by Edie Baylis
SETH HAD CONSUMED MORE than his fill of beer. After leaving the club to make sure he got away from Eliza and didn’t run back into Jane, he’d walked back down to the pub at the end of the road. He’d needed to be on his own for a while and had sat trying to decipher the swirling chaos of thoughts and feelings in his head.
Things were far too confusing and complicated. It was imperative to think clearly and he was most certainly struggling to do that at the moment, even by his own admission. The more beer he’d put away in the peace of his own company, the more incensed and impatient he’d become.
Placing his empty pint glass down on to the table, Seth took a deep breath. He’d made his decision as to what he was going to do. He was going to go and see Jane.
He’d thought he could handle the situation and get on with what needed doing and wait for the answers he needed, but he’d been wrong. Regardless as to whether the answers changed anything, which they wouldn’t because Jane quite obviously had her own life now, he wouldn’t allow himself to become embroiled in her web.
Jane had been right on one thing though. They needed to talk. He needed an explanation and once he’d got that then he might be finally able to close the door on that massive chapter in his life and start moving forward at last.
Swaying slightly as he stood up, Seth nodded his thanks to the barman and pulling his overcoat on, made his way back to the Glint.
Barry smiled at Seth as he pushed past the queue waiting to be admitted. He was still confused about what had transpired today, but knew enough that sometimes it was better not to ask too many questions. He liked Jim, or should he say ‘Seth,’ but was also very wary of the man. “Alright, Jim?”
Bill had instructed they could refer to Seth and Jane by whatever name they wished to in private, but in public they were only ever to be addressed as Jim and Marie. Plus there was to be no mention whatsoever about their previous history together, which was strange. How was everyone supposed to deal with that? Walk on eggshells?
Seth smiled. Taking Barry’s arm, he steered him away from the door so as to be out of earshot. “Ja... I mean, Marie still here?” he asked, his voice low.
Barry frowned. “No, mate. She left a fair while ago. Said she was unwell. She didn’t look too good either.” Well, she hadn’t.
She’d looked completely exhausted and like she’d been crying. He’d actually felt quite sorry for her. All this business with Sheila had been especially hard on her, but to have all this extra stuff with Seth out of the blue and then Bill accusing her this morning on top.
Barry knew he hadn’t been much better himself and felt horribly guilty about grabbing her around the throat. He’d just seen red. He’d both liked and trusted Marie and the thought that she’d betrayed them all had flicked his switch. He’d been very relieved to find that it wasn’t the case.
“Listen,” Seth said. “You took her home last night. I need you to give me her address.”
Barry’s eyebrow’s knitted together. “I thought there were to be no distractions?” It was a well-known rule Bill wouldn’t allow any form of heavy-duty relationship between his people and as Jane was Seth’s estranged wife, it didn’t get more heavy-duty than that. It was also clear plenty of issues and resentment remained between them.
Seth narrowed his eyes. As much as he liked Barry he didn’t appreciate being questioned. “Not that it’s any of your business Barry, but I need to discuss some things with her. Now give me her fucking address.”
Not entirely convinced, but realising he’d spoken out of turn, Barry took a piece of paper from the cloakroom attendant and scribbled down what he could remember of the address. “I’m not sure what number her place is as I just dropped her outside, but there’s a blue door with one of those big stone urn things to the left of it.”
Taking the piece of paper, Seth focused his eyes on the address. “Thanks and if Digger asks, let him know I’ll be home in about an hour.”
Barry nodded and raised his hand in goodbye as Seth turned and ran back down the steps to the pavement outside. He quickly stepped back to the door and began admitting the next wave of punters before they started getting restless.
JANE HAD BEEN BOTH horrified and shocked to open the door to Ben who, saying nothing, had quickly pushed past and walked into her flat.
She hastily followed him down the hallway to the kitchen. Stupid, STUPID bitch, she thought to herself. She should have known this would happen. She’d been too hung up on Seth and had drunk too much and it had made her careless.
It hadn’t even crossed her drunken mind to question who might have been at the door and it should have. It fucking SO should have.
She should jack her job in. She was no good to anyone and obviously couldn’t be trusted to think straight. Damn Seth for walking back into her life.
“Get the fuck out of my house, Ben!” Jane yelled loudly, watching as he helped himself to her vodka.
Ben sat himself down at the table. Slipping his jacket off he undid the top two buttons of his shirt. He eyed Jane and smiled. “Don’t be like this, Marie or would you prefer me to call you Jane.”
Jane snatched the bottle from the table. “I know what you did you bastard! What the hell are you playing at?” she hissed through gritted teeth.
Ben laughed, eyeing the bottle in her hand. “You planning on clumping me around the head again? Can’t you think of anything new?” He narrowed his eyes. “So... cards on the table. What are you really? A cop or a crim?”
“Get out of my fucking house,” Jane spat, furious.
Unmoved, Ben smiled again and took a long drink of the neat vodka in the glass. “I’m planning on making things a lot worse for you babe, unless you meet me half way. Got any coke?”
“No I haven’t!” Jane lied, seething as Ben got up and started opening drawers in her kitchen. “Why are you doing this? You could have got me killed!”
Ben’s face softened and he moved towards her, his fingers fumbling for the next button down on his shirt. “You know I love you,” his voice was desperate. “Please, Marie. Jane... Whatever... Can’t you just give me a chance?”
Jane had quickly sobered up and she stood unmoving, watching as Ben continued unbuttoning his shirt. She needed to play this well if it was going to be sorted. The guy was twisted and couldn’t be reasoned with. She fast clocked the position of the knife block on the work surface.
“Marie,” Ben said, all his bravado having now evaporated and replaced by lust. “Please. We’d be good together.” He ran his hand lightly down her arm. “I beg you. I’ll look after you. I’ll always look after you.”
“You tried to drop me in the shit big time, Ben. How do you call that looking after me?” Jane said, cringing as his fingers brushed her bare shoulders. She needed to play for time.
“I needed you to see sense. I was helping you. You don’t want to be somewhere like the Glint. Leave. Just leave. I’ll support you. We can make this better.”
Stupid fuck, Jane thought forcing a smile. “Do you think we could make things work then?” she said softly looking into his eyes. She suggestively ran a fingernail down his chest until she came to a button. Undoing it she slipped his shirt from his shoulders.
Ben’s breath came in shallow gasps, his erection straining against his trousers. “Oh God...” he groaned. Half-closing his eyes he brought his mouth down onto hers.
Jane duly wrapped her arms around Ben’s neck and pressed herself up against him, feeling his want for her hard against her stomach. Keep it going Jane then you can sort it. Not long.
Running her hand over his engorged crotch, she subtly moved forward so she was within reaching distance of the knife block, but a sudden loud knock at the door caused her to quickly pull away.
“What are you doing? Ignore it!” Ben gasped, grabbing her hand.
“I’d best answer it,” Jane said quickly. Saved by the bell.
If she knifed Ben then she’d definitely go down again, plus drop the Glint in the shit. She
’d kept her nose clean for so long and with only a few months left she couldn’t fuck up now. There had to be another way.
“Don’t be crazy,” Ben panted, disbelief in his voice. “Fuck them!”
“Ben,” Jane winked, “it’s my dealer delivering you know what. I’ll get it shall I?”
Ben grinned. Even better. With a gram of coke up his nose he’d be able to go all night. “Be quick then.”
Jane hurried up the hall. Once she’d opened the door she could get out. She didn’t want to leave Ben in her flat but it was the only choice right now – apart from what she wanted to do to him, which wasn’t sensible.
THE MINUTE THE DOOR opened, Seth stepped over the threshold. “Jane, I know I said there was nothing to say, but there is an...”
Clocking Jane’s smudged lipstick, Seth stopped dead in his tracks. Glancing past her, his eyes came to rest on Ben standing bare-chested, watching in the kitchen doorway. Eyes narrowing he looked back to Jane, his heart sinking like a brick. She’d well and truly moved on and with HIM? That prick from the pub.
“Seth... I...”
Stony-faced, Seth glared at her. “My mistake...”
Jane grabbed at his shirt sleeve. “No, wait! You don’t underst...”
Wrenching his arm away, Seth smiled coldly. “I see nothing ever changes Jane. I’ll leave you to it. Sorry for interrupting.”
“No, I...”
Without further hesitation, Seth turned on his heel. Pulling the door shut in Jane’s face he made his way down the path.
Jane tried to open the door to run after Seth but as she pulled at the handle, Ben’s hand reached from behind her, making sure the door wasn’t going to be opened.
Pressing her up against the door from behind he hissed in her ear. “And who the fuck was that?” He knew full well it was the fucking ape who had given him a kicking. “Suggest you tell me....”
“Him? Oh, he’s my husband! The dead one – didn’t I tell you? Yeah I killed him, except it appears I didn’t, as that was him and he’s back. Ok?” Jane screamed. She’d had enough of this bullshit.
Ben flipped Jane around and began tearing at her dress. “Yeah right, Jane... If that cunt’s your dealer, where’s the gear? And if not, what did he want? You? Are you fucking him too?” he roared, groping at her breasts.
Come on Jane, she thought, quickly realising her chance to get out of this situation had now gone and so had her back up plan of slicing the bastard through the heart, being as she was stuck in the hallway. She looked around desperately for something else. Nothing.
With his lips on Jane’s throat, Ben’s hand made its way rapidly up her dress, tearing savagely at the material and slipped his fingers inside her knickers.
Feeing nausea quickly rising, Jane’s eyes rested on her handbag near the bottom of the stairs and she smiled. Well... she had no choice did she?
Forcing herself to run her hand through Ben’s floppy blonde hair, she gasped with false desire. Knowing him well enough to guess he wouldn’t be able to wait much longer before the need to bury his cock took over, she playfully flicked her tongue in his ear. “Oh Ben, let’s go over there. I want to be fucked hard from behind.”
Ben pulled away from Jane’s throat and saw her point to the stairs. Yes, he’d rest her arms against a step whilst he plunged into her. Perfect.
“Anything you want,” he growled. Undoing his belt buckle with one hand he half-dragged her over to the stairs.
Jane glanced at her handbag once more, hoping to God what she wanted was still in there. “Wait, let me just move that,” she said, reaching for the bag.
“Fuck the bag,” Ben roared, unable to wait. Bending Jane over and pulling her knickers to one side, he quickly pushed into her. “OH MY GOD!” he shouted loudly. He’d waited so long to feel her around him again.
Jane smiled. Let him do whatever he needed to do to her to keep him distracted.
Trying to maintain her balance as Ben slammed into her, she blindly felt around in her bag. With relief she wrapped her fingers around the cold metal of the pistol and cocked the trigger.
“Marie, oh God... MARIE!” Ben cried, his need for release so powerful he had only a split second to register her swing around quickly, causing his cock to lose its place.
“FUCK YOU, BEN and the name’s JANE!” Jane screamed with rage as she unloaded the pistol into his face. A momentary expression of shock passed over Ben’s face as the bullet passed clean through the centre of his forehead.
Pushing Ben sideways as he fell towards her, Jane watched silently as he hit the deck. Stepping over him, she smiled. That was now sorted, but now what?
SETH HAD ONLY GOT SO far as the wall at the bottom of Jane’s path. He’d been torturing himself listening to that man’s clear loud groans of need and despised himself for being so stupid for wanting to talk to her. Like she’d ever give him a truthful explanation. She was a lying slut. Always had been and it seemed, still was.
That was until he’d heard the distinctive crack of a gunshot. Jane...
Racing back up the path, he’d raised his leg to her door and with a well-aimed powerful kick at the lock, quickly gained entry.
He’d been greeted with the sight of that man lying in a heap, a single bullet hole in the centre of his forehead like a third eye. Jane looked disturbingly calm standing at other end of the hall taking a sip out of a glass of what he presumed was vodka.
“Seth...?” Jane whispered.
Raising one eyebrow at her, Seth pushed the door closed and eyed her ripped dress. He glared at the dead man at his feet. The cunt. He should have done him the first time. “Are you alright?” he asked, glancing around.
“He was the blackmailer, Seth. I wanted to tell you but y...”
“And you fucked him?” he spat.
Jane’s eyes narrowed. “Well I had to, didn’t I! You sort of wrecked my plans of getting out of here when you slammed the door in my face. Screwing him was the only way I could divert his attention so I could shoot him,” Jane snapped, like it was normal.
Seth shook his head. He wasn’t going to argue about this now. His eyes continued up Jane’s legs. Her dress had been ripped to the waist. Eyeing her flesh, his heart quickened once more and he tried desperately to wrangle the inopportune thoughts from his brain.
Pulling himself back to reality, he turned and glanced at the door. It wasn’t too damaged. The jamb wasn’t splintered and he’d managed to shear the Yale lock cleanly off. Reaching up, he shot the bolt home and bent down grabbing Ben’s shoulders and effortlessly hoisted the man over his shoulder. “Back door?”
Nodding, Jane beckoned him to follow her through the kitchen. She watched Seth walk purposefully towards her, his powerful muscles flexing under the weight on his shoulder and his green gaze focused on her. God, how she wanted him.
Forcing herself to function, she quickly unlocked the back door and stepped aside.
Seth tipped Ben’s body off his shoulder and it hit the concrete paving slabs of the small courtyard with a thump. Shutting the door he glanced around. “Phone?”
“What are you doing,” Jane questioned.
Seth glared at her. “Sorting this for you. What do you think I’m doing? You start cleaning up.”
Jane pointed to the telephone on the wall to the left of the kitchen and opened a cupboard knowing there was a mop and bucket somewhere in there.
“Dan? Put Digger on will you?” Seth spoke into the handset, stealing a look at Jane as she bent into the cupboard. “I don’t care if he’s in bed and it doesn’t matter where I am, just put him on the fucking phone,” he continued, a sharp tone to his voice.
Sensing Digger had now come onto the line, Jane listened as Seth reeled off her address.
Seth replaced the phone on its mount and picked up the vodka bottle. Unscrewing the cap he put it to his mouth, taking several long gulps. “He’s on his way.”
“Thank you,” Jane whispered quietly and moved towards him. She wanted to touch him
. “Seth, why didn’t you come and find me?” she blurted, unable to help herself.
Seth stared at Jane’s mouth. At her impossibly long lashes. Stay away from me. Please stay away from me. “Because Jane, you left me. You left me to die,” he growled angrily.
“I thought you were dead. I stayed for hours. I willed you back to life.” she pleaded.
“You fucking left me...”
“You were dead, you were dead...” Jane felt tears brimming.
“Well I wasn’t was I!”
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you?” she yelled, her voice rising.
“Because, Jane,” Seth snarled, “as well as breaking my heart, I was told that you were dead.”
“Me?” Jane said, astonished. “Why... Who...?”
Seth slammed the bottle down on the table. “It doesn’t matter now does it?”
Silence hung heavily in the room like a velvet curtain as they stared at each other.
Jane stepped forward. “I’m sorry. I’d never have left you if I hadn’t been sure. I wouldn’t have left you had I thought I...”
All Seth could focus on still was Jane’s mouth. His eyes traced the lines of her lips and his blood heated further. Regardless of anything else and all the logic in the world, he wanted her. Wanted her badly.
Against his will and unable to move away from her gaze, he found himself slowly lowering his mouth towards hers on a magnetic path he could not divert from. He watched her lips parting as he got closer, unable to stop the uncontrollable pull. “Jane...” he groaned softly.
Jane felt Seth’s hot breath inches from her mouth and her heart crashed erratically in her chest. She closed her eyes and tilted her face up towards his, waiting to feel his mouth upon hers.
Sudden banging on the door froze the moment in time and Jane opened her eyes to find Seth an inch away, staring intensely into her eyes.
“Digger’s here,” Seth mumbled, knowing he’d been about to surrender to his feelings. Angry with himself for his weakness, he quickly turned away and walked up the hallway to open the door.