Numb: A Dark Thriller (14 page)

19

Riley dropped Purvis back at Nash’s mansion before heading straight home. There was nothing else they could do tonight. Purvis had to watch the girls and he had to get himself cleaned up. Everything else could wait for now.

As soon as he stepped inside his apartment he undressed and threw his ripped and bloodstained shirt in the bin along with his jacket. Then he bundled the rest of his dirty clothes in the washing machine before heading into the bathroom.

The shower looked inviting and he would’ve loved to stand under the warm running water and let it soothe away the tension in his shoulders, but because of the dressing on the side of his stomach he knew that was a no-no. He had to leave the wound alone, at least until tomorrow when he saw Carter, and so a sponge wash by the sink was the only option available to him.

He filled the sink and soaked a sponge with soapy water before washing his hands, face and neck and under his arms. Then he turned his attention to his lower half and stepped into the bath to clean the drying blood from his stomach, careful not to touch the bandaged area. Then he moved down below his waist and cleaned the blood from his legs and buttocks, the result of sitting on broken glass in the Aston Martin after deciding to play a hero.

One of the cuts was still bleeding slightly, and as he went over it he felt a sharp lump that was obviously embedded glass.

Riley sighed and dropped the pink-stained sponge in the bath.

A minute later, and for the second time in a few hours, a pair of tweezers was digging about inside him as he retrieved the shard of glass from his left buttock. When it came out, a good inch of it, the wound bled more, so he cleaned it with soap and water before adding some antiseptic cream. Then, after drying himself, he added sticking plasters to the areas that still insisted on weeping. Hopefully the antibiotics that Carter would give him tomorrow would see to any potential infections in those areas, too.

After changing into boxer shorts and a T-shirt, it was time for him to carry out his usual night-time routine, a chore that had become as regular as breathing for him over the last twenty years or so.

Riley faced the bathroom mirror and stared at his reflection.

There was no sign of discolouration in his eyes and no floaters in his field of vision. He opened his mouth and searched for a bump or an open wound or any discolouration of his tongue or gums or a chipped or broken tooth. Ten years ago he’d had a severely infected wisdom tooth that had grown so rotten that the infection had spread to his jaw. But because he’d felt no pain he hadn’t noticed until one morning he’d woken up looking like he’d slept with a melon in his mouth, the left side of his face so swollen he could barely open his left eye. He’d undergone surgery a day later and had been told by one of the doctors that had he waited any longer to get treatment he could have died of septicaemia. Losing his life to an infection was worse than the thought of dying violently. Being taken out by something that might have been stopped by a few pills was no way to go out. When his time was up he wanted to know about it. He didn’t want to go to bed and not wake up in the morning. He would be getting off easy that way.

He then checked the rest of his body, and apart from the new wounds he was aware of, his body was injury free; no bruises, rashes, lesions, suspicious scabs or moles. He pressed his fingers to the glands either side of his neck, checking for any masses. Not finding any, he then did the same to his armpits and then his groin. Next, he checked his testicles. Then he washed his hands before weighing himself on the bathroom scales. Fourteen stone and eight pounds. He hadn’t lost any weight – in fact he’d gained a pound today. He hadn’t noticed any blood in his motions or urine and his skin was its usual peachy hue. All good.

Sure that his body was in order, Riley flicked off the bathroom light, went next door and climbed into bed.

It was almost three in the morning now but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He’d just lie there, thinking about the shooting; about Michael junior having his brains blew out; about the men in the Peugeot that he’d been so close to catching; about McCabe and his suspicious actions.

And about the end.

It was coming, Riley could feel it. What had happened tonight was surely paving the way towards the final days of Nash’s empire. He’d lost his son – his most treasured possession – and that would surely send him over the edge.

Yes, everything had to end some day.

13 YEARS AGO

The way she said the words, he wasn’t sure if she was serious or not at first. Maybe she was just surprised. Shocked by the proposal because she hadn’t been expecting it. Yes, that was it.

“I can’t.”

Then he saw her eyes were brimming with tears as she gently pushed the ring back to him across the table. Suddenly two little words had hurt him like nothing else in years. “I can’t” had meant “No”. Simple as that.

“I just can’t, Riley.”

“Why, what’s wrong?” he asked. He didn’t care that his marriage proposal had just been refused in the crowded Italian restaurant. He just wanted to hear her reasons. Maybe she thought they were too young or something silly like that. After all, marriage was a big step. She had every right to be nervous.

“I’m sorry, Riley. I didn’t know you felt so strongly about me. I thought we were... just going out.”

“You know I love you, Maria,” he said.

“And I love you,” she said. “I just... I can’t marry you.”

“Can’t or won’t?” he asked. He knew this was her decision. He got on great with her parents and both of them had welcomed him into the family from the first moment he’d met them. They didn’t care that he worked a dead-end job in a factory. They didn’t care that his family didn’t have money. They could simple tell how much he cared for their daughter, and he was sure they would have been more than happy to have him as a son-in-law. Maria certainly hadn’t refused him in fear of what others would think.

And that thought hurt even more.

“We’re still young,” she said. “I love you but... you know, I’m not ready to settle down yet.”

Something inside Riley suddenly switched off. He went into defence mode, playing the hard man who couldn’t be hurt like he had so many times over the years. Only he
was
hurt. He was bleeding inside. Her words were like deadly weapons, cutting him deep, stabbing him in the heart.

“That’s fine,” he said as he tucked the ring in his trouser pocket. “We’ll just stay as we are.”

That’s when Maria put her head down. Wiped her eyes with her napkin.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing, I’m fine...”

“Maria, look at me and tell me what’s wrong.”

When she raised her head, her cheeks were wet with tears.

“I wasn’t going to say anything tonight,” she said. “I wanted the rest of our time together to be fun...”

“Rest of our time?”

The hurt he’d felt by her refusal suddenly changed to confusion.

“You know how I’ve applied for university in London? Well, I’ve been accepted. I start in September.”

“Next Month?”

“Yes.”

Riley sat back and blew out his cheeks. Tonight really wasn’t panning out the way he’d hoped.

“That’s good,” he said. “We both knew you were just taking a year off to get some money behind you. I didn’t expect you to work at the supermarket forever. No, this is good. It’s-”

“It means we have to break up!”

Ouch! So that’s what it felt like to have your heart ripped out...

“Break up?”

Maria smiled at him, though her eyes remained sad.

“Riley, I’ll be away from you for three years until my degree’s finished. We’ll be able to see each other at weekends only – and that means a four hour drive each way. Plus, can either of us wait three years for our relationship to continue properly?”

“I can,” he said, not having to think twice. He loved her. Wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

Maria’s head went down again, her pale face, full lips, petite nose and hazel eyes disappearing from view under her straight brown hair.

Riley sighed.

“But you won’t wait,” he said. He laughed in disbelief. “So, when were you planning on breaking up with me?”

“I was going to wait and see how things were when I started Uni. I just assumed we’d grow apart and eventually split up mutually. But when you proposed just now I realised it would be cruel to continue going out with you when I don’t feel as strongly about our relationship as you obviously do. I’m so sorry, Riley.”

Sorry
, he thought.
That’s it? You’re sorry?
But he said, “It’s fine,” and waved for the waiter to fetch the bill. He had to get out of here. Needed some fresh air. Adrenalin was rushing down his spine and out through his arms and legs. He needed to walk it off.

“Riley, please don’t let us finish like this.”

“Then let’s stay together,” he said, taking her hands in his. He had to make her see sense. Ending something so good because of a couple of hundred miles separating them was stupid. “I love you and support your decision to go to Uni. But like you said, we can see each other at weekends and holidays. Even better, I’ll quit my job and moved to London with you. Anything.” He stared into her eyes. “What do you say?”

The waiter appeared beside them.

When Riley ignored him he placed the bill on the table and walked away.

A minute later, Maria still hadn’t answered him.

“You’ve made your decision, haven’t you?” Riley said. “It’s over.”

Maria didn’t answer. Didn’t even look up at him. She just sniffed her nose.

Riley let go of her hands quickly, as if he’d just been told she was contaminated with some highly infectious disease.

“Well, I guess that’s it.” He looked at the bill, fished in his pocket for some cash, left five pounds more than the total and stood up. “Have fun at university, Maria.”

“Riley, please...”

But he was out the door before she got any further and the engagement ring was in the nearest bin before the restaurant’s door had swung shut behind him.

He unlocked his second-hand Ford Fiesta and opened the door. Then he took a deep breath and slammed it shut. He didn’t want to drive home. He needed to walk his anger off, and the two miles back home in the cool night air might help him calm down.

Fucking women...

Without looking back at the restaurant, Riley hurried away from the city centre, moving swiftly through the busy streets, feeling out of place amongst the crowds of happy, smiling bastards out enjoying themselves.

He wondered if he himself would ever be happy again. He’d never had a long-term girlfriend before Maria and so had no previous experience at a break up, no experience at recovering from one. Some of his friends had been pretty hung up over ex-girlfriends and had gotten over them eventually. Surely he would get over this. Hell, maybe he hadn’t even loved her. When it came to relationships did you really know what love was until you’d lost it? Maybe he would meet a girl tomorrow and realise what true love really was. Yeah, maybe he should go and see that girl from along his street. The one who always waved at him as he walked by her house and would blush and self-consciously play with her hair whenever they passed each other in the street and ex-changed a ‘hello’. Yeah, she was pretty and seemed nice. He hadn’t really noticed before as he’d been so wrapped up in Maria – and it was time to move on from her. Bitch!

Riley kept walking and instead of cooling off found himself getting angrier. He
had
loved Maria.
Still
loved her. But it was over. Even if she came hurrying after him now and told him she’d made the biggest mistake of her life and wanted him back, wanted to marry him, he’d tell her to keep walking and leave him alone. No one makes a fool out of him and gets a second chance.

Ten minutes later, he was in the worse part of Thirnbridge – the Meadowfield Estate – a down trodden area that unfortunately separated the city centre from his own street, a place that was famous for car thefts and muggings like some places are famous for their museums and art galleries. It seemed darker here, probably because some of the streetlights had been smashed, and it was due to the lack of light that he didn’t see the four figures until they were only a few yards ahead of him.

They could’ve been aged anywhere between fifteen and twenty. Two had short hair. Two were wearing baseball caps. One was tall and broad, two were of average size and one was small and skinny. They were walking side by side, taking up all of the pavement and were staring directly at him. On a rough estate when four lads see one lad by himself, they usually try something, be it a snide remark or a verbal threat or – if they were really scum – maybe they’d jump you and beat the shit out of you just to show how tough they are. Had Maria been with him he would have crossed over to the other side of the street to avoid any chance of confrontation. She didn’t like him fighting and he’d tried his best to stay out of trouble during their relationship. Well, things change...

The four lads didn’t move aside for Riley to walk past. Instead they continued on side by side, like they were off to see the fucking Wizard of Oz, and it was the smallest of them – Dorothy - who actually barged into Riley, pushing him with his shoulder, obviously thinking he was securely backed up by the others and assuming he was safe to start some trouble.

Riley stopped and stared at him. The adrenalin flooded into his fists.

The lad stuck his face close to Riley’s.

“Watch where you’re going you fucking di-”

The only reason Dorothy’s cap hit the floor before he did was that Riley’s flurry of punches kept the little bastard up for another couple of seconds after his legs gave way. When he did hit the deck, the tallest of the lads threw himself at Riley and tried to put him in a headlock. He was obviously the scarecrow because he didn’t have a brain.

You don’t win a street-fight by wrestling! People had teeth. Putting someone in a headlock was a sure fire way to lose a nipple.

But Riley never had to use his teeth.

As the lad’s arms went around his neck, Riley smashed his head up into the lad’s chin, chattering his teeth together loudly. Then he pushed him away by shoving his thumbs into his eyes and then, when there was enough space between them, finished things with a couple of well placed punches before turning on the other two.

Because the scarecrow was on the floor, his hands up to his face as he whimpered like a girl, the cowardly lion took one look at Riley before suddenly sprinting off along the street without looking back.

Just the Tin Man left now, and Riley went for him.

“Whoa,” the lad said, holding up his hands to show he didn’t want to fight. “Nothing to do with me, mate. I don’t want any trouble.”

“You’re friends did,” Riley said.

“They’re not really my friends. I don’t really know them. Seriously, I had nothing to do with this.”

Fucking heartless prick
, Riley thought as he walked off, leaving the lad untouched. You should always back your friends up – even if they
are
aresholes. You should always be there for them. Sometimes they were all you had.

And they couldn’t dump you as easily as a girlfriend could.

Riley didn’t feel any better or any worse after the brief one-sided battle. He just wanted to get home and forget about tonight. So much for a nice meal and a fiancé! Now he was single and soon to be wanted by the police for GBH.

Within fifteen minutes he arrived home and saw that the light was still on downstairs. His grandmother must be waiting up for him – that’s if she hadn’t fallen asleep in front of the television again.

What do I tell her?
he wondered as he went inside and kicked off his shoes. He’d told her about his plan to propose tonight. Now he’d have to tell her that he and Maria had split up. He didn’t care about himself, about the embarrassment of being rejected by the woman he loved. If anything, he was dreading seeing his grandmother upset. She’d been so happy for him earlier. Bless her.

“Hi, grandma,” he called from the hallway. “Only me!”

No answer.

He strode into the living room knowing what he’d see. Yes, there she was, sound asleep in her armchair, a slight smile on her face as she dreamed nice dreams about whatever it was sweet old ladies dreamed of. She probably hadn’t seen any of the sit-com that was on. Probably fell asleep a few minutes after he’d left. She’d been tired a lot recently. Well, she was almost eighty...

“Grandma?” Riley walked closer. He decided to wake her and get this over with. “Wake up, grandma.”

As he tapped her cold hand, canned laughter erupted from the television.

His grandmother never moved.

“Grandma?” Riley sank to his knees beside her. This wasn’t right. “Wake up, grandma. Grandma, wake up!”

He nudged her arm gently.

His dear grandmother’s held lolled to one side.

The smile stayed in place.

“Grandma?” Riley said, but the tears had already started. He knew she couldn’t hear him. “Grandma, it’s me, Riley. Please wake up. Please... grandma...”

He took hold of one of her hands. It felt like marble.

He kissed it as sobs began to wrack his body.

“Please wake up... please...”

Suddenly, losing Maria didn’t seem so bad.