20. April 2024
20
April 2024
G rey clouds moved across the city, blocking any evidence of sun. Vaughn watched them roll in as they drove to the Star, his hands fisted atop his thighs.
‘We’re five minutes away,’ Finn said, reading him perfectly.
Vaughn nodded. Despite knowing his brother was watching over Willow, his agitation grew with each passing second.
When the car finally reached the theatre, Vaughn opened the door before it had even come to a complete stop and was striding towards the building a moment later. He ignored the curious glances of people milling around the entrance and headed straight for the lift, pressing the button multiple times.
When he arrived on the first floor, he found Antonio outside one of the studios. He was leaning against the wall with his phone in his hand but straightened when he saw Vaughn.
‘She’s fine’ were the first words out of his mouth.
Vaughn stopped in front of the door and peered through the window, spotting her at the barre.
‘I spoke to Pa,’ Antonio said. ‘He told me it’s being handled.’
‘Not fast enough for my liking.’ Vaughn reached for the door.
Antonio grabbed his arm. ‘You can’t just walk in there.’
‘Of course I can.’ With that, Vaughn pushed the door open and entered. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in his direction.
‘Excuse me,’ Harrison said, scowling. ‘We’re in the middle of a class.’
Vaughn silenced him with a glance as he headed for Willow.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked in a hushed voice when he reached her.
‘We need to speak outside.’
She looked around, her cheeks turning red. ‘Can’t it wait?’
‘No.’
‘She’s a little busy right now.’ That was a disapproving Lili joining the conversation.
Harrison marched over. ‘Mr Gallo.’
Not willing to deal with him, Vaughn took Willow’s hand and led her towards the door.
‘Mr Gallo!’
Vaughn ignored Harrison and exited the studio with Willow. Antonio walked away to give them some privacy.
‘What’s going on?’ Willow asked, glancing at Harrison through the glass.
He hated that he was having this conversation so early in their relationship. ‘There’s a possible threat.’
She blinked, visibly confused. ‘What do you mean? What threat?’
He would tell her only what he could. ‘We’re in the middle of a business dispute right now, and it seems the other party knows about you.’
Her blank expression spoke volumes. ‘So?’
‘They know you’re involved with me .’
She still looked confused.
Her naivety terrified him. She really had come into the relationship blind. ‘So that makes you a target.’
A nervous laugh came from her. ‘That’s ridiculous. I’ve got nothing to do with your business. Surely they know that.’
‘They don’t care. They use people like you to get at people like me.’
There was a beat of silence. ‘Okay.’
‘I need to take you somewhere safe,’ he told her. ‘Until we get this sorted.’
She pulled her hand from his. ‘I can’t just leave when you tell me to. I have a job too.’
The last thing he wanted was to impact her career in any negative way, but he was struggling to see past his concern. ‘Okay. I’ll stay here until you finish.’
Her eyebrows rose. ‘You’re going to stay here all day?’
‘Yes.’
‘What about your own work?’
He wet his lips. ‘It can wait. When you’re done for the day, you’ll leave with me.’
There was uncertainty in her eyes, but she nodded. ‘All right.’
Harrison opened the door and looked between them, nostrils flaring.
‘Sorry,’ Willow said as she slipped past him and returned inside.
Harrison remained there for a moment, his heated stare on Vaughn. ‘Don’t come inside my studio again. Understand?’
Vaughn slid his hands into his pockets, saying nothing. When Antonio began walking in their direction, Harrison looked at him pointedly, then closed the door.
‘He really doesn’t like you,’ Antonio said.
Vaughn turned to his brother. ‘Find Nigel, would you? Make sure he understands that I’ll be wherever Willow is today—and I won’t be taking questions.’
Nodding, Antonio headed off down the hallway.
Ignoring Harrison’s earlier comment, Vaughn quietly slipped back into the studio, remaining by the door so as not to disturb the dancers.
‘What did I just tell you?’ Harrison said the moment he noticed him there.
Vaughn leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. ‘You won’t even know I’m here.’
If looks could kill, he might have collapsed to the ground that very moment. Harrison turned his attention back to the dancers, his mouth locked in a thin, angry line.
Vaughn glanced at Willow, who avoided all eye contact with him, which was fair enough.
For the next hour, he watched Willow push herself to exhaustion while he imagined all the different ways Antonio’s gambling buddies could get to her. His body was on high alert.
Towards the end of the session, Vaughn noticed that Harrison was pushing Willow harder than any of the other dancers. His corrections were relentless. It became clear that he was more interested in punishing her for Vaughn’s presence than teaching her anything.
‘Grab a quick drink and towel off,’ Harrison called to the group.
Willow bent over, holding on to her knees for a moment. There was a slight tremble in her legs. She straightened when Lili began talking to her.
Vaughn’s gaze drifted to Harrison, who was standing in the corner sipping water and doing something on his phone. Pushing off the wall, Vaughn walked over to him.
Harrison glanced in his direction and all but rolled his eyes. ‘Can I help you, Mr Gallo?’
Vaughn came very close and looked around to ensure no one was listening before saying, ‘Yes. You can help me by backing the fuck off Willow.’ His tone was calm and ice cold. ‘She’s doing her best. A blind man can see that. So stop embarrassing yourself by expecting more.’
Harrison’s cheeks flushed red. ‘You can’t speak to me that way. These are my dancers. You’re in my studio.’ He spoke the words through gritted teeth. ‘You would do well to remember that.’
A patronising smile settled on Vaughn’s face. ‘She’ll never be yours. I know that’s tough for you to hear, but she knows her worth.’ He lowered his voice. ‘And if she ever forgets it, I’ll be right there to remind her. Consider this a friendly correction. I respect your position here, but if I see you targeting Willow like that again, I’ll make it my personal mission to have you replaced.’ He gave Harrison a friendly clap on the arm before returning to the other side of the room.
Harrison didn’t give Willow any more corrections for the rest of the day.
She went from studio time, to Pilates, to a meeting, to rehearsals. It was a little before 4:00 p.m. when they finished for the day.
‘Be sure to properly warm down,’ Harrison told the group before heading for the door. His eyes met Vaughn’s briefly as he exited.
After Willow had finished stretching, she exchanged a few quiet words with a concerned-looking Lili, then made her way over to Vaughn. ‘I’m just going to shower.’
He took her bag from her. ‘You can shower at the house.’
‘What house?’
He gestured for her to start walking. ‘I’ll tell you in the car.’
‘You’re really not going to let me shower first?’ she asked, looking back at Lili.
‘Not unless I can come with you.’
Willow faced forwards. ‘Later it is.’
‘Where are you taking her?’ Lili asked, following them out into the hallway.
Vaughn stopped and looked at her before saying quietly, ‘She’s safe with me.’
‘If anything happens to her?—’
‘She’s safe with me,’ he repeated.
Lili’s shoulders relaxed. ‘Make sure she’s here in the morning, or I’m coming for you.’
He really liked Willow’s taste in friends.
With a nod, he took Willow’s hand and headed for the lift. While they were waiting for it to arrive, he texted Finn. By the time they exited the building, the car was waiting for them. Vaughn placed a protective arm around Willow as they crossed the pavement, looking in all directions as they walked.
‘Now can you tell me where we’re going?’ Willow asked once they were inside the car.
‘Toorak.’
‘To your family home?’
He nodded.
She was silent a moment. ‘When will I be allowed to go to my apartment?’
His hand went to her leg. ‘When it’s safe.’
A few minutes later, the cityscape gave way to large homes and leafy streets. Vaughn didn’t relax until they pulled into the driveway and the gate closed behind them. The front door opened, and his mother came out. She descended the front steps, enveloping Willow in a hug.
‘Talk about baptism by fire,’ Paula said, drawing back to look at her properly. ‘You look utterly exhausted.’
‘I just came from the studio,’ Willow replied. ‘I’m in desperate need of a shower.’
‘Let’s get you sorted, then.’ His mother hustled her inside, saying, ‘I’m sure you have a million questions. I’ve been there.’
He was grateful for his mother’s warmth, because he was too on edge to give Willow what she needed in that moment.
Vaughn stopped at the portico when he heard his father’s voice inside. He was speaking with Antonio and members of the bigger family in the living room. Vaughn remained outside, smoking and listening.
‘I’ll pay them this time,’ his father said, ‘but I don’t pay them to save your arse. I pay so the girl is safe.’
The girl he was referring to was Willow. Vaughn closed his eyes and pulled deeply on his cigarette.
‘I’m done with them,’ Antonio assured him. ‘No more gambling.’
‘You better be fucking done.’ That was Angelo speaking, his father’s closest friend, who made no secret of the fact that he was tired of cleaning up Antonio’s messes.
Vaughn smoked another cigarette before finally going inside. He had planned to go to the living room, but then he spotted his mother coming down the stairs. Suddenly, he felt the need to go see Willow instead.
‘She’s frightened,’ Paula said as they met on the staircase. ‘Tell me you can see that.’
Her words were like a punch to the heart. ‘At least she’s safe.’
Paula gave his arm a gentle squeeze. ‘Willow needs more than physical protection. She needs emotional safety too. It’s not enough for you to protect her from threats. As I often have to remind your father, be gentle .’
He nodded, then continued to the guest room, where he sat on the bed and waited for Willow to come out of the bathroom. She emerged wearing leggings and a jumper, her hair wrapped in a towel. She stilled when she saw him there.
‘Hey,’ she said.
Vaughn opened his arms to her, and she came and climbed onto his lap. ‘Are you okay?’
She rested her head on his shoulder. ‘I need to feed Frank. Wednesdays are one of his food days.’
‘I’ll send Finn.’
She looked up at him. ‘I really can’t go home tonight?’
It was clear she didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation. ‘No.’
‘Can you at least tell me why?’
He breathed in her soapy scent. ‘I’ve told you everything I can. The less you know, the safer you are.’
‘Okay. I trust you,’ she whispered. ‘Please don’t break that trust.’
His arms tightened around her, drawing her closer, so close her breath slowed. He immediately loosened his grip.
The sound of cars arriving out front had Vaughn looking to the window. The flash of blue and red lights had him standing and carefully placing Willow on her feet.
‘Is that… are they police lights?’ she asked, taking a step back as if they were there for her.
‘I need you to stay here,’ he said firmly as he headed for the door. ‘Don’t leave this room.’
She followed him. ‘Vaughn?—’
He spun around so fast that she reeled back. Pointing to the floor, he repeated slowly, ‘ Don’t leave this room .’
He left her and headed downstairs, where he found his father calmly speaking to two officers at the front door. They looked in Vaughn’s direction as he reached the bottom step. Their faces said it all. Vaughn’s footsteps sounded unusually loud as he made his way towards them.
‘Everything all right?’ he asked, looking from the officers to his father’s defeated face. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Vaughn Gallo?’ asked one of the men.
They knew exactly who he was. ‘Yes.’
‘Step outside, please.’
Antonio and Angelo emerged from the living room to see what was going on, and Salvatore held up his hand to stop them.
When Vaughn didn’t move, the officer repeated the instruction. ‘Step outside, please.’
The last thing Vaughn wanted was a scene inside his family’s home, in front of his mother and within earshot of Willow, so he stepped out onto the portico and put his hands behind his back before he was asked. He had done this dance before.
When the handcuffs came out, Antonio moved to the door. ‘What the fuck?’
The other officer stepped up to him. ‘Antonio Gallo?’
Antonio straightened. ‘What? You gonna arrest me too?’
It turned out that was exactly what he intended to do.
When Vaughn glanced at the police cars in the driveway, he saw that there were other officers waiting by the vehicles in case they were needed. They had come prepared.
The officer cuffing him began his little speech. ‘You’re under arrest for suspicion of murder.’
Vaughn looked over his shoulder. ‘You’d want to have some solid proof.’
‘You’re not obliged to say anything, but anything you do say may be taken down and used as evidence.’
‘I’ll call the lawyer,’ Salvatore said. ‘You’ll be out in a few hours.’
Antonio cooperated but didn’t shut up the whole time they were cuffing him.
Vaughn looked past him to where his mother stood, hugging herself. No mother got used to the sight of her sons being taken away in handcuffs.
Movement on the staircase drew his attention. And there was Willow, gripping the handrail as though it were the only thing holding her up. It probably was. Her eyes were wide with shock and shiny with unshed tears. He hated that she had to see him like that, had to feel it. There was no comfort he could offer her in that moment, so he looked to his mother and gestured towards the stairs with his head.
Paula looked over her shoulder and, seeing Willow, immediately went to her.
People continued to talk around him, but he didn’t register any words until the officer holding his arm said, ‘Let’s go.’
The last thing Vaughn saw before he was led away was Willow’s legs give out before his mother could reach her.