Those You Trust: compelling women's psychological fiction

by Bernie Steadman

  ‘Anna? I thought we were meeting later?’ But he must have seen something in my eyes, because he clambered down and took me in his arms. ‘What has happened?’ He held me for a short while. At least it felt like a short while, it could have been a week and still over too soon. He released me and said, ‘Come with me.’

  I followed him up the ladder and onto the deck. It had blonde wood flooring and a dining table fixed to the deck. In the main cabin were long sofas along the sides, another dining table and the pilot’s chair at the front with a proper wheel to steer by. Inside, the wood panelling was mahogany, which gleamed in the soft afternoon sunlight. ‘It’s beautiful, Alex.’

  He smiled and took me on a tour, showing me the very well-appointed guest rooms and the tiny staff quarters. ‘So I live in luxury in the master suite during the winter, and then slum it with the crew below decks in the summer. Tough life.’ He filled a kettle and said, ‘Coffee, tea, something stronger?’

  I voted for tea and looked around the galley as he boiled a kettle. Everything had a place that would keep it safe in bad weather. The appliances were ultra-modern and sleek. I’d enjoy cooking in it, I thought. I tried to learn the sailing terms for what was on board while Alex made the drinks, although there was no way I could call a toilet a ‘head’ without giggling.

  I hadn’t given his offer to cook for him over the summer a second thought, for obvious near-death experience reasons, but this was a gorgeous kitchen on a wonderful boat. I might have to think again. It would be another adventure. I could always design in the winter months.

  Alex led me into the master suite, which was like a miniature hotel suite but with little round windows. I perched on the bed and looked around while sipping tea and I could feel questions, fears and tears all fighting to get out.

  Alex looked at my contorted face and said, ‘Want to spill it all?’

  We lay back together on the king-size bed, propped against pillows, sipping tea and, suffice it to say that it took an hour or so to tell the wonderful story of my parents coming home and meeting Nikos, and then to worry him with the news of Leo and his father. Alex listened as he always did, without interrupting, and with full concentration. When I’d finished, and calmed down, he kissed the palms of my hands, and then kissed away the tears on my cheeks and finally he found my mouth. He unzipped my dress and folded it over the chair, and then gave the rest of me his full attention, too.

  It was after six when I woke from the best kind of sleep, and I had to get home for the parents. I needed a shower and another change of clothes. ‘Do you want to come back with me now?’ I asked his ear.

  He laughed. ‘No, that would be a real giveaway. You look so beautiful, Anna, lying there so peacefully.’ He curled a lock of my hair around his finger and traced his cool hand down my body.

  ‘That’ll be the dusk, I look better in the dark.’

  He laughed and kissed me deeply. ‘Take a compliment properly.’

  ‘Stop, now, or I’ll never get away.’ I struggled out from under him, found the bathroom, washed a little mascara off my face and made myself presentable. ‘Alex, could you pick us up at eight? That’s if you don’t mind driving? I don’t trust myself at the moment not to have a drink. I seem to need it.’

  ‘Of course, do you need a lift now?’

  ‘No, I’ll enjoy the walk. At least I will when I find my shoes.’ I scrabbled under the bed, and there they were. I was reluctant to leave, but eager to get home. I didn’t want the aged ones to think I’d abandoned them forever.

  I left him lying on the bed, all lean and brown and gorgeous, clambered carefully down the ladder and sang on the way home. It may even have been Whitney Houston.

  I arrived back to find my parents enjoying a glass of wine on the bench in the back garden. The sun had just disappeared over the top of the mountain, and the temperature was dropping. I had a close look at Dad, and he looked so much better. So did Mum. They both looked rested and calm. The sleep had clearly done them good. Then I had that horrible thought that nobody wants to have regarding their own parents, that they too had been having sex in the afternoon. Meh. ‘Well, you two are looking good,’ I said, glad the dusk was hiding the flush of giveaway pink on my cheeks. ‘I could do with a quick shower and a change of clothes. Alex will come and collect us at eight o’clock.’

  ‘That’s very nice of him,’ said Mum, getting up and following me into the kitchen. ‘Tell me,’ she said quietly, ‘is he kind to you?’

  ‘Oh, Mum, he’s gentle and brave and kind. And he lives on this amazing yacht in the bay. I’ll get him to take us out on it soon.’

  She took my hand. ‘I only ever wanted you to be happy, you know. I didn’t realise that you were unhappy. I was too busy to notice, and Will was always so charming.’

  ‘It’s okay. Really. That time’s behind us. Let’s look forward to the future. Dad looks better,’ I said, changing the subject.

  ‘He is, more like his old self, but we must remember he is ill, and not tire him out.’ She called Dad inside to sit on the sofa, and I found them a local news channel on the laptop so that they could catch up on what was happening in town. Thinking about it, sex probably hadn’t been on the menu at all, not with Dad so ill. It was wishful thinking, I suppose, that he was magically healed just from coming to Crete.

  Upstairs, I had a long shower, and felt that parts of me were healing. The main part was the part Will had damaged, that I had thought was irreparably broken, but wasn’t. And the other was the part that had made running away the only option. I hadn’t realised at the time that I was running home. Running to the rest of my life, not away. Yes, it had been a bumpy landing, but it would all work out, I was sure. I checked out the bruises on my ribs and neck and they were finally healing too.

  When Alex knocked on the door just before eight I had to fight my mother to get there first. She stood right behind my shoulder and peered over it. He, naturally, looked wonderful in his blue linen shirt that was the same colour as his eyes. I kissed him lightly on the lips and drew him into the room, where I caught Mum and Dad exchanging a glance.

  Holding his hand, I said, ‘Galena and Theo, this is Alex Johannsen. He’s from Sweden.’

  Dad was first to shake his hand, and Mum smiled up at him, quite shyly for her. They were a bit stuck for words. Another first. Dad took control.

  ‘So, Anna tells us you live on a boat, Alex,’ he said, inviting Alex to sit next to him on the sofa, and I sent up a silent thank you.

  ‘Mum, why don’t you pop up and get yours and Dad’s jackets? You’ll need them later.’

  She indicated that I was to follow her up the stairs, so I did, reluctantly into their bedroom. ‘What?’

  ‘He’s so old! I had no idea he would be old! Are you sure, Anna? Are you sure?’ she whispered.

  She was so sincere I couldn’t take offence. ‘Mother, leave me, and him, alone. He’s forty-three, and that’s only eight years older than me.’

  She sniffed. ‘I suppose he has a proper job, not just messing about in a boat.’

  I wasn’t prepared to have that conversation. ‘Leave it. I’ll tell you more later. For now, be nice, and let’s have some fun with Dimitri. Come on.’

  She followed me out of the room tutting, and I grinned. It would do her good not to know everything straight away.

  Dimitri had done us proud. Somehow, during the course of the day, he had rounded up four of Dad’s old friends from school, and one of Mum’s. The inside of the taverna was decorated with balloons and candles, and there was a feast of food laid out on a table at the side of the room. In the corner a local band played a mix of classic Cretan folk music as well as a more modern repertoire which sounded quite odd on a bouzouki, even though it got feet tapping.

  There was eating, dancing, drinking and so much talking I thought my ears would burst. I was introduced to far more people than I could ever remember, and so was Alex. I did manage to check that he was all right at one point during the evening, but otherw
ise he sat in the corner, and let the rest of us get on with having fun. I was pulled onto the dance floor by Dimitri and made to dance to a tune I had last heard when I was eight years old. Mum and Dad were already on their feet swaying and stamping. My heart almost burst with happiness to see my parents back where they belonged. And, there was no way the cool Swede was allowed to sit it out, so I dragged him up and we all made complete fools of ourselves. It was a brilliant, ecstatic night.

  Mum signalled that Dad had had enough just before midnight, and it still took half an hour to say our goodbyes. I was glad that we had asked Alex to drive us home. Dad had gone white and was very quiet. He was exhausted again.

  Once home they went straight up to bed. I took them water and checked that Dad was okay, but within minutes of him getting into bed, he was asleep. ‘I hope it wasn’t too much for him,’ I whispered to Mum outside the door.

  ‘He was so happy tonight,’ she said, ‘if he has to die, let it be now.’

  Sometimes, my mother would test the patience of a saint. ‘Don’t say that. He’s getting better; you just have to look at him.’

  She didn’t answer, just brushed past me into the bathroom. ‘Night,’ she said through the door as I made my way downstairs.

  Alex stood up and held me. ‘Well, that was a very good night,’ he murmured into my hair, ‘and an exceptional afternoon. I’m going to go home, as I have work to do tomorrow and you need to focus on your parents for the next few days.’

  ‘Hmm… My mother certainly needs some refocusing, that’s true. Can we get together soon though?’

  He did this thing that he had done once before, that I realised was all Alex. He kissed me on my forehead, then on each eyelid, then on my mouth. It felt like a blessing, somehow, and I went all melty again. He did that to me all too easily, I was discovering.

  ‘Call me, or just drop by, you know where I am.’ He gave me another, lingering kiss, picked up his car keys and slipped out into the darkness.

  I lay in bed later, unable to sleep, too full of food and wine and all that had happened to me since I set foot on this island. Bad and good, terrifying and beautiful. It was never boring here.

  I hadn’t really had time to process the fact that Leo and his father were still here causing trouble no doubt. Having time, on that dark, quiet night to think, I couldn’t imagine that Leo was about to let all his efforts go to waste. All they needed was to get me and Nikos into a room and force us to sign it all away. They could blackmail Nikos with the tax office, and I wasn’t going to fight them in the courts. I’d had enough of that. I shuddered. We wouldn’t be safe until Leo was in prison for assault or back in America with his father.

  31

  I did sleep eventually, thank goodness. Next morning, all was quiet next door, so I got dressed and went down to think about breakfast. The parents would emerge at some point, but we had no plans for the day, so there was no rush. I opened the back door and gave my little plants some water. I was going to have to arrange a water collection and sprinkler system for the summer. I expected that the nice man in the garden centre would help me.

  What I didn’t expect was a hammering at the front door. It made me jump, and when I got back inside the house, two large men standing outside the door made the whole room go dark. My heart pounded. What now?

  Every instinct told me to hide, but I opened the door and saw a man who was the spitting image of my dad, but several centimetres taller. Could it be? ‘Uncle Stephanos?’ My voice quivered. I still wasn’t ready to see strange men at my door. I held onto the door so they couldn’t get in, just in case, and scanned the street for any sign of Leo.

  The man was polite and spoke with a strong American accent. ‘Hello, yes, you must be Anna, I’m Stephanos Kokorakis.’ He held out his hand, which I shook. ‘May I come in?’

  I looked past him to the dour man behind him. The gold-rimmed glasses and black eyes made him look like an extra from a war film, and I recoiled from him instantly.

  Stephanos noticed my hesitation. ‘This is my lawyer, Laskaris.’

  Mr Laskaris gazed at me, eyes cold and unblinking. I reluctantly opened the door wider just as my father came down the stairs behind me.

  ‘What’s happening?’ he asked, then his eyes widened and he took in a sharp breath.

  ‘Stephie?’ Dad stopped on the last stair, which put him eye to eye with his taller sibling.

  I motioned them inside. No point doing this on the street. Laskaris came in and stood by the cold fireplace until I sat him in the armchair. I didn’t want him lurking. Stephanos stood at the door for a moment longer, before my father stepped forward and embraced his younger brother.

  ‘Stephie. I never thought…’ He swiped at tears with his fist, overcome with emotion.

  Stephanos pushed him away, quite gently, and surveyed my house like he owned it. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but it didn’t feel like happy families. I was terrified. If he was here, was Leo here too? Or had he got to Nikos already?

  Stephanos stood in front of the fireplace, hands clasped behind his back. ‘We will have plenty of time to get to know each other, Theo. I never expected to see you again. We are as strangers after all this time.’

  ‘Not strangers, brothers,’ said Dad, sitting on the sofa. ‘Brothers separated through no fault of their own.’ He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees and looked up at Stephanos. ‘But it does not have to be that way anymore. I have spoken to Nikos, and he is sorry for what he did. Do you hear me? Sorry.’ He patted the seat. ‘Come and sit next to me. Let’s talk.’

  A look of contempt slid across Stephanos’ features. ‘There’s a time for talking.’ He gestured at the lawyer, who opened the briefcase on his lap and pulled out several sheets of typed paper. ‘But it sure isn’t now.’ He made another gesture and in through the open back door came Leo, who lounged against the door jamb, smirking and smoking one of his foul cigarettes.

  I gasped in horror. The police really hadn’t caught him. He was here, at my door, again. My legs turned liquid and I had to lean against the wall.

  ‘Hi there. See you’ve met my dad.’ He looked at my father, who sat open-mouthed on the sofa. ‘And you must be Anna’s father. The café owner. Full of surprises, aren’t you, Anna?’

  ‘You’re not welcome here, Leo.’ I pulled the scarf from my neck and showed my uncle the bruises. ‘This is what he did to me last time he was here. Your son. He almost strangled me.’ I turned back to Leo, all my pent-up anger turning my voice hard. ‘Get out. I’m calling the police.’ I made a grab for my phone, which was on the dresser, but Leo caught my arm before I could reach it. He squeezed my arm so tightly I gasped with pain. ‘Ow! You’re hurting me. Let go!’

  Dad jumped to his feet. ‘Get your hands off my daughter! Get out of this house. We’re calling the police.’ Two red spots appeared on his cheeks and I could hear his ragged breathing. He’s not a tall man, my dad, but he’s got a loud voice and has a way of intimidating people when he needs to. I didn’t expect shouting to work this time, though, and I was terrified that Leo would hurt him.

  ‘Dad,’ I said, ‘it’s okay, sit back down.’ I squared up to Stephanos as best I could with my arm twisted behind my back and my legs wobbling. ‘Tell him to let me go, please.’

  There was no response. I couldn’t believe he’d let Leo hurt me. ‘I’m not going to sign anything, so you can just take it away. How dare you come into my house and hurt me?’ I glared at Laskaris, who sat calmly, holding papers and a pen. ‘Go through Nikos’ lawyers if you want to contest the will, but I won’t sign. Go on, leave.’

  It took all my self-control not to look up towards the bedroom, where Mum must be listening. Please let her have phoned the police. I gradually managed to pull my arm back down until it was at least by my side and not so painful, even if I was still held tight.

  Stephanos and Laskaris looked at Leo, from which I understood that it was his job to make me say yes. I didn’t like the fact that he seemed to be
enjoying the role so much. Leo pulled me back towards the chair where the lawyer sat but I fought against him. ‘This will never stand up in court, you know,’ I shouted, trying not to let my voice shake too much. ‘If this isn’t duress, I don’t know what is. This isn’t legal. You can’t make me sign anything.’

  I tried to throw Leo’s hand off my arm, but he wouldn’t let go. He had a crazy expression on his face. Desperation, I thought.

  Stephanos took control. ‘Let us sit at your table. Allow me to explain the terms to you. At that point you may change your mind. Excuse my son, he can be overenthusiastic.’

  Leo pushed me overenthusiastically through into the kitchen and onto a chair under the window. He sat next to me. The lawyer, fast on his feet, slid in on the other side so I couldn’t escape. Dad also moved fast and sat opposite me. I gave him a look of gratitude. I was still quite frightened, more of this uncle who had Leo under such tight control than of Leo.

  ‘Now, Anna,’ said Stephanos. ‘Laskaris is showing you the papers we would like you to sign. They will guarantee you a cash payment of twenty-five per cent of the total value of the estate on the death of your Uncle Nikos. It will be a considerable sum. You will sign the document, which will not come into effect until after your uncle dies, passing the businesses over to my son, Leo. You may, of course, keep any legacies et cetera made specifically to you.’

  His eyes bored into me. I knew he was merely assessing the worthiness of the opposition. However, if I caved in at the thought of several million euros immediately, then it would save me and him a huge amount of legal work. A small part of me was tempted. My dad was ill, I didn’t want the business. If I signed, it would all stop, and I’d still end up with more cash than I could ever have dreamed of.