‘I’m not interested in the cash you stole, but you’ve got something else of mine, and I want it back.’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ The words tripped off my tongue. I hoped I sounded more convincing than I felt.
I turned and walked away from Alfie’s interrogating stare. His piercing blue eyes felt like they were penetrating my brain so that he could read my thoughts. The idea of that made panic rise up within me, and once again, I struggled to stay in control.
‘I’d forgotten what a good actress you are, Gemma. For a minute, you almost had me fooled.’ Alfie walked over to where I was standing with Luca in my arms. ‘It’s not the money I’m after. When I asked you the other day, you didn’t answer my question. How old is Luca?’
Alfie’s words rang in my ears.
‘Come on, Gemma, what’s the big secret? Surely you know how old the baby is.’
I pictured myself counting on invisible fingers while I cleared my throat. My mouth had completely dried out. ‘Not that it’s any of your business, but if you must know, he’s almost five months.’
49
Alfie
Knuckles and Nathan drove straight from Zamir’s warehouse to Darkwood Manor to fill me in on the latest events. When I heard the Mercedes approaching the house, I broke off my conversation with Gemma.
After hearing the details of the latest bit of bad luck to befall the Albanians, I decided to phone Vladimir. He immediately cleared up any speculation over who was responsible for the violent episodes. The Albanians were now officially embroiled in a feud with the Russians. Insulted by the lack of loyalty, Vladimir had issued a couple of warnings. When Zamir’s beating failed to deter him, Vladimir had no choice but to up the ante and ordered a drive-by shooting.
‘A close encounter with an AK-47 should do the trick.’ Vladimir laughed. ‘But just in case it hasn’t, I want you to do me a favour, Alfie. Tell Zamir if there is any more meddling in affairs that don’t concern him, this will end in a body count.’
*
‘Keep your distance until all of this is settled. Zamir will find himself on the receiving end of an assassin’s bullet if he’s not careful,’ Dad said. ‘The Russian Mafia are very hard-headed businessmen. They’re very effective at what they do. There is absolutely no way they’ll risk losing face by allowing Zamir to cut them out of the deal.’
There was a pecking order in this business, and the sooner Zamir realised that, the better it would be for all of us. There was no denying I was a kingpin in the UK market, but even I had my limitations. I couldn’t compete with the Russians. They were key players and wouldn’t let people get away with taking liberties. The Albanians were about to find that out the hard way. If they went through with their plan, Vladimir would be forced to carry out his own form of justice before the Albanians flooded the market with cheap drugs.
‘Loyalty counts for everything, doesn’t it?’ I said, then raised an eyebrow before flashing Gemma a bright smile.
Colour rushed to her cheeks, and she looked towards the floor while knotting her hands in her lap.
‘Let Vladimir deal with Zamir. Remember you’re meant to be keeping a low profile, Alf,’ Dad said, breaking the awkward silence.
50
Gemma
Jethro and Alfie were deep in conversation when Luca and I arrived at Darkwood Manor the next morning. Contrary to what Nathan and I had believed, Jethro was far from retired. He might not be as involved as he used to be and had technically handed over the reins to his son, but he was still an active part of the organisation behind the scenes. More often than not, Alfie was following orders.
‘You don’t want to get caught up in the crossfire, Alf. It won’t stop the Russians from carrying out the job even if innocent people are in the way. These men have no conscience.’
My mouth fell open. How could Jethro imply that Alfie was an innocent person? After everything the Watsons had put my family through, it was laughable that he was preaching about people not having a conscience. I was very tempted to point that out, but it would be less risky to poke a hungry bear with a large stick, than challenge Jethro about it. If I lit the fuse, there was a very good chance either Jethro or Alfie would explode.
Nathan and Knuckles walked into the kitchen a few moments later. Nathan pulled out a stool and sat next to me, whereas Alfie’s right-hand man positioned himself on the far side of the room facing the windows with his back against the wall. The bodyguard was always on duty. I didn’t envy his position. A lot of the time he spent long, boring hours standing around keeping watch, waiting for something to happen.
Knuckles stood with his huge hands clasped in front of him as his eyes slowly scanned the landscape for any sign of trouble. No doubt, he was carrying out a quick risk assessment of Alfie’s kitchen while he was carrying out his surveillance. I found myself having to suppress a smile. This room had the potential to be the minder’s worst nightmare. If a fight broke out in here, there were no end of weapons readily available, both actual and improvised, which an attacker could get their hands on.
I didn’t know why I found that amusing, but a vision of Alfie being whipped with a tea towel while trying to defend himself from a frying pan onslaught suddenly came into my head. It was like a scene from an old Pink Panther movie.
*
My mood took a turn for the worse when Knuckles and Nathan were sent to keep watch on Zamir. Once they left the house, Jethro made himself scarce as well. Alfie stood on the other side of the granite counter grinning at me, and the look on his face sent a chill through my body. I got up and walked over to the far side of the kitchen. Luca was sitting up in his playpen chewing on one of his toys. When he saw me approach, he started babbling and reached forward with his hands. Then he began rocking back and forth on his hands and knees. This would be a huge milestone for my baby; his first step towards independent mobility, and although I had been eager to see this moment, I said a silent prayer that he wouldn’t start to crawl in front of Alfie.
I could see Alfie swagger across the marble floor out of the corner of my eye, but I didn’t look in his direction. When he stood shoulder to shoulder with me, my pulse began to race. For what seemed like the longest moment, he stood watching my baby with a hint of a smile on his face. His silence made my heartbeat quicken.
‘Didn’t you say Luca was almost five months?’ Alfie tilted his head to the side and studied my reaction.
‘Yes.’ I didn’t make eye contact with him because his gaze was interrogating.
‘Fuck me, he’s advanced for his age. My nieces and nephews were way older than him before they started to do that.’
‘All babies develop at different rates,’ I replied, brushing off his comment as though it wasn’t important and not worth my consideration, but inside my old friend anxiety was bubbling under the surface. I hoped it didn’t take this opportunity to make an appearance.
51
Alfie
Two days later when I’d thought the dust had settled, I paid Zamir a visit.
Knuckles, Nathan and I looked at each other when we stepped over the threshold of the dingy space. We could all feel the tension as soon as we entered the room. Although the warehouse was cavernous, the atmosphere was claustrophobic.
As we approached Zamir and his men, Dren jumped up from the table and began shouting at us in Albanian. We had no idea what the fucker was on about, but he wasn’t exactly welcoming us in with open arms, so we stopped walking and stood our ground. I was aware that this could turn into a huge brawl if we weren’t careful when Zamir’s tracksuit-clad men quickly armed themselves with metal pipes, bats and knives.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fight the same as the next man, and I’m usually the first one in the queue to dish out a beating, but that’s not why I’d come here today. Although it went against my instincts, on this occasion, I needed to back down from physical confrontation. I didn’t want this meeting to descend into absolute chaos. But it wasn’t go
ing to be easy; being a pacifist didn’t come naturally to me. I wasn’t bothered about going home with a bit of blood on me, but I’d rather not be taken out of this shithole in a box.
Armed with a large kitchen knife, Dren ran over to where we were standing and tried to plunge the blade into Knuckles when he stepped in front of me. Knuckles disarmed his opponent with ease. As the knife hit the floor with a clatter, my right-hand man casually placed Dren in a headlock. I glanced over at Nathan and shook my head. He wasn’t exactly an intimidating figure; the colour had drained from his face. The guy was a wimp and didn’t have the presence to carry off the role I’d given him. He really wasn’t cut out for this line of work, but he doubled my backup, so for now, he was an essential part of the team. I hoped he didn’t let the side down and spew his guts up, or worse still, faint in a heap on the floor.
I tore my eyes away from him so that I could open up the lines of communication before Knuckles choked Dren unconscious. ‘I didn’t come here looking for trouble,’ I said, holding my hands out in front of me, so I wasn’t tempted to pull my gun out and shoot the lot of them.
‘Let Dren go, and then we’ll talk,’ Zamir replied before lifting up a bottle of raki that was on the table in front of him and pouring some into two glasses.
I gestured to Knuckles, who instantly released his grip. Coughing and spluttering, Dren dropped onto his hands and knees. He stayed on the pigeon-shit-covered floor until he’d caught his breath. I waited impatiently until he’d stopped rasping before I continued our conversation.
‘Now tell your men to put down their tools.’
Zamir’s men threw down their weapons after he spoke to his tracksuited army in Albanian. He walked towards me and held out a glass with his work-worn hand. I took the firewater from him and downed it in one gulp. The stuff was disgusting, but I’d didn’t want to offend him by not drinking it. The raki burned my throat long after I’d swallowed it.
‘I want you to know I had nothing to do with the agro you’ve found yourself in recently. If you respect the boundaries, there’s no reason for us to be at war. I don’t have an issue with you, as long as you don’t tread on my toes.’
‘I understand, boss man. We don’t want any trouble either. Our brush with death has spooked us,’ Zamir replied.
‘Believe me, if Vladimir Popov had wanted you dead, the hitman wouldn’t have missed the target,’ I said to reassure him. ‘But you’re skating on thin ice. If you don’t want to find yourselves at the centre of an elaborate poison plot or some other kind of mysterious death, you’ll reconsider who you buy your coke from.’
Zamir nodded. It looked like the penny had finally dropped.
‘I hear what you’re saying. If we want to stay safe, we’d better forget about branching out on our own.’
‘Exactly.’
My face broke into a smile. I’d heard from the horse’s mouth that Zamir was living on borrowed time. It was his own fault he was a target. Nobody could disrespect Vladimir and the Russian Mafia, and get away with it. In underworld circles, looking at a rival the wrong way could be enough to leave you with a bullet planted in your brain. After the way he’d carried on, he’d have to do some serious backpedalling if he wanted to see another birthday.
‘There’s one more thing, I don’t want to find your dealers hustling customers in my club.’
‘Of course not. You have my word.’
Zamir gave me his sincerest look before he spoke in Albanian over his shoulder. Being excluded from a conversation always got my back up, and I felt myself bristle. Esad picked the bottle up from the table and walked over to join us. Zamir gestured to him, and Esad refilled our glasses.
‘From now on we are allies,’ Zamir said, holding his glass out in front of me.
52
Gemma
Luca was bawling his eyes out by the time Nathan, Alfie and Knuckles returned to Darkwood Manor. I had him up on my shoulder and was pacing backwards and forwards across the kitchen tiles, trying to soothe him, when my husband came in and took the baby out of my arms.
‘What’s the matter, mate?’ Nathan asked. Luca’s cheek was bright red, and he was dribbling profusely. ‘Are your teeth giving you trouble?’
Nathan took the cooling ring from my hand, and Luca started gnawing on it. Within minutes he’d stopped crying. My husband definitely had the magic touch.
I walked over to the fridge and took out a glass ramekin of pureed apple I’d made up earlier. ‘He might be hungry.’
Nathan placed Luca in his high chair and clipped him into the harness. ‘Do you want some of this?’ Nathan asked after loading a small amount onto a plastic spoon. Luca opened his mouth wide and smiled. ‘There you go,’ Nathan said, smiling back at the baby.
‘I hate to break up this scene of domestic bliss, but you’ve got work to do, Nathan,’ Alfie said.
Nathan handed me the dish before planting a kiss on Luca’s and my cheeks. ‘See you later,’ he said before following Knuckles out of the door.
‘Luca’s on solids already. My sisters’ kids were six months old before they started to wean them,’ Alfie said.
‘They do things differently in Spain,’ I replied, not looking up from my son.
‘I think it’s time you cut the crap. We both know Luca’s older than you’re letting on.’
Even though I didn’t turn around, I could feel Alfie’s eyes boring into the back of my head.
‘Did you know I was having you watched while you were living in Spain?’
Alfie had just confirmed my worst nightmare. The terror of feeling like I was being stalked was an experience that left me a changed person. Even in the apparent safety of my home, I felt scared and isolated. Every time I recalled the memory, it seemed to have become more frightening than it was before.
‘I was kept up to date on your every move. When I heard that you were pregnant, I had a feeling I was the baby’s father. I had to bide my time before I could do anything about my suspicions, but the physical similarities between myself and Luca are undeniable. Wouldn’t you agree? I don’t care how many times you deny it, I know Luca is my son.’
I was suddenly experiencing a full spectrum of emotions. It was time to harness them and use them to my advantage. I couldn’t let Alfie get to me. I had to pull myself together. Something told me things were about to get messy.
Luca started beaming at me, but the smile slid from my face. I was overcome with the impulse to lash out, but that would be a stupid move. Instead, I turned around and fixed Alfie with a glare. He could see the loathing in my eyes. I could feel anxiety building inside me. If he realised I was scared, it would only make Alfie’s power level rise. I needed to choose my words carefully, but unfortunately, they got stuck in my throat, and the silence dragged on while I considered what to do for the best. If I let him, Alfie would take full advantage of the situation. He would prey on my weakness. I couldn’t afford to let that happen.
‘For the last time, Luca’s not your son. He’s not even five months old yet.’ I reached forward and unclipped the harness. I wanted my baby close to me, so I lifted him out of the highchair and glared at Alfie while I held Luca in my arms.
‘I can remember the first of September like it was yesterday,’ Alfie said.
That was the day Luca was born. The pulse began pounding in my ears as I tried to swallow the lump at the back of my throat. I had to stay calm; I didn’t want Alfie to sense my unease.
‘It was one of the best days of my life. The game’s up, Gemma.’
Alfie was backing me into a corner, marking his territory like a true dominant male, and I didn’t know how to respond without making matters worse.
‘I love you, Gemma, I always will. I want the three of us to be a family.’ Alfie fixed me with his blue eyes and reached forward to stroke Luca’s face.
I turned my shoulder, so his fingers didn’t make contact with my son. I didn’t want this man near either of us. I thought I was pretty prepared for whatever life thre
w at me, but Alfie confessing his undying love had floored me. I felt paralysed with fear and couldn’t think straight.
Alfie began grinning. ‘I tell you what, I’m feeling generous tonight, so I’m going to offer you an ultimatum. You can go back to Gareth’s house on the condition that you tell Nathan about Luca. You’ve got forty-eight hours to come clean. Otherwise, I’ll tell him the truth myself.’
I had to fight back tears as my entire world started crashing down around me.
53
Gemma
Our marriage had hit rock bottom, and we hadn’t had sex for over a month when Nathan and I first started trying for a baby. As we attempted to put my infidelity behind us, we’d hoped a baby would bring us closer together and help us make a fresh start.
Sitting alone on the side of the bath, I stared at my watch and tried not to look at the test on the glass shelf until the three minutes were up. They were the longest minutes of my life. They passed by like hours. When the time arrived, and I saw two lines as plain as day looking back at me, I could hardly believe it; I’d waited so long for this moment. I tore out of the bathroom, grinning from ear to ear. I didn’t need to tell Nathan the outcome; he could see by the look on my face, it was good news. My husband picked me up and spun me around. He was as happy as I was. We were both over the moon. I remember the moment as if it was yesterday. Discovering that I was expecting our first child was the best thing that had happened to us in ages. This baby was going to mend our damaged relationship; I was sure of it.
*
The day had finally arrived. Nathan and I sat outside the room in the ultrasound department, waiting for my dating scan for what seemed like an eternity. I’d read and reread all the posters on the wall. Meanwhile, Nathan was fidgeting in the plastic chair impatiently tapping his foot on the floor while we waited for my name to be called. A huge smile spread across Nathan’s handsome face when the door closest to us opened.
Tangled Lives Page 16