The Graft

by Karen Woods

  The man was still grumbling as he waddled down the hallway. Tony looked behind him and he could see a small light flickering from where the man had just emerged. He waited until the coast was clear and rushed back. The door was a jar slightly and with the smallest of pushes he rushed inside. A body lay on the bed, candles were lit round the room, the vanilla fragrance dancing in the air. Tony stood with his back against the wall, examining every part of the room. Slowly, he approached the bed, his eyes opened wide and his breath stuck in his windpipe. There she was, his little girl, his daughter. Tears, fountains of big fat salty tears burst from his eyeballs, like jets of water. He sat down on the bed and touched the side of her cheek with his fingers. “Princess, it’s your dad. I’m here with you.” Emily was in a world of her own. Her eyes flickered but she never moved. Tony inhaled a large mouthful of air and cringed as he spotted the bruises on her body. Enough was enough, he didn’t care what happened anymore, his daughter had been wronged and he was ready for anyone who stood in his way. Tony held a menacing look in his eye and gripped the sharp knife he had stashed in his pocket. His voice was low as his head bent slightly to his daughter’s ears. “Princess, I’ll be back soon. Everything is going to be alright, honest; everything is going to be fine.” He bolted from the side of the bed and stormed out from the room with the blade in his hand. There was no more ducking and diving, he was on the rampage, ready for any cunt that stood in his way.

  Tony headed to the door he’d seen the men disappear into and growled at the men stood there chatting. His eyeballs wear bursting out of their sockets. The knife cut through the air as he waved it one way and then the other. He didn’t need to explain why he was here, there was no time for that. Tony sprinted at them and jumped in the air with the blade held in both his hands. As he landed, he plunged it deep into one man’s shoulder. “You dirty bastards, I’ll fucking do you both in for what you have done to my daughter,” he screamed. He was like a mad man as blood sprayed around the room. Tony was dancing about with the blade held tightly in his hands and before long he’d damaged both men. He stood over them and he was getting ready to make the final blow, to end them both when suddenly, without warning, his body went crashing to the ground.

  Mark stood over Tony and booted him a few times. He screamed over at the injured men. “Who the fuck is this joker, how did he get in here and what the fuck have you two been doing if someone can just walk in here?” There was no reply from his workers. They were badly injured and the biggest man was blowing bubbles of blood from his mouth. They both needed urgent medical help. Tony was lifeless, out for the count. Mark gripped his legs and dragged him through the room. Once he was on the corridor, he found an empty room and flung him in there. He’d deal with him later. He needed more men to check the grounds. They needed to make sure this clown was alone.

  Ten minutes later Tony stirred on the bedroom floor. He wasn’t sure what had happened as he lay motionless. He groaned with the pain pounding in his skull. His vision wasn’t good and everything was blurred.

  Where was his baby? How could he save her now?

  CHAPTER TWENTY- SIX

  Elsie was a bag of nerves. She’d not moved from the window for over an hour. Where was Tina when she needed her most? She’d not seen sight or sound of her for weeks. Elsie was chewing at her fingernails and had gnawed them down to the bone. The skin was red and starting to bleed. Every two minutes she was checking her phone but there was nothing, no missed calls or messages. Jordan and Tony’s phones were just ringing out. Maybe she should just ring the police. This was serious and her daughter’s attackers needed dealing with good and proper, but her man and her son were involved now and she didn’t want them getting arrested too. Her head was all over the place. She popped another cigarette into the corner of her mouth and flicked the lighter underneath it. Her cheeks sank in and it seemed like forever before she blew the thick grey cloud of smoke from her mouth. Elsie looked out of the window again. Everything seemed so quiet, even the traffic on the road below was quiet. She turned her head and looked at the clock on the wall. It was ten-thirty, her boys had been gone for hours now. Surely they had found her by now? But, if they had, why hadn’t they rung her? That was the first thing they would have done, let her know her daughter was safe. There was a knock at the door. She froze and held her palm over her chest. It was the police; she was sure of it. They’d come with the news to tell her Jordan and Tony had been arrested and Emily still hadn’t been found. Her feet seemed stuck to the ground. The knocking continued and she finally plucked up the courage to answer the door. Her eyes filled up with tears and she was shaking as she twisted the lock on the front door. Elsie stared at the person there, a hand grabbing the door frame to steady her feet. Her mouth was dry and she was constantly licking her lips.

  “Dad,” she croaked. After staring at him for a minute she invited him in but neither of them could say anything. When he sat down, she examined him closely. He looked older than she remembered and he still held sadness in his eyes, a shiny glaze that could have developed into a tear at any second. Elsie was nervous and was twiddling her fingers. What should she say at a time like this? Talk about the weather, the price of bread, she wasn’t sure?

  “Do you want a drink, dad?” He shook his head. He’d been here for over five minutes now and not said a word. Why was he here? “Dad, you have to speak you know, don’t leave me hanging here, what’s wrong?”

  He sucked hard on his bottom lip and a dribble of clear liquid dropped from his nose. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a white cotton handkerchief and dabbed it softly clearing it away. “I don’t know why I’m here to tell you the truth. When I saw you the other day, I was adamant that I was not going to let you back in our lives and cause us anymore heartache, because that’s what you did you know. You hurt every single person who loved you. I lay awake with your mother every night wondering if this would be the night when we got the knock at the front door telling us you were dead. Do you know how that feels? Waiting, scared to death that we were going to have to bury you.”

  Elsie looked at the floor, the shame and regret for the choices she’d made in life came flooding back. “Dad, I was in a bad place back then. I know I hurt the people who cared about me most, but I was an addict, someone who I am not proud of being.”

  Her father cringed and you could see the pain in his expression as he took himself back to the time when his daughter was a junkie. “You got lost and there was nothing any of us could do to bring you back. It was like I was shouting you and you never heard us. Oh, I’ve done some serious soul searching, as has your mother. We blamed ourselves. We thought it was us who’d let you down, but as time went on Elsie, we could see we weren’t the ones who let you down, you were the one in control of your own decisions. Nobody but you. You had a happy home life; a loving caring family and we gave you everything you wanted. Granted, money was short sometimes, but there was always food on the table and you had clean clothes on your back. It was a lot more than some families had. I tried my best.”

  What could she say to this? Was it true? Was she going admit she was the one at fault? After a few minutes she sucked hard on her bottom lip. “You’re right dad, you were a great father and both of you worked hard to give us the life we had. I was young and foolish but all that’s changed. I’ve not had drugs for ages and I’m not that person anymore. Tony has kicked it in to touch too.”

  Just the mention of Tony’s name made her father squirm in his seat. “I’ve come to see it for my own two eyes. Your mother is sceptical, but I wanted to come and see you and give you another chance.”

  Elsie burst out crying and ran to her father’s side. She was heartbroken. “Dad, I’ll never let you down again. On my life, you will see how much I’ve changed and you’ll be proud of me. Thank you so much for giving me a chance.”

  She wasn’t out of the woods yet, he still had his barrier up, he just patted the top of her shoulder. “Where are the kids? I’ve missed them so much. Wh
en you took them both a part of me died. I was lost without them; you’ll never know how much heartache not seeing my grandchildren caused me. They’re adults now and I’ve missed so much of their lives thanks to you.”

  Elsie panicked, bloody hell, if she told him the truth about what was happening, he would never believe that she’d changed. Emily was in danger and he’d judge her as a mother and find a reason why it was her fault. Maybe, Emily would be okay and this ordeal would be over soon. But what if Tony got arrested for battering Emily’s man? What if Jordan was locked up too? Her head was in bits. Should she tell him the truth or cover it up? Elsie lied; she was taking no chances. “Emily is at her friends and Jordan is out with the lads. I will tell them you’ve been and they will be over the moon, they still talk about you and my mam and they’re always singing your praises regarding the way they were brought up by you.”

  Her father smiled, a warm red glow filling his cheeks. “They were good kids, no trouble whatsoever. We were as proud as punch when we used to take them out. As good as gold they were.”

  Elsie was agitated, Emily was still lying heavily on her mind. There was no way she could sit here for hours with her old man pretending nothing was wrong. “Dad, I have to pop out, but what if I call around to see you both tomorrow with the kids?”

  He stood up and knew he’d outstayed his welcome. He stared at his girl and the corners of his mouth started to rise. “Our family will be complete again. Happiness, that’s all I want before I go to my grave - happiness.”

  Elsie was on the verge of crying again. His words went straight to her heart and meant the world to her. She’d dreamed of this day, wished for it for years and now it was here. Her happy ending, her family back in her life again. Elsie watched him leave and pecked him on his cheek. “Thanks, dad,” she whispered after him. It looked like Elsie was in shock when she came back into the room. Her steps were slow and she looked a bit unsteady on her feet. Her cheeks were bright red like she was having some kind of hot flush. She plonked down on the sofa and wafted a piece of paper in front of her face. The gentle breeze from the open window cooled her down. Elsie looked at the clock again and sighed. “Fuck this, I can’t sit here any longer,” she mumbled to herself. She grabbed her coat from the back of her chair and stormed out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY- SEVEN

  Tina walked along the hallway in her new home. She’d landed on her feet alright. She’d never seen anything like this house in her life. She smiled as she slowly walked along, smelling the fragrance of furniture polish and floral scents - this was nothing like her own gaff which always smelt of damp and stale cigs. There were two double doors in front of her, she’d never been in this part of the house before. She twisted the brass knob on the door and dipped her head inside. It was dimly lit and there was an eerie silence. Her high heels clipped along the marble floor. She was the lady of the manor now and held her head high. She felt like royalty, a woman of substance. Tina stopped; she could hear whimpering. She tried opening the door where the noise was coming from but it was locked. Tina tapped on the door with the end of her knuckles. “Hello,” she whispered. She held her ear to the door but there was no reply. She was puzzled. She carried on walking and noticed that another four doors were locked shut too. There was something fishy going on here. Why was someone crying behind the door? She turned on the spot and went back through the double doors.

  Spotting Lizzy she asked her, “Hiya love I’ve met you briefly before. I’m Tina and I’ll be running things in here from now on. I’m trying to get in the room through the double doors do you have a key?”

  Lizzy was spaced out, she’d been working all night. “I think one of the lads has them. Mark usually takes care of things down there. I don’t go down there unless someone’s with me.”

  “So what’s behind the doors. I heard someone crying.”

  Lizzy was in no mood to socialize, she started to walk away. “Like I said, speak with Mark. He’ll answer any questions you have.”

  Tina could have punched this cocky bitch right in the mouth, she had attitude, and lots of it. Maybe she should put her in her place now and show her who was boss. She shouted her back and stood with her hands firmly placed on her hips. “Oi, cocky face. I only asked you a question, so lose the attitude.”

  Lizzy had no respect for no anyone anymore and this woman could take a running jump if she thought she was jumping through hoops for her. She rolled her eyes and grinned. “I don’t have an attitude, I just told you to go and see Mark.”

  Oh, she was pushing her buttons now, Tina had steam coming out of her ears. “It’s the way you said it darling, may I suggest you talk to me in the correct manner.” Tina was speaking like a school teacher, posh and sounding all her words properly. Lizzy huffed and wiggled off without a care in the world. It was way past her bedtime and she was dead on her feet. Tina stood debating whether or not to run after her but how would that look on her first night? No, she stayed calm and went to look for someone who could answer her question.

  *

  Jordan tried to trace his father’s footsteps. He could see where he had entered the house but there was someone there now and they were boarding up the window.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he whispered under his breath. Tony must have been sussed. Otherwise, where was he? He had to think on his feet, time wasn’t on his side. Jordan made his way to the gate and pressed the intercom. He could hear a foreign voice cackling on the line. “It’s Jordan, I’ve come to see Lizzy.” He cringed waiting for a reply. After a few seconds he was buzzed in. His heart was in his mouth, his palms were clammy and small beads of sweat were starting to form on his forehead. When he reached the front door, a large man was waiting for him. “Alright pal, I work for Jimmy and drive the girls about. Can I speak with Lizzy, there’s been a problem at one of the client’s houses and I need to make sure she’s alright?”

  The man shouted another man and now the two of them were stood blocking the front door weighing him up. He repeated himself and this time he made sure he was going inside. “I fancy an hour with Lizzy too, she’s a filthy cow and it’s just what I need after the day I’ve had.”

  With that he was in, his plan had worked. Jordan’s eyes were all over the place. He made small talk with the men and he was led to a room not far from where he was stood. “I’ll go and get her, she’s a feisty one - are you sure you don’t want one of the other girls?”

  “I like my women rough and ready and she ticks all the boxes,” Jordan sniggered “she’ll do.” They were gone and Jordan sighed with relief. This could all go pear-shaped at any moment and he wasn’t sure what his next move would be. He paced the floor, looking one way then the other. It seemed like forever before Lizzy came to the room. She pulled a sour face as soon as she saw him. “What the fuck are you doing here, I was in bed?”

  Jordan made sure the door was shut and kept his voice low. “I need your help Lizzy, shit’s happened and they’ve got my sister Emily here.”

  Rubbing her eyes it took a while for the penny to drop. She went white and started ragging her fingers through her hair. “I’ve seen her; I’ve been with her. How can she be your sister? It’s Mark who brought her here.”

  “Can you take me to her? My dad is in here somewhere too.”

  Lizzy froze, she had to think about this. She was putting herself in great danger. She changed her mind. “I don’t want any part of this. Do you know what will happen to me if they know I’m helping you?”

  “What? Are you going to let my sister go through what you’ve been through? Come on Lizzy, have a fucking heart, she’s still a kid.”

  Lizzy was in a panic and wanted no part of it, she began to edge towards the door. “I’m going, check the door at the end of the corridor but keep my name out of this. I value my life. I’m sorry, but just leave me out of this.”

  Lizzy disappeared and Jordan was in two minds to run after her and give her a good slap. How selfish was she? And, here he was thinking of helping her. She
could get to fuck now; she could sort her own shit out. Jordan stood behind the door; he could hear a woman’s voice nearby. He poked his head from the doorway and squeezed his eyes together to try and see properly. He spotted Tina. Fuck me what was going on here? This was some fucked up shit. His head went into overtime; his mind was racing. Was it her who’d got his sister involved in this shit? Why was she here? He waited until she passed the doorway. He had one thing on his mind now and that was to find his father and his sister.

  *

  Emily struggled to stand up from the bed. Her head was spinning and she started to be sick. This girl had cried so many tears over the last few days and all she wanted was her parents, her family, somebody to stop this nightmare. The door creaked open and she wasn’t sure if she was imagining things. Jordan ran over to her and cradled her in his arms. “I’m here, sshh, I’m here now. I’m taking you home.” Emily was still drugged up and nothing seemed to be registering. Jordan saw the bruises on her body and squirmed. This was bad, very bad indeed. This was a police matter and he wanted to make sure these sick twisted bastards paid for everything they’d done to his sister. He helped her to walk but all that was on his mind was to get her out of this place without her being hurt any more than she was already. The front door wasn’t far from where he was and his only hope was to walk out with his sister and pretend it was Lizzy. He grabbed a coat from the edge of the bed and placed it over Emily, pulling the hood up so no one could see her. He had to keep his cool, never flinch and act normal. He could hear music, laughing and shouting from another room. Using all his strength he yanked his sister up at the side of him and tumbled down the corridor. Nobody was about, he was home and dry. “Oi, where are you going?” a deep voice shouted behind him. His arse fell out and his bottom jaw started shaking. He was so close to freedom he could smell it.

  “I’m just taking Lizzy on a job pal, she’s pissed up but a bit of fresh air will sort her out. It’s a regular client so she’ll be fine.” Jordan waited and made no eye contact.