Obsession, p.15
Obsession, page 15
‘You okay?’ he said to Hayley when he found a moment when everyone else was occupied.
‘Fine,’ she said with a meek smile.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I am. I never meant to deceive you.’
‘It’s not that, Jake. I’m just… you’ve obviously got your issues. But so have I. Let’s just forget about it all, yeah? Today’s a new day. Let’s enjoy it?’
He couldn’t agree more, but did she mean enjoy the day with or without him? He couldn’t be sure.
The time wound past three. Gus and Felix disappeared on board but everyone else hung around on the outside until Ziyad came out and stood on the edge of the lower deck, looking down, face glum.
‘Sorry, guys,’ he said. ‘Skipper’s got an engine problem. The mechanic’s still working on it. Could be another hour before we’re on our way.’
Mechanic too? Jake had seen no sign of him or her. How many crew did they have? Cook, cleaner, masseuse?
A few groans, but then Ziyad broke into a smile. ‘But we have enough booze to sink this old lady so how about a glass or five while we wait!’ He sprung a bottle of Moët from behind his back. A bit of an everyday brand for a show-off like him, wasn’t it?
Within minutes everyone had a flute in their hands. Half mingled on the lower deck of the boat. The other half, Jake included, remained on the marina.
‘So you’re the Jake Grayson,’ Wesley said, edging over.
‘Yeah.’
Jake couldn’t identify his accent. Possibly English, but it had a strange lilt to it. Maybe he was dual nationality. He looked… Mediterranean.
‘Must have crossed paths last night.’
‘Must have.’
Both took an awkward sip from their champagne.
‘You live out here?’ Jake asked.
‘Yeah,’ Wesley said.
Silence.
‘How long you staying?’ Wesley asked.
‘A few more days.’
Wesley nodded. Moved in a little closer. ‘If there’s anything you need while you’re here, and I really mean anything, you let me know. I’ll sort you out. That’s what I do.’
He winked and patted Jake’s shoulder. Jake opened his mouth to question what the hell the scrawny prick was suggesting, but then a bellowing voice got everyone’s attention.
Jake and the others looked over to the steps. Standing atop, arms aloft like a gladiator who’d just won a bloody bout in the Coliseum, was Vinnie. Except rather than sword and shield in hand, he held two giant brown bags, each emblazoned with the McDonald’s logo.
‘Hangover cure for all!’ Vinnie yelled.
Bystanders stared curiously, a little agitatedly perhaps, but everyone on and around the Lady Russell cheered and hollered as Vinnie bounded down the steps. ‘Probably a bit cold by now,’ he said as he handed out burgers and fries and nuggets to anyone who wanted them.
Jake did, but he remained empty-handed. But then as the others tucked in, Vinnie came over to him. ‘Can’t tempt you?’
‘Best not to,’ Jake said, patting his stomach. ‘Gaffer wants me back.’
He noticed Leo and Macca both glance over at that but neither said a word.
‘No problem. But thanks for buying,’ Vinnie said with a wink before fishing a credit card from his shorts which he plonked into Jake’s shirt pocket.
Jake grabbed his wallet. Opened up and stared at the empty space. ‘You bastard.’
Vinnie laughed. ‘Shouldn’t have told me your PIN.’ He slapped Jake’s back before turning away.
Jake didn’t know whether to laugh or rage. Laugh. He had to. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t have paid if Vinnie had asked. And, as much as Jake bought stuff for his friends, he also knew none of them ever dodged their fair share really. The simple fact was that he had more than they did.
‘I thought I’d be eating all this on my own,’ Vinnie said, checking his watch.
‘Problem with the engine,’ Hollie said.
‘Just as well,’ Leo added. ‘You’re fat enough already, Vin.’
Four o’clock came and went and the food and several bottles of Moët disappeared. For the umpteenth time, Ziyad came out into the open to make an address. ‘Ten minutes!’ he announced theatrically before disappearing once more amid raucous cheers.
But within minutes a strange silence crept over the waiting group. Jake had noticed it first with Carla, when she seemed to dwell on something on her phone. Before long she had Hollie by her side, doing the same as they whispered. Then Vinnie’s phone chirped, before he showed the screen to Leo.
Without a word, as if he knew, Macca was scrolling on his device too.
Hayley went to her friends and the girls huddled as if comforting her.
What the hell?
Jake pulled his phone out as Macca came over, face downcast. ‘Bro,’ was all he said with a slight shake of the head.
Then a ping on Jake’s phone. Another. Another a couple of seconds after. Not good. Not good at all. A sense of déjà vu swept over him. The start of the summer. Bali. Him and his friends sitting around the pool. Happy, relaxed, until…
He opened the link Leo had just messaged him. A link to an article in The Sun. The headline alone made his stomach churn.
The Ace of no heart.
Below it a photo from the club the night before. Him and Hayley kissing. The caption below the picture, Footie star loves it up with new beauty in Spain. But where is poor Chantelle?
He didn’t need to read the rest of the article. Who the hell had taken the picture? A club that exclusive should never let that happen. Yet that wasn’t the point, was it?
Jake looked up and caught Hayley’s eye. She was upset, eyes teary.
But he hadn’t done anything wrong by her, had he?
He went to move over to her but she shook her head and turned away and Hollie faced him, glaring, as though this was all Jake’s doing.
‘No,’ she said, finger held up to him like a parent scolding a small child.
His phone was ringing. Chantelle. Video call.
‘You need to take that,’ Macca said. ‘Sort this out for good.’
Jake had told himself he’d do it today. But he hadn’t expected for this to be the catalyst. Certainly hadn’t wanted this. He could hear his mum’s voice in his head. ‘Oh, Jake! What have you done?’ His mum loved Chantelle. His whole family did. One of the very reasons he’d stuck it out so long was that he couldn’t bear to let his parents down. His rocks. They’d been married for over thirty years. How? He hadn’t even managed to get to his wedding day.
But it wasn’t just his parents whose disapproval he feared. What about the gaffer? Jake had only spoken to him that morning. Had claimed he was behaving, not drinking, taking it easy. When he saw the article…
He turned away from everyone as he answered. The picture on the screen was blurry. Chantelle’s face juddered, but not just because of the reception but because she was moving. Pacing around their house. Packing?
‘You piece of shit, Jake. You fucking piece of shit!’ He quickly turned the volume down so it was barely audible. ‘You told me never again!’
‘Nothing happened!’ he said, a little too loudly really. But did it even matter if anything had happened or not?
‘You’re a liar. You always have been.’
‘Takes one to know one.’
She scoffed in disgust. ‘I don’t know why I ever trusted you.’
‘It’s you that fucked someone else first!’ he blasted.
She stopped moving. Shook her head. Anger showing now. ‘You arsehole.’
As though him pointing out that simple fact made him the bad guy. Was this woman seriously that deranged?
‘No more, Jake. This is it. I’m leaving.’
‘Fine by me.’
She cupped her mouth, sobbed, as though she couldn’t believe he’d just said that. ‘I’m taking my things and I’m going.’
He felt like saying take what you want, you materialistic bitch. Or something like that. He didn’t care. But then he saw what she picked up from the side. The dog lead.
‘No,’ he said, feeling a little numb. ‘Helen will deal with him. You leave Rocko there.’
A horribly sinister grin spread across her face. ‘He’s coming with me,’ she said.
‘He’s my dog, Chan. You leave him there.’
‘Your dog! And where are you, Jake?’
‘You leave him there.’
‘Or what?’ She was at the front door already. She tilted the phone down to Rocko who looked up expectantly, tail wagging, head cocked.
‘Chantelle! You’re not taking my fucking dog!’
Her teary face reappeared, devilish look in her eyes. ‘Stop me.’
The screen went black.
‘Bitch!’ Jake went to toss his phone but somehow resisted the urge with his arm mid-flight. He snapped his hand back down to his side, gripped the phone so tightly he didn’t know how it didn’t crack and smash.
He glanced over to the yacht. All eyes on him. Mostly disapproving.
Macca came forward first.
‘Don’t,’ Jake said. He looked across the group. From the gloating, amused faces of Ziyad and Wesley, to the girls and Hayley who looked disgusted. With him? What was her fucking problem anyway?
Fine. He was done with her. Done with them all.
He spun and hobbled away.
‘Jake!’ Macca called out.
‘Leave him,’ he heard Vinnie say. ‘Give him some space.’
Jake carried on walking away, alone.
CHAPTER TWENTY
AMY
She sat on the balcony, glass of wine in one hand, Kindle in the other, enjoying the peace and quiet. Until the bedroom door opened with a bang and she heard David’s angry thudding footsteps.
Strangely, the first thought she had was that he’d found out about that guy Pete approaching her at the poolside, and he was in a jealous rage.
But would he even care if he knew about that?
‘Amy?’ David called out. Definitely angry.
‘Out here.’
David stormed onto the balcony, phone in hand. ‘Have you seen this?’
‘Seen what?’
He twisted the phone her way. An article in The Sun, about Jake Grayson.
‘He’s staying at the hotel,’ Amy said. ‘What’s the problem?’
David scoffed. ‘Read the fucking article.’
‘No need to swear at me, David,’ Amy said, hackles raised. ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’ Though the way she said it kind of made it sound like she had. She scan-read the article, reality slowly dawning until it smacked her fully in the face when she saw the picture.
‘Oh, Hayley.’
‘Who does he think he is?’ David blasted. ‘Some fucking millionaire prat who kicks a ball around. Messing with my daughter while his fiancée is back home?’
‘David, we don’t even know–’
‘What?’ He glared at her.
She tried to find the words, but was confused. She knew Hayley hadn’t sounded happy earlier, but had presumed it was to do with Ursula again.
‘I’m going to find him and I’m going to–’
‘David, will you pipe down. There’s no need to get het up. Hayley’s twenty-three. She’s not a baby.’
‘Oh, you’ve changed your tune,’ he said, his voice raised further as if to drown her out, his face screwed in anger. ‘You’ve been in my ear for months about her problems with Ursula. Whatever was going on there, at least she didn’t smear our daughter’s character all over the national news like this.’
‘No, but Ursula did cheat on her,’ Amy said, without thinking. ‘She did steal money from Hayley, and threaten to beat her up. More than once.’
She shouldn’t have said that. She immediately wanted to take it all back. David’s anger disappeared in an instant. He shrunk. He looked… broken. Because of what Amy had said and what it meant for their daughter, or because he hadn’t known?
He slumped down onto the chair next to Amy. ‘You’re serious?’ he said.
Amy nodded.
‘Why didn’t… why didn’t you tell me?’
‘She begged me not to.’
He shook his head as if in despair. ‘You’ve made me look like a complete fool. In front of my own daughter.’
‘Oh, David, this isn’t about you!’
He rolled his eyes and looked over the balcony.
‘I spoke to her earlier,’ Amy said. ‘She seemed… disappointed more than anything else. About last night. I don’t think anything bad happened with this guy.’
‘How are we even supposed to know, if she keeps secrets from us. And she went from… Ursula, to some random guy, I don’t even…’
Amy didn’t respond to his obvious confusion and they both sat in silence. Should she call Hayley?
‘She said they were all going out again this afternoon,’ Amy said. ‘On a yacht.’
‘With Grayson and his mates?’
‘I guess so. But I didn’t know that’s who she’d been out with last night. But if she’s going out with them again today… don’t you think that means–’
‘What the actual hell?’ David got up from his chair and stepped to the balcony. He grabbed the top rail with both hands. His knuckles turned white he gripped the metal so hard. Amy got to her feet too.
Down below…
A group of people. Youngsters. Hayley and her friends. A group of boys. Jake Grayson among them.
‘Does she even care?’ David asked.
Amy really didn’t know the answer to that. But then, as she looked at the group… something wasn’t right. Hayley’s friends consoled her.
‘She’s upset,’ Amy said.
‘Damn right she’s upset. She’s been made to look a complete fool. Why? Because he’s Jake bloody Grayson and he thinks he can have whatever he wants.’
‘David, come on…’
Amy put her hand to his arm but he batted her away. ‘Don’t try to tell me what to do. Or think.’
Amy stared at him. He turned back to the marina.
‘He’s coming back.’
David shook his head angrily. Amy looked over the balcony. Sure enough Jake was wandering back toward the hotel while the others got onto the yacht. He looked dejected. She felt… almost sorry for him. What was going on?
‘I don’t care who he is, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.’
David snapped from the balcony, went to storm inside. Amy grabbed him.
‘David, please.’
He tried to shrug her off but she wouldn’t let go.
‘Get off me!’
He yanked his arm free. His hand flew up and smacked her in the nose and sent her reeling. Amy froze, cowering in the corner of the balcony. David stood over her, chest heaving, glaring at her like she was dirt.
She lifted a hand to her nose. Blood.
Slowly David’s anger melted away.
‘Amy… I didn’t mean to…’
She rose to her feet. ‘You piece of shit.’ She shoved him in the chest and stormed off to the bathroom.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
JAKE
Jake turned his phone off before he even got back to the hotel. He didn’t want to see or speak to a single person. Screw Chantelle. The gaffer. Hayley, Ziyad, his friends. Screw everyone.
‘Good afternoon, Mr Grayson,’ the uniformed bellboy said as Jake approached the revolving doors.
‘Is it?’ Jake said, storming past. He didn’t break stride until he arrived at the lifts. He hit the up button. No one else around. Good. The lift doors opened to reveal the garish gold-lined interior. He stepped inside and pressed the button for the top floor.
‘Wait for us!’ came a screechy voice a moment before a boy dashed in, pushing his hand to the door to keep it open. The boy from the pool, the Liverpool ball under his arm. His sister ran in behind him. A few steps away waddled their mum, weighed down by various poolside crap.
‘Sorry,’ she said, with a weak smile as the lift doors closed.
She didn’t seem to recognise Jake at all – would she care if she knew who he was? The boy and girl had realised though. They stood side by side, in front of Jake, nudging each other. Whispering. Snickering.
The doors opened and the mum got out first. The boy and girl waited a moment…
‘West Ham suck!’ the girl said before jumping out and darting off.
‘Grace likes to suck even more!’ the boy added as he raced off after her.
Jake twitched. Cringed. Wanted to pelt after them. Really? To do what? Smack a couple of kids about? ‘Fuck my life,’ he said as the doors closed.
He headed into the empty, though at least now cleaned up, penthouse. He pitied the housekeepers a little – the place had been a bomb-site earlier. He grabbed a large bottle of sparkling water from the fridge and headed out onto the balcony then looked down below. The Lady Russell was still there. Everyone was now on board. Most of them mingled on the back deck, glasses in hand. Were any of them at all bothered that he wasn’t there?
Even at a distance he could make out each of the individual figures, largely because of their clothing. He was sure Macca and Leo and Vinnie all glanced up to the penthouse more than once, but they really were nothing more than fleeting glances. Perhaps taunting even.
The yacht’s engines finally whirred, and water frothed from the rotors at the stern and the craft pushed away from the marina. His eyes locked on Hayley. Vinnie next to her. In full charm mode, Jake decided, given his energetic movements. Hayley seemed to be in hysterics. Or maybe Jake had the scene all wrong.
The yacht was nearly into open water when he was sure Hayley looked his way and kept her attention on him for a few seconds. Without thinking, he lifted his hand in a sort of wave. The next moment she looked away, back to Vinnie, and the yacht moved out of sight.
