Get Even (27 page)

Jack smiled. He was old school. He thought women needed a man in their lives; he believed they were not made to be alone for any length of time. Sharon had been without one long enough.

‘She needs a man to put those kids of hers on the right track, if nothing else. Pair of fuckers they are.’

‘There’s something else too, Jack. Big Lenny is after her. I don’t know what has come over him . . .’

Jack Johnson was seriously perturbed now. ‘You are having a fucking laugh, surely?’

Reggie could hear the incredulity in his voice. ‘I know what you’re thinking but I saw it for myself. Let’s say that me and Ray turned up just in time.’

Jack Johnson shook his head in disgust. ‘What a complete cunt! Are you telling me he wants his dead son’s wife?’

Reggie nodded. ‘Sharon was so pleased to see me and Ray turn up last night. It was fucking embarrassing. I mean, in fairness to her, she has to tread warily. It’s her kids’ grandparents. Can you imagine Lesley Scott if she even fucking suspected?’

Jack shook his head as he said angrily, ‘It would be fucking ambulances arriving! More fights than Mike Tyson! And, believe me, Lesley fucking Scott might act the Apostle of Christ but she can have a fucking row. In her day . . .’ He shook his head in consternation. ‘She is one nasty fuck if pushed. And you know what? I think she always resented poor Sharon for taking away her son.’

Reggie nodded; he knew that poor Sharon had resented him more for taking away her husband.

‘Well, whatever, Jack. Ray Donovan will look out for her.’

Jack nodded. He was pleased because he had done what Lenny would have wanted. And Reggie knew exactly what he was thinking.

The cab drivers were nervous. This new bloke was a big fucker and there was obviously something going down. They all knew about Jamie Brewer and they were waiting to see how it played out. They liked Sharon; she was a good boss and she was fair. She even made sure that the airport runs were on a rota. But, at the end of the day, none of them wanted to be a fucking hero. They were cab drivers not fucking villains.

Cabbing in London was a dangerous occupation when you worked a patch like this. They were on Ilford High Road so they had pubs and clubs and all sorts of shit to contend with. The last thing they needed was upset in the rank itself. They had Tiffany’s, they had Room At The Top – they had so many fucking places they were called to. It was a lucrative business. It was also a very dangerous one when fuckers like Jamie Brewer jumped on board. So, they sat and they waited to see how the land would lie when it was all over.

Ray had been given a flat in Mortlake Road and he decided it would do for the time being; he was only sleeping there, after all. He was still living out of a suitcase and he had welcomed the chance for a change of scenery. It had got a bit too hot for him up North. He liked Jack Johnson and Reggie Dornan. He had guessed about Reggie and wondered why others didn’t sense it too. Maybe it was a southern thing. He shrugged and pushed the thought from his mind.

It was Sharon that he was interested in. She was a looker and she was a nice girl to boot. She was also the mother of two little terrors who he felt needed a firmer hand than she could give them. As for the father-in-law, that was a disgrace of epic proportions. His own son’s widow? It was almost incest. What kind of personality would even consider something so heinous? Sharon Scott had looked terrified and he recognised as well as Reggie did that they had turned up at just the right moment. He wasn’t a fool – some men would shag a fence if the opportunity presented itself. But to hit on your daughter-in-law – the mother of your grandsons – was disgusting. He would have to keep his wits about him where that man was concerned. He had proved that he was capable of anything. Ray was also shrewd enough to realise that in the sober light of day Big Lenny would be mortified, all the more so because he would remember that his humiliation had been witnessed. That did not augur well for future friendliness. No one liked to think that they had been caught out and that was exactly what had happened to Big Lenny Scott. Well, he was a man of stature, but to someone of Ray’s temperament that meant nothing. He would wait and watch to see how things panned out there. But it was not a good beginning for either of them.

He turned his mind to this Brewer idiot. He had gathered as much information on him as possible and, after careful consideration, Ray had decided he wasn’t too bothered about him. If push came to the proverbial shove he would just take him out. The man was a fucking menace – pure and simple. He understood that Jack was in a precarious position as the boy was more connected than the fucking crown princes of Europe. But that meant nothing if he wasn’t liked. It seemed Jamie Brewer was seen as a pain in the arse by the majority of his relatives, though that did not alter the fact that he was related to some heavy people. You might not like your kin, but at the same time they were still your blood.

Ray’s stint in prison had stood him in good stead where his reputation was concerned. He had done nine years behind the door and he had acquitted himself well, used his time wisely and made some good connections for himself. He had a solid reputation and he was respected for his stoic personality and his natural friendliness. Oh, he was all sweetness and light until someone put him out, then it was either fight or fucking die. He had always been that way, since he was a kid.

His mother had spent her life in police stations, headmasters’ offices or visiting him in prison. She was a good woman, who, like Sharon, had been left alone to bring up a son who would go his own road. He was sorry to the heart for the trouble he had brought to her door, but he knew she loved him and he loved her. Life was what you made it, for good or for bad.

As he tossed and turned in the strange new bed, he wondered how he was going to fare in the next few weeks. Jamie Brewer would be aware by now that he was on the scene and why, so he had to be doubly careful in case he was blindsided. There was a good chance he might be taken out of the equation before it got too hot and heavy. But he was prepared for all eventualities: that was something he had learned in the nick. Never completely trust anyone was the main rule that he lived by and it had got him this far. He saw no reason to change now.

Jamie Brewer had a volatile temperament and he was known for his rashness and his tendency to lash out and think about his actions later. This had made him quite a few enemies. He had fallen out with every friend he had at some point so he was always running with different crowds. He was acquisitive and avaricious and he would literally stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

This was being relayed to Jack Johnson by Jamie’s uncle, Pete, who was a decent and trustworthy individual. Jack listened with particular care to what he was being told, aware that Jamie had scarred the man’s daughter for life during a family argument. A kettle of boiling water had been thrown and Pete’s fifteen-year-old daughter had unfortunately been in the line of fire. It had missed her face but caught her on the chest and shoulders; it had been an accident of sorts, but one that had been caused by his nephew’s temper. The incident had been smoothed over but, like any hurt to a child, it could never really be forgotten. Jack sensed that Pete Brewer would love nothing more than to see young Jamie get his comeuppance, and get it as violently as possible.

‘You talked to your brother about the situation, Pete?’

The man nodded. ‘He thinks you are right to be concerned but Jamie is still his son. Personally, I couldn’t give two fucks what happened to the lairy little fucker. Someone’s going to put him down eventually. That is inevitable.’

Jack nodded but he didn’t say a word. What he sensed, though, was that Jamie Brewer, cunt or not, had a few of his family by his side. He sighed heavily. This could turn nasty all right. But he was honour-bound to look out for Lenny Scott’s family. He would have to do whatever was necessary.

James Brewer Senior was the main man when it came to raves, bare-knuckle fights – or any outdoor entertainments, come to that. He was a serious lump and he had his creds. Jack liked and respected him, but that was put aside for the moment. If this went off then there would be bloody murders all over the Smoke. But sometimes that kind of conflict was par for the course. Wars were costly, time-consuming and – occasionally – necessary. He would have to think this through carefully. He must wait for the other side to strike the first blow which, from what he had heard about young Jamie, he had a feeling would not be long in arriving. He had no choice now but to wait for the inevitable. It was at times like this that he missed Lenny.

Jamie Brewer was in his sister Jackie’s kitchen in Essex and she was listening avidly as he raved about her husband’s treacherous conduct. An angry Jamie was a sight to behold and Jackie was always frightened of his tempers. She knew how vicious he could be, having been on the receiving end most of her life. Now it seemed her husband had committed the cardinal sin of putting the phone down on her brother after telling him to go and fuck himself. Her husband was not a wimp – Davie Bannerman could look after himself and that was something that Jamie often forgot. Like most people, Davie thought Jamie was a twat but,
unlike
most people, he didn’t mind expressing this view – even to Jamie himself.

‘Where is he, sis? I am going to fucking muller him.’

Jackie shook her head as she said carefully, ‘I don’t know, Jamie. I swear I don’t know.’

Her two-year-old daughter was crying in the hallway. The shouting had terrified her, but Jackie was too nervous to bring the little girl into the same room as her brother in order to comfort her. Jamie was unpredictable like this – and the scalding episode was always in the forefront of Jackie’s mind. If she had known where her old man was, she would happily have told him to get Jamie out of her house. She wasn’t a coward by any means, but she knew what her brother was capable of when he was angry like this.

She was genuinely frightened.

Jamie turned and, pointing at the door, screamed, ‘Shut that fucking kid up!’