Blood Daughter: Flesh and Blood Trilogy Book Three (Flesh and Blood series)

by Dreda Say Mitchell

Kieran made his move. He flew at her in a whirl and chopped the edge of her hand. Hot pain shot up her arm and the gun tumbled to the floor. He quickly kicked it away.

  She gave him the evil eye. ‘You bastard.’

  Through clenched teeth he said, ‘What the fuck are you playing at in your condition?’

  Dee reared back. ‘What do you mean, my condition?’

  Jen’s quiet voice got between them. ‘Dee, are you pregnant?’

  They were interrupted by a hammering on the door. An anxious voice shouted, ‘Boss, you need to come quickly.’

  Kieran screamed. ‘Fuck off, I’m busy.’

  The door burst open. ‘You need to get out guv. The place is on fire.’

  Kieran looked stunned for a few moments. ‘What do you mean on fire? Go and put it out!’

  Instead of waiting for an answer, he pushed the guy out the way and hurried to the door. He stood on the landing peering down. A wisp of smoke blew around his head, bringing an acrid tang with it. He turned to Dee and Jen, standing close behind him.

  He forgot all about Dee’s delicate condition and grabbed her by her blouse. ‘If you’ve fucking—’

  She wrenched out of his grasp. ‘Set your club on fire? What, with me in it? Do I look like I’ve got a death wish?’ she ended on a sarky note.

  ‘If you’ve done this Dee it ain’t your death you’ve got to worry about, it’s the one you’ve placed on your son’s head.’

  ‘You bastard.’ Dee fought with Kieran to get out of his grip. ‘You fucking bastard. I knew you had my kid here.’ He still wouldn’t let go.

  ‘Knock it off Dee,’ Jen ordered. Sternly, ‘Carry on like this and you’ll hurt your baby.’ She gave Kieran her full attention. ‘Are you saying you’ve had Nicky all this time?’ The flaring of his nostrils was all she needed to know the truth. ‘Why?’ she couldn’t help crying.

  ‘We don’t have time to ask why! We’ve got to get out of here.’

  Dee lunged forward but he yanked her back. ‘I’ve got to get Nicky.’

  ‘Look.’ He shook her slightly. ‘My men will have made sure he’s out. He’s got a guard. What we need to worry about is how we’re gonna get out of here.’

  Kieran herded them back into his office and slammed the door. He rushed over to the drinks cabinet and pulled out silk napkins from a drawer. He tore open a bottle of tonic water and upended it on the cloth. He held them out. ‘Put these over your mouths.’

  He stood by the door and opened it. It had only been seconds but smoke gushed into the room and began to gather like thunder clouds. Choking and spluttering, the three of them ran out onto the landing. There were no flames but grey and black fumes everywhere.

  Kieran warned them. ‘Not the lift! You’ll suffocate. Wait here.’

  He bolted down the stairs, two at a time, into the darkness. He was gone a long time. First Dee and then Jen began shouting his name. There was no answer. Dee went down a few steps and saw Kieran struggling back up the stairs carrying a sports bag. She took him by the arm and dragged him back onto the landing. The two women held him up while he croaked, ‘The office, get back in the office.’

  They rushed back inside and he booted the door shut and leaned against it. Already, the floor beneath their feet was growing warm. Wheezing he told them, ‘Get me the Scotch from the cabinet.’ He took a gulp, gargled and spat it out. ‘There’s no way out downwards. We’re gonna have to escape ourselves.’

  Dee said furiously, ‘Shouldn’t we wait for the fire brigade?’

  ‘We’ll be dead by then. These old warehouses are like tinder boxes.’

  He struggled to his feet, went over to the window and peered out. On the street far below, members and staff had gathered while neighbours and gawkers were being kept back by the cops. The sound of sirens tore through the air. Kieran knew they couldn’t afford to wait. Breathing deeply, he put his sports bag on the desk. He pulled out an Uzi, loaded a magazine in the breech, put some spares into his pockets.

  ‘Follow me; we’re going up into the eaves. And for fuck’s sake,’ he gave them a little smile, ‘cheer up. I’ll get us out.’

  They rushed out as the fire licked at the top of the stairs. Jen twisted back yelling, ‘I’ve left my mobile.’

  Dee snapped her around. ‘Don’t be daft girl. We need to get out of here now.’

  Kieran pulled down a metal ladder leading up to the loft space above. A century earlier, it had been used to store bales before they were loaded onto boats. Now it was empty except for a pile of boxes along one wall.

  ‘There’s a door here, but I don’t have the key on me.’ He pushed the boxes out of the way. ‘OK ladies, get down on the floor. Keep your fingers crossed none of us get hit by ricochets.’

  When Dee and Jen had curled up in a corner he took the safety catch off the gun, crouched and opened fire in steady bursts. The shooting shook the loft like thunder and splinters went in all directions. He lowered the Uzi and kicked at the door until there was space enough to climb through.

  Dee squeezed through first. Then Jen and finally Kieran. Both women looked round with fascination as they took in the whips, chains and manacles on the wall.

  Dee said snidely, ‘I didn’t know you were a kinky bandit Kieran.’ She leered. ‘Who would’ve thought?’

  Kieran cut his eye at her. ‘We need to go.’

  They hurried down a flight of stairs towards the flat’s front door. It was only when they reached it that Jen shouted, ‘Kieran! Your shooter.’

  Kieran realised he had the machine gun slung over his shoulder. ‘I’ll go back and hide it.’

  ‘Just chuck it, we ain’t got time,’ Jen screamed.

  ‘Both of you get out and wait for me.’

  He heard both of their cries of warning but he legged it back up the stairs and through the hole into the loft of his beloved club. The floor was shaking from the pressure of the smoke and flames below. He knew it was only a matter of time before it collapsed into the inferno. He trod gingerly on the baking floorboards and made his way over to the door. He gripped the gun in one hand, used his jacket to take the handle in the other and pulled it open. He was blown backwards by heat, smoke and flames and hot air, which began to engulf the loft. With one final effort, he threw the gun and magazines into the office below. As he crawled back to the flat next door, he could hear bullets being ignited in the heat and firing off in all directions. It was like the blaze itself was shooting at him.

  Kieran ran down the stairs and out on the street. He found Dee and Jen standing by the police lines, gazing upwards in horror as cinders and scraps of paper floated down around them. He noticed the two women were holding hands. ‘Are you alright?’

  It was Dee who said ‘Yeah, we’re alright. Pretty tasty with a machine gun, aren’t ya?’

  ‘Yeah. John used to take me into Epping Forest for target practice.’ He was unable to look behind him at the burning building or ask the cops if there were any casualties. He stared Dee straight in the eye. ‘I’m asking again. Was this down to you?’

  Dee whispered. ‘Me? Oh yeah, I was in your office while my mini-me set the fire. Use your effing noodle.’ Then she became distracted as she checked the crowd. ‘Where’s Nicky?’

  Kieran called one of his men over. He pulled him to the side so they could talk without the women hearing. When he turned back to them the colour behind the soot and sweat had drained away.

  ‘Where’s Nicky?’ Dee cried out in dread.

  Kieran ran towards the burning building.

  Fifty-Eight

  Dee made to run, but Jen grabbed her arm. ‘Leave it to Kieran.’

  Dee violently shook her off. A cop blocked Dee’s way. ‘Sorry madam, you’ll have to stand back.’

  ‘My son’s in there.’ Nicky might be choking this very minute! Or, God no, dead.

  ‘I can’t let you through, sorry.’

  Dee let her head drop. When he relaxed she shoved him out of the way and legged it to where Kieran was arguing wit
h the firemen.

  One was explaining, ‘Don’t worry about it mate, the fire’s under control and we’ve checked everywhere inside. No one’s trapped, OK? Now leave us to get on with our job, owner or not. Otherwise, you can talk to the police.’

  Kieran was backing away when Dee joined him. She slapped his face. ‘How could you?’

  He grabbed her wrists and hissed, ‘Calm the heck down. He’ll be alright. I just need to get in there. Instead of fighting, why don’t you help? Eh? Fires go upwards and the kid’s in the basement. He’ll be alright if I can get in there.’

  He went around the back of a fire engine where he found a heavy-duty axe and big torch. Someone shouted, ‘Oi,’ as he ran past but he kept on until he was back in the club.

  ‘So, where is he?’

  Cursing his head off Kieran turned to find Dee next to him. She was soaked in the water being hosed over the burning club. ‘What the fuck are you doing? You’re carrying a baby. Get back.’

  ‘Not on your life. That’s my son in there. The longer you keep up the patter the less time Nicky has.’

  Kieran prised the door open and the former lovers went down the stairs. The corridor at the bottom was awash with water; the torchlight swam back and forth. At the end of the hall, through a mist of blue-tinged smoke, was a heavy oak door. They sloshed their way to it. Dee held the torch while Kieran set to work with his axe. The door didn’t come down easily but when it finally did, they rushed inside to find an unconscious Nicky tied to a chair lying sideways on the ground.

  Dee screamed and wailed and desperately tried to shake her son awake. She twisted round to Kieran like a mad woman. ‘You fucking cunt. You tied my son up, how the fuck could he get out?’

  Kieran quickly untied his wrists. Nicky groaned as Kieran heaved him into a fireman’s lift. Dee almost collapsed with elation when she heard him. ‘You’re going to be alright babes, you’re gonna be alright.’

  Then she prayed like she was a child back in church with Aunty Cleo.

  Jen, Dee and Kieran stood in the cold night while Nicky got checked over by a paramedic. The tension between them was electric.

  Dee broke it, speaking with all the disgust she could muster. ‘Nicky said you threatened to set dogs on him. You let one chew at his shoe to put the frighteners on him. You are a despicable human being. You need putting down.’

  ‘Is this true?’ Jen asked tightly.

  He turned on her. ‘I was – am – in a jam and needed to think of a way out of it. I had no choice—’

  ‘No choice?’ It was Jen who slammed out at him. ‘Nicky’s a child. A young boy. How could you do it?’ She walloped him a good one. ‘That’s what Mum would’ve done.’

  His face stilled with awful pain. ‘There’s no need to tell Babs about any of this. It was a misunderstanding.’

  Both women remained silent. Then Dee said, ‘I’ve got a plan to end all this.’ As she looked at the burning building she explained her idea. After she’d finished she took Jen’s hand. ‘Now it’s time for me to see to my son.’

  ‘Me and you need a word,’ Kieran stalled her.

  ‘Go on Jen,’ she told her sister. ‘I’ll be with you and Nicky in a mo.’ She turned to Kieran. ‘What?’

  Kieran looked pointedly at her belly. ‘How’s my kid doing?’

  ‘It’s not yours.’

  ‘Course it is, everyone knew John was firing blanks.’

  ‘Well, John finally hit the mark. Me and you were a one-time booty thing. I don’t want to ever clap eyes on you again.’

  As she walked towards her son the tears fell. She’d already lost John. What would she have done if she’d lost Nicky as well?

  Tiff jumped off Dee’s chaise longue when she heard the front door slam.

  ‘Dee, that you?’ She’d been worrying herself silly when her half-sister went after Kieran with a shooter and refused to take her along. ‘Have you got Nicky?’ Stuff was getting well out of hand . . .

  A grim-looking Dee strode in with her son. Tiff couldn’t help gasping. They both looked like they’d been to hell and back. Then Jen came into view. Jen and Tiff snapped their eyes at each other.

  ‘I’ll take Nicky upstairs,’ Jen offered.

  When they were gone, Tiff fumed, ‘I can’t believe that Kieran really nabbed him.’ She didn’t like the expression on her sister’s face. She knew it all too well; Dee was ready to blow her stack. ‘Bloody hell, Kieran didn’t hurt him, did he?’

  Dee stalked over to the drinks cabinet and got herself a rum and Coke. Tiff couldn’t understand why she was staying schtum. What was going on here?

  Dee casually leaned against the cabinet, facing her. She rested her beady gaze on Tiff. ‘How long have I known you?’

  Tiff didn’t like how quiet and controlled her voice sounded. A quiet Dee could be as deadly as a slithering snake.

  ‘Longer than most folk know.’ Their meeting years back when Tiff was still a yob up to no good was their secret still. ‘Why are you going on all funny?’

  ‘Funny!’ Dee burst out laughing, but there was zero laughter in her eyes. She took a hard slog of her drink. ‘There I am up at Kieran’s natty club, which I might add burned down to the ground tonight—’

  ‘Oh my God, you never—’

  ‘I would’ve done anything on this earth to get my boy back.’ Dee’s voice was hardening by the minute. ‘But it weren’t me who lit the flame. There won’t be any more bovver between us.’

  ‘That’s a relief —’

  ‘Except one little wrinkle that needs ironing out.’ She slammed her glass down and advanced on her sister. Tiff stood her ground; she was never one to back away from a ruck, even from a hard girl like Dee. ‘Kieran starts chatting on about my pregnancy. And I start asking myself, how does wannabe bad boy know about my impending arrival.’

  Tiff swallowed and heat piled high on her cheeks. ‘Dee . . .’

  ‘Is that what’s been going on here?’ Dee was foaming at the mouth. ‘You been getting on the blower all this time, behind my trusting back, and whispering my bizz in that bastard’s earhole?’

  Tiff fronted it out. ‘Come off it. Can you imagine me doing that?’

  ‘See, that’s the problem – sister – I can.’

  Tiff rolled her eyes. ‘You’re seeing stuff that ain’t there. Plus, you’re being a touch ungrateful, ain’t ya? I’ve had my arms around you since John passed. No one else has been here to give you a shoulder to cry on.’

  Dee raised her hand violently. It remained in mid-air, shaking with fury, before she dropped it. ‘Stop with the fucking lies. There’s only three people, outside of the quack’s, who know about me carrying John’s kid. Me, the baby, and – surprise, surprise – you.’ Dee tapped the side of her head. ‘Then I got to thinking about all that fuss you made when I cancelled the quack’s appointment. You knew he was sending some shit to play gunslinger with my house. I wasn’t meant to be there, was I?’ She took a step closer again. ‘And it’s you who’s been searching my house.’ Tiff blanched. ‘As soon as I saw the fish food and wonky picture I knew someone had been nosing around. But my own flesh and blood?’

  Tiff knew the game was up. ‘I had to do it. He made me.’

  Dee went ballistic. ‘Get your gear and get outta my house.’

  But she didn’t move, instead pleading, ‘I was in a sticky situation with my dosh and Kieran bailed me out.’

  Dee advanced on her. ‘I don’t wanna know. You better get out before you need a face transplant.’

  Tiff shook her head. ‘You’ve got to hear me out. I told him about the baby coz I thought he would put a kybosh on the whole thing. After the car crash I told him point blank I wasn’t doing no more.’

  Dee had had enough. She grabbed her sister’s arm and started marching her towards the door. Tiff didn’t fight back like she usually would. Or give any ducking and diving patter to try to wriggle out of it. She was in the wrong. She’d betrayed her own sister.

  Dee threw the door wi
de and flung Tiff outside with glee.

  ‘See, that’s the prob with you Tiff. You think you can sweet talk the bees off their honey. Well, this queen bee ain’t having it.’ Dee stabbed her finger as Tiff stumbled back. ‘Don’t you ever, ever darken my yard again.’ She slammed the door so hard it reverberated against its frame.

  Shattered, Tiff stared up at the house. She was the first to admit that she could be a sneaky, cunning sort. But when Kieran had agreed to pay off her debts if she spied on Dee to find out where the gold was, even she had not been happy about it. But he’d had her over a barrel. If she didn’t do what he asked those two no-marks she owed would’ve found her. So she’d pushed her dodgy conscience aside and gone along with the plan. Until Dee had announced she was expecting and she’d felt rotten inside.

  Something hit her head and tangled over her face. Frantically she fought until it fell on the floor. She recognised one of her T-shirts. She looked up to find Dee and that bloody Jen at the window.

  ‘And take this shit with ya,’ Dee shouted and proceeded to throw the rest of her clothes out into the night.

  Fifty-Nine

  ‘When do you want to drop our story about the gold?’ Jen asked Dee as they sat with a brew each.

  ‘Tomorrow will have to be soon enough. I’m properly washed out.’

  They looked at each other. Before they knew it they were on their feet hugging each other and shedding tears.

  ‘Mum,’ Nicky said sleepily at the entrance to the kitchen.

  ‘What are you doing up? The ambulance guy told you to rest up.’

  ‘I’m bored.’ Dee almost laughed. Her Nicky was deffo back to being himself. ‘I’m going to watch some telly.’

  When he’d left Jen got back down to business. ‘But do you think he’s gonna believe us?’

  Dee shrugged. ‘If Kieran does his part then this is a closed case.’ She looked the picture of exhaustion. ‘I just want this all done with so that—’

  Nicky shouted from the lounge, ‘Mum, you’re going to wanna watch this!’

  Dee and Jen filed into the front room and sat down. Nicky gestured at the screen with his thumb. ‘It’s that TV show Inside Information, where the law appeal for help solving crimes.’