Aftermath (Dividing Line #6)

by Heather Atkinson

  “Yes.”

  They got out of the car and headed upstairs to the flat where the rest of her things from her old place had already been dropped off.

  “Your men are very efficient,” she said. “Impressive.”

  “I don’t employ retards. DNA test. Now.”

  She disappeared into the bedroom and returned clutching a piece of paper, which she held out to him. He snatched it off her and studied it.

  “Now do you believe me?”

  “No. I’ve only your word that it was my hair,” he said, handing it back.

  “Good point.”

  “I want to trust you Jules. I’ve lost a lot of relatives, there aren’t many blood Maguires left and I know you weren’t responsible for killing any of them.” He frowned when her eyes flicked away and down. “Jules, what did you do?”

  “Oh Christ,” she sighed.

  He grabbed her wrist in one hand and squeezed. “Tell me.”

  “Terry.”

  His mouth fell open.

  “You’d better let go of my wrist. It’s hurting and it’s really turning me on.”

  He released her with a disgusted look.

  “I can’t help how I’m wired. I like pain.”

  “It’s weird.”

  “Lots of people do.”

  “Your sexual kicks are not my concern. You fucking killed Terry.”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Alex and Jasper had been thick for years. He came to Jasper and told him he needed Terry eliminating quietly in a way that would go undetected during the autopsy. Jasper wasn’t exactly overloaded with brain cells, he didn’t know how. But I did. Chemistry always was one of my strong suits. I made a special little concoction of my own. Untraceable. Alex bribed the copper guarding his hospital room to let me in.”

  “You killed your own dad.”

  “He wasn’t my dad,” she spat. “He was the evil bastard who sold me to a pair of paedos knowing full well what they were going to do to me. It was a fucking pleasure to stick that needle between his toes and don’t tell me you were fond of him after what he did to you all.”

  “I hated the bastard, none of us mourned him and I suppose I can understand your reasons. What you don’t know is that Alex was supposed to do it himself to prove his loyalty to Danny, not farm the job out to someone else. The cheeky devious bastard.”

  “Even then he was never really with you. What do you think would have happened if Danny hadn’t died? Do you think he would have been content being number two?”

  “He was, he lacked the confidence to take over.”

  “Until Danny died.”

  “No, even then he wanted Rachel running things.”

  “He leapt at the chance when she turned it down, as he knew she probably would after what happened to Danny. Alex Maguire was always about himself, never the family.”

  “Did he know you’re Terry’s daughter?”

  “No, I’ve never told anyone else.”

  Mikey took a breath, processing what he’d just learnt. “Any more bombshells you want to drop on me?”

  “Well, seeing how we’re clearing the air…”

  “Get on with it.”

  “The failed abduction of Rachel when she was pregnant...”

  Jules was knocked off her feet and found herself flat on her back on the couch, Mikey’s hands around her throat, his furious face looming over her. “What the fuck?” he spat.

  “I followed her that day, it was my job to track her movements. I let the Jordans know where she was, on Jasper’s orders.”

  “Jasper was working for Alex, even then?”

  She nodded and his hands tightened around her neck.

  “Did you know she was pregnant?”

  “No. I wouldn’t have been a part of it if I had, especially after what Jasper did to Zoe and the baby. I’m a lot of things but I don’t hurt kids, not after what happened…what the Parkers did.”

  Her grey eyes, so like Ryan’s, briefly filled with pain and he knew she was telling the truth. That wound was deep, she wouldn’t inflict it on anyone else. But he didn’t release his hold, he needed to know more.

  “Alex set Rachel up?” he said.

  “Jasper was the go-between. Jan Jordan thought he was working exclusively for her when all along he was acting on Alex’s orders. Alex played the Jordans, they never knew he was a part of her abduction.”

  “Fucking bastard. All because he thought her and Ryan had been carrying on behind Danny’s back.”

  “Had they?”

  “No.” He glared down at her. “All these years you’ve stuck your nose in our business, you’ve been there watching us, gathering information, and then I invite you in. I let the fucking serpent in.”

  “I’m not here to hurt you, I want to belong somewhere…” The last word faded away to nothing as he squeezed harder.

  “I should fucking finish you while I have the chance, before you hurt any of us again. Rachel lost her son thanks to you.”

  “I didn’t…I…” Her speech was entirely cut off as his fingers pressed down harder into the soft flesh, compressing the delicate structures beneath.

  Her eyes slid closed and a moan rattled in the back of her throat. Mikey’s grip slackened slightly as he stared down at her, unsure what to do. Her body moved once then twice, surging up against his and he suddenly became very aware he was lying between her splayed legs. His own body reacted in response and when she felt it her eyes slowly rolled open and fixated on his.

  “Not so little, little cuz,” she whispered.

  Her body rippled beneath him again and he could picture the body of the snake undulating in time with hers. Jules’s legs closed around his waist, keeping him pressed against her.

  “You are so fucking dangerous,” he said, voice hoarse and growly.

  “Yet here you remain.”

  Their eyes locked, his own heart hammering while he could feel her strong steady pulse beneath his fingers. He could easily crush it out of existence, eradicate her before she could do him or his family any more harm.

  “To kill or not to kill, that is the question?” she said, her foot sliding down his leg as she tilted her hips up to his, almost demanding.

  “Stop that, we’re cousins.”

  Her lips curled into her trademark mocking smile. “Then why are you still on top of me?”

  The bulge between his legs pressed between her thighs, causing her to moan louder.

  “Oh Jesus,” he breathed, unable to tear his eyes off her, breasts pressing against his chest as she arched her spine. His grip on her neck slackened entirely and he allowed his fingers to trail down the soft skin, moving lower towards those proud breasts as her body continued to roll against his in a slow sensuous rhythm.

  “You’re going to be the death of me,” he said.

  “Actually, I think it will be the other way round,” she groaned as his hips involuntarily moved again, pressing him against her for the second time.

  His wedding ring glinted in the light and he threw himself to his feet, turning his back on Jules while he gathered himself, willing his treacherous erection to die.

  “How the hell do you get into people’s heads like that?” he said, disgusted with himself. He’d been a heartbeat away from cheating on his wife, his beautiful, sweet wife who he was incredibly lucky to have and for what? A quick shag with his demented, murdering first cousin. What the fuck was wrong with him? “No wonder poor Dane Black acted like such a sap and you had a man like Jackson Driscoll down on his knees before you.”

  “So you were watching? I knew it,” she said, pushing herself up on her elbows.

  Her messed up hair and flushed cheeks did nothing to calm him.

  “You’re a fucking bloated spider spinning her web to see which poor bastard you can catch next. Well I’m not going to become one of your trapped flies, waiting to be devoured. I’m the fucking devourer around here. You lady are on a knife edge. You do one
thing I don’t like, you sneeze when I don’t want you to and I will bury you, blood or not. In the meantime I’m going to tell Rachel and Ryan about your part in their son’s death.”

  She jumped up. “That was nothing to do with me. I don’t hurt kids. I didn’t even know she was pregnant.”

  “Didn’t you notice her big belly?” he yelled.

  “No because she was wearing baggy clothes.”

  Mikey recalled that was indeed correct. Rachel had wanted to disguise her bump while the Jordans were around. He knew he was really angry at Alex but he couldn’t take it out on him because he was where he should be - decaying in a shallow grave - so Jules was the only available target. “Your brother and sister-in-law will decide what happens to you. You might start wishing you’d tried harder to get on Big Brother’s good side.”

  He stormed out, slamming the door shut behind him and Jules sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. “Nice one Jules. Why didn’t you keep your fucking mouth shut?” Like Alice Parker had drummed into her, no good ever came from telling the truth.

  Beth sighed and buried her face in her hands. Archie had been screaming and shouting for a full hour and was showing no sign of tiring. Luckily Holly was with her grandparents and Alfie was at school. She’d kept Archie off school all day because he’d had an appointment with the child psychologist that morning and she’d known he wouldn’t be in the right frame of mind for school after that. The psychologist had been doing well with him and had got him to open up a little, until she’d asked Archie if his dad had ever hurt him and he went into a rage that was still going on. He’d done this twice before and from experience she knew she could only wait it out until he’d either calmed down or exhausted himself. If she went in there too soon he’d only throw things at her.

  Attempting to distract herself from the one-boy riot going on upstairs, she switched on her laptop to check her e-mails. As she idly scrolled through her messages, not really seeing them, one popped up from Riley. She grinned. He was online at that very moment. Since he’d responded to her initial e-mail they’d messaged each other every day. Even though he was back with his regiment he didn’t seem to be doing very much, which was a relief. Last night their e-mails had even got a bit x-rated and rather than scare her they’d only excited her, bringing back every steamy detail of their one time together in the castle.

  How’s things? said Riley’s message. She liked how he wasn’t a man of many words. There were too many people in this world with too much gob and not enough to say.

  Not good. Archie saw the child psychologist today and now he’s tearing his room apart. At my wits end. What do I do?

  Wish I had an answer.

  Maybe sometimes more words were good, thought Beth. I wish I were back at that castle in Scotland, away from here. If I could have a second chance there I would have made much better use of my time.

  What do you mean?

  You know what I mean.

  Do I?

  “Jesus Riley, course you bloody do,” she muttered, starting to type. I mean with you. I shouldn’t have run out on you like that. I wish I’d stayed.

  Why?

  So we could have done what we did again, maybe even spent the whole night together.

  That’s what I wanted to do.

  I was stupid. Forgive me?

  Already have.

  Beth smiled at the screen, huffing out a breath when the phone started to ring. Hold on, phone ringing.

  I know.

  She frowned at the message then its meaning dawned and she leapt up to answer it. “Hello?” she said eagerly.

  “Hello Beth,” said Riley.

  “It’s so good to hear your voice.” She’d e-mailed him her number but he’d never made use of it before. She was delighted he finally had.

  “Yours too. What’s that in the background?”

  “That’s Archie.”

  “I didn’t think one little boy would be capable of making such a racket. Do you want me to call back another time?”

  “No, it’s fine. I won’t be able to do anything with him until he’s calmed down anyway. So, how are you?”

  “Bored.”

  “They haven’t got you working?”

  “I mean I’m bored of the whole thing.”

  “You mean you’re fed up of the army?”

  “Yeah. I wish I was back in England, I miss everyone.”

  “Even…me?” she said tentatively.

  “I miss you most of all.”

  She bit her lip to stop herself from shouting out, yes. When she thought of how close she’d come to messing this up she got short of breath. She didn’t deserve him.

  “I’m thinking of leaving.”

  Beth gripped the phone hard, a variety of responses running through her head but she was frightened to use any of them in case she made him change his mind. She wanted him to leave the army and come home.

  “You’ve got so much here for you now,” she said, deciding that was the safest option.

  “I do.”

  “Is this definite?”

  “I’m not sure yet, the army’s been my life for so long. I don’t know what else I could do.”

  “You could go into security. Battler and Bruiser would probably give you a job, their business is doing really well,” she said, cringing when she heard how eager she sounded.

  “So I believe. I’ll think about it.”

  “It would be good if you weren’t doing such a dangerous job,” she said meaningfully.

  “Does that mean what I think it means? If I give up the army there might be a chance for us?”

  “I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to bribe you but yes, it would greatly increase the chance.” She closed her eyes when more loud thumps and bangs sounded above her head. “But be warned I come with a lot of baggage.”

  “Kids are a blessing, not baggage,” he replied gently.

  Beth’s eyes filled with tears. He said the deepest things sometimes. “What’s that?” she said when she heard frantic voices calling him in the background.

  “Sorry Beth, I’ve got to go. Looks like we’ve finally got a shout.”

  “Be careful, please.”

  “I will. I don’t know when I’ll get to talk to you again but I’ll let you know what I decide.”

  “Okay. I’ll let you get to it then. Bye.”

  “Bye,” he said curtly before putting down the phone.

  Slowly she replaced the receiver and tilted her face to the ceiling. “Please let him stay safe,” she whispered.

  The phone began to ring again and she snatched it up. “Hello?”

  “Beth, it’s me again,” said Riley. “I miss the sound of your voice already. Sod it, I’m done. I’m going to leave the army.”

  “That’s wonderful. When will you be home?”

  “Not yet. I have to give notice. I’ll talk to you later. Love you. Bye.”

  He hung up again and she stared at the phone in amazement. Did he just say he loved her or had she imagined it? She recalled Alex and Nick saying the exact same words to her, but they were gone and they weren’t coming back. Rachel was right, all Nick had wanted was for her to be happy and Riley could make her happy, she knew it.

  “I love you too,” she said to the Nick that still lived in her head but, most importantly, to the phone, replaying Riley’s words over and over. She dumped it back in its cradle and danced around the room. “Yes,” she exclaimed.

  She was brought back to earth with a thump when all went quiet upstairs. Finally Archie had tired himself out.

  “Mum,” called a small voice from the top of the stairs.

  “It’s okay sweetheart, I’m coming,” she said, feeling much more able to face him now she knew Riley was coming home.

  CHAPTER 34

  “Well?” said Rachel.

  Ryan’s face was a piece of carved marble as he stared at the results of the DNA test on his laptop screen. “It’s true. Jules is my half-sister.”

&nb
sp; Rachel wasn’t surprised, she was already convinced both Jules and Estelle had been telling the truth. “So what now?”

  “Now, nothing,” he said, deleting the e-mail.

  “But…”

  “I know what you’re going to say sweetheart but I want nothing to do with her. Just like her pseudonym indicates, she’s venomous, poison and if we let her into our lives she’ll infect them. Look at the chaos Lexie caused.”

  “Which Jules helped sort out.”

  “If Lexie was capable of causing such carnage what do you think Jules will do?”

  Rachel didn’t know what to say.

  When the home phone rang Rachel went to answer it, for some reason her stomach plummeting when she heard Mikey’s voice on the other end. “What’s happened?”

  Ryan watched Rachel’s face turn white and pain fill her dark eyes. “What’s wrong?” he said, leaping up.

  She just held the phone out to him and he took it and pressed it to his ear. “What did you say to her Mikey? You’ve really upset her.” He gave one hard nod before saying, “we’ll call you back.”

  “Alex set up the abduction,” said Rachel, slumping into a chair. “He did it because he hated us and Thomas paid the price.”

  Ryan released a growl and put his fist through the wall before releasing a heavy sigh and resting his forehead against it. “Thomas.” He breathed the word out like a prayer.

  “Jules was following me and I didn’t even notice. How could I not?” said Rachel, tears standing out in her eyes. “If I’d realised I would have called you, I would have got away, I would have done something and he might be alive now.”

  Ryan pulled her into his arms. “Don’t say that. It’s on them. They took Thomas.” The pain was constant, relentless, dragging back with it the memory of holding his tiny lifeless body in his arms and it bubbled over. Rachel pressed the tips of her fingers to the tear that ran down his cheek then kissed it away. “They took our baby,” he said.

  “Mikey said Jules didn’t know I was pregnant.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “It might be true. I was trying to disguise my pregnancy then and think about what happened to her, how she hated what the Parkers did to those children and what she said about Cara. I’m sure if she’d known…”