'Good. If you need any help, let me know. I know I didn't help you the first time, but it wasn't because I didn't want to. Now Adley is not around, we can throw all the lawyers in London in your corner if need be.'
I smile. 'I don't think that will be necessary, but if I need help you'll be the first person I call.'
'Are you sure you're okay, Brandt? You don't look okay.' Dad keeps looking me up and down, and I'm beginning to wonder if he can read minds.
'It's the tatts, isn't it? You don't like them. You think they make me look like a thug.' I'm still going to be the black sheep of this family, but I can cope with that.
Dad rolls his eyes. 'I can cope with the tattoos. I have seen them before, Brandt, and that's not what I meant. What's wrong?' Mum was always the intuitive one, but it looks like he has some skills of his own.
'It's a girl,' I admit. 'She's tangled up with Adley and I don't know whether she's still alive.'
Dad folds his hands together on the table and looks serious. 'You don't mean Harper?'
I almost recoil in shock. 'You've met her?'
'I've met her,' he confirms. 'Adley must have beaten her up the last time I saw her because she looked black and blue.' This isn't news to me, but it still hurts.
Dad must be able to see the look that crosses over my face because he adds, 'You're in love with her, aren't you?'
I nod slowly. I do love her, and I'm shit scared that she's dead. If she is I won't be able to forgive myself. I'll end up in the same place Mum is because it will eat away at me until it drives me crazy.
'Then you'd better go get her. Let me help,' he says.
I speak to my mother on the drive down to dad's office. At first she wonders who the hell I am, but then the penny drops. Her son is back. The danger has passed. The nightmare that has been plaguing us all for so long can finally disappear. It might take a few years, but I hope that will be the case, eventually. This is all a bit too much to process for my poor old Mum, though.
At first I get two or three-word sentences, but when she realises this is not a joke, she finally opens up. She starts crying down the phone, and I want to cry with her. This all seems so surreal. I thought they both hated me, and now I find out it's all Mal's doing. Any moment now I'm going to wake up and find myself back in prison. That's how unreal this feels. While I know that Mal was one of the East End's biggest criminals, I had no idea how far his reach extended. In the end no one would dare defy him, except perhaps for Harper. God, Harper. She is all I can think about right now. What if she's dead? I daren't linger on that thought.
When we get to City Hall the place is buzzing with activity. It takes a few minutes to get me signed in, but after that Dad is all business. This is how I remember him. He's always been very focused, and he can usually charm the pants off anyone. Anyone bar Mal, of course.
Dad makes some phone calls and leans on some people to get us some CCTV footage near the crime scene. The area directly outside Mal's warehouse is a blind spot, and for good reason, but we hope to find something nearby either directly before or after the event. But finding any trace of either Harper or Gabriel's whereabouts is virtually impossible. With the help of the city's CCTV footage and some of Dad's contacts we scour hours of feed, and look through numerous police databases, but nothing crops up. They haven't been found dead, which is something, but that doesn't mean they aren't. They could be resting in an unmarked grave, fed to pigs, dissolved in lye or lying in an empty dumpster somewhere. We have no way of knowing.
'Do you know who killed Mal?' Dad finally asks, and I'm surprised it's taken him this long.
'No.' This is true. I'm hoping Gabriel or Harper has, but I don't know for sure.
Dad takes two cups of coffee from a guy that looks like he left school yesterday and hands one to me. 'There's usually always someone waiting in the wings, ready to take over when this kind of thing happens. Doling out drugs is a multimillion-pound business. We could both be targets when the new guy takes over.' Dad's face is pinched. Judging by the black circles under his eyes, he's not slept for some time.
'Could be a girl,' I say, to fill in the silence that resumes.
'I doubt it. They don't normally have the stomach for it, but yes, it's possible.'
'Maybe everything will die with Mal,' I say optimistically.
'Unlikely,' is my father's reluctant reply. He gives me a tight smile. 'It's possible that the next guy to step up will choose his own contacts and ignore those that have gone before. It depends on how closely he worked with Mal. What is far more likely is that we're going to be preyed upon by his successor very soon. I don't want that to happen.' He takes a large slug of coffee and grimaces. 'No sugar,' he says by way of explanation.
I roll my eyes. 'I don't see how you can stop it. They'll kill you if you interfere. Even if you have resigned.'
My phone begins to vibrate in my pocket. It's the first time it's rung since I've got out, and I'm not sure whether that's a good or a bad thing. When I look down at the screen I see Gabe's name, but I don't get my hopes up just yet. This could be Mal's replacement, and I can't say I'm looking forward to that conversation.
Considering I've just made amends with most of my family, I will not be amused if someone starts threatening to kill us all again.
Chapter Twenty-Five - Gabriel
'I'm not going to kill him.' I hear Brandt suck in a breath on the other end of the phone, and I know he's wondering if I'm speaking to him from beyond the grave. I can't help but find this funny, so I laugh.
'I'm not dead, Brando. The reason I know what you're talking about is that Mal has your dad's office bugged. It's amazing how many bugs that asshole has stashed around the city. You'd be impressed.'
'You're alive,' Brandt breathes. 'Oh my God, you're alive. Is Harper there with you?' I hear the note of despair in his voice and immediately feel guilty. I should have rung sooner, but I've been a little busy on my end. After our 'ordeal' Harper went into shock and needed medical attention. I didn't want to take her to a hospital as Mal's old contacts might still have been hanging around, so I had to get her some help privately, and while I've been doing that, I've had other things to sort out too. In a nutshell, I've been a very busy boy.
'She's okay. She has her own doctor, and he's got her stable, but she's not going to be in tiptop shape for a while. Poor girl is lucky to be alive, and it amazes me that she's still holding it together, considering what she's seen.'
'Did you kill Mal?' Brandt already knows the answer to that question, he just wants it confirmed.
'You think anyone else could have done that to him?' I feel affronted. Sometimes the fact that I'm bordering on psychotic is a blessing. I messed that fucker up bad, and I'm quite proud of the fact.
'That's a good question. What did you do to him? I overheard a copper telling someone that the body was virtually unrecognisable.'
'At least the copper got his facts straight,' I say smugly. 'That fucker superglued my mouth together, before gluing my fingers to one another, and then he was going to do the same to my eyes. I was a little pissed, Brandt.'
'Oh my God,' he says, trying to take all of that in.
'Then he threatened to cut my cock off.' I hear Brandt choking and someone asks him if he wants some water. Too funny.
When he can finally talk again he says, 'If that's the case, I'm surprised there was anything left of him.'
'If I'd had more time there wouldn't have been, but there were things that needed to be done. Harper wasn't good. She managed to stab him once or twice, but then she sunk to the floor and started sobbing. I think she was just relieved that it was all about to be over. Anyway, suffice to say, I made sure the fucker suffered as much as possible in the time that we had.' I was efficient, if nothing else.
Thankfully Brandt doesn't ask what that means. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to hear all the gory details.
'I'm just glad you got out of there okay, and that you're both still alive. You've given me nightmares, Gabe. Ne
ver do that again.' The boy sounds close to tears.
I ignore that comment. I'm not much for emotional outbursts, so I immediately change the subject to something much safer.
'Are they going to charge you with anything, or did you manage to get away with it?' I know Brandt is going to get away with it, but like I said, we needed a change of scenery.
'I don't think so. So far, so good. I'll be fine until Mal's replacement comes looking for me. Actually, you need to be careful too. If they suspect for a second that you killed him, you're next in line for a long lie down in a big black car.'
'About that.' I pause as I try to put this into words. Shit. This is going to get messy, and he's not going to like it, but he's had to deal with worse.
'No one's going to kill me, Brando. That's why I did such a nice number on Mal. Actually, no, that's a lie. I quite enjoyed everything I did to Mal, and I'd do it again, given half a chance.' I'm not lying. Watching the light die out in his eyes is going up in my personal hall of fame for feel-good moments. Yeah, I know I'm a psychopath. We enjoy that kind of thing. Luckily, I seem to be able to turn it off and on. If I was a serial killer we'd have problems.
'That would be tricky, considering he's dead,' Brandt says slowly. He's got a good point.
'Anyway,' I say, 'no one is coming after me, you, Harper or your family - or anyone else for that matter. Relax. I've sorted the problem out.' That reminds me. 'Oh, and Harper says you need to speak to your family. They haven't abandoned you. That was Mal's doing. He threatened to kill you if she told you. I figure you know that part already as you're with your dad in his office. My bad? You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to Mal's funeral. I'm going to stamp all over that fucker's grave.' I'm changing the subject again. I'm feeling a little bit nervous about where this conversation is headed and how it's going to end. I even begin to fiddle with the black shirt I'm wearing (it's one of Mal's), and I never do shit like that.
'How do you know no one is going to kill us?' So much for my changing the subject. I need to work on my technique. Maybe I need a better subject.
'Did I mention Harper is doing well? The doctor reckons she'll be back to eating solids tomorrow. Her stomach is still a little sore, but at least the bruises are fading now.'
'Gabe. Answer the fucking question.' There's the sound of a hand slamming down on a desk and I know that my boy is not happy. Looks like it's time to 'fess all. I need to take a deep breath and just say it. Air goes in, air goes out. Fuck.
'I know because I've taken over from Mal, Brandt. I am now king of the East End. All hail the new god of London.' There. I've said it. That's the first thing I had to get off my chest. Only one more to go.
'You what?' I don't think he could have sounded more shocked if I'd told him aliens had abducted me and were going to use me to breed a new super race of little green men. Actually, that's not a bad fantasy if they all have tentacles. Might need to come back to that one later.
'You heard. It's not forever. It's just to take the heat off you guys. As you know, I had to pay for several favours to make sure your sorry ass didn't go to jail, and I need to pay those men off somehow. Besides, now that we're ex-cons I need to make a little retirement money if we all want to sail off happily into the sunset.'
'I have money,' Brandt points out.
'It wouldn't be any use to you if you were dead.' I may just have pointed out that I've done something chivalrous for the man I love. It feels weird. I've never done anything like this for anyone before. I'm going to try and not make a habit of it.
'You can't do this,' Brandt whispers. 'You're sacrificing your life for ours. That's not the way it works. We could have figured this out together.' He's nearly at the breaking down stage. I can hear it in his voice. Shit. I can't deal with this.
'It's too late. I did it. I'm running the gig now. I'll get out in a year or two's time and fake my own death. In the meantime, I plan to kill everyone who's ever pissed me off, and the list is fairly long. I'm going to have such fun. Oh, and I can get high whenever I want. Did I mention that part? Don't feel sorry for me, Brando. I'm going to be having the time of my life.'
'No, there has to be another way,' he insists. 'I'll do it. Sign me up instead. I can't let you do this for me.'
I nearly laugh. 'Brandt, you wouldn't last a day. You have to be a scary-ass fucker to do this job. You have to know something about drugs, too. Oh, it also helps if you've got 'murderer' somewhere on your CV. I'm sorry mate. You can't have the job. Maybe if you go off the rails and do something really bad I'll let you take over in a couple of years.'
'That's not funny.' Brandt is clearly appalled.
'I know it isn't, but I've got this. Try to make sure your dad doesn't arrest me within the first month though. It's not going to do much for my reputation if I'm back behind bars in a few weeks.'
There's a sigh on the line, and Brandt makes me wait for what he's about to say next. He's going to regret this, but I'm going to let him do it anyway.
Another few seconds go by, but he finally gets it together. 'I love you, you know. Even though you're a shit. Even though I don't want to, and even though you're a pain in the ass.'
My blackened heart swells a little. 'I love you too. I just realised it too late. The only reason I slept with Shaney was because he had evidence that helped get my sorry ass out of prison. Maybe I should have told you that first. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I didn't do it for any reason other than that. I just couldn't rot in jail when I knew you were going to be outside.'
Brandt roars over the phone. 'Now you fucking tell me? If you were here I'd break your nose!'
'Nah you wouldn't,' I say. 'But you might after I told you I'm in love with your girlfriend.'
Chapter Twenty-Six - Harper
I am so happy. Unbelievably happy, in fact. If anyone had told me how much my life would change in two short years, I wouldn't have believed them. If I had to go through every awful moment my life has held in order to get here again, I'd do it without question. This kind of happiness is a once in a lifetime deal, and you don't get a second chance at it. They say everything comes at a price, and I really hope I have paid mine. What I suffered under Mal and Alex's hands will always be one of the darkest points in my life, but as time passes the nightmares slowly recede. My psychiatrist tells me they may eventually even go away entirely, but I think she is being too optimistic. If she isn't lucky she'll be having nightmares too, by the time I've finished with her.
Brandt and I are currently living in Cambridge so we can be close to his family, but now that they're settled we've decided to try a three-month vacation in Sydney, Australia. I've always wanted to go, and when I foolishly mentioned it to Brandt, he jumped all over it. I am so spoilt. Brandt gives me everything I could ever possibly want and more. The man brings tears to my eyes nearly every single day, and they are the good kind. For a girl who's learnt the hard way how to school her emotions twenty-four-seven, it's a bizarre about turn, but I'm getting used to it.
I still remember when he first set eyes on me after Mal's death, striding through the halls of the Johnson clinic, looking anxious as hell. I'm not sure if he expected me to be cut up into bits, but he breathed a massive sigh of relief when he found out I wasn't.
'Oh God, Harper. I've been worried half to death. Gabriel only just called me, I thought you were dead. Are you okay? Have they been taking care of you? Jesus, I've missed you.' The words tumbled out, one on top of the other, as he stood there looking adorable in a pair of ripped blue jeans and a black hoodie.
I remember him rushing over to my bedside as he gathered me in his arms. A bit like that scene from An Officer and A Gentleman but with a hospital bed and the smell of antiseptic everywhere.
'Ow, ow. Gently.' I laugh as he hugs me a bit too tightly. When he looks at me with a worried frown, I say, 'I'm fine. I'll heal. It'll take a few weeks for the bruises to fade and I'll be left with plenty of scars, but at least I'm alive.'
'Fuck that bastard,'
Brandt says. 'If he were still alive, you don't want to know what I'd do to him.'
'I'm kind of glad Gabriel got that job,' I say, not unkindly. 'He deserved a violent, messy and excruciatingly painful end. It's more Gabriel's field. By the way, he did a mighty fine job. You would have been proud of him.'
'So I heard. Did you know he planned to take over from Mal?'
'He what?' This is the last thing I want to hear.
Brandt nods. 'In order to stop Mal's replacement from rushing out to kill us, he's decided to take over the reins.'
My eyes well up with tears. 'Since when did he become so noble?' I shake my head, sniffing, and do my best to hold the floodgates at bay. I can't bear this. I am toxic. I heap misery upon everyone I come into contact with. This shit is never ending.
'He also told me he loves you. Do you love him back, Harper?' Brandt looks at me with sympathy, and for some strange reason that hurts even more. Then the tears begin to flow, and I can't say a word. All I can do is hiccup and take in great, gasping breaths that obviously make me look like I'm dying because Brandt calls for a doctor.
'It's okay,' I wheeze. 'I'm fine. I just can't believe he'd do that.'
'That he'd rescue us both? Try to let us enjoy a little happiness?' Brandt tries to wipe my tears away with the pad of his thumb, but he's wasting his time; there's plenty more where they come from.
'Well, yes. The guy is a colossal asshole. Let's not forget that.' I try to sound as if I mean it.
'But you love him anyway?' Brandt gently smooths a few strands of matted hair away from my face and waits patiently for my answer.
I can't lie. 'Yes, I do,' I admit. 'He protected me in there. He did his best to make sure I didn't get too messed up, and we were locked in a small room for days on end with virtually nothing to eat. Anything we did get he'd give to me. He even patched me up when I got hurt. It's hard to hate someone who's looking out for you. He would have died for me in there.' I'm not entirely sure how I know that, but I do. Thankfully he didn't have to, but the alternative he's facing isn't much better.
Beautiful Tyrant (Enemies to Lovers - Dark Romance Book 3) Page 24