Illicit Affairs

by Dixon

  One thing was for sure and that was that Nate wasn’t thinking with his head. She had never met a man like him, driven by passion, and not just physical passion, but a fierceness to seize life and go after what he desired. Being with Nathaniel Brooks made Ava feel like she was inside some romance book sat gathering dust upon a shelf with wrinkled binding and dog-eared pages. But unlike those stories, his love didn’t burn slow like an ember, it burned hot and fast like a firework. In every sense, Nate was her American dream, her Fourth of July.

  She dragged herself up the stairs leading to her apartment, her phone pinging inside her coat pocket. She pulled it out and frowned down at the screen.

  * * *

  1 New Message, RBE BANK ALERT:

  Ms. Archer, the funds have been secured and are ready for collection in branch at your earliest convenience.

  * * *

  Ava rolled her eyes at the scam attempt and placed her phone back in her pocket as her heels echoed down the long hallway towards the red door at the end. When she reached her apartment, her hand hesitated upon the brass doorknob, her eyes squinting down at it. The weirdest sensation overcame her, a chill prickling its way up her spine as she reached forward and opened her door that she didn’t remember leaving unlocked.

  “Hello…?” she called out as she cautiously stepped into her silent apartment, the only noise coming from the tap dripping into the sink, each sound reverberating around the spacious apartment like a cymbal. “Sam…are you in here?”

  Something wasn’t right and she couldn’t place what. The air was so brittle that it could snap, and if it didn’t, Ava knew she surely would. Walking down her small hallway, she stopped inside her tidy living room, but something felt out of place as though someone had been through here, a single ripple disturbing a calm lake.

  Apart from family, there was only one other person who knew Ava kept a spare key under her doormat and that person was—bang!

  Ava let out a squeal as her apartment door was slammed shut behind her, spinning her heels in a one-eighty to turn around and face the culprit.

  Thirty-Seven

  “What in heaven’s name are you doing here?!” Ava shrieked as she peeled herself down from the ceiling, her heart pounding so fast that her ribs ached from the battering.

  “I suggest you take a seat, ol’ girl.” There was no hint of humour nor apology in which Peter Taylor addressed her.

  “What?” Her brows knitted together.

  “Sit.”

  “You know what? I’m a bit fed up of the men in my life telling me to ‘sit’ today so you have about three seconds to tell me why the bloody hell you are in my apartment right now because I’ve had it up to here wi—”

  “I said sit, Ava.” The distinct noise of metal cocking against metal prickled the air as Peter pulled back the steel hammer of the revolver and extended his arm.

  Fear sat like a cushion across Ava’s mouth and nose, her vision turning vignette as she stared down the barrel of a gun.

  “Is that—I—I mean how do you have a—”

  “Do you have the money?” he cut across her and saw the look of dumb confusion on her face. “You should have received a call or text from the bank this morning.”

  The penny dropped in her stomach like a missile of dread as Ava recalled the text she had received from the bank moments ago. “Peter, what have you done?”

  “I haven’t got time to explain—check your online banking now,” he clipped out, stepping towards her with the gun still pointed at her face. “Do it!”

  Ava’s shoulders jumped as he barked his commands, her hand fumbling inside her pocket for her phone as she shakily did as she was told in a state of blind confusion. When her eyes dropped onto the most recent bank transaction, all the air escaped her lungs as though someone had sucker-punched her in the gut.

  “How is this possible?” Ava sputtered, staring down at the chilling and unsettling £250,000 sat in her account that she knew belonged to the late Oliver Forbes. “I never agreed to release those funds. I…I never signed anything…I never…”

  The reality abruptly sat down upon her chest like a ton of crushing bricks as she recalled the morning of her birthday.

  “Actually, before I go”—Peter pulled out a document from his back pocket and approached her—“would you mind signing this?”

  “What’s that?” Ava asked.

  “It’s just the missives you typed up for me the other day, you forgot to sign them off and I’m on my way to post them today.” He smiled, setting the folded piece of paper in front of her and handing her a pen.

  “You…you set me up! You tricked me!” She felt as though her legs were going to give way from the betrayal as she stumbled back and gripped on to the dining table.

  “We work in law, Ava. Deception is our art.” He lowered the gun, closing the distance between them, his voice stern as he stated, “You’re going to take a trip to the bank with me and withdraw that money right now.”

  “Like bloody hell I am! Are you crazy?!” Her eyes nearly popped from their sockets as she shook her head and tried to rationalise this insanity. “Look, if you’re struggling for money, I can help you in other ways, Peter, but this is wrong, it’s misappropriation of funds, you could go to ja—”

  “Oh, no, gorgeous!” He laughed the type of sardonic laugh that made Ava’s gut clench and twist in on itself. “You see, it isn’t my name or signature on the records so if there is anyone that’s going to be locked up behind bars…” He raised the revolver, causing her to flinch as he used the barrel to sweep away a stray curl over her shoulder as he whispered, “It’s going to be you, ol’ girl.”

  The overuse of that pet name had always irked Ava, but the use of it just then made her mouth fill with disgust as she gulped down the bitterness of his betrayal. She felt like a damn fool for ever letting this disgusting man climb between her legs.

  “Let me make myself clear,” Ava ground out from between her teeth as she tilted her chin up defiantly and ignored the weapon pointed at her. “I will take no part in these illicit affairs with you, Peter.”

  “Oh, but you will unless you want Daddy finding out what a cheap, nasty slut his little girl is by fucking his business partner on the side,” he sneered, but faltered when Ava scoffed at him, her palms leaning back on the table as her eyes scanned the room as if searching for the fuck she did not have.

  “Do it! Be my goddamn guest, you pathetic sack of testosterone!” She shrugged.

  “You want to do this the hard way?” he growled, flicking his tongue over his lip and chuffing at her unperturbed bratty face scrunching up before pulling out his phone.

  “What are you doing? Who are you phoning?!”

  “Put her on.” His tone was glacial as he held up his phone for Ava to see the pixelated images of what appeared to be a warehouse of some kind.

  “I…I don’t understand, what is th—” She stopped short gasping, her trembling fingers covering her mouth. The scene was unbelievable and sent Ava’s mind reeling, unable to comprehend or process the images being sent by her wide eyes. She looked away, then looked back to see if the scene of her best friend gagged and bound, mascara running down her horrified face was still there. It was.

  “Sam! Where is she? What the fuck have you done to her?!” The fear split apart her voice as she jolted forward only to be shoved back against the dining room table.

  “She’s fine, for now,” Peter stated as he ended the video call and swiftly placed his phone in the top pocket of his green peacoat. “And you have my word that no harm will come to her as long as you keep your pretty mouth shut, and for once in your life, do as you’re told, Ava Archer.”

  Ava’s heels pattered along the marble floors of the grand atrium inside the bank. The sandstone building had seen many eras and its interior decor gave off a type of art gallery vibe—if the artists lacked soul and passion, that was.

  She peered along the aisles of brass counters, paying no notice to the lifeless suit
s that stood behind them, her eyes counting the many chandeliers lining the walkway, and her neck craning back at the intimidating archways and the golden ceiling that rose into a stained-glass dome.

  On the outside, Ava was very much like a duck drifting peacefully on water, but beneath the surface, her legs were frantically trying to keep her buoyant. The last thing she wanted was to assist Peter with his fraudulent intentions, but she didn’t see any other option when her best friend was held at gunpoint God only knows where. The very thought of something happening to Sam made Ava stall on the spot, fear gripping her throat and turning her heart to winter.

  “Madam? Can I assist you at all?”

  Ava’s head snapped out of her trance, her heart rattling inside its porcelain cage as she nodded her head too quickly and gulped down the sick inside her throat.

  “Yes.” Her voice trembled and the older woman stood before her frowned at Ava’s nervous disposition. She couldn’t afford to mess this up since Peter made it quite clear what would happen if she didn’t return with the money so she forced her posture to relax and plastered on a fake smile as she explained, “I am here to collect the funds I arranged. My name is Ava Archer.”

  The moment her name left her lips, the banker’s eyebrows popped up, her frail hands straightening her grey uniform as several others turned around to look at the surprisingly young blonde withdrawing a large sum of money today.

  Everything about this situation raised alarm bells.

  “Ah, Ms. Archer… Yes, we were expecting you. My name is Adeline and I’ll be assisting you today,” she said with a tight professional smile, one that highlighted the creases at the corners of her silver eyes brought on by the repetitive expression. “Come right this way!” Her hand motioned forward before she led the way down a side corridor, the clicking of their heels echoing and matching the cadence of Ava’s erratic heart.

  She was escorted into a small office, one that felt more like an interrogation room if not for the small withering plant on the desk and the picture frame of two children.

  “Oh, don’t mind them, madam,” Adeline chuckled as she saw Ava flinch at the two security guards stood by the door. “It is common procedure that they are here when we are dealing with this type of transaction.”

  Yeah, the illegal kind?

  “Of course,” Ava said with a sheepish smile and a polite nod of her head to the armoured guards before finally taking a seat at the desk.

  “So…” Adeline sighed the type of sigh that came at the end of a long workday as she sat down behind her computer. “I shan’t keep you long, Ms. Archer. However, there are some necessary checks and routine paperwork we must get out of the way first before we can approve the withdrawal. I do hope that is quite alright with yourself?” When she received a tight smile and nod from the young woman she continued, “Very well! First is the matter of identification?”

  Ava didn’t feel like she was walking on eggshells—it was a minefield she was tiptoeing around. She pulled out her purse, her fingers ice cold, and the pads of which were numb as she fumbled for her ID card. The card, along with some coins, clumsily scattered to the floor as Ava squeaked and bent down to pick the mess up with a series of flustered curses under her breath before passing over her ID.

  “That’s quite alright,” Adeline soothed as she ran her identification through the system.

  Ava had nothing to hide with her identity, however, she felt as though wanted posters of her face were stuck to the lamp posts lining the streets of London as she waited for those tense few seconds before Adeline approved it.

  “Next is just to run through some of the security questions you answered a few days ago, Ms. Archer.” At this, Ava’s ears pinned back as she recalled the cover story that Peter had carefully fed her before going inside the bank. “Can you confirm the amount you are withdrawing today?”

  “Two hundred and fifty thousand.”

  God, that is a disgusting amount of money to say aloud.

  “And the reason for this withdrawal?”

  Not a fucking clue.

  “I am purchasing some estate abroad,” Ava stated, gulping down bile as every muscle in her body clenched from the lie that would put her behind bars.

  “And where does this estate reside?”

  “Mexico,” Ava answered automatically, her stomach sinking as Adeline frowned at the computer before Ava blurted, “No, sorry! It’s…it’s New Mexico.” Her shoulders barely relaxed as Adeline smiled and struck the enter button on her keyboard.

  Minutes that felt like hours in hell passed by as more gut-probing questions were asked until the blessed announcement came that Ava had passed the checks and that Adeline would now go collect her money from the vault with the guards.

  It was when Ava was finally left alone that she clutched her chest feeling as though her heart was going to derail. Sweat tickled at her hairline as she took calming breaths to try to rationalise her anxiety and this madness.

  She had no idea why Peter desperately needed that money, her only theories being that of his greed for wealth or that he found himself in a bind with bad people. However, the truth was, she could come up with a million excuses to try to defend his choice but at the end of the day, he was still breaking the law and still had a gun held to her friend’s head.

  He betrayed her and for that Ava would ensure he’d pay the price.

  As she chewed at her nails and tried to think of a way out of this situation, her get-out-of-jail-free card presented itself by way of a mobile phone that sat charging on Adeline’s desk. Footsteps suddenly began echoing down the corridor behind her so acting upon impulse alone, Ava dived across the desk and swiped the phone, placing it inside her jacket pocket before calmly sitting back in the chair.

  “Your money, madam.” Adeline motioned towards the black box that one of the guards carried. “There’s just one more thing to…” She frowned, staring at her desk before she darted around it and began pulling open drawers, causing the breath to hitch inside Ava’s throat. “It was here earlier, I’m sure… Ah, here it is!” She pulled out an e-signature pad and slid it across the desk. “If you could just sign anywhere in the box to confirm you’ve received the funds today, please.”

  Ava exhaled through her nose as she reached across and quickly scribbled her name down on the pad before asking, “Is that all?”

  Please for the love of God say yes.

  “I believe so, however, do you have transportation arranged, Ms. Archer?”

  “Yes, my driver is waiting outside.” Ava cleared her throat and stood up too quickly, her head rushing as she stumbled but caught herself on the back of her chair. “Weak ankle,” she brushed off with a small laugh before anyone could make a fuss.

  Once the awkward pleasantries were out of the way, Ava was escorted outside by the two guards who placed the money box in the trunk of the blacked-out Range Rover before Ava climbed into the back seat.

  “Everything in place?” Peter asked without turning around in the driver’s seat, but before Ava could answer, a chap at her window made her startle as she turned and slowly lowered the window.

  “Ms. Archer,” one of the guards said as he passed her an envelope, “the code for the box is inside.” However, as Ava tried to snatch the envelope from him too quickly, he pulled it back, frowning through the plastic visor of his helmet. “Is everything alright, miss?”

  Ava’s head snapped towards Peter, her eyes glancing down at his side whereby the silver tip of his gun peeked through his arm and body, fear gripping hold of her throat.

  “Perfectly fine,” Ava croaked, swiping the envelope through the window before the engine roared and tires let out a cry that Ava could not.

  Thirty-Eight

  The sun had long set as they drove for the better part of an hour, darkness engulfing the country roads they took and sheets of rain distorting the view from the windshield as the wipers struggled to keep up.

  Ava’s nails had been chewed down to the quicks, her anxie
ty pulsing through her veins like steam as her stomach remained knotted since her apartment. However, it wasn’t fearful thoughts consuming her mind; it was anger. It was the burning resentment she felt for the man who sat in the driver’s seat, his blatant lack of respect as they sat in silence without any explanation of where they were going or why. She wanted to go through every memory spent with him and take a flamethrower to them. Peter’s betrayal was the worst kind of all. He was her silent assassin, an inside job where he had earned her respect only to shatter it by threatening not only her but her best friend too.

  Ava’s icebergs burned a hole into the back of his curly red mop as she glanced down at the mobile she had obtained. Taking nervous glances between it and Peter, she swiped her thumb across the screen and blessed relief rushed through her, grateful that the older generation was not as tech-savvy to have adequate safeguarding—ironic considering the woman worked in a bank!

  In the darkness of the cabin, Ava panicked, realising her face was illuminated in white, and concealed the phone in the nick of time as Peter looked up at her in the rear-view mirror and finally broke breath.

  “For what it’s worth, I truly am sorry for all of this,” he sighed but frowned as the blonde scoffed and shook her head. “I hope you understand that I had no choice, ol’ girl.”

  Ava had been fed enough bullshit by the men in her life to last her a lifetime.

  “Two things,” she clipped out, sitting upright to meet his gaze in the mirror. “One, I am not your ‘ol’ girl’, and two, we always have a choice. Whether we make the right one or not is down to us.”

  “That’s easy for you to say with your cosy apartment down on Mayfair and your bloody membership at the country club—all thanks to Daddy’s deep pockets!” he barked, tightening his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned pale.