Clint finished doing his tie and flipped the collar back down. He looked presentable, he thought, but that was only a small part of what today would entail.
He stepped into his black shoes and went into the lounge to see who had come to visit. He hesitated when he saw his mum cooing over Angel, and she was beaming when she turned to look at him upon hearing his approach.
“Congratulations sweetheart,” Femi said. She came forward and gave him a hug, squeezing him against her ample body. “Angel really is a beautiful little girl. An angel indeed.”
“Thanks mum,” Clint managed, extricating himself from her embrace.
Femi went back to Angel and smiled down at her, pulling faces.
“You must let me babysit sometime,” she said over her shoulder. “You two can have some time together, and I can look after my precious little granddaughter.”
“You can watch her this afternoon, if you’re not busy,” Aurora suggested, without looking at Clint. “I mean, my mum’s gone out, and we need to go to court, so if you’re free then –”
“No,” Clint cut her off. Aurora’s eyes snapped to him, and Femi turned, surprised by the force in his tone.
“What’s the matter with that?” Aurora asked, bewildered.
“I just don’t want to leave Angel with –” Clint trailed off, unable to look at his mother as he spoke. “I don’t want my dad to see her.”
“Clint,” Femi gasped. “What a terrible –”
“I’m sorry,” Clint said, looking her in the eye. “But I’m not allowing it.”
“This is your mum, though, she won’t let anything happen to her,” Aurora said, though Clint knew she was uncomfortable at the idea of letting his father near their daughter. “What if your mum stayed here and babysat? Your dad wouldn’t be involved at all then, right?”
She looked from Clint to Femi, and Clint considered it. He doubted Marlena would be back from the pub in time to babysit, and even if she was, surely she would want to be at the trial, and he doubted Aurora wanted to leave Angel alone with Marlena anyway, not when she’d already had a few drinks.
“It’s fine with me,” Femi said. “I won’t tell your father, I’ll just stay here.”
She looked imploring and Clint sighed.
“Fine, you can babysit,” Clint relented. “But no dad, okay?”
Femi nodded fervently, but Clint could not entirely shake his discomfort.
* * *
Zoe watched Shontelle and Leigh-Ann toss their drinks back, and she did the same, already feeling the buzz as the alcohol coursed through her. They had polished off the bottle of vodka she kept in her cupboard, and Leigh-Ann had brought more with her when she had arrived. Zoe vaguely remembered her from house parties in the past, and she seemed like a good laugh.
“Why couldn’t Charley make it out?” Shontelle asked her, as she refilled their shot glasses, spilling some on the coffee table.
“She’s got a lot going on,” Leigh-Ann sighed. “I mean, she’s a single mum, and then there’s all this court drama going on -” She trailed off, glancing at Zoe, before blushing. “Sorry, that’s probably the last thing you want to hear about.”
“No, it’s fine,” Zoe waved her off. Her morning in court already felt like a lifetime ago, even though it had been only a few hours, and the afternoon sunshine was still beaming through the windows. “I heard about it, but -”
“Everyone’s heard about it,” Shontelle sighed, passing around the shots. “I never knew her that well, but I feel for her. What a tragedy.”
“Yeah, and that bastard thinks he’s going to get away with it,” Leigh-Ann spat, shaking her head. She downed her shot, smacking her lips. “I always knew that Dante was trouble.”
Zoe nodded, feeling her cheeks flush.
“He was always high on something,” Shontelle said. “Or fucking around.”
“You can say that again,” Leigh-Ann snorted. “Twat.”
Zoe snatched up her shot and downed it. It hit the back of her throat and she spluttered. Shontelle and Leigh-Ann both looked at her as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Are you okay?” Shontelle asked. “You’ve gone bright red, Zoe.”
“I’m fine,” Zoe said, feeling the heat emanating from her face. She tried to avoid their suspicious eyes, but to no avail.
“Did you know him?” Leigh-Ann asked, surprised. “Dante Cortez?”
“Not really,” Zoe stammered, blushing harder. “Just met him at a party, that’s all.”
“Why are you so embarrassed then?” Shontelle giggled.
“Oh no,” Leigh-Ann said, shaking her head. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”
Zoe knew her face said it all. Shontelle gasped, and Leigh-Ann rolled her eyes.
“Don’t worry,” Leigh-Ann said. “You’re definitely not the only one.”
Zoe blinked away tears, surprising herself with the emotion that overwhelmed her. Shontelle put a hand towards her, shooting Leigh-Ann a bewildered look.
Zoe knew that she should keep quiet.
“What’s wrong?” Shontelle asked, concerned.
She had not told anyone before, had kept her mouth shut like she knew she had to, but she could not help herself as she looked at Shontelle’s worried face.
“It’s not just that,” Zoe said, wiping at her eyes. “After that party, I found out I was pregnant.”
“No, Zoe, for real?” Shontelle gasped, realisation dawning.
Zoe nodded.
“Dante is Sienna’s dad,” she confessed.
She put her face in her hands and sobbed, only just catching sight of Shontelle and Leigh-Ann’s faces as their jaws dropped.
* * *
Aurora left Femi bustling over Angel and went into the bedroom looking for Clint. He was sat on the end of the bed, looking smart, dressed ready for court, but he was frowning and she saw from his eyes that he was deep in thought.
She stepped into the room, the floor giving a gentle creak, and he looked up at her.
“Are you okay?” Aurora asked, stepping forward. “Look, I understand why you don’t want your dad looking after Angel, and I totally agree with you, but your mum’s fine, yeah?”
She felt bad for suggesting it now, but from what Clint had told her, his mum had never been violent, had always looked out for them.
“Yeah, it’s not that,” Clint said, his voice quiet.
“This is about this afternoon?” Aurora sighed, understanding. “You’ll be fine in court.”
“I know,” Clint said, though his face said otherwise.
“There’s no need to worry, you know,” Aurora tried to reassure him.
“Isn’t there?” Clint asked. His voice was tight, and she knew he was nervous.
“The Banks brothers already went after you,” Aurora pointed out. “They won’t do it again. They can’t stop you.”
“You know that do you?” Clint snapped, and then looked abashed, his eyes unable to meet hers. “Sorry, I just -,” he stammered, trailing off.
“You just have to go in and tell them –”
“I know what I have to do,” Clint interrupted, agitated.
Femi appeared in the doorway, and Aurora turned, following Clint’s eyes.
“I was thinking I could make your dinner whilst you’re out, what do you fancy?” she asked, still smiling. Her smile faltered as she sensed the tension between them, and she backed away. “Well, I’ll just go and see what’s in the fridge.”
The floor creaked as she retreated from the bedroom, and Aurora looked down at Clint, his head in his hands. He let out a groan and his eyes met hers.
“Aurora, I’m sorry,” he said, his tone imploring. “I’m doing the right thing, I know, but –”
“Don’t worry about it,” Aurora cut him off.
She turned and walked out of the room, leaving him looking crushed, sat on the end of her bed. She didn’t want to see him so upset, but she couldn’t understand, couldn’t even fathom, his nerves.
She wanted justice done, and if that meant Clint had to sweat it out for a few hours, then so be it as far as she was concerned.
* * *
The moment that Zoe had blurted out her secret, Leigh-Ann saw the regret in her eyes that she had let it slip. Shontelle rushed over and slid an arm around her shoulders as Zoe sobbed, and Leigh-Ann had quickly excused herself from the room under the pretense of giving them some privacy.
She went out the front door and closed it gently behind her. They would just think she was going for a cigarette, if they even gave it a second thought. She pulled out her phone.
The news that Zoe had just imparted was a shock, but perhaps she should have known that Dante had got someone pregnant. He had slept around enough. Perhaps they should just be grateful there were not more of his kids roaming the streets, she thought.
She dialed and waited anxiously, before Charley finally answered.
“Charley, you’re not going to believe what I’ve just heard,” Leigh-Ann said. Her hands quivered as she shared what she had just heard.
If anyone had a right to know this secret, had a right to some dirt on Dante Cortez, then it was Charley.
* * *
Brandy was feeling rough as she walked towards the Goldsworth, her head banging after a night of drinking. She had managed to block out the memory of being in the witness box, but now she was sobering up it was all coming flooding back to her, and she just wanted to get home and go to sleep. Perhaps then she wouldn’t think about it, feel so ashamed that she had been humiliated and accused of murder in front of a courtroom full of people.
She had drunk-called Adrianna a few hours ago and had heard the news that Jessie Banks was dead. It was a shock, she had to admit, not that they had ever been close. She had seen her almost every day when she’d been dating Troy, and she had always wondered how Jessie put up with living in a flat full of argumentative, moody men like the Banks brothers. Apparently not well, she thought, if Adrianna was right and she’d put a gun in her mouth and blasted her brains out the back of her head. Still, Brandy thought, it was no skin off her nose if Jessie was dead or not.
As she approached the courtyard, she heard raised voices, two women having a screaming match. She rolled her eyes, hoping they weren’t going to start an argument with her, it was the last thing she needed.
“You think you’re so fucking perfect, swanning around like you ain’t got nothing to be ashamed about?” one of the women shouted, and Brandy froze.
It was her mother. She grimaced and hurried between the blocks to the courtyard, passing two teenage boys going in the opposite direction who were sniggering, probably after seeing the fight.
Brandy saw her mum, in a low-cut top, tits almost hanging out, her skirt riding up her thighs, heels kicked off across the tarmac, raising a fist. To her surprise, Aurora’s mum was on the other end of Deanna’s aggression.
“Ashamed?” Marlena Curtis laughed, and Brandy saw she was drunk too. She didn’t want to have to intervene, but both women had fists clenched, looking like they wanted to do some serious damage to each other. Marlena spat. “It’s you ought to be ashamed. Look at the state of you. You’re just a junkie whore.”
“You did this to me,” Deanna snarled, spitting as well. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d be –”
“Oh, don’t fool yourself,” Marlena shouted. “Just stay away from my family, I’m warning you –”
Brandy took a step forward, but the two women were so preoccupied that they didn’t notice her approach.
“You stole him from me,” Deanna screamed, spit flying from her mouth, her eyes wild and her weave slipping on top of her head. “I don’t want anything to do with your fucking family.”
Deanna made to lunge at her and Brandy ran forward, snatching her mum around the waist, dragging her away from Marlena, who looked about ready to kick Deanna’s head in.
“Mum, what’s going on?” Brandy shouted to be heard over Deanna’s curses.
“Get off me,” Deanna hissed, trying to squirm her way out of Brandy’s grip. “I hate her, I hate her, I want to batter her smug face, the –”
“Mum, stop it!” Brandy cried, straining to keep control of her mum.
Marlena came closer, her jaw set, eyes angry but more composed than Deanna was. Marlena looked at Deanna piteously, shaking her head in disgust.
“Keep her away from my family,” Marlena said, her voice cold. “And you,” she said, eyeing Brandy with nothing short of hatred. “You keep your distance as well; you’ve done enough damage, the both of you.”
She turned and walked away, disappearing into a stairwell. Deanna stopped struggling and Brandy let her go. She looked at her mum, hand on hip, wanting an explanation.
“What the hell was that about?” Brandy demanded.
“Oh, go to hell you interfering little bitch,” Deanna snapped, snatching her shoes up off the floor and carrying them across the courtyard. Brandy went after her, determined not to let it drop.
“Mum, I want to know –” Brandy insisted, following her up the stairwell.
“Fuck off,” Deanna screeched over her shoulder.
“Mum, what were you arguing about?” Brandy asked. They reached their level and Deanna stormed down the balcony towards their front door. Brandy hurried to keep up, surprised by her mother’s speed. “You said she stole him from you, what did you mean?”
“Yeah, she stole him,” Deanna said sourly, kicking open the front door with a bang and heading straight for a bottle of vodka in the kitchen. Brandy closed the front door behind them, and went into the kitchen, finding her mum drinking straight from the bottle. Deanna looked at her. “She stole my man, the man I loved.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Brandy asked, shaking her head as she leant against a counter, bewildered by where the argument had come from.
“That fat cow stole the man I loved,” Deanna insisted, wiping her lips with the back of her hand as vodka trickled down her chin. “The only man who was good to me. She ruined my life, then –”
“What man?” Brandy asked, exasperated, wondering if her mum even knew what she was talking about. She glared at her. “Mum, how much fucking crack have you smoked today?”
“What man?” Deanna asked, and burst out laughing. Her eyes were swivelling and her shoulders shook with the laughter. She took a long gulp of vodka and looked squarely at Brandy. “Your father,” she said.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Clint stood up, the sofa creaking beneath him, and went into the kitchen. He couldn’t quite believe that it was almost time for him to give his evidence in court. After all the months of waiting and worrying, his time to do the right thing had come. He didn’t even feel nervous, he just felt numb.
In the kitchen, Marlena was gulping down coffee, looking like she had just run back home, and Aurora was giving instructions to Femi for babysitting Angel. They looked up when he came into the room, and Aurora came over to him.
“I’m sorry about before,” she said quietly, holding his hand in hers. “I know you’re doing the right thing, and I shouldn’t have said all that stuff in there.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Clint said. “You’re right, I shouldn’t be nervous.”
“You were friends with Troy once, and I know it must be hard for you,” Aurora insisted, shaking her head. “And I know it’s a big deal for you, and I appreciate that you’re worried. But I’m proud of you for doing this, we all are.”
“Of course we are,” Femi said from her kitchen chair, smiling at him.
They both looked at Marlena, who looked at Clint, her expression clouded.
“We’ll see,” she said, unsmiling. “After this afternoon, we’ll see.”
Clint nodded, understanding her hesitation. He hadn’t been into the courtroom yet, and he didn’t blame her for reserving her judgement until then.
“It’s time we should get going,” Aurora said, checking the time on her phone.
Clint took a deep breath, his stoma
ch fluttering with apprehension. Aurora squeezed his hand in hers and he felt only a little reassured.
“You’ll be wonderful,” Femi said, beaming at him. “You’ll make us proud.”
Clint nodded, his throat dry so he couldn’t quite manage to speak. He let Aurora lead him out into the lounge to kiss Angel goodbye. He looked down at his daughter and knew that he had to do the right thing, not just for his girlfriend or his daughter, but for himself and his own peace of mind as much as anything.
* * *
“My dad?” Brandy asked, looking at her mother through narrowed eyes. She didn’t understand what her mum was talking about. “What the hell does he have to do with anything?”
Deanna swigged from the vodka bottle, not even looking at her.
“Why do you think you ain’t never met him?”
“You said he’s dead,” Brandy said in a quiet voice. She had never given much thought to her dad, only when she wished he would come back to life, whoever he was, and take her away from her mum. She had never imagined what he would be like, what kind of person he had been, only knowing he had to be better than her mum.
“Yeah, and he is now,” Deanna nodded, smacking her lips. “He wasn’t when you were born though.”
“What does that have to do with –?”
“That leathery bitch wouldn’t let him see you,” Deanna hissed, shaking her head and glaring out of the kitchen window, swinging the vodka bottle in her hand.
“What’s it got to do with Aurora Curtis’ bloody mum?” Brandy demanded.
“It was her fucking husband,” Deanna shouted, cheeks flushing.
“What the –”
“What’s going on in here?” Aunt Bo’s voice boomed from the doorway, and she stepped between them, looking from one to the other. Her eyes came to rest on her sister. “Deanna, what are you screaming about? I heard a fight outside, was that you two?”
“It was mum and Marlena Curtis,” Brandy told her, with an angry look at her mum. Aunt Bo looked at her, eyes widening. “About my dad, or something.”
“Oh, I see,” Aunt Bo said slowly, shaking her head. She rounded on Deanna, her voice angry. “Have you told her then? I thought we had agreed –”
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