Moved On

Moved On Part Five

Six months previously

Annie had been waxed, styled, and manicured to within an inch of her life. Her wedding dress hung in the hotel room wardrobe, everything was ready for her to walk down the aisle the following day and become Mrs Jared Bottom.

She quashed the trickle of unease that came from only knowing Jared such a short time. It was a whirlwind love affair, passionate, a meeting of souls and minds. Her parents had known each other for just five months before they got married and their love had been all encompassing.

After her mum’s death Annie had gone off the rails. After her dad’s, she had imploded.

Life was to be taken hold of with both hands, enjoyed with hedonistic fervour before it was gone. That was until she’d woken up with the world’s biggest hangover and the bailiffs knocking at her door.

Annie had rinsed most of her inheritance in just eighteen months. All she had left from thirty years of her parent’s marriage and twenty six of her life was an empty three bed semi. The bailiffs had been sympathetic, but ultimately inflexible as they’d filled their van with all her parent’s valuables.

Her friends had melted away, she hadn’t realised till they’d gone, that her money had been their main interest.

She’d been drowning her sorrows in Bas Vegas, a premier Essex nightspot when she met Jared.

He’d taken her under his wing, filled the gap left by the loss of her parents. Had used his computer knowledge to help her set up her online vintage store, which went on to make money hand over fist. He was well educated, all alone too, together they had it all planned out, home, hearth and a big sprawling family. Jared made her feel protected, cosseted, loved?

Her jitters were excitement, nothing more than the need to move things along.

Opening the door to her hotel room, the first thing Annie noticed was the scent of cigarette smoke. The second was that the man smoking on their bed was not Jared.

"Hello Annie" He said in an estuary accent, not dissimilar to her own.

"Er...hello, I..er, wh..who are you?"

The tall, fair man unfolded himself from the bed and came towards her, hand outstretched, his face open and handsome. "My name's Danny, and you are every bit as stunning as he said you were."

Annie smiled warmly back. "He...You mean Jared, where is he, is he in the bathroom?” He hadn't told her he had a mate in Las Vegas. Had he invited this man to the wedding?

Daniel laughed. "He's gone."

Annie felt her smile wobble, didn't like the twinkle of amusement in the strangers eyes. No, not twinkle. Glitter, his eyes were glittering, as if he was laughing at her.

"Gone, gone where?" She asked bemused.

"To a country with no extradition I wouldn't wonder." Danny quipped.

Her stomach was tightening up, blood chilling in her centre. If that was a joke, Annie didn't find it funny.

"I don't get it?"

"It's simple darlin’. About two hours ago, just after you left for your make over-I like what they did with your hair by the way- I was bringing a message to your fiancé from my boss back home. The old Bill have tracked a credit card and identity theft scam to you and your beloved. At this moment in time there are arrest warrants for both of you in good ole Blighty. It would seem your public school educated betrothed didn't fancy doing a five stretch. He had no qualms about leaving you behind though sweetheart. Being on your toes is a pricey endeavour, I should imagine he shed you to keep his costs down."

Annie felt the blood drain from her body to pool torpidly in her feet. Her skin prickled, she felt alarmingly faint.

"No...no." She forced out with fake joviality. "He's not a criminal, he wouldn't, he..." Annie trailed off at the smirk on Danny's face,

"We're getting married." She whined, swaying as the unpleasant possibility dawned on her. Did she really know Jared that well, did she really know Jared at all? And why wasn’t she more surprised?

Danny must have realised how close she was to fainting.

Taking her firmly by the elbows he steered her to sit on the bed. Her nose twitched at the burnt chemical smell permeating from his clothes. "This is a joke right?" Hope trembling in her voice.

 Danny reached into his pocket, pulling out a scruffy piece of paper he handed it to her. "Does this look like a joke?"

Annie blinked, and focused on the swimming words, hand written in Jared's perfect copperplate. It had to be a joke, it had to be, because this piece of paper looked like Jared had sold her to Daniel Nielsen for two grand.

A measly two grand!