Hooked Up: Book 3 (13 page)

“Coming from you, the eternal forgiver, that sounds tough.”

“Well, some men deserve the cold shoulder now and then. If you’re too nice they walk all over you.”

“Actually Pearl, I have a confession to make.”

“Really?” A gamut of possibilities ran through my mind. Perhaps she’d been having private conversations with Alexandre and had been holding out on juicy information.

She looked at the wigwam again, and whispered, “About Zac.”

“Zac the surfer? The good looking one we met on the beach?”

Daisy looked down; her face flushed pink. “We kissed.”

My jaw dropped open. “You are
kidding
me? Daisy, that’s so exciting!”

“It gave me confidence, made me realize I was still attractive.”

“Are you kidding? You’re gorgeous. Especially since you’ve lost all that weight. He should be so lucky.”

She squealed quietly, “But wait. There’s more!”

I laughed. “You sound like one of those infomercials . . . ’but wait, there’s more.’ ”

“I shagged him.”

“No!”

Amy poked her head out of the wigwam. “Why are you shouting, Auntie Pearl?”

“Nothing, honey. I thought I saw a spider but I was wrong.”

“I like spiders. I would never kill a spider.”

“That’s because you’re an angel, sweetheart. Don’t worry, I don’t kill them either.”

Amy slipped back inside her wigwam and continued her tea party.

Daisy whispered, “I haven’t been able to get him out of my mind since.”

“I’m not freakin’ surprised. He was gorgeous. When did this happen? You’re such a dark horse, Daisy.”

“That day when you three all went on a walk in the woods. Remember? When I said I’d stay behind? Zac popped over.”

“Sounds like he did a lot more than just pop over.”

“Well, yeah. It started with a kiss and then . . . well, I thought, ‘I’m on holiday, what the hell.’ I didn’t mean it to go so far, but my hormones took over, I couldn’t resist him.”

“And? Was it worth it?”

“Let’s just say that he woke up a certain part of my body that had lain dormant for a long while.”

“You were very brave to just
go
for it like that.”

“Like I said, I was on holiday, I felt reckless. As far as I was concerned it was a one night stand . . . I mean a ‘one
day
stand’ . . . but he had other ideas.”

I was still grinning at this gossipy news. “Like what?”

“He told me he wanted more. Well, I left him hanging, you know, it wasn’t exactly the right time in my life to be jumping into another relationship. When a woman doesn’t give a damn, it makes a man all the more interested. I told him I wasn’t ready for a relationship.”

“
Relationship?
You’d even consider Zac as
boyfriend
material?”

“He’s gorgeous, Pearl. And he’s a really sweet guy. And not dumb either—he’s interesting. Yes, I see potential there.”

“But . . . but . . . he’s a
surfer,
the non-committal type, he’d drive you nuts.”

“That’s what your dad’s like. Zac is more demonstrative.”

“Really? What did he demonstrate?” I laughed at my silliness and waited for a detailed description of the nitty-gritty.

Daisy replied in a serious tone, “Nothing like ‘absence making the heart grow fonder.’ He wants me to think about moving to Kauai and living with him.”

Stunned didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. “You’d consider leaving New York? Living in
Hawaii
?”

“You bet. I mean, it’s so beautiful there, so peaceful. A great place for a child to grow up. You get a tropical life but it’s still part of America—the best of both worlds.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t something he just
said
, the way guys do sometimes. Empty promises and all that?”

“We’ve been in touch by email. No calls. I told him not to call, I don’t want to upset A. M. Y.”

A little voice piped up from within the wigwam, “Mommy, I know you’re talking about me.”

“Just saying how pretty you are, Amy,” I shouted out. “My God, she’s bright for her age.”

Daisy whispered, “He’s invited us to stay with him at his house. A three month trial period, he suggested.”

My mouth hung open. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. A surfer with
plans
?”

“Well, he said it. It was his idea. Maybe not every surfer is as flaky as your dad when it comes to relationships.”

“And you’re
considering
it? Seriously? What about your practice? What about your job?”

“I’m self-employed, I can go anywhere. I could start up something there. I may earn less out there, but the cost of living will be so much less than New York City. I mean, Amy and I wouldn’t move in with him straight away. I think that would be foolish. We could get something small nearby. See how it goes first. It would be an adventure, a life change. I’d keep my autonomy. Then, if it didn’t work out with Zac, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, and if it did, well . . . hello? Book Two of my life.”

“What about Johnny?”

She lowered her voice to an almost inaudible whisper, “Johnny can fuck right off.”

“Really?”

“The only reason he wanted us back is because Lady-love Phoenix has gone back to her husband. He had the perfect life with me and Amy and he blew it. We can’t be his leftovers. Anyway, don’t worry, I won’t do anything rash. But I am weighing things up.” She cleared her throat. “And what about you, Pearl? Do you think you’ll have the willpower to stay away from Alexandre when he’s still expressing undying love for you?”

“This time I have to, Daisy. I have no choice. I can’t be left-overs either.”

“I just don’t get it.
Why
is he still seeing Laura?”

“He says he needs one more thing from her and then he’ll never see her again.”

“Is that code for one last goodbye, do you think? One last shag?”

“That’s what I fear, but he’s been taking his time about it—this Laura thing has been dragging on for weeks.”

“It must have been painful for you not spending Christmas with him.”

“I had an amazing Christmas here, with you and Amy and Ant.”

“Yes, but still. Have you spoken to Sophie, by the way?”

“Yes, she called the other day. So strange. She asked me what was going on with Alexandre. She asked
me
.”

“But surely she must
know
if it’s to do with their mother—this big ‘emergency’ Alexandre was talking about.”

“Exactly, that’s what I’d presumed. But, no. She’s as much in the dark as I am. That’s why I’m beginning to think this mother emergency thing is a fig leaf of an excuse to keep seeing Laura.”

“But what you told me . . . the stuff Sally the dog walker said. It sounds as if he’s miserable without you. None of this makes sense.”

“Maybe he’s miserable because he can’t make a final choice and it’s ripping him apart. I’m so glad you’re here to protect me, Daisy, or I know what he’d do. He’d be at my door wooing me with kisses, and flexing his huge great Weapon of Mass Destruction until I succumbed. He knows how weak I am, how I can’t resist him.

“You’re really hooked on him, aren’t you?”

“I’m head over heels in love with him. I have never, ever felt like this about anybody.”

“Are you going to let him know you’re pregnant?”

“No. I want to know it’s
me
he’s choosing if he finally makes his mind up. If he knows there’s a child involved he might come back to me just for that reason. It has to be me, and only me he wants.”

“Did you tell Sophie about the baby?”

“No. I can’t trust her not to tell him. You know how close they are.”

“I wish I had a crystal ball, Pearl. I wish I could offer great advice, but I’ve screwed up with you on more than one occasion. I was just as suspicious as you were about Sophie and if I’d kept my bloody mouth shut maybe you and Alexandre would be married by now.”

“And what? Be divorced ten minutes later because of Laura? Having a ring on my finger probably wouldn’t have changed a thing. Maybe he’s like all those ex French presidents and aristocratic types who have a wife and also a mistress at the same time—maybe that’s what rich French men do.”

Daisy frowned. “He didn’t strike me as that sort. I still can’t believe he’s with her. I mean, he swears to you that he hasn’t touched her. Why would he say that if it weren’t true?”

“Because, as you know more than anyone, men can be very convincing. Listen, some women fall in love with serial killers and have no idea. I have obviously fallen for a pathological liar who can’t keep it in his pants.”

I
FELT AS IF I’d been sliced in two. This whole situation was a fucking nightmare. I had never imagined that Laura could do this to me—have this hold on me, just as everything seemed so perfect with Pearl. Crap timing, for sure.

I sat in my parked car, watching patiently, as snowflakes drifted across the windshield . . . waiting, my heart pounding fast . . . with rage. I hadn’t done anything like this for a long while; hadn’t got into any fights for years, because I knew what I was capable of. Anger and excess energy had been building up steadily over the past few weeks, and this fuck was going to get it—he deserved it. I’d show this bastard, once and for all, that you just couldn’t go through life treating people like garbage, especially women. Jim was his name. Probably thought that because he made a killing on Wall Street he was above it all. He needed to be taught a lesson.

My eyes were fixed on the man’s front door. It was still decorated with a crown of holly, the imposing white brick house boasting expensive Christmas lights; tasteful, not overly done. Must have cost a mint, this place; Mystic, Connecticut was not cheap. I imagined the man’s wife and 2.2 children, perfect, and with no clue to the monster that lived within. I wouldn’t damage him, no. Wouldn’t do that to a man with kids, but I’d scare the living shit out of him. Make him pay. In more ways than one.

I smiled to myself as it struck me I had never let onto Pearl that I was a black-belt master in Taekwondo. I hated people who boasted about their prowess at martial arts or sports. But after my father, I swore nobody would ever have the power to hurt me again physically. I remembered my teacher, Sophie’s first serious boyfriend. He’d started to train her, and then I took an interest. The man was a real grand master, a genius; had been trained in Korea as a child. I remembered the mantra I’d been taught: “I shall be a champion of freedom and justice” and, “I shall build a more peaceful world.” Justice . . . that’s what I would set right tonight. And as for a more peaceful world, I’d ensure that this fuck, Jim, made his contribution to help abused girls in need.

I noticed the front door open. Fuck, there he was, that little shit. Just seeing my enemy made the thigh muscles in my leg twitch. These legs that had been trained to kick like a weapon; break a concrete block in two. Even if I hardly trained anymore, it was second nature, my leg could fly up and smash any opponent in the head, knocking even the strongest man to the ground without even trying too hard. I’d have to control myself, though; I could kill, just with my thumb on someone’s pressure point. Peace before combat at all times . . . except now, this bastard had had it coming to him for nearly twenty years.

He had defiled her with his stinking dick. I hated mankind. Man, not kind. Man—so often a fucking piece of shit. Pearl and Natalie were right to expose all those fucks in their documentaries—merciless nothings who were ruining women’s lives in such a cavalier way. I felt so proud of Pearl. She had that all-consuming sense of justice. She was a fighter. A warrior. She wanted to right the world. This was my chance to help her.

Few people have guts to do what she did for a living. Everyone was so busy trying to seek approval, be popular, be “liked” on Facebook or HookedUp. Pearl didn’t care about being liked. She cared about integrity. She was on a mission to defend others through her job as documentary producer, but somehow, she hadn’t believed that she, herself, needed shielding. This was my way of protecting her, albeit too late. I couldn’t wait to lay a few punches into this overweight, ex-football-playing cocksucker—to let him know that he had fucked (literally) with the wrong person.

He’d fucked my girl. In the nastiest, most despicable way. Which meant he’d also fucked me.

Revenge is a dish best served cold. And this revenge had been on ice for eighteen years.

I briskly eyed my opponent’s cocky way of walking, and could see straight away that he was brawny. Yes, he had a footballer’s shape, but an ex-footballer who’d had too many lunches on his big fat banker’s budget. Good, just as I’d been told, the man was going out alone. His family would still be inside watching TV. My contact had told me as much, that Jim liked to go out to a particular bar, down by the Seafront, on Saturday nights, usually coming home about ten thirty.

I watched as Jim got into his SUV and snailed out of the driveway. I waited a beat, and when the vehicle was far enough ahead of me, I started my car and drove cautiously behind. I thought about people feeling repentant, how it was only possible to forgive a man when he was truly sorry for what he’d done. That’s why my father had ended up dead . . . because he could never admit culpability, never say he was sorry. That’s all it would have taken, that one word beginning with S to save his life, but the shit couldn’t even say it.

Jim parked his car near the bar. I did the same and swiftly got out, calmly walking over. Luckily, nobody was around; a couple had just gone inside the bar. I stepped up beside my target, grabbed the man by the shoulders, and stuck the pistol into his back.

The man tried to spin on his heel but he was locked in a vice. “What the fuck?”

I murmured quietly, “I’ve got a gun pointed right into your spine. If you don’t do as I say, I’ll pull the trigger, and if you don’t die you’ll be paralyzed for life.”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Your shadow. Now get back into your car, we’re going for a little drive. Don’t fuck with me, this gun has a silencer. I’ll pull the trigger, walk you over to the water and throw you in. Nobody knows I’m here, nobody’s seen me. Nobody will hear a thing. You’ll be fish food.”