Durability (The LockDown Series Book 3) (26 page)

“I think she loves you just as much, mister, you’re definitely her best friend. You might have to warn her brother though; I don't think he’d like his baby sister hounded by an older guy.” Joe looks confused, raising his eyebrow up a little.

“But, I thought they were the same age, born the same time.”

“JT was born eight minutes before his little sister, so he’s a little bit older,” Brad explains, looking into the pram with Joe.

“Does JT like me too; will he play cars with me when he’s bigger?” Joseph asks again.

“I'm sure he will, he already loves the bones off of you,” he explains.

“Buddy, come here. You’re all dry now. Time for your cream, and then we’ll get in the pool,” I call out, trying to take him away from his never-ending questions.

“Okay dad.” He leans down and gently places a kiss on Isabella’s head and tenderly
strokes JT’s cheek. It is adorable, I can’t fault him for his love. He is just as affectionate with his own baby sister, although sometimes, her noise annoys him.

He plonks down on my towel, taking his towel off and exposing his back to me. My eyebrows rise as I see a mark on his skin, a blue bruise obvious by his kidney.

“Joe, what’s this?” I gently touch it and he jumps up a little.

“Nothing dad, it’s nothing,” he admits, trying to avoid me. He turns himself so I can't see his face. I grab his arm gently and he flinches back scared.

“Joseph Leigh Lock, turn around and face me,” I command him, but in a soft voice. I am worried, nervous as to why my son is scared of somebody touching him, why he has a bruise on his back the size of a tennis ball.

He turns around nervously, keeping his face to the floor.

“What happened son? Why do you have a bruise on your back?” I ask but he keeps his face to the floor. I stroke his cheek and gently lift his head to look at me. Tiny tears fill his eyes and his little lip quivers.

“Joe, come here sweetie,” Abbi calls, having heard my conversation. “Let’s go and get some ice cream for everyone. Ask Daddy if he wants to help,” She asks of him and I nod my head, needing to find out why my son has this mark and this fright inside of him. He is never scared, not of anyone, but when he flinched away from me, I felt as though my heart had been ripped out of my chest.

Abbi gives Melissa to Georgia to look after whilst I stand and walk inside with my son, my wife following shortly behind. “I want mint choc chip, please,” Joe asks as we enter our kitchen.

“Sit down for a minute, buddy,” I ask him, sitting myself down too.

“Where’s mummy?” Joe asks me, his childlike voice so worried.

“I'm here, baby. Mummy’s here,” she tells him, coming up and surrounding him in a big cuddle. He leans back into her, closing his eyes. I can tell he feels safe around her, loved by her warm embrace.

“Now, Joe, can you tell mummy what happened to you? Why do you have a bruise baby?” she asks him in her soft nurturing voice.

He shakes his head sadly, not looking up. “Do you want daddy to leave so you can tell me?” I give my wife evil eyes, not wanting to be excluded from this, but her own look gives me the confidence that she will tell me. He is scared for some reason and I can’t increase his fear by intimidating him. Something is clearly wrong and we need to get to the bottom of it before something else happens.

Joe nods his answer to Abigail, breaking my heart a little in the process. We have been so close since he returned to me, but to have him nervous and anxious around me is horrible. “Okay, daddy’s going to get some ice cream and take it outside for everyone.” Abbi leans in and kisses my cheek gently, whispering in my ear. “I will get to the bottom of it, baby. Trust me.” I feel relaxed a little after her words but I still feel angry about what has clearly happened.

I grab a large tub of plain old vanilla ice cream and some cones, retreating from the kitchen. I walk through the house, wanting to punch a wall, but rein in my temper. Outside, the sun is baking. “Ice cream anyone,” I shout, sitting in the shade. I start to scoop the frozen deliciousness onto cones and hand them out. Everyone returns to their places, apart from Georgia, Melissa perched on her side.

“Leighton.” I ignore her when she talks, knowing what she wants to ask but not being ready to talk about it. “Leighton, talk to me,” Georgia asks and I look to her, putting the spoon down in the tub to get covered in the melting cream.

“I can't believe it. Somebody hurt my son, Georgia. He’s scared of me, he won't let me touch him now.” I almost cry, tears filling my eyes. My heart is hurting so bad.

“Leave Abbi to talk to him, he has always felt comfortable around her.” My sister encourages me, but it doesn’t help.

“But he’s my son, George, he needs me, I need to help him. I can't sit back and let other people sort out his problems.” I feel useless and helpless. I want to march back inside and demand that he tell me what happened so I can help him, but all he does is look to the floor and flinch at my touch.

“You’re stubborn you know that? It doesn’t matter who helps him, as long as someone does. By you noticing the mark you have helped him, can you understand that, babe?” she asks me, changing Mel over onto her other side.

“Here, give her to me,” I ask of her, taking my baby girl from her.

She is getting so big, her birthday coming closer and closer. She is already eight months old, eating solids and crawling around all over the place. She is trying her hardest to pull herself up on things, walking around the edge of the room holding onto the sofa and the cabinets. It is beautiful to see her developing so well and rapidly.

I sit here on the sofa, after having taken Joe somewhere more comfortable. I hadn’t noticed the bruise before, when I had put his cream on and that makes me feel awful as a parent. How had I not noticed the big blue coloured mark on his back? It isn’t exactly small, at least the size of cricket ball.

“Baby, you wanna tell mummy what happened?” I ask gently, stroking his soft cheek. He pushes his face further into my hand, comforted by it.

He doesn’t look to me or open his mouth to talk, he simply stays there as small drops fall from his eyes, tiny tears that hide so much pain. His body shakes, trembling with the pain he is holding inside. What happened to him? It plagues my mind and makes me crazy with the need to help him. He is my son, my little boy. He is hurting and he is scared.

“Please, Joe, you’re scaring mummy. Tell me what happened so I can help you.” I beg and plead with him, needing to settle this as soon as possible.

“Promise you won't tell dad, he’ll be sad.” He looks up at me with his big soulful eyes and I nod. I am going to have to keep that promise even if it kills me. There is no way I can compromise mine and Joe’s relationship. Leighton will have to just swallow his fatherly pride and trust me.

“I promise baby, now tell me.” It couldn’t have happened at school, he is on holiday at the moment. I rack my brain over and over trying to think of where this could have happened but nothing comes to me.

“Okay, well, you know I went to work with dad on Tuesday?” Joe asks me, turning to face me. I nod again, answering him. “Well I was running through the hallway and a man was there, for daddy. He was out in the back but Daddy was getting a delivery, so Uncle Tom was looking after me whilst he cooked,” Joe answers and my eyes pinch together.

“Who was this man, Joe and what did he do?” I ask, nervous for his answer. It makes me sick to know it is in fact an adult that had hurt him. I feel violent and angry at everyone, including my husband.

“He pushed me into the wall and a pipe dug into my back and hurt me. That’s how I got the bruise. He scared me mummy, he said to tell Daddy he’d be back for him, that I should stay away from daddy’s work from now on.” Joe’s tears return and his body shakes in fright.

“What was his name, baby?” I ask him, holding him into me so he can cry away his emotions.

“He didn’t say, but he was big and scary, bigger than uncle Ant. He said Auntie Maria would know who he was.” Fuck. That means one thing and one thing only; the Blackmans are back, after god knows how long.

“Okay buddy, thank you for telling me. You’re safe here, nobody will ever hurt you, okay baby? Now, you need to go and tell daddy that one of the kids at the park pushed you over, okay, give him a cuddle and tell him you love him.” I instruct my son to lie, needing to work things over in my head.

“Okay. I hope I didn’t upset him. I was just scared daddy would get hurt if I said something,” he informs me but I smile as though nothing is wrong, wiping his eyes and messing his hair.

“Everything is fine, pudding. Go and see daddy and get in the pool. Mummy will sort everything out.”

Joe nods and runs off through the lounge and into the garden. “Come on dad, let’s get in the pool then,” Joe shouts from outside and I smile sadly, internally screaming in fear. There is no way I can deal with this again, not after everything I have been put through with those animals. I thought this was over, I thought Leighton had ended all of this. We haven’t heard from them in god knows how long, the only connection we have is Debbie and her pregnancy. She must still work for them, maybe she knows something. She owes it to me, to all of us, to tell me the truth.

My anguish and fear takes over, causing me to collapse into the sofa, bringing my knees up to hide my tearful face.

“Abbi.” I hear Antonio’s voice before I feel him or see him. His strong hold covers me, shielding me from reality for a brief moment. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?” he asks me, lifting my face to look at him.

“They hurt him, Ant, they hurt my baby.” I cry, burying my head into his chest, unable to hide the pain that is ripping through me. They had nearly taken me from this world and my daughter, I can’t stand the image of them hurting my son, scaring him so much he retreats from his own father.

“Who, baby girl, who hurt Joe?” he begs me to tell him.

“They’re back, Ant. I thought they were gone forever, but they’re back and they’re looking for him, they want Leighton. God, I can't breathe, I'm going to be sick.” I jump from the chair and sprint through my house to the closest bathroom, depositing my food and stomach contents into the bowl.

“Tell me, Abigail. Who are you talking about?” He is beside me, brushing my hair from my face, stroking my forehead softly with a damp cloth.

“The Blackmans. They were at the restaurant Tuesday and they cornered Joe, pushed him into a wall and bruised his back. They threatened him, told him not to go back there and to tell Leighton they would be back. Fuck, what do we do?” Another bout of vomit escapes my mouth and lands in the toilet.

“I need to tell Leighton, you understand that don't you Abbi?” Antonio warns me and I nod, crying painful tears.

“I know, I promised Joe I wouldn’t tell anyone but after what he’s told me I have to, I can't risk not saying anything. If they are back again, Ant, I'm worried what they will do. They hurt him, he’s so scared, Ant. He wouldn’t even look at Leighton earlier, his own father. He was scared of him because he was a man.” I turn and sit on my bottom leaning against the cabinet in the toilet. I brush my hair back, placing my hands either side of my forehead pushing firmly into my temples, to ease the migraine heading my way.

“I'm calling a meeting tonight, Abigail. I need you there to tell everyone what Joe said. He doesn’t need to know anything, he doesn’t need to know we know or that we will do anything about it. Just remain calm and just be there for him and for the love of God, keep him away from Angelo’s,
” Antonio tells me, helping me to stand from the floor. He wipes my face with a cool cloth and flushes the chain. My stomach is settled a little, so I follow him through the lounge and back outside.

With my face clear and my heart broken, I walk over to Georgia and take my daughter from her. I want to cry, I want to cling to her with everything I have to make sure she doesn’t ever know the pain we both went through before she was born. The trauma I suffered with her inside my stomach is something I still can't forget and she doesn’t need to be subjected to it again.

I sit down, Melissa snuggled into my chest and watch my husband and son as they splash around in the water. Joe is back to his normal self, laughing, splashing and copying everything his dad does. I can see by the looks Leighton throws me that he doesn’t believe Joe’s story about the park, but for his benefit he pretends.

I watch as Antonio gets into the water and wades over to my husband, whispering in his ear. I know he’s telling him there’s a meeting tonight, but not what it’s about. Leighton looks at me with eyes that portray fear and anger. He holds it inside him expertly, continuing to play with our son as though nothing has happened.

I look to my right, Maria cradling the twins as they feed from her. It is the most beautiful and incredible thing. She looks at me and smiles, mouthing ‘are you okay?’ and I nod back, faking my own smile.

Georgia and she will never know of what is to come, of what happened to Joe. They don’t need to and it is best for them to remain as far away from the situation as possible. “Mum, dad said I can stay at Auntie Maria’s tonight and help look after the twins because their daddies have to come to ours to help daddy with work.” Joe is excited, his face lighting up with glee as he walks from me to Maria. He tells her the plan and she smiles to him, nodding her acceptance.