Reckoning (18 page)

“She’ll be long gone by now,” said Wolf.

“Then find her. She might know where they’re hiding out.”

Two of his men nodded and left the room.

Dane turned his attention back to the younger man, whose knees were trembling. “The Starklaws and Nilsen set this up?”

“No. It was Jared Slattery’s idea.”

“Shut it you idiot,” murmured the man with only one hand.

“He’s not threatening to chop your head off.”

“Jared Slattery, from Essex?” said Dane.

The boy nodded. “We were to distract you, that’s all.”

“Distract me from what?”

“Shut up,” yelled the man, clutching his hand.

Wolf knocked him out with one punch, silencing him.

“I repeat, distract me from what?” said Dane, pressing the machete blade to his neck.

“The attack on the compound,” he exclaimed, wide-eyed, unable to tear his eyes off that devil face.

“The Maguire compound?”

The boy nodded frantically. “We just started working for the Starklaws.”

“That’s why they sent you, so we wouldn’t recognise you?”

“Ollie Starklaw knew you’d be on the lookout for his crew. Him and Bobby Nilsen have sent some of their men to help Slattery attack the compound. Two of Mikey Maguire’s men have betrayed him.”

“Oh fuck,” said Dane, dragging his phone out of his pocket.

CHAPTER 18

Jules stepped outside, lighting up the cigarette and dragging on it deeply. Christ she was horny after that encounter with Mikey. Idly she wondered if Jax would oblige and relieve her of her frustration.

She leaned back against the wall to enjoy her cigarette, enjoying the weak sunshine. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to get her head around her relationship with Mikey - cousin, boss, friend, wannabe lover, not that she’d ever go down the last road, that was one huge complication she didn’t need. After years of being completely fucked up she was finally getting herself straight. She had friends, family, her own business and she was raking in a ton of cash working for Mikey and Jez. On top of all that, she was…happy. An affair with her married first cousin would mess everything up big style and that she couldn’t allow. But the way Mikey touched her set her alight and she really liked and respected him on top of all that. She could count the number of people she respected on one hand.

Movement caught her eye and she spotted Brogan and Duane chatting by the gates. What the fuck were they doing? They had work to do. “Oy, you two,” she yelled.

They both turned to look at her. “What?” called back Brogan.

“Stop arsing about and get on with your bloody jobs.”

They threw her dirty looks before meandering away.

“Pricks,” she muttered, glowering after them. Clearly they hated being told what to do by a woman, which grated because she knew she could kick both their arses blindfolded.

She cheered up a bit when her phone rang and Dane’s name popped up on the screen. “Hello,” she purred. Even though they’d agreed to end their on-off affair she thought he might oblige her urgent physical need. “And what can I do for you?”

“Jules, where are you?” he said.

“At the compound. Why?”

“You need to get out of there right now.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“I’ve just been questioning some bastard I caught who was about to launch a machete attack on my club.”

“Bloody hell. And?”

“He works for the Starklaws. Two of Mikey’s men have betrayed him and given Jared Slattery an in to the compound. He’s probably there already.”

“Fucking hell,” she said, doing her best not to shout out loud. Two men - she recalled Brogan and Duane’s odd behaviour at the gate and scanned the area for them but they’d vanished.

“Jared’s probably already in there. You need to get out. Now.”

“Have you told Mikey?”

“I tried calling him but his phone’s engaged.”

“I’ll tell him,” she said, throwing away the cigarette before racing back inside and up the stairs.

“Don’t, just get yourself out.”

“I am not going to leave him there. How many men does Jared have?”

“Quite a few. He’s got the Starklaws’ and Nilsen’s crews backing him up as well as his own. You’ll be outnumbered. I’m on my way with my men to help but we might not get there in time.”

“Mikey’s family, I am not running out on him. Call Jez, he’s at the hospital with Cathy. They might be going after him too.”

“I will but please Jules, get out of there in one piece.”

“I intend to,” she said before hanging up. At the top of the stairs she burst through the doors and pelted down the corridor towards Mikey’s office.

Mikey grimaced and held the phone away from his ear as his mum continued to sob down the line. Taking a leaf out of Ryan and Jez’s book, he’d reverted to calling his mother by her Christian name, Sharon.

“My baby, my poor, poor baby,” she wailed in his ear.

“Poor baby? He was a bloody lunatic.”

“I might have known you’d hate him,” she spat down the line. “He was everything you wanted to be.”

“What?” he laughed. “He was a mental the world’s better off without. I’m doing really well for myself now Sharon, I’m running everything.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I am. Jake couldn’t have done what I’ve done. He was useless, insane.”

“He was not,” she yelled.

Mikey winced and held the phone away from his ear.

“I’m coming back for the funeral.”

He’d known she’d say that and he’d had no idea how he would respond until she’d actually said the words. “Alright.”

“I don’t need your permission.”

“Yes you fucking do,” he growled.

There was a pause before she said, “so I can come?”

“Yes but you’re gone straight after.”

“Fine with me. Bye.”

With that she hung up, leaving Mikey to stare at the phone. He almost jumped when the door flew open and Jules charged in. “What the hell’s the matter with you?” he said.

“Dane…call…I’ve got to stop smoking,” she panted, doubling over.

“Has Dane upset you?”

“He captured two of the Starklaws’ men who tried to launch an attack on his club. They said two of our men have betrayed us and let Jared Slattery into the compound.”

Mikey shot to his feet. “Fuck,” he roared. “Who was it? I’ll fucking skin them alive.”

“We don’t have time for that now, we have to get out.”

“I am not running away.”

“They’ll kill you,” she cried.

Mikey snatched up the gun in his desk drawer when the door burst open again, but it was only Grant and Mark.

“Jules called me. She said Jared’s here,” said Grant, gun already drawn.

Mikey’s expression was grim. “We’ve been betrayed.”

“It was Brogan and Duane,” said Jules. “I saw them acting suspiciously by the gate. They must have let him in.”

Mikey kicked over his chair. “After all the precautions I’ve taken and that pair of wankers open the door for him.”

He went silent at the sound of gunshots.

“Wake up.”

Estelle groaned, her head throbbing. Different aches varied for supremacy inside her - ache for a cigarette, ache for a hit and another ache for more alcohol to keep the raging hangover at bay.

“Wake up,” barked the voice, louder.

Estelle released a groan and wrapped her arms around her head, praying for the pounding in her skull to stop.

“I said wake up,” insisted the voice, which was gruff and hard, one she didn’t recognise. She didn’t want to open her eyes because - as well as the headache - she felt dizzy, her whole body seeming to rock, even though she was lying still.

Estelle squealed when ice cold water landed on her face and she sat bolt upright, wincing as her head throbbed. “What the fuck…” Estelle trailed off when she found herself staring up into a weathered, bearded face. “Who the hell are you?” she cried, scrambling backwards. The floor beneath her was wet and slippery and she backed up into a big coil of rope.

“So you’re finally awake?” said the voice. “About time, we’re just about to leave.”

“Leave? Where are we going?”

It was only then she realised it wasn’t her spinning head that made her feel as though she was moving, she
was
actually moving because she was on a boat.

“Get me off here,” she cried, trying to scrabble to her feet but her trainers just slid on the slippery deck. The boat was large and state-of-the-art looking with plenty of fancy equipment. Standing on the dock was Ryan, his hands in his pockets, staring down at her.

“Ryan,” she cried, reaching out for him. “Get me off here.”

“Sorry Estelle. You’re staying on for the duration.”

“Where am I going?”

“Brindisi.”

“Where the fuck’s Brindisi?”

“Italy. Don’t worry, I’ve given you some cash. Malcolm has it, he’s the captain by the way,” he said, nodding at the bearded man.

“I don’t want to go to Brindisi, I want to go home.”

“Sorry Estelle. You’ve pissed me off once too often and this crap with the Slatterys was the last straw. I want you gone, for good. It was either this or I wrapped a chain around your neck and threw you into the sea, so think yourself fortunate.”

She yelled something right back at him but it was drowned out by the engines bursting into life. From the vicious look on her face he gathered it wasn’t complimentary.

“Ryan, get me off here,” she screamed as the boat started to pull away from the dock.

“There’s only one thing you need to know Estelle,” he called.

“What?” she called back hopefully. She frowned when he said something in Italian. “What does that mean?”

“
Where’s the local crack dealer
? I’m sure you’ll pick it up quickly enough.”

“Ryan. Ryan,” she screamed over and over, watching him standing on the dock, getting smaller and smaller until he blended in with the horizon. Estelle slumped onto the deck and started to cry.

“Oy love, don’t look so glum. Brindisi’s very nice.” Malcolm tossed her a yellow anorak. “You might want to put that on, it’s going to get cold and rain’s forecast. I like rain, it helps me keep under the radar.”

Estelle realised her eldest son had dumped her on a smuggler’s boat, who no doubt had been paid a huge sum of money to take her away.

“Here you go, have these,” he said holding a pack of cigarettes out to her. He laughed when she snatched it from him and retreated into a corner. “And I want you inside if you’re going to be a noisy bitch,” he said, gesturing to the cabin. “I need things quiet for my work.”

Estelle pulled on the anorak, lit a cigarette and retreated into the warmth of the cabin, imagining all the punishments she was going to rain down on her eldest son for this.

As the gun shot died away Mark pulled his gun, Jules drew her knives and Grant opened the door a crack and peeked out before hastily slamming it shut. “I can’t see anything but I heard shouting. Something’s not right.”

Mikey tried calling some of his men, as did Grant, but no one was answering.

“We’ve been breached,” said Grant, hanging up. “We need to get you out of here Boss.”

Jules tried not to give Mikey a
told you so
look as he handed her a gun and they all made for the door. None of them noticed Mikey surreptitiously remove something from his desk drawer and slip it inside his jacket pocket.

Grant carefully pulled the door open and peered out. “All clear,” he said before stepping into the corridor, Mark and Mikey following, Jules bringing up the rear. The building felt dead already, empty, everyone either killed or gone.

“We need a plan,” whispered Grant. “It’s quite a long way from the building to the gates, we’ll be picked off before we get anywhere near.”

“We need to get to one of the cars in the garage,” said Mikey.

“I’ll go,” said Mark.

“Good man,” said Mikey. “Bring the car round the back of the cellar.” Cellar was the euphemism they used for the torture chamber in the belly of the building. “There’s an exit leading to the back gate. Think you can make it?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, craggy face hard.

“We’ll meet you there. Be careful.”

Mark nodded and jogged back the way they’d come, pausing to peer around a corner before vanishing.

“Do you think we’ll see him again?” said Grant.

“Yeah, I do,” said Mikey. “Mark never fails.”

“Let’s hope you’re right,” said Jules. “Mikey, you stay in the middle of us.”

“I am not hiding behind anyone.”

“It’s not hiding Boss,” said Grant. “But you’ve got the biggest bullseye on your back.”

“He’s right,” said Jules, “and we don’t have time for arguing, so please little cuz, stay in the middle of us.”

“Alright,” he sighed. “Let’s just hurry.”

They strained to hear the slightest sound as they continued on down the corridor, Grant leading the way, but all was eerily silent.

“Where is everyone?” whispered Jules, bringing up the rear.

“Run away or dead,” replied Mikey. He glanced over his shoulder at her and reached out for her hand, which she took. Mikey gave her a wink and what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

Grant waved at them to stop and Jules and Mikey released hands. “I can hear something,” he mouthed at them.

They all listened, at first hearing nothing. Then the sound of voices drifted up to them. There was one big yell and a gunshot then silence.

“Where’s his office?” said a deep, Essex voice.

“Slattery,” hissed Mikey, wincing when Jules nudged him in the ribs.

“This way,” replied a voice they recognised as Brogan.

The three of them backed up around the corner and ran back the way they’d already come, past Mikey’s office. They ducked around the corner just as Jared appeared at the other end of the corridor, flanked by Brogan and Duane and followed by half a dozen more men. They were seriously outnumbered.

Jared himself led the charge into Mikey’s office, kicking the door open before rushing in, gun in hand. His tactics were far from subtle but they were usually effective - shock and terrify the opposition into immediate submission.