by Emma Tallon
‘Thanks, Dot.’ Freddie smiled at the girl, whose eyes had crept back over to him under a set of long lashes. She immediately jumped and bowed her head, her cheeks turning scarlet. Freddie’s smile faded slightly, and he turned to concentrate on Dot again.
He had spent most of his life building up a reputation that was both respected and feared by all who knew of him. It was how he had risen to the heights he had. Without that hard level of respect and fear, the wolves would descend. Most of the time it served him well. Sometimes, though, when a slip of a girl like this had heard of him and looked at him as though he was the monster who might steal her in the night, it felt like a heavy weight on his shoulders rather than a shield.
‘Here you are, love. And take a drink from the fridge, too – it’s a hot day out and that salt beef will make you thirsty. No charge.’ The older woman smiled at him and waved her hand in protest as he tried to hand her a ten-pound note.
‘Ah come on, Dot, you know I’m not going to allow that.’ Freddie grinned and placed the note on the counter in front of her. ‘Keep the change. Best sandwiches around, these are.’ He opened the fridge and took a bottle of water out.
‘Oh, bless you, Freddie. Thank you.’ Dot beamed gratefully and put the money into the till. ‘You have a good day now. See you soon.’
‘Bye, Dot. Bye, Cassie.’ Freddie didn’t look back at the girl. She was probably shaking from his use of her name. He didn’t want to see.
Dot’s was not a business that he took protection money from, but he made sure that she knew she had his support anyway. It was a small business that she had started up from life-insurance money she’d received from her husband’s death. It hadn’t been a lot to begin with, but she’d used it wisely. Freddie respected her for that. At the time, she had two small children to look after and no family around to help. The business didn’t make a big profit, and she worked all the hours God sent, but it provided her with enough to look after her children comfortably and she was grateful for that. Dot’s situation reminded Freddie of his own mother’s, back when his father had died. So Freddie made life a little easier for people like Dot, wherever he was able to. Even if it was just making sure people knew that she was protected. With all the bad things he did in his line of work it made Freddie feel more human, helping people who needed it. It felt like somehow it evened out the scales a little.
Turning down a side road towards his car, Freddie mulled over what else he needed to do that day. He needed to tie everything up as quickly as possible. It was Anna’s birthday tomorrow, and he wanted to head over to his mum’s house to check everything over, make sure it was all in order. He knew she wasn’t a big birthday person, but he wanted to spoil her, celebrate her.
She would love it tomorrow, especially after a glass or two of champagne. He had a great present picked out too, though that was something he would give her at home, in private. He had chosen to hold it at Mollie’s house because of the nice big garden, and he knew it would make her happy to be involved. Two birds, one stone.
He was just thinking about how Anna’s face would look as she walked into her party tomorrow when he heard the low rumbling of a vehicle behind him. He stepped off the road onto the narrow pathway running along the side of the buildings. He carried on walking, holding his arm in; it was a very narrow back street. The car didn’t pass but slowed down instead. He frowned. It was narrow, but he was practically hugging the wall. He couldn’t exactly climb the fucking thing. They should be able to get past him fine as he was.
A door opened and Freddie turned, about to say as much to whoever was behind him. He opened his mouth but never got the chance to utter a word. He felt something heavy and hard connect with his skull; heard the sickening crack of wood against bone. He felt broad arms catch him as he fell, and then there was nothing.
10
Anna woke up, her eyes blurry and heavy from a restless night’s sleep. She buried her head back under the covers for a moment, too comfortable in her cocoon and too tired to get up just yet.
Remembering that Freddie had not been there when she last woke up, she reached out to his side of their king-size bed. It was empty and the sheets were cold. Disappointed she pulled her arm back and began to doze off again, not bothering to look at the time. She had worked at the club until late and so felt entitled to a bit of a lazy morning.
It wasn’t unusual for Freddie to return home in the early hours of the morning or even the next day, depending on where he needed to be. It wasn’t unusual for her either – they both worked through the night. Theirs was an unconventional lifestyle, but it worked.
Anna never doubted Freddie when he didn’t come home. She knew who he was, and she knew how fiercely loyal he was to those he cared about. There had never been any cause for her to worry on that front.
Her phone began to buzz away on the dark mahogany bedside table. She groaned and ignored it, trying to get back to sleep. It rang off and she relaxed into the luxury mattress she had chosen with care, to enjoy on mornings such as these. Two seconds later, the phone started to buzz again. Tutting in annoyance Anna rolled over and grabbed the phone, rubbing the sleep from her eyes in an attempt to focus on the caller ID.
It was Tanya. She ignored it and pushed the phone underneath Freddie’s pillow, where she was sure she would no longer hear the vibrations. Focusing on the remnants of the fabulous dream she had woken from, Anna drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Barely five minutes later, the key sounded in the front door. The sound pulled Anna back into the day and she groaned pitifully, pulling the pillow over her face.
She knew it was Tanya, even before she heard the tapping of stilettos coming up the hallway on the wooden floor. The bedroom door flew open and in Tanya swept, a vision of bouncy red curls and fully made-up smile. She jumped up onto the bed without ceremony and leaped forward onto Anna, hugging her through the covers.
‘Happy birthday, old woman!’ She laughed loudly as Anna mumbled protests and tried half-heartedly to push her off.
‘Oh, Tan, you’re squashing me. God, honestly, you’re like a bloody kid. A kid who likes mornings far too much,’ she moaned. Wriggling out of her friend’s grasp, she pulled herself up on the pillows into a half-sitting position. She pushed her mess of dark hair back off her face and gave her tired eyes one last rub. ‘What are you doing here anyway?’
Tanya rolled her eyes, her enthusiasm not dampened in the slightest by her friend’s mood.
‘It’s your birthday, you twat. Now get your lazy arse out of bed – I bought breakfast. Where’s Freddie?’ Tanya looked around expecting to see him standing somewhere, looking as unimpressed as Anna seemed to be.
‘I don’t know – he didn’t come home last night.’
‘Oh. OK.’ Tanya sobered up her face and nodded seriously. ‘Well, it’s understandable… you are getting on a bit now, aren’t you?’
‘Oh shut up!’ Anna hit her on the arm, her expression jumping to one of amused offence. Tanya laughed and moved back out of swiping distance. Anna’s eyes narrowed, but a grin crept up her face. ‘You know he’s not like that.’
‘Yeah, I’m just messing.’ Tanya smiled fondly at her dishevelled friend. She kept it to herself that Freddie used to be exactly like that, back in the days before Anna came along. She had been burned by the old Freddie herself, years before. But to his credit, with Anna he was different. No other woman had ever achieved the level of respect and care that Freddie showed Anna. The whole of London knew that Freddie was straight as a die, as far as she was concerned.
‘Seriously, though, get up. We have things to do. It’s your birthday, and I really do have breakfast sitting in the hall. It’ll be colder than a nun’s snatch if you don’t get a move on.’
‘Oh, right. OK.’ Anna shuffled forward and slid off the bed. She grabbed her dressing gown and made her way out to the kitchen, resentfully resigning herself to the fact that her lie-in just wasn’t going to happen. She sat at the breakfast bar as Tanya unpacked the big greas
y breakfast onto plates and gratefully accepted the large coffee that came with it.
Tanya looked her up and down. ‘You look like shit.’
‘Oh, alright Tanya, thank you!’ Anna complained. She glanced at the mirror in the hallway. Her hair was everywhere, bits stuck up over her head like some exotic bird. Her face was pale and drawn, and she had bags under her eyes big enough to do a week’s shopping. Her dressing gown hung off her shoulder, showing the rumpled, baggy white T-shirt of Freddie’s that she’d slept in. Tanya was right. She did look like shit. She nodded her acceptance grudgingly and carried on sipping the coffee. ‘Some of us didn’t get to bed until three, Tan. We can’t all roll out of bed looking as glamorous as you.’
‘Well, even I don’t roll out of bed looking as glamorous as me. It takes detailed work, as you well know,’ Tanya responded light-heartedly. ‘And actually I didn’t get to bed until about three either, but for much more fun reasons than you!’ She giggled, biting into some toast. ‘Eugh, this shit’s cold.’
Anna rolled her eyes and stood up to make some fresh toast. Only Tanya would get a breakfast takeaway from a café and expect toast to stay warm.
‘I’ll do that – sit down,’ Tanya bossed.
Anna did as she was told, not having the energy to argue. Her phone buzzed again and she looked down. ‘Oh,’ she exclaimed in surprise.
‘That Freddie then?’
‘No, sadly not. It’s an old friend from uni – Amanda. She texted to wish me happy birthday, asking if we can catch up soon. I haven’t seen her in years.’
‘Ah, that’s nice,’ Tanya replied, pulling the hot toast out of the toaster. ‘Why don’t you invite her tonight?’
‘No, it’s OK. She’s got kids and lives outside the city. I’d have to plan something properly, in advance.’
‘Oh, she’s one of those. A “breeder”.’ Tanya pulled a funny face. Anna laughed. ‘Come on.’ Tanya grinned. ‘You need to eat this, get dressed and then we have to go. It’s your party tonight, and you need to look hot. So we’re going shopping.’ She clapped her hands excitedly. ‘We are going to get you the best dress ever. Tonight, my girl, is going to be a party to remember.’
Michael leaned back on his car and stared down the street. Freddie was supposed to meet him here an hour ago and still hadn’t made an appearance. He was sure Paul had said he would be about this morning too, but so far he hadn’t been able to get hold of either of them. Freddie’s phone was going straight to voicemail and Paul’s was just ringing out. Something was off. He scratched the back of his head and deliberated over what to do. He pulled his phone out again and dialled another number. It was picked up on the second ring.
‘Anna, hi, it’s Michael. Is Freddie with you?’ He bit at a fingernail. ‘No? OK, no worries… What? Yeah, it’s all fine. I just couldn’t remember if he was working this morning or not… I’ve actually just got a text come through, that’ll most likely be him now… Yeah, gotta go, I’ll see you later at the party. Bye.’ He clicked off the call and bit his lip. He hadn’t received a text – he just didn’t want to alarm Anna.
He tried both Freddie and Paul again with no luck.
‘Fuck sake, Freddie,’ he muttered. With one more look in both directions, Michael got back in his car. He had things to do anyway; he would just wait for Freddie to get in touch. Turning the music up, he revved the engine and screeched off, leaving nothing but dust behind him.
11
Freddie started to come to and tried to open his eyes. He immediately closed them. The banging inside his head was intense. Like the worst hangover he had ever had and then some. He could feel the pain pulsating from the point on his skull where he’d been knocked out. It felt like they’d done some actual damage, the bastards. Whoever they were, they were dead men when he got out of here. They didn’t want him dead, that much he knew. They would have already killed him if they had, and he couldn’t think of anything he’d done that would warrant a good torture session, so hopefully that was out of the question.
He squinted an eye open again. They had some sort of cloth bag over his head. He couldn’t see anything through it, but he could just make out that there was a light over to his right.
Careful not to move too much and draw attention from whoever was around him, Freddie checked his situation over. He was seated on a hard chair, his ankles tied to the legs, his torso bound tightly to the chair back and his wrists cuffed behind. Cuffed? He touched the cold metal thoughtfully. Not many people used cuffs. It was smarter to use tape or rope, something that could be burned. No evidence that way. These people were either total rookies or far too confident of not being caught.
Freddie tried to lick his lips and realised that they had been taped. He breathed heavily through his nose in annoyance. He heard someone shift their weight nearby and realised that he had given himself away. Might as well get on with it, he thought. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere fast, tied up like this. There was a shuffling sound as though someone was leaning back and possibly pulling something out of their pocket. He figured it was a phone. He was right.
‘Hiya. He’s awake.’ The voice was deep and hoarse. He had the accent of a Londoner who had picked it up over time but hadn’t been born here. Freddie listened, trying to gather as much information as he could from what little was available to him. ‘Yeah, OK. If you’re sure… I guess.’ The guy sounded awkward. He didn’t want to be here. Freddie smiled. He might be able to work that to his advantage.
The bag was lifted off his head and the man stepped back. Freddie blinked, his eyes adjusting to the sudden light. The pain seared through his head again, but he ignored it. He wasn’t surprised it hurt. They had done a thorough job of making sure he was unconscious. He tried to judge how long he had been out. From the stiffness in his body, it had been a fairly long time.
Freddie was surprised at his surroundings. He had expected a warehouse or some dilapidated building that had been totally forgotten about over the years. The room he found himself in now was unusually large and opulently decorated. It was a little old-fashioned, but it worked. The floor-to-ceiling drapes hung over the long windows, antique furniture and delicately patterned wallpaper contrasted starkly against the large, flatscreen TV on the wall and fire-escape maps were framed next to the door. He was in a hotel room.
The man in front of him was desperately trying to keep a poker face, but Freddie could see the worry behind his eyes. Freddie watched him and began to methodically work out who this man could be. The lines on his face and the naturally tight way he held himself indicated a very stressful life. The clothes he wore were practical, plain and inexpensive. Not someone who wanted to be noticed; no ambition. A wedding ring sat on a pudgy finger, and his hands were soft and clean. He was nothing more than a family man with a stressful day job and no real balls. So what was he doing here? Freddie dismissed the idea that he could be part of another firm. He just wasn’t the type. But who else would have the balls and the need to kidnap an East End baron like him off the street in broad daylight?
‘Um… I’m going to take the tape off now,’ the man said, his tone nervous. ‘Don’t bother making any noise – we have the whole floor. No one will hear you.’ He stepped forward and gingerly picked at the corner of the tape until he had it in his grasp. With one swift movement, he yanked it off. Freddie let out a small, tight breath and then narrowed his eyes.
‘Why on earth would I shout out?’ he asked, rolling his eyes. ‘If I was somehow saved by some do-gooder down the hall, there would be the question as to why I had been taken in the first place. And as much as I am currently unaware myself as to why that is, I don’t want the fucking filth on my doorstep any more than you do, mate.’
The man’s puffy face turned a deep shade of red, and he cast his eyes down to the ground.
Freddie frowned. ‘Or maybe you do want the filth to find you… is that it? Why would you want that, after you’ve just kidnapped someone? Do you even know who I am?’
�
�Yes. You’re Freddie Tyler, the gangster,’ he answered seriously.
Freddie laughed, totally confused by the man he was faced with.
‘Who was that you called?’ He was met with silence. ‘Who’s your boss?’ More silence. Freddie frowned, trying to work out a way to draw the man into further conversation.
The door swung open, and the man’s face flooded with relief. ‘Can I go now?’ he addressed the tall, severe-looking woman who walked in. She nodded curtly at him, and he made a hasty exit. Freddie made a strange sound, half laughing, half groaning as he realised who she was. He threw his head back and looked to the heavens for a moment as everything began to click.
‘DCI Riley, now this actually is a surprise. I thought you piggies were too clean to be going around kidnapping people? If I’d thought you had a dark side I would have put you on my payroll ages ago,’ he taunted, an amused smile on his face. ‘Guess that explains the cuffs. You’ve been gagging to cuff me for a while, haven’t you?’
He watched her cross the room towards him. He was beginning to connect the dots, now that he had seen Riley had a hand in it, but he needed confirmation. He tried to wind her up in the hope she would snap straight to the point. ‘I know you want me, Sarah, but I’m pretty sure kidnapping me and tying me up is a step too far. Or is your lust for me just too strong for you to care?’
‘Shut up, Tyler. I wouldn’t touch you with a bargepole.’
He smiled lazily and cocked one eyebrow in disbelief. Her face immediately coloured, and she looked away at the window angrily. Freddie laughed under his breath. He knew she found him attractive, and he also knew she hated herself for it. She despised Freddie as a person and couldn’t forgive herself for being so weak.
‘So why am I here then, if not for your own personal amusement? You can’t arrest me. Aside from the fact you have nothing on me, I’m tied to a chair… so I think you know any case you tried would be thrown out the second I sue you for mistreatment.’