Fractured (Dividing Line #4)

by Heather Atkinson

  “I think that was his intention.”

  “Bastard. If it hadn’t been Martina’s wake I would have put his head through the wall. Sat there like he was the fucking king, beckoning everyone to him and thinking they should be grateful for it. That dick is on the path to a seriously big downfall and I want to be there to see it.”

  “No, please Ryan. We have to go home.”

  He heard the panic in her voice and pulled her to him. “Of course we will. Ignore me, I’m only sounding off. We can leave tonight if you want?”

  “No, Leah’s asleep, let’s not disturb her and I arranged to meet Beth tomorrow morning. Did you see her? Something’s wrong and I need to know she’s okay before I go home.”

  “Can’t you phone her instead?”

  “No because she’d only lie and tell me everything’s okay. If we’re face to face she can’t avoid the subject. We can leave after lunch.”

  “Alright. I’m afraid if I see Alex I’ll kill him. I’m Leah’s dad.”

  “Yes you are and she loves you. Don’t let Alex get to you, that’s what he wants.” She unfastened his tie and let it slide through her fingers to the floor. “Why don’t you put all that energy into something more pleasurable?”

  Ryan ground his mouth against hers, his stubble grating against her soft skin. His whole body thrummed with anger and lust, just the feel of her fingers on his chest as she unbuttoned his shirt driving him crazy. He pushed her back onto the bed and pulled down her underwear. He took her roughly, putting every ounce of his fury into the act, blocking out everything except the intense pleasure enveloping him, forcing her legs apart even wider and pinioning her hands above her head. He smothered her, burying his face in her hair, her name a loud growl as he came. It was only when it was over that he realised what he’d done. Hastily he released her.

  “Oh my God Rachel, are you alright?”

  She couldn’t reply, locked in the grip of a powerful orgasm that refused to relinquish her. One hand remained tangled in his hair, the nails of her other hand digging into his back. She released one loud moan and finally her muscles relaxed, allowing her to sink into the soft pillows. “Hmmm?” she said dreamily.

  “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  “I’m fine,” she smiled, eyes slowly opening. “Very very fine.” It wasn’t the first time he’d taken her like this and she always enjoyed his fire and passion. Sometimes he’d spend hours lifting her slowly into pleasure, stimulating every part of her body until she couldn’t take it any longer, taking no pleasure for himself so she didn’t begrudge him these furious sessions. On the contrary, she loved the power of him but he was always left with the impression that he’d been too rough. “You could never hurt me.”

  He wanted to show her some tenderness so he removed her dress and kissed her all over. She pushed him onto his back and lay on top of him, undulating her body against his. She threw herself up into a sitting position and he gazed up at her, running his hands over her breasts as she moved on top of him.

  “I need you closer,” he said, pulling her back down to him, hugging her body to his.

  CHAPTER 5

  Rachel didn’t think Beth was coming. She’d been sat at a table in the hotel restaurant for twenty minutes and was thinking about leaving when her friend finally arrived. Beth was dressed immaculately but she was so pale with dark shadows around her eyes. She looked even thinner in the bright light streaming in through the window. Where had her beautiful curves gone?

  “I’m so glad you came,” said Rachel, getting to her feet to hug her, wanting to cry for her friend when she felt her bones beneath her clothes.

  “Sorry, I slept in,” she replied, failing to add that she’d overslept because she’d combined sleeping pills with chardonnay. It was the only way she could drop off.

  “Have you had breakfast?” said Rachel as they took their seats.

  “Yes.”

  Rachel raised an eyebrow. “You really have?”

  “Yes.”

  “You wouldn’t lie to your best friend, would you?”

  Beth crumbled beneath Rachel’s searching gaze. “Alright, I haven’t. I wasn’t hungry.”

  “Have some scrambled eggs. The chef here runs cheese through them, they’re lovely.”

  “I’m not hungry,” she replied, wondering if it was too early for a glass of wine.

  “You must be hungry, you’re so thin.”

  Beth looked down at her hands. “I’m fat.”

  “Is that what Alex tells you?”

  A tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away with a thin manicured hand.

  “Beth?” said Rachel, giving her arm a gentle squeeze.

  She wanted to confide in her friend but she didn’t dare. The last time she’d done that Rachel had confronted Alex and she’d lost her baby. “It’s not Alex. I’ve not been very well.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Beth was grateful for her nursing training because it meant she could come up with a plausible excuse. “I’ve had an overactive thyroid but I’m on a thionamide and Beta-blockers that are helping get it under control.”

  “I suppose that would explain the weight loss and the Beta-blockers can make you feel tired and sick. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You’ve got your new life. I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “Of course I worry, you’re my best mate and even though I don’t live in Manchester anymore, you’re still part of my life.”

  “I’m fine now anyway. I’ve had the treatment and I’m getting better. It’s just going to take some time to put the weight back on.”

  Rachel stared at her hard and Beth forced herself to stare back, knowing this was a test of her sincerity. If she looked away Rachel would know she was lying.

  “Then you can start right now,” said Rachel, ordering two plates of scrambled eggs and two orange juices. “So it’s not Alex?”

  “No.”

  “You two are okay?”

  “We’re fine, honestly.”

  “He’s changed.”

  “Haven’t we all? I want to apologise for what he said to Leah yesterday, he was well out of order but you have to understand how hard Martina’s death has hit him. He’s lost his mum, dad and brother, I think he’s feeling a bit alone.”

  “He has you and the kids and Mikey and Declan.”

  “It’s not the same as the people you grew up with. He’s worried that now Martina’s gone he won’t see Leah again and she’s all he has left of Danny.”

  Rachel thought this was probably true but she also knew that Alex hated her and Ryan and for that reason he was a danger to her daughter. She would do all in her power to keep Alex Maguire away from her family.

  When it came time to say goodbye Beth clung onto her friend.

  “Look after yourself and please eat,” Rachel told her.

  “I will. Promise.”

  “Thank you. I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too.”

  Both women wiped tears from their eyes as they walked away from each other, Rachel back up to her room and Beth outside.

  Beth climbed into the passenger seat of the silver Bentley Alex had bought especially for Nick to chauffer them about in. She bit her lip hard to stop herself from crying, she didn’t want Rachel to go.

  “Did she upset you?” demanded Nick.

  “Only by going back to Devon. God I wish she still lived here.” She smiled at him. “We’ve known each other since we were little kids, we used to be as thick as thieves. I’m not used to not having her in my life.”

  Nick’s opinion of Rachel Law was torn. He’d been impressed by how she’d handled herself after his family kidnapped and tortured her. She was strong and brave. Her and Ryan standing alone together against his five cousins and almost winning had made a huge impression on him. Everyone spoke highly of her, even Frankie McVay. All except Alex, but he was an arsehole. However Nick had seen Rachel’s dark side too and he could never forget t
hat. He knew she was grateful to him for protecting her against his family but it was a relief when she hadn’t spoken to him at the funeral, he’d been unable to get the image of her cutting his mother’s hand off out of his head. Thankfully she’d seemed to sense this and kept her distance.

  He started the engine. “Where do you want to go?”

  Beth shrugged. The boys were at school and the au pair was collecting Holly from nursery. She’d gone from having absolutely no spare time to having bags of it and she struggled to fill the long empty days. She was sure boredom was half her problem.

  “The shops?” he suggested when she remained silent.

  “I don’t need anything.”

  “Friends?”

  “I’m not in the mood for them. They’re all boring and superficial compared to Rachel and Cathy’s looking after Jack, he’s poorly.” Jez’s wife Cathy had become a very good friend to her and Beth loved her, but Rachel would always be her best friend.

  “Beauty parlour?”

  “If I have my eyebrows done once more I’m frightened they’ll fall off.”

  He couldn’t help but grin but he knew Beth was in dire need of some fun. “Why don’t you let me decide?”

  “Okay,” she said, slumping back in her seat, feeling utterly miserable. On the bright side she did feel a little stronger and more alert after the orange juice and eggs. Perhaps she should start taking better care of herself. What would happen to her children if she got sick?

  Nick knew that his brother hated how Alex used them both as chauffeurs and glorified heavies but Nick couldn’t complain. He loved driving Beth about because he’d fallen for her the moment he’d met her. She was sweet, bubbly and fun. At least she used to be. That woman was slowly being eroded away along with her sexy curves by an unhappy marriage and he wanted to stop the process before she disappeared completely. He wondered if she knew her husband had set his mistress up in a big house barely five minutes from her own. His theory was that Beth knew he was shagging around but was blissfully unaware as to how far it had gone. Alex was obsessed with his secret lover, who was so secret he wouldn’t even reveal her name.

  “Where are we going?” she said as he drove them out of the city and into the countryside.

  “To have some fun.”

  Beth gripped the sides of her seat in panic. This was it. Alex had decided to get rid of her and Nick was going to murder her in some secluded wood. Her body would never be found, men like him knew how to make people disappear. Her children and parents would never know what had happened to her. Panic caused her to hyperventilate.

  “What’s wrong?” he frowned.

  “Stop the car,” she gasped.

  “Beth…”

  “Stop the car.”

  He pulled over into the first lay-by he saw and before he’d had chance to put on the brakes she’d thrown the door open and was running into the surrounding fields, kicking off her heels to give herself more speed.

  “Beth, wait,” called Nick, jumping out and chasing after her.

  She couldn’t see where she was going, tears of fear blinding her and she had no idea where she was. All she knew was that she had to get away from him but she hadn’t bargained on how weak she was after all the weight she’d lost and her knees buckled, spots dancing before her eyes, head spinning. The eggs Rachel had made her eat threatened to make a reappearance.

  “Are you alright?” Nick said, crouching beside her.

  “Get away from me.”

  “What have I done?”

  “You brought me up here to kill me, didn’t you?”

  He stared at her in amazement. “No.”

  “Don’t lie. Alex has finally decided he wants rid of me and you’ve driven me up here to bump me off.”

  “Bump you off? Beth, I brought you up here because there’s a posh country estate further up the road. You can go on a tour and it’s got beautiful gardens and a great restaurant. I thought you might enjoy it.”

  She hesitated. “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” he smiled. “I could never hurt you.”

  “So you don’t want to bump me off?”

  “No I don’t and no one talks like that in real life. You watch too many crime dramas.”

  “Oh,” she said, feeling stupid.

  “Did you hurt yourself?”

  “Just my backside,” she said wryly, reminding him of the old Beth.

  “Shall we go back to the car now you know I’m not going to make you sleep with the fishes?” he grinned.

  “Yeah alright, I made a prat of myself, I know that. Just give me a minute, I feel dizzy.”

  He sat on the grass beside her. Thankfully it was warm and dry.

  “Why would you think your husband wants to kill you?”

  “He’s bored of me, I’m an inconvenience. If someone stands in Alex’s way he removes them. He…” She bit her lip to stop herself blurting it all out.

  “Go on.”

  “You don’t want to listen to my troubles.”

  “Yes I do.”

  “Has Alex put you up to this?”

  “Beth, I do have a mind of my own, I don’t just blindly follow orders. I promise I won’t tell him a word you say.”

  “How can I trust you?”

  “I can’t make you trust me, that has to come from you, but I would never betray you.”

  His face was just inches from her own, his gaze intense. She’d always thought he was handsome but now she was so close she could see all the little things that collectively made up Nick Jordan; the small creases around his eyes that crinkled when he smiled, the golden stubble speckling his cheeks and chin, the scent of his aftershave and suddenly he wasn’t just one of Alex’s grunts but a real person.

  “He scares me,” she said.

  “Does he hit you?”

  “Yes.”

  Anger shot through him. “Has he hurt you badly?”

  “Just a few bruises where they won’t show. It started the day his mum died. I remember once not long after Rachel got with Danny she told me about Alex. She said he was darker than Danny, had more of a temper. Danny was the cool calm one who would think things through first, Alex was quicker to violence. She said only his dad and brother were capable of controlling him, but she forgot to add Martina to that list. What do you think Alex is going to do now they’re all gone? I’ll tell you what he’ll do - eliminate everyone he considers an enemy.”

  “Surely he doesn’t think you’re his enemy?”

  “I’m Rachel’s friend and he hates her.”

  “Why? I’ve heard they used to be tight.”

  “They were. When Danny died you should have seen Rachel, she was like an avenging angel hunting down his murderer.”

  Nick thought he’d already seen that side of her.

  “Rachel and Alex banded together to find his killer,” continued Beth. “They were like brother and sister back then.”

  “So what happened?”

  “He won’t tell me and Rachel herself doesn’t know but it’s obvious it’s something to do with Ryan.”

  “He resents her marrying him after being married to his brother?”

  “No, he was fine with that at first. It was a few years after they married that he started going funny, not long before they moved to Devon. Rachel’s the strongest person I know but something happened that was so bad it sent her running down south. I also think that whatever that was was linked to her losing her baby. Do you know her son was stillborn after she was in a car crash?”

  He recalled Rachel’s howl of pain as his mum calmly told her she was responsible. Rachel had launched herself at her and slammed her fist into her face. “I heard.”

  “She was devastated, so was Ryan. It almost split them up. Alex said he hoped it destroyed their relationship but it didn’t. Nothing could do that.”

  “It’s all very strange,” he replied, pondering what the reason could be for Alex’s antagonism, but he didn’t know the family well enough to even attemp
t to puzzle it out.

  “I’m glad they moved down to Devon, at least they’ll be safer, but I’m not sure they moved far away enough.” She looked impossibly sad before wiping her eyes and flashing him another uncertain smile. “You’re so kind listening to all this rubbish.”

  He wondered if she’d think he was so kind if she learnt he’d shot his own mother in the face. “Anytime. So do you want to go to this posh estate?”

  She gave him her sunny smile that had made him fall for her. “Why the hell not? But you’ll need to help me find my shoes.”

  He grinned, got to his feet and held out his hand to help her up. She gave him a shy smile before accepting his hand and he hauled her upright. Nick was shocked by how light she was. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other, still holding hands. Feeling something tickle her bare foot she looked down and released a squeal when she saw a spider crawling across her toes.

  “Get it off, get it off,” she cried, kicking out her leg, catapulting the creature into the air. The danger over, she sighed and shook her head. “I just made an idiot of myself again but I bloody hate spiders.”

  “That was hilarious,” he laughed.

  “Yeah, thanks,” she said dryly.

  He scooped her up in his arms, making her shriek with surprise.

  “I’ll make sure the nasty spiders don’t get you,” he smiled, walking back towards the car with her. “Keep an eye out for your shoes.”

  She beamed and wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting to rest her head on his shoulder but hardly daring. He was just being friendly and probably didn’t feel about her the way she’d just realised she felt about him. When he looked at her again the intensity in his eyes made her reconsider that theory.

  CHAPTER 6

  “You fucking what?” roared Mikey. They were closeted in Alex’s office at the Maguire compound for a meeting and Mikey couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  Alex’s expression was hostile. “I said we’re starting up with the stately home robberies again.”

  “Are you mental?”

  “Right now Mikey you’re one mouthy comment away from being thrown through the bastarding window.”