Clara
I climbed out of my car with Georgie, the both of us late from talking to the police. The look on the officer’s face when I’d told him what the note meant was something I wanted to erase from my mind.
Disgust.
I knew I had to tell him, but his reaction, as well as his fellow officer’s reaction, had made me wish I hadn’t. I’d wanted to shrivel up, to disappear into nothing. It was bad enough being registered as a sex offender, but to see people’s reactions to it...
It was unbearable.
Georgie walked around my beat-up Civic, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”
I shook my head, the roses and note having shaken me to the core, the cops’ reaction making it worse.
Georgie lowered her hand to the small of my back, rubbing it in a calming manner. “We should pack when we get home, go to my mate’s. She’ll let us stay until the cops find McAvoy.”
“That’s if it’s even him.”
“Who else could it be?”
My mind went to Tane Rata. “Maybe Dante’s dad found out that I work at the clinic. The roses could be a warning to stay away from his son?”
“From what you’ve told me about that mongrel, I don’t think so. He seems like the type to yell it in your face, rather than put a crystal vase filled with roses next to your bed while you sleep.”
“Then who? Because I just don’t see why McAvoy would leave it so long to come after me.”
“What about that bloke who threatened you after you got out? You said he told you to stay clear of Dante. You know, the one called Killen.”
A chill ran up my back at her words. “You mean Killer?”
“Yeah, yeah, him, the one you said wanted to give you a Joker smile.”
I swallowed, praying it wasn’t Jasper’s uncle, what he’d done bone-chilling. I’d woken up to find the man standing over me, holding a knife. He’d placed the tip of the knife to the corner of my mouth, what he’d said and done still freaking me out:
‘Stay away from my man’s boy or I’ll make you smile in a way you don’t want to.’
Then, he’d run the tip of the knife up my cheek, also doing it to the other side, all the while laughing like a hyena. He hadn’t broken the skin, just had gotten his point across that he could scar me for life. Georgie had wanted me to go to the police after I’d told her about it, but I’d refused, too scared to provoke not only Killer, but his gang.
Screaming and yelling cut through my thoughts of Killer, drawing my attention to the clinic’s entrance. Simon, with the help of a security guard, was trying to remove a blonde woman through the sliding doors. Although she was gorgeous, she looked like a hooker, her tiny leather skirt and barely-there top not covering much.
She kicked back with her stiletto, connecting with Simon’s leg. He cursed and let go of her, grabbing his shin. In response, the guard shoved her, causing the blonde to tumble down the steps. She cried out as she hit the concrete footpath, her hands and knees taking most of the impact. Andrew followed her down the stairs, his large body looming over hers. He was a rough-looking man in his forties, with leathery-looking skin and a face only a mother could love.
He grabbed the woman’s arm and roughly yanked her to her feet, wrapping his other arm around her middle. He said something into her ear, his hand moving to one of her breasts.
Georgie stepped around the bonnet of my car, yelling, “Let go of her!” sounding just as horrified as I was.
Andrew’s eyes snapped to us, only just realising we were watching from the car park. He instantly let go of the woman, what happened next a blur. The blonde spun around, slashing her nails across his cheek. He hollered and brought his hands to his face, yelling even louder as she kicked him in the groin. He dropped to his knees, the big man crumbling before her.
Georgie yelled out, “You go girl!”
The blonde glanced over her shoulder, a proud grin spreading across her face. She pursed her lips at Georgie, reminding me of Dante’s habit of blowing kisses. The gesture made my skin prickle, the woman reminding me of someone.
She turned away from us and headed back up the stairs to the clinic.
Simon approached her warily. “I don’t want any more trouble,” he said, holding his hands out in front of him. “Please, just leave.”
“No!” she spat. “Get out of my way!”
He shook his head and pulled out his mobile phone. “Either leave or I’ll call the cops and have you arrested.”
She smacked the phone out of his hand. Simon cursed as it dropped to the ground. He bent down to pick it up, getting a knee to the head for his trouble. He fell back, swiping out at her legs as she went to step around him. She fell over too, cursing loudly in English and another language that sounded Slavic. I ran to help Simon, Georgie following me. Simon’s attacker pushed to her feet and went for the door again, hollering...
Dante’s name.
I stopped in my tracks halfway up the steps, her identity slamming into me. No wonder she was familiar. It was the woman I’d seen Dante with after I’d gotten out of prison ... his partner at the time.
Simon scrambled to his feet and ran after the woman, grabbing her before she could reach the main corridor of the clinic. No longer holding back, he swung her around and carried her outside as she kicked and screamed, letting go just before the steps. Keeping a wary eye on her, he swiped up his phone quick as a flash. “Last warning!” he barked. “Leave before I call the police!”
She swore at him. “You can’t keep Dante away from me! He’s my boyfriend!”
“He doesn’t agree,” Simon snapped back, looking both furious and in pain, his forehead red from where she’d kneed him.
She swore at him again, adding a vulgar gesture at the end, then stalked down the steps past us, spitting on Andrew as he writhed in pain. Ignoring us, Simon went to Andrew, asking if he was all right. Andrew muttered something unintelligible and pulled his phone out of his pocket, taking a snapshot of the blonde’s car as she climbed into it. Simon whispered something to him, then helped him to his feet and inside the clinic.
Georgie elbowed me softly. “Was that the woman you mentioned Dante was with when you visited him after prison?”
My gaze flicked to the blonde’s car as it spluttered to life. “Yes,” I replied, glad that Dante’s ex didn’t remember me, my pink hair and new style making me look quite different. Though, I wasn’t sure she would recognise me even with blonde hair, since she’d only seen me for a few minutes over five years ago. A few minutes too many in my opinion, the woman horrible. She’d knocked me down and insulted me just for asking to see Dante. She hadn’t known who I was, what she’d done completely unwarranted, along with the way she’d talked down to Dante. She’d treated him like he was stupid, not to mention humiliating him in front of me, making sure I knew he’d worked as a stripper.
Georgie shook her head. “She’s bonkers.”
“You got that right.”
We headed up the steps, entering the clinic. Andrew was gone, but Simon was behind the reception desk, holding an icepack against his forehead. He narrowed his eyes at Georgie. “You’re late. I had to cover for you. And don’t think I didn’t hear you yell go girl to that psycho.”
Georgie rushed around the reception desk. “I’m sorry, it wasn’t to do with you, it was against Andrew. He went too far. No man should touch a woman like that.”
“And no woman should treat a man like this,” he said, removing the icepack from his forehead, which still looked red.
“I’m sorry, I really am.” She placed her hand on his arm, looking guilty as hell. “I didn’t want you getting hurt.”
He exhaled. “Fine, I accept your apology, but you’re still not getting off for being late. This is the second time—”
I cut in, “This isn’t Georgie’s fault. She phoned Maggie to let her know we’d be late. We had to talk to the police about a break-in.”
Before I’d even finished the sentence, Simon was bolting around the desk, in front of me within seconds. “Are you okay, Clara?” he asked, giving me a concerned once-over.
“Oh, thanks very much,” Georgie said over my yes. “Ask her if she’s all right, not me. I do live in the same flat.”
He glanced back at her. “I can see you’re fine, and you’re skating on thin ice, Georgie. Don’t push your luck.”
She grumbled something I couldn’t hear, then grabbed the phone as it rang, looking relieved she had an out.
Simon refocused on me. “What did the police say?”
“Nothing much, other than we shouldn’t stay in the flat for the time being.”
“If you need a place—”
“No, we’re fine, Georgie’s already rung her friend Roxanne. We’ll be staying with her.”
“Roxanne, as in the woman Georgie brought to the Christmas function? The one who got so drunk she fell off the counter—”
“—while dancing,” Georgie piped up, finishing with the call. “Yup, that’s her. You were such a sweetheart for giving her a lift home.” She smiled at him, obviously trying to get back in his good books. “And you should stop fussing over, Clara. You’re the one who’s hurt. Go to the sick bay, have a lie down. I’ll find someone to cover for you until you feel better, that is, unless you want to go home?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m staying until the police get here.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ll be making a formal complaint against that woman.”
“Do you think that’s a wise idea after what Andrew did?”
He looked over at her. “Why? She assaulted us.”
“While he assaulted her. He didn’t just restrain her, he grabbed her breast. That’s why I yelled out. I may not say anything to the cops, but it’ll still be on CCTV. If you lay a complaint, that woman could do the same, not only against Andrew, but the clinic.” She glanced back at the door that led to the sick bay, then at Simon again, lowering her voice. “You really should fire Andrew. He didn’t just act inappropriately towards that woman, he says the most inappropriate things to me, and I’m sure he’s doing things with Candace.”
Simon frowned. “Like what?”
“He’s constantly hitting on me and calls me fuckable all the time, while just before leaving work last night I saw him coming out of Candace’s room. Security guards aren’t allowed in a patient’s room unless there’s a counsellor with them.”
“I’m fully aware of that.”
“Which is why you should fire him. After all, you’re the acting manager until Royce gets back.”
“I’ll have a talk to both him and Candace as well as take a look at the video footage of the fight with the blonde woman. And regarding you and Clara. You should stay at my place. Roxanne lives too far away. She’s all the way out in Clevedon.”
“You know we can’t,” I said, drawing his attention back to me.
He slipped his phone into his back pocket. “Why not?”
“We just broke up. It’ll be too awkward.”
It looked like he was going to disagree, but instead nodded. “If you change your mind, you know where I’ll be.” He glanced at Georgie. “I won’t phone the police until I check the footage, and don’t worry about Andrew, I’ll fix things.” He walked off, disappearing into the manager’s office.
My gaze went to Georgie. “You did the right thing reporting Andrew.”
She nodded, quickly picking up the phone as it rang.
I let her get on with her work, making my way to my own office, my first appointment of the day starting in ten minutes.