Why was she being so stubborn? She would wear herself out completely if she stayed here.
“I don’t want Brent to see me half naked all over again and I’m not leaving you either. Don’t you understand? The last time I left you, he hurt you. How can you ask me to go now?”
My heart fractured in my chest.
“I’m safe here, my heart.”
“Don’t make me go,” she whispered. “Please.”
“Okay, but you need to get some sleep.”
“I can’t sleep on the bed with you.”
“Don’t argue.”
“But the nurses will come and tell us off.”
“I don’t care.”
I started to shift to the side, wincing. She put her hands on my shoulders, holding me in place.
“Dante, you’ll hurt yourself further. Let me help you.”
I didn’t make any complaints as she carefully helped me move over before she curled up by my side with my arm wrapped around her.
“You’re very bossy,” she told me, stroking my stomach gently.
“And you’re stubborn.”
She was silent for a long moment and all I could hear was the sounds of the hospital and Liora breathing.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too.”
I looked down at her. She’d closed her eyes, her hands resting by her head. Even though everything hurt and I wished I’d never moved, having her right next to me was soothing. So I closed my eyes too and let exhaustion carry me under.
***
I managed to convince Liora to let Brent take her home in the morning. The nurse lectured me about having let her sleep on the bed with me when she found us first thing. Liora wasn’t even meant to be with me overnight. Neither of us paid the nurse much mind, but I did ache all over so I supposed she did have a point.
The police came after Liora left, which I was glad about since I didn’t want her worrying further. She was on edge enough as it was. They informed me Zach would be charged with Actual Bodily Harm for his assault on me yesterday. He was being held pending their further investigations into the evidence I’d provided them with on the memory stick. His threats to kill me were enough for them to deny any sort of bail.
I spoke to them in length about why I’d let him do it and what happened in the past. They told me they’d need a written statement and they would be speaking to my siblings too. I was worried they’d push me on why I’d kept this a secret for so long, but they never once made me feel like it was my fault or place any blame at my door. A lifetime of abuse, intimidation and threats was enough to make anyone stay silent.
I was alone for a while when they left. The reality of what happened crashed down on me all at once. After all these years of living in fear, Zach was finally somewhere he couldn’t hurt me, James, Fi or Jen any longer. And I was going to fight tooth and nail to make sure he stayed there.
Maybe I should’ve done this a long time ago, but if I beat myself up over all my mistakes, I’d spend eternity being miserable. I had a lot to live for now and I wanted a life full of laughter. To rebuild my relationship with my siblings. And most of all, to make Liora happy.
When the doctor came to say I could be discharged the next day, I was happy to be going home. It was a miracle I wasn’t hurt worse. They’d wanted to make sure I didn’t have any sort of concussion or further internal injuries. A few bruised ribs, black eye and a split lip. No internal bleeding.
Brent picked me up. I told him to make Liora stay at home since she hadn’t gotten any sleep with me not being there.
“D, I appreciate she’s your girlfriend and all, but she’s been driving me fucking crazy,” he told me as he walked with me up the steps to the house.
“She has?”
“She wouldn’t eat. She wouldn’t sleep. Spent the entire time fretting about you and I swear she told me to take her back to the hospital at least twenty times.”
The door was thrown open before I could respond. Liora stood on the threshold, her green eyes wide before she promptly burst into tears.
“Hey, hey, no crying,” I said as I stepped in.
I carefully pulled her into my arms and held her whilst she sobbed on my chest.
“I’m s…s…sorry.”
“Shh, my heart, it’s okay.”
I kissed the top of her head. Brent walked in and rolled his eyes.
“Come on, Liora, we’ve got to get him upstairs for bedrest. Doctor’s orders.”
She pulled away, glaring at Brent. He put his hands up.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
I shook my head, shutting the front door and taking her hand. I was perfectly capable of walking up two flights of stairs, but she kept checking on me like I was a fragile flower. Not wanting to upset her further, I didn’t say anything until we reached the bedroom.
“Liora, Brent said you haven’t eaten or slept.”
“I’m not hungry.”
She started to help me out of my coat. It still hurt to move around too much so I was grateful, but she couldn’t just avoid the topic. I let her fuss over me and get me settled in bed, then I stopped her from moving away.
“This is what’s going to happen. Firstly, you’re going to stand here and let me put cream on your back, secondly, you’re going to eat something and then you’re going to get in this bed with me and get some sleep. Is that understood?”
“But you’re hurt.”
“No fucking buts. How are you going to take care of me if you’re not taking care of yourself?”
She bit her lip and said nothing.
“Right, I thought so. Now, take your clothes off.”
I sent a quick text to Brent asking him to get the chef to make her lunch whilst she took her t-shirt and bra off. She sat with her back to me. It didn’t look too bad, but I knew she hadn’t been taking care of it.
“Aftercare is very important,” I told her as I took the cream from the bedside table and squeezed some out into my palm. “I don’t want to hear any more about me being hurt from you. I’ll heal in time.”
“I’m only letting you do this so you’ll let me look after you.”
I shook my head as I applied the cream to the fading lash marks.
“I was always going to let you take care of me. Who doesn’t want their girlfriend to act as nursemaid?”
She stiffened.
“I’m your girlfriend?”
“What else did you think you were?”
“You’ve just never said it in front of me… at least not since it became real.”
I finished with her back.
“You need to stand up so I can do the rest. Do you want me to say it more often?”
She stood, shaking her head as she tugged down her jeans and underwear.
“No… I prefer your term of endearment for me.”
I started applying the cream to her behind and the tops of her thighs.
“My term of endearment? Which one would that be?”
I knew exactly what she was referring to, but I wanted to hear her say it.
“Dante…”
I said nothing, setting the cream down when I finished up. She turned to me, looking a little wary.
“I like it when you call me your heart.”
“Well good, because that’s what you are. Now go put some pyjamas on.”
She tugged her jeans off before going over to the cupboards and selecting a pair of shorts and one of my t-shirts. I didn’t say anything as she came back over and got in bed next to me.
“I forgot to tell you Jen and Fi will be here in a bit,” she told me as she kissed my shoulder.
“They will?”
Why were my sisters coming over? I’d known Brent told them what happened and the police were going to speak to them, but they hadn’t come to see me in hospital.
“They said they wanted to talk to you about Zach.”
; There was a knock at the door before it opened and the two of them walked in followed by Brent with a tray.
“Dante,” Jen said, coming over to the bed with Fi. “You look like shit.”
“Should I say thanks?”
They both sat down at the foot of the bed. Brent gave the tray to Liora before retreating. I eyed her. She started eating so I turned back to my sisters.
“Dad really did that to you?” Fi asked.
“Yes. Have you spoken to the police?”
“We did… that’s what we came here for. We told them what he did to us and that we’d testify against him if it comes to it,” Jen said.
“You will?”
“You know we hate him. You’re not the only one who’s put up an act for all these years. We just can’t believe you finally did something about it.”
“Did you tell her about it?” Fi said, pointing at Liora.
“I didn’t tell her what he did to you, no. Haven’t really had a chance to explain everything yet… but James knows now.”
I wanted to. It was difficult when people kept interrupting us though.
“Why didn’t you tell us he murdered Mum?”
“I couldn’t. He threatened to kill all three of you if I told anyone.”
“Why now?”
Because I met the love of my life and Zach stood in the way of our future.
How could I tell my sisters the truth? Would they even understand that love has a fucking strange way of changing you? Even though I loved them and James, it wasn’t the same kind of love I felt for Liora. I would die to keep her safe.
“He did it for me,” Liora said before I had a chance to open my mouth. “To protect me, and he’s spent how ever many years trying to protect you two and James too. So don’t get pissed off with him for not telling you the truth until now.”
The girls stared at Liora for the longest moment.
“I like her,” Fi said. “Is this serious? You better not send her back to Scotland.”
What the fuck? My sisters liked Liora. What planet was I on?
“Of course it’s serious,” I said, frowning at them.
“Well, excuse me, you don’t exactly have a stellar track record when it comes to women,” Jen said, rolling her eyes.
The twins could be incredibly blunt and sarcastic when they wanted to be.
“This is different.”
“Oh, I can see that,” Fi said, eyes softening suddenly. “It’s like we said at the gala… you’re in luuurrve.”
I almost put my head in my hands. They also had the ability to act like they were teenagers all over again instead of twenty five.
Liora grinned before she set the tray on the bedside table.
“So, has our brother been a complete bastard to you or is it just his siblings he decided to act like a dick to?” Jen said.
“He’s fine, most of the time,” Liora said, her green eyes twinkling.
“You two need to mind your own fucking business,” I interjected before the twins could reply.
“Aww, down in the grumps today,” Fi said.
Now I wanted them to leave, but I wouldn’t kick them out. Not when they were smiling and ribbing me. I’d missed this. Missed having my siblings look at me without distain or irritation.
Jen poked Fi in the ribs.
“He’s allowed to be grumpy, he can’t see properly.”
I shook my head. They were right. The swelling still hadn’t completely gone down so I still only had partial vision.
“We should probably leave you two in peace. We’ll go harass Brent. You mind if we stay?”
“As if I’d ever kick you out,” I muttered.
The twins grinned, jumping off the bed. One of them took Liora’s tray and before she could protest, they were out of the door, closing it behind them.
“They’re…” Liora started.
“A pair of troublemakers,” I finished for her.
“I wasn’t going to say that.”
“You were thinking it.”
She smiled, tucking herself under my arm.
“How are you really feeling?”
“Sore.”
“Did the doctor give you anything for the pain?”
“Mmmhmm, it’s in my coat pocket, but I can’t take any until later.”
She took my hand and kissed it before laying her head on my shoulder.
“Will you tell me what happened to… your mother?”
I sighed. It was something I’d been meaning to do. It was just hard to talk about that day. Especially when I had a video to remind me exactly what happened.
“Zach used to hurt her all the time and when he got bored of hurting her, he started hurting me too. And when he realised how much I loved her, he hurt her in front of me as punishment for being a disappointment to him. He’s always been a very jealous man. I think he hated how much she doted on us.”
She looked up at me, green eyes full of compassion.
“I was fifteen when it happened. He’d tied me to a chair on several occasions but I thought nothing of it until he brought in a plastic sheet and then her. I’ll spare you the details, but know it wasn’t pretty. He wrapped her up in the sheet and dumped her body in the Thames. She was found two weeks later and by that time, it was hard for the police to determine much. We were all questioned, but Zach’s friend, you know Marcus who you met at the party, he gave him an alibi so he was never really a suspect.”
“How did she know he was going to kill her?”
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me, only that she had set a camera up in his office. After he took her, the girls found me in there and untied me. I didn’t tell them what happened, but they kept asking where Mum and Dad had gone. I shooed them out of the room and grabbed the camera before Zach came back. I’ve kept it safe all this time. And every time he hurt us, she’d make me sit so she could take pictures of the bruises and she’d document her own. I think she knew one day I’d need it.”
Liora reached up and cupped my face gently, she had tears in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. He can’t hurt us anymore, that’s all that matters.”
And it did. Even after everything Zach had done. I just wanted to put it to bed. To move on with my life because I had Liora and she meant everything to me.
“If this goes to trial, it will be horrible for the four of you to have to testify against him.”
I shook my head.
“I don’t care. He deserves to be put away for it and if that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she just dropped her hand and laid her head back on my shoulder.
“Do you think he’ll implicate my father?”
“Not if he knows what’s good for him. Who would believe him anyway? It’s Angus’ word against his.”
She didn’t say anything further. I hoped I’d reassured her everything would be okay. Only time and speaking to legal counsel would tell.
All I knew is I would stop at nothing to make sure Zach remained behind bars.
Chapter Twenty Five
Liora
Dante was most definitely going to kill me. When he found out what I was doing, he would lose his shit, but I had to. I just had to.
Zach had been formally charged with murdering his wife along with further charges brought against him for child abuse, child sexual abuse and others. He was facing life imprisonment. The problem was he hadn’t pleaded either way yet. I didn’t want this going to trial for Dante’s sake.
He was healing, but his ribs still bothered him. He’d spoken to his legal counsel several times about how things would proceed now the police had charged Zach. They were sure he would be convicted based on the evidence, although some of the charges were tenuous.
I didn’t want to take that chance.
That’s why I’d requested permission to visit him in prison wit
hout Dante’s knowledge. And permission had been granted. Even Brent had no idea I was here.
Walking into the visiting room, I sat down in front of the glass screen and waited. Two prison guards brought Zach in. He looked thinner and had dark circles under his eyes. He was being kept in solitary for his own safety due to the high profile nature of his case.
He didn’t say anything to me as he sat down.
“Hello Zach.”
His lack of acknowledgement bothered me, but I had to press on. I came here for a reason.
“I guess you want to know why I asked to see you.”
This entire thing was crazy. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be about to ask him to do this, but my fear for Dante overrode any concerns I had about seeing Zach again.
“I know you don’t have a good bone in your body nor do you give a shit about your son, but I’m going to ask this anyway. I want you to plead guilty to all the charges. I want you to spare your kids from having to testify against you. From having to go through a lengthy trial.”
After hearing about what Zach had done to his wife and kids, I just couldn’t take it. I didn’t want Dante reliving that. He might be determined to see Zach burn, but I could see how much pain this whole thing caused him. He’d suffered enough. Too much even.
If Zach was perturbed by what I’d just said, he didn’t show it.
“You know, your friend, Marcus, he’s been arrested for providing a false statement about your whereabouts. It’s over now. All of it.”
He sat back in his chair, regarding me with a neutral expression. I wasn’t going to be intimidated by him any longer. When I’d first seen Zach, he’d reminded me of a tiger. He didn’t any longer. All I saw was a weak man who used his fists to intimidate other people.
“I don’t care if you don’t say anything to me. I only came to ask you to do this because I love your son and I don’t want to see him suffer any further. I didn’t come empty handed either.”
That seemed to catch his attention as he sat forward again, spreading his hands as if to say ‘what do you have?’. I’d known coming here without something to give him, it would make it fruitless. A man like Zach dealt in an eye for an eye. He had forced my father into agreeing to a ridiculous blood debt after all.
Provoked Page 27
