Always You Read online

  Always You

  Rugby Brothers, Volume 2

  Tiara Inserto

  Published by OVLE Publishing, 2019.

  Copyright 2019 by TIARA INSERTO. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations used in articles or reviews.

  ALWAYS YOU is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events, places, incidents, or organizations is coincidental.

  DIGITAL ISBN: 978-1-949823-04-2

  PRINT ISBN: 978-1-949823-05-9

  Cover design by Llewellen Designs

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  EPILOGUE

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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  Also By Tiara Inserto

  About the Author

  For those who don't let their past define their future.

  CHAPTER ONE

  August 2015, Auckland, New Zealand

  Neela sank against the front door, her breathing still hard and erratic after taking the steps two at a time. She darted her eyes back and forth, scoping the familiar surroundings. Was there another way to escape the place she had started to regard as a refuge from the past?

  She pressed her fingers to her forehead, wanting to calm the relentless pounding in her head. She knew its source all too well.

  It was a feeling so strong, it threatened to drown her in a sea of darkness.

  Until five minutes ago, she’d thought she would never need to fight from being afraid again. She realized now that she was just used to living with fear all the time.

  She closed her eyes and tried to even her breathing.

  Not working.

  Eyes now opened, she focused on the window that kept the small unit full of light. They lived on the second floor. Could she survive a jump?

  She shook her head, scrambling to reach the rational part of her mind. Be smart! Think through this! Just stay quiet!

  The door was double-locked. He wouldn’t know which unit she lived in. He couldn’t have seen which door she had entered; she would have heard him if he were closer. There was no way he’d know where she lived.

  “Neela!”

  Her gasp sounded loud even to her own ears. Breathe...

  breathe... He doesn’t know you’re here. He can’t - know...

  “Neela Smyth! I saw you!”

  She breathed in and out rapidly through her mouth, this time switching to techniques she had learned in the field to control the adrenaline pumping through her. Frowning, she willed herself to concentrate, to listen. She pushed slightly against the front door, her ear pressed against the dark wood panel. Heavy footsteps made their way up the stairwell; her name repeatedly being called by a voice she’d never wanted to hear again.

  Then it was silent.

  Neela shut her eyes as she released her breath. Her heart continued to pound loud and fast.

  Warily, she crept across the room to the dining area. Without thinking twice, she grabbed a chair and wedged it against the door. She stared at it, tempted to test how well it would stand against a forceful push.

  The loud, brash knock on the door made her take a sudden step backward as if the sound had shoved her.

  “Neela!”

  She bit back the cry that was close to escaping. She started to shake and wrapped her body with her arms. There’s no way he can see in. He doesn’t know you’re here. You’re safe... You’re safe...

  “Neela!”

  Her body jerked in response.

  She kept her eye on the door handle as she inched toward her bedroom. Don’t try it, Kyle. Leave me alone! She had long since given up reciting prayers, but she was praying now. The ringing in her ears became louder with each step she took, and the floor seemed to be moving again. She should call the police... but say what?

  There was another loud knock—an impatient one. Neela’s heart raced. She rushed into her bedroom but was careful to shut her door quietly. The click that confirmed it was now locked did little to ease her anxiety.

  “Go away, Kyle,” she whispered.

  She let her arm fall and felt for the phone she’d thrown into the pocket of her jacket earlier that day. She should call Mano. He’d know what to do.

  Her hand rested on the cold screen, but she didn’t pull the phone out.

  She didn’t want to be a burden again. Not to Mano. Once was more than enough. He couldn’t know she was still afraid. Her beloved cousin had done so much to help her get out of the situation in the first place. She wanted him to get on with his life, especially now that he’d found someone. He should only be focusing on Margot right now. He deserved that.

  It was quiet now. Her body began trembling uncontrollably. Was it from relief? Fear? Both?

  She shut her eyes and covered her ears with shaking hands, wanting the incessant ringing inside her head to stop. Kyle would have left by now, surely. He was not a patient man.

  But she didn’t want to leave the room.

  It was safer here. Locked behind two doors, it was safer. She was safe.

  * * *

  Neela woke to the sound of a low buzz. She groaned as she felt the stiffness in her lower back inch up her torso. She had fallen asleep at an awkward angle, still hunched against her bedroom door. She stared at her bed, only a few steps away, her doona still tossed haphazardly at its foot.

  Buzzing pulled her attention back to her phone. She caught the time before she pressed the green button. It’d been two hours since she’d come back from her run, two hours since she and Kyle had locked eyes over a crowded crosswalk, two hours since she’d tried to outrun her past.

  “Hello?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Are you home? I can’t get the door open. I think something’s stuck against it.”

  Corrine!

  Neela scrambled off the floor and ran out of the bedroom to the front door. She pulled the dining chair from the door, reminding herself to smile as she greeted her flatmate.

  “Hiya! Sorry about that. I was... uh... trying a new workout.”

  “What kind of workout has you putting the chair against the door?” Corrine asked, frowning at the piece of furniture that was still in Neela’s hand. She shook her head and picked up the grocery bags at her feet. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. Do whatever you need to do to get to Rio, my friend. I want bragging rights when this is all over.”

  Neela smiled cautiously, then peeked into the hallway quickly before shutting the door. She made sure the deadbolt was turned and pulled on the door handle again. She ran her hands through her hair and willed herself to keep her smile on. She walked towards the kitchen to help with the unpacking.

  Keep it normal. He’s gone.

  “I have my dates for Papua New Guinea. Looks like it’s finally happening,” Corrine said as she passed a box of pasta to Neela to put away. “Are you sure you don’t want to hang on to the unit? You’ll like the girl who’ll take over this pl
ace. I don’t think she’s found a flatmate yet.”

  “No, the contract with Christchurch is a good one. I might not even need a full-time job to pay the bills. It’s a good team, and one of the girls from the team has a room available for me to rent.”

  Corrine paused. “You seemed so settled here. I’m just surprised. I thought you liked being in Auckland.”

  “I do. But with Rieann being sick...”

  “How is she doing?”

  “As far as I can tell, she’s as good as she can be. They still don’t know what’s wrong with her. She’s going through a lot of testing. She and Trey are coming up next week to meet with some specialists. Mano’s been great at giving her some advice about who to see and what questions to ask.”

  Corrine sighed. “Unfortunately, he would be one of the few people who could have that discussion with her.”

  “Yeah.” She glanced at Corrine, whose back was still to her. They had an unspoken agreement to not discuss her cousin’s girlfriend. Neela reached into the bags for more cans but decided to ignore the whispers of caution in her head. “Have you heard more about how Margot is doing with her treatment?”

  Corrine stopped what she was doing, her chest rising and falling as she took a deep breath. She turned and leaned against the counter, her blue eyes troubled. “No. Now that I see how secretive everyone is about it, I guess I’m lucky to even know she’s sick.”

  “He didn’t say it outright,” Neela said. “But I think Mano believes it’s because of who he is that she’s not talking to anyone about her cancer. She wants to fight this privately.”

  Corrine removed the last few cans from the grocery bag and began handing them over to Neela. “We all deal with things differently. I guess I wanted Margot to need me, but she has Mano and her parents now.”

  Neela didn’t miss Corrine’s quivering lips, bitten down quickly as the latter glanced away. Neela returned the cans to the counter and reached for Corrine. She hoped her attempt at some physical comfort made up for her inability to find the right words. Were there any that could adequately address the sadness in her friend’s quiet voice?

  She knew of the silver frame on Corrine’s desk that held a photo of two beautiful young women with arms tightly wound around each other. Windblown hair, broad smiles, and animated eyes were caught for eternity in a moment that spoke of a deep bond. It was a photo Neela caught Corrine staring at often.

  Corrine squeezed Neela’s hand one last time before stepping out of their embrace. With another deep breath, Corrine returned her attention to putting away the last of the shopping. “Anyway, while I’m surprised, I’m glad you’ve decided it’s time to go home. It can’t be an easy decision. But I think it’s the right one. Your sister will need you close.”

  Neela recognized the unspoken request in Corrine’s eyes to change the subject. “Time will tell. Rieann hasn’t asked and won’t. But Mano reminded me that Mum would have wanted me at home, to be there for my niece and nephew, so Trey can concentrate on being there for Rieann. He’s right as usual. As much as I love living here, there are now more reasons for me to go than to stay,” she admitted. And after today, getting as far away as possible from Kyle would be one of the major ones. But Corrine didn’t need to know that.

  Neela shut the cupboard door. “What about you? Ready to leave Auckland? It’s been your home for five years.” Corrine smiled excitedly as she launched into a list of things she was looking forward to doing.

  Corrine had the gift of joy, Neela thought as she listened to her flatmate’s plans for Papua New Guinea. But behind the soft-spoken woman was someone with a will of steel. In their year of living together, Neela had watched Corrine systematically overcome challenge after challenge to fulfill her lifelong ambition of doing missionary work overseas. Corrine might have the face of an angel, but she attacked her dreams like a predator.

  Mano had known Corrine for years through a youth program they were both involved in. When he learned she was looking for someone to share her flat, he’d called Neela immediately. He’d merely stated that there was a room in a nice area in her current budget. When Neela expressed her hesitancy at moving, he’d asked bluntly, “How many times does a man have to hit you before you leave?”

  She had hung up on him then.

  But the question had stayed with her all day, forcing her to confront what her heart needed. If she had listened to her heart, she would have stayed, wanting her love to be enough to change Kyle, to inspire him to control his temper and anger.

  Except the hits were getting harder, and his promises to do better, to be better, were becoming less frequent.

  The next morning, after Kyle left for work, she’d phoned Corrine and asked if she could move in that afternoon.

  In hindsight, it should have been an easy decision. But in the first month after she had moved out, she’d found herself dialing Kyle’s number half a dozen times. When sleep didn’t come quickly, she would reach across the bed, finding only cold sheets, and would wonder if he was thinking of her, or if he still loved her.

  After today’s encounter, she had her answer.

  Seeing the anger in his eyes, even from a distance, was all the validation she needed that she had — indeed — made the right decision.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” Corrine said, pushing a folded piece of paper toward Neela. “This was taped to the security door when I came in. It has your name on it. Probably from one of your fans.”

  The pounding in Neela’s head returned with a vengeance. She recognized Kyle’s handwriting immediately.

  She hoped Corrine didn’t see her shaking hand when she picked up the note. “Thanks. It’s my turn to cook, isn’t it? Would a simple soup and salad do? In an hour?”

  “Sounds good. Want any help?”

  “No worries. You did the shopping. How much is my share?”

  Corrine smiled. “My shout. I know you need to get a new exhaust pipe for your bike.”

  “So you were listening while I had my mini-tantrum?”

  “A little hard to miss. Our walls aren’t that thick.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Happy to do it and glad I can. I know how tight things are, especially now, with all the training for the Games. But I’m really proud of you. Imagine that—a year ago, you weren’t even playing at the provincial level. And now you’ve got a real chance of representing our country at the Summer Games!”

  “Yeah,” Neela said quietly, her fingers tightening on the note. Nothing good was going to come from it.

  Instead, she smiled. “I’ll start on dinner after a quick shower.” She walked towards her bedroom, resisting the urge to crunch up the note and toss it straight into the bin.

  It wasn’t until later, after Corrine had gone to bed, that she opened the folded piece of paper with trembling hands.

  We need to talk. You owe me. Call me, or I will come back and wait outside until we do.— K

  She didn't imagine the chill that went through her body. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, wanting to focus on the physical pain instead of the one that was gnawing from within. She reached for her phone instinctively. Mano would want to know that Kyle had contacted her.

  For the second time that day, she stilled her fingers. She returned the phone to where it had lain.

  She wasn’t going to depend on her cousin.

  She wasn’t going to depend on anyone.

  She’d figure a way to deal with this herself. She had to, or Kyle would always be a part of her life.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Blake knew he was staring, but he couldn’t stop himself.

  He had turned his head randomly just as she entered the pub. A split second later, he would have completely missed seeing her.

  Neela Smyth?

  After all these years?

  He watched her walk tentatively past a group of people before she reached the bar with her head down. She was dressed casually: a leather jacket covered a simple white shirt and jeans.

 
Her gaze moved over the other patrons at the bar. A look at the door suggested she was searching for someone. She raised a hand to massage the back of her neck before returning it to find its partner, nervously wringing them as she continued to scan the busy room.

  Blake frowned. He had difficulty associating telltale signs of nervousness with the rugby player who was expected to be part of the team heading to Rio next year.

  The pub door opened again and drew Neela’s attention. Her shoulders sagged. In relief?

  Blake’s frown deepened.

  Was this the girl from his childhood he credited as the reason he had made it out of primary school in one piece? This couldn’t be her, could it? That Neela Smyth had been fearless.

  “Hey, are you all right, mate?”

  Blake reluctantly drew his gaze away from the bar and automatically smiled at his teammate. “Yeah, fine.”

  “For a minute, you looked like you’d seen a ghost.” Jason Williams looked past Blake, then smiled knowingly. “Looks like you picked up some interest from over there.”

  Blake turned around quickly, returning his attention to the bar. He frowned and tried to find Neela among the group of bodies that now crowded the area.

  “No, near the window, mate. The redhead.”

  Blake reluctantly followed Jason’s gaze to the table near the pub’s entrance. He shook his head. “No, mate. More your type.”

  Jason winked as he stood up. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll go say ‘hello’ real quick.”

  “Hey, we agreed we’re sticking together for the birthday boy.”

  Jason slapped Blake’s back. “You National Team boys don’t have to work as hard as we do to get some attention. I’ll be right back. Promise.”

  Blake grinned as he watched his club’s vice-captain saunter with uncharacteristic swagger toward the redhead in question. He lost the smile a few seconds later when he spotted a thick-set man walking in. The stranger’s face suggested an unkind history. A well-worn leather jacket didn’t hide the broad build or the tattoos that wrapped around a thick neck. The stranger spat out a toothpick as he scanned the room, his gaze finally settling on the bar — straight at Neela.