Opening the text alert on her phone, Leah took a deep breath.
Leah took a breath as she began to type out the reply. He would kill her, had already tried. Who else would have been in that car, pointing a gun at her? If she could just get through today, she’d be able to deal with things tomorrow.
Pressing send, Leah waited for a reply. She didn’t have to wait long. He stated a time, a place. Leah nodded and replied that she would be there. But she would go alone. She refused to drag anyone else into her mess. Going alone, she was protecting Samuel and Tom.
‘Good morning baby,’ she said as she stepped into Samuel’s bedroom. ‘Happy birthday.’
Samuel sat up and rubbed at his eyes. Neither Tom nor Leah had told Samuel what had happened. He didn’t need to know. Leah decided she would cover her arm to stop anyone questioning what had happened. ‘Happy birthday mate,’ Tom said. ‘The birthday wizard has been.’
Samuel started to laugh and Leah couldn’t help but smile. Things had been strained between her and Tom since the police visit the day before, and Leah had put off telling him about the picture and the jewellery box. She didn’t want anything to spoil Samuel’s party. He deserved to have the best day and not have adults spoiling it for him.
‘Dad, you do know I don’t believe in all that anymore. Santa, the tooth fairy or the Easter bunny.’
‘Och, don’t ruin it wee man,’ Tom said, ruffling Samuel’s hair.
They all went downstairs and Leah watched as Samuel opened each present. He was not like normal kids; he opened with care and precision. He even refolded the paper at the end. She had no idea where he got that from.
Leah went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee for her and Tom. It was going to be a long and busy day and they were both going to need it to survive the madness of a football party.
‘Hey,’ Tom was suddenly by her side. ‘How are you this morning? Your arm okay?’
‘Yeah it’s not even that sore. Kind of dreading the descent of a million ten-year-olds upon our house though. Definitely think I’d rather face another drive by.’ Leah poured coffee into a mug and handed it to Tom. ‘Sorry. Bad joke. Again. Might need to chuck some gin in these coffees.’
‘So, are you going to tell me what Charlotte meant by what she said? Was yesterday a coincidence or not?’ he pressed.
‘I’ve already told you Tom, not today. Let me get this party out the way and then we’ll talk, I promise.’
‘Leah, if someone is after you for whatever reason, don’t you think I have the right to know. What about Samuel?’ Tom shook his head and moved away. He was not just disappointed, he was angry. It was killing her to keep a secret like this, but what else could she do?
They sipped quietly as the sound of Fortnite filtered through from the playroom. ‘Really, at this time in the morning?’ Leah sighed.
‘Oh, come on. It’s his birthday.’
Leah nodded but tried to shut out the sound of gunshots. It was too raw, too soon. She could still see half the man’s face splattered against the window of his car. Could still hear the woman screaming in grief.
‘Tell him to turn it off, Tom. I won’t have those sounds in my house.’
Tom gave a long blink. ‘Shit, sorry. I didn’t think.’
‘It’s okay. Just tell him to turn it off. I don’t want him playing violent games anymore.’
Leah exited the kitchen and headed upstairs to get ready. As she passed the playroom, Samuel called out to her, asked if he could get the paddling pool out for the party once the football coach left. When they’d first moved into the house in Balness, Leah spent a lot of time up in the loft, sorting things into storage boxes and labelling things. It was her way of coping back then with how she was feeling. Being a new mum was a daunting thing, even a few years into it and the loft had been her escape.
‘Of course you can, Samuel. But turn that game off. I want you to go and get ready for your party and then you can go out to the garden and help your dad to set up.’
Closing the bathroom door behind her, she slid the lock across and leaned against the sink. Tom hadn’t mentioned anything for years about not being Samuel’s real dad. She didn’t know who Samuel’s real dad was herself. That time in her life had been hectic, reckless. Leah didn’t need to know the biology; Tom was his dad and nothing would change that. Samuel understood that too and had never questioned his family set up. Leah was thankful for that.
After Leah showered and got ready for the big event, she decided to go up to the loft in the hope that the paddling pool hadn’t been shoved to the back. When she got up there, she switched the light on and scanned the space.
Boxes upon boxes lay around the edges of the floored loft, all labelled with keywords such as photographs, baby keepsakes, Christmas decorations etc. The paddling pool sat in its box in the far left corner. Moving across to it, Leah spotted a box next to it which had her name on it. Only her name which she’d written herself. She knew what was in there but hadn’t looked at the contents for a long time. Frowning, she knelt down next to it and stared at it for a moment.
Leah peeled back one of the edges and pulled on it, releasing the tape. Lifting one of the flaps, she looked inside. Black tissue paper sat neatly at the top and she lifted it out, revealing a file. It contained important documents for her and Samuel. Documents she’d needed to start her new life, away from her ex and the hectic life she’d lived. Scanning through it, she smiled at how far she’d come, how she’d managed to switch things around. That twenty grand she’d stolen wasn’t a cut-throat last minute decision. It had been necessary for Samuel. She knew the risk she’d taken when pocketing the cash. And now that risk had caught up with her. Seeing the man in that picture the police had shown her had brought it all back. It wasn’t a coincidence that he was the one who shot that lad in the multi-storey. He was around because her ex was around.
‘Leah, did you find the pool?’ Tom’s voice filtered through the loft hatch and into her space.
‘Yeah,’ she called back.
Placing the file back in the box, she slid the pool over to the hatch and manoeuvred it down carefully to Tom.
‘Cheers. You okay coming down? Some of the boys have started to arrive.’ His tone was flat; she knew he was being civil for Samuel’s sake. Leah couldn’t blame him.
‘Yeah. Two minutes,’ she replied.
Just as Leah was about to climb down the ladder back into the house, her phone pinged through another text. This time, it was a picture. Leah felt the blood drain from her face as she stared down at the image. Another warning.
Her stomach dropped then. He was threatening her family, he’d been in their presence. Tapping out her reply, Leah thought about what she’d done. If she could go back and change things, she wouldn’t. What she’d done was all to keep Samuel safe. She’d repeat her actions a million times over.
Slipping her phone into her pocket, Leah climbed down to the hallway and took a breath. She knew what her ex was capable of. She’d witnessed it first hand herself when she was with him. He wouldn’t stop until he had her and his money.