Vibes stared at the screen long after the picture had been replaced by a grinning weatherman who was promising a long-awaited break to the heat-wave being suffered across the country. He wasn’t certain by any means, because the photo had been a grainy black and white shot, and was obviously a good few years old, but two of the men around that table had looked just like Tony Allen and Eddie. And could it be a coincidence that two of the names given had been Anthony and Edward?
His mobile rang just then, snapping him back to the present.
‘They’re in,’ Molly, the DA’s assistant, told him when he answered. ‘You okay?’
‘Yeah, I’m fine,’ Vibes assured her, gathering his things together. ‘I’ll be two minutes.’
Judge Mackay looked at the written verdict, his expression giving nothing away to Vibes who was staring intently at him. Nodding, he asked for the jury spokesperson to stand.
Vibes could barely breathe as the spokesman began to give the verdicts, and he could hardly hear above the sound of roaring wind in his ears as his heart raced and pounded. But, somehow, above the storm he caught the word guilty.
He sat in stunned silence as the judge picked up the gavel and passed sentence: life without parole for each of the five gang members.
Despite Molly’s kind assurances, the forensic evidence and the witness statements, from the very start of this trial Vibes had thought that the jury, with its majority of young white males, would swing in the accused’s favour, given that two of the gang were also white. But race hadn’t reared its ugly head at all, and Vibes was truly humbled by that. And truly grateful.
‘Man, it’s over!’ Tyler exclaimed jubilantly, throwing his arms around Vibes. ‘It’s over!’
Shaking his head in disbelief, Vibes stood up. It really was over. Justice had been done, and he was free to start his life again.
‘We’re all going to the bar around the corner for a celebratory drink,’ Molly told him quietly. ‘Are you up to it?’
Looking down into her kind eyes, Vibes shook his head. ‘I can’t face people just now. I’ve got to . . .’ Trailing off, he bit his lip and raised his chin. ‘Sorry, I just need to go.’
‘I understand,’ she said, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. ‘Congratulations – if that’s the right thing to say?’
‘Thanks,’ he murmured, managing to hold it together as he added, ‘for everything. I wouldn’t have got through it without you.’
‘My pleasure,’ Molly said, blushing prettily. Dipping her gaze then, she reached into her pocket and took out a card. ‘I, er, don’t mean to be presumptuous,’ she said, handing it to him. ‘But if you ever – you know – want to meet up for a drink, or something . . . ?’
Taking it only because he didn’t want to offend her, Vibes slipped it into his pocket and thanked her again. Going to Tyler then, who was busy shaking hands with everybody on the prosecution team, he said, ‘I got to get out of here, man.’
‘No problem,’ Tyler said, seeing from his face that he was close to the edge.
Back at Tyler’s house a short while later, where Tyler’s mom Delores and sister Talisha had laid on a fantastic spread of soul food, Vibes sat quietly in a corner, accepting all the handshakes and kisses and good wishes from his old friends and neighbours. This was home, and these were his people, but he’d never felt so alone in his entire life.
Coming over to sit with him after a while, Talisha said, ‘So it’s over, huh?’
‘I guess.’Vibes nodded, sipping his beer straight from the bottle.
‘What you gonna do now?’ she asked, stretching her long legs out. ‘Planning to stay around – I hope?’
Smiling, Vibes reached for her hand. She’d been a pretty, slightly gawky sixteen-year-old kid when he’d left, with a serious crush on him. Nineteen now, she was a beautiful woman, with a low mellow voice, and dreamy nut-brown eyes. Any man would be proud to call her his own, but Vibes’s love for her was the brotherly kind – even though it was plain to see that her crush had developed into something more fiery and adult.
‘I wasn’t sure until this afternoon,’ he said, gazing around the room at the people he had known all his life. ‘Part of me wanted to stay and put all the bad stuff behind me, but another part wanted to get up and run and never look back.’
‘And which part won?’ Talisha asked, her fingers entwined in his as though they belonged there.
Looking at her, Vibes smiled fondly. ‘You’re a beautiful girl. Why haven’t you got yourself a decent boy yet?’
Biting her lip, she smiled shyly. ‘’Cos I been waiting on you, Victor. You know that.’
‘Don’t,’ he said softly. ‘It’s a waste of life to wait around on a dream. You got to get yourself out there and live while you got the chance. You know I love you, right?’
Biting her lip now, her eyes moist with tears, she nodded. ‘Uh huh.’
‘Then do it for me,’ he said. ‘Stop kicking it with these idiots, and do what your brother did. Move somewhere nice. Start college and get yourself a future. Do anything, but don’t wait on me, ’cos I’ve moved on and I can’t turn back.’
‘It’s the woman who gave you this, isn’t it?’ Talisha asked, surprising him with her perception as she stroked her fingertip over the face of his watch. ‘You think about her most of the time, don’t you?’
Sighing, Vibes nodded. ‘Yeah, I guess I do.’
‘Do you love her?’
‘Mmm-hmm.’
‘Then go back to her and be happy,’ Talisha said quietly, resting her head on his shoulder. ‘She must be some kind of special if you feel that way about her. And I’m damn sure she must love you, too, ’cos she’d be crazy not to.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Vibes murmured softly. ‘I left it kind of bad with her.’
‘How?’ Talisha gazed up at him.
‘I kissed her,’ Vibes admitted, sighing heavily. ‘And I shouldn’t have, because she’s already got a man.’
‘Did she slap you?’Talisha asked. ‘Scream? Push you away? Tell you you’re disgusting?’
‘No. But—’
‘She loves you,’ Talisha stated with certainty.
Smiling, Vibes put his arm around her and hugged her. ‘You’re one special sister, Tal.’
‘I guess,’ she murmured, rolling her eyes. ‘And I suppose that’ll have to do if it’s all I’m gonna get. You’d best invite me to the wedding, though, ’cos I ain’t letting go of you for nothing.’
‘If it ever happens,’ Vibes said, sincerely doubting it, ‘you’ll be the first to know.’
Putting her arm across his stomach now, Talisha cuddled up closer. ‘So, when you going?’
‘Soon,’ Vibes said, feeling a sudden lift in his heart. ‘But I’ll have to call first, make sure she ain’t mad at me. And I need to let Kenneth know what’s happened. But first, I need to get me some sleep, or I won’t know if I’m coming or going.’
‘You can go to my room,’ Talisha told him, smiling up at him mischievously. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t follow you. But Mom’s used your room as a coatroom so you won’t get near the bed.’
Thanking her, Vibes said, ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got a TV in there, have you? ’Cos there’s something I really need to check out on the news.’
19
Fabian rang Jenna first thing in the morning, waking her up.
‘Sorry for taking off like that last night,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t feeling too good.’
‘Yeah, Bobby told me you looked ill,’ she said, stretching. ‘Anyway, it’s all right. I was a bit pissed off, but I figured you must have been feeling pretty bad for it to make you leave like that.’
‘I, um, had a bit of an embarrassment,’ Fabian told her. ‘Dodgy stomach.’
‘Nasty,’ Jenna said sympathetically. ‘I don’t blame you for going home. Are you feeling any better?’
‘Not really,’ he lied, rubbing his stomach as he said it. ‘Think I might take a couple of days off, if you don’t mind.’
‘I’m sure I’ll manage,’ she told him. ‘You just stay in bed and sleep it off. And drink lots of water to flush it out.’
‘Thanks, I will. And don’t worry about the takings. I’ll keep them safe until I can get in.’
‘I’d forgotten all about them,’ Jenna admitted. ‘But don’t worry about it. If it stretches on, I’ll pop over and pick them up. Hope you’re feeling better soon.’
Hanging up when they’d said their goodbyes, she pushed her quilt aside and got up. It would probably do her as much good as him if he had some time off. The way she’d been feeling lately, she’d all but given up on the day-to-day running of the club. Without Fabian to do everything for her, she’d be forced out of the rut she’d dug herself into.
Getting dressed, she had a quick coffee, then went to the club to let the cleaners in. Seeing Tony’s car already parked up, she tutted softly. If she’d known he was coming in early she’d have had an extra half-hour in bed.
Making her way up to the office, Jenna was just looking through her bag for her keys when Tony came marching up the corridor towards her with a face like thunder.
‘Morning,’ she said, glancing around at him. ‘I didn’t know you were—’
‘Where’s the cunt?’ He cut her off, the ferocity in his voice and eyes making her jump.
‘Who?’ she asked, frowning up at him.
‘That prick, Fabian!’ he snarled, his breath coming hard and fast as he stood over her. ‘Where is he?’
‘He’s not well, so he won’t be coming in for a few days,’ she told him, glancing down the corridor to where Eddie was leaning against Fabian’s open door. ‘What have you been doing in there? That’s Fabian’s private office.’
‘He ain’t entitled to privacy,’ Tony spat, barely controlled rage flashing from his eyes. ‘Not when he’s been fucking my girlfriend!’
‘Are you sure?’ Jenna was frowning now. ‘I’ve never seen anything going on between them.’
‘That right?’ Tony growled, peering down at her.
Thoroughly innocent, Jenna looked right back at him. ‘Yes, that’s right. I’ve never seen or heard the slightest thing to indicate it. Wherever you’ve got this from, I’m sure you’re wrong. Fabian’s a very professional—’
‘Oh, don’t give me that shit,’ Tony interrupted, running a hand through his hair. ‘And if you didn’t know, you obviously ain’t got a clue what’s going on under your own fucking nose.’
‘I resent you speaking to me like this, Tony,’ Jenna said quietly. ‘I haven’t done anything to warrant it, and I’d appreciate it if you’d stop it – now.’
Tony inhaled deeply. Then he jerked his head. ‘Come with me.’
Following him to Fabian’s office, Jenna’s mouth dropped when she saw the mess. Everything was turned upside down; every drawer opened and emptied; the safe door stood wide.
‘What on earth have you done?’ she gasped. ‘This is a complete invasion of privacy.’
‘Sit down,’ Tony told her, righting the chair that he had minutes ago thrown across the room. ‘I’m gonna show you something. But first, take a look at this.’ He held up a small plastic bag half full of white powder.
‘What is it?’
‘Coke. From his safe.’ Letting that sink in, Tony held up a pair of panties with a diamante thong. ‘Know whose these are?’
‘Should I?’
‘They’re Mel’s.’ Sneering, Tony crumpled them in his hand and threw them hard at the wall.
Wincing, Jenna raised a hand.
Groaning, Tony squatted down in front of her. ‘Hey, don’t be scared of me, Jenna. I’m not mad at you.’
Snatching her hands away when he reached for them, Jenna shrank back in her chair.
‘Don’t,’ Tony said, softening his tone. ‘I would never hurt you, I swear it. But you’ve got to understand that I can’t let this go.’
‘I just don’t understand where this is coming from,’ Jenna said. ‘I mean, okay, so you’ve got a pair of panties. But you don’t know they’re Melody’s for sure. They sell stuff like that everywhere.’
‘They’re hers,’ Tony said flatly. ‘I bought them myself, back in the States. You don’t got that label over here. And they were in his safe.’
‘That doesn’t mean anything,’ Jenna said, knowing it sounded stupid but still convinced that he was wrong, that there had to be a simple explanation for this. ‘Melody loves you. She’d never do that to you.’
‘You sure about that?’ Tony asked, his eyes still too dark for Jenna’s comfort. ‘Show her,’ he said then, clicking his fingers at Eddie.
Slotting the DVD into the machine in the cupboard, Eddie pressed play and stood back, his arms folded.
A frown creased Jenna’s brow as she looked at the screen and saw a shot of this office. ‘It’s a CCTV tape.’
‘Keep watching,’ Tony said quietly, his own eyes riveted to the screen.
Fabian came into the shot, quickly followed by Melody, and Jenna gasped when she saw Fabian lay out two lines of coke on a mirror and snort one. Handing the straw to Melody then, he came up behind her as she leaned down to snort hers and ran his hands over her body. Rocking back against him when he slipped his hand between her thighs, Melody moaned, ‘Oh, that’s good. Oh, yeah . . . keep doing that.’
‘Seen enough?’ Tony asked.
Nodding, Jenna lowered her gaze. ‘Yes.’
‘See,’ Tony said when Eddie had switched the DVD off. ‘The bastard’s been fucking my girl and giving her coke, right here in this room!’
Shaking her head, Jenna looked at him. ‘I’m so sorry. I had no idea.’
Tony nodded. ‘I know. But now can you see why I’ve got to find him?’
‘What are you going to do?’ Jenna asked, fearing that she already knew the answer.
‘Rough him up,’ Tony lied, shrugging. ‘Nothing else I can do, is there? He can think himself lucky we ain’t in the States, or I’d do a whole lot worse.’
‘And Melody?’
‘Don’t worry about her, I ain’t gonna touch her,’ Tony said, semi-truthfully. She was going to get the beating of her miserable life when he got back to the hotel, but he needed her alive to finish what he’d started and get his ticket to stay in the country.
‘I don’t know where Fabian is,’ Jenna said now, flapping her hands. ‘All I can do is give you his address from the staff files.’
‘Good girl,’ Tony said, patting her knee. Standing up, he reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet.
As she went into her office, Jenna’s mind was reeling. How could Fabian do something like that? Having an affair with somebody was one thing – but with his boss’s girlfriend? And giving her drugs. Having drugs on the premises, full stop, knowing that Jenna could have lost her licence at any time because of it – that was unforgivable.
But he didn’t deserve to die for it. And, whatever Tony said, she knew exactly what would happen if he got his hands on Fabian while he was in this kind of mood.
Giving him the address, Jenna said, ‘Please don’t be too hard on him. I know he’s done wrong, and I’m going to sack him as soon as I see him, but please don’t do anything to get yourself into trouble.’
Kissing her on the cheek, Tony gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. ‘Quit worrying. All I’m gonna do is warn him off.’ Then, turning to Eddie with murder in his eyes, he jerked his head. ‘Let’s go.’
Jenna waited a couple of minutes, then reached for her mobile. Hands shaking wildly, she called Fabian.
‘Come on,’ she muttered as his phone rang and rang. ‘Pick it up, damn you.’
‘Hello?’ Fabian said sleepily, answering at last.
‘Where are you?’ Jenna asked him.
‘Still in bed. I’m off sick, remember?’
‘Are you at home?’
‘Yes, why?’
‘You’ve got to get out of there,’ Jenna told him, the urgency in her voice getting through to him at last.
/> ‘What’s the matter?’ Fabian said, fully alert now.
‘Tony and Eddie are on their way round,’ she told him. ‘They’ve found a DVD of you and Melody in your safe, and some panties that he bought her in the States. They’d ransacked your office by the time I got here, and got your address.’
‘Oh, my God,’ Fabian muttered. ‘What are they going to do?’
‘What do you think?’ Jenna said sharply. ‘Just get out of there, Fabian. And if you’ve got Melody’s number I think you should warn her, too. But get yourself out of there first.’
‘Right,’ Fabian said, sounding scared and confused. ‘Thanks, Jenna.’
‘I’m only telling you because I don’t want them to do anything stupid,’ Jenna told him. ‘I know what you’ve been doing, Fabian, and you had no right to keep stuff like that in my club.’
‘Jenna, I—’
‘Don’t,’ she cut him off, not wanting to hear it. ‘It’s too late.’
‘No, you don’t understand,’ he persisted. ‘There’s something you should know, about that man who threatened you in the yard.’
‘What about him?’ Jenna asked, frowning deeply now.
‘He was at the club last night,’ Fabian told her, breathing hard as he pulled his jeans on. ‘He came in asking for Tony.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘It’s true, Jenna. Ask Bobby and Austin. That’s why I went home, because Tony got mad about me sending Austin round to The Diamond to get him. I heard him telling Bobby he was going to break my legs.’
‘So, what did the man want with him?’ Jenna asked, not sure that she wanted to hear this.
‘He said he’d come for the money that Tony owed him. Tony was annoyed with him at first, said he’d told him never to show his face at the club, but the man said he’d waited long enough, that his boys were hassling him for their money.’
‘Did Tony pay him?’
‘Yeah, and gave him extra for waiting. Then the man said if he ever wanted anyone else heavying, he knew where to find him.’
‘How can you be sure it’s the one who threatened me?’
The Club Page 34