Hello everyone, I forgot to post this the other day when I said I would. I'm still not happy with how it's gone but I can't seem to do anything to change my mind. I hope you like it. A huge thank you to people to left me a comment when I hadn't even posted a chapter. This one is for you. Please leave a comment if you have time. Enjoy. :-)
When The Sun Goes Down.
"They say it changes when the sun goes down."
Part One.
In a very luxurious home in Manchester a young girl of twenty one who had been through more in those years than most people went through in their whole lives. She was beautiful in every sense of the word and she was also a prisoner in her own home. She had gotten married when she was eighteen to Frank Foster, a man whom she had met through working as his PA. The first two weeks of their marriage had been everything she could have wanted from a marriage and more, it had gotten her out of the horrible council estate she had been forced to live on, she had moved into a house in which the living room was bigger than the whole house she had previously lived in and he had treated her like a princess. However, when they had arrived off their honeymoon and gone out for the night, Frank had caught Carla talking to a guy she had known from going out in town with her friends before she had married him, and on arriving back at the house he had hit her so hard that she had thought her head was going to roll from her shoulders. Ever since then, the relationship for Carla had just gotten worse and worse.
After they had married Frank had told Carla that they needed to move to Soho in London as that was where his main business was and she had found herself with little choice but to agree. It was after finding herself there that she realised just how involved with the criminal underworld Frank was. She had known when she was working for him that his business was used to cover up a few dodgy deals, but she hadn't realised the extent of his involvement, until it was effectively, too late. He was the main man in London and that had been the real reason he had moved them down there. His club and his office were a front for what he really did and the more she thought about it, the more she understood what had been done. When Carla had met Frank she had thought he was just a normal guy who had done well for himself in business, what he was really involved in had never even crossed her mind. She knew that portraying that kind of image to people made sure that he was never suspected of anything and there for made sure the police never come calling. There were so many people that were used underneath him that would be nicked before him, he was almost untouchable, and he knew it.
Frank Foster. He was well known throughout Manchester and was notorious in the criminal Underworld. He had wanted a pretty girl to hang off his arm and to be waiting at home when he got back from whatever work he was doing, and he had found that girl in Carla Connor. As soon as she had stepped into his office Frank had taken a shine to her and he had only been too pleased when Carla's mum had taken money he had offered her to kick Carla out. He had then allowed her to move in with him, and had gone on to date her, sleep with her, get engaged to and finally marry her. One of the things that had first drawn Frank to Carla was her witty personality and her often sarcastic one liners. But after they had married and she had taken his name, in his mind that had made her his own and as far as he was concerned, her back chatting him was never to happen, whether it be in private or in public. Frank had soon decided that if he had to he would knock it out of her, and he did, on a regular basis. Carla wasn't allowed to put out even so much as a toe out of line and it was something she lived in fear of doing on a day to day basis.
When they had moved to London Frank had made sure that everyone who he was involved with knew that Carla was his and not to go anywhere near her. Carla had thought that someone being protective of her was a good thing and if it had been in moderation she probably would have still stood by that. However, Frank was obsessed and there was a very big difference. She had to be careful when people so much as spoke to her if they were males just in case he or one of his cronies got the wrong idea. Deep down she knew it was hypocritical of him to go on like he did. Carla wasn't even sure whether he was faithful to her though she knew better than to question it, and she knew asking people would do no good either; so, she just tried to make herself believe that he was.
-
Carla had just stirred from the slumber that she was in, and let out a sigh of relief when she realized that no one was laid next to her, which meant that Frank must have gone out early on some business. It was something which she found herself wishing that he did more and more, in her ideal world he would go out early and work late. Carla didn't do much during the day, she usually just cleaned the house or maybe cooked, something that always caused Frank to kick off was if the house wasn't clean. His rants usually went something along the lines of "I pay a fortune for this place and you don't even have the decency to clean up." He often hit out at her during those rants and though she tried to do what she could to prevent him from lashing out, she knew that if he intended to he would find something to pick at, despite what she had done. It was true, the house was gorgeous, it was like something that a footballer would live in. However, the beauty of the place had been taken as far as Carla was concerned when she found out how Frank had afforded it and when he had shown his true colours. No house could make up for what she had been going through for just over two years. Sometimes Carla would go to the salon or shopping, those were the things she preferred doing, but she could only do that if Frank gave her money to, and even then he would want the money for receipts. He controlled every part of her life, down to where she went, what she did and who she spoke to. She couldn't even try and sneak out to do what she wanted due to their being so many people who knew Frank that would tell him what she was doing just to try and get some brownie points. One of the things that got to Carla more than anything else was not having anyone to talk to about what happened. There was a man who she had met after moving to London with Frank and she knew he knew more than he let on but they hadn't spoken about it apart from one night when the pair of them were extremely drunk. They had claimed to have forgotten about the conversation that had taken place, though neither of them had.
Carla moved her legs around to the side of the bed and sighed quietly, walking over to the dressing table that was in the room she shared with Frank. Carla sat down and put her hand to her cheek gently, though the faintest touch even made her wince. She gasped through gritted teeth and swallowed hard, the black of the bruise that had formed overnight was a large contrast to the sun-kissed colour of her skin. Carla sighed quietly before getting up from where she was sitting, putting on a silky black dressing gown as she made her way into the kitchen. It was, like all of the rooms in the house, huge, and it held more gadgets and machine's than Carla knew what to do with. One that she couldn't do without though, was a smoothie maker. She made her way over to it and made herself a banana flavored drink in record quick time, silently deciding that she could be a pro at smoothie making if she chose to be.
Carla made her way into the living room and sat down on the couch that had cost a small fortune. She sighed quietly before having a sip of the drink. The feeling of the cold liquid against her lips was refreshing and she liked it. She got up from the couch when she heard the door open and walked through to the hallway, hoping that her husband was in a good mood. "Hey, I've just made a drink if you want one?"
Frank nodded "yeah, a Whiskey." His tone was snappy and sharp and Carla's heart sank, it wasn't even half way through the day and his mood was already foul.
"Is everything alright?"
"Would I be drinking fucking Whiskey at this time of the morning if it was?"
Carla bit down on her bottom lip as she turned around and walked through to the living room to get Frank as a drink as he sat down on the couch. She silently wondered whether she really wanted to know what was wrong, but after starting the conversation she knew she had little choice but to ask. "What's happened?"
"I'm supposed to have a meeting tonight, an important meeting and the idiot I employed as a barmaid at the club as called in sick. Well, she will be sick, when I sack her."
"Oh..."
"Is that all you have to say? Oh." He tutted and as Carla made her way back over with the drink, he snatched it from her. It was fractions of a second before he shoved it back into her hand. Where's the ice?"
"Oh… Sorry…" Carla had barely got the words out before she had made her way back into the kitchen to get what he had asked for. It wouldn't take much to tip him over the edge that morning, and she knew it. After putting two perfectly shaped cubes of ice into the drink she walked over to Frank and handed it back to him. As he took it from her he didn't utter a word and knocked the drink back in one before handing the glass back to Carla. She knew that it meant he wanted another and walked back to the cabinet where they kept the alcohol and dutifully poured one. She hesitated for a moment before speaking up; feeling like she was walking on eggshells was an understatement at that moment in time. A big one.
"Listen, I might be able to help you out… If you think it's a good idea I mean…"
Frank frowned "how?"
"Well I could cover at the club…" she gave a small shrug "you're having the meeting in the office in there aren't you? What if I helped Eddie out in the bar until you were done, then at least he wouldn't have to manage on his own all night…"
"What are you so concerned about him for?"
"I'm not… I just- I thought it might help…"
There was a pause, in reality it was just a few seconds but to Carla it felt like hours and when Frank next spoke she breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah alright. I want to go for six so make sure you're ready by then."
Carla nodded and offered a small smile, which was ignored, before returning to sit on the sofa with her drink, letting dreams of escaping the life that she was currently in over-take her thoughts once more.
When it got to 5 o clock Carla had showered and was standing in the bedroom with Frank trying to decide what to wear. She knew that if she picked the wrong thing it would be another cause for an argument and it really was something she wanted to avoid. She knew that Frank wouldn't let her get away with wearing what the barmaids he usually employed wore and she knew wearing something that covered her from her neck to her ankles would make her feel far too out of place. Carla had been about to turn ask Frank, but when his phone rang she knew she would be wasting her breath. As she walked through the wardrobe she let her hand trail across the fabrics of her different clothes. She stopped on getting to a black skirt that ended just above her knee and teamed it with a white shirt. Carla decided that smart casual would have to do, besides, it wasn't like she was there full time, and she was only covering one shift.
After changing, Carla sat down at her dressing table and did her make-up. In the process of doing so she covered the bruise on her cheek expertly, having gotten used to it over the years. When she was satisfied there were no traces of it, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and put diamond studs through her ears. When Frank appeared behind her she spoke to him through the mirror "is this alright? I didn't want it to seem too posh."
"No, put flat shoes on."
Carla nodded and kicked the black heels off that she had been wearing, before slipping on a pair of flat black pumps. She turned to Frank who nodded, Carla knew that was all she was going to get, and so after putting on some perfume she picked up her jacket and followed her husband down the stairs and out of the house. She waited by his side for him to lock the door before running across to the car. She got into the back of the car and it was only moments before Frank did the same. He told his driver where he wanted to go before silence fell upon them once more.
The driver stopped outside the club for Carla and Frank to get out before he went to park the car and as Carla went to reach over to open the door with one hand, she felt Frank grab the other. Carla turned around with a slight frown upon her expression, showing her confusion before she spoke.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. But there will be with you if you try anything tonight?"
"Like what? I'm only here to help."
"I'm just warning you." He snapped before getting out of the car.
Carla sighed quietly and did the same before walking into the club; Frank's arm snaked around her waist, which she knew was to let everyone in the club know that she was his. Carla walked around the bar with him and smiled to the guy that was behind it, the one person in Frank's world who she was truly glad was there. Edward Lawson, or Eddie as he was better known.
Carla had clicked with Eddie as soon as they had met one another and she had spent a lot of time with him. He was gay and she was the only person that knew. He had shared that secret with her around a month after they had met and she had been honoured that he had trusted her enough to do so. Since that moment they had become closer and they were at that moment in time, the best of friends. If Frank found out about Eddie's sexuality Carla knew that without a doubt he would have him out of the club and out of their world and she silently hoped that he never found out.
Eddie lived in a flat not far from the club and working there was his only means of money, he ran a few deals for Frank to get a bit extra when he needed to but he tried to keep it to a minimum. Since meeting Carla he had found that he wanted to protect her, he knew what Frank was like and when she was introduced to him he had felt sorry for her. She had never told him anything about what went on between the two of them but he knew it wasn't good, she presented a smile to the rest of the world, but he knew of the heartbreak behind it. When Eddie had told Carla he was gay he had hoped that it might help her to open up to him, but it hadn't, though not once since doing so did he regret telling her his secret. Frank spoke up to the pair of them when he got close enough, so that he didn't have to speak to loud over the music that was pumping from the speakers. "Carla's here to help you Eddie but that doesn't mean you can slack off. Get me a drink and bring it through, Carla." He ordered before walking through the back and up to the luxurious office he had in the upstairs of the club.
Carla walked around to get a glass and smiled when she heard Eddie speak up from behind her. "What would I do without you?"
Carla shrugged "I don't know. Think of me as your…" she paused for a moment "what's the opposite of a knight?"
Eddie frowned "a knight-ess?"
"Well think of me as one of them, then…"
Eddie laughed and walked to the other end of the bar to serve a group of girls that had just entered while Carla walked through the back and up the stairs with Frank's Whiskey, making sure she had remembered the ice. Carla knocked on the door and waited for Frank to call before she entered. On doing so she walked over to the desk and placed the drink on it. "There you are" she smiled and had been about to walk away when Frank's arm was around her waist once more and he pulled her down so that she was sitting on his lap. "Are you alright?" Carla questioned, a slight frown forming on her expression.
He nodded "there might be a few changes after tonight; I'm just letting you know…"
Carla shook her head a little "what do you mean? What kind of changes?"
"Just changes. That's all you need to know. If I've not finished by closing tell Eddie to take you home."
Carla nodded "alright… I'll tell him…"
Frank brought his hand to the back of Carla's neck to bring her down for a kiss. She let her hand rest on his shoulder and responded, though it was apparent that he was after more than just a kiss when his hand trailed up the inside of her thigh. However, before things could go any further there was another knock on the door and Carla broke away from the kiss before standing up. "What is it?" Frank called, his tone a little more agitated than he would have liked.
George, one of the main men that Frank used in his business dealings, or as muscle, stepped through the door and spoke in a deep gruff voice that was caused by smoking too many cigarettes. "Peter Barlow's here for you."
Frank nodded "send him in." As George left the room he turned to Carla who was still standing to the side of the desk and gestured to the door with a nod of his head. "Get out."