A Family Affair - Next of Kin (13 page)

Ellen hoped he was processing her words and finally understanding that she didn’t have any feelings for him.

Instead, Kane changed the subject. “I need to tell you something. Nikki served me with papers forcing me to be tested as her baby’s father.”

“Oh.” Ellen didn’t want to admit that Nikki had already mentioned that.

“She is still convinced that I’m the father. We should know soon.”

Ellen didn’t know what to say. She remembered the day Dr Walsh told Kane that he wasn’t able to have children. In that moment, she had felt pity for him. It was hard to reconcile that moment with Nikki’s certainty that Kane was the father.

“I want to see Angus. Nikki said he has my eyes.”

“Please, Kane.”

“I want to see my son.”

Ellen suddenly saw the conversation as an opportunity to redirect Kane’s focus away from Angus. “You said that to me at court too. He is not your son. He belongs to Tom. We did a paternity test. Do you remember? You were there when we got the result.”

“Yeah, I remember. But I think there was something wrong with that doctor. I mean, I’m clearly able to have children.”

“How can you say that when you haven’t got the results yet from Nikki?” Ellen definitely did not want to discuss Angus’ paternity test in detail, lest her own suspicions creep into her voice.

“Nikki is pretty sure. If Alice is mine, then that means Angus’ paternity test is bogus.”

“Don’t jump to any conclusions. Let it go, Kane. Please. I’m begging you. If you care about me at all, stay away from us. Don’t make me hate you anymore than I already do.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do.”

Kane was silent on the other end of the phone for quite some time. “Okay, Elle. I hear you,” he said quietly. “I will always care about you, I hope you know that.”

“Goodbye, Kane.”

“Hold on. This is not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Ellen couldn’t believe it. “Well, you’d better get to the point quickly. I was about to hang up.”

“It’s about Hayden. I... I don’t want you to be anywhere near him.”

“What?” Ellen couldn’t believe that this was the main topic he wanted to discuss. “We’ve already spoken about this.”

“I know, but something has changed. I’ve got proof of what he is...”

“What do you mean by ‘what’ he is?”

“He is a monster. He is someone who shouldn’t be in your or Angus’ life. You’ve got to trust me on that.”

Ellen remained uninterested. Kane sounded as if he was developing some kind of paranoid delusion. “What proof have you got, Kane? What’s he done that is making you so worried?”

“I... I can’t really tell you about it.”

“What a surprise.”

“Please, Elle. I have the proof. I’m telling you the truth. You have to stay away from him. I’m risking my own life just to give you this information. Please, please don’t tell him that I approached you today.”

Ellen was silent. She wasn’t sure what to say to that. He actually sounded genuine for a brief moment.

“Please, Elle. He doesn’t want me in your life.”

“I don’t want you in my life either.”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“If he threatened you, it’s because he cares about Tom and myself.”

“The proof is not what you think it is. Listen, just don’t tell him, and please ask your bodyguard not to tell him either.”

“Our security will report this incident to Tom. There’s nothing I can do about that… but I don’t think Hayden will find out.” Ellen was thoughtful. “Maybe you should just stay away from me… if you’re so worried about someone finding out about our conversations.”

“I will after today. I promise.”

“Goodbye, Kane.” Ellen couldn’t stand hearing his voice for one moment longer. Talking to him was becoming hard work. He seemed so different to the trainer she once knew and trusted. She hung up without a further thought.

Nikki had been calling Kane’s mobile every hour for two days but to no avail. His phone was switched off, the call going straight to his voicemail. It was hurting her, not being able to share the news. This was not the way she had imagined events transpiring after receiving the test results, having envisaged scenes whereby Kane accepted the truth with a nod, a gradual smile and eventually a hug. Maybe she was kidding herself after all. If he wouldn’t even take her call, he would never love her.

Out of desperation, Nikki drove to the apartment where he lived, and pressed his intercom. Nobody answered there either. Where was he?

By day three, Nikki was beside herself with anxiety. There was no reason for Kane’s phone to be switched off for this amount of time. She started to worry that something had happened to him.

She sat on her couch with Alice asleep in her arms. Her nanny offered to put Alice into her cot, but Nikki waved her away – these little moments where she could hold her sleeping baby were so special.

Nikki looked at her phone – there was still no return call. She picked it up and decided to try one more time. Kane had to turn his phone on eventually. She dialled, and surprisingly it started ringing.

“Hello,” Kane answered. He sounded preoccupied.

Nikki breathed a sigh of relief to finally hear his voice. “Kane, it’s Nikki.”

“Hey.”

The relief passed quickly, leaving irritation in its place. “I’ve been trying to get hold of you for days, Kane. I’ve rung at least a hundred times.”

“Sorry, it’s been turned off. I’ve been busy.”

“I was worried about you.”

“Uh, huh.” He paused before asking. “What is it? Have you got the results or something?”

“Yes. I need to see you. Can I drive over now?”

“Er… I moved house. I’ve only really unpacked the bedroom, and set up the gym so far. It’s not ready for guests.”

Was he joking? “I don’t mind if there’s boxes lying around, Kane. I need to see you.”

“Er...” He sounded unsure. “Okay, Nik. Got a pen?”

Nikki wrote down the address and was surprised by the name of the building. It was an expensive luxury apartment tower in the city. One of the owners of her recording label used to live there, and she’d visited once. The apartments were thirty to forty squares and worth millions of dollars each. Even the rental of such a home would be many thousands of dollars per week. There was no way the salary of a personal trainer could support such a lifestyle. She didn’t want to question him though, as there were more important matters to discuss. “What number is your apartment, Kane?”

“I’m in the penthouse.”

“Oh.” That made even less sense. Nikki wondered if he was living with somebody else. Maybe Kane had seduced a rich widow through his personal training. But wouldn’t he forewarn her if it was someone else’s home? Nikki would not find it easy to see him living with another woman. “I’ll see you soon, Kane.”

She hung up and gently handed her sleeping baby to her nanny, and watched as Alice was put into her cot.

“What a perfect little angel,” her nanny said.

Nikki sighed. “I’m going out for a little while. Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

Nikki grabbed a copy of the DNA test results and her car keys before racing out the door. She was filled with anticipation and hope. Despite the long wait, and the peculiar nature of their phone call, perhaps this would be the moment she had dreamed about.

Kane’s new residence was as she remembered. There was a concierge on the ground floor who welcomed guests and liaised with the owners before granting access inside. It wasn’t until Nikki was escorted into the lift that she started to believe that Kane might actually live there. The concierge swiped his access card, pressed the highest number in the lift, and wished her a good day.

Once the elevator reached level twenty, Nikki was confronted by a single door. He must have the entire floor to himself. She knocked and waited, her mind overflowing with anticipation.

“Hey, Nik,” he said, as the door opened. He was only wearing shorts, his bare chest muscled and glistening from the sweat of a workout.

Nikki gasped, trying to remember how to breathe. She was mesmerised by his perfectly-contoured upper body. “Hi,” she managed to stutter back, noticing his flexed arm muscles holding the door open.

“Nik, I’m in the middle of a workout. Come upstairs with me and we can talk there.”

He didn’t wait for a response, turning his back on her.

She stepped inside quickly so the door could close behind her. “Okay.”

His apartment was colossal, but contained only a few items of furniture scattered here and there. The views were amazing from every window, and the apartment filled with natural light. If Kane decorated it well, this would be one of the most spectacular homes in Melbourne.

“You have a beautiful home, Kane.”

“Yes, I do,” he called back to her with a touch of self importance.

She clasped her envelope tightly, looking around for evidence of the woman who must live there too. It wasn’t immediately obvious. The meagre amount of furniture shouted of Kane’s bachelor status. “Is there somebody else that lives here?” she asked casually.

“No, it’s all mine. Bought it two days ago. Paid a bit extra to move in straight away, but it’ll be worth it. Doesn’t settle for another six weeks, but the owners were happy to move out, so I’m not complaining.”

Kane led Nikki up a flight of stairs to a timber-deck covered rooftop. She was amazed to see a pavilion there with glass sides holding a full gym. It was incredibly luxurious with three hundred and sixty-degree views of the bay and the surrounding city. Nikki could also see a bubbling hot tub off to one side. Her mouth fell open, as she stepped onto the deck and followed him into the gym.

He resumed lifting weights on his back.

She found a chair in which to sit near him.  “So, I guess the personal training business must be going really well,” she said, looking around. She’d never seen anything quite so opulent as Kane’s home. Not even Jack had owned a home like this.

“Oh, I quit my job actually.”

“Is that so?” For some reason, Nikki was not surprised to hear that. There was definitely something else going on here.

“Yeah, it wasn’t for me,” he said, breathing hard, not pausing for a second from his workout.

Nikki watched, as he finished twenty repetitions. It obviously took a lot of effort to maintain his physique, but it was worth it.

“That’s probably enough for now,” he said, standing up and trying to loosen up. “So, you said you’ve got the results?”

Nikki nodded.

“Let’s go back downstairs so I can get a drink.” He was clearly not in a hurry to hear the results, and Nikki bit her lip impatiently. He made his way to the kitchen and poured a glass of iced water from the fridge.

Nikki watched until he looked up, finally ready. She handed him the first test result as he drank. “For starters, here is your copy of Alice’s paternity test. I’ve highlighted the result there, as you can see.”

Kane looked at it, and shrugged. “She’s mine then?” He didn’t seem surprised.

“Yes.” Nikki tried to read his reaction, but couldn’t. His face was blank, which wasn’t a good sign. Sometimes he was hard to understand - she wanted him to be enthralled that Alice was his, and it saddened her that he wasn’t. She handed him the second important result. “And here is the test which shows we are not related.”

He looked at it while wrinkling his nose. “Look at that! It does say we aren’t related.” He seemed pleased. Finally there was a reaction from him.

“That’s right.” Nikki tried not to sound smug.

“You were right. Wait... how can we not be related?” He was confused. “Isn’t the woman on both our birth certificates one and the same?”

“We don’t know for sure, but it looks as if there might have been a mix-up at my birth. Ken is not my father - biologically speaking either. One of the other tests proved that.”

“No kidding.” Kane was thoughtful for a moment. “Does he know?”

“Yes, he came with me. He didn’t take it well.”

“I can imagine. Drink, Nik?” Kane said, suddenly remembering his manners and offering her a glass of water.

“Thank you, yes.”

He poured her a tall glass of iced water and squeezed a dash of lime over the top. “How about you? How are you doing with the news?” His mood seemed to have mellowed. Perhaps he was relieved and happy. Perhaps he showed his feelings in a different way to most people. “I guess we should have trusted your intuition, hey? You always said we weren’t related.”

Nikki smiled. It was such a relief to have him know the facts. “You know last year when I found out that Janet was not my mother, well... as you can imagine, that was quite a shock to me. So, let’s just say, nothing will surprise me from now on. Dad took it harder than me.”

Kane looked confused as he put the information together in his head. “So, hold on… who are your biological parents then?”

Nikki shrugged her shoulders. “My birth certificate says I was born in Lakeside - which has a small private hospital. It’s a long shot of course, but I thought I might go for a drive there and ask a few questions.”