No Matter What

by Michelle Betham

  “Just go, Reece. I can’t do this tonight so, just go. Please.”

  Michael looked at him, no clue as to what this was all about, he was only aware that India was getting more distressed by the second and he didn’t want that happening. “If she wants you to go then I think you should go,” he said, his arm slipping around India’s waist. “She’ll be ok. I’m here now, she’ll be fine.”

  Reece sighed. He was frustrated and upset, annoyed with himself for everything he’d done wrong in this whole situation, but he also knew that staying here was only going to make things worse. She needed time to take everything in and he had to give her that. He just hoped that, when she was ready, she’d still want to talk to him because she needed to know the full story. This was his daughter standing here in front of him. He’d made her this upset, he’d done this and he wanted to make it better. So maybe just leaving it for tonight was the best thing to do.

  “I’ll need to talk to her, Michael. You’ll know why ... she’ll tell you, I hope. But I really will need to talk to her.”

  “Ok, well, maybe tomorrow. Alright?”

  Reece nodded, looking over at India once more but she turned away, and that in itself broke his heart.

  “I’m sorry, India. I’m sorry you had to find out like this, but, believe me, there are reasons. For everything.”

  “Reece ... tomorrow,” Michael said, holding India closer to him as Reece reluctantly left the room, his head down. He was a man defeated. Whatever had gone on here had been painful for both him and India, that was quite obvious to Michael.

  He waited a few seconds, still hugging India to him, kissing the top of her head, stroking her hair as she clung onto him before he tilted her chin up to look at him.

  “Ok, baby. Are you gonna tell me what all that was about?”

  “I can’t believe it, Michael. I can’t believe he stood there and told me that ... why now? I don’t understand ...”

  Her voice trailed off and he looked at her. “Told you what, India? What did he tell you?”

  She looked up at him, her eyes wide and questioning, red from the tears she’d been crying. “Reece … he told me … he told me he’s my … he’s my father. He’s my dad, Michael. Reece Brogan is my dad.”

  CHAPTER 24

  The set was stuffy and hot and Charley had a headache. This movie was tough going and she knew Jimmy was putting her though it deliberately, trying to punish her for whatever he thought was going on and she was trying so hard not to let it get to her but she was finding it increasingly difficult to cope. She was clinging onto the fact that she was almost there, so close to getting away from here, so close to escaping this sad and lonely life she was living. But she wasn’t even living, really, was she? She was existing. And that wasn’t the same thing.

  Jimmy was a sick man, she knew that now. He was extremely good at the charming gentleman act but when things stopped going his way he turned into a sadistic and twisted monster, a control freak of the highest and most dangerous order and she was tired of it now. Ever since he’d found out about Terry hanging around he’d made sure she was never left alone. He’d made sure that, even when she went to the bathroom, someone was there, making sure she never went anywhere without his say so. He’d made it harder for her, but he hadn’t made her give up hope. She was just going to have to be more careful about this than she’d first thought.

  But she hadn’t seen Terry today. He’d been there every day for a good few days now and today was the first time she hadn’t seen him. Maybe he’d just managed to hide out of sight, maybe he was just going to be later than he usually was. He had a job to go to after all. That’s what she hoped, anyway, because the thought that he’d decided this was too dangerous and he wasn’t coming back was something Charley couldn’t even begin to contemplate. She needed him to still be there because if he wasn’t, how else could she make her escape?

  “Charley! Over here! Now!”

  Jimmy’s voice boomed out across the studio floor and she wrapped a white towelling robe around herself and walked over to him. He grabbed her arm and pushed her outside into the corridor.

  “You might think I’m stupid, sweetheart. You might think you can outwit me but I know what’s going on.” He was standing over her, his hand holding her arm in a vice like grip, his face far too close to hers. But this threatening stance was something she was used to now. She could deal with it. “You make one move, just one small move anywhere near him ... you try, even once, to escape from me and you’ll be sorry you even thought about it. And that’s a promise. Nobody – and certainly not some English tramp – makes a fool out of me. You know where you’re better off and, believe me, I’m telling you now, to try and change that would be one hell of a mistake to make.”

  She stared at him. He was evil, pure evil. The man was a power crazed egomaniac in this sick and twisted world he lived in and he may have thought he’d got her right where he wanted her with his threats, but she didn’t care anymore. She’d play the dumb bimbo, tell him what he wanted to hear if that kept him off her back for a while, but she would never give up. Never. No matter what he said or what he threatened her with because nothing could be worse than what she was enduring now.

  “I’m sorry, Jimmy. I’m really sorry.”

  His grip on her arm loosened slightly and he smiled at her, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Good girl. Now go on, get back in there. You’ve got work to do.”

  She smiled back at him and Jimmy watched as she walked back into the studio. She really thought she had him fooled. She honestly thought that a smile and an apology was going to make him think she’d decided to forget about leaving but Jimmy Cash wasn’t that gullible. If she thought that was going to make him back off then she was even more stupid than he’d first thought. He meant every word of every threat he’d thrown her way. One wrong move and she’d be sorry, and he was ready and waiting to make that move because he knew it was coming. And he’d make her pay in a way she’d never thought possible. A price so high she could never have imagined and he wouldn’t be sorry in the slightest. Charley Miles had brought it all on herself, and there’d be nobody else to blame but her.

  ***

  Michael poured a cup of black coffee into India’s favourite mug and took it over to her. She was curled up in the corner of one of the sofas in the sitting area of the kitchen watching the news on TV. He sat down beside her, handing her the mug of coffee.

  Yesterday’s news had been hard for him to get his head around so heaven knows how she was coping. She hadn’t said much last night, after Reece had left. She’d just sat in the living room and watched TV and he hadn’t wanted to push it. He’d wanted her to sort things out in her own head before he made her talk about it. She hadn’t slept much either. He’d felt her tossing and turning, felt her restless beside him and she looked tired this morning. With good reason.

  “How are you feeling?” Michael asked her. India just shrugged, still looking at the TV on the wall.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to feel.”

  “You need to talk to him. You need to let him explain. And all those questions in your head, you need them answering.” He took the mug out of her hand and put it down on the table beside her, taking her hand in his, holding it tight.

  “I’m not ready yet, Michael.” She looked at him. “You’re right, I know you’re right and I know I need to talk to him and I will. Just ... just give me a couple of hours. My head’s still all over the place and I just need to think.”

  “I can stay with you this morning, if you want me to. I don’t like leaving you like this.”

  She shook her head, squeezing his hand. “No, it’s ok. I’ll be fine. Really. I’ll be fine.”

  “Why don’t I get Kenny to come and keep you company.”

  That one sentence made her stomach turn over and she felt all that guilt come crashing down around her again.

  “Maybe talking to him wou
ld help, India,” Michael smiled, and India knew that this was one special man here. He had no idea what was going on with her and Kenny and yet here he was almost pushing the two of them together. But, despite everything that had happened over the past few days, Kenny was still her best friend and she could do with that shoulder to lean on right now. Nothing else, just for him to be there and help her make sense of all this.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” she sighed. “Maybe it would help.”

  “Ok. I’ll go give him a call.”

  India watched him leave the room, throwing her head back against the sofa, sighing heavily as she closed her eyes, hugging her knees to her chest. Reece

  Brogan - Hollywood movie star - was her father. All those years he’d been out there and she’d never known. How was she supposed to get used to that overnight?

  She got up and walked over to the mirror in the corner of the room, staring at her reflection closely. Tilting her head to one side she looked closely at her eyes, her mouth. Oh God! She had his eyes, she definitely had his eyes! How come she’d never noticed that before? Because she’d never really had a reason to, had she? She pulled her hair back off her face and looked harder. The resemblance was there, it was there and she’d never seen it, she’d never noticed it, never realised for one second.

  “You can see it now, can’t you?”

  She spun round to see her brother standing there.

  “Michael let me in.” He walked over and stood behind her, looking at her reflection in the mirror. “It’s funny but, it’s so obvious now, isn’t it?”

  She continued to look at herself, seeing more of Reece in her own face every second. It was so weird she could barely get her head around it all.

  “What’s Michael doing calling Kenny?” Terry asked, throwing his bag down on the floor.

  “He wants him to come over and keep me company. He’s got to go to work.”

  Terry raised an eyebrow and India sat back down, curling her legs up underneath her. “Don’t start, Terry. I’ve got enough to deal with.”

  “Reece finally told you then?”

  She looked at him. “What do you mean, finally told me?” She sat up. “Did you know?”

  What could Terry say? He couldn’t lie to her. He nodded.

  “When? When did he tell you? How long have you known, Terry?”

  “Since just before Christmas. India, it’s a long story, you really need to talk to Reece …”

  “And I will, but why the hell didn’t you tell me when you found out? How could you know this and not tell me? Jesus, Terry, I don’t believe this!”

  She pushed a hand through her loose blonde hair and got up again, pacing the floor in front of him.

  “Believe me, India, I wanted to, I wanted to tell you but Reece ... he wanted to do it himself, he wanted to wait for the right time.”

  “The right time? Is there a right time for something like this?”

  “I had to respect what he wanted to do. You’d just announced you were having this baby and he didn’t think it was right to tell you at that time.”

  “His grandchild, Terry. I’m having his grandchild, and he didn’t think it was right to tell me he’s my dad?”

  Terry got up and went over to her, grabbing her arms to make her stand still. “You need to talk to him, India. Really. You need to talk to him.”

  She stared up at him. “I’m talking to you, Terry. You know the story, you tell me.”

  “It’s not the same, babe; you really should talk to Reece.”

  Michael walked back into the room and stood in the doorway, leaning against it, his arms folded. “He’s right, India.”

  She looked at Michael then back at Terry. “Maybe. But I want you to tell me what you know, Terry. Please. I’m going crazy here.”

  Terry sighed as Michael came back over, taking India’s hand and sitting her back down.

  “Ok,” Terry said, sitting down beside his sister. “Ok, I’ll tell you. But then promise me you’ll talk to Reece. Promise me, India.”

  She sat cross legged in the corner of the huge sofa and looked at him. “I promise.”

  Michael sat on the arm of the sofa next to her as Terry told the story, the story of Reece and their mother, of how she’d kept India’s existence a secret from Reece for years. He told them how she’d blackmailed him and then turned up on his doorstep just before Christmas with one final demand. He told them everything Reece had told him, and even as he was speaking he found it hard to believe it was true himself, but it was. The whole crazy story was 100% Hollywood from start to finish. And it was happening to them.

  Michael’s hand found India’s as Terry finished and he squeezed it tight. How could a mother be that cold towards her own daughter?

  “She never really cared, did she?” India whispered, looking at her big brother.

  Terry shrugged. “Maybe she did, in the early days. But she got greedy.”

  “She used me. Isn’t that what she did? She used me.”

  Michael squeezed her hand again as Terry kissed his sister’s forehead. “We don’t need her, India. She’s gone, and we really don’t need her. We never did, did we? Me and you, we always got by on our own.”

  “But ... she was willing to expose all of this, to tell the media everything just to get money out of Reece? She was willing to hurt so many people ...”

  “I know.”

  She looked up at Terry. “Did you see her?”

  He nodded.

  “And she didn’t want to see me?”

  Terry had never hated his mother more than he did right now. Looking at the pain on India’s face, the confusion that was still there, it was killing him. All he’d ever wanted to do was look after her and protect her but he couldn’t stop this from hurting her. And he didn’t even have to answer the question. She knew the answer already.

  “You’ve got your family right here, baby,” Michael said. “People who love you. People who love you and care about you.”

  “He’s right,” Terry smiled. “That’s all that matters. And Reece loves you, he loves you more than you’ll ever know and if you think this has been easy for him then you’re wrong. He just wanted it to be as painless as possible for you and if he’s messed that up then he’ll be sorry. He really will.”

  India didn’t know what to think, what to do. After all this time she knew who her real father was. She’d just never expected it to feel like this. She’d never expected it to feel so confusing. But then, she’d never expected her father to be Reece Brogan.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?” Michael asked, standing up and letting go of her hand. “Maybe I should give the studio a call, tell them I’ll be running late.”

  She stood up too and let him pull her into his arms for a cuddle. She felt safe in his arms. She always felt safe there.

  “I’ll be fine.” She smiled up at him. “I’ll call Reece soon. I’ll talk to him. And I’d rather do that on my own.”

  He smiled back, kissing her quickly. “Ok. If you’re sure. But you call me if you need to, you know where I am. And Kenny’s on his way.”

  “I can stay until he gets here,” Terry said. “I don’t have to be at school for another couple of hours.”

  Michael smiled at him. “Thanks.” He gave India one last kiss. “You sure you’re gonna be alright? It’s been one hell of a few hours.”

  She put a hand to the side of his face and gently stroked it. She loved this man so much, so very much. So what was she doing with Kenny? Another complication she needed to sort out.

  “Stop worrying, ok? I’m not ill. I’ve just found my dad.” Suddenly saying those words out loud made it all seem finally real. “That’s all, Michael. I’ve just found my dad.”

  ***

  Reece hadn’t slept; he hadn’t even been able to close his eyes. He’d sat up all night wondering just what was going on inside India’s head. He’d wondered what she could possibly be thinking. None of that had meant to happen the way i
t had, it wasn’t how he’d wanted her to find out but it was pointless worrying about that now. It’d happened and he needed to deal with it. All he could do now was wait until she wanted to see him but it was so hard, just sitting around, when all he wanted to do was talk to her.

  He poured himself a small glass of whisky. It was only 10am but he’d been up all night and he needed it. Knocking it back in one he decided against a second. He wanted a clear head, he needed to be there if India called him. He was just thankful he didn’t have to be on set today. They were moving onto location shoots and he wasn’t needed for another couple of days. Just as well because he couldn’t get his head around anything else right now except making things right with India. His daughter. And no matter how long that took he’d make sure she understood, he’d make sure she knew he was sorry and that if he could turn back the clock then he would. He’d make sure she knew how much he loved her because that was the only thing that mattered in his life now. Everything else could wait.

  ***

  “So, Reece knows about you and Kenny then,” Terry said. Michael had left and they were hanging around in the kitchen, waiting for Kenny.

  “There is no me and Kenny.” She didn’t really want to get into this now.

  “Well, apparently there is. You said Reece caught you both here and that’s what led to him telling you he was your dad.”

  She pushed a hand through her hair and leaned back against the counter top, folding her arms. “It’s not that simple though, is it?”

  He switched the coffee machine on and looked at her.

  “Isn’t it? I watched you with Michael just then, watched the way you two are with each other, and it’s so obvious you love him. There’s no question that he loves you, any fool can see that, but the way you feel about him, India ... why do you need Kenny?”

  She sighed, turning to get some mugs out of the cupboard.

  “You’re going to say it’s not that simple again aren’t you?” Terry went on.