Page 27 of Part of Me
“You guys made up?”
“Yeah,” I say, although the elation I felt moments ago has disappeared. The news that these men are still wanting to speak to me has me breaking into a sweat.
“Oh, that’s wonderful, darling. I take it you won’t be coming home tonight?”
“Probably not.”
“Well, in that case, you must bring Luke with you tomorrow for Sunday dinner.” I smile at her request.
“Okay,” I say as Luke walks back into the room with two cups in his hands. “Uh, I need to go now, Mum, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Dinner will be at one o’clock sharp.” She has no need to tell me this as I know what time she always serves the Sunday dinner, but her instruction makes me smile.
“We’ll be there.” I end the call and place my phone on the bedside table. Luke holds a cup out to me, and I take it, even though my hands are shaking slightly. Luke picks up on this and looks at me questioningly as he sits down on the edge of the bed.
“Is your mum okay?” he asks me as he places his cup on the floor beside his feet.
“Yeah, Mum’s fine. But you know those two guys, Ricardo and Gavin, that wanted to speak to me?” Luke nods his head, and his eyes look wary at what may come out of my mouth next. “They’ve just been to my parents’ house.”
“What?”
“That’s why Mum was calling me. They went to the house and asked to speak to me, but luckily, I’m here and not there.”
“Motherfuckers,” Luke exclaims as he stands up and starts pacing up and down the bedroom.
“Are my parents in danger, Luke?” I ask, my heart pounding as I place the cup on the bedside table, next to my phone. Luke stops pacing and comes back to the bed, sitting down and taking my hands in his.
“No.”
“Are you sure? Because this thing that you’re involved in seems to be getting worse.” Luke hangs his head and lets out a loud sigh. His grip on my hands tightens and it frightens me. “Luke?”
“I’ll sort it,” he says as he looks back at me and clenches his jaw. I want to push him for answers, but I know that it will be pointless. Instead, I remove my hands from his and climb out of the bed. I throw some clothes on, all the while being watched by Luke, and I leave the bedroom without saying a word, making my way down the stairs.
As I reach the bottom, I see that there is an envelope led on the floor. I bend down and pick it up, turning it over to see that it has my name on it. There is no stamp mark, meaning that this letter was hand delivered. I take a deep breath and make myself open it. As I pull out the piece of folded paper inside, I hear Luke coming down the stairs behind me.
“What’s that?” he asks as I unfold the paper. My eyes scan the few words written down, and I drop the paper and envelope to the floor. Luke moves around me and picks the paper up, his eyes homing in on the words written there.
Tell your boyfriend that his time, and yours, is running out……….
I watch Luke as I see his face turn red with anger. He re-reads the note again, and then he folds the paper up and puts it in his pocket. I may have been prepared to trust his reasons for not telling me anything earlier, but after the phone call with my mum and receiving this letter, I need answers.
“Now do you want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
Chapter Twenty
I stand in the hallway, waiting for Luke to say something, but he remains quiet.
“Luke,” I say urgently. I need him to tell me what the hell is happening. His eyes are wide as he meets my gaze. “Please,” I plead. “These men have been to my parents’ house. They are clearly not going to go away until they have spoken to me.”
“Oh, they’ll be going away alright,” Luke says as he runs past me and up the stairs.
“Luke!” I shout as I throw my hands up in the air in exasperation. What the fuck is wrong with him? I am about to go up the stairs when there is a knock on the front door. I freeze. My heart starts to pump faster. Adrenaline surges through my body. Oh God, is it them? Have they come here straight from my parents’ house?
Panic bubbles up within me. Maybe I should answer it? If I talk to them, then maybe this will all be over? My curiosity gets the better of me, and I make the decision to open the door. I turn my body away from the stairs and I take a step towards the front door, only to be halted in my tracks by the sound of Luke whispering to me from the stairs.
“Don’t, Charlie,” he says quietly, but his voice is laced with warning. He is halfway down the stairs, and I frown at the fact that I never even heard him coming back down here. He places his fingers in front of his mouth and makes a ‘ssshhh’ gesture. He then beckons me with his hand to go to him. I am torn. A part of me wants to answer the door, whilst the other part is begging me to go to Luke.
I look from Luke to the door, and back to Luke again. I can see the worry in his eyes over my indecision. The person at the front door knocks again, making me jump. I am so glad that the door doesn’t have frosted glass, otherwise it would be obvious that I am stood here, hesitating.
