TWENTY-SIX
Elton
Inever saw myself heading towards this life. Waking up with Reilly nestled into me, her fingers gently curled into my chest hair. She brings me a peace I didn’t know could be found in another person.
Apparently, we are putting a pin in the “move in with me” conversation for a while. She spends most nights with me, but still splits her time at her mum’s house and won’t move as much as a toothbrush in, choosing instead to pack a bag or wear my clothes, which doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
She’s working late at the bakery doing the monthly deep clean, another thing she shouldn’t be doing for someone else.
Hopefully this will be the last time; once the business loan she applied for yesterday comes in, she’ll be on her way to achieving her dream.
She continues to refuse my financial help, which I painstakingly try to understand.
She wants to hold her independence and I can’t fault her for it.
I have a takeaway on order that needs picking up from her favourite Italian place, down the road from hers so we can grab Chip on the way to mine.
It’s a proper hole in the wall with a BYOB policy.
The Italian woman who runs it is a menace who makes the richest ragu I’ve ever tasted.
I know she speaks and understands English, but she chooses to communicate with wild hand gestures and a scowl.
Reilly managed to get a lip tilt from her once, which was pretty impressive though not surprising.
It’s dark out, the sunset is getting later, and I don’t like the idea of Reilly being there alone.
And for good reason, apparently. The lights are still on, so it’s not hard to make out the man standing next to her.
Too close. I don’t like how close he is.
She carries on with her work, her lips moving at a pace too fast for me to read, not that I’m skilled in that area.
My brain ticks over, cataloguing what I’m seeing, trying to process.
He’s attractive, tall. Not young, but not old enough to be her grumpy boss.
I don’t know him, but Reilly does. There’s an ease in the way she responds to him …
Is this why she is so reluctant to move things forward with me?
Is she seeing someone else? I try my hardest not to jump to conclusions. We’ve been down that road before.
My phone buzzes, and Jeeves’s name lights up.
‘Assess the scene. Process the information. Then react’, he would tell me.
I’ve been expecting his call, but he can wait.
This is too important. I throw my phone on the passenger seat, watching it light up again, get out of the car and make my way towards the shop. My heart is out of time with my steps.
The bastard standing behind Reilly leans in and brushes the hair off her neck. My stomach drops. I freeze and wait for what she does next. Assess the scene.
She bats his hand away and takes a step back. She throws the cloth on the counter and puts her hands on her hips. I’ve been on the end of that stare before. She’s annoyed with him, but not furious as she would be if a stranger had touched her.
Is this the ex? Have I stumbled across a lovers’ tiff? Did his persistence finally pay off? Process the information.
No, Reilly wouldn’t do that. I have to let this play out, I can’t go rushing in there screaming accusations.
He touches her cheek, just as I move for the door handle.
My blood is pumping. I’m disorientated. Be sensible, Elton, walk away. Reilly can handle herself, she tells me enough. Assess, process, then react, I remind myself.
I’m fighting every caveman instinct not to burst in and claim her.
She’ll come home and explain, tell me everything I need to know.
Maybe she’s not safe. Maybe she hasn’t invited him here.
She’s not running, or fighting, she’s calm. I should be too. We don’t hide things from each other, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Even if there is a man with Reilly alone at night, who I don’t know and who she looks to be familiar with.
“You have a right to be here, you’re not going to jump to conclusions, but you’re not going to run away,” I remind myself, unnecessarily quietly.
The handle feels heavy in my palm as I slowly turn it.
A loud bang makes me jump and pure rage flies through me.
He has Reilly by the throat against the counter, fear screaming in her eyes.
I don’t hold back. The only thing I can think of is saving her.
Nothing will stop me from getting to her.
Thank fuck the door is unlocked. I rush in and jump over the counter with the goal of grabbing this arsehole by the neck, swinging him around and landing a punch straight into his cunt of a face.
Before I can get hold of him, there’s a clang as he stumbles back, clutching his head.
Trust Reilly to beat me to it when it comes to saving her.
Reilly
There are moments in life when time stands still, and you take a second to reflect on your mistakes.
Leaving the door of the bakery unlocked after closing.
Mistake. Not throwing him out the minute he showed up.
Mistake. Spending a year of my life in a dead-end relationship with an entitled man who thinks the world runs for him. Mistake.
In actuality, the current situation I find myself in is not my mistake.
The person who made the biggest mistake tonight is Tim, thinking it was a good idea to threaten me while holding me by my throat against a counter next to a selection of large, heavy baking trays.
Giving me the perfect opportunity to whack him over the head with one.
He releases me, shouting in agony and rage.
The man who definitely isn’t a mistake rushes towards me. His hands come to my face as he scans me over, checking every inch of me. When he gets to my neck, his eyes darken.
Elton spins around and smashes his fist into Tim’s face. Blood spurts from his nose. Grabbing Tim’s arm, Elton twists him around and holds him against the wall as Tim whimpers.
“Big man now, aren’t ya, coming in here and hurting my woman,” Elton growls, his voice low and menacing. I’ve never heard him so feral and I shiver at the display of testosterone.
“You bitch,” Tim seethes at me. “Who’s this? You fucking him now? Whore.” His words have the desired effect, and my knees buckle as the adrenaline wears off and I come face to face with the danger I was in. A choked sob breaks out of me.
“It’s okay. Reilly. I’m here now.” Elton addresses me over his shoulder. “This arsehole thinks he can break in and attack you,” he says through clenched teeth. Tim yelps as Elton twists his arm a little more.
“Attack her? I’m her fucking boyfriend.” Tim’s face is pressed into the wall, but his voice is still laced with an unnerving rage. Elton responds by pulling him back and slamming his face back into the wall.
“Ex-boyfriend, Tim, we broke up,” I say.
My voice wavers slightly and I squeeze my fists, trying to ground myself.
“I … I never thought you would hurt me.” Tears well in my eyes and my breath becomes choppy.
I grab hold of the counter behind me for support.
I can’t believe he’s done this. I didn’t expect Tim to turn aggressive.
There were no signs. Sure, he was a little tetchy about the breakup but I hadn’t thought of him as unhinged.
“Reilly baby, breathe. You’re okay.” Elton lowers his voice and looks at me over his shoulder.
He still has Tim in a tight hold. I managed to fight him off, but what would have happened next if Elton hadn’t shown up when he did.
His face softens towards me and he glances between me and his captive; not sure whether to comfort me or hold steady.
“Am I calling the police or Jeeves?” Elton asks.
“What would Jeeves do?” Actually, I don’t want the answer to that question.
Jeeves’s past has never been spoken about, and probably for good reason.
He is a man of many mysteries and talents.
I feel he could easily make someone disappear.
Elton raises his eyebrows, telling me it’s probably exactly what I’m thinking.
Tim whimpers, his brave demeanour now resembling that of a scared little boy out of his depth.
He’s trembling under Elton’s hold, his face pale and – if I’m not mistaken – he might have wet himself. There’s something almost sad about it.
I pull a long breath in through my mouth and let it out through my nose.
“Let him go. He won’t be coming back.” He’s not worth any more of my time or energy. I just want to go home, shower and curl into Elton.
Elton grabs Tim’s wallet out of his pocket before letting him go. He finds his licence and recites his full name and address. “Keep your eyes open, Tim, because I’ll always have eyes on you now.”
“Are you threatening me?” Tim asks, wiping his hand across his nose while trying to sound tough, but his faint tremor gives him away as the coward he is.
“Fucking obviously!” Elton replies, pushing him towards the door. Tim goes to square up to him, but thinks better of it when Elton pulls up to his full height, which is likely a good few inches taller than Tim. He moves so fast that only the sound of the bell makes me aware of his retreat.
Elton makes sure it’s double-locked, keeping an eye out as Tim scurries down the road and out of sight. “I got that little driving licence idea from your mates,” he tells me, still scanning the streets to ensure Tim doesn’t return.
I slink behind him and wrap my arms around him. “Thank you.”
He turns and cradles me, placing a kiss on my forehead before running his hands down to my neck which still feels hot from Tim’s hands.
He looks visibly pained as he tilts my head from side to side, taking it all in.
“I don’t think it will bruise,” I say, trying to calm him.
He’s shaking, so I take hold of his hands, tugging them away from my neck.
“Take me home,” I say, pulling him closer.
I spend an hour clearing the rest of the bakery – Elton tries to stop me, but I wasn’t going to leave this place in a state and have to deal with it in the morning. I also needed a little bit longer to decompress, I didn’t want to take these feelings home with me.
As we head back to Elton’s car, I grab my phone from my tote to let Mum know I won’t be coming home, but we will grab Chip. I love that Elton likes having him around.
I have three missed calls from Jeeves, numerous texts asking if I’ve seen Elton, and one text making my heart sink.
I need to find Elton. Neive has been attacked.