Dan was stunned by what he was hearing and Jim could understand better the earlier exchange between her and Gerry.
“You, you, you,” screeched her mother. “You selfish little bitch! You think your father had the brains to sell you off to Liam and hatch that plot with Mickie? I liked her, she knew exactly what she wanted and stopped at nothing to get it, like me. Now, you are going to do as you are told, otherwise I will be writing a book about my out of control famous daughter who fucked her way through London as a prostitute and even got knocked up and had an abortion before fucking Gerry who was head over heels. Then when he could no longer feather your nest sufficiently you moved on; footballers, photographers until you found your ultimate pay day in Mr Hollywood who you did allow to knock you up. I assume he pays well for fucking you and siring an offspring. Even if he divorces you I bet you are quids in. I always wondered who you were like, but we are two peas from a pod aren't we, you and I? Maybe that's why that Mickie despised you so much. She could see the similarities between us all, she even faked cancer! I bet they weren't cheap.” Her mother gestured towards Tasha's wedding and engagement rings.
Tasha stared, stunned and sickened by her mother's words but knew she would never give up her husband nor the rings that represented their marriage. However, the most hurtful words were the ones that compared her to her mother and Mickie. She would die before she’d allow herself to become like either of them; bitter, twisted and cruel.
Liam still stared at her and had something clouding his eyes, something she didn’t think she’d ever seen before, sadness.
“What?” Tasha asked him, hating being under his scrutiny.
“I can’t believe you’d do that, to my baby.”
“I did it,” she confirmed, hoping she sounded hard and without regret because there was no way she was doing this. Dissecting everything to analyse it and allow either of them to make her the guilty, partly because neither she nor the child she’d aborted bore any guilt in this hideous situation.
“A baby would have changed things, Tasha. Changed me,” he replied, startling her slightly. “I would have been a good dad.”
Tasha could feel her eyes drying as she stared long and hard at Liam’s words and the sentiment of them.
“Why? Why would you want a child in this?” she asked with a wave of her hand around them. “Who would want a baby to be born and brought up surrounded by violence and abuse? Nobody, Liam, that’s who. Nobody normal anyway.” Her voice was raised now as annoyance soared through her at the idea that any of them thought a baby was ever a good idea here; her father saw it as a golden goose, a cash cow and whilst her mother saw it as potential currency too, the insight into the depths her mother would and had sunk to meant she posed a greater danger to them all than her father had and then there was Liam. “Look at you, Liam. You would have been an awful dad; you procured a girl of what? Fourteen? Fifteen? You sexually, physically and emotionally abused that girl and you paid for it. You are involved in countless illegal activities including burglary, money laundering, loan sharking, protection rackets not to mention the drugs, although I thought you only dealt but your skin, eyes and shaking seem to suggest you might be using too. So, like I say, you would have been an awful dad.”
Silence hung between them for slowly passing seconds until Liam spoke, stunning Tasha with his words, delusions and complete stupidity. “I loved you.”
Suddenly, she was further stunned as she heard two words from the voice she loved most in the world.
“Hey, baby,” said Jim as he climbed the steps of the bandstand.
Chapter 32
Two words, that’s all he’d uttered.Hey, baby,and immediately Tasha felt calmer and safe.
“Introduce me, honey,” Jim continued as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “Dan's safe,” he whispered against her ear making it look like a gentle kiss.
“My mother, or at least the woman who gave birth to me, Joanna Bailey, and Liam Pickering my former...” she trailed off.
“Abuser, baby. I think you were right, although that would apply to my mother-in-law too. In case there was any doubt, I'm Mr Hollywood, Tasha's husband and no price would ever cover the privilege of siring children with my wife,” he said pointedly as he stared at Tasha's mother. He could see some shared similarities between mother and daughter, although they were only fleeting and not something he was going to dwell on or ever mention to his wife.
“Well, nice to meet you I’m sure, but we really need to be going.” Jim prepared to leave.
“We have video of Dan trafficking drugs,” taunted Joanna, clearly knowing Tasha's Achilles heel.
Dan appeared from the shadows and shook his head at Tasha. “You don't get to rescue me this time, Tash. I did this so I need to clean up my own crap.”
Tasha was confused by the notion of Dan with drugs but didn't question it at that point.
“Dan's right, Natasha. You don't get to play the hero this time,” Jim told her as he watched her face crumble. “I do,” he added. “Right, you all need to listen real good. We’re all going to meet with Tasha's legal representative and you will both be signing documents guaranteeing your silence on all things relating to her, me, her siblings, our son and future children. In exchange, neither of you will face criminal charges for the historical abuse, neglect nor assaults on Tasha which I have already established will be viable and almost guarantee the conviction of you both. In addition, no further charges will be brought against her father for the same crimes. You will also hand over any and all copies of evidence against Dan.”
“Maybe we'll take Dan down with us,” goaded Joanna.
“That's your choice, but if you do I have it on good authority that you will further incriminate yourselves as dealers and distributors of illegal drugs and with evidence of the systematic abuse of your children he is unlikely to be convicted. In fact, he could claim a type of Stockholm syndrome.” Jim smirked. “This ends, once and for all.”
“I would need a financial incentive.” Joanna Bailey’s word seemed to shock Jim, briefly, but not Tasha.
Shaking his head, Jim took a step closer, “You do this my way first and then I will ensure you are appropriately compensated for everything you’ve done for my wife.”
“James,” cried Tasha, finally finding her voice.
“My way, Natasha. You ran out of chances tonight,” he told her seriously.
“Deal,” agreed Joanna smugly.
