Absolute Betrayal

by Ronni Meyrick

  The sudden thought that the woman she’d spent her life with, had been totally devoted to and head over heels in love with, was nothing but a two-bit crook smacked her between the eyes, and she stumbled over to a chair. They’d had a good relationship. There was never a hint anything was wrong. When Jennifer decided she wanted a family with her, Stella had been over the moon, and they’d researched their options straight away. She sat in stunned silence for a few seconds.

  “If Jen wasn’t happy and didn’t love me…then why the hell did she want us to have a family? Don’t get me wrong, I love George with every fibre of my being and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. But why did she want a baby so badly with me, when she could’ve left me and asked any of those other women?”

  Helen placed her hand over Stella’s. “Financial security I think. In her own way, Jen did love you.”

  Stella snorted sarcastically. “Yeah…enough to go out and fuck most of her staff.”

  A noise on the stairs caught their attention and three pairs of eyes peered over to see the silhouette of a small body on the wall.

  Oh shit! Stella rushed to the doorway, in her haste the chair fell back and landed with a loud thud on the tiled floor, she peeked around the corner to see her son sat on the bottom step. His arms were wrapped around his knees as he held them tight to his chest, and fat blobs of tears ran down his cheeks.

  “Come here, darling.” She held her arms open to him, and he flew into them. Thank God, I work out! Stella picked him up and cuddled him to her chest. “You’re supposed to be in bed, little man.”

  She stroked the back of his hair and held him while he continued to sob.

  “How long have you been sitting there?”

  “Two…mil…million,” he stuttered, burying closer to her and tucking his head under her chin.

  “Oh, honey.” Stella carried him through to the kitchen and sat back down. She stared helplessly at her mother as his small body trembled and jerked with each sob. “You know, ever since the day you were born I’ve comforted you like this. No matter how I held you, you would somehow get into this position.”

  She kissed his forehead and brushed his hair back out of his eyes.

  “I’m sorry you heard what we were talking about. But I wouldn’t change anything about my life, and I love you with all of my being, with my complete heart and soul.”

  George lifted his head and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his pyjamas, then swung in Stella’s arms to glare at his godmother. “It’s your fault.”

  Claudia swallowed hard, and tears filled her eyes as she bent to kneel next to him and Stella. “George…I…please don’t…”

  Stella used her fingers to turn his head around so she could look into his eyes. “It’s not Auntie Claudia’s fault. She’s only done what I’ve asked her to. If you want to blame someone, blame me.” She kissed his cheek. “I don’t appreciate you talking to her like that either. You love Claudia, and she loves you. She’d do anything to protect you. Now I suggest you say you’re sorry.”

  He complied with his mother’s request and hugged Claudia. Claudia took his hand and guided him out of the room. “How about I tuck you back in bed?”

  “I want to stay and talk about what I’ve heard.” A yawn followed, and he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

  Stella stood and crossed to kiss his cheek. “We’ll talk tomorrow, I promise. Now, off to bed.”

  Helen kissed him and watched from the doorway as Claudia took him upstairs. “What are you going to do now?”

  Stella sighed heavily and shook her head. “I don’t know. I feel lost. Everything I thought I knew about her was a lie. I think I need to get all the credit card information to the Crown Prosecution Service. Those women should’ve stopped using the cards when they found out Jen was dead.”

  “I called my friend Zack Brennan earlier, he works for the CPS.” Claudia walked back into the room and across to the sink to fill a plastic beaker with water. “I thought you’d want to go down this line and told him everything I’ve found. He was interested in the evidence, so I sent all the paperwork to him, and he’s going to get back to me.” She walked out of the room and headed back upstairs.

  Helen allowed a slight chuckle to escape, causing Stella to eye her suspiciously. “I know this isn’t really a time for humour, but sometimes, you and Claudia anticipate each other perfectly, and you also finish each other’s sentences. I’m pretty sure I only delivered one of you unless they knocked me out and didn’t tell me about another baby.”

  Stella chuckled and shook her head at her mother. “I know. She’s my sister from another mister.”

  Helen walked over to Stella and took her face in both hands. She stared deeply into her eyes. “Please promise you’ll talk to me if you need to. I don’t want you to keep this all bottled up inside. I’ll come back tomorrow when you talk to George. I can explain things differently if he doesn’t understand.”

  “Okay.”

  Her mother and Claudia stayed with her for another hour, until they were sure she was thinking a little clearer. After seeing them out, she stood on her tiptoes and stretched her arms over her head and groaned as her back muscles flexed. It was time for bed, but she didn’t know how she was going to sleep with all the information buzzing about in her head. Perhaps she could go into her office and work until she was exhausted. It would give her some time to figure out what she was going to say at the meeting on Friday.

  Chapter Four

  Stella jerked the steering wheel of her black Range Rover Evoque as she turned into the car park at the nightclub and swung it into the first space available. Fire danced in her veins at the anticipation of what the meeting would bring. She was prepared for a confrontation with some of the staff.

  A flash of blue blurred past her rear view mirror, and looking to her left, she saw Claudia pull up beside her. Taking a deep breath, she stepped from the car. This is it. Closing her door, she studied her reflection in the darkened window. Her collar was ruffled and needed straightening.

  She jumped at the shrill wolf whistle from behind. “Oh dear, you’re wearing your finest Gucci suit, that means only one thing―you’re ready for war.”

  With her briefcase in hand, she locked her car. “I’m taking no prisoners, and we give no quarter.”

  As they marched to the front of the club, several people stopped to look at them. Stella lifted her head and caught sight of their reflection in the window of an opposite store. Their walk, or swagger in Claudia’s case, radiated intent and power. They both wore sunglasses, and the scene playing out before her reminded her of a clip from Reservoir Dogs.

  From the right pocket of her blazer Stella pulled out the keys to the nightclub and unlocked the place. The door swung wide open, and she followed Claudia inside. The moment they entered, the strong smell of detergent and polish hit Stella’s nose and made her eyes water. The sound of glasses clanging together drew their attention to the area behind the bar.

  “Hello, who’s there?” Stella took a hesitant step forward.

  The redhead surged up from behind the bar and caused them to both jump and step backwards, and each placed a hand against the drum solo their hearts were beating out.

  Carly’s eyes widened when she saw them, and Stella and Claudia relaxed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you would be here this early. I wanted to come in and start the clean-up and restocking before we open tonight. Today is also the day I clean all the draught pumps.”

  Stella noticed how Carly’s eyes sparkled like emeralds under the soft lights recessed into the overhang above the bar. The rubbish and clutter from the previous night was gone, the chrome and brass mouldings on the bar gleamed, and the smooth wooden top was clear of any glasses and empty bottles. “I was going to hire a cleaning crew to come in a sort all this out, but it’s perfect. Thank you!”

  Carly waved her off with a grin. “I’m used to it now, and it doesn’t take long.”

  “Hang on a minute, how many times a week do you d
o this?” Stella frowned as she scanned the bar for any more employees.

  “I restock whenever I work, and if they need doing as the night progresses, I’ll do it again. I clean the pipes and keg connections once a week.” She saw a curious look pass between Claudia and Stella and swallowed hard. “Did I do something wrong?”

  Claudia shook her head and chuckled while Stella dug around in her briefcase for a pad and pen. “Does Naomi pay you for this?”

  It was Carly’s turn to laugh. She stopped when they didn’t join in. Stella slid the writing pad over to Carly. “Write down exactly how long you spend cleaning this place and restocking, I’ll reimburse you for your time and work. I have a strong feeling this place wouldn’t be ready for opening time unless you were working. For that I thank you, and it reminds me I must check that the procedure is done at the other clubs.”

  A loud knock on the front door drew all of their attention. Claudia stood and held her hand out to Stella for the keys. She returned a minute later followed by two stocky men, with buzz cuts, dressed all in black. A small patch on their jackets told her they were from a security company.

  One of her eyebrows rose, and she pinned Claudia to the spot with an intense stare. “I wanted them here in case anything turns nasty. If Naomi shows up, she’ll flip out when you confront her.”

  A thoughtful expression suddenly spread across Claudia’s face, and she took off at a run towards the stairs. They watched as she disappeared into the office, only to reappear seconds later with a lever arch folder in her hands. She walked briskly back to the bar, slammed it down in front of Stella, and pointed to it. “I found that the other day. Look at it, and tell me what you think.”

  The file was labelled, “future projects for consideration.” Stella flipped open the hard cover, and ran her finger down the four-inch thick edge. Her eyes widened as she looked at the first few designs, Wow, these ideas would save us a fortune. Dividers separated the pages, waste reduction, lighting, entertainment: all cost-effective ideas. Why didn’t Naomi ever show me this?

  As Stella flicked through the pages, she came across one with a large yellow highlighter tick through it. She rubbed her chin with her thumb and forefinger as she read through the details. I remember we spoke about this one, and I told her to implement it. But why are none of these in Naomi’s handwriting?

  Stella examined the documents again, but there was nothing out of the ordinary with them. She began turn the page, but something small in the top right hand corner caught her eye and stopped her. A wide grin transformed her features as she saw the original author’s name. Shaking her head, she tapped Claudia on the shoulder and pointed to the name.

  “What the fuck!” Claudia banged the bar hard with the palm of her hand and scanned the room for Carly. When she couldn’t see her, she sighed with frustration. “Carly! Get out here, we need to talk to you!”

  Now she knew what she was looking for and where to find it, Stella rapidly scrolled through the rest of the file. Astounded, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, everything in the folder had Carly’s name on it.

  Carly strode out of the back room and stopped in front of them. “You bellowed?”

  Laughter broke forth from Stella, which earned her a glare from her best friend.

  Claudia tapped the first suggestion and turned the folder around so Carly could see it. “Do you recognise any of this?”

  Stella tapped Claudia on the leg as Carly rummaged through the folder.

  “She’s good,” Stella mouthed the words to her so Carly couldn’t hear.

  “These are mine.” Her face contorted as confusion marred her beautiful features. A small line appeared between her eyebrows. “But…I…I don’t understand. Naomi was going to present them to you.”

  “I approved some of them. However, I was led to believe they were all her ideas.” I should have known. There is no way Naomi could’ve come up with something as brilliant as these. Stella tapped her foot impatiently on the floor, and wrung her hands together as her temper flared. “I hope she comes in today, I’m going to tear her to shreds and kick her out on her arse.” Stella leapt from the stool and paced. “That’s if she’s out of the police station yet.”

  Claudia leant closer to Carly as they watched Stella, the three-inch heels of her black Manolo Blahnik shoes clicked loudly with every step. She worried at her bottom lip with the tip of a finger and constantly ran the fingers of her other hand through her short ebony hair. “She’s thinking.”

  She suddenly turned and pinned Carly in place with her eyes. “After this meeting, I want to talk to you about a promotion. Your talents are wasted behind the bar.”

  Carly’s eyes flew wide open as Claudia reached over the bar and pulled her into a crushing hug. The hard, beech bar top, crushed her diaphragm and knocked the wind out of her lungs.

  “I...I...Are you…Damn…”

  Claudia and Stella grinned as Carly lost the ability to speak.

  Carly skirted the bar and moved to an open part of the nightclub and created a suitable area for the meeting. With every move she made, Stella’s eyes followed her.

  However, unbeknownst to Stella, she too was being watched.

  Claudia bumped Stella’s shoulder playfully with her own. “Hey, that could be considered sexual harassment.”

  Glancing around, her mind wandered on a one-way path to Naughtyville, and she didn’t hear what Claudia said. “What?”

  “Come off it, you openly ogled her in front of me. Is there something you want to tell me?”

  Stella shrugged and shook her head. “She’s an attractive woman and cute as hell. You can’t blame a girl for looking.”

  Carly moved back behind the bar but stayed a safe distance away from them.

  Stella’s gaze followed Carly as she flitted around restocking the fridges. So shoot me! I’m only human, and this is the first time since Jen’s death that I’ve been interested in someone. Nobody can blame me for admiring a beautiful woman.

  Half an hour later, most of the staff members sat in the chairs Carly had positioned around a small raised area. Stella and Claudia stood on a step and peered over the crowd. The door slammed open, and Naomi casually walked in. A sickly, cheesy, smile spread over her face when she saw Stella.

  Naomi took her seat, placed her hands in her lap, and waited for the meeting to begin. “I made bail.”

  At Naomi’s entrance, Claudia saw Stella’s body tense, her hands clenched into tight fists, and her jaw tightened. Claudia reached over and covered the cricket ball hard hands with her own and squeezed gently. “Don’t do anything stupid. Remember, we have all the power here. By the end of the meeting, she won’t have anything.”

  Stella breathed deeply and closed her eyes. She’s right. Get it together, Williams! Once she’d centred herself and her mind was no longer rampaging with revengeful thoughts, she stood and cleared her throat loudly to gain everyone’s attention.

  Welcoming them, she briefly touched on the previous day. Once she’d revealed to them that the majority of staff no longer worked there and the reasons why, she glanced over to Naomi. She saw the smug grin had been wiped off her face. “If anyone else has anything to do with this drug ring, I want you out of here now!”

  Silence was her only answer.

  Claudia scanned the room, looking for any signs of guilt from those gathered. She crossed her arms and waited for Stella to continue.

  “There is also another problem…” she paused for dramatic effect and met the eyes of everyone in the room. “Someone’s been stealing from my company. Ms. Miller has spent the last two weeks working with a forensic accountant looking for the money. We’re going back some years here, folks. Most of you knew and worked for my wife, Jen. She was normally a very competent businesswoman. However, she did something extremely stupid and gave several of the mangers their own credit cards. Those cards have now been stopped, and the people who have them are going to be investigated for fraud. The cards shouldn’t have been used after
her death.”

  Naomi had a sickly off-white pallor as a light sheen of perspiration shimmered on her forehead.

  A perverse sense of satisfaction filled Stella at the woman’s discomfort. She picked up the small glass of water Carly had supplied for her and drained it in one gulp.

  “The next part is not easy for me to talk about.” She wrung her hands together as her heart filled with betrayal when her thoughts turned to what she was about to share. “I loved my wife with all of my being and would’ve given anything to have been the one to have passed away. What I’ve learned has cut me to my core, I feel like I’ve lost her all over again.”

  Stella saw Carly’s eyes sweep across the room and land on Naomi, whose arms were crossed over her chest. Carly shook her head and stared sadly at Stella, she offered her a small smile to offer some comfort.

  Her jaw clenched, and her next question came out strained as she struggled to control her temper. “Okay, Naomi, would you like to fill the blanks in and tell me exactly how long you’d been screwing my wife?”

  Some of those gathered shied away and others glared at Naomi.

  A mirthless chuckle left Naomi’s mouth as she stood and took a step closer to Stella. “For six years.”

  The sickening smarmy grin she sported made Stella want to smack it right off her face.

  “You see, the plan was for her to have the baby, and leave him with you while we moved to Dubai and started again. You’d be stuck with these dumps and the fucking brat.” As the last word left her lips, she glanced up and raised her eyebrows at Stella, baiting her with the jibe at George.

  Stella surged forward. She jumped off the step and reached for Naomi, her hand grasped the front of her top for a second, only to have it ripped away as she was hauled backwards by two sets of strong hands.

  Anger heated her face and rampaged through her being. “How dare you talk about my son like that?” She struggled, but the hands wouldn’t budge, only tighten. Turning her head from side to side, she saw Claudia and Carly restraining her. Carly might be small, but damn, she’s strong!