Unplugged (Blue Phoenix, #3)(77)

“Liam?”

If he’s not going to talk to me. I throw open the car door and run across the road in my thin sandals.

“Ella!”

Ella looks over. Craig has hold of her hand and when Ella tries to pull away, he keeps hold. “Mummy!”

“Oh, my God, Ella! Are you okay?” Reaching them, I kneel down and hold my daughter to my chest as if I let her go she’d disappear again. Ella’s hot from a day in the sun and smells of sunscreen. I kiss her cheek, and bury my face into Ella’s hair.

Gripping Ella to stop myself hitting him, I stare up at Craig’s ashen face. “Why?” I ask.

“Daddy said your phone was broken. I wanted to talk to you.” Ella reaches a hand out and touches me cheek. “Why are you crying? Didn’t you want to see me?”

“Of course I did, baby, I’m just really happy and it made me cry.” I hold both of her cheeks in my hand and kiss her soft face.

Craig drops Ella’s hand and continues to stare at me, not speaking. His brown eyes are darker due to the black circles beneath and I don’t think the pale stress on his face is only due to this moment. I glance over my shoulder; Liam is still in the car.

“I thought she’d like a holiday,” he says finally.

“Without telling me? Refusing to contact me? That’s not a holiday!”

“Daddy said we could live by the sea, but I said I wanted to live near my friends at home.”

I narrow my eyes at Craig, as his lies are unravelled by his daughter. A young couple passes us by, hand in hand, heading to the beach with their towels. They glance at us curiously, and I meet the concerned eyes of the blonde-haired woman. I look away.

“Are you on your own?” Craig asks as the couple continues by.

“You mean are the police with me?” I snap.

“No, I mean is he with you.”

I push myself up and stand as close to him as I can without touching, itching to smack his face with my shaking hand. “You mean Liam? Yes. He’s spent the last two weeks with me looking for Ella.”

We stare at each other for a few moments as I try to regain control of my breathing. This man’s face is impassive, as if he has nothing to lose in the situation.

I draw a ragged breath. “Craig, where are you staying? Can we talk?”

Craig doesn’t answer because Liam appears at my shoulder. The two men regard each other silently, but I know Craig well enough to see that he’s intimidated by Liam. Craig shifts his gaze to me.

“Hey, Ella,” says Liam quietly but doesn’t touch her.

Ella looks up at her dad as if expecting permission to talk to Liam and my anger grows when she doesn’t respond. What has Craig said to her? If I hurt Liam with my outburst in the car, Ella just rubbed salt into the wound.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to do this in the street,” says Liam to Craig in a cold voice.

“Fine, we’ll talk,” says Craig stiffly.

The open-plan apartment is clean apart from Ella’s clothes strewn across the tiled floor. I spy new toys in a corner, and a colouring book with marker pens are scattered across the table next to half-empty packets of biscuits. I sit on the grey sofa, and Ella climbs onto my lap. She grew up with tension between me and her dad and is well aware the atmosphere is about to descend into unpleasantness.

I hug Ella, burying my face in her shoulder fighting the tears; I won’t let Craig see me crying anymore. The aching gap in my soul is filled again by Ella’s presence; but as I glance at Liam who leans against the kitchen counter, I realise another part of my soul is severed. He won’t look at me.

“We’ve come to take Ella home,” I say, pissed off when my voice wavers.

“And we’re staying here.” Craig stands in front of the door.

“Why? What’s the point? You don’t have anything or anyone in Italy!”

“I’m not talking to you about my plans.”

“If you don’t let Ella come home, I’m calling the police.”

Craig scoffs. “Do what you want.”

“But I want to go home, Daddy,” says Ella in a small voice.

“Don’t you want to live by the sea?” he asks gently.

Her eyes shine with tears and Craig’s selfishness rips at my heart. “She wants to go home,” I tell him.

“What’s the difference?” he snaps.

“Difference to what?”

“When you and him”— he indicates Liam with his head— “take her away from me. When you go and live in some fancy house in America with your rich boyfriend, how’s that different?”

“Well, for a start, if that ever happened, and it is an ‘if’, then I’ll tell you! And I won’t hide or stop you talking to her. Do you understand what you’ve put me through?” My chest constricts with each word, breath coming in shorter bursts. “I thought I’d lost her! Anything could’ve happened!”

“She was with me! Her dad!” yells Craig.

Ella buries her head into my chest, covering her ears as our voices raise. “Ella, why don’t you show Liam where your bag is, and we can pack?”

“No, you don’t!” Craig moves toward me and Ella, but Liam steps in the way. I can’t see the expression on Liam’s face, but it’s enough to make Craig back off.