East End 02-East End Diamond

by DS as Dani Oakley Butler

  He lit one and held it between his fingers, hesitating.

  This was it. There was no going back now.

  Feeling a sense of euphoria, Jimmy dropped the match onto the sofa.

  There was a fraction of a second when nothing happened, and then suddenly flames leapt up, and Jimmy had to take a step back.

  He watched in fascination as the flames flickered along the sofa, consuming it.

  The heat was intense, and he took another step backwards. The smoke was already making him cough. He had to get out of there. He rushed out of the back door, and in the yard, Jimmy stood to watch for a moment, mesmerised as he saw the grey smoke creeping along the window frame.

  He imagined the look on Martin Morton’s face when he saw his club had been destroyed.

  Jimmy grinned. He’d found a way to get back at Martin Morton, but he had kept his promise to his nan and Linda by staying away from the horrible man.

  Although the fire seemed to draw him in, and he longed to watch as the club burned to the ground, he realised he couldn’t stay much longer. People would start to notice the fire soon, and they would definitely be suspicious of two boys loitering nearby.

  Jimmy ran back around to the front of the club and then rushed across the street to Georgie.

  “Come on,” Jimmy said. “We’d better get out of here.”

  As Jimmy spoke, he wasn’t looking at Georgie. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the club, but when Georgie didn’t respond, he turned to his friend to see what was wrong.

  Georgie was transfixed on the club, his mouth hanging open. Jimmy tugged on Georgie’s arm. But he remained rooted to the spot.

  “Come on, Georgie. We have to go.” Jimmy spoke more urgently this time, continuing to pull on Georgie’s arm.

  Georgie shook his head. “Jimmy, the girl went back in.”

  Jimmy frowned. What was Georgie talking about? “The girl? Do you mean Ruby?”

  Georgie nodded.

  Jimmy felt his heart skip a beat. Georgie must’ve got it wrong.

  “We saw them leave, Georgie. She left with her father.”

  “Yes, but… But she came back and went inside.”

  Jimmy couldn’t breathe. His chest had suddenly grown tight. Suddenly the smell of petrol on his hands and shirt was overwhelming and felt like it was coating his throat.

  “Are you sure she is inside Georgie?”

  Georgie nodded.

  Jimmy turned and said, “Go and get some help.”

  Then he ran back towards the club as Georgie ran in the opposite direction to the person he always went to when he was scared: his father.

  Georgie ran so fast the soles of his feet stung as they slapped on the pavement, and his chest burned. He flew along Bread Street, bolted across the next road and was just about to head into the alleyway at the back of Narrow Street when he slammed into a wall of solid muscle, which sent him skidding to the floor.

  * * *

  Inside the bathroom in the flat above the club, Ruby picked up her lipstick. It was a light, shimmering pink, and in her opinion, much classier than Jemima’s choice of bright red. She looked in the mirror and applied some lipstick, looking at herself critically. She couldn’t help comparing herself to Jemima and wishing her nose was slightly smaller and her eyes were wider set.

  She frowned as she thought she heard something break, it sounded like glass smashing. She paused and listened for a moment, but didn’t hear anything else. She shrugged. It must have been something outside.

  She slipped the cap back on the lipstick and strolled out into the main living area of the flat. She peered out of the window, which looked out onto Bread Street, but she couldn’t see her father or Jemima from there.

  She wondered if she’d read too much into things. But she really hadn’t liked the way Jemima had looked at her father. She couldn’t imagine what her mother would say if she found out.

  Thinking about her mum, Ruby’s shoulders slumped. She felt so helpless. She wished there was something she could do. For all her moaning and complaining about her mother, Ruby knew that her mother had been the one person she’d been able to rely on for her entire life.

  She loved her father, of course, but for most of her childhood, he hadn’t been around. She felt like she had to pretend to be someone else around him, so he’d love her, whereas Ruby’s mother knew every single one of her faults and loved her anyway.

  From the corner of her eye, she noticed a boy standing on the opposite side of the road, staring up at the window.

  Ruby frowned and then waved at him. He didn’t respond. He just stood there staring. Weirdo.

  She turned to leave. Her father would be waiting to take her to lunch, and she could only hope he hadn’t invited Jemima to go with them. Ruby thought that would be more than she could stomach today.

  As she walked past the kitchen area, she thought she smelled smoke. She sniffed the air and then walked into the kitchen, checking the oven. But it wasn’t on. Then she realised the smell was coming from the front door of the flat.

  She felt a stab of panic and quickly ran over to the door to open it. The smell was much stronger, and at the bottom of the staircase, she could see smoke curling up from under the door that led to the bar.

  Oh, God. She gave a little cry of panic and then put her hand over her mouth and rushed downstairs. It couldn’t be that bad. There had been no sign of fire just a moment ago when she’d entered the club. If it was a small fire, perhaps Ruby could put it out. She imagined how grateful her father would be.

  But when she opened the door to the club, the heat was almost overwhelming, and the smoke surrounded her in an instant. It stung her nose and throat, and her eyes streamed.

  It was impossible to see. She knew the layout of the club, so she fumbled forward, putting a hand against the wall to try and feel her way to the exit. The panic welled up in her chest.

  Everything would be all right if she could just make it to the front door.

  She began to cough then as the smoke invaded her lungs. She’d been trying to hold her breath, but it was no good her body needed air, and as she sucked the smoke-filled air down into her lungs, her body rebelled, coughing and choking.

  She had to be nearly at the exit, surely. She felt the smooth wood of the bar beneath her fingers and followed it around, heading in the direction she thought would lead to the front door. But then she stumbled over something on the floor and went flying.

  The coughing was overwhelming now. The smoke was choking her.

  On her hands and knees, Ruby tried to make for the door, but she didn’t know which direction she was moving in now, and as panic and adrenaline flooded her system, she screamed out for her father.

  CHAPTER 48

  J immy didn’t bother returning to the back door. He thought if Georgie was right, and Ruby really had returned, she would have entered through the front door and wouldn’t have locked it behind her.

  He couldn’t help hoping that somehow Georgie had got it wrong, and Ruby hadn’t returned, but when Jimmy was able to turn the handle easily, and the door opened, his stomach sank.

  Georgie was right. She was inside.

  Jimmy had seen Martin lock it when they’d left, so somebody had definitely come back and unlocked the door.

  As he pushed the door open, smoke billowed out, and he had to turn away for a moment.

  He took a deep breath of fresh air before running inside, trying to cover his mouth with his shirt. He couldn’t believe the fire had consumed everything so fast. It was hot, but that wasn’t the main problem. It was the smoke. It was everywhere. It has spread across the entire downstairs area of the club, filling it with thick grey smoke. A faint orange glow from the flames flickered on the walls, and the smoke was so dense Jimmy couldn’t even see the bar.

  As he staggered around in a circle, trying desperately to see Ruby, his eyes watered, and tears streamed down his face from the stinging smoke. He wanted to squeeze them shut but forced himself to keep
them open, stumbling around with his arms out in front of him, desperately looking for Ruby.

  Oh, God help him, what had he done?

  * * *

  Martin Morton looked at his watch and gave a grunt of impatience. Where the bleeding hell had that daughter of his got to? Jemima was pretty enough to look at, but Martin wasn’t interested in her conversation.

  He’d allowed her to spend the night at his flat last week, and now she kept giving him puppy dog eyes as if he owed her something.

  She was a nice girl, but Martin wasn’t keen. He had only just gotten rid of one moaning female from his life, and he didn’t want to replace her with another. He wasn’t looking for a woman to interfere in his life.

  Plus, Jemima was red-haired Freddie’s girl, and that opened up a whole other can of worms. Freddie had always been loyal to Martin, and Martin was sure he wouldn’t be impressed if he learned that Martin had slept with his precious Jemima. Martin was hoping he wouldn’t find out.

  “Bloody child,” he grumbled. “She gets more like her mother every day. Sorry, Jemima, love, I’d better go and see what’s keeping her.”

  Jemima looked disappointed. “Of course, don’t let me hold you up.”

  Martin walked away feeling irritated. He’d been right. Jemima was giving him the pout and sulky expression as if Martin owed her something. Bloody women. They were more trouble than they were worth. He hoped she would just drop it. Martin couldn’t be bothered to deal with the fallout of red-haired Freddie’s tantrum if he found out about Martin and his daughter.

  Of course, Martin could understand where he was coming from. He had a daughter himself and would kill any bastard that tried it on with her.

  Martin frowned as he considered the fact Ruby was only a couple of years younger than Jemima. The thought made him sick to the stomach, which surprised him. Martin didn’t care about many people in his life. He did his duty by his mother, but truth be told, he couldn’t stand the old bitch. His brother irritated him no end, but Martin supposed, in his own way, he was fond of Tony. He’d never really loved Babs. She was only a trophy. He’d wanted her because it proved he could have whatever woman he desired. All of the men in the East End had admired Babs Morton at one point, and look how she had turned out!

  The only people Martin had ever really cared about were Ruby and Derek. He wasn’t very good at showing it, and obviously being locked up for the last ten years hadn’t really helped develop much of the father-child relationship, but there was a bond there that ran deep.

  He tried to push away the thoughts of Ruby having any kind of relationship with boys. He’d castrate any bastard that came within a yard of his daughter.

  He knew she was growing up. He’d watched as before his very eyes she appeared to look less and less like a little girl on each visit to the prison, but in his mind, he still saw her as a four-year-old with pigtails. He grinned to himself. Who would have thought it? Martin Morton was turning into a soppy sod.

  As he walked, he looked up ahead and saw something odd. A crowd of people had gathered in front of the club. He frowned, and that was when he saw the smoke. The smell hit him in the same moment.

  He screamed out his daughter’s name, and with his heart in his mouth, he ran towards the club.

  * * *

  Breathless, Georgie looked up at the huge hulking figure of Big Tim, who frowned down at him and helped him back to his feet.

  “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

  “Fire,” Georgie managed to splutter out. “J… Jimmy is inside.”

  Big Tim gripped Georgie’s arm tightly. “Where?” he demanded.

  “The M…Morton’s club.”

  Big Tim took off, heading back towards Bread Street, and Georgie followed him as fast as he could, but he couldn’t keep up. By the time he turned the corner, Tim was out of sight.

  * * *

  Martin Morton looked in horror at the sight of his club up in flames. He scanned the crowd gathered nearby, desperately hoping to see Ruby among them.

  She wasn’t there.

  That meant… He turned back to the club… She had to be in there.

  He rushed straight towards the club, ignoring the shouts of people standing around watching.

  “What are you doing? Stand back! The fire service is on the way,” someone cried out, but Martin ignored them. He didn’t have time to wait for the fire service to turn up, not if his daughter was inside.

  He pushed through the front doors of the club and headed straight into the heart of the fire. The heat hit him immediately. His stomach flipped over when he saw how thick the smoke was inside. If she was in there, how on earth could she have survived?

  He slammed into the bar, stumbling over a bar stool. He roared out his daughter’s name as acrid smoke hit the back of his throat and made him cough.

  Almost immediately, he bumped into something — someone – Ruby?

  But he soon realised it wasn’t her. Though his eyes were streaming from the stinging smoke, when he looked down, he recognised Jimmy Diamond.

  How that stupid bitch, Mary Diamond, had ever thought it appropriate to bring the boy back to the East End, he would never know. But what on earth was the boy doing in here… Unless…

  “Was this you?” Martin demanded. “Did you set my club on fire?”

  The boy looked terrified. “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t think anyone was inside.”

  The door had remained open after Martin entered, and it had cleared a little of the smoke, but the breeze caused the flames inside to crackle even louder.

  Martin stared down at the obnoxious little bastard. Fury flooded his veins. He raised his arm, and with a vicious swing, he gave Jimmy a backhander that sent him spinning to the floor.

  Martin didn’t have time to deal with the little sod now. He had to find Ruby and get her out before it was too late.

  There was a tremendous crash and the sound of smashing glass behind him as the fire reached the bar.

  Through the haze, he thought he saw somebody or something on the floor near to the bar.

  “Ruby?”

  It was her. He rubbed his eyes and kneeled down beside her motionless body. She didn’t respond when he shook her.

  Martin had never been so scared in his entire life. He scooped her up in his arms and quickly carried her outside, not sparing Jimmy Diamond, who was lying on the ground, a second glance.

  CHAPTER 49

  J immy was dazed, and he had a sharp pain throbbing in his jaw from where Martin had hit him. He whimpered in pain and fear as he tried to stumble to his feet. He didn’t have the strength. A wave of coughing racked his body, and he felt like he was going to cough his guts up.

  He could see the light ahead of him. The light had to be coming from the windows at the front of the club, he thought desperately, as he tried to crawl towards it on his hands and knees.

  Before he got very far, he felt a pair of large hands on him hauling him to his feet. His first thought was that it was Martin Morton come back to finish him off.

  Absolutely terrified, Jimmy tried to squirm out of the man’s grip. He kicked out in panic, but he didn’t stand a chance against a full-grown man.

  Jimmy was lifted in the air and held so tightly, he couldn’t even take a breath.

  It wasn’t until he was hoisted over a huge shoulder that Jimmy realised this wasn’t Martin Morton. He tried to turn to see who it was, but he was held in an unyielding grip as he was carried outside.

  It wasn’t until they were outside, and Jimmy could suck in long lungfuls of fresh air between coughs that he noticed his saviour was Big Tim.

  A safe distance away from the club, the big man set him down on his feet and looked at him solemnly.

  Jimmy opened his mouth to thank him, but before he could speak, he was bent double with a coughing fit. Tim put his hand on the boy’s shoulder as Jimmy’s body was wracked with coughs.

  As Jimmy gasped for breath, he looked over the other side of the street and
could see Martin kneeling over Ruby’s body.

  Jimmy moved forward, desperate to see if Ruby was alive, but Tim pulled him back just in time.

  “It’s best if you stay away from the Mortons, lad,” Tim said in a low rumble.

  Jimmy felt giddy with relief when he saw Ruby sit up. She looked terrible and pale, and Jimmy winced as she vomited on the pavement, but at least she was alive.

  His relief didn’t last long, though.

  Martin stood up and glared at Jimmy. He muttered something Jimmy couldn’t hear because he was too far away, but he had no doubt those words were meant for him. Jimmy gulped and shrank back against Tim as Martin drew a finger across his neck and glared fiercely at Jimmy.

  Big Tim squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t be scared. I won’t let him hurt you.”

  * * *

  “I need to tell Ruby I’m sorry,” Jimmy said as he tried to walk towards the Mortons. “I didn’t know she was inside.”

  Tim looked at him sharply. “You did this.” It was a statement more than a question, and Jimmy just looked at him miserably.

  Tim stared at the boy for a long time and then he finally said, “It’s not a good idea, Jimmy. Let’s get you home.”

  “I can’t go home. I’m staying at Linda Blums,” Jimmy said miserably. “My nan is still in hospital.”

  Jimmy allowed Tim to pull him away from the Mortons and the crowd of onlookers. He escorted Jimmy all the way to Linda’s house and stood beside the boy as he rapped on the door.

  It was only now beginning to sink in that there were going to be consequences of this action. Jimmy had been so caught up in the need to get back at Martin Morton over those horrible things he said about his mother he hadn’t really considered what would happen next.

  No doubt Tim would tell Linda what Jimmy had done, and she would be so disappointed in him. Maybe she would finally realise that Jimmy was cut from the same cloth as Martin Morton.