Finders Keepers Edie Baylis (phonics readers .TXT) 📖

covered in her own filth, the horror on everyone’s faces... Robert holding her up on the toilet... What all of these people had seen...

All she’d been able to focus on at the time was getting more of whatever she’d been given that robbed her from thinking and stopped her from feeling. Blissful oblivion. But now it was different. The short but vivid recollections flashed back through her mind, taunting her in a cruel, endless nightmare.

Her cheeks burned. That man - the monster... She hadn’t stopped him, had she? In fact, she didn’t think she’d even tried. Had she even cared?

With mounting sadness, she realised she couldn’t remember. The only way anyone could look at her now was with shame, disgust or pity. She was dirty. A drug addict. Soiled.

Teagan glanced at her bandaged wrists. They were healing, but their presence underlined that she hadn’t imagined any of it. It was real... She wanted to scream. She wanted to scream and scream and scream. How had any of this happened?

Dulcie... It was coming back. It was the people who had killed Helen and who had come for the diamonds. They’d been asking her about diamonds... What about Dulcie? Had they hurt Dulcie? Oh no... no... NO!

Teagan tensed as Robert perched on the edge of the bed. ‘How are you feeling? Are you up to getting some fresh air in the garden today?’ His deep voice vibrated through her body. Her skin felt so thin, so sensitive that she feared her bones may crumble.

She stared at the thick cream curtains framing the large bedroom window. The sky outside looked blue and inviting, but nothing held any enjoyment any more. How could it? ‘Dulcie? Is she ok? Is she...’

‘Don’t worry about that, just concentrate on getting back to normal.’

Teagan flinched. Back to normal? There was no chance of ever being back to normal. And what was this about Dulcie? Was she dead? Turning her back, she curled into a foetal position, the tears now flowing freely.

Robert edged away. Wasn’t this what he was expected to do? Offer words of support and reassuring gestures? He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be in this room dealing with this. ‘We’ll make this better,’ he said flatly.

Teagan stared at the wall, anger replacing the tears. She dug her nails into her palms. The drugs might be out of her system, but the rest wasn’t. None of it. ‘Please leave me alone,’ she whispered. Nothing would ever be alright again. Nothing.

A tap at the door made Teagan’s blood freeze. Who was that? Who was it? Colours flashed behind her eyes.

‘Sorry to intrude,’ Jonah said, entering the bedroom. He glanced at Teagan and then fixed on Robert. ‘When it’s convenient could I have a word?’

Teagan scrabbled up the bed, her nails scraping against the crisp cotton duvet. ‘CAN EVERYONE LEAVE ME ALONE!’

‘SHE’LL BE FINE WITH GWEN,’ Jonah poured Robert a large whisky. Gulping at his own drink, he gestured for Robert to take a seat.

Robert took the offered drink and sipped at it gratefully. Teagan’s reaction was worrying and it made the situation he wanted nothing to do with, harder. ‘I don’t know why she’s being like this.’

Jonah rubbed his hand over his chin and knocked back the rest of his whisky. That was a strange thing for Robert to say? Both he and Robert Adams knew Saul had done more to Teagan than the drugs. It had been impossible to miss that tell-tale bruising. How he wished he’d killed his brother the moment he was released from prison. He never thought Saul would sink to such depths.

‘Try not to worry too much. Gwen will be good for Teagan. She’s great with stuff like this. She understands people,’ Jonah said, his voice tailing off as he skirted around the uncomfortable elephant in the room. ‘Christ, I don’t know what to say? What the fuck can I say, apart from that my brother was a cunt and I’m sorry?’

Robert’s eyes glazed over. Finishing Saul had been far too quick and in retrospect, he should have tortured the bastard for weeks. Months. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into the palms of his hand. Between Saul Powell and his own mother, they had ruined everything.

Jonah cleared his throat. ‘It might help if you tell Teagan that Saul’s dead?’

‘What, so you want me to tell her that as well as failing to protect her from your bastard brother, I’m also a fucking murderer too?’ Robert hissed. That was the upshot, wasn’t it? Saying it out loud made it real. Now on top of that, he was back to square one. And he couldn’t deal with it.

‘Listen, Saul was my brother, but if you hadn’t done it, I would have.’ Jonah said. ‘I’ll help put this right for the girl in whatever way I can. Tell me what you need.’

‘What I need?’ Robert stared at Jonah incredulously. How could anyone give him what he needed? No one could.

‘What either of you need,’ Jonah corrected. ‘Say the word and it will be done.’

Robert shook his head and helped himself to another whisky. He felt like necking the whole bottle. ‘Not to be involved in any of this would be good.’ He’d almost had a life for a while back then. Almost...

Jonah shrugged. ‘I’m afraid you have your mother and father to thank for that. If it will help, you and Teagan can move to another one of my properties. You can have some time together there. It might make things easier?’

Robert swallowed his scowl. Going somewhere with Teagan was the last thing he wanted. Even being surrounded with this lot was preferable than being left to deal with her.

Jonah folded his arms and looked directly at Robert. ‘Whatever you want to do is fine, but as I said to you yesterday, I want you to help me with things. You may be a Pointer, but not the one I want.’

‘I am NOT a Pointer,’ Robert snarled. ‘I’m