Everything to Lose (23 page)

"The
smartest thing Lisa McVickin ever did for her family was build a roadmap for Jim McVickin to become a successful cop. The McVickins are untouchable. The strong arm of the law is on her side and she knows how to use it wisely. I can't change that. I certainly can't fight it so I have to live with it."

Lexy
came and stood behind Gavin and the Manager. She stood about eight feet back from them head bowed. Her hands were held together as if she was praying. She stood there for several minutes before the Manager noticed her. He turned round and she raised her head to look at him. He waved his fingers as if giving her permission. She ran over to Gavin's side and sat beside him. She put her arm around his back and she leaned into the side of his body.

"I
don't want anything like this," Gavin said to the Manager.

"I
didn't think you would."

The
Manager leaned around to look at Lexy.

"Lexy,
listen to me. Gavin is not a boyfriend. He's a father like me. He is to be treated like a father. Go tell everyone."

Lexy
smiled, hugged Gavin tightly then got up and hurried away to tell the others.

"Don't
judge her. It's what she's been forced to believe is expected in here. Lexy will warn them all to leave you alone. Still you might wake up and find one of the women in your bed. Just say 'dee zah' it means go away in Vietnamese."

"God
it's so horrible in this place."

"I
know it made me sick when I arrived. But in a tiny way it was a compliment. Lexy decided she would lay with you. As head gardener she could have ordered one of the other girls to do it. I think you've just acquired a daughter."

"Did
you know Oliver Mansole?" Gavin asked.

"Of
course he was the chemist before you. He works at the University. He was my best friend at school. I trusted him."

Gavin
saw anger in his eyes and it was obvious there was deep animosity there.

"But
not know."

"When
I needed a personal loan he told me the McVickin would help."

"Didn't
he warn you what they were like?"

"He
said he had no idea they were loan sharks. Since I've been in here and seen what he does for them. I know he knew exactly what he was getting me into. He says he's looking after my family so I have to bite my tongue and bear it for now."

"Any
idea where he might be?"

"I
hope he's at the front of the queue at the gates of Hades."

"I'm
working in Sports Biology."

"Who
with?"

"Buzzwall
has taken me on. He needed a biochemist," Gavin replied.

"To
work on the 80PGen project?"

"Yes."

The Manager laughed at Gavin. He took a large swallow of tea.

"Then
you really are out of the frying pan into the fire."

"Who
else from the University is involved with the McVickins?"

"Why
do you ask?"

"Curious.
How did they get all of this specialist kit and chemicals?"

"Olly
used the University purchase order system to buy all the equipment and chemicals. Except the raw materials; they come direct from China."

"He
would need someone senior at the University to sign off these orders."

"Buzzwall
did it. He signed off all of Olly's orders."

"For
a price?" Gavin asked.

"Of
course for a price."

"Why
does that not surprise me?"

"With
Olly gone Lisa needs someone else to access the University purchase system," the Manager said pointing his finger at Gavin.

"Me?"

"If you're smart about it. You could gain her trust. She would let you come and go. You didn't hear any of this from me. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Don't
worry. I won't say anything to harm you or your family."

36

Southsea
,
Hampshire

The following night at six-thirty p.m. The entrance to the Old Bards Club was busy with pre-theatre early evening diners. They thronged the door and hurried to their tables as they looked forward to a high-quality meal and a delightful evening.

The
Club entrance doorman didn't spot the woman dressed a bit more outrageously than the rest of the women entering the Club. Her long blonde hair reached passed her bust. Her face was heavily made up with dark eyebrows, dark eyeliner and bright red lipstick. Her makeup had been applied unevenly on the left side of her face. Or someone might have smudged it.

She
wore a loose fitting fake fur salt and pepper jacket over a skimpy dress. It was an old looking nylon dress. It was short, poppy coloured, form fitting with halter spaghetti ties. She had no nipple petals in place so her nipples were prominent for all to see. She wore black leather heels on bare legs.

A
husband and wife standing behind her nudged each other to look at the matted fur, stained dress and ragged heels. The woman's jewellery was big and brash but paint had flaked off at the edges. She carried a small black clutch bag with some prominent scratches on the imitation black leather.

She
cut out of the restaurant queue and made her way to the bar, which was busy at this time of the evening. She looked unsteady as if drunk or on drugs. She sprawled her arms on the bar.

"Here
missy need ta lob in with yer boss," she slurred in a broad Australian accent.

The
female bartender ignored her while another bartender buzzed through to the office. In a matter of seconds Jim McVickin appeared at her side and took a grip of her arm. She turned around.

"Rack
off drongo. I aint working juss now."

Jim
guessed it was a Melbourne accent similar to one of the restaurant staff.

"Come
with me please," Jim said

"No
worries. I got legit bizzo here," she said to a male customer standing at the bar.

"Come
on."

Unsteadily
she turned to face him. She looked up and down and saw he was smart and well presented. He saw her pupils widely dilated due to alcohol or drugs. He looked around and smiled at the customers starting to look over.

"Manage-mint?"
she tried to sound posh.

"Yes."

"Lead on sport. I'm with yoo-hoo," she said.

Jim
McVickin kept a firm grip of her arm as he led her to the office. He was conscious that customers were giving looks of disapproval. Inside the office he closed the door and pushed her into a chair in front of Lisa.

"Easy
there jackaroo. Don't damage the merch," she said as she turned and gave a big smile to Lisa McVickin sitting behind her desk.

"If
you don't go quietly out of my Club. I'll enjoy watching you fall and cut your pretty face on a broken beer glass. Not real pretty anymore. Get my meaning?" Lisa said.

"Look
mate I've got bizzo here," the Aussie woman insisted.

"I
don't allow filthy hookers in my Club."

"Not
THAT bizzo sweetie," she laughed out loud.

"What
business?"

"Ma little toad-arse Tyler toll me he got his gear here. I need ta lob in f'just little bit uvv gear. Two teeny minis then I'll shoot through. Honest mate, Honest!" She pleaded as her body swayed back and forth on the chair.

"Tyler
Wattsin."

"He's
ma little honey pot. Love em I do."

"Get
Tyler on the phone," Lisa said to Jamie.

"He's
got some roos loose in the top paddock. S'why am here in ma person."

"How
do you know Tyler?"

"He's
gives me ma high life. Y'know am his little mummy."

"When
did you see Tyler?"

"Thiss
arvo. He's had his little bit of naughty. He owes me."

Jamie phoned Tyler and
Tyler told him that Bella was one of his regulars. He'd sent her to the Club because she'd been thrown out of her squat. Tyler said she was homeless and penniless and needed a working bed to pay her way. Jamie whispered the information into Lisa's ear.

"Okay
pretty lady. You'll get your gear," Lisa said and pointed her hand to the factory.

"You
little ripper! Anything I can do for yer boys," Bella said enthusiastically.

"Get
her out."

"Special
mate's rate."

"OUT."

"God blesser cotton socks," Bella said to Jim.

Lisa
told Jamie to summon Tyler to the factory. He'd done this stupid nonsense before. He'd sent desperate addicts to her Club looking for drugs. Tyler knew he had to take his addicts and prostitutes through the back alleyway along the side of the building to the factory entrance. Lisa decided it had been too long since she last taught Tyler a lesson. Smell or no smell he needed a hard reminder that she did not want any of his low-life showing up at her Club.

Jim
led Bella out the Club back door to the factory entrance. At the reception desk Big Eric took her bag from her. Big Eric dragged her by the arm into the main hall and over to the beds and shoved her onto the nearest empty one. She collapsed in a heap, legs askew. Her dress up at her waist revealing the briefest of underwear.

"Need
my gear first, honey, ugh. I'll play all you want, ugh," Bella managed to say before she collapsed back into the bed and passed out.

Big
Eric summoned the Manager and told him Bella was a new addition to the prostitute group. He told the Manager to get her cleaned up and smarten the place up before Lisa did her rounds.

The
Manager went to check on the new prostitute. Bella looked spaced out and he shook his head as he thought of the pain she would go through to come off drugs. The McVickins drug withdrawal programme was simple. No drugs, cold showers and displacement of the mental pain with physical pain until the physical pain won the battle.

Underneath
all the make-up rubbish he imagined Bella was quite pretty. Sadly for her that meant she would be popular with the customers. In fact an Aussie blonde would be very popular for a change. He moved her long hair away from her face and put a blanket over her body to let her sleep a while.

The
Manager went to check on the steroid production. Gavin told him Tokai was following everything to the letter and he would be able to tell Lisa that Tokai had produced this batch. The Manager thanked Gavin for saving Tokai's life.

When
he came out of the steroid production area the Manager saw Sidney McVickin walking to the office carrying a heavy briefcase. It looked like he had a lot of paperwork to do. If he knew about the new prostitute then he would want to use her before anyone else but not in this condition.

Like
it or not she would need a cold shower to wake her out of her stupor. Sidney would be very late with all that paperwork. The Manager decided to wait until after Lisa had gone. If Bella kicked off while Lisa was in the building she would get a savage beating.
I'm
doing
you
a
favour
he thought to himself. Lisa wouldn't think twice about marking her pretty face.

Even
though he didn't understand what he was doing most of the time Tokai followed Gavin's instructions and had produced 300,000 tablets of oxandrolone. While Tokai bagged the tablets in small pouches Gavin sat at the kitchen benches and re-wrote the method in idiot-proof step-by-step instructions.

Lexy
made Gavin a cup of tea and sat beside him as he wrote. She admired his handwriting and smiled at him every time he paused. She couldn't read it and it didn't occur to Gavin that Tokai wouldn't be able to read it either. When he was finished she cuddled him then he fetched the first aid box to replace the plaster on her foot before they both went back to work.

Lisa
examined the latest batch and was satisfied with Gavin and Tokai. Her mood was relaxed. She said she was concerned that Gavin looked exhausted. She told Gavin she'd found him a good-looking Australian bed warmer that would chase away the cold nights and help him sleep better.

Lisa
stayed in a good mood. Her tour went smoothly and no one received a beating. Everyone was relieved. More people started to smile at Gavin Shawlens. A pole dancer named Chrissie nodded appreciatively and her expression said thanks. Lexy had told them all that her 'father' Gavin had appeased the evil dragon witch.

Just
before midnight Sidney McVickin finished his bookwork and summoned the Manager. As expected he wanted the new prostitute Bella brought to the office. The Manager apologised profusely. He explained that as she had only just arrived there hadn't been enough time to clean her up. Sidney told him to bring her for a look then he would decide if he would play in the dirt or not. Lisa had told him she was pretty.

The
Manager helped Bella onto her feet. He supported her as she staggered to the office. He told her what to expect from Sidney. He told her what she should do to avoid serious injury. He tried to lessen the trauma by telling her the other girls said he had a little dick.

"No
worries. Am good with teh little dongers," Bella said.

When
Bella stood in front of Sidney she looked terrible. It looked like she's rubbed her face and her makeup was a mess. Her long blond hair was matted, uncombed and some strands were stuck to her face. She smelled terrible like she's spent the night in a sewer.

She
kept adjusting her stance, shifting from one side to the other, as if she was about to fall over. Her expression was desperate and her breathing noisy. Her eyes were drowsy, half-open. She sniffed loudly drawing nasal mucus to the back of her nose. Sidney waved the Manager away and he closed the sliding door behind him.

Sidney
moved closer and moved some strands of hair away from her face. He screwed his eyes. Was that snot running from her nose and sticking to her hair.

"You
lookin fur a good taim mate. I'm a good'un," Bella slurred.

"Shut
up." Sidney snapped.

"Betcha,
you look real bonzer in your budgie smugglers," Bella struggled to say.

Sidney
walked over to the video camera up on the wall that covered Lisa's desk and most of the room. He looked up at the camera and made a slash motion across his neck.

The
red light on the camera went out and would stay out until Sidney told Big Eric at reception to switch it back on when he left the building. Sidney switched off room surveillance after a new girl had died during one of his violent sessions. He knew that sister Lisa had kept that video. If this one died because she already looks half-dead then he didn't want it recorded this time.

Sidney
walked back to Bella and took a good long look at her body. From the back he pulled off her jacket to look at her bare back and her backside. Her long legs were firm and well sculptured. She wobbled back and forth and almost fell over. He walked around to face her. He was planning how his session was going to play. He was working up his excitement.

Twelve
inches from her face she blinked rapidly and struggled to focus on him. She raised a hand to lean on his shoulder to steady herself. He brushed her hand off his shoulder. She stumbled forward onto him, stepped out of her heels and their eyes met.

"Get
off me you smelly bitch," Sidney said.

She
grabbed the side of his head with her right hand, spun around to the back of him, brought her other hand onto his head and with a powerful twist and a loud crack, she broke his neck.

He
collapsed to the floor. She went over to the replica Resolute Desk. She pulled out all the drawers and emptied the contents on the floor. Lisa's Walther PPK was among the contents.

She
picked it up, admired the decorations on the gun then searched through everything else. One drawer had a large bundle of clear plastic pouches most of which contained drugs. She gathered up all the plastic pouches. She guessed there was ten grand worth of drugs in her hands.

"Bingo."

She eased the sliding door back an inch so she could look out onto the factory floor. She saw a few people moving about near the cannabis plants, girls, no worries. Two women prostitutes sat at the bench beside the kitchen, drinking tea, no worries. She saw Gavin Shawlens talking to a young girl. He kneeled down to look at the girl's foot.

She
put on her jacket and stuffed Lisa's gun into the pocket. It tore through the lining. Her finger curled around the trigger. She pulled the sliding door open with her free hand. Just enough to get through then staggered a few steps towards Gavin Shawlens. A quick scan told her the coast was clear. She relaxed her grip on the gun.