‘Well, fellas, where do I start? Never get on the phone and make a date with a woman when a leading lady of the theatre is still in your house having her early morning shower, supposedly out of earshot.’ He laughed and waited. The journalists were writing as quickly as possible. They were all looking at each other and laughing, this was a great story. Even though Tony had not mentioned Denise by name, they all knew who the ‘leading lady of the theatre’ was.
Tony felt now was the time to do his own kiss and tell story. This would make Denise squirm when she read it. This will make the public talk about her, alright, he thought, but they won’t be talking about her acting skills.
‘Having dumped her, fellas, after a boring night, she decided to put ink in the showerhead. As you can see, I didn’t notice till after my shower.’ He burst out laughing and ran his hands through his hair again. He enjoyed telling the press that he had already dumped her, he knew this would make her look bitter and spiteful. Her reviews for this evening’s performance would contain all of this, he was sure of it.
‘Who did you dump her for, Tony? Anyone we know?’ Again, they were shouting to him. They wanted to know who had already replaced Denise.
‘Well, no names mentioned, fellas, but I am meeting a very gorgeous glamour model at the end of the evening.’ That was the term usually applied to topless models, who were known for their very large breast implants. Either that, or God had been very generous.
They were beautiful sought-after women, whom men fantasied about and women envied. Tonight, Denise would be at the top of the list. She would envy all the publicity the new love in Tony’s life was getting, and she had fantasied about being part of his empire and becoming Mrs Lambrianu. Her embarrassment and stupidity outweighed his. He had a little blue hair, and his notorious womanising ways were even more established.
He was the cheeky playboy who had been caught out. She was vindictive and bitter. More to the point, she was yesterday’s news. Instead of her acting skills, everyone would be talking about how petty she had been. Surely, going out with Tony Lambrianu meant you knew what you were in for. He was not known for his monogamous ways.
Tony wished them all a good night, waved at them and walked through the doors of the club to host the night’s entertainment. It was then that he spotted Ralph Gold and his wife, Julie. They were standing with the local mayor, who had come in all his finery for the evening’s proceedings. The newspapers had made him pose and shake hands with Tony and the police superintendents.
Ralph Gold looked over and saw Tony; for a few seconds they looked at each other, then Ralph Gold nodded his head in recognition. That was it. Tony was desperate to get into the inner circle of Ralph Gold’s friends. That really was his big dream. Ralph Gold was into everything, but he was untouchable because of the people he knew and was friends with.
Tony made his way over to Jake. ‘Have you seen who is here?’ Tony nodded his head in Ralph Gold’s direction.
Jake nodded. ‘I saw him earlier. Has he said hello yet?’
Tony shook his head. ‘No, he just nodded at me.’
‘By the way, nice one with the press and that Denise. She’ll never live it down, believe me, that will crucify her career. Once everyone knows she’s bad news and made a public fool of herself, she’s history.’ Jake smiled at Tony. He was impressed by the way that Tony had smiled and laughed at himself. Suddenly there was a tap on Tony’s shoulder.
Ralph Gold stood there. ‘Well done, Tony.’ He nodded towards Tony’s hair. ‘Nicely saved in front of the newspapers. Well done, son, you’re learning.’ With that, he started to walk away.
‘Mr Gold, can I have a word, if you have a moment?’ Tony was impatient but respectful. Maybe now was the time to ask for a meeting; after all, Ralph Gold had approached him and Jake.
‘Not now, son, it’s a charity night and we’re here to have fun. Business is for other times, not in front of a room full of police and their wives.’
Tony could have kicked himself. He watched as Ralph Gold turned and walked back to his wife and the crowd sitting near the front of the boxing ring. How could he have thought that Ralph Gold would talk business here, amongst this lot? And he’d made a point of calling Tony ‘son’, just to keep him in his place.
Suddenly, there was a huge roar and a burst of applause. He turned towards the boxing ring to see the master of ceremonies, with his microphone, waiting for the crowd to quieten down a little. When they did, he introduced the two boxers in opposite corners of the ring. Men were cheering and applauding. Everyone was in high spirits. Money was changing hands as they were taking bets against each other.
Tony turned to Jake. ‘God, Jake, I’m a real prat at times. I’m standing here with blue hair, surrounded by most of the Metropolitan police, and I ask Ralph Gold for a meeting. Shit!’
‘Don’t beat yourself up about it. Here, have a drink and forget it.’ Jake handed him a glass. ‘He knows you want to meet him and, when the time is right, you will. Come on, let’s go and watch the fighting.’ He headed towards the boxing ring.
The air was filled with cigar smoke, beautiful women walked around the boxing ring holding up numbered signs displaying how many rounds the boxers had fought and the referee, who was from the local boxing club, was in charge of the situation.
As Tony heaved a deep sigh, he caught sight of himself in the mirrored wall. He smiled at his appearance. Bloody hell, what a sight for sore eyes. It had been an eventful day, to say the least. Maybe Jake was right, maybe it was time to join in with the fun and have a few drinks – and, of course, Ami would be popping around later on.
The evening was eventually coming to an end. Sharon was sick of the ring girls moaning. The glamour had gone out of their status, and instead they were complaining about trying to keep their balance in high-heeled shoes, while walking around a boxing ring spattered with sweat, water and sputum. It was like a skating rink.
When one of the boxers had been knocked out, someone had poured water on his head and face to bring him around, then someone picked up a brush and swept it all to one side. All of this was going to take some cleaning up in the morning.
On leaving, Ralph Gold made a point of walking up to Tony. ‘Next year, son,’ he said, ‘I should have a free appointment by then. I’ll put it in the diary.’ Then he walked to the exit with his arm around his very drunk wife.
***
Next morning, Tony came down from his apartment at the club a little worse for wear. Although he had decided to have some fun and make a night of it, he hadn’t realised how much he’d overdone it until he woke up with a banging head.
Wearing a pair of black tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt, he wandered into the club. Jake was standing at the bar having a coffee with Sharon, while she was working out the strippers’ rotas for the week.
‘Well, rise and shine, Tony. How are you feeling?’ Jake said. He reckoned he could see how Tony was feeling – his face was pale and those wide blue eyes were now slits. He was unshaven and his hair hadn’t been combed. Jake grinned. ‘Pretty rough, I’m guessing.’
‘Do I look as bad as I feel?’ Tony walked towards them. Thankfully, Sharon was on hand to pour him some coffee, then she rummaged in her handbag for some painkillers.
‘Here,’ she said, ‘keep the whole strip. I reckon you’ll need them.’
‘Did that Ami turn up last night, then?’ Jake waited for an answer as Tony picked up his coffee mug from the bar, walked to a nearby table and sat down at it. He was nursing his head in his hands. Jake joined him.
‘Yes, she did, mate. Don’t worry, my reputation is intact. No problems there. It was an outstanding performance, even if I do say so myself.’ He attempted a smile, then picked up his coffee and then took a gulp.
Jake turned to Sharon and saw her grin. She was holding her usual clipboard and gave them both one of her glances. All these years on and they were both still like naughty schoolboys.
‘What did she say about the blue bits?’ said
Jake, smiling; he lowered his head a little so he could see Tony’s face.
‘No idea, mate, everything was in blackout mode. Which, in your language, means I kept the lights off.’
That made Jake smile.
Tony rubbed his face took another sip of his coffee. ‘Aaah, that’s better. Did you hear Ralph Gold say he would make us an appointment in his diary?’ The spark suddenly came back in Tony’s eyes.
‘Yes, in a bloody year’s time. What’s he doing for the rest of this year, for Christ’s sake?’ Jake thought it was useless. A year from now, and he was going to put it in his diary. Yeah, right.
‘He’s testing us, Jake. He has been all this time, and it seems we must have cleared some of his hurdles or he wouldn’t have even mentioned it. A year’s not too long, it gives us time to plan and get it right.’ Tony took another drink of his coffee and gave Jake the thumbs up.
‘Have you thought anymore about Angus and that other little plan of yours, or are you going to leave everything as it is?’
‘Not now, Jake.’ Tony picked his mug up and started walking away. ‘Let me have a shower and then I’ll tell you all about my master plan.’
‘Master plan, indeed,’ said Sharon, still writing on her clipboard. ‘What he means is, he’ll think about it in the shower, and then he’ll tell you his cockeyed scheme. Why do you always go along with it, Jake?’ Sharon seemed exasperated; Jake always fell in line when it came to Tony’s plans.
Jake stood up, his face now serious. ‘I love you, Sharon, but don’t forget how you live, and where. How many credit cards and accounts you have at some of the best shops in London. All that is down to his cockeyed plans, as you put it, that he comes up with in the shower. On top of that, he may not be my blood, but he’s my big brother, and he’s always looked after me.’
Sharon pouted and looked apologetic. Jake was right. Most of the way they lived was down to Tony. He had done all the planning and took most of the chances. He had put his life on the line many times.
‘Sorry, Jake, it’s just that we don’t need to keep striving for more, we have everything anyone could possibly want already. Why does Tony always reach for the stars when the moon will do?’ She raised her hand and stroked Jake’s face. She knew Jake was very protective of Tony, he always had been and he wouldn’t hear a word said against him.
‘That’s okay, love.’ He smiled at her, and took hold of her hand and kissed her palm. ‘It’s just that Tony feels this is the time when we need to keep our eye on the ball. All the other bosses, whom I may say didn’t have half as much as we do, stopped worrying about their business deals. They felt they had done enough and that was how it all started to go wrong. It’s easy getting to the top, Sharon, the trick is staying there.’
Sharon nodded, she could see Jake’s point, but over recent months they seemed to have worked themselves into the ground, sorting out the clubs and the casino. ‘Why don’t you and Tony go on holiday for a few days? Get away from it all, you deserve it. Ashley and Mathers are looking after the men’s club and so, may I add, am I. Graham is more than capable of looking after the casino, and of course the accountant is there to look after us all.’
‘Wouldn’t you like to come away with me? Just us, some sun, sand and time for ourselves. We haven’t had a lot of that, lately.’
Jake’s eyes were full of love for Sharon, they always were. She had been patient, in fact very patient, especially lately, taking a back seat while he sorted out the business with Tony. She was a good woman and an even better wife.
‘Go and see Miriam in Italy. Tony hasn’t been there for a long time. You and I will go away soon, just us, together. I’ll look forward to it.’ She leaned forward and kissed him, and suddenly they were kissing passionately. This moment was the most intimate they had been in a long time. Tony didn’t care about intimacies, he enjoyed playing the field. Easy come, easy go.
Sharon started undoing the buttons on her blouse. ‘Come and help me check something out in the office. I hear there’s a large chesterfield sofa in there.’ She walked around to Jake’s side of the bar and took his hand. It wasn’t perfect making love on a sofa in the office, but at least it was making love.
***
Sharon emerged from the office an hour later and walked back out into the club. She headed for the ladies’ bathroom to freshen up. As she looked down the corridor, she saw Tony, now well-groomed and dressed in one of the fancy suits Mathers had advised him to buy, talking to the accountant at one of the tables. Jake walked over to join them.
‘Well, Jake, what have you been doing?’ Tony burst out laughing and gave him a cheeky wink. ‘That’s my boy.’ Tony slapped Jake on the back, and watched him blush. ‘Why are you blushing, for goodness sake? Sharon is your wife. I presume you have sex every now and again.’ Again, he thought it was funny.
Finally, he saw the broad grin appear on Jake’s face. Trying to change the subject to a much cleaner one, he said, ‘Sharon thinks it might be a good time for us to have a break, take a few days holiday. It’s been a gruelling couple of months. What do you think? We could visit Miriam.’
More serious now, Tony nodded. ‘Maybe, but we have things to do first, I’ll think about it.’
It was the accountant who clinched the deal. ‘If you’re going to go away for a break, now might be the time to do it. You’re going to be busy, with one thing and another, sorting out your business plans for Ralph. Everything is up and running now; when are you going to get the chance again?’
‘Maybe you’re right,’ Tony said. He hated the idea of leaving his empire and possibly being too far away to sort it out, should anything go wrong. He had been away before to see Miriam, and to visit other countries, but there was a lot more at stake now. It wasn’t just the club and the security firm. It was the casino and the men’s club. Angus was in charge of the South London mob, and he was doing a good job, but what if …?
‘You think about it, Tony,’ Jake said, although he feared it was useless. He knew Tony didn’t want to turn his back and leave all of this. It was like taking a blanket from a baby. He liked being in the midst of it, knowing every twist and turn.
Tony’s mind was working. ‘Maybe you’re right,’ he said. ‘I suppose we do both deserve a break. Okay, we’ll sort it, Jake, and we’ll go and see Grandma.’ Tony called her that now, she was his family, and he had grown to love her.
The heat was on; Tony needed to make an impact. He’d realised that Jake’s idea about going away was, indeed, a good one. While he was away, he would get Angus’s men to cause a little trouble in the East End, then everyone would wait with bated breath for Tony to go home and sort out their lives.
He would make sure everyone had everything in hand during his absence, and all the businesses he collected from would be able to appreciate his good work, protecting them and keeping them and their livelihoods safe. The thought of it made Tony smile. Superman to the rescue. It appealed to his vanity.
He was slowly working out a plan in his mind. A lot of the old South London mob weren’t known faces. It would be so easy to get them to stir up a little trouble under Angus’s guidance. Under no circumstances could they be recognized as his own men.
It was time to go back and see Angus and fill him in on his plan, after he had told Jake.
First, he wanted Christine to come around and have another go at sorting out his hair. There was no way he was going to see his grandmother looking like that. If Christine had to put a hair dye on it for now, then so be it.
***
Getting into the back of his beige Rolls Royce, with the oyster finish that made it look as though it changed colours in the sunshine, made Tony feel like he had achieved something. Dressed as he was, in a double-breasted grey suit and tie, bought under Mathers guidance, made him feel like a man about town.
Now and again Tony still drove past the old haunts where he used to sleep as a child, just to remind him what he was striving for. It kept his feet firmly on the ground.
Jake took a deep sigh and put his head back on the luxurious leather head rest of the car. ‘Go on, then, let’s have it, Tony. I’ve seen that brain of yours working overtime.’
‘What do these pubs really not want on their doorsteps and what is it that the South London mob were famous for? Take your time.’ The smug grin on his face made Jake feel sick inside.
‘Drugs, that is what they don’t want on their doorsteps, they cause too much trouble and that is what the South London mob were famous for.’
There, now Jake had the smug expression on his face. He was sure Tony hadn’t expected him to come up with the answers so soon.
‘Nice one, Jake. That’s definitely one to you. We go away, like you and Sharon suggested. Thinking that we are out of the way, the South London mob, via Angus and with a little bit of gear from our old friend, Bennie – whom I hear is doing okay with his new set up – will hang around the pubs and snooker halls and do some dealing.’ Tony nodded at Jake; he was beaming at his masterplan.
He continued. ‘Dan, and those guys he hangs around with, are still our eyes and ears. He’s always been loyal, and he’s turned out okay. A few years ago, he was on a downhill slope. Now, he’s got money coming in and got his act together.’
Jake was astonished. ‘Dan? You’ve got him working the bar at the club, that’s how he keeps his ear to the ground these days. And his mates, well, some of them work our doors. Why would you want to get him into trouble, selling drugs?’ Jake shook his head. Tony was right, Dan and his mates had been more than useful, so why was Tony turning against them now?
‘No, I like them all, and they’ve trusted me all this time. What I want them to do is stir up a bit of concern, a bit of worry, if you like. I want them to spread the word that they’ve seen dealers hanging around.’
‘What? You mean you just want them to start some kind of gossip, like old women?’ It was unbelievable how Tony’s mind worked. Jake couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
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