‘Oi, watch your mouth. Don’t forget who you are talking to.’ Christopher was getting severely pissed off now. He could see the crowd of people around him whispering and looking at him with disgust. It had been this little prick who had started it, and as far as he was concerned he’d done the decent thing and finished it. If the bloke wanted to get gobby and go in for round two, Christopher was more than happy to oblige. No matter how annoyed Nathan was. No-one was mugging him off.
‘It might pay well for you to realise who you’re talking to actually.’ Wayne glared at Christopher bravely now as he picked up his bag and checked that his camera equipment inside was still in one piece.
‘I couldn’t give a flying fuck if you were George Michael,’ Christopher sneered. Then seeing his brother’s stern look he shrugged. ‘What?’
‘This is Wayne Barnes.’
‘Yeah, thanks for that, Nath. Big help that is, but he already told me his name before I nutted him one.’
Nathan gritted his teeth. If Christopher had just listened for once this week, instead of being so off his face on gear, then none of this would have happened. ‘Wayne’s from GT magazine. He was the one I told you about last week! He’s doing a big feature for us on the big opening night.’ Nathan couldn’t be bothered to elaborate any more than that. What was the point? The night was ruined, and now thanks to his brother so was Destiny’s reputation.
‘Correction. I was doing a feature,’ Wayne said as he flung his rucksack over his shoulder. ‘But don’t you worry, you’re still going to get your column inches. In fact, once the police pay you a visit you might even make front page news.’ Wayne leaned in to where Nathan was standing, not quite brave enough to go nearer to Christopher, but still determined to save face. ‘I’ll be making sure everyone knows exactly what kind of people run this place. And as for you claiming to be straight . . .’ Wayne pointed his finger in Christopher’s direction. ‘You’re not straight, you’re narrow . . . Narrow-bloody-minded.’
Picking up his bag, Wayne stormed across to the other side of the street.
The small crowd of people who had gathered around gradually wandered off. Nathan watched as some of them put down their glasses and left too in unity, and Nathan couldn’t blame them. Christopher had been bang out of order. The attack was completely unprovoked.
‘Do you realise what you’ve just cost us? That man was the fucking key to getting our name out there.’ Nathan glared angrily at his brother. Now up close, he could see the tell-tale signs that Christopher was off his face again. His bloodshot eyes were like saucers and his pupils were dilated.
He looked like shit. Christopher had always been jittery and paranoid, but lately he had become more so, and Nathan was starting to feel that he was getting more and more out of control. He was sick of having to pick up the pieces where his brother was concerned.
‘Shit, Nathan, I didn’t realise he was from the magazine.’ Christopher knew instantly that his apology was too little, too late.
Glaring at Christopher, Nathan was beyond furious. He was physically seething. Even Darren and Russ had the good manners to shut up now.
Shaking his head in dismay, Nathan was disgusted.
‘Stay off the fucking gear, Christopher. It doesn’t fucking suit you. And while you’re at it, stay the fuck away from me tonight ’en all. If the Old Bill turns up, you’re going to get pulled, so do me a favour and fucking well do one. You’ve already caused enough trouble for one night.’
Walking back into the bar, Nathan slammed the door behind him.
Christopher was a liability. There was no way that this bar would work out with him involved. As of tomorrow, Nathan would be running Destiny’s alone.
Christopher was out.
Chapter Twenty-Five
‘Oh. My. God!’ Kelly grinned as she strutted up and down the shoe shop swinging her hips dramatically, before spinning around and planting her hand on her waist in front of the mirror. The second she’d spotted the black patent leather stilettos through the shop window, Kelly had made a beeline straight for them. Dragging her sister in with the pretence that they’d ‘just have a look’, she knew instantly that she just had to have them. ‘I bloody love them. What do you think, Evie?’
‘Not many girls can work a pair of heels like those and I must say they do look exquisite on you.’ Before Evie had a chance to answer, the eager shop assistant standing nearby interrupted, throwing yet another compliment in Kelly’s direction, clearly desperate to make a sale.
‘Yeah, it’s a little problem of mine. I make everything look so damn good. Bit of a trend setter, ain’t I, Evie?’
Evie sniggered and Kelly rolled her eyes now. The assistant was trying just a tad too hard to put on the hard sell, and he really didn’t have to. The deal had been done the second Kelly had clapped eyes on the shoes when she’d peered in the shop’s window as they were passing.
‘Oh I don’t know, Kel, I mean they’re lovely and all that, but I’m not sure they are going to be very comfy for working behind the bar.’ Evie stared at the gold pointed studs that lined the entire heel. ‘They look more like lethal weapons than shoes. You’ll end up breaking your neck going up and down the cellar in those, they have to be at least six inches high. What about some ballet pumps like mine?’
‘Ballet pumps?’ Taking her eyes off her reflection, Kelly turned to her younger sister and stared down at Evie’s plain grey suede pumps. Pursing her lips Kelly wriggled her nose. ‘Evie babe, no offence. But if I had to choose, I’d rather wear sandwiches on my feet than those things. One thing in life I don’t do is flat shoes. I’m five foot two; without my heels I’m barely able to see over the top of the bleeding bar. Besides, there is something about a nice high shoe that just makes me feel, I dunno . . . sexy.’ Kelly shrugged.
Taking in her reflection in the mirror once more, Kelly looked herself up and down, admiring how the high heel transformed her figure. Her legs looked instantly longer and thinner.
Turning to the shop assistant, Kelly smiled. ‘And these bad boys scream sexy. I’ll take them.’
Evie rolled her eyes playfully as the shop assistant led them both over to the tills.
‘Well, we both knew the second I clapped eyes on these little beauts that they were coming home with me, didn’t we? Ballet pumps? What are you like, eh? Still, I guess at least you can get away with them, being so tall and skinny. You’re just like Mum, do you know that? She had a gorgeous figure too.’
‘You’re joking, Kelly. I’d love to have some of your curves.’ Evie smiled meekly now. ‘Plus, I haven’t got a clue about fashion really. Never really bother much with dressing up when I’m at school. The girls there don’t really . . . I don’t know . . . include me in things, you know.’
Evie blushed as she spoke and Kelly could tell that there was more going on with Evie than met the eye. Taking the bag from the shop assistant, Kelly linked her arm around her sister’s as they walked back out of the shop.
‘Don’t include you? Why not?’ Kelly could feel Evie tense up as she answered.
‘They don’t really like me,’ Evie offered, and then saw Kelly’s look of concern.
‘Don’t be silly, how can anyone not like you?’ Kelly laughed.
Shaking her head, Evie finally opened up. ‘Honest, Kel, no-one does. There is this one girl, Madeline Porter. She’s the ringleader I guess. She’s been making my life hell for years. I guess everyone else just follows suit.’
‘What do you mean? That this Madeline bullies you? Why haven’t you said anything, Evie?’ Kelly stopped in the middle of the shopping mall, and looked Evie right in the eye. She could tell by her sister’s burning red cheeks that Evie felt uncomfortable opening up to her about the situation.
‘I didn’t want Dad to worry about me. You know how he can be. He’d end up going down to the school all guns blazing and make things a million times worse fo
r me.’ Evie shrugged. ‘And I guess I just felt a bit embarrassed. I’m not like you or the boys. I’m a coward, Kelly. I hate confrontation.’
‘Listen to me, Evie. You’re far from a coward. You’re just too bloody nice, that’s all. And you’re bloody gorgeous to boot. If those little bitches down at the school are picking on you, it will only be because they’re jealous of you. So you don’t take any notice, okay?’
Nodding, Evie felt a solitary tear slip down her cheek. Her sister didn’t know the half of the torment she’d endured over the years and Evie really couldn’t bring herself to tell her. She had no intention of going back to the school ever again, so as far as she was concerned it was over now. But even so, it felt like such a relief to finally tell someone.
‘If you ever need anything, you come straight to me from now on, yeah? Us girls need to stick together. You can tell me anything, Evie. Here . . .’ Rooting through her handbag Kelly grabbed the spare key that she had intended on giving Evie anyway. Kelly could have kicked herself for getting Evie so wrong. Her sister wasn’t stuck up at all, nor did she think she was above everyone because of her stunning looks and expensive education. In fact, as she had now just found out, none of that could be further from the truth. Evie had a heart of gold, but years of being bullied and feeling lonely had clearly left their mark.
Kelly wanted to help her. ‘This is for you. I was going to give it to you anyway.’
Looking down at the key, Evie cried even harder. Kelly was being so nice. Evie had never had that before.
‘Here, don’t cry. We’re sisters. That’s what we do, we look out for each other. If you ever want to talk about it, or anything else for that matter, you know where I am, okay?’
Ignoring the hordes of shoppers that passed them, Kelly wiped her sister’s tears away with her thumbs, before hugging her sister close. ‘Here, I’ve got just the thing to put a smile back on your face. How’s about you let me give you a make-over, huh? You said you want some help with fashion, and well, hunny, you are looking at the Queen of the High Street. I read Heat magazine like it’s the friggin’ Bible.’
Evie laughed now. She could see that Kelly really was genuinely trying to cheer her up, and after spending the best part of five hours trawling through all the shops at Westfield, there was no denying that Evie really was having a great time.
‘Nathan gave me an advance on my first month’s wages.’ Kelly raised her eyes. ‘What do you say? We can go and get your hair and make-up done, my treat. Go on, it will be a right laugh.’
‘Okay.’ Evie smiled again
‘Good.’ Kelly beamed. ‘First, thing’s first, though. If I’m going to sex you up Kelly-Stranks-styley, those ballet pumps have got to go.’
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nathan didn’t know what to say. Cassie was putting on a fairly convincing act of being okay, but he knew from her phone calls this week that she was anything but.
‘I didn’t know if I should bring a bottle of wine with me or not. I wasn’t sure how you’d be feeling. If you’d even want a drink?’ Nathan placed the bottle down on the table; he wished he’d brought flowers and chocolates now instead. He’d figured Cassie could probably do with a drink, so he’d picked up a nice bottle of wine.
‘I won’t, thanks.’ Cassie shook her head. ‘I couldn’t . . .’
‘I won’t either then.’
‘Don’t be silly, have one. The world doesn’t stop turning just because I’m an emotional wreck.’ Cassie smiled, but Nathan could see by the sadness in her eyes she was just doing what she always did – she was pretending not to let things bother her. He could see that she’d been crying again too.
‘You look beautiful.’ She did. As always. Cassie was perfectly understated, like she didn’t even have to try. A simple black dress clung to her tiny figure, and her hair was twisted into an up-do just the way he liked it. With a few loose curls cascading down, softly framing her beautiful face, Cassie was naturally stunning.
‘Don’t. I feel like shit warmed up.’ Cassie was convinced Nathan was just being kind. She knew that she looked awful; she’d barely left the flat for days now. She’d not even been in to work. No amount of concealer could cover up her blotchy skin, or her puffy eyes. So tonight she hadn’t even bothered. Instead she’d just chucked on a plain black dress and shoved her hair messily up on top of her head.
Having respectfully given Cassie the space she had asked for, Nathan was glad that instead of facing her demons alone, she was finally letting him in.
‘How are you feeling?’
‘Ah, you know, I’m up and down.’ Cassie shrugged. She’d spent near on the entire week sobbing her heart out, and now she just felt numb. She couldn’t get little Jacob Mulligan out of her head. She knew that she had let her professional guard down, but how could she have not? Jacob was a real character, and she couldn’t help but fall in love with him.
All she kept thinking about was how she’d walked into the hospital, clutching that stupid box of Coco Pops that she’d promised him. Cassie’s timing, as ever, had been infallible. It was like her sixth sense.
As soon as she had seen poor Sally Mulligan talking to the surgeon, Cassie had known.
Jacob was dead. He hadn’t survived his operation.
Cassie didn’t remember dropping the box of cereal, or how she had run to be at Sally’s side as the woman collapsed to her knees in a heap on the floor, her howling screams echoing loudly down the corridor, like a fatally wounded animal. Cassie would never forget the turmoil she’d seen in the woman’s eyes. Sally was inconsolable. She was trapped inside herself, overwhelmed by her uncontrollable grief, completely distraught – until the doctor administered the sedative.
‘I just can’t believe it, you know. I can’t get my head around it all. I know it’s my job but God, this just feels so hard. I can’t believe that the poor little lad is gone. I can’t get the image of Sally out of my head. She was devastated, Nathan. It’s like she’s an empty shell. It’s like the lights have gone out in her eyes.’
‘Have you spoke to her today? How’s she doing now?’ Nathan asked seeing Cassie’s eyes glazing over as she spoke.
‘She’s doing better, I guess. As well as can be . . .’ Cassie had spent hours with Sally over the last few days; they’d both sat and drunk coffee like it was going out of fashion, while Sally had relayed every story she could recollect about Jacob.
They’d laughed and cried together, and Cassie had been enthralled as she listened. It was as if their words and thoughts were keeping Jacob there with them.
‘I should never have let myself get so attached to the boy,’ Cassie said sadly. Unable to suppress her tears once more, she broke down. ‘I need to pull myself together, Nathan, but I just feel so sad. Life is so bloody cruel.’
‘Come here.’ She was sobbing now, and Nathan hugged her to him. ‘You’re only human, Cass. You’d have to have a heart made of stone to not let your feelings get in the way sometimes.’ Nathan hugged Cassie hard as he spoke, feeling her body shake with emotion. He’d give anything to take her pain away.
‘Do you want a drink, Cassie? Shall I pour you a wine?’
Cassie shook her head.
‘How about something to eat?’
‘I can’t, Nathan. I can’t keep anything down.’
Cassie pulled away then. Wrapping her arms around her, she took a step back.
All day she had waited to see Nathan; after almost two weeks apart and endless phone calls, she’d been dying to see him tonight. Now he was here, she wasn’t sure anymore.
All day she had told herself that everything would be all right. All day she had rehearsed what she was going to say. Now, with tears streaming down her cheeks and the feeling of nausea in the pit of her stomach, Cassie didn’t know how she was going to tell him.
So she just blurted it out.
‘There’s somethi
ng else, Nathan.’ Cassie spoke quietly.
‘I’m pregnant.’
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The words had barely left Cassie’s lips when they heard the loud rap at the front door.
‘It’s a bit late for visitors, isn’t it? Shall I get it?’ Snapping out of his trance, Nathan looked at Cassie questioningly. He felt numb with shock at Cassie’s revelation, unable to find the right words to say how he felt. Whoever it was at the door had just given him an extra few minutes to digest everything.
‘Yeah it is late, isn’t it? No, don’t you worry, I’ll go. It might be Sally. I told her to pop round any time, night or day.’ Wiping her eyes, Cassie went to open the door.
Stepping back as she saw Christopher’s huge frame looming in her doorway, Cassie tried to remain composed.
‘Oh, Christopher? Is everything okay?’ Cassie asked. Nathan’s unruly brother was the last person she expected to see at this late hour.
‘Yeah, not bad, Cassie. Just thought I’d pop over with the takings. I did try and call first, but Nathan still ain’t answering his phone, so I’m guessing that he still has the raging hump with me. Is he here?’ Having just snorted another line of gear, Christopher tried his hardest not to ramble. The girl had a stupid look on her face, staring at him like he had two heads or something.
‘Yeah, er, why don’t you go on through.’
Walking through the flat with Cassie traipsing behind him, Christopher entered the lounge where Nathan was still sitting. Clocking the look on his brother’s face, Christopher knew instantly that his presence wasn’t welcome here.
‘I won’t stay.’ Christopher nodded to Nathan, then glanced around the room. He couldn’t help but notice how pokey the place was. It wasn’t up to his brother’s usual high standards of living quarters. Still, his brother would probably be happy to live in a shed if it meant that he could spend all his time with his so-called precious Cassie. ‘I only brought you the money from the bar. Tried to call, but . . . Well, you know. You ain’t answering my calls.’
Bad Blood Page 17
