Chapter 13
Disclaimer I don't Coronation Street. This is for entertainment purposes only.
The Underworld Factory.
Everything was going great for Carla for the first time in a long time. She'd never be truly healed but she'd take what she could.
She had Christmas and her wedding to look forward to.
Yes, this was going to be her year.
It had just gone noon and Carla had sent the guys off to lunch. Frank had been in meetings all morning that they had spent all weekend preparing for.
She was pulled from her paperwork by the factory doo opening.
"Hayley is that you, love? Did you forget your bag again?" Carla asks, coming out of the office.
"Hello, sorry to just drop by unannounced. I'm James. I've heard so much about you and your company." The man smiled charmingly at Carla.
"Oh eh, hello it's nice to meet you." Carla smiled back politely.
"It's a nice little set up you've got here." James complimented.
"Thank you," Carla replied, gracefully.
"Anyway, I must dash. Hopefully, I'll see you again." James told her, before turning to leave.
Carla stood there for a good few minutes, comprehending what had just occurred.
Very strange
Later that day
"Hey, baby. How did you get on?" Carla asked as Frank came through the office?
"Great, they want to place an order for the entire range and for us to take over the contract!" He exclaimed, spinning her around.
"What?! That's amazing. It's at least a year's contract." Carla replied in disbelief.
"I know, I'm as shocked as you are. They offered it there and then." Frank told her as he relayed how the meeting went.
"How was your day?" He asked as he handed her a coffee.
"The usual, apart from a strange guy came in today. Introduced himself as James and told me that I had a nice setup and then oddly left." Carla explained what had happened.
"That is odd," Frank remarked.
"Anyway, I doubt that he'll ever be back. Are you still going to the pub with the boys?" Carla asked, lifting her handbag off the desk.
"Yeah, are you sure you don't mind? I could always cancel." Frank told her.
"No, don't do that. You've been looking forward to it and taking a night off. It won't kill you." Carla laughed.
"Ok, well I'll see you later. Love you." He called over his shoulder.
"See you later. Love you too." Carla replied, going to Roy's.
Carla had just stepped inside when her phone rang.
"Hey, Carla, me and mum are going out for some retail therapy and was wondering if you wanted to come?" Kate asked on the other side of the phone.
"Sure, why not? Frank has gone to the pub with Dev and some of the boys. So I'm free." Carla replied.
"Great, I'll let her know. We'll pick you up." Kate told her.
"Ok, I'm at Roy's," Carla replied.
"Ok, see you soon. Bye." Kate replied, ending the phone call.
Not long after Ann and Kate had picked her up.
The ladies enjoyed an evening of shopping.
Kate's phone for the tenth time during the trip.
"I've told you to stop calling me and to leave me alone." Kate hissed unto her phone.
"I want my money, Kate!" The guy told her.
"I don't have it and it wasn't yours in the first place, James. Now lose my number." She replied, hanging up the phone.
"Everything ok?" Ann asked, anxiously.
"Yeah, mum, it's fine. Don't worry about it, he'll get bored eventually. Anyway, he's in prison." Kate reassured her.
A thought entered Carla's head could the man that had come to the factory be the same man that late was just talking too? She wondered.
It couldn't have been, he was in prison.
A few weeks later
It was coming up to Christmas and there was an air of excitement on Coronation Street as the festivities drew nearer.
"Are you exciting for Christmas?" Carla asked Ann as she laughed coming into Ann's living room to see her sitting on the floor submerged in wrapping paper.
"You can't half tell. She'll like a child." Frank laughed coming up behind his fiancee.
"Awe, leave her alone you! Don't be a scrooge!" Carla told him.
"She's like this every year!" Sam chuckled, taking a sip of his scotch.
"I can't believe Christmas is two weeks away. You guys have any plans?" Kate asked the couple.
"We'll spend Christmas morning together, do the rounds and then come here for dinner, is that alright with you, Ann?" Carla double-checked with her.
"Oh yes, yes that's fine. The more the merrier." Ann replied, excitably.
Everyone laughed at her excitement.
Coronation Street
The loud security alarm shattered the peace and tranquillity that had ascended over the early evening of Coronation Street.
"That's the factory, but I know as a matter of fact that Carla and Frank are currently visiting his parents before the holidays," Roy informed Hayley.
"Maybe it's tripped or something. I'll go look." Hayley told him.
"I don't deem that wise nor safe." Roy offered.
"It's probably nothing, I won't be long," Hayley promised and off she went.
Hayley made her way up the steps and noticed the door was open.
"Hello? Mrs Connor?" She called out as she made her way further into the factory.
Hayley quickly punched in the code and the deafening alarm ceased.
"Shut the door and don't make a sound or your dead!" The stranger threatened.
"Please just take what you want and go." Hayley pleaded with them.
"Oh I most definitely will, but first I want you to make a phone call for me. Office now!" They ordered her.
Hayley slowly made her way into the office.
"Call her!" They ordered.
"I don't…" They cut Hayley off.
"I said to call her! And tell her to bring that fiance of hers." They instructed.
Hayley shakingly called Carla.
"Hello, Mrs Connor, sorry to disturb you, but the alarm has gone off and I was wondering if you wanted to come in and check if everything is as it should be?" Hayley asked.
"What? Are you ok? You weren't hurt or anything?" Carla replied.
"No, no I wasn't hurt. I'm okay." Hayley lied.
"Ok, em right yeah I'm on my way, " Carla told her.
"Is Mr Foster coming with you?" Hayley asked, nervously.
"Yeah, he's coming with me," Carla told her.
"Mrs Connor, I'm sorry...for disturbing you," Hayley replied.
"Your aright, we won't be long. Promise." Carla promised.
And true to her word, they were no more than 15 minutes.
"Hayley, love. Are you there?" Carla asked as she turned on some lights.
"I'm in here Mrs Connor," Hayley replied from the office.
Carla and Frank made their way into the office.
"Hello, Frankie boy. Long time, no see." The person smirked at him.
Hayley was sat on a chair with the intruder behind her, holding a knife.
"This is the guy I was telling you about. You know him?" Carla asked as she glanced at her fiancee.
"Yeah, I do. What do you want, James?" Frank hissed.
"Just give me my money your sister stole and I'll be out of your hair." James
"There is no money, you embezzled it remember?" Frank glared at him.
"And your sister took it back and I want it!" James yelled, getting frustrated.
"I haven't got it!" Frank yelled back.
"Look, I'll empty the safe, just let Hayley go." Carla bargained with him.
"I don't want what's in your poxy safe. I want my money." James roared.
"You were in prison, how the hell did you get out?" Frank asked.
"Boy scout, me Frankie boy. Early parole." James smirked.
"There's no money, so just go," Frank told him.
"You know I have to say, she's awfully pretty. Not a patch on Natalie but hey beggars can't be choosers." James mocked.
"Shut your mouth. Don't even mention her name!" Frank warned him.
"Such a tragic accident," James smirked.
"I said shut your mouth!" Frank roared.
"That's of course if it was an accident?" James sniggered.
"What?" Frank asked, stunned.
"Well, a lot of dangerous things can happen out on those roads." James mocked.
"You don't know what you are talking about." Frank tried to call his bluff.
"Oh but I do, Frankie boy. You see, she'd worked out what I was up too. Interfering bitch so I had to get rid of her. So I killed her and made it look like an accident, shocked me really how easy it actually was to get away with it." James taunted him.
"You bastard!" Frank went for him.
Carla jumped into front of him.
"Baby, baby I know you're angry and you have every right to be but he's not worth it. Look at me, Frank looked at me. He's not worth it! Let him go, put him out of your mind and your life." Carla whispered, both hands on either side of his face.
"He killed Natalie!" Frank whispered.
"I know baby, I know. But he'll go to prison for it. He will." Clara told him.
"If I'm going to prison one, I might as well go down two while I'm at it." James hissed, grabbing Carla and pulling her towards him.
"Let her go!" Frank told him.
"Frank…" Carla called for him.
"Shut it!" James ordered her.
"James, come on, don't do anything stupid," Frank told him.
"I told her all she had to do was to keep her nose out and it would have been fine. I wanted to scare her, not to kill her." James told him.
"You cut her brakes, didn't you?" Frank figured out.
"Not completely, I like I said I just wanted to scare her," James replied.
"All because of your greed?" Frank asked in disgust.
"I was in debt up to my eyeballs. I always intended to put it back but I started. It was like something took over me and I couldn't stop." James told him.
"I trusted you," Frank confessed.
"I swear she wasn't meant to die!" James yelled.
"But she did and you killed her!" Frank yelled.
A knock on the factory made James jump.
"Who's that?" James asked, nervously.
"It's the police, it's automatic as the alarm went off," Frank explained.
"You're lying!" James accused him.
"I'm not, I swear!" Frank replied.
"I might as well go to prison for something decent," James muttered to himself.
"James, look at me, we can all walk away from this. Nobody has to get hurt." Frank told him, desperately.
"I'll be an old man when I get out," James told him.
"Frank, please." Carla pleaded.
"Look at her, she's scared. James. She has nothing to do with this." Frank told him.
"I'm sorry," James told him.
Suddenly he plunged the knife into Carla"s side.
A hollow, empty breath escaped Carla's lungs before she slumped forwards.
"CARLA!" Frank screamed leaping forward to catch her.
Carla gasped for air, excruciating pain oozing from every pore of her body. Like nothing, she'd ever felt.
Blood seeped out of Carla like a rig that had burst it damn.
Gushing out of her at record speed.
Frank frantically applied pressure on her wound, causing her to cry out in pain.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Baby, I have too! You're going to be alright, do you hear me? You're going to be alright. You start with me. You stay with me!" Frank ordered her gently.
As the scene played out, armed response raided the factory and arrested James but all this was insignificant to Frank as he battles to save the love of his life.
A/N I hope you've enjoyed reading this. Sorry I know I said updates would be once a week but I couldn't help myself.
Shoutouts
Amymikk
Great chapter and I'm glad Kate and the family have cleared the air too life is too short. I'm glad Carla is recovering well from the attack and frank is there for her and hopefully, the wedding goes without any hiccups. X
I'm glad you liked this chapter.
Kate and her family were always going to make up.
There'll be more on that. It might, I haven't decided yet. I bet you weren't expecting that?! Thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoy it xx
Carla Connor Lover
This chapter is really really lovely and I am so glad that Ann and Sam have made-up as Katherine seems really nice! I love Carla and Ann's
relationship in this and I can't wait to see what happens next xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Awe, thank you! There always we're going to make up.
There'll be more Kate. I like Ann and Carla's relationship.
I bet you weren't expecting that?! I hope you enjoyed this. Thank you for reviewing! Xxx