by T L Blake
James raised the gun and pressed it to Robyn’s face. She took in a sudden breath awaiting the impact, but he just kept the cold hard iron there, pressed against the bridge of her nose. Andrew stopped in his tracks.
“Can’t you see why?” James hissed.
“Unfortunately, I can. I know what you expected and I am happy to disappoint you.”
“So, there is no way you will join me?”
Andrew snorted a small laugh, “No.”
“You are such a disappointment.” James looked at Robyn down the barrel of the gun.
“Perhaps not as much as you think.” Andrew leapt at his grandfather with lightening quick speed. In a blink, the gun was gone. It clattered to the ground, as Andrew and James fell off the side of the boat.
Robyn screamed as they both disappeared beneath the surface of the water.
Grabbing the shotgun, she ran to the edge of the boat, looking into the inky black water. The disturbance where they two men had crashed through the surface was undulating beneath her, but she could see nothing that would give the smallest indication as to their whereabouts. All she could see was her own reflection, pale against the dark sea as the sun continued to rise. How long could Andrew hold his breath?
Robyn pointed the gun at the water, ready for what came up and despised herself for the fear that shook the barrel.
He could barely see as the water closed over his head. He hadn’t been thinking. Pure rage drove him. Knowing that this entire life had been a lie had crashed through all his control and let the beast within have control. That’s when he’d leaped for James and taken him over the side.
Sinking slowly, Andrew held James by the throat as the old man kicked and flailed in an attempt to break free. Andrew knew that James had no chance here, he was both faster and stronger than the twisted bastard that pretended to be his family. He gripped tighter, squinting into the dark water and watching James’s eyes bulge as the last of his air bubbled from his mouth.
Above them, where the sky tried to brighten, Andrew saw Robyn lean over the side of the boat.
Water broke over his head and Andrew gasped for air before swimming to the back of the boat. Robyn followed on the surface of the deck and kicked the ladder down but was then startled by noise coming from across the harbour. She raised the shotgun and watched in amazement as James clung to stone steps across the harbour and pulled himself out of the water only to collapse, sucking in air.
Robyn stared at James as he lay across the steps and her finger tightened on the trigger. The shaking had stopped and she knew she wouldn’t miss. She breathed deeply and stared across the water into James’s eyes.
Andrew stepped onto the deck and placed one hand over the barrel.
“He’s not worth it.”
Robyn didn’t turn. She continued to stare at James, trigger ready.
“He killed her.” Why should James live when Kat couldn’t.
“Sanger killed her.” Andrew’s hand didn’t move.
“He ordered it.” She was shaking now, in anger.
“I know, but you don’t want to live with this.”
Robyn stilled. Could she live with this? Could she live with killing the man? Could she live without killing him, knowing what he had done?
“This isn’t you.” Andrew’s words reverberated through her as he pushed the barrel down and away from James. “And this isn’t me.”
CHAPTER FORTY
The harbour was silent. The gate mechanism had stopped and the gate was now fully open, folded down deep beneath the water.
Wet and cold, Andrew took the controls as Robyn stood next to him. He started the engine and began to guide the boat away from its mooring. The noise of the boat ploughing slowly through the water pushed away the blanket of silence that had covered the harbour and was strangely comforting.
Robyn had a lot of questions. James and Andrew’s conversation had left her mostly confused but she couldn’t think about that until they were out of the harbour and safe.
With confident movements, Andrew lined the boat up for their final departure but, as the vessel headed for the harbour gate Robyn saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Jane, having previously lain slouched, began to stir. Her hand rose to her face, to feel the hurt that Robyn had put there before she rolled into a crouch and got unsteadily to her feet. It was only when she was standing that she noticed the movement of the boat and looked towards them. The expression on her face was a mixture of fear and rage. Robyn was glad that they held all the weapons.
George was still flat on the ground, unmoving and Jane staggered across to him, but they were little threat now and Robyn turned away.
Open water stretched in front of them, freedom.
The prow steadily moved through the narrow gateway as Andrew kept the boat dead centre. Robyn could see the channels, where the gate sat when closed and they started to pass through them. Abruptly, Robyn heard a noise.
Grinding, scratching sounds surrounded them. Muffled and softened, she knew immediately what it was. The keel was scraping across the sunken gate. She looked to Andrew.
He tilted his head. “It’s going to be tight.”
There was no other means of escape. The sun was up and the others would be upon them again if they didn’t hurry. James had gone, God knows, where. There were only damp steps to show where he had been. George would be waking soon, with Jane shaking him and slapping him, and David had had plenty of time to fetch others and head back to the harbour. They had to get out of there, now.
Andrew’s eyes met Robyn’s. “It doesn’t go all the way down. The gate doesn’t sit on the bottom. It lies a few feet above that to prevent silting. Damn, I was afraid of this.”
He frowned, set his jaw and turned to the wheel. Determination showed on his face as the keel continued to scrape over the metal gate beneath the water.
The boat gently rocked up and down upon the outgoing tide. The sound stopped as the tide lifted them up a fraction and cleared the keel, but then it resumed when the tide dropped them back down and the keel hit the bottom, screaming as it slid over the metal beneath them. Robyn could even feel the boat leaning slightly as the keel hit the unforgiving gate below them. Were they too late? Would there be enough time to clear the obstruction before they were beached?
Each wave that lifted them moved the boat forwards mere inches before it dropped them on the gate once again. With each drop the noise became louder as the keel grated harder. The tide was going out too fast and it wasn’t just about getting across the hidden metal gate, but about doing it without damaging the boat.
Time was running out.
The sun hung in the eastern sky as Robyn clutched Andrew’s arm and the keel once again scraped bottom. She turned away from the brightness, shading her eyes but as she then looked at what stood on the harbour wall, mere feet from their position, she knew that it was all over.
Standing over them, his wiry figure black against the morning sun, Douglas Sanger stood like the angel of death, shotgun in hand, ready to pull the trigger.
There was no time to duck, to fight, to pick up James’s gun and try to get a shot off. Robyn had no doubt that Sanger would pull the trigger and neither did Andrew.
Andrew grabbed her arm as the shot rang out and pulled her away from Sanger and down to the deck. The sharp crack rang out across the harbour disturbing the quiet of the morning even as Robyn fell.
With wide eyes, Robyn stared at Sanger as Andrew pulled her down and she was stunned to see Sanger’s body first jerk with an impact and then fall backwards just before she hit the ground herself.
Then all she could see was the wood of the deck and Andrew’s arms.
She struggled to get up but Andrew held her fast, his body covering hers.
Andrew rolled her over. “Are you hit?” He looked at her shocked face and began to run his hands up and down her body, looking for damage, looking for holes, for blood.
“Not me, not me,” she kept saying as she struggled aga
inst him. “It’s not me.”
Finally the words sank in, and Andrew lifted his head to look over to the galley door. With his weight off of her, Robyn lifted herself onto hands and knees and crawled to the bench seating behind her. She knew what Andrew would see as he stared at the harbour. She knew that Sanger’s body lay face up, on top of the harbour wall. Instead of following him, she looked the other way, behind them and over the stern.
Standing, leaning against a wall with a rifle up to his shoulder, the sights fixed on Sanger’s body, a man in boots, jeans and sweater kept to the shadows. He looked different, less formidable than when he wore a suit, but there was no denying who their saviour was. Robyn watched as Derek Ellis lowered the rifle.
Dragging herself up on the seat, she looked over the back of the boat and locked eyes for the merest second with Derek; a man that had bullied and plagued her from day one and she finally realised that all his loathing and hatred was not directed at her, personally. He had, in his own way, been trying to get her to leave, to save her from the inevitable fate that had befallen Kat. Derek Ellis had saved them.
With one swift bob of his head, Derek Ellis turned and walked away into the darkness of the alley behind him and within seconds he was gone.
Giving the boat all the power he had, Andrew drove them out to sea, the keel finally having cleared the gate. Only once, did Robyn look back at the shape of Douglas Sanger lying on the harbour front.
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
They moved away from Porthmollek and into the lulling ebb and flow of the ocean. Only when they were far away from land did Andrew stop the engine and unfurl the sails.
Rigging set, sails taut in the wind, the boat moved smoothly, cutting a path swiftly through the waves and Robyn didn’t know or care where they were heading. They were out, free, and safe, and that was something she hadn’t expected.
She had been so sure in those hopeless seconds after she’d seen Sanger on the wall, that he would shoot her or Andrew. She was so relieved to be wrong, but she could still hear the sharp bang of the shot echoing off of the buildings. She could still see Sanger’s body buckle. Her legs gave, adrenaline finally depleted.
Andrew’s arm entwined around her before her knees hit the deck. “It’s over.” He lifted her gently and took her below.
Robyn began to shake. She could feel it, but couldn’t understand it as Andrew walked through the galley to the bedroom. The quakes took over her body as he lay her down on the bed, the mattress soft beneath her.
“It’s shock, Robyn. Just breathe.”
She tried to fight it but tensing only made the convulsions worse, so she did as requested and breathed, deep and slow.
Andrew stripped out of his wet clothing and pulled fresh from the built in cupboards. Grabbing a quilt he threw it over Robyn and lay down to hold her and share his warmth.
Time passed, as did the shaking.
“I need to check your face, Robyn, to see if anything is broken. It might hurt a little.”
She’d forgotten about her face, the cut and bruise insignificant to all else that had followed.
“It’s alright, doesn’t hurt so bad anymore.” She felt drowsy and her eyes dropped before she opened them again.
“Your neck has stopped bleeding but it’ll need to be cleaned up.”
“Later,” she sighed and moved to make herself more comfortable. Her stomach complained at the movement and she winced.
“What is it?” Andrew had sat up and was looking down on her.
“It’s nothing. It’s probably because of all the running, but my stomach’s been killing me ever since James kicked me.”
Andrew blinked. “He kicked you in the stomach?”
“Yeah, right after he gave me the shiner. I knew I should have shot him.” Her words were slurring as she lay warm and comfortable.
Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “Let me see.”
Robyn knew it was bad, but when Andrew unbuttoned her shirt to reveal a deep purple bruise they were both shocked.
“Christ, Robyn, it’s not alright, we’ve got to get you to a hospital.”
“No, I’m fine, I just need rest. Just rest.” She was so tired.
Andrew ran his hand over her stomach and the dull ache subsided as the warmth flowed into her tissues. Robyn sighed, closed her eyes and closed her hand over his to keep it there.
“God, that’s so good.”
“I’m sorry.”
Robyn’s eyes flew open. His voice had been filled with regret. “None of this is your fault.” How could he blame himself? He hadn’t known.
“I’m more intricately involved in this than you know, than even I realised.” He sat up pulling his hand away from her. “James has been coveting something I have, something I can’t give him, for years.”
Robyn sucked in a deep breath. She’d known since that day at the manor, when she’d overheard their conversation, that Andrew had something James wanted. The conversation on the boat had only confirmed her suspicions, but it had still left her wondering what that specific something was. “I heard what he said, but I don’t understand, Andrew. You said your parents died in a car accident but . . . Was he talking about your mother?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. It’s been a story I have had no choice but to tell for years.” Andrew turned away. “I need to tell you something, about me, about my past. It’s going to change everything.”
She wanted to pull herself forwards and lay her head on his shoulder but had no energy left. “Nothing you could say will change the way I feel.” She reached out to lay her hand on his back. She meant every word.
“Lies, Robyn.” Andrew stood, backing across the room. “Everything we’ve been through has all been because of lies and secrets and there can’t be any between us, not any more. We’ve both seen how untruths fester and destroy.”
Robyn only nodded. The anguish on his face had fear crippling her. Her heart hung on a precipice.
“It’s time for the truth, Robyn.” He took a deep breath and paused. His face was filled with pain. “I need you to listen to what I have to say. I need you to listen to all of it and then decide.”
He looked so serious, desperate even. “Decide what, Andrew?”
“Decide if you can stay, with me. Decide if you can live with what I am about to tell you.”
“Whatever happened, Andrew, it’s in the past. It won’t change how I feel.”
“We’ll see.”
Robyn had no fear of the future, as long as it was with Andrew. She had no fear of the past that they left in their wake. She only hoped that Ellie had managed to spread the truth to the people and had therefore managed to bring down James’s empire. She hoped that there would be justice for her friend, even if that justice could never be enough, never truly compensate for what had been done to her.
With all that they had been through, Robyn knew that she was stronger and that she could handle whatever it was that Andrew had to say.
“I told you the story of my past. I told you of my upbringing.”
She nodded as she remembered the conversation.
“It was a lie, Robyn. A lie that I have been forced to tell over and over again.”
“A lie?”
“I was supposed to stay away from you. I should have, but there was something drawing me to you, something I’d never felt before. At first it made me angry, afraid a little I guess, you were something I couldn’t have and I found myself wanting. You once called me rude. You were right.”
“Andrew, if I was particularly concerned about how you first treated me, I wouldn’t be with you now.” She sat up, wanting to go to him, to comfort him somehow but he held a hand up to stop her.
“No, stay there. You have to listen to it all.” He took a deep breath. “James Truscott is not my step grandfather. He’s my stepfather. It was me who came here as a child with my mother. It was me who had been abandoned by my real father, Alec Obursen. It was me who thought that his mother had then abandoned him and left him in Ja
mes’s care. It was me who was farmed out to boarding schools across Europe.”
Andrew paused while Robyn took all this in.
“James killed my mother, Alison Fletcher. He drew her here with promises of companionship and love and safety for her and her child and he killed her.” Robyn saw the tension in his body when he uttered the words. She saw him shut his eyes in raw pain. “She did nothing wrong. She just wanted to protect me, help me and he took advantage of her.”
Robyn shifted on the bed wanting to cross the room, but she stayed as instructed whilst he continued.
“James had all his bases covered. He was making huge sums of money and had the town believing everything he said. He held the key to their survival in his hand. But he didn’t have one thing - longevity. He couldn’t stop the side effects from eventually killing them. James wanted a way to increase their lifespans, increase his lifespan, without having to tell anyone the truth. He wanted to be a saviour to them, a messiah. He wanted me, Robyn. He lured my mother here with false promises. He lured her here, to her death because he thought that I held the answer to his problem. It’s always been about me.”
Robyn was confused. “I don’t understand.”
“I wasn’t supposed to be with you, to have you, because I’m different. I should have stayed away because I can’t be good for you, for anyone, but I couldn’t.” Andrew took a step forwards. “Look at me now, Robyn. What do you see?” Andrew asked with a sigh.
“I see you, of course.” Robyn was puzzled by the question.
“Explain, tell me more, give me details.” He insisted.
She didn’t really know what he was getting at but played along “I see a man, tall, with astonishing pale blue eyes.”
“Go on,” he breathed deeply.
“Um, he’s tall, six one, six two. His hair, your hair, is black. He is in his mid to late twenties, lean build.”
“Stop there.” Andrew took another step. “Robyn,” his smooth tone spoke directly to her soul. Andrew knelt down in front of her and took both of her hands in his. “I came here as a child.”
