The Braille Club Undone (The Braille Club #3) (13 page)

The Braille Club Undone

The Braille Club, London. Two Years On. Music Zone. The assignees sit and wait in the dark for play to begin. With their visual sense removed, it takes the brain a few moments to adjust. As a result the ears become sharper and more sensitive.

Virinder

Virinder completed his three sensory lessons and each time he closed his eyes his fantasy came to life. Images of Noor stole into his mind unwanted, but not unwelcome. He imagined her fingers on his skin and her lips on his; the sensations new and exhilarating. His body and mind entranced by the exquisite pleasure and pain of the game. He had yet to exceed the fifteen minute grace period, but he was gaining in experience. After each session ended he’d found himself at the gym and the running machine. He’d pounded away until exhausted. He pushed himself until his lust cooled and he was in control. However, a passion had been awakened in him that he was finding harder and harder to ignore. His clothes hung off him. His weight loss had been dramatic and when he could run no more he switched to the machines that would tone his body.

He pushed himself to the limit; anything to stop the longing that was a constant ache nowadays. Noor was coming to the house tonight and Virinder was acutely aware of his inner turmoil. He’d preferred being detached and remote from her. Deep down he knew she was repulsed by him, what woman wouldn’t be? He’d been forced to purchase some new clothes as his trousers kept slipping down. The sales assistant had been kind and helpful. He’d always hated shopping for clothes as when you got to his size you were limited. However, his waistline had shrunk dramatically and he was now four sizes smaller. Still big, but he’d examined his reflection with genuine interest. His face was more defined; the weight loss evident. He still had a long road but his shy tentative smile at his own reflection gave him a massive boost. Suddenly he believed he could do it. Break free of his addiction to food.

He arrived home and the first thing to greet him were the seductive smells of his mother’s cooking. Normally it was his safety blanket, but tonight he was too nervous to eat. Every time he thought of Noor his stomach knotted. He showered and changed. Walking into the kitchen his mother smiled and then put her hand over her mouth.

“Virinder...” she gasped.

“What?” he looked at his clothes but saw nothing amiss.

“You look so much like your father,” his mother sighed.

Virinder’s expression darkened. He didn’t like the comparison.

“You’ve lost weight.”

“A little,” Virinder agreed.

They stood gazing at each other.

“Come eat something now.”

Virinder frowned, “I’m not hungry, Mum.”

“Don’t be silly, come eat.”

Virinder stared at his mother’s face, now etched in worry. “No, Mum,” he said firmly.

Confusion replaced her worry as she piled food on a plate for him. He stood there and eventually took the plate she offered but didn’t touch it.

“Where’s Dad?” he asked.

“Out,” she replied. “Eat your food.”

There was an edge to his mother’s voice he hadn’t noticed before. He lifted the plate and walked out of the kitchen. His mind was whirling. Had it always been like this…? Yes. His mother always pacified him with food. He moved quickly upstairs, sliding the food into the first bag he found in his room. He’d have to get rid of it. The delicious smells that had controlled him all his life had lost their power, and so had his mother. He searched his memory and could not remember a time when he wasn’t overweight. His whole life had been a series of humiliations because of it. His mother had never insisted he diet. It was always the opposite. They had been co-conspirators. It was their only defiance against his father. Virinder was shaken as a horrible realisation crept into his mind. Had his mother done it on purpose? He dismissed the idea. She wanted this marriage too or did she? Virinder reassessed everything in his life. He lifted the bag and dumped it in his laundry before he returned to the kitchen. His mother appeared agitated but smiled when he handed her his plate.

“Better?” she said.

He nodded but didn’t meet her gaze.

“There is plenty more, you can have something when Noor gets here,” she said.

Virinder heard the door closing and moved to greet his father.

“Virinder...” his father’s voice trailed off as he stared. His face had a look of surprise before it changed and settled into a guarded frown.

“You look different,” he said at last.

“I’ve been working out, I joined a gym.”

“I see,” said his father, turning and heading towards his study.

“Noor will be here at 8.00pm.”

“Yes, I know,” his father snapped.

Virinder smiled. He’d caught his father off balance for once. He was changing and so was the balance of power. Virinder drew strength from it, he was no longer the same person and he liked it.

The Braille Club Undone

The Braille Club, London. Two Years On. Music Zone. The Assignees can hear the silence. It is absolute. Their ears filter out sounds of their body breathing as they listen. Ready, their fingers depress the button and they glide into the zone.

Noor

Noor’s heart was beating as nerves got the better of her. She’d thought of nothing but Maalik. He’d consumed her every thought. She’d even binned the number of the cute taxi driver; no longer interested. Noor’s life had been filled with one-night stands. The sex often confused with love. Noor, desperate for affection, gave her body willingly. Her reward was to be held by someone, even for the briefest of moments. Noor, once a prize, was nothing but soiled goods. She didn’t like to think of her first engagement. Her defences locked the memories away, but they stole unbidden into her mind. The past was not a place she liked to dwell. There...she’d had everything she’d ever wanted; a beautiful home, successful parents and a life of luxury. The icing on the cake was her engagement. In love with the man she would marry, Noor had never been happier. The two families had known each other for years. She’d always known she’d marry Aryan. They’d grown up together. Noor smiled at the memories of her past life. A life she still missed. Then her smiled faded as it all came rushing back. The wedding and its expense had exposed her father’s secret. She remembered her confusion. The irate calls saying his cheques had bounced. Like a house of cards it had all come down. Her father’s debts were revealed but worse, Ayran’s father was his business partner.

Soon it became clear her father had used all the company funds. There was nothing left. She remembered the phone call from Ayran breaking off their engagement. He was upset and angry. Terrible things were said, and when it was over, Noor was left with nothing. When Noor thought her life couldn’t get any worse, her mother became ill. Her cancer was swift and brutal. Noor always felt, it was the shock and shame that brought it on. Her mother was dead within a year. She simply gave up and let the disease ravish her weakened body. If not for her father’s brother taking them in, they would be homeless. He’d offered Noor the tiny flat above the shop and she worked there like a slave, to keep the three of them until now there were only two. Her father’s decline was worst every day. She hated what he’d done to her, to her mother and lastly to himself. His breakdown was so severe, Noor no longer recognised him as her father. She resented his escape into madness. She had wanted him to suffer, like she had.

In the beginning, she’d been so shocked, she was numb. Her home and fiancé gone, she was lost in the horror of survival. Noor, pampered all her life, hadn’t been interested in school. She was only interested in marrying Ayran. Although she was a bright student she’d left school with few qualifications; it hadn’t seemed important. She was from money, and marrying money. She assumed she wouldn’t need them. The first humiliating days of working in the shop passed in a blur of anxiety as she worried about her mum. Her dad’s state of mind was bad even then. Noor desperately needed help but was shunned by her friends and family. Disgraced, they were a shameful secret to be locked away. Her face burned with the memories. She could not work and care for her mum. As her mother’s condition worsened, her father lost what little grip he had on reality. They were both hospitalised and Noor could only visit in-between working.

Her mother refused further treatment. She wanted to be left in peace. Noor watched helplessly as the disease progressed. The anger and grief almost destroyed her. Her mother slipped away and Noor felt something die within her that day. Somehow she got through the funeral. When they finally sent her father home, he was like a walking ghost. He sat for hours staring at nothing, but he wasn’t a danger to himself, they explained. Noor had to do everything for him. The carers met his hygiene needs, bathing him and dressing him, but the rest of the responsibility fell on Noor alone. Through the whole nightmare she secretly hoped that Ayran would reconsider but as time passed those thoughts faded. She tried to contact him but her calls and texts went unanswered. The final blow was finding out he was engaged again; the intensity of the pain took her breath away. Her friend, Nalli, had always fancied Ayran. For Noor it was almost more than she could bear; to see her friend getting what she wanted, what Noor prized above all else.

She hoped they both burned in hell. Nalli wasn’t exactly pretty and the thought that Ayran had an ugly bride consoled her. The only thing Noor had left was her looks. Her virginity was no longer an asset and she got rid of it as quickly as possible. The sex was her only escape from the hell she now lived in. She allowed no one to get close to her or see how she lived. Noor’s outer shell was toughened now. Bulletproof. She’d been suspicious when the introduction to Virinder had been suggested. They were a wealthy, prominent family; why would they be interested in her? She’d found out quickly enough, but she’d been with worse. Maalik however was a revelation. She’d not expected that. She shook her head and dispelled the thoughts that lived there. This might be her only chance and nothing would stand in her way.

Noor smiled as Maalik opened the door. The smell of delicious food assailed her. As always, Noor was hungry. Between the long hours and lack of money she often existed on tins. Sometimes she ate straight from the can before falling into her bed, exhausted. She had loved to cook with her mother. Her recipes handed down from her own mother, but Noor couldn’t bear to cook now. The memories were too painful. Her father’s appetite was poor. She had tried everything but he picked disinterestedly at his food. He was a shuffling bag of bones. The carers did their best but every day Noor could see his decline intensify. She didn’t know how to stop it; only knew she wanted out. She wanted more than the life she had now and Virinder was her ticket. This evening she’d spent a long time over her appearance and the way Maalik was looking at her, it had been worth the effort. Her pulse quickened, he really was handsome. Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone else was in the room. As the person turned, Noor gasped in surprise, it was Virinder. She stared at him, not quite believing what she was seeing. He smiled at her and Noor smiled back without thinking; a natural reaction.

“Noor, can I get you some tea?” said Eliza.

“Yes,” said Noor, glancing at Virinder again. Eliza seemed strained this evening.

“How is your father?” asked Maalik sharply.

Noor, surprised by his tone, turned to answer. “A little better,” she lied. Her gaze returned to Virinder. The change in him was remarkable.

“When will we get to meet him?” asked Maalik forcefully.

Noor didn’t care for Maalik’s tone or question. When her gaze met Virinder’s she experienced a spark. Something in his eyes caught her attention and it took a moment for her understand. Kindness. His eyes had been full of kindness, unlike his fathers, which were calculating. Noor was suddenly re-evaluating her situation. Virinder’s resemblance to his father was striking but his face was soft and gentle.

“I’ll speak to him,” Noor stalled.

“Yes. The sooner we meet, the better,” said Maalik.

Noor settled in the lounge and sipped her tea as Maalik sat scowling in the chair opposite her. Her gaze flicked to Virinder again. The resemblance to his father was startling. Why had she never seen it before? Yes, he’d lost weight but how had she missed it? Noor realised she was at a crossroads in her life and that the two paths presented to her were full of uncertainty. However, the path with Maalik was sure to end badly. She had never considered there was another way...until tonight. She smiled at Virinder and could sense Maalik’s displeasure. Things had suddenly changed. This time Noor sensed it might be, just might be, for the better.

The Braille Club Undone

The Braille Club, London. Two Years On. Music Zone. The ringing bell indicates the arrival of the Patron. The tension in the room increases. The Patron smiles as the list of music is revealed. A selection is made and the game begins.

Nick

Nick had two projects he was concentrating on, but couldn’t do the research he wanted. He needed to get his hands on propofol. His contact, Gerry, on the outside was working on it. When he came to visit Nick, their conversations would appear harmless to anyone overhearing. They spoke in a kind of code; certain words and phrases used in relation to his projects. Nick’s question of, “How’s the flat hunting?” Was code for, ‘have you sourced the propofol?’ Nobody would think it strange. They had a patient, doctor relationship of sorts. Nick had treated him for his anger issues; successfully. Gerry’s change in behaviour had been recognised and had resulted in his release. Nick worked hard with him to reign in those violent tendencies. He’d used his hypnotherapy to subdue the anger impulses. He’d made Gerry think of a calm pool of water; unruffled and still. When he felt the heat of his anger rising he was to imagine submerging himself in the water. Gerry must let it cool off his reactions. If he did this he would get his reward.

Nick offered him an alternative to anger management...a chance to unleash his demons under controlled circumstances. His patient had smiled and agreed quickly to everything Nick had suggested. Gerry was hungry for the opportunity and Nick had been happy to provide it. Gerry’s first session was to beat that lousy Cassidy senseless. Gerry was the perfect candidate to take him on. In fact, they’d had little contact within the prison. Cassidy picked on the weak and vulnerable prisoners…like Nick. He didn’t like to think of himself that way, but in those first few days, he had been. Beating the truth from Cassidy would be more than satisfying. It would be justice not only for him but for all the other prisoners he’d assaulted. Nick had been specific. Follow the man, learn his habits and pounce when he was vulnerable. Gerry reported Cassidy was a pub regular; often leaving drunk, it would be easy to ambush him and beat out the truth. Cassidy would never know Nick was behind it because his name would be among many, with a grudge. He’d told Gerry to keep it quiet. If he talked to anyone then Nick would have no compunction killing him; he didn’t care either way. The most pressing issue was to source the drugs. Once they had been secured, he’d feel better.

His second project was a new relationship. He had several women writing to him now and all perfect for his needs. He must appear over Siena. Nothing screams
moving on
like a new girlfriend. He had set up his first visit and was looking forward to it. She was the polar opposite of Siena. He wanted no similarities between them. In his mind, Siena was simply unique. The timing was right. His release was far enough away to give him time to groom these women. He needed an alibi. He learned from his fellow inmates how important that was. The only thing more important was DNA, but Nick had that figured out. He must leave nothing to connect him with a crime scene. The police might suspect him, but with no proof, they’d be powerless. Harrison would be powerless too and Siena would be his forever.