by N. K. Love
“Ha! You could say that. He’d been in the game long enough to understand how it worked. He never went back to that casino anyway.”
“He didn’t need to. Sounds like he hit the jackpot that night.”
“Mmm. I like that. I’ll remember to tell him that one!”
“So, when’s the wedding?”
“God knows, Bethany. It’s just a piece of paper to me. I’m not like the women I usually rub shoulders with. They get their knickers in a twist at the mere notion of planning a wedding. Not me. Don’t get me wrong, I love shopping and being pampered—”
“But…”
“The thought of wedding gowns and picking tiered cakes, absolutely bores me.”
“Really? Well, you’ve surprised me again and here was me thinking our little bonding weekend may lead to me being zipped into a gorgeous bridesmaid’s dress!”
“Don’t jump the gun, darling. Please! You, looking stunning as a bridesmaid, would surely steal my thunder… So, I take it you’d like to get married one day?”
“Maybe… My divorce is due to finalise any day now!”
Now it’s my turn to giggle at Carmel’s response to that little shocker.
After chatting to Carmel for an hour or so, I felt much better. My stomach rewarded me with a rumble, reminding me of that leftover pasta. I managed to devour it all. Feeling stuffed, I retired to my room and read a magazine Jack had bought for me yesterday. Shortly after, I fell to sleep.
Waking up a couple of hours later, I picked the magazine back up and read some more.
I realise that when you’re killing time, you just slip from one distraction to the next. You get over each part of the day like it’s a hurdle, a small accomplishment, something to tick off the ‘to do’ list and move on to the next part.
By the early evening I decide to emerge from my room. When I open the door, Carmel is standing there with her fist raised, ready to knock.
“Oh, hey.”
“Hello, sleeping beauty. You win!” She thrusts a cellophane wrapped DVD into my hands and spins on the spot, retreating down the hall. “Chick flick it is!” She calls over her shoulder, giving a little extra strut in her step.
I follow after her, smiling to myself at the mock irritation in her tone. She’s spent so much time being a hard-faced cow, submerged in a life dominated by men, that it’s my suspicion, she’s probably enjoying a little female friendly company for a change.
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” A favourite quote from Hamlet earns me a roll of the eyes and a shy curl of her lips. “The Other Woman?”
“Yeah, the choice at the local store was grim. The girl at the till recommended it. Have you seen it already?”
“Yes, but it’s perfect girl’s night in material, so I’ll happily watch it again, Carmel.” The smell of food hits me as I follow her into the lounge. “Mmm. You got food too? Aren’t you the hostess with the mostess!”
“Don’t get used to it.” Carmel sets to work, taking the lids of the containers, revealing a choice of Chinese cuisine. “I’ll fetch some plates and cutlery.”
As she disappears, I peel the cellophane off the case and put the DVD on, grabbing the remote off the top of the television. Carmel returns, handing me a plate and a fork.
“Thank you.” We settle back into the same seats as earlier. “What time is it?”
“Would you like to know the time? Or, are you asking if they’ve landed?”
“So you’ve heard from them?”
I suddenly feel excited, but anxious.
“Relax. They’ve arrived safely… X, I mean Jaxson—sorry, I’m still getting used to that—well, he called. They were on their way to the accommodation.”
“Dammit. I wish I’d been with you, to talk to him.” To hear his reassuring voice.
“Sorry, sweetie. It was only brief. He told me not to disturb you. But, he’ll call again later, if it’s not too late. They’re only an hour ahead of us, so it depends if they decide to go out tonight, or leave it until tomorrow.”
“Okay…” I nod. “Okay. That’s a relief.” He’s made contact and they are fine. That’s the most important thing. “Well, I feel much better now.” My smile stretches ridiculously from ear to ear. “Come on then. Let’s do this.”
We get stuck into the yummy selection of food, whilst watching the film and we have a laugh along the way. Before I know it, the credits are rolling and so are the tears. That scene at the end, when they confront the husband, was brilliant and Carmel’s reaction was hilarious. She replayed it twice and even watched one part in slow motion.
“Admit it, Carmel. You enjoyed that a lot more than you thought you would!”
“I did. I did. Revenge stories make for great plots… Albeit a bit too pink and fluffy for my liking. If Dean did that to me—bloody hell, it’d be more than his bank balance I’d be damaging!”
“Really?” Carmel shrugs, nodding. “Surely, wouldn’t dumping him suffice? If he loves you, that’d hurt him more than anything else.”
“If somebody loves you, they wouldn’t deceive you in the first place… Come on, Bethany, are you telling me, if Jaxson was to go with another woman, you wouldn’t want to teach him a lesson?”
Jesus, the very thought of that makes me feel on edge.
“Well, my husband was cheating on me. But I didn’t find out about it until we’d already separated. Now I know that he didn’t love me the way a husband and wife should love each other. I didn’t need to seek revenge because we both learned our own lessons.”
“And Jaxson? Does he love you? Is he your ‘forever’?”
“Yes.” I smile. “Completely. But if he strayed, the way I see it is, the only lesson I’d be teaching is to myself … I’d have to learn to dust myself off and grow stronger from it.”
“Well, aren’t you just the patron saint of forgiveness. I’m afraid we’ll have to agree to disagree on this—because I would happily chop Dean’s balls off and feed them to him.”
Her damn poker face is too hard to read, so I’ll err on the side of caution and assume she’s telling the truth, which I find utterly intriguing. I’ve never met a woman like her.
“That gives me even more reason to be fucking grateful you’re here with me now. I don’t know what—”
“Shh.” Carmel silences me, angling her head to listen more intently to something. My ears prick up and we hear footsteps on the cobbles outside. My heart rate quickens. “Don’t move.”
Reaching behind her, she snatches a gun from her waistband and stealthily slips out of the room. A second later and there’s a firm knock on the front door, which startles me. I realise I’ve been holding my breath. My eyes scan the room for something I can use as a weapon if I need to.
Next I hear Carmel talking quietly, but I can’t make out what she’s saying. The front door shuts.
“It’s okay.” She shouts as she walks back towards the lounge and reappears in the doorway, running her fingers through her shiny blonde hair. With her hands on her hips, she humorously eyes the brass candlestick I’m clutching. “Sorry, if I alarmed you. I was being over cautious.”
“No, no. I mean, I did shit myself, but don’t apologise for being cautious. Who was it?”
“Delivery man.”
Still brandishing my ornamental weapon, Carmel takes it from me, with a raised eyebrow and returns it to the mantelpiece.
“At this time?”
“It was a fast track order. Jaxson ordered some books for you before he left. I think he was trying to find something to help you pass the time.”
“Books?” My eyes light up and my heart explodes. His head must’ve been occupied with these forthcoming days, yet he made time for this thoughtful gesture. God, he absolutely melts my heart, which instantly has me pining for him. “Where are they?”
“In a box by the door.” I clap my hands and turn to head out the door. “Bethany—you are safe here. I’d just forgotten about the delivery.” She looks so frustrated with
herself. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, that’s all.”
“It’s okay, seriously. I appreciate everything you’re doing for me—for Jaxson. I do feel safe here. I promise. Plus, like I said earlier, you can more than handle yourself. So, I know I’m in fully capable hands.”
Before I know it, I’m wrapping my arms around her. A second or two later and her rigid body relaxes and hugs me back. It crosses my mind that, after her abuse, she probably guards her personal space with her life. She just looked like she needed it and I can’t imagine that she’d feel threatened by me.
I pull away, offering her a genuine smile. Her glassy eyes don’t escape my attention, but I try not to show her my sympathy. I know enough about her to know that’s not what she wants. She doesn’t even know that I’m aware of her past. With a shake of her head, she clears her throat and strides past me.
“Coffee?”
“No, thank you. I’m going to get stuck into that parcel in my room, if that’s okay? But please come and get me if they call again. No matter what time it is.”
“I promise, sweetie. Goodnight.”
Grabbing the cardboard box from the entranceway, I go to my room and waste no time in tearing it open. Getting book mail is exciting enough as it is, let alone the fact that my incredible boyfriend ordered them for me and I’ve no idea what I’m going to find inside.
Inside, on top of the packaging, there’s an invoice with a typed note stapled to it;
Personal note: Wish 8 – Here’s something to keep your beautiful mind occupied without me. I wish you’d get lost in the pages and maybe even find some new ideas. You know I’m always happy to oblige, in all ways.
Covering my massive smile with the paper, I giggle aloud. I don’t know what makes me smile more; his words or the fact that he would’ve dictated that to somebody for them to type up.
Looking at the invoice, I see an itemised list of ten paperbacks and I realise straight away what he has done. This just keeps getting better and better.
Jax must’ve asked the store to send the current top ten bestsellers, not only in the romance genre, but ‘erotic’ romance. A few of them are definitely on my ‘to be read’ list. There’s a few new titles from authors I’ve read before and the rest are completely new to me.
A small rebellious voice whispers for me to turn the box upside down and tip it out! Instead, I sit cross-legged on the bed with the box in front of me. Gradually removing the packaging, I place each book in two rows of five and discard the packaging onto the floor.
I admire the covers and then one by one, read the blurb on the back, replacing them meticulously in order. I want to devour them all, so choosing my first victim proves difficult. After whittling it down to three, I lean towards an enticing standalone novel by a new indie author.
Stacking up the other nine books, I pile them against the wall on the chest of drawers. If I’m diving into a new book, I need to get settled—it’s like a ritual. After fetching a glass of water from the kitchen, I go to the toilet and get undressed.
The wet room is far too inviting so, without washing my hair, I have a quick shower. After feeling more bloated than usual, I’m grateful to have finished my period early, being able to slip on a nightdress without feeling like crap.
I plump the pillows and swap the ceiling light for the small lamp.
Now I’m ready!
I slide between the cool, crisp covers, open the book and dive between those gorgeous covers too.
Chapter Nineteen
10:06pm
Jax
After dumping our bags, we grabbed a bite to eat and decided to head out to one of the two addresses. We chose our digs based on it being pretty much halfway between them. They’re two hours apart from each other, so we’re about an hour from each.
We went separately to two different hardware stores to buy some bits and pieces we may need. We’ve no idea what we could be walking into so had to have our angles covered. I can’t just rock up to his house and kill the prick. I need him to call off his dogs in the UK first and find out if there’s anything else I need to know.
Once we were kitted out, we rented a car and got on the road. We arrived in a rundown shithole of an area and parked up down the street to observe for a while. The place was busy with druggy looking, lowlife’s coming and going from the property, but none of them were Samara.
It’s these sorts of scenarios where Carmel comes in useful. She could’ve just knocked on the door and said she was lost, or something like that, and it wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Meanwhile, she’d be checking out the occupants and scoping the place out for us.
Jack and I discussed checking in with Carmel’s contact and decided against it. The less people involved in this shit, the better.
“Talk to me, brother.”
I open and close my fists in pent up frustration that’s been brewing the whole time we’ve been here.
“My thoughts? There’s too much activity to do anything now, man. This needs to be a swift, sweep in and out undetected, job.”
“Well, fuck knows how we’re gonna accomplish that with so many eyes around… Okay, so we either wait it out until the early hours or come back tomorrow.”
“It’s your call. I’m good with either.”
“I’d rather stay but…”
“What?”
“I don’t know what it is. Something doesn’t feel right, Jack.”
“You know how I feel about that ‘gut instinct’ business. Come on. You’ve jinxed us now anyway. Let’s go. We’ll come back tomorrow daytime, see if it’s any quieter.”
There’s no argument from me. If it doesn’t feel right, there’s usually a good reason for that.
When we reach the digs, we go to our rooms to crash for the night. We need to get all the sleep we can. We’ve no idea how long we’ll be staking that place out tomorrow.
Nobody knows we’re here and I have the upper hand. But I still can’t shift that feeling of wariness. Maybe I’m just out of sorts because of being in a different country. Although, it’s probably more likely to be because this weekend could mark a massive turning point. It could, thankfully, be the end of this whole twisted chapter in my life.
I do some push-ups and sit-ups, attempting to take the edge off, but it’s no good. I freshen up in the bathroom and strip off. I moisturise all over—a ritual I’ve had for years—and I’m instantly reminded of all the times that Beth’s done this for me or when she’s used it on herself. Then again, I find a reason for almost everything to remind me of her. She’s never far from my thoughts and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
With the smell of cocoa butter lingering in the air, I get into bed. With a satisfied sigh, I pick up my phone. Finally, the part of the night that I’ve been looking forward to, I can speak to my girl.
I call Carmel and, after a vague catch up, she hands the phone over to Beth.
“Oh my fucking God, how embarrassing.” She hisses.
“Hello to you too.”
“Sorry. Shit. Let’s start again… Hello, handsome. How are you?”
“I’m better now, beautiful. Nothing to report. You, on the other hand, do. What was so embarrassing?”
“Oh, God. Now you’ve asked I’m going to have to tell you and then it’s like it really happened, so I can’t just close my eyes and pretend it didn’t—”
“Just tell me, B.”
The thought of her flustered face makes me smile properly for the first time since kissing sleeping beauty this morning. I wish I was there to kiss away that crinkle she gets between her brows when she’s all het up.
“Carmel must be the world’s quietest fucking knocker. Either that or she didn’t freaking knock at all. Well, anyway, she just walked in and caught me, you know, doing… stuff.”
I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help laughing.
“I’m sorry, B.” I clear my throat. “I’m not laughing at you… It’s just the thought of the look on her disapproving face.”
“Stop, Jax. I’m mortified.”
“How can I make it better?”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Give me that deep, sexy voice of yours.”
I register the falter in her words and the change in her tone.
“I’m just saying, Angel… I’m sure I can make you feel better.”
“Mmm. I’m sure you could.”
“Are you still… you know?”