Chapter 31
CHAPTER 31
WHEN I GOT back to Albany House, I grabbed a couple of hours sleep then checked on Tia. Her bedroom was on the floor above mine, and I knocked softly on the door to see if she was awake.
“Come in,” came her groggy reply.
I stepped inside, dropping her bag on the dresser as I went.
The curtains were open, and in daylight, her face looked even worse. Despite the ice we’d put on her eye last night, it had swollen into a puffy mess and she couldn’t open it properly. I felt a small pang of regret that I hadn’t knocked out at least one of Theo’s teeth.
“How are you feeling?”
Tia struggled to sit up, blinking her good eye in the midmorning sun. “Like I just did ten rounds with a cage fighter.”
“Can you move over by the window? I want to take a closer look.”
She climbed out of bed and shuffled over. Outside, there was barely a puff of cloud in the sky. Would it be one of those glorious crisp, clear winter days? Oh, who was I kidding? This was Britain—we’d have rain by lunchtime.
I turned Tia to the right angle and peered at her damaged eye. The bruising had blossomed overnight and turned a lovely shade of plum, which by freakish coincidence matched the ridiculously ostentatious curtains chosen by Bradley. The cuts on her cheek and lip had both scabbed over into ugly crusts, and while the lip looked worst, I knew from experience it would heal the fastest.
“I’ll give you some anti-inflammatories to help with the swelling. And I’ll bring up a hydro-colloidal dressing for your cheek. It may look hideous, but it’ll help the cut heal faster.”
“Thank you,” she said.
My bigger concern in all this was her mental state, and perhaps more important, how to deal with Luke’s reaction.
“How are you feeling up here?” I asked, tapping my head.
“Pretty stupid.”
“It’s not you who caused the problem. Always remember that.”
“I guess. I just can’t believe I didn’t realise what he was like before I said yes to going out with him.”
“It happens more often than you’d think. If you tell me the name of the next guy who reckons he’s good enough for you, I’ll run a background check. Deal?”
She spluttered on the water she was sipping, then her lips quirked up in a smile. “You’d really do that?”
“Of course. I don’t want you to go through a night like that again.” I paused. “Or what happened when you got kidnapped. How are you holding up?”
She shrugged. “Okay, I think. I was drugged for most of it, so really it’s more like a bad dream. Luke sent me to some therapist, but she was a patronising old biddy. Kept asking, ‘Soooo, how did that make you feel?’ I managed two sessions then for the third, I went to the cinema with Arabella. Channing Tatum made me feel better than the counsellor ever could.”
I cracked a smile. Tia seemed to be coping with things better than I was. “I’m glad you’re doing okay.”
“I’m a bit worried about the trial though,” she confessed.
“Don’t fret over that. You won’t have to testify.”
“But I’m a witness.”
“Trust me. The trial isn’t an issue. I promise.”
I pulled her into a hug, and we sat there for a few moments until she mumbled into my hair.
“What happened when you went to get my bag?”
“Theo didn’t appreciate the interruption. He does have a violent streak, and not just with you.”
She pulled back and stared at me, wide-eyed, checking me up and down for damage.
“Did he hurt you?”
“He tried, but he was never going to succeed. He’s probably feeling slightly uncomfortable this morning.”
“Oh my gosh! Do you think he’ll call the police?”
I laughed. “Not a chance. First, he’d have to tell them what he did to you. Second, most of the damage happened when he managed to run into a wall all by himself. Third, he’d have to admit he got bested by a girl. Trust me, it’s not going to happen.”
When I recounted the story of how Theo knocked himself out, Tia was soon laughing almost as much as I had last night.
“I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t been there,” she said.
“Well, I was, so don’t start dwelling on ‘what ifs.’ Now, we need to work out what to do next. I’m assuming Luke doesn’t have a clue about the party last night?”
“He doesn’t know anything about Theo. I told him Arabella and I were working on an art project.”
Tears gathered in the corners of Tia’s eyes, and I knew what she was thinking. Telling her brother what happened wouldn’t be easy.
But did we have to?
I’d be in Europe for a week, and the bruising would fade in that time. The cuts should also be well on their way to healing, and any remaining lumps and bumps could be hidden with make-up by that point. Trust me, I’d had plenty of practice with that.
“How do you feel about staying here? Would Luke believe you were at Arabella’s for a whole week?”
Yes, I know, I shouldn’t have encouraged Tia to lie. But with all the other bad things I’d done in my life, that little fib paled into insignificance.
“With you?” she asked.
“I have to work, but I’ll be around a bit.”
“That’s okay. I’d love to!” She perked up. “He’d totally believe I was at Arabella’s. I used to stay there loads before…you know. I’ve got spare clothes there and everything. She’d absolutely cover for me, and her parents have gone to their villa in Marbella this week. Mark won’t notice whether I’m there or not. He spends most of his time at his girlfriend’s.”
“Okay, that sounds like a plan. Even if I’m not around, someone else should be here most of the time. Does the school know Luke and I split?”
“Probably not. Luke hasn’t exactly been broadcasting it.”
“That helps. I’ll be able to call in and tell them you’re sick without having to imitate your mother.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I got another hug, which was followed by an “ouch” as Tia smushed her face against me then remembered she was hurt.
I showed her how to get to the kitchen, where I introduced her to Bradley and Mack, who’d arrived at some point in the morning.
“Just rummage through the closets and help yourself to clothes. We all share stuff and nobody’ll get precious about you borrowing things. If you need anything else, Bradley will sort it out,” I told her.
“Sure thing, sweet pea,” Bradley confirmed, speaking around a mouthful of Lucky Charms.
“Bradley, how come you get those while I have a wheatgrass smoothie?”
“I guess Toby’s too busy looking at my pretty face to notice what I’m eating.”
I took the Aston Martin to the office, where I had a meeting with a new client followed by a day of operational planning. I’d barely driven the car since I bought it, and I’d almost forgotten where all the buttons were. At one point, I turned on the wipers when I tried to flash a moron who jumped a red light. Kind of embarrassing, but at least the sweet burble of the V12 engine under the bonnet was music to my ears.
Thoughts of Tia at home made me scoot out of the office at six. When I got home, the others were clustered in the lounge, tucking into a half-empty Chinese takeaway. I grabbed a container of Kung Po chicken and a pair of chopsticks and joined them. I’d deal with Toby and his apoplexy in the morning.
“Are you out all day again tomorrow?” Tia asked.
“I’m going to hit the gym first thing, then I’ve got a video call for most of the afternoon and a business meeting in the evening. What are you supposed to be doing at school? Anything important? Didn’t you mention art?”
“Yes, I have art coursework to do. And it’s science week. I’m supposed to be doing experiments for physics and chemistry.”
“Fine. Tonight, you make a list of the equipment you need and the books you’re studying. We’ll get all the stuff, and you can do the projects here or at Blackwood. Mack can help you. She likes that kind of thing. Right, Mack?”
“Science is my life.”
“Do I have to?” Tia asked.
“Just because you’re having a week off school doesn’t mean you’re getting a holiday.”
“At least I won’t get behind.” She nibbled on a prawn cracker, looking thoughtful. “Do you think I could come to the gym with you? One day, even if it’s not tomorrow?”
“Sure, but why? You don’t need to lose weight.”
“I know… It’s just… I thought that if I ever came across someone like Theo again, if I was fitter I might be able to defend myself. Luke’s got a gym, but I don’t know where to start.”
“Have you ever been to a self-defence class?”
“No, never. Nothing like that.”
I looked at Mack, and she looked at me. “JJ’s?” I asked.
“JJ’s,” she agreed.
“Okay, but it’ll be a six a.m. start. Just make sure you find some leggings or tracksuit bottoms and a pair of trainers that fit before you go to bed. We’re not looking for those at five thirty in the morning.”
Tia was ready right on time the next day, much to my surprise. She’d never been much of a morning person. We piled into a shiny new crew cab pickup I found in the garage, and off we went with me driving. I always liked to drive. Mainly because of Dan. If you’d ever been in a vehicle with her behind the wheel, you’d never want to be a passenger again either, trust me.
“Nice truck. Whose is it?” I asked Mack.
“Yours, I think.”
Oh. I guess Bradley had decided it was time for a new car. I parked it behind JJ’s and punched in the security code that let us in through the employee entrance, past the staff room and my old storage closet. When we emerged onto the main floor of the gym, two guys were already sparring in a boxing ring ahead of us. A handful of regulars trained on the heavy and speed bags, and a few others pumped iron over at the weight stack in the corner.
“What is this place?” Tia whispered.
“It’s a boxing gym.”
She crinkled her nose. “Smells sweaty.”
“The sweet aroma of muscles and men.”
I looked to the side in time to see Jimmy walking through the door marked Private that led from his apartment upstairs. Usually, he didn’t come down this early, but I’d messaged him last night to let him know we’d be visiting.
He strode over and enveloped me in a tight hug.
“Good to see you, Amanda,” he whispered in my ear.
Mack got the same treatment, then he turned to Tia with open arms. She looked a bit dubious but stepped forward and gingerly embraced him as he engulfed her.
Stepping back, he held her at arm’s length and surveyed the mess of her face. “Girl, what happened to you?”
I answered for her. “She had a coming together with a guy who wanted more than she was willing to give.”
Jimmy’s eyes and voice went hard. “Did you fix it?”
“Of course.”
“Proud of you, sweetheart.”
I did an introduction. “Tia, this is Jimmy. I lived with him when I was a teenager.”
“Pleased to meet you, Tia.”
“And you, Jimmy.”
“Are you ready to start? Emerson here said you wanted to learn the basics of self-defence.”
“I’m ready.”
Jimmy and Tia headed for the mats, where Jimmy started by teaching her about the easiest parts of the body to inflict pain—something I firmly believed every girl should know. Mack and I went over to the bags to train. We’d spent an hour on punches and kicks when Jimmy ambled across.
“You gonna spar before you go?” he asked me.
“Sure, if there’s someone for me to go up against.” It had been a while since I’d fought in the gym, although I’d had the odd bit of practice on the street.
“Darnell could do with a bout,” he said, pointing at a black kid who looked to be around twenty, pounding away on a heavy bag.
I skipped over to my old room, which was where I still kept my boxing headgear, shoes, and the gloves I liked to fight in. Time to play.
Darnell made a reasonable opponent. He had a couple of amateur bouts under his belt, of which he’d won one and lost one. He was strong, but he needed to be faster. We went a few rounds, with Jimmy and I both giving him pointers. After me, Mack hopped up into the ring and did some pad work with Darnell while I headed off in search of Tia.
“How’s it going?” I asked.
“Jimmy’s taught me how to do an uppercut. Look!” She walloped the bag in front of her, grinning. “I just imagine it’s Theo’s head and I can hit really hard.”
“That’s great. Now try leading with your shoulder to get more power behind your punches.”
“Like this?” She had another go.
“Yeah. You want to come back later in the week?”
“Can I? I’d love to. I’m going to see if Luke’ll let me do more classes when I get home. I won’t tell him I came here, of course,” she added hastily.
Jimmy winked at me as Tia went back to swinging at the bag. She had a long way to go, but she was enjoying herself, that was the main thing. All in all, it was a good session for the four of us.