The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone (171 page)

I yawned and rolled my neck after my mostly sleepless night.

I had noticed the bruised cheekbone on Lucas this morning but I was too frightened to ask how it had got there, I already had an inkling and the knowledge made me feel ashamed and guilty. So I had chosen to ignore it and hoped he wouldn’t mention it, which he didn’t, and I loved him all the more for that.

The line started moving and we all walked into the dull and drab room, its many tables filled with more miserable bastards.

Ryan waved and smiled widely and I grinned at him as I leant in to kiss his cheek. “Hey, gorgeous” he greeted as he palmed my cheek.

I nuzzled into it and closed my eyes in contentment as I inhaled his familiar scent. “How are you?” I asked as I took the seat opposite him.

He nodded. We both knew the answer to my question but neither of us was willing to acknowledge it.

“So, what’s new, Kay?”

I shrugged and pulled a face, “Not much, still the usual shit.”

He smiled and nodded but tilted his head, “Now the truth.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily. “You forget I know you better than you know yourself, love” he divulged honestly and I chuckled with a nod.

His eyes dropped to where my thumb was flicking against my finger and he looked sad “You know I wish I was there for you baby, whatever it is you need to get Mason onto it.”

He knew before I had even told him. He always did where I was concerned, like he said, he knew me better than I knew myself.

“He’s found me” I disclosed quietly.

He swallowed heavily and closed his eyes in pain and anguish as he placed his hand over mine on the table.

“Listen to me, Kay. You don’t belong to that bastard, whatever he tells you. Your relationship with anyone should always be consensual. You understand me, baby?”

I nodded but refused to look him in the eyes. “I know you, you think because he was your master for a few years that you now belong to him but you don’t, baby. You belong to yourself and nobody else . . . ever!”

I regarded him quietly before I gave him a sad smile, “You don’t belong in here Ry, but you’re here.”

His face contorted in rage but he brought it under control quickly. “And what Kay, you think you deserve what that piece of shit deals out? Is that it?”

I shrugged and nibbled on my lip, knowing what Ryan had done for me could never be repaid and the guilt of that hurt more than anything Diablo could do to me.

“Kay! We both know why I’m here and we both know it was the lesser of two evils but Diablo . . . he’s something else baby, you need to get rid. You know what I’m saying, Kay?”

I swallowed heavily and looked at him as a tear slid down my cheek, “I don’t know what to do, Ry. I, I’ve met someone . . . and I’m so scared that he’ll . . . that Diablo will . . .”

“Then you know what needs to be done.”

He wiped at my tears with his thumb and leaned into me and placed a gentle kiss on each of my eyelids. “You know how much I love you, Kay and you will know it until the day I die. I would never do anything ever again to hurt you but you need to take control, finally stop this happening in your life. I know your frightened baby, but do you love him?”

I nodded without hesitation. “And does he love you?”

I nodded again, knowing the truth of it through to my soul.

“Then grab it Kay, take what he gives you and fucking consume it. You deserve it, baby. After what I did . . .”

I grabbed his tight fist and held it tight. “Stop, right now, Ry. We were both young and well . . . you were stupid . . .” I winked cheekily.

He barked out a laugh before seriousness covered his face. “You need me to do it and I will Kay, you know this.”

I nodded and sadness enveloped me as the guard called time. “I miss you so much” I whispered against him as he hugged me tight.

“And I you, love, but you heard what I said, if you need the signature, it’s yours.”

I nodded again, “Always, Ry.”

He grinned at me as he always did, “Always, Kay.”

I didn’t drop his hand until I was so far away it fell away between us and he held my eyes until the very second I rounded the corner and disappeared from his life for the next fortnight.

The walk through the long corridors of the prison towards the exit seemed to take forever and I desperately needed the gulp of fresh air the outdoors offered.

My chest and throat were always tight, every time I left him in this bastard shit hole and it tore through me constantly, knowing I had to leave him here to basically rot.

I would always love Ryan and I knew he would always love me, more than anything. He had already proved he would put my life before his own and the knowledge of that never seemed to get any easier.

I didn’t realise I had stepped outside until the rain beat heavily down on me, its relentless misery matched my own and I accepted its sadness and let it mix with my own as I stared at the puddles on my way across the car park; their cruel reflection showing me just how corrupt and grotesque I was.

I finally looked up and stuttered to a halt as Lucas leant against my car, his hair plastered to his handsome face as the rain poured down on him.

We stood immobile just staring at one another and I wasn’t sure if I was scared of his reaction or if I was angry he had followed me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked without emotion as I pulled my car keys from my bag.

He lifted a wet eyebrow at me. “I could ask you that very same question.”

I narrowed my eyes on him and pursed my lips, “What business I have here has nothing to do with you Lucas, and if I’m honest I’m not really sure I like the fact that you followed me like you don’t trust me.”

He barked out a bitter laugh, his face tight with anger and I lifted both eyebrows at him. I really wasn’t in the mood for this, it always hurt me too much to leave Ryan and I couldn’t be dealing with Lucas’s umbrage as well.

“Like I don’t trust you . . .” he mocked then shook his head in amazement, “You told me you were working at a bar. Don’t tell me Red, the inmates wanted a piss up?”

My anger was surfacing and I bit back the harsh reply I wanted to toss at him and attempted to open my door but Lucas refused to move. “Just let me in Lucas please, I’m not in the mood for your childish behaviour.”

He inhaled deeply and I noticed his fists clench beside him. “Are you gonna fill me in then?” he barked out the question and I snorted but ignored him as I persisted on my mission to enter my car.

“Will you just fucking move.” I spat at him.

He pinned me against the car underneath his heavy frame as his face came within inches of mine. “You lied to me, Red. I have a thing about the women I love lying to me.”

I smirked as my temper sliced straight through my subtlety. “Don’t tell me Lucas, some poor sap of an ex lied to you and now you have a fixation about women lying to you” I sneered back at him.

He reared back as though I had slapped him and narrowed his eyes on me. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he hissed.

I gave him a humorous laugh. “Me? Me? You are the one that turned up here out of the blue, you are the one that obviously doesn’t trust me, you are the one needing an appointment with the school anger management team and you are the one who obviously needs to pick a better choice in the women you fall for!” I exploded, not really filtering anything that came out of my mouth anymore.

He scrunched up his face and sucked air through his teeth in anger before he pushed off me and turned away but then spun back, his eyes dark and furious. “Nice, Red. Just tell me who it is who’s obviously more important than me.”

Oh my God, how childish!

“Ryan will always be more important than you will ever be Lucas, always, so you need to stop with the jealousy because I will never give him up for you!”

“Ryan?” he scoffed and pulled in a heavy breath, “And who the fuck is Ryan?” he snarled.

I shook my head sadly at his possessive behaviour.

“My husband” I told him as I climbed in my car, started the engine and pulled away, leaving a stunned Lucas staring after me.

He was still stood immobile, the rain pelting down on his hard and angry body as I pulled out of the heavy gates of the prison yard.

Chapter 22

Lucas

THIS FUCKING WHISKY bottle was rapidly becoming my best friend and I nodded my head at it in greeting as I unscrewed its lid and decided to leave it off, already finishing the first measure and moving on to another.

It didn’t last long though as the glass went sailing across the room and shattered all over the music system. “Sweet fucking Jesus” I roared to nobody in particular.

‘My husband. My husband. My husband.’

“Arghhhh.” My arm swept the contents of the cabinet on the floor. The place settings on the stupid overlarge, underused dining table followed and smashed across the floor.

Red was fucking married! She hadn’t said ex-husband so I presumed she was currently a married fucking woman!

Who the hell was Ryan and why was he currently residing at her majesty’s pleasure?

I was arguing with myself in my head as I approached my study and flipped open my laptop. I had not done this in a long fucking time, but what was the point of being head of IT at NSC when you couldn’t use their system to hack a classification or two.

Firstly, I needed to find out the name of who Red had visited at the prison, so my first point of call was Bellmarsh Visiting orders list.

Oops! That was easy and I scanned the list until a name, Kayla Winters, popped up next to a name; Ryan Winters.

Winters? Seriously? Kayla Winters—Layla Summers!

I then Googled Ryan Winters.

Holy shit!!!

There were tons of newspaper clippings, internet news sites and court reports about him but there was one that grabbed my attention.

Ryan Winters, 18, of Redgrave Road, Sheffield, was today convicted to 18 years imprisonment for the murder of Tony Reed, 28, also of Sheffield, at Sheffield Crown court today.

It came to light over the previous two weeks high profile case that Winters stabbed Reed a total of 12 times over numerous parts of his body.

Winters gave statement that Reed had raped and brutally beaten his wife, Kayla Winters, also aged 18. Winters had murdered Reed in a fit of rage when he came home from work and discovered the violent act.

During the court case Winters refused to accept remorse and told the judge and quote, ‘I would do anything to protect Kayla, and I would kill that bastard over and over again if I had to . . . ’

Judge Ralf Treybourne had simply nodded and in today’s sentencing he said and quote, ‘Mr Winters, this case has been very difficult for me to sentence due the grounds you give justification for your actions. However, we all acknowledge and the evidence has been clarification, that your wife was indeed subjected to a highly distressing ordeal but, and this is a very large but Mr Winters, you took matters into your own hands instead of letting the law deal with Mr Reed and because of the method of Mr Reeds death, I have no other choice but to sentence you to 18 years imprisonment with a minimum of 12 years to be served.’

Winters wife, Kayla, then proceeded to scream and weep from the stands to which Winters turned to her and blew her a kiss, and then winked before he was escorted back to the holding cells.

Kayla then had to be restrained and sedated all the while shouting ‘He didn’t do it . . . ’

I’ll let you distinguish your own thoughts from this, but I can tell you it came up during the case from the prosecution that some evidence in the case didn’t hold and it was suggested that it had in fact been Kayla that had stabbed Reed.

The defence had thrown that story to the wolves, but it makes you wonder what lengths a man will go to, to protect the woman he loves . . .

Tricity Mavers reporting from Sheffield crown court.

Holy fucking hell!

Shit!

My mind was having an overload and I couldn’t compartmentalize the thoughts. Everything seemed to fly through my brain at once and I swallowed back the bile when the notion of what Red had gone through came to the forefront.

I jumped in my seat when a knock came on my front door and I rubbed my hands over my weary face before I opened the door.

My heart stuttered as a red eyed Red stood before me, her face pale and the pain she felt was openly displayed all over her.

“I’m sorry” she whispered and I swallowed heavily before I took her hand and pulled her into me, needing to inhale her scent.

“You should have just told me, Red. I want to be there for you, I wanna help you, protect you and just fucking love you.”

She stared up at me with those gorgeous large eyes of hers and I took her instantly under my mouth, kissing the damn life out of her like I wanted to absorb every inch of her.

She moaned and took my bottom lip between her lips. “Make love to me, Lucas. I need to feel you inside me. I don’t fucking care if it hurts, I just need you to take me.”

I swallowed deeply and closed my eyes as she took my hand and led me to the bedroom.

We stood a foot apart as we drown in each other, told each other how we felt without words as Red grabbed the hem of her jumper and pulled it over her head. She was braless and the sight of her incredible tits had my dick already geared up and ready to go.

Then went the jeans and knickers and she stood before me completely naked.

She took a step into me and gripped my t-shirt before she pulled it off me; her hands palmed my chest as the shirt dropped to the floor. “You are so fucking hot . . . just . . . fuck, you make me want it hard Lucas, intense and wild.”

I groaned loudly at her words and the way her soft lips were brushing every inch of my body as her fingers unbuckled my belt and undid my jeans before she slid them off me.

She took a step back and let her eyes roam my body, her eyes dark and heavy as she nibbled on that plump bottom lip and her gaze came to rest on my rigid dick as it stood to her attention. I twitched it at her, in a wave, and she giggled deliciously.

I walked her backwards towards the bed and she fell onto it, her amazing tits bouncing as she landed and I climbed on top of her, trapping her underneath me before she changed her mind and ran.