She’d tried to talk to her dad about it a few times, but he’d refused to answer any questions. Now she accepted that she would never know anything about her other than what Monika told her.
Getting out of the car, she walked up to the front door and let herself into the house. She could hear voices coming from her dad’s sitting room and, not wanting to interrupt, headed straight upstairs to her room. Monika would let him know they were home and she was sure that he would come up and interrogate her when he had a minute.
Walking over to her stereo which was on a shelf on her bedroom wall, she was just about to hit the power button when a noise made her hand pause in midair. What was that? She tried to slow her breathing and strained her ears. There it was again! Leaning forward she placed her ear against the wall.
There was no doubt about it, someone was crying in the next room, the guest room. Listening for a minute, Anna could tell that the cries were that of a woman, and she seemed really upset. Anna was torn. Should she just ignore it and pretend she had never heard it? But someone sounded really upset in there. Don’t get involved. You know you’ll get hell for it! she told herself. She was just reaching for the knob when the crying seemed to get louder. No, she couldn’t just ignore it.
Opening her door slightly to check there was no one outside, she crept out and along the corridor to the guest room door. With a gentle knock, and not waiting for an answer, she gently pushed the door open.
The woman curled up on the bed had her back to her with her face pressed into a pillow. Her shoulders were shaking from the sobs that were wracking her body, and Anna immediately wanted to rush in and comfort her. Closing the door gently behind her, the woman stiffened as soon as she heard the click as she pushed it shut.
“Back again for more?” the woman hissed.
Anna wasn’t sure what to say. “Are you okay?” she whispered.
The woman on the bed immediately sat up and whirled round, staring at her with a shocked look on her face. She was staring at her with such intensity that Anna felt slightly uncomfortable.
“Ah..er..I heard you crying,” she offered as she fidgeted nervously with her hands. “Are you all right?”
The woman wiped the tears from her face with her hands and stood up, fully facing Anna now.
“Yes. Yes, I’m fine. Are you…Anna?”
Anna smiled. “Yes! Are you a friend of my dad’s?”
The woman came towards her now and stood directly in front of her.
“I’m Tara.”
“Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Tara. Are you sure you’re okay? You sounded really upset.”
“I am now,” she replied cryptically. What did that mean?
Before she had the chance to ask, the bedroom door was suddenly flung open with such force that it smashed into the wall behind it. Standing there was her dad, in a rage.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” he bellowed at her, scaring her. She’d seen him angry, but never anything like this. “Get out of this room this instant!”
“I’m sorry, Dad! I just heard her crying and wanted to make sure she was okay!”
His face was almost purple now, as he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door.
“Dad, stop it! That hurts!” She tried to pull her arm free but his grip was much too tight.
“Let her go. Right now.” Anna looked back and forth between her dad and Tara and was left in no doubt that they were not, in fact, friends. If anything, the hatred between them was palpable.
“Mind your own business. I’ll be back to deal with you later,” he growled at her before pulling Anna out of the room and shutting and locking the door behind him. Propelling her into her own room, he shouted at her.
“Stay here and do not move. I’m going downstairs to see off my guests, and then I’ll be back up to talk to you. Clear?”
Nodding, she was just glad to see him leave her room. He had scared her.
***
She was shaking. Trembling all over, but smiling. She’d actually seen her! She was even more beautiful than she’d imagined.
When she’d turned to find Anna standing in her room, the effect was as if she’d been completely winded. She’d been unable to catch her breath at first, stunned into silence. She hadn’t been prepared, and the effect on her was visceral.
She’d known who she was immediately, of course. Even if she hadn’t seen the photos that Sergei had sent, she would have recognized her. There was no mistaking the family resemblance. She had no idea how long she’d stood starting at her, drinking her in. To be in the same room as the daughter she’d lost fourteen years ago was her greatest wish come true.
That she had no idea who Tara was was clear. She should have told her! No. It would have been the wrong thing to do. She was an innocent child, caught up in the games of her father. She would not be the one to destroy everything she believed in. She was just happy that she’d had a chance to see her before she paid the ultimate price.
Sergei may have to delay her punishment now, she realized that, but she knew that it would not change it. But it didn’t matter anymore. She had done what she came to do.
Fifty-One
Kyle had hardly said a word since they’d left London and gotten on the freeway heading west. Kat looked at his profile as he negotiated the traffic. His jaw was tightly set and she was surprised that the steering wheel didn’t snap, he was gripping it so tightly.
She had no idea if they were even heading to the right place. Tara could be anywhere and they really were grasping at straws, but it was worth a shot. If they didn’t find her there, though, she would have to talk him into going to the police. They wouldn’t have any other choice.
***
He knew full well what Kat was thinking and he could feel her looking at him as he drove. His gut was telling him something, though, something he couldn’t ignore. He just knew that they were on the right track.
All the traveling and the lack of rest had made his shoulder throb with increasing severity, and he focused on that now. He couldn’t allow himself to think that they may be too late. He couldn’t lose her. He knew himself well enough to know that if he did, there would be no coming back from it for him this time.
They were lucky. They seemed to have managed to escape London just before the rush hour hit and the traffic, while heavy, was moving well. Hang on, darling, I’m coming.
***
They were getting close now. It was dark outside, and once they’d left the main roads, the street lighting had practically disappeared as they drove along the winding country roads. But they were nearly there, according to the satnav. Only five more miles.
They’d passed a large supermarket a few miles back and had stopped to get food. Neither of them had eaten since before the flight, and they were ravenous. They’d eaten in the car, Kyle not wanting to waste any time. While they were there, they’d bought a set of kitchen knives. They both knew they were going into an unstable situation with no way of defending themselves, so they’d agreed it was probably a good idea to get something. Not ideal, but at least they would offer some form of protection. The public and the police did not carry guns in the UK, but they weren’t naïve enough to think that someone in Sergei’s line of work wouldn’t be armed.
Pulling up outside a house, they confirmed that the number on the gatepost was the same as on the letter they’d taken from Sergei’s office. This was it.
Leaving the car parked on the road, they headed up the driveway on foot. There were two cars parked in the driveway.
“I told you he’d be here,” Kyle whispered excitedly to Kat.
“You have no way of knowing who those cars belong to,” she replied, trying to stop him from getting his hopes up. She had to agree, though, it did look promising.
“Okay. Well, we can’t just go knocking on the front door so I suggest we go and take a look around the back, see if there’s another door or anything.”
Trying not to make any noise, they made their way around th
e side of the house which led to the large back garden. They could see light spilling from a room at the back. The windows were huge and the light illuminated a wide area. Creeping forward slightly, Kyle in front with Kat close behind, they approached the glass.
Getting down onto his stomach, Kyle inched forward so he could see into the room. It was empty, but what he saw made his stomach sink.
Pulling his head back and standing up quickly, he told Kat what he’d seen.
“There’s no one in there, it’s empty. But there’s a poker table all set up in there and it looks like someone’s in the middle of a game.”
He didn’t have to tell Kat what this meant. She knew all about Sergei’s special games and knew that this wasn’t a good sign.
“We have to get in there,” she said. “Now.”
“Let’s keep going and see if we can see a back door anywhere.”
Checking again that the room was empty, they both quickly ran past the windows, running until they’d gone the length of the back of the house. They were now at the other side of the house which would lead them back to the front. Peeking around the corner and seeing that there was no one about, they both crept forward.
“A back door!” Kyle whispered. “It’s solid, so I can’t tell if there are any lights on.”
“I don’t think we have much choice. It’s this or the front door.”
Nodding his agreement, they looked at each other, took a deep breath and turned the handle.
Fifty-Two
“Why didn’t you call me, you stupid bitch?” Sergei was in the kitchen with Monika, screaming at her, spittle flying across the room. Monika was crumpled in a heap on the floor from the backhand she’d just received.
She’d gone to find him when they’d gotten home and found him in his living room, the game in progress. He’d looked completely stunned when she’d walked in, and completely panicked. When she’d told him that Anna had gone straight up to her room, he’d run up the stairs and she’d heard the shouting.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here!”
He was pacing now, waving his hands around as he spoke. “What the fuck am I going to do? Anna’s seen her!”
“Seen who?”
“Tara! Who the fuck do you think!”
“Tara? She’s here?” Monika was stunned. What was she doing here? What was this bastard up to now?
“Full of stupid questions tonight, aren’t you,” he sneered. “Get upstairs and see to Anna. I’ve got to get rid of my guests.” Spinning on his heels, he stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.
Thoughts swirling round her head, Monika went up to Anna’s room. Knocking at the door, she let herself in. Anna was sitting on her bed, her legs crossed in front of her, crying. Feeling her heart clench for this poor girl, Monika climbed onto the bed next to her and took her in her arms.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. He’s not mad at you.”
Anna looked at her with a face streaked with tears, her eyes filled with questions. “Who is that woman, Monika? What’s going on?”
She didn’t know what to say. She loved this child like she would have loved her own daughter, had she had one. She’d stayed and put up with Sergei and what he did to her only because of Anna. She had practically raised her by herself and wanted to protect her from pain, as any mother would.
But, for years, she’d wanted to tell her the truth about her parents. She hadn’t only because there had never been a right time. Never a time when it wouldn’t have done more harm than good. But could it be the right time now? She knew the truth would tear her apart but, in the long run, would she be better off knowing?
Sergei kept things very close to his chest and she’d never known where Tara had been, hadn’t even known if she still worked for Sergei. For her to turn up here tonight had to be fate, she had to believe that.
Taking a deep breath, she held Anna’s face in her hands and looked into her eyes.
“I love you. You know that, don’t you?”
Anna nodded. “Of course I do.”
“And you know that I would never want to hurt you?”
Anna nodded again. “You’re scaring me now. Please, just tell me what’s going on.”
Monika paused and then, with a final determined nod to herself, decided to tell her everything. The chips would just have to fall where they may.
“I’m so sorry, Anna. Your dad insisted that you never know the truth about your mother.” She took Anna’s hands in her own now and held them tightly. Anna looked completely confused.
“What’s this got to do with my mother?”
“She didn’t die darling. I’m so sorry.” Monika watched as Anna tried to process this, flinching when she jerked her hands away from her own.
“What the hell are you talking about? Of course she did!”
Monika shook her head. “No. I’m sorry darling, she didn’t. That woman in the room next door? That’s your mother.”
“You’re lying! Why are you doing this to me?” Anna pulled away completely now and jumped up from the bed, standing as far away from Monika as she could get.
“I’m not lying. I’m so sorry. Your dad took you away from her when you were born, told her you had died.” Monika’s heart was breaking, watching the effect her words were having, the pain she was causing.
“Why would he do that?”
“You need to ask him about that. I’m sorry. Anna, your dad is a bad man. The bit you see? That’s barely the tip of the iceberg.”
“No. No! This can’t be happening.” Anna ran to her bedroom door and was out before Monika could react. Following her, she found her standing outside the guest room.
“Give me the key!” Monika had master keys for all the rooms in the house and she always kept them on a key ring in her pocket. With shaking hands, she pulled them out now and handed them to Anna. She’d set her on this path and now she had to let her see it through.
She watched as Anna scrambled with the key, finally getting it into the lock and turning it, pushing the door open.
Fifty-Three
Everything was going wrong. He’d need to move fast or things were going to get out of hand. What on earth had Monika been thinking, not telling him they were coming home? One simple phone call and all this would have been avoided. He would deal with her later, he promised himself. Teach her a lesson she wouldn’t forget in a hurry. Right now, though, he had to get rid of his guests.
The game had carried on after Monika’s interruption and all the players were concentrating intensely as he walked back into the room. Joey was seated in the chair overseeing things, and he raised an eyebrow as Sergei entered the room. Walking over to him, he brought him up to date in a low voice and told him what was going to have to happen.
Approaching the table, Sergei cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid I have some bad news. As you probably guessed from the interruption, I have some unexpected guests.” He paused to let the murmuring around the table die down. “The game is going to have to be postponed.” He raised his hands as the murmuring turned into loud protests. “I’m sorry. There is nothing I can do. I assure you the game is not being canceled, and we will pick it up again in a couple of days, probably in London.”
He gestured over to Joey. “Joey will make sure you all have your money returned to you and will drive you back to London immediately.”
Leaving Joey to deal with the disgruntled players, he left the room and went to his office. He needed a minute to think, to decide how best to deal with this situation. Closing the door behind him, he poured himself a large whiskey and quickly drained the glass before pouring himself another.
He was painfully aware that if he hadn’t taken Tara’s betrayal so personally, he wouldn’t be in this mess. He would have dealt with her the same way he dealt with all the others, and no one would be any the wiser. Now, though, Anna had seen her and he was going to have to think of something to explain what was going on. He couldn’t let her find o
ut the truth.
Fifty-Four
The room was dark as Kyle pushed open the door, but the light from the moon lit up the room enough for them to see that they were in the kitchen. The sound of a car engine starting up stopped them in their tracks and they stood, stock still and trying not to breath, as they heard it drive away from the house. Someone had just left.
They looked at each other, and it was clear to him that they were both thinking the same thing. Was it Sergei?
There was only one way to find out. Moving slowly, they inched forward towards the kitchen door and slowly opened it.
The door opened onto the hallway connected to the front door and from which a central staircase rose up to the first floor. There was a light on here, but no sign of anyone.
“You check upstairs and I’ll check down here.” Kyle whispered to Kat, who nodded. This was just like being at work.
Pushing the door fully open, they crept into the hall. They hadn’t gone more than a few steps before a door opposite the kitchen swung open. A man stood there and Kyle didn’t need an introduction to know that this was Sergei. Tara had described him perfectly.
The man spotted them immediately and the confusion on his face was rapidly replaced by anger.
“Who the hell are you?” he asked as he marched towards them. “How the hell did you get in my house?”
He didn’t have the chance to say anything more. All the anger, all the fear and hatred that Kyle felt for this man exploded out of him and, with his good arm, he swung a punch with all that power behind it and was rewarded with a satisfying crunch as his fist met bone. He was about to follow through with another when he heard a voice shout.
“Get off him!”
Shocked, he looked up to where the voice had come from and saw a young girl standing at the top of the stairs. There was no mistaking Tara’s daughter.
***
She looked at Tara through new eyes now, and she was surprised she hadn’t seen it before. The resemblance was there for all to see. But, then, why would she have noticed? She wasn’t expecting any of this.
“Anna.” She could see now that the pain in this woman’s eyes mirrored her own, and her longing was obvious.