by Caz Finlay
Mitch and Carl pushed Bradley through the door.
‘Bradley, you lying two-faced piece of shit,’ Craig shouted. ‘Are you behind any of this?’
Bradley, who was still crying, started to shake his head. His hands and feet still bound, he shuffled forward as Mitch and Carl guided him further into the room. When he reached his brothers, Mitch pushed him down onto the floor beside them.
‘I’m sorry,’ Bradley mumbled.
‘So you fucking should be,’ Craig snarled while Ged, who was still gagged, glared at his eldest brother.
‘I can make all of this right,’ Bradley whimpered.
‘Oh, fuck off!’ Craig said and turned his head away.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Jock Stewart felt the cold steel of the gun barrel pressed against his temple as he had his hands tied behind his back by another one of Michael Carter’s men. He glanced to the side to see Jerry and Alastair receiving the same treatment. Both he and Jerry were silent but Alastair had started mouthing off – he just couldn’t seem to help himself. It was when he started getting personal about Grace Carter that he earned himself a swift kick to the solar plexus which make him vomit onto the cold concrete floor. It shut him up at least.
Once their hands were tied, the men stepped back and Jock was finally able to look forward again. Standing directly in front of him were Sean and Michael Carter and John Brennan. John was still holding a semi-automatic in his hands, but the Carter brothers had no such weapons now, and that made Jock feel slightly more at ease. He looked at John for some reassurance and was greeted by a wide smile. That made him feel better for a few seconds, until he realised that they were still surrounded by Michael and Grace Carter’s men. John would have to shoot his way out if they were going to escape – but perhaps that was his plan?
Now that Alastair had stopped ranting, the place was quiet, and only the sound of cars in the distance could be heard in the deserted warehouse. But then Jock heard a sound that sent shivers down his spine. He saw Jerry’s head snap up beside him too to see where the noise was coming from. The clicking of heels on the concrete floor echoed around the empty warehouse.
A few seconds later Grace Carter was before them, dressed in a skin-tight pencil skirt, white blouse and expensive shoes. She looked every inch the woman Jock had feared she was. She certainly knew how to make an entrance. She stood beside Michael, Sean and John and stared at the three bound men on the floor before surveying the entire room. She owned them all. Even John?
‘Fucking bitch!’ Alastair spat onto the floor in front of him.
‘Watch your mouth,’ Michael Carter growled.
Grace looked like she was about to speak when the sound of a mobile phone ringing stopped her in her tracks. It was Michael’s. He took it out of his pocket, glanced at the screen and passed it to Grace. Jock listened to the one-sided conversation.
‘Hello, Murf. Did you find Nick Bryce?’
Jock flinched at the sound of Nick’s name. John’s cover was about to be blown and they were going to lose any advantage they had.
‘What the hell have you got yourself mixed up in, you stupid bastard?
‘You tell me. Because there is all hell breaking loose. Something’s not right and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
‘Really? By who?
‘Really? You expect me to believe that? How would you even know something like that?
‘Well, whatever happens next, Craig, you just remember our agreement. You’ve kidnapped a copper and the filth are going to be on their way to you at any minute. I’m about to deliver your brother, as I promised I would. Now, whatever happens next, I will look after you and your brothers, but only if you keep your end of the bargain. You know exactly what I want, so make sure I get it.’
Grace hung up the phone without any goodbyes and turned to John Brennan. Jock braced himself for what was about to happen next.
‘Craig just grassed you up, John,’ she said coolly – far too nonchalant for Jock’s liking.
John shook his head. ‘Bastard. I was hoping he might have a bit more about him than that. Looks like we won’t be working with him after all, eh?’
‘I told you both he was a Grade A wanker,’ Michael added.
Grace shrugged. ‘I like to try and see the best in people. I was wrong. No harm done. Now we know he’s not to be trusted.’
‘He’s the one who can’t be trusted.’ Alastair nodded towards John. ‘He’s been undermining you every step of the way. Can’t wait to be rid of you. He hates you. He said you’re a fucking bitch. Go on, ask him!’ he shouted.
Jock shook his head in disbelief at the stupidity of his boss. It was as though a lightbulb had just switched on in his head and he suddenly realised he’d spent the last thirty years working for an absolute buffoon. It was a pity that it had taken being tied up and held at gunpoint in a freezing cold warehouse on the outskirts of Liverpool to make him come to his senses. And now he was going to die because of him.
Grace turned to John again. ‘Did you call me a bitch?’ she said with mock horror.
John shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. Who knows though? I was in the moment, Boss. I had to make it all convincing, didn’t I?’
‘But…’ Alastair started to stutter.
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake,’ Jock snapped, unable to stand his boss’s incompetence any longer. ‘Isn’t it obvious? This whole thing has been a set-up. He’s been working for her the whole fucking time. I told you it was all a little too convenient but you never fucking listen.’
Grace looked at Jock for a few seconds and smiled at him. ‘At least one of you has some brains.’ Then she walked over and stood a few inches in front of him. She was so close he could smell her expensive perfume, could see that her shoes were the distinctive Louboutin brand that his own wife favoured. ‘Jock, isn’t it?’ she asked.
‘Yes.’
‘John has actually told me good things about you, Jock. He says you’re a man who says what he thinks and also that you’re very loyal. Some would say to a fault.’
Jock nodded. ‘Well, you got that right,’ he said through gritted teeth.
‘Well, I already know your boss is a gob-shite with more brains in his knob than his head, but what about this fella here?’ Grace asked as she pointed to Jerry.
‘Jerry just does what he’s told to do. He’s only here because he was told to be. If you let him go, he won’t give you any bother.’
Jerry didn’t say a word and Jock’s admiration for him only grew further. Some men would have started agreeing and pleading for their lives at that point.
Grace nodded and walked back to Michael, Sean and John. ‘I suppose that settles it then.’ Then she turned to her right-hand man, ‘John?’
Jock watched as John raised his right arm, the gun pointed in the direction of the three men on the floor. Jock closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. Then one lone gunshot rang out through the air. Opening his eyes, Jock looked around him. Jerry remained beside him, looking just as puzzled as he was. Alastair, however, was face down on the concrete, a pool of blood already spilling out around his head.
‘Clean that up, will you, Kev?’ Grace said to one of the men standing behind him. Jock swallowed, wondering if this was a temporary or a permanent reprieve.
‘What will happen now, Jock?’ Grace said as Alastair’s body was dragged away. ‘Will you take over?’
Jock shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
‘He will,’ Jerry answered. ‘And I can’t think of anyone who won’t be relieved to be working for you instead of him.’ He nodded towards Alastair’s body before turning his attention back to Grace. ‘And I’m pretty sure his wife would give you a medal if she ever found out about this, which of course she won’t.’
Grace nodded. ‘So where will Mrs McGrath, and the rest of Alastair’s minions, think their beloved hero has disappeared to then?’
‘He met up with one of his many mistresses here in Liverpool and decided he was j
acking it all in to move to the Costa del Sol, where he plans to live out his days drinking cocktails and fishing,’ Jerry answered without hesitation.
‘I think I like you,’ Grace said to Jerry with a smile. Then she turned her attention to her heavies behind them again. ‘Let these two go,’ she ordered and Jock almost passed out with relief as he felt the ties on his wrists being cut.
‘Thank you, Mrs Carter,’ he said to Grace as he stood up, rubbing his wrists.
‘Please, call me Grace.’ She smiled again and he was struck by how beautiful she was. Perhaps because she’d just saved his life? ‘But Jock, in future, don’t come to Liverpool unless we ask you to, okay?’
He nodded. ‘Deal.’
‘And who knows, maybe I will ask you to,’ she said finally before she turned on her heel and walked away. Michael, Sean and John fell into step beside her as they started to make their way out of the warehouse while he and Jerry were ushered out of the back door. Jock took the opportunity to take one last look back before he left the building and watched Grace striding across the floor, flanked by the three men and with her head held high. She hadn’t even broken a sweat throughout that whole exchange, while Jock had felt like he was going to have a stroke.
He smiled to himself. What a fucking woman!
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Michael opened the passenger door and Grace climbed into the warm car. She took her mobile phone from her handbag as Michael, Sean and John got into the car with her, and dialled Leigh Moss’s number.
Leigh answered on the first ring and Grace could hear the desperation in her voice.
‘We’ve found Nick,’ Grace said, putting Leigh out of her misery.
Leigh let out a long breath. ‘Is he okay?’
‘He’s got a few cuts and bruises. Maybe a concussion and a broken bone or two by the sounds of it, but otherwise he’s fine. My men got to him just in time. Now this is how this is going to play out. I have two conditions. I will tell you where Nick is but some of my men are in there, and I want your assurances that if the boys in blue turn up they will walk out of there entirely unscathed – and not in handcuffs.’
‘Okay.’
‘The two men who took Nick are there. My men have detained them, and I think you might be surprised to learn that it was the Johnson brothers who were responsible.’
‘What? But that makes no sense,’ Leigh started.
‘Look, Leigh, I don’t know why they did what they did, and to be honest, I don’t really care, but you came to me. You asked me to find your boyfriend before he ended up chopped up into pieces and buried in an unmarked grave, and I did. Why those knobheads took him is not my concern. That’s for you and your colleagues to figure out.’
‘Okay,’ Leigh said. ‘I didn’t mean…’
‘I’m sure you’re not going to be surprised by my other condition, but I want the investigation into Connor and Jake dropped. I want them out of Walton by tomorrow.’
‘But Grace, you know that’s not within my gift. I’ll do what I can, but these things take time. It will have to play out a while longer yet. I can’t just drop the charges for no reason.’
‘I beg to differ, Leigh. It is well within your gift, but what you mean is that your superiors will start asking you some difficult questions if you do. Well, fortunately for you, I’m not asking you to drop it with no reason. When you see the Johnson brothers shortly, I want you to ask them who really killed Billy. As luck would have it, the man actually responsible is there with them too. I am about to deliver Billy’s murderer to you, Leigh, by hand. Not only is he going to confess to the murder, but there will be two witnesses who will swear that he is the killer you’re looking for. I also have it on good authority that Scott Johnson has withdrawn his co-operation, so that will all tie up nicely, won’t it?’
‘I suppose so, if what you say is true.’
‘It is. You make sure you ask Craig and Ged who killed Billy after you arrest them for Nick’s kidnapping.’
‘Okay,’ Leigh said with a sigh.
‘You’ll find Nick at the old taxi garage on County Road. Let me know when it’s done,’ Grace said.
‘Okay. And thank you, Grace,’ Leigh said.
‘You’re welcome,’ Grace said as she ended the call.
‘Where to now?’ Michael asked as he drove out of the warehouse carpark.
‘Home,’ Grace said with a smile. ‘Let’s go home and wait for the good news.’
‘I can’t believe you pulled this whole thing off,’ Sean piped up from the back seat.
‘Really?’ Michael said as he looked at his brother in the rear-view mirror. ‘I never had a doubt.’
‘Me neither,’ John added.
‘Liars,’ Grace said to the pair of them and they all started to laugh.
‘Seriously though, Grace, you are a fucking genius,’ Sean said.
‘I agree,’ Michael said as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips.
‘That’s why I’d never work for anyone else,’ John said.
Grace reached back and gave his knee a squeeze. ‘And you have no idea how much I appreciate that. It all comes down to one thing in the end, doesn’t it? Those people you can trust, and those you can trust to screw you over.’
Michael nodded. ‘You can’t buy loyalty.’
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Leigh put her foot down on the accelerator and sped through the streets of Liverpool towards County Road. As she raced down Scotland Road she phoned the job in, knowing that she was only moments away and she would get there first. She wanted to make sure that she spoke to Grace’s men first. If at all possible, she would rather the whole force didn’t find out about her past, or her connection to Grace Carter. She’d rather Nick didn’t find out either, but she knew now that was much less likely.
Leigh pulled up outside the taxi garage, which had been closed down years before, and parked on the double yellows outside. Grace’s men were expecting her, but despite that her instincts kicked in and she crept around the side of the garage, being careful not to bring any attention to herself before she was ready to be seen.
Leigh stepped through the side door and saw four men bound and gagged. Three of them were sitting with their backs against the wall, looking up in horror at their captors – five large men who paced the room in silence and who Leigh assumed must work for Grace. The fourth man on the floor was lying on his side in the recovery position, and Leigh immediately recognised him as Nick. It was the sight of him lying motionless on the floor that gave her the courage to walk into the room.
As she did, all of the men except Nick looked up at her.
‘DI Moss?’ one of Grace’s men asked. He was the oldest of the bunch and something about the way he carried himself made Leigh think he was the one on charge.
‘Yes, and you are?’
‘Jack Murphy. But you can call me Murf,’ he said. ‘I work for Grace and Michael. Grace told me you’d be coming. She also said I could let my boys go home once you arrived. Is that right?’
Leigh nodded. ‘Yes. The police are on their way, so you’d better leave now.’
‘Go on, lads, get out of here,’ Murf said to the other four men.
‘Cheers, Boss,’ one of them said before they made a swift exit.
As the men jogged out, Leigh rushed over to Nick and knelt beside him.
‘He’s okay,’ Murf said. ‘His mouth is bleeding so I put him on his side to stop him choking. He’s in and out of consciousness but I don’t think they’ve done any lasting damage.’
Leigh nodded and cradled Nick’s head in her lap. ‘I’ve phoned an ambulance too. They shouldn’t be long.’
‘Great. I’ll hang around for your colleagues to show up. It would be better if you let me do the talking when they arrive.’
Leigh blinked at him, wondering how he was going to explain how both of them came to be there. But she nodded, as she had no plausible explanation to offer other than truth, and no one wanted that c
oming out. ‘Can you take the tape from their mouths?’ she said as she indicated the men she now recognised as three of the Johnson brothers, Craig, Ged and the lesser spotted Bradley.
Murf ripped off the tape and they each winced in turn.
‘My name is DI Leigh Moss, and I’ve been told to ask you two a question,’ she said to Craig and Ged. ‘Who killed Billy?’
Ged and Craig looked at each other. ‘What if we can’t trust her?’ Ged whispered.
‘I think we’re all out of options at the minute, bro,’ Craig replied before looking up at Leigh. ‘It was him,’ he said indicating his eldest brother, who was sitting next to them in silence.
Leigh stared at the three of them. ‘Why?’
‘Billy found out what a backstabbing piece of shit Bradley was, and he confronted him about it. Bradley here lost his temper and beat him to death. We saw it all, didn’t we, Ged? Why else do you think Bradley disappeared for a few months? He was terrified that you lot were going to lift him.’
‘So, you two actually saw him killing Billy?’
Craig and Ged nodded.
‘So why did Scott swear it was Jake Conlon and Connor Carter?’
Craig laughed. ‘Well, that was nothing to do with us, but can you think of a better way to get rid of those two? It was good business.’
‘And what do you have to say for yourself?’ Leigh asked Bradley.
He looked at the floor for a few seconds and then he looked up at Leigh. ‘It’s true,’ he said, his voice shaking. ‘It was me.’ Craig and Ged looked at each other with their mouths open in shock and Leigh wasn’t sure who was more surprised by Bradley’s confession.
Before she could probe any further Leigh heard the sound of sirens approaching and a moment later the room was filled with armed response officers.
‘It’s okay,’ Leigh said as some of her uniformed colleagues entered the room too. ‘These are the men responsible.’ She pointed towards the Johnson brothers. ‘And this one has just confessed to the murder of Billy Johnson too,’ she added, indicating Bradley.