Hunted

by Heather Atkinson

“I want in on this,” said Ryan.

  “You sure?” said Battler, surprised.

  “I suspect one of these men was buried beneath our annex. The police are doing nothing. It must stop.”

  “I don’t know what Rachel will say.”

  “She’ll understand.”

  Battler wasn’t so sure.

  CHAPTER 5

  Mikey returned home tired and a little shaken. It had been difficult for him spending all that time alone with Jules, especially in the confined space of his car. Her effect on him wasn’t fading, to his chagrin.

  The sight of Amber, his wife, hurrying up to him, red curls tumbling down her back was a soothing balm and he hugged her to him, the feel of her pert little body against his combined with the pent-up sexual tension causing an immediate response.

  “Let’s go to bed,” he whispered in her ear.

  “We can’t.”

  “Course we can. Your mum and dad are looking after Jamie. We’ve got all the time in the world,” he said, grinding himself against her.

  Amber removed his hands from her waist and stepped back. “We can’t. Jamie’s here.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Mum’s here.”

  “Why’s she here?”

  “Because she’s left Dad. She says she can’t stand his put downs and distance anymore. I said she could stay with us for a few nights, if you don’t mind.”

  “Course I don’t,” he lied. He couldn’t stand his mother-in-law. She was a vicious, stuck-up shrew. Still, she was marginally better than her husband, who was such a pathetic loser Mikey couldn’t stand it. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like Joyce,” he said when she appeared in the hallway behind her daughter, looking sheepish.

  “I appreciate that Mikey,” she said quietly.

  “I said I’d take her shopping to cheer her up. A bit of retail therapy always works,” smiled Amber.

  Mikey swallowed nervously. Amber was capable of spending astronomical sums of money on complete crap when the mood took her. Amber and her mother combined were capable of bankrupting him.

  “You’ve got your credit card?” he said.

  “I do.”

  Mikey was glad he’d had the foresight to put a limit on it. “Have fun,” he called as they exited the house, taking Jamie with them, Joyce suddenly looking much more cheerful, leaving Mikey alone and horny. He needed a distraction. He took out his phone and scrolled through the phonebook.

  “Jez, you busy?” he said.

  Jez arrived half an hour later and found Mikey just finishing up a sweep of his office for listening devices.

  “I take it this is business?” said Jez, throwing down his briefcase and pulling off his tie. Jez always wore smart suits, even though he hated them, he was much more comfortable in t-shirt and jeans but it was vital he projected the right image.

  “It is,” he replied, handing Jez a scotch, Ryan and Rachel’s Abercraig whisky no less. Mikey was already a big fan. “I’ve got my mother-in-law staying here, she’s left Ken. It’s not funny,” he added when Jez sniggered.

  “Bet that’s going to be fun. She’ll bleed you dry.”

  “She’s already started. Amber’s taken her shopping.”

  “Bloody hell. I’d call the bank and have all my money shifted into another account. They’ll leave you potless.”

  “Yeah, alright. Can we drop it? It’s depressing enough.”

  “Here, have you heard about that body the builders found at Ryan and Rachel’s house?”

  “Yeah, Rachel called me. At least this time it’s nothing to do with us.”

  “I’ve got the feeling we’re going to have to tear down to Devon again.”

  Mikey nodded sadly. “Me too mate. Rach and Ryan just can’t catch a break.”

  “Neither can you, stuck with Joyce and Ken as parents-in-law then one moves in with you.”

  “She’s not moved in, she’s staying here temporarily.”

  “And what if she doesn’t go back to him?”

  The thought was too horrible for Mikey to contemplate. “I didn’t bring you here to talk about them. I want to discuss Katia. I think we made the wrong decision, we should have topped her when we took over.”

  Jez sank into a chair and took a sip of his whisky. “Yeah, its been bothering me too. She’s not going to give up until we’re all dead, including Ryan and Rachel.”

  “What worries me is how much Alex told her about our businesses. She was close to everything. What if she starts blabbing to Jared?”

  “It’s had me up at nights worrying. Vic Slattery’s still not turned up. Word is Jared topped him, his own dad.”

  “Fuck the Slatterys. I don’t give a shit if she is under their protection, we’re stronger than they are and they’re not going to go to war over a slag like that. I say we remove her before she does any damage. But we need to make it subtle, so Jared can never be sure if we were behind it or not.”

  “Subtle, how?”

  “Jules.”

  Jez chuckled. “I never thought I’d hear the words Jules and subtle in the same sentence.”

  “You remember what she did to Terry? Doctor’s couldn’t trace what she’d used on him.”

  “Stuck a needle between his toes. What is it with people murdering their own dads?”

  “To be fair he was never a dad to her. He was just the sicko who sold her to a pair of paedos.”

  “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “We could make it look like Katia had a heart attack or a stroke or something. Jared can’t come after us for that and she won’t be able to go blabbing.”

  “You think we can trust Jules to do this?”

  “Not a hundred percent, but she impressed Grant when she removed the remaining three members of Lucifer’s Shadow.”

  “She might be ruthless enough to have used them to further her own cause.”

  “You don’t trust your own sister?”

  “Do you trust her?”

  “Not yet. Not until I know about Leighton Parker.”

  “Why don’t you let that lie? Talking about him is a fucking torture for her, anyone can see that.”

  “I don’t think he’s dead.”

  “Course he is. The second she found him she would have topped him, probably after a bit of torture first.”

  “I think he’s still alive and she’s keeping him in the Parker house.”

  Jez spluttered into his drink. “You’re fucking joking?”

  “Wish I was mate.”

  “That’s got to be the freakiest thing I’ve ever heard. He went missing twenty years ago.”

  “I don’t think she’s had him all that time. He did a runner but she tracked him down.”

  “No Mikey, you’re way off, I’m sure.”

  “You mean you hope.”

  “Yeah actually, I do. Shit, if she’s got him locked up in the cellar of that house…”

  “It could land on us. If someone finds out about him she’ll get nicked then they’ll start looking into her life, which includes us.”

  “What do you think we should do?” said Jez.

  “Go in there and put him out of his misery.”

  “Christ Mikey, I don’t know. Leighton Parker’s all tangled up with her personal demons. If she hasn’t topped him it’s for some deep, twisted psychological reason. It could fuck her up even more.”

  “We have to do something. It’s too dangerous for us all.”

  “If she’s kept him locked up for all these years she’s obviously done a good job of it because no one’s found out.”

  “We have.”

  “We don’t even know if you’re right, it’s all guesswork.”

  “And if I am right? Jez, we can’t take any chances, not in our line of work.”

  “Couldn’t you ask Cassandra for her advice?”

  “Oh yeah, I’m sure she’d love it if I said I think my cousin’s got her raping bastard dad locked up in the cellar. If she has do you think I should kill him or not
?”

  “Well, when you put it like that, but I don’t know. Let’s just wait and see, try and get some evidence that she really does have him locked up somewhere. She’s unbalanced enough as it is without pushing her over the edge.”

  “Alright, fine,” sighed Mikey, not happy.

  “And I’m not comfortable about sending her after Katia until we know for sure. We can’t trust her.”

  “I agree with you there. I might have a word with Grant about it instead.”

  “How did your meeting with Mark Cameron go?”

  “Good. He’s agreed to meet me at the compound tomorrow to discuss it. That was thanks to Jules too, she cast her spell over him.”

  “Over Mark Cameron? That’s one powerful spell.” Jez stared hard at Mikey. “I reckon he’s not the only one she’s cast her spell on.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know.”

  Mikey had agreed on a policy of absolute honesty with Jez, it was the only way to stop them both turning into despots like Alex had and he was appalled with himself when he considered lying to him. “I admit there is something about her,” he reluctantly said.

  “What?”

  “Fucked if I know.”

  “She’s attractive in a weird, vampire queen sort of way but she’s not in Amber’s league.”

  “I’m not going to cheat on my wife,” he exclaimed, trying not to think about that time on the couch with Jules, his body pressed against hers.

  “She’s your cousin.”

  “I know. I’m just saying I can sort of understand what other men see in her, that’s all.”

  “I hope so, for your sake.”

  “The question is,” said Mikey, anxious to divert the conversation away from this dangerous topic, “what are we going to do about her?”

  “We don’t know for sure that she does have Leighton Parker locked up. Find out for sure then take it from there.”

  “I fully intend to,” said Mikey darkly, taking a sip of whisky.

  “I’m meeting with Hayden Brody tomorrow morning,” said Jez. Hayden had been the ex-paratrooper Riley had encountered when Ryan had put a contract out on Alex in retaliation. Hayden had made an incredible shot but instead of killing Alex he’d killed his decoy instead. Despite this they’d all been deeply impressed by him and Mikey and Jez wanted him in their camp.

  “Good. If we get him onside then we’ve got the three best assassins in the city on the firm.”

  “Three?”

  “I was counting Jules too.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s right,” said Jez, draining his glass of Abercraig whisky. He was a big fan too.

  “That will put the fear of God into our competitors,” said Mikey. “Mark and Hayden will be in charge of our security and we’ll be impenetrable.”

  “If they’re loyal,” added Jez.

  “They will be. Both are ex-army, they understand loyalty well.”

  “You’ve got a point there. Anyway, there’s something else. We need to give the fucking Starklaws a spanking for trying to kill me outside the MMA arena.”

  “They’re like mosquitoes, buzzing around, annoying us.”

  “If we don’t do something then everyone will think we’re weak and start taking pot shots at us.”

  Mikey smiled. “You’re right, although they might think twice now we’ve got Mark Cameron on board.”

  “I think me and you should handle this personally, really hammer the message home to back off.”

  “Sounds fun. Should we bury them?”

  Jez considered it before shaking his head. “I don’t think so. We’ve seen enough killing lately. If they disappear it’s just going to fuel the rumour mill. People are still talking about Alex’s disappearance.”

  “And all eyes are on us. You’re right, we play it subtle. A good kicking should sort the Starklaws out, bunch of fucking wanks.”

  “Joel Starklaw is a regular at Dane’s club,” said Jez.

  “Is he still letting him in after what he nearly did to you?”

  “Only because I told him to. Dane called me after he’d heard and I told him not to bar him. I thought it might come in useful and I think the time’s come. Plus it keeps Dane’s deal with us private. If he had barred the Starklaws it would have shown everyone where his loyalties lie. This way he remains neutral.”

  Mikey was once again reminded strongly of Ryan. Jez looked so relaxed and absolutely self-assured, the tilt of his head, his cool poise, everything carefully learnt from his big brother. He’d come such a long way and Mikey’s respect for his business partner was huge. He hoped it would always be that way. “Clever,” he admitted. “Do you want to call Dane or shall I?”

  “You can leave the set up to me. I owe the Starklaws a little payback after they tried to stab me in the chest.”

  “Okay. Do you want Jules in on this?”

  “No, not until we know for certain about Leighton Parker. Let’s just keep this between us, it’s safer that way.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to go, I promised Cathy I’d be home in time for dinner. She said if I wasn’t she’d punish me,” he ended with a smile.

  “I really don’t want to know what that involves.”

  “I’ll put it this way, I’m already ten minutes late,” he grinned. “See you later, cheers for the drink.”

  “No worries mate.”

  Mikey found he didn’t want Jez to leave. If he did Amber would come back with her mum and he’d be stuck feeling awkward in his own home. He couldn’t stand to have Joyce around for long, so he decided to pay his father-in-law a visit.

  CHAPTER 6

  Ken and Joyce Sweeney had lived on the Montford Estate for years, the same rundown blot on the landscape where Ryan had been dragged up, but now they lived in a swanky bungalow just eight miles from Mikey’s home that he’d bought for them and got not one word of thanks for. Ken himself opened the front door looking dishevelled in just a white vest and brown trousers held up by braces. He was unshaved and looked miserable.

  “Come on in Mikey,” he sighed, shuffling back inside.

  Mikey followed, closing the door behind him. “Bloody hell Ken, she’s only been gone a day.”

  The once-elegant lounge was a tip. Newspapers and dirty plates were strewn everywhere, the small bin in the corner was overflowing and there was an evil smell in the air, as though something nasty had burnt.

  “I can’t manage without her,” he exclaimed. “I thought I’d give the place a clean and tidy, show her I can change. I tried to do a load of laundry but the stupid washing machine flooded the kitchen, the vacuum burst into flames when I switched it on and I slipped on the water in the kitchen and hurt my back. When I was starving hungry I put a microwave curry in to cook and I even burnt that. How do you burn something in a microwave? It’s not possible,” he screeched.

  “Look, calm down mate. Sit down and I’ll make you a brew.”

  “You can’t. I’ve knackered the kettle.”

  “How?” frowned Mikey.

  “No sodding idea,” grumbled Ken, sinking onto the couch.

  Mikey shook his head. “You can’t even make a simple brew on your own. No wonder she left you.”

  “She’s never done anything like this before,” he said, running a hand back and forth over his stubbly grey head. “She’s always been happy looking after me, she used to say she enjoyed it. Now she’s got ideas above her station.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Thinks she’s too good to make me something to eat or a cuppa. She thinks she shouldn’t have to do the housework anymore, says we should get a cleaner. I mean, neither of us work.” Ken hesitated and looked away awkwardly. “I mean…”

  “You mean I pay all the bills here so I’d be paying for a cleaner too.” Mikey couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice. It was true, he did pay for everything, only because this pair were Amber’s parents and his son’s grandparents, unfortunately.

  “Yeah,” muttered
Ken, embarrassed.

  “That’s fucking charming that is. She doesn’t do anything all day and neither do you. It’s not a huge house. Why can’t you keep the place clean between you?”

  “Joyce said why should we when you’re coined up. You have a cleaner.”

  “Because our house is bigger and Amber has to look after Jamie, that’s why. It’s not up to you to question my domestic arrangements,” thundered Mikey, pointing a digit at his father-in-law.

  “Hey, don’t take it out on me. I’m on your side. This is what Joyce has been saying.”

  “It’s taking the piss is what it is. Is this why she left you?”

  “She said I was a pathetic coward because I refused to ask you to hire a cleaner. She’s gone all up herself since we moved here.”

  “You mean even more than she was already,” growled Mikey. So that was the crafty cow’s plan - move into his house and get on his tits until he hired a cleaner just to get rid of her. Well it wasn’t going to work. No one played Mikey Maguire. “I’m telling you now, that cleaner isn’t happening.”

  Ken looked panicked. “You have to. Joyce won’t come home until you do.”

  “Fucking tough. You are going to have to get a grip and learn to fend for yourself and she is going to have to get it through her thick skull that I am not a mug.”

  “Where are you going?” said Ken, hurrying after him when he strode to the door.

  “I’m off. It stinks in here.”

  “But what about all this?” he said, gesturing around him helplessly.

  “Man up and grow a pair. If you don’t you’re going to find yourselves cut off without a penny.” Mikey gave a mock gasp. “Oh no, then you’ll have to get a job.”

  “What, with my back?” Ken called after him helplessly as he left, slamming the door shut behind him.

  Mikey was seething when he returned home to find Amber and Joyce examining the contents of a huge rake of shopping bags piled up on the dining room table. He recognised the names of most of the shops emblazoned on the sides of the bags and they were all expensive. His blood boiled to see Joyce trying on a very pricey-looking bracelet, bought with his money. Resentment filled him. This bitch had prostituted her own daughter to get this lifestyle and got it she had.