Tagan's Child Read online

“I have no idea,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

  Chapter 5

  After a virtually sleepless night, I woke to the unforgiving bleep of my alarm clock and in my attempts to silence it swatted it clean off the bedside table. Yesterday morning I had felt like I was hung over, this morning I was hung over. What was I thinking, drinking on a school night? I pulled the duvet over my head and groaned. There was a gentle knock on the door. I ignored it.

  “Sophe, it’s me, can I come in?” Bennie said quietly through the door.

  “Only if you’ve got a cup of tea in your hand,” I muttered.

  “Check,” she said, entering the room.

  “How come you’re up and about so bright and early?” I said as I hauled myself up and plumped a pillow behind me, wincing at the pain in my head.

  Bennie slid in under the duvet and sat next to me. “I promised my mother I would go Christmas shopping with her today.”

  “That will be nice,” I said supportively.

  “Have you met my mother?” She cocked an eyebrow at me.

  “She means well, Ben.”

  I leant forward to take a sip of my tea. “Ah! My head! Why did you make me drink so much last night?” I complained. One glass of wine was my limit or maybe two at a push, but if my memory served me correctly, we polished off nearly two bottles. “I don’t have the stamina I used to have.”

  “Let’s face it Sophe, you’ve never had the stamina,” she laughed. “How do you feel about everything this morning?”

  “About the same. At least I’ll be seeing Ahran tonight which should shed more light on things.”

  “You will keep me posted, won’t you?”

  “Of course I will.”

  “Well lovey, I better get going otherwise my mother will not be amused,” she said in her poshest voice.

  “Thanks for last night, it felt good to talk.”

  “Anytime. I’m always here for you.” She gave me a quick, minimal Bennie hug. “And don’t forget to call me as soon as you’ve seen Ahran.”

  “I won’t. Promise.”

  She got out of the bed and headed towards the door.

  “Have fun,” I called after her.

  “I doubt it,” she said with a cross-eyed grimace.

  I laughed and automatically clutched my forehead at the pain. “Ow!”

  After I had taken a couple of paracetamol and my headache had eased, I showered, had a second cup of tea and began to feel like I could function for the day. I hoped my head would be clear by the time I had my meeting with the bank manager this afternoon. I wanted a loan to revamp the kitchen at the coffee shop, the cooker was on the blink and during the health inspector’s last visit, he had recommended I replace the tiling behind the counters with stainless steel splash backs, because they weren’t strictly in keeping with EU health and hygiene regulations, apparently. Toby went at his usual snail’s pace and after much chivvying along we got to the school gate a shade after the bell. I kissed him goodbye and headed to the shop.

  The day brought a steady stream of custom and before I knew it, it was three thirty. After Audrey had reassured me she would be okay on her own, I made my way to the bank. I didn’t like my bank manager, he made my skin crawl and spent most of the time looking at my chest, but after he had given me the Spanish Inquisition, which I suspected was a tactic to make me feel small and insignificant and eternally grateful when he did finally agree to the loan. I shook his hand and thanked him sweetly. After all I had got what I came for. It was a quarter to five by the time I picked Toby up from after-school club and it was cold and dark. I decided to go to the shop and help Audrey close up so she could get home a bit earlier. I parked at the front. The street was quiet and the ‘Open’ sign had been turned to ‘Closed’, all the lights were off and the shop door was ajar. My blood ran cold.

  “Stay here Toby, I won’t be a minute.” I grabbed the heavy Maglite torch I kept in the glove box; it could double up as a weapon if needs be. I locked the car door. I toyed with the idea of ringing Ahran and reached into my pocket for the phone he had given me. It wasn’t there and I cursed myself for leaving it sitting on the arm of the sofa in the lounge. Dammit! I walked towards the shop and gingerly pushed the door open.

  “Audrey?” I called as I hovered in the doorway, straining my eyes in the dark.

  No answer. My heartbeat quickened. I flicked the lights on to find the place empty. Strange, very strange. Why had the front door been left open? My eyes scanned the coffee shop. Nothing seemed out of place.

  I went out the back to check the back door had been bolted and almost fell over a heap on the floor in the darkened kitchen. To my absolute horror it was Audrey, she was lying on her back with her head at an awkward angle against the wall. Her face was covered in blood.

  “Oh my God,” I whispered, sinking to my knees next to her. A strangled cry came from somewhere deep in my throat. My first thought was that she was dead. The way she was lying looked so unnatural as if her neck was broken, but I could just about make out the almost imperceptible yet reassuring rise and fall of her chest. A debilitating wave of nausea washed over me and for a few moments, paralysed by shock, I stared at my dear friend.

  I fumbled for the phone in my pocket. “I need an ambulance now,” I cried as soon as the line clicked for the emergency services. A calm and business like voice answered and started asking me questions, most of which I barely heard. “Just get an ambulance here please.” The unflappable voice on the other end of the line asked me for the address and once I had given it she reassured me that an ambulance was on its way. I breathed a sigh of relief and hung up.

  “Audrey, can you hear me?” I picked up her limp hand feeling the need to cradle her head in my lap to make her more comfortable, but I vaguely remember something about not moving her in case her neck was injured. I sat staring at her lifeless body, tears streaming down my face and feeling utterly helpless.

  Oh God, Toby! He was still in the car. I took my coat off and gently laid it over Audrey’s still form. I hesitated before dashing back through the shop thinking through my options. I would ask Sandie to collect him, I didn’t want him coming to the hospital with me.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when I got to the door of the shop, he was still sitting in the car, his head bent over the glow of his iPad. I stood at the door and kept my eye on my nephew as I called Sandie. She was more than happy to come and get him. I simply told her that Audrey had been taken ill and that an ambulance was on its way.

  I was just about to put the phone down. “Oh and Sandie, is Dan with you?” This recent turn of events had made me feel jittery and I didn’t think it was a bad idea if Dan, her rugby playing boyfriend, came with her.

  “Yeah, Why?”

  “Oh it’s just um, that er, Toby wanted to talk to him about who was playing for England in the Six Nations this year. Could he come with you so Toby could have a chat with him?” That sounded as good a reason as any. I was reluctant to tell her that I would feel much happier if she had some muscle with her just in case.

  “Yeah, no worries,” she replied.

  “Great, thanks very much.”

  Toby looked up as I opened the door of the Land Rover. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “Audrey isn’t very well and I need you to go with Sandie, she’s coming to get you and will take you home. I’m going to the hospital in the ambulance.”

  “Can I come? I’ve never been in an ambulance,” he said hopefully.

  “No, you go home with Sandie, she’ll get you some tea and put you to bed.”

  “Oh!” he complained. “How long are you going to be?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I’ll come in and kiss you goodnight when I get back.”

  I was torn. I didn’t want to leave Audrey, but neither did I want to leave Toby in the car on his own. I contemplated whether I should phone Ahran. I hesitated before dialling Sandie’s number again.

  “Sandie, it’s me again, could you do me another fav
our? Could you stop by my house and pick up the phone that’s on the arm of the sofa in the lounge? There’s a key under the pot by the back door.”

  “Yeah sure, see you in a bit.”

  I pressed the hang up button. “I’m just going to wait by the door Tobes.”

  “’Kay,” he replied, not looking up as he resumed his game. I stood in the doorway of the shop and kept watch over Toby and Audrey at the same time. I hoped I might see some movement from her but she remained sickeningly still.

  When Sandie and Dan arrived I gave Toby a hug. “Go on, be a good boy.”

  He went with Sandie reluctantly and Dan drove my car back home.

  I ran back into the shop and knelt down next to Audrey picking up her hand in both of mine. She felt cold. I tucked my coat around her as best I could.

  “Oh Audrey, I’m so sorry this has happened to you,” I whispered.

  There was a huge gash on her left temple and the blood from it had smeared and dried on her face. “Where are you ambulance?” I demanded impatiently, and as if in response, the ambulance’s siren came blasting down the street. It stopped outside, its blue lights bouncing around the walls of the shop. Two paramedics came in and set to work with their preliminary checks and fired questions at me before carefully lifting Audrey onto a stretcher and carrying her out into the ambulance. All I could do was stand and watch. The sight of my dear friend, lying motionless on a stretcher with her head in a brace looking ashen and bloody, was something I never wanted to have to see again. I locked the door and jumped into the back of the ambulance.

  It seemed to take forever to get to the hospital. “Is she going to be alright?” I asked shakily.

  “I can’t really give you an accurate answer,” replied one of the paramedics. “The doctors need to take a proper look at her. But I’ll be honest with you, she’s not in great shape.”

  Tears began to stream down my cheeks. What psycho would beat up a poor defenceless woman? Bastards, bastards, bastards! I felt angry and guilty that Audrey was in this condition because of me. If I hadn’t left her on her own this might never have happened. “Nearly there,” the paramedic said kindly.

  We pulled into the hospital ambulance bay and as soon as the back doors were open there were half a dozen people tending to Audrey. All I could do was answer their questions and follow on helplessly.

  “I’m sorry, you can’t come in here,” one of the nurses said, as she put her arms around my shoulders and steered me away from the double doors Audrey and the team of medical staff had just disappeared through. “There’s a coffee machine over there,” she said, pointing to a drinks machine near the door. “Why don’t you get yourself a hot drink and sit down? As soon as I know anything I will come out and update you.”

  I nodded and did as she said. I took a sip of sweet hot coffee and sat down. The tears had stopped and I stared numbly at nothing in particular. I don’t know how long I had been sitting there when an unfamiliar ringtone rang in my pocket. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  Damn! I had meant to call Ahran but during the drama of the ambulance ride I had forgotten all about it. He must have gone to the house like we had arranged.

  “Hello?” I answered tentatively.

  “Why didn’t you call me?” he asked angrily. His accent sounded stronger than I remembered and I didn’t like his tone at all. How dare he?! “For your information, my dearest friend is lying on a hospital bed fighting for her life, so forgive me for not informing you of my every move.” Why should I care his journey had been wasted? “We will just have to rearrange our meeting,” I said icily.

  “What happened to her?” he asked in a more controlled voice.

  “She was attacked in the shop,” I snapped back.

  There was the briefest of pauses.

  “You do realise that what happened to your friend was meant for you?”

  I went cold. “What do you mean?” I closed my eyes knowing what his response would be and fearing it all the same.

  “Their intention was to kill you but your friend was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you had been there you would be in a similar state.”

  “Was it Bazeera?” I asked in a shaky voice.

  “I’m almost certain she was behind it. After I’d been to your house, I went to your coffee shop to see if I could find anything that might give me a clue as to what had happened. There was no sign of anything missing, there was money in the till and nobody had touched your safe. The person who attacked your friend was only after one thing and that was you.”

  I hated the thought of what Audrey had suffered but I daren’t think about what might have happened if I hadn’t had my appointment at the bank. Where would that have left Toby?

  I felt like I might throw up. Whatever evidence Ahran had come to show me this evening now paled into insignificance. Mine and Toby’s lives were seriously in danger and as much as I didn’t like to admit it we were going to need all the help Ahran was offering.

  “Sophie, are you still there?” he asked, breaking my train of thought.

  “Yes, I’m still here,” I said quietly.

  “Will your friend live?”

  I balked at his directness. “I don’t know,” I looked at the clock; it had been nearly three hours. “Nobody has told me anything yet.”

  “I’m on my way to the hospital,” he announced.

  “No, stay there with Toby. Keep him safe,” I argued.

  “It’s okay, my sister Elaya will be at your house shortly.”

  I thought about Ahran’s size and strength, surely he would make a far better bodyguard than a girl. “I’d rather you stayed with him.”

  “Don’t worry, Elaya can protect your nephew as well as I can.” I pictured one of those American female wrestlers I’d seen on WWE wrestling Toby liked to watch on a Saturday morning and felt more comforted. “Besides how are you going to get home, your car is parked on your drive.”

  He had a point.

  “Well I am not leaving until I know Audrey is alright,” I said stubbornly. I felt out of control. The plan I’d had where I called the shots had now been completely blown out of the water.

  “Of course. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hung up.

  Despite the sickening worry I felt for Audrey I felt traitorous butterflies in my stomach at the thought of seeing Ahran again.

  I put the phone back in my pocket. A couple of minutes later my phone rang. I looked at the caller display. It was Marcus. My heart sank. I didn’t want to have to explain anything to him for the time being.

  “Hi Marcus.”

  “Sophie, are you alright? How’s Audrey?”

  I was supposed to have called him to tell him what I wanted to see at the cinema at the weekend but so much had happened I had hardly given him a second thought.

  “Not good I’m afraid. I’m still waiting for the registrar to come out and tell me how she is.” I fought back tears.

  “I hadn’t heard from you and when I called the house, Sandie told me where you were. What happened?”

  “It looks like Audrey was attacked as she was shutting up the shop.”

  “Why on earth would someone want to attack her?” he asked incredulously.

  “I don’t know, maybe they were after the takings?” I cringed as I lied to him. “Perhaps the police will be able to tell us more tomorrow.” I knew the hospital was obliged to inform the police and it wouldn’t be long before they came to ask questions.

  “Look, do you want me to come to the hospital? I’m sure there’s somebody there I know, I could try and speed things along a bit.”

  It was very sweet of him to offer but the last thing I wanted was for Marcus to meet Ahran and start asking questions about who he was and why he was here.

  “Oh! It looks like the registrar is on his way over now,” I lied for the second time. “I’ve got to go, I’ll give you a call when I know more.” He barely had time to say goodbye before I hung up. I felt guilty but I really didn’t need the
added complication.

  A few moments later a text came through. ‘Let me know if you want me to come and pick you up. Mx.’

  My guilt stepped up a gear.

  What was I going to tell him? I stared at my phone for a long time, my thumb hovering over the screen whilst I thought about how to reply. Eventually I gave up and stuffed it back in my pocket. I couldn’t come up with anything that didn’t give too much away, I decided to give it some thought and text him later.

  I sat and watched another medical team rush in from the ambulance bay. I caught a glimpse of a child lying on a trolley, one of the nurses was holding up a drip attached to his or her little arm. A couple clung to each other sobbing as they followed their child. I turned away, tears stinging my eyes. The thought of Toby lying on one of those trolleys made me feel sick to the stomach. I closed my eyes and drew in an unsteady breath. I hated hospitals. Other than when I had been Katie’s birthing partner, every other trip I’d made to a hospital had brought pain and loss. I found the smell and atmosphere cloying and every minute I spent in one made me feel more and more claustrophobic. I fidgeted in my chair. How many more torturous minutes would I have to wait before anyone gave me an update on Audrey’s condition? I couldn’t fight it any longer, I needed to go outside. I concentrated on walking at a normal pace and tried not to break into a run as I made my way to the front entrance.

  I finally made it outside and sucked in the night air leaning my back against the wall to steady myself. I closed my eyes. The air was cold and it made my lungs ache.

  I took another deep breath and opened my eyes to see Ahran striding towards me. He was dressed all in black; black boots, black jeans and a black, leather motorcycle jacket. His short blonde hair stood out in contrast. He cut quite a picture as his long legs ate up the distance between us. My pulse jumped at the sight of him. His broad shoulders blocked my view as he stopped in front of me. Flippin’ heck, those eyes!

  “Have you heard anything?” he said, without even saying hello. There it was again, that look as if I irritated him. What was his problem? It bugged me no end that I found him so goddamn attractive.