Gypsy Kiss: Book 1: Micah (The Gypsy Kiss Series)

by Heidi J Thomas

  Huh? What was this all about? I had a fleeting thought that someone at the fairground may have pushed it through for me, if word had started to get out about the fire. I knew it had been on the news but they hadn’t reported any death that I knew of. They were waiting for more information.

  I opened it up, to find it simply said A xxx

  A? Frantically my mind tried to make sense of it. A…A…who did I know with a name starting with A? And why wouldn’t they write something else, like I’m so sorry or if you need anything, just ask…For that matter, why send the card to me? It made sense to send it to the family, not me.

  I can be pretty slow sometimes, I admit it, but in my defence he hadn’t been on my mind for a very long time, and anyway, that sort of thing only ever happened in movies. It couldn’t be possible, could it?

  My eyes widened and I leapt out of my seat as the idea set in and took root, and my blood ran icy cold.

  No. no way, it couldn’t be…could it?

  Suddenly I wanted the hell away from this flat. If it was him, and he had been here, he could come back, and I was a sitting duck. I launched across the room, running down the stairs, jumping two at a time, praying by some minor miracle that Eli would be there already. I yanked the door open, almost pulling it off its hinged and ran face first into a wall of body, black hoodie with the hood pulled up, concealing the occupants eyes from me.

  I didn’t need him to pull the hood down, to know it was him. I just knew. But he did, pulling it off his head, shaking the rain from his red hair and grinned, the smile of a mad man.

  “Boo.”

  I opened my mouth, probably to scream and he clamped his hand over my nose and mouth, pushing me back into the flat and slamming the door shut again behind us. “I’ve been looking for you, Mrs Dempsey.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~

  Micah

  Nic had been back by my side for a while, and we had both just been looking at each other, me unable to speaking, him apparently unwilling.

  I could tell something was on his mind; every now and then he opened his mouth to maybe say something, but then closed it again. The awkwardness was almost as painful as my burns.

  Just as I was about to open my mouth and gather enough air to tell him to spit it out, he did just that.

  “Bro…the police talked to me earlier. They uh…they know how it started.” I waited for him to continue, and raised my eyebrows to make my point. Just say it. He groaned and nodded. “It started in the restaurant, not the kitchen. And an accelerant was used. The fire…was lit deliberately. They’re investigating further. I thought…you ought to know, I was going to wait but…I think you should know something that important. You understand what that means, right? Potentially Marco’s death could be…”

  He didn’t say the word and I said it myself, in my head. Murder. As that word settled in and I tried to contemplate the idea that my sweet, loveable, life and soul brother had been killed in a deliberate attack, fresh tears welled up in my sore eyes and spilled down my cheeks. Without the use of my hands I couldn’t even wipe them away. You really don’t realise how much you need your thumbs in particular until something takes them out of action.

  “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said anything yet, not until we know more.”

  I shook my head, indicating it was okay, I understood why he had. I took a little look around the sterile room, I don’t know why. It’s not like anything was going to have changed. I had a thought then and coughed a little trying to clear my throat. Wow, that was a mistake, it hurt like hell. Nic leaned over me, concerned.

  “You wanna say something, brother?” I nodded and he pulled my mask down, resting it on my chin. “I’m listening, take your time. Don’t force it, alright?”

  “J…Jeeewwwlsss…” I breathed.

  “Jewls is okay. Eli took her and Mari home. They’d love to see you, when you’re ready. But Eli is looking after her, after them both. Don’t worry…”

  “At…the….hhhouse?”

  “Yeah. Think she was running by the flat to get some stuff then Eli was picking her up. Don’t worry; everyone is looking after each other. Just concentrate on getting stronger. That’s the main thing right now, okay?”

  I nodded and he set the mask back over my nose and mouth. I was going to try and add keep her safe for me, but the haze swept over me again, taking me back down into the familiar drug induced haze.

  ~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~

  Jewls

  Andrew took his hand off my mouth and planted a hard, forceful kiss on my lips before I could stop him. He used so much force he actually split my top lip. He pulled back a little and put a finger to his lips, commanding me not to speak.

  “You are quite the hider, huh? I have been looking for you for a long time, Jewls. I’m not even gonna ask how you ended up in a shitty little town like this, or more to the point, why you’ve settled here. Can’t be this pokey little flat, or your job at the little funfair…” I raised my eyebrows and he nodded. “Oh yeah…I’ve been watching you. No…my theory is that slick, mouthy little boy I’ve seen you around with. Uh…Micah, right? He’s the reason you’re still in this shit hole. Well…he was. Nice restaurant that was, huh? Very posh. Shame someone set it alight.”

  “You know about that…” I murmured, in a daze. I didn’t know what the hell I was talking about; I was in deep, deep shock. “How did you find me?”

  “Never mind…I’m just glad I did. I missed you, Jewls. Why did you walk out on me babe?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Are you serious?”

  He shrugged. “Yes, you know me…always serious. Why did you leave?”

  “You attacked me, Andrew.”

  He rolled his eyes. “We had an argument, love. Married couples, they argue all the time. Moving 260 miles is a rash response, don’t you think? Still…I’m here to bring you home. I’m willing to forgive and forget, if you come home with me.”

  “You forgive me?” I scoffed. “Are you completely insane?”

  “Jewls…I’m not the one turned their back on their responsibilities. I’m not the one who stole money and ran away like a child. I’m not the one who thinks it’s okay to commit adultery. But look, like I say…I’m willing to forget about it. It doesn’t matter what you may or may not have done with…him. I’ve taken care of that. It’s dealt with and there’s nothing stopping you leaving.”

  I studied him carefully and frowned. I had a sudden realisation that surprised me, but I knew would surprise him too. I wasn’t afraid of him, not one bit. That might have been a mistake, but he just didn’t seem to have the same hold on me as he’d had before. Standing here looking at him he looked ridiculous, half a man, a joke. I wanted to tell him that, and nearly did, but then something else hit me.

  “How did you know it was arson?”

  He narrowed his eyes and then, incredibly, winked. “Oops. You always were too smart for your own good.”

  Every single drop of blood in my body turned to ice and I felt vomit rise up in my throat. “My God…no…you couldn’t…you wouldn’t.”

  “I could see you wouldn’t leave while he was on the scene. He had to go, plain and simple. You know, he tried to make out he didn’t know what I was talking about, ridiculous. Like I didn’t know.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t…” I breathed.

  “It was necessary. Not pleasant but necessary. Now he’s out the picture…I’m just gonna lie low, watch…and wait. I’m gonna watch this life of yours fall apart. The rest of his family are gonna hate you. They’ll pretend they don’t for a while, but then…cracks will start to show as they realise they lost a family member…essentially because of you. And then you’ll realise that you have nothing here, and you’ll come back to me. And I’ll take you back, because you’re my wife and I love you. He had to die, Jewls. It was the only way, Micah had to die.”

  “You didn’t kill Micah!” I screamed, my horror and grief finally rising to the surface. “You fucking idiot! You didn�
�t kill Micah…that wasn’t Micah…you got the wrong man.”

  He flinched at that and then, incredibly, smiled, as though he thought I was making a joke. Because making a joke in that moment really seemed likely.

  “No…no, you’re winding me up. I saw him with you, Jewls. I saw you together, kissing. I know what he looked like, I watched him a while. I know I got the right-”

  “You killed Marco! His twin, Andrew! His identical twin…is dead. And you killed him!”

  He stared at me some more, and then the corner of his mouth twitched with another smile. “You’re telling the truth. Oh…fuck. Oops…”

  I felt vomit rise up in my throat again, and again I swallowed it down. “Oh my God…who are you?”

  His face dropped, that menacing expression back. “I’m your husband Jewls. You’re my wife. My wife. This works out better actually. Now I know…that fucker is still alive, but deep inside, he’ll hate you for this. He can’t love you now. No one will, but me…”

  “Andrew…” what was I gonna say? I don’t know, I really don’t. It didn’t matter anyway, because he put a finger over my lips to silence me again.

  “I know…when you leave here, the first thing you’re gonna wanna do is ring the police. And you can if you like. They won’t find me. And then you can go and tell your boyfriend and his family that your husband murdered their boy. They won’t find me. And when I leave and take you with me, they won’t find you either. I know…you’re not gonna try anything stupid. Because next time…” he ran a finger down my cheek and it was like being touched with acid, “I won’t get the wrong guy. You understand me? No tricks, no traps. Me and you, we will leave this shit hole together. When you finally decide you’ve had enough of this charade and you belong with me.” He kissed my cheek then and I couldn’t believe I had ever shared a house with him, shared a bed with him…I felt so dirty that a thousand showers would never get me clean. “I’ll be in touch, Mrs Dempsey…” he said, and he was gone.

  I stood in the doorway for a moment in total and utter shock, which I snapped out of at the sound of a car horn. I looked out to see Eli parked up waving at me. He wound the window down, frowning.

  “Jewls? Who was that?”

  I felt myself walking out to him, dazed and bewildered, aware that I needed to open my mouth and say something. “My husband…my husband.” I shook my head. “He did it, Eli. He’s the one, he fucking did it.”

  “Did what?”

  “He killed Marco. He started the fire.”

  His eyes grew wide at that. “Get in.” he said.

  I ran to the car, jumping in the back with Mari, who grabbed my hand. “What’s going on, Jewls? Did he actually say he killed him? On purpose?”

  “Yeah…” I nodded erratically. “He thought he was Micah. He’s been watching us, but didn’t realise he had a twin.”

  I was shaking violently and crying as I spoke, grief and – dare I say it – guilt, creeping in and overwhelming me.

  “Tell me if you see him, Jewls.” Eli said, speeding off in the direction Andrew had gone. My eyes frantically swept the streets looking for him, but after a few minutes, I quickly realised it was fruitless.

  “He’s gone…” I said, defeated. Eli thought for a minute, sighing in frustration as he pulled up on the curb. He sat for a moment or two and then started the car up again, pulling back onto the road so sharply his tyres screeched across the tarmac.

  “Where are you going?” Mari asked.

  Eli lit himself a cigarette and picked up speed a little. “Police station.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~

  Jewls

  The police listened patiently while I babbled on, borderline hysterically about my encounter with Andrew. I never for a minute considered the risk of reporting him, never gave it a second thought at all. If I am honest, I was incapable of thinking that deeply. I thought I had experienced trauma in my life before. I had lived for many years under the same roof as an abuser, tip-toeing on eggshells, saying the wrong thing and getting punched, kicked and thrown around. I’d had a baby kicked from my belly…I’d lost my beloved father.

  But those two days, from the moment we rounded the corner in the car to find the restaurant on fire, to sitting in that police station reporting my husband for arson and murder…that was the height of trauma. I was in a state of complete shock. It wouldn’t be until later that I would realise the magnitude of it all. That it would finally sink in that this beautiful, loving family – and the man I worshipped – were shattered and essentially it was because of me. Marco was dead because I had wounded Andrew’s ego.

  I wasn’t until we came out of there that I realised Micah needed to know.

  And that once he did, we were finished. From engaged to be married to finished in the space of a day.

  Oh God…he was going to say it was my fault, they all were when they had a chance to sit and really think about it. And I couldn’t blame them.

  And of course, I also had the added complication of a crazed husband who had found me, and wasn’t about to go anywhere unless I went with him.

  My perfect life, with the perfect man and the dream future was finished.

  ~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~

  Micah

  Days passed. I don’t remember much about that time. I know that in the early days I was in a bad way, not just physically but emotionally too, and I reckon I kind of shut down. The pain meds kept me pretty much sedated and when I was awake I didn’t allow myself to think too much or even try to engage in conversations. No one had anything to say that I wanted to hear anyway. All I knew in my heart and mind was that literally half of me was dead. That I had survived, but also somehow not survived. I was somewhere between life and death.

  I will say this. The hospital took amazing care of me. Every dressing change was hell on earth but the nurses supported me and I got through them. They never pushed me, just allowed me to process and start to heal in my own time, at my own pace.

  By the second or third day they started talking to me more, asking me questions to see if I was any better, and I eventually found my voice again, though still raspy and weak, as my breathing improved.

  I gather that was taken as the green light to turn things up a notch, because when I woke that day, it was to two police officers looking down on me.

  “Mr Machvaya, my name is PC Cameron and this is PC Davies, we’ve been heading up the investigation into the fire. Wondered if you might be up for just a short chat? We won’t stay long.”

  What choice did I have? I nodded slowly. “Okay…” I croaked.

  “Would you like your brother in here? He’s outside and quite keen to support you.”

  I thought about that and shook my head. “No, it’s okay. Tell him on your way out to go home and sleep. Thinks he can…shoulder everything…as usual.”

  PC Davies smiled a little at that. “We’ll tell him.” he pulled up a chair and so did the other guy and he cleared his throat. “Can we start by expressing our deepest sympathies to you, and your family, on your loss.”

  I nodded, feeling the familiar tears well up. I swallowed and sucked them back in, only allowing one tear to break free and slide down my cheek. “Um…thank you.” I wheezed.

  “It was very brave of you to enter the building, Micah. I understand you were the first on the scene with your brothers. How did you know something had happened?”

  “Marco is…” I swallowed, “was, my twin. Extreme emotions of one…the other felt it. I knew something was wrong, I knew where he was so…”

  “I understand the whole family was at the restaurant earlier in the evening, you had a family party, is that right?” I nodded. “When you arrived and when you left the restaurant did you see anyone hanging around outside, were you aware of being watched at all?”

  I frowned. If someone had been watching, watched us arrive and leave, they had to have known Marco was still in there. “No…” I heard a voice that sounded remarkably like mine say.

  T
here was some hesitation on their part then. They looked at each other as though trying to reach a decision and then turned back to me. It was PC Cameron who spoke this time.

  “Micah…we have had a development in the case that you ought to be aware of. We have a suspect we believe started the fire. You might recognise the name? Andrew Dempsey.”

  I froze for a minute at that, allowing the information to sink in, in dumbfounded shock. “Andrew? Jewls’…her…”

  “Her estranged husband, yes.”

  “How do you know it was him…?”

  “He approached her and admitted it to her. Evidently he set fire to the restaurant knowing someone was in there, however, he uh…he wasn’t aware you had a twin it seems.”

  I was still trying to process the idea that Jewls’ husband was responsible for the nightmare that had become my existence, and so it didn’t immediately register what he was trying to tell me without actually saying it. When it did finally register I felt pretty sure for a moment that I was going to throw up, without realising that had been her reaction too.

  “He thought it was me…” I murmured. “He wanted me dead? This was…murder…?”

  More hesitation, and then a nod. “Andrew Dempsey is currently wanted in connection with arson and yes, murder. We will find him, Mr Machvaya.”

  “Why…?” I heard myself say, “Why would he…go so far…?”

  “He told Jewls he wants her back, and with you out of the picture he believed he would leave her with no other option than to go back to him. He is aware now that he killed the wrong man, but apparently this is of little concern to him. He believes he can still achieve his objective. As soon as we have any further information, we will let you and your family know. In the meantime a post mortem is being carried out on your brother to determine the exact cause of death. Then we can release his body so that when you are ready, you can start to think about arranging a funeral. We’ll do our best to make that sooner rather than later.”