“Put it in the bin,” she said, handing it to Ryan.
“Are you sure?” he replied. “I know it was special to you and it must have cost a fortune.”
“I don’t want it. Bad memories,” she mumbled, looking down at her hands and picking her nails.
Ryan closed the box and dropped it into the bin in the corner.
Taylor decided to leave them to it, wanting as little to do with their plotting as possible.
“We’ve come up with a plan to take out Clayton, Katia and Hayden in one fell swoop,” Ryan told his sister after Taylor had gone. “But we need Raven’s help. Where is she?”
“Pass me my phone,” she rasped before coughing again.
He produced it from the bedside cabinet and handed it to her, Jules squinting at the screen, her vision was still a little swimmy. “She’s sent a message apologising for being delayed. She’ll be here tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“That’s no use to us,” said Jez.
“Alright, she does have her own life you know,” Jules snapped at him.
“Calm down crabby arse.”
“I’m entitled to be crabby after being shot and then gassed. And Raven won’t let us down.”
“Okay, I believe you,” he said, holding up his hands. “But we need to make our move soon.”
“The plan can wait until tomorrow,” said Ryan. “It gives us more time to prepare.”
“Good, glad we’ve got that sorted,” said Jules. “But Mikey can’t stay here, no matter what his doctors say. Katia will try to have him killed again.”
“The care home said they can cater for his needs.”
“Then get him out of here. Mikey can discharge himself.” She looked to Rachel. “They can’t keep him here, can they?”
“No, he’s in charge of all his mental faculties. But we need to be sure moving him won’t do him irreparable damage.”
“I’ll talk to his doctor,” said Jules. “Now I want to see him.” She sat up and turned pale. “Oh shit,” she said, snatching up the cardboard bowl at the end of her bed and vomiting into it.
“Later,” said Ryan.
He pressed her back into the bed while Rachel took the bowl and disposed of the contents down the toilet. He pulled the sheets over Jules, stroking her hair. “Get some sleep,” he said.
Seconds later she was snoring softly.
CHAPTER 35
“I can’t fucking believe it,” yelled Luke, picking up an ashtray off the table in the conference room and hurling it at the wall. “They’re still alive. How in the name of living fuck did that happen?”
Katia’s gaze snapped sharply on Mick, dreading more talk about curses but once again he remained silent.
“Jules Maguire wasn’t in her room when the devices went off,” said Hayden. “She was in Mikey’s. Apparently she put an oxygen mask over his face and filled the device with water, ruining it.”
“We’re going to need a nuclear weapon to get rid of that bitch,” said Katia.
“How did you get this information?” Clayton asked Hayden.
“An old mate of mine works there as a cleaner. It’s all over the hospital about what happened.”
“Would this cleaner be willing to help us?”
“Doubt it and I’m not willing to ask. His sister’s a police officer.”
“Shame.”
“They’ll move Jules and Mikey before we can hit them again, although word is the hospital is saying Mikey’s too sick to move.”
“It’s tempting to send in a few gunmen and fuck the risk,” said Clayton. “We’re so close.”
“Tempting,” said Katia, liking the thought of Mikey and Jules Maguire being shot to death in their hospital beds. “It’s not like you have to worry about security so much in a hospital. It would be easy for the assassins to escape.”
“But they’re being guarded day and night,” said Hayden.
“If that porter can get past the guards then a professional assassin should be able to,” countered Katia.
“Joe got past them because he’s worked there for years and everyone thinks he’s harmless,” said Estelle, sitting in the corner, puffing on a cigarette. “Strangers will be checked much more carefully.”
“So what’s the alternative?” said Katia. “Sit here and wait for them to come to us? They must know you’re involved by now,” she told Andrew.
“I’ve no doubt about it but we’re ready for them.”
Hayden sighed and shook his head. “You’ve no idea what’s coming, have you?”
“Two of their leaders are in hospital and the rest are in disarray.”
“No they’re not. That’s what everyone thinks right before they’re slaughtered.”
“And how are we going to kill them if we can’t get to them?”
“If you’d let me get a word in edgeways I might be able to tell you,” interrupted Estelle’s raspy voice.
They all stopped and looked at her.
“I’ve cultivated another contact for you,” she said, smoke puffing out of her mouth as she spoke. “One with closer access to Mikey and Jules and he’s already got to work.”
They all leaned forwards in their seats.
“Who?” said Katia.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Or some shite like that.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” said Hayden.
“He can tell us exactly what they’re plotting and thanks to him, I know that they’re about to transfer Mikey to a care home.”
“You mean, for old people?” said a confused Luke.
Estelle spluttered on her cigarette. “You think they’re going to dump Mikey Maguire in an old fogey’s home? Oh that is fucking priceless.”
“Will you stop drawing the arse out of it and get to the fucking point before I lose my rag?” said Clayton.
“Fine. No, it’s a care home out in the country, the same one they stashed Rachel in when she was recovering from Alex Maguire slitting her throat.”
“Why do they think running into the countryside will save them?” said Katia. “Haven’t they learned from the wedding?”
“They’re moving early tomorrow morning,” said Estelle.
“But I thought the doctors had said Mikey can’t be moved?” said Hayden.
“They’re desperate. They know if he stays there we’ll try again and next time he might not be so lucky. The great thing about this is that they’ve no idea my contact has planted a bug in Jules’s room, so they’ll think the leak has come from one of their own and they’ll start fighting each other.”
“That is fucking beautiful,” smiled Clayton. “I must say Estelle, you’re proving to be quite the asset.”
“You don’t need to tell me,” she said, lighting a fresh cigarette with the old one. She didn’t need to ration them here because Clayton ensured she was given a steady supply.
“You’d better tell us who your informant is before I lose my temper,” said Katia.
Estelle grinned, puffing smoke out of her nostrils. “He’s a police officer.”
Leah was miserable. Her grandparents had come to the house to look after her and the boys. Only Leah and her granddad Rick knew that Fletch and Leo, employees of Battler and Bruiser, were on guard duty outside the house. Riley, Beth and all the others had taken over a large farmhouse just down the road.
Gill, her gran, was in hysterics.
“What are Ryan and Rachel thinking staying behind in Manchester?” she said, flapping about the room. “Their children have gone through a horrible ordeal, they need them.”
“Uncle Mikey’s in Intensive Care,” frowned Leah. She loved her gran but sometimes her dramatics got on her nerves. Even her granddad Rick was sagging in his chair, weary with it all. “They’re making sure he’s okay, he’s family.”
“I understand that sweetheart and it’s terrible but children must always come first.”
Leah wanted to yell in her face that her mum and dad were putting their own lives in danger
by going after the people who’d done this to them to make sure they couldn’t do it again, to keep them all safe. Her granddad understood that, he was much more aware of what his daughter and son-in-law got up to than her gran was.
It was a relief when someone buzzed to be allowed in. They’d kept the electric gates locked as a precaution.
Rick glanced at his phone to see a message pop up from Fletch that the visitor was legitimate. He’d expressly told them he didn’t want Gill to know that they were being guarded because he couldn’t face the drama that would entail.
“It’s Jacob,” exclaimed Leah with delight, wrenching open the front door.
“Leah, be careful,” Rick told her, following her to the door.
“It’s so good to see you,” said Leah, flinging her arms around his neck.
“Are you okay?” he said, stroking her hair back off her face.
The concern in his eyes delighted her. “Yeah, not bad. Come on in.”
Rick hastily closed the door behind them and locked it.
“You can come up to my room,” said Leah, taking Jacob by the hand and leading him to the stairs.
“Err, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” said Rick.
“We’re not going to get up to anything Granddad,” smiled Leah, entertained by how uncomfortable he looked. “We’re just going to talk.”
“Well, okay. But I’ll know if you do get up to anything.”
“I’m seventeen now Granddad.”
“Yes but…your mum would kill me.”
“Fair enough,” she smiled. “We promise we won’t get you into any trouble.”
“How are you holding up?” Jacob asked her once they were safely ensconced in her room and they’d closed the door behind them.
Leah hung onto him and burst into tears, thinking of the barn exploding, her Aunty Jules and Uncle Mikey lying still on the ground, her brothers crying, Cathy screaming, the man with the rifle shooting at them.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped between sobs.
“It’s okay,” he said, steering her to the bed. He sat down and pulled her down with him, Leah curling up on his lap and clinging onto him as she continued to cry.
“You’ve been bottling things up,” he whispered, kissing her hair. “Let it all out.”
Leah did, feeling the stress and fear draining out of her. In that moment, she fell in love for the first time.
Riley gazed out of the window of the large farmhouse they’d rented just down the road from Ryan and Rachel’s house, the large back garden safely enclosed by a high hedge, fields beyond. The children were outside, playing in the sunshine, all of them enjoying this extended time together. Only Archie looked on impassively, as usual holding himself apart from the others. The arrogant little git thought he was too good for them. Still, he’d been much better lately.
For once that spooky boy wasn’t top of his list of priorities. He watched Amber standing off to one side, like Archie keeping herself apart from the others. She’d tried making overtures of friendship to Beth, Cathy and Daina and, although they’d remained polite they’d refused to get close to her again and she’d been left in the proverbial wilderness. They couldn’t trust a woman who had made up such horrible lies about her husband. Making Mikey out to be a wife beater was in their eyes a worse crime than sleeping with Declan behind his back. At least that had given Mikey the excuse he’d needed to dump her and finally get with Jules.
Rachel’s words kept echoing in his head. She’d said she had no proof but his sister-in-law had incredibly honed instincts, they’d kept her alive all these years. If she suspected Amber was involved in the atrocity at the barn then she probably was.
Taking the opportunity while Amber was outside, he headed upstairs to the small bedroom she was sharing with the boys. The house was large but, due to sheer numbers, they were all having to share bedrooms.
He left the door of the room ajar so he would hear if anyone came into the house and began rummaging through the suitcases. He was annoyed to find that Amber had gone to the trouble of hanging up her own clothes in the wardrobe but the boys’ clothes were still in the suitcase, crumpled and creased. It was her phone he was searching for but, to his annoyance, it wasn’t anywhere in the room. However, if she was in touch with Katia she would be careful to keep it with her.
He exited the room, closing the door behind him and returned downstairs to his vigil at the window, formulating a plan. Fortunately he didn’t have to physically get hold of her phone to access it. He already had the number, which was all he needed. Thanks to the time he’d served in the SAS he knew how to hack into most devices.
Jez had returned to the hospital with Rachel and Ryan and they’d just finished relating their plan to get Jules and Mikey to safety.
“Like it,” said Jules once they’d finished. “But won’t they suspect a decoy?”
“Certainly,” said Ryan. “But they won’t suspect two decoys.”
“Two?”
“Dane and his men have already agreed to help. We’ll send off the big showy decoy, then a smaller one. Once they’ve departed we’ll send you and Mikey off in a third ambulance. The decoys will be private ambulances and the real one a genuine NHS emergency ambulance. Jez has a friend who specialises in doing up old emergency response vehicles to mimic the real thing. He’s very popular with the local underworld,” he added wryly.
“I can imagine,” replied Jules. “Won’t it leave us stretched though, even with Dane and his men?”
“Unfortunately yes but it’s the best we can do. Raven and Damon still haven’t arrived.”
“Okay. Let’s do it. We need to get out of here before they try to top us again.”
“I’m glad you agree because you move in two hours,” said Jez.
“Jesus, so soon?” she said, hoping she was physically up to it.
“The nurses change shift at two o’clock. They’ll be distracted. They don’t know you’re leaving yet.”
“They’ll kick up a fuss when they see Mikey being wheeled out.”
“That’s why we’re doing it at shift change.”
“All the machines he’s linked up to will kick off when you unhook him.”
“I know how to remove them without triggering the alarms,” said Rachel. “None of the equipment is life support, so it won’t hurt him.”
“What about his painkillers? He’s in agony without them.”
“He has them topped up at one o’clock each afternoon. They should last until you get there.”
“Okay. Have you told Mikey?”
Jez nodded. “He’s up for it. He doesn’t want to sit around waiting to get gassed again.”
Jules’s heart thumped with excitement and adrenaline. Already she felt better. “Let’s go for it.”
“How nice of them to tell us their plans,” smiled Katia as they listened to the Maguires and Laws talking through the listening device Estelle’s police contact had hidden in Jules’s hospital room.
“It’s clever using three decoys,” said Clayton. “We might well have fallen for that had we not bugged Jules’s room. Well done Estelle.”
“Yeah, you deserve a reward,” leered Luke.
“Well,” she replied, putting on her most lascivious expression. “It has been a while since I had a hit.”
“No drugs,” snapped Katia. “We all need to be thinking clearly.”
“It’s not like I’m in on the attack. Surely I deserve to relax a bit, it’s thanks to me you even know about their plan.”
“Yes, you’re right Estelle,” said Clayton. “You can go next door, Luke will sort you out.”
“Too right I will,” he grinned, making her recoil.
“You’ll give her the heroin and nothing else,” said Clayton. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Suppose,” he sighed. He looked to Estelle. “Come on then sexy, let’s get you all warm and mellow.”
Estelle made a point of throwing Katia a smirk, God she hated that stuck-up bitch. Kati
a in her turn glared back at her, loathing the wasted mess. She was even more furious at Clayton for dismissing her opinion as though it were nothing. She couldn’t wait to kill him too. However he was safe for now, she needed his muscle.
“We need to send men after the decoys,” said Hayden. “If they don’t see anyone following they’ll know they’ve been rumbled and change their plans.”
“Agreed,” said Clayton. “But I don’t want to send too many men after the decoys. We’ll use cars with blacked-out windows with just one man in each. The Maguires won’t know how many are inside.”
“Good thinking,” said Hayden. It was a shame they wouldn’t be able to work with Clayton, he really was good at what he did. In order for himself and Katia to live their dream to the full he had to die.
“I’ve managed to recruit a local gang,” continued Clayton. “They’re smaller and more disorganised than my own operation but they are very experienced in violence, indeed they thrive on it. They jumped at the chance to help us out.”
“In return for what?” said Katia, not wanting to share the grand prize with anyone else.
“A big wedge of cash, which I’ve already paid. Don’t worry about it,” he said magnanimously.
Katia wasn’t about to. “Then between us we have enough men for this operation.”
Clayton nodded and smile. “Mikey and Jules will be slaughtered, along with whoever else is with them. With the two Maguires gone Toni’s deal will fall through with Jez. Then we can finish the rest of them.”
Katia’s body practically hummed with pleasure. “Perfect,” she smiled.
She was so distracted by the imminent carnage that she failed to notice Mick at the back of the room, sweating, fingers brushing the charms around his neck.
CHAPTER 36
The ambulance was waiting for Jules and Mikey at the back door of the hospital. The first decoy had already left. To their satisfaction two cars had pulled out behind it when it joined the flow of traffic on the main road. The second decoy left ten minutes later, another three cars following that one.
Carnage Page 31