Subject: BW - return to original condition
Jake,
Regarding the assistant that you intercepted recently, I would insist you return this person to their original condition and back to their original abode. I am aware that their venue is being watched and should this person not appear in public, safe and well, I will have no other option but to report them missing. I’m sure you are well aware that images such as what were previously shared are not the only ones from the final night this person was seen alive and well.
It has been a week. I expect her to be safely returned to the destination discussed above within five days.
Further, you’ll remember the agreement, which I strongly believe extends to this person. I believe Carrick would concede that any disappearance would constitute your withdrawal from said agreement, leaving the responsibility of repercussions wholly with yourself.
Kind Regards,
My head reeled. If Denver had her, he was now trying to frame me for her disappearance and possible death. The Polaroid he’d left in Bella’s flat clearly wasn’t the only one showing us together - but it would prove nothing to the police. But the McCauley’s would believe that I had something to do with her disappearance, bringing the Kindred Sons and McCauley agreement into meltdown. This would be enough to break the uneasy alliance, and it would all fall on me. Yes, I wanted a fight with them, to remove their blot from my manor, but hell, it would be on my terms: the only way to fix things right now was to find Bella.
A small voice within me kept repeating the things I didn’t want to think.
Maybe she really wasn’t working for OtherGang.
Maybe she’d told the truth.
Maybe she really was dead.
I couldn’t just sit around, waiting for something to happen. So I went for a walk as I called Nev, again. Still nothing from around her flat. I’d already redoubled the amount of guys I had looking for her. We’d been searching the street and in hostels too - if she was still around here and had no money, we would have found her. Even our bent cops were on it, as were the tech guys who were running traces. It started to feel a bit too much like before and I found myself walking along the riverside. I thought of Cassie - she just hadn’t been the girl for me but she didn’t deserve how things ended up for her; her bloated body retrieved from the water. I gritted my teeth against the mental image of Bella’s limp, lifeless body. That can’t happen again. It won’t. I won’t let it.
My head was so mixed up with everything that had happened: Bella’s lies and what might have been truths. She made me feel so angry that I wanted to find her safe and well just to kill her myself. Well, not kill her exactly, a good hard punishment fuck for wrecking my head would be a good start. Stop it. I reprimanded myself as my cock took an interest in the memories flicking in my head like a cinema screen.
That evening I sought out Denver. I decided it was time to face him once and for all.
He walked with his usual arrogance. Little prick. I took satisfaction in the brief stutter in his stride when he saw me, even though he still continued to his car. When I heard the click of the doors unlocking, I got into his passenger seat.
“Jeysus, it smells like shite in here, or is that your wife’s perfume?” My stomach lurched as I was greeted by overly heavy floral scent, making a poor attempt to cover the stench of sweat that assaulted me.
He stared out of the window, “Don’t get my car without an invitation. Say what you need to, then fuck off.”
“Ever the gentleman, eh? Denver?” I goaded him, dramatically waving my hand to waft the smell away. “Or have you put that much shite up your nose that you can’t even smell anymore?”
His soft hands gripped the steering wheel, even though we weren’t moving, his knuckles white already from the tension. “I bet you don’t get much action in this car, or do they have to be out-of-it before going anywhere near you?”
“Mr. Anderson,” he said professionally, “What are you doing in my car?” I knew I got to him - I always had, which made me smile grimly. I hated him. The only thing keeping him alive right now was the treaty and the fact he might have Bella. For the Kindred Sons to be the ones to break their honour, their word, would have killed Pops, and then he would have killed me himself.
“I got your email.”
For the first time since I’d got into his car, his eyes darted in my direction, confirming exactly what I knew already. “Email? I’m sure it was from one of my assistants, probably about your returns I assume? Really, you could have just phoned.” He said icily.
“You know the email I mean, and I thought it deserved a little face to face.”
He shrugged, “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“I think you know which exact “return” I’m talking about, and I wanted to let you know, in person, that I’m watching you. If you think for one minute you’re gonna pin something on me…”
He lifted his hands off the wheel in, palms facing out. “You’ve got me very, very wrong, Mr. Anderson, I can assure you I have no idea what you’re talking about. I have no interest in your affairs… maybe your conscience has finally got to you.”
“Like fuck you don’t ye wee prick.” I unclenched my jaw, “Last time I saw your…” I struggled for the right word, “Acquaintance, she was alive and well, and walking away from me.”
His stoic face gave nothing away… except it told me everything. He really had believed that I had Bella.
So where was she?
Chapter 27
Jake
I had been so angry with Bella the last time I’d seen her. No one lies to me, people have paid a heavy price for doing that. She’d lied to me, so that would only mean one thing if the family found everything out - and Da, the only one that really mattered, was the one who’d told me. But was lying by omission really lying? Sure, she didn’t tell us that she’d grew up around here; that her brother had been involved with the McCauley’s; or even that Bella was her middle name, not her actual name. We weren’t exactly close - except for that one, glorious night, so why would she tell me everything? She never said she’d grew up elsewhere, instead, she just talked about where she’d lived just before coming here and then let us come to our own conclusions. How bad must things must have been for her in Enniskillen that coming here was even an option to consider?
I didn’t want to believe she’d been trying to play me, even though the facts were there. She couldn’t even tell you that her real name was Sarah. I winced at that thought. I would find her, pull the full truth from her in whatever way I needed and find out once and for all exactly what her deal was. The only thing I knew for certain was that she wasn’t with Denver.
I came back home to find Louise’s car parked in the driveway. Not often, but sometimes I regretted giving Louise a set of keys and the codes to my home. I really just wanted to be alone, to figure out a plan on how to find Bella.
I wandered into my own kitchen, the smell of food enveloped me and my stomach gurgled in appreciation. Guess I’m hungry now. After a ping, Louise removed a plastic container from the microwave with a curse. Shortly after there was a plate of steaming hot potatoes, chicken, vegetables, and gravy on the table. A glass of milk beside it as she stared at me from another chair. “Eat.” She demanded.
“How long have you been here?” I said between mouthfuls. This tasted good - better by far than anything Louise made, then I spotted the caterer’s name on the side of the discarded plastic containers in the sink. She always was looking out for me.
“I visited Barney today,” she said, coming straight to the point and getting my instant attention. “Had a very interesting conversation, so we did.”
“Ye don’t normally do prison visits.” I said as I forced myself to keep eating calmly. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s fine. Gave me a bit of info on that Ryan guy.”
That got my full attention. I had asked Nev to make contact, but he hadn’t got back to me yet. I couldn’t pretend or hi
de my interest: I needed to know any information that might tell me something more about Bella.
“Thought you’d want to hear.” She smiled smugly, “He’s confirmed that Ryan is quite the loner actually, avoids the McCauley’s as much as everyone else. Barney was shocked when I told him that Ryan had been linked to them, he reckons that guy is about as far away from gang material as you could get.”
A glimmer of hope sprang within me. It wasn’t much, but at least it proved one thing that Bella had said to be true: her brother wasn’t working for the McCauley’s.
She waited as she watched the cogs go around in my head, then she ruined my moment. “And how long do you reckon Ryan’s going to stay neutral once he finds out his sister’s missing?”
“Did you follow up with the work on the Enniskillen links Bella… Sarah had mentioned to you?”
“Yeah, I went there this morning… got speaking to a woman, Toni, who said Sarah had lived with her.” Louise’s face dropped, looking uneasy she said. “Toni told me a few things. They met when Toni responded to an ad about sharing a flat. Sarah was trying to get back on her feet, just out of hospital…” her eyes flicked to me and then away again. She didn’t think I’d like to hear this.
“Go on.”
“When Toni first met her, Sarah… Bella was recovering after her boyfriend had beaten her so badly that she had ended up in ICU.”
“What?” a cold anger slid through me. She had said he’d beaten her, but not that he hospitalized her.
“It gets worse,” she said, “Bella had been six months pregnant at the time.”
The revelation sank in. No wonder she was trying to hide so much. “And the baby?” I said, wondering where the kid would be. Louise looked at her hands and just shook her head.
No! How could so much have happened to the woman I loved, and I didn’t even realize. Her evasion made sense now. I was disgusted with myself: I’d thrown her out at a time she needed somewhere safe. Denver had preyed on her and I pushed away.
Where the fuck was she now?
Chapter 28
Jake
Louise played with her phone as I continued to eat. She dialled a number again, I didn’t have to ask which one. When she shot up from the table I knew Bella had finally answered the continual calls. I grabbed the phone off Louise, a bit harder than I really should have, but that didn’t matter right now - Bella was alive and talking on the other end of the line.
"Where are you?" It came out sounding harder than I had planned, and as the phone went silent I thought she might have hung up. I tried again, willing my voice to be softer, "Bella, are you OK?"
"I'm fine." she said defiantly, "I only answered 'cos I'm fed up of Louise ringing me every ten minutes."
"Are you sure?" I coaxed. She didn't sound like she was under duress, but I needed to hear more of her sweet voice.
She sighed, "Yes, Jake, I'm absolutely fine. Do you have such a high opinion of yourself that you think I'd fall to pieces after you threw me out of your house?"
She was angry, and angry meant that she felt something to me. Angry also meant that she was unlikely to be in immediate danger… I hoped.
"Where are you?" I said, as softly as I could.
"Far enough away that you won't have to see me again." Damn. "Look, I know you think I'm involved with the McCauley’s and that I was trying to spy for them, but I'm not."
"I know." It came so easily to my lips and I knew in my heart that I could trust her with my deepest secrets.
The confession surprised her and I heard the slight stutter in her voice. "Y..you know?"
"Yes, baby, I know. I know you're not a rat, it just took me a while." My pacing had taken me upstairs and I found myself in my bedroom. I looked at the bed, remembering how small and fragile she'd looked as she lay sleeping. "Where are you now?"
"I needed to clear my head. I thought I could come back to Londonderry and live, but it just looks like there are too many ghosts there for me."
No, no, no. You have to come back. "Can I see you?"
I held my breath, I could hear the hesitation as she Umm-ed and Ah-ed before giving her response. I would go to the ends of the earth to see that smile again, and kill everything in my way to get there if I had to.
"Please, baby, I'm sorry for how things were last time we spoke."
"What if I say no, will you hunt me down anyway?"
"Probably." I answered honestly. "But please, can we meet just once. If you want out after that, then I'll honour your request." It killed me to say it, but if she truly wanted nothing more to do with me, I would let her go. I just wouldn't fight fair. The time without her felt like a vacuum and even now, just speaking on the phone, felt better, but still kind of hollow. I needed her by my side, close enough to protect, close enough touch and close enough for her to know she was mine. "I can come and get you if you just let me know where you are, pet."
"I'll meet you." Relief flooded through me, "But it's on my terms."
"Anything you say, babe." God, I sounded soft. But I didn't care: Bella was alive, safe (apparently), and had agreed to meet me.
She agreed to meet later that evening, insisting on meeting at the local bus depot. I didn't like that, I wanted to collect her myself - I would have taken the Jaguar. She deserved so much more than a bus.
As I went to leave the room, I caught my reflection and did a double take. It was me, I just didn't recognise the silly smile plastered all over my face. My Bella was coming back home.
I would bring her here, she'd be safe here. I'll have Louise organise catering so she could pop in for five minutes. I saw how the two of them were together in spite of the events.
When I came back downstairs Louise was curled up on a sofa watching what appeared to be a reality TV show. The television was on, but she just stared at it blankly, biting her nails. Suspicious eyes turned to watch me as I lifted the remote from her side and went to the sports channels. I winked at her as she waited impatiently for me to speak.
"Well?" she asked, unable to wait any longer.
The laugh that erupted from me took even me by surprise, "Guess who's got himself a date tonight!?"
Seconds later her tiny framed launched itself on me in a massive bear hug. "I'm so happy for yous, Jake. You're an idiot - don't fuck this up."
What if I did fuck it up, and she left? Bella had managed to out maneuver my best guys, they still couldn't hunt her down. If she wanted to disappear again, she could.
I have one chance with her and I need to make it count: I can't let her walk out of my life again.
Chapter 29
Bella
I arrived into the depot early, about an hour earlier than I said I'd meet Jake. Even at that I knew the second I had been seen. I didn't recognise the man, but he recognised me, even under my baseball cap and hoodie. He carried on drinking his coffee and slowly, so slowly, reached for his phone. I should have got an earlier bus. I kept telling myself that it was pride that had brought me here - to prove to Jake Anderson once and for all that I wasn't a snitch, and to tell him to stay the hell away from me. Honestly, I thought I had just had about enough of men and their arrogance to last a lifetime
I didn't even fool myself, though. I knew there was only one reason I'd came back - pride be damned, I came back to see Jake again. I felt his pull over me when we spoke on the phone... and I wanted to come running back in the hopes he would take me in those huge arms and shelter me from all the pain I’ve been running from for most of my life. Heat pooled within me as we had spoken, "Baby," he'd called me. He probably called everyone woman he'd fucked that, but it felt divine. I wanted to be his.
The bus journey hadn't been that long, but long enough for my mind to wander over the times I had met Jake: in the office, at my home, at Windsor house, on his sofa, in his bed… I relieved the sensation of his hot breath against my skin, his smouldering eyes watching my every move, and I nearly melted into the seat as I remembered how he had filled me completely, taking me rig
ht to the brink.
The sensible part of my head continuously scolded me for even considering coming back here, that it would be a death wish; and it may well lead to my death, I thought. But every fiber of my body needed to be near him.
I scraped together enough change and decided to buy a tea to drink as I waited for Jake. With the way his little friend was watching me, I knew Jake would be here soon.
I was about to pay for my drink at the counter when I felt him approach from behind. I saw his reflection in polished steel around the kiosk. He sat down at the table where I'd been, apparently waiting for me. That was… well, I wasn't expecting him to do that. I'd have thought he'd arrive in and sling me over his shoulder.
I Need A Bad Boy: A Collection of Bad Boy Romances Page 54
