Page 68 of Cry For Mercy

Chapter Twenty-Six

JULIE

After Cass phoned me, I abandoned the idea of drinking myself into a coma with those pills. Suddenly I felt a ray of hope. She was alive! Alive and well! And somehow shacked up with some man. And Harvey… Harvey was a stalker, and a creep! Who knew!

I’d had a lucky escape, not getting caught up any further with him. I felt weird though, about Jeff, because I now knew things I really didn’t want to have to tell him. But… I could tell Adam. And maybe he could do the telling for me.

I realised I hadn’t heard from him all day, and it bothered me. More than I’d expected. I sent him a text in the end.

Me: Are you mad at me?

When ten minutes passed with no response, I frowned at the phone for a good minute, before I decided that I wouldn’t take silence for an answer.

I rang him. It rang and rang, and eventually went to voicemail. Was he ghosting me? After what happened this morning, he wouldn’t talk to me? Something crazy made me call a taxi, and when it arrived, I had it take me to the address on his business card. I couldn’t even guarantee he’d be there. He could be out of town again, and I was about to risk being stranded in a random area in town.

I paid for the taxi with the app on my phone, and slithered out, staring at the address I’d travelled to. It was a nice end-terrace house. Fairly normal looking, considering it was a PI’s home and office.

I checked my phone for any missed messages or calls before I knocked, but there was still nothing. Fuck him. I’ll knock and if he’s out, I’ll sit on the damn doorstep and wait.

So I knocked. And I rang the doorbell. And there was no response. Frustrated, I rang the bell three more times, and finally heard a shout of ‘for fuck’s sake’, so I knew he was in. I stood back and waited.

It took him ages. And when he finally came to the door, I could see something was wrong. He pulled it open awkwardly, with his left arm. I say awkwardly, because I had already figured out that he was right handed. The second he did it, he hissed with pain, and his hand went to his chest.

“Oh my god! What happened to you?!” I forgot all of my anger, and fear, and pushed my way in, carefully nudging him backward so I could close the door. I tossed my bag on the floor, while he leaned against the wall, looking exhausted.

“Sorry I took so long.” He finally said, all in one breath.

I stared at him. “Who did this to you?” He shrugged, and then groaned, grabbing his chest again.

I stepped up to his left side. “Let’s get you into the living room, you should be sitting down!”

He chuckled, as he pointed to the correct room, and we started moving.

“Well, I was sitting down… but I had to get up, to get the door.”

“Dick.”

He chuckled again, then hissed in another pained breath, as we manoeuvred him onto the sofa. I helped prop him up with cushions until he was comfortable.

“So… seems you need a nursemaid. How convenient that I suddenly have time on my hands.” He frowned at me, but I waved it off. “I actually have stuff to tell you, but first I want to know what you need. Pain relief? Ice? Help with clothes? Oh god… the bathroom?”

He snorted. “I have the icepack on the table, but I can’t sit up for it. Oh… and my phone slipped, and it went under the sofa. I heard it ringing, but I couldn’t get to it. Was it you?”

I nodded. “I mean, I did ring you, so I guess so.”

“I’m sorry, beautiful. I’d never ignore you. You know that, right?” I avoided his question, by kneeling on the floor, to rummage under the sofa for his phone. Once I’d handed it back, I grabbed the icepack, which looked to be an actual icepack from a chemist, and not just a bag of frozen peas or something.

I stayed on my knees beside him, and leaned over with it.

“Where do you need it?” He groaned softly, and stared at me.

“I fucking wish.” He muttered, and I smiled suddenly. I liked hearing him say things like that.

“For now, the ice, Adam. Where?” He grabbed the edge of his t-shirt, and slid it up as far as he could manage, which wasn’t far, so I took over, gently easing it over his skin.

“Jesus! Who did this?!” There was already dark bruising over his ribs, and some on his stomach.

“It’s no big deal. Just a little misunderstanding, that’s all.”

---