Highbridge (29 page)

Joey refused to rise to the Tanya crack but nodded agreement on the football. But then asked, ‘What about Max? I could give him a lift back.'

‘What? And watch the two of them snogging in your back seat? Er, awkward. As they say.' Then he let out another deep, gurgling laugh at Joey's obvious discomfort thinking about it. ‘Honest, Joe. You've got a real dad's face on you tonight.'

Joey shrugged to acknowledge that he had, as Bobby swept on.

‘But thanks. Although there's no need. The only benefit of still having the ex on the scene is that he stays with her midweek. I don't mind dropping him, but she'll have to turn out later. Give him a lift home on her broomstick. But I best be gone.'

The phone back at his ear, he waved to remind the counter staff not to forget Joey's latte and raspberry slice. Joey watched Bobby's rapidly departing back, thinking there was more to this parenting than he remembered. He checked the time and wondered whether to call Nat back, but decided that might kick them both off again. He then checked his texts. One from Benno.
ALL GOOD. LOCK-UP STUFF TOP PRICE. ON NEW JOB. OLD MATE. CATCH UP WHEN.
That sounded good. Joey had told him to sell everything from the lock-up after moving on. Without him Benno would soon become another target for the bully boys. You always needed someone watching your back.

There was nothing from Luke. Joey wondered what he and Tonto, as Bobby had called Matt, were up to at that moment, but knew he wouldn't let him know. Then something else caught his eye. Outside. Bobby was walking rapidly towards an old boy who was sitting on what was some public artiste's interpretation of a bench. As he finished his call, Bobby pulled out what looked like a £20 note, wrapped it round the phone then neatly dropped it into a shopping trolley by the side of the bench. Nothing more than a faint grin passed between the two as Bobby headed off to find his Range Rover. Now Joey had something else to wonder about. The mysterious world of pay-and-throw phones.

Sean had just entered the code for the alarm and picked up the plant tray Sandra had selected and asked him to bring home in the Land Rover, when his phone went. He hadn't bothered putting in his Bluetooth earpiece for the short walk to the car so thought about ignoring it, but then wondered if it might be Craig Harlow calling back. Or worse: Noah in trouble again. He put down the box, fished out the phone and saw it was Joey. Yo, bro, he heard, as he tried to wedge the phone into the crick of his neck and pick the box up again so he could talk and carry the box, but as usual found it wouldn't stay in position. So he put the box down again.

‘Don't you wish these so-called smartphones had rubber grips or something round the edges?' he asked Joey.

‘Er, not something I spend that much time on, to be honest.'

‘You can't wedge them into your neck, like the old ones with buttons.'

‘That's true but, er, have you tried those little things that go in your ear and connect …'

Sean sighed. He'd asked for it. ‘What's up?'

‘Where you now?'

‘Where do you think I am?'

‘Either at some charity do annoying Sandra or locking up. But …' Joey let it hang, to egg Sean on. ‘Guess where I am?'

‘How many guesses do I get? Seeing as London is such a big—'

‘Warrington,' Joey cut across.

‘Why?'

‘Because I love my wife and kids. And want to be near them in their hour of need.'

‘OK,' Sean said, getting the gist. ‘But when …?

‘Last night. Well, this morning. You heard what happened to Tanya outside the chippy?'

‘Had Sandra in my ear all morning. She's my personal social networker. Then had Noah all afternoon.'

Sean brought Joey up to speed on that, trying to keep his temper under control as he relived the trauma before eventually asking him what he was doing in Warrington.

‘Taxi duty,' Joey responded. ‘No point going home. By the time I got there I'd be on my way back. So been hangin' with Bobby McBain.'

‘What'd he try and sell you?'

‘Reassurance. About Tanya and his lad Max.'

‘What about them?' Sean asked, surprised. And intrigued.

‘Boy/girl stuff. I've been told not to fret about it.'

‘I would.'

‘I'm not you, though.'

‘True,' Sean responded. Recalling his earlier thoughts about hoping Noah wouldn't turn out like Joey.

‘So what else should I know about Bobby?' Joey asked.

‘Oh, he's winding everyone up with a makeshift car park off the High Street.'

‘When you say winding people up do you mean real people or—'

‘Or my do-goody council mates, you mean?' Sean felt the spike of annoyance he always did on hearing his little brother's dismissive tone.

Joey felt the resentment. He'd done it again. Pressed the insecurity button. He tried to row back. ‘I didn't mean … But, well, it's the same with his counterfeit stuff, isn't it. Everyone says it's disgraceful. But everyone's got one. He'll say it himself, Sean. He just offers what people want.'

He had a point. As did Bobby, but right then was not the time to get into a semantic argument about market forces and social policy. ‘Can we argue this over dinner or something? I've got to get home.'

‘Things to do, you mean. Instead of chatting to your brother who is trying to while away a few hours waiting for his daughter?' But it was light. Banter.

‘How about I call you back when I'm in the car. And bluetoothed?'

‘Great. You struggling with something?'

‘Yeah. Box of winter greens to spruce up Janey's grave.'

‘Ah yeah … and er … as usual, big bro. Thanks for doing that sort of thing.'

‘No worries. It's Sandra actually. But part of what we do. So what you after?'

‘Feel a bit crap now, but was going to ask if you had the trailer hooked up?'

Sean hesitated. He knew it was a hook for something. But in the end he had to fill the silence. ‘Go on. Yes, so what?'

‘The one you could sling on those fence panels you promised me?'

Sean let out another sigh of frustration and glanced back at the now bolted and alarmed compound. ‘How about we sort that tomorrow, now you're home?'

He could hear Joey laughing at the other end.

By the time Sean drove home, Joey had driven back to park outside the club, using the travel time like he did on the train, to catch up on things so he could thoroughly impress his big brother by knowing who Craig Harlow was. Being Joey, he had crossed paths with nearly everyone from Highbridge during his own rites of passage years, but he'd duly agreed to be sworn to secrecy about Santa's Garden. Due to his own history he was also able to calm Sean down over thinking Noah was going off the rails, then arranged for Sean to drop the panels the following day, confirmed arrangements for a family lunch at the weekend and explained why he was back. Fed up with London. Missing the kids' growing up. Eventually getting to the part about realising that, although she would never admit it, perhaps everything might be putting too much stress on Natasha, especially with her mother deteriorating. And how he was grateful their own parents still seemed fit and well. He decided not to mention the bit about bankrolling Luke to sort out the chippy crew.

Instead he switched the conversation to whether Sean knew anyone who needed work doing. Now he was back, he'd have to start building up his business.

‘Well, there is one thing you could do for me, actually,' Sean replied. ‘Santa's illuminations?'

‘Will I be able to tell anyone about it?' Joey laughed.

‘If they work. Catch you tomorrow.'

‘You will.' But before ending the call, Joey fired another question. ‘Hey, Sean. Bobby told me there's a guy in the optician's who's a tranny.'

Sean immediately brightened. At last something Joey didn't already know. ‘Everyone knows that, Joe. Well, those who live here.' He couldn't resist the barb. Nor the follow-up. ‘But that's a double hit.'

‘What is?'

‘Well, Martin or Marian as he, or she calls herself must be the only thing in a dress you haven't tried to bed.'

‘Oh, nice one, Bro.'

‘Tomorrow,' was all Sean said before ending the call. But Joey heard him laughing at his own joke. That made him chuckle, wondering how early the optician had started and, if he was even half decent, whether he might have tried to pull him at some stage. He decided not to go too far down that memory lane as he swiped the phone to check his messages just in case there was anything from Luke. There wasn't. But he was getting a visual message from the two piles of muscle outside the club. Being suspicious was part of a bouncer's job description. He might be just another dad waiting to pick up the kids. But he could be an illegal taxi driver who would kick off a fight with the licensed guys. Or he could just be a perv on the prowl. No matter, they now had him on their threat assessment list.

As he washed the dishes after their meal, Luke was also thinking about tomorrow. Going through the operational plan, such as it was. Get in. Poke the nest. Get out. Matt had already lost himself on his laptop, alternating between cookery, military forums, property, cars and porn, noting wryly to himself how his preferences had changed over the years. A few years back, porn would have been first on the list, but there was only so many times you could get excited about some MILF flashing her bits.

Luke took the opportunity to reflect on whether it was time to sell up and move on. He knew everyone else had their own theories as to why he kept the cottage, and most had some validity. It was unfinished business. A reminder, like the nodding Buddha, of happier times. Or tragedy. It was a foothold back home. But above all, for him, it was a safe bolthole. Somewhere to aim for when things got too hot elsewhere. Where he could find a friend like Joey. And, as he had told him, what else would he do with his cash?

It was the same reason Matt was constantly trawling estate agent websites, searching for somewhere to buy. Matt's trouble, though, was that since splitting from his wife before any kids came along, then losing his parents, he didn't have any roots from which to grow. Luke had thought of selling up and buying something closer to his own parents, but the idea of an apartment on the Costa del Pensions didn't exactly do it for him.

He picked up the nodding Buddha and gave it a tap. How long was it since he had felt real happiness? He rolled on his bed to look at the picture of himself and Janey on the bedside cabinet. It had been taken on the Thailand trip after she flew out to meet him on that 72. To stop his mind going down the blind alleys he had explored too often he rolled away from the picture and got up. He'd go over the plan one last time. The plan for payback. And that, he knew, was the real reason he kept coming back.

Joey was scrolling through the radio station list, another reminder of the lack of choice once outside the capital, when a text message popped up on his phone.
HELP
. It was Tanya. A microsecond later Joey was out of the car and heading for the two suits on the door, more High and Mighty than Jacamo and who, rightly, didn't know what this potential madman had on his mind. Until he held up the phone and pointed to the door, where Tanya was rushing out frantically looking for her dad. The bouncers hardly reacted at this all too familiar scene. Just another kid discovering reality is different from expectation and comes running for Daddy to sort it out. Still, before any of them had to do something they might later regret, Tanya, relieved at seeing Joey, pointed to the door and ran back to help Carol, who was struggling with a drunken Becky while trying to fend off the ever pursuing Husani, who'd swapped his Prada for a D&G look.

‘Let go. I'll take her home,' Husani was saying. ‘She's safe with me.'

‘Oh yeah. She looks it,' Carol shot back.

‘Here,' he tried to pull Becky away from Carol. ‘I will take her.'

Which was when Tanya flew into the fray. Shoving Husani backwards. ‘We're doing it, Hus!' she shouted.

The bouncers exchanged looks, then stood back and flicked their heads for Joey to pass. They had seen all this before too and knew it was best to let the domestics sort themselves out. Apart from which, they knew what might come next. As it did. As Becky attempted to empty the contents of her stomach on to the pavement between them all. While Joey was not quick enough, it had the effect of disentangling Husani's arm from between Carol's and Becky's. Joey looked down at his sick-splattered trainers then, fighting to control his irritation, gestured for Tanya to get Becky over to the Q7, while he turned to Husani.

‘Who you?' came straight at him.

‘I'm the guy who's taking them home.'

‘No need. I do it. I'm with Becky.'

‘Not any more. Tonight.'

Husani just grinned and went to step past Joey, but Joey leaned sideways, jamming him against the wall. He reacted by shoving Joey away. The bouncers took a step forward but Joey held up his hand. No trouble. Then leaned back in to Husani.

‘Now, what you lot do tomorrow is between you and them, but I think it's best if I take my daughter …' Joey hesitated to make the point. Which Husani took. Hell's fury over a scorned woman had nothing on a protective dad. He stood back. Slightly.

It was enough for Joey to continue. ‘So I'll take her and her friends home and you can go and finish your night. Somewhere else. Yeah?'

Husani held Joey's eye for a moment, then looked across to where Tanya was pushing and Carol pulling Becky into the Q7. He didn't seem to want to let her go and stepped forward once again. Joey blocked his way. The bouncers went on alert again, but this further flashpoint was defused as another well-cut suit came out of the club. Joey's age. Very smooth manner but the fresh scar across his forehead suggested he had recently seen the sharp end of life. The bouncers nodded deferentially and made sure he avoided the souvenir from Becky. A man of influence.