United States of Love: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance Page 20

  They both heard the key in the front door at the same time, exchanging alarmed looks, knowing who it was.

  ‘Luke,’ gasped Anna, suddenly finding strength in her legs as, in unison, her and Mark scrambled up. Mark, trying to look casual, grabbed at a magazine and sat himself in an armchair. Anna sank back into the kitchen, out of immediate eyesight.

  ‘Hi,’ called Luke as he came in. ‘Where's Mum? Is she here?’

  ‘All right, son?’

  ‘Where's Mum? Mum!’ Anna heard his concerned voice nearing the kitchen. ‘Mum! What are all those books doing on the floor?’

  She turned away from the door and busied herself by looking in the wall cupboard. For what, she had no idea; she just didn't want Luke to see her face.

  ‘Mum? You all right? Tex is here.’ Luke was now standing in the doorway.

  Anna froze. Tex! Oh no! She couldn't face him either.

  ‘He's outside. Says he wants to see you.’

  ‘Tell him I'm asleep. Having a lie-down,’ said Anna, still searching in the cupboard.

  ‘Okay,’ said Luke, suspicion obvious in his voice.

  Anna strained to hear what was being said in the doorway but the voices were too low, just a murmur. Then, suddenly and quite clearly, she heard Tex's voice calling her name, becoming louder and more insistent as he came further into the house.

  ‘She’s in the kitchen,’ Luke was saying.

  She heard Tex’s footsteps stride across the living room and stop on the quarry tiles.

  ‘Anna?’ His voice quieter. Concerned.

  Oh, his lovely calming voice. How she wanted him to take her in his arms, hold her, stroke her hair, take her into his world where she was happy and could leave all this mess of a life behind her.

  He was standing at her side now, turning her around to face him, tilting her head up towards him, their eyes meeting. The tears filling her eyes again. The pain on his face as he registered the graze on hers. She was still holding her blouse together with one hand. Silently, Tex removed her hand, allowing the ripped fabric to fall open. He touched the material as if he needed to physically confirm what his eyes saw, his mind understanding.

  ‘Oh, baby,’ he uttered, his voice full of sadness, his eyes full of hurt and compassion for her. Tex pulled Anna towards him, kissing her hair. ‘I'm sorry. I should never have left you.’ He held her there for a few moments more before releasing her.

  It was then Anna saw a look on his face she had never seen before. A steely, hardened look, his eyes narrowing, his jaw fixed, mouth unsmiling, his hands clenching and unclenching in fists. He turned and strode out of the kitchen.

  ‘Tex! No!’ Anna ran after him, just in time to see the look of alarm across Mark's face before Tex's fist connected with it, sending Mark stumbling backwards, clutching his bloodied nose.

  ‘Tex! Stop!’ cried Anna. Holding her blouse together, she rushed in front of him, pushing against his chest with her free hand.

  Tex looked past her, his stony eyes never leaving Mark's face. ‘You leave her alone.’ His voice was ice cold. ‘Don't lay another finger on her.’

  ‘You fucking idiot,’ stammered Mark, standing up. ‘I think you've broken my fucking nose.’

  ‘Shame it wasn't your neck.’ Tex made a sudden movement forward and Mark shrank back. Any further back and he would be in the fire itself.

  ‘Tex, what are you doing?’ cried Anna almost hysterical. ‘It’s not what you think. I fell. I caught my face on the door.’ She was aware of Luke running round the sofa and helping his dad to his feet as Tex stood his ground.

  ‘Stop, Anna. You don’t have to cover for him just because Luke’s here.’

  ‘What? I’m not. You’re not helping.’ Still standing in front of him, Anna pushed against his chest, jostling him backwards. ‘Just get out. Go!’ What was he thinking of attacking Mark like that? He had just jumped to conclusions, he hadn’t waited for her to explain, and now Luke had witnessed it all.

  ‘Come with me,’ said Tex, taking her hand. ‘Where's your bag? I'm not leaving you this time. I had a bad feeling, that’s why I came back. Come with me.’

  ‘No. Just go. I need to sort things out here.’ She ignored the incredulous look on Tex’s face and the hurt in his eyes.

  ‘Anna. You can't stay here. Please come with me.’ Tex's voice was more desperate.

  ‘I don't think she wants to, actually,’ chipped in Mark, trying to regain his lost pride.

  ‘Shut up,’ hissed Tex.

  ‘Both of you shut up!’ shouted Anna. She covered her face with her hand for a moment, trying to calm down. When she took her hand away, three pairs of eyes were looking at her.

  ‘Anna?’ said Tex gently.

  She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. ‘Please, Tex, just go.’

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Mark had stopped apologising after the first day. It was remarkable how he could just revert to his usual confident self, no tiptoeing around, no signs of remorse. He’d apologised. Okay, Anna hadn't exactly said she'd forgiven him, but the fact that she had stayed, rather than left with Tex, even she had to acknowledge sent the wrong message to Mark. He probably thought the whole incident was forgotten about by now. She didn't have the energy or inclination for another argument. She felt emotionally drained, with no strength to feel anger or outrage, sadness or despair. There was nothing.

  Tex had phoned several times on Tuesday, but Anna hadn't picked up his calls. She wanted to be sure that Mark wasn’t going to do anything with those dreadful photos, that he was going to agree to the divorce. She didn’t want him getting stubborn at the last minute and cutting off his nose to spite his face. He may decide to let the business in the States go under and then she’d end up losing the house anyway as he would have to sell it to settle his debts. She was also spurred on by the unappealing thought of Mark coming back to the UK and living with them! So instead of calling Tex back, she had sent him a message:

  Can you give me a bit of time to sort things out? I need some space. Sorry. X

  Tex had to fight every urge in his body not to jump up and give Mark another thumping on the nose. Instead, he maintained his cool, calm and collected exterior, leaning back in his office chair as Mark swaggered in.

  ‘So, Tex, this is where you hide yourself,’ began a rather smug looking Mark. ‘Nice place you’ve got here. Must have cost a bob or two, not to mention the money you’ve pumped into the refurb.’

  Tex steepled his fingers and watched as Mark sat himself down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk without waiting to be invited.

  ‘Let us not pretend we are having this discussion to exchange pleasantries about my business,’ said Tex, meeting Mark’s look. ‘Just say what you have come to say.’

  ‘All in good time, Tex, my man, all in good time.’ The smug smile never left Mark’s face. ‘Now, I’m right in assuming you are particularly fond of my wife, goes without saying.’ He paused but Tex remained silent, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a response. Mark continued. ‘And no doubt she has told you about the small financial predicament I find myself currently in. It’s left me in quite a dilemma if I’m honest.’

  Again Mark paused and again Tex said nothing. He really had no idea what the purpose of this visit was, although he was sure he was about to find out.

  Mark drummed his fingers on the desk. ‘All this is putting me under quite a bit of pressure, as you can imagine, and it’s having a rather negative impact on Anna. Upsetting her, getting her down, that sort of thing. Well, it suddenly struck me today that you are in a perfect position to resolve her problems.’

  Son of a bitch! Tex despised this man but if there was a way, any way, he could get Mark out of Anna’s life, then he was prepared to do it.

  ‘Cut to the chase,’ said Tex curtly.

  Mark leaned forward. ‘Convince Anna to sell the house.’

  ‘And why do you think I can do that, or indeed would?’

  ‘She’ll
listen to you. And if she doesn’t, well, I’ll have to persuade her, but that would cause her a lot of embarrassment and humiliation. If you care about her, like I think you do, you would stop that happening.’

  Struggling to keep his anger in check, Tex tried to appear unruffled. ‘What exactly do you mean?’

  The look in Mark’s eyes changed in an instant, the amusement disappearing, making way for something far more sinister. ‘I’ll spell it out. From Anna, I want an agreement to sell the house. From you, I want an advance. Fifty thousand pounds. Cash. You’ll get it back from the sale proceeds.’

  ‘Fifty thousand pounds,’ repeated Tex, somehow managing to keep the incredulity from his voice. ‘I don’t have that sort of money.’

  ‘No, but you can get it, I’m sure.’

  ‘And if I say no?’

  Mark pulled out a white envelope from his jacket pocket and placed it on the desk, then with his index finger, slid it in Tex’s direction. ‘This will land on every door of every person in Anna’s address book and be posted on Facebook, with every single one of her friends tagged so they get to see it.’

  The tension in the room was razor-like, menace hanging in the air like a guillotine. Eventually, Tex reached for the envelope, which had what appeared to be a company logo in the corner and, already knowing he wasn’t going to like what it contained, slipped his hand in and withdrew a single photograph.

  A young woman in her early twenties, looking slightly the worse for wear with heavy, glassy eyes, lay completely naked on a bed, an empty glass of wine in her hand. The face was unmistakable, those green eyes, rosebud mouth and straight little nose. Her hair was blonde, but instead of its usual short crop it hung loose over her shoulder.

  Tex felt his stomach contract as the implications of what Mark was saying sunk in. The anger stampeded through his body.

  ‘Beautiful isn’t she?’ said Mark. ‘I expect she still is.’

  Yet again, Tex found himself fighting every urge in his being not to beat the crap out of this dirt-ball. He could feel his heart racing as his blood pumped fast through his veins. Somehow, he managed to keep his voice steady. ‘Does Anna know you’re here? With this?’

  ‘Of course she doesn’t. And there’s no reason why she should. Let’s just keep this between us. A gentleman’s agreement.’

  Tex locked eyes with Mark, the irony of the last sentence not lost. He had no idea if Mark was calling his bluff or not but he couldn’t afford to find out. Anna would be utterly destroyed if he carried out his threat. However, if he was going to capitulate to Mark’s outrageous demands, then he needed to make sure there were no loose ends.

  ‘Twenty thousand pounds and a divorce.’ Tex maintained eye contact.

  ‘Fifty thousand pounds if you want a divorce.’ Mark didn’t blink.

  ‘Fifty thousand pounds, a divorce, all the photos and any copies.’

  ‘By the end of the week.’

  ‘It will take me a couple of weeks to raise the funds. I have to arrange for a transfer from the States.’

  ‘A week.’

  ‘Quit jerking off at me. Two weeks.’ Tex could get the money sooner, but he needed to buy some time for both himself and Anna. ‘I can give you two thousand pounds cash today. Now.’

  Mark took the bait. ‘It’s a deal. Oh, and you can keep the photo. You get the rest of them when I get the money.’

  Tex nodded. Now all he had to do was work out what in hell’s name he was going to do. He certainly didn’t have fifty thousand pounds laying around. He sat deep in thought for a long time after Mark had left before he decided on his course of action.

  He looked at the clock. Brenham was six hours behind, someone should be at the office now though. Checking the number in his contacts book, Tex picked up the landline and dialled the States.

  ‘Hello. Moonshadow Meadows.’

  Al worked the office most days and Tex was relieved that today was no exception. ‘Hey there, Al.’

  ‘Nick? Is that you, Bro?’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘What’s up? You must have only just gotten back to the UK.’

  There was no point in any preamble. ‘You still keep in touch with Spencer Hogan? He still working the same line of business?’

  There was a moment’s pause before Al spoke. ‘Yeah, sure I speak to Spence from time to time. What’s so bad that you need a private investigator?’

  ‘I need him to do a bit of digging for me. Some British guy, lives in the States, California to be precise. Wanna know if Spence can find any dirt on him?’

  ‘California? A bit out of Spence’s remit.’

  ‘Yeah, but I’m sure he’s got contacts. I’ll pay the going rate.’ Tex leaned forward on his desk. ‘Up front, if necessary.’

  ‘Okay,’ replied Al slowly. ‘How deep do you want Spence to dig?’

  Tex picked up the photo of Anna, folding the corner back and forth with his finger. ‘To goddam hell, if he needs to.’

  Anna phoned Jamie on Tuesday morning to say she wouldn't be available for work that week as she wasn't feeling too good.

  ‘A week away with Tex and look what happens,’ teased Jamie. ‘I'll have to have a word with him, making my staff ill.’

  Anna decided to use the week wisely and look for somewhere else to live. A flat that she could afford to rent without the need to depend on Mark. If nothing else came out of the whole fiasco which was her life, at least she’d be independent. She should have done this before.

  ‘This is a good size room. Nice high ceilings,’ said Zoe, as they wandered into the living room of an empty flat on the outskirts of Chichester.

  Luke had called his uncle and aunty the day after the fight. He was upset and didn’t understand what was going on, Zoe had explained to Anna when she turned up an hour after the phone call, the little disagreement they’d had the previous week forgotten about in her hour of need, and Anna was grateful.

  Zoe inspected the fireplace before she spoke. ‘Has Tex contacted you since all this happened?’

  ‘He rang a couple of times on Tuesday but I couldn’t face speaking to him. Since then nothing.’ Anna sighed, remembering back to that night. ‘I was pretty cross at the time so it’s hardly surprising, I suppose. Tex just jumped to conclusions without letting me explain. Plus I didn’t want him to hit Mark again, well, not in front of Luke anyway. I think I’ve lost him for good this time. Why would Tex want anything to do with me now? Not after all this. Luke nearly scared him off before. I should imagine Mark’s antics have sealed it now.’

  ‘So he’s in the wrong for phoning you and he’s also in the wrong for not phoning you,’ said Zoe, looking out of the bay window onto the street. ‘Poor sod, can't win.’

  ‘I just can't believe how wrong it’s all gone. I was trying to keep things separate but they seem to have collided with catastrophic consequences.’ Anna joined Zoe at the window. ‘If I could just pause everything for three or four weeks, that way the house sale will have gone through, the divorce started and Tex’s restaurant opened, then start again. It would be perfect.’ Anna gulped away the lump that came to her throat. Every time she thought of losing Tex for good she felt physically sick and tearful. The desperation was so bleak, it was painful.

  By Friday, she and Zoe had viewed several different flats and apartments, finally whittling it down to two possibilities. One contender was in the town centre, just a few minutes’ walk from Anna’s current house. A modern apartment, two bedrooms, a small kitchen, living room and bathroom. Not huge, but it would do for her and Luke. The other was the ground floor of a converted house. Again two bedrooms, but with the added bonus of a small garden and off-road parking. It was the cheaper of the two but it was further out from the town centre.

  ‘I thought I'd let you have a look and see what you think,’ said Anna, perched on the end of Luke's bed. He had stopped playing his guitar and was idly plucking at the strings.

  ‘I don't want to move to a poxy flat.’

  ‘Neither do
I really, but we don't have any choice.’ Anna put on her best cheerful face. ‘Anyway, the flats are quite nice. We can have a look tomorrow.’

  ‘But the house won't be sold properly for weeks yet.’

  ‘I know, I'm just getting organised so there's no mad panic at the end.’

  ‘What about Dad?’ Luke had stopped plucking the strings, his arms hanging limply over the edge of the guitar.

  ‘What about him?’ Her best cheerful face slipping.

  ‘Is he coming with us?’

  ‘Oh, Luke, no. No, he's not.’ Anna felt so sorry for her son. He was obviously still clinging to some hope that his parents might get back together.

  ‘Are you still seeing Tex?’

  ‘We're both a bit busy at the moment. I've got the flat to sort out and he's got the new restaurant opening.’ No matter how she phrased it or tried to reason it, the pain was as acute as ever. She knew she was probably losing Tex for good, but she didn't see any other way at the moment.

  ‘That's a no then. So you and Dad … could possibly … you know … ’ There was a small spark of hope in his eyes. Anna knew she had to quash it.

  ‘No.’ Her response was firm and unwavering. She got up to leave, signalling the end of the conversation and finality of a reunion between her and Mark.

  ‘Mum!’ Luke called after her as she reached the door. ‘Dad didn't hit you the other night, did he?’

  Anna looked at Luke, seeing the desperation in his face, and knowing he was trying to hide behind the casualness of his voice. He didn't want to believe his dad could do that.

  ‘No, he didn't hit me. I fell and caught my face.’

  ‘Tex hit Dad.’

  ‘A knee-jerk reaction. I'm sorry you had to see that.’

  Luke shrugged. ‘Tex must really care about you to react like that.’

  Anna couldn't answer, the lump in her throat took her by surprise. Nodding, she closed the door behind her.

  Just what the hell else was going to go wrong? Tex ran his hand down the side of his Ford Ranger, following the line of the deep scratch. It stretched from the front wing all the way down to the rear light. One deep cut, right through the paint down to the metal. Definitely intentional and definitely malicious. He hadn’t noticed it last night when he drove home from work, but this morning as he went down to the car park below his apartment, there it was, clear as anything. It must have happened some time during service last night while he was working in the restaurant. Someone sure as hell had it in for him.