not everything worked out as planned. But he was also fully aware why the rules applied, and while he was happy to bend them when needed, he preferred his team not to take those risks, especially when it came back on him.

  “When did you start seeing the girl?” Asked DCI Walker, rubbing his bald head as if it would magically give him the answer he lacked.

  “A short while after the paint job,” Jesse was desperate to hurry this along, but he needed Walker’s help, so didn’t want to appear rude. “I had no idea her name would even come up until today’s meeting. They brought a guy in last night for dealing drugs. He mentioned Gleeson’s name and about him getting revenge on Hayley.”

  “Revenge for what?” Asked DCI Walker, tapping keys on the computer, to close it down.

  “I don’t know for sure, but he said she stole from him,” he offered unconvincingly.

  “OK, I realise you’re not in my office telling me this just cus some druggy has mentioned your girlfriend’s name, so what are you in here for?” Asked DCI Walker shuffling papers on his desk. He had a mountain to get through, and distractions weren’t welcome.

  “She’s missing.”

  DCI Walker straightened up, staring Jesse in the face. He could see the pain that lay there now, and it worried him. “Since when?” He asked, leaning forward.

  “About two hours ago. I left her this morning, then she came in. Now I can’t get hold of her, and I know this psycho is after her...” Jesse was panicking and he knew he couldn’t hide it.

  “Do you not think you’re jumping the gun?” Asked DCI Walker, evenly.

  “I know how it sounds, but something’s not right. She was angry as hell at me about the interview, but she wouldn’t just ignore me and she wouldn’t go with Caitlyn,” explained Jesse.

  “What interview and who’s Caitlyn?” Asked DCI Walker, irritated at being drip fed relevant information. He had stuff to do.

  Jesse sighed, ready for the onslaught. “I brought her in for questioning about the brand, so we could determine where it came from, why they used it and who put it there. I thought if I got it on tape that she wasn’t involved, we could just eliminate her from enquiries and plough on.”

  “But she didn’t give you the answers you thought she would?” Asked Walker, raising an eyebrow.

  Jesse shook his head.

  “And Caitlyn?”

  “She’s my brother’s fiancé. She hates Hayley. I know Hayley wouldn’t go with her; I’m sure Caitlyn was the one who invited Gleeson to the party at my brother’s house. She knew he was after Hayley and I think she tried to set her up.” Jesse dropped his head. “Although now we’re not sure it's not one of the other guys. The only person who knows, is Hayley, and now I can’t ask her.”

  “So, the party you told me didn’t work out, that you were convening at another time, had some guy there who you believe is the leader of the drugs batch crisis. And you forgot to tell me, or follow it up?” Jesse could see he wasn’t happy, but right now that wasn’t what had brought him to the office to confess.

  “Sir, I didn’t know at the time that it was him who had turned up. They gave me a name, but I was trying to extract Hayley from the party unnoticed.”

  “When did you find out about the brand?” Asked DCI Walker, losing patience.

  “I was told this morning, that a girl had been found with that symbol on a year ago. Vice was looking into it, and they thought it might still be relevant, so they passed the photo on to us. Before I interviewed Hayley, they sent me a picture of a bag recovered from the robbery, so I could keep an eye out and pass on anything that might interest them. It’s looking like the two cases are connected. Anyway, the motif on the bag is the same symbol that they branded on to Hayley.”

  “How did the brand come about?”

  “She was part of some weird sect. They made her marry one of the other parishioners. She kicked up a fuss, and they…” he held his hand out, so he didn’t have to finish the sentence off.

  “When?”

  “She was fourteen.” Jesse watched his boss squeeze his nose in tho
ught, shifting forward in his chair so he was as close as he could get with a desk between them.

  “We can’t go full scale on this,” admitted DCI Walker. “Not if you want involvement?”

  Jesse nodded.

  “Take Martin with you, see what you can find out. You’ve got till the end of shift. And whatever you do, don’t screw this up. I don’t want to have a bloody mess on my hands.”

  Jesse jumped out of the chair, rushing to the door.

  “Low key! And you’re off the case tomorrow, you hear me?”

  Jesse nodded. He didn’t care anymore, he just needed to find her.

  Hayley was trying to concentrate on the window, but could see Demy was contacting someone on his phone, out of the corner of her eye. He’d not said a word, but somehow that felt worse than being shouted at. Sitting with her arms folded across her chest and her knees pressed together towards the door, she hoped Lynnie was safe and unhurt.

  “You’re quiet,” observed Demy, eyes still on his mobile.

  “Thought that was the point,” she added glumly.

  Demy smiled, part of him admired her bite backs. When he finished typing, he placed his phone down on the chair between them. Hayley thought about grabbing it, but she’d never have enough time to ring out before he snatched it back. And she knew he had only put it between them as temptation, anyway. He wasn’t stupid, just manipulative.

  “We’ve got a lot of making up to do,” he sighed, as though he would find it hard work.

  “I don’t think we have,” she replied flatly, still not looking at him.

  “Ah, you make me laugh,” he smiled, watching her. “By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll be begging for forgiveness.”

  Hayley turned to him with disgust on her face.

  “Also, you’ll be begging for it,” he grimaced shrewdly, running his finger up and down her arm.

  Hayley could feel her skin crawl. Turning away before she said something she’d regret. She felt his hand glide up her inner thigh. Trying not to flinch, knowing how much pleasure he’d take from it, she remained still. It was all about mind control; she knew that. She’d played this game before, but normally she was a worthy opponent. Feeling out of practice, he was getting under her skin and she needed to contend with it, in order to survive.