Tangled Lives

by Stephanie Harte

  Because of all the crap I’d been dealing with recently, I’d allowed myself to get distracted. While I was acting as the mediator, I’d taken my eye off the ball and Gemma had taken advantage of that. Instead of doing what I’d told her to, she’d used the forty-eight hours I’d given her to do a runner. She needed bringing into line. It was time to remind her about the unspoken gender roles that had been handed down since the beginning of time. She seemed to have forgotten that men make the rules.

  You had to admire the cheek of the woman. Gemma genuinely thought she could outsmart me, Alfie Watson, the kingpin of a notorious crime gang. She was either fearless or completely foolish. If she thought she was going to get away with this, she could think again.

  Gemma was a law unto herself, and that was something that delighted and frustrated me in equal measure. She was gutsy and had a mind of her own. She didn’t give a shit about the consequences her actions would bring. I admired her bravery – not that I would ever hurt her. Even in the circles I moved in, women and children were strictly off-limits. That’s what separated us from men like Zamir. But I wasn’t going to allow her to run rings around me either.

  The more she tried to pull away from me, the more determined I was to pursue her. Surely Gemma of all people realised that when I wanted something, I didn’t stop until I got it. I never could resist a challenge.

  I was kicking myself; I should have known I couldn’t trust Gemma. She had proved time and again that she couldn’t follow orders. I only had myself to blame that she was on the run. I shouldn’t have given her so much freedom. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

  After I caught up with Gemma and Luca, I’d move them into Darkwood Manor so that I could keep an eye on them. Initially, I’d been happy to keep them under surveillance from a distance, but now that she had violated my trust, a change of tactics was definitely in order.

  Anyway, having her at the house would give me more opportunities to try and win her over. All the money and power in the world meant nothing if you had nobody to share it with. It was a Watson curse, but I was determined to break it. My dad and I had both been unlucky in love. It was about time that changed.

  67

  Gemma

  After parking the Jeep in the underground car park, I took the lift to our penthouse apartment. It was the early hours of the morning, and I was shattered. My bed was calling. I’d get some sleep, and when I woke, I’d pack up our stuff and hit the road again. Much as I wanted to, I knew I couldn’t stay here. It would be too obvious. This would be the first place Nathan would look. I was sure of it.

  I put my key in the lock and opened the front door, then switched on the hall light and the corners of my mouth lifted in the smile. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to be home. I loved this modern, luxury apartment with its clean lines and minimal look. It was so different from the small Victorian terraced house where Gareth lived. Totally exhausted, I made my way straight to our bedroom.

  ‘Surprise!’ Alfie said.

  The sudden sound of his voice made me jump out of my skin. I sprang back out of the room and panic gripped me like a vice. Alfie was sitting on the bed in the shadows waiting for me. As my chest constricted, I found it hard to breathe. I stood in the doorway, staring at him in open-mouthed horror. I felt the colour drain from my face. My fingers instinctively tightened around the handle of Luca’s carrycot. Why was Alfie here? How did he know I’d left London?

  ‘You don’t look very happy to see me. You know how to hurt a man’s feelings, don’t you, Gemma?’ Alfie laughed, then he covered his heart with his hands.

  I didn’t want Alfie to know I was scared, but that was easier said than done. Fear ripped through me as my eyes scanned his face. I’d have to try and talk my way out of this. But I couldn’t find the right words. My mind kept time with my racing heartbeat, and I struggled to think straight. I considered running to the front door and buzzing for the in-house security, but I wasn’t sure I’d make it before Alfie caught up with me. If I made him angry, there was no telling what he might do. He had a reputation as a trigger-happy gangster to maintain. The speed at which Alfie’s personality could change was what scared me the most. I knew he had a vicious streak.

  I heard a sound behind me, so I looked over my shoulder and saw Knuckles’ huge frame emerging from the darkness of the living area. He was grinning from ear to ear. I was trapped between these two dangerous men. There was no point calling for security; they wouldn’t be able to help me now.

  Knuckles’ presence ensured that any possible escape routes were blocked. He would make sure I didn’t try and make a run for it. When I’d decided to leave London, of every possible scenario I’d imagined in my head, this wasn’t one of them. I’d been worried about Nathan’s reaction, but I would rather be face to face with him any day than where I was at this moment. This was the worst possible outcome. I didn’t know how I was going to explain myself to Alfie. The silence hung heavy in the air between us. I felt its weight around my shoulders like I was wearing a lead cloak.

  ‘I’m glad to see you’ve arrived safely. What took you so long?’ Alfie asked.

  I didn’t understand how he’d managed to get here before me. So much for my carefully thought out plan to run away with Luca. I hadn’t got very far. Alfie had tracked me down before I’d had a chance to go anywhere.

  ‘For a minute there, I thought you were going to prove me wrong by not doing the obvious thing. But I should have known you wouldn’t let me down. It was a dead cert that you’d come back to your apartment. You’re a creature of habit after all.’

  In hindsight, I realised I’d made a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. Although I’d thought I’d be safe at the apartment, it was too obvious. I knew if I stayed here too long, Nathan would turn up, but I never expected to find Alfie waiting for me. His presence in my home had just shattered my sense of security.

  ‘I think you’ve got some explaining to do, Gemma, haven’t you? Did you really think you’d get away with this? You double-crossed me, and I’m not very happy about that. I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to do that again.’

  I locked eyes with Alfie, hoping he would interpret my stand as a confident gesture. A non-verbal signal that I wasn’t scared of him. But I wasn’t fooling anybody. Alfie could see I was bluffing. He threw his head back and laughed when he realised how terrified I was.

  ‘If you’ve come here to try and snatch my baby, I’m afraid you’ve had a wasted journey,’ I finally answered. I wanted to display a show of strength, but I hoped I hadn’t just said the wrong thing.

  ‘Knuckles, take the baby,’ Alfie said.

  My eyes widened as I craned my neck and stared into the face of the huge man. He placed his hands on the handle either side of mine, and I tightened my grip. I’d betrayed Alfie’s trust, and now he was going to get even with me. That’s the way things worked in his world. It was an unspoken rule.

  ‘There’s no way I’m going to let you take Luca,’ I said, spitting out my words, in my best fighting voice.

  Knuckles wrenched the carrycot out of my hands. I felt hot tears spring into my eyes, but I had to hold them back. This was no time to show weakness. I knew Alfie would thrive on that.

  Channelling my sadness into fury, I straightened my posture and faced Alfie with a look of rage. ‘I won’t let you take Luca away from me.’

  ‘You don’t have a choice.’

  I could see Alfie’s white teeth shining in the darkness, and I had a sudden urge to slap him around the face. Luca was a defenceless baby, and his safety was my only concern. I was prepared to fight for him until I had no breath left in my body. But I didn’t want to escalate the situation, so I managed to keep hold of my temper.

  ‘Relax, Gemma, nobody’s taking Luca away from you, but you look a mess. You need to get some rest. Knuckles is going to take good care of him while you sleep to ensure you don’t slip off into the night again. I can’t have you doing another disappearing act, can I?
Then in a couple of days when you’ve recovered from the journey, we’ll be going back to England.’

  I knew Alfie’s observation was correct. I was reeling from sleep deprivation, and the endless journey we’d just been on hadn’t helped matters. But there was no way I would be able to drift off into a peaceful sleep with Alfie in my apartment. Especially if he was separating me from my son.

  ‘As you’ve broken my trust again, I’m going to have to confiscate your mobile,’ Alfie said, holding his hand out towards me like I was a wayward teenager.

  68

  Alfie

  Gemma was testing my patience. I’d genuinely thought I’d made progress at wearing her down, but I’d obviously misread the situation. I was furious that she’d tried to give me the slip, but now wasn’t the time to have it out with her. I’d have to wait until the morning. Hopefully, by then I’d have calmed down.

  I was hopelessly in love with Gemma, so there was no way I was going to let her go. But I needed to convince her that we had a future together. Once she got used to the idea, I was sure she’d see where I was coming from. I could make her happy if she’d let me. I didn’t want her to be scared of me. I saw Gemma as my equal. She was the only woman who would be capable of taking on the role of my partner. Becoming a Watson would be a lifelong commitment.

  I never thought I’d be grateful to Nathan for anything, but if he hadn’t turned up at Darkwood Manor, the outcome of this story might have been very different. Gemma was too smart for her own good, and if I hadn’t been hot on her heels, she might have been able to get away from me. But I couldn’t deny I had predatory instincts, so I wouldn’t have rested until I’d tracked her down.

  I was going to give Gemma a dose of sleeping tablets to make sure she didn’t do a midnight flit. I knew it was an underhand tactic to give them to her without her consent, but if I’d asked her to take them, I knew she would have refused. The doctor had assured me she wouldn’t come to any harm. He’d advised me to crush the tablets and dissolve them in water for two reasons. Firstly, Gemma wouldn’t realise she’d taken anything, and secondly, it made the medication act faster.

  I couldn’t help smiling when I’d prepared the sleeping pills. A flashback of my granny crushing up a tablet before she gave it to her Rottweiler in a piece of cheese came to mind. He’d happily scoffed it down. I hoped Gemma would be as compliant.

  Gemma was doing a lot of damage to herself through sleep deprivation, so this was for her own good. You only had to look at the dark circles under her eyes to see she was struggling, but Gemma was as stubborn as a mule, and she wouldn’t let anybody help her. She had left me no choice but to take matters into my own hands. Gemma was exhausted, and something needed to be done about it.

  69

  Gemma

  I woke with a start, and for a moment I wondered where I was. I tried to focus but found it hard to concentrate. My head felt fuzzy for some reason. I sat up with my back against the headboard, and as I did, I had a dizzy spell followed by a bout of nausea. What was going on? I felt strange. My breasts were painful and full. Luca must be due a feed. Then, everything started to come back to me, and I suddenly remembered Alfie had taken my baby away from me last night.

  I tried to throw on some clothes, but I had a distinct lack of coordination. When I finally managed to dress, I walked out of the bedroom and into the living area. Jethro had his back to me. He was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows admiring the view of the harbour, holding Luca in his arms. The sight of the two of them together made me feel uncomfortable. I spent a couple of moments taking in the scene, as I tried to control my breathing. But my efforts were in vain, and the more I looked at Jethro with my son, the more my anxiety levels increased. I should never have run away. Now I was at the mercy of the Watsons, and the thought of that made me feel helpless. I cast my mind back but didn’t remember seeing Jethro last night. Then again, I seemed to have a very patchy recollection of the evening. A lot of the details were blurred.

  ‘Hello, Gemma, you obviously slept well,’ Jethro said, turning to face me.

  A smile spread across Luca’s face at the sight of me. I walked across the marble floor and stopped beside Jethro. ‘What time is it?’ I asked before I stretched my arms forward so I could take my son away from him.

  Jethro smiled and the skin at the corner of his blue eyes crinkled. He handed me my baby and checked the time on his watch. ‘It’s just after two,’ he said.

  My mouth fell open. ‘My God!’

  Jethro threw his head back and laughed in the same way Alfie did. ‘You’ve been asleep for twelve hours. The doctor warned us that might happen. He always advises people not to take triazolam unless they plan on sleeping for the next seven to eight hours. But you exceeded that. You must have been exhausted.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ I stared at Jethro with eyes like saucers.

  ‘Alfie gave you some tablets to help you sleep, but he must have given you enough to tranquillise a horse.’

  Jethro laughed, but it wasn’t funny, and I found myself staring at him with my mouth wide open. I couldn’t believe what he’d just told me. No wonder I was having trouble remembering the details of last night. Alfie had sedated me. I could still feel the effects of the tablets. My brain seemed to be working in slow motion, and I was having trouble shaking off the grogginess. The effect I was experiencing was like coming around after a general anaesthetic.

  ‘Why did you let Alfie drug me?’

  ‘It was for your own good. You were exhausted, Gemma. At least he gave you prescription medication to make you sleep and not some illegal Class A drug that you could have become addicted to,’ Jethro said, condoning what Alfie had done.

  I should have known Jethro would justify Alfie’s objectionable behaviour, so I pushed the memory of last night from my head as I tightened my arms around my son and held him close to my chest. My breasts felt like they were about to explode. It had been hours since I’d last fed my baby. But I couldn’t risk giving him the milk as the sleeping tablets would still be in my bloodstream. I’d have to express it and dump it instead.

  ‘Luca’s going to need feeding.’

  ‘Everything’s under control,’ Jethro replied.

  When I turned around to face the kitchen, I noticed the men had found the bottles and the emergency tin of Cow and Gate I kept in the cupboard above the sink. They had made up some formula for Luca and had even managed to work out how to use the steriliser without any female assistance.

  ‘Knuckles changed Luca and gave him a bottle about an hour ago.’

  I raised my eyebrows. I couldn’t picture Alfie’s burly henchman in a daddy day care role. Changing my baby’s nappy and giving him a bottle surely wouldn’t have come naturally to him. I was used to seeing Knuckles as the brutal enforcer for an organised crime gang. Although it would appear my son hadn’t come to any harm at the hands of these gangsters, and I was grateful that Luca had been well looked after, the thought of them babysitting didn’t sit comfortably with me.

  ‘Alfie’s gone out. He had a bit of business to attend to, but he won’t be long. When he gets back we’re going to hit the road,’ Jethro said. ‘You must be hungry. Help yourself to something to eat. Knuckles has left some food in the kitchen for you.’

  The thought of Knuckles in the role of a domestic god brought a smile to my face. I balanced Luca on my hip while I made myself a sandwich with the fresh bread and wafer-thin Serrano ham. Just as I was about to sit down to eat, the front door opened and in walked Alfie and Knuckles. He’d changed character again and was now playing the part of Alfie’s bouncer. Something that suited the huge man much better than the Mrs Doubtfire role he’d assumed earlier.

  ‘I’m glad to see Sleeping Beauty’s awake at last. I’ve got a bone to pick with you,’ Alfie said, scowling at me. ‘I’m a generous man, and I gave you an opportunity to do the right thing. I was kind enough to give you forty-eight hours to tell your husband the secret you’ve been keep
ing from him for over a year. But instead of doing as I asked, you chucked it back in my face. You took the piss out of me. I don’t like being taken for a mug. Did you think I wouldn’t come after you?’

  I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. ‘I’m sorry.’ My voice wobbled as I spoke. I carried my sandwich over to the table, pulled out one of the cream leather chairs and took a seat.

  ‘I bet you are, but you’re sorry you got caught, you’re not sorry that you took my son away from me.’

  My pulse quickened in response to his comment. I was literally squirming in my chair. The features of Alfie’s handsome face hardened as he glared at me. He was right, but I couldn’t admit that to him. I didn’t want this man in Luca’s life, and I would do everything I could to prevent it. Almost instantly, Alfie’s mood changed, and he began to laugh.

  ‘I know the doctor said to go easy with those tablets, but I didn’t think two tiny pills would knock you out for as long as they did. That’s a handy thing to know. I’ll hold on to the rest of them.’ Alfie patted his suit jacket. ‘They might come in useful another time if you get out of hand.’ Alfie winked.

  I was tempted to respond with a barbed comment, but instead, I decided to ignore Alfie and keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want to make matters worse than they already were, so I scowled at him over the top of my baguette before I picked it up and started eating.

  Alfie’s face broke into a huge grin. ‘I’m glad to see you haven’t completely lost your spiky attitude. A good night’s sleep doesn’t seem to have improved your mood in the slightest.’