by Cara E Holt
Chapter 11
THE LAST COUPLE OF months have been a blur of exams and revision. I feel like I have spent my every waking moment preparing and thinking about these exams. I know I have decided not to go to university just yet, but I still want to give my a-levels my absolute best shot. Grayson and I both have our English exam tomorrow, but tonight my man has something he needs to do that he has been avoiding for some time.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I ask him as we sit in my car staring at his family home.
Grayson nods, frowning. “I’ve got to do it sometime, so today’s as a good a day as any.”
The police have finally released the house, and Grayson could finally come home and grab some of his and Ems things. He has decided not to tell Ems we were coming here today. Grayson knew she would want to come, and he feels it is too soon for her. He is protecting her from any more pain.
When we enter inside the house, it is eerily quiet. My eyes immediately home in on the door to his Dad’s study. If these walls could talk. With his hand in mine Grayson leads us to the study door and taking a steadying breath he opens it and we walk inside. At first glance you would have no clue that a man was murdered in this room, but I gasp when we walk further inside and my eyes fall on the dark red stain on the carpet around his father’s desk chair.
Grayson stills as his eyes follow mine, and he sees the dark stain. There’s a thud from somewhere upstairs and I freeze and look at Grayson on high alert. Grayson puts his finger to his lips and we quietly walk back to the door. We stand there for a heartbeat and just listen, the only is sound is our breathing. There’s a second thud, and it confirms that there is someone upstairs.
Grayson pulls out his phone as quietly as he can and he taps on the keyboard before pocketing back in his jeans pocket. With my hand in his we walk to the stairs and as quietly as we can we make our way up. At the top of the stairs we stop and listen again. My heart is pounding in my chest with anxiety. Who could be here?
There’s a rustling noise and Grayson points towards the east side of the house where his father’s bedroom suite is. As we near the door to his dad’s bedroom, the door is slightly ajar. Grayson puts his finger to his lips again, warning me to remain silent as he looks into the room. He gently pushes the door further open and the noise alerts whoever is here that they are no longer alone. The rustling sounds suddenly stop and there is nothing but silence. I tug on Grayson’s hand, trying to pull him back out of the room. We need to get out of here and wait for the police. Whoever is here could be dangerous. Grayson refuses to budge, and he moves forward until he is at the door to his dad’s dressing room. He peers into the room and there’s no one there, but we find his dad’s belongings scattered all over the floor. Someone is here and they’ve been frantically searching for something.
My world tips on its axis when a hand places a gun to Grayson’s head.
“Don’t move,” says a female voice, and Tess steps from behind the door, keeping the gun firmly against my boyfriend’s head.
“Tess,” Grayson says, holding his hands up in the air. “Why are you holding a gun to my head?”
Her eyes jump from me to Grayson as she tries to watch both of us. She looks unhinged. She’s not as put together as I’m used to seeing. Her face is wet with tears and her hair looks like it hasn’t seen a brush for some time.
“He used me,” she spits. “He cheated on me with that slip of a girl and he was moving her in here, did you know that?” She laughs hysterically. “She tells him she’s pregnant, and he moves her in. I tell him I’m pregnant and he laughs and tells me to crawl back under the rock I came out from.”
“My father was an arsehole, Tess, surely you knew that?”
Tess sneers. “Eighteen months I gave him, I thought he’d marry me and give me the life I deserve, but then she came along younger and more exciting and he replaced me.” Tess cups her belly and it’s only then I notice she is indeed pregnant and I’m no expert, but she must be at least four or five months judging by the small bump. She presses the gun into Grayson’s head and I think I forget to breathe.
I take a tentative step forward and hold my hands up where she can see them. “I’m sorry he did this to you, Tess. You don’t deserve this. Grayson’s dad was a bastard of the worst kind. He was cold and unfeeling and cared for no one but himself. But this isn’t the answer. You have that baby growing inside you to think about.”
A tear falls down her face and she wipes it away angrily. “I begged him. I begged him to think of our child and he just looked and me and smirked and said he wanted nothing more to do with me.” She laughs then, a manic and hysterical laugh. “He underestimated me. You see, I know how to use a gun. My fucked up step-father taught me in between the times he raped me and hit me. And when he choked on his own vomit when I was sixteen, I pocketed that gun and kept it.” She stares at Grayson. “It was so easy. I just pulled the trigger, and he was gone.”
“Tess, you need to put the gun down. You don’t want to do this. You’re not a killer. Tess, you’re hurt and you’re angry, but you are better than this. Be better than him.” I urge.
She gestures with her head at Grayson. “He’ll grow up to be just like him, you know? I’d be doing you a favour if I pulled the trigger. He always looked down his nose at me. Did he tell you we fucked?” She grins. “I wasn’t stupid, I knew he was using me to get one over on his dad. He’s no different though, thinks he’s too good for everyone and that he’s something special.”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Tess, but you’re wrong. Grayson is nothing like his father. He’s loving and giving, and he has made me so happy. He hates the man his father was, and he has made sure that he is the opposite of him.” I take a step forward and Grayson’s eyes burn into mine as if he’s telling me to stop.
I reach out a hand. “Give me the gun, Tess. Step up and be the mother your baby will need. Don’t let him reduce you to this.”
More tears drop down her face. “I just wanted him to give me the life I deserved.”
“I know,” I reply sadly. “He hurt you and there’s no excuse for that, but don’t make Grayson pay for his father’s sins.”
My entire body is tense as I wait and see what she will do next. She slowly lowers the gun and drops to the floor in a sobbing mess. I immediately grab the gun that is by her side and relief floods through me. Grayson grabs me and pulls me into his arms.
Tess looks up through her tears at us. “I’m sorry. I never would have pulled the trigger on you, I’m just so angry and upset.” She looks around the bedroom. “I know he keeps money hidden in here somewhere, I just want what I’m deserved.”
The door downstairs bursts open, and someone shouts that it’s the police. There are heavy footsteps on the stairs and then a police officer bursts through the doorway and he stops when he spots the gun in my hand. I immediately hold my hands up and lower the gun to the floor.
“She confessed to my father’s murder,” Grayson tells the officer as we both stand there with our hands up in the air. “The gun is hers.”
I release the breath I have been holding in, as the shock of seeing my boyfriend with a gun pointed to his head sinks in. The police cuff Tess and escort her out of the house, and I drop to my knees and release a sob. Grayson rushes to me and wraps me up in his arms.
“It’s okay baby, we’re okay,” he assures me, rocking me in his arms as I weep.
“She held a gun to your head. She could have killed you.”
Grayson nods his head. “I know Manchester, but she didn’t because you got through to her. You saved us sweet cheeks. My kick-ass northern girl.”
I laugh through my tears as I cling to him. “It looks like we are making a habit out of saving each other.”
He pulls back so he can see my face. “I think it’s about time we had some downtime and fun and make plans for the future.”
A PARAMEDIC CHECKS me over in the back of an ambulance just as my dad and Sophie come rushing u
p the driveway.
“Everly, thank god,” he exclaims when he sees me and realises that I’m okay. He pulls me into a tight hug before pulling back so he can check over me. “Are you okay?”
I smile. “I’m fine, Dad. We’re both fine.”
“Where’s Grayson?”
I nod my head towards the other ambulance. “He’s in there being checked over.”
“Your daughter is fine,” The lady paramedic tells my dad. “Probably a little shaken up, but she is good.”
“Thank you,” he says to her, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. We walk over to the ambulance that Grayson is in, just as he’s stepping down out of the back.
“Grayson, son, are you okay?”
Grayson nods with a frown. ‘I’m fine. I didn’t need checking over.”
The detective who has been leading the investigation into Mr St. Clair’s murder comes over to us. “Grayson and Everly, we need to get your statements. Are you good to come back to the station now?”
My dad frowns and shakes his head. “Detective, they’ve were held at gunpoint by the woman who murdered his father. Can we at least take them home and do this later or tomorrow?”
I touch my dad’s arm to get his attention. “I can’t speak for Grayson, dad, but I’d rather just get this over and done with now and then we can go home and relax.”
Grayson nods his head. “Same here.”
Dad looks like he might argue with us but he can see I’m resolute so he reluctantly agrees that we’ll follow the detective back to the station.
THE WHOLE VILLAGE IS buzzing with gossip about the whole murder and Tess. At college people stare and whisper, but they soon avert their eyes and shut up when Grayson glares their way. After a couple of weeks, news that Paige is pregnant overtakes the ranks in the gossip ratings and Grayson’s father’s murder becomes old news.
Paige was no longer the confident and sassy girl she once was. At college, she keeps her head down and barely gives anyone eye contact. One thing that no one can miss though, is the growing baby bump.
“Stop looking over at her Manchester. She made her bed and now she has to lie in it.”
I nod, chewing on my lip. I’m sitting on Grayson’s knee in the cafeteria with all our friends around us. “I know you’re right, but look at her, she’s pregnant, the father of her baby is dead and according to the news, the bailiffs are closing in on her parents.”
Grayson sighs and follows my gaze to where Paige sits on her own. “You’re too kind hearted baby, you know that right?”
I shrug. “I just can’t help but feel for her, despite everything she’s said and done.”
Grayson smiles and drops a kiss on my lips. “What do you want me to do, sweet cheeks?’
I fuss with his tie. “Maybe you could give her an allowance you know for the baby? After all, the kid is going to be your baby brother or sister.”
Grayson nods his head, thinking over my suggestion. “If I agree, will it make you stop looking over there with those sad eyes?”
I wrap my arms around the back of his neck. “It would.”
“I guess I have enough money to spare her some,” he says reluctantly. Grayson is much less forgiving than I am. “I’ll get my solicitor to draw an agreement up.”
Grinning, I lean in and kiss him and he holds the back of my head and deepens the kiss.
“Is this what they’re like all the time?” Ems asks and I look up and stick my tongue out at her.
“All the damn time,” Owen grins. “It puts me off my food.”
“Well, you can always go sit somewhere else,” Grayson tells him flatly.
Ems chuckles at her brother and leans her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder. It is strange but good to have Ems here with us. She has settled in to Harper Grange well. No one dared to say a word to her about her father out of fear of pissing off Grayson. She has good days and bad days as she works through her grief and she has started counselling which I think is helping. Owen has been her rock, he has been there for her through it all, and I think Grayson is even starting to see that Owen is good for his sister, just as much as she is good for him.
We are all in college today for revision lessons. Most of us have our last few exams coming up this week, and then we’ll be free.
In a couple of months we will say goodbye to one another and all move on to the next chapter of our lives. I came here broken and alone and today here I am surrounded by good friends and a guy that I know loves me with every breath in his body. We still have our last summer together. We are all spending the summer in Ibiza. One last summer together. One last blow out before we all move forward. What our friends and family don’t know yet, is that we are going over there to buy our future and build our own dream in the sun. Dom and Izzy were off to university together in Carlisle. Lottie was off to study History at Plymouth and Owen was off to Oxford. Yes, you heard that right. Beneath all the bravado, our friend Owen was a brainbox and will one day become a doctor. This was great news for Courtney, who was joining him on the same course there so they would both have someone they knew there. Everything is about to change, but I am excited for my future and I intend to make my mum proud and live my best life in her memory.
“What are you thinking about in that pretty head of yours, Manchester?” Grayson whispers softly into my ear.
I smile, wrapping my arms around his neck. “The future, posh. I’m thinking about our future together.”
“I love you, Manchester,” he tells me, his eyes mirroring his words as he looks deep into my soul.
“Ditto, Posh, fucking ditto.”
The End.
Epilogue
14 MONTHS LATER.
It’s a beautiful night. There’s a slight breeze in the air that stops the heat from becoming uncomfortable. The bar is packed out tonight. You could hear the sea in the background even though it was too dark to see it. I close my eyes and soak in the sea air. I look around at what my guy and I have achieved.
We finished our exams and then dropped the bomb to my dad and Sophie that we weren’t going off to university like everyone presumed we would. My dad wasn’t best pleased, but he realised that there was no persuading me otherwise. I think he was more bothered about me moving to another country than he was about me not attending university. I don’t think he was quite ready to let me go, given he’d only had me in his life for such a short time. By July we were in Ibiza and had rented an apartment while work started on the bar. Grayson had let me have full control over the interior and I’m not going to lie, I’d loved every second of it. It made me realise that my future was in interior design.
My mum’s house sold after two months on the market, selling at just over the asking price. It had been hard locking up for the last time and saying goodbye to my childhood home, but I will always carry those memories with me. I’d used some money from the sale to start my business. I sell home interiors online, and it was slow at first, but my followings on Insta and Facebook were growing and I am now getting regular orders through. I’d also vloged and shared the bar’s renovation on social media and I’d had people contact me asking if I’d work on their home or business renovations. I’ve recently signed up to do a distance learning degree in interior design, and my career prospects were looking bright.
Grayson poured his heart and soul into the bar. Throughout the renovation, he was over here all the time. He project managed the whole thing, and he was passionate about the vision he had for this place. It looked a million dollars. It was crisp and sophisticated with lots of glass and steel, and the pool area was a real party zone. We’d even attracted some big names in the DJ world to have guest residence spots this summer. Our bar was fast becoming one of ‘the’ places to go if you were partying in Ibiza.
With my Strawberry Daiquiri in my hand, I watch Grayson weaving his way through the crowd, stopping to chat and shake hands with the customers. I am so proud of what he has achieved. I mean, we are both only nineteen. It is crazy to think that th
is is our life. I could only hope that my mum and Shaun were looking down on me and they were proud of the life I was carving out here with my man. Yes, we are young, but there is no doubt in my heart that Grayson is it for me. He is my person, the one I am supposed to build a life with and grow old with. I watch Grayson walk over to the DJ booth and they speak briefly before he cuts the music off. Grayson takes a hold of the mic.
“Hey everyone. I just wanted to say a few words. I’ll make it brief.”
Owen heckles him. “Spit it out then!”
Grayson grins at him in response. “I just want to thank everyone for being here for our opening night. It’s taken us a while to get here, but the hard work has paid off. I want to thank our friends for supporting us and being here tonight.”
“Whoop!” Owen shouts and Ems digs him in the ribs and I can see her mouth at him to shut up.
“But there’s someone very special I need to thank above everyone else,” His eyes search the crowd until he finds me. “There she is. My beautiful girl. Ev, you came into my life and shook its foundations. You challenged me, pushed my buttons and I fell under your spell.”
I feel my eyes water at his words and I dab at my eyes with the back of my hand.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without you by my side.” He holds his drink in the air. “I’d like to raise a toast to my girl, Everly. I love you.”
Everyone raises their glasses and cheers my name, and I wipe my eyes and smile at my man.
“Okay,” he says to the crowd. “That’s the emotional bit out the way. Thank you for being here tonight and I hope you enjoy your night at Bar Manchester.”
