by L. A. Casey
Ryder was silent.
“Ryder.”
Still, he said nothing, and that, in turn, gave me my answer.
“Oh, my God!” I breathed. “Why do you have cocaine on your jacket?”
Ryder rubbed his face. “Kane.”
“I’ll talk to her-”
“I’m standin’ right here! Don’t talk about me like I’m not!”
“Aideen,” Ryder sighed. “For once, I’m going to need you to mind your own damn business.”
Oh, hell no.
“Fuck you, Ryder!” I snapped.
Nico tried to change the subject, but I was too hyped to allow it.
“I fuckin’ told you he was up to somethin’!” I snapped to Kane and Nico. I looked at Ryder then and bellowed, “I have no idea what the fuck you’re up too, but I know it’s connected to your old life. That powder is a drug! I swear to God, Ryder, if you hurt me friend with your bullshit I’ll never speak to you again, and you will never be around me child.”
“Aideen!” Kane snapped. “Don’t threaten him with the baby. It’s my kid too and my brothers will be around him.”
I glared at Kane. “You wanna bet?”
Kane drilled his eyes into mine. “Yeah, I do.”
Wanker.
“Take me to court then.”
Kane’s face hardened. “I would if it came to that.”
“Go for it. I’m sure a judge will favour a mother with a good, steady job over a father who batters people to a pulp for a livin’.”
I hated myself the instant the words left my mouth. The look of hurt that settled on Kane’s face broke my heart.
“Guys, please,” Ryder pleaded. “Don’t fight over me.”
I was about to cry, and I didn’t want to do it in front of the lads so I turned and exited the kitchen. I got the fright of my life when I shut the front door behind me with no attempts from Kane to try and stop me from leaving.
He never let me leave so easily... but this time he just seemed to let me go.
“Miss Collins?”
I looked up when Caleb Marks called me. He was a sixth-year student and was also the only student in detention this evening. I didn’t particular like the kid that had me sitting in my classroom at five pm on a cold winter’s evening.
Couldn’t he have been a brat on another day?
Preferably one when I wasn’t pregnant and feeling like utter crap.
“Yes, Caleb?” I sighed. “What is it?”
“I think the school should invest in new tables. This one is really old and has a bunch of names carved into it.”
I inwardly rolled my eyes. “I’ll be sure to bring that up at the next staff meetin’, Caleb.”
He snorted as he read something on the desk he was sat at. “They’re degradin’ to women, too.”
That piqued my interest.
“Go on then, read out loud what it says.”
Caleb snickered, “It says, ‘Bronagh Murphy has a phat ass’. It's spelled with a ‘ph’ instead of an ‘f’. Is that correct?”
I burst into laughter, but quickly had to cover my mouth.
Nico.
This was Kiera’s classroom, and she was both Nico and Bronagh’s tutor when they were in sixth year. That must have been one of their old desks.
“Miss, why’re you laughin’?”
I looked at Caleb, still smiling. “I know the lad who wrote that. He goes out with the Bronagh written on the desk. They’ve been together since they were in sixth year.”
Caleb blinked. “If he goes out with her, why did he call her fat?”
See? It wasn’t a compliment.
“He is from New York, and apparently in America if the word fat is spelled with a ‘ph’ at the start it means it’s a good big. He really likes her big arse.”
Caleb laughed, “Okay, that makes sense.”
No, it didn’t!
I shook my head and stood up from my seated position. I walked over to the desk and looked at the writing Caleb was talking about. Bronagh Murphy was written in capital letters while the rest was in lower case letters.
I’d bet my life that Bronagh carved her name into the desk over the years in school, and Nico added the rest to it when he moved here.
What a fucker.
I snickered to myself as I took out my phone, took a picture of it, and sent it to Nico and Bronagh with the caption: Vandalising school property. I’m ashamed to know both of you.
Nico instantly replied with a ton of laughing emoji faces and it made me snort.
“Why did you take a picture of it?” Caleb asked me.
“So I could send it to them. Chances are, Bronagh will kill Nico for writin’ it in the first place.”
Caleb snorted, “You’re a shit-stirrer.”
Usually, I’d scowl at a kid for using bad language, but in this instance, Caleb was spot-on.
“I know. It amuses me.”
Caleb laughed as I returned to my desk and sat down with a sigh.
“When is your baby due?” he asked.
I counted on my fingers. “Nearly ten weeks left.”
“Ah, that’ll fly in.”
I grunted, “Not when you’re the pregnant one.”
Caleb laughed but said nothing.
“So,” I began, “what did you do to get stuck here on a Friday evenin’?”
Caleb smirked. “Got caught in the girls’ dressin’ room with Charlotte Price.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Please don’t tell me you were doin’ what I think you were doin’.”
Caleb held up his hands. “The teacher who caught me didn’t see anythin’ because I pulled - I mean, I walked out before they could see any hanky-panky. You can’t get in trouble when there is no proof. I just got detention for being inside the girls room, not for shaggin’ Charlotte.”
The dirty little bastard.
“Condoms are left in the school reception for a reason, I hope you know that.”
Caleb continued to smirk. “I do.”
I shook my head.
Men were all the same.
“Are you really gonna keep me here until six, Miss?”
I looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was only twenty to six. I wanted to leave just as much as Caleb did. I caught his gaze and gave him a stern look. “If anyone asks, you didn’t walk out of this school until after six. Understood?”
Caleb stood up and saluted. “You’re brilliant, Miss.”
“I know.”
Caleb laughed as he swung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door.
“Are you walking or do you have a parent to collect you?” I asked for my own peace of mind.
“Me da is in the car park.”
I nodded. “Okay, off you go.”
“See ya, Miss.”
I smiled then looked down at my own bag when Caleb all but ran from the room. When I no longer heard his footsteps patter down the hallway, I gathered up all of my things. I was moving at a snail's pace because I was tired. I was ready for this day to be over. When I got my things together, I hooked my bag strap over my shoulder, groaning under the weight. With a sigh, I moved away from my desk and towards the classroom door.
I looked up to where I was going and gasped when I realised I wasn’t alone. There was a man standing in the doorway of the classroom. A familiar man.
“Oh, hello.”
The man smiled. “Hello, Aideen.”
I stared at the man, and suddenly a sick feeling consumed my stomach. I recognised him as the man who I spoke to briefly in the hospital and later in the pub a few weeks ago.
What on earth was he doing here?
“Can I help you...?”
“Philip.”
Right, he already told me that before.
“Sorry, Philip.” I smiled, forcing sincerity onto my face. “Can I help you?”
He nodded his head. “Yes. You can help me a great deal, actually.”
I could?
I furrowed my eyebrows togeth
er. “Okay, what can I help you with?”
“You can sit down so we can have a little... chat?”
No.
That was the first thing my mind and gut screamed.
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s after hours and as you have no child that is under my care during school hours, you will have to set up a formal meeting.”
Philip chuckled, “Sorry, I phrased that as a question, when it should have been a demand.”
A demand?
“I beg your pardon?” I asked with a shake of my head.
Philip looked at my desk and smiled. “Ah, I see you got my flowers.”
I stared at the flowers that were delivered to my classroom weeks ago. A lot of the flowers had died, but because I liked the arrangement so much, I bought new flower and kept it looking pretty.
“You sent them them?” I asked, dumbfounded.
Philip nodded his head. “Of course, I met you for the first time in the hospital that morning, so I went out and got you flowers to congratulate you on your pregnancy. I couldn’t quite believe you were pregnant even though I had known for a few weeks.”
I was so scared in that moment, I had no idea who this man was.
“Who are you?”
“If you’ll sit down, I’ll happily answer your question.”
Every fibre of my being told me to get away from this strange man and to get away fast.
I stood firm. “I don’t want to sit down. I do not know you and would appreciate it if you left this room immediately.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Not when I finally have you alone.”
Excuse me?
“What?” I asked, taking a step backwards.
Philip smiled at me as he stepped into my classroom. I observed his face and noticed the scarred side of his face didn’t move, which made his smile that much more creepy. “I’ve been watching you for weeks now, but you’re hardly ever alone, and when you are, it’s only for short periods of time.”
He’d been watching me? For weeks?
“Why have you been watchin’ me?” I asked, a tremor of fear in my voice.
I was so scared I thought I would throw up.
Philip humourlessly laughed, “It’s a funny story, actually.”
I swallowed. “I doubt I’ll see the humour.”
“You wouldn’t.” He smirked.
I looked around for an exit. The windows were out because they were locked shut, but the classroom door was wide open. I glanced at the door, which was only a few feet away from me, then looked back to Philip, who was staring at me.
He evilly grinned. “Don’t do it.”
I ignored him and made a run for the open door, but within seconds Philip was on me. From behind me, he gripped my arms. He turned me to face him, and when I tried to dig my nails into his flesh, he stomped on my knee.
I screamed as pain erupted in my right lower leg.
“I asked you nicely to sit down, Aideen, just so we could talk,” Philip sighed. “I didn’t want to do that.”
I couldn’t think for myself or process what this horrible man was saying. All I could think about was the pain that I was currently feeling.
“Oh, God,” I wailed.
Philip hoisted me up against his body and pulled me over to my chair where he dropped me. He forcibly slapped me across the face when his hands were free and snarled, “Stop. Screaming.”
I instantly closed my mouth, but no matter what, I couldn’t stop moaning in pain. I couldn’t stop the tears that flowed from my eyes either.
“I don’t know why women do this,” Philip grunted to himself. “I tell them to do something, but they defy me like they think I won’t punish them.”
Punish?
“I don’t even know you!” I hollered. “Why would I stay and do what you ask?”
“Because,” Philip chirped, “you don’t want me to harm your unborn child or Kane, do you?”
I forced my eyes to focus on Philip. “What are you talkin’ about?”
How did he know about Kane?
“Your boyfriend and your baby, you want them kept safe, yes?”
I blinked my eyes and nodded my head.
“Then stop screaming and sit there like a good girl.”
What was happening?
“You broke me leg!” I cried and used both of my hands to hold the area below my knee. I needed to hold it but couldn’t directly touch it.
“I wouldn’t have if you’d done what you were told.”
“Fuck you!” I bellowed then whimpered in pain.
Philip chuckled to himself then walked over and shut my classroom door. He walked over to my desk and proceeded to dig around inside my bag until he came up with the keys to the door.
He pocketed the keys then pulled up a chair from one of my student’s desks and sat in front of me. He leaned forward, placed his elbows on his knees and just stared at my face.
I tried my best to glare at him, but I was in so much pain I couldn’t do anything but cry.
“Are you okay?”
He was asking if I was okay?
“Do I look like I’m okay? You bloody bastard!”
Philip laughed and sat back in the chair. “I can see why he is with you.”
What was he babbling on about?
“You can see why who is with me?” I hissed.
Philip smiled. “Kane, of course.”
Kane?
“Y-you know Kane?” I questioned, forcing myself to think of the conversation instead of the pain in my leg.
Philip laughed, “Yeah, Kane and I go way back.”
I felt my eye twitch as I glared. “You want to clarify that?”
He cackled, “I bet he loves your attitude. People are terrified of him, but I’d bet my life that you talk back to him every chance you get.”
I closed my eyes when the pain in my leg became too much.
“Don’t you pass out on me.”
I screeched when pressure suddenly gripped my leg and fresh pain shot through my body.
“Good girl, open your eyes.”
I snapped my eyes open and glared at the scumbag before me. He removed the hand that he placed on my leg and sat back in the chair.
“Tell me,” Philip smiled, “what is the sex of Kane’s brat?”
I placed my hands on my stomach in a protective manner.
“We don’t know yet,” I whispered.
Philip hummed to himself but said nothing.
“What do you want with me?” I asked, my body trembling.
Philip laughed, “It’s a pity for you, but I need to hurt Kane and to do that, I need you. You just happen to be a good woman involved with a bad man.”
That struck a nerve.
“Kane is a good man, and you won’t be hurtin’ him at all.”
Philip snickered, “You’re goin’ to stop me, are you?”
You bet your arse I am.
“Does this make you feel like a man?” I asked. “Injurin’ a pregnant woman.”
Philip’s face hardened. “I don’t see gender - just a person who is my key to getting want I really want.”
“Which is what exactly?” I snapped.
Philip didn’t hesitate as he said, “Kane’s misery.”
I blinked. “Why do you want to hurt Kane?”
“Because he hurt me,” Philip hissed. “I tend to level the playing field.”
My eyes automatically zeroed in on the scars that covered half of his face. Philip caught my staring and evilly grinned, “Yeah, he caused this.”
I swallowed but said nothing.
“Why would Kane do that do you?”
Philip snarled, “He did it indirectly.”
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion then groaned as a severe pain began to pulse in my leg.
“How-” I cut myself off to gather my bearings. “How could he do it indirectly?”
Philip set his jaw. “He set the fire to purposively burn someone else and got me as well as them. He locked me in
a room to burn.”
I blinked. “He wouldn’t do that.”
Philip sat forward, reached out and smacked me across the face so hard my head snapped to the right. I screamed and lifted my hands to my face, shielding it.
“You don’t fucking know Kane Slater like I do. I created the prick, I know exactly what he is capable of.”
I uncovered my face and stared.
He created me.
My thoughts went back to a conversation I had with Kane over a week ago when he was telling me about his past. I stared at the man before me, annoyed with myself that it took me so long to figure it out.”
“You’re Big Phil,” I murmured.
He laughed, “Big Phil is what my boys call me, you can stick to Philip.”
“I prefer dickhead,” I grunted then widened my eyes because I didn’t mean to say it out loud.
Philip laughed so hard he had to wipe under his eyes. “Ah, I like you, darling.”
I grunted in response.
“Can I ask you a question?”
I looked away. “I’m sure you will ask me anyway so go for it.”
“Why Kane?”
That caused me to look at him.
“What?”
“Why Kane?” Philip repeated.
I blinked. “What do you mean ‘why Kane’?”
“Well,” Philip began, “most people judge him based on his appearance - like they do me. They are frightened of him, and peg him as a bad guy. I mean, he must be bad to have so many scars, right?”
I growled, “He told me those scars are because of you and Marco.”
“He forced my hand. He could have remained pretty as a flower had he done his job.”
I seethed in anger.
“His life would have been a lot different. He looks big and scary now, but he wasn’t always like that,” Philip mused, a grin on his ugly face. “It’s amusing to me how he got to look like a monster by trying to do the right thing.”
I hugged my body. “What do you mean?”
“He told you how he got the scars, right?”
I slowly nodded my head. “He said they were from his old job, the shit you made him do.”
“That’s a no then,” Philip chortled. “He didn’t tell you the details because he thought you would see him as evil. Predicable Kane.”
That piqued my interest.
“If you’re goin’ to tell me what you’re talkin’ about, spit it out already,” I growled. “I don’t have all day.”