Duality

by Heather Atkinson

  “Right, what are we going to do with this little lot?” said Jules. “A bit of torture? How do you want to go, modern day or my personal favourite - medieval?”

  “I want to find out if there’s any more of them,” said Rachel, nudging at the blond man with the toe of her shoe. “Then we’ll call the police.”

  “Police?” said Jules, looking disgusted. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Perfectly. We are respectable business people now.”

  “Who like indulging in a bit of torture now and then?”

  “Well, I can’t give up all my vices,” said Rachel, her smile icy.

  “You are one fucking awesome sister-in-law babe,” grinned Jules.

  “Why thank you.”

  “Shall we bring Battler and Bruiser in on this? Get them flexing their very impressive muscles.”

  “I don’t want them involved.”

  “But I like watching them work.”

  “Sorry. Anyway, I’m sure we can handle this pile of shites.”

  Jules smiled maliciously. “You bet we can.”

  Rachel picked up a jug of water and a very sharp steak knife and threw the water over the leader, who woke up with a gasp, eyes widening to see Rachel Law standing over him with a knife.

  Rachel tut-tutted, slowly shaking her head. “You’ve been a naughty little boy.”

  “And you know what happens to naughty little boys,” said Jules, enjoying herself. “They get a fucking good hiding.” She grinned malevolently. “Let’s make him eat the snails.”

  “No,” he cried, holding out his hands in an attempt to ward her off when she picked one up off the floor and dangled it before him.

  Jules threw back her head and laughed. “What a big Jessie.” Her smiled dropped. “But that’s why you only pick on the innocent, isn’t it? The ones you know can’t fight back because you’re a coward. You’re disgusting,” she snarled before punching him.

  “Steady on Jules,” said Rachel, brandishing the knife. “Don’t hog all the fun.”

  As they got to work neither of them noticed Emily hiding in the back, capturing every grisly second on her mobile phone.

  CHAPTER 15

  Ryan’s lip curled as he entered the animal shelter, not liking the sound of dogs barking or the smell. This was not a place he would usually frequent but he was anxious to rid himself of the unwanted Teddy.

  “Hello Billy,” he said, addressing the strapping, dark haired man cooing over a puppy. He and Rachel had kept a close eye on Billy ever since his girlfriend’s stuck-up parents had asked them to get him out of their daughter’s life by any means necessary. They’d lied, made him out to be a violent drug addict when in fact he was a very gentle man who loved animals and loved his girlfriend, Gloria. Her parents, Valentine and Kirsty Halliday - who Rachel was convinced were sociopaths - had been trying to make their lives miserable ever since, sticking their noses into their businesses and trying to make them fail. So far they’d been unsuccessful.

  “Mr Law,” smiled Billy. Realising this boy had potential Ryan was paying for him to go to university and train in business studies in the hope that he would work for them one day. Their support also meant he could still volunteer here at the animal shelter.

  “I’ve told you to call me Ryan,” he said good-naturedly.

  “Sorry, Ryan,” he smiled.

  “How’s Gloria?”

  “She’s great.”

  “And her parents?”

  “Leaving me alone.”

  “Good.”

  “Look at this little fella,” said Billy, showing him the small black puppy. “Some bastard abandoned him in the middle of nowhere. Thank God a hiker found him. He came in with hypothermia. A few more hours and he would have been dead.”

  “Shocking.”

  “Are you here for an animal?”

  “Actually I’m here to ask if anyone’s missing a ginger tom cat. We’ve got one lurking around our house and no one seems to know where it’s come from.”

  “I haven’t heard anything but if I do I’ll let you know, or are you wanting to bring him in?”

  “If I did my wife and children would never speak to me again.”

  “Then let’s hope he ends up staying with you.”

  “Yes,” said Ryan slowly.

  “What’s been going on at your restaurant anyway?”

  Ryan frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “You haven’t heard? When Sam went out on her break she said there were police cars outside The Lighthouse.”

  Without another word Ryan turned and ran out of the building, back to his car.

  “I hope it’s nothing serious,” Billy said to the puppy.

  Ryan abandoned his car at the kerb and attempted to enter the restaurant but was stopped by a constable guarding the door. “Sorry Sir, you can’t go in there.”

  “I own this place,” Ryan snarled in his face.

  The young police officer swallowed hard. “Mr Law?”

  “Yes. Is my wife in there?”

  “Errr…”

  “Oh for God’s sake,” spat Ryan, pushing him out of the way and stomping inside. “Rachel?”

  He was relieved to see her sitting at a table talking to a man Ryan knew immediately was a plain clothes police officer, he could spot them a mile off.

  She jumped up and flung her arms around his neck.

  “What happened here?” he demanded, clinging onto her, noting the spots of blood on the floor. “Are you hurt?”

  “Not me.”

  “Then who?”

  “Four men, the same ones who attacked me and Samantha the other night. They came to finish the job.”

  “And what happened?”

  His heart beat faster when her eyes turned jet black. “They failed. Thanks to Jules too.”

  Spying his sister at the back of the room reluctantly talking to a second police officer he relinquished Rachel and rushed over to Jules. “Are you okay?”

  “Hey, it’s big bruv,” she smiled. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

  Ryan looked to the police officer. “You do know she’s pregnant, don’t you? She should be getting checked out at hospital, not sat here answering your inane questions.”

  “Chill it Ryan,” said Jules. “They didn’t lay a finger on me.”

  “Still, you’ve been through an ordeal. Come on, I’m taking you both home.”

  “Excuse me Mr Law, I’ve not finished questioning Miss Maguire yet,” said the police officer coldly.

  “It’ll just have to wait,” he barked back. “If you lot had been doing your jobs you would have caught these creeps and they wouldn’t have been free to attack my wife and sister today. This is on your heads and I will be consulting my lawyer regarding your staggering incompetence. Jules, we’re leaving.”

  “Sorry, big brother’s spoken,” she grinned before getting to her feet, leaving the police officer red-faced.

  “Come on Rachel, we’re going home,” he told her.

  “He won’t take no for an answer,” said Jules. “He’s so very impressively unstoppable.”

  “But…,” began the second police officer.

  “But nothing. It can wait till later,” said Ryan, stalking to the door. “You want to stop us, arrest us.”

  Jules and Rachel followed him outside, amused.

  “Leave your car here, I’ll drive you home,” said Ryan. “I want to know exactly what happened.”

  “Uh-oh, I think we’re in trouble,” said Jules, hopping into the back while Rachel got in the front passenger seat.

  “You’re not in trouble,” said Ryan as he set off, ignoring the police officers watching them from the doorway of the restaurant. “I just require a full and frank explanation.”

  “I love how you talk,” Jules told him from the back seat. “You sound like a newspaper report.” She then launched into an impression of her brother that had Rachel clamping a hand down over her mouth, shaking with repressed laughter.

  “I’m gl
ad you’re in such high spirits,” said Ryan coolly. “But I see nothing to laugh about after you’ve just been attacked by four men.”

  “They weren’t men, they were just stupid kids thinking they’re gangsters,” said Jules dismissively. “Hopefully they’ve realised just how wrong they were now they’ve met some real life ones.”

  “I am not a gangster,” frowned Rachel.

  “Alright, one gangster and one ex-gangster,” said Jules.

  “Gangster,” sighed Ryan, shaking his head. “How ridiculous. What’s wrong with the term criminal? Not fashionable enough? Anyway, stop deviating from the topic. I want to know what happened.”

  They gave him the full and frank explanation he so desired, after which he released another sigh. “Why did you have to torture one of them?”

  “We had to find out if we should expect more of them to come calling,” said Rachel. “But we don’t. They’re it for their gang.”

  “Thank Christ for that,” said Ryan.

  “I was disappointed,” said Jules. “I was hoping to go on the hunt.”

  “What a ridiculous thing to say,” said Ryan. “And if the police find out you tortured them you’ll be in big trouble.”

  “So what if they do? We were just defending ourselves, weren’t we Rach? We were terrified.”

  “This is not a game,” said Ryan. “You could both have been seriously hurt and Jules, what if one of them had punched you in the stomach? You could be in hospital having a miscarriage right now. You promised you’d take it easier. In the few days you’ve been here you’ve been clubbing and involved in two fights. I’m grateful you were there today to help Rachel but no more taking stupid risks. Do you understand me?” he yelled at her from the front.

  Jules folded her arms across her chest and pouted, preparing for a good sulk.

  Valentine Halliday was pleased to see the pretty young blond who worked for Ryan and Rachel enter his office.

  He got to his feet and greeted her with a benevolent smile. “Hello my dear. It is good to see you again.”

  Emily scrunched up her nose at his leery tone. “Yeah, whatever. I’ve got something you really want to see.”

  “I bet you have,” he said, running his eyes up and down her appreciatively.

  Rolling her eyes she took her phone out of her handbag and held it out to him. He took it off her and squinted at the screen. “What is this?”

  “Press play.”

  “How do I do that?”

  With a sigh she took the phone off him, jabbed at the screen then thrust it back in his hand. He perched on the edge of his desk to watch Rachel Law and her sister-in-law - who was already so famous throughout the Devon area - blatantly torturing a man who was lying on the floor of what appeared to be The Lighthouse and enjoying themselves.

  When the footage ended he looked back up at Emily with a puzzled frown. “What on earth was that about?”

  “I think it was those men who attacked Rachel and that other woman the other night. They wanted revenge.”

  “And they failed to get it. Clearly they hadn’t done their research first. How did you come to be involved in this?”

  “I was at the restaurant when they arrived. Rachel told me to leave but I only pretended to.”

  “And you took this to show me. Excellent work Emily. Well, I promised you recompense if you ever came up with something and I must say this goes above and beyond anything I’d ever hoped for. This will show the world just how savage that family is and how their criminal ways aren’t behind them at all.” He took out his wallet then hesitated. “How about I give you what you’re owed over dinner?”

  “I’ll take it now thanks,” she said, holding out her hand.

  “Oh,” he replied, dumping it in her outstretched hand. “Can I keep this phone?”

  “Well, it wasn’t exactly cheap.”

  He added a few more notes to the pile in her hand. “That should cover the cost of a new one. Treat yourself.”

  “I will,” she grinned.

  “Is this the only copy?”

  She nodded. “I don’t want to look at it ever again, the memories are bad enough.”

  “It must have been so terrible for you,” he said sympathetically. “Sure you don’t want to join me for that dinner?”

  “Sure,” she said before hastily leaving.

  Valentine admired her legs as she left before replaying the video, both shocked and excited by the sheer violence from these two women. He thought it such a shame he’d failed to get the Laws onside because they would have made formidable friends. But, as they’d refused his offer and insulted him and his wife into the bargain, they were now his enemies and he did not want them as enemies, hence his plan to get them out of the way. He smiled at the phone. And here was the perfect way.

  Emily left Valentine’s office feeling like the cat who had got the cream. Not only had she just been paid more money than she saw in a year but - despite what she’d told Valentine - she had taken a copy of the footage, which was safely saved on her laptop, waiting to be transferred onto her new phone. She had an important use for that.

  Ryan was feeling miserable. His wife had been attacked twice, his sister seemed intent on running herself into the ground and an unwanted ginger furball was ruining his clothes. He put his feet up on his desk at the spa, frowning at the fur clinging to the bottom of his trousers and sipped a whisky. He fully intended to see Battler and Bruiser first thing tomorrow morning to discuss recent events. He wanted to be certain no more pathetic little gangs were going to come after his family.

  “What?” he barked when there was a knock at the office door. He regretted his sharpness when Emily walked in. “Oh, I didn’t realise it was you. How are you? I believe you had quite a shock yesterday?”

  She shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m okay.”

  “We appreciate you not saying anything about your presence there. I trust you see the sense of keeping quiet?”

  “I don’t want to be dragged into all that.”

  “Sensible girl,” he smiled.

  As usual that smile almost caused her to faint but she was here for a purpose and she was determined to see it through. “I need to talk to you about what happened in there.”

  “It was just some mindless thugs, please don’t think of them again, they’re not worth upsetting yourself over.”

  “It’s not just that. You see, I have this,” she said, producing the phone and turning it so he could see the screen.

  Ryan could feel his jaw tensing as he watched his wife and sister torture a man.

  “Shocking, isn’t it?” said Emily when the footage ended. “I wonder what everyone would say if they saw this? I mean, at the moment Rachel and your sister are the victims who fought bravely to protect themselves but that could so easily change. Then what would happen? They’d be in trouble and your reputations would be ruined.”

  Ryan screwed his rage up into a tight ball, determined not to erupt just yet. He had to play this carefully. It seemed she was going to use this as a blackmail opportunity but he could be wrong. “What on earth are you doing with this?” he said as calmly as he could.

  “Rachel told me to leave the restaurant but I just pretended to.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I saw it as the perfect opportunity.”

  “To do what?”

  “There’s something I’ve been wanting for a while…”

  “Let me guess, money?” he said, arching an eyebrow.

  “No silly,” she laughed, annoying him even more. “I want you Ryan.”

  “Me?” he spluttered.

  “I’ve wanted you ever since I first saw you,” she said in a breathless rush. “I dream about you constantly and if I don’t have you I’ll go crazy but you hardly seem to notice me. What’s wrong with me? I know I’m pretty and I have a great body, if you’d ever care to see it?”

  “I’m not interested because the only woman I’m attracted to is my wife,” he glowered.

&
nbsp; The look he threw her made her think that perhaps this was a mistake. But she’d heard so much about how Ryan would do anything to protect Rachel that she thought he might be willing to prostitute himself to do it. “There are plenty of men who would snap up the offer to be with me but I don’t want them, I only want you.”

  “And you think the only way you can get me is by blackmailing me?”

  “Well…yes.”

  “And you would be very wrong. Have you seen my wife? Not only is she the most beautiful woman I have ever seen but she is the strongest, smartest, most loving woman on the face of the planet and if you think a stupid, insipid little girl like you could ever compete then you are sorely mistaken.”

  Emily’s cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment. “Not smart talk for someone who is supposed to be so intelligent.”

  “Do you think you’re the first lowlife blackmailer I’ve ever had to deal with?”

  Emily started to squirm with nerves. He’d gone quiet and was just glaring at her and she knew she wasn’t dealing with the respected businessman and local hottie anymore. Instead she was seeing the ruthless gangster. For fuck’s sake this man had killed people. What the hell had she been thinking?

  When she tried to make a run for the door he leapt up and reached it before her, slamming it shut and locking it, his grey eyes cold and unnerving.

  “Give me the phone,” he told her.

  “But I just bought it.”

  “Tough. Hand it over.”

  Reluctantly she dumped it in his hand.

  “Do you have this footage on any other device?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Well it’s true.”

  “I don’t think so and it’s not wise to lie to me.”

  “I’m not and you can’t keep me here.”

  “Isn’t this what you wanted, the two of us alone?”

  When his expression softened she thought she still might be in with a chance after all and she glanced at his desk, tingling with excitement. “Yeah. Having second thoughts?”

  The hard look returned. “No.”

  “What are you doing?” she demanded when he took out his phone and started dialling.

  “Calling Rachel. She’ll decide what is to be done with you.”