Authors: Theresa L. Henry
The old MG he
wanted Shane to fix contained the engine of the car his family had used for
racing. Ollie didn’t fool himself that Shane didn’t recognize that the engine
and car were a mismatch. But neither of them mentioned it.
Six weeks later
when Shane returned the vehicle, he had him deliver it to the purpose built
race track a few miles from his home in Lower
Shiplake
,
Oxfordshire
.
Ollie had
immediately put the car through its paces. He was impressed. Shane hadn’t just
repaired the beat up old, 1949 Lester MG, he had it purring as though it was
brand new.
The speed checks
his crew gave him, had Ollie smiling from ear to ear. Whatever Shane had done
to the engine had worked. He’d just clocked his fastest lap time ever. Beaming
at the younger man, he
was pulled
up short by
something in his eyes.
“You don’t seem
particularly impressed,” Ollie said with rising ire.
“She can go faster
than that.”
The nonchalant
response caught his attention. Nothing he did seem to impress the younger man.
Unaccustomed to
being treated
with disdain, Ollie
tossed the keys in the air. “If you can do better, show me!”
Shane caught them
without a change of expression. Moments later he was behind the wheel. By the
time he completed a circuit and came to a screeching halt beside him and his
crew, he had shaved thirty seconds off Ollie’s fastest time.
Shane’s
accomplishment didn’t sit well with him, but he didn’t let it show. He needed
the younger man to work for him. Whatever he had done to the engine, he could
teach to his mechanics.
However, having
that kind of touch at driving such a high powered car was special. It was innate,
and Ollie intended to make good use of his skills both as a mechanic and as a
driver.
“I want you to
work for me.”
“Nah, I don’t
think so.”
“Why not. I’m sure
by now you understand what I’m attempting to do.”
“Yeah, I know. I
looked ya up when the engine didn’t match the car.”
“Well then, you
know with the right components this team could make a name for itself in
Formula 1.”
“Yeah, it could.
But ya don’t have the right engine to mix it with the big boys.”
“Then come onboard
and help me.”
“Nah, I don’t work
for no-one but
meself
.”
“What would it
take to get you to come and work for me? You must have a price—everyone has a
price.”
Shane raised an
eyebrow as he looked Ollie up and down. “I’d say it was more about your price.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, I’d at
least want a share in your company.”
Ollie laughed at
Shane’s nerve. “You actually think I’d allow you to buy into my company?”
“Nah, I didn’t
think so,” Shane responded without inflection. “But I know you’ll keep trying
to get me, because
you
need
me
, not the other way around.”
Ollie was stunned
when Shane walked away. The younger man was right. He had moved the company
forward, but they were now at a standstill. The car and his driving ability
were letting them down. Factor in that his father had become stingy with money,
and he knew that if he didn’t act soon, he would be in serious trouble.
During the ensuing
four years, he did everything within his power to woo Shane, all to no avail.
Over the years, they had become friends of a sort. Of course, what he knew
about Shane’s background he had used in subtle ways as a means of influencing
the younger man.
He even went so
far as to take him on an all-expenses paid trip to the Monaco Grand Prix. Their
cars hadn’t even made it through the whole race. He had invited Shane on the
trip because he wanted to give him a taste of the lifestyle that could be his
if he accepted his offer of working for him. And he was prepared to do anything
to make that happen.
After the race,
Ollie took Shane into Monte Carlo to further show him what he was missing. He
made sure he took him to one of the best restaurants. Then they went on to a
nightclub. To finish off the night, Ollie took him to a casino. He even ensured
that Shane had his pick of the most beautiful women the city had to offer. To
Ollie’s surprise, he declined his selection of the women available to him.
Instead, he left the casino to meet someone he’d met at the track.
It wasn’t until
Shane met Crystal that Ollie began to see a change in him—a softening. During
the course of conversation, Shane had told him that he had met the woman he
intended to marry. Ollie had been intrigued. When he finally met Crystal, he
thought the relationship wouldn’t last. How wrong he had been.
~~~
Ollie
was pulled
out of his reverie of the past by the sound of an
angry voice.
“What do you
want?”
“Ahh, the lovely,
Ms. Ashford. Always a pleasure,” Ollie said with a smile that only raised the
corners of his mouth but never reached his eyes.
“Cut the crap.
I’ve got things to do!”
Ollie took his
time looking Dara over. He supposed she was pretty in a sort of classless way.
It always surprised him how similar the cousins were. But none of them really
interested him. In all honesty, he could never understand what Shane saw in
Crystal.
“I need you to
accompany me to the hospital and inform Shane that Crystal no longer wants to
be a part of his life.”
“You know where
Shane is?” Not waiting for a response, Dara rummaged through her oversized
purse to find her phone. “Thank you, Lord. Crystal’s been going crazy. She’s
been calling him for days and from what she’s said, he hasn’t…” Dara’s words
trailed off as Ollie snatched the phone from her hand.
“Did you hear what
I just said, simpleton?”
“Fuck off! If you
think I’m going to do anything for you, you’re the simple one.”
“Oh, you’ll do
what I want,” Ollie said, his voice and eyes devoid of emotion.
“You know what,
you don’t even have to tell me which hospital he’s in. We’ll find out for
ourselves. You can keep the phone. My upgrade is due so you can shove it up
your arse!” With that parting shot, Dara turned to hurry away.
“Take another step
and I’ll ruin you.”
Shane’s current
situation was way too perfect for him to pass up. And this little piece of
nothing wasn’t going to stop him from using it to its full advantage.
“Ruin me. Are you
serious?” Dara turned back to laugh in his face. “You sound like you really
believe the shit that comes out of your mouth.”
“But of course I
do. And so should you as you have aspirations of being an actress. I’m sure you
recall that it was me who set up your meeting with Charles Oakfield. What did
he promise you, a starring role in one of his productions?”
Ollie was furious,
but he didn’t show it. Who did this little bitch think she was laughing at?
When he was finished with her and her little cousin, he would be the one
laughing.
“Well he was a
rancid piece of shit and so are you.
“Take a look,
Dara,” Ollie said holding up his mobile phone. “Recognize this scene? I must
say, your talent would be wasted on the stage.”
“How… how did you
get those pictures?”
“My dear
talentless girl, do you think someone like Charles Oakfield would waste his
time with you if I hadn’t made him. There is one thing you should know about
me, I always get my way.” The stupid woman looked stunned. “I should also
mention that if you force my hand, I’ll have to send copies of these
enlightening shots to your lovely parents. Imagine their horror at seeing their
little girl sucking dick with so much fervor. Please also consider, although
unlikely, should your acting career ever take off, I will still be in
possession of these images. And I’m sure you know that our past always has a
way of emerging at the most impromptu moments.”
“Why are you doing
this?”
“That’s none of
your concern. All you need to do is carry out my instructions. Do I make myself
clear?”
A nod was her only
sign of consent, but it was enough for him. People always professed how much they
loved their families, but in his opinion, the word love
was
banded
around far too often. When one’s own skin was at stake, love more
often than not was a commodity easily discarded.
“This is what
you’re going to do…”
Shane opened his eyes and his heart gave a thud.
Crystal sat at his bedside. His gaze latched on to her even as his exhilaration
ebbed away. It was Dara.
“Where’s Crystal?”
“How are you
feeling, Shane?” Ollie broke in.
Ignoring the
question, his gaze remained firmly fixed on Dara as he willed her to look at
him instead of the floor. Her body language was too controlled. She was too
tense and her posture told him that he wasn’t going to like whatever she had to
say.
“Crystal’s not
coming. She’s seeing someone else. In fact, she was seeing him before she met
you. After what she found out at her birthday party, she thinks being with
someone like you would hurt her business and her mother’s reputation. I’m so
sorry Shane.”
Dara spoke so
quickly, Shane had difficulty holding on to what she was saying. When she
finally looked up, he saw she had tears in her eyes. “What exactly are you
sorry about, Dara?”
That she glanced
over at Ollie didn’t sit well with Shane. Something felt off. Although he
couldn’t pin down why, he didn’t believe a word of what she was saying.
“Come on Shane.
You can see how upset she is, give the girl a break.”
“Why the tears,
Dara?” He persisted.
“You look so
awful,” she finally answered. “Ollie told me what happened to you and I’m so
sorry.”
“Did you tell
Crystal?”
“I…” Again, she
glanced at Ollie and his suspicions grew even more.
“Why do you keep
looking at him? Look at me when I’m talking to you!”
“I’m sorry. I
can’t. I’m so sorry, Shane!” Jumping to her feet, Dara rushed away.
Shane didn’t miss
the look of anger that passed across Ollie’s face. He was up to something, he
just didn’t know what.
He knew Crystal.
He knew she wasn’t seeing anyone else.
But how can you be sure,
asked
the same voice that had been tormenting him for days. The truth was he couldn’t
be, but he knew what they shared. Their relationship was sound. They were
committed to each other.
Then why does she keep you on the peripheral of her
life?
The voice continued to taunt him. Why
has she only introduced you
to two members of her family?
Rattled by Dara’s
visit, Shane dismissed the idea of another man and latched on to her rejection
of him because of his family.
“Enough!” He
shouted pulling looks from the patient across from him. No one had spoken. His
bellow was his attempt at dislodging his troubling thoughts.
Shane looked his
friend over with a deadly intend. “If I find out you played a part in any of
this, I’ll cut out your heart and dump your body in the Thames.” Ice dripped
from his modulated voice, and he took a form of perverse pleasure from the
shudder that passed over Ollie’s body.
“For God’s sake,
Shane. We both know I’m a prize bastard, but if you think I had something to do
with any of this, I may as well leave now.”
Shane didn’t know
what to think. During the time he’d known the other man, he’d come to
understand that he was a manipulative bastard. He just didn’t know if Ollie was
capable of doing this to him, or why he should even want to.
“You think you
know me, but you don’t. You have no idea what I’m capable of. If I find out you
had anything to do with this mess, you’ll regret the day you met me,” he warned
again.
He had never
spoken to Ollie in this way. In fact, he went to great lengths to keep this
side of his personality suppressed. He had obviously succeeded because someone
thought they could mess with his life. He wanted to dismiss Gwendolyn. As a
Judge, she had too much to lose, but her disapproval of his and Crystal’s
relationship was all too evident.
The only other
culprits that came to mind were the family of the man his brother had killed in
revenge for their father’s death.
“Go away, Ollie,”
Shane said needing to be alone to attempt to gather his thoughts.
“Shane–”
“I said, get
lost!” He bellowed, his veil of barely suppressed civility beginning to
fragment.
~~~
Shane, for the
most part, was an even-tempered, albeit distant man and not much riled him. He
generally spoke his mind and left others to take or leave his comments. Today
Ollie had seen a side of his personality that he never knew existed. He’d
underestimated, Shane. That meant he would have to bring his A-game.
His instructions
had been implicit. The men he had hired
had been instructed
only to rough Shane up. That their actions had escalated to the point where he
had barely survived had never been his intention. However, the situation worked
for him, so he would take it without remorse.
Shane had yet to
mention the thugs departing threat but Ollie knew he had heard it and it was
playing on his mind. Congratulating himself for his fast thinking of using Dara
against her cousin, he left Shane’s bedside.
~~~
Shane didn’t tell
Ollie he
was being discharged
from hospital. The man
had been hanging around so much, he was getting on his nerves.
His first stop was
to the bank to get some cash so that he could replace his mobile phone. Next he
headed over to his garage. Knowing it was fruitless, he took some time looking
around the outside of the building for clues as to the identity of his
attackers. As he expected, he found nothing.
Inside, everything
in his workshop was exactly as he had left it. Rows of engines in varying
states of repair remained on workbenches. Standing before a grey metal door, he
tapped in a series of numbers, and pulled it open. Seeing that nothing had been
touched and that his nose cones were safe, he withdrew.
He had asked Ollie
to change the locks even though the police had assured him that his place
hadn’t been broken into. They had also notified him that they had found his
car. It was now a burnt out husk, but that was the least of his worries.
Going up the cast
iron stairs that led to his flat, Shane walked inside. Crystal’ influence
remained stamped all over the place. Then he remembered that she was nowhere in
sight and he turned away.
Returning
downstairs, he collected the keys to his old Porsche Cayman S and spent a few
moments looking at the car. Knowing this wasn’t the right vehicle he opted for
his motorbike.
His first stop was
to her new studio. Pulling up outside the building, he didn’t even remove his
helmet as he saw that the lights were off and the building was deserted. Next
he went to her house but she didn’t answer the door.
Driving around for
hours, he finally drove back to her house and got lucky. There she was, standing
outside her home wrapped in Owen’s arms.
From his parked
position a few car lengths from where they stood, Shane watched them embrace
and he saw red.
His vision
blurred…
Shane walked up to the embracing couple and stood silently
by until they noticed him and pulled apart in surprise.
“I didn’t believe Ollie and Dara when they said you
were seeing someone else. Even lying in me hospital bed with you nowhere in
sight, I believed in ya.”
“Shane, my God. You were in hospital. I didn’t know.”
“Liar. You knew and you didn’t care because you were
too busy with him.” Shane spat as he turned his attention to Owen. “Get your
hands off her!”
“You need to back off.”
“Shut your mouth you fucking scavenger,” he shouted
giving Owen a hard push to the chest.
“Shane don’t,” Crystal cried standing between them to
keep them apart.
“Move out me way.”
“No. I won’t let you hurt him.”
Shane saw that she meant what she said and his fists
fell to his sides. “Is he the reason you wouldn’t leave your party with me?”
“You should have told me about your family. It wasn’t
fair that you kept that from me. You know who my mother is, how this could
affect her career.”
“Well, it’s not fair that after a week hearing nothing
from you, I find ya standing on a street corner with another man!” She turned
as though to walk away, but he couldn’t let her go. He grabbed hold of her arm,
so that she had to listen to him… hear how much he loved her. “You know me
Crys. You know how much I love ya. That I would never do anything to
deliberately hurt you.”
“But you did hurt me.”
“If you really loved me, like I love you, you would
have left your party with me. Instead, the minute you found out about me
family, you chose your mother and him over me!” Shane spat out his words of
hurt.
“I’m sorry, Shane.”
“I can’t help who my family is, Crys.”
“I know you can’t and that’s the problem,” she said
with a sad smile as she turned her back on him.
“I really thought you loved me,” he whispered.
With rapid blinks, Shane’s vision cleared. When he
looked back to the spot where Crystal and Owen had been standing they were
gone. His imaginings had felt so real.
Less than an hour
after seeing Crystal and Owen together, Shane had instigated a new round of
negotiations with Ollie.
Now that his patent
for his D.R.S. was in place, and with the adjustments he could make to the
Sinclair engine, everyone associated with the company were clamoring to get him
onboard.
He had a lot to
bring to the table. Shane knew Ollie was rapidly running out of money, and he
had used the knowledge as a bargaining tool. Additionally, he also assured him
that Team Sinclair would have two years exclusive use of the D.R.S. He wasn’t
surprised when he got what he wanted—shares in the company.
Vacillating
between hatred and his love for Crystal, the latter won out. Calling himself
all kinds of a fool, two days later, Shane rang her doorbell. It was 8:30 on a
Sunday morning, and all he could think about was what he had witnessed right
here in front of her house. The remnants of his waking nightmare still refused
to leave him but he pushed it aside.
“Hello,” a voice
floated in from his right.
Looking over he
saw a little blue haired woman standing by the fence that separated the two
houses. “Hello,” he said politely.
“Are you looking
for Crystal?”
“Yeah,” Shane kept
his reply short not in the mood for small talk.
“She’s gone.”
“What…what do you
mean, gone?”
“I saw her and
that nice boyfriend of hers yesterday. All packed up she was. Going on holiday,
they were. Or maybe she was moving in with him. Young people these days do that
all the time, I
’m told
. Wouldn’t have happened in my
day, I can tell you,” she finished with a sniff.
“Mother, come back
inside and mind your own business!”
If he wasn’t so
preoccupied with what the elderly woman had just said, Shane would have
questioned their mother-daughter relationship. The only difference he could see
between the women was the second one had pink hair.
“Sorry love,” Pink
hair rolled her eyes at blue hair before turning to him. “Just ignore her. She
doesn’t get out much so she likes to poke her nose into other people’s
business, even if she doesn’t know what she’s talking about!”
“I know well
enough, Jean. It was that kind young man with the
locksdread
hair. He’s gone two-toned now, you know.” Looking at Shane with a myopic gaze,
she carried right on talking never realizing she’d mangled the word dreadlocks.
“Do you suppose that’s what happens to hair like that after a while—the
changing color, I mean?”
Shane tried to
hold on to his patience. The only information he was interested in was when the
supposed exodus had taken place. “When did she leave?”
“Who dear?” The
older of the women asked seeming to have already lost her train of thought.
Shane turned his
attention to the daughter in the hope of getting some sense out of her.
“Sorry, this is
the first I’ve heard of it. But I haven’t seen Crystal for a few days now, so
mum might be right.”
With a small
grimace that he tried to pass off as a smile of gratitude, Shane left. Sat
astride his bike. He had done everything he could to contact her while she had
done nothing. Having just lived through the worse period of his life, he had
done so without the woman he loved, and who had assured him she loved him in
return.
Not wanting to
have the conversation he knew they need to have over the phone, he had relented
and called her. There was no answer. Against his better judgment, he’d left a
message. But she never responded.
He didn’t want to
believe what he
had been told
, but everything he had seen
and heard validated that she no longer wanted him. Feelings of humiliation at
his blind trust in her washed over him, and he wanted to punch something to
vent his anger.