‘You’re talking to the wrong person. You saw how Rico treated me – I’m a nobody.’
‘Then why are we here?’
His eyes were searching the crowd. ‘I told you, it’s the place to be.’
‘If you’re a criminal?’
He smiled. ‘If you’re anyone.’
Caelan drank some beer. ‘Tell me about Harris.’
‘Nothing to tell.’ Mulligan wouldn’t look at her.
‘You remember what you agreed? Why you’re not spending tonight—’
He interrupted her. ‘I remember.’
‘All right. Then can you introduce me to him?’
‘Bad idea. He won’t be happy to see me, especially when he hears I can’t pay him. You think he’s going to be in the mood to chat to you?’
‘I want to speak to him.’
A splutter. ‘Then you’re dafter than I thought. He’s got a reputation around women.’
‘The ones he arrived with seemed happy enough.’
‘You think?’ Mulligan curled his lip. ‘See the blonde, her name’s Abbie? He broke her nose last year.’
‘And she’s still with him?’
‘She’s one of many. Believe me, he’s not a man you want to get any closer to than you already have.’
‘I don’t have a choice. You know that.’ Caelan leant closer again. ‘Tell me. Is he someone I should be looking at?’
Mulligan hesitated. ‘Your call.’
‘What does he do?’
‘His family own a pizza shop, a chippy and a taxi firm.’ Mulligan widened his eyes. ‘So, you know, he fries food and drives people around.’
Businesses where lots of cash payments could be expected. Fronts for laundering drug money? Based on what Mulligan had said, it seemed possible. ‘I’ll ask again. What did you buy from Harris?’
Mulligan shifted. ‘White.’ His lips barely moved.
Cocaine. Not a surprise. ‘When?’
‘Does it matter?’
‘Is he still selling?’
‘I don’t know. Ask him.’
She smiled at him. ‘I might. What would he do if I told him I’m here with you?’
Mulligan blew out his cheeks. ‘Tonight? Here? Nothing. This isn’t the sort of place you’d start trouble. You come here to be seen, noticed. To announce yourself. Look around you. I could spit in any direction and hit two footballers and a reality TV star.’
She’d have to take his word for it. ‘If you know you’re safe here, why are you still staying out of Harris’s way?’
‘Come on, you know how it works. You saw the two lads with him? Look like pit bulls in polo shirts? Maybe tonight, when I’m tucked up in bed, they’d pay me a visit and remind me of the debt I owe their boss. They might leave it even longer, to really put the willies up me.’ He took a gulp of beer. ‘As it were. But sometime soon, they’d turn up, rip my arms off and shove them up my arse. And that’d be for starters.’
‘Then why did you bring us here, if you knew you might see Harris?’
Mulligan scowled. ‘Because I’m trying to hold up my end of the bargain. I knew if you were seen in this place, where it’s safe, people would recognise you when we go to some of the… livelier places I know.’
‘We could have walked away, come back tomorrow.’ Caelan knew they were here to do a job, but putting Mulligan at risk wasn’t part of the deal. For now, they needed him.
‘He’s going to find out I’m back anyway,’ Mulligan said. ‘At least here, the doormen should keep a lid on things.’
‘Does Harris know where you live?’
Mulligan forced a smile. ‘Not as far as I know. Still alive, aren’t I? But I’m sure he could find out.’
Caelan turned to Ewan, handing him her beer. ‘Cheers. I’m going to have a wander around.’
He nodded, his face professionally blank, though Caelan guessed he wasn’t happy about being left alone with Mulligan.
‘Off to powder your nose?’ Mulligan asked her.
Caelan smiled. ‘Not in the way you usually mean, no.’
She left them, planning to complete a circle of the club, intending to scope out the exits as well as track down Harris and his friends.
Pushing through the crowd, she headed for the toilets, giving the impression she had a reason for leaving Ewan and Mulligan in their corner. Several people caught her eye, but she ignored them, not wanting to encourage anyone to try to talk to her.
The queue for the women’s loos was already out of the door. Caelan hesitated, then kept moving, as though she’d decided she could wait. She was circling around the main dance floor when she spotted Stefan Harris, standing alone as the rest of his group headed off to dance. She studied him, wondering how to make her move. He was a shade under six feet tall, muscular, shaven-headed. No doubt his appearance was intended to make him seem intimidating, and Caelan had to admit, it was effective. Abbie, the one Mulligan had said Harris had attacked, kept throwing him anxious glances from the dance floor, as though by leaving his side she was doing something she’d pay for later. Harris was looking at his phone again, sipping from a bottle of beer. Caelan moved closer, not looking at him, making a show of studying the crowd.
‘Looking for someone?’ He was grinning at her, his eyes travelling over her body. Caelan stopped, smiled back.
‘Yeah, my boyfriend. He must have gone to the bar.’
Harris stepped closer. ‘Why don’t me and you have a chat while you wait for him?’
Caelan pretended to hesitate. ‘Well, I…’
Abbie had stopped dancing and was watching them, frowning.
‘Come on,’ Harris said, beckoning to Caelan. ‘Never seen you in here before.’
‘No, it’s my first time.’
He winked. ‘Bet you say that to all the boys.’
She managed a laugh while promising herself that if Harris touched her, she’d break his arm. ‘I need to get back to my boyfriend.’
‘What’s your name?’ Harris leant closer.
‘Victoria.’ She didn’t miss a beat.
‘I’m Stefan. Good to meet you.’ He held out his hand.
Caelan nodded, keeping her own hands by her sides. ‘Like I said, I’m with someone and he—’
‘Come on, sweetheart, we’re just talking. More fool this fella of yours for leaving you alone.’ Harris looked over Caelan’s shoulder with a sneer, and she knew he was making sure Abbie was watching. ‘How about a dance?’
‘No thanks.’
His expression darkened, and he took another pace towards her. ‘What’s your problem?’
‘I don’t have a problem, I have a partner.’
‘A partner.’ Harris snorted. ‘Right. What does he do?’
‘What?’
His hands were on his hips, chest puffed out. ‘I’m a businessman, made a profit of over a hundred grand last year. This boyfriend of yours can compete with that, can he?’
Caelan gave him a level stare, knowing that if he was into the kind of business she suspected, he’d have made much more than that. ‘No, he can’t,’ she said. ‘But I can.’
He chortled. ‘You? Yeah, course you can, sweetheart.’
‘Straight up. I’ve made some decent money up in Scotland; now I’m down here looking for… opportunities.’
‘And what line of business are you in?’
Caelan smiled. ‘Buying, selling. Importing sometimes, depending on the deal.’
Harris rubbed his chin. ‘Food, furniture, what?’
‘Like I said, it depends on the deal.’ She turned. ‘See you around.’
This time he didn’t move to stop her walking away. Caelan didn’t look back, knowing she’d planted a seed. She’d said nothing to suggest she was into anything dodgy, but Harris could make what he would of what she’d said. Sooner or later he’d probably hear she was linked to James Mulligan, and would draw his own conclusions.
Mulligan was scowling when she found them again. Caelan smiled at Ewan, who rolled his
eyes in Mulligan’s direction.
‘Harris seems nice,’ she said.
‘You’re going to get me killed, you know that?’ Mulligan told her.
‘Why? I never mentioned your name.’
‘You didn’t need to. He’ll find out soon enough, and then—’
‘Hello, stranger!’
A young woman bounced up beside them and slung an arm around Mulligan’s neck, beaming at him, at them all. Mulligan’s expression altered immediately, and he grinned as though seeing her was the best thing to happen to him in months.
‘Hello, darling, I wondered if you’d be around.’ He kissed her cheek.
‘Aren’t you inside?’ She laughed at herself. ‘Obviously not.’
‘Nah, they had nothing on me.’ Mulligan’s eyes were on Caelan as he spoke. ‘Had to let me go. No charges.’
‘Good. I was worried about you.’ She pulled a face at him.
Mulligan winked. ‘No need, princess. No need.’
‘Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?’ She treated them to another smile, blue eyes wide, teeth gleaming. She wore a tight black dress and was holding a garish cocktail.
Mulligan waved a careless hand towards Caelan and Ewan. ‘Victoria and Owen. Vic’s a cousin of mine. And this is,’ he broke into the Dolly Parton song, ‘Jolene, Jolene, Jolene—’
She punched his ribs, none too gently. ‘Shut up, Mulligan.’ She held out a hand to Caelan and said, ‘Jolene Townsend. My mum was a big fan.’ The grin reappeared. ‘Of Dolly, not of you.’
Caelan smiled back. ‘Who isn’t?’
Jolene took Ewan’s hand. ‘Hello, you.’
On cue, Ewan blushed. Mulligan muscled back in, snaking an arm around her waist.
‘Who are you here with, Jo?’ he asked.
She took a gulp from her glass. ‘Reuben, but then he heard his brother was around, so he left.’
Mulligan clicked his tongue. ‘They fallen out again?’
She raised her eyes to the ceiling. ‘You know how they are.’ Draining her drink, she raised the empty glass. ‘Good to meet you two. And you,’ she poked Mulligan’s arm as she pulled away from him, ‘stay out of trouble.’
He gave a mock salute as she danced away.
‘Reuben?’ Caelan said.
‘Reuben Nash.’ Mulligan concentrated on his beer.
‘Who is he?’
‘Someone I know.’
Caelan saw his reluctance to talk about Nash. ‘And you’ve done business with him?’
Mulligan glanced around. ‘Can we discuss this later? It’s not really the place.’
‘What about Nash’s brother? The one your friend Jolene mentioned?’
‘Nathan? You don’t need to be worried about him.’
‘I’m not,’ Caelan said. ‘What’s the problem between him and his brother?’
Mulligan looked mutinous. ‘Why do you care?’
‘He’s someone you know. That makes him of potential interest to us.’
‘Reuben Nash owns a club – dump of a place compared to this one. Nathan helps out there. I try to stay out of his way. He’s a psycho.’
Ewan said, ‘You know the bloke you wanted to avoid? Harris? He’s heading this way.’
‘Oh shit.’ Mulligan looked stricken as he set his beer down on the nearest table. ‘Has he seen me?’
‘He hadn’t, but one of his friends is pointing you out,’ Caelan said, scanning the crowd. ‘Or maybe they’re talking about me.’
‘Why would they be? I told you speaking to him was a bad idea. Why didn’t you listen, you stupid—’
Stefan Harris swaggered towards them, shouldering his way past Ewan. ‘Fancy seeing you here,’ he said, looking down at Mulligan, arms folded across his chest.
Mulligan attempted a laugh but sounded more like he was choking. ‘Stefan. This is a surprise,’ he said.
‘I’m sure it is.’ Harris looked over his shoulder at his two huge friends. They grinned back, their expressions making it clear they were eager for the command to rip Mulligan apart.
He turned to Caelan, disgust clear on his face. ‘This is your boyfriend? This lying, thieving piece of Scottish shit? Fuck me, love, you must be desperate.’
Caelan stepped closer to Ewan, snuggling against his side. He slid an arm around her waist as he met Harris’s eyes.
‘She’s with me,’ Ewan said. His tone was perfect for the role he was playing – possessive with a hint of steel, warning Harris off. In the real world, Caelan would never have been in a relationship with someone who thought they owned her, but from the little she’d seen of Harris, she thought Ewan’s caveman act well judged. She kissed his cheek and met Harris’s eyes, a challenge in her gaze. Ignoring her, Harris looked Ewan up and down, nodding as though he had passed some kind of test.
‘You’re a lucky man. Might want to rethink your choice of friends, though,’ he said, sneering in Mulligan’s direction.
‘Vic’s my cousin,’ Mulligan said. He sounded calm, confident, though Caelan could see his face had paled as the strobing lights swept over them.
Harris snorted. ‘Unlucky, sweetheart. Definitely a bad apple on the family tree, this one.’
‘They all are on his side of the family.’ Caelan gave Mulligan her sweetest smile. He didn’t react.
‘Wait a second.’ Harris narrowed his eyes, and Caelan’s stomach lurched. No matter how long you’d been in the job, certain phrases set alarm bells jangling. ‘Wait a second’ was one, ‘Don’t I know you from somewhere?’ another. Harris kept talking. ‘If you’re cousins, how come you,’ he pointed at Caelan, ‘don’t have a Scottish accent, but you,’ he nodded at Mulligan, ‘sound like fucking Braveheart?’
Caelan spoke immediately, not looking at Mulligan or giving him a chance to say a word. She knew who she was supposed to be, and even a thug like Harris might notice if she hesitated. ‘My dad was in the army, and we moved around a lot.’ She smiled at Harris. ‘I wasn’t even born in Scotland.’
Harris sniffed. ‘Lucky escape. Haggis for every meal, and those fucking awful bagpipes.’ He grinned at Mulligan. ‘It’s a shithole, isn’t it, James?’
Mulligan said, ‘Aye,’ through gritted teeth.
Abbie, Harris’s girlfriend, appeared, hovering behind him as though afraid to interrupt. Harris turned his head to snarl at her. ‘What?’
She tried a smile. ‘I’m going to the bar, would you—’
‘Do you really need to fucking ask? You know what I drink.’
He turned back as she scurried away. Caelan told herself to stay quiet as Harris grinned at Ewan.
‘Got to keep them on their toes, haven’t you?’ he said. Behind him, his friends guffawed, nudging each other like schoolkids. Ewan laughed too, nodding, his arm tightening around Caelan’s waist. She played along, making sure her body stayed relaxed as fury coiled in her belly. She felt an irrational burst of anger towards Ewan, wanting to push his arm away and storm off, even though she knew he was playing a part. She watched Abbie hurrying over to the bar, red-faced and humiliated. She wondered where the other women were, the ones Harris had arrived with. Abbie had been dancing with them, but they’d disappeared.
Harris pushed his hands into his trouser pockets, bouncing on the balls of his feet. His eyes roamed the room, and when he looked back at them, he seemed to struggle to focus. Caelan wondered if he was drunk, or if he’d been sampling his own wares.
‘Still, it’s a bonus, her being your cousin,’ he said, jerking his head towards Mulligan.
Mulligan frowned. ‘A bonus?’
‘Hasn’t she told you what an amazing businesswoman she is?’ Harris looked gleeful. ‘Maybe you should ask her to lend you a few quid, James. The way I remember it, you owe me ten grand.’
Mulligan looked stricken. ‘Listen, Stefan—’
Harris stepped forward, his two huge friends behind him. He shoved a finger in Mulligan’s chest and leant closer. ‘Ten grand, plus interest. We’ll call it a round fifteen.
You’ve got two days.’ He took hold of the front of the other man’s shirt and twisted it in his fist, forcing Mulligan to stand on his tiptoes. ‘Forty-eight hours, James. Or we come and take it from you ourselves.’
Caelan heard Mulligan swallow from three paces away.
‘And if I don’t have it?’ he said. Harris gave a lazy smile as he released his grip.
‘We’d have to reach a compromise.’ He turned back to Caelan, his eyes exploring, lingering, as intrusive as if he was touching her. She felt Ewan stiffen beside her, but he didn’t speak. ‘Like I said, why don’t you talk to your cousin here? I’m told she knows ways to make a few quid.’
Caelan stared back at him, defiant. She might have a role to play, but her character wouldn’t be cowed so easily, not if she really was working with a man like Mulligan. You’d need guts, arrogance.
‘He’ll have the money,’ she told Harris. She heard Mulligan take a shuddering breath, as though he’d been punched. Harris smiled.
‘Good. I’d hate to have to spoil a pretty face.’ He pointed at her. ‘Let’s see if you’re as good a businesswoman as you claim to be.’
Her turn to smile. ‘I am, I promise you that.’
All at once, Harris’s face was a few inches away. ‘Good. Because if he can’t pay, you’ll have to. You’re family, aren’t you? Blood’s thicker than water, and all that? You told me yourself you’d turned a decent profit. Fifteen grand, sweetheart.’ He held her eyes for a moment longer, then turned and walked away, his friends scrambling to follow.
‘See you in two days,’ Caelan called after them. Harris raised a hand in acknowledgement, not looking back.
Mulligan waited for them to be out of sight before he exploded. ‘Are you fucking mental? “See you in two days”?’
‘What was I supposed to say?’ Caelan moved away from Ewan, giving him a quick smile. He didn’t meet her eyes, his mouth twisting, and she wondered why. Was he embarrassed by the way he’d been forced to behave, by what Harris had said? Or was he worried by how Caelan had responded?
Mulligan was dragging his hands through his hair, panicked. ‘I don’t know. Anything. Anything but what you actually said. I could have talked to him, persuaded him to give us more time—’
‘Us?’ Caelan rounded on him. ‘Us? This is your debt, not ours.’
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