Impact (The Fight for Life #2)

by K. A. Sterritt

  “How did he die, Leo?” Jules asked after a few minutes silence.

  “Stab wounds to the chest.” He took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. “He bled out.”

  “Oh my God.” She gasped. “That is horrible.”

  I nodded. “I can’t enjoy the sunrise because that’s when I found him. Until you, I couldn’t be in that house because that’s where he died.” I paused to take a breath and compose myself before continuing. “Most of all, I hate being so full of rage because I have no closure.” I looked her in the eye and saw nothing but compassion. “It’s exhausting, Jules.”

  “You don’t know who did it?”

  I shook my head. “Unsolved murder.”

  “So the caged Muay Thai and Buddhism helped you channel your grief and your rage.”

  She understood. “The cage fighting was such an incredible outlet, but I want more now.” I gave her my hand and helped her to her feet. “I want more for us.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me lightly. “I just want us.” She whispered against my lips then rested her forehead on mine.

  I was irrevocably in love with this girl.

  Both our gazes returned to the headstone and we stood in silence for a few minutes before Jules asked the question that had most likely been running through her mind.

  “What does your mother have to do with it?” I’d been wondering how to answer this question since she found out. “I mean. You lost your father, but she lost her husband. Why is she dead to you?”

  “I’d like to explain it to you when we’re at the house if that’s okay?”

  “Of course.” She looked at me and smiled. “I’m just so happy you’re finally telling me.” She squeezed my hand. “It means a lot.”

  She leaned into my side as we walked back to the car hand in hand. I had never taken anyone to his grave despite Bea’s annual request. She gave up asking a few years ago. It’s always just been something I wanted to do alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Juliette

  A red Honda pulled out from next to the Jeep when we rounded the corner of the Church. I only took note because the driver spun the tyres on the loose gravel and then fishtailed. Ease off the throttle, I thought to myself then mentally chastised myself for thinking about it at all after what Leo had just shared with me.

  I sat sideways on the seat with my back to the door so I could give my full attention to Leo. “Thank you.” I just felt compelled to let him know again how grateful I was that he had shared such a big thing with me on today of all days. I’d had no idea it was the anniversary of his father’s death.

  He glanced sideways at me and smiled before watching the road again. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you were there.” He reached his hand over and took hold of mine. “It was easier with you there.”

  “I’m glad.” I picked up his hand and kissed it before letting our joined hands rest in my lap.

  I was so happy to see the farmhouse come into sight a short time later. It had been winter the last time I was there, and it looked so different in the spring. Ivy covered most of the house in green and wildflowers bloomed everywhere.

  “Wow. It’s even more beautiful than I remembered,” I gushed as we rumbled down the cobbled driveway. I was eager to get out of the car. “It was freezing last time we were here.”

  “I’d rather not think too hard about the last time we were here, to be honest.” I glanced back at him and could see his jaw clenching.

  When he pulled up, I jumped out and headed straight for the back garden. The gazebo was no longer visible. Thick wisteria covered it in a purple blanket, and the smell of jasmine filled my nostrils. It was glorious and I just stood there taking deep breaths.

  “I have a surprise for you,” Leo said, appearing at my side.

  “What?”

  “Come on.” He took my hand and led me through the back gate and across the field towards the neighbour’s fence. We climbed over the style and dropped down onto their side.

  “What’s going on, Leo?” I asked, intrigued.

  “This is why I suggested you wear jeans this morning.”

  I glanced down at my jeans and white Converse sneakers. I’d just thought he was going to put me to work around the farm.

  “Can you give me a clue?”

  “I know you’ll love it.” His cheeky grin made me smile. “That’s your clue.”

  I looked around. All I could see was the back of his neighbour’s house and a stable block. Then it hit me. I’d told him I loved horses.

  “We’re going riding?” I could barely contain my excitement waiting for his confirmation, which came in the form of a nod and a smile.

  I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. “I’m so excited.” I might’ve squealed a little. “You are amazing.”

  “I just want to see that smile all the time.”

  “Oh my God.” I was a swooning puddle of jelly.

  He took my hand and we walked the rest of the way to the stables. An older lady came out of the stables, trailed by a couple of dogs.

  She smiled warmly. “Leo. Hi.”

  “Hi, Wendy,” Leo said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “This is my girlfriend, Juliette.”

  I shook her hand. “Lovely to meet you, Wendy. Thank you so much for this.”

  “Anytime. Seriously. I’m always looking for extra help exercising my horses.”

  My face nearly split from the grin I couldn’t contain. It was like a dream come true.

  “Come on.” She beckoned us with a wave as she headed back into the stable block.

  Nostalgia hit me square in the nostrils when I inhaled the combined smell of hay and horse manure. It reminded me of the good times spent with my grandparents and how much I had loved my time at the farm. I counted four horses in the stalls, plus the two already saddled up.

  “These are your mounts.” She pointed to the smaller of the two, a chestnut. “This is Tony.” She then pointed to the larger black horse. “And this is Thunder.”

  She showed us to the mounting block, and before we knew it, we were clip-clopping our way down the stone path leading us back to the field.

  “Follow the trail at the end of my field,” Wendy called out. “It’s beautiful this time of year.”

  “Thanks, Wendy,” we both called out over our shoulders.

  Wendy had been right. We were surrounded by nature exploding in all its glory. There were a few clouds gathering to the south, but other than that, it was a perfect spring day. I knew I could be happy with Leo anywhere, but this was as close to a perfect scenario as I could imagine.

  “Are you okay there?” I asked, watching Leo’s white-knuckle grip on the front of the saddle.

  He looked over and relaxed his tense expression. “Absolutely. My balls aren’t enjoying it much though.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “I guess they wouldn’t.”

  We’d been following the path for about an hour when we reached a clearing surrounded by pine trees. We dismounted and tied the horses up.

  “Oh my God.” Leo groaned.

  “We haven’t even been riding that long,” I said, laughing.

  He rubbed the inside of his thighs. “I’m going to be walking like a chicken for days.”

  “It definitely uses muscles you don’t normally use, but a big, tough fighter like you should be able to handle it.” I smirked, but was grabbed around the waist and tickled as highly effective payback.

  We sat on the blanket roll Wendy had attached behind my saddle, ate sandwiches Bea had made for us, and I wondered if life got any better than that. After lunch, we both flopped down onto our backs, holding hands. We stared up at the sky and watched the clouds drift lazily by.

  We lay there in silence for a while, enjoying the peaceful sounds of nature.

  “I love it here.” I said, tilting my head to the side so I could admire his side profile.

  “Me too.” He turned his head to face me. “This can be our place.”

>   “Do you ever think you could live in the farmhouse again?” I asked.

  His gaze returned to the clouds. “I never sold the damn thing, so that’s gotta mean something.”

  “So how did you end up with the house and not your mum?” I knew it was a risk asking these questions, but Leo had promised to tell me everything, so I was going to give him a gentle nudge. “The place is named after her.”

  He met my gaze. “Everything else went to her. The farm has been in my father’s family for generations, passed down to the eldest child.” His hand felt sweaty in mine. “My father renamed it as a wedding gift to her.” He laughed without humour. “What a joke.”

  “Come on.” Leo stood up and offered me his hand. “Let’s head back.”

  I wanted to hear more, but it was a start, and the horses were getting restless.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Juliette

  Leo had pitched a tent about halfway between the house and the stone wall separating us from the field. Excitement bubbled in my stomach. “I love that we’re camping here.”

  “I’m glad, babe.” Pushing a few of the loosened tent pegs farther into the ground, he smiled. “I know Bea really wanted us to stay with them, but this was my preferred option.” He winked. “I get you all to myself.”

  “I’ll be back in a sec.” I remembered I’d left my phone in my car. I was annoyed I hadn’t had it with me to take photos when we went out on the horses.

  I jogged up the garden and around the side of the house. The farmhouse was on a quiet road, so the sound of a car passing caught my attention and I glanced up towards the front gate. It was another red Honda, and it appeared to have slowed down as it passed. I thought it was a little strange and that I might mention it to Leo. I was probably being completely paranoid, but after all we’d been through, I wasn’t going to just shrug it off.

  Leo appeared next to me. “I’ll grab our bags.” I smiled thinking about the raunchy lingerie I had hidden in mine.

  “Hey, babe,” I said casually. “I just saw what looked like the same car as the one at the cemetery slow down as it passed.”

  Leo appeared amused. “Tourists drive around these parts all the time.” He gave me a cheeky grin. “I seem to recall a certain nosey blonde doing more than slow down in front of this house.”

  I grimaced, remembering how Leo had caught me trespassing in the farmhouse. It had caught my eye when I’d become lost on the way to my mother’s charity event all those months ago. “You’re right.” I dropped my shoulders, allowing the tension to flow out of me. “Ever since I found out you were held up at gunpoint thanks to my mother, I guess I’m a little edgy.”

  He pulled me to him and held me against his strong body. I felt so safe in his arms. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Jules.” He kissed the top of my head. “Promise.”

  “I’m not worried about me,” I whispered.

  “Time for a proper tour.” He pulled back and took hold of my hand. Slinging our bags over his shoulder, he walked me towards the front door.

  “The name plaque is gone.” I noticed the clean, rectangular section of stone next to the door where it had once been.

  Leo nodded but said nothing as he held the door open for me.

  “Don’t you ever lock the door?” I asked.

  His shoulders tensed. “If someone wants in, they can just smash one of the many windows. There isn’t a whole lot to take now anyway. I gave a lot of the valuable items to charity shops.”

  We walked down the hallway and Leo dropped our bags outside the bathroom door. “We might be camping, but I thought you might like a few creature comforts.”

  “I don’t mind roughing it, but if there’s a hot shower, I’m not going to say no.”

  He flicked the light on. “I’ve had plumbers and electricians in, so everything is in working order.”

  “That’s great.” I smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Come on.” He took my hand and led me back to the bottom of the staircase. I thought we were going to go up, but instead, he led me into a room just to the left. It was the front corner of the house.

  The first thing I saw was books. Hundreds and hundreds of them. I perused built-in bookshelves covering two of the walls. My eyes were drawn upward to the intricate decorative ceiling. The enormous sash windows allowed natural light to fill the room as well as highlight the dust.

  “This is the library, as you might’ve guessed.” He wandered over to one of the bookshelves and let his finger run along the spines. “I know how much you love books, so I thought I’d start the tour here. I couldn’t bring myself to give them away.”

  “Maybe you knew your future girlfriend would be a bookworm,” I suggested, wandering into the cosy room.”

  He chuckled. “Maybe that was it.”

  “My father never came in here.” He shrugged. “He had other interests.”

  I joined him at the bookshelf and leaned in to read some of the titles. “So these are all your mum’s books?” I asked, recognising Homer’s The Iliad immediately.

  “Yes, but most of the ones on the other wall are mine.”

  I immediately headed to the other bookshelf, and I wasn’t surprised to find countless titles on astronomy and anatomy. What caught my eye, though, was a collection of books by Oscar Wilde, my favourite playwright, novelist, essayist and poet. I picked up a beautiful hardback copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray and clutched it to my chest. “God, I love Oscar Wilde,” I gushed.

  He nodded. “I know. I saw you had a few of his titles on your bookshelf next to your extensive romance section.” He winked at me and I chuckled.

  “My mother was a strong believer in education. She always told me knowledge is power.” He shook his head and mumbled. “The irony of it.”

  “Do you agree?” I asked, noting how he spoke of her in the past tense. “That knowledge is power.”

  “Sometimes ignorance can be bliss, but when your father is murdered and no one pays for the crime, knowing might give me the closure I seek.” He walked over to the window that overlooked the front garden. “The unknown can drive you insane with what ifs, burning questions and a mind overtaken with rage without warning.”

  I joined him by the window. “Talk to me, Leo.” I placed my hand on his arm. “What happened to make you speak about your very much alive mother in the past tense?”

  He nodded, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, whistling quietly as the air left his body. “I moved out while I was at university.”

  I nodded as I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip.

  “Halfway through my degree, I had started having second thoughts about medicine.” He stared out the window.

  “What had made you change your mind about being a doctor?’

  “It just never felt like my path when I was actually on it. I’d worked so hard to get there, and it was pretty devastating to realise it just wasn’t me at all. I liked the idea of helping people, and Nick was always banging on about me having magic hands.”

  “I wouldn’t disagree.” I chuckled hesitantly, unsure if that was highly inappropriate given the seriousness of our discussion.

  “Mind out of the gutter, Ms Salinger.” He winked at me. God, he was sexy.

  “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” I quoted one of my favourite Oscar Wilde quotes.

  “You are getting me off track.”

  “Sorry.” I smiled sheepishly. “Did your father want you to be a doctor?”

  “He wanted me to work with him in the family business. He was disappointed but one hundred percent supportive of my choice.” Sadness flashed across his eyes. “He was such a good man, Jules. Whatever that woman said, it’s all lies.” His chest heaved as he drew in a breath.

  “She didn’t mention him, but I gave her almost no rope.” Sensing he could use a break, I decided I would change the subject. Moving forward so my nose was nearly touching the window, I peered out through the dirty panes. “I could do so much
with this garden.” The flowerbeds were all overgrown, and whilst Leo had obviously mown the lawns, there was so much scope for improvement.

  He put his arm around my shoulder and I rested my head against him. “I was going to pay a landscaper to come in to do it, but if you want to, I’d love it.”

  I turned to face him and snaked my arms around his waist. “Would you pay me in sexual favours?” I met his gaze and raised my eyebrows.

  “Absolutely.” He kissed me as if he had no choice.

  Eventually, I pulled back. “I have a surprise for you later.”

  “You do?” he asked, obviously intrigued.

  “You’ll have to wait though.” I yanked on his hand to pull him towards the door. “We’re in the middle of a tour.”

  Leo groaned as he followed me back into the entry foyer. “Okay.” He pointed to the door opposite us. “That’s a spare bedroom.” He then pointed to the next door along. “You know that’s the bathroom, and then the next room is the main lounge room. The door at the end leads down to the basement and wine cellar.”

  “Coffee, wine and chocolate make the world go ’round.”

  He smiled. “When dad wasn’t outside, he was down there with his wine. I remember playing hide and seek with him and I decided it would be the perfect hiding place. I locked myself down there and it took him ages to find me.” He chuckled to himself.

  “I remember the beautiful room with the fireplace,” I said, glancing down the hallway.

  “Well there’s a fireplace in most rooms, but yes. You’ve been in that one before.”

  I ran my hand along the bannister as we climbed the stairs. “So much work went into this house. I love it.”

  Leo glanced around as we reached the top. “It is a beautiful house, but it was far too big for the three of us.”

  “Did you parents ever say why they didn’t have more children?”

  “Dad told me once he would’ve liked ten kids.”

  “Good God.” I scoffed. “No one has ten kids these days.

  “I guess Mum didn’t want anymore.” He shrugged. “I never asked her and she never told me.”