Tangled Web

TANGLED WEB

BY

LIZZIE JAMES

Copyright © 2016 Lizzie James

This book is a work of fiction, names of characters, some
places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any
resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed,
transmitted or stored in a database in any form, without the prior permission
of the publisher.

This book shall not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise
circulated without the publisher’s prior consent.

Published by Lizzie James 2016

Edited by Simon Oneill

Cover art by Terra James

All Rights Reserved

Prologue

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to
deceive”. – Walter Scott

I didn’t see this coming.
 
After knowing him like I did.
 
The
way he smiled, the things he did to make me laugh.
 
I just didn’t see this car crash
happening.
 
How we could go from being
crazy about each other and sneaking away to get any minute we could together?
 
To this.
 
To him stealing everything that ever meant anything and using it against
me.
 
They say love is blind.
 
No truer words have been spoken.

Chapter One

“Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make
sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position…” the
captain called over the speaker.

“Finally,” I muttered.
 
The older gentleman smiled next to me.
 
“Sorry, I hate flying.” I chuckled.

“May I ask are you flying to London for business or
pleasure?
 
You look far too young for it
to be business,” he asked.

“Actually, I’m moving to London.
 
My family lives there.” As I said this he
grinned at me.
 
“What?” I queried,
smiling.

“We are in London for common reasons, it seems.
 
I have been away on business but I look
forward to getting home.”

As the plane began its descent I grabbed the arms of the
chair.
 

“Nervous?” my friend next to me asked.
 

I tried to smile but I think it came out as more of a
grimace.
 

“Hold my hand if you like.”

No need to offer twice, I quickly grasped his hand and
squeezed as the plane came to a stop.
 
After untangling his hand from mine I grinned at him, blushing.

“That wasn’t so bad,” I said to lighten the mood.
 
It worked.
 
He laughed out loud as he stood up and collected his bag from the
overhead storage compartment.
 

“My apologies.
 
I
don’t even know your name.
 
I’m Peter
Jennings.” He extended his hand.

“Oh, I’m Chloe Johnson.” I shook his hand.
 
He froze when I said this for some
reason.
 
Maybe my hand was sweaty?
 
Or maybe he just recognized my last
name?
 
I hope not.
 
I liked to be my own person and not be
classed with the same stigma as the rest of my family.
 
He quickly cleared his throat and turned my
hand over so it was palm down, bending over my hand and pressed a kiss to my
knuckles.
 
I smiled and blushed.
 
I’d never met someone so chivalrous.

“Until we meet again, Miss Johnson.” He winked.
 

That was strange.
 
As
he walked away, he gave me one last look over his shoulder and then disappeared
out of sight amongst the other passengers alighting the plane.

I quickly grabbed my bag from beneath my seat and joined the
sea of people vacating the plane.
 
After
collecting my suitcase, I made my way outside to grab a taxi to Kensington, my
new home.
 
I quickly dialled my brother
Chase and left a message at the beep.
 
“Hey Chase.
 
I’ve just landed and
am on my way.
 
See you in a bit.”
 

As the taxi pulled up outside my new home, I couldn’t
believe what I saw.
 
Chase was outside
with a big
“Welcome home”
banner with
every colour of the rainbow on it.
 
That
was Chase for you, he could always make me smile.
 
People say he’s a ruthless businessman but
he’d always been a great brother to me.

“Chloe!” he yelled when I got out of the taxi.
 
As I shut the door, he knocked me back into
it as he threw his arms around me.
 
“I’m
so glad you’re finally here, baby sis.”

“Me too.” I squeezed.
 
“Me too.”
 
As he unwrapped his
arms from around me, he looked me in the eye.
 
Ever since our mother walked out on us, Chase has always been my
protector.
 
Always looked out for
me.
 
Ever since I was little.
 
Whenever I’d fall he’d always be there to pick
me up.
 
Over the years, Chase and I have
never needed words to communicate.
 
Chase
can always just look at me and know how I am feeling or thinking.

“Okay then.”
 
Chase
quickly bent down and grabbed my one suitcase.
 
“Is this it?” He frowned as I quickly nodded.
 
“But…”

“Not all of us travel with a ton of stuff,” I said.
 
He rolled his eyes as I said this.
 
No need to tell him I left most of my stuff
behind in a hurry.
 
I had to get out of
there.
 
Living in Paris I had fallen in
with the wrong group of people and I just had to get away.
 
I’d been classed as a rich spoiled
princess.
 
My friend, Joseph, was a
struggling artist and wanted to branch out into nude portraits that were quite
lucrative in Paris.
 
I posed for him a
few times – as practice – and before I knew it, he’s selling them online.
 
I freaked when I found out.
 
That was when my friend stopped being so nice.
 
Joseph got violent from then on, forcing me
into situations that I was not comfortable with.
 
He was no longer my friend.

I had nothing in Paris.

“Ok, let’s go in,” Chase said, breaking my thoughts.
 
“Grab the board.” He smiled cheekily.
 

As we headed for the steps, I grabbed the welcome board he
obviously made and followed.

“Christ, how many steps are there?” I complained.

“Stop your whining.” He laughed.
 
“Here we are.”
 

As we entered the apartment, Chase walked straight to the
guest room – or I guess my room now – and dumped my suitcase on the bed.

 
“You….” He pointed at
me, “…. unpack, freshen up, whatever.
 
I
will pop out and grab us food.
 
Chinese?”
 
He waited for me to
agree.
 
“Right, I’ll be back in a bit.” He
kissed my head and made to leave.

“Okay.
 
Thanks Chase.”

“No worries, sis.
 
See
you in a bit.”
 

After Chase left, I peeked around the apartment.
 
My new home.
 
It had a lovely spacious area with an open-plan connected kitchen.
 
I really couldn’t wait to cook in here.
 
It had a large cooker that I couldn’t wait to
use.
 
After unpacking, I took a
stunningly long shower and changed into my pyjamas.
 
While waiting for Chase to get back, I took
out my phone and checked for messages.
 
Nothing.
 
I don’t know what I was
expecting.
 
I changed my number before
boarding the plane.

The front door opened, Chase entered with enough food to
feed a small country.

After stuffing myself silly I was afraid to move.
 
“Stick a fork in me.
 
I’m done.” I groaned.

“I should think so.” Chase laughed.
 
“Damn girl, I’ve never seen anyone eat so
much, you greedy cow.”
 

That set me off laughing.
 

“Time for a bottle of wine, I think.”

“I’ll get it.” I jumped up from the settee.
 
As I grabbed a bottle of red wine from the
fridge I noticed a bouquet of yellow roses on the worktop.
 
“Who’s the flowers from?” I yelled.
 
I couldn’t picture Chase receiving flowers
from a girl.

“Those, darling sister of mine, are for you.
 
From you know who.”
 

I cringed as he said this and read the card.

“Welcome home
sweetheart.
 
Looking forward to catching
up.
 
Love Dad”.

Awesome.
 
So the gifts
begin.
 
This was our father’s way of
trying to bribe me in to working for him.
 
No matter how many times I would tell him I had no interest in joining the
family business, he wouldn’t listen.
 
He
would always find a way into sweet-talking me.
 

“Hey.”
 
Chase rubbed
my arm.
 
“You know how he is.
 
He has this idea in his head of his perfect
son and daughter working for him.
 
Like
one big happy family.”

“Not just working for him though, is it.
 
I know what a job in his company
entails.”
 
Chase cocked an eyebrow when I
said this.
 
“Come on,” I scoffed.
 
“I have no interest in going head-to-head with
the obnoxious Walker boys.”
 
Ever since I
could remember, the Walker and the Johnson family have been involved in all-out
war in the corporate world.
 
I’ve been
kept out of most of it.
 
When I was 18 I
moved to Paris to study finance.
 
Then
three days before graduation, I left Paris.
 
Chase hasn’t asked yet and I hoped he never would.
 
He would flip.

“Hey, what did I say?
 
If you don’t want to see him, you don’t have to, okay?” he said and I
nodded.
 
“Although you should think
about.
 
Imagine it.”
 
He was getting excited now.
 
“Finally it’s no longer two against
one.”
 

I laughed when he said this.
 
He sounded like he was a little boy again, when we used to play with the
two Walker boys.
 
There was a time when
the three of them were best friends.

When we were kids there was no war.
 
Our families were extremely close.
 
Our fathers were business partners and our
mothers were best friends.
 
When our
mother left I remember Mrs. Walker taking such good care of us.
 
I don’t know what happened, but ever since
then our families have hated each other with a vengeance.

“Chase.
 
No,” I said,
final.
 
He deflated when I said this but
I knew he’d try again.
 
He was so much
like my father that way.

“Fine.” He sulked.
 
“Tomorrow why don’t you finish unpacking and then I want to take my baby
sister out on the town.”
 
He winked when
he said this.

“Sounds fab.”

“Cool.” He nodded.
 
“I
am off to bed because my ass of a boss has me working a fricking Saturday.
 
Our father is a slave driver.”

“Well you wanted to work in the family business,” I pointed
out, teasing.

“And I don’t regret it.” He smiled.
 
“You be ready by 7.30pm and the Johnson’s
will hit the town.” He squeezed me into a hug.

“I will.
 
I’ll be
ready.” I patted him on the back.
 
After
a quick kiss on the cheek, I was off to my room and dropped off to sleep
straight away.

The next day I spent settling in to my new home.
 
I hate unpacking almost as much as I hate
packing.
 
When I decided to move back to
London I contacted Chase to see if I could stay with him.
 
Chase is three years older than me and never
lets me forget it.
 
When I called him out
of the blue sobbing that I wanted to come home, he didn’t hesitate.
 
He booked me a plane ticket and three days
later I was flying home.
 
Chase never
asked me why I wanted to come home a few weeks off graduation.
 
I was thankful he didn’t ask because I’m not
sure what I would have said.

Can I come home
because my friend painted some nude portraits of me and now they’re on the
internet somewhere and, oh yeah, he beat me black and blue when I said it had
to stop.
 
I don’t think so.

So that’s what I’m doing in London.
 
I decided to come home to the only people I
knew loved me.
 
Mom’s parents had already
passed.
 
I didn’t know anyone on our
father’s side of the family.
 
Only Chase
and our father.
 
When Chase said I should
come and live with him I didn’t hesitate.
 
I packed all my clothes, a few books, some of Mom’s jewellery, photos
and gave the furniture to charity.
 
A lot
of my things were sold to pay for other stuff.
 
There wasn’t much really for me to pack.
 
Quite sad really.

As far as party clothes go, I only had my little black dress
that I mostly used for formal events and funerals.
 
The rest of my clothes were strictly for work
or casual.
 
Don’t think Chase would be
too impressed if I went in my jeans, Yankees t-shirt and sneakers.
 
I quickly checked my hair – curly and loose –
grabbed my clutch purse, put on my short leather jacket and locked up the front
door.

As I stepped out onto the pavement I looked up as I heard a
car beeping.
 
A black cab was just
pulling up to the curb.
 
Chase quickly
opened the door, gave me a wolf whistle and pulled my hand for me to get in.