Spider Page 9

‘I’m not a kid!’

  ‘You are to me. Look, Beth, I’m not planning to move immediately, but I don’t want to be here in three months. My brother has asked me to help him run his bar in Majorca and I’ve accepted. I’m almost fifty, and I don’t want to let this opportunity pass me by.’

  ‘When did your brother offer you that?’

  Colin flushed. ‘Saturday. But I know he’s been struggling financially, so if I work with him, I can help.’

  ‘And nothing to do with the fact that Jelvias haven’t migrated to hotter climates?’

  ‘Haven’t they?’ he asked, looking guilty.

  ‘I never had you down as a coward, Col.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Beth. You’ve been a good worker over the years, and I’ll put in a good word for you for the next manager.’

  ‘They might sack me.’

  ‘Probably best if they do. You can do so much better than this dump. I’ve no idea why Everson bought this place; it must be their worst decision ever.’ Colin and his wife had been consultants who’d enjoyed the task of being sent to failing pubs and turning them into profitable and popular local gathering places. After she left him, Colin had settled down and became a full-time manager for the Everson’s Dog and Gun.

  ‘Have you spoken to head office?’ she asked. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but she ignored it.

  ‘Yes. They apologised for not being in contact since we hit the news, but I heard through the grapevine that the owners themselves hadn’t even been notified, so I expect heads to roll over that one. Anyway, yes, they know about me moving on and have accepted my resignation. One of the bosses is coming to see me tomorrow. Can you come in early again? Just to organise the staff while I chat with them?’

  She rubbed the back of her neck. ‘Yes, yes, of course. Gosh, this is all happening quickly.’

  Colin nodded. He fiddled with the USB stick poking out of the laptop.

  ‘Oh, Colin, don’t look so worried. I’ll be fine.’ She forced a smile. ‘And I don’t blame you at all. If I had the chance, I’d come with you.’

  ‘If I knew you meant it, I’d take you! So, are you sure you’re okay with it?’

  ‘Yes, of course. It was a shock reaction, that’s all.’

  Someone rammed on the door.

  ‘That must be Bronx arriving for work,’ Colin said, standing. ‘Stay and finish your coffee. I’ll let her in.’

  Beth watched him stride across the floor. He disappeared up the corridor, and she heard him unlock the door. Remembering her phone, she pulled it out of her pocket.

  She had missed the call from Yash.

  FIFTEEN

  Beth texted Yash back instantly, apologising for missing his call. Later, when he hadn’t answered, she phoned him only for it to go automatically to voicemail. Beth couldn’t help but think he was ignoring her on purpose as a punishment for missing his call.

  Her jitters from this morning were back ten-fold. Colin noticed but thought it was because of his bombshell revelation and kept apologising, which made Beth more nervous about missing Yash’s call.

  By the time her shift was over, her body felt as fragile as glass from holding it all in. Part of her wondered how much more she could take before she imploded.

  She stepped out of the Dog and Gun and looked upward at the black, starless sky. If God existed, he certainly didn’t like her. Life had battered and bruised her so much she wondered if happiness was a fictional concept. Pulling her hood up against the drizzle, she stepped out across the road, and noticed a tall figure leaning against a wall adjacent to the pub. Before she had a chance to turn away, he straightened. He had seen her.

  Yash.

  He wore ordinary clothes, but there was no mistaking his shape.

  Beth hesitated in the road, and if it wasn’t for a car forcing her to move, she’d still be standing there, dithering over the conflicting emotions roaring through her body. One part of her wanted to run in the other direction, while the other wanted to go towards him and get the inevitable confrontation over with.

  She didn’t realise she’d reached him until he took her arm and hurried her down some steps towards what had once been a park but had become a dumping ground. There weren’t any lights, and she had to rely on Yash to guide her.

  At the bottom, she hung back. ‘Where are you taking me?’

  ‘You ignored my call,’ he said.

  She stared up at him. Her eyes had become used to the dark and she could see his face now that he turned his head to look back at her. His eyes were glowing yellow orbs. He looked like a demon.

  ‘I texted and called you back,’ she protested.

  ‘Eventually. Is Lara not that important to you anymore?’

  ‘Of course, she’s important! I’ve been busy with the pub’s reopening, that’s all.’

  ‘Oh, I know how busy you’ve been. Narcifer told me.’

  She didn’t know what to say and just continued to stare into those glowing eyes. She felt his fingers, vicelike, around her arm.

  ‘Let’s go,’ he said.

  At the rear of the park was a gap in the hedgerow where people made a shortcut path. Behind the hedge was a side road, and beneath a glowing orange street lamp was a large SUV.

  Yash let her go to pull open the door, and Beth slipped inside onto leather seats and a polished interior. He closed her door, and she watched him as he circled the car to the driver’s side. Once inside, he wasted no time.

  ‘We had an agreement. I was to call you after the weekend, and we’d discuss payment, but—’ he turned to look at her ‘—you took your sorry arse all the way to Cornwall to beg for Macy Shaw’s help. Then you told her, her friend, and her friend’s mother—and let’s not forget Narcifer—all about our business. So you’re not only disobedient, you’re untrustworthy.’ He snorted. ‘You also struck me the last time we met. That isn’t tolerated.’

  ‘You… you were laughing at my mum. That isn’t tolerated, either! And I’m not untrustworthy.’ That somehow stung her.

  ‘You forget. You believe I have Lara. Don’t you want her back?’

  ‘You’re inhuman.’

  ‘Exactly.’ He peered into her eyes and she felt she was looking into the soul of a devil. His eyes, reflecting the light, appeared ghoulish as he looked down at her.

  She was the first to look away and mumbled, ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Answer the question,’ he said.

  She looked at him again. ‘Question?’

  ‘Do you want her back?’

  ‘Of course I do! What kind of question is that!’

  ‘And do you want me to bring her back or not?’

  Beth turned to face the front and stared straight ahead. Then she crumbled and covered her face with her hands. ‘The price is too high,’ she said between her fingers.

  ‘You don’t know my price,’ he said.

  She lowered her hands. ‘Your text message…’ she said, trailing off. Finally she asked, ‘What did it mean?’

  ‘Exactly as it’s worded. In return for your sister, I want to remove your control. When I first met you, I saw in your face how panicked you felt not being in control of the situation. The others in the pub ran away, but you, sweet cheeks, were angry at me. Angry because I had all of the control.’

  ‘Th-that’s rubbish.’

  ‘Do you want your sister back?’

  ‘Are you admitting you have her?’

  ‘I’m admitting nothing, but I’ll play along. I’ll bring your sister back, and my terms are simple—and fair. You will spend two nights with me, and I’ll be generous and let you spread that over two separate nights—the last night after I’ve found your sister. Agree to that, and have a deal.’

  ‘Two nights?’ Beth squeaked.

  ‘Two nights,’ he repeated. ‘For those nights you’ll belong to me. You’ll do as I say and your delicious little body will be mine to do with as I please. After that, I’ll release you, and we won’t ever meet again.’

  ‘I’m not a prostitut
e,’ she said.

  ‘I know.’

  She looked at him. ‘You do? I-I thought maybe you thought I was.’

  ‘Because of my unconventional price?’

  ‘A-and because of where I work.’

  ‘Do many people mistake you for a prostitute?’

  ‘A few.’ She remembered Colin telling her about the pimp wanting her on his books. She glared at him. ‘But I’m not, and that’s why I’m finding your proposal so hard to deal with.’

  ‘And what is my proposal?’

  She looked at him in surprise. ‘Sex.’

  ‘I never mentioned sex. I want to take your control.’

  ‘Y-you implied. I-I don’t understand.’ And she didn’t. He was making her nervous; she couldn’t think straight.

  He half smiled, making the spider tattoo twist. ‘You like absolute control over every situation and person, don’t you? From your family to your work. Well, my price is to take that from you. You’ll do as I say, when I say, for the entire time you’re with me, do you understand?’

  ‘And that doesn’t include sex?’

  ‘It might—if I feel like it and if I want to. And during our time together, you will not question me. If you do, you’ll find your time with me extended.’

  ‘Bastard,’ she said on an exhale of breath.

  ‘And you’re going to find out how much of a bastard I am. You’ve two days to think about it, and I’ll expect a simple text from you saying either yes or no. Understand?’

  Beth couldn’t meet his eyes. ‘I understand.’

  ‘When was the last time you had sex, Beth?’ he asked.

  He’d not used her name before. Looking at the sneer on his face and remembering the cruelty he was capable of, she realised she had no other choice but to agree to his so-called deal and answer his overly personal questions. She had to keep him sweet for Lara’s sake.

  ‘Well?’ he prompted her.

  She tried to glare at him, but in the end, found herself answering him, ‘About five years ago… with my boyfriend.’ She didn’t want to say Harry’s name in Yash’s presence. It sullied his memory, somehow.

  ‘And how was the sex with him?’

  ‘Great,’ she said immediately, and she heard Yash chuckle.

  ‘Well, Beth, you’ll be pleased to know that Lara’s alive and well. She isn’t in the country, but I can find her...’

  Beth’s hands were clenching and unclenching. She was a seething mass of anger, fear, and resentment, but at his words all those emotions left her leaving her overwhelmed. Tears gathered in her eyes as she stared at him. She tried to speak, but her throat felt clogged.

  ‘…if only you text me with that yes on Wednesday. Otherwise, it’s “bye-bye, sis”.’

  She turned to stare in front of her and focused on a discarded plastic bag blowing across the road, seized by a gust of wind. She remained mute, not trusting herself to speak. She badly wanted to believe—Christ, she’d shag his bones forever if it brought Lara back—but she had no faith in him at all.

  Yash leaned across her and pushed open her door. ‘Remember… Wednesday,’ he said.

  Beth slipped out of the car and closed the door without looking at Yash. She hated him with all the breath in her body. She turned and began walking.

  September had become chilly, and she wished she’d brought a thicker coat. She hesitated at the gap into the park. It was a dark and isolated place, and it was a notorious area for drug dealers. The alternative would be a long walk around, but the streets would still be just as dark and the area still not safe.

  She stepped through the gap and moved gingerly through the park. It was utterly black, no street lamps to light her way.

  Halfway across, she saw a light and several dark-clad figures. It didn’t look like she’d been noticed, but they’d soon see her since they were directly between her and the steps. Someone from the group laughed, then she heard a cigarette lighter click, and saw a flare of light as someone lit a cigarette. The man’s face was momentarily bathed in light. He looked like any other ordinary man, but the light had also lit up the man standing next to him who was wiping what looked like blood from a knife. It coated his hands.

  Terror stopped Beth in her tracks. Somehow, they scared her more than Yash. The group hadn’t seen her though, and she slowly turned around to walk back the way she came. She stopped abruptly when she saw Yash behind her.

  ‘It’s mud,’ he said.

  She frowned at him.

  ‘The knife. It’s mud. They’ve just buried a stash of drugs.’

  She turned back to the group of men—who didn’t suspect they had an audience—but didn’t move towards them and her exit. She knew they’d not let her pass without incident.

  ‘Don’t hate me too much, sweet cheeks, I’m saving your life—again.’ Yash took her arm, jerking her out of her paralysis, and walked her through the park. The men heard them coming but Yash’s eyes, prominent in the dark, sent them scattering.

  At the steps, Yash let her go, indicating she was to precede him. As Beth walked up the stone stairs, she knew she’d already made up her mind.

  She’d give Yash his ‘Yes’—she wouldn’t need to text it to him. Yash was right—he had saved her. Once in the cellar, and now from this group of men. Although Yash had been the cause of her being in peril in both circumstances, he’d still protected her.

  At the top of the steps, Beth turned to Yash—but he wasn’t there.

  Beth peered down into the gully of the darkness, but his tall figure was nowhere to be seen.

  SIXTEEN

  Beth closed and locked the door after her fast-paced walk home, and stood a moment to gain her breath. Today had been momentous. She’d made peace—of a sort—with Yash, and with that she’d made a decision to agree to his proposal.

  A snore took her from her thoughts. She peered through the door to the lounge to see her dad laying on the settee in the light of a lamp. She rested her head against the doorjamb, watching him. He gave a loud snore, waking himself up. He sat up, staring in surprise as if wondering what had woken him. He was drunk. Locked away in his own private world where he didn’t allow anyone else in. She didn’t know how to help him, and at times she didn’t want to, because he resisted all the help she, and his AA group, gave him.

  Lara was alive! The thought thundered into her brain. Who or what had taken her no longer mattered if her sister was alive and well. Of course, she only had a Jelvia’s word for it, and Yash could be pulling a fast one just to get her to sleep with him. But, somehow, she didn’t think Yash would need to resort to such tactics. Beth’s emotions were all over the place. Ecstatic one minute, and terrified the next because she knew she shouldn’t trust Yash, but she was going to have to.

  Beth turned away from her dad before he spotted her. Her head was a jumble of thoughts; she didn’t have any room in there for him at the moment. She climbed the stairs, hearing her dad get up from the settee to stumble around the kitchen.

  Listening to the kettle boil, she undressed in the dark and climbed into bed. She had much to think about: Yash, Colin, Lara…

  Yash.

  He confused her. She was nervous around him, but only as a man and what he was capable of. He’d ceased to be a Jelvia in her mind.

  He was just a man.

  ◆◆◆

  When Beth arrived home after her morning job, Alison was spooning coffee into a mug, her tongue poking out of her mouth in concentration. Beth stopped in the doorway, watching. Her mum moved to the fridge and took out the orange juice. She stared at it, put it back, and brought out the milk.

  Beth felt so proud, and tears prickled at the back of her eyelids.

  Very carefully, Alison poured milk into her cup, then stared at the cup morosely. But noticing Beth for the first time, she gave a wide smile. Then she pointed to her cup.

  ‘I can’t remember what I should be doing next.’

  ‘Mum, this is amazing! A massive jump forward.’

  ‘Is i
t?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Beth. ‘You need to boil the kettle. Can you remember how to do that?’

  Alison turned towards the kettle, eyeing it as if it was a complicated computer system.

  ‘Fill with water from the tap,’ Beth offered.

  ‘Oh, yes,’ Alison said. She picked up the kettle and took it over to the sink while Beth held her breath. Usually Alison would puzzle over the hot and cold tap, but instead, she filled it with cold water and returned the kettle to its dock. She switched it on and turned to Beth with a beaming smile.

  ‘You did it!’ cried Beth, and held out her arms to her mum.

  Alison ran into them, and Beth hugged her. She stroked her hair; Beth had become used to this role reversal.

  ‘Have you had breakfast?’ she asked her mum.

  Alison pulled from her arms. ‘Yes. I had toast. Steven made it for me.’

  ‘Is Dad up already?’

  ‘Of course. He’s gone to work.’

  Alison had turned towards the boiling kettle, leaving Beth to puzzle at her words. Beth watched anxiously as her mum filled her cup with boiling water, but the deed was done without spillages, and Beth let out her breath.

  ‘What do you mean, Dad’s gone to work?’ Beth asked, wondering if her mum was confusing the past and the present again. Steven had more than likely taken himself back to bed after making Alison her toast—the toast crumbs on the countertop told her that much was true.

  Her dad didn’t have a job. He had been made redundant from his last post a month after Christmas and hadn’t managed to get himself a new one.

  Beth followed her mum into the lounge and waited as she settled in front of the TV with her coffee.

  ‘The queen looks younger these days,’ Alison said, her eyes on the screen.

  Beth looked idly at the TV; Alison was watching the breakfast show This Morning. ‘That’s Holly Willoughby, not the queen. So, Mum, where’s Dad gone again?’

  ‘Work. I suspect he’ll be back soon.’

  Frowning, Beth turned from her mum and ran up the stairs. She knocked on her parents’ bedroom door, and when she got no answer, opened the door. The room was empty.