Twelve Days The Beginning - By Jade Reyner Page 0,169

came face to face with him.

“He was threatening you Elise. Threatening to kill you. Every single text that we all had, every phone call, even letters sent to Cole’s house – they were all the same. Threatening your life, telling us that he would be there, watching you, all of the time. That you would never get away from him again. Cole wanted to go to the police – hell, I wanted to go to the police - but we had promised you that we wouldn’t. When you pleaded to see him, I hoped that maybe you were right and that perhaps you could talk to him and get him to see sense but you wouldn’t bloody listen to us. You had to go and put yourself in danger and now you have played right into his hands. Don’t you see, Elise? I was having him followed but we had to be careful because if he found out then he could report us. Unfortunately he realised and he somehow managed to lose the guy that I had got on him – that’s what Sean was calling about after your walk. He had spotted Dale’s car and realised that he had got away from our guy. We were arranging to call the police in because it had just gone too far but you did your disappearing act before we had time. That means the police have nothing unless you are willing to talk Elise. You have to talk, you have to. That bastard can’t be allowed to get away with all of this. You have to forget your feelings of sentimentality and think about yourself, about us, about Cole, about everyone who loves you. We can’t see you like this and we can’t survive knowing that you are constantly in danger. You have to put a stop to this, Elise – for all of us.” Vaughn’s speech was so raw and so impassioned that Elise felt tears beginning to form and in the back of her mind she registered that that was pretty much all that she did these days – cry.

She looked up at him and saw the concern in his eyes, the emotion that he was trying to hold in check and when she spoke again, she did so both gently and calmly.

“I understand, baby, really I do. But please, please just let me try, just one last time. Let me talk to him just once. Get Sean or one of the officers to stand right outside the room so I can get help if I need to. Please Vaughn.” She pulled his head down towards hers and sealed her lips over his in a tender kiss. It was now or never.

“I love you, Vaughn Granger.” She whispered and she watched as he registered what she had just said and what she had just admitted. She needed to tell him, was glad that she had told him – it was another one of her ducks that she was desperately trying to get in a row.

When he went to speak, she placed her finger over his lips. “Sshhh...” she said. “I don’t need you to say anything, just believe that it’s true. I truly love you, Vaughn Granger – with all my heart.”

He shook his head in disbelief as he slowly left the room and she swiped away an ever-present tear as she watched him go.

From now on it was all about honesty and she needed Vaughn to understand how she felt. She could see how much it was costing him to watch her suffer and she already knew that it was killing Cole too. She understood that she had to sort this out for all of their sakes and ‘put a stop to it’ just as Vaughn had said but she still felt that she wanted just one last opportunity to try with Dale - to reason with him and see if she could understand what his motivation was. Maybe she was being completely foolish but she wanted to try one last time to make peace with him before she talked to the police and thereafter sealed her husband’s fate.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The door to Elise’s hospital room opened a short while later and Dale entered accompanied by Sean. She was pleased to see the burly security guard and glad that he hadn’t lost his job because of her stupid behaviour. As Dale went to approach her bed, Sean put a hand on his arm to stop him but Elise beckoned