Bound Angel Bound Demon (6 page)

Chapter Nine

She booked into a Travelodge near the airport; she needed to get far away to clear her head. Alex picked up her mobile and searched through her contacts and pressed call on the first one she knew would answer.

“Hello Mom,” Alex
said with a sigh. It was great to hear a friendly voice.

“Hello
Ally, you ok? It’s late to be calling,” her mom replied.

“Mom, I’m coming to stay
with you for a few days as soon as I can get flights out,” she said trying hard not to cry on the phone.

“That’s ok baby, me and your
dad will be happy to have you, you sure you’re ok?” she knew something wasn’t right.

“Mom, I’m fine
, just had a little fall out with Gary and need some time away that’s all, don’t worry I’ll see you soon.”

“Ok, I’ll pick you up from the airport
, text me when you have the flight details.”

“I will, see you soon,
love you, bye.” Alex ended the call and went online on her mobile searching for the earliest flight. She knew Gary would track her down eventually, as she was leaving a trail by using their credit card, but hoped that he would understand that she needed some space.

She looked at the time, it was one in the morning, the flight details came up and there was one flying out at
4 am, she booked it, and texted her mom the details, she would be there for breakfast. Spain wasn’t that far away.

She lay back on the bed, and although really exhausted, said to herself, “Pull
yourself together Alex.”

She
ordered another taxi to take her straight to the airport.

Once
there, she sat watching the board waiting to be called to the gate for her flight. Her phone vibrated and she clicked on the message that flashed up.

“Alex, please forgive me, I miss you and I’m sorry, please believe me when I say I went along with this for you
, Gary xx.”

She switched
her phone off, and threw it into her bag. The flight was called and she got up and walked to the boarding gate. Once on the plane she closed her eyes, she needed to rest just for a short while, to try and block out what had happened.

Images of Melissa
drifted in and out of her dream, plus Gary, they were with each other, making love and they were laughing at Alex, she woke up suddenly. She felt really betrayed by the one person whom she loved with all her heart. She must have got some sleep because before she knew it the plane was beginning its descent.

She went through customs in a daze in the bustle of people about to start their holidays. It was busy even at this time of the morning. Alex heard her name being called by a familiar voice, then she saw her mom. Alex ran towards her and hugged her.

“Oh Ally, I
’ve been so worried, what happened?” her mom said.

“Mom
all I want to do right now is get into bed and sleep, please can we talk about this later?” Alex picked up her suitcase and waited for her mom to show the way.

“Sure ok, let’s go
. I left your dad sleeping. He didn’t even hear your phone call, so he doesn’t know you’re coming, but I did leave him a note when I came to pick you up.”

They drove for about hour, Alex looked out of the window at the
beautiful countryside. The sun was up and it was lovely, she could feel it on her face. She always loved coming here. They pulled up to the house and Alex’s dad was on the step to greet them with a big smile on his face. Alex got out of the car and went over to her dad, he gave her a hug and a gentle kiss on her head.

“Come on, let’s get you settled,
you look like you need some sleep.” Her dad leant in and whispered in her ear, “Before your mother starts with the questions.”

Alex
gave a tired smile and followed him into the house towards the bedroom.

“Here, sleep, I’ll bring your
stuff in later,” said her dad.

Alex nodded and
got into bed and tried to close her eyes, but she couldn’t find rest.

Her
mom came in. “Here this will help you sleep,” she said giving Alex a glass of water and a tablet, her mom always had something for every situation. Alex popped the pill in her mouth and drank the water.

“You’ll be asleep soon
,” said her mom and gave her a kiss.

Her
mom was right, sleep began to set in.

Chapter Ten

Gary didn’t go back to the club, he couldn’t face it after what had happened. He just drove around and around trying to work out what to do next. He pulled over in a lay-by and picked up his phone and sent Alex a text.

He sat looking at the phone
, wishing and waiting for a reply but nothing came.
What have I done, I shouldn’t have done this, what if I have lost her forever,
he thought as he beat his hand on the steering wheel. He shouted “you prick!” and threw the phone onto the passenger seat, and tried to calm down.

Gary looked at the clock on the dashboard, 6.30
am. He turned the engine on and turned the car around, and began to drive home. By the time Gary had reached home it was 7.30. He went into his house. He stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up to the bedroom, as he walked up the stairs it seemed very quiet, the bedroom door was open and the bed hadn’t been slept in.

His heart started to pound
,
where was she?
He ran out of the room and down the stairs, she wasn’t in the kitchen or the living room, he shouted out her name, but he knew she wasn’t going to answer.

Where was she?
She wouldn’t have gone to work would she?
She knew he was coming back in the morning. He picked up the phone and called her work, it rang and then on the second ring there was an answer. He waited for the lady to finish introducing herself.

“Thank you, yes I wondered could you tell me
has Alex Sterling arrived at work yet?” he asked.

The lady began to click on the keyboard in t
he background. “I’m sorry sir, she hasn’t arrived in as yet, she is due to start at 8 am, would you like me to leave her a message?”

Gary
went quiet,
where was she?

“No thank you
, it’s ok, I’ll call back,” he answered the lady, and put the phone down.

He turned round to look for something
, anything that would tell him where she was. He was in a panic now, he ran back up the stairs into the bedroom and looked in the wardrobe; some of her clothes were missing as was a suitcase.

He pulled open the bedside drawer and sat down on the bed, she
’d gone, she’d left him, her passport wasn’t there.

His mind was racing,
where would she have gone
? He couldn’t think straight. He got his mobile and called Alex’s phone. It went straight to voicemail, and he left a message.

“Please Alex, come home
, please let me know you are safe, I need you Alex please call me back.”

Think Gary think where would she go?
He took a deep breath in to calm down.
Her parents that’s where she is
. He went to get a bag to pack and go after her, and then stopped.

Give her some space, this isn’t going to help
, he thought. He picked up his mobile again and called Alex’s parents.

Alex’s
dad answered.

“Hello Gary, I was waiting for you t
o call,” he said.

“I’m sorry about
this. I didn’t want her to leave,” Gary replied.

“Gary I
don’t know what’s going on with you two, but I do know is that she’s asleep at the moment and I’m not going to wake her. She was in a state when she got here and she needs to rest. I will tell her that you called and ask her to contact you, but I think the best thing right now is for you to both have some space from each other.”

“I’m sorry
Mr Johnson, I really am, and I just . . . please could you just let her know that I’m really sorry and I love her.”

“I will Gary, n
ow I think you need to get some sleep as well, she’ll be fine, don’t worry, she’s stronger than you think.”

“Thank you sir
. I will try to rest and again I’m sorry to have dragged you both into this.” Gary put the phone down.

He lay down
and closed his eyes. He could smell her scent on the pillow; he needed Alex there with him. He pulled the pillow out from under his head and held it tight to his chest. A tear ran down his face
; please don’t leave me Alex. . .

Chapter Eleven

The sun shining through the window woke Alex up; she wondered what time it was. She sat up and noticed her suitcase had been brought in. She needed a shower; she got a change of clothes out and went into the en suite bathroom. Alex felt the warm water run over her and refresh her as though it would wash all her worries away. Alex stayed in the shower for ages listening to the sound of the running water. She knew she couldn’t stay in Spain forever, she would have to face the real world soon, but for now she would enjoy some family time. She smiled and got out of the shower and dried herself and began to get dressed. She wrapped a towel around her head and left the bedroom.

Her
mom and dad were outside on the patio. Her dad was reading a book, he loved his books, she remembered he always loved to read to her when she was little, he would put on all the different voices making the fictional tales sound so real. He had made his fortune as an architect and was now retired. He had his long silver hair tied back in a ponytail, and a matching beard and moustache. Dad also loved his country and western music, he was a good singer and he’d had his own band, but these days they only got together now and again to remember the good old days.

Her
mom was just sitting taking in the sun; her mom was beautiful and looked good for her age. She had fine lines on her face which showed up more when she smiled; her mom smiled a lot and she called them her laughter lines. Her mom still had lovely flowing curls down to her shoulders, blond like Alex’s.

As Alex stepped onto the p
atio, her mom called out, “Hello darling, come and sit here and I’ll brush your hair,” she tapped the spot in front of her; Alex smiled at her mom and she saw her dad roll his eyes and return to his book.

“Mom
, I’m twenty eight years old! You don’t need to brush my hair anymore, you know.” Alex sat down at the end of the sun lounger and unwrapped the towel from her head. Her mom began to brush her hair and Alex closed her eyes. It was so relaxing.

“Is this all you’ve brought to wear while you
’re here? Tracksuits?” asked her mom looking at how Alex was dressed.

“Well
Mom I wasn’t thinking about what to wear when I was packing, I was in kind of a rush.”

Her
dad looked at Alex but said nothing, and then shook his head at her mom, letting her know not to push for more details.

“Well we will have to sort that out
. I’ll take you shopping in town tomorrow.”

“Ok Mom, please don’t fuss.”

Her dad put his book down. “Let her fuss Alex, you deserve to be fussed over, I’ll make a start on tea shall I?” he said and went into the house.

“Alex, are you really ok?
You know you can tell me if you want to, I’ll understand anything,” said her mom.

“Mom, it’s
just an argument that has got a bit out of hand, and before you ask, no, he didn’t hurt me. All you need to know is that I can sort it out, but I just need to get my head around a few things first.”

“Ok I understand
,” said Mom and kissed Alex softly on the cheek. “I just worry about you, that’s all.”

“Mom I’m sorry for scaring you
, calling that late yesterday but all I could think of at the time was that I needed to get away, and you and Dad were the best people I could come to. I suppose I’m still a little girl who needs her mom and dad when things get out of hand.”

“Alex you will always be
my baby girl.”

Alex lay back and snuggled
against her mom’s chest, it was like being a little girl again, Mom’s hugs always made things seem better.

“Alex, come and give
your old man a hand,” shouted her dad from the kitchen.

Alex got up,
kissed her mom, and went in to see her dad. He was busy cooking up a storm.

“While you w
ere asleep I went to the shop and got a bit of everything, I have pancakes and eggs and chips, do you want anything else? All good comfort food, that’s what’s needed.”

“Dad you’re a star
! I’m starving but you’ll make me fat,” Alex laughed.

“Nonsense!
You need feeding up. Look at you, you’re skin and bones,” he said pulling at her top.

Alex took over making the chips while
her dad laid the table and put the pancakes on a serving dish.

“
Bread and butter are needed here as well,” he said.

“I’ll do it
. . .” Alex loved this: everything being normal. Soon they were sitting around the table tucking into the food, laughing and joking.

The conversation
continued late into the evening, finally Alex’s mom got up, “that’s me done. I’m off to bed,” she walked over to Alex and gave her another hug “it’s good to have you home Alex,” and with that she left Alex and her dad alone.

The atmosphere changed slightly, Alex looked at
her dad and she could tell he wanted to say something.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Ally, you are telling us the truth, aren’t you? Gary hasn’t hurt you or hit you or anything,” he looked her in the eyes, he could always tell if she was lying.

“
Dad, Gary would never hurt me like that.”

“Then what is it?
It must be something serious.”

“It’s nothing
really, he lied to me about something: you don’t need to know the details.”

“H
e’s not been cheating on you, has he?”

Alex laughed
. If only he knew, she thought.

“
Dad, really, I’ll sort it out in my own way, just trust me. I just needed to get some time away to think things through, that’s all.”

Her dad paused and then said,
“Do you still love him?”

Alex couldn’t answer at first
, “I don’t know . . . maybe . . . yes I think so, Dad it’s just complicated at the moment, I need time to think, at the moment I’m angry with him and can’t feel anything but that.”

“Ok, but I need to tell you this
, Gary knows you’re here, he phoned earlier.”

Alex looked at him
with panic in her eyes.

“Don’t worry Alex, I told him you weren’t ready to talk yet
, and to give it a few days, give you chance to think things through.”

Her
dad looked at her. “He really loves you. He sounded wounded when we spoke.”

Alex didn’t speak
, she knew deep down that Gary loved her, but she just couldn’t understand how he could have lied to her. She knew to get answers she would need to speak to him, but right now she needed her mom and dad to help her calm down.

“I know he loves me, but let’s just leave it
for now. I just want to have a break with you and mom. Please.”

Her dad smiled. “O
k, just don’t leave him hanging too long, at least call him soon to let him know what your plans are, like how long you’re going to be away. If you’re anything like your mother, and you are, you can stubborn and angry until you forget the real reason why you were angry in the first place.”

“Well thanks D
ad! Love you too! I think it’s time to get some sleep. Mom will be dragging us round all the shops tomorrow!”

“
I think that can be a mother and daughter thing, thank you, now get some sleep and I will see you in the morning, just think about what I said, don’t leave it too long.”

Alex kissed him
good-night and went to her bedroom.

Alex looked at her suitcase,
I should really unpack this,
she thought as she searched for something to put on for bed, but she’d not packed anything. Alex took off her tracksuit bottoms and bra and just left her panties and shirt on. She looked at her mobile on the dresser next to the bed, the battery was low. She took her charger and plugged it in and set in on the dresser again. She lay down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, thinking about what her dad had said. She picked up the phone and turned it back on. She had messages and she clicked the first, it was the one Gary had sent while she was flying, she deleted it and looked at the next one. “I’m glad you’re safe, and taking some time out to think things through, I have called in to work for you and told them you will be off for the rest of the week due to a family emergency. I’ll give you your space but please call me when you’re ready. Love Gary”

Alex looked a
t the message and read it again.
Work, I’d forgotten about work, that’s the last thing on my mind, how can he be so organized about things?
She knew she was just avoiding the real problem. She deleted the message.

Should she call him? Even just to say how long she was going to be away, or did she want to call him to hear his voice? Her stomach was in knots.

Alex took the phone back off the charger and dialled home. It answered in one ring.

“Alex
, is that you?” he sounded desperate.

“Yes,
my dad told me you called.”

“Oh Alex,
It’s good to hear your voice, you sound good.”

Gary didn’t, he sounded tired and low.

“Gary, I still need time, I’m staying the rest of the week and will see how I feel by the end of the week,” she wanted to make the conversation short, she hated hearing him like this.

“
A week, Alex? We haven’t been apart a day since we got together. You’ve been gone for nearly 48 hours now, I really miss you, miss waking up next to you, I understand I’ve hurt you, but we need to talk this through face to face.”

Alex
interrupted him, “Don’t think about coming out here Gary. I need a break, I will call you when I’ve decided when I’m coming home, but you need to give me time.”

“O
k I guess I understand. Take care Alex, I love you,” his voice sounded broken and he hung up.

Alex fell back on the bed and began to cry, he
sounded so down, but she needed to do this, just so one day they might move on.