by Corby, Linda
Lora had always regretted jumping to fast and throwing Ray out of her life, as for telling him to take Ricky along with him, she really had never gotten over his not letting her see Ricky after she had cooled down.
Lora had only told him to take Ricky in order to spite him for what she presumed he had done, and she had told him. that Ricky was too much like him to have around reminding her of what he had done, saying that she was going to have a completely new start to her life and did not want to be reminded of the past, she had never imagined that Ray would stop her from seeing her son after leaving especially as he knew she’d only told him to take Ricky with him out of spite in the heat of the moment.
She had met and married Preston on the rebound and had bitterly resented Ray blaming him for everything that happened to make her unhappy from then on in.
Lora spoke slowly trying to keep the emotion out of her voice as she replied the past flashed through her mind and made it hard to think straight let alone anything else.
“Look Ray I’m not sure what you’re on about, what I do know is you left me years ago on November the third at three in the morning, since then this is the first time we’ve spoken person to person, it’s you that split up the family, it wasn’t me that caused chaos but you, now you expect me to register who you are by a phrase that I have not heard in all those years, straight off, you have the arrogance to think I’ll know what you’ve phoned up for. It wouldn’t be so bad but you haven’t even let me see our son, so don’t expect me to take kindly to your sarcastic manner, will you.”
Ray could still hear the bitterness in her voice, and realizing that after all this time she still loved him enough to show a hurt resentment for him in her voice, he couldn’t believe that she was so blind as to harm her own son to get back at him.
Ray made a point of being more careful how he chose his words knowing Lora could take virtually anything the wrong way when it was him that said it.
“Right Lora, I will be completely straight with you, to start with, the girl who disposed of Rustle Preston your dearly departed that is, sorry was, married your son Ricky at midday today, your man Silky is in my custody unharmed I might add. The group you sent to destroy the Viclon are also in my care and unharmed. I do not know if you realize it but although the Viclon is owned by a Satra based Investment Company for tax reasons the main share holder is your son and mine Ricky.” Ray didn’t have to wait long for Lora’s reply, but then he didn’t expect to.
“O.K. Ray you win on that one, I had no idea that the Viclon had anything to do with Ricky as far as the ownership goes as you have the same initials I had no way of knowing that as you well know already, but I can’t understand why you didn’t let me know that Ricky was getting married.
I think your selfishness with our son has been bloody incredible over the years to say the least, I’d like to know what gives you the right to be such a bastard, he does happen to be my son as well you know, and I’ve got as much as right to be present at his wedding as you do, what excuse have you got for that one as I’m bloody sure you’ll have found one as you always seem to be able to manage some story to cover yourself?”
12 IN THE PICTURE.
Ray knew for sure that he had managed to upset Lora again, he decided that he’d better put her in the picture on a thing or two and sort things out once and for all. He wondered in what direction she would jump as he answered her, never being too sure.
“If you’d like to sort this mess out I suggest that you get on a plane and come over to Satra. I’ll pick you up at the airport and you can come and join the wedding reception, as it’s now half past three you could be here well before five o’clock if you wanted to that is. Before you make a decision though I think you should know that it’s a joint wedding reception. My other son Paul got married to Zaneen Dean at the same time. It’s up to you if you consider your son is worth the effort of you using a bit of self control or not.”
Lora could feel the tears trickle onto her cheeks as she tried to compose herself before speaking, she did not want Ray to realize that she had become emotional, she had always managed to hide her weak side from him or so she thought.
“I’ll phone you from the airport when I arrive and we’ll sort everything out when I get there. But just remember any of your funny behaviour and I’ll make a point to have your guts for garters. I hope that’s quite clear to you. If it is not then you can expect trouble like you have never had from any man.”
Ray gave her Zaneen’s house telephone number at Brialdic to ring when she arrived at Satra airport and gave her his word that there wouldn’t be any trouble unless she started it in the first place.
Ray left for the airport as soon as he got her call, he saw her waiting for him just before the taxi ranks with Rim at her side, and he couldn’t help thinking that she had hardly changed since he had last seen her. If anything she had improved with age she was now fifty one and didn’t look a day over forty.
You could cut the tension with a knife as he greeted her, she was making an obvious effort to be pleasant as far as he was concerned and he wondered if it was obvious to anyone else or not.
Jack Maison helped to break the ice he had always been good at that, women fell for his soft talking manner. He suggested that Rim went with him and followed them back to give Ray and Lora a chance to talk in private. Lora thought it was a good idea and they left the airport.
Jack beckoned a taxi and got into the front leaving Rim to go in the back, Jack had told him that he had always preferred to travel in the front as he sometimes became car sick even on a short journey in the back.
They started off following Ray’s car but when Ray’s car turned to the left at the second set of traffic lights Rim became agitated although he knew Jack well he didn’t trust anyone 100 % .
As he spoke to Jack a slight edge could be detected in the tone.
“I thought we were supposed to be following them back to the reception not going on an ‘‘Island tour. What’s the big idea of going off in the opposite direction then?”
Jack had no intension of doing him any harm and thought that he had better put him in the picture as to why they had left the others, his tone was friendly as he answered Rim’ s question, he tried to give it a reassuring quality to put Rim’s mind at rest.
“Don’t panic Ray only wanted to be alone with Lora to sort out their personal affairs without any unnecessary interruptions you know what it’s been like between those two.
I don’t think it’s a bad idea to let them sort things out, you know as well as I do that they are still very fond of each other, I know for a fact that Ray wouldn’t do anything to harm Lora and so do you. I thought it would be a good idea if we went to meet up with Silky as he still hasn’t heard what has been going on, I can’t wait to see his face when we tell him.”
13 STORM BEFORE THE CALM.
When, Lora saw the taxi go in the opposite direction to them she was hopping mad with Ray as she shouted at him. Ray burst out laughing at her; this only made her even more annoyed at his arrogant attitude towards her. Ray had always found Lora’s face amusing when she pouted that way he always found it made her more desirable to him.
“How dare you take liberties like that after giving your word that you wouldn’t start playing silly games, you know I can’t stand to be manipulated by you or for that matter by anyone at all. I suggest you explain what the hell you think you are going to do this time”
Ray replied trying not to laugh at the angry look on Lora’s face as he knew that she couldn’t stand being laughed at no matter how funny the situation was.
“Look Lora I’m not playing games I just wanted to be on my own with you for a while, in order to talk things out before we went on to the reception I don’t think., that’s asking too much or would you rather we feel out over something silly when we got there and upset the newlyweds, anyway I would have thought you’d have wanted to be alone with a fantastic chunk of a man like me, especially as you haven’t s
een me for so long?”
Lora considered that Ray should have asked her if she minded him taking her off to talk alone before just taking it for granted that she wouldn’t mind, after all she had come over half way to try and put their relationship onto a better footing. Lora decided to put him straight as to how she expected him to behave towards her in the future if he wanted them to get on reasonably well together in the future.
“Ray you’ve got the knack of’ antagonising me , it wouldn’t have done you any harm to check if I minded going off on my own with you, the way I see it is that you’re taking a liberty by the way that you presume I’m not going to object. I don’t want to upset the apple cart for either of us but I will not stand being manipulated by you or anyone else for that matter, I had enough of that when we were married and I’ m certainly not going to put up with it now, as far as I’m concerned the sooner you come to terms with the fact that I’m not going to be dictated to and realize that I’ve got a mind of my own, and I’m going to make my own decisions as I have been doing for some time, the better for everyone connected with us both. Hope you can understand that I do mean what I’ve said and nothing is going to change till you realized and accept that. I have been through hell with Preston and I am not ever going back to that.”
To be so determined to have her own way on something so trivial Ray had to wonder just what had gone on behind closed doors. He didn’t think that taking her off on her own with him would have made her so upset with him, maybe she would tell him what Preston had done to her in time, but he didn’t see any point in pushing things at that particular moment in time he felt there was a danger in trying to do so by the distance she kept between them. She had always been the type of woman to stand close to you when she spoke in order to be sure she got whatever point she was making at the time come over in a dominant fashion.
Ray had parked on a quiet slipway at Milve beach while they chatted knowing that Lora found looking at the sea restful and listening to the waves roll in mildly relaxing. She had not even appeared to notice he had thought this to be out of character at the time now he was sure she was worried about something but he could not nail down or get out of her out what it could be. He could not imagine her being frightened of him but there was nothing else he could put it down to right then and there.
They chatted for some time before going on to Brialdigc and he felt she was getting slowly back to her old self confident ways by the time they left. The only thing that really bothered him was that Lora had left Andrew Fletcher holding the fort while she was gone, he didn’t trust Andrew as far as he could through a ten ton truck, and it worried him to think of the things that he was in a position to get up to in her absence.
Ray told her of his feelings about Andrew and suggested that she should have someone keep an eye on what he got up to. For a change she did not taken him the wrong way and said she would do just that later that day as most of the people she would be able to trust would not be in until then.
They arrived back at Brialdigc just after six o’clock that evening and Lora could feel her emotions trying to overtake her when she saw Ricky and she prayed with all her heart that he would be able to find it in him to forgive her for the years they should have had together and hadn’t, she wasn’t too sure how the rest of them would feel about her either for that matter. The way she felt when Ricky spoke was beyond words.
“Hello there so you’re my long lost ,mother that father has neglected to reclaim for me for so long, well I hope you’re going to stay a little longer this time so that we can get to know each other better, if you’re wondering if I’ve got anything against you for any reason I’m glad to say that I couldn’t wait for us to love and help each other, as I live for the future and don’t give a dam for what’ s already gone by.”
With that Ricky gave her a peck on the cheek enjoying the relieved smile that appeared all over her face, as she spoke.
“I don’t know what to say Ricky I never expected you to be so willing to accept me after the way I’ve behaved, I should have come back for you regardless of everything else, the only reason I didn’t was because I felt that you would be better off if I didn’t disrupt your life, but there hasn’t been a day go by that I didn’t feel a bit resentful because of your not being with me. Still as you say all that is better left in the past. At least we can look forward to a brighter future now that your father and I have sorted things out in order to make life easier all round.”
Ricky introduced Lora to the rest of the family and she was relieved to find that they all seemed quite willing to accept her back into their family circle.
Lora tried to contact Andrew Fletcher just after seven o ‘clock that night as she had arranged to do before leaving for Satra. She dialled his number several times and could not manage to get a reply. Then she placed the call in the hands to try and get a reply and waited for the operator to ring back with her call but she did not managed to get through.
By nine o’clock Lora was starting to worry as to what was going on that she couldn’t get gold of anyone let alone Andrew who she felt Ray must have been right about even though she didn’t want to have to admit it unless she had zero option but to do otherwise, she had hoped that Andrew would have more sense than to try and cross her, but as he was not answering his phone after guaranteeing to, she had little option by to think along those lines.
When she had not been able to get a reply from Andrew’s home number either she took Ray on one side and asked him point blank if he had anything to do with the problem she was having. Ray was far from amused at the suggestion she had made. He stated that it had nothing to do with him in any way, but it had come back to him that Andrew Fletcher had only been buttering her up in order to make a takeover hit when the right time came.
As Rim and Silky were both with her in Satra she could not really be surprised at the time he had picked to make his move.
Ray had always thought that Andrew was power mad and it would not have surprised him to see Andrew do virtually anything to get into a position like Lora’s. Ray knew that he would have to help Lora sort it all out and he knew that the families would have to reunite in order to do so with as little mess as possible. Lora agreed knowing that Ray was right and they told the others what the situation was.
(PART TWO.UPRISING) 14 LICKING OLD WOUNDS.
The only thing Ray couldn’t fathom out was why Lora had left Andrew in that sort of position in the first place, she had always been so sensible with that kind of decision in the past that it didn’t make any sense to him.
Zaneen phoned Simon to let him know what was going on, Simon fetched James Hevre from the cellar to speak to Lora and she informed him that the family had been reunited again and stated that there was a good chance that Andrew Fletcher was about to try a takeover bid and the rest of the family were to be notified of what was going on, James smiled with pleasure at Simon when he heard the news, he could see by the grin on Simon’s face that they were both thinking the same thing.
Simon had realized that if the family’s had not gotten back together he might well have had the job of disposing of James and his associates, the thought had not appealed to him as he had been chatting to them since they had been there and had found them quite a pleasant lot, James had a really unusual way about him and not many that knew him could fail to like him.
As soon as they put the phone down Simon went down to the cellar to inform the others of what had gone on while they had been in the cellar, they were all more than happy with the outcome of the new situation.
Simon warned them all not to go into the grounds of the mansion without his command as the Puma’s had been let loose to patrol the perimeter and it would not be safe as they might well be eaten and he didn’t think they would enjoy it too much.
Ray had contacted the rest of the family members giving them the code name tansul to pass on through the intercom of Zaneen’s gate at the mansion, he made sure to tell them that it would be dangerous for th
em to go into the grounds of the mansion without going through the correct channels.
James also did the same for the members of his family that Ray wasn’t acquainted with or that he knew didn’t like Andrew Fletcher.
After leaving Brialdigc Ray and Lora dropped Ricky and Reemo off at the cottage then went on to let Jack and the others know what new developments there had been.
It was around three in the morning when Andrew Fletcher arrived, at Zaneen’s mansion, he was suspicious when he saw no patrol guards about but thought that Zaneen might well have told Simon Peters that all would be quiet as Ray and Lora were in the procedure of sorting things out and there was a truce between the two families while they did so.
His main aim was to get back at Zaneen for seeing through him and marrying Paul Dray, he felt enraged that she had thrown him over and hated the thought that he was going to lose the income that she had been providing him with. He had worked it out, that because of the truce his actions would be taken as a breach of that truce and given him the advantage of completing his plans at a later date.
Andrew had brought twenty nine men with him thinking they should be enough to cope with Zaneen’s fifteen guards, as he didn’t want Zaneen to know it was him that was responsible for the arson of her mansion for obvious reasons; he had decided that there should be no survivors.
Silently he unlocked the padlock on the side gate of the mansion thinking how clever he had been in managing to acquire the duplicate copy without Zaneen’s knowledge, opening the gate and following the others to file past it before he gently closed it again behind him.
Simon had waited patiently watching Andrew’s activities with interest, they had known for some time that Andrew had the key to the padlock and had been waiting to find out when he would have the cheek to use it.
Simon could not help but laugh to himself when he thought about the fun that was about to start as he turned the electric fencing back on that surrounded the perimeter of the mansion, while James handed out the sawn off shot guns, then they all waited for Simon’s command.