Free Out of the Shadows (Akira and Deane Thriller Series Book 1) by Tim Jopling

time around but Oscar as well! No, we
have to go, I can’t allow you to do this to him as
well.’
    Burton felt
physically winded at the thought of his wife and child leaving him
for good. His mind went into overdrive, desperately trying to think
of something that could turn the tide. Then it came to him. ‘No,
wait! I didn’t tell you about the advance in pay!’ His wife looked
up from the suitcase. ‘Yeah, I went to Ramsey and got an advance in
pay. You’ve gotta believe me here, Kate, this is the god’s honest
truth; I spoke to Ramsey today and got some money for us, enough to
get these people off our backs. I’ll do whatever it takes; I’ll get
everything back under control here. Please……..just give me another
chance.’ His voice broke as he continued to beg his wife for a
second chance. ‘Don’t do this…….don’t go.’
    The
long-suffering Kate dropped a pile of clothes on the bed and looked
into the eyes of her husband, the man she had once implicitly
trusted. ‘Don’t make me walk away, Hal, the last thing I want is
for our son to grow up without his Daddy. I don’t want to do this
but I won’t stand by and let you hurt our Oscar; he’s just a baby!’
Her husband was standing next to the bed, with his eyes shut,
nodding his head. ‘How much money did you get in this pay advance,
Hal?’
    Burton’s mind
kicked in as he heard the question. Knowing all too well that five
thousand pounds would make no dent on the debts they owed or his
wife’s frail state of mind, Burton made a decision. ‘I managed to
get twenty thousand in advance, Kate. They were great about it all,
believe me; it’ll help us get back on our feet. You have to believe
me here, I’ll do whatever it takes to fix this!’
    ‘Promise me
you’ll sort this out Hal. You might think you can keep on hurting
me but I’ll never let you hurt little Oscar, never!’
    Burton watched
his wife closely and knew he still had a chance, if only he could
show how much he wanted his family to stay. ‘Listen…Kate, I know
I’ve never been the perfect father or husband, I guess but I’m
getting better; I know I can be the man you want me to be. Just
give me one more chance!’
    Kate could feel
the tears welling up in her eyes. More than anything, she wanted to
have her husband by her side. The last thing she would ever want
would be for Oscar to grow up with just one parent. Can I trust him? Can I really trust him? She put a hand to her mouth and spoke in a
whisper. ‘It’s different this time, Hal; you have to see that. We
have Oscar now; you can’t afford to keep on gambling with our
security. Do you understand?’
    Burton looked
down and pushed the feelings of failure away. ‘I know I messed up…I
know it, you know it but I thought it was for the best.’ He looked
into his wife’s eyes. ‘I was trying to help.’ He held out his hands
in front of him. ‘I screwed up but…look; please don’t take my
family away. Please…I’ll beg, if that’s what you want.’
    Kate saw the
wreck of a man in front of her and wondered where her husband had
vanished to over the years. She thought over every possibility in
her mind as clearly as she could. If I
leave now, I’ll break him for sure. He’s my husband; doesn’t he
deserve one more chance? Kate closed her
eyes and this time another voice spoke to her. Do it for Oscar…
    Burton felt the solitary tear
run down his left cheek and knew his marriage was on a knife-edge
at that very moment.
    Kate placed the
suitcases back on top of the wardrobe and wiped the tear from her
husband’s face. ‘I’m doing this for Oscar; I want him to have his
Daddy around in the years to come. Our son is everything now; he
has to be our priority. Promise me you’ll put him first,
Hal?’
    Burton couldn’t
speak at first. He tried to take hold of his wife’s hand but she
had already walked next door, to Oscar’s room. ‘I’ll be a better
Dad, hon and a better husband, I promise.’ His wife was