by Sarah Bailey
“Oh yeah? Are you like a hardcore feminist or something?”
Ed threw back his head and laughed.
“Oh wow, I wouldn’t go that far.”
I swivelled my chair towards him.
“So you know about my love life… what about yours? Who’s that blonde girl I’ve seen you with?”
Ed looked away, his eyes suddenly turning dark for a moment.
“No one really.”
“Come on, don’t be coy.”
“It’s nothing, I promise. Don’t have time for that really.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Not got time for girls?”
He laughed, but it was hollow.
“Oh no, I have plenty of time for girls, but not girlfriends.”
Something about the way he said it made me frown. Time for girls but not a girlfriend? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was my cousin some kind of man whore? Ed didn’t seem like the type.
“Oh really? So what, do you just go for the ‘wham bam thank you mam’ approach?”
He turned back to me. His eyes glittered with amusement, a far cry from his expression when I’d asked about that blonde girl. I was pretty sure she was someone to him, but if not a girlfriend, then what?
“Don’t make it sound so crude.”
“It is crude. My cousin, the man whore.”
He shook his head, smiling at me.
“I’m not that bad. I promise.”
“Well… everyone has got to get their kicks somehow.”
I winked at him even as my stomach dropped at my words. Some people got their kicks in disgusting and horrifying ways. Ones I didn’t much want to think about at that moment. I suppressed a shudder.
“Quite… Some more than others. Say… I hope you’re getting your kicks.”
I felt my face heating up.
“Um, well… I mean…”
He bit his lip, obviously trying not to smile.
“Is my little cousin into a little bit more than just plain old vanilla then?”
I turned my chair back to my computer.
“None of your business.”
He leant towards me and prodded my arm.
“Oh, I think that means yes. Go on, tell me what floats your boat.”
“What? No. Gross, Ed. I’m not going to talk to you about my sex life, you’re my cousin.”
He barked with laughter.
“I’m only pulling your leg.”
I gave him a slight smile.
“Yeah okay, you got me.”
I couldn’t get the sickening feeling to leave my stomach. I wasn’t sure if he really was joking or why he’d even brought up that topic. It felt wrong. In fact, the whole conversation with him felt off. I just wasn’t sure why.
“Right, well, I should really get back to it… I mean… I heard the boss is a hard arse and all.”
He winked at me before shoving off my desk and strolling out of the room without a backwards glance. And I was left wondering what the fuck had just happened.
I sat staring at my screen and feeling like so many people knew things I didn’t. What the hell was with my cousin? I needed to find out who that blonde girl was. I felt like it was important. He’d been too cagey about it.
Sighing, I realised John hadn’t come back yet. I tapped my fingers against the desk and looked at the clock. It was three in the afternoon. It was the first time I’d been truly alone for weeks. And I really wanted to take advantage of that fact.
Standing up, I got my coat and bag. I slipped out of the office, making a beeline for the stairwell. Saskia didn’t see me leave and I didn’t run into anyone else. I walked down two flights of stairs before I walked out into the lobby of the forty eighth floor and took the lift down the rest of the way. I knew the press would be outside the front, so I decided I’d slip out the back.
I got out on the street and walked towards the nearest tube station. In the midst of the crowded streets, no one noticed me. I had to change tubes a couple of times, but I finally reached the one nearest to my own house and walked the rest of the way.
I let myself in and slumped on the sofa in the living room. Aiden was going to be pissed at me for leaving the office without John and not going home, but I just wanted a minute alone to process everything. And there was something else I needed to do here.
I didn’t bother shrugging off my coat or taking my shoes off as I went into my studio. Sitting there on my easel was the half-finished painting of my dad. The one I really needed to get rid of.
I picked it up and turned it over. Using one of my tools, I separated the canvas from the wood, rolled it up and threw it in the bin. As I was walking back into the hallway, I heard the front door rattling, before it opened.
What?
My tenant hadn’t moved back in yet so it couldn’t be them. The only other person who had the keys was Aiden and it definitely wasn’t him.
When the person stopped outside my flat door and the locks started to turn, I darted into the hall cupboard. I fumbled for a moment before I found the panel. I put my hand on it and within thirty seconds, it registered who I was and the false door opened. I hurried through the doorway and down the stairs. The automatic lights had come on so I could see. The door at the top swung shut silently. I reached the bottom where a huge door lay. I placed my hand on the panel and that door opened too.
I walked into the bunker and pushed the door closed, sealing me inside the room. I tried not to panic, but someone was in my fucking house. I strode towards where the monitors were and turned them on. The display came on and showed me several angles of my flat.
I sat down in the chair and stared at the monitors. I couldn’t see the person properly. Tugging my phone out of my bag, I dialled a number. It was fucking lucky I still got signal down here.
“Princess.”
“Aiden… There’s someone in my house.”
There was silence for a moment.
“What? Why are you at the house? Where’s John?”
I knew he wouldn’t be happy about this, but I didn’t have time for explanations.
“He was speaking to Chuck. I left work because I wanted to deal with something here and I needed space. That’s not the point. Someone is in my flat. They had the key. No one has the key except you and me.”
“Avery… why the fuck would you leave the office without him?”
“Now isn’t the time. There is a man in my bedroom right now.”
“What the fuck? Are you safe?”
I watched the man on the camera walk over to my chest of drawers and climb up on top of it.
“I’m in the panic room. You know there’s cameras everywhere so I can see him… Oh… Oh my god!”
“What? What is it?”
I recognised the man. He was pulling something down from next to where my camera was situated. I leant towards the screen and then I could see exactly what it was.
“Seriously? He put fucking cameras in my fucking flat.”
“Who? Princess, what the fuck is going on?”
“Kurt. It’s Kurt. That’s Rick’s man. The one who helped take me. He put cameras up in my flat, Aiden. Oh my god… That’s how he knew about our sex life. Oh my fucking god, he recorded what you did to me. Oh, oh, oh god, no.”
My whole fucking world crumbled before my eyes. Rick had a fucking sex tape of me and Aiden. And it wasn’t just any old sex, it was the night he’d put me in that harness and punished me.
I watched Kurt walk around the rest of the flat and take more cameras down. They must not fucking know I already had cameras everywhere. The footage it recorded was stored in the panic room and I’d deleted the evidence of all our sexcapades from it already.
“What do you mean Rick’s man?”
“Kurt, the bald head guy. He’s Rick’s man. This makes so much sense now. Everything he said to me that day. That’s how come he knew so much. Those cameras, that means h
e saw us… together.”
I felt sick to my stomach. My husband’s father had seen everything. All of me at one of the most vulnerable moments I shared with Aiden. I’d been completely at his mercy. I didn’t want anyone intruding on that memory. Now it just felt tainted.
“Fuck. Fuck. That cunt. I’m going to fucking kill him.”
I was glad he was just as angry about it as I was, but we couldn’t afford to take out Rick. Not when he was the only one who could tell us who murdered Lizzie. Unless he was lying. He could be. Except I had a feeling he wasn’t.
I watched Kurt carefully put everything back in place which he’d moved, stuff all the cameras into the bag he’d brought with him and slip out of the flat.
“He’s gone. Aiden… I… I need you here.”
I heard a door slam through the phone.
“I’m coming right now. Stay in the panic room until I get there, okay? I’ll text you. Fuck. This is a fucking nightmare.”
“I can’t believe it. I wouldn’t have cared if it had been any other time, well I would’ve, but that was…”
“I know, princess. Fuck. I warned you he was dangerous. Fuck and now we fucking well have to see him this evening.”
That was the absolute worst part. How the fuck were we going to get through this dinner without Aiden going off the deep end at him over this? And I wanted to have a go at him too.
“I was dreading it earlier and now I definitely don’t want to go.”
“We’ll talk about it when I get there, okay? I’ve got to get in the car.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“Me too.”
He hung up. I sat back, staring at the screens. What a fucking mess we were in. This changed a heck of a lot of things. I’d already been suspicious of what Rick knew and now I was sure. He had to know it was Aiden who killed my parents. What I didn’t know was why he hadn’t said anything about it. Why had he kept this a secret? Surely if he was friends with my granddad and perhaps my father, then he’d have a reason to turn Aiden in. Except I wasn’t so sure he was a fan of my father. And it couldn’t just be fatherly love he felt towards Aiden either.
I wasn’t certain of anything at all when it came to Rick Morgan and his motivations. I was dreading finding out what he meant by telling us everything.
There was no doubt in my mind.
This would shake up the foundations of everything Aiden and I thought we knew.
And we weren’t prepared for it.
Not one bit.
Not at all.
Chapter Eighteen
Aiden
When I reached Avery’s house, I texted her to let her know I was there. I found her coming out of the cupboard when I unlocked the front door of her flat. She paused in the hallway, staring at me for a moment before she barrelled her way into my arms. I held her, knowing she needed me to comfort her.
Fuck. I was so fucking pissed off. Rick really was a fucking piece of work. Who knew how long those fucking cameras had been in her house. Too long. And why would Rick have a fucking key to Avery’s house?
“This doesn’t make any sense,” she said, pulling away and staring up at me.
“No, it fucking well doesn’t.”
“You know we can’t say anything to him yet, right?”
I gripped her coat with my fists, trying not to lose my shit completely. I knew she was right, but I was too fucking angry.
“How the fuck do you expect me to sit there with him knowing he saw that and fuck knows how many other times?”
“I could say the same thing.”
She reached up, stroking my cheek with the gentlest of touches. The tension in me started to fade at her expression. She looked so miserable. Fuck. I thought I couldn’t hate that fucking bastard any more than I already did.
“I’m sorry, princess. I’m so fucking sorry that my piece of shit father stole that fucking moment from us.”
“It’s not your fault. Neither of us knew. How could we?”
I shook my head. It wasn’t either of our faults. It was all fucking Rick’s fault for interfering in my fucking life. In our lives. Hers and mine. I wanted to kill him. Smash his stupid face in. I wanted him gone forever so I never had to think about what he’d done to my mother. Never had to think about how he’d dragged her into this sorry mess. It wouldn’t have even fucking mattered if I’d never been born. At least my mother would still be alive. She’d have lived a full life without all this bullshit.
I took a breath. I couldn’t think like that. The past couldn’t be changed. What I had right in front of me was more important. My wife was my world and I had to be there for her. I promised myself I’d quit this shit. Wallowing in self-misery wasn’t going to help anyone. I had to be strong for Avery.
Besides, what the fuck would she think if she knew I’d even considered giving up my own fucking life in place of my mother’s. I knew how much Avery loved me, needed me, craved me. I was hers and I couldn’t afford to forget that even though I’d give up my own life in place of hers if it came down to it. That’s how much this girl meant to me. She was the fucking world. My brightest star. My girl. My wife.
I leant down and captured her mouth, clutching her to me. She responded, arching into me when I deepened the kiss. She was breathless when I pulled away and leant my forehead against hers.
“We’ll deal with it, princess. I promise. We’ll make new memories together. Ones he can’t take away or ruin.”
No matter how angry I was, I could see the agony in her eyes and I had to fix it for her.
“We already have one he can’t take away from us.”
“Remind me again which one that is?” I replied with a smile.
“Our wedding day,” she whispered.
The most perfect fucking day of our lives. No one was going to fucking ruin that shit for me. She’d looked so stunning. The perfect dress which hugged her figure in the right places. Hell, she’d never looked more beautiful. Those moments we’d said our vows were the most precious ones. And when I’d got all fucking emotional when we were alone and she told me how much I meant to her and made love to me.
Fuck. No. Rick could never take that away from us.
“Will you do a painting of us from that day?”
She nodded.
“Yes… I’ll do anything you want.”
I kissed her again. Having her close made my heart thump. She soothed me. Calmed me. My fucking girl. Mine. No one else would get their hands on her. No one. Especially not after what happened with the Shaws. I still wish I could’ve fucking spared her that pain. I knew the guilt still tore at her pure soul. She felt tainted, but to me, she was perfect in every single fucking way. No matter what she’d done.
This war had taken no fucking prisoners, but I was determined to bring us out the other side. So we could have a life together. Me and her.
For now, we were going to deal with this new fucking bullshit situation.
“Take me down there. I want to see for myself.”
The doors only opened for her. She nodded, pulling away. I followed her into the cupboard and down the stairs into the bunker. I sat down in front of the bank of monitors as she pulled up another chair.
We spent the next hour fast forwarding through the footage to see if we could find out when Rick had the cameras installed, but we had to leave to get ready before we could finish it. It didn’t matter anyway. I was fucked off enough with the fact that he had them in here in the first place. Fucking scumbag thought that was appropriate. He had another fucking thing coming.
~~~
Avery clutched my arm as we walked into the restaurant Rick had picked for this evening.
“We have to be careful,” she whispered.
“I know, princess.”
This was only the first fucking week of dinners we had to have with him. I wasn’t sure how we would cope with two more. Fuck. I didn’t want to spend any more time with him than I had to.<
br />
The host led us over to the table he was seated at after taking our coats. Today, he was looking rather more casual in a polo shirt and chinos with loafers. He still looked like a jumped up fuck to me, but I chose not to say anything. He stood, giving us both a bright smile.
“Evening little darlin’,” he said.
He didn’t try to touch her. I think he knew if he did, I’d fucking have him in a headlock so fast, he wouldn’t know what hit him.
“Hello Rick,” she said as I pulled out her chair and she sat down.
I rested my arm across the back of her chair as I sat in my own seat, my fingers brushing over her shoulder. He sat, giving us a bright smile.
“How are you both?”
“Okay… I suppose you saw the news.”
I was fucking glad he knew I wasn’t interested in making small talk with him.
“Oh yes, can’t see your uncle being too pleased.”
“Well no.”
I looked at the menu, stroking Avery’s shoulder. I needed the physical contact just to keep myself from doing or saying something stupid. Since Rick was footing the bill, might as well pick the most expensive item on here. Not that I couldn’t afford it anyway. Wasn’t sure why he insisted on taking us to a bunch of expensive restaurants. Avery and I would’ve been just as happy going to Nando’s.
When the waiter came over and I ordered the prime Wagyu beef steak, Rick raised an eyebrow at me but said nothing. He probably knew what I was doing and I really didn’t give a fuck. Avery ordered a sirloin whilst Rick picked out the rib-eye.
He sat back and eyed me warily when the waiter left us to it. He’d ordered some expensive sounding red wine, but I wasn’t going to fucking drink it so I told the waiter to bring water for the table. I had to keep a clear head.
“Are you two planning on creating any more scandals?”
Avery stiffened. I gave him a dark look. We hadn’t meant to create any in the first place. It wasn’t our fault we’d been photographed.
“If you hadn’t insisted on us going to dinner with you, we’d never have been splashed over social media,” I said, trying to keep the venom out of my voice.