Looking back, I finally saw how far I had gone because the filth and human degradation never registered as I passed through these corridors many times a day, every day.
Dean’s door is ajar and muffled movements come from within. Pushing the door open gradually and my pulse stops beating so hard when I recognise who’s here.
“Is Dean around?”
The guy bent over the table spins around and faces me. Dan is as crackers as they come and is a hard core addict. Inside the apartment, it doesn’t look any cleaner than outside it. Wrappers and food cartons litter the floor and any surface there’s room available. Drug paraphernalia is everywhere and from the anxious look on Dan’s face there aren’t any drugs to go with it.
“Where is he?” I ask, careful what I’m touching.
“Kyla? Is that you? You look different,” he slurs.
“Yeah, I’m hearing that a lot these days,” I mumble, sad that I changed in the first place.
“Where is Dean?” I ask again.
“He’s still in the fucking hospital, he got a beat down worse than the time he tried not paying Tyke.”
I forgot about that. Not long after I started hanging around Dean, this huge guy darkened his doorway and proved to him why it wasn’t wise not to pay up.
“Do you know where he keeps his stash?” he asks, returning to his search for a high.
I know where he used to keep it but I don’t want Dan getting hurt for taking advantage. While the dealer’s away, the junkies will play and circle like vultures and rob him blind. Then again, what happens now isn’t my concern.
“Under the floorboard under his bed in his room,” I tell him, turning to leave.
“You done well, Kyla getting away from here. You never fit in, and that’s saying something even for a junkie.”
Humph, this really isn’t my world and even the junkies can see it.
“Take care, Dan.”
I make it out of the apartment and out into the fresh air. Taking deep breaths, I regain myself and prepare a thank you speech for my mom and dad. Obviously I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but thank the lord I have parents who love me and did everything they could to get me back.
After blagging I was Dean’s sister who just got to town after hearing the horrible news of his attack, the nurse was kind enough to let me visit during the night, instead of waiting for morning visiting hours to roll around.
It’s a pathetic sight when she pulls the curtain back and I see him pretending to be a victim. Especially when I’ve seen him treat people this way and sometimes, much worse.
I wait for the nurse to leave and nudge him on the arm, recoiling at the touch of him.
After a second nudge, his eyes flutter open and a small smile crosses his face.
“I told them you’d come back,” he croaks, coughing to clear the sleep from his throat.
“Don’t think it’s because you know me, any normal person would come and tell you to stop this. Why you’re making out you’re in this much pain is a joke,” I snort.
“I’ve been suffering from these terrible headaches, caused by multiple punches to the head. It’s quite serious I’ll have you know.”
I bet it is, and I’d bet this is just a ploy to make his case more solid against my father.
“Come back and I’ll drop the charges against him.”
“That’s not going to happen, he’d rather go to jail than find out I went back to you to help him.”
It’s the truth too.
He takes his time heaving his body up the bed, staring at me the whole time.
“Is there something going on between you and that prick, Ricky Simmons? He was pretty passionate defending you, quite the hero making it clear he would kill me if I came near you again.”
I can’t help but smile, I needed no proof that Ricky loved me and it amazes me every day how lucky I am to have met him.
“That isn’t any of your business, Dean. Drop the charges against my father and you’ll never have to deal with him again. You must know that his club will come after you if you don’t?”
This gets through to him and his cocky grin falls off of his face.
“Do you think I give a fuck about his club? You know my life, I deal with worse guys than that bunch of assholes.”
I take two steps towards him and stop.
“The girl you knew was never meant to exist and she doesn’t anymore, the girl I was before is back and I will not for one second let you ruin my life any further.”
My voice is calm but determined and cold.
“Drop the charges and we’ll forget we ever knew each other,” I warn him for the final time.
“Fuck you,” he spits at me.
If I think about it deep enough, I knew he wouldn’t agree to anything I wanted without it being on his terms.
“Fine, I’m promising you now, my father isn’t going down for this. I’m going to make sure of it.”
I don’t hang around to argue any further with him, I would only be wasting our breath.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Pope
I can’t regret the actions that put me in this cell because I’d do it again. I regret the timing and I regret the fear on Sally’s face as she watched me being hauled off in cuffs. They are starting to build up too, my regrets. They are only concerned with Sally and Kyla and I wish I could right them all. The feeling I felt last night knowing I was going to be waking up next to Sally and she wasn’t going anywhere was taken away from me and Dean will pay. Who’s going to miss him, no one, that’s who. His punters will find someone else to get their drugs from and the people he’s harassed and makes life a misery for them will not miss him either. His days are numbered and once I’m out of here I will be the one to mark his last day. Once and for all he will be out of Kyla’s life and not coming back.
The thudding sounds of the officers boots coming down the stairs gets heavier with every step he makes until he is standing in front of me. Banksy, the club’s lawyer is with him and motions to hurry up unlocking the gate.
“Come on, Pope. You are free to go,” Banksy says, clutching his briefcase tight in his hand.
They lock me up for twenty hours and now I’m free to go? What the fuck? From the moment they put the cuffs on me I haven’t muttered a word, leaving it all to Banksy in the interviews and then they left me locked here for hours.
I keep quiet until the lawyer and I are outside the precinct and no one is around.
“What was that about?”
“They had a witness come forward, their statement is a completely different version to Deans and it checks out. Do you need a ride back to the club?”
For a lawyer, Banksy isn’t so bad. Apart from Ricky, he has managed to get us off more scrapes than not.
Considering, I have no boots on and a t-shirt one of the officers threw at me shortly after they brought me in, I accept the ride gratefully and hope Sally is at the club still.
Banksy doesn’t make chit chat on the ride, knowing I won’t answer him back and the drive is peaceful.
The car has barely stopped before I’m jumping out and pushing through the bar door. As it’s still early in the evening the bar is crowded and the soles of my feet stick to the grubby floor.
Sally spots me before I see her and bounds into my arms.
“Thank God, you’re out. How are you? Are you okay? What happened? I’ve been going crazy not knowing,” her questions are fast flowing from her mouth and I barely keep up.
“I’m fine, Sal. Are you okay?”
“I am now, but…”
What now? My shoulders sag with tiredness and another mess isn’t what I want to hear about right now.
“But what?” I hedge.
Her mouth partly opens to answer but something over my shoulder catches her attention. I turn around to see Cas, Sparky, Slade and Ricky walk in, see me and frown.
Turning back to Sally, I ask, “What’s going on?”
“Pope, brother. When did you
get back?” Cas asks.
“A few minutes ago,” I tell him, then, “Where’s Ky?” I ask Ricky.
Ricky steps closer and braces himself, “We don’t know, we’ve been out looking since last night.”
Rage consumes me, I’ve been gone for less than a day and my daughter goes missing.
“Start from the beginning,” I growl.
“Slade called to say you’d been arrested and we came straight here so Ky could sit with Sally. We went into the backroom, I left the prospect to watch them and when we came out, she had gone.”
“Which prospect?”
It’s easy to see what one without being told, he shrinks behind the bar and tries to look busy straightening the liquor bottles.
Sally’s phone rings out and she thrusts it in my hand, “It’s Kyla.”
I answer it immediately and the red mist disappears a little hearing her voice.
“Mom?”
“No, it’s your dad. Where are you?”
Ricky steps closer and I take a step back, he’s itching to hear her voice too but he can fuck off.
“You’re at the club, right?” she asks.
Her voice sounding like she only wants to hear one answer.
“Yeah, where are you?” I ask.
“I’m doing the right thing,” she murmurs.
“What are you talking about? Tell me where you are and I’ll come and get you.”
“I have to go now, I’ll explain everything soon,” she says and hangs up.
Frustration gnaws at me and throwing the phone at the wall does nothing to relieve it.
“Where is she?” Ricky demands.
“She didn’t say.”
“What did she say, Thomas?”
All these questions are beginning to give me a headache, and mixed with not a lot of sleep, it only makes me want to punch someone.
“That she will explain everything soon and she was doing the right thing, and no I don’t have a fuckin’ clue what she’s going on about before anyone asks,” I growl.
“Then we have to trust her, she’s come a long way, she isn’t the same girl she was a few months ago.”
Sally being here is the only thing stopping me from blowing up, but I’m still not happy.
Kissing her lightly on the top of her head, I pull away from her and head for the bar. Grabbing a bottle of beer with my left hand, I bunch my right hand into a fist and swing it into the prospect’s jaw. He stumbles back into a stack of boxes and I walk past him.
“When your time comes, you won’t be getting my vote to patch in. You’re no good to this club if you can’t keep your eyes on a fuckin’ woman for ten minutes.”
No one comes forward to help the prospect to his feet, they know I’m right.
“Thomas, come with me. You need a shower and boots on your feet. You need to be ready for when she gets back.”
Sally’s hand envelopes mine and I let her lead me up to my room. On the way it occurs to me that Kyla has to be my witness. Her admission of doing the right thing and my sudden freedom can’t be a coincidence.
“I think I know where she is.”
Kyla
“Okay, we’ll go over this one more time and then you are free to go after you sign your statement. We’ve checked out your version of events and they’ve checked out. We’re glad you came forward.”
I smile pathetically at the officer sitting across from me and try not to fidget nervously in my seat. I clutch my purse tightly in my lap and hide the relief that Dan pulled through for me. The promise of cash and the name of a better dealer actually helped.
After leaving the hospital I was glad to find Dan still skulking around Dean’s apartment. He was only too happy to help after I took him a hot coffee and gave him a hundred dollar bill and a promise of more if he kept his word and to the story I had given him.
That’s the thing with junkies, you can never trust them to be loyal.
“You say you were at Dean Gibson’s apartment three nights ago when he was attacked by three unknown to you assailants?”
Licking my dry lips, I nod and he carries on.
“You went there to tell him to stop turning up in your life, having been his best punter when you were addicted to heroin. In the apartment when you arrived was Dean Gibson and Daniel Snyder, you were in the middle of a confrontation when three men entered the apartment shouting where he kept his drugs and cash and starting to the trash the place. When Dean tried to get them out, he was set upon and when you tried to leave, you were knocked to the floor, causing bruising to your left eye and told to stay where you were.”
Once again, I sit in silence and nod.
“The incident didn’t last for more than eight to ten minutes and when they left, Dean was bruising and bloodied on the floor. Throughout the attack, Daniel Snyder hid in the corner, keeping out of the way. You told Daniel to call for help and left yourself believing the attackers may come back. During your confrontation before the attack, Dean threatened you he would do anything to get you back.”
“Yes, he has been turning up in Willow’s Peak for a while trying to get me to go back with him. He even called the cops trying to get my father and his club in trouble for keeping me prisoner or something, I’m sure it’s all on record. And then there was a time, a friend of mine had to step in because he was being forceful with me when I refused to leave with him. Dean blaming my father is only a ploy to get me on my own, he thinks he’s in my way.”
The officer nods and from the vibe I’m getting, I think he feels sorry for me.
“We managed to track down Daniel Snyder this afternoon and he tells us the same as you. Your father was released a couple of hours ago and we thank you for your help.”
“I’m glad I could help, I don’t see why my father should be in the middle of a mess that has nothing to do with him. I’m glad you believed me and not that lowlife.”
“We believe the evidence, Miss Flynn and yours and Daniel’s statements are enough to believe you. I must say, you’ve done very well getting away from the likes of Gibson, I know it’s not easy getting clean but the world is a better place because you did.”
I smile warmly and stand, adjusting my purse strap on my shoulder.
“If you need anything else, you have my number.”
I don’t offer any further information and leave. I can’t believe I just done that and by the looks of it, got away with it too.
A warm breeze ruffles my hair as I step onto the street and I’m suddenly hit by flying limbs wrapping around me.
“Oh God, Ky. I’m so happy you’re okay. You shouldn’t have run off like that, you could’ve told me what you were planning.”
My mother.
My dad stands slightly off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest, he can’t fool me though, I can see pride in his eyes and relief I’m okay.
“Mom, I’m fine. Let me go,” I urge, pushing her away so I can see her face and more importantly, she can see mine.
Tucking my hair behind my ear, she gasps when she sees my eye.
“Who in the hell done that to you?” she snaps, getting a good look.
My dad pushes away from the wall and whips my head to the side for him to see too.
“Kyla Flynn, I don’t know whether I want to pull this pretty head off your shoulders or hunt down the cunt who did this to you first.”
I can’t help but smile, his tone doesn’t match his threat and in a weird, fucked up way it makes me feel good. I have definitely been hanging around him too long. It would’ve been easier if someone done this to me. I backed out twice before I drew enough strength to slam the edge of a door against the side of my face. It was the only way I could think of to gain a bruise without actually being attacked.
“I said I’d explain everything and I will, but there’s no need to go on a hunt. I did this to myself,” I tell him and my mother who looks like she has just been punched.
“Oh for pity sakes, you’re becoming more like your father ever
y day,” she huffs, turning for the car.
My dad slings his arm around me and guides me towards my mother’s car. I don’t worry about my truck being left here. I know he’ll have someone pick it up for me by morning.
“Sweet daughter of mine, I’ll be damned if you hurt yourself for me again but for today, what’s done is done and I thank you.”
I smile up at him as he opens the car door for me and I slide in wondering why Ricky isn’t here too. I have a shit load of explaining to do and I’d rather do it just the once.
When we don’t head for out of town I know we’re going to my place and not the clubhouse.
The drive is quiet and the adrenaline slows down and the reality of what I did begins to kick in. I fabricated a story and lied to the police. I would not have thought that was something I could do, pushed to my limits and I did it without hesitation.
My door opens and I look up to see I’m home.
“Come on, let’s get you in and get some ice on your eye,” my mom panders, taking me by my arm.
The house lights up as we make our way through to the kitchen and my dad pulls out a chair for me at the table.
I gladly sit down and take the weight off my feet.
“Did you tell Ricky where I was?” I ask, looking up at my father staring down at me.
“I was more concerned with you than chasing down your man,” he grunts.
My mom hands me a pack of ice covered in a towel and I gingerly place it over my eye.
“Start from the beginning, don’t miss anything out.”
I knew my dad would want every detail.