by Ruby Molloy
“God, you’re just like all the others, totally blinkered when it comes to Jack. You think you’re the only one? You think a guy like him goes from whore to saint over night? He likes variety, Kayla. It’s who he is.”
“Stop it.”
She laughs again, higher and sharper, her head tilted back, perfect teeth on show. “God, you know don’t you? You know you’re not the only one, but you want him so bad you pretend they don’t exist.”
A bang comes from the front door, loud as an explosion. “Kayla!” Boyd’s holler has Molly shifting from gloating bitch to meek coward in the space of a second.
“Kayla. Let me in!”
I don’t hesitate. I jump from the sofa and run to the door, flinging it open. Boyd runs his hands down my arms. “You okay?”
I nod once and he moves towards the living room.
“What the fuck, Molly?!”
Boyd’s standing directly in front of her, face drawn tight, eyes scary as hell. Molly attempts a smile, but Boyd’s expression is truly terrifying.
She rounds her eyes and puts on her little girl voice. “I needed to speak to you.”
I move to Boyd’s side. “She followed you, stole your key and let herself into the apartment.”
Boyd’s green eyes threaten retribution. “You fucking did that?”
Molly nods and tries again. “We need to talk. I love you―”
He turns back to me, interrupting her before she’s finished. “She hurt you? Threaten you?”
I shake my head. I know his anger isn’t aimed at me, but even so it’s frightening as hell. He reaches into his pocket and I know who he’s calling before he’s finished. “Police,” he says.
Molly watches on, her serene confidence disappearing fast as Boyd informs the Police of the situation. I expect her to make a bolt for it, but Boyd’s standing over her, watching her every move. When the call’s finished, Boyd turns to me. “Kayla, go wait outside.”
“What? No way!” I know he’s worried about me getting hurt if Molly kicks off, but no way am I leaving Boyd alone with her.
He widens his stance and crosses his arms, as if he can intimidate me into leaving. “Will you please just go―”
“I’m not leaving!” I don’t say this quietly and I think I get my message across. Boyd sends me a look that promises retribution, but he doesn’t ask again.
When the Police arrive he explains everything―his concern for Molly’s mental health, how she thinks she’s in love with him, and how she stole his key and let herself into the apartment.
They ask for my statement too and eventually they ask Molly for her version. It’s heartbreaking when she tells them the exact same thing because in her mind it’s completely rational. They exchange looks with Boyd and read Molly her rights, explaining to Boyd and I that we need to give statements down at the station. Boyd sees them out and I hear the front door close. It’s a while before he comes back and when he does he’s wearing sweats and a hoodie, that freshly showered smell seeping through his clothes.
He hovers in the space between the hall and the living room, his hands in his pockets. I don’t understand why he’s all the way over there and I’m here, not until he says, “I fucked up.”
I’m scared now, my mind back on what Molly said about me not being the only one for Boyd. “You did?”
“I might as well have handed her the fucking key myself.”
“Boyd―”
“She let herself into the apartment. She could have hurt you. Fuck, she could have killed you.”
“She didn’t―”
“I left you wide open to her. She’s so disconnected from reality she could have done anything.”
“Yeah, but she didn’t. I’m okay―a little freaked maybe, but okay. And now the Police are involved everything will be fine.”
Boyd stares at me like I’m the crazy one, not Molly. “She could have fucking killed you!”
He sure can yell loud. He’s angry, I get that. It’s rolling off him in waves, bouncing off the walls and ricocheting off the ceiling.
“You want to yell at me some more, because I could sure do with that right now.”
He has the grace to look uncomfortable. “Sorry.”
I lean forward and cup a hand behind my ear. “What did you say? I didn’t quite catch that.”
I like that he can’t refrain from smiling at my idiocy. “I said I’m sorry, okay? You want me to get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness?”
“Now there’s an image.”
I wait for him to come out with a smart remark, but he comes over and pulls me into him. “Fucking love you, Boots.”
*****
We’re at the station for four hours.
Most of this is wasted time, sitting around and waiting for interview rooms to become vacant. My turn comes first. Boyd gives my hand a squeeze as I leave.
I’m in there for just over an hour. It feels like two. But being first in means I’m first out. There’s an old couple occupying the seats Boyd and I had, their noses in the air, eyes refusing to make contact with anyone. They’re dressed to impress, him with sharply creased trousers and polished shoes, her with jewellery and a designer scarf tied about her neck. In the twenty minutes it takes for Boyd to reappear they don’t communicate with each other. Not once.
Boyd is heading my way when he stops, changes direction, and approaches them. “I fucking warned you,” he says. The woman’s chin tucks in and the man flushes red. “Fucking waste of space, both of you.”
He turns towards me, ignores my open mouth, and leads me out through the door. I glance back at the couple, knowing they have to be Molly’s parents. I’m inclined to say something too, but Boyd’s tugging me down the steps towards the car.
“Molly’s parents?”
He doesn’t answer. He’s that damn angry.
The drive home is awesome―not! Boyd’s mood doesn’t allow for conversation and I’m so goddamn tired of the whole mess. Plus, this weekend was meant to be about us celebrating me moving in with him. We’re halfway home when he pulls into a small parking bay at the side of the road. “Give me your key,” he says, holding out his hand.
Confused, I free it and hand it over. “Why―?”
“Police took mine. They found it on Molly so it’s evidence and they’re keeping it.”
“Oh.”
He exits the car and two minutes later he returns, handing me back my key. “I’ll change the lock Monday. Not taking any chances, not when she could have made a copy.”
That thought hadn’t occurred to me. “What if she tries to get in before then?”
“She won’t. They’ll get her assessed and when they do they’ll know she needs help, not locking up. I’m hoping she’ll be transferred to a specialist unit. Either way, the Police will let us know.”
“In that case, can we go home now?”
His smile builds slowly. It’s sexy as hell and sweet too. I didn’t know Boyd could do sweet. It has my heart melting and my toes curling inside my shoes.
He’s busy fixing his seat belt when I reach over and kiss his stubbled cheek. “You need to shave, Jack.”
He does a double-take. It throws him when I call him Jack.
“I do?”
“Yeah. If we’re going to celebrate the fact that I’ve moved into your apartment, you’re gonna have to get rid of the stubble.”
He leans over and rubs his cheek against mine until I’m squealing. “Consider it done,” he says.
Chapter Twenty
Changes
KAYLA
Boyd’s phone is ringing. Just when I think he’s going to ignore it, he reaches across me, his chest heavy against my back and shoulders. Usually I sleep on the left hand side of the bed and Boyd sleeps on the right, but we’ve woken up on opposite sides. Boyd’s lovemaking last night might have started out sweet and slow, but it quickly escalated into something else.
I survived orgasm number one, but when number two hit it was strong enough to have me biting i
nto Boyd’s shoulder. Sleep followed on its heels.
“Hey, Mum.” His voice is still thick with sleep. Almost instantly his body stiffens above me and I try to rise up on my elbows, but I have Boyd’s weight. He shifts, rolls to his back, and now I can see his pallor.
“Is he okay?” His voice is laden with concern and though I can’t hear what Wanda’s saying, I can see Boyd’s reaction. His hand reaches for the back of his neck. I scoot up until my back’s against the headboard, watching his profile tighten. “Where are you? What about Hailey? Does she know? Okay, don’t worry about that. I’ll call her and we’ll be with you soon. Stay strong, mum.”
He’s already climbing from the bed and hiking up his jeans when he says, “My dad’s been in a car accident. I gotta get hold of Hailey.”
The phone is pressed between his ear and shoulder. When she doesn’t pick up he tries again. And again. Eventually, he gives up, tosses his phone to the duvet, and concentrates on zipping his fly. “Where the fuck is she?”
I have a good idea where she is, but I can’t tell Boyd. I can, however, do something to help. Something that won’t cause the mother of all fights between Tag and Boyd.
I pick up his phone. “Go meet your mum and I’ll try to get hold of Hailey for you. I’ll follow in my car in case she’s been drinking and needs a lift.”
He doesn’t look convinced. “You sure?”
“Yeah. Which hospital is it?”
“St Bernadette’s,” he says, giving me a brief distracted kiss before heading out the door.
I scroll through Boyd’s contacts, searching for Tag’s name. He picks up on the third ring. “Jack? What the fuck? It’s two in the morning.”
“It’s Kayla. I need to speak to Hailey.”
There’s a pause before he says, “You know?”
“Yeah, Tag, but that’s not what this is about. Hailey’s dad’s been in an accident.”
“Shit. Hang on an sec.”
Two seconds later Hailey’s voice comes through the speaker. “Kayla? What’s going on?”
“Boyd’s been calling you. Your dad’s been in a car crash. He’s at St Bernadette’s. Boyd’s on his way there now.”
“Oh my God. Is he gonna be okay?”
“Boyd didn’t say how bad he was hurt. You need a lift to the hospital?”
“Tag can give me a lift.”
“Hailey, you’re not thinking straight. You think Boyd’s not gonna notice you arriving with Tag?”
“Shit, you’re right.”
“I’ll pick you up. Give me Tag’s address.”
She reels it off and when she’s done, she says, “Uh, Kayla, Tag wants a word.”
There’s a rustle as the phone is passed over. “You need to wipe the call history.”
“What?”
“Jack’s phone. If he sees you called me, he’ll know.”
I stare down at Boyd’s phone. It’s a different model to mine. All I know how to do is makes calls. “I don’t know how to do that.”
“When you hang up hit the call icon and scroll across until you see the log. My name will be on top. Hold your finger against my name and delete it. You got that?”
“Hang up, hit the call icon and delete log. That it?”
“Yeah, you got it.”
I hang up and dress in yesterday’s clothes. Stumbling out the door I remember to delete Tag’s name. Hailey’s waiting outside when I get there, Tag at her side, his hands rooted deep in his pockets. I expect them to share a last minute kiss or a hug, but there’s nothing and Hailey doesn’t even glance back when she gets in the car. Tag watches on solemnly until we’re out of view.
“You and Tag okay?” I ask.
Hailey’s head spins my way, her forehead puckering. “Why do you ask?”
“You ... he ... I mean you didn’t say goodbye to each other.”
She stares straight ahead and shrugs. “We don’t have that kind of relationship.”
“You don’t?”
I’m not sure what the hell that means, but I’m pretty sure if Boyd ever finds out, that’ll be another black mark against Tag. “Hailey, I really think you should tell Boyd. He’s gonna lose it if he finds out from someone else.”
She gives me a warning glance. “He won’t find out. Unless you’re going to tell him?”
I shoot her a look of disbelief. “God, Hailey, I’m not gonna say anything, though I know for a fact Boyd will hold that against me.”
“He won’t find out,” she says. I wish I had her confidence. It only needs one person to see them together for Boyd to find out.
“Have you heard any more about my dad? My phone’s out of charge so I can’t call.”
“Boyd can’t call either. I have his phone, remember?”
“God, yeah, sorry. I hope he’s okay. You think mum would have told Boyd if it was serious?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. All I know is she called and five minutes later Boyd was dressed and on his way to the hospital.”
“How long ‘til we get there?”
“I don’t know, fifteen minutes, twenty max.”
Hailey’s subdued for the remainder of the journey. I drop her at the entrance while I go find a parking space. When I walk into reception Boyd’s seated on Wanda’s right and Hailey’s on her left. Boyd rises to greet me, his mouth dipping in for a fleeting kiss. I move on to Wanda and give her a hug. “You okay?”
“I’m better now I’ve spoken to the Doctor. It’s going to be a few hours before we hear anything more.” She smiles bravely and looks to Hailey for support.
“What did the doctors say?” I ask Boyd, handing him back his phone.
“He’s in surgery. He’s got three broken ribs and a punctured lung, but they think he’s going to be fine.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I guess so,” he says, cautious. He sits back down and I take the seat to his right. “The Police were here. They said it was a hit and run. Dad was at a junction waiting to pull out. Some bastard ran into the back of his car and pushed him into the oncoming traffic.”
“Oh my God. Have they caught them?”
Boyd shakes his head. “So far they’ve got nothing, but they’re going to put out an appeal for witnesses and check CCTV cameras.”
Wanda is wiping her nose with a tissue. She looks devastated, her eyes watery, her slim hands jittery. She retrieves a fresh tissue from her bag and mops up her tears. She’s looking at me when she says, “We met thirty-five years ago. I was seventeen, he was twenty. He played in a local band, thought he was God’s gift. I used to stand at the front with my friend, Denise, and we’d drink vodka and coke. Took me weeks to pluck up the courage to speak to him. My friend Denise wasn’t so slow in coming forward. She got there before me, wanted him for herself. Lucky for me she wasn’t his type.” She laughs, her eyes soft and unfocused. “We dated for a year and then he said, ‘I want to see the world.’ I wasn’t going to stop him. He was gone eighteen months. Came back with long hair and a tan so deep I almost didn’t recognise him. It was his turn to do the chasing. Took him two weeks of calling round before I agreed to go on a date.” She smiles a little self-consciously. “I wanted to say yes that first night he called, but I had to make him realise I was worth the chase.”
Her eyes are shining bright when she says, “I’m not going to lose him.”
“No,” I agree. I don’t know what else to say.
Boyd leans forward in his seat. “Mum, you want a coffee?”
She nods. “Yes. That would be nice. Thank you.”
Boyd’s gaze lets me know he wants me to go with him.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He’s fishing for loose change in his back pocket, but it’s clear his mind’s on other things.
“You sure?”
“Hailey said you picked her up?” he asks.
I hide my face, pretending I’m following the instructions on the coffee machine. “Uh, yeah, why?”
“Nothing. She
told me she’d been drinking, but I think she’s lying.”
Now I glance his way and he’s watching me. “You do?”
“Yeah. She seem like she’d been drinking to you?”
If I lie Boyd will know, but I can’t tell him the truth so I settle for something in the middle. “I, uh, I promised Hailey I wouldn’t say anything, but she’s seeing someone. She was staying at his place tonight. And, Boyd, please don’t ask me anymore questions because Hailey told me in confidence.” I take some change from his palm and start feeding the machine.
“You think it’s that married guy she’s been seeing?”
I press the button for Wanda’s drink and keep my response vague. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Shit. She’s still seeing him?”
“Here,” I say, holding out a coffee. “This one’s for your mum. How does Hailey take her coffee, again?” I’m happy to play dumb if it will get Boyd to change the subject.
“Black.”
“Thanks.”
I take some more of his cash and keep feeding the machine, selecting mine and Boyd’s drinks once Hailey’s is dispensed.
“You think it’s none of my business, don’t you?” he asks.
I turn, surprised. Boyd’s frowning, his hands gripping two coffee cups that have got to be burning his fingers.
“She’s your sister, Boyd. You’re bound to be worried, but it’s her life and she’s old enough to live it the way she wants, even if you think it’s wrong.”
“Guess you’re right.”
“You know I am.”
His eyes go soft and he widens his stance. “Come here.”
We both have our hands full, so there’s no touching, but the kiss is passionate and when we’re done he slides his nose against mine. “Love you,” he says.
I tilt my head back, gazing up at him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“You know I love you more, right?”
He stares down at me with solemn green eyes. “No fucking way, Kayla.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Well then, I guess we’re evenly matched.”
His mouth twists into a grin. “Guess so.”
We take the drinks back to the waiting room. It’s a long wait, four hours in total, but eventually it’s good news. Steve’s in recovery and his lung has been successfully re-inflated. He’s only allowed one visitor and naturally it’s Wanda.