Dauntless (The LockDown Series Book 2) (32 page)

She shakes her head, turning and walking away.

I take a quick glance to my sister with Joe. She mouths to me ‘go’, returning her attention to my son.

I run after Abbi, catching her running up the stairs. I pull her arm, bringing her close to me. She buries her head in my chest, crying heavily. Heart racking sobs burst from her, her tears drowning my shirt and then my skin.

“You lied, you fucking lied to me.” She shouts through her cries.

I let her take it out on me, screaming, punching at me, clasping on to my top fiercely.

She eventually stops, looking to me again. “You lied,” she tells me, her blue eyes now red and sore, with a watery glaze covering them.

“I know, I’m sorry, Angel. I told you, I didn’t think I would see him again. I thought I had lost him forever. I didn’t want to have to remember everything that happened, everything his memory brought me. I’ve not spoken of him since the day I left,” I reveal to her, wiping my own tears as my heart begins to pull apart for her, aching for her sorrow and despair.

“You left him? You fucking left him? How could you? You were his fucking dad, Leighton.” Her attitude changes from sad to angry in milliseconds. The rage on her face makes me cower, folding into myself. I drop to the floor, leaning my back against the wall. I bring my knees up, leaning my arms on them.

“I know I was a shit fucking dad, a shit fucking person, Abigail. I wish I could turn back the time and be a different person, but life has this cruel way of fucking me over.” I explain, trying to stop myself from completely breaking down.

“No, Leighton. There are no excuses for what you did. I would never forgive you if you did that to Melissa,” she tells me nastily, the bite in her tone making me nod and cry.

“You wouldn’t have a choice, Abbi. I would do the same thing again if I turned into the animal I was then. I left for his safety, for all of their safety. I didn’t want my son growing up knowing me the way I was, the cruel bastard I had become. He didn’t deserve that, no one did.” I stand up, walking past her to the kitchen. I pour myself some of my expensive scotch, downing a glassful.

“Don't fucking walk away from me, Leighton. You need to explain this, explain what the fuck happened to you. You’ve hidden so much from me. I thought I knew you, but here I am, finding out you have a kid, a fucking child. I think that’s something you’d want to tell me, considering you went and had another baby, not even considering the one you left without a parent. Where is his mum by the way, was she another one of your psycho exes, is it fucking Kalina?” she asks me.

My glass shatters as it smashes against the wall.

I storm to her, pinning her body to kitchen wall. “Don't you dare, don't you ever compare Josie to that slut. She was my life, Abigail. I loved that fucking woman with everything I was, she was my heart and fucking soul. She owned me, just like you do now. She is dead, Abbi, fucking dead. I have to live every day knowing I am the reason that boy doesn’t have a fucking mother. Don't try and think you can understand this, don't fucking judge me. You have no clue what I went through, no one did. Ant is the only person who saw me the way I was, and trust me, it isn’t something I’d let him see again!” I shout at her, my face inches from hers.

My breathing is heavy, deep inhalations penetrating me as I try to control my rage. I’ve never felt this angry at Abbi, not even when I saw her fucking another man on a screen. Hearing her compare a woman I would have died for, to Kalina fucking Patrov, makes my blood boil, my heart pound and my head ache.

I watch her face change from anger, to hurt, to rage, to sadness, to complete and utter devastation. I once again fall to the floor, bringing myself into the smallest ball I can, as I cry for my loss. I cry for everything this shitty world has done to me. My fiancée murdered, my mother dying, murdering my father and finally walking away from my son, a child that needed me.

I feel her arms around me quickly, her body holding me as I shake with my anguish. I feel her own hurt pouring from her, her own body shaking with tears. “Oh gosh, baby.” She cries with me, her sobs fuelling my own.

After half an hour of crying like a baby, I lift my head, wiping my tears and snotty nose on my sleeve. Disgusting, I know, but I couldn’t give a shit right now. “Tell me. Tell me everything, please, Leighton.” She pleads with me, still struggling to hold in her sorrow.

I spend an hour, and clear a bottle of scotch, telling her of my childhood, my life up to the point of leaving my son. I explain what I had done, what I had to do to get myself past the loss of Josie.

“Leighton, fuck. I'm so sorry, baby. I’m here for you. I’ll always be here,” she tells me, pulling me to her, cradling my head the way I always do hers. She soothes me, soothes all the hurt I hold and gives me the hope of a future.

“Your son needs you, Leighton,” Abbi tells me, standing up and offering her hand to me.

“You need me,” I tell her, standing myself up. I pull her towards me, kissing her head while wrapping my arms around her tiny body. “Thank you,” I simply say.

“I'm fine, Leighton, I’ll be fine, I have you. But that little boy needs his dad to let him know everything is ok,” she advises me, making me nod into her, accepting her advice.

“I know, I just don't want him rejecting you.” I voice my fear, I couldn’t bear Joe dismissing Abbi and refusing her.

“He isn’t here for me, Leighton. He’s here to get to know his dad. I’ll get over the rejection, sweetheart, I'm a big girl, but he is just a child. Go to him.” She moves from my chest, taking my hand in hers.

“Come with me?” I ask her, looking into her blue pools.

“Forever and always, Leighton, to the ends of the earth.” She leans up and kisses my lips softly, once, before letting me lead us from the kitchen.

I feel pretty pissed off walking through the corridors, the bottle of scotch impairing my senses. I instantly wake up when I arrive in the lounge and see Joe on the floor, Melissa crawling around him. The laugh coming from him is beautiful and it soothes me instantly.

“Daddy,” Joe shouts as he sees me, jumping from the floor to come over to me.

“I didn’t make you sad did I, daddy?” he asks standing before me. I lean down and pick him up, holding him to me. I kiss his head and then look at him.

“Not at all, Joe, you could
never
make me sad. You make me so happy, kid,” I tell him, seeing the smile on his face stretch further, if it were even possible.

“Abbi, I'm sorry.” He looks to Abigail, shocking us both as he apologises.

“That’s okay, Joe. I can call you Joe right?” she asks him, smiling his way. Her eyes are still red and sore, but the smile on her lips distracts me.

“Yes, I like Joe.” He smiles at her, stretching his arms for her to take him. “Tell me, Abbi, when are you and Daddy going to give me dozens of these? He did promise yesterday I would have as many brothers and sisters as I wanted.” Abbi laughs hard as she lets happy tears fall from her eyes.

“Don't cry, Abbi.” Joe tells her, wiping her tears away, wrapping his arms around her, cuddling her.

Abbi gently strokes the back of his head, walking to sit on the sofa next to my sister. It isn’t long before we hear the quiet snores coming from him, it is getting late after all.

“Want to put him in bed, Leighton?” Georgia asks.

I shake my head, wanting to cherish this moment longer. “No, leave him be for a bit, he looks comfy.” I smile at Abbi as her eyes begin to get heavy. She has been through a lot, and the lack of sleep from last night has exhausted her.

I sit in the lounge, my friends, my family and my beautiful fiancée with me. Abbi and Joe are sound asleep, their breathing and snoring making everyone in the room smile.

“So, how you been Brandon?” Antonio asks my brother. He has Debbie sat on his lap like always, but his eyes are flitting between my Abbi and my sister. Yes, my fucking sister. I try to deny that anything ever happened between them, considering she was seventeen when I left, but it clearly had.

“I’m good mate, being a stubborn bastard is all,” he admits, looking to me and winking. I feel so complete right now with all my family here.

“Fuckers,” I hear Maria curse as her hands land on her stomach. “You listen here Thomas and Joshua, you kick each other once more and mamma’s gonna starve herself. No more Chinese for your fat little bellies.” Everyone in the room looks to one another before bursting out laughing, even, stupidly as it was, the twins laugh. I feel sorry for them as Maria chucks them the deadliest look there ever was.

“What, you think it’s funny do you? You fuckers are the ones who made me like this. I am a hippo for fuck sake and you laugh. Grrrr, I really need a drink right now, but no, mamma’s gotta be good and look after your two buffoon babies.” She stands from her seat, storms across the lounge and out of the room. Within seconds Abbi wakes up, jolting from the shouting in the room.

“What’s happened?” she asks wearily and tired.

“These two.” I point at the twins, trying not to laugh.

“Great.” She shuffles Joe off her, his sleeping body lying on the sofa. She places the blanket form the back of the sofa over him, kissing his forehead before going after Maria. The twins stand to follow her and she stops them in their tracks. “Uh-ah, you two sit down,” my fiancée tells them and they drop back to their chair. Debbie follows Abbi out of the room, leaving me, my sister, and the boys seated.

“So Georgia, how’s life treating you?” Ant turns his body away from all of us and towards my sister seated in the armchair.

“Yeah, really good, how have you been?” She flutters her eyes at him and I can’t help but shake my head.

“Good. Busy, been a while since I last saw you, look at you all grown up now.” Oh no you don’t Antonio.

“I sure am.” She bites her lip, just the way she used to at fourteen and I damn every person in this room to hell. This is not happening. I know Ant, I know what he is like. It was only a little while ago he had his dick buried in my fiancée, he is not going anywhere near my sister anytime soon, EVER.

“Ant, come help me get some food and drink together please mate?” I ask my best friend, distracting him from his current eye fucking with my
BABY
sister.

“Sure mate. Catch you later Georgia.” He shakes her hand before lifting it to his lips and kissing it. I feel angry and need to leave, soon. I am not letting this happen if it is the last thing I do.

I walk through the lounge to the kitchen, grabbing my new bottle of scotch, pouring myself a full glass and downing the lot.

“Leigh…” I hear Antonio say, and I wish someone was around right now to stop me, because as my hands wrap around his throat I know I am out of control.

“Leighton, mate, listen to me.” Fortunately Ant is stronger than I am and is able to pull my hands from him.

“No, you listen to me you slimy prick, you stay away from Georgia. She doesn’t need your shit. You can’t shove your dick in Abbi and then move on to my sister like it’s nothing, plus you’ve got your own fucking girlfriend. SO STAY THE FUCK AWAY ANT, OR SO HELP ME GOD.” I hiss at him, squaring my body up to his.

I feel a fury I’ve never known as he begins to laugh at me. “You really are a stupid fuck aren’t you? You really think I want Debbie, after all the shit she’s been involved with, you think I want her for more than that sweet cunt of hers?” His face is angry and I haven’t a fucking clue what he is going on about.

“You want to know why I met her, why you met Kali? Both of them were hired by Phillip. Both of them were hired to kill us, well you at least. I don’t want her, not after that, not after I found out it was because of her I was fucking shot and nearly died. The bitch is lucky she isn’t fucking dead right now, and Kalina. Coz I tell you what Leigh, I see the Bulgarian slut again, I will end her.” He slams past me, barging his shoulder into mine.

“What the fuck Ant, what the hell is going on? Why the fuck haven’t you ended her?” I know Abbi loves Debbie, thinks of her as a sister now, but there is no way after what has just happened I can let her in my house ever again.

“Why, fucking why? You want to know why? The fucking whore is pregnant! That is why, Leighton fucking Lock. And that’s not the best part,” he scoffs and laughs a little too sadistically. “We don’t know if the fucking spawn is yours or mine.”

“What? That’s not possible. I didn’t finish in her.” I am shocked, I feel sick to my stomach.

“You were unprotected Leighton. It doesn’t take a genius to know all you need is pre-cum and even I saw that coating your fucking dick when you left her.”

“FUCK!” I brush my hands through my hair, pulling at it. What the fuck was I supposed to do? I didn’t want the cunt in my house, so that is the first thing I will sort.

“I want her out now, Ant. Get her out of here or I’ll do it myself.” I pour myself another scotch, a very fucking large scotch. I am feeling dangerous, worse so than when I saw my fiancée fucking Phillip. This girl, the one I let into my home, who has been like an auntie to my daughter, had almost killed my best friend and brother.

“I can’t Leigh; I don’t want every fucker knowing.” He is angry himself I can see it, but he is masking it with sadness.

“No? Fine, I’ll fucking do it.” I slam my glass down on the side, almost shattering the crystal of the tumbler, and storm from the room to the lounge.

The three girls sit together, Maria in the middle now, joking and laughing. “Feeling better?” I ask her as I approach her.

She nods to me smiling. “Good, I’m so very glad,” I reply sarcastically, not actually bothered what the fuck she feels like, all I want is her friend, the traitorous bitch who is friends with my fucking fiancée, to leave my home, NOW. “Now you,” I point to Debbie, bending a little to get into her face, “Get yourself out of my fucking house, now,” I bite out, my anger evident in every word I speak.

“W…wh…what?” she stutters out. I know a hundred percent she understands exactly why I am booting her to the curb.

“Get. Your. Fucking. Arse. Off. My. Sofa. And. Fuck. Off. And don’t you ever show your face here again or I will throw you out of a moving car, got it?” I hear the gasps around me. I'm thankful my son is still asleep right now, he really doesn’t need to witness me like this. I really shouldn't have drunk as much as I have.