The Bully

Chapter Thirty

Bret looked about himself, a slightly nervous expression on his face and I couldn't help but giggle. He scowled at me.

"What's funny?" he asked and I giggled again.

"The man who can watch any number of horror movies in the pitch black but is scared of a little graveyard?" I teased, pointing my camera at him and getting a shot of his very disgruntled expression.

"Payback will be a bitch when we get back to the hotel," he replied, darkly and I laughed. It was a particularly beautiful cemetery, with monoliths, angel statues and gated mausoleums so I kinda got why he was uncomfortable but it wasn't quite dark yet and the dusty light was so perfect. Even looking through the lens of the camera I knew they would sell well. Not that I needed the money anymore with Summers House having sold. The weight that left me when I knew I could let go of that part of my life for good was phenomenal.

I wandered ahead of him and paused at a grave that had a photograph of its inhabitant on the stone and read the inscription in the dying light before taking a snap and then moving on to a beautiful pure white statue of a young woman with a dog lying at her feet, holding onto the lead. It was a piece of art work in its own right and I photographed it from several different angles. Bret watched me as I circled it and his expression softened.

"What?" I asked.

"It's worth coming to see you look like that," he said and I gave him a quizzical look. "You're so beautiful when you're working."

I blushed pink and shook my head, moving on through the cemetery.

"I just want to get a couple more shots of the mausoleum at the back." I saw him shiver and smiled. "Go wait in the car. I'll only be a couple of minutes."

"You sure?" he asked and I nodded.

"Of course. I'll scream if I need you," I joked and he rolled his eyes.

"If you're not with me in three minutes I'm coming to find you," he warned. Three minutes. It's not a long time. But it was long enough.

He can't have even reached the car when a hand clamped round my mouth. A chemical smell hit my nose and I couldn't breathe but then everything faded to black.

"Have you missed me Angelcakes?" was the last thing I heard before I sank into unconsciousness.

***

I woke with my head throbbing, my mouth dry and nausea rising through me. My whole body ached and I couldn't move my arms. They were tied behind my back, a tight knot at my wrists. I wanted to scream but then I realised the strange feeling in my mouth was a gag. Terror filled me as I remembered that voice and my eyes flew open. I was in a dark room, possibly a basement judging by the lack of natural light. A single bulb flickered overhead and as I looked around I suddenly saw a figure sat on a stool opposite me wearing a black hoodie. Even before he leaned forwards, before he removed the hood to reveal that once handsome face which was now scarred and marked, those piercing blue eyes which had melted the hearts of many a student at high school I knew it was him. I knew it was Tom. He was still an astonishingly good looking man, his scars giving him a rugged appearance and the haunted look in those blue eyes giving him an aura of mystery. He got to his feet and limped across the room towards me. I shrank back, terrified.

"Oh you can't go anywhere this time, Angelina. I learnt from the last time when you managed to spoil all my fun by running. I've been watching you the last few years, following your career with a lot of interest. I knew what you were doing thanks to your spell in Iraq when you gave me back my life. If I hadn't seen you, if you hadn't cried for me and held my hand I might well have just given up. But seeing you gave me the strength I needed to fight back. The doctor said it was nothing short of a miracle." He paused, bringing a hand to my cheek, making me flinch away, my eyes wide with fear. "I've always loved that look on your face, having you completely alert like that just turns me on so much. But you don't need to worry, you've nothing to fear from me. We're just going to talk, ok Angelcakes?" I stared at him and he laughed, patting my cheek. "I was flattered to see my face among the collection you submitted to the gallery. That night I was at the window admiring it and you were right there, right in front of me. I might have taken you there and then but that big freak was watching. Undertaker? Yeah that's him. Not sure why you're so scared of me when he's been watching you nearly as long as me."