It Was Only Ever Erin

Chapter 16 - Andrew

Jason’s P.O.V

Just over a month since getting one in the shoulder and it’s healed pretty well so far. I’ve even started driving again which has made it all the easier to get to Erin’s whenever she’s not at the hospital – mainly indulging in the pleasures that two handed s*x can bring.

In recognition of our 1 month anniversary I got her a new scarf, as Ollie told me I’d ruined her other one with all my blood. She had got me a ‘One Hundred Amazing Chemistry Experiments for Kids’ set, as my report card (which she had framed and hung on her wall) showed that I had clearly not been paying enough attention in class.

Tonight for her however, was girl’s night, meaning that I had no excuse to get out of having dinner with my Dad. He’s never been the most fatherly of figures, but the one thing he does insist on is dinner together once a week to ‘catch up’. Seeing as our father-son relationship is so tightly knotted up with our boss-employee relationship, I’m pretty sure he only does this to keep an eye on whether anything new is interfering with my work.

“So how’s the shoulder?”

“I can drive now so can start meeting clients again if that’s what you’re asking,” I replied flatly.

“Can’t a father just be asking how his son is recovering with no ulterior motive?” he questioned sounding affronted and holding his hands up innocently.

“He could, but he isn’t.” He sighed and shook his head looking both amused and exasperated.

“And how’s things going with Ellen?”

“Erin.”

“That’s the one. Things getting serious?”

“Pretty serious, yeah.”

“…And?”

“And what?”

“Well tell me about her for God’s sakes, I’m trying to show an interest here!” Dad yelled, tossing his fork onto his plate and looking at me expectantly.

“Well, you already know I met her at school, she’s training to be a doctor, we met again when I got shot and she saved my life, I’ve met her friends, she’s met mine, she’s already kicked Ollie in the balls and she got me a chemistry set for our 1 month anniversary 3 days ago.” Dad sat stunned for a few moments.

“Sounds like quite the girl! When do I get to meet her?”

“You don’t.”

“Why the hell not?! You think I don’t know how to behave when the occasion calls for it?”

“No.”

“Jason,” he looked at me sternly.

“You’re not meeting her,” I said, staring straight back, warning him to drop it. Dad leant back in his chair, a look of dangerous amusement spreading across his face.

“Ah, I see what it is. I’m not the kind of person you want going near your girlfriend, I’m a bad guy, I’m dangerous, I break the law - it that it?” I didn’t say anything, just stared – he’d hit the nail on the head and I knew what was coming next. “You know every single one of those things could be used to describe you too?” Yes, I did know – the great contradiction. “So what you’re actually saying is you don’t want your girlfriend to meet me and realise the kind of person she’s really dating?” Yes “Or for you to have to face that fact that you are actually the last person you’d want your girlfriend to be dating?” Yes.

Dad was smiling at me like he’d just beaten me in a card game and was collecting his winnings. God I hated him.

Just then his phone started ringing on the table and when glancing at the screen I saw it was Andrew. Dad’s smile faded as he got up and walked into his study to take the call. Moments later there was a loud knocking on the door and I opened it to find Ollie staring at me, face dead serious with a hint of concern.

“We have a problem,” he said as he made his way past me. “Where’s your Dad?” he added as he sat on the edge of the table.

“In the study, Andrew’s just called him. What’s happened?” I asked as Ollie ran his hand over his face.

“Dean just called. Aiden swiped his ID and used it to get him and Elmo into Cat Burglar’s.” Cat Burglar’s was one of Andrew’s club casinos and already I could see where this was heading.

“Security didn’t stop them?”

“When they questioned them at the door Aiden pretended to be Dean and said they were part of your Dad’s crew so were allowed in.”

“And they seriously bought that?”

“Of course not, they were being watched the whole time; we think they let them in to see exactly how far they’d try and push their luck. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t stop pushing, used Dean’s ID to buy alcohol and behaved like cocky little assholes. Then to top it all off, it seems little Elmo is a whiz at math and won about 8 grand counting cards. As I’m sure you can imagine, Andrew is not best pleased.” I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh.

“…Fuck.”

Suddenly we heard a door slam and Dad came storming back into the room. Clearly seeing from our faces that we knew what had happened, he gestured for us both to follow him, handed us each a gun and said, “Ollie, fill me in.”

By the time we set off in the car, Dad flooring the gas pedal in anger, Ollie had told him everything he’d told me.

“f*****g little morons,” Dad growled beside me.

“They’re dead men walking at this point right?” I asked Dad, who shook his head slowly.

“Kid killer isn’t part of Andrew’s image, more likely he’s gonna teach ‘em a lesson they’re gonna have nightmares about for the rest of their miserable lives.”

***************

We made our way into Cat Burglar’s and spotted Andrew with a bright smile and arms wide open as though greeting old friends to a reunion. He was dressed impeccably as usual and giving off his usual aura of money, influence and danger; two guys in suits stood just behind him.

“Terry!” he beamed as he clasped my Dad’s hand and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Andrew, good to see you, though I’m sorry about the circumstances.”

“Don’t mention it, it was me saying that to you the last time we met. How is the shoulder Jason?” he asked, chuckling and giving me a wink.

“Good as new” I said, forcing a smile onto my face that any used car salesman would be proud of.

“Good to hear, this way gentlemen,” Andrew gestured and proceeded to lead us all through the labyrinth of dark corridors, behind the scenes of the bright bustling casino floor. “As you know Terry, I’ve already sent Dean’s brother home with him; we had a word about his behavior and he has assured me it will not be repeated.” He spoke like a stuffy school principle. “The other boy is just through here.”

We walked into a dimly lit room to see a white-faced Elmo in a chair, trembling head to toe and looking younger than ever. There’d obviously been no need to tie him down, it looked like he wouldn’t be able to move if he wanted to. Andrew stood in front of Elmo with his two men behind him, whilst Dad and I perched on the edge of a table and Ollie leant against the wall.

“Now son, I understand from speaking with Terry here that you haven’t been in this game long, it that right?” he continued in his disappointed teacher tone. Elmo nodded shakily and tears started welling in his eyes. “I see, so clearly no one has told you yet about that kind of behavior that is expected of you. Well, having worked in the hospitality industry for… ooo, must be coming up to 30 years, I understand that people like to have fun, relax, enjoy themselves. I do however, firmly believe that we all have a lot more fun if everybody plays by the rules. Now you and your friend lying your way into my club, was not by the rules now was it? Nor was your being in my club, drinking my alcohol and gambling at my tables when you are 15 years old. Nor was you conning my croupiers out of 8 grand’s worth of my club’s money. You can see can’t you why I’m… a little disappointed?” Tears were now rolling down Elmo’s cheeks and I was starting to feel sick; Andrew had always liked to play with his food.

“Now, as this has clearly been a case of miscommunication, I am willing to let you leave my club with all of your limbs. However, I would like to make it… perfectly clear what will happen if you ever break my rules again.” Andrew turned and nodded to one of his men who turned and walked through a door at the back of the room, returning a few seconds later holding a woman by the arm. Her mouth covered and wrists bound in gaffa tape, a cut on her hairline and her matted hair sticking to her bloody and tear-stained face.

In a split second I had pulled the gun from my waistband and was pointing it directly at the man’s head. I couldn’t breathe yet heart was thundering against my chest and I could hear my blood pumping in my ears.

“Let her go.”

Ollie had pushed himself off the wall to stand next to me, staring at her with a look of confusion and anger. Andrew and Dad were staring from me to her, utterly perplexed.

“Jason?” said Andrew slowly.

“What the hell are you doing?” Dad said at the same time in a low warning tone.

“Let… her… go” I repeated, my eyes not leaving the guard’s.

“Erin?”

The second Ollie said this Dad closed his eyes, understanding washing over him and groaned, “Ah shit.” Andrew was clearly losing patience.

“Terry, will you please tell me what-”

“Andrew you tell your guy to let her go or I will paint your wall red!” I practically screamed.

“Jason think about what you’re doing! Andrew I’m sorry but this just got a lot more complicated than we realised and in the interest of making sure no one does anything they’ll regret, I would recommend letting the girl go for a moment so that we can all talk,” Dad said in his most calm and business-like voice.

Andrew and Dad stood for a moment, clearly coming to some kind of non-verbal agreement before Andrew gave a nod. The guy holding Erin shoved her away from him and into my arms. I dropped the gun instantly to catch her and pulled her as close to my body as possible, one hand griping her hair, the other wrapped tightly around her back as I breathed her in, lips pressed to her temple. It took a few moments for me to calm down, knowing she was safe in my arms, before pulling back to take the tape off her mouth and wrists.

“Are you okay?” I whispered to her frantically, brushing the hair out of her face to assess her injuries. She simply nodded, shaking uncontrollably and clinging desperately onto the front of my shirt.

“Jase what’s going on, why’s Elliot here?” she asked, her voice still trembling, looking directly as Elmo. My mind went into a frenzy, piecing the puzzle together.

“Elliot? Your brother Elliot?!” I stared over at the boy in the chair, his face reflecting my own expression of confusion. There’d been something bugging me about him from the moment I’d seen him and only now did I see it. The same dark features, dark hair, dark eyes.

“Okay, now that everyone’s calmed down… why don’t we start from the beginning?”