The Vine Cross (The Vine Series Book 1) Page 3

  Rob slapped him on the back, causing him to choke. When he saw it was Rob, he swung his arms around him and gave him a hug.

  Hayley re-joined Lucy as she walked back to her from a crowd in the middle of the living room. “We’re getting off in a minute, I think this lot are on about meeting us later.”

  Hayley nodded, realising she left her bottle in the kitchen, she went to retrieve it. Glancing out of the window, she caught a black taxi pulling up. Three men got out, then a fourth one followed. Thinking one of them looked familiar, she moved closer to the window and dread enveloped her.

  Her legs turned to jelly, her stomach flipped, and her lungs spasmed. This could not be happening, not now. Feeling a panic attack coming on, she held in a gasp of pain as she felt a hand land on her shoulder. Spinning around, she fell apart.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  Hayley looked back up at Rob with daggers in her eyes and tears welling.

  He noticed her shaking and pulled her in for a hug. “What’s wrong?” repeated Rob.

  Hayley pointed to the window. The man who had been in the front was opening his wallet to pay the driver.

  “What?” He looked from Hayley to the window.

  “The guy from the car,” he looked at her bewildered. “I need to get out of here,” she pleaded.

  Rob watched him walk up the path towards his house, wondering what to do.

  “Please, I’m begging you. Get me out.” He looked down at Hayley as she tugged on his shirt sleeve, tears rolling down her cheeks, eyes shining like beacons. He had never seen someone look so scared in all his life.

  Grabbing Hayley’s hand, he pulled her through to the living room looking for someone, but instead he made his way to the stairs. Running up the first couple of steps, he was then dragged back as Hayley halted his progress at the foot of the staircase. “Hayley, move before he gets in!” he urged.

  “Just tell him to go,” she pleaded.

  “I can’t.”

  She looked into his eyes; they were as desperate as hers. She had to decide whether she was in more danger upstairs or downstairs. Decision made; she ran upstairs.

  Rob took her into the bedroom, and she froze. Feeling like she’d made the wrong decision as he shifted a vanity chair, sticking it under the handle.

  When he turned, he saw her rubbing her arms, looking vulnerable and unsure.

  “The door’s not got a lock on it,” he explained.

  Hayley was still shaking, looking at him wide eyed. “Rob, what’s going on? Why am I here?” She asked, looking around the room for some inspiration.

  “Because I need to get him out without raising suspicion,” said Rob, thinking about how he was going to manage this fiasco? Alot was riding on tonight.

  “Why is he even here?” Hayley couldn’t believe how stupid she had been, walking into what looked like a trap.

  “I didn’t know he was coming,” admitted Rob pacing the room, rubbing his head. “Caity must have invited him,” he said, more to himself than anyone else. There could be only one explanation behind Hayley’s obvious fear, and that was that Caitlyn had invited the guy from the supermarket to piss her off. He was going to bloody kill her for this.

  “And you had nothing to do with it?” Hayley spat out.

  Rob couldn’t hide the hurt he felt, shaking his head. “No!”

  “How am I going to get out?” Hayley panicked, trying to maintain her breathing. Attacks were a thing of the past, she didn’t need them coming back any time soon.

  “I don’t know, there’s only two doors, the front door and the patio doors, but he’ll see you if you go out of either.” Rob answered, seeing how much she was struggling with the thought of being so close to the guy. “Right, I’m going downstairs, I’ll try to get rid of him. I’ll come back up when the coast is clear, OK?”

  Hayley didn’t feel like she had much of a choice, but nodded. Terrified of this backfiring on her and it being a setup. She had to find something to use as a weapon, just in case.

  Rob moved the chair, “Put this here till I get back,”

  Hayley nodded, and Rob left.

  Trembling on her own, she spied a lamp on one of the bedside tables, and grabbed it. She would have to use that, there was nothing else she could swing. The music sang out from downstairs, so she couldn’t work out what was going on down there. Her head was a mess, memories flooded back and scenarios of what was happening downstairs infiltrated her mind.

  Hayley couldn’t stop shaking and her body was betraying her. If she needed to fight, she needed to be strong. Her limbs already felt heavy and drunk; her reactions slowing while her heart rate increased. Hayley needed to stay calm, needed to breathe… She couldn’t go back, she just couldn’t!

  A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Standing motionless, she waited.

  “Hayley?” She scowled, recognising the voice but unable to place it. “Hayley? Can you open the door, Rob sent me up.”

  Her heart beat loudly, she could feel blood pumping in her ears, muffling her senses. Knocking again, she gingerly removed the chair from under the door handle, slipping her body behind the door to take the brunt of any force coming her way, with the lamp clutched in her hands like a baseball bat. When the door remained partially open, Hayley relaxed a little. Peeping her head round the opening, she saw the man who had helped cut up the pizza earlier.

  “Hi, Rob sent me up,” Hayley opened the door a little more, no longer as terrified. “He told me there’s a guy down there who’s made trouble for you before.”

  She nodded, appreciating the way Rob had handled it. “He wanted me to check on you; he’s having a problem downstairs,”

  “What’s wrong?” She panicked.

  “Nothing.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes, “Caity.”

  Hayley nodded in understanding. “I need to go,” she whispered. “I need to get out.” Her voice cracked. “Can you get me out?”

  “Sure, just give me a second and I’ll check the coast is clear.” Leaning over the balcony on the stairs to look beneath, he came back to the bedroom where Hayley was still clinging onto the door frame. Holding out his hand, she hesitated, but his eyes didn’t stray from hers and she relented, taking it. Leading her downstairs, she could see most people had vacated the living room, but noted the raised voices in the kitchen.

  A couple huddled up on a sofa, kissing. Two men drinking beer chatted about football near the back garden. Still holding her hand, he led her outside through the patio doors at the back.

  Outside, he glided the glass door closed. Turning to the left where a gate stood, he slowly opened it, just a fraction to see round. Spying a group of people arguing, he closed it. “They’re still out the front, so we’ll go through to next door’s garden and wait there, OK?”

  Hayley nodded, creeping from Rob’s garden gate into the neighbour’s. Hayley stood staring at the house in front of her. She didn’t want to get caught being on someone else’s property, and she certainly didn’t want to explain why.

  “Who’s the guy?” Asked the man thumbing towards Rob’s house.

  “No one!” She snapped, trying to reset her heart’s rhythm and stabilise her breathing pattern.

  “OK,”

  “He’d make my life a living hell, I’d rather not see him,” she answered guiltily, not wanting to talk about it to a total stranger, even if he had just saved her.

  “Well, if he’s that bad you could go to the police, get a restraining order?”

  Hayley shook her head again. “No, I can’t.”

  The man looked away. Realising she was living through something she didn’t want him to delve into; the barrier had come up when her eyes glazed over. “If you’re this scared of him, then the police will listen, you know?” She smiled politely, telling him to leave it.

  He looked down toward the back of the garden. He didn’t want to push it, but he needed to construct a safe passage out of this garden before detection. Trembling, she differe
d greatly from the girl in the kitchen only ten minutes before. He was eager to know what could cause such a vehement reaction.

  “All right, well, we can jump the fence at the back and walk the long way round. There’s a pub at the end. You can buy me a drink for saving your life,” he smirked.

  “Saving my life?” Hayley looked at him shocked for a second then sniggered, witnessing his smirk. Shrugging with a laugh, he glanced back to the gate. The commotion out the front still audible. “OK, but you might have to help me with the fence, not sure they built my jeans for hurdles.”

  Probably right, he thought, scanning her. They fit like a glove but didn’t allow for pole vaulting. Heading towards the back of the garden, they made their way through the junk filling it. Reaching the bottom, Jesse snagged an old pallet, pushing it down on top of three bags of rubble. After testing its structural integrity with his hands, he held them out to Hayley. Hayley dithered, looking from him to the fence, then back at the makeshift platform.

  “If you’ve got a better idea, I’m all ears.”

  Hayley knew she didn’t. Grabbing his hands for support she lifted herself onto the platform and tentatively side stepped towards the fence, listening to every creak and groan from the wood underneath her feet.

  “It’s a six-foot drop. The longer you think about it-”

  “No, it’s not that.” Hayley answered before biting her shaky lip. Legs wobbling, she was aware her breathing had become erratic; she took a deep breath. She had to grasp control. She could not go into a full-blown panic attack. Not now, not in front of him. The noise from the front suddenly got louder. What on earth was going on, did he know she was there?

  Suddenly her aid clicked his fingers, “Hey, hey, look at me!”

  She obeyed. His blue eyes shone up at her, steadying her, grounding her with their kindness and calm.

  “You’re good, OK. Nothing will happen to you, not with me here, got it?”

  Her head nodded, without her say so. Walking closer to the fence, she swung her leg over and grappled to steady it on the top of the fence. Feeling hands on her other leg, that was still supporting her weight on the pallet, he gently helped her over. Shaking, she perched on the edge of the fence.

  “Now try to throw your weight forward, and just drop, I’ll be right behind you.”

  She did as instructed, landing on her knees with her hands covered in muck from supporting her fall. He made his way over quickly, landing perfectly on two feet. “You’ve done that before,” she scoffed, watching him.

  He smiled; confident he’d got that down to a fine art. Scrambling their way through the trees and shrubs surrounding the houses, he looked back at her. She sported muddy knees, hands and a few dead leaves in her hair. But her face told him she was less concerned about her appearance than being caught. She was skittish; it intrigued him to find out what her story was.

  “There’s a pub further up, you can reward me there.” Her eyes found his and her face suddenly warmed, breaking into a smile.

  “Sure, why not?” She said holding her dirty hands out, rolling her eyes.

  Brushing themselves down, they walked further up the road until the pub came into view. Sporting a white pebble dash exterior with aged black ledges, and a swinging sign advertising a white swan, it didn’t look that inviting. Walking inside, they made their way to the bar.

  “A vodka and coke and…” she stopped, gazing at her rescuer.

  “Pint of Fosters,” he added.

  The barman nodding, fixing their drinks up. Hayley pulled her wallet from her back pocket, lifting a note out and placing a twenty on the bar.

  “I’m just going to the loo,” showing him her dirty hands, to support her reasoning.

  Inside the confines of the toilet, she pushed the lid on the liquid soap and rubbed her hands together. After watching the white foam turn to a grey, she looked up into the mirror. A face shone back at her that held all the worry lines she’d seen before and hoped she’d never see again. Her skin was pale and her eyes dark. Not being sure whether that was from her mascara, she washed her face, removing all traces of makeup. Feeling more vulnerable, and looking even paler, she instantly regretted it.

  “Pull yourself together,” she whispered. After splashing icy water on her face to help steady her nerves and somehow refresh her mood, she held her head in her hands. Drying herself on a green paper towel, she threw it in the overflowing bin near the door before exiting.

  Reaching the bar, she noticed he was no longer there, but now seated in a booth near the window. Drinks and her change sat on the table in front of him as he waited for her return.

  Creeping into the chair opposite him, he glanced at her from looking out of the window.

  He noticed how much younger she looked without makeup. The stress she felt was also unmistakable. She looked wiped out. The pub was quiet with only a few patrons sat round tables closer to the bar. There was plenty of privacy to talk if she wished, but he didn’t feel like she would be very forthcoming.

  “So, I feel like I’m at a disadvantage,” she said after a few minutes of silence before taking a sip to lubricate her dry throat.

  Frowning, he lifted his pint of beer to coat his own throat.

  “Your name?”

  Looking confused for a second before smiling, he placed his beer back on the table, pushing her change towards her. “Sorry,” he held out his hand, “Jesse.”

  Hayley shook it, “Nice to meet you.” Letting go of his hand, she deposited the money into her back pocket.

  “How long have you known Rob?” She asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

  “Since he was born,” he answered, watching her bemused face. “He’s my brother,” admitted Jesse, smirking. No one ever took them for brothers as they looked so different. Rob had wiry strawberry blond hair with brown eyes, while Jesse had smooth mahogany hair with blue eyes, even their faces were dissimilar. Rob’s was more rounded against Jesse’s more structured, sharp jawline.

  “Oh, I didn’t realise,” she said, leaning back in the booth, distracted by the great escape they’d just made. “He’s never mentioned a brother.”

  “So how do you know him?” Asked Jesse, intrigued by the girl Rob had wanted to protect.

  She was pretty with dark brown wavy hair, blue eyes, slim and seemed to have a friendly enough demeanour, when she wasn’t running with fear. Rob had never mentioned her before? And why on earth was she so scared? She didn’t come across as the over-dramatic type, and wasn’t exactly forthcoming with information.

  “Work,” she answered.

  “You a waitress?” He asked, realising she was struggling with the events earlier, as her eyes kept glazing over. No doubt her mind taking her to more painful times; taking her somewhere her heart didn’t want to go.

  Hayley shook her head, “No,” she smiled politely.

  “Therapist?” Still smiling, she shook her head again, “OK, a beauty thingy, the people who stick makeup on with a trowel.”

  “Do I look like a beauty consultant?” She mused sarcastically.

  “No.”

  She wasn’t sure if that should offend her or not. Plenty of men fancied that kind of girl. That thought suddenly felt incongruent and she shook her shoulders out. What the hell was wrong with her?

  “You don’t need it.”

  Hayley, still battling her own conflict, misunderstood what he meant. “Pardon?”

  Jesse couldn’t believe she was making him say it again, he was already regretting it. “You don’t need the…,” he circled his hand around his face to show “make up.”

  Smiling shyly, she blushed before lowering her gaze.

  “So, go on then, what do you do?”

  “I work alongside Rob,” she answered before sipping her drink. Looking around the pub, she made sure no one had followed them there.

  “A Chef!?”

  She looked back to Jesse, nodding.

  “Wow, so you can cook a mean steak then?”

&nb
sp; She looked at him with disapproving jest.

  Laughing, he asked, “Do you have one of those sexy hats?” He smirked “, and clown trousers?” Looking down at her glass, she took another drink to cover her own grin.

  Jesse took another sip of his drink, studying her. Hayley took a sip of hers. The space between them felt like a vacuum.

  Just then Jesse’s phone vibrated in his back pocket, taking it out he looked at the screen. “It’s Rob.”

  Hayley acknowledged him and took another sip.

  “Hi.”

  “Hey, where are you?” Rob asked sounding out of breath.

  “The Pub.”

  “Nice, is Hales still with you?” Jesse looked at Hayley, who was staring out of the window, but no doubt listening to every word.

  “Yep, what happened?” Asked Jesse, eager to learn as much as he could.

  “I chucked them out, I caught them trying to deal.” Rob answered.

  “Thought that was kind of the point,” answered Jesse. “Where have they gone?” He asked, looking around the pub to confirm they hadn’t inspired strays.

  “Town,” answered Rob. “I watched them walk past the Mill and the Navi,” Jesse knew both pubs were down the same street on the way to town and felt himself relax a little. “I’m clearing up; Caity’s gone out with her mates.”

  “She still went?” asked Jesse in disbelief.

  Rob made a sound in the back of his throat that warned him not to continue with that line of questioning. Jesse watched Hayley turning the tumbler in her hand around, watching the liquor sway against the glass. Holding his other hand up to cover the phone’s mouthpiece, he stood up. Hayley watched him, and he mouthed that he would take it outside. When she nodded, he took the call in the rear garden. With the door closed, he still had a view of Hayley through the glass. Lowering his hand, he uncovered the phone.

  “Rob, what the hell’s going on?” He hushed into the receiver.

  “You still with Hayley?” Asked Rob, worried she’d overhear.

  “I can see her, but I’m outside, what’s going on?”

  “Caity’s being a bitch!” Rob seethed.