Page 144 of Into the Dark
“Who, Jake? Nothing. But I do know he loves Jake like a son and makes a beautiful bolognese. He had us over for dinner last week,” I tell her as I sip my tea again. “It was a lovely night. Have you met Steph? They make a really lovely couple, don’t you think?”
“Freddy won’t let him take Caleb away from me,” she says again. “He’s fucking insane if he thinks he’ll let that happen. I’m family; Jake isn’t.”
I say nothing on this because, honestly, I have no idea what Freddy will let Jake do. “Is that all then? I’ll be sure to let Jake know your thoughts.”
She narrows her eyes on me. “Keep your fucking claws out of my son.”
“Jake’s son,” I correct.
“Yeah, Jake’s and mine,” she says with a gleam in her eye. “Picnics, sleepovers, and now you’re after custody. You’re pathetic, sweetheart.”
“You came all the way out here just to tell me that?” I ask. “Goodness, I really am a threat to you, aren’t I?”
Her face turns white and then red with the rage. “You’re nothing to me, you stupid cow.”
I smile and nod, lifting my tea again.
Vicky slides off the stool still vibrating with anger, then she takes a step closer to me. “Tell him this: if he thinks about taking my son away from me again, I’ll fucking do it. I wasn’t joking.” Her voice is a quiet hiss.
“Do what?”
“I know more than enough to hurt him. To make sure he goes away for a long fucking time. He’ll never see his son again.” She lifts her chin up, proud of herself.
I gape at her, speechless. “You threatened to go to the police?” I look around the deli to see how many people are listening to the two women hissing and spitting at each other by the window.
Vicky doesn’t answer, only smiles. “Remind him I know about Kev, I know about Eddie, and I know how he got every penny to start that fucking club of his. And that’s just for starters. I’ll let them take him before I let them take Fred.”
My heart is beating loudly in my chest as I stand on trembling legs. “I think we’re done here.” I hook my coat over my arm and slide my bag onto my shoulder.
“Since you know everything, I assume you know the police found Kev’s car burned out in a warehouse parking lot in Brixton.” She’s watching my face carefully.
I manage a shrug, nausea bubbling up in my tummy. “I loathe Kevin.—there’s no reason Jake would mention his name to me, let alone his burned-out car.”
“He didn’t tell you the police questioned him about how Kev just up and disappeared into thin air?”
My heart stops in my chest for a moment. Then it starts to beat again—dangerously fast. My palms dampen with sweat. “I really need to get back to work, Vicky.” I push past her and rush all the way back to the surgery.
Safe inside my office, I run to the small, windowless bathroom and throw up in the toilet.
“And how is he going to react, you think?” Rob’s eyes are wide with horror as she lifts her sparkling water. I already told her about Jake’s reaction to the baby news and the proposal, which had her clapping her hands with joy, and now I’m filling her in on my visit from Vicky this afternoon.
I give her a look that says it all. “I mean, they have a pretty fractious relationship as it is. He’s going to hit the roof, I suspect.” I’m certainly not looking forward to telling him. Considering I still need to tell him about his mother too I’m wondering if there’ll ever be a time when there isn’t some huge, potentially explosive bit of news I need to find a way to tell him.
“No fucking wonder.” Rob shakes her head. She’s angry. It’s the only time she swears. “She sounds like a bloody lunatic. I mean, who does that? Turns up at their ex’s new girlfriends place of work?” Her gray-blue eyes darken to navy. “I hope Jake gives her what for.”
“I actually felt sorry for her at one point.” Well, up until she started threatening him. His life. His freedom.
Rob looks at me askance. “Yeah. That’s because you’re too nice, Alex. You always have been. Look at this for what it is: you read stories about these kinds of exes—the ones who can’t move on, stalk the new girlfriend, ruin everyone’s lives.”
“That’s true, you do,” I say. Except the truth of Jake’s life—our life—is the stuff of stories. Cliché, unrealistic stories, probably—but they existed. “Well, I’ll tell him, and he’ll talk to her, and that will be that.” I thought we were past this whole naïve phase, the sneering voice in my head says. The sneering voice now sounds a little like Vicky. “So have you heard from Leigh?” I ask, desperate for a change of direction. “I texted her last week but got no response. She’s getting worse at that, don’t you think? Replying and stuff.” I lift my hand to signal the waiter for the bill.
Rob nods. “It’s him, I swear. I just don’t like him.”
“You don’t think he’s stopping her talking to us?” My mouth drops open. He surely isn’t that bad. Arrogant, right-wing, grossly egotistical—but I’ve never sensed a controlling side.
“Not exactly. I don’t know. He’s just a bloody arsehole. She’s just in love.”
“Yeah, I’m really not a fan either, but if she loves him, what can we really do?”