by K A Sands
“I think so.”
“Will you bring him home?”
“Yes.” Firm, resolute. Kayleigh was not keeping my son a second longer than I could help. “If I need to run...” I couldn’t finish the sentence because I knew what I was asking of her, and it wasn’t fair, especially when she’d just found her own family.
“I’ll run with you.”
My phone went off again and I hurried to grab it, this time Ryder was calling. Accepting, I waited for whatever shit news he was going to throw at me.
“You sure that’s him?” No pleasantries, straight down to business.
“He’s not a man I’d ever forget, Ryder.”
“No. I don’t suppose he is.”
“Has Tony found Kayleigh yet?”
“She hasn’t been home. That arsehole showed up about an hour ago, he’s still inside. Has two other blokes with him.”
“He just walked into her house?”
“Broke in. Nobody batted an eye.”
“They looked the other way.”
“Where would she be, Warren?”
“I’ve no idea. I told you already, I didn’t keep tabs on her or the people she hung around with.” Now, I was thinking that had been a huge mistake.
Ryder echoed my thoughts. “Maybe you should have.”
“Why the interest? You don’t need to be involved. I can work something out with Tony if she doesn’t show up soon. She does this quite often just to piss me off, it’s not like it’s anything new.”
“You’re my business, Warren,” his aggravated tone was noted. “Chrissie is my sister. I want her happy, and you seem to be able to do that. I’m obliged to help.”
“Well, thank you. But I can handle it.”
“Stop it. Take the help, let us try and get your kid where he belongs, yeah?” I didn’t answer, not wanting to be beholden to my boss. I was a grown man, perfectly capable of sorting out my own mess. I’d been dealing with Kayleigh’s shit for years. “Where would she hide?”
I’d been thinking it over while painting the wall in the spare room and the only place I could come up with was a long shot. There was one person, but I wasn’t sure if my ex was still in touch with him, whether they were still friends or whatever the hell they’d been when I’d caught them banging.
“My ex best mate. Clive, maybe.”
“You have an address?”
He’d lived in a bought flat, so I rattled off the address I barely remembered, crossing my fingers he still lived there. For being insanely stupid at times, Kayleigh could also be smart when she wanted to be. Clive suddenly looked like a smart choice to me.
“Don’t spook her. If she’s there and you rattle her, she’ll run.”
“God, Warren. So fucking naïve, mate. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
“What do I do?” I asked, ignoring his last comment.
“Where are you?”
“Where do you think?”
“Then sit tight. If you think of anywhere else she might be, text me. I’m going to get Shaun to go over to her place and watch what’s going on there and send Tony over to this Clive’s place. I’ll call if I have anything.” Ryder hung up done with the conversation.
“Sit tight he says,” I scoffed, wholly unimpressed. I grabbed angrily at my clothes, first yanking on my jeans and then my t shirt. Hunting around for my shoes, I paid no heed to the socks under the bed.
Then I paused, one hand across my mouth and my heart racing like a bloody freight train. “I don’t even know what to do. Maybe I shouldn’t have come here, should have been out looking for my kid instead of waiting for someone else to do it.”
Chrissie got out of bed and roughly shoved her dressing gown on while walking up to me and stepping into my space.
“No. Nope. You’re doing this the right way. Tony finds people, right? Isn’t that what he does best. You need to trust him.”
“If she takes him and I can’t find him...” I didn’t want to think on it a minute more because I knew I’d kill her myself.
“It’s time for these games to stop. When they find her, and Ryder will, he’ll make sure it’s the last time she fucks with you.”
Ryder was not the sum of what you saw, he was far more connected and entrenched in seedier things than even I realised. I didn’t live the life these people did, not now or ever. I was in way over my head, but I took comfort in what Chrissie was saying. For all the things Ryder was and wasn’t - family made him tick.
“I need to go.”
“You do, yes.” Her palm rested on my chest, her eyes bright for the first time in days and she gave me a heart stopping smile I felt right down to my feet. “But come home.” She brushed her hand up to my shoulder then up across my cheek. “I need you to finish painting Kieran’s room.”
I laughed, relaxing slightly. “When did you do all that?”
“I was hopeful. It’s not too presumptuous? I don’t want to step on any toes.”
“Chrissie, it’s perfect, sweetheart. Don’t doubt it. I love that you did that.” I kissed her long and hard, my gratitude conveyed in the tangle of tongues and the way I left her breathless. “We’ll both be home,” I accentuated the word home, “as soon as I have him.”
“Good,” she sighed. “I don’t want the world, just you, I promise.”
We pulled apart and while I sat at the bottom of the bed to put my shoes on and lace them up, Chrissie disappeared from the room. By the time I’d reached the downstairs hallway, she was standing in the kitchen doorway holding out a travel mug, the aroma of coffee heavy.
Grinning, I took the mug from her. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“Absolutely. Now get, you have a little boy I need to meet properly. Bring him home, please.”
This woman couldn’t get any better if she tried. I was a lucky son of a bitch and never letting her go, not for a month of Sunday’s.
Chrissie
Okay. I blew out a nervous breath, excited about life for the first time I could remember in such a long time. I had nothing hanging over my head any more, did I? I’d put my torrid relationship with Shaun to bed, had a sort of understanding with his boyfriend, Ayden. I smiled at that. I had to move on. Sure, I had regrets for the things I’d done but it didn’t mean I had to pay for the mistakes I’d made over and over.
I had a brother. One I’d refused to have anything to do with but when the chips had been down, and I’d found myself in an impossible situation, the only person I could think to call had been him. He’d shown me who he truly was. What a bloody idiot I’d been. I’d lost another year because I’d been too bitter and twisted over what Charlie had done, what he’d kept from me. Look where it had got me - nowhere.
Well, dear Dad, all that was changing. No longer would I sit back and watch from the side-lines, feeling jaded and hopeless. The world would not pass me by a second longer. I’d watched for far too long, been content enough to be everyone else’s plaything, a means to an end.
Warren had shown me I was worth more, more than anyone had thought. More than even I’d believed.
I had time on my hands now. I could sit here and worry or get the hell on with making a little boy smile.
What had come over me was a mystery. Before hiding in my bedroom, I’d gone online on pure impulse and shopped. It seemed important, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. Perhaps a show of commitment, to make sure both Warren and Kieran understood I was all in. That I wanted them both; Warren and Kieran were a package deal.
Making a coffee for myself, I stood at the counter and chewed on my lip. There was one last person I needed to make peace with, to apologise to. For some reason reaching out to her would probably be the hardest to do.
Sophie, the woman whose life I’d saved that awful day I’d ran into Shaun’s flat and encountered the horror in front of me. I was used to blood and violence, after all my father had been a master corruptor and abuser, the best at wielding his wrath to keep his men in line. That day had been vastly
different knowing whose bloodied body I’d been holding in my arms. I don’t think I’d ever truly been scared until then.
We’d never seen eye to eye, more my fault than hers. I’d perceived her as an obstacle to getting what I wanted with her brother, Shaun, and my behaviour toward her had been downright disgusting from the day we’d met. My actions and words toward her were something to be utterly ashamed of.
I couldn’t call Shaun, Warren had said he was helping Ryder and I wasn’t quite on the ‘hey, mate’ road with Ayden either. She lived at the Loft with them but the few days I’d been there, I hadn’t seen her once. Taylor was my best bet. Before getting cold feet, I called my sister-in-law. This was my family; these people were going to be a part of my life. Embrace it, my head whispered.
“Hi Taylor,” I chirped after dialling the number and I heard the call connect.
“Chrissie! How are you feeling, darling?”
Mama Bear. Claire’s words rang in my ears. “Better. I’m feeling better.” And it was no lie.
“I wish you’d stayed longer.” Her soft sigh hit me in the chest and I felt guilty for practically running out on them after all they’d done for me. Ungrateful bitch I was.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to go home. Decompress.”
“I understand, I do. Listen,” she paused and muffled the phone for a moment before coming back on the line. “If it’s not too much, I’d love to drop by. Make sure you’re all right, have everything you need.”
The woman was a mind reader, I swear. She’d saved me asking that very thing in a much more awkward manner. “I think I’d like that, Taylor.”
“You would?”
“Very much. Thank you.”
“You don’t mind a little terror tagging along do you?”
I chuckled. “Not at all. I need to get used to having kids around.”
“Oh? Oh, right. Warren.”
I didn’t answer her assumption, there was no need, instead jumping into the other reason I’d called. “Um... Is Sophie with you by any chance?”
“She is, love. Her little one is being fussy, so Laura is playing the perfect aunt. I swear she has the magic touch with these kids.”
Hesitating, I suddenly thought it wasn’t such a good idea. Oh hell, I had to start somewhere, I could do this. “Do you think she’d come with you?”
“I can ask her. She might want some company of her own age. Us oldies are boring.”
“Okay,” I whispered, my confidence waning the more I thought about Sophie. Why the fuck would she want to come and hang out with someone who’d been nothing but nasty to her?
“Chrissie, sweetheart,” Taylor sniffed down the phone. “We’re your family, darling. Including Shaun’s sister. If not today, then soon. It will happen, there’s always room for another friend, you know. Both you and Sophie could do with a few more.”
“I’d like to finish doing a room for Kieran.”
“The spare room? Oh, that would be a lovely space for him. Give me an hour or two and I’ll be there. Might even treat you to some pastries from down the waterfront,” she laughed.
“That means the world.”
“Chrissie, thank you. I know how difficult this is. We’ve waited a long time for you and we’re really happy we have a chance. Ryder is over the moon, let me tell you.”
I had no idea how to reply, my eyes stung with tears, happy, emotional tears. I could see Taylor becoming an important part of my life, just as much as Ryder and it didn’t scare me any longer. It was early days, of course it was, but I could keep hope that I was going to get my fairy tale.
The family. The man. The house. The kids... My favourite dream.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“That you will. We’ll have that room done for Kieran in no time at all.”
Warren
I went straight to Clive’s. The hunch I had, felt increasingly right. He was the only thing I had to go on, the only person and place I could think of. If he even still lived there. I had to keep my fingers crossed I wasn’t wrong.
From what I remembered, the flat Clive had bought wasn’t in the best of areas, he’d got it below market value for that reason. He had been a brick layer back then, so I imagined he wouldn’t have gone much further in his career unless he’d gone back to college. Clive hadn’t been that kind of guy, was a grafter, liked working with his hands. His aspirations had never been lofty, he just wanted his own pad and a job that paid his bills, allowing him to drink and fuck his way through life. I had never been good enough for Kayleigh and I’d always had a decent job, a career, I didn’t imagine her feeling any better about Clive and his philosophy on life. Unless she’d loved him, and who knew? Maybe she had.
Honestly, in hindsight, Clive and I had never really had all that much in common yet somehow, we’d ended up best friends. I’d liked him, hell, I’d loved him like a brother until the day he’d thrown it all away for a piece of arse. My wife’s.
Was he still in the picture? Million-dollar question.
There was nothing and no one else to go on. She had to be there. As long a shot that it was, I refused to sit idle with my kid potentially in a volatile situation because of Kayleigh’s greed and stupidity. Tony would be around somewhere, I could coax him into coming up to the flat with me.
Driving quicker than I probably should have, I thought it would be better if I found her first. Who knew how violent that sick fuck would get with a kid he’d probably see as collateral damage? Yannick was a scary motherfucker to look at, he’d certainly frighten the shit out of my boy, even if he didn’t open his mouth. He was the stuff of nightmares for a five-year-old
Kayleigh had fucked up big time. She wasn’t getting the chance to drag my son down with her.
Pulling up one street over, I got out of the car and looked around. The estate was worse than I remembered. A car sat on bricks at the end of the street and I noticed most others were bangers years old. I prayed my car was still in one piece when I returned.
Spotting Tony’s black Range Rover the second I turned into the next street; the relief was instant. You couldn’t miss him among the shit cars lining both sides of the road. With the early evening light dimming, the streetlights were starting to come on and show enough of the neighbourhood. He was sat behind the wheel with his head tipped downwards as if concentrating on something in his lap. He couldn’t have been there for more than an hour or two, if I went on the timing of Ryder’s call and the amount of time it had taken me to get from Chrissie’s house in Brighton.
Rapping on the passenger window when I came up beside the car, he swiftly slanted his head, motioning me to get in. He wasn’t surprised in the least to see it was me knocking for his attention. Heaving the door open, I climbed on up, jumping into the seat and slamming the door behind me.
“Anything?”
“Oh yeah. Lots of folk left about ten minutes ago. Don’t know if this Clive guy was one of them but the lights are still on. He still lives there, the flat’s in his name.” He pointed down the street. “And her car’s here. That’s hers, right?”
“Yeah.” My gut clenched.
“There’s no sight of her, so I don’t know if she’s inside. Seems likely though.” He scrubbed at the stubble on his jaw. “You want to call her again?”
“No. I’m going up to his flat. You coming?”
“If it keeps your arse out of trouble, sure.”
I made to move but Tony grabbed the sleeve of my coat. “First sign of any shit going down and you leave. If your boy’s there, you take him and don’t look back. You hear me?”
His phone lit up on the dash and he grabbed for it, glancing down and muttering the word shit a few times. Something was up. “Let’s go. Shaun says the big guy is on the move.”
Scrambling from the car, I approached the bottom flat door almost at a run. It was a security door but a fat lot of good it did, the panel was burst and the entry open.
“Which door?”
Pointing upwards I
told him, “First door you come to on the second floor.”
“It’s not clear from the outside, I just want to make sure.”
The hallway smelled of piss and I wrinkled my nose the further up the stairs I went, the place had definitely deteriorated since Clive had bought it. Tony stopped outside the flat then turned with his finger to his lips. Trying the handle, I was surprised when the front door opened easily, and Tony pushed inwards.
There was a tv on somewhere but otherwise the flat appeared quiet as we moved inside. Then I heard it, the undeniable sound of two people having sex. It was crude, and it was loud, and I cringed the same way Tony did. The coupling didn’t sound all that much fun to me. When Clive called out Kayleigh’s name, I stopped dead in my tracks. She was here, so where the hell was Kieran?
Tony stuck his head around the door of the living room and retreated just as quickly, looking back at me, pointing into the room. Moving around him, I almost fell to my knees at the sight that greeted me. Kieran lay on an old leather sofa, a blanket wrapped around him and his thumb stuck in his mouth. His eyes were glued to the movie playing on the screen in front of him, one of his favourites about racing cars that talked.
Relief almost put me on my knees, the sight of my son unharmed and seemingly appeased by the movie, calmed my anxieties a little. I could take him home now and I’d be fucked if Kayleigh was ever getting her hands on him again without the fight of her life.
He hadn’t yet seen me, and I didn’t want to startle him, so I stood a minute looking for any signs of distress I might have missed initially. There were none that I could see, and I heaved out a breath.
“Daddy!” he cried when he noticed I was standing just inside the room. Stepping quickly over to him, I crouched down in front of the sofa, my hand smoothing through his hair.
“Hey, we have to be quiet, okay?”
Nodding his head enthusiastically, like this was a big game for him, I gave Kieran the best smile I had to ensure he would stay calm. “You wanna come home with Daddy?”
