“Where are you taking him?” she asked.
“If I told you that, it wouldn’t be any fun now, would it?”
Eva jumped up and sprinted across the room. She stood in front of the men, blocking the doorway. “You’re not taking him anywhere.”
“As if you could stop me.” Leo squared up to her.
Richey watched Leo rake his gaze over Eva’s body, her shirt awry. He was totally helpless as Leo swung a fist into her face, knocking her off balance. He lurched forward to go to her aid but was dragged away.
“She shouldn’t have messed with me,” said Leo. “Now let’s go.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Somewhere in the befuddled depths of her brain, Eva was vaguely aware of someone shaking her. For one horrible moment, she thought Leo had come back for her.
“Richey?” she said. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring at Parker’s face.
“It’s okay, she’s awake,” he said.
Eva sat bolt upright, grimacing at the pain in her head. “Where’s Richey?” She tried to focus as she made out Poppy standing in the doorway, holding India close to her. She looked around frantically.
Parker touched her shoulder. “It’s okay, there’s no-one here, it’s just me and Poppy.”
Poppy frowned at her. “What happened? What did Richey do to you?”
Eva brought a hand to her face, running her fingers over her cheek and jaw bone. She flinched, but nothing felt as if it were broken.
“I assume you’re going to report him? Just like you should have done with Jed. You can’t let him get away with it.”
“He’s not like Jed. And I need to find Richey.”
“When I get my hands on him,” said Poppy, “he needs to know he can’t go around abusing women like this. Mentally or physically.”
“It wasn’t his fault.”
“That’s what they all say. You’re smarter than that. I bet he even said sorry.”
“For fuck’s sake, Poppy, shut up!” Eva ignored Parker’s offer of assistance and scrabbled to her feet, pulling her shirt around her. “Will you let me speak so I can tell you exactly what happened?”
Parker took charge. “Let’s go into the kitchen, and we can talk, calmly, about what happened this evening.” He shot a look at Poppy as he emphasised the word calm.
Eva followed Parker into the kitchen while Poppy took India upstairs. He busied himself putting the kettle on and getting a cafetiere ready. Eva watched him as she waited for Poppy to come back. Her thoughts went to Richey and his whereabouts. Before Parker could stop her, she dashed off to find her phone. She called Richey’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. She twisted her phone round in her hands as she went back into the kitchen, willing it to ring, willing Richey to contact her, to let her know he was okay.
She returned to the kitchen, and Parker handed her a mug. She took a big sip, and her breath caught as she tasted the brandy. Poppy came back into the room and handed Eva a dressing gown. They sat at the breakfast bar.
The story tumbled out. She and Richey were having a night in, and he’d gone out to get takeaway. The doorbell rang while he was out, and she thought he’d forgotten his keys, but it was Leo Kendrick, looking for Richey to pay him what he owed. Judging by the state of the house, he and his bruiser friend had turned over some of the rooms, looking for anything of value, enough to pay back whatever the debt amounted to. She had no idea if they’d actually taken anything. She skipped over the part where Leo was trying to touch her and told the others instead about his treatment of Richey.
“Then they took him,” said Eva. She touched her cheek again. “I got this trying to stop them.”
Poppy reached for her hand. “I’m sorry, I just thought...”
“You thought wrong. He’s nothing like Jed, he’s just a slightly screwed-up cocaine addict.”
Parker’s voice was quiet. “How long have you known?”
Eva glanced at the clock. “A few hours. I need to find him.” Eva stood up but swayed unsteadily on her feet. Parker leaped up and caught her just before she fell.
“You’re doing nothing of the sort this evening,” said Poppy. “Parker and I will keep trying his number and call the others, see if they’ve heard from him. We’ll clear up as best we can, and we’ll see how things are in the morning. You need to get some rest.”
Reluctantly, Eva agreed. She climbed the stairs and headed into the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, examining the changing colours of the bruising on her face. The angry redness was giving way to a bluish purple. Eva stripped off her clothes and bundled them into the corner, never wanting to see them again. Naked, she got into the shower and turned on the water. Red hot, it pummelled her skin, burning away her pain. As the water cascaded over her head and body, she couldn’t stop the tears, an overwhelming feeling of helplessness consuming her. Not just from what had happened that evening, but from what Richey had told her about his addiction. She had had no idea. Her legs collapsed underneath her. She fell to the floor of the shower cubicle and sobbed. She curled into a protective ball, hugging her knees to her chest as she rocked backwards and forwards under the stream. From a long, long way in the distance, she heard Poppy’s voice telling her that the house wasn’t as bad as they first feared and she should go to bed and rest. Eventually, she summoned up the strength to turn off the shower. She got out and pulled a huge towel around her aching body and dried herself off as quickly as she could. Eva went into her room and found one of Richey’s t-shirts. She breathed in his scent, the faint smell of sweat and aftershave, the familiarity of him. She got into bed and bundled the duvet around herself. Staring at her phone, she dialled Richey’s number again. Just hearing his voice made her cry once more. Where the hell was he?
* * *
Poppy scrubbed at the sticky sweet-and-sour sauce stain on the living room carpet.
“I think we should phone the police,” Parker said. “As soon as Eva mentioned Leo Kendrick, it felt like history repeating itself.”
Poppy stopped what she was doing and nodded. “I agree.” She sat back on her heels and looked up at Parker. There was a faraway look in his eyes. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“What Eva told us about Richey, about his cocaine addiction, he never told me. I gave him ample opportunity to tell me about anything that might damage his or the band’s reputation. After everything that happened with Billy, and I only find out about this now.” He sank down onto the sofa, his head in his hands. “I’m going to have to tell Alik and Nate. And I don’t know what this means for the band.”
“Do you have to do that first? Can’t you leave it until we’ve spoken to the police and we know where Richey is? And that he’s okay?” asked Poppy.
There was a pause before Parker answered. “Give me five minutes and then I’ll call the police.”
He headed into the study, and Poppy followed him. She didn’t want to think about what might have gone on in there earlier that evening.
“Are you sure?”
Parker nodded. “I can’t sit on this.”
Poppy watched on helplessly as he sank into the chair and pulled his mobile out of his pocket. He looked at her as he dialled. She heard Alik answer and turned away, ready to leave. But as she was about to, Parker put the phone on speaker.
“Poppy’s here too,” he said.
She glanced up at the clock and saw it was close to midnight.
“All right, Parker, what’s up? It’s late.” Alik’s voice crackled through the room.
“It’s Richey. He’s missing.”
Poppy heard Alik take a sharp intake of breath and mumble something to the person he was with. “Hang on a sec, let me put you on speaker too. Nate’s here.”
Poppy’s heart did a small somersault as she heard Nate’s voice. She couldn’t imagine what he was thinking, knowing everything that had happened on their wedding day. It was a memory that she couldn’t shake.
There was a pause an
d then Alik spoke again. “What do you mean, he’s missing?”
“Leo Kendrick was at the house.” Parker let the implications of that sink in. “Turns out Richey’s a coke head.”
Both Alik and Nate started speaking at once, firing questions and statements at Parker. He let them go on for a while, before stopping them. Poppy listened, frustrated that she didn’t have anything to add or help the conversation.
“None of us had any idea, guys. Eva let it slip earlier, although I don’t think she had any idea before tonight either,” said Parker.
“What happened to Richey?” asked Alik.
“We don’t know. All Eva knows is that he was taken away by Kendrick. I’m going to call the police, but I wanted you to know first in case he gets in touch,” said Parker.
“Is Eva okay? I know what Kendrick can be like,” Alik said.
“A bit battered and bruised, mostly emotionally, although she does have a black eye,” said Poppy. “It’s been a rough night.”
“What do we do about Richey?” Alik asked. “This feels like Billy all over again.”
Poppy sighed. She didn’t know the answer and hoped, desperately, that the outcome wouldn’t be the same.
Chapter Forty-Five
Eva awoke with a start and saw Poppy at her bedside. Poppy placed a mug of tea on the table beside her.
“Is there any news?” asked Eva.
Poppy shook her head. “Nothing from the police yet. Did you manage to get some rest?”
Eva shrugged. “I guess.” She reached for her phone. Nothing. She sank back against the pillows. “Poppy, I’m sorry that you and Parker got pulled into this. What if they come back?”
“It’s not your fault. From what we can tell, Richey has hidden a lot from everyone, you included.” Poppy reached out and touched the bruise on Eva’s cheek. “How does this feel today?”
Eva winced. “Painful. Although I doubt that it’s anywhere near as bad as Richey is feeling.” She thought back to the battering he had been on the end of and shuddered.
“Breakfast’s ready whenever you are,” Poppy said. She smiled sympathetically and left the room.
Eva scrolled through the photo album on her phone, looking at the pictures of her and Richey. She couldn’t help but wonder in which of them he was off his face. Her phone vibrated with a text. A number she didn’t recognise and just two words on the screen: St Andrew’s. She called the number back straight away, but the automated voice told her that the number wasn’t in use. She jumped out of bed and threw on the nearest clothes she could find then went downstairs to find Poppy.
“St Andrew’s? That’s the hospital on the other side of town, right?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s right. Why?” Poppy was in the middle of feeding India, and Parker was engrossed in something on his tablet.
Eva waved the message in Poppy’s face. “That’s where Richey is.”
“Are you sure?” Parker looked up.
“I have no choice but to believe it,” said Eva. “Richey’s phone is dead, and I’m hoping he’s not. I need to get over there.”
She watched Poppy and Parker exchange a look. He nodded.
“Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll drive you,” said Poppy.
“And I’ll let the police know,” added Parker.
It took them almost an hour to get to the hospital. Eva hadn’t accounted for North Ridge rush-hour traffic and kept asking Poppy if she knew a shortcut. When Poppy reassured her that this was the shortcut, she started to get more agitated.
“Calm down. You’re no good to Richey like this.”
Eva reluctantly agreed. She drummed her fingers against her thigh, checking and rechecking her phone. They finally arrived at the hospital and were lucky enough to find a parking space. While Poppy locked the car, Eva headed for A&E.
There were a couple of people waiting to speak to the receptionist, and Eva tried to wait patiently. Poppy joined her just as she got to the front of the queue.
“I’m looking for Richey Mason? He was brought in this morning?”
The receptionist checked the computer system. It took her a while, which made all sorts of horrible thoughts run through Eva’s head.
“Ah, yes, here we are. He was brought in about four o’clock this morning and the doctor has seen him. He’s in cubicle two waiting to be taken to a ward.”
Eva sagged against Poppy, an overwhelming sense of relief consuming her. “How is he?” she asked.
“I’m afraid I don’t know, you’ll need to speak to a nurse.”
“Can I see him?”
“You’d need to check with a nurse.”
Eva paced up and down impatiently as they waited for a nurse to confirm where Richey was. After several minutes, she was told it was okay to go in. As Eva approached the cubicle, a knot of fear began to form in her stomach. She didn’t know what she was going to find, and she was scared. Poppy placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” she asked.
Eva shook her head. “I have to do this on my own.”
“If you’re sure? I’ll be just here if you need me.”
“Thank you.” Eva gave Poppy the briefest of embraces and then slipped inside the cubicle.
She wasn’t prepared for the sight that greeted her. Richey was lying on his back, his eyes closed. The white sheet was draped loosely around his hips, leaving his torso bare. His skin was extremely pale, his tattoos standing out in stark contrast. His ribs were bandaged, and there were red marks around his wrists, as if he’d been tied up. There was a cast around the fingers of his right hand, a crust of blood around his nose, and blackening around his left eye. The rest of his body was covered in bruises.
Eva choked back a sob.
Richey’s eyelids fluttered open. “You’re certainly an improvement on the last nurse.” His voice was hoarse as he tried a weak smile.
Eva couldn’t speak as her eyes filled with tears.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart, please.” Richey held out his right hand and flinched as he moved. “What the hell did he do to you?”
Eva gently took his hand, not wanting to hurt him any more than he had been. “What the hell did he do to you?”
A dark cloud fell over Richey’s face. “You don’t need to know.”
She wanted to hold him, to tell him that it was all going to be okay, that she would look after him, nurse him back to health.
A different nurse popped his head around the curtain. “I thought I heard voices. You’re Eva, right? Can I have a word?”
Eva looked at Richey. He released her hand.
“It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
Eva followed the nurse into a side room, where Poppy was waiting, and took a seat beside her. Immediately, Eva imagined the worst.
“Can you tell me what happened to him?” asked Eva. “He won’t tell me anything.”
The nurse started to talk. “There are the obvious injuries. He has a couple of broken ribs, and there was some damage to the fingers of his right hand as well as the overall bruising he sustained, consistent with being beaten.”
“So what isn’t obvious then? I can see all of those things.” Eva knew that the damage to Richey’s fingers would be his greatest concern.
“It would appear that he had taken a large amount of amphetamines.”
“Speed? But he hadn’t taken any speed?”
“He hasn’t been able to settle since we got him in, and the tests we carried out showed large traces of the drug.”
“Speed isn’t his thing.” The words were out of Eva’s mouth before she thought about them.
The nurse frowned. “What do you mean?”
Eva thought quickly. She didn’t want to get Richey into any more trouble. “I mean, drugs aren’t his thing. He wouldn’t do anything like that.” She felt Poppy’s eyes boring into her as she lied.
“Mmm.” The nurse paused but appeared to let it go. “There is something else. We don’t know how
long he was left outside for.”
“What do you mean?”
The nurse sat down beside her. “Whoever did this to him dumped him in the alley next to the bins close to A&E. We’ve spoken to the police about it, and they’ll need to speak to you.”
“Jesus.” Poppy reached out and grabbed her hand. “You have to talk to them, Eva.”
Eva shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Let me get you some tea and then you can decide what needs to be done.” The nurse rose to his feet, his expression impassive as he left the room.
Eva buried her head in her hands. “What the fuck went on last night? I swear Richey hadn’t taken anything. It was only then he confessed about the coke.”
“Do you know how long he’s been using for?” asked Poppy.
“Apparently it was after Kim came back. He needed something to help him handle that.”
“You must have known about Billy’s problems,” said Poppy. “It’s not right that someone like Leo Kendrick gets away with something like this twice. You have to tell the police everything.” Eva didn’t reply straight away, so Poppy went on. “Eva, what Leo’s doing is illegal. He should be stopped. Parker thinks the same, even more so after he spoke to Alik and Nate last night.”
“That means what?” Eva jumped up and began pacing the floor. “Richey’s out of the band? His career’s over without being given a chance?”
Poppy sighed. “They haven’t decided what to do yet, but you have to face up to the fact that he might not be part of the band much longer.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Richey lay on his side, his back to the rest of the patients in the ward, watching what was going on outside the window. Of the six beds, five were occupied: Three were elderly men who spent most of their time snoring or staring expectantly at the door for their next visitor, and there was a middle-aged chap who seemed to spend most of his time on his phone or tablet. A stream of people popped in every five minutes or so to prod and poke one of them or take a blood sample. Or during visiting hours when wives, girlfriends, sons, daughters, and hundreds of grandchildren crowded into the small spaces around the beds, chatting loudly. Richey longed for peace and quiet.
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