“Seriously, Marrie, do you have to be here? Why can’t I talk to them by myself?” He just knew that it was going to make it so much harder with her present.
“Because I know what you’re like, and I want to make sure that you don’t back down.”
“I won’t. I just think it would be better coming from me. On my own.”
“Better coming from you? Jeez! You sound like you’re going to give them bad news! You’re telling them you’re getting married. Any normal parents would be happy for you.”
“It’s not as simple as that and you know it.” She knew how his parents felt about her, why did she have to make it so much more difficult?
Before she could answer, the door opened and his father walked in with his mother just behind. She pulled up short when she saw Marrie.
“What is she doing here?”
“This involves her, Mom.”
“Well, get on with it then. We haven’t got all day, you know,” his father barked at him.
Neil cleared his throat, trying to think of the best way to put it. However he said it, he knew that it wouldn’t be well received. Marrie was looking at him with an exasperated expression on her face.
“For God’s sake, will you just tell them?”
“Okay, okay.” Oh well, here goes. “I’ve asked Marrie to marry me.”
The silence that followed was so long he thought that maybe he hadn’t actually spoken out loud. He was just about to repeat himself when his mother spoke.
“I really hope this is some kind of sick joke.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s true. We’re getting married.”
His father still hadn’t said a word.
“Dad?”
“Is she pregnant?” he asked him, not even looking at Marrie.
Marrie threaded her arm through his. “No, I’m not pregnant.”
“If she’s not pregnant, what’s the rush, for God’s sake?” his mom snapped. “Can’t you at least wait until Andrew’s had a few months to grieve before you hit her with this?”
She’d had enough of this. It was about time someone told Neil’s parents how it was going to be and it clearly wasn’t going to be him. “Why should we wait? Ted’s dead and buried.”
Neil parents looked at her with distaste. “Neil, I think you should take some time. Make sure this is the right thing to do,” his mom said desperately. “And I know you don’t want to hurt your sister. Hearing news like this right now will be devastating for her.”
That was the last straw. “For God’s sake! He was only marrying her for her money, anyway. It wasn’t the love of the century or anything!” She couldn’t help herself. “Probably did her a favor, him getting himself killed!”
They all turned then at the sound of a loud gasp coming from the doorway. Andrew stood there with her hands raised to her mouth, her eyes wide in shock.
“How dare you say such a thing! It’s not true!” she screamed at Marrie, hands now clenched into fists at her side.
“It is true,” Marrie sneered. “His whole family is broke. You were going to be the golden goose that got them out of the mess they’re in.”
Andrew launched herself across the room at her then, hands grabbing for her hair and face. Reacting quickly, Neil grabbed Andrew by the waist and held her, arms and legs flailing, preventing her from reaching her target.
“Calm down, she didn’t mean it,” he said to her, trying to keep her under control, glaring across the room at Marrie.
“Take your fiancée and get her out of here. Now,” barked his father. Gingerly letting go of Andrew, pausing to make sure she wasn’t about to fly at Marrie again, she felt Neil take her by the arm and pull her out of the room.
“What the hell do you think you were doing in there?” he hissed at her as he pulled her out the front door and to the car.
“Shit. Sorry. They just got under my skin, treating me like I’m dirt and going on about Saint Andrew.” She slammed the passenger door shut, turning to him. “It’s not fair. They can’t even be happy for us.”
Neil didn’t say a word as he started the car and one look at his thunderous expression told her she should just let it go. So she would. For now.
13
She was struggling to hold the tears back as she drove. It couldn’t be true could it? She had to find out. She couldn’t go and ask Ted’s parents. They were grieving, too. It would be unforgivable to go storming in there asking intensely private questions, especially if everything Marrie had said was a lie. No, she had to go back to the horse’s mouth and see Marrie, but this time alone.
She’d had to wait all day until Neil had come home, wanting to make sure he was out of the way before she left, and then she’d had to sneak out without being seen. These days, her parents hardly let her out of their sight and they would undoubtedly question where she was going if they saw her leave.
Pulling up and parking out back, Andrew checked her face in the mirror in her car. The tears had dried, leaving her face blotchy and her eyes puffy. At least I’m not crying any more, she thought to herself as she climbed the stairs and knocked on Marrie’s apartment door. She’d already checked at the diner and been told that today was her day off, so she was hoping to catch her at home.
She was rewarded by the sound of locks turning and the door being opened.
“Oh. It’s you.”
“Can I come in?” Judging from her face, Andrew was clearly the last person she’d been expecting to knock at her door.
“I suppose so,” she replied, pulling the door open wider so that Andrew could come inside. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Or do I even need to ask?” she said, sitting down on the couch.
“May I?” Andrew asked. She didn’t really want to sit but her legs were a bit wobbly and she didn’t want to collapse in a heap in front of this woman.
Marrie nodded. “So?”
Andrew took a deep breath. “I want you to tell me more about what you said yesterday. I need to know if it’s true.”
“It’s true, all right. Why would I lie?”
“To hurt me, though God knows what I’ve ever done to you.”
“Here we go again. It’s always got to be all about you, doesn’t it? Princess Andrew,” Marrie snarled. “Well, guess what? This time, it’s not all about you. It’s about me and Neil, our future, and I’m sick of everything being on hold because of you.”
Andrew was taken aback at the hostility coming from her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“You really don’t see it, do you? First Ted, and now Neil. You always have to come first.”
“Ted? Of course I came first with Ted. Why on earth would that affect you?” Andrew looked at her quizzically.
“Because even when I was sleeping with him, I had to hear about you all the goddamn time. About how important his damn wedding to you was for his whole family.”
The room started to go out of focus then and she felt the black hole that had been threatening her since Ted had been killed engulf her.
“What do you mean, when you were sleeping with him?” She had no idea how she’d managed to speak, let alone keep her voice so calm.
Marrie looked at her as if she were stupid. “Like I told you already, he was marrying you because he had to, but he wasn’t about to go without, was he? We had a lot of fun, him and I. He was a great lay”
She didn’t know how, but somehow she made it to Marrie’s bathroom just in time, throwing up in the toilet until she was empty. Shaking, she stayed on the floor, leaning her back against the bathroom wall. What on earth did Neil see in this woman? She’d come here for answers and she’d gotten a lot more than she bargained for.
Once she was sure she wasn’t going to throw up again, she pushed herself to her feet. I need to get out of here. Throwing open the bathroom door, she pushed past Marrie, who was standing just outside and, on unsteady legs, left the apartment, slamming the door b
ehind her.
Hell! She stood for a moment watching the door after she’d gone, as if expecting her to suddenly come back but it remained firmly closed.
Dammit! What had she done! Grabbing her cell from the kitchen counter, she quickly dialed Neil’s number.
Come on! Pick up! she urged, as it rang and rang. Finally, just as she was about to put it down and try again, he answered.
“Andrew’s been here,” she said before he had a chance to say anything.
“What? What for?” Neil said, sounding shaken.
“Well, I didn’t invite her!” she shouted. “She wanted to know about Ted, about what I said yesterday.”
“What did you tell her?”
“The same as I told her yesterday, the truth. That he wanted her for her money.”
“You stupid bitch! That’s all we damn well need. It’s bad enough I have to marry you without getting my parents pissed.” She could hear him take a deep breath. “My father is not beyond cutting me out of his will completely if I marry you. He’s gonna take a lot of convincing not to as it is, and I doubt that’s what you want, is it?”
Of course it wasn’t. The whole point of going through with this was so that she could be rich. There wouldn’t be much point if he got cut off.
“Of course it’s not. You’ve got to stop her. She’s on her way to see your parents.”
“How much does she know? Does she know about me?” The panic was oozing into his every word.
“No, just Ted. Everything about Ted.”
“Please tell me she doesn’t know about you two?”
“I’m sorry. It just slipped out!”
Everything was going wrong. She could see her bright, rich future slipping away.
“We’ve got to stop her before she gets home. Talk to her, try and get her to see sense.”
“Right. You stay where you are and I’ll go and meet her. She’ll listen to me.” The silence in her ear told her that he’d put the phone down without waiting for a reply.
She couldn’t just sit here and wait. That precious princess was not going to ruin the best chance she’d ever had at having a decent future. She could catch up with them and maybe help Neil talk some sense into her. Grabbing her keys from the kitchen counter, she ran out the door.
His thoughts were falling over themselves as he raced down the driveway. It was all getting horribly out of hand. He’d never meant to hurt Ted. It wasn’t like he was a killer. All he’d ever wanted was to be treated the same as Andrew. If his asshole of a father hadn’t fired him, none of this would have happened. Now he was stuck, engaged to a woman he didn’t want to marry but would because she could get him locked away for life and with a sister running around like a loose cannon, very possibly about to ruin everything.
His whole life was unraveling before his eyes. If he could just get to Andrew, stop her from coming between him and Marrie, then the secret would stay buried. It would all pass with time and no one would be any the wiser.
He couldn’t be cut off. He’d earned a big payday after putting up with all the years of crap his dad had dished out. He wouldn’t end up with nothing. He couldn’t let that happen.
Pushing his foot down harder on the gas pedal, he raced to head off Andrew on her way back from town.
14
Did she even know him? The tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision, as she tried to keep the car on the road. Was all her pain based on lies?
No, it couldn’t be true. Marrie was obviously just a woman with an axe to grind and she was her chosen target, though she had no idea why. One thing she did know; there was no way she could let her brother marry that evil woman. She would tear their family apart.
Her tears were slowing now, their tracks cooling on her skin and, gradually, her breathing was returning to normal. She refused to believe the lies that woman told. One thing was for sure, though. She was going to make it her mission to get her out of their lives.
She’d gotten about halfway home when her car suddenly started making sputtering sounds. Looking down at the dash, she realized she was out of gas. In all the excitement, she’d forgotten to fill up and it was now drawing the last drops from the bottom of her tank.
Dammit! Pulling over to the side of the road, she got out of the car and slammed the door shut. She was several miles from home still and, looking around, miles from anywhere else, it seemed. All around her were empty fields and nothing else. Looking up and down the road, she saw nothing but emptiness.
Checking her pockets, she realized with a sinking feeling that she didn’t have her cell phone. She’d left it charging in her room back at the house. Could this day get any worse! Realizing there was nothing she could do except wait, she sat on the trunk of her car so she could flag down anyone coming.
She didn’t have long to wait, and after a few minutes she saw a car approaching in the distance, a car she recognized. Waiting until it pulled up alongside her, she explained that she was out of fuel and gratefully opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat.
There was no reason to think that she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life. Not yet, anyway.
15
It was the first raindrop that woke her. It landed on her cheek before sliding sideways toward her ear. It was quickly followed by many more, splashing onto her face and closed eyelids, bringing her back to consciousness.
Bringing a hand to her face to wipe away the dampness, Andrew groaned. Oh, that hurt! Rolling onto her side, she opened her eyes and looked around. What the hell? The bed of leaves she had been lying on rustled as she brought herself to a sitting position, every part of her body crying out in pain. Looking down at herself, she saw her shirt was torn and covered in her own blood. Pushing herself to her knees, she looked around, panicked. Where was she?
The rain was coming down faster now, the drops hitting the trees all around her sounding like the dull roar of a train. Leaning on a nearby tree trunk for support, she eased herself to her feet. Her feet were bare and the debris on the forest floor dug into their soles. Looking down, she saw that her legs were scraped and bloodied, though the blood had dried. Confused, she tentatively checked the rest of herself and saw that the damage wasn’t limited to her legs. Her arms and hands were in a similar state and, raising a hand to her face, it felt oddly swollen.
Despite this, it wasn’t her injuries that scared her. Or the fact that she seemed to be in the middle of nowhere with no idea where she was. No. What scared her was that she had no idea how she had gotten here or, in fact, any memory at all.
She lost track of time as she stumbled through the forest. The rain had soaked her clothing and it clung to her skin as she walked, her feet bleeding now, trying to find a road, a house, anything. She’d reached the point of exhaustion, close to giving up, when she felt a change in the surface below her feet. She was so tired she’d been walking with her eyes almost closed and hadn’t noticed the trees thinning until the only thing before her was road. Falling to her knees, she didn’t even have the strength to cry and she welcomed the darkness that came then.
II
Eighteen Months Later
16
Her feet were killing her again, the pain shooting all the way up to her knees like hundreds of hot little darts. Cursing, she stopped and leaned against a nearby lamppost. There was no way she was going to hobble all the way back to her apartment like this. Barefoot it was, then.
Reaching down, she unzipped first her left, then her right boot, slipping her feet out and onto the cool pavement. God, that felt so good! Picking up the boots, she walked on keeping her eyes firmly on the ground in front of her. This was not the best part of town and the last thing she needed was to step on some user’s discarded needle.
Belle loved this time of the day, that time just between night and day, when the sky was lightening but the sun had yet to show itself over the horizon. The roads were quiet, the late night revelers fast asleep and the ea
rly risers only just waking up and it felt as if she had the world to herself. Sometimes she played a little game with herself and imagined she was somewhere else entirely. Walking along the banks of the Seine in Paris, or floating down the Nile in Egypt. Anywhere but here.
Turning the last corner, she arrived at the door that led to her apartment. Calling it an apartment probably made it sound grander than it was. It was really no more than two rooms above the laundromat. It consisted of only two filthy, dank rooms with a roach problem. She tried to keep it nice, she’d made some pretty curtains for the windows and some cushions for the couch, but there was no denying it was a dump. It was all that she could afford, though, so she made the best of it and she was determined that it wouldn’t be forever.
At least she had her own roof over her head. It was more than she’d had when she had first gotten into town. Exhausted, she climbed the stairs and let herself in, thankful that the night was over.
“You’re finally back, then?”
The sound of the voice made her jump almost out of her skin. “What are you doing here?” She hated it when he let himself in.
“It’s payday. I’ve been waiting here for an hour, and you know how much I don’t like being kept waiting.”
It was hard to believe that she’d once thought this man was her salvation, her knight in shining armor. Looking at him now, all she saw was a creep. In his late twenties, Blade looked much older. He’d grown up on the street and every fight, every abuse, showed on his face. It was a hard face, aged before its time, and the crooked nose and scar running from his right ear to the corner of his mouth gave him a menacing air. It was strange; that first day when they’d met, when he’d found her at the side of the road, he hadn’t looked menacing. In fact, she’d barely noticed the scar at all as he picked her up and helped her into his car.