by Laura Burton
‘Call me anytime, I worry about you darling.’ my mother said.
When I hung up the phone, I searched it for Tom’s number. I hadn’t kept his number as a contact, but he was the last number to call me. I dialled the number; Tom picked up after the first ring.
‘Hello, my sweetheart,’ he said lightly. My stomach churned.
‘Tom, I’ve made a mistake. I don’t want to marry you,’ I said heavily. Tom stayed quiet. ‘Tom?’ I asked, checking my phone signal in case the line cut off.
‘I heard you,’ he said, his voice now serious.
‘Are you going to let me in? Sounds like we need to talk,’ he asked. I ran over to the lounge window and looked out to see Tom, in his trench coat, looking up at me, his phone in hand and standing on my driveway.
‘What are you doing here?’ I cried out; Tom looked up at me darkly. His grey eyes looked black from where I was standing.
‘So, are you going to let me in? Or am I going to have to break down the door,’ Tom asked coldly.
I resisted the urge to cry out, but my heart thumped wildly with fear. I hung up the phone and paced the lounge, frantically thinking of something, anything. I fumbled with my phone and called Jack’s number, he answered almost immediately.
‘Jack, please, I’m in trouble,’ I whispered down the phone, my whole-body trembling with fear.
‘Where are you?’ he urged. I gave him my address as a loud banging on the front door made me drop the phone.
‘What was that? Audrey, are you there?’ Jack’s voice slightly panicked called out of the phone. I picked the phone up again and said, ‘He’s here, at my house, and he’s angry. Please, Jack, I don’t know what he’s going to do, and I don’t know who else there is to call,’ I babbled breathlessly, in a quiet voice.
‘I’ll be there in 18 minutes, do not let him in, listen, Audrey, do not let him in your house. If you have to talk to him, try and keep him calm, say whatever you need to, to keep him from getting upset, remember Dee, we don’t know who or what we are dealing with here, when all else fails… get yourself a weapon, lock yourself in the bathroom and call the police,’ Jack’s voice was urgent and I could hear the roaring of the engine in the background. He was racing to get to me, to be my knight in shining armour again. I just needed to survive until he got here.
CHAPTER 9
When All Else Fails…Pick Up A Frying Pan
The banging on the door stopped. I waited with bated breath, hoping that Tom would get bored and go back to his home, wherever that was. What was he doing outside? Did he follow me home? How long had he been standing outside, on my driveway? Suddenly I heard a click in the lock downstairs, and the front door creaked open. My heart stood dead in my chest. I stood rooted on the spot, barely able to breathe as I listened to the door close again.
‘Are you going to talk to me now, Dee?’ Tom’s oddly calm voice called up the stairs. I snapped into motion, running on tiptoes to the kitchen and grabbing the first weapon I could find – a frying pan which was sat on the draining board. The stairs creaked slowly as Tom started to climb them, I ran silently down the hall and barricaded myself in the bathroom, clutching the frying pan in my hand for dear life. I pushed the laundry basket up against the bathroom door and listened to Tom’s footsteps, heading for my direction.
‘Nice place,’ Tom called out pleasantly. My arms were aching from holding the frying pan up against my head, bracing for some sort of confrontation with the madman who had just broken into my house.
‘Dee, don’t be ridiculous, come out of the bathroom and talk to me. All I want to do is talk; you can’t expect me to just accept your rejection and be on my way, can you? Not when I know you will be laughing about it all to him.’ His voice carried a hint of disdain. I could sense that his irritation was starting to show through the cracks of his act.
‘You’ve just broken into my house, and you were standing outside, watching me… tell me Tom, how many times have you been here? Spying on me?’ I shouted through the door. The footsteps stopped outside the bathroom.
‘Now, Dee. Let’s not get dramatic; you’re making me out to be some sort of stalker,’ Tom reasoned.
Why was it that I was feeling like the crazy person in the scenario? Tom sounded perfectly calm and controlled – and I was standing in the bathroom, mentally-unhinged with a frying pan in my hands. I shakily took my phone out of my pocket and dialled for the emergency services.
‘999 what’s your emergency?’ a woman’s bored voice shouted out of the speaker. I dropped the phone on the floor, stunned by the loud noise and the obvious give away to Tom that I was calling the police.
‘Dee, don’t be silly when the police come here, what do you think will happen? They will see that a hormonal fiancée is having a breakdown over the stress of planning the wedding. You forgot to take your medication, is what I’ll say to them,’
‘They won’t believe you,’ I shouted back.
‘Oh really? They will believe the man, who has the house keys in his hand, with no sign of break-in on the front door, who is smartly dressed and well-spoken, a respectable banker home from a long day at work… or will they believe the unemployed, frantic girlfriend who has -according to the reports of the neighbours – been screaming and shouting? Come on, hang up the phone,’ Tom said calmly. I hesitated. Looking down at the phone to see that 8 minutes had passed. Jack was on his way; He will come and sort this out. He’ll save me. I thought wildly. With that thought, the phone line went dead.
‘Why don’t you open this door and come out, I want to know why you’ve suddenly changed your mind? Are you upset about losing your job? We can discuss it. I would prefer you to stay at home, as you know, but if that’s something you really take issue to, I would not be completely closed to the idea of you taking on a little work outside the home. Especially before we have any children,’
‘You’re mad!’ I shouted frantically back to him through the white door. I noticed that the lock was sliding sideways slowly. I grabbed the lock and stopped it in its tracks.
‘Dee, what have I done, to make you so terrified of me?’ he asked softly. I bit my lip, my hair falling in front of my eyes as I shifted my weight and held onto the lock with my sweating hands.
‘You’ve been following me,’ I called back. Tom was silent for a moment.
‘I do it for your protection,’ he stated simply. My jaw dropped, and I staggered backwards, knocked back by the confirmation that Tom had been stalking me.
‘I’ve been watching you ever since the first day we met,’ Tom said, turning the handle of the bathroom. I stared in horror as the door moved forward painfully slowly, the laundry basket sliding away as it moved.
‘Remember that day, Dee? We bumped into each other at the canteen at school; you were besotted with me, I could see it in those huge eyes of yours. You showed me something I see in very few young women. Do you know what it was? Innocence.’
The door was open fully now, and Tom was standing, still wearing his black suit. His black hair was slightly tousled, and I noticed an awkward line of black hair dye along his hairline. He smiled at me, like a father to a child. It sent a chilling shiver down my spine.
‘Don’t come near me,’ I warned, raising the pan above my head. Tom walked forward a step and cocked his head to the side, studying me. I must have looked a sight, dishevelled, wild and shaking.
‘You are trying to defend yourself against the one person who is trying to protect you,’ he said evenly.
‘What on earth are you talking about?’ I questioned, his logic was unfathomable.
‘You think Jack is going to protect you? He’ll break you. That’s what men do, Dee. Men take women for themselves and their evil pleasures,’ His eyes danced up and down my body slowly, it felt like hot acid burning on the parts of me he rested his eyes.
‘You can’t be reasoned with, your mind isn’t right, Tom, can’t you see yourself, you’ve been following me, and broken into my house, forced your way into my
bathroom… what are you going to force your way into next? When will you get the hint? I don’t want you here!’ I said, now crying. Tom walked confidently forward and stood an inch away from me. He towered over my small frame and picked up the pan in my hand using his finger and his thumb.
‘Let’s put this down,’ he said softly. His breath stank of alcohol, now he was close to me.
He reached down and took my hand in his. His grey eyes glinted as they never left mine, he took my finger in his mouth, and he pulled the engagement ring off my finger with his teeth.
I stood still, praying for Jack to get there now, any time now would be good, he just needed to come. I expected Tom to spit out the ring, but he gave me a grim smile and swallowed it instead. A lump ran slowly down his throat; the sight made me sick to my stomach. Everything about this man was creepy and utterly repulsive. I glanced around the bathroom; I was cornered by the small window with frosted glass, and next to the shower cubicle. The Toilet was behind Tom to the left next to the sink. I looked down; Tom was standing on the shag pile rug; his leather shoes were polished to perfection.
‘You break my heart,’ Tom whispered, his eyes dark. ‘I’ve shown you nothing but love and adoration, I’ve treated you like a queen and what do I get in return? You act like I’m some sort of psychopathic madman,’ he continued.
‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered shakily, my heart racing. ‘I’m really sorry, you’re right, I’m just very confused,’ I rambled, trying to buy myself time before Jack came to rescue me from this bizarre situation. Though Tom was calm, his demeanour was threatening and intimidating. I could not trust him, I could not second-guess him, and that frightened me to no end.
‘Why did you just unlock my door and come in?’ I asked. Tom looked pointedly at me; his hands held my shoulders. I flinched against his touch. He noticed my reaction, it seemed, because he his eyes looked hurt.
‘I needed to see you, talk some sense into you. My dear Dee, do you really believe I’m going to hurt you?’ he asked, his voice soft now. ‘You’re scaring me,’ I breathed. Tom’s hands dropped to his sides, and he took a step back, I clutched my arms and walked backwards until I felt the windowsill digging into my back.
‘What do I have to do, to get you to realise that we belong together?’ His face looked conflicted. Tom started to look troubled, and his whole attitude flipped into a complete opposite.
‘I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking,’ he said, horrified. I stared at him, disbelief and shock coursing through my veins. Another personality change.
Tom leant over the white sink basin and heaved for several minutes. I stood where I was, hardly daring to breathe, willing Jack to arrive. Where was he? Tom sank to his knees and wept, his shoulders bobbing up and down with his violent tears.
‘I can’t live without you Dee,’ he sobbed. ‘I can’t; I just can’t do it.’
I could not even bring myself to speak; he had sunk to an all-new low to have me lower my defence. Well, I wasn’t going to give in to his dramatics. The air filled with the sound of a car rumbling down the road and coming to a stop somewhere outside the house and made me jump with anxiety. Tom looked up at me with a furious expression. ‘You spoke to the police?’ he asked vehemently, I shook my head, my eyes wide and filled up with tears. Tom stood up and strode over to me. He grabbed me by the arms and lifted me over his shoulder. I screamed with fright and kicked my legs as he walked me out of the bathroom and towards the lounge. Tom let out a strained laugh.
‘I should have known,’ he sniffed. I stopped screaming and tried to turn and look around; I caught a glimpse of a short, dark-haired figure standing at the top of the stairs. ‘Put her down,’ he snarled. My heart leapt in response to the sound of his voice. My shining knight had come to save me. Tom dropped me uncaringly to the ground, I landed on my hip, and a dull pain spread down my right leg. I looked up to see Jack’s three brothers, standing next to him. Their fists were clenched, and shoulders squared. They looked quite a threatening sight. That must have been why Jack took so long; he was getting back up.
‘Now, get out,’ he ordered Tom. Who raised his hands in the air and gave me a dark look before walking towards the stairs. Jack stood in his path and stopped him for a moment, his blue eyes dark with fury.
‘You are never to come here again, understand? If I see you anywhere near Audrey, then we are going to have a big problem,’ he said in a loud, demanding voice. He was almost two feet shorter than Tom, who gave an amused chuckle in response to Jack’s bravery. But his laugh was cut short by Jack’s fist which made contact with his jaw. A cringe-making cracking sound filled the room and Tom was knocked to the ground, whimpering as he clutched his jaw with a shaking hand. Jack’s brothers walked forward, and circled Tom. Jack nodded to his brothers who looked like they were about to beat Tom into a pulp.
‘No!’ I cried out desperately, wincing with pain as I got to my feet. The men looked at me with identical expressions of surprise – as if they had forgotten I was in the room with them. It was the oddest scene.
I recognised Josh, he was standing next to Jack, he was slightly taller and with a round face and black glasses. He shaved his hair short to camouflage his balding hairline. He must have been the oldest, because the identical brothers, who were stood slightly away, had a lot of teenage acne and their arms were scrawny. They were all looking at me; Tom was cowering on the floor, still holding his jaw which stuck out at an odd angle and was starting to swell. I moved over to him and took a closer look, he eyed me as I moved his hand to see the damage.
‘It looks like you’ve broken his jaw,’ I said aloud to Jack, he glanced back at his brothers, lost for words.
‘Right, looks like you need to visit the hospital mate, now off you go…’ Josh said, in a patronising voice. Tom stood up tall and sneered at them all.
‘We’re going to have a serious problem,’ Tom said in his dry voice. He towered over the three short men as they circled him like over-confident puppies ganging up on a Great Dane. Josh moved forward, his round face blotchy and sweating at the confrontation. He squared his jaw and puffed his chest out.
‘Get out of here,’ He snarled, his hands balled up into angry fists. The tension in the room was fierce as I stood in the corner of the room, blood running down my pale arm and rooted on the spot, waiting for something to happen. Tom’s grey eyes darkened as he glared back at Josh, apparently annoyed at the inconvenient turn of events. He was going to punish me for this, I was certain, and he turned to glance at me with a look to confirm my suspicions. As he strode out of the house, the front door slammed behind him. I knew that this was far from over. Jack’s brothers looked out of the window, while he hurried to my side.
‘Are you alright?’ He asked in a low voice, his eyes full of concern. I yearned to have him close to me, to feel his protective arms take my feeble body and save me from this nightmare.
Jack looked at my arm and hurried into the kitchen, searching the cupboards for something. He came out again with a first aid kit and started cleaning the wound. I had caught the edge of the TV unit as Tom dropped me to the floor, creating a long cut on my arm.
‘It’s a shallow wound, don’t worry,’ Jack reassured me as he cleaned it with the antibacterial wipes. Then he pulled out a pad of cotton and wrapped a bandage around it to secure it in place. His hands were hot against my cold skin; I was shivering and nauseous. The shock of the night’s events was beginning to set in.
‘Thank you so much,’ I whispered. Jack shushed me as he worked on the bandage on my arm, making sure it was perfectly secure.
‘He’s gone,’ James announced, and the brothers relaxed.
‘Are you ok there, love?’ Josh asked, walking towards me. I nodded in reply; my head was spinning. Jack held my arms as I struggled to my feet, I leaned into his warm torso and rested my head on his shoulder. He rubbed my cheek with his right hand as he held me close. Jack’s brothers watched a slight look of amusement on their faces.
&nbs
p; ‘You two look cosy,’ Josh stated with a smile.
‘Give it a break,’ Jack said quickly, sighing and guiding me to sit on the couch. ‘You need to tell us what happened,’ he said to me in a soft, gentle voice. The brothers seated themselves on the carpet, looking at me, expecting me to talk. I gave a sigh; this was exhausting.
‘I really don’t feel very well; can I just get some sleep first?’ I asked, looking around them all sadly.
‘Well, could you just give us a quick account?’ Jack asked, coaxing me to talk. I did not want to talk about it. I wanted to curl up in bed and fall into a dreamless sleep and stay there for at least a week. Not talking, not thinking and definitely not planning to do anything. My mind was overwhelmed and overused, barely able to catch up with all that happened over the last couple of weeks, let alone hours! But Jack and his brothers stared me down, and I realised that they all needed to know what Tom did -why he was here, and why he was carrying me when they found me. I took a deep breath and sat up a little.
‘I phoned Tom to tell him I made a mistake, that I could not marry him, and then I planned to block his number and cut him off, no more contact, I would forget about getting even or gathering evidence to expose him and earn my job back… I just wanted to cut my losses and let it all go -you know- get on with my life,’ I rambled, half talking to myself and half thinking aloud. Jack nodded at me to continue.
‘Well, he answered the phone, and I told him that I didn’t want to marry him, that whatever it was we had going on between us, had to end. And he told me that he was standing outside my house and wanted to come inside and talk about it.’
‘He was outside your house?’ James asked, his face screwed up.