CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

 

 

“I hope they look as bad as you.” Jake looked up at the bartender as his drink was placed on a napkin in front of him. “Rough night?”

Lifting the bottle to his lips, the side of Jake’s mouth quirked up. “You could say that.” Taking a swig from his lager, he wasn’t surprised by the guy’s inquiry; the cut on his eyebrow and thick lip were bound to draw attention as he nursed his bruised ego at the bar. Turns out, his loving stepdad, Terry, had a long line of people he’d pissed off over the years, including the three men who’d jumped Jake last night, thinking he was something to do with the guy and that through him they’d get the money Arsehole owed them. Luckily, Jake had managed to talk them off, explaining that he was also on the hunt for Terry and they’d backed off. Still, the wankers had left him with a bruised body and some new facial aesthetics that were clearly a topic for conversation.

Thankfully, Bartender Guy got the hint that he wasn’t in the mood for small talk and moved on to someone else, leaving Jake to wallow in his shit luck at the end of the bar on his own.

This was taking too long.

Funny how your whole life could change so quickly.

Full of loathing, the hate that had manifested inside of him had been the sole focus in his life. He hadn’t thought of anything else since the day he’d found his mum’s body.

Until her.

Charlie had made him recognise himself again.

There hadn’t been a time in his adult life that he’d needed someone. He’d been a loner for long enough now, had even gone through prison time, so was used to his own company. Now, though, it had only been just over a week since he’d left Hatfield, but he felt like something was missing.

Charlie.

Jake had known he was beginning to feel something for her, but only now, while he was away from her, did he realise how much he’d started to care. She’d gotten under his skin in a big way, and he hated that circumstances involving that prick were disrupting his life—again.

Eight days he’d been searching for him. It had only taken Jake a few days to get a couple of leads that he’d been hopeful about, but the man who Terry had supposedly been bunking with for a few months had made him leave a couple of weeks ago, and was adamant he didn’t know where Terry had gone. He did tell him about this place, though. Apparently Terry had come to this bar quite frequently while he’d been in town.

Jake was chancing his arm; he had a feeling he wasn’t going to get lucky tonight. Going by the disdain in Terry’s former friend’s voice he’d probably skipped town now that he’d lost one of his allies. His stepdad had clearly done something to piss the guy off, so there was a chance Arsehole would worry he’d rattle on him.

An hour later and Jake decided to head back to the hotel. It was walkable from the pub. Thankfully, the rain had stopped a little while ago, but he kept his hood pulled up, keeping himself inconspicuous as he always did.

Disappointment reeled through him. Another night gone and Terry was nowhere to be seen. Jake feared he was never going to track him down. He’d hoped it would be an easy task. It wasn’t as if the guy was a criminal mastermind. Far from it. He’d emotionally and physically abused, and then murdered a woman, had clearly felt that targeting Charlie would be easier than facing Jake, and he was a waster with a gambling habit. How was the arsehole so elusive?

Terry had clearly moved on from here. No doubt he had more so-called friends he could use.

Maybe it was time for Jake to move on as well.

Taking a short cut, he turned down a narrow street that cut through some tall buildings. He’d taken this route a few times while he’d been in the town, but tonight was the only time someone else had walked that way too. Slowing a little, he heard the echoing steps from the person behind stop. A hand wrapped around Jake’s gut, telling him to turn around. There was no doubt someone had followed him down the alley. His increased heart rate letting him know what to expect, Jake turned around and finally came face to face with the man who had dominated his thoughts—his life—since he could remember.

It was a shock. Jake wasn’t sure how he’d react to seeing Terry again, but as Arsehole stood there all dishevelled and scrawny—a far cry from the man he’d once pretended to be—it was hard to deal with the onslaught of emotions that took hold of him. Rage burned so fiercely, the hurt, the devastation at what this monster had done. Confronting him brought all the grief to the surface that Jake had pushed away for so long.

“Today is a good day,” Arsehole said, the familiar gravel in his voice was harsher now. “I wasn’t expecting you to come to me.”

The smirk that followed grated on Jake, but he held firm where he stood for the time being. The distance was needed for now.

“Well, you’re clearly too much of a coward to come straight to me. So, here I am.”

“Thought I’d have a little fun. Would have been far more satisfying seeing you go down for murder and stay there this time. How is your girlfriend by the way?”

Biting down the burning anger that threatened to ignite, Jake managed to keep it together, playing the game, waiting for his moment. “Stronger than you thought. How’s your side?”

“Flesh wound. She got lucky.”

When Jake took a step forward, Terry’s head tipped to the side, eyes narrowing as he watched Jake cautiously.

Finally, Jake had the opportunity to ask the question that had been plaguing him for almost three years. “Why did you do it? What did my mum do to you to deserve you taking her life?” It was a struggle, but Jake managed to keep his voice level. He tried to prepare himself for the answer, expecting the smug attitude, but he knew that what came out of Arsehole’s mouth next was going to snap his control.

While Terry stood there silent, his mouth curving into a sordid grin, Jake’s deep, rapid breaths were the only thing keeping him where he was. “Answer the fucking question.”

Eyebrows rose. “Are you sure? You might not like the answer.

Was he kidding? “Yes I’m fucking sure.”

“You don’t know what it was like. You’d left as soon as you were able, so you didn’t see everything.” His gaze moved past Jake’s shoulder, but he appeared to be staring at nothing as he continued, like he’d gone into his head. “She was always sobbing, telling me how bad her life was. Well, let me tell you, I was the one who needed rescuing. . . from her.”

Unbidden, Jake ran at him, and before he even realised what was happening, the bastard pulled a gun on him, pausing Jake’s advance, shocking him into silence for a minute. But the rage came back just as quickly. “You murdered her, took her fucking life away.” The tears came then as his heart shattered for the thousandth time. “Why? Why did you have to kill her?”

Then the world seemed to fall away, no street sounds, nothing on the breeze, just the sound of Terry’s next words as his eyes moved to Jake’s.

“I couldn’t stand the sound of her voice anymore.”

The distraction was probably what saved Jake’s life in that moment. A sound from behind had him twisting around to see another man had come to join their little gathering. It wasn’t some random passer-by, not with the way he walked up with a cocky swagger and stood there grinning. Terry hadn’t been thinking when he’d looked over Jake’s shoulder; he’d been waiting for this guy.

“So what? You think you’re going to keep getting away with this shit,” Jake said. And just as he turned back to face Terry, there was a loud bang that bounced off the walls and echoed all around the narrow space, causing Jake to duck on instinct.

He noticed the distain on Terry’s face as he said, “No. I just wanted you to join her, you little shit. At this point, what have I got to lose by ending your life as well?”

It was then that Jake felt a burning pain rip through his stomach. Gripping the area with his hand, he looked down and saw the blood dripping over his fingers, deep crimson seeping through his grey T-shirt, right before he fell to his knees.

No! It couldn’t end like this. After everything, that bastard was still going to win.

A ringing in his ears drowned out any other sound as black pulsed at the edge of his vision. He hit the ground still clutching his stomach, fighting to drag air into his lungs.

Scuffed up boots came into his view as he squinted, trying to focus his eyes.

“Goodbye, Jake. You little brat.”

The words that Arsehole had said to him so many times when he was younger, were the last thing Jake heard as he watched Terry retreating into the dark. Then his vision went black. Still, it was nice to see Charlie so clearly in his mind’s eye—her beautiful face with those blue-green eyes and the soft, silky blonde hair that he’d liked the smell of—right before he left consciousness.