by Bailey James
“No,” she sobs, but we leave her and go into the office where we couldn’t be heard.
I lock the door and turn on the computer. First off is to check Becks’ bank account. We have never looked before, but we knew she left her pin in the draws recently. My fist smacks the desk before I can stop it as I see a large amount of £100,000 placed into Becks account. I look up at Logan, and he’s shaking his head in disbelief.
“I don’t know, Landen, something about all of this isn’t sitting right,” says Logan.
“Well, you heard her and look, the money is in her account, she finishes with us and where is she now? She isn’t at home, and she isn’t here,” I say.
It’s then messenger pings on my laptop. It’s Cooper.
‘You there? ’ Types Cooper.
‘Yes, it’s us,’ I type back.
‘Can we see you, just so I know it’s you two.’
I look at Logan, and we nod. Cooper and Hunter come into view.
Becks Winter
I walk out the lawyer’s office and immediately call Logan, and then Landen, and then Logan again, no answer. Fuck. I grab a taxi and head out of town to Sophia’s work. Well, I don’t think Carrie would hurt the twins, she’s obviously in love with them, that’s for sure. The only person she would hurt would be me, and I can deal with that. It didn’t sound like she would kill me. Hurt me, but not kill me. So, I’m going to tell Sophia everything.
Sophia manages to get the afternoon off work when she sees the state of me, and we head back to her house. At the same time, she calls Hunter and Cooper which surprises me as I don’t even know how she knows their numbers, she’d only met them once. They agree to meet us at Sophia’s and are there as we pull into her driveway.
“What’s going on?” says Hunter.
I blew out a breath, “Long fucking story, come on.”
I sit down and explain everything that has happened, minus the going to the lawyer’s. They also try Landen and Logan’s phones and can’t get through either, so it isn’t just me. We phone Ed to see if he can get through on the radio. But apparently, the truck they had taken, the radio didn’t work, just typical.
“We have to be careful because your right, I don’t think she’s so dangerous she wants you dead, but it might push her to that. Let’s tread carefully we need to get through to the twins somehow, but we won’t manage that until later tonight. No point going to their house because Carrie will probably have them watched expecting you to turn up. I reckon she’s there right now,” says Cooper.
“So, what do we do?” I say.
“We’ll work it out. Becks, I’m glad you came to us,” says Hunter.
“To be honest, it was Sophia’s idea, I hadn’t thought about it.”
They both smile at Sophia.
“While we wait for them to return from work, let us tell you about Carrie and what she did to those men.” We both nod as they proceed to tell us how she’d drugged them and turned them against each other.
“Okay, now I’m really scared for my safety,” I say as I hear how fucked up Carrie is. We eat food and talk more. “They must be home by now?” I say hours later.
Hunter turns the laptop on and waits to see if they will come online. At 9pm, they do, and Cooper immediately sends them a message asking them to video chat, so we know we are talking to them and not Carrie. I stay out of the picture, so they think they are talking to Hunter and Cooper only.
“You look like shit guys, everything okay?” Hunter asks.
“Not really, we have a bit of a situation,” says Logan.
“Funny you should say that, so do we?” says Cooper.
“You do?” says Logan.
“Yep, and I bet yours involves a certain ex-witch called Carrie?” says Hunter.
“Yes, what do you know?” says Landen.
“Two men kidnapped Becks earlier!” Cooper says.
“What?!” says Landen and Logan in unison.
“Carrie demanded that Becks dump you and leave you alone then she would give her a large sum of money,” continued Cooper.
“What?! Carrie is here now, she’s saying Becks beat her up and gave her a miscarriage, then demanded Carrie paid her money. We have a voice recording, and Carrie’s covered in bruising,” says Landen.
I couldn’t hold it back no more. I bend over the sofa. “Why the fuck would I do that?”
“Becks!” both the twins say in unison.
I explain to them everything that has happened, how I spoke to her on the phone. There was silence for a bit, and I go and sit between Hunter and Cooper. “I guess the question is, guys, who are you going to believe?” I say. The feeling I’m getting off of them is that they don’t believe me. They say nothing, and the chat goes dead.
“They believe her, don’t they?” I say looking at Cooper and Hunter in disbelief.
“Let them think about it and process it. Unbelievable, this little bitch needs sorting once and for all,” says Hunter.
Then the message beeps, and Cooper opens it.
“Okay sorry, here’s what we are going to do,” says Landen.
Landen Johnson
We walk calmly into the living room where Carrie is snuggled up to a pillow.
“Carrie, we think it’s best if we drive you home. We can talk to your father and get you the help you need.”
“What, no! I’m good here, you guys can help me, right?” she says.
“We’re rubbish nurses, Carrie, and you need to be with people that love you and will take care of you at a time like this,” I say.
“What! But you love me, right, you loved our baby, didn’t you, Logan?” she says.
He shakes his head. “Carrie, I don’t love you, what we had was a long time ago, we both know that baby wasn't mine. You have to accept it’s over.”
“Yes, but look what she did? You can’t love her now. I must look like the better option, right?” she says, and that’s when it all clicks into place, little bitch.
We say nothing, I daren’t say anything, I’m trying really hard not to release my anger onto her. We help her into the car with Gavin waiting for us. She protests all the way back to her fathers. When we get there, we speak to the servants, and we ask for Carrie to be placed in bed immediately as she has suffered a miscarriage. The servant looks confused but does as asked, and someone else goes to find her father.
“Logan, Landen, what a surprise, lovely to see you both. Come in, come in.” Jim gestures us into the living room.
“We need to talk,” Logan says firmly.
“Okay, in the office then,” Jim says, not phased by this.
“We’ve just brought your daughter home. She told us she suffered a miscarriage, and someone has beat her up,” Logan says.
“What?! But she told me the rumours weren’t true, that she wasn’t pregnant. All that girl does is lie these days. I don’t know what’s up with her.”
“We believe it is a lie, sir,” says Logan. “There’s something else, do you know where your security men were today?”
“Of course, I do, I have trackers on all of them, but don’t tell them that,” he says laughing.
“Okay, but could you tell us what they were doing, it is a very serious matter, sir.”
“Okay, the fact you're calling me sir, it must be. Let me look. Why, what is this about?” Jim sits behind his desk and opens up his computer. “Okay, Carrie had four security men this afternoon as she needed some jobs done or something, I didn’t ask,” he says looking on his laptop.
Logan and I shook our heads, Carrie had evidently set the whole thing up. “Sir, we believe your daughter was involved in a setup. First of all, your security guards were told to take our mobiles. Then the other two were told to kidnap our girlfriend and threaten her.”
“What?!” he yells.
“We also believe she got someone to beat her up, so it looked like someone else did it,” I say.
“Right,” he says, “let me get my men in here.” He gets on the phone,
and within moments four security guards were standing before us. The two that took our mobiles, they all squeal like pigs. He sends them away and calls for Carrie. Carrie walks in looking happy which makes me smile as she honestly thinks she will get away with this.
“Father,” she says smiling.
“What happened to you today?”
“Their ex-girlfriend beat me up and blackmailed me for money, father?”
“What’s this about a miscarriage? You told me you weren’t pregnant. So why do these twins think you were? You’re lying to one of us, girl.”
She looks at us and then her father, who she apparently fears more.
“I’m not pregnant, father, I didn’t have a miscarriage.” She suddenly falls to the floor and cries and sobs dramatically.
Her father shakes his head at her and then gets on the phone. “You need help, Carrie, and I’ve been too blind to see it, keeping my head in the sand. This has gone far enough. Logan, Landen, I apologise for my daughter, I promise to get her the help she needs, will you go to the police?” he says looking worried.
“As long as it doesn’t happen again,” I say.
We leave Carrie and her father, to sort things out. Also making it quite clear she needs to leave Becks and us alone. Then we drive to Sophia’s house.
We enter Sophia’s house, and Becks just stands there and looks at us.
“Well?” she says.
“We took Carrie home and spoke to her father, he’s getting her some help. It appears she never was pregnant.”
“So, she faked the whole thing?” says Cooper.
“Appears that way,” says Logan.
“Do you believe me now?” Becks says annoyed.
“Course we do, Becks. I’m sorry if we doubted you, but it was only for a second.”
“Second to long, if you ask me,” says Sophia.
“We’re sorry, Becks, we didn’t know what was going on,” Logan says.
“Will you come home with us, baby, we’ll make it up to you?” I say walking up to her for a hug.
She falls into my arms, Logan and I hug her tight.
Becks Winter
August
I’m sitting in the pub on a Friday night with my work colleagues, my mobile pings with a text from Sophia.
Sophia: ‘Don’t suppose I can gate crash your party? Date’s a dick, ditched him early. But I’m all dressed up and don’t want to go home yet.’
Me: ‘Course you can, you know where I am.’
Sophia: ‘See you in ten.’
Landen looks over.
“Sophia’s popping in, she’s ditching a bad date.”
Ten minutes later Sophia flies into the pub. After hellos and drinks, she settles in. We’re on our usual table with Cooper and Hunter.
Cooper asks about where she'd been. Everyone laughs when she tells them about her date. Apparently, it was so bad she'd sneaked out the bathroom window.
Talk turns to holidays as Hunter and Cooper have two weeks off and are going away together next week. I have always wondered if these two have women but that just confirmed to me they didn’t. Sophia talks to them about places she’s been, and I realise that they like each other and there’s a bit of flirting going on amongst them.
I’m smiling and quietly listening in when Landen pats my leg.
“You haven’t been on holiday this year, Becks,” I shake my head. “Can’t afford to, maybe next year.”
“Why don’t we go for your birthday, Becks? We’ll grab a late deal, my skin could do with a bit of colour,” Landen says.
With this, all the air leaves my body, and I’m panicking at his words. I need an excuse why I can’t go on holiday with him. I turn to look at Sophia, but she is in deep conversation with Cooper, and I need to find a reason why a holiday for my birthday is a terrible idea. Something believable and quick. I shake my head to bind my time.
“Nah, not this year.”
“If you’re worried about money, we will pay,” says Landen.
“No, I don’t want you paying for me. It wouldn’t feel right.”
“Becks, it would be our present to you,” says Logan.
“Not this year, maybe next year.”
“You need a break, Becks, and what better time. You haven’t had much holiday all year,” says Logan.
Shit, they’re not going to leave this alone, I need more of a reason. I look at Sophia who’s still talking, and she gives me an answer.
“I’m a bit embarrassed, but I’m a terrible flyer and have to knock myself out if I go anywhere.”
“Does that work?” asks Logan.
“Haven’t you been to New Zealand, bet that was tough?” says Landen.
“Yeah, really tough, wasn’t with it for days after that flight.”
I look at Sophia again trying to remember how she said she felt and what she did. It’s Sophia who’s really the bad flyer, but it never stopped her from travelling all over the world.
“That sucks,” says Logan looking disappointed. I nod knowing I’d have to lie again if I ever did go on holiday with them. Fuck, I tie myself up in knots every time I lie.
I am hoping they will leave it there, but luck isn’t on my side tonight.
“So how do you manage it?” says Landen.
“I normally dose myself up on travel sickness pills that makes me drowsy, then take a bit of alcohol too, and it knocks me out for hours,” I say racking my brain at what Sophia normally does.
“So, it’s just the travelling you hate, you’re okay once you get there?” says Logan.
“Yeah. I love going, it’s just the getting to it I hate,” I say.
“Where did you love the most?” Landen asks me.
“Italy’s amazing,” I say, “would love to go back there, maybe next year.”
I didn’t want to lie too much and put them off travelling forever because, to be honest, I loved travelling. I just didn’t want to go anywhere in the next month.
Sophia puts her hand on my arm, she must have heard me, and I freeze thinking she’s about to drop me in it.
“Are you talking about Italy?” Sophia says.
I nod, my body tensing, please don’t drop me in it.
“Remember when we both took those powerful travel pills, I think we overdosed on them.” She laughs. I nod nervously. She looks up to the twins and Hunter and Cooper. “We were out of it the whole way there. Couldn’t keep our eyes open. The bus driver had to wake us up and help us off the coach.”
I laugh reminiscing.
“Oh, and remember the phrase I taught you Becks.”
Sophia giggles and I knew what she’s about to say. “È vero che gli Italiani hanno grossi cazzi?”
“Yes, thank you, Sophia,” I say, she laughs.
I hold my hands over my head and flush red.
“So, Becks wanted to say something to impress these Italians in a bar one night. My Italian isn’t that great, and I might have mixed up a few words.”
I gasp. “You liar, you so knew what I was saying.” She holds her hands up.
“Hey, it worked didn’t it? How was I to know you were going to say it to every Italian bloke you saw there on in?”
“So, what did you say?” says Landen laughing.
“Is it true Italian men have large cocks?” snorts Sophia. I roll my eyes, as the table bursts into laughter.
Sophia holds her hands up. “They said yes, you pulled, job done.”
I shake my head at her but then realise she has diverted the subject away from the sleeping pills, and I’m grateful to her even if she was embarrassing me.
Becks Winter
August - 3 days before my birthday
My birthday is on Monday, and I’m almost home dry. I’m shit scared that Carrie is going to jump out on me at any point. I have planned Monday's trip to the lawyer's office with military provision. Which means I’m extra jumpy and extra careful about everything. But the twins just presume it’s because of what Carrie did to me. Which isn't far off and
it’s a good excuse. I have so many nightmares about things going wrong, about getting to this damn meeting, the last one ever. Then no more secrets or lies. My house is safe. I have passed my parents’ games, which I presume they would be proud of me for. I can then tell the twins everything. It will be such a relief and burden off my shoulders.
It’s a Friday pub night, and Sophia is coming too for an early birthday drink. Which we would no doubt repeat many times over the course of the next week. Mine and Sophia’s birthdays are always week-long events.
I don’t want to do anything big for my birthday as I am so worried something will happen. So, I have told everyone I just want a quiet little celebration, and I will enjoy spending the weekend with my twins.
The twins argued that I needed to do something for it, but when I mentioned staying in bed and fucking all day, they soon backed down.
Sophia is talking to Hunter and Cooper, and I detect something’s going on there, but I can’t be sure. I hope she doesn’t fuck either or both of them. Because she would leave them hanging and then that would be awkward. I buy the round, and Sophia hands me some money.
“My treat, keep it,” I say.
“No, it’s your birthday,” Sophia says.
“I know, Sophia, but I don’t mind.” We have a quiet moment when it’s just us, so I have to ask. “How is everything money wise, anyway?”
She blows out a breath. “Fine,” she looks at me. “Okay, it could be better, I just need a rich sugar daddy to come along and throw some cash at me.”
“How much do you need?” I ask her.
She sighs. “£10,000 should cover the wedding. Fucking parents, they insisted that I have a huge fucking wedding.”
“No news from him,” I say with distaste.
“Nope, nothing, it’s like he’s dropped off the end of the fucking earth. Funny thing is, my parents and his parents think I’m the one that’s hiding him and know where he is. His mum even accused me of killing him and burying the body,” she says rolling her eyes.