‘Can you get the money today?’ Nathan crossed the room and stood next to his mother.
‘I don’t know. Anyway, what’s the rush?’ Rosa paused and fixed Nathan with an interrogating stare.
‘Today’s the deadline for the deal.’ Nathan shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
‘Aren’t you going to tell me what the deal is?’
Why was she asking so many questions? ‘It’s just a bit of business.’ Nathan rolled his eyes, irritated by the constant barrage.
Rosa looked up at her son and folded her arms across her chest. ‘I think I have a right to know what you’ll be spending the money on. I’m sorry, Nathan, but if you don’t tell me what it’s for, I’m not going to ask Donatella to lend it to you.’
Nathan thought for a moment. He didn’t want his mother to know he owed the money to a gangster. But she wasn’t about to back down, so he decided to bite the bullet and come clean. It would be too stressful trying to hide the truth from her. ‘I need it to pay off Alfie Watson.’ Nathan braced himself for her response.
At first, Rosa froze at the mention of Alfie’s name. Then she threw her hands up and started shouting at her only child. ‘For goodness’ sake, Nathan. Why did you borrow money from him? That family are nothing but trouble.’
Nathan lowered his eyes and looked out from under his thick dark lashes as Rosa glared at him. She didn’t need to tell him something he was fully aware of, but that wouldn’t stop her. Nathan let out a long sigh. He wasn’t in the mood for one of her lectures, but he’d have to bite his tongue if he wanted her help.
‘Is that how you got the black eye?’ Rosa’s expression softened, and she squeezed her son’s hand.
‘You’ve missed your vocation. You should have been a detective.’ Nathan managed a half-smile. He’d never been able to fool his mother. She always got to the bottom of things.
‘You might be a grown man, but I’m going to give you some advice whether you like it or not.’
Here we go again, Nathan thought, knowing he was about to take a reluctant ride on the merry-go-round that was powered by Rosa’s nagging. The topic occasionally varied, but the dialogue never changed. It was draining. Even though he knew her words of wisdom stemmed from genuine concern, he didn’t want to hear them. But if he didn’t let her vent, he’d have a situation on his hands. There was no point trying to silence his mother when she was about to give him a piece of her mind.
‘Once you pay back the money, stay away from the Watsons. They’re dangerous.’
‘I will.’
‘If I do this for you, I want you to do me a favour.’ Rosa obviously wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to strike a bargain.
‘What’s that?’ Nathan knew there would be a price to pay for Rosa’s generosity.
‘This is the last time I’m bailing you out. Do you understand?’ Rosa wagged her finger.
‘Yes.’ Nathan threw his arms around Rosa’s small, curvy frame and hugged her tightly. She had raised him alone, and they were extremely close. ‘Thanks, Mum.’
Rosa pulled away and looked her son in the eye. ‘It’s about time you got yourself a proper job.’
Nathan shook his head. ‘I’ve got a proper job.’ He considered himself an entrepreneur, and no amount of Rosa’s pestering was going to turn him into a corporate suit.
Rosa had worked hard over the years to make ends meet. There was no doubt that had caused her a great deal of stress and had given her sleepless nights. Nathan knew Rosa had done her best for him. It couldn’t have been easy raising a child on her own, but he’d hated being the poor kid at school. It was just another thing that made him stand out from his cruel classmates. Most of them had two parents and siblings and lived in large houses. He resented having to live in a small rented flat with his mum because his father had abandoned them, and having to wear supermarket trainers when everyone else had designer ones was such a humiliating experience, it left him with a deep-seated obsession for money and material things.
Because of his humble beginnings, Nathan was determined to overcome any obstacles that would stop him from realising his dream to be financially successful. He was convinced money was the key to happiness, and although Rosa had tried to instil a good work ethic in him from an early age, he was more interested in get-rich-quick schemes. He wasn’t going to work long hours, seven days a week for a pittance like his mum. Nathan didn’t want the type of risk-free job that came with a big salary and a shiny Apple MacBook. That was too safe an option.
4
Gemma
This wasn’t the first time Nathan had got us into trouble. He had a history of making terrible financial decisions, but borrowing money from a man like Alfie Watson was the worst one so far. Everyone knew Alfie. His reputation as a dangerous, trigger-happy gangster and head of a notorious crime gang preceded him.
Why hadn’t Nathan texted me to say he’d given Alfie the money back? Questions flooded my mind. I was all over the place and found it impossible to concentrate at work. It didn’t help that business was always slow at the restaurant when it was wet outside. The day dragged on, and I spent most of it clock-watching. With nothing to do apart from stare at the rain pelting against the glass, I peered out of the steamed-up windows of Mamma Donatella’s while the only two customers nursed their cold cappuccinos.
‘At this rate, they could still be here when we open for lunch tomorrow,’ Bernardo said under his breath. ‘You look exhausted, Gemma.’
‘I didn’t sleep well last night.’ That was an understatement. I’d tossed and turned and felt so unsettled after Alfie’s unexpected visit.
‘Why don’t you go home? We’re not busy. I’ll see you in the morning,’ Bernardo said.
After grabbing an umbrella from the stand near the entrance, I made the short journey home. Since the bank repossessed our home, following another of Nathan’s failed business deals, his aunt and uncle had let us live in the flat above the restaurant. It was a sparsely furnished one-bedroomed property, but we were in no position to be ungrateful and knew we were lucky to have it.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the front door and entered the hall was the mess. My heart sank. Surely we hadn’t been burgled in broad daylight? Broken glass littered the floor and crunched under my feet as I walked across to where the phone dangled. It had been ripped from the wall. The small table that used to stand below it was now smashed to pieces. I glanced into the kitchen. The contents of all the cupboards were turned upside down and lay scattered over the floor, with broken crockery everywhere. An overturned bookshelf blocked the living room doorway. Lifting it up, I stepped over the books strewn across the entrance. Then I spotted Nathan in the far corner of the room, tied to a chair with a black sack over his head.
‘Oh my God!’ I dropped down on my knees by his side and quickly removed the bag. He had a cloth in his mouth that prevented him from speaking. ‘Are you OK?’
‘Can you untie me?’ Nathan croaked. His mouth had dried out.
I tried to free Nathan’s hands, but he was bound so tightly I couldn’t loosen the knot. Gasping for breath, he began to cough.
‘Let me get you some water.’
Sifting through the debris on the kitchen floor, I managed to find an unbroken plastic tumbler. Filling it with cold tap water, I rushed back to Nathan’s side and held it up to his lips. Then I managed to untie his wrists that were secured with rope behind the back of the chair. His ankles were bound to the wooden legs with duct tape.
‘No prizes for guessing who did this to you. You did give Alfie the money, didn’t you?’ So many questions were spinning around in my head.
‘I gave him five grand,’ Nathan replied, rubbing his wrists.
‘So what’s the problem? I don’t understand.’ My eyebrows knitted together in a frown, none of this made any sense to me.
‘Alfie’s changed his mind; he’s decided I owe ten grand now.’ Nathan lowered his head and let out a defeated sigh.
&
nbsp; I felt anger radiate from me. His interest rates were extortionate. There must be something we could do. We couldn’t let Alfie get away with this. ‘Can’t we go to the police?’
‘No way.’ Nathan shook his head.
I reached forward and touched my husband’s arm with my fingertips. Nathan looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. We had to report this.
‘You could have Alfie arrested for what he’s done to you.’
Nathan turned around and glared at me. ‘If I get Alfie nicked, what do you think he’d do to us?’
I shrugged my shoulders.
‘Trust me, Gemma, we can’t go running to the cops. We don’t want to upset him any more than we already have. Otherwise, he’ll do more than just threaten us.’
My eyes widened. ‘So you’d call being beaten up, gagged and tied to a chair in your own home a threat, would you?’
‘I didn’t keep my side of the deal. This is the way things work in his world. He’s just giving me a warning.’
If that was the case, I dreaded to think what Alfie was capable of. This wasn’t a bit of low-level intimidation. What the hell had Nathan got us into? We’d been in some scrapes before, but nothing on this level and I had to admit I was scared to death. Nathan had been my partner for all of my adult life, and I couldn’t imagine ever being without him. I loved him with all my heart, but being married to a man who liked to push the self-destruct button wasn’t easy. I buried my head in my hands as my tears began flowing freely.
‘Don’t cry, Gemma.’ Nathan threw his arms around my shoulders and pulled me towards him.
What were we going to do? I couldn’t believe a loan for five hundred pounds had turned into a debt of ten grand in a matter of days. That was some interest rate. But that was how men like Alfie made a living. He didn’t have a conscience. I stepped back from Nathan and wiped my tears away on the back of my hand. Looking around the room at the devastation, it was clear to see we were in way over our heads.
‘If I don’t give Alfie another five grand by tomorrow, I’ll have to face the consequences.’
It wasn’t a closely guarded secret that men like Alfie smiled with pleasure when they inflicted pain on their victims. Nathan laughed off the threat. His defence mechanism was kicking in, but it wasn’t funny. It suddenly struck me that possessions are replaceable, people are not. Nathan’s life was in danger. I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to him over a stupid debt. Nathan was the love of my life, and even though he drove me insane sometimes, I wouldn’t want to face the future without him.
Alfie Watson was not a person to be messed with. He wanted his money back, and he’d use any means to get it. But we had no way of raising the money, so what were we going to do? When we lost our home, the creditors took everything and left us penniless. The few belongings we’d managed to replace were now smashed to pieces, so selling them wasn’t going to be an option.
Nathan and I locked eyes and stood in silence, trying to take in the enormity of the situation. Although Nathan was putting on a front, I could tell he was as scared as I was. Nathan slipped his arms around my waist and kissed the side of my neck. I put my hands on his biceps to create some distance between us.
‘What will happen tomorrow when we haven’t got the money?’
5
Nathan
Alfie didn’t believe in ringing the doorbell. Just after midnight, he let himself into our flat when Gemma and I were in bed. Maybe it was just my unsociable nature, but I didn’t like people showing up unexpectedly. I’d hoped he might have a change of heart and not come after me for the rest of the money. The amount he was expecting me to repay on a five hundred pound loan was ridiculous.
‘Have you got my money?’ Alfie asked.
‘No.’
‘That’s very disappointing, and I had such high hopes for you.’ Alfie shook his head.
‘I’ll get the other five grand. But I’m going to need more time.’ Throwing back the covers, I got out of bed and stood in front of Alfie, in my Calvin Klein boxer shorts.
‘That’s one thing I can’t give you. How old are you, Nathan?’
Alfie looked me straight in the eye before taking a long drag on his cigarette. Then the bastard exhaled the smoke straight into my face.
‘Thirty-two.’
‘You’re only three years younger than me, and you haven’t got a pot to piss in.’
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gemma watching me as my expression changed. I was fuming; Alfie had hit a nerve. I’d spent my whole life trying to shake off the poverty label without much success. I just hoped I could control my temper. I couldn’t afford to escalate the situation. Dropping his cigarette onto the floor, Alfie ground it out with his leather shoe. His disregard for our flat made my blood boil. When his men trashed it yesterday while Gemma was at work, they’d destroyed most of our possessions, ripping up clothing and smashing anything breakable. I could see she’d found the experience traumatic. It was the second time she’d lost everything and that was hard for her to accept.
‘I’m a generous man, so I’m going to give you the opportunity to put things right between us,’ Alfie said.
‘What do you want me to do?’ I asked the question, but I was dreading the answer.
‘You won’t be doing anything. You just need to take a seat.’ Alfie smirked.
Gemma and I exchanged a glance, and a puzzled expression spread over her face. Alfie laughed and looked over his shoulder to where the other men were standing.
‘Knuckles, bring Gemma over here.’
My mouth fell open in horror. I tried to think straight, but my mind was all over the place. I glared at Alfie with wide eyes. What was he playing at?
The huge guy who had been wielding the baseball bat last night approached the bed. He pulled the covers off Gemma, breaking her nail as she tried in vain to cling to them. Grabbing her by her wrist, he pulled her to her feet.
‘Get your hands off her,’ I shouted, scrambling over the bed. I shoved Knuckles in the chest with the palm of my hand to get him away from my terrified wife. But the blow didn’t move him. The man was built like a brick shithouse.
‘Nathan, if you take another step, Frankie will blow your fucking head off,’ Alfie said. The man produced a gun from inside his suit jacket before stepping behind me with the weapon drawn.
Nothing could have prepared me for the spectrum of emotions I experienced while I waited for Alfie to decide Gemma’s fate. At first, I felt numb. I couldn’t believe this was happening to us. Then I felt fear and utter helplessness. I wanted to protect my wife from Alfie, but I was powerless to stop him while the barrel of a gun was digging into the back of my skull. I hoped Alfie wasn’t going to rape her. I’d always thought masked men in dark alleyways assaulted women. But that was before I entered Alfie Watson’s seedy world. This man had walked into my home, and now he was threatening the most important person in my life. I didn’t care what happened to me, just as long as he didn’t hurt Gemma.
Alfie stood in front of her, immaculately dressed in a dark navy three-piece suit. Knuckles was still holding her wrist. She struggled against him to break his grip. Alfie’s eyes scanned over my wife, and that’s when my anger kicked in. It was time he realised, I wasn’t going to let him do anything to her without me putting up a fight. In a fit of rage, I lunged towards him, but Alfie’s minder grabbed my arm and wrenched it behind my back before my fist had time to connect with his face. Gemma managed to slap Alfie herself, catching him square on the jaw. I had to suppress a smile when I saw the red mark it left on his skin.
Alfie began to laugh. ‘It’s OK, Knuckles, you can let her go now. You’re feisty, aren’t you? I’m impressed.’
‘I’m not trying to impress you.’ Gemma looked Alfie straight in the eye, with thinly veiled contempt.
‘Ouch, Gemma, you really know how to hurt a man’s feelings.’
Alfie clutched his heart as if her words had wounded him before he moved towards her
and picked up a lock of her long brown hair. He held it up to his nose and inhaled deeply. It freaked her out, and I saw her flinch.
‘Relax, Gemma, I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to get a closer look at you. Now let’s get back to business. Your husband owes me a lot of money.’
‘I know he does, but you’ve made it impossible for him to pay it back,’ Gemma said, unable to hide the anger in her voice.
‘I gave Nathan a deadline, but he’s failed to meet it. I’m going to offer you an alternative. Would you like to know what it is?’
Gemma nodded.
‘If you visit a jewellery shop for me, you can clear Nathan’s debt.’
‘What’s the catch?’ Gemma asked, narrowing her eyes.
‘Are you always this suspicious?’ Alfie laughed. ‘There’s no catch, I just want you to do a bit of shopping for me.’
‘Let me get this straight, if I agree, you’ll write off the debt. Is that what you’re saying?’
‘Yes, that’s right. So, talk to me, Gemma, do we have a deal?’ Alfie held his hand out towards Gemma.
Gemma looked over at me, and after a moment’s contemplation, I spoke. ‘I can’t let Gemma do that.’
‘You don’t have another alternative, Nathan,’ Alfie replied.
‘Let me go instead of her.’
‘No.’ Alfie shook his head. ‘What’s your problem, Nathan? I only want her to go shopping for fuck’s sake.’
6
Gemma
Nathan and I spent the next week on tenterhooks. On the one hand, we were delighted not to have heard from Alfie, but on the other, we were stuck in a state of constant uncertainty, not knowing when he would come back into our lives. We should have realised we wouldn’t have to wait too long.
Alfie paid us a visit in the early hours of the morning, gaining entrance to our flat in the usual manner. There was nothing more terrifying than someone opening your front door while you were asleep in bed. But this was how Alfie set the scene. He instilled fear in you without uttering a word. He had a reputation as a gangland boss to uphold and did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. It would have been stupid of us to expect Alfie to call at a reasonable hour and wait for us to let him in.
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