The Goldsworth Series Box Set

by Davie J Toothill

  “Who came round?”

  There was a pause, and Clint leaned closer, holding his breath.

  “Troy,” Aurora replied.

  Clint watched her, his mind racing. He had not spoken to Troy in days, so he didn’t see why he would pay her a visit, nor why it would cause a reaction like this in Aurora.

  “What did he want?” Clint asked.

  Aurora shook her head and cried silently.

  “Come on, Aurora, what did he want?”

  She took a deep breath and spoke.

  “I don’t know really,” she said, her voice scratchy from the crying. “He started drinking and he did some lines. He’d had an argument with Brandy or something and he kept saying things about -”

  She broke off.

  “About who?” Clint prompted her.

  “About you. I told him to go but he went all weird, I don’t know why -”

  “What do you mean ’weird’?” Clint interjected.

  “He was sort of…kind of…flirting,” Aurora whispered.

  Clint felt his fists clench but kept quiet, not wanting Aurora to start crying again.

  “What happened then?”

  “He tried to kiss me,” Aurora said, looking up at Clint, before averting her eyes back to the pillow. “I pushed him off me. He just kept saying things, flirting, acting like I’d led him on or something. He tried it on again and I asked him to leave.”

  “And then he left?”

  Aurora shook her head.

  “No, he hit me and then he -”

  Aurora broke down into renewed sobs and it took all of Clint’s self-control to stop himself from smashing things. Troy, who was supposed to be his best friend, had tried it on with his girlfriend and hit her.

  “And then?” Clint prompted.

  When Aurora had calmed down and wiped her eyes with the pillow case, she looked up at him.

  “I don’t want you to go after him,” she said, and when Clint tried to protest, she added, “Please, promise me.”

  Clint forced himself to nod.

  “He threw me onto the floor,” Aurora said. She was speaking quickly, no doubt trying to get this part over with as quickly as she could. “And he tried to pull off my knickers. I tried to get away but he was too strong and then -”

  Clint felt his blood boiling.

  “Did he force you?” Clint asked, trying to keep his voice level. “Did he rape you?”

  Aurora shook her head, “I thought he was going to. But I told him I was pregnant, and he stopped. He just got up and walked out.”

  Clint was quiet for a moment. All his previous thoughts about Troy were history. This changed everything.

  “Did he come back?” Clint asked.

  Aurora shook her head.

  “Have you seen him since?”

  “No.”

  Clint stood up and Aurora glanced up in alarm.

  “You promised,” she stammered, clutching his arm. “Please don’t go Clint, please -”

  Clint shrugged her off him and went to the door.

  “Clint, please don’t -”

  “Stay here,” Clint said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

  He left the flat and ignored Marlena, who watched him suspiciously as he went out the front door. He was brisk as he went down the steps and across the estate. His fists were clenched at his sides and his chest was thumping. He was going to find Troy. Then he was going to kill him.

  * * *

  “What did you do last night then?” Brandy asked, glaring at Troy.

  Troy shrugged and Brandy bristled silently.

  “Did you finish the coke?”

  “Yeah.”

  Troy sat on the sofa trying to ignore Brandy’s numerous questions about last night. His mind was still on Aurora. She had rejected him. The slag had actually fought him. She should have been proud to give herself up to him. Any other girl would have been. But no, she’d struggled and then she’d told him about the baby and he’d been disgusted. He no longer wanted her after that. Knowing that she was so much a part of Clint’s that she was carrying his baby inside of her and sickened him.

  The kitchen door slammed and Troy looked up at his mother’s disapproving face.

  “I thought I told you to pack a bag,” she said, hands on hips. “I’ve already told you I don’t want you staying here anymore.”

  “Fuck off,” Troy said, waving his hand dismissively at her.

  He caught Tyrese’s eye, who was sitting in an armchair watching the television. Keskia continued to mutter under her breath as she began tidying up the lounge. Troy had come back after he’d left Aurora’s whilst everyone was asleep and he knew that without Jessie and Trent here, Keskia wouldn’t have the guts to throw him out when Tyrese was being so morose and gentle.

  Troy leaned back against the sofa and felt a stab of annoyance as Brandy stretched out and leant against him, her eyes on the programme they were watching.

  A loud bang came from the kitchen and they all looked up. The door to the kitchen flew open and Clint burst in, his face contorted in rage.

  Troy sat up straighter. He hadn’t expected Aurora to tell anybody what had happened, but she clearly hadn’t kept her mouth shut.

  “All right Clint?” Tyrese nodded at him, eyes still fixed on the television.

  “What do you want?” Brandy asked unconcernedly. “Shouldn’t you be with Aurora?”

  Clint didn’t answer but strode towards Troy. Troy looked in his eyes and saw a level of fury that he’d never seen in his friend’s eyes before.

  Before he could react, Clint had thrown a punch that caught him squarely in the face. Troy groaned but Clint’s fists continued to rain down on him and he felt a hot sticky liquid pouring down his face and knew that it was coming from his nose. Clint was shouting now and Keskia and Brandy were screaming, but Troy couldn’t see. His eyes were firmly shut, his head lowered, trying to protect himself from Clint’s blows.

  There were sounds of a scuffle and the punches stopped. Troy chanced a look up and saw Tyrese dragging Clint towards the door, muttering threats in his ears.

  “What the fuck’s all that about?” Brandy shrieked, standing up and jabbing her finger threateningly at Clint.

  Keskia was hovering in the corner of the room, shaking and looking despairingly at from Troy to Clint and back again.

  “Ask your fucking boyfriend,” Clint shouted, struggling against Tyrese’s grip. “Ask him.”

  Brandy looked bemused and turned to Troy.

  “What’s he going on about?” she demanded.

  “I don’t know,” Troy shrugged, trying to look bewildered.

  Clint roared and broke free of Tyrese’s grip and lunged at Troy again, getting in a few punches before Tyrese dragged him off again.

  “Calm down,” Tyrese said warningly. “Or I’ll break both your fucking legs.”

  “I don’t give a fuck,” Clint said, still struggling. “He deserves it. I’m going to kill him.”

  “Whatever you two have fallen out about, there’s no need for this,” Keskia stammered from the corner, directing her glare at Clint.

  “Fallen out?” Clint said, and an angry laugh filled the room. “You think this is about some pathetic argument?”

  “Of course it is,” Brandy snapped.

  Troy knew he should intervene, find a way to stop Clint saying what he knew he would say, but before he could think of anything, Clint was shouting again.

  “He tried to rape Aurora! Your precious little Troy tried to rape my girlfriend!”

  Tyrese dropped him in surprise but Clint didn’t lunge again. He stood in the middle of the silent room, looking down at Troy with disgust.

  “I know exactly what a fucking scum you are now,” he said, unnervingly calm. “And you’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”

  He turned around and ducked under Tyrese’s outstretched arms and the sound of the front door slamming shut rang through the silent flat like a gunshot.

&
nbsp; Troy felt all eyes on him and didn’t know what to say or how to break the silence, which seemed to drag on and on.

  Troy looked up and saw his mother fighting tears again, looking at him with disgust. Without saying a word, she crossed the room and disappeared into her bedroom, closing the door loudly behind her. Brandy and Tyrese remained on their feet, looking down at Troy.

  “Is it true?” Tyrese asked.

  “Don’t be stupid,” Troy said, hoping he sounded bemused. “As if I’d want to fuck that jumped up little slag after he’s had his filthy hands all over her.”

  “So you didn’t go round there last night?” Brandy asked.

  Troy paused, thinking over what he was going to say.

  “Yeah, I went round,” Troy said, and Brandy let out a snort of derision. “I just wanted a chat, find out what was going on with Clint.”

  “Really?” Brandy asked, sounding unconvinced.

  “Yeah, really,” Troy snapped. “She was drunk, been with Zoe or something. She was all over me. I told her where she could go and I left. Came back here.”

  “Then what’s with Clint then?”

  “She probably made up some shit and told him in case I told him what she’d done,” Troy said, trying to sound convincing. “You know what she’s like. Always got to be the victim.”

  Brandy eyed him suspiciously but sat back down on the sofa. Tyrese dropped into the armchair and returned his gaze to the television.

  “You should sort that Clint out,” he called over to Troy. “Make sure he gets his story straight before he starts flying off the wall like that.”

  Troy nodded absentmindedly and pretended to be watching the television. He sensed Brandy’s eyes on him but then she stood up and went to the kitchen to get some drinks. Troy sighed and felt his body relax.

  * * *

  In the kitchen, Brandy poured herself a large vodka and coke and downed half of the glass in one gulp. She smacked her lips and finished the rest, before pouring herself another. Whatever Troy had said, she knew that he was lying. She had spent the past month or so hating Aurora with every ounce of her being and although she knew Aurora was a lot of things, she was most definitely not the type of girl to cheat on Clint. She had seen them together and nobody else seemed to register on their minds.

  Whatever had happened, Aurora had not initiated it and the more she thought about it, the more she began to believe what Clint had said. Troy had tried to rape her. After all, he had been high on coke when he’d left hers and he hadn’t told her where he was going. He hadn’t had sex in weeks either, and she knew that, no matter what he said, he thought Aurora was attractive.

  She had never mentioned it to him, or anybody else for that matter, but Brandy had heard Troy muttering ’Aurora’ in his sleep. She had tried to convince herself that it was just a dream and meant nothing, but she had always known that Troy wanted her. If she had rejected him, she was quite certain he could have tried to force her.

  It seemed he was capable of almost anything.

  Brandy sighed and opened the fridge to get two beers for Tyrese and Troy. The Troy that she had fallen in love with had disappeared. He looked the same, talked the same, yet the inside was different. He had changed from within and Brandy knew that this change was permanent. He had become a different person and as she returned to the lounge, Brandy wondered whether she could love this new Troy the same way she had loved the old one.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Aurora watched as Clint’s parents and younger brother closed the front door of their flat behind them and traipsed down the steps, Kojo walking a fair distance from his father. When they had disappeared down the steps, Aurora hurried forwards and rapped quickly on the door. The door opened within seconds and Clint stepped aside to let her in.

  She went into the lounge and sat nervously on the sofa, whilst Clint surveyed her for a few more moments before sitting beside her.

  There was an awkward silence and Aurora let her hands rest in her lap, although she longed to take Clint’s in hers and hold them close to her.

  “I’m sorry,” Clint said slowly, taking her by surprise. “About yesterday. I should’ve stayed with you instead of flying off the handle like that.”

  Aurora thought over his words and nodded.

  “I’m sorry too.”

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Clint said. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “Neither have you.”

  Clint looked uncomfortable but Aurora took his hand in hers and smiled at him.

  “We’ve got to keep looking forwards,” she said gently. “We’ve got our baby to think about now.”

  “I know,” Clint nodded.

  Aurora leaned forwards and took a deep breath. She had thought last night and decided that something should be done about Troy. Clint looked at her expectantly.

  “I’ve been thinking. Maybe I should go to the police.”

  “The police?” Clint asked, shocked.

  “About Troy. What he tried to do,” Aurora said, her heart beating faster. “What if he tries to do it to somebody else?”

  Clint shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

  “I’m not sure,” he said.

  Aurora felt a stab of annoyance at his reaction.

  “What if he hadn’t stopped?” Aurora persisted. “He’s dangerous. I’ve got to say something.”

  “That’s exactly my point,” Clint said. His face was serious and his eyes alarmed, “He’s dangerous. We should just look forward, you know, like –”

  “I can’t,” Aurora interrupted. “If he attacked somebody else, I couldn’t live with myself.”

  “What if he doesn’t?” Clint countered.

  “He deserves to be punished. Somebody’s got to stand up to him.”

  “Yeah,” Clint agreed. “but it doesn’t have to be you.”

  “Who else is going to do it?” Aurora asked, eyeing him sharply. She was feeling frustrated with Clint’s attitude. She had hoped for a little support, even if he did distrust the police. “I’ve got a responsibility.”

  “You’ve got a responsibility to our baby,” Clint said. “Troy’s dangerous –”

  “He doesn’t scare me anymore. He’s pathetic.”

  “You don’t understand, Aurora. He’s really dangerous. He’s killed people.”

  Aurora froze. She had always known that Troy was bad news, but she hadn’t expected this. Her mind was racing, filled with unanswered questions.

  “What?” she stammered. “Who?”

  “He’s got a gun,” Clint answered. “He killed Wright and Sasha.”

  Aurora struggled to clear her head. Troy knew Sasha, they had seemed to get along well. Better, in fact, than she had ever gotten along with him or Brandy.

  “Why? How could he?”

  “No reason,” Clint said, the urgency clear in his voice. “That’s what makes him so dangerous. He doesn’t care who he hurts as long as he builds his reputation.”

  Her stomach lurched and for a moment Aurora thought she was going to throw up, but she swallowed hard and took a few deep breaths. The fact that Sasha had been killed just because Troy wanted a reputation was sickening.

  “Why hasn’t he been arrested then?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, there’s probably no evidence,” Clint said. He was frustrated now. “That’s why you can’t go picking fights with him, he’ll love a reason to score some more points.”

  “He needs to be locked up,” Aurora protested. “Maybe I can do that –”

  “You’re not listening,” Clint snapped, his voice rising. “He’ll love any excuse to get at you. That’s probably why he did what he did the other night, probably found it a turn on or something sick like that -”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Then he’ll have a full set, he’ll be boasting –”

  Clint froze and fell silent. Beads of sweat hung on his forehead and his hands in hers were clammy. She released them, eyeing him cl
osely. He wasn’t making sense.

  “A full set?” she repeated. “What does that mean?”

  “Never mind,” Clint said. He rose to his feet and began pacing nervously around the lounge, wringing his hands together. “I don’t know, I just don’t think it’s a good idea –”

  Aurora watched him and everything suddenly clicked into place. She gasped and Clint turned and looked at her, his eyes wide with fear. Aurora looked at him and finally managed to speak.

  “A full set. You mean, he – he killed my sister?” she tried to keep her voice from breaking.

  Clint remained silent but he didn’t deny it.

  “He killed Shaniqua and you knew that?” she continued. “Did he tell you or something?”

  “Does it matter?” Clint asked weakly.

  “Of course it matters. Did he boast about it? Did he – Oh no,” Aurora froze mid-sentence. She looked at Clint and he closed his eyes as if in pain. When she finally found her voice, it trembled, “You were there, weren’t you?”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “You saw him kill my sister,” Aurora said, feeling numb.

  “I wanted to stop him,” Clint said, hurrying to Aurora and taking her hands in his. “But it was so fast –”

  Aurora threw his hands off hers and looked into his eyes. The eyes she had thought would never lie to her, never hurt her, never betray her. Clint looked pained and stepped away from her, looking wounded.

  “Who else was there?” Aurora demanded.

  “Just a few of us,” Clint answered quietly. “It wasn’t planned or anything. We were just hanging around and -”

  Aurora ignored his grovelling and continued.

  “Brandy?” she asked, and Clint nodded almost imperceptibly. “So that’s why she’s always hated me. And let me guess, Zoe was too? They never went anywhere without each other back then.”

  Clint nodded. Aurora thought her head was about to explode. She had trusted these people. Fair enough, Brandy and Troy had never been close to her. But Zoe had become her closest friend, and all the time she had known the truth about her sister’s death. And Clint -

  “I’m sorry,” Clint said, looking earnest. “I wanted to go to the police, but –”