by KERRY BARNES
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Jackie froze. She then stood up with flushed cheeks and wide eyes. Her reaction was the most honest thing she’d ever demonstrated.
Zara believed there and then that Jackie had actually told the truth for once in her miserable life.
They both stared at each other, wondering what the hell to do next.
‘And what do you propose to tell Mike?’
‘Well, er … the truth. Eric was there when Mike wasn’t. He shouldn’t have put me second best to every other fucker, like the firm and his bleedin’ muvver and farver. Eric cared, though. He was there for me, always caressing me cheek and telling me how beautiful I was.’
Zara could tell from Jackie’s tone that this wasn’t fighting talk: this was her real story – it was nothing short of the truth.
Zara nodded for her to go on.
‘I thought he really loved me. He always seemed to pop up when I was at my lowest point. He even told me that Mike was mad to have dated you, and he told me what I already knew: that Mike would always love you. When Mike wasn’t around, we …’ She paused and looked at the floor.
Zara wondered if Jackie actually felt ashamed of herself. She knew Jackie wasn’t lying because it was exactly what Eric had done to her. He appeared when Mike was busy, stroking her cheek and hinting that Mike was up to no good. ‘So, are you really going to tell Mike and cripple him and Ricky?’
‘You, Mike, and his family all looked down on me. You treated me like scum. Well, I’m a lot like you, Zara, and I want to have my moment too … my little bit of revenge.’
‘Revenge! For fucking what? They did no wrong. It was all about you.’
Jackie gave Zara a sneering glance. ‘Whatever, Zara, I’ll still have the last laugh.’
‘How much do you want, Jackie, to keep your trap shut?’
Jackie laughed. ‘You really do love him, don’t ya?’
Zara didn’t answer.
‘I don’t want money, bitch. If you want me to keep schtum, then you walk away, and I mean away – for good. Get out of Mike’s life – and Ricky’s – and fuck off. If you don’t, then I’ll tell him the truth.’
‘I could shut you up for good, Jackie. I haven’t got to leave Mike. One bullet and it will all be over.’
It was Jackie’s turn to play the trump card. ‘But you won’t. Firstly, because the police will be crawling over this gaff, and, secondly, you wouldn’t hurt Ricky. He loves me, that kid does.’
It was those last few words that had such a hollow ring to them. Zara knew Ricky didn’t love his mother at all; he’d told her as much.
‘The police won’t be crawling over this place because firstly, you thick prat, they may well believe you’re dead, burned to death, and secondly, by the time they discover it’s Tiffany’s body, I’ll have yours dismembered and sent to various parts of the country. And, let’s be honest, who’s going to make a fuss about your disappearance? You have no one, and why? Because you fucked everyone over in your life who actually cared for you. You brought it all on yourself, Jackie.’
‘Ricky cares, and you wouldn’t hurt him, would you?’
Zara raised her brow. ‘Cares? Seriously, are you really that deluded? You fucking traumatized the kid. In fact, you left him mute with scars all over his body and you fucking think he cares? He doesn’t!’
Jackie seethed as she glared at Zara, but her anger was laced with fear because behind Zara’s elegant exterior and cold eyes lay a very formidable and dangerous woman.
She changed the subject. ‘I don’t even know what Mike sees in you anyway.’
‘No, you wouldn’t, because you don’t possess the level of emotional intelligence to understand. But he does love me, and I love him too, with all my fucking being, and so when my loved ones get threatened or hurt, I will step in the way.’
Jackie watched as Zara stood with her feet evenly apart and held the gun pointed at her head. The bronze-coloured eyes darkened over as if she was staring at a target. Her whole body – like a stone statue – made Jackie uneasy.
‘Look, okay, then. I won’t say a word. I promise, hand on heart.’
Her eyes widened in utter disbelief as Zara slowly cocked the gun.
‘No, please, Zara. Don’t do it! I swear, I won’t ever mention it again. Oh, Jesus, don’t shoot. I lied okay, I lied. It’s not true. I was just being a cunt. O’ course Ricky is Mike’s boy.’
She held her hands in front of her, shaking all over. Her eyes partly closed, waiting for that bang – the sound that would be the last thing she would ever hear again.
The second that Zara lowered the gun, Jackie felt she could breathe more easily.
‘Christ, seriously, I thought you were gonna pull that fucking trigger.’ Out of breath, through fear, she went on, ‘Oh my God, I thought that was it. You fucking scared the shit outta me. Right, I promise you, I’ll never say another word about Ricky.’
Zara smiled. ‘I know you won’t. Bye-bye, Jackie.’
Bang! The sound echoed along the stone corridor as Zara stared at the clean shot that passed right through Jackie’s head. The body lay flat out on the bed, and the only sound was the drip-drip as her blood made its way like a stream onto the floor. ‘No, Jackie, you won’t say another word. Not ever.’
She knew she could never trust Jackie because the truth was out there. It couldn’t be a made-up story because the details of Eric’s advances were all too familiar. The difference was though, she was stronger and resisted them, while Jackie, however, was weak, shallow, and selfish.
* * *
An hour later, the banging on the front door pulled Zara out of her introspection. She guessed it was Mike. The three hard knocks followed by two more were his signature method of letting her know it was him. She dragged herself from the chair and took one further look at the dead woman. Slowly, she climbed the stairs, her mind going over what she would say. How the hell could she justify her actions? She couldn’t tell him the truth or else killing Jackie would have been pointless.
As soon as she pulled the door open, in marched Mike. ‘Fuck me, Zara, I’ve been trying to call you. I’ve been outta my mind with worry.’
‘Oh shit. Sorry, I was downstairs. I left the phone on charge up here.’
‘Well, listen. You ain’t gonna believe this one. I called Eric but Torvic answered the phone. We were right. My stinking two-faced brother is working with him. Jesus, I should’ve known. Fucking hell. I keep racking my brains, trying to think of everything I told Eric. What does that bastard know that he could possibly share with Torvic? And I reckon Torvic did kill …’ He stopped and grabbed Zara’s shoulder. ‘Hey, you look as white as a ghost. Is everything all right, babe?’
Zara slowly nodded. ‘Yeah, it’s all good, love.’
‘You must be shattered, babe. Look. Lou’s gone to a hotel to get some kip, Staffie’s gone to his uncle’s place, and the others are all safe. Well, as safe as can be, that is. We need to get out of here, get away, get our thoughts in order.’
Zara was still thinking about Jackie.
‘Zara, are you listening to me?’
She looked into his eyes and wondered if he would still have the same level of compassion if she told him she’d just killed his ex-wife, the mother of his son.
‘Babe, listen to me. We can’t stay here, so let’s grab a few bits and go.’
Zara nodded and headed up the main staircase. There was nothing more she could do if Mike went down to the basement; she would just have to pray he didn’t.
Her heart seemed to beat outside her chest as she dragged a holdall from the wardrobe and began throwing the clothes into it, while listening to every creak and sound, wondering if he’d pay Jackie a visit. The only sound, however, was the zip as she closed the bag. Just as she was about to leave the bedroom, her eyes fell on the cabinet that held the bulletproof vests. She’d left hers at Mike’s. Without hesitation, she opened the cabinet and pressed the button that released the hidden unit. T
here, sure enough, tucked inside, was her father’s. With no time to try it on, she laid it over her bag and swiftly made her way back down the stairs.
Mike was peeking through the curtains. ‘It’s all clear, babe. Come on, let’s get going.’
She snatched her phone and followed him outside. Once they were in the car and heading away from the house, she relaxed her breathing.
‘So, Mike, what happened? How do you know for sure that Eric’s working with Torvic?’
‘Because Torvic answered the phone.’ He paused. ‘I’m gutted. It was definitely Torvic, ya know, who killed Liam. That poor fucking kid. I dunno how I’m gonna break it to Willie.’ He let out a deep sigh.
‘It doesn’t make sense. If he was with Eric, and your brother was here in this country, then how did he manage to kill Liam? Liam was in Spain.’
‘That’s what I’m still trying to work out. I dunno how much Eric knows and what he could’ve possibly told Torvic. The man may well have people in Spain. Eric knows Spain like the back of his hand, and he knows Terrence. It wouldn’t take a lot to track down the kids, would it? I wish I’d never sent them there. Well, Willie will be landing soon, so at least the kids will have the protection of those two.’
As they approached the main junction and stopped at the red light, Mike suddenly said, ‘Shit! Jackie! We fucking left her behind.’
Zara knew she didn’t need to lie. ‘Well, she’s not going anywhere. She’s in the basement.’
The lights turned green. ‘Oh fuck! Hang on. I’ll do a U-turn.’
‘No, leave her, Mike. The place is locked up. She’s comfortable enough down there. Christ, I stayed there for five years and I survived.’
Mike continued on. ‘I just can’t get my head around me brother. Why the fuck would he do that to us? Poor Liam, he’s fucking – was – fucking innocent in all of this shit.’
Chapter 11
As soon as Willie walked through the front door of Terrence’s home and saw the stricken expression on Arty’s face, he held out his arms. Arty fell into them and sobbed. ‘I loved him, like a brother.’
Willie held him tight. ‘I know, boy, I know, and when I get my hands on whoever took him, I swear I’ll make sure they have the worst death in the history of fucking torture.’
Arty sniffed back the tears and wiped his face. ‘And I’ll pass you the fucking tools.’
Through an expression drenched in pain, Willie suddenly grinned. ‘You are so much like ya farver. He was always the tool passer. Me, I guess I was the carver, Mike was the mechanic, and Lou, well, Lou was the voice of reason.’
Arty nodded and decided to change the subject. ‘The girls are in the lounge. They’re a bit anxious, especially Poppy. She really liked Liam. As for Ricky, he’s not well. I think it’s all too much, so he’s resting upstairs. Terrence is calling the quack in, just to make sure he’s okay, ya know.’
‘Good, so I s’pose I’d best introduce meself.’
Willie followed Arty into the lounge where the two girls and Terrence were sitting. Poppy was curled in a ball asleep, resting her head on Brooke’s lap. As Brooke looked up, she put her finger over her lips and mouthed the words ‘Let her sleep’.
Terrence quickly rose to his feet and hugged Willie and then led him into the kitchen. ‘I dunno what to say, mate. I had that villa secured. And I mean better than Fort Knox. I just dunno what happened.’
He noticed how exhausted Willie appeared. His pupils were mere pinpricks and his face was grey. ‘I’ll make a bite to eat and then you can go and have a bit o’ shut-eye. You look like ya need it, mate.’
Willie waved his hand. ‘Nah, I’m fine. I’ll comb every inch of Spain to find my boy …’ He faltered and coughed to stop himself from crying.
‘Yeah, okay, but you ain’t gonna think straight without sleep. Come on, mate. Have a lie down before you fall down. You ain’t gonna be any use finding your boy if you’re—’
‘He’s dead, Terrence, I know he is, but I need to find his body. I have to know what happened to him before I can rest. I won’t rest until I know. It’ll eat me up alive.’
Terrence patted Willie’s shoulder. ‘I know, mate, I know.’
‘I’ve always been a bit of a twat at times. Ya know, being reckless, mad, a coke-head, but ya know what? I was always in control around my boy. I loved him, more than life itself. I would die for that kid … Why couldn’t it have been me? Why him, eh …?’ He broke off, too choked to speak.
‘Come on, get some rest.’
With his slow steps and slouched shoulders, Willie followed Terrence up the stairs to the back bedroom that faced the pool. ‘We’ll find him, Willie. One way or another, we’ll find him.’
‘Where’s Lance? I thought he was here already?’
‘He was. He checked on the girls and then left. Apparently, he has contacts over here. He’s gonna do a bit of digging. The man’s a big fucker. I don’t know much about him, but, I tell ya this, I wouldn’t wanna cross him.’
Willie lay down on the bed. ‘He was Special Forces. I like the geezer. He’s straight up, he is, and if he does get a lead, he won’t fuck around with the police or shit, he’ll be right on ’em.’
Terrence watched as Willie fought to keep his eyes open. The second he was asleep, Terrence crept back down the stairs. He didn’t have kids of his own, but the one thing he did know was how tight the firm was and how much the men loved their boys. He checked the front door was locked again. He couldn’t risk losing Ricky or Arty or even the girls for that matter. Whoever this Torvic was, he had really put the wind up Mike’s firm. Terrence had never in his life, even as a young lad, seen Willie look so worried. The circumstances had sparked a definite change in the man.
As the sky darkened, Terrence called two of his men to guard his house; he needed to sleep himself and wanted the place watched. The whole situation had put the fear of God into him, and he wasn’t easily spooked.
* * *
Zara lay in the bath of their hotel suite. She stared up at the ceiling, going over in her mind how she would explain Jackie’s murder to Mike. Whichever way she looked at it, Mike wouldn’t forgive her. He may have disliked Jackie, and for very good reasons, but it wasn’t her place to put a bullet in his ex-wife’s head. The water was turning cold, and she knew she had to get out and face Mike with some kind of explanation. Climbing out and wrapping the white hotel bathrobe around her, she dried her face, rubbed her wet hair, and entered the bedroom.
Mike was lying on his side scrolling through messages on his phone. He stopped and looked up with that glint in his eyes. She knew exactly what he was thinking, but it wasn’t her intention to look seductive; in fact, she felt quite the opposite of sexy right now – she just felt sick.
He patted the bed and rolled onto his back. ‘Come here, me darling.’
‘Mike, listen. With everything that’s going on, I’m not in the mood.’ She smiled. ‘It’s not you, it’s this fucking situation.’
Mike sat up. ‘No worries, babe. I’ve been thinking an’ all. About Jackie.’
Zara’s eyes widened. ‘Er … what about her?’
‘I hate to say it, but if Torvic breaks into your house, he’ll kill her, ya know.’
Zara was still afraid that Mike would go straight over to the house. Her heart was pummelling, but she hoped she looked in control of herself. She swallowed hard but said as calmly as she could, ‘So what do you want to do about it?’
He lay back again with his hands under his head. ‘Nothing.’ He looked into Zara’s eyes. ‘You don’t think badly of me, do ya?’
Zara blinked and looked away. ‘No, I don’t. I guess she really did put you and Ricky through a lot, huh?’
‘To hell and back. I would’ve taken her with us, kept her safe, ya know, but …’ He sighed heavily. ‘She sided with Torvic. She put her own son at risk again. I don’t know who I hate more – Torvic or Jackie. Nah, fuck it. If he murders her, I won’t shed a tear. I’ll probably dance on her grave.
’
At long last, Zara felt her shoulders relax, and she breathed out slowly with relief. That was the answer she wanted to hear; it was there from Mike’s own mouth. Whoever found her dead, Torvic would be blamed. It stood to reason because Jackie was running for her life away from the man. So, at least now, Mike would never know the truth about his son.
‘You really do detest the woman, don’t ya?’
Mike pulled Zara onto the bed and gently kissed her lips. ‘You, Zara, are the only woman I’ve ever loved.’
‘No, I don’t mean for you to compare us. I mean, does she really deserve to die?’ She had to know what he truly felt, to lessen the guilt that was gnawing away at her.
‘There’s only so much you can forgive a person for. There’s a lot you don’t know about Jackie and how bloody wicked that woman is. When I look back and try to think of anything good about her, I just hit a blank. Some people are born bad, and she is one of them. When I saw the scars on Ricky’s leg and back, when I first met up with him in stir, after all those years apart, I couldn’t believe it. They are fucking horrendous. My boy endured nearly thirteen years of hell with her. And not only that, but she has treated her own mother, dear ol’ Gilly, like utter shit.’
He stopped and lowered his eyes.
‘What’s the matter, Mike?’ asked Zara, as she noticed his face crumpling. She lifted his chin to find his eyes full of tears. ‘What’s up? Please tell me.’
He blinked and gave her a sorrowful smile. ‘Sorry,’ he said, wiping his eyes. When he relived those sad memories, it tore him apart. The truth was that it was not only Jackie who was the root of the problem here. He knew his criminal lifestyle was also partly to blame.
‘What else did she do, Mike?’ asked Zara, knowing that Mike never cried, so whatever he was thinking about, it must be bad.
‘She hated Ricky. I didn’t want to admit it at first because what mother hates their own kid? But when I look back, she was a cruel cunt. When Ricky was eighteen months old, we had a nanny. Well, I employed one because I was too afraid to leave Jackie alone with him. She didn’t pay the baby the attention she should have. You know, she’d let him cry, wouldn’t change the nappies. One day, it was in the summer, the nanny was off for the week, looking after her mother. I had a meeting with your father, I think it was. Anyway, I told Jackie I would be out all day, but as it happens, I was back home by three o’clock …’ His voice cracked, and he coughed.