All Screwed Up (Belial's Disciples Book 2)

by AJ Adams

  I know, it was nasty. But that’s me; fuck me, and I’ll fuck you right back.

  “That prick,” she said bitterly. “I brought in ten million quid’s worth of business last year, and he’s putting it about that it’s because I’m sleeping with my clients.”

  “That’s pure jealousy,” I joked. “We all know that people would pay even more not to sleep with Percy.”

  “You’re a cheeky sod, Rex Winslow!” But Polly was laughing. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  “Thanks. Appreciate it, darling.”

  I was on the phone all morning, putting Kraken, DT, Zero, and Fred in charge of moving the boat club meet to Skegness. “Mitch will take care of the event side of things, but I want you lot guarding Nita and her team every step of the way, in case that crazy fuck Pig takes aim at her,” my guts were churning at the thought. “Also, dress civilian. I don’t want to see any cuts. And you’re to cosset the club people. Make sure that they don’t badmouth Bonnington.”

  “Leave it to us,” DT said. “We’d best keep Snake at a distance, though. He can be a bit wild.”

  I was already dialling. “Snake, run a perimeter around those people, keep them safe, happy, and I’ll split the profit with you.”

  “How much?”

  “It’s a grand for every boat. After prize money and expenses, we keep around twenty percent.”

  “Five grand for a day’s work? You’re oan,” he said promptly.

  “No funny business, no swearing and not even a funny look at the punters. You play this straight.”

  “For five grand, you can shave mah arse, paint it red and blue and call me a baboon.”

  And with that obscure promise, I had to be content.

  A call to the press made sure that Polly would get her media coverage. “She’s damn good,” I told the man at the Times. “She brought in ten mil for her bank last year, and she volunteers with the Red Cross in her spare time. She’s the banker with a heart.”

  “If she’s good-looking, I can get her the cover of the Sunday edition,” he promised.

  “Mate, she’s a stunner.”

  I’d pulled strings, turned the boat club meet fiasco around as much as I could, and was thinking that maybe it would be okay when my situation hit me in the balls again.

  As we had Miss Bonnington coming up, an event that would need the Disciples and the local boys in blue working security together, I knew I had to make peace with Harding.

  I pulled up the police station as Crush exited with Flash, Total, Speed and Drew in tow. “Harding has barred us from the briefing.”

  “Fuck, he can’t do that!”

  But he had.

  “Inspector Harding is in a meeting, and he’s not to be disturbed.” Sergeant Fisher tried to sound tough but he was pale and sweating. “Not even by you, Lord Ravenshurst.”

  “Don’t be a plonker, Henry. You only call me that when you get rat-arsed.”

  “Sorry, Rex but he’s gone mental,” Sergeant Fisher whispered. “He’s told the security company he doesn’t need them tomorrow.”

  “What? We need those men!”

  “Harding says we can’t afford it.”

  It was nuts, the money brought in by the event paid for the service ten times over. “Let me go and talk some sense into him.”

  “He says you’re part of the problem.”

  “It’s going to be a problem if you don’t let me into that meeting.”

  “Don’t I know it?” Fisher admitted. “We’ve got thousands of visitors tomorrow for Miss Bonnington, and there’s no way we can look after that kind of crowd.”

  “That’s the least of your troubles. What if the Horde attack?”

  Fisher shrugged. “Harding says he has plans.”

  “What plans?”

  “Dunno. He won’t tell the likes of me. I’m just a sergeant.”

  “I think he’s bringing in the Lincoln chaps,” Tom Keeble said quietly. “I made a call to headquarters there for him.”

  “That might work,” I said. “But he’s going to need a hundred men if he’s to replace the security people. I don’t see Lincoln being able to spare that kind of manpower.”

  “Erm, Inspector Harding says that one copper is worth five thu-, erm, Disciples,” Constable Keeble said apologetically.

  “The damn fool,” Fisher sighed.

  It was pretty hopeless, but I consulted with the others. “If he does it right, it may be okay.”

  “But we can’t rely on him to do it right, can we?” Crush pointed out. “We need to know what Harding’s planning. Then we can fill in the gaps.”

  “It’s not like we can break down his office door and force him to tell us what he’s up to.”

  “Actually, we can,” Crush muttered. “And a good bashing might knock some sense into him.”

  “That muppet!” Flash exclaimed. “What the hell does he think he’s playing at?”

  “He’s going to land us in a load of shit,” Total predicted. “We’d better plan for him fucking it up completely.”

  I must admit I was exhausted by the prospect. A week of burning the candle at both ends was beginning to affect me. Also, I had missed breakfast as well as dinner the night before. “Let’s go to the Dog and Duck and discuss it over a bite of lunch.”

  Walking into the gastropub, I was hit by a rush of deja vue. “Gentlemen, good to see you. Beer and a steak pie?” Wally was smiling as always, and the pub was filled with people. “Rex, I’m dead sorry about your boat and the marina.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Shame about the boat club meet too. Nita was looking forward to that gig.”

  I answered automatically. “We’ve sent them up to Skegness, so their day isn’t lost. Nita is with them, and if she can keep DT, Zero, Kraken, and Fred out of her veggy wraps, she’s going to make a fortune.”

  “Sounds great,” Wally said. “But Rex, what about your marina?”

  “It’s okay. We’ll just start again.”

  The corner booth was occupied, with Shona Weir, Evie Masters and Tracy Jackson, all gossiping over a bottle of cheap sweet Chablis. That’s when it hit me: they were all pretty girls, and I’d lusted after them all at one point, but now the sight of them did absolutely nothing for me.

  “We’re expecting crowds to start coming in midmorning,” Crush was planning. “They have a bit of lunch, and then Miss Bonnington kicks off at two.”

  I picked up my beer and knew that what I yearned for was sitting down the road in the kitchen at Perdition: Lacy and sweet little Mia. They were all I wanted in my future.

  Maybe I’m a wanker but I’d not realised how much loving them would change my outlook on the world. I knew exactly what I wanted: a family and time to enjoy their love.

  “Assuming that Harding fucks up, we need to bring in more men,” Crush was itemising. “Poison and Snake are bringing a team of six each, but maybe they can bring their associates. As for us, we have the garage lads, the fairground people, and other friends.”

  Flash considered. “We’re still short on numbers, and frankly, security is mostly about keeping the peace. Our associates are more likely to start fights than stop them.”

  Over at the booth, Shona and Tracy were looking my way and sniggering. It wasn’t flirty. “His lordship is broke.” The words floated my way. More giggling and then, “Big poser.” They weren’t friends, but it hurt.

  I ignored them and focussed on business. “Fighting might be exactly what we need. If Pig decides to hit during the Miss Bonnington event, how many men could he bring?”

  “That’s the thing,” Crush said instantly. “His raids have cost him dearly. I reckon he’s down to skeleton staff in Lincoln.”

  “If he strips Lincoln of men for the day, he can bring two dozen men, no more,” Total calculated. “With backup from Snake and Poison, we can handle it.”

  My brain was clicking into gear. “I’m a damn fool. All I have to do is call the security company.”

  “It’ll cost a bom
b,” Crush said.

  “A gang fight headlining in the press would cost more.” I was already dialling. “We can pay for it from our general funds, and I can talk the council into paying us back later.”

  But the security company nixed the plan. “We need a week’s notice.”

  “I’ll pay extra.”

  “I’d do it if I could,” the man assured me. “But we have no staff available.”

  “Oh well,” Crush sighed. “It was a nice idea, but we can probably handle it.”

  “You think?”

  “Pig’s not doing so good,” Crush mused. “We hit him hard and he’s spent a fortune on arsonists and agitators. He’s got cash coming in, thanks to Barrows but from what we hear, his forger’s cost him a pretty penny, too.”

  “Right.” I felt a little sick. “He’s been putting girls in hospital.”

  “He’s got a couple of dozen men at best. He’d need a hundred to be sure of a victory,” Crush assured me. “And he’d need to leave people here to keep control, too. There’s no way he has those kinds of numbers.”

  My eyes were burning with the need for sleep. “I guess you’re right. It wouldn’t make sense to hit us, not now.”

  “We’ll get the associates, and we’ll manage,” Crush assured me.

  Shona was staring and giggling again. It irritated me. “I think I’d better go,” I said. “Mitch won’t be back until late, and there are a million last minute things to do.”

  “Rex, you’re burning out,” Crush said seriously. “You need sleep.”

  “Tell me about it. I’ll just check with Brianne, and then I’ll go home and crash for a few hours. Oh, and I better call the board. I texted them last night and sent pictures this morning, but they’ll want an update.” I wasn’t looking forward to it, I knew the call would turn into endless recriminations, but it had to be done.

  As I picked up my phone, David walked in. “Rex, I saw your car outside.”

  London to Bonnington is a six-hour drive, so having him come in person was a bad sign. However, I greeted him with a smile. “You didn’t need to trek all the way here. I was about to call you.”

  He sounded brisk, cold. “I was sent by the board.”

  That didn’t sound good, but I continued to sound welcoming. “Good. Let’s go and take a look. But I can tell you now that the damage is limited, and insurance will cover it.”

  “I’m afraid I have bad news,” David informed me.

  There was a dead hush as everyone listened in.

  “We’re pulling out.”

  My heart went right into my boots. “We have a deal.”

  “And we have marriage certificate provided by Barrows.”

  “It’s a fake.”

  David wasn’t having it. “You lied to us. Kennard is furious.”

  “You’re making a mistake. Lacy isn’t married to Barrows. This is a plot -”

  “We voted this morning,” David interrupted me. “Our lawyers will be in touch on Monday.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  David shrugged. “So sue us.”

  As he walked out, the buzz around us soared.

  “Well, that’s the marina gone.”

  “It cost twenty million, did you hear?”

  “His lordship’s broke then.”

  “I hear he doesn’t own Perdition, either.”

  “Yeah, he’s been shamming it all these years.”

  “What a cheek. Pretending to be rich when he hasn’t a bean.”

  “Yeah, all the glitz and glamour’s just smoke and mirrors.”

  “Rex?” Crush was nudging me, his pale blue eyes serious. “Don’t listen to that mob.”

  “Why not? They’re right, aren’t they? I fucked up.”

  “No, you haven’t. The board will find out soon enough they’re being scammed.”

  “It’s too late. I pushed too much for too long. It’s over.” I felt numb. I felt as if I were sucked back in time, back to those dark days when I’d lost it all. Pride wouldn’t let me show my despair. “It’s okay. Caden still owns the estate so the family goes on. And I still have a company to run.”

  “We’ll sort it out,” Crush said quietly. “Don’t do anything crazy, Rex.”

  “Of course not. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life goes on.”

  “You’ve still got the dock,” Crush pointed out. “A marina doesn’t need condos. You can land boats there, right?”

  That’s when it hit me. “Oh my God. I know what Pig wants.”

  “But we know what he wants,” Crush said puzzled. “He wants Bonnington.”

  “Except he’s ruining it.”

  “Yeah, he’s not as clever as we thought,” Crush shrugged. “He’s killing the village.”

  “Because he doesn’t want Bonnington.” It was all fitting together. “He wants the harbour.”

  “How the fuck do you figure that?” Crush said amazed.

  “He used to be with a trafficking gang, right? And now he’s back in with them.”

  “Fuck me,” Crush sighed. “He’s got Barrows doing fake paperwork, and if he gets the marina, he can offer a full-service gig.”

  “Trafficking gangs can afford to hire mercenaries,” I could see the nightmare plan unfolding. “If Pig brings in troops from the outside, he can overwhelm us. And his new pals will lend him staff to keep Bonnington under his control.”

  “And once we’re gone, Harding and his little cop shop will find him damn hard to shift,” Crush groaned.

  “I need to warn Harding,” I said. I wasn’t surprised when the Inspector wouldn’t take my call, but to my horror, I couldn’t reach Sir William either.

  In desperation, I put in a call to the commissioner of police in London. “I’m sorry, Lord Ravenshurst,” a nasal girl intoned. “You are not on her priority list. You can write in or send an email.”

  “This is too important.”

  “I can refer you to Inspector Harding in Bonnington,” the nasal girl said.

  And that’s when it hit me: it wasn’t just David, the board, and Harding who weren’t speaking to me. Pig and his campaign had taken out the support system we all relied on. He’d killed my reputation, and now Bonnington was his for the taking.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lacy

  “I screwed it all up, Lacy.” Cool, always-in-control Rex was falling apart. “I lost my inheritance, and now I have fucked my reputation, the village, and the MC. We’re going down, and it’s all my fault.”

  He was shaking so much that I thought he’d collapse. I put my arms around him and took him straight into the kitchen. “Come on, love. It’s okay. It’s not as bad as you think.”

  I fussed over him as if he were a tot who’d scraped his knee and to my relief, he calmed down a little. “Lacy, I’m fucked. I don’t see how I can fix it. Nobody will take my calls, not Harding, the commissioner or even my own godfather. I drove up to Lincoln, to warn the authorities there.”

  “Christ, that was dangerous! What if Pig had seen you?”

  “I was careful, and anyway, he’s short on men,” Rex sighed.

  “The Lincoln plods turned you down?”

  “I had to leave a message,” Rex groaned. “I forgot there’s a football match today.”

  “And what about your old mate, Chief Inspector Tyler?”

  “Abroad on his annual holiday. Nobody knows where.” Rex was pale with fatigue. “I called London, the Organised Crime Unit, but all I got was a call centre response and an offer to connect me to Harding.”

  It wasn’t looking good. “Getting people on a Saturday is impossible. You can try again in the morning.”

  Rex shook his head. “Nobody will take my calls. I’m a pariah. And if the Horde come with their new playmates, Bonnington’s finished.”

  His despair went straight to my heart. “Your friends are upset. It’s understandable, love. You know they don’t like the way you work. But they’ll cool down, you can apologize and then it will all
be okay again.”

  “What if they don’t? And what do I do about tomorrow?”

  I took his hands and fixed him with my best steely glare. “Now listen to me, Rex Winslow. All this doom and gloom is because you’re exhausted. You haven’t slept in over a week. You haven’t even eaten properly.”

  “I had a pie at Wally’s at lunchtime. They were all talking about me there too, saying I’ve lost it.”

  It cut him to say that. His pride was humbled. Once upon a time, I would have thought it a good thing, but now my soul ached for him. I didn’t show it, though. “The village is giving you a hard time? Well, what do you expect? You’ve been a complete man-slut, screwing all the prettiest girls and then walking out on them. It’s pissed off the girls and made the boys jealous. It’s no wonder they’re enjoying you having a bit of a bad day. You reap what you sow.”

  “A bit of a bad day. Jesus, that’s one way to put it.” He was still shaking, but Rex was pulling himself together. “There must be someone I can call, but I just can’t think.”

  “You’ve left messages with Lincoln, London, the commissioner, and Sir William. Also, you’ve got the Disciples, the associates and for all you know, Pig hasn’t convinced his new friends to lend him their people.”

  “Crush says the same,” Rex admitted.

  “And as he’s a tactical guru, I think we can trust him.” I was upbeat because I couldn’t bear the pain in Rex’s eyes but I could tell he didn’t believe it.

  Thankfully Mia came dancing in, waving her Pony Club certificate. “Look what Wendy gave me!”

  Brianne was right behind her. One look at her strained face and I knew she’d heard the gossip.

  “Have you been crying, Rex?” Mia was straight over and hugging him. “Did you fall and hurt yourself?”

  “Kind of,” Rex was holding on to her, putting on his best brave face. “You got your first badge? I’m so proud of you.”

  But Mia wasn’t to be talked out of her concern. “Does it hurt? Did you ask Mummy to make it better?”

  My little one was doing her magic; Rex was pulling himself together. “Yes, I did. It’s much better now.”