I knew it had been ransacked.
I knew it before he opened the door.
After my home had been done over I knew their next step would be here, but Aaron didn’t, and it was a huge shock for him as his knees buckled in the doorway when he took in the sight before him.
“Oh God” he breathed and I slipped my hand in his for encouragement. “It’s okay, come on” I said gently.
He narrowed his eyes on me but didn’t question my composure as we led each other into the house.
The place had been destroyed worse than mine and I could tell they had been here first.
Aaron walked through to the kitchen, carefully stepping over the broken picture frames on the floor and I ventured into the lounge.
My breath caught when I spotted an envelope with my name on, pinned on the wall above the fireplace.
I managed to stash it in my pocket before Aaron came in. “Fuck E!”
“Yeah” I breathed as I glanced around the room. “Do you think we ought to phone the police E?” Aaron asked but I shook my head.
“Nah, it’ll be too late. This was done years ago. You can tell by the dust that covers everything” I lied.
Luckily he bought it and bent to pick a crumpled photo off the floor.
He frowned and passed it to me, his face silently asking if I knew who the man in the photo was.
Ironing it out with my fingers I smiled faintly. I had never seen this photo before but I knew exactly who it was.
I glanced at Aaron with a soft smile “It’s our father.”
His eyes widened significantly as he stared at me. “But I thought he was a…just a one-time screw of hers.”
I shook my head, he deserved to know this much. “No, she told me before she died. They had a full blown affair and she loved him as much as he loved her.”
Many emotions crossed his face and I gave him a moment as I passed him the photo and went upstairs.
It had come as a shock to me when my mother had told me, so I knew how Aaron would be feeling and he needed to come to terms with it himself.
There was nothing I could do or say that would help him comprehend that, after years of thinking your dad had been some dead beat pervert, he was actually a loving and caring man, who had loved my mother entirely.
It was kind of a nice feeling, once you came to terms with the fact that your life had been based on a lie.
I made my way into my bedroom and into the en-suite and chuckled to myself when I saw the front of the bath ripped off.
Smart girl E!
I had moved it to a security deposit box when I had released my first single. I knew the status of being a public figure would bring some attention I wouldn’t appreciate, but I hadn’t anticipated it would be these people I would be hiding it from.
Hearing Aaron downstairs banging about in the kitchen, I locked my bathroom door and pulled out the letter from my pocket.
I sat and stared at it apprehensively for a few minutes before I plucked up the courage to open it.
Eve Hudson
We know you have it.
Ring now 09978345123
Don’t even think about ignoring us.
Really isn’t worth a leg or even your life.
My eyes closed involuntary as though the words scorched them and I sucked in a huge breath.
SHIT!
God damn my mother. After all we sorted out between us, I thought we had said goodbye with a clear conscience each. Why didn’t she just tell me she had told them? Then I could have been prepared.
Aaron banged on the door and I jumped in alarm and banged my hip on the corner of the vanity.
“Coming” I said quickly, as I gave my hip a rub and flushed the toilet as a cover-up.
“It’s a waste of time trying to do anything here” Aaron declared as I opened the door to him.
Nodding, I sighed “What do ya’ wanna do?”
He shrugged and glanced around my bedroom “There anything you wanna keep?”
“Nope” I answered sadly. Aaron nodded in return “Yeah. Me neither.”
How sad was that?
“You don’t want to look for any photos of Dad?” he asked and I shook my head. “Nope” I replied too easily. He narrowed his eyes but didn’t speak.
We left as we came. Hand in hand.
And never looked back.
***
“You dirty boy” I scolded Bruce with a chuckle as he exited the brook and splattered me with mud and water. “Mummy’s mad” I glowered playfully at him. He sat before me and whimpered but he knew the game, his frantic wagging tail gave him away.
He barked in reply before I grinned and threw his stick again. He watched it launch straight across the banking and land bang in the middle of the stream.
I am sure he grinned mischievously at me before he launched off his hind legs and leapt into the water.
“Oh Christ Bruce” I sighed.
“Hey E” Mad said from behind me. I smiled and turned to him before I went to stand up but he shook his head and settled on the ground beside me.
“I take it Bruce is on one of his missions” he smirked when he regarded my muddy clothes.
I nodded to him but frowned slightly. His voice was a little off and I knew the reason why but said nothing to him.
He grinned at me wickedly and pointed his chin to the brook. “Fancy skinny dipping?”
I stared at him incredulously but he stood up and pulled his shirt over his head.
“Come on E. I dare you” he bounced on his feet and I swallowed back what I wanted to say to him.
Next went his jeans and I started to panic “Mad! What the hell are you doing?”
“Come on E” he said excitedly, too excitedly and took hold of my hand and pulled me up.
I shook my head at him, staring at him like an idiot but then he got a little scary.
His eyes glinted as he took a step towards me and I took a step backwards.
“Mad?”
He kept coming as he scrunched his nose “Come on E…strip.”
“Whoa!” I held my hands up at him and continued on my rearward journey.
He just kept coming, his eyes were wild and his chest was heaving outrageously.
As I took another step back, my foot caught on a root in the grass and I stumbled backwards, landing on my ass with a heavy thud.
He was on me within a second. His hands grabbing at the hem of my shirt as he tried to pull it off. “Mad! Christ! Stop it” I exclaimed but he was too strong.
“Come on E. That fucking hot body of yours should be on fucking display.”
I smacked at his hands and scrambled backwards, shuffling my bum across the mud. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I yelled at him.
He had managed to get my shirt up over my breasts and I kicked out at him “Fuck yeah E. See…fuckin’ stunning.”
Oh Shit!
“Mad, please. You’re scaring me now. Just stop!”
His eyes blazed and I knew he had taken too much this time, he was way over the clouds and I frenziedly looked around to see if there was any means of escape.
He was clambering on top of me know, his fingers at my jeans.
“Oh come on E. You know how I feel about you. We’d be fuckin’ awesome together” he whined before he tried to kiss me but I turned my head away.
He gripped my chin harshly and twisted my face back around and tried again but I refused to kiss him back. “Fucking kiss me E. God damn it! You’ll fuck everybody but me.”
How fucking rude!
“Mad please” I whimpered as one of his hands grabbed my breast harshly and the other started to pull down my jeans.
Bruce came from nowhere and had Mad’s foot in his mouth before Mad could get any further.
He was growling and dragging him off me and I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived as Mad’s other foot thudded into Bruce’s head with force.
He yelped and lay still and silent on the ground.
“Noooo” I screamed as I scurried across the ground to Bruce’s lifeless body.
Mad stumbled upright and watched in horror as I scooped Bruce up and pulled his ear away from his face. Placing my ear against his mouth, I whimpered as I felt his shallow breath.
Lifting him up with me, I ran towards the house as fast as I could. My god damn jeans were falling down my arse and my t-shirt was still bunched above my boobs but I didn’t give a shit.
“BOSS!” I screamed as I ran into the house. “Boss!” I yelled again.
He came hurdling out of the kitchen and stopped dead when he saw me cradling a limp Bruce. “Fuck!” he declared as he went to retrieve his boots.
We both hurried out to my car and I threw the keys to Boss as I huddled in the back with Bruce.
“Come on big man. You stay with me you fucking brute. Mommy needs you” I sobbed as Boss squealed out of the driveway.
“What the fuck happened?” he asked as he screeched around the junction and onto the main road.
“Fucking Mad happened!”
Boss frowned at me through the mirror and then his eyes widened when he saw my disgusted expression. “E…?”
I chewed rapidly on my lower lip and just looked back at him.
“Just tell me if Bruce was protecting you?”
I scrunched up my face and nodded wildly.
“Fucker! I knew there was something weird about him.”
My hand was desperately stroking Bruce, as I smoothed each section of his fur down. “You gotta look beautiful for the vet big boy. So handsome. Get all the lady doggies hot, don’t you? They all chase after my boy. We gonna sing a song Bruce? What would you like?”
He didn’t answer.
He couldn’t.
But I sang in his ear softly, all the way to the vets.
CHAPTER 43
Boss quietly shut the door behind us and went straight into the kitchen and pulled out the whisky.
He didn’t ask if I wanted one, he didn’t need to.
He passed me a glass and he raised his own to me. We both saluted and downed it.
He refilled me and I downed that one too.
Then I cried.
Loudly and heart wrenchingly, as I sunk to the floor, and prayed for my boy.
Boss sank down beside me and pulled me onto his lap and huddled me tightly, rocking me to and fro as I sobbed and sobbed.
“He’s gonna be okay E. I promise” Boss whispered into my hair and I nodded.
“I don’t know what to do Boss?”
“What do you think you should do Hot stuff?” he asked gently, his hand now stroking my tears off my face.
I shrugged heavily. “It’s just…the band, hell what do I tell them? ‘Hey guys, Mad tried to rape me then nearly killed my dog’ Fuck! It’s such a mess!”
“Where the hell did he go anyway?” Boss asked, taking a glance around the kitchen as if he expected Mad to jump out from behind the fridge, brandishing a samurai sword and waving it around wildly.
I shrugged, not actually caring, and then stood and wandered around the kitchen, not really knowing what to do with myself.
It was too quiet, too still and too empty.
I smiled sadly as I looked at his peg, his car harness and lead sat waiting for him.
I felt Boss’s hand on my arm before he quietly left the room and I still stood immobile, staring at Bruce’s things.
Picking up his biscuits, I poured some into his bowl. “Hurry home my darling before the duck’s steal your biscuits” I whispered as I blew him a kiss and retreated to my bedroom.
The night was going to the longest ever as I waited for news and I silently sang to him, singing for him to come home alive.
***
I woke in the darkness with two hulky arms wrapped around me and I pulled him closer needing his closeness and comfort.
“Babe” he whispered against the back of my hair. “Hey” I whispered back.
“Okay babe?”
“Not really Jax” I shrugged and he held me tighter.
“He hurt you babe?” I could hear the chill in his tone and sighed heavily.
“No. But Bruce…Bruce…”
“Ssshhh babe.”
He tenderly stroked my hair and we lay in silence for a while.
“The band babe?” Jax asked cautiously and I shrugged. “I have no idea” I said honestly.
“They know yet?”
“No, not yet, but I’ve gotta let them know. We have a charity concert Saturday. How the hell am I gonna perform with him…?”
“You don’t go near him again babe. Find a new drummer.” He ordered.
Oh so easy!
I scoffed loudly “Before Saturday?”
“Boss, babe. We don’t go back till Monday. He’s yours.”
I tensed at his words. “You go back Monday?” I asked, desperately trying to keep my voice calm.
“Yeah babe” he answered quietly.
I nodded but didn’t say anything, although my heart was screaming at me.
What could I say?
Apart from ‘here we go again’.
My phone rang and I shot my hand out to pick it up, swiping the screen before it was even at my ear “Bill?”
“He’s doing good Eve.” Bill said quietly and a relieved sob erupted up my throat.
Jax scurried behind me and flanked me from behind in a comforting pose but I nodded and smiled to him.
“He’s not out of the woods yet though Eve. We’ve managed to drain the bleed but there is still some swelling around his brain.” Bill divulged and I chuckled. “Hell Bill, you found one?”
Bill barked out a laugh “Yup. Definitely one in there so I think he’s been playing you all this time Eve.”
I smiled and nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see me.
“I’ll ring for an update in the morning. Thank you so much Bill. You’re Bruce’s guardian angel and I’ll make sure he gives you one of his unique kisses.”
“Don’t bother” Bill gasped before he ended the call.
“Oh my God!” I breathed out and Jax nuzzled my neck.
“Okay babe?” He asked in my ear.
I sighed and nodded. “Just gotta wait now but Bill seems optimistic.”
“That’s good babe. I think you need to relax” he whispered and a shiver racked my whole body as he planted wet kisses along my skin.
God, this man could take me from zero to a million in seconds and I moaned against him and palmed his head.
“You mine babe?” he whispered as he nibbled his teeth along my jaw.
“Lock, stock and barrel baby. Ooh that’s nice. Yeah, just there Jax.” I whimpered.
I felt his smile against my neck as his teeth nipped the length of my throat. “You want more babe?”
Was he stupid? Of course I wanted more. I wanted everything.
“The whole damn hearts and flowers Jax” I whispered back.
He stiffened immediately and I suddenly realised he didn’t mean what I had thought he meant.
Fuck! Shit!
I closed my eyes and sat up quickly, desperate to hide my humiliation. “Babe” he choked out and I shook my head.
“Dunno where that came from Jax” I laughed nervously as I scurried around the room, picking up my clothes.
“Babe” he growled as he made a grab for me but I diverted and hurried into the en-suite.
Standing in front of the basin, I turned on the cold tap and held my wrists under it, counting loudly as I battled against the pressure and pain.
And yes, heartache was at the very top.
How could I have been so bloody foolish?
There was nowhere to go with our relationship. There was long distance, and then there was fucking stupid long distance. Our distance was incredibly fucking stupid extra-long distance!
“Babe?” Jax asked as he jiggled on the doorknob but I ignored him. “E. Fucks sake babe!”
“Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen….”
He jus
t got angrier and louder.
“The door’s coming down babe” he growled at me and I snorted.
“Good luck with that baby” I smirked.
After seven attempts he stopped and I chuckled. This was quite fun actually.
Little did Jax know that the door he was currently bashing his body against was a security door I’d had fitted when I bought the place, just in case I got attacked. Kind of like a panic room but mine was a panic bathroom…very handy when you pee’d your pants as your attacker attempted to murder you.
“Giving up so soon baby?” I tittered when I caught his snarl behind the door.
“The fuck babe?”
Well I’ll say one thing for him; he wasn’t a quitter, as I discovered when he continued to bang the door with his giant frame.
“Jax. You really need to stop now.” I laughed loudly.
“Babe. Get out here now!” he demanded and I giggled to myself.
“You lonely out there baby?”
“Who the fuck made this door? Ironman?” he barked and I rolled in laughter.
He was silent for a moment, and then he spoke. “Babe…My dick is so fucking hard right now!”
Okay. I stopped laughing instantly and listened.
But you knew I would ;)
“Really?” I said loudly. The door muffled each of his words and I was hanging on to every one he said.
“Yeah babe. So…Damn…Hard. My hand is slowly stroking up and down its stiff length. There’s a little bit of cum on the end babe and it’s all yours.”
Shocking Heaven Page 28