Keep My Secrets by Elena Wilkes (management books to read .txt) 📕

Chloe’s clothes trying to follow Vanessa’s instructions so that she wouldn’t moan at her again.

‘It’s this afternoon,’ Jack whispered over her shoulder. ‘Make sure everything’s ready. We’ll leave at different times, but we’ll meet up here.’ He gave her a piece of paper with an address on it. ‘This is the address of the friends I was talking about. These are the people who will help us.’

She nodded quickly, shoving the paper into the pocket of her jeans.

‘One o’clock, yes? That just gives you an hour. Do you think you can manage it?’

She nodded again and Jack kissed her cheek, the heat and excitement of his breath still warm on her skin as she heard him in the hallway calling out to Vanessa that he’d see her later.

She carried on folding, not really aware of what she was doing and glanced at the clock. She knew why Jack had chosen today: Peter was at work, and Vanessa had told them she was going out to meet a girlfriend for lunch. She wouldn’t be back for a couple of hours, by which point they’d both be well away.

Pulling out her phone, she found Uber and quickly tapped in the address as Vanessa clip-clopped down the stairs and into the kitchen carrying a laundry basket.

‘What a mess you’ve made of that!’ she laughed, glancing at the pile. ‘Leave it, I’ll do it when this lot’s dry.’

Frankie quickly slipped the phone back into her pocket; her face felt hot and bright.

But then she caught sight of the laundry basket.

‘My friend cancelled at the last minute,’ Vanessa shrugged. ‘Very annoying. We’re going on Friday instead.’

‘Friday?’

‘Doesn’t make any difference to you though, does it?’ Vanessa hoisted the basket further onto her hip. ‘I’ll just put this load on the line and then it’ll be time for Chloe’s feed.’ She glanced up at the clock. ‘Won’t be a minute.’

She watched dumbly as Vanessa went out of the back door to the washing line. Her brain went onto automatic pilot. Dropping everything, she raced up the stairs, dragged out the tote bag from the side of the bed and then gently scooped up Chloe and wrapped her in a load of blankets. Lifting her onto one shoulder, she pulled out her wallet and opened it. There were some pound coins but not much else. Head buzzing, she carefully made her way back down the stairs, peering along the hallway to make sure Vanessa was still in the garden. She glanced down; Vanessa’s open handbag hung from the stair post with her purse sitting on the top. Dipping her hand in, she pulled it out, swinging the tote bag onto her back and making for the front door. She hurried down the path, finding her phone and checking the time. She was too early for the Uber. She snapped a look up and down the street, praying and hoping—

‘Frankie?’

A car drew up, its indicator flashing.

There was Peter, his window was down with his anxious face filling the gap. She looked around desperately, her heart hammering.

‘Are you off somewhere? Hang on, isn’t that Vanessa’s purse?’

Chloe started to cry. Her wails rang up and down the empty road as Peter bounced out of the car, abandoning it, and marched across the road towards her. She began to back away, dropping the purse, the cards scattering into the gutter. Her backing away broke into a run; Chloe started screaming. Peter was shouting things that made no sense about lying and betraying. if she could get around the corner she could lose him… Chloe’s screams went up a pitch – she was really bawling now – and then suddenly all hell broke loose. She glanced back. Vanessa was pelting up the street towards them, her white face frozen into a mask of terror. Frankie looked frantically: left and right, but there was nowhere to go. She felt Peter’s hand gripping her arm, swinging her round as his words tumbled thick and fast through the air. He was incandescent: What was she thinking? Running off with a new-born premature baby? Where in god’s name did she think she was going? There were accusations of theft, of putting Chloe in danger, threats to ring Jude and social services—

‘No, Peter! No! Stop this!’ Vanessa was shrieking.

Chloe was beside herself. She was yanked from Frankie’s arms. Peter was shouting and shouting. He grabbed the phone from her hand and they both watched as the piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

He immediately recognised the writing.

‘Jack.’ He looked at Vanessa, breathing heavily. ‘Jack. She was going with Jack.’

Within seconds she found herself back inside the house and Peter turned to dead-lock the front door.

‘You have no idea, do you?’ He glared at her. ‘You’re just a stupid, stupid girl.’ He stared down at her phone for a moment. ‘Ring him,’ he said bluntly. ‘Ring him and tell him to get himself here before I do something terrible.’

Jack stood in the centre of the living room with his head hanging and his shoulders slumped.

‘Tell her.’

He couldn’t even lift his head to meet her eyes.

‘Tell her,’ Peter commanded. ‘Tell her what will happen to you if you leave this house.’

Jack’s face was bright red. She thought he might be crying. He sniffed. Her heart nearly broke.

‘If I ever leave this house…’ he choked.

There was a pause.

‘Go on. What? Say it Jack.’

‘If I leave this house, I’m dead.’

She stared at his blood-red cheeks in horror. ‘Why? I don’t understand—’

‘I got involved with dangerous people – I mean, seriously dangerous. Drug people—’

‘What?’ She couldn’t take it in.

‘I-I saw what Martin Jarvis was doing with his little deals here and there, and it looked so easy. I thought doing small stuff was stupid – I thought I was cleverer.’ His eyes lifted toward his father and then batted away again. ‘I got way out of my depth really quickly. I got in very deep shit. My dad has had to pay them off every month.’ His shoulders hunched around his ears.