The Other Side of the Fence

By S. A. McManus

Isabella had lived as a prisoner in the family mansion under the watchful eye of her evil father. On her escape, she watched her beloved be shot and killed. She flees the city and ends up in a tiny town called Phelp's Creek.
Years later, Isabella's life starts to change. Her father has found her and kidnaps her, the ransom price- her son.
She vows to never give up Jake, the stranger in town plans to help her escape.
Will she ever get back Jake, back to Phelp's Creek?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Mar 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493133475

S. A. McManus

S. A. McManus lives near the coast in New South Wales, Australia. While her days are kept busy with her children, she enjoys creating characters and their lives in her free time. She believes that dreams do come true, anything is possible, and that everyone has a story to tell. Rekindled is her third book to be published with Xlibris.

Book preview

New Start

By

Sherilee McManus

Isabella Bastelli knew the only chance she had at leading a normal life was for her to disappear from the life she living now. How could she live like any normal woman when she had been trapped behind the wall of bodyguards her father insisted she have follow her for every step she took outside of the family home for the whole of her twenty four years. She had no privacy, no freedom. Everything she did was planned in advance and shrouded in secrecy so anyone that was not involved in her life would ever know what it was that she did.

This afternoon’s appointment had confirmed her decision. Picking up her suitcase with one hand, she placed her other across her stomach. Her unborn child had given her the strength she needed to follow through with the plan that she and Tommy has come up with.

They could do it, they had to do it. There was no longer a choice. The life of their child depended on it.

Taking a deep breath, she whispered Please forgive me mama, into the darkness of the night. She closed her eyes to get her bearings. She was going to do this. She had to do this. She knew it would hurt her mother, but her mother had been trapped into this life by her father, her mother knew what was going to happen to Isabella, her mother would want her to be able to be free of the life. Regret clutched her heart knowing that she hadn’t said good bye to her mother. She hadn’t said good bye to anyone. She and Tommy had needed to act as they normally would have acted every day in the lead up to this moment. Anything that happened out of the ordinary would have aroused suspicion. No, her mother would find out about her disappearance when everyone else did.

She took a look around her room, the room that held everything a girl could want in her life, but the room that also held nothing. Isabella had learnt at a young age that a life full of beautiful things was not a happy life when you lived it in fear and without love. With one final sweep of her eyes over the room she walked out onto her bedroom balcony of the only home she had ever known.

Coo, co-coo, sounded from below, as she stepped out into the darkness.

With one last look back at the luxurious bedroom that had held her like a prison cell held its prisoner, Isabella turned and threw her small suitcase over the railing and climbed down into the waiting arms of the man below.

Ready? he asked, placing her safely on the ground.

Ready. She answered.

He kissed her softly on the mouth.

Do you remember the plan Bella Bee? he asked her.

She nodded, her dark curls bobbing wildly in the faint moonlight while he held her tight. I remember the plan, but we won’t need it, it’ll all be ok.

Promise me you’ll go as planned if something does go wrong.

But—

No buts, promise me. He pressed an envelope and keys into her hands, his dark eyes pleading for her word. You must promise me. The car is by the side gate. The cameras will be turned off, He checked his watch, in ninety seconds. We’ll only have a minute to get to the car. The car is across the street out of camera range. Your father won’t know it’s there, there’ll be no proof that we were in it. We will be free. Now promise me.

I promise. She gulped, staring into his eyes, bottomless pools of black in the faint moonlight.

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, desperation in his voice. You have to do it Bella, promise me you will go through with it.

Tommy, you’re scaring me.

Just promise me Bella. Promise me you’ll do it.

I promise, but it will all be ok Tommy. You’ve planned this perfectly. You and I are going to find out what life is like on the other side of the fence.

He tucked a loose curl behind her ear, leaving the palm of his hand cupping her cheek.

I love you Bella Bee. He whispered.

I love you too Tommy.

Tommy knelt to the ground and placed a kiss onto Isabella’s stomach, still flat under the cover of her dark knitted top. He wrapped both his arms around her thighs and held on tight. And I love you too little one.

It will be ok Tommy. She curled her fingers through his dark hair.

He rose to his feet, looked intently into her trusting brown eyes and, tight lipped, nodded.

Ok, let’s go.

She followed him, crouching along the side of the huge house, walking amongst the shadows of the trees until they could see the side fence gate of the sprawling property.

Ready to run Bella Bee?

I’m ready.

I love you.

I love you too.

He kissed her again, hard, passionate. Did she taste tears?

You go first, I’ll run behind, don’t look back, just go when I say go. We’ll have ninety seconds for the security shift to change over; we’re going to get out.

She nodded, her heart beating uncontrollably, her palms sweaty and, even in the cool of the night there was perspiration running down her back.

She could do this.

Her hand settled over her stomach.

She had to do this.

Ready? he looked at his watch.

Ready.

She clutched the envelope Tommy had given her and her small suitcase.

Tommy picked up his small bag.

Go!

For a moment Isabella simply stood still, letting the enormity of what she was about to do sink in. Tommy gave her a gentle push into the small of her back. Then she ran, she ran as fast as her feet would carry her, without looking back she ran. She ran for her life into the clearing and through to the safety of the shadows on the other side. She reached the gate opened it with the newly cut key and ran to the very ordinary, very popular style car waiting under the huge tree, without it’s number plates, just as promised, protected from any surveillance cameras her father had installed around the property.

Her eyes scanned the front lawns of the property, where was Tommy?

Looking back through the gates she saw some shadows moving near the old fig tree. Tommy was coming. Two more figures appeared. Her scream caught in her throat as she realised what it was she was seeing. Terror gripped her as she watched two of her father’s men pull their guns onto her Tommy.

Tommy! her silent scream tore from her throat.

In the moonlight she saw his body jerk backwards, then collapse to his knees.

No!

Helplessness surrounded her. There was nothing she could do. By running over to him, the men would turn their guns onto her and Tommy’s unborn child growing within her.

The silencers stopped the noise reaching her, but there was no doubt in her mind that he was dead as the two men walked closer and fired again at close range, Tommy convulsing as the bullets penetrated his body, pushing him to the ground.

She fought the urge to run to him, she wanted to hold him, to turn back time for just one minute so she was still there with him, in his arms, and not standing there watching him die.

Tears streamed down her face, her teeth cutting into her knuckles to stop herself screaming out loud. She wanted to run to him, she wanted to scream, she wanted to punch something, she wanted to collapse.

She froze, that one moment in time forever sealed in her soul.

Tommy! her heart cried, the life draining from her body.

Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground.

Her eyes were glued to the three silhouettes through the gate, two standing, and one lying on the ground unmoving.

Both of the shooters each picked up one of Tommy’s arms and they dragged him behind the tree, out of sight.

Her heart pounded in her chest, dread gripped her, labouring her breath.

Tommy. Her Tommy. Tears streamed down her face. What was she going to do without her Tommy?

All she could see now was the massive house lit up with spotlights from the landscaped gardens, the trees and everything else between her and the house was a black silhouette.

There was no sign of Tommy or his killers.

Her Tommy was gone.

There was no sign of the horrible act of violence that had just occurred. The scene looked strangely peaceful in the still night. How could that be? This was a nightmare.

You promised me, his voice whispered in the breeze, Go Bella Bee, go.

Nodding her dark curls, tears blurring her vision, she placed her hand over her stomach and mouthed I love you Tommy.

Forcing herself to her feet she checked her watch. There was only twenty seconds left until the security shift change was over. Had it only been two minutes since Tommy had kissed her lips, held her tight and told her he loved her? Had it only taken two minutes for her life to be destroyed?

She took one last glance at the old fig tree before getting into the car and driving away through her blinding tears from the only life she had ever known. She drove as her heart broke into a million pieces behind her breast. She drove from instinct, her eyes still seeing her Tommy, bullets hitting his body. She drove as though all the demons of hell were on her heels and she had no idea how to lose them.

Chapter Two

Three Years Later

Here’s your flat white Jim, Isabella placed the hot brew in front of her favourite customer. Nanna says it’s on the house today.

You go and tell her I’m paying for this coffee. I ain’t taking no free drink off anyone. Cranky old bat probably thinks I’ll fix her car for nothin’ if I take a coffee from her.

Bella laughed and kissed the wrinkled, sun leathered cheek and said, She also said to give you that kiss and to say Happy Birthday to you.

For once, Jim was at a loss for words, as Bella reached for the other cheek and placed her lips on his aging face, That one’s from me and Jake.

Where is Jake? Jim asked, his face lighting up at the mention of the toddler who, like a tornado, left a path of destruction behind him where ever he went.

A crash sounded from the kitchen, then a small dark haired boy ran through the serving area laughing as Nanna chased him out of her kitchen, scolding him while brandishing her tea towel after him, the smile tugging at her lips a contradiction to the punishment she was threatening him with.

Jake laughed, hid behind his mother’s short black work apron and blew a kiss at Nanna.

Disrespectful tyrant, Nanna smiled, blew a kiss back.

Bella, she yelled, If you take one cent off that despicable man for that blasted coffee you’re fired. And with a venomous look at Jim, she headed back to the kitchen to cook the waiting orders.

You have to take it for free now Jim, She smiled at him, You wouldn’t want me to lose my job now would you? Bella winked at the octogenarian, picked up Jake and went back to the kitchen. Back soon with your breakfast.

Nanna, the town of Phelps’s Creek’s honourable Nanna to everyone, was at the grill. Horrible man. All that fuss over a cup of coffee. She flipped the bacon and eggs.

Why don’t you admit that you’ve got a crush on the man Nanna? Bella