The Finest Line (35 page)

Taking her order number, she
walked slowly towards him. He didn’t look up until she had reached
the table and then his mouth expanded in a wide grin. “Slumming it
today are we baby?”

He watched her sit down across
from him, “You’re not wearing a bra. Are you trying to tease
me?”

“Shut up Mark.” Seeing him again
brought all her hurt back. “You fucked my life over. I don’t
understand why. I could have paid you your money back and you could
have left me alone. Instead you put me through hell. What did I
ever do to you to suffer that?”

The mirth was gone, “Just
business. You were a means to something my father wanted. Life
sometimes throws us an opportunity and this one we couldn’t pass
up.”

His answer was painful to listen
to. “You once told me that you had the means to stop your father. I
think I know what that is. You’re knowledge of his dealings.”

Mark nodded, “Enough to hang him
if I wanted.”

“Then why not use that
knowledge,” Mairead implored. “You told me you hated him. Why not
get rid of him?”

Mark shrugged. “Timing I guess.
It has taken me a few years to learn how to do business like him
and he is very good at what he does. I have never had quite the
same ruthless streak as he has, but I’m getting there.”

She thought about what she was
going to say next. “You could even stop him from getting that
development in West Auckland.”

His laugh was quite audible.
“Now why the hell would I want to stop that? Mind you, it would be
fun. The scandal would be immense. Your father has a whole horde of
colleagues with knives poised to plunge in his back and you’ve made
that so much easier.”

“Not by choice,” Mairead said,
“Stupidity maybe.”

For a moment he looked
sympathetic. “You are quite naive Mairead. You need someone to look
out for you because you’re a little immature.”

That angered her. “So everyone
keeps telling me.”

“And where is your faithful
chauffeur?”

“Trying to get off a kidnapping
charge,” Mairead answered angrily. “Did you really have to do
that?”

“I wanted our night.” Mark
returned her anger. “You promised me I could trust you.”

“It’s not like I left on my own
accord,” Her voice was raised and tears began to fall down her face
as she tried to compose herself. “That promise was made on a lie
that you told me, but if I hadn’t been stolen away, I would have
done what you wanted and knowing myself like I do, I would have
enjoyed it.”

She was weeping, unable to stop.
“Is that what you want Mark? If I fuck you, would you please stop
fucking my life up?”

Mark stared at her. “You know,
Mairead, you remind me of my childhood, when my mother was still
around, when things still seemed wonderful. And then you grow up
and you’re around scum every day and it starts to rub off on you
and soon you’re no different from the very people you despise. And
then someone like you comes along.”

Mairead wiped her tears away. “I
don’t want you to hurt Kylie and I don’t want you to hurt James.
What you do to me, I’ll deal with and just file it with all the
rest of the garbage in my life. Just tell me what you want.”

Mark leant in close to her and
he was smiling softly. “I want you to go home and forget you ever
met me. Your friends will be perfectly fine and our business is
concluded.”

Mairead laughed softly, “Just
like that? Any chance a blowjob might persuade you to betray your
father and put the bastard away for life?”

“Very tempting,” Mark laughed.
“But sorry I can’t. Go home Mairead and not the way you came. Go
out through the kitchen and there’s a back land leading back to the
street.”

She stared at him in disbelief.
“Why would I do that Mark?”

He sighed. “This conversation
went a little different from what I had imagined.”

Mairead shook her head. “You
fucking liar. I can’t believe that I actually trusted what you were
saying.

“Mairead, listen...” Mark tried
to grab her but she eluded his grasp. Something was wrong and the
sooner she got out the better and not via the way he wanted her to
go. Turning she fled towards the steps at the front entrance and
ran up, her heart beginning to race as she heard him call her name
close behind.

As she emerged into daylight,
the sun was reflecting off the van parked directly in front on the
promenade. Mairead was temporarily blinded by the light and
realised too late that no vehicle should be parked there.

As the side door slid open
Mairead knew she had to run but she had barely turned when two
large men flew out and seized her. In one swift movement she was
hurled inside and the door was closed behind her. She barely had
time to think of how badly she had fucked up when a massive fist
slammed into her face.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

She was cold but didn’t seem
able to move to cover herself up. It was the pain which restored
her senses. Her vision was blurry with one eye swollen shut and the
other filling rapidly with tears. Her mouth tasted of blood. Her
shoulders ached from her arms pulled back and bound together.

Gradually she adjusted to the
pain in her face and concentrated on blinking her tears away so
that she could see. She was lying on a concrete floor with her legs
bound by what looked like plastic kitchen wrap. Her school shoes
stuck out at the end.

Above her was a low concrete
ceiling and beyond some low walls she could see the sky and the
tops of a few tall buildings. There were car parking spaces but the
only vehicle was the van sitting idle in a distant corner. Wherever
she was, it was high and isolated. Fear began to grip her but she
fought back tears to keep her vision.

She didn’t try to sit up when
she saw two trousered legs move in front of her. Richard Lewis
squatted down so he could look at her. “She’s awake.”

Seeing his grinning face forced
her tears to flow but through them she saw Mark come up beside his
father. He also crouched down frowning as he stared at her, “You’re
fucking lucky that arsehole didn’t kill her with that punch.”

Richard smirked, “Barry likes to
get the job done right but don’t worry, when she’s splattered all
over the pavement below no forensic team is going to detect one
punch.”

Hearing her fate, Mairead
whimpered and tried to speak only to be overcome with nausea,
forcing her to vomit.

Richard backed away but remained
staring at her. “Don’t worry Mairead, you still have a little time
left before your death. Enough time to tell us everything you saw
that day on the Gold Coast and what other little surprises you may
have in store for me.”

“She didn’t come to blackmail
me.” Mark told him. “She just wanted me to leave her friends
alone.”

Richard stood up. “There was
more to this meeting than just the welfare of her friends. What
else did she say?”

Mark shrugged, “She asked me to
stop you going ahead with the development.”

“Just like that,” Richard
laughed and crouched down to Mairead again. “And what were you
offering for this, your cunt?”

Mairead stayed silent and
trembled.

His face creased with
viciousness. “You fucking tramp. You had your chance to be with my
son though why he’d want a whore like you I can’t imagine. Where’s
the video?”

She could barely whisper, “It
got destroyed in the fire at James’ house.”

“Did it now?” He sneered, “And
what about all the copies?”

“There isn’t any.”

He backhanded her across the
face sending blood spraying from her mouth. “Don’t fucking lie to
me.

You think you’re fucking
special? Well today you get to prove that.” He turned back. “Barry,
take this shit off her but if she tries to run, punch her in the
kidney.”

Richard and Lewis stood back
while Mairead was approached by a huge bald and heavily tattooed
man. She whimpered and tried to shuffle back but he took hold of
her and drew a knife from his back pocket. Terror kept her still as
she watched him slice the knife through the wrap on her legs. He
seized her bicep and sat her up to cut away the binds from her
arms.

Once free, she made no attempt
to move but sat waiting fearfully for whatever was to come next.
Richard clenched her forearm and pulled her up. Her legs gave way
and she sank down but he caught her and brought her up again
supporting her around the waist.

“Don’t go falling sweetheart and
smash your head,” He said sweetly. “I have something to show
you.”

He half walked, half dragged her
to towards the outer walls.

Mairead had no strength to fight
him. “Don’t please... don’t do this.”

“It’s okay Mairead,” He assured
her. “I’m just showing you for now. Walk with me or I will hurt
you.”

The perimeter was a waist high
concrete wall. Mairead could see that the area was an empty car
park. When they were within a metre of the wall, Mairead stiffened
and tried to get away, not caring what hurt he had for her. Richard
put his arms around her from the back and held her arms while
lifting her. He carried her the remaining distance, pushing her
stomach into the wall. The height was considerable.

Mairead felt her shorts soak
with her urine and Richard let go and backed off, “Fucking filthy
bitch.” She slumped to the floor, trembling violently and Mark went
to her, gently holding her arm.

He looked up at Richard.
“Fucking hell Dad, you’re going to make her useless for anything.
We won’t even get her out there cleanly if you don’t ease up.”

Richard was savage. “I’ll just
toss the little cunt over and the job will be done.”

“Not before I’m fucking finished
with her you won’t,” His reply was equally savage. “She owes
me.”

“Don’t waste your time,” Richard
spat onto the floor. “I’ll get you a whore after who will give you
a better time.”

“I will not miss out again,”
Mark yelled back at Richard. “That fucking chauffeur took off with
what was mine.”

Mairead looked at him and
managed to whisper, “It wasn’t... James.”

Mark looked at her angrily,
though he spoke with mock concern, “Are you trying to say something
sweetheart?”

Mairead breathed deeply,
gathering the strength to whisper again, “Your father... took me
away... that night.”

His angry expression waned with
uncertainty. “What?”

She had to breathe again to give
her voice clarity. “James rescued me from your father’s car. I was
drugged.”

Looking up at Richard, his anger
had returned. “What the fuck is she talking about?”

Richard laughed. “You weren’t
the only one who missed out that night. I was going to warm her up
for you until I found myself with a gun to my head.” He leant down
towards Mairead. “Your boyfriend will be joining you in the next
week though he might prove a little tougher to dispose of.”

Mark was on his feet. “You
arsehole, she was mine. You had no fucking right...”

His words were cut by a blow to
his face that sent him reeling back. Richard loomed over him.
“Don’t ever talk to me that way, you piece of shit. Everything you
have comes from me and I will do with my property as I fucking
please.”

His attention turned to Mairead
and he took her by the hair and hoisted her up, pushing her against
the wall. “Look,” His mouth was close to her ear.

Mairead looked out and knew
immediately what he wanted her to see. Jutting out from the
building was high rise scaffolding, similar to the one she walked
upon, but much narrower and higher.

“You are going to have a
fighting chance,” Richard told her. “If you have anything to tell
me about copies of that video, I will bring you back in. Otherwise
you can stay up there as long as you like. It might even be good if
someone does see you... just before you fall. Silly little girl
trying to turn the attention of the media, by doing her stunning
walk of death, what a tragedy.”

Tears ran from her good eye and
stung the other badly. Mairead knew that she would not last two
minutes on one of the narrow beams. Even if she could manage to
stand on one, her injured eye would fail her ability to
balance.

She wondered if there would be
any awareness of pain when she hit the pavement but figured it was
unlikely. The falling would be the worse part and there would be
several seconds of it. Maybe she would be able to shift her
thoughts to something else through that terrifying interval. She
would think of James and only him, and how she had experienced the
most incredible time of her life with him be it only for such a
short time.

Her voice was stronger, “Why did
you have to kill Josh? He had only tried to protect me.”

Richard burst into more
laughter. “You think I killed him because of what he did to Mark?”
He laughed again. “I’d been tracking that bastard down for days. He
owed me money. Mark wasn’t going to tell me where he was. They were
mates but I had few loyal friends at my son’s apartment that night.
They also sent me that wonderful footage of you selling off your
cunt.” He looked at Mark in disgust. “I certainly wouldn’t have
paid five thousand dollars for it.”

Mark was rubbing his face but
then smirked, “I was wasted and virgins are hard to find.”

“That’s why you’ll never be like
me,” Richard told him. “You think with your dick instead of your
brain. It pains me that you’ll be running my companies one
day.”

Mark sized up to him. “Yeah well
right now I’m thinking with my dick again. I want to fuck her
before you kill her. You owe me that.”

Richard spat and tossed Mairead
down to the floor. “I owe you nothing but I do understand that you
wanted the little bitch. It does seem a pity that you never got
your cock inside her. You got to get over the blood bit son.”

Mark laughed. “Always been a
downfall with me. How do these bitches bleed for so long without
dying?”