Page 71 of Teacakes & Tangos
‘Yes, I was. But that’s no excuse. I tried to back out of it the following morning when I came to my senses. I phoned Josh but he just laughed and said I was part of the plan now and if I tried to back out, they’d come for you... make sure you suffered for my mistake.’ He reached for my hand, tears in his eyes. ‘I couldn’t have that, could I? I’d no idea what depths these guys would go to for revenge if I reneged on the deal.’
‘Oh, Dad.’ I dropped my head onto his shoulder and wrapped my arms around him.
‘You used to look up to me when you were a little girl, like I really was your hero. That’s what kills me most about all of this. It’s why I kept up the pretence of not remembering who my “date” was. I couldn’t face the shame and the disgust I knew you’d feel once you knew the truth about what I wasreallydoing that day.’ He shook his head. ‘So that makes me a coward as well as a liar and a criminal.’
I kissed his cheek and went to sit down beside him again. ‘I just wish you’d told me how badly in debt we were. We could have talked about it and made some plans. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if we have to sell the house. It’s just bricks and mortar. All my precious memories of living here with you and Mum are in here.’ I touched my heart. ‘You didn’t have to go to such lengths. But Dad, you saved Minnie’s life by being so brave that day and doing the right thing. And you gave yourself up to the police voluntarily. They didn’t even know you were part of the robbery. It was always reported on the news that there were three men involved, not four.’
He nodded. ‘I can only assume no one spotted me diving out of the van to get to Minnie.’
‘Surely the police will take your bravery into consideration?’
Dad shrugged. ‘Who knows? They interviewed me for a very long time about what happened and who exactly was involved. And I gave them what they needed. Names and addresses.’
‘Good.’ I thought about Xander’s brother, Freddie. Presumably he was on the list Dad gave the police. ‘So you didn’t hold anything back? You were completely honest with them?’
‘I told them everything,’ he said flatly.
My heart was in my mouth. Would Dad be charged? Would he be convicted and have to serve a prison sentence? I couldn’t bear it if that were to happen to us – on top of everything else.
I felt a sudden fierce longing for Xander... to feel his comforting arms around me.
But I knew I had to put him out of my mind for the sake of my sanity.
‘So what’s going to happen now, Dad?’ I asked, already dreading his reply.
He sighed. ‘They said it would go in my favour if I told them everything, which I did. They know I don’t have a criminal record like the others and they’ve accepted that I put myself in danger in order to save someone else.’
‘That’s good,’ I murmured. ‘But will they be charging you with anything?’
He shrugged helplessly. ‘I don’t know. But in the meantime, I’m not to leave the area. I’ll still be helping them with their enquiries.’
I swallowed hard, feeling relief washing through me. It sounded as if the police realised Dad wasn’t a hardened criminal.
I sighed. ‘The fact that this is your first offence will surely stand you in good stead, Dad, even if you do end up in court.’
‘Yes, but if I have to serve a prison sentence, love, I’ll do it willingly,’ he said in a perfectly calm voice. ‘I deserve to be punished.’
*****
I was missing Xander so much.
My life was pretty full, what with working long shifts at the café and spending the evenings making sure Dad was all right. I knew that eventually news would get out that he’d been involved in the robbery, and I needed to be there to protect him from the bad stuff that would no doubt follow. I was just glad he didn’t have any social media accounts because the vitriol on there could be overwhelming...
I wanted to reach out to Xander and tell him the shocking news about dad. I wasn’t entirely sure how he would react, butI had a feeling he would understand Dad’s motives when other people maybe wouldn’t. Especially if he knew Dad had been threatened with harm coming to me if he didn’t do as he was told...
I couldn’t put Xander out of my mind.
I knew he must be hurt by my recent coolness towards him, and so many times I wanted to call him – especially when I was alone in my room late at night. But I just kept thinking of all the reasons why it wasn’t a good idea.
Xander had kept so much from me, which was lying by omission. And I’d suffered enough deception at the hands of Les to last me a whole lifetime. Also, I couldn’t rid myself of the thought that Xander’s kindness towards me had been because he felt guilty.
And what about the fact that Freddie was clearly a criminal?
Xander seemed to be the complete opposite of his brother, but as Freddie’s twin, wouldn’t he have similar genes? Could that mean that Xander, too, might be prone to shady behaviour, just like his brother? Would I be an idiot to trust him?
It was all such a mess. Every time I tried to sort it out in my head, I seemed to end up more confused than ever.
It was clear I needed to forget Xander and put all my energy into making sure Dad was okay. But sadly, that was easier said than done...
