Reckoning (36 page)

Tanya nodded and cradled his cheek with her palm. “Once again you’re right. If only your dad had had half your brains.”

“He’d still be dead now,” he frowned.

“Yes but I might have had some respect for him. Oh this is such a mess.”

“But we’ll get it sorted.” He nodded at his men to leave and when they’d gone he pulled Tanya tighter against him and pressed his nose into her hair.

She pointed at Irina’s body without removing her face from her son’s chest. “Get that out of my house.”

“I will, just leave everything to me.”

“And let Katia know how displeased we are with her for bringing us Irina. Don’t hurt her though, she is very useful and makes us a lot of money.”

“Okay. I’ve got the perfect way to do that.”

“What do you make of this Hayden? Can he be trusted?”

“He betrayed Mikey Maguire so I don’t think so. He has no loyalty.”

“He’ll have loyalty to Katia. She knows how to manipulate a man. I respect that but she already has Robbie and Jason and Harry Sugar.” Jason and Harry were the only two brothers of Col Sugar - who had been second-in-command to Alex - to survive the last war. “Now she has Hayden too. She’s building a crew around her. She needs to be watched.”

“I’ll keep a close eye on her and if she gets too big for her boots I’ll snap her neck too.”

“Good.” She kissed him on the cheek then pulled away. “Now I really need a shower, I’ve got that bitch’s blood on me,” she said, holding up her hands for him to see.

Tanya paused on her way to the door to stomp on Irina’s face, her high heel puncturing her left eyeball, which gave way with a soft pop. She pulled the heel back out, grimacing at the mess stuck to her shoe.

“Leave them, I’ll sort them out too,” said Jared.

“Thanks Son,” she replied, kicking off the shoes and padding barefoot out of the room.

When the door had closed behind her Jared threw himself to the floor, picked up one of the shoes, pressed it to his face and inhaled, feeling himself harden.

“Focus Jared,” he muttered, forcing himself to put down the shoe. He took out his phone and called Katia. “Katia, it’s Jared,” he said when she answered. “Just to let you know that I’m sending a couple of my men down to Devon to take care of Rachel and Ryan for you. When I make a promise I always keep my word.” He smiled at the hesitation in her voice, she wasn’t so fucking demanding now. She was probably worried about her new man turning against her. “Well, aren’t you grateful?” he said, enjoying listening to her squirm. He smiled when she said she was. “Good,” he replied before hanging up, confident she’d tell Hayden, she wouldn’t want him thinking it was down to her.

CHAPTER 36

“What do you mean he went to Essex?”

Declan flinched beneath the force of Ryan Law’s rage. “We couldn’t stop him, he just did it.”

“Can someone tell me just what the fuck is going on before I completely lose it?” he bellowed at the room.

Everyone backed off a step. It was rare for Ryan to yell like this, he was so good at containing his rage but Mikey had pushed him to the limit.

It was Dane who replied. “We found out Jules isn’t dead. Jared Slattery faked that footage of her getting shot.”

“Faked it?” he barked.

“We reckon he substituted some other woman at the last minute and killed her instead.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Jax spotted there was no snake tattoo on her back.”

Ryan’s eyes snapped onto Jackson. “Explain.”

“You know Venom, the namesake tattooed on her body?”

“I know of it,” he said icily.

“Well it goes down her right side and the body of the snake wraps around her waist. The woman in the footage had no tattoo.”

Naturally Ryan’s attention turned back on Dane. “Why didn’t you spot this? Surely you’ve seen her bare back enough times?”

“Because I looked away when she got shot. I couldn’t bear to see someone I’ve been close to for twenty years get murdered. Happy now?” he snapped back.

“No Dane, I am far from happy,” said Ryan, his voice deepening and quietening.

“Why did Mikey think that gave him the right to ditch us all and go tearing down to Essex alone?” said Declan. “I don’t get it.”

Ryan and Jez glanced at each other. They both knew but they weren’t going to say anything.

“I’ll try getting him on the phone again,” said Jez.

“Idiot,” muttered Ryan. “Not you Jez,” he added when his brother frowned at him.

“No answer,” said Jez, hanging up.

Ryan sat down at the kitchen table and glared at the floor, losing himself in his own thoughts.

“Sorry,” said Dane when his phone starting ringing. He looked at the screen and frowned, not recognising the number. “Hello?” As the voice started talking he frantically waved his hand at the others. He covered the mouthpiece and mouthed the word,
Nilsen.

They all surrounded him, straining to listen, except for Ryan, who maintained his seat at the table.

“Yeah alright, I’ll be there,” he said before hanging up.

“Well?” said Ryan.

“Nilsen wants me to meet him tonight at eight to divvy up your empire,” he said, looking at Jez. “He wants me to be there to discuss whether I get to keep my own business. Cheeky fucker.”

“Then you must go,” said Ryan. “And take some unexpected guests with you.”

Dane broke into a smile. “It’s going to be beautiful.”

“Nilsen’s just led us straight to him. I didn’t think it would be that easy,” said Jez.

“He thinks Mikey’s dead and you’re on the run. Jared’s own lies have just destroyed his takeover plan, as I knew they would,” said Ryan. “A lesson we should all learn from.” When his phone started to ring his eyes flared. “That had better be Mikey,” he said, taking it out of his pocket. “Hello?”

“It’s me, Mikey.”

Ryan’s rage was so acute his chest shuddered with it. “Where the fuck are you?” he hissed into the phone.

“Just about to get onto a plane at a private airfield in Essex. With Jules.”

“She’s okay?”

“Apart from the fact that her knees are sore and she’s wearing pink, she’s fine.”

Suddenly Ryan found it hard to be angry. “Get straight back here.”

“That’s what we intend to do.”

“Tell her it’ll be good to see her again.”

“I will. I know you’re pissed off with me Ryan but it was the right thing to do.”

He got to his feet and retreated to the other side of the room to snarl into the phone, “was leaving all of us behind the right thing to do?”

“You were busy.”

“She’s my sister.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, I just thought you’d be happy to get her back.”

“Don’t twist my words. When you get back me and you will be having words.”

“Have all the words you want, it won’t make me regret what I did,” he said, infuriating Ryan even more by hanging up first, not letting him have the final word.

“That was Mikey,” he said through a tense jaw. “He’s on his way back with Jules.”

“She’s okay?” said Jackson.

“Fine.”

“Thank God,” he smiled.

“Precisely,” said Ryan. “It’s time for you to leave Jackson, you don’t want to get caught up in this mess.”

“I want to see Jules.”

“You will, when the time is right. Don’t argue with me, I am not in the mood,” he spat.

“I’ll let that go because I understand you’ve got a lot on your plate at the moment and because you’re Jules’s brother,” glowered Jackson. “But don’t ever speak to me like that again.”

Ryan managed a wry smile. “Maybe you should stick around? We could use someone with balls the size of yours.”

“This isn’t the life for me.” He handed Dane the blindfold. “Put this back on, I don’t want to know anything I don’t have to.”

Ryan wished it was so easy for him.

Mikey was over the moon. Jules was back in Manchester. They’d landed at the private airfield owned by a friend of his - a friend who wasn’t in the gangster life so he knew he could trust him - and now they were in his car, heading back to the safe house.

“I need to go to my flat first,” she said. “I can’t fight a war dressed like this.”

“Shame, I was starting to get used to it,” he grinned.

“Well don’t. I hate pink.”

“Why did they dress you up like that?” he said.

“It was Jared’s idea, I think he wanted me to look like his mum. Tanya wanted me dead, she tried too. That is one psycho bitch and she’s very handy with a knife by the way.” She hung her head and picked at her fingernails. “You should know that I did what I had to do in there…to win Jared’s trust.”

Mikey’s grip on the steering wheel tightened and his jaw tensed. “I see.”

“It was the only way to stay alive, I needed Jared to protect me from his mother because she kept demanding I be executed.”

“It’s okay, I understand,” he said quietly, wrestling with feelings of jealousy. He’d been grieving for her and all the time she’d been shagging the bastard he thought had killed her. Logically he didn’t blame Jules, she’d done what was necessary to stay alive but his heart was thinking differently.

Jules, thinking he was pissed off at her, went quiet, staring out of the window while frantically picking at her nails.

He parked in the garage beneath her apartment building and followed her upstairs to the flat.

“Won’t be a minute,” she muttered before walking into her bedroom and shutting the door.

Mikey paced back and forth, trying not to think about the fact that she was undressing in the next room. “Stop it you idiot,” he sighed.

“What did you say?” she said, opening the door.

Mikey’s agitation suddenly settled to see her back in her black jeans and vest, the knives strapped to her wrists, holding her black hoodie in one hand. In two strides he was before her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her. Jules, taken by surprise, froze in his arms, then she relaxed and kissed him back, sliding her hands through his hair but not daring to explore any further.

Mikey forced himself to end the kiss, pulling back only slightly to look into her eyes. “I know I promised never to kiss you again but I couldn’t help myself. I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“Why, did you miss me?” she said, her usual teasing absent, her smile and eyes fuelled by sweetness instead.

“Yes, so much,” he said, touching her face. He released her and took a step back. “I promise that from now on I won’t kiss you again.”

“We’ll see,” she smiled before pulling on the hoodie.

“Where did you get the knives from? Yours were found in the cellar at what remains of the compound.”

“I’ve got lots of spares.”

“You ready to kill all the bastards who set us up?”

She drew both knives from her sleeves, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile as she gazed at the gleaming blades. “Oh yeah. I’m looking forward to this.”

Jules’s return was triumphant to say the least. She burst through the front door of the bungalow, arms wide. “I’m back.”

“So we see,” said Ryan, trying to hide a smile.

“Jules,” cried Jez, throwing his arms around her.

She took a moment to enjoy the hug before saying, “Jesus Jez, I can’t breathe.”

“Sorry,” he said, releasing her. “It’s just so good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back, believe me.”

Jez stepped aside to reveal Dane. Without a word he lunged forward and kissed her full on the lips, forcing Mikey to look away.

“Woah,” she said when he finally let her come up for air. “Maybe I should get kidnapped more often?”

“Don’t you bloody dare. We’re not going through all that again.”

“Why, were you upset?”

Dane recognised that she was genuinely surprised. “Course I was, we all were. We thought you were dead.”

“Oh. I didn’t think you would be.”

“We’ve known each other for twenty years.”

“And I’ve driven you crazy for nineteen out of those twenty years.”

“Life wouldn’t be the same without you driving me round the twist.”

“Soft arse,” she said, giving him a playful nudge. She turned to Ryan and opened her arms. “Come on big brother, give us a hug. I know you want to.”

Ryan hesitated before enveloping her in a tight embrace. “Missed you…little sis.”

It was such an un-Ryan thing to say she laughed. “See, I’m rubbing off on you.”

“It is good to have you back.” And it was true. He still had his little sister.

“It’s so nice to be back with sensible northern people. Those southerners were just weird.” she said.

Grant stepped forward, looking anxious. “I should never have let you detonate the compound.”

“I didn’t give you much of a choice,” she replied, to his relief. “Is Jax here?” she said hopefully.

“He was but we made him leave,” replied Ryan. “He protested. A lot.”

“It was the right thing to do, this isn’t his world,” she said, disappointed. “I’ll catch up with him later. I’ve a lot to thank him for.” She spotted Shane standing in a corner and smiled predatorily. “Hello cutie. Want to give me a cuddle?”

Shane shuffled nervously. “Err, I…errr…”

“Shane’s been indispensable,” said Jez.

“I bet he has. He certainly has assets,” said Jules, eyeing him up and down.

“Relax Shane, she’s only winding you up,” said Ryan. “Now, to business…oh for God’s sake,” he muttered when his phone started to ring. He tugged it out of his pocket. “What?” he barked.

“Ryan, it’s Hayden,” said the voice on the other end.

“Hayden. Where the fuck are you? Where are the boys?”

“Back where they belong. With their mother.”

“Are you with them?”

Hesitation. “Yes.”

“You fucking traitor.”

“I understand you’re pissed off with me Ryan but when I signed up to work for Mikey I didn’t think I’d be kidnapping kids and killing their mother.”

“That thing’s no mother, she’s an evil, vindictive witch who poisoned Alex against his entire family.”

“I’m not calling to discuss Katia. I’m calling about you.”

“Are you coming for me Hayden, after all the time we’ve known each other? Has she turned your head that much?”

“It’s not me, I wouldn’t do that. It’s Jared Slattery, he’s sending someone to Devon to kill you and Rachel.”

Ryan closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why does everything keep coming back to us?”

“It’s a point of principle for him, he feels he owes her after he failed to get her kids back for her. This isn’t Katia, she doesn’t want revenge against you and Rachel anymore, her anger’s directed at Mikey now after he stole her children. It’s a point of pride for Jared. He promised to do something so he’s going to do it.”

“Why are you warning me?”

“Because Katia owes me.”

“I appreciate that Hayden. One warning deserves another. If you’re going to get tied up with the Slovakian slapper watch your back and good luck, you’re going to need it.” With that he hung up and immediately called Rachel, leaving the others hanging.

“Hi Babe, what’s happening?” she said.

Ryan caught the edge to her voice and hated himself for putting her under even more strain. “I’m getting the next plane back to Exeter.”

“Is it over?”

“No, unfortunately but it will be soon. I’ve just had word from Hayden Brody. Jared Slattery’s sending some men to Devon to assassinate us.”