AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He’d waited long enough. Noah flung open the car door.
Henry,
Ismail and I are safe and well in Australia. We are settled in a small town in Queensland. I am sorry that I fled without telling you and taking Ish. There’s a lot to discuss, can we chat?
Ava
Despite the time difference, Henry’s reply was instant.
Ava,
Thank you for making contact. I know where you are. I’m coming to visit. Will be there soon.
Hamid
Whoa! What? Coming now? Was he already en route? He did know where she was. Instant travel was easy for him, of course. The family had their own collection of private jets. Would he come alone? With an entourage? With security? Each thought escalated her growing fear.
Would Henry come with his brother, Ahmed? Ahmed was the youngest, the most indulged, the least skilled but most ambitious. The most dangerous. There was one secret Ava held that she wouldn’t disclose, to anyone. That one night…thinking about it and sheer black terror swept through her. It was late and she’d stayed up in the library reading when Ahmed had come home from a night out drinking. Ava was returning to her room when they encountered each other in the long, narrow and darkened hallways. Ava had never liked him but had never feared him before. Fuelled with alcohol, he’d been belligerent about his rights as a son, his role in the family and that he should be able to share his brother’s spoils. Despite her best efforts, Ava hadn’t been able to get away. He’d cornered her, held her in place and lifted her nightgown before running his fingers over her body, across her breasts, and laughing at her fear so that his spittle landed on her cheek. His eyes were wild as he undid his belt buckle…Instinct had kicked in and Ava had kneed him in the groin and luckily, he’d hunched easily due to his inebriation and she’d escaped.
Imprisoned already by then in the palace surroundings by Henry, everything had worsened. Ahmed’s embarrassing defeat had angered him, and he sought retribution. After that, nowhere was safe.
It was impossible to tell Henry. Ava had tried; the family was loyal, they pandered to the youngest member of the household, guided him, never accepted his faults.
Icy shards of fear settled in her spine. Had she made a grave mistake?
Noah greeted Sienna in the office of Lincoln Reid, unamused that he now knew the receptionist by name. It was not a place he wanted to frequent. Dare he dream that after today, this might be the end?
Sienna offered him a coffee that he accepted; anything to calm his nerves. It tasted vile and he downed the espresso in one sip. The caffeine travelled through his veins quickly and worked its magic. Except now his foot tapped.
‘Noah, come on through.’ Lincoln held his door open and observed him. ‘Is everything all right? Are you okay?’
No, it wasn’t. He’d been an absolute idiot. But the three-hour return trip from Brisbane to Bellethorpe had sobered him. Should he tell his lawyer what he’d done?
No. He’d done nothing wrong. In the end he’d climbed a trellis, peered into his daughter’s bedroom like a common beggar and at the sight of her—safe, comfortable and warm in the most beautifully decorated little girl’s bedroom—he’d scarpered out of there quick-smart and spent the morning hours berating himself for being a right royal jackass. Embarrassed, that’s what he was. Of his behaviour. Of his lack of self-control. He’d lost his mind, but he’d found it now.
Man, he’d be pouring out a poem later, that’d be sure. And it wouldn’t be pretty.
Lincoln pushed on, unaware of any of this.
‘Okay, the family report has been delivered to the court and the parties each have a copy.’ Taking a seat, the lawyer avoided further pleasantries and Noah was thankful for that. ‘I’ve read it thoroughly but rather than send it to you, I thought we’d talk it through and then you can take your time making a decision.’
‘A decision? About what? I thought that was the whole point of this expensive report process? Doesn’t the social worker make the decision?’
‘The report writer makes a recommendation and bases that recommendation on the content of the report, and that, of course, is the information she has gleaned from the interviews with each of you and any other investigations she conducted. It is for the court to endorse the recommendation or make another ruling on who Emily lives with and how often she spends time with the other parent.’
Okay, more legal mumbo jumbo, but whatever. Lincoln rattled on for a bit longer. ‘Lincoln, just tell me. What is her recommendation?’
A heavy pause. ‘She recommends that Emily remain living with her mother in Brisbane.’
A knife pierced his chest and sent shooting pains to his extremities. ‘When do I see her?’
‘Alternate weekends and each holiday excepting a rotation of special days like Easter and Christmas, her birthday.’
‘So, despite Lisa moving my daughter away from the only home she’s ever known without my permission, she is allowed to keep her and I’m to only see her on weekends and holidays?’ He couldn’t help another outburst. Surprisingly, his voice was steady.
‘Noah, Emily is not an object. Lisa does not get to keep her.’
Okay, yes, Lincoln was right. ‘Sorry, wrong turn of phrase but you know what I mean.’
