Are We Out of The Woods Yet?

Part 38

They made it to Keepers Cottage for almost 1pm. He was seriously late, Robert panicked, opening the passenger door before Aaron had even stopped the car. Aaron had scorned him, breaking quickly. Aaron was opening his door but Robert, who had gotten out, leant back in to the car and told him it was best he stay put until he informed Joe that he, Aaron, was coming along too. Aaron had hesitated, not certain if it was such a good decision for Robert to meet Joe on his own since only last night he had threatened him with a knife. He did appreciate Robert involving him now however. They hadn't actually discussed that on the way to the Cottage. Robert seemed to have known he'd want to get involved in the plan, since it was based around his sister. With reluctance Aaron agreed to wait in the vehicle. Robert nodded and shut his door and headed up the garden path. Aaron sat up in his seat, straining to see Robert as he reached the front door. A few short seconds later, the door was opened. In the doorway stood Joe.

For the rest of the way back, after they'd left the lay-by behind, Aaron had been thinking about what he'd do when he saw Joe, since this was the first time he'd be seeing him since finding out he had Liv. He'd gritted his teeth, even grinded them imagining all the things he felt like doing to him. He could murder him but he wasn't going to, he couldn't murder someone. Not after how much it had destroyed him killing Jackson. At that point he'd gone in to a state of deep thought, leaving it behind as soon as he could, because he didn't need guilt for that coming back and adding to the high pile of guilt he already felt. Instead he focused on trying to create light talk with Robert and calm himself. He couldn't be launching himself at Joe in case he ended up going too far. Once he was wound up, there really weren't many ways to bring him back down to a place where he could think rationally.

Aaron watched Joe begin to talk down to Robert and he couldn't do it. His right hand reached for the door to pull the inner handle to open it. But he paused, seething. Come on Aaron think about...he glanced at Joe again. Nope no there was no stopping him now. He was there looking like a punch bag just waiting to be thrashed about. Aaron swung open his door, not really caring much if anything with an engine happened to be coming down the road as he stepped out of the car. "I was discharged later than I thought I would be." Robert was attempting to explain himself to Joe when the slamming of a door alerted both the two of them, who followed the direction of the noise, tracing it right to Aaron. Robert watched Aaron, uncertain of why he'd gotten out when they'd both agreed he'd stay put. Then he saw the look on his face. He knew that look. Teeth bared, fists clenched, chest heaving. The further Aaron got up the path, the closer he got to the other men, the more threatening he appeared. "A..." Robert started but was too late. Aaron shouldered Robert out of the way, stepping right in to the porch of the house, making Joe back up.

"Woah Aaron, good to see ya." Aaron swung his right arm up, his fist colliding with the left side of Joes face. Hard. Joe yelled out as he stumbled sideways due to the force, a hand flying up to his cheek to nurse it almost immediately. Feeling the adrenaline of finally being able to get some kind of revenge on his sisters captor, he went for more. Or he was going to before Robert lunged in to the house, grabbing both of Aaron's arms and pulling him back. Aaron grunted a 'get off'. Joe was bent over by the wall to the kitchen, a hand on it to keep himself on his feet. "Fuck." He spat on to the carpet.

"He knows how to throw a punch doesn't he?" Robert stated out of nowhere, feeling Aaron's heaving slowing down and finally letting his hands tear away from holding his arms.

"That!" Aaron was the one to spit then. "Was for Liv." Joe peered up at him from his crouched over position. He really had Aaron wrapped round his finger didn't he? There he was getting all hot and bothered about a little girl. He'd seen how short he was. A short, red, angry man. He found it rather comical to watch. Leading to him snorting as he failed to hold back his feelings over the worked up state Aaron was in. At that Aaron stepped forward, readying himself for another attempt to take a swing at him.

"Aaron!" Robert couldn't believe he was actually letting Joe wind him up. "Leave it he's not worth ruining your knuckles for." Robert had to try and take Aaron's right hand which was curling in to a fist and then unfurling repeatedly. Aaron's head whipped round to look Robert up and down.

"Don't touch meh." He warned him off. Robert's brow lifted, stepping back.

"Please Aaron." He still continued to try and talk him down however.

"How sweet, listen to Robert, Aaron. He wants to protect your precious hands. Only 'cause he wants the fingers to still be functioning enough to go up his arse." Joe let out a high, hearty laugh. Robert blushed.

"Where's Liv!" Aaron didn't ask for an answer, he demanded one. Trying to ignore Joe's joke, but his cheeks weren't ignoring it that was for certain.

"Shes dead." Aaron's eyes widened, his mouth falling open a little way, the porch growing cold.

"You're lying." He almost croaked, welling up.

"Am I?" Joe peered up at Aaron, not showing any fear at all, not blinking as he kept his eyes on Aaron's glassy ones. "She's d..." He didn't get chance to finish his sentence as Aaron brought his right leg off the carpet, forcing it upwards in to Joes stomach. Joe fell on all fours to the carpet, gasping and growling, trying and failing to mask the pain.

"You need to shut up!" Aaron's eyes were becoming puffy, and cheeks were reddening as he became choked up. "Liv isn't dead, I know you're lyin'. So where is she?" Robert carefully came forwards to stand beside Aaron, glancing at him worriedly.

"It's alright Aaron, she's not dead." Robert suddenly stared coldly down at Joe. "Because he wouldn't get his money then. Would you Joe? And we all know you couldn't go without your cash." Joe spat on to the carpet again.

"Fuck off."

"We're gonna get you what you want and then you're going to give us who we want. In fact you're going to give us Lachlan and Gabby too. Because Aaron went easy on you there, I should know because well..." Robert shook his head absentmindedly. "I've felt the impact of a full on punch from those fists. It's not a pretty feeling let me tell you now."

"Ha sure!"

"Right that's it." Aaron went to pick at the scruff of Joes collar and drag him up to his feet. But Joe cowered as Aaron's hand grabbed at his collar.

"Alright, alright. Look, we agreed last night, what we were doing Robert. I just wasn't expecting the short one here with the anger problem to be coming along too. I thought you'd keep the mutt at home."

"One more bad word about Aaron or Liv and I swear." Joe knew he wasn't going to escape alive if he carried on speaking so he hung his head to show them he had no more to say about Aaron. He had no more clever one-liners to say to leave them chewing on it for days after.

"Fine. Let's just go and get on with it alright?" Aaron let his grip loosen on Joes collar and stepped back. Robert offered a supportive hand to squeeze Aaron's shoulder but he just shrugged it off, turning his back to the prick on the floor and walking out of the front door.

"You'll be lucky if no one in the village just heard that." Joe pointed out to Robert.

"Then we better leave now before someone comes round asking questions." Robert thought he'd had feelings of hate towards Lawrence and Andy and his Father. But this was an entirely different species of hate crawling over him. His skin itched differently from this disgusting creature who chose to torment Aaron in such a way it had bought him close to tears. Just looking at him made him feel sick. "You know how I feel about Aaron. But you have no idea what I'd do for him. No idea at all. I'd kill for him." Robert sank down, balancing on his tiptoes, down beside Joe. "If Liv has been hurt in any way. Any way at all. Aaron won't be the only one ripping you apart."

"You two have both got issues." Joe couldn't believe how psychotic a pair they both were. They were both completely insane!

"Yeah? You wanna try looking in the mirror. Because what kind of sick person would kidnap children? Mm?" Robert had the last word as he rose to stand on the pads of his feet once more. "See you in the car." Robert, with hard eyes, followed Aaron's footsteps, going out of the door.