“He’s stable,” was the only reply he was getting.
Ryan watched as the doors were closed, blocking out the sight of his brothers. Jez had been hit on the head and he’d been so spaced out. He feared what that meant for him. All his siblings had been taken to hospital, only he remained. Granted, Riley would be fine but as for Jules and Jez, who knew? He couldn’t bear to lose them.
Amber anxiously paced her lounge, feeling sick with dread, her palms sweating. The boys were curled up on the couch, quiet and pale. They’d woken ten minutes after she’d got home and dismissed Mrs Rea. They regarded her warily, picking up on the fear radiating off her. Katia had said she’d call but so far nothing.
“Oh Zach, what is it, for God’s sake?” she sighed when the boy started wailing.
“He’s hungry,” frowned Josh. “We didn’t have dinner.”
The thought hadn’t even occurred to Amber, she didn’t eat dinner, or if she did it was usually a liquid lunch. Glancing at the clock she saw it was almost three o’clock. Surely it should be over by now?
“Zach, shut up,” she snapped, causing the boy to go silent, staring up at her with wide teary eyes.
“He’s hungry,” repeated Josh more firmly.
Anger shot through Amber. He looked and sounded just like his dad, as though he was better than her. “Fine. I’ll make a sandwich. Happy now?”
His look told her he wasn’t but she didn’t care. She stormed into the kitchen and yanked open the fridge door to see what she could make. Hopefully a couple of cheese sandwiches would shut them up.
She was distracted by her mobile phone ringing. Frantically she snatched it up. “Hello?”
“It’s done,” said the voice on the other end.
Her heart leapt into her mouth. “You mean they’re all gone?”
What Katia had to say had Amber clinging onto the worktop. “You have to finish them off, they’ll know I grassed. I am taking it easy,” she snapped. “Sorry,” she added when there was nothing but stony silence on the other end. “I’m just so tense.”
“Remain calm and all will be well. Mikey is critically ill, he might not even survive. Jules is badly hurt too and Jez is injured. They are all weak and soon we will put them out of their misery. They might send someone to take you and the children away to a safe place. You must play along with whatever they do and say nothing of our arrangement. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Good. I’ll be in touch.”
Katia hung up and Amber stared at her phone, wishing it could give her a glimpse of the future. “Oh for God’s sake,” she sighed when Zach started to wail again. “It’s bloody coming,” she yelled. Once this blew over she was going abroad. She’d had enough of Manchester. Her parents would look after the boys. At least she’d have the satisfaction of knowing Mikey and Jules were dead, unable to carry on their dirty, incestuous relationship. That would give her great pleasure for the rest of her life.
The children weren’t permitted to return to the barn, no one wanting them to see the blood and bodies, so they exited the woods at the bottom of the hill, crossing the small stone bridge, a minibus waiting to greet them all and ferry them to the police station. Daina and Beth were in charge of them, Cathy having followed the ambulance to the hospital to check on Jez. Before exiting the trees they’d been briefly reunited with their parents before being separated from them again by the police who were hoping the children would tell them the truth before their parents could school them with rehearsed replies.
The two waiters, the waitress and the injured DJ were also ferried away. However they could tell the police nothing about the perpetrators as once they’d escaped the barn they’d hidden in the trees, consequently they’d seen none of the bloodshed that had occurred outside.
Ryan, Rachel, Shane, Jacob and Bruiser were detained at the scene, Taylor speaking to them one by one before they could get their stories straight. Leah and Alfie as minors had been sent away with the children. All four of their stories tallied, each of them describing the escape from the building and the subsequent shooting, ensuring they left out the identities of the attackers - everything happened so fast, the attackers were masked, they didn’t speak so they couldn’t hear their accents. No, they’d no idea who would want to do this to them. Ryan was very pleased Jacob was smart enough not to give any details and to stick to the story. But then again, he’d had plenty of experience with police.
Bruiser however refused to speak or answer any questions, solely caught up in the work the firemen were doing on the barn, removing the debris, waiting for his brother’s body to be brought up. Despite what Rachel had told him he couldn’t believe he was gone until he saw it with his own eyes. They were all stunned when Jacob led them to Grant’s body, charred from the blast and partially crushed beneath some fallen debris. His death struck Shane particularly hard. Grant had been one of his mentors, he’d worked very closely alongside him and he was one of his best friends. Right then he determined he was going to do everything in his power to ensure that his killers paid in buckets of their own blood.
“If you’ve finished subjecting us to fresh traumas,” said Ryan, gazing down at Grant’s body. “Can we go to the hospital now and see how our family is?”
“Alright,” sighed Taylor, knowing resistance would be futile. “One of my officers will drive you all there and you don’t leave until you’re cleared to. Understood?”
They nodded.
Ryan tried convincing Bruiser to go with them but he refused to leave until his brother’s body had been recovered, even though the rescue crew couldn’t say when that would be. Ryan could sympathise with Bruiser’s need to see his body. He couldn’t quite believe he was gone himself, Battler had always been larger than life, impregnable, even death itself not tough enough to take him on. But it had and it had won and they were going to be feeling his loss for a long time to come.
The constable escorting Rachel, Ryan, Shane and Jacob to hospital put on the siren, so they got there very quickly, clinging onto the doors as he negotiated the roads at high speed. Although they appreciated how rapidly he got them there it also did their shattered nerves no good. Jacob in particular was shaking as he got out of the car. He’d thought he was tough but watching Ryan and Rachel Law casually facing off against an armed lunatic had made him realise just how wrong his assumption had been.
Rachel had called Cathy on the way, who was waiting to greet them at the main doors, their dishevelled, dusty appearances drawing a lot of curious glances.
“Jez is okay,” she said. “He’s been admitted to a surgical ward and he’s had the bullet wound to his arm stitched.” She took a deep breath and paused, still unable to believe her husband had been shot. Despite the fact that he’d been in such a dangerous business most of his life he’d never been so much as scratched before. “Jules is out of surgery and has been admitted to intensive care. They’ve given her a private room.”
“Can we see her?” said Ryan.
She nodded. “I’ll take you.”
As they set off through the hospital the constable followed, careful to maintain a discreet distance.
“Mark and Riley were taken off to be examined but I don’t know where they went,” said Cathy.
“Mikey?” said Rachel.
“Still in surgery. They’ve not said how he’s doing,” she replied, avoiding her eyes.
Rachel stopped and took her arm. “Cathy, what is it?”
“He went into shock on the way here and had a heart attack.”
“Oh God,” said Rachel, fighting back tears.
“He’s tough, he’ll make it,” said Ryan, pulling her to him.
“The fact that he’s already had one heart attack doesn’t bode well for him making it through the amount of surgery he’s going to need,” said Rachel. Her eyes turned jet black. “Hayden and Katia are fucking dead,” she said softly, so the constable wouldn’t hear.
“Yes they are,” said Ryan.
&
nbsp; They visited Jez first, Ryan relieved to find he was alert and compos mentis again, although he did have a huge lump on the side of his head and his arm was in a sling. He was also furious because he’d been put on a ward with three other men, the private rooms all being taken. The constable hung back at the door on sentry duty.
“I’m a sitting bloody duck here,” seethed Jez. “People are always in and out.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “No way are Katia and Hayden going to run off back down south. They’re going to finish the job.” He flung aside the covers. “I’m going to see Jules.”
“You need to rest,” said Cathy.
“Bugger that, I’m fine. My sister needs me.”
“Alright, if you insist but I’ll get you a wheelchair.”
“I am not going in a bloody wheelchair,” he said, pulling on the dressing gown the hospital had loaned him, a saggy, fading blue affair that had been made for a man half his height and that barely covered his thighs. Cathy helped him when he became more irritated when he couldn’t manage it with his arm in a sling.
Seeing her patient limping out of his room propped up between his wife and older brother, the redoubtable charge nurse ordered him back to bed. Jez ignored her and they continued on their way. Jacob followed at the back, not knowing what else to do.
They made their way off the ward and across the corridor onto Intensive Care.
“There’s too many of you,” said the ward sister as they all filed into Jules’s room. “You can’t all go in there.”
Shane ignored her and looked to the constable. “And you can wait out here.”
He closed the door in both their faces. The constable gave the nurse an apologetic smile while she huffed and stalked off.
Jez sank gratefully into the large, comfortable armchair by Jules’s bedside, who was out for the count.
“Please don’t tell me she’s in another coma,” said Ryan, throat tight.
“No,” said Rachel, flicking through the notes at the end of the bed. “She’s still coming round from the anaesthetic.”
“Thank God for that,” said Cathy. “I couldn’t go through all that again.” She looked to her husband. Now they were in a private room they could talk freely. “You really think Hayden and Katia will try again?”
“Absolutely,” said Ryan.
“Oh no,” she breathed, pressing her hands to her face, tears welling in her eyes.
“Nice one bruv,” frowned Jez.
“It’s only fair she knows the danger.”
“You have to get rid of them before they do,” said Cathy. “You were lucky this time.”
“Don’t worry babe,” said Jez. “We will.”
“Don’t worry? Are you fucking serious?”
Jez gaped at her. She hardly ever swore.
“We were almost blown up today and you were shot,” she snarled in his face, her anger and fear erupting, the words spewing from her lips as the tears poured down her face. “All because of your work. Well I’ve always kept quiet, never let you know how scared I am every day that you’re going to walk out the door and never come back and today my fears were almost realised. Our children were there, they could have been killed.”
“Babe,” he said, attempting to take her hand but she snatched it away.
“Don’t touch me. This is far from over because the bastards who tried to kill us all are still out there. Me and the kids will be sent away again, left in limbo, constantly worrying whether you’re dead or alive. Well I’ve had a gutful,” she yelled before storming out.
“Cathy,” said Jez, trying to haul himself to his feet and failing.
“Let her cool off,” said Rachel as Ryan gently pressed him back into the chair. “She needed to get that out of her system.”
Jez nodded and sat back down, mulling over his wife’s words, praying she didn’t decide to leave him. “Shane, follow her, discreetly. For all we know Katia’s men are already here.”
Shane nodded and quietly exited the room.
The noise disturbed Jules, who groaned and shifted on the bed.
Ryan leaned over her, placing a gentle hand on her forehead. “Jules?”
“Big bruv,” she rasped, eyes flickering open.
“How do you feel?”
“Oh just dandy,” she mumbled. Her eyes filled with anxiety. “Mikey?”
“Still in surgery but he’s strong, he’ll be fine.”
“Did everyone…get out?” she said, voice weak.
Ryan shook his head. “Battler was still in the barn when it collapsed.”
“No,” she said, glancing at Rachel, who was desperately trying to suppress her tears. “I can’t believe it,” she sighed. “Ow,” she grimaced when she attempted to sit up.
“Don’t,” said Rachel, helping her settle back into the pillows. “You’ve got a hole in your chest for God’s sake. Just lie still.”
“Can’t, work to do.”
“And we’ve got people who can handle it,” said Ryan. “I need to find Riley, I asked him to call Dane Black. We could really use his back-up right now.”
“We?” said Jez. “You’re staying for this?”
Ryan looked to his wife, who nodded. “Of course we are.”
“Good because we fucking need you. Me, Jules and Mikey are no use right now.”
“Speak for yourself,” said Jules, attempting to sit up again.
“You do that once more and I’ll strap you down,” said Rachel.
“I want to see Mikey,” she said rebelliously, the strength with which she spoke heartening Ryan.
“You can’t yet,” said Rachel more gently. “But we promise as soon as he’s out of surgery you’ll be the first to know.”
“What time is it?”
Rachel glanced up at the clock. “Five o’clock.”
“The boys. They don’t know what’s happened.”
“We’ll send someone round to pick them up.”
“What about Amber?”
“What about her?”
“Katia could use her as leverage.”
“Let her. I couldn’t give a shit about the dizzy cow.”
“But Josh and Zach do.”
“Oh…we’ll collect her too. She can go somewhere safe with the others.”
“We’ll sort that out,” said Ryan. “Don’t worry, they’ll be safe.”
“Thank you,” said Jules. “I wish I could see them but they can’t come onto Intensive Care with that vomiting bug. They’re going to be so scared, they need me,” she whispered, another tear rolling down her cheek.
Rachel wanted to escape the room. She was grieving for Battler and worried sick about Mikey. She couldn’t take on anyone else’s pain. “We’ll arrange for someone to pick them up and I’ll see if I can find out anything about Mikey.”
“Wait a minute and I’ll come with you,” said Ryan. “I need to find Riley and make sure he called Dane.”
“Liverpool,” rasped Jules.
“What?” said Jez.
“Katia…teamed up with Clayton.”
“Andrew Clayton?” thundered Ryan.
Jules nodded.
“That twat,” said Jez. “They can’t be hurting over what we did to the Jordans, they went rogue and kidnapped Rachel. They fucking asked for it.”
“No,” said Ryan. “This is business, not personal, on Clayton’s part anyway. For Katia personal is most definitely involved. By combining forces with Katia he’s made himself doubly stronger, stronger even than Glasgow. With us out of the way Toni will have no choice but to do a deal with them. With Toni up in Scotland, Clayton in the north of England and Katia in the south the country will be theirs for the taking. I wouldn’t be surprised if Katia and Andrew are plotting to take each other out if their plan succeeds, swiftly followed by Toni. Then they’ll own everything.”
“The fucking dirty sacks of shit,” spat Jez, wincing when pain shot through his head. “We need to warn Toni.”
“Mikey…does that,” breathed Jules, struggl
ing to stay awake.
“She’s right,” sighed Jez. “Mikey makes all the calls to Toni. She won’t deal with me alone, her family’s original deal was with the Maguires. But we don’t know if Mikey…” Jez trailed off, glancing at Jules, whose eyes filled with tears.
“Come on,” Rachel told Ryan. “Let’s find out what’s going on.”
“What do you want me to do?” said Jacob.
“Wait here with these two,” replied Ryan, nodding from Jez to Jules. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you home as soon as we can.”
Jacob didn’t want to go home, this was far too thrilling.
CHAPTER 26
“How are you holding up?” Ryan asked Rachel, taking her hand as they left the ward.
“I’m okay.”
He stopped her in the corridor, turning her to face him. “Don’t put on a front with me. I know how hard Battler’s death has hit you, as well as what’s happened to Mikey.”
“What if Battler’s not dead?”
He sighed. “Rachel…”
“I should have thought of it earlier, before I told Bruiser,” she continued excitedly. “What if he’s still alive in there?”
“I don’t think it’s likely.”
“You remember what Riley said about the triangle of life? He could have found a safe space to shelter.”
“What about the water and the electrical cables?”
“Some debris could have collapsed, protecting him from the cables.”
His heart went out to her. She was desperate to cling onto these flimsy theories because they prevented her from feeling the full force of Battler’s loss. “Sweetheart, I think you might have to face up to the fact that Battler’s gone.”
“No, not him. He’s so strong he could survive anything.”
“Rachel…”
“Every time someone’s come after us we’ve always survived, all of us and it’s going to be the same this time.”
“Danny didn’t survive,” he said. “Or Frank or Martina.” He swallowed hard. “Or Thomas.”
“But Battler could still be alive, I know it.”
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