Run

by Mandasue Heller

  Alex gave the slightest jerk of his head to knuckleduster. ‘Show him.’

  The man reached across and turned the laptop around. Jake stared at the image on the screen and gritted his teeth when he saw Leanne sitting on a straight-backed chair in the middle of an empty room. Her ankles were bound to the legs of the chair by what looked like rope, and her hands were behind her, no doubt also bound. Even from a distance and without the benefit of sound, it was clear to Jake that she was crying, and he was so maddened by the sight it took every ounce of his willpower not to squeeze the trigger.

  Alex had been studying Jake’s expression with a malicious glint in his eyes. Grinning when Jake dropped his hand after several moments, he snatched the gun before slapping his cheek in a mock-friendly gesture.

  ‘Good lad; knew you’d see sense once you realized who’s in charge.’ He pushed his chest out now and walked slowly around Jake, cracking his knuckles as he went. ‘You know I could have whacked you ages ago, if I’d wanted to?’ he said – as if, Jake thought, he expected Jake to be grateful that he hadn’t. ‘But I’m smarter than that.’ He jabbed a fingertip into his temple. ‘You’re not the only one who’s got a brain, see. I’ve been planning this for a while.’

  ‘Good for you,’ said Jake.

  ‘Oh, it will be,’ Alex sneered. ‘Soon as I get what’s mine. You might have thought you’d got away with shafting me, but I was only biding my time. And now your time’s up, matey.’

  Bemused by his ex-friend’s hard-man posture, when they both knew that Jake would have kicked the living shit out of him by now if Leanne weren’t being used as bait, Jake said, ‘Spit it out, man. What you after?’

  ‘That, for starters.’ Alex nodded at the four CCTV screens set into the wall behind the desk, on the third of which Jake’s car was pictured.

  Jake pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them over. ‘Have it.’

  ‘Ta.’ Alex gave a victorious smile as he pocketed them. ‘Now I’ll have the rest.’

  ‘Rest of what?’

  ‘Everything.’ Alex pushed his smirking face into Jake’s. ‘I know you’re still shifting gear, so I’ll have that for starters.’

  ‘I thought the motor was for starters?’

  ‘Do not fuck with me,’ Alex warned, baring his teeth as he waved the gun under Jake’s nose. ‘You might have got away with treating me like a muppet back in the day, but I’m in control now, and you’ll do as you’re fuckin’ told or she’ll be sleeping in a box under my fuckin’ bed from now on.’ He jerked his head at the laptop. ‘And just in case you think I’m messing, watch!’ He pulled his mobile out of his pocket.

  Unable to do anything else, Jake stared at the laptop as Alex made a call, letting it ring twice before cutting it off. Almost immediately, Alex’s sister, Sylvie, appeared on the screen behind Leanne. With a quick glance at the camera, as if to make sure she was in shot, she threw an arm around Leanne’s neck and, pulling her head right back, sank her teeth into Leanne’s cheek.

  ‘Fuck me!’ Alex chuckled, mock-wincing as he watched. ‘She a mad cunt, her. Wouldn’t leave your bird with her for too long, if I was you, JP. Never know what might happen.’

  Jake’s stomach churned as Leanne thrashed around, her mouth opened wide in a scream they couldn’t hear. Releasing her after a moment, Sylvie walked around to the front of the chair and kicked her in the stomach, so hard the chair toppled over.

  ‘All right, enough!’ Jake barked when Sylvie drew her foot back to kick out again. ‘Take whatever you want, just call her off and bring Leanne to me.’

  ‘Now we’re talking!’ Alex grinned and pressed redial on his phone.

  Still staring at the screen, Jake saw a look of disappointment cross Sylvie’s grainy face when her phone flashed. She and Alex had clearly worked this system out in advance: first call, give Leanne some welly; second, back off. Third . . .

  Jake wasn’t about to let it get that far.

  ‘Sit down!’ Alex ordered, shoving Jake roughly towards the desk before yanking a sheet of paper out of the ancient printer that was sitting on top of the filing cabinet. ‘I know what a slippery cunt you are, so I want this in writing.’ He slapped the paper down on the desk and flicked a biro at Jake. ‘I, Jake Pearce . . .’ he dictated.

  ‘You’re not serious?’ Jake almost laughed out loud.

  ‘Do as you’re fuckin’ told!’ Alex yelled, smashing the gun into the side of his head. ‘Or I swear to God I’ll do you, and then I’ll rip your bird in half with my fuckin’ dick!’

  29

  Leanne’s face was ashen as Jake helped her out of the goods lift half an hour later. With a firm arm around her waist to keep her legs from buckling, he walked her out through the gates and down the road away from the warehouse.

  ‘I can’t do this,’ she moaned, clutching at his arm with one hand and cradling her stomach with the other. ‘I need to sit down.’

  ‘Just a little further,’ Jake urged, his gaze flicking every which way as they walked on.

  When they turned the corner, Leanne pulled up short when she saw two black Range Rovers parked up with their engines running. ‘It’s them!’ she squealed, her legs almost giving way with terror when four muscular men dressed in black climbed out. ‘They’re going to kill us!’

  ‘No, they’re not, these guys work for me,’ Jake reassured her as he led her to the first vehicle and helped her on to the passenger seat. ‘Try to relax. Pete’ll take you home.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ She clutched at his hand. ‘You can’t go back in there! Please, Jake, they’ll kill you!’

  ‘I won’t be long,’ he promised, holding firmly on to her wrist to slide his hand free of her grasp.

  ‘Don’t go!’ she pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  ‘Listen . . .’ Jake cupped her bruised cheek gently in his hand and gazed into her eyes. ‘If I let them get away with this, they’ll only do it again, and I can’t let them hurt you. Do you understand?’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘Whatever it takes to get the message across. Now relax. I’ve got this, and I’ll be home soon. Okay?’

  Leanne could do nothing but nod her agreement, though her heart was pounding so loudly she couldn’t hear anything else as Jake closed the door. Looking through the window when the driver set off, she shivered when she saw Jake and his security guards walk stealthily around the corner. Covering her mouth with her hand when she noticed that one of them was carrying a petrol can, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that they weren’t going to do anything stupid.

  *

  Leanne was silent on the journey home. She’d felt so happy and secure when she’d set out this morning, but in the space of a few hours her whole world had been turned upside down.

  She and Jake had been living together for several months and she had seen no evidence of the supposed drug dealing that the vicious bitch who’d bitten and kicked her had said he was involved in. The woman had also claimed that Jake had stolen thousands of pounds off her brother before doing a runner, and that he was supposed to have spent time in prison – none of which he’d told Leanne about.

  The ache in her stomach had turned into stabbing pains by the time they reached the apartment, and her cheek was throbbing painfully. All she wanted to do was go inside and lock the door on the world, so she wasn’t happy when the driver informed her that Jake had told him to stay with her until he returned. She didn’t want this stranger in her home; his very presence was a reminder that Jake wasn’t the man she’d thought him to be. But, more than that, she needed time alone to put her jumbled thoughts into order.

  ‘Okay, I’ll stay in the car,’ the man agreed when she told him that she’d rather he didn’t come inside. ‘But if anything happens, come to the window. I can be up there in seconds.’

  Unnerved that he seemed to think it would be easy to get through the heavy security door, Leanne hobbled up to the apartment. After letting herself in, she went into th
e bedroom and sat tentatively down on the bed when another pain rippled through her stomach. Placing both hands over it, she rocked herself until it passed, then stood up to go to the bathroom. Panicking when she saw blood on the duvet cover, she looked around for her handbag to get her mobile, but remembered that the man had taken it from her when he’d shoved her into the van. Tears streaming down her cheeks as it occurred to her that she might be losing the baby, she stumbled into the living room to use the landline instead.

  30

  Chrissie and Ben were sitting in the corridor outside Leanne’s room when Jake arrived at the hospital later that afternoon.

  ‘Where is she?’ he asked, his eyes dark with concern.

  ‘In there.’ Chrissie jerked her head towards the room behind them. ‘The doctor’s with her.’

  Jake glanced at the door, but the blind had been pulled down so he couldn’t see through. ‘Have they said anything?’ he asked. ‘About the baby?’

  Chrissie shook her head sadly. ‘I’m sorry. She’d already lost it by the time we got here.’

  Ben stood up and gave Jake an awkward hug. ‘So sorry, mate. But she’s in the best place and they’ll take good care of her, so try not to worry too much. Do you want a coffee while we’re waiting?’

  Jake nodded and flopped down on to a chair as Ben went off in search of a drinks machine. Resting his elbows on his knees, he dropped his head into his hands.

  ‘She’ll be okay,’ Chrissie said quietly. ‘They’ve got the bleeding under control now. They are a bit concerned about the bruises, though,’ she added pointedly. ‘She’s got a massive one on her stomach, and what looks like a bite mark on her cheek.’

  He’d said he was at work when Ben had called to tell him Leanne was in hospital, and didn’t, therefore, know what had happened to her.

  Frowning when he sensed a hint of accusation in her tone, Jake said, ‘I hope you don’t think I did it?’

  ‘No, of course not,’ Chrissie replied, her words contradicting the suspicion in her eyes. ‘Leanne told us she got jumped in the park. I just think it’s a bit odd that something like that could happen in broad daylight and nobody was around to help her. Every time I’ve been at yours in the daytime, we always hear kids in the park.’

  ‘It wasn’t me,’ Jake said flatly. ‘I love that girl, and I would never hurt her.’

  Chrissie held his gaze for several seconds, then patted his hand. ‘Okay, I believe you. And I’m sorry if it sounded like I was blaming you, but . . .’

  She tailed off when the door to Leanne’s room opened, and Jake quickly stood up when the doctor came out.

  ‘How is she?’ he asked. ‘I’m the dad,’ he explained when the woman drew her head back. ‘I was at work when I heard. Is there any chance it’s still—’

  ‘I’m afraid not,’ the doctor interrupted kindly.

  Jake breathed in deeply and ran his hands through his hair. Then, nodding, he said, ‘Thanks. I appreciate your honesty. So what now?’

  ‘I’m assuming your friends have told you what happened to your wife?’

  ‘That she got jumped in the park? Yeah, they told me.’

  ‘I’ve spoken to Leanne about reporting it to the police, but she says she needs time to think about it,’ the doctor said quietly. ‘I’d urge you to persuade her, if you can, because this was a serious assault.’

  ‘I’ll talk to her,’ Jake agreed. ‘Can I see her now?’

  ‘Yes, but make it quick; she’ll be going to theatre for a D and C shortly.’

  ‘What the hell’s a D and C?’ Jake asked Chrissie when the doctor went off to see another patient.

  ‘They’re going to scrape her womb,’ she explained. ‘They need to make sure it’s all gone, otherwise she might get infected.’

  Jake blew out a loud breath and shook his head. ‘This shouldn’t be happening. I was supposed to protect her.’

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ Chrissie said firmly. ‘You were working, so there was nothing you could have done.’

  ‘I should have been with her,’ Jake countered guiltily. ‘She only told me about the baby last week, and I promised to take some time off.’

  ‘You weren’t to know something like this was going to happen,’ Chrissie pointed out. ‘Anyway, Leanne knows how important your work is, so she probably wouldn’t have wanted you to. Not yet, anyway.’

  Jake gave her a sad smile. ‘I know you’re right, but I can’t help the way I feel.’

  Ben came back just then carrying three lidded Styrofoam cups of coffee. ‘Is everything all right?’ he asked when he saw the glum expressions on their faces.

  ‘The doc just came out,’ Jake told him. ‘They’ll be taking her to theatre soon, so I need to see her. Will you two wait out here for a minute?’

  ‘Actually, we should probably get going,’ Chrissie said, glancing at the clock on the wall. ‘Mrs Ford picked Dylan up from nursery, and I said we’d try not to be too long. Give Leanne our love, and tell her I’ll come and see her in the morning.’

  Nodding, Jake thanked them and watched as they walked away, Ben still carrying all three cups. Then, taking a deep breath, he made his way into Leanne’s room.

  She was lying there, staring up at the ceiling with tears trickling down her cheeks. Pulling a chair up beside the bed, he sat down and took her hand in his.

  ‘Don’t cry, sweetheart.’

  ‘What do you expect?’ she croaked without looking at him, her hand unresponsive to his squeezes. ‘I’ve lost my b—’ The word caught in her throat, and she swallowed deeply, before continuing. ‘They’re saying I might have internal injuries, and if it’s bad, I might have to have a hysterectomy.’

  ‘It won’t come to that,’ Jake said with a confidence that wasn’t reflected in his eyes. ‘And we can try for another baby whenever you’re ready.’

  ‘Just like that?’ Leanne’s voice was as hollow as the expression on her face. ‘As if this one was . . . what? Some kind of practice run?’

  ‘Of course not,’ Jake murmured. ‘I wanted it as much as you did, and it’s killing me to see you like this, knowing it’s my fault.’

  Leanne slid her hand free and looked him coldly in the eye.

  ‘Please don’t look at me like that,’ he begged.

  ‘Why not? Like you said, it’s your fault. Those friends of yours,’ she spat the word out, ‘told me all about the drugs, and you spending time in prison.’

  ‘They’re no friends of mine, and you can’t believe a word they say,’ Jake retorted angrily. ‘They’re the criminals, not me. Why do you think I cut ties with them and moved back to Manchester?’

  ‘If you’ve done nothing wrong, why did you agree to sign everything over to them?’

  ‘To stop them from hurting you. But don’t worry, I got the paper off them.’

  ‘How?’ Leanne demanded. ‘What happened after you sent me home, Jake?’

  Jake pursed his lips and inhaled deeply through his nose. Then, exhaling loudly, he said, ‘If you really want to know, I forced them to hand it over.’

  ‘How?’ Leanne asked again.

  ‘The details aren’t important.’

  ‘They are to me.’

  ‘Okay, we beat them up,’ Jake admitted. Frowning when she flashed him a disapproving look, he reached for her hand again. ‘Come on, Lee, what was I supposed to do? Look what they did to you. I couldn’t let them get away with that. And they’d have done it again the next time they ran out of money if I hadn’t taught them a lesson.’

  ‘So you and your thugs beat them up, and I’m supposed to believe that’s the end of it?’

  ‘I guarantee they will never come after you again,’ Jake said adamantly. ‘And when you come home, I’m going to make sure you never have to worry about anything from this day on.’

  Leanne closed her eyes for a second, then, sighing wearily, stared up at the ceiling again. ‘I’m tired. I think you should go now.’

  ‘Please don’t blame me,’ Jake implored. ‘If I’
d had any inkling they were going to pull a stunt like this, I wouldn’t have let them get within a mile of you.’

  ‘If you’d been honest with me in the first place, I might have been prepared,’ countered Leanne. ‘Now will you please go? I need to think about what I’m going to say to the police.’

  ‘The police?’ Jake’s frown deepened.

  Nostrils flaring as she struggled to contain the tears, Leanne said, ‘The doctor reckons I shouldn’t let the muggers get away with killing my baby. If I had my way, I’d tell them exactly who did it,’ she went on angrily. ‘But I can’t, can I? Not until I know what part you really played in it all.’

  ‘I swear to God it had nothing to do with me,’ Jake insisted. ‘They’re just bitter because I made a success of my life.’

  ‘They knew too much about you for it all to be lies,’ Leanne snapped. ‘And that made me realize that I don’t really know you at all.’

  Aware that he wasn’t getting anywhere by fobbing her off, Jake held up his hands. ‘Okay, if you want the truth, I’ll tell you everything. Some of what they said is right: I did deal drugs, but not for long. It was after I got out of prison. I’d already lost touch with my old man, and my mum was shacked up with some bloke I couldn’t stand, so I had nowhere to go. I’d shared a cell with Alex, and he’d told me to get in touch if I ever needed a place to stay, so I kipped on his sofa for a few months. He was mates with the guy who owned that club, and when he heard it was getting sold off he asked me if I wanted to buy into it with him. It was a bargain, so it seemed like a good idea, but I knew I’d made a mistake when Alex started using the place to shift powders. That’s why I called it a day. I’d saved enough by then, so I came back here and started the security business. And I’ve been legit ever since – I swear.’

  A frown creased Leanne’s brow as she listened to his version of events. It sounded plausible, and she was sure she would have known if he’d been involved in anything illegal while she’d been with him. But he’d still lied to her, and that had placed her in a vulnerable position, resulting in her losing their baby.