Broken & Damaged Love (14 page)

“Pete isn’t the whole world. He’s just one person. And you have a point; he does need to know, at least that there’s a strange man he needs to be on the lookout for.

“For what it’s worth I don’t think he’ll tell anyone else. And look at what he’s studying. It’ll be good practice for him,” Frank teased, which earned him a playful slap on the arm.

“I can’t avoid it, can I?”

“No not really. I’ll pave the way if that’s what you want. Then you know it won’t be a total shock.”

“Cool. Thanks,” she said as she grabbed him close before pushing him away.

Back in his room, Frank spoke to Pete.

“Right, sit down.”

Pete dutifully obeyed, and Frank told him what he needed to know.

“Oh crap,” was his response.

“Why didn’t she tell me? Oh shit, the things I said!” he looked horrified at himself.

“You didn’t know.”

“Yeah, but if I had. So, the police are out looking for her dad now?”

“Yeah. Hopefully they’ll be able to arrest him quickly. But until then at least I’ve said she can stay with us.”

“Sure. She can have my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch, or my mate’s or something.”

“Cool. Thanks. And she never goes out alone until he’s caught, right?”

“Agreed,” Jake and Pete chimed.

“Ah man, what a mess!” Pete said, pushing his hands through his hair.

“Tell me about it. I hoped she’d never had to go through this again. She shouldn’t have to. She’s been through enough.”

Their conversation as Tina walked back in.

“Ummm…I have a problem!”

“Another one?”

Jake teased before he could stop the words coming out. He slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean...”

“Jake, you’re a bitch, but I accept that,” she said, teasing in return.

Her bath had really helped her come back to normality. Well, as normal as it got for her, she’d mused.

“I know in the great scheme of things it’s trivial, but if I’m going to be here a while, like any more hours, I could really do with some clean clothes.”

“Oh!”

Frank’s face fell as the obvious hit him.

“Right, well I’ll go.”

“You won’t know what to get.”

To herself she added, “And I’m due on soon, but there’s no way I’m asking you to collect my ‘lady things’.”

“You’re not going alone.”

“Fine, you can drive. Anyone else coming along for the ride?”

Jake didn’t want to be parted from Frank, and Pete was in full on protection mode, so all four squeezed into the compact car.

As Tina approached her house, with a great deal of trepidation, she had her own bodyguards all around her.

Still, she didn’t want to be there any longer than she had to. She ran upstairs and grabbed what she thought she’d need, stuffing it into a rucksack and a holdall.

She left a scribbled note for her mum, telling her she was staying with a friend for a while, and she could be reached on her mobile.

She didn’t think her mum would care too much. They still barely talked. The divide between them had only grown as each kept their silence.

Pete and Jake squeezed themselves back into the back of the car, and Frank continued chauffeur duty. They’d not got far when they had to stop at a junction.

“Ummm…Tina, flip down your sun visor like you’re doing your make up. I don’t want to worry you, but that car back there…it’s hanging back too much…”

Pete had to duck his head to the side so Tina could see out the back. The mirror wasn’t good enough, and she had to physically look behind her.

“Oh my God, I think it’s him. He’s quite far behind, but it looks like it.”

She started to panic.

“Don’t drive back to the uni.” Pete’s voice was calm and authoritative.

“Just act natural, like you’ve not noticed, Frank. It’s OK. We’ll just drive to the police station. Can you do that?”

“Yeah. No problem,” he said, a little shakily as he pulled away.

As they drove further Frank saw the car trailing them.

“Good. We want him to follow us. Tina, have you got a pen and paper in your handbag.”

“Yeah”

“Quick, pass it to me.”

She rummaged in her bag and found the requested items. She awkwardly passed them behind her.

“Great. Thanks. Frank. Can you see his reg number?”

Frank read it out, and informed him of the car make, model and colour.

“Excellent. Got ya, you fucker,” he sneered.

They carried on with their journey, with Tina’s father following them at a distance.

They arrived at the police station, and started to hurry inside.

Tina’s father sped past as he realised too late where they’d been headed.

The foursome were shouting at the duty officer in their anxiety.

“One at a time. Please.” he demanded.

Tina took the lead.

“My dad; I reported him last night. He’s on the Sex Offenders Register. He has a restraining order. Please. He just followed us. Please get someone out there and follow him. Quickly!”

“Slow down. Can I take your name please?”

“Just get a car out there now! You’ll lose him!” she screeched.

“Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Give me your name, please.”

Tina could have throttled him. Was he deliberately being obstructive?

She had no choice but to slowly, oh so slowly supply the officer with the requested details. He must have been finally satisfied as he got on the radio and put a call out, giving details of the car and the direction it was last headed in.

The police had tracked down the vehicle from its registration, and went to the listed residence.

Their luck held and Dean was there. Of course he put up a struggle and pleaded innocence. But he had been arrogant enough to use the landline at his flat and the records were traced.

Dean was indeed taken straight back to prison as the WPC had envisioned.

His treatment inside was even worse than before. Even sex offenders have a code, and paedophilia is on their hit list. They visited unto him what he had done unto his daughter, only it was not gentle, and left him torn and bleeding often.

The ‘narks’ turned a blind eye if they even happened to notice; they had no sympathy for him either. His life became a living hell.

With the help of her friends, Tina came to realise it had been a lucky escape. It could have been far worse. She couldn’t bring herself to fully explore the horrible possibilities if she had gone to her house alone.

He had been angry and she suspected more than a little crazy; he would have been capable of anything. But as it was he was now back where he belonged and she had to start building up her life again.

It wasn’t easy; her father had shocked the hell out of her. She thought her past had been all behind her, but he came in like a wrecking ball.

She had taken a few days off work, and her friends took it in turns to stay with her.

Frank blew off some lectures just so she wouldn’t be alone. But she was faced with a dilemma. That house had always been one where bad things happened. And now this had added to the painful memories, she just couldn’t bring herself to go back home.

She discussed her options with Frank.

“You have been working a while now, right?” he asked her.

“Yeah.”

“And I know you. You’ve been saving, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, do you have enough for a deposit on a rented flat?”

“Well, I suppose so.”

She wasn’t quite sure how much she needed, and her pay wasn’t massive. She’d still been giving money to her mum, so her savings weren’t as high as she’d have liked.

“What if I spoke to my dad? He has a couple of properties. He sees it as his pension fund. I’m sure he’d give you a reduced rate. I know we don’t want to be indebted to him, but if he can let you rent a place of your own cheaply, wouldn’t that be a start?”

“Well, yeah. I guess instead of having to pay mum I’ll just pay your dad. That could work. But then I’d have to pay for all my own food.”

They sat down and did some sums, something which Tina was now exceptionally good at. It was rather depressing, as after rent and bills she wouldn’t have much left, but she could survive. She had few other options, so she let Frank speak to his dad about it.

That evening Frank telephoned his dad. Having exchanged pleasantries he broached the subject, “Dad, do you have any vacant flats at the moment?”

“Not really, why do you ask?”

“Well, Tina’s having an even tougher time at home at the moment, and she was hoping to move out. I thought maybe you could help her out?” he asked hopefully.

“Ah, why didn’t you say? Actually I have a plan I was going to surprise you with, but it may as well be now. A couple of months ago I came across a really good property close to the university. It’s a two bedroom flat. I thought you two could have one room and let the other, so they’d still be an income coming in. Then, when you leave uni and get a job I can rent it out to other students. It should be a nice little earner. But it needed some work, so it’s still being refurbished at the moment.”

Frank was stunned. How much longer would he have to keep up this façade? He hated lying to his dad, but it was the only way, at least until he could stand on his own two feet.

“Errr…that sounds great. Can I speak to Tina about it and get back to you?”

He hurriedly ended the call and relayed the details to Tina.

“Oh Frank, what the hell are we going to do? Pretending to be your girlfriend is one thing, but moving in with you? He’ll have us marching up the aisle next. It’s just too much.”

“I know, but what could I say? He’s still paying my course fees. I can’t do this without him. I hate it, I really do.”

His head bowed down and his palms were on the back of his head. The two tried to discuss the pros and cons rationally, but it was just a step too far.

Jake came in to see Frank, who confessed his father’s master plan. Jake just beamed.

“It’s perfect.”

“What? Have you lost your mind?”

“No no no. Hear me out, right. Two bedrooms. So Tina has bedroom number two and I share the other with you?”

“Woah! You; I only just got together with. Tina would be the one paying rent. Wouldn’t that look a little bit suspect?”

“Hang on,” piped up Tina.

“I get to move out. You two have your little love nest. This could work.”

“But the payments?”

“You’re being far too simplistic. I’m the one with an income, so yes I have to pay rent.”

“Exactly.”

“But who says it has to come from my account?”

“Huh?”

“Oh Frank, do think. I set up a Direct Debit for the money to go into Jake’s account. Jake’s Direct Debit pays your father. On the books it looks as if Jake’s paying. Your dad’s happy. We’re happy.”

“Unless you don’t want to live with me?” Jake pouted.

“Well, it’s a bit sudden. I just don’t know I’m ready, Jake. I love you.”

“Great,” interrupted Jake.

“I love you, you love me, we should live in happy harmony,” he sang.

“Aww you two!” Tina cooed.

There was no argument to be had. That weekend Tina moved into the flat, and the trio set to work on decorating. And Pete popped in to help when he could.

All the remodelling, plastering and rewiring had been done. It was habitable.

Once the semester was over the boys would move in too. It gave them a bit more time to test their new relationship, and moving out of halls at that point was just more hassle than it was worth.

It was a nice small block of flats, and on a bus route to town. They even got a parking space for their little car, which now didn’t have to be used very often, but was handy for weekends.

The price of a shared flat was much cheaper than renting a flat all to herself, so Tina found she had enough left over to put into savings.

She put as much as she could into a cash ISA so it would accrue as much interest as possible. Then once university was over, she could move out on her own properly, so Frank and Jake could have their own space (once they started earning too).

It was only another year; they could carry on the deceit a little longer, couldn’t they?

Frank’s father had already purchased magnolia paint to go on every wall, but the pretend pair managed to convince him a splash of colour would make the place more cheery, and therefore increase rental potential.

The intended future tenants were students, who wouldn’t want it to be too dull. So they painted the bathroom an aqua blue, and bought some seaside knickknacks to complete the look.

The kitchen was black and white and the decided red appliances would look stylish.

Tina, Frank and his father made a trip to Ikea one weekend and bought some simple wardrobes, two double beds and a sofa. As they went round the store they also decided on some bedside cabinets and a coffee table.

They also found some nifty kitchen items. Frank’s father was footing the bill, and was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable prices.

He dropped the ‘kids’ and their bounty off at the flat and left them to “set up home” on their own. Tina really enjoyed assembling the flat-pack furniture, and felt very grown up.

Once the place was finished Frank’s dad paid a visit to cast his seal of approval. He had to commend Tina on her eye for taste. And agreed not to hound them with landlord visits.

He was happy they’d keep the place clean and tidy, and left with a warning of, “Because if you don’t they’ll be hell to pay.”

Tina didn’t feel alone. She made friends with her neighbours, and often had chats with them in passing in the hallway.

The boys started staying at weekends, but she had most of the week to herself. Sometimes Pete would pop by and they’d have cosy evenings together, but still they weren’t intimate. Not yet.

Tina worked during the week, and relished her time alone. She had some exams coming up, so she could study in peace.

Life was feeling pretty good for a change. She hoped this was her fresh new start, heaven knew she’d earned it.

Pete was very patient and understanding. Once Tina had filled him in on all the details he didn’t push her, but allowed her her own space and time. He understood she needed time to learn to trust.

They had lots of kisses and cuddles, and slowly she began to relax. Wrapped up in his arms the words ‘trust’ and ‘safe’ sprang to mind.

But if he got carried away during their embrace, and his hands wandered she’d tense up as flashbacks shot through her.

He soon learned to keep himself under control, but his frustration grew. He wanted to be with her, show her how much she meant to him, to be inside her. But she backed away as soon as he tried to get anywhere near that stage.

Months passed and Tina sat her exams. Pete took her out to dinner to celebrate.

He’d bought a bottle of Cava and poured it when she invited him into the flat. The bubbles tickled as she sipped, and she delighted in the sweet taste.

“Tina. I don’t want to push you, but may I stay over tonight?”

“Pete, you know how I feel.”

“I know. But I want to try something. Don’t you trust me by now?”

“Of course, but...”

“Just listen. I know you feel something for me. And you know I love you.”

“Yeah.”

“We can take it one step at a time. We’ll go really slowly. You can stop whenever you want. You’ll be in full control. I promise. You need to get over this at some point. Please trust me enough to be the one to help you. Please. I hate seeing you upset. You’re not a victim any longer. You’re a survivor, Tina!”

Even at the thought of sex Tina’s heart was racing. She bit her lip, her mind battling the contradicting thoughts.

Part of her desperately wanted to make love to Pete; he was kind and caring and he did make her body feel alive.

But the other part of her was warning her with the memory of that boy years ago, how he’d run for the hills as she started screaming like a banshee.

But Pete wasn’t like that. She knew deep down he was there for her. Hadn’t he proved that enough by now?

His blue eyes were looking at her, beseeching her for an answer.

“I’m not your father, Tina. No man will ever be able to do anything you don’t want ever again. You’re an adult now. You make your own choices.”

Tina slowly nodded.

“Yes?” he checked. She carried on nodding.

“OK.”

He stood up and led her by the hand to her bedroom. He switched the lights on. She needed to see him.

He bent his head down to carefully kiss her. She could feel her tension but kissed on anyway.

“Tell me what you want Tina.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I feel stupid.”

“OK. Show me. Do you want my shirt to come off?”

She nodded and he slowly unbuttoned it, keeping his eyes on her, watching her reactions.

She was impressed with his lightly tanned, delicately muscled torso. He had no chest hair. Her hand smoothed over his bare skin, biting her lip.

“You like?”

She smiled a little and let her hands carry on wandering.

He stood completely still as she reached for his belt buckle, and slowly undid it.

He took a deep breath in as she undid the button and zipper on his trousers. She lowered the waistline and he wiggled a little to help her release him from his trousers completely.

He was standing in front of her in just his boxer shorts.

“Tell me what you want now, Princess.”

At that she jumped back like a startled deer.

“Shit, sorry. Which bit?”

“Please don’t call me Princess.”

He stretched out his hand to her, and got down on one knee.

“Sorry m’lady. It won’t happen again. I pledge my oath.”

He looked so daft she had to smile.

She took a step towards him and he brought her down to sit on his knee. She felt so right snuggled next to him, even if it did hurt his knee a bit.

He gently nudged her off.

“Pray, how should I proceed m’lady?”

“Boxer shorts off,” she commanded and he obeyed.

He was completely naked, his erection jutting out.

“Aher…sorry about that,” he said nodding towards his phallus.

Tina took deep breaths.