11

A few days had passed, things seemed to be getting better, but not completely.

‘Are you going to tell the guys where we are?’

‘Yeah.’

‘When?’

He pulled his mobile out of his pocket. ‘Happy now?’ He said dialling Kieran’s number.

She smiled.

‘Ke.’

‘Where are you?’

‘Safe. How are the guys?’

‘Fine.’

‘Good.’

‘How’s Ash?’

‘She’s sound.

‘Can I talk to her?’

‘Sure.’

Phoenix passed the mobile to her. ‘Here.’

She smiled taking it off him. ‘Ke.’

‘Ash you okay?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘So he found you?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Tell Phe Justin and Mackenzie are going to be fine they’ve been taken to hospital.

‘Good.’

‘Ash.’

‘Ke.’

‘How are you?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘I was so worried about you I thought he’d.’

‘We’re fine.’

‘The cops are looking for you.’

‘Why?’

‘About Iceand Justin.’

‘Oh.’

Phoenix took the mobile off Ashleigh. ‘Don’t worry Kelley they’ll never find us.’

‘I hope for your sake they don’t.’

‘They won’t. Put Ke back on.’

‘Phe.’

‘Ke now listen wipe this number, and Ashleigh’s off your mobile that way they can’t trace the call. Tell Kelley and the guys to do it too.’

‘Sure but.’

‘Look this way is best. I’ll contact you when everything dies down okay.’

‘Sure.’

Phoenix hung up.

‘Was that really necessary?’

‘Yeah. We don’t want the cops knowing that we’ve contacted them do we?’

‘I guess not.’ She paused.

‘What’s up Ash?’

‘What if our Dad’s tell them what happened?’

‘They won’t their not that dumb.

‘But.’

He placed his hands on her face. ‘Look babe they’ll never find us. This is how I always wanted it to be us alone.’

She smiled nervously

.

He placed his lips on hers.

Night after night Phoenix would lye awake watching Ashleigh. Since their first day there he could never quiet trust her.

He’d lye awake only to make sure she didn’t disappear, or worse leave him.

He loved her more than he could ever tell her. What had started out as a revenge plot had evolved over the last few years. He didn’t want to fall in love with her, he just wanted to use her, now he’d become obsessed with her.

He never wanted her to leave his side, and he’d do anything to make sure that she didn’t. And she never did.

Ashleigh could see him tiring, but could she convince him to sleep?

She’d watched him day after day draining himself, looking at her through his blood shot eyes.

‘Why don’t you rest Phe?’

‘No I’m fine.’

‘You’re whacked.’

‘I’m fine really.’

‘You need sleep Phoenix. How many nights have you not slept?’

‘About seven.’

‘Go to sleep. If you can’t, just rest your eyes. For a while.’

‘I can’t.’

‘Why what’s stopping you?’

‘You.’

‘I told you I wouldn’t run.’

‘You might if I sleep.’

She placed her hand on his face. ‘I Promise I won’t.’

She placed her lips on his kissing him.

She moved away dropping her hand off his face and smiled.

He returned her smile. ‘I love you Ash.’

‘I love you too.’

He lay across her. She placed her arm firmly across him. She glided her hand down his face, he gradually closed his eyes.

The sun snuck in through the curtains. Phoenix squinted. It had woken him, he was still lying across Ashleigh. He pulled himself up looking at her. ‘You never ran.’

‘I promised you I wouldn’t.’

He smiled, placing his lips on hers kissing her, he pulled away looking at her,

‘What’s wrong Phe?’

‘You know I’ve never seen you cry.’

‘That’s because I’m stronger than you think I am.’

‘Please cry for me Ash.’

‘I can’t.’

‘I kissed Kelley.’

‘Why?’

‘An opportunity.’

‘And my brother?’

‘He knows nothing about it.’

‘I thought you loved me?’

‘I do.’

‘So why?’

‘To keep her silence.’

‘You threatened my best friend?’

‘She pocked her nose in where it was not wanted. I admit I was a little attracted to her, but she was never you.’

She looked at him angrily.

‘Aren’t you going to cry or something?’

‘No I know you Phe only too well. Kelley would never have let you unless she was scared of you, and felt threatened by you.’

‘Cry for me Ash.’

‘I cant you’ve got the wrong girl for tears.’

‘Every girl cries.’

‘I’m not every girl. I know why my Dad was inside, so does Kelley tears don’t come that easy with me.’

‘Please Ash. I need to know you care.’

‘I do. I love you Phe, I just can’t cry for you.’

‘Why?’

‘I never have. I’ve had pain all my life, why should yours be any different?’

‘After everything I’ve put you though?’

‘I love you Phe, pain was part of loving you. No matter how you hurt me I loved you.’

He placed his lips on hers kissing her hungrily. He kissed her harder and harder. She felt his pain, anger and hurt within his kiss. She could feel a lump in the back of her throat.

He pulled away, pulling her lip in his teeth. He loosed it making her lip bleed. ‘Please cry for me Ash.’

‘Sorry my tears don’t fall, they never have, and never will.’

He wrapped his arms round her.

She lay on his shoulder repeating. ‘My tears don’t fall.’

‘Talk to me Ash tell me about your father.’

‘Why? You already know who he is.’

‘Please Ash. I want to get to know you.’

‘You should’ve thought about that before dragging me out here.’

‘Please Ash I want to see what’s in that head of yours.’ He said gliding his hand down her face.’

She sat there nervously hoping he wasn’t going to take another crack at her, her turned her to face him, looking straight into her eyes.

‘W-W-What about your father?’

‘Tell me about yours first after all he is my uncle.’

‘Oh o-kay.’ She swallowed. ‘Mackenzie. Well dad, but prefers Ice to all the above. He got sent down before Mom had me. I saw him a few times to what I can remember before we moved.’

I didn’t see him again till I was eleven, then I asked him what he was in for. He told me he was doing time for murder.’

‘And that didn’t bother you?’

‘No. He was my Dad and I loved him. I became really close to him, I told him everything. I couldn’t talk to Mom she still treated me as a kid. I even told him about you.’

‘What did he say?’

‘Just to be careful. He spoke to Kelley more. He’d always had a soft spot for her.’

‘So she’d saw him before?’

‘A few times he enthralled her. She knew why he was in there, and it didn’t bother her. She wasn’t even scared of him. I never told anyone else too ashamed I guess. He always commented on how grown up she’d became.’

‘So he wanted her?’

‘If he was fifteen years younger yeah, but he knew she was with Kieran.’

‘Did Kieran know this?’

‘I guess. Kieran and Ice always got on he had respect for him for doing his time for the crime he had committed.’

‘And your Mom?’

‘She never forgave him, she never spoke about Dad she felt that he had let her down, but it was the way dad was.’

‘I guess you want to know about your uncle too?’

‘Would be nice.’

‘Well my Dad, Justin, well everyone called him Sandman she was young like me and you, but a little older. He worked in a club that’s where they met. She was with Mark then too. She fell for Dad in a big way not realising what he was like, and what hid behind his mask he wore.’

‘How come your Mom told you all of this?’

‘I asked. She didn’t go into detail. I knew it was the second time he was doing time.’

‘What was the first?’

He looked at Ashleigh. ‘He killed his parents.’

‘Why?’

‘They deserved it, so he said. He wasn’t the only one there his brother was too, you Dad.’

She looked at him. The colour drained from her face.

‘He told me in detail what exactly happened, how they treated him like trash, scared him into becoming what he was.’

‘So what happened between him and your Mom?’

‘He tried to kill her. She betrayed him, but he loved her. She never saw him till he and your dad escaped she said it was about five years after he’d got sent down, they came back for revenge and got it, they fled over seas. But they came back that’s when mom found out she was expecting and that’s when he got sent down. Like you I only saw him a few times before we moved. Mom couldn’t handle seeing dad, she still loved him despite of everything. I’d turned ten when I began to see him again, she said I was like him. And so did he.’

‘Apart from the hair colour.’

‘I follow mom for that. It was like Dads when I was growing up, till I went to high school that’s when it changed.’ He paused. ‘Any way I knew what he’d done, and I wanted to be just like him. He told me everything how Mom fell for him, how weak she was round him. A little like you are with me.’

She looked at him fearfully. She knew just how true that was, despite of everything she was still with him.

‘So where did you meet the guys for?’

‘At high school. They were just like me there father’s were inside too. We had something in common, we were strong together, and we watched one another’s backs. We were never out of trouble. I got a rush from it, Mom didn’t. She said I was too much like my Dad and she was right. I got what I want wanted I always do revenge!’

Her eyes fixed on his. His staring into hers. ‘And I got you.’

He leaned forward placing his lips on hers kissing her, she returned his kiss.

He kissed her hungrily and passionately. For the first time since they’d been out there she had felt close to him, her eyes weak with tears.It felt so different, so warm.

He pulled away. ‘I love you Ash. We’re going to make it Ash you and me.’

She smiled.

He placed his lips on hers kissing her. He pulled away taking his hand off her face, placing his arm round her holding her.

She placed her arms round him lying her head on his shoulder.

‘We’re going to make it Ash.’

A tear slipped down her face, yet faded before it fell.