by Anna Edwards
The moment of clarity that Amy needed hit. Her uncle had fancied her mother, but she had chosen her father. She had her advantage and she was damn well going to use it.
"I am surprised you wanted me around if you felt that badly towards my mother. After all, everyone always said I was the spitting image of her when she was my age. Were you trying to make me into the whore you thought she was?"
He laughed out loud and pulled her towards him and away from Leon. Leon stepped to the side and pointed his gun at James' head. James still stood silent and in his own world.
"Your mother was a whore, Amy. How do you think we met her? She was one of the girls at the club. Entrapped your fucking father with her feminine ways. Got him to marry her, the money-grabbing bitch. She went for the brother with the bigger share of the fortune."
"You know that is not true. She wanted nothing to do with this place. It is why we moved out to Essex."
"No, you moved because nobody would accept she was the boss. And she sweet talked your father into giving up his business and his blood family."
"You don't mean that."
"Yes I do Amy."
Amy screamed at him now, "You agreed to their marriage. You gave your blessing. You were my dad's best man."
"You think I had a choice? Your dad had all the control. I did what he wanted, or I was out. Your mum had him wound around her little finger so tightly that he didn't know the truth from reality anymore."
"That is complete bullshit."
"For fuck's sake Amy. Wake up. You know it is the truth."
Amy was struggling, she did know the truth, not the twisted version that her uncle had painted in his mind. She shut her eyes. She needed to calm this down. The fighting was making them both angrier, and it wasn't shaking James from his sorrows. She quietened her voice and forced the tears out of her eyes.
"We had a conversation about you one day. Mum and dad had had a big argument. He had stormed off out. She said she wondered what her life would have been like if she had married someone else. I asked her who, and she told me you."
"She would have been treated like a princess. She would have been the centre of my world."
"I thought she was to my father. I guess I saw nothing that went on behind their closed bedroom door. It was all hidden from me."
The guard returned to the room with James' phone and handed it to her uncle.
"Amy, you know how your parents died don't you?"
"A car accident." They had skidded over the central reservation and into the path of a lorry coming the other way.
"The police report stated that it seemed as though they had been arguing. The cameras caught a heated discussion between them on the lead up to the point of the accident. The camera at the point of the crash showed your mother's hands, as well as your father's, on the wheel. It looked as though she had grabbed the wheel. She caused the accident, Amy. She was responsible for the death of my brother."
Amy turned her head away again and began to cry, this time, though, her pain was for real. James lifted his head. Was he coming back to her?
"No. No." She screamed the last no in desperate hopes it rang around James' head.
"I am sorry, Amy. It is the truth. I will show you the police reports if you want." Police reports, police reports... James had researched her, had he seen these reports? Had he kept the truth from her? Her heart was ripping; she could feel it tearing in two. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Matthew move his hand. He had freed himself from the chains. She needed to get her hands free as well. She was no use as she was.
"Uncle Stephen, will you unchain me please? It doesn't have to be this way." She looked down at the phone. "I will ask James to help you out, he will do it for me. You have suffered as much as I have. My mother is at fault here. She killed my father and has destroyed us both." Her uncle hesitated. "Please. At least Dad left you the club. You can make it great without her interference. James could invest in it. We could do something great with it together. Please. It doesn't have to be this way. I want you in my life. You are the only family that I have."
The solemn expression on her uncle's face changed, the corners of his mouth curled upwards, and he began to laugh out loud. A cackle that made Amy jump, he grabbed her and shoved her to the floor.
"I want ten million pounds. And your fiancé over there is going to give it to me."
"What do you need money for? You own the club."
"I don't own this fucking club, Amy. You do. Your father left the whole thing to you in his will. And your lying, deceiving boyfriend, well he tried to sell it to me, without your knowledge. So you see Amy, you are just the same as your mother. A deluded little whore."
She opened her mouth to speak to James, but she noticed the expression on his face had changed. Gone was the defeat, and back was the murderous intent. This was something she could work with... but at what cost to their relationship?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
James
The sound of Amy's anguished cry permeated the hazy fog that had become James' brain. She was suffering. He had to stop it; that was his duty to her. He looked up; she was bent over a table, and a man was on top of her. James lunged forward, but a gun was pointed at his head. He stilled.
He looked to see where Matthew was and got the sign from him that he was free and ready.
Amy had tears tumbling down her face. What was that man doing to her?
Amy looked at him. "Is that right?"
Her uncle turned.
James nodded. He needed to be honest. He couldn't lie now. He promised her he would never do that again.
Her uncle laughed, and James wanted to rip his stinking head from his body and feed it to the lions in Regent's Zoo.
"Just as I thought. You didn't even know that you owned the club. He never told you. God, Amy. I figured I was good keeping you in the dark. But your own lover? Is that how he made his millions? Stealing off his dumb blonde girlfriends?"
"I never lied to her."
"You never told me the truth, either." James stumbled backwards. Her eyes were full of daggers.
"You didn't need to know, Amy. You were away from the club. Matthew was keeping an eye on everything to ensure that he didn't do any damage to your name. I was protecting you."
"Protecting or controlling, James?" Amy turned her head and pushed against Leon. "Will you let me up, creep? I am not here for you to rub your sad little erection all over." Amy's uncle nodded, and Leon reluctantly pulled her up. He didn't move too far from her, though. "So did I get any income out of this club I am supposed to own or have you both pocketed that for yourselves?"
"You got money, Amy. You really think a dancer earned what you got paid for pretty much doing nothing? You want to make money in this club, you have to give the clients a bit more special attention."
"Or you’d sell them to the highest bidder."
"You know I don't need any money you earn. I was letting your uncle keep everything. I just wanted your name away from the club. I wanted that man away from you."
"Is that not something that I had a right to decide for myself, James?" She turned to her uncle, "And as for you, if this truly is my club, then I guess you can knock the value off the money you want from James."
"You can't sell it."
"What? Why? I don't want it."
"It can’t be sold until you are twenty-five, apparently. But I will get my solicitors to work on it, if that is what you want."
"Oh great. I am stuck with the local brothel. That is perfect. I can just see the headline news now. 'Billionaire's girlfriend is local Madame'. Sally Bridgewater will love that one." She turned her head to look at the guy behind her, "Will you stand back? I know you get your kicks from rubbing your tiny dick against women but I would rather you keep it to yourself."
James watched the man's face reddened, and then he grabbed Amy around the throat. James rushed forward, but Amy's uncle lunged straight for James and smacked him down on the table. Amy was thrust d
own next to him. They were millimetres from each other.
"Enough." Her uncle's voice came in a tone of finality. "I am getting rather bored. I want my money, now." He brought James' phone down on his face." And then this ends here. Mr North, transfer the money."
"One thing first." Amy struggled to get her words out.
"No, enough. The money."
"You are going to kill us the second you get the money, so let me die knowing this one final thing."
"What." Amy's uncle spat his answer at her.
"What was the date that I signed the papers?"
No, she didn't need to know that. "Amy, please."
"No, James. I want to know."
"How are you two supposed to be in love? You have done nothing but fight since you entered the room. Alright. I don't know the exact date, but it was when you were in India."
"India?" Amy looked into James' eyes, and he could see her heart breaking. He knew what was coming next. "Was it before or after we talked James?"
"Amy, please, if this is to be our final moments let's not do this."
"Before or after?" She was shaking and her demanding eyes bore into him.
"After."
James watched as she shut her eyes. She was breaking down before him, and he couldn't hold her. He wasn't sure she would let him anyway. "I love you, Amy. I only ever wanted you to be safe."
Amy kept her eyes shut and didn't answer him.
"Hey boss, while he transfers the money, can I show her what a real man can do to her?" James looked up and saw a malicious grin on the soon-to-be dead man's face if James could figure a way out of this.
"Go for it. It will provide some entertainment, and I bet it makes Mr North transfer the money a bit quicker. I wonder if she will scream as much as Sara did when we all took turns with her?"
James tried to struggle as he watched the man pull up Amy's skirt. He was too heavily pinned down. Was he really going to have to see her so utterly destroyed? Amy's uncle pulled him up and handed him the phone.
"Transfer the money now or I let him have a go, as well. I might even through your mother in as well." He motioned towards the guard by Matthew and his mother.
Amy kicked back out at the man about to rape her and smacked him hard in the balls. Leon stumbled backwards and groaned loudly. Amy slid to the floor. Leon grabbed his gun and pointed it at her.
"Fucking bitch. You are dead."
A gunshot rang out, and a bright red dot of blood appeared on Leon's forehead. He gurgled and fell to the floor. James turned his head towards the direction of the shot and saw Sonia stumble into the room. She had a cut above her eye where she had obviously been attacked. She was swaying, so James guessed she had been knocked unconscious. From behind him came another groan of agony, Matthew, who had freed himself, sideswiped the guard with them, and ran him into the wall.
James, standing next to Amy's uncle, lashed out with his elbow and sent him flying to the floor. James launched himself round the table and grabbed Amy. He needed to check she was alright. He pulled back the hair that was over her face. She had dried blood on her mouth.
"Amy, Amy. Look at me."
"Is it over?"
"Yes, beautiful. You won't be hurt now."
"James." The panicked call from Matthew came from behind him. James saw the gun on the table. He grabbed it and spun around. Amy's uncle had gotten to his feet and pointed a gun at them.
"What were you saying about this being over?"
James followed the trajectory of the gun's aim straight to Amy. James pulled back the trigger. Falling sideways as he shot, he pushed Amy out of the way.
His shot hit her uncle and ripped through his chest. The old man stumbled forward, dropping his gun. Matthew tackled him to the ground. Blood frothed at Amy's uncle's mouth. James suddenly registered a searing agony from his side. He clutched it as he landed on the floor and rolled onto his back. A crack came from the other side of the table as Matthew broke Amy's uncle's neck. James could barely register it, though. His head was spinning, and everything was turning cloudy. The pain in his side was travelling and burning. He pulled his hand away from the pain and held it up. It was covered in blood. He could hear Amy hysterically screaming and screaming. Matthew appeared at his side and placed his hand hard onto where it was hurting him. His head started spinning more as he heard calls for an ambulance. All the time everything was blackening, Amy came to his ear and was pleading, she was pleading for him to hold on, to live. He tried to answer her but nothing came out. The pain was so intense he couldn't take it anymore. Darkness enclosed him and everything went silent.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Amy
The ambulance seemed to take an age to weaving through the London traffic. Amy wanted to scream at everyone to get out of their way, but instead she stayed silent and watched the paramedic work on James. He was pale because he had lost a lot of blood. Amy's hands were stained with it. His top had been ripped away, and all these things stuck to his chest. Machines beeped around him, but James just lay there silent. He had not regained consciousness. As they pulled into the A&E emergency bay, the ambulance doors were flung open, and the bed James was in wheeled out. Doctors crowded around him and began to discuss his vital statistics. She felt so helpless. She just wanted to make him better, but she had to let the doctors do their job. All she could do was pray.
James was wheeled straight into the resuscitation room. Amy was stopped at the door, and she stood there as they closed on her. She was still crying, her mouth hurt and her head as well. She was shaking. What did she do now? How long before she could see him again? What were they doing in there? Why couldn't she be in there with him? Did he know she wasn't there? Was he upset?
A nurse came over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, Amy jumped.
"Miss Jones is it? Please, I won’t hurt you."
Amy sobbed.
"Please come this way, I have a room you can wait in." Amy suddenly became aware of the faces of those waiting to be seen all watching her. The nurse again placed her hand around Amy to guide her. "I will get you a nice cup of tea as well. You look like you need one. I think some ice for that lip as well. We should get a doctor to check that bump on your head."
Amy allowed herself to be directed to a room. She was numb. "What are they doing to him?"
"They’re trying to stabilise him. His blood pressure fell in the ambulance, and his heartbeat is erratic. They’re worried about the damage the bullet did."
"Will he be alright?"
"Honey, I am going to be honest with you. I don't know. We need to just let the doctors do their thing."
Amy let out a shuddering breath as she nodded acceptance of what the nurse was saying. The nurse helped her to sit. The room smelt of cleaning fluid, the whole place did. The fact she was in a hospital was beginning to sink in, everything still seems so scattered in her brain. The gunshots were still ringing in her head.
"Thank you."
"I will get you that tea, and I will get a doctor to come and look at you here as well. You may need a CAT scan on that bump, but we will see what he says."
Amy turned away and just looked at the door, her right hand was rubbing over the diamond of her engagement ring on her left. She felt like she was in a nightmare. It was hard to even process everything that had just happened.
She felt like it had been days since she had slept. It probably was actually. They had left the Maldives early in the morning, and the flight had been a long one.
A doctor returned with the nurse and Amy's cup of tea. He examined Amy and asked her loads of questions. She may have answered them correctly, she may not have done. She really didn't know, but he seemed satisfied and said that as she hadn't blacked out, she could be observed while they waited for news of Mr North. The door suddenly flung open; Matthew, Miranda and Sonia entered the room. The doctor immediately went to Sonia, who was virtually being carried by Matthew as she still seemed so dizzy. The doctor demanded she be admitted strai
ght away and sent for a scan so the nurse and the doctor hurried away with her. Matthew tried to go with her, but Sonia demanded he stayed with Amy. Matthew did as he was told. Another nurse came and took Miranda for examination. This left just Amy and Matthew alone in the waiting room.
"Have they said anything?"
"They’re stabilising him. We are to wait."
"I hate these places."
Amy turned her head to look at him. Her eyelids were heavy.
"I suppose, in your line of work, it is one place you never want to see."
"Yeah. Means we have failed in our duty."
"You didn't fail. It was an intense situation."
"He will be alright. It is probably just the blood loss causing the trouble."
"Are you always this casual afterwards?"
"After what?"
"Killing someone?"
"Your uncle?"
Amy swallowed and met Matthew's eyes for the first time. They were red-rimmed, and he looked tired. She saw in that instance that nothing he had just done was easy for him. "I am sorry. He deserved it."
"Nobody deserves death, Amy. I don't make the decision to take someone's life lightly. I ended your uncle's life because he was dying. James' shot may have hit the mark, but it wasn't going to be a quick death. Snapping his neck ended it with less pain and fear."
"You should have let him suffer. He wouldn't have done the same for you."
"You don't mean that."
"Don't I?"
"No, you have an amazingly kind heart, and you saved James. He was on a path to total destruction, but your love and perseverance with him have made him an entirely different man."
"You really think that?"
"I do."
"So why did he lie to me?"
"Because he loves you and wanted to protect you from what you were too naive to understand."
"Naive." Amy got to her feet and walked to the small window, she leant against the frame, it was cold to touch and made her shiver slightly. "So you think I am a child as well."