‘You thought you’d come here and break into my house! For god’s sake, Marcus, what were you thinking? You’ve got a hometo go to, haven’t you?’
It was becoming routine, the call from Lydia, the trawl around the sleazy parts of London, the hotel room for Marcus to sleep it off. And it was becoming intolerable; this was the last straw. Jake held up both hands in exasperation. ‘Look at what you did!’ He turned his hands palm up to Marcus so he could see.
‘Where were you last night?’ said Marcus, ignoring Jake’s bloody hands.
‘Last night?’ Jake realised that the previous night had been the first time he hadn’t been there for Marcus. Nobody had known where Jake was. Jake imagined there were several messages on his answer phone – all from Lydia. A nasty thought occurred to him; was all this for his benefit? Surely not! What had Lydia said on the phone about Marcus missing him? These were the only occasions they saw each other. Was Marcus doing this on purpose?
‘Turn around very slowly!’
Marcus was standing in the doorway, his back to the garden, obscuring Jake’s view. ‘Who is that?’ Marcus turned to see who had shouted out.
Jake looked past Marcus at Faye.
If it wasn’t for the circumstances, the sight of Faye marching up the garden towards the house carrying a large five-pronged garden fork in front of her would have been quite funny. The trouble was that he suddenly realised this wasn’t just at empty threat – Faye was prepared to use it.
He quickly understood the gravity of the situation. Faye had approached the back of the house. She’d seen two men in the house; Jake facing her direction, his bloody hands held up high to a man standing directly in front of him, his back to Faye. She could have drawn only one conclusion.
‘Whatever you’ve got in your hand, put the weapon down!’ Her voice thundered authoritatively.
Jake put his hands down immediately. ‘It’s alright, Faye,’ he shouted out.
Marcus turned back to look at Jake, a bemused expression on his face.
Jake could see Faye moving down the garden, still holding the garden fork out in front of her.
Marcus didn’t move. He just stood in front of Jake, gaping at the woman moving towards him.
Faye started to run towards Marcus.
‘Faye – stop!’ Jake shouted out as he launched himself at Marcus, pulling him away from the door and plummeting to the floor with him as Faye charged toward them.
‘What in hell?’ said Marcus.
‘Sorry.’ They’d fallen quite hard. ‘Are you hurt?’
‘I … no … I’m okay.’
Jake looked up to see Faye approaching the door, garden fork at the ready. He scrambled around Marcus to position himself between Marcus and the door. ‘Stay down.’ Jake kept one hand on Marcus’s chest and the other held up towards the back door, where he expected Faye to enter.
She didn’t.
‘Faye?’
Marcus said, ‘You know this lunatic?’
‘Shut up,’ said Jake. ‘Faye?’ he said to the doorway.
Faye cautiously moved into view, the fork at the ready.
‘You can put the fork down now, Faye,’ he said calmly.
Faye looked from the dark-haired, dark-eyed man to Jake.
‘I’ve got it covered, literally,’ Jake reassured her.
Faye lowered her weapon.
Jake lowered his bloody hand and gestured behind him, ‘Faye, meet Marcus.’
