Even Angels Fall

by Fay Darbyshire

  “Hello Abbey…” He states, rather formally, and she tries to force her brain and mouth to function again. She doesn’t know how much more she can take today.

  “Pete…” She finally gasps, and he smiles sadly at her obvious surprise, “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Mum… she saw your friend, the blonde one and followed her here. Anna said that you’d mentioned a flat in Leeds, so I knew it was only a matter of time until you showed up too…” Peter shrugs almost apologetically, and Abbey frowns. She isn’t used to seeing her brother so reserved.

  “Why?” She blurts out without thinking and Peter’s face shows a brief flash of pain.

  “What do you mean why? Why did I wait for you once I knew where you were? Because I’ve been going out of my fucking mind worrying about you, of course I waited…”

  “Sorry, I just… I’m surprised that’s all…”

  “It’s good to see you…” He confesses, and Abbey softens slightly, “Can we go somewhere? To talk…”

  “You can’t force me to come home…” Abbey snaps, considering for a moment that this might be an ambush and that her mum and Anna could be waiting round the corner in a van ready to kidnap her. Her paranoia seems to know no bounds these days. Something she has no doubt picked up from Alex. ‘Alex…’ Abbey sighs inwardly. She wants to see him so badly but she can’t just turn away from her brother, can she? Besides, if he carries on loitering outside the flat and the lads see him he could end up in some serious trouble.

  “Fine…” She relents, “We can talk, but I haven’t got long…”

  “OK, good, that’s fine…” Peter shoves his hands in his pockets and waits for Abbey to lead the way. She can’t get over how agreeable he is being. It is something she certainly isn’t used to.

  She doesn’t want to venture too far so decides to take him down the road to The Locke. Alex had told everyone to be vigilant and to stay away from the usual haunts in case they were being staked out, but Abbey dismisses it as his over active imagination and that infamous paranoia coming into play. Perhaps if she had taken his warnings more seriously and her head wasn’t spinning from the events of the afternoon, she would have noticed the dark blue van parked up at the end of the road with Gazza and Tommo sat in the front, waiting patiently, but as she is still reeling from the shock of being confronted by her brother and her bizarre encounter with Harper, she doesn’t spot them.

  Peter holds the door open for Abbey and they enter the pub as Tommo sits bolt upright, suddenly alert and on edge. He picks up his mobile and dials a number from memory.

  “It’s me. We’ve spotted the girl; she’s at The Locke. Yeah, Ok… will do, no problem…” He hangs up and Gazza turns towards him expectantly, “Marcus says to wait and to follow her when she leaves…”

  The pub is warm and inviting and Abbey sits at a table in the corner of the bar as Peter buys them both a drink. Steve the landlord smiles and nods hello with pity in his eyes and Abbey smiles back at him kindly. Of course all the locals now know that something has happened to Tom and that he is in a serious condition in hospital. They just don’t know exactly what happened to put him there.

  Peter places Abbey’s vodka and coke in front of her and she takes a large sip, feeling as though she needs a substantial amount of alcohol after the day she has had.

  “So you’re a big drinker now?” Peter raises an eyebrow as he takes a smaller sip of his half a lager.

  “Not particularly…” Abbey lies, irritated at the assumption, even though it is right.

  “So how are you?”

  “Fine thanks, you…?”

  “I’ve been better…” He admits.

  This is unbelievably awkward and Abbey really doesn’t want to be here. Peter is annoying her as usual but seeing him also makes her realize how long it has actually been since she has spoken to her own family. She does miss them, in spite of everything, but she really doesn’t have the strength to deal with all of those hurtful and conflicting emotions right now, not on top of everything else that has been thrown at her today.

  “I’m sorry…” Peter blurts out unexpectedly - and Abbey stares at him, taken aback by the words she never thought she would hear her brother say in a million years, “I’m sorry about everything Abbey. I screwed up. We all did. It’s taken me a hell of a long time to realize that. To see things from your side and to understand why you acted the way you did. I appreciate now how hard it was for you… is for you… and I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner…”

  “What’s brought this on?” Abbey gasps, still not completely trusting what she is hearing.

  “Losing my little sister as well as my little brother…” He answers honestly, before taking another swig of his drink and looking Abbey straight in the eyes, “There were a lot of things I needed to work through. You weren’t wrong, when you asked me why I couldn’t say Ryan’s name. It hurt too much…” Abbey flinches at the mention of her beloved twin brother and sighs sadly, shaking her head.

  “You were so stubborn, so convinced that you were handling it and you wouldn’t listen to me, or talk to me, about anything…” Abbey reminds him, angrily.

  “I know…” He agrees, “I thought by looking after Mum, I was dealing with my grief but I wasn’t… I wasn’t helping her or myself. I just didn’t want to face it. I know that now…”

  “Well, I’m glad…” Abbey nods, “I’m glad you’re finally dealing with it properly. It’s important to grieve and move on…”

  “We’re all doing a lot better… when it comes to Ryan I mean. I guess losing a second sibling really shocks things into perspective and forces you to admit your mistakes…”

  “You haven’t lost me…” Abbey whispers, unconvincingly.

  “I hope not. Not anymore anyway…” Peter reaches across the table and tries to hold Abbey’s hand but she pulls it away. She is unsure whether she is ready to let her brother back in to such an extent and it would also be extremely bad news if one of the locals saw her holding hands with a mystery man and reported it back to Alex. Maybe she shouldn’t have brought him here after all? She will have to tell Alex now anyway in case they have already been spotted by someone they know.

  “Will you come home…?” Peter asks, abruptly.

  “It isn’t that simple…” Abbey shakes her head and sips nervously at her drink.

  “Why not…?”

  “Because I have a life here now…”

  “I miss you, Abbey. We all do, so much. You haven’t even met Amelia yet and she’s getting so big now, she’s growing and changing, everyday…”

  “Is this why you came here?” Abbey snaps, “To guilt trip me? To make me feel bad?”

  “No…” Peter holds his hands up defensively, “No, Abbey, that isn’t why I’m here. I’m not playing games with you and I’m tired of arguing. Things really have changed, I’ve changed, and I mean it when I say I want you to come home…”

  “Me too…” She sighs sadly.

  “You want to come home?” The hope in Peter’s voice causes guilt to lance through Abbey and she immediately regrets her choice of words.

  “No… I mean, I’ve changed too…”

  “Well…” Peter sighs, unrelenting, “seen as we’ve both changed, hopefully for the better… maybe we can formally introduce ourselves and start again from scratch as the brand new, well-adjusted people we are today…?” He holds his hand out to Abbey across the table and she breaks into a smile despite herself, gripping it lightly in hers before shaking it firmly as they both nod in agreement. She sits back in her chair, laughing to herself, and Peter’s expression becomes serious once more.

  “Please think about it Abbey. We want you to come home… I want you to come home, where you belong…”

  Abbey has no idea what to say. She can’t agree to that but she doesn’t want to dismiss the notion entirely either. Did she always believe deep down that one day she would go back home? Maybe.

  But the truth is right now, she has no ide
a where she belongs and she has never been more confused. Before she can find the right words to respond, the loud buzz of her mobile breaks the tension and interrupts her train of thought.

  ‘One Missed Call: Alex’

  “Something wrong…?” Peter asks, curiously.

  “No. But I have to go… you should go, I mean…”

  “OK. If that’s what you want…”

  “It is… I’m sorry…”

  “But you’ll think about what I said…?” They both stand and Peter grabs his jacket from the back of the chair, hooking it over his arm.

  “I will. I promise…”

  “Thank you for talking to me today, I’m sorry I ambushed you in the street. I just really needed to see you…”

  “No I understand, and I’m glad we talked…” Abbey actually means what she says and as Peter steps forward to hug her, she lets him, returning it briefly before pulling away. He nods once, and with a grateful glance back he leaves the pub.

  Abbey drops back into her chair, feeling exhausted and emotionally drained. When she woke up this morning she never expected that she would have such an eventful day. She only went for a walk to clear her head. God, that was hours ago. Alex must be out of his mind. And right on cue, her phone rings again.

  Peter stands outside in the doorway of the pub feeling cheerfully optimistic. That went better than he had hoped and talking to his sister, seeing first hand that she is safe and well, has temporarily put his mind at ease. He can relax now, knowing that she is OK, and hopefully once she has had time to think things through and process the idea that their relationship can and will improve, she will be in touch.

  As he throws his jacket on and zips it up against the cold, he is totally unaware of Gazza and Tommo still sitting in the blue van parked up across the street. Tommo dials through to Marcus again as they lurk in the shadows, watching him closely.

  “Yeah, the lad has come out but Alex’s girl is still inside. What do you want us to do?” He listens quietly as Marcus gives his command on the other end of the line, “Ok… not a problem. We’ll bring him to you…” He hangs up the phone and starts the engine.

  “What did he say?” Gazza asks.

  “He says the girl might have slipped out the back so we’re to follow him…”

  “And?”

  “And force him to take a little joy ride with us…” They smile at each other knowingly as Tommo swings the van around and they curb crawl towards the end of the street where Peter is walking alone.

  Alex had been fairly pissed off when Abbey finally answered her phone and she knows full well that he has every reason to be. Disappearing for an entire day at a time like this probably isn’t the best move she has ever made and she feels terrible for making him worry.

  As she opens the front door to the flat, everyone is there, sitting around the large glass table in the dining area next to the kitchen, talking amongst themselves. Even Gemma is present which is unusual as she hasn’t been around in a while due to her less than favourable opinion of Alex. But he has summoned them all together for a reason and he clearly has something to say that they all need to hear.

  The others smile at Abbey in greeting as she crosses the kitchen towards them but Alex doesn’t look up from his seat at the head of the table. She is standing right next to him when he finally acknowledges her presence and despite his obvious anger, her heart leaps and her stomach flips as their eyes meet. In that instant she feels whole again and all the confusion and craziness from earlier that afternoon just seems to dissipate. She belongs here with Alex; there is no doubt in her mind and as she smiles at him lovingly his bad mood falters and he smirks back, shaking his head with mild irritation.

  “Have you had a nice day?” He whispers sarcastically, and Abbey frowns slightly as she leans down to kiss him.

  “I’ll fill you in later…” She replies, and he tilts his head to the side with intrigue, momentarily studying Abbey’s face until he is satisfied that he has no reason to be alarmed.

  Abbey has every intention of telling him about Peter showing up outside, but the whole Harper situation will be forgotten about, put down to a severe momentary lapse in judgement and sanity.

  “So what’s this all about Al?” Lucy asks, no longer able to suppress her curiosity, and Abbey moves over to sit in the empty seat beside her.

  She too is curious as to what Alex has to say. He definitely has his business face on - serious and calculated - and all eyes are on him as he leans back in his chair, exhaling slowly.

  “Moorland’s been in touch… “ He announces, “I wasn’t going to bother him with all the Marcus bullshit seen as it’s more or less sorted for now, but the guy that I spoke to a couple of weeks ago must have told him I’d called and he rang me last night…”

  “And…?” Darren presses.

  “And… I filled him in. I didn’t exactly tell him everything but I explained how Marcus had demanded money from me and how the first time round, as good business, I paid him back. Then I told him how he came after me again… and what it eventually resulted in…”

  “What did he think to that?” Liam asks.

  “We talked… and he agreed with me, with all of us, that knowing what Marcus is like he isn’t going to let this lie. He will come after me again when he’s back to full strength, which could be fairly soon…”

  “So he’ll help?” Abbey tries to sound as calm and collected as the others, but she knows that Moorland is Alex’s best shot at ending this cat and mouse game with Marcus once and for all. If he isn’t willing to help, god knows what will happen? It might never be over.

  “He will. The fact that I sorted it out the first time round… paid Marcus and dealt with the problem myself… he was impressed with that. Not ringing him straight off the bat was obviously the right move…” He sounds relieved, and as the lads all nod in agreement Abbey senses that Gemma is rolling her eyes, but she can’t be sure. She doesn’t like to look directly at her these days as the hostility she feels towards Alex understandably gets channelled towards her on occasion too. Whether it is on purpose or not, she isn’t sure.

  “That’s good news, mate…” Nathan sighs, “Has he got some sort of plan or…?”

  “Yeah, he has…” Alex’s tone shifts slightly and everyone instantly tenses. This is obviously the reason he has brought them all here - to explain the details - and judging by his demeanour it doesn’t seem like good news at all.

  “It isn’t long term, you have to remember that….”

  “What isn’t?” Sophie frowns, “Just tell us…”

  “It’s been a few weeks since I put Marcus in a bad way and if I’m right, it won’t be long until he comes after me again. Because he knows you all… and what you mean to me…” Gemma shifts awkwardly in her seat and Alex looks directly at her as he speaks again, “What you all mean to me… it isn’t safe. And I’m sorry for that. Moorland has a man up North that has a few connections in common with Marcus. He’s keeping his ear to the ground, waiting for any information to come to light and when Marcus is ready to make his move, Moorland will know… and he’ll be here waiting for him…”

  “That doesn’t sound too bad…” Lucy smiles, reassured.

  “Moorland’s coming here…” Alex confirms, “Which means, we can’t be…”

  “What are you saying?” Her smile fades and Nathan holds her hand under the table.

  “Moorland has offered to sort this out for me. But if I’m here when Marcus makes his move… if any of us are… it could get seriously out of hand. He thinks it would be better for everyone, if we keep out of the way until it’s over. So we all have to lay low for a while. I mean seriously below radar… that means no Locke, no park, none of the bars I deal at…. and no flat. Marcus and whoever he has doing his dirty work, they know how close we all are, they’ll be expecting us to be together, so, to make it safer…”

  “We can’t be together until it’s over…” Darren finishes his sentence in an incredibly bleak
tone of voice and the room falls silent as they all try to process what that means.

  “I’m not leaving Lucy…” Nathan scoffs as the realisation registers and Alex raises his hand to calm him before he loses his temper.

  “And what about Gem? I’m not leaving her on her own…” Sophie snaps.

  “That’s not what I’m asking…” Alex shakes his head, “Nathan… you, Lucy and Liam, you should stick together but don’t go to any of the usual places, not at all… I fucking mean it. You need to find somewhere away from here to lie low for a while…”

  “My cousin has a place in Wakefield? It shouldn’t be a problem…” Liam offers reluctantly, and Alex nods, happy with the suggestion.

  “And you three should be alright at Gemma’s, seen as it’s well out of town. There’s no reason for them to know where you live, especially since you haven’t been around in a while. Is that alright with you, Gem?” She stares at Alex icily, but her disgust isn’t quite as apparent as usual and she nods once.

  “How long for?” Darren asks quietly, as he stares across the table at Lucy and she meets his worried gaze. They have been completely inseparable since their early teens but now it is far too dangerous for them to stay together. Nathan won’t leave Lucy, and Darren can’t leave Sophie. If they join up that would leave Liam and Gemma on their own and the group would be too big to go into hiding. It just isn’t plausible. They are divided, and will be until Moorland decides that it is safe enough. Alex knows what he is asking and what it is costing them but his resolve doesn’t slip. He knows that if they stick together they are more likely to be found and he will not lose any one else. This has to be done.

  “Until I get the call…” He answers, solemnly.