When we both ran out of words, I was about to drop some sarcasm to lighten the weird atmosphere, when Luke appeared by the door alongside her. His face looked as strained as a snare drum. His eyes were shining but not with light. They were burning like two hot coals. His look was so intense that my heart started beating faster. Something was wrong. Given the context, everything was already wrong, but I had never seen Luke look so strange. He rubbed a hand through his hair and his forehead creased up like a concertina.
“It’s good to see you. Glad to have you back, Ashley.”
“Yeah. Right.” It was all so forced, so strained I couldn’t collaborate with him. I just wanted to see Regan and get him free as quick as I could. The three weirdos in the hallway were acting like lobotomised zombies.
“Brandon,” I said, turning to meet his benign smile. He looked at me with a face like sunshine. It was radiant and attractive, and melted me a little. After looking at the others, he was still a pleasure to behold. But there was something going on behind that benign smile. He wore a Buddha like face, transcendental, the way a man who believed he was a God might look upon a mortal.
“Brandon,” I said again. “I’m here. I’ve come back. It’s time to let my brother go, like we said on the phone. Remember?”
I waited for his response. There was a definite hesitation. He looked at the other two and I didn’t like that.
“Sure. Come up and see him with me.”
He walked up the stairs and I started to follow. Before I made it up a couple of steps Luke moved towards me. “Ashley…”
“What…”
He exchanged a look with Brandon.
“Oh… Never mind, I’ll tell you when you come down.”
I stared at Luke. “What is it, Luke? Spit it out.”
“Nah. It can wait.”
I tutted and gave Luke a glare. I felt like slapping him around the head. I carried on following Brandon to the top of the stairs. “He’s in here,” said Brandon, jabbing his thumb towards one of the four closed doors up on the first floor landing.
“How is he?”
Brandon shrugged.
“You didn’t need to go this far, Brandon. In case you weren’t sure, this was too much. Way too much.”
“I had to go the whole way, gorgeous. I needed you to give me another chance. If it wasn’t for this whole situation, you wouldn’t be here. Would you?”
I said nothing.
“See. And now I’ll never let you go again. You’ll learn to love me, Ash. I promise.”
“I want to see my brother now.”
“Sure. In you go.”
Brandon opened the door for me and I walked in. As soon as I was past the door frame I knew I’d been had. The room was small and white with caricature seaside art on the walls in tiny frames, with curtains with anchor symbols printed all over them. I span round, my eyes scanning the room as the door slammed behind me. The small desk. The neatly made bed. There was nothing else, and no room for anyone else in the room besides me. I leapt for the door, clawing at it, yanking the handle down, but Brandon was pulling it hard the other side. He was so much stronger than me, there was no way I could win. I could hear him working at the door, securing it somehow.
“Brandon! Brandon, you son of a bitch, I want to see my brother. What have you done with my brother?” I hammered at the door.
“Calm down, honey. Calm down and then we’ll talk about everything else.”
When I had walked into 175 Seaview Esplanade I had been stressed and anxious. Now I was just plain terrified. I was quaking with fear. Brandon had completely lost his mind, and he didn’t seem to care. And now I was worried for my brother’s life, and my own. I needed to see him and I needed to get us out of there before something terrible happened.
Fourteen
Cody and Terry sat in the quiet outer reaches of a carvery pub that overlooked the Thames. The pub was playing the kind of muzak people ignored while they chatted. Families squabbled, kids cried and the smell of roast meats and stodge filled the air, but Cody couldn’t contemplate eating a thing. So far the hot greasy smells only made him feel queasy, and he was queasy to start with. He was scared witless about Ashley. Brandon Lynes had kidnapped her brother. What else was he capable of? The whole situation was unfolding like a slow motion car crash and all their decisions seemed to be questionable.
“We shouldn’t have let her go in by herself. It was a really bad idea.”
Cody was drinking a diet coke to keep his concentration high. Terry was drinking a pint of export lager, to tone done his stress levels. Terry looked at Cody, a well-educated young man who was his opposite in almost every aspect, from dress to demeanour and way of thinking.
“You think you could have stopped her, do you?”
Cody looked up from his hands and eventually made a grin.
“I suppose not.”
“Listen, fella. That girl has been doing whatever the fuck she liked since we were twelve years old. She’s always been the same. She wore the trousers in her house after her old man run off with some tart at his firm. That girl dragged that family up and kept them all going. God knows her old woman couldn’t have done it without her.”
“Yeah, she’s something.”
“She’s more than something, Cody. This situation is fucking dire, right? Dire. So let’s be frank with each other. If that girl had even looked my way once I would have been there like a shot. I didn’t just take a shine to her, Cody, I respected her, I admired her, I adored her… but I just knew she wouldn’t go for me…”
Of course she would never have gone with Terry, but Cody didn’t say that out loud. He listened. He nodded.
“I was her kid brother’s best mate. That was all I was to her, and all I was ever going to be. But it didn’t stop me caring about her.” Terry shifted in his chair. “She likes you big time, doesn’t she?”
Cody winced, worrying about her even more if that were possible.
“What makes you say that?”
“Don’t be a dickhead. Do you know she feels that way about you or not?”
“I thought she did, but things happened. Brandon was one of them.”
“You mean the kidnapping nutcase? Are you blaming her for anything that bastard has done?”
Cody shook his head. “I guess not.”
“Good.”
“How do you know she likes me like that way?”
“Man. I know you think I’m dumb as shit, don’t you? I haven’t got any ’ologies, pal, but I’m still smart enough. I can take apart a whole game system inside thirty minutes and put it back together. I could build my own system if I wanted to. I chose to do what I’m doing with my life, get it? And I know Ashley inside out and backwards. She’s close to you. I see that. She’s smitten. So, do me a favour.”
“What?”
“When we get her out of this, don’t you ever mess her around or let her get into a mess like this ever again.”
“Say what you mean, Terry.”
“You heard me. That’s all I’m saying. If you get with her your job is to protect her and you never let anyone hurt her. You with me?”
Cody was annoyed, but he heard the heart behind Terry’s words. They were an appeal as much as a warning and they were said with affection for Ashley.
“Yeah, I’m with you.”
“Good.”
Terry checked the time on his phone. “That’s long enough,” he said, and downed the rest of his drink.
“She’s in trouble, isn’t she?” said Cody.
“Brandon Lynes is in worse trouble, I promise you.”
The stern words cheered Cody, but they still rang hollow.
They drew near to the 175 Seaview Esplanade and slowed down.
“She’s in trouble. She won’t have left the door open for us,” said Cody.
“No. So here’s plan B. You’ll like this.”
Cody gulped. He knew he wasn’t going to like it one little bit.
“Whatever is going on in that house
, they’ll still come to the door when they hear the door bell, so you’re going to ring it.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. They know you. They don’t like you, but they know you. Me, they don’t know me from Adam. If they see my face they’ll leave it shut.”
“So what am I supposed to do then?”
“Come on. I thought you’re a creative type. Use your bloody imagination! Keep them talking, get inside the house if you can. Maybe the guy’s gone psycho and he’ll drag you in. That’ll work just as well too.”
“You think? That doesn’t sound so good to me.”
“Ashley’s in there. Snap out of it. You’re not going in there to stay, you’re going in there to smash it up. This ends now.”
Terry’s blunt attitude was warming Cody. All he remembered from before was the beating he received from Brandon. It wasn’t heroic, but Cody was also a realist. Cody was going to fight with every fibre of his being, and he would fight until he was smashed into the soil if he had to… So far he’d only thought of the pain he was going to feel at Brandon’s hands. But teaming up with Terry gave him new insight into Ashley’s life… And if he was reading the guy right, Terry was sure that Ashley loved him. The thought made him feel joy and immense sadness all at once. How had he almost lost her? He shook it off because there was no time for self-pity or an inquiry. He had an opportunity. Right now he had the chance of a lifetime to win her back.
“And while I knock at the front door, where will you be?” said Cody.
“Didn’t you guess? I’m the backdoor man.”
“How in hell are you going to get around the back? There’s no access from the front with these terraced houses.”
“Jeez. Is your degree in stating the obvious? Of course there’s no access from the street. It’s a back garden. The clue’s in the name. You stop worrying about me. I can improvise. I just hope you can too. Are you ready?”
Cody nodded and drew a huge deep breath. “I think so.”
“Right. I need five minutes before you ring the bell. Can you manage that, genius? Wait five?”
“Sure. I’ll set a timer on my phone.”
“Whatever works for you, Cody. Now, wait here and watch the master at work.”
Cody drew his phone and set the timer as Terry walked up the front path of number 171 Seaview Esplanade. He knocked. A moment later a man with a shock of white hair and a ruddy face answered the door.
“Yes?” said the big old man.
“Sorry to bother you mister. There’s a problem in the house two doors down at 175. It’s serious and if you don’t mind I’ll need access through your garden.”
The man looked Terry up and down.
“What sort of problem?”
“The people hiring that house are up to no good… it involves holding someone against their will.”
“Against their will? Like a kidnap or something…? Blimey. Why don’t you call the police then?”
“You know why I can’t call the police?”
“Why?”
“Coz they’re fucking useless, mate. This needs to get fixed quickly and done the right way, not after someone’s been hurt. I’ll call the police when I’ve fixed it.”
“And this is for real? You’re not winding me up?”
“Look at me. Look at him. What do you think?” said Terry.
The old man looked at them both and then shook his head lightly.
“Okay. I’ll trust you. But don’t let me down boys. And make sure you give the bastard a hiding from me.”
“You bet,” said Terry. He looked at Cody and smiled.
“You’re one minute down, Terry.”
“Then we’re right on time. See you on the other side.”
Terry disappeared with the old man into the house and the door shut behind them. Now Cody was only left with his thudding and his rasping breath. There was just three minutes to go until they all entered the endgame. Cody looked up to the sky for help, and he silently asked anyone who might be listening to make sure that Ashley would be fine.
Fifteen
Brandon opened the door on Regan’s room, and pulled the tape from his mouth. Regan coughed. “What the fuck was that? Was that my sister? That was my sister wasn’t it? I swear, you hurt her and I will…”
Brandon put a finger against Regan Pearson’s lips. He was an angry looking blond with a pale face and tired eyes. He’d been bound up in a chair for almost 72 hours. The only thing keeping him going was rage, along with the new agony in his left hand. Less than half an hour ago, Brandon Lynes had taken his chair and tossed it onto the floor with him in it. Brandon then told him it was all his sister’s fault… and then he lined up his target… a hand splayed against the floor. And then he had jumped on it with all his weight. He felt it give, like a bag of twiglets shattering beneath his weight. Then Regan howled like a girl. But Brandon gave the little scum his due. Brandon guessed even he would have screamed if someone crushed his hand like that.
“You’re going to do nothing, Regan. Nothing except crawl away from here and be grateful I don’t throw you out of that window.”
“She came here for me, didn’t she? You blackmailed her.”
“No, I prefer to think of it as an agreement. But we’re back together now, like we always should have been. Now, here’s the tricky part. It’s time to let you go, Regan. So, are you going to try anything? Do I think you want to try something? Yes, I think you might. So here’s what I could do. I could smash your other hand then you couldn’t do anything could you? You couldn’t even eat. Or you could keep your good hand as it is, and just leave. Just go and slink away like a cockroach. What do you think on that?”
Regan Pearson’s eyes were tired, he was mentally exhausted. Tears glazed his vision and he was ashamed. He never cried. Never. But the tiredness was such that he couldn’t control it. He looked up and felt ashamed all over again.
“I want my hand. I need it.”
“What for? Rolling joints? I hear you’re very good at that.”
“You fucking…”
“Now, now. Your hand remember…?”
Regan stopped talking and Brandon stared at him and waited. Soon the benign Buddha smile returned to his face.
“Now it’s time to set you free, little roach. Remember, try anything and I will obliterate you. That’s right. You understand.”
Brandon began to untie the knots and loops of blue rope from around the chair legs and back. Soon the only rope left was on Regan’s arms, with a little around his ankles. Regan loosened the ropes around his legs.
“Stand up. We’ll take off the rest by the front door.” Regan’s head swam with desperate ideas, but when he stood, he could hardly move. His legs were stiff and aching. Brandon edged him down the stairs, easing him along, helping him down. Then just as they reached the final step, a figure blotted out the light at the front door and the doorbell sounded. The chime filled the house. Everyone stopped moving and four different hearts started beating faster in the hallway of 175 Seaview Esplanade.
“Who’s that?” said Amanda, with an implausible, guilty look on her face. Brandon looked at her and wondered, but said nothing.
“Shut up. I’ll deal with it. Luke, stay with Regan back there.”
Brandon walked Luke and Regan towards the kitchen. He pushed the kitchen door towards the jamb but left it ajar. Luke looked toward the crack in the door, listening. Regan grimaced with pain, his gaze staring across Luke’s shoulder into the garden. Before the front door opened, Regan’s eyes widened and he shifted as he saw a big body drop over the wall at the back and land quietly at the back of the neat garden. Luke saw the change on his face, and Regan tried to correct it.
“What?” hissed Luke.
“The pain. It’s the pain,” muttered Regan. Luke shook his head and tuned it to the side as he heard the front door open.
Regan risked one more glance out back, and saw the tall figure of his best friend wandering towards the door. Terry stopped just befor
e he got too near to affect the light in the kitchen. He bent down and picked up an ornate piece of stone shaped like a giant snail shell from the garden path and gave Regan a broad grin. Regan tried as best he could to stifle his own smile.
“Hi Brandon,” said Cody, as the door opened
“You? You? What the fuck are you doing here? Are you volunteering for another beating?”
Cody’s heart was break-dancing in his ribcage… but the anxiety was gone, right there in the moment, he actually felt good.
“Actually I’m here to get Ashley and Regan. Have you got a problem with that?”
Brandon looked him up and down. He saw the Sports Shop carrier bag in Cody’s hand, but ignored it as he broke into a mocking smile.
“No, I haven’t got a problem with that. I tell you what…” Brandon looked out of the door into the cool grey air of the seaside, then checked left and right. No one was paying them any attention whatsoever. The cars were drifting by as usual.
“Why don’t you come right on in and we’ll discuss it like two civilised human beings.”
“Civilised. Now I like the sound of that,” said Cody. He stepped inside and turned to face Brandon immediately, in a defensive pose. The plastic shop bag slid away from his bright green baseball bat. Brandon shifted back and pressed his back against the door.
“And I thought you’d got yourself a ping pong set. What do you intend to do with that exactly?”
“Nothing yet. I’ve just come to get Ashley and Regan. We’re leaving you and your little nuthouse crew all together.”
“Says who?”
An almighty crashing of glass sounded in the kitchen.
“Me and the other guy.”
Brandon’s eyes got big and his smile faded away. He looked at the kitchen door as it shook left and right from the action behind it.
Brandon turned to Cody. “Looks like I’ll have to borrow your bat. Come here, stick man.” Brandon lunged forward, but Cody swerved and brought the bat down too weakly on Brandon’s biceps. Brandon sneered. “Is that all you got?”
Cody had to do better, or it he was going to get pulverised…
Burning Heart: Fighting Heart Erotic Bad Boy Romance Series Book 4 Page 9