Spike (Aces MC Series Book 3) (2 page)

“Vera! Vera!” I could feel the tears streaming down my
cheeks as I banged on the wooden door. I frantically looked around to see if
anyone had followed me but the street was thankfully empty. My heart was
pounding in my chest as fast as I was banging on the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!
Why wasn’t she opening the door?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Spike are you in there man?”
Bang! Bang! Bang!

I slowly opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. It took
me a while to realise that I was at home and not standing in the cold outside
Vera's house. Not another fucking nightmare! I shook my head silently, they
were coming thick and fast since Ink had been kidnapped and Jimmy was murdered.
I sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, resting my feet on the carpeted
floor. I flexed my toes in the shag pile carpet whilst I got my shit together
and tried to clear my head. The feeling of the gravel beneath my bare feet had
made the dream so realistic that I was now thankful for the soft sensation of
the carpet to help me put things into perspective.

Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Spike, it's Duke open up!”

I slowly stood and looked in the mirror, wiping the tears
that had trickled down my face for the loss of my sister, I loved her so much.

Louise

I looked closely in the mirror at my reflection, not
recognising the person staring back at me. My gaunt appearance made my eyes
look huge and the bruising on the left side of my face made everything look
worse. Liam used his favourable hand again last night and I wouldn't be surprised
if something was broken because of the amount of swelling. The beatings were
getting worse and he was becoming braver by blatantly marking my face,
something he wouldn't have dreamt of doing up until a couple of months ago.
I pressed lightly around my eye socket and let out a yelp at the contact.
How
was I possibly going to cover the bruises before the twins woke up?
I would
need a mask rather than a layer of foundation to hide these.

Opening the medicine cabinet in the bathroom I rummaged
around and found some pain killers, and quickly swallowed them with a glass of
water before leaning on the counter to conserve some energy as even the
simplest of tasks were becoming more difficult.
After composing myself, I slowly applied some makeup to my swollen face but by the
time I'd finished, I could easily be mistaken for a clown.
Liam didn't like me to wear makeup, he said that it made me look cheap and
attracted the wrong kind of attention so I had thrown away the majority through
fear of upsetting him. The one tube of foundation I did have was saved from my
teenage years and I now applied it slowly to my face using an applicator. Although
it was a little gunky because of its age, it did the job by covering some of
the bruising. This was the only way to cover the bruises from the children, my
way of trying to protect them from what I'm sure they already knew.

Their father hadn't always been an aggressor, I was fourteen
when we first started dating and couldn't believe my luck when he asked me out.
At first I thought he was speaking to my friend Sonya because she was the girl
that all the boys fancied but he wasn't, he wanted to actually speak to me.
I didn't have many friends and was somewhat a loner but this handsome seventeen
year old boy with such a beautiful face, caring eyes and charisma that could
charm the birds out of the trees, wanted me. I quickly fell hard for Liam as he
made me feel special and that I was the only girl in the world for him.
At first he would parade me around like a trophy, taking me to parties and
other social gatherings but over time he preferred to spend more time alone,
and the majority of our evenings and weekends were spent at his mother's house
in the country. I quickly lost contact with the small group of friends I did
have and became isolated from my family. I loved Liam and wanted to make him
happy, I was willing to do whatever he asked of me. The relationship became
serious and he quickly became my world.

We moved into our first apartment when I was only sixteen
much to the protests of my parents but Liam had been given a promotion at the
bank and although still relatively young he was building a solid career for
himself.
I fell pregnant with the twins soon after and was the happiest I had ever been,
I had a lovely home, fiancé who was soon to become my husband and we were now
about to embark on the exciting adventure of becoming a family.

It didn't take long for the bubble to burst and I slowly
watched my world come tumbling down around me. Liam was suspended from his job
at the bank while the police investigated an allegation made against him for
sexual assault. He assured me that the woman in question had invented the story
and that it was a misunderstanding on her part. She'd become obsessed with him and
he regularly had to deal with her suggestive comments and predatory behaviour, until
one day when he embarrassed her by openly turning down her advances and now she
was out for revenge. I obviously believed Liam, I had no reason not to and
stood by him through the trial that ended his career at the bank and damaged
his reputation.
By this time in our relationship, I was totally dependent on Liam. I had no
form of transport, no job or money of my own and the relationship with my family
had broken down completely after Liam had made me choose between him and my
parents. I couldn't possibly leave the father of my children so I decided to
cut all ties much to the pleasure of Liam. At every stage he reassured me that
everything would be fine, I wouldn't have anything to worry about ever, and I
had no reason at that stage to distrust him.

The first major incident happened when I was three months
pregnant with the twins. Before that event there had been the usual yelling,
insults and put downs but I had nothing to compare it to and just assumed that this
was a normal relationship. We were young and trying to do the best we could in what
had now become difficult circumstances.

I had arrived home late from shopping for groceries at
the local supermarket. The queue's were snaked around the aisles as everyone
was purchasing their last minute food for the bank holiday weekend but I couldn't
turn up at home empty handed, we'd have nothing to eat.
On entering the house, I knew immediately that something was wrong by the grimace
on Liam's face and his demeanour. I smiled at him and placed my bags on the table
before hanging my jacket on the coat hook. He continued to watch me like a hawk
but didn't make conversation which I thought was strange but not wanting to
antagonise the situation I picked up the groceries, and that's when I felt him
follow me through the living room and into the kitchen, stalking me like I was
his prey.

"Where the fuck have you been?" He asked rage
burning on his face.
"Sorry, the shops were really busy Liam." I tried to explain quickly
as I heaved the plastic shopping bags onto the kitchen table. I turned my head
and squinted as I braced myself, not wanting to see what I knew was coming. I
was quickly becoming familiar with his mood swings and facial expressions, and
knew that I was not going to like what he had in store for me.
With one quick movement of his arm the shopping was swiped from the table. I
anxiously turned to see what was happening, when Liam pulled back his arm and
punched me in the face. The force made me stumble backwards but he yanked me by
my hair as my legs became week beneath me.
"You fucking lying cunt, don't talk shit!" Liam snarled in my face as
I felt moisture hit my cheek.
He spun me around forcefully and shoved me against the kitchen table, I tried
to put out my hands to stop some of the impact and protect my tummy but I
wasn't quick enough and the corner pierced my skin sending a shooting pain down
my groin.
"Liam I'm sorry, please...please don't do this Liam!" I cried, hoping
that he would stop.
He spread his hand wide and placed it roughly on my head, forcing my face
against the cold surface of the table as he leaned over me, covering my body
with his. He used his other hand to lift my long skirt and moved it frantically
so that it was bunched around my waist.
"You're just a slut, you think I'm fucking stupid," Liam tugged on my
underwear, ripping the material from my crotch leaving a stinging sensation.
"You aren't giving it to me Louise so you must be getting it elsewhere.
Who is he?"
"There's never been anyone else Liam, only you. I've only ever been with
you." I screamed as he used his knee to roughly spread my legs.
He applied more pressure as he used his body weight to keep me still and
rummaged around my private area, scratching and pinching until he reached his
goal. He abruptly inserted two fingers inside and moved them around roughly, I
could feel the pinch between my thighs and the feeling of being violated by the
person who was supposed to love me unconditionally.
"Keep still or you'll live to regret it." He stated as he inserted
another finger stretching me further.
"You're hurting me Liam, please stop." I begged hoping that he would
hear my pain.
"Why isn't your cunt tight like Jade's?"
Jade? Who the hell was Jade?
"She didn't do as she was told either. That's why I had to do it Louise,
she made me do it. She walked around the office in her short little skirt,
crossing her legs suggestively making sure I saw just enough of her thighs to
get excited." Liam pulled his fingers out abruptly and I heard his belt
and zip unfasten. "That night at the office she refused my advances
stating that I was messed in the head, fucking bitch. I had to teach her a
lesson babe, just like I'm teaching you now." He positioned his length at
my entrance and pushed inside me, "Aggghh...Don't that feel good
babe?"
I continued to whimper as he took me by force, I didn't have the courage or the
will to fight back and knew that I needed to let him do this or I would regret
it. The fact that he had just admitted to sexually assaulting the girl in the
office, made the whole situation worse. He was a monster, a vicious predator
and I didn't know what I was going to do? 
 
The assault lasted thirty-seven minutes in total. During the attack the clock
was the one thing I could focus on as I allowed the depraved monster to do
unspeakable things to me, things that no one should ever have to endure.
Once the assault was over he continued to throw his insults. "Don't even
think about leaving me because if you do I will find you, and next time you
won't be so lucky." He stood and pulled up his jeans, "Now go and
clean yourself up, you look a fucking mess."

This is what was to become my life. The violence
continued but stopped for three months around the time I gave birth to my
beautiful twins which made me hopeful that things may return to normal but this
was short lived as the violence came back with a vengeance and this time with more
rigor.

Conscious of the time, I hurried to the kitchen to prepare
the packed lunches for Liam and the twins and eagerly started to make
breakfast.
"Good morning sweetheart," Liam said as he snaked his hands gently
around my waist making me flinch. I didn't hear him sneak up behind me
otherwise I could've prepared myself, his term of endearment sickened me but it
was his usual way of apologising. I played along and smiled like I usually did,
the only difference being that this time I knew would be the last.
"Let's take a look at you." Liam placed his hand under my chin to
direct my face towards him frowning at my make up, "Are you going out
today?" he asked swivelling my head so that he could see the severity of
the damage he'd inflicted.
"I need to take the children to school," I pulled out of his embrace
and turned to continue making their lunches so that I didn't have to be in
close proximity to him.
"I'll take them and I'll ask my mother to pick them up and keep them for
dinner. We have things to discuss this evening." He stated coldly and I
could feel his eyes bore into my skin.
I knew what he meant even though he didn't say it. I had stood up to him
somewhat last night whilst trying to protect Tommy so he obviously wanted me to
pay for it somehow.

I turned to the noise of the children coming down the stairs
and felt my heart wrench at the sight of Tommy's face as he observed his father
in the kitchen.
"Hurry up kids and eat your breakfast, I'm taking you to school
today." Liam said as he made himself a cup of coffee.
I scurried around the kitchen placing the bowls full of breakfast cereal
quickly on the table, giving them a little extra to try and make the situation
a little better. Devon woofed hers down in record time to keep her dad happy
but Tommy sombrely sat at the kitchen table stirring his milk around the bowl
oblivious to the onslaught that was about to come.

Whack!
I spun on my heels, turning at the sound to see Tommy sprawled on the floor holding
the side of his head. I quickly ran to his aid and positioned myself in front
of Liam to protect Tommy from another blow. Crouching beside him I held up my
hand and placed it on Liam's stomach to stop him from advancing further,
preparing to do whatever it took to protect Tommy.
"Liam please don't start now, the children are going to be late for
school. We can sort this out tonight just you and me, you don't need to bring
them into it."
Liam flexed his fingers and wrist as hitting Tommy had obviously hurt his hand.
I stared him down as the anger built inside me, and saw him contemplate what
I'd just said.
"Get him ready, I'm leaving in five minutes." He stalked out of the
kitchen to go and retrieve his briefcase from the living room.
I gathered Tommy in my arms and soothed his head, rubbing it gently as he
whimpered softly.
"Shhh little man. It's going to be okay, you're just going to have to
trust me." I turned to Devon who was staring at the table, a coping
mechanism she had learned during situations like this, to try and make herself invisible.
"Devon, get your coat and bag baby and hurry along to the car." She
didn't make eye contact but quickly slithered from her chair and made her way
reluctantly down the hall.
I lifted Tommy so that he was now standing and placed my hands either side of
his head directing his eyes towards mine. "Tommy, I promise with all my heart
that your dad will never hurt you again." He stared at me as a lone tear
trickled down his cheek, I wiped it with my thumb and pulled him into my
embrace. I positioned my mouth close to his ear to whisper, "You've got to
trust me Tommy. Please know that I'm telling you the truth." Tommy
eventually nodded.
"You better get going." I stood from my crouching position and Tommy
grabbed me around my legs so that he could hold me close. As much as I wanted
to hold him, I needed to get him in that car and at school in order for my plan
to work. I wanted to tell him what I was about to do but I couldn't through
fear of getting caught. The frustrating thing was that I wasn't ready to leave
as I hadn't saved enough money but it was one thing to hurt me and a completely
different thing to hurt my children. There was no way I was ever giving Liam
that opportunity to hurt either of them again.

I stood at the front door waving as Liam's BMW pulled out of
the driveway. To anyone witnessing the gesture, I looked like the doting wife lovingly
sending my husband to work which couldn't be much further from the truth with
the mounting anger building inside me. Once they were out of sight, I calmly
closed the door and rested my back against the hard interior contemplating my
next move.
I calculated that I had seven hours until Liam's mother would be collecting the
children from school and a further two until Liam would be expected home,
although Mary would contact him immediately if the children weren't at school
when she went to collect them. This was enough time to drive to my chosen
destination and be far away by the time he'd realised we were missing which
would hopefully be too late to track us down.
I quickly ran up the stairs taking two at a time and flew into my bedroom, pulling
out the bottom drawer from my bedside cabinet. I emptied the contents onto the
bed and turned the drawer over to unfasten the envelope that I'd stuck securely
with sticky tape. My adrenaline had kicked in and I began to shake as I
carefully opened the envelope to remove the money that I'd been saving over the
past year. I had only managed to accumulate £243.37 but that was enough to get
me to the women's refuge in Essex.
I had made contact with them initially six weeks ago, making sure that I called
from a phone box so that Liam didn't suspect anything. I explained my situation
but informed them that I wasn't yet in a position to leave which they understood.
I had made further contact on Thursday of last week and they explained that
they didn't have room for me and the children until this Saturday but I had now
run out of time. I needed to get away before he hurt the children further and I
was doing it today, even if it meant we had to sleep in the car.