Dante nodded, his throat too tight to speak. He felt relieved that Uncle Jasper had seemed to take the news so calmly, but he was still worried about his impending punishment.
He had known he was taking a risk in informing his boss that he had stolen the money the night they had killed Ritchie, but he was sick of being taken for a mug. He had waited to see what would happen when Bolton handed the money in, but a few days later, it was apparent that Bolton had no intention of handing it in. Dante had tried to question Bolton about it but had been shrugged off each time, leading him to assume that Bolton had just wanted the money for himself. All that moral bullshit he’d preached when taking the money off of him, and Bolton had done the same thing but to his best mate.
Dante had been livid and now he had got his payback. Now the truth was out and Bolton would have to deal with Uncle Jasper’s wrath.
“You can leave now,” Uncle Jasper said, dismissively, and Dante leapt to his feet. “I will decide on your punishment in due course.”
“And Bolton?” Dante asked, before he could help himself.
“Oh, don’t worry my friend,” Uncle Jasper grinned. “He’ll be punished severely.”
* * *
Charley entered the flat, her mind reeling. She wondered how she had never known the truth about her mother’s past, but then reminded herself that she had only ever, until now, had Toni’s word for everything that had happened.
She had always painted the fathers of her children in such a negative way. As runaways who had upped and left as soon as they had found out she was pregnant, but now Charley knew the truth. She wished she didn’t.
The radio was on in the kitchen and she heard her mother humming along to a song and wondered whether she should just go to her room. The words Nathaniel had told her rang around in her mind and she was sure that Toni would sense immediately that she knew the truth. As she turned to go to her bedroom, her phone rang, the ring tone seemingly echoing off the corridor walls.
It was Asher calling her. She fumbled with her phone and rejected the call before the noise would disturb her mother, but it was too late.
“Is that you back from Leigh-Ann’s?” Toni called, poking her head around the kitchen door. “Did you girls have a nice time?”
Charley nodded mutely and walked unsteadily down the corridor to the kitchen, dropping onto a stool and watching her mother resume her baking.
Toni’s eyes narrowed.
“What did you do then?” she asked, kneading some dough.
“Just chatted,” Charley said, her mind blank.
“Really?” Toni nodded, lips thinning. “Because I just spoke to Leigh-Ann’s mother and she said she hasn’t see you in days.”
She slammed the dough down on the table, sending flour flying in all directions. Charley stared at her, her mind too full to think of an excuse, her thoughts seemed to be going in slow motion and she was stammering.
Toni sniggered.
“Where have you really been then?” she asked, eyebrows raised. “Seeing your father, by any chance?”
Charley remained silent.
Toni leaned over her, clearly angered by her daughter’s silence.
“You know how I feel about you spending time with him,” she continued, pressing her advantage in Charley’s lack of a response. “He’s dangerous and he –”
“He’s not dangerous,” Charley interrupted, finding her voice.
“You might not think so, but you barely know him,” Toni said, shaking her head, “I’m only doing this for your own protection, I’m only thinking of you and –”
“No, you’re not. You didn’t want me to see him because you didn’t want me to find out what happened to Asher’s dad,” Charley said, raising her voice. “My dad told me everything.”
The panic on Toni’s face told her everything Charley needed to know. Toni recovered quickly, composing herself.
“I don’t know what he’s told you, but it’s –”
“It’s the truth,” Charley insisted.
“You’re too young to understand adults and –”
Charley snorted. She was sick of being treated like a child.
“I know you cheated on Asher’s dad, the man you’ve always said you loved so much, with my dad,” she snapped, nearly shouting now. Toni froze. “Hit a nerve have I?”
“You don’t know the first thing about –”
“Well, come on, tell me,” Charley said, enjoying the discomfort on her mother’s face, and pressed on, “You go on about me being pregnant, but you cheated –”
“It wasn’t like that,” Toni said, her voice quiet. “I loved Asher’s father.”
She sighed deeply and sat down heavily in the chair, seeming to deflate before Charley’s eyes.
“Not enough to stay faithful though,” Charley said quietly, taken aback by her mother’s uncharacteristic show of vulnerability.
“That was a mistake,” Toni sighed, “We were going through problems, we had a young child and money was tight, and I was beginning to feel frustrated, stressed out.”
“And that’s when my dad came along?” Charley asked, keeping her voice low.
Toni nodded, her eyes not meeting her daughter’s.
“I met him at a party. He was all suited and booted; the girls were all after him, but not me. I was the married mother who nobody looked twice at. Then he bought me a drink,” Toni reminisced, a smile lingering on her lips. “He was so charming and handsome. I told him I was married, but he didn’t mind, he –”
“He wasn’t the married one, you were.”
“He made me feel so special, so wanted. We went on dates, he treated me so well and we started an affair,” Toni continued, as if Charley had not interrupted. “Before I knew it, I was pregnant.”
“With me?”
“Yes, with you. Nathaniel asked me to leave with him, said we should run away to the countryside,” Toni continued. “Of course, I didn’t know then that he had to leave because he owed his criminal brother money. Anyway, I prepared to leave, packed a bag and grabbed Asher, left his father a note.”
“And you just left?” Charley asked, surprised.
“We got to King’s Cross station, but I couldn’t do it,” Toni said, her face lined with regret. “Nathaniel admitted he was in debt and had to go on the run, and he left. I went home.”
“And that’s when you found him?” Charley asked. She knew what was coming next and felt a shudder of unease.
“Asher’s father had found the note whilst I’d been out, realised I’d taken his beloved son. He was devastated, Asher and I were his whole world,” Toni said, her eyes watering. She wiped them away quickly, and continued, “He drowned himself in the bath. The doctors said that if I’d come back a few minutes earlier I could have stopped him.”
There was silence. Toni sobbed and Charley felt speechless.
“That’s terrible,” she managed, feeling pity for her mother. She got some kitchen roll and passed some to Toni, “Here you are.”
Toni wiped her eyes and seemed to pull herself together, as if realising for the first time that Charley was still there in the room.
“That’s why I don’t want you getting close to your father,” she said, looking at Charley. “He isn’t a good man, not like Asher’s father. He was the reason I lost my one true love.”
“You blame him?” Charley asked, incredulous.
“Of course,” Toni said, looking bewildered. “And that’s the reason you have no morals. With him as a father, and being the product of an affair, it’s no wonder you –”
“Have you lost your mind?” Charley asked. “It was your fault Asher’s dad died, how can you not see –”
She froze. Toni narrowed her eyes and followed her gaze, and then her eyes widened. Asher was standing in the doorway. Charley opened her mouth, but Asher spoke first.
“I heard everything,” he said, looking between them. “And I agree with Charley.”
“You heard?” Toni stammered.
“Yeah, everything,” Asher nodded, his voice bitter. “I came here to try and build some bridges, but not now.”
He shook his head in disgust and turned, starting down the corridor. Toni hurried after him, pleading.
“Asher, you don’t understand, I was young and –”
“That isn’t an excuse,” Asher snapped. The door slammed behind him.
Charley remained in the kitchen, listening to the loud voices, filled with hurt and unhappiness, bitterness and regret. She felt a pain in her stomach and her hands flew to her bump. Then water was trickling between her legs, pooling on the floor at her feet. She gasped.
“Mum,” she called out, hearing the fear in her own voice. “I think my water’s just broke.”
* * *
Asher took a few deep breaths as he left the block of flats. He tried to calm his breathing and stop his hands from shaking.
He considered returning to the flat, confronting his mother. After all, she had such an issue with his sexuality, but she was hardly a saint he now knew. She had cheated on his father, caused his suicide and yet she had never mentioned a word of it to him, not to anyone. If Charley had not found out, he was in no doubt that she would never have told him the truth. She was a hypocrite and he felt a surge of pleasure at the thought of her crying upstairs at losing him. He swallowed down the feelings and began across the concrete courtyard. He didn’t want a confrontation with his mother. He wanted to go home and be with Carl.
“All right gay boy?”
The shout tore him from his thoughts. Three lads in tracksuits, who he recognised from around the estate, were eyeing him. One held a can of beer; the others had their hands shoved deep into their pockets. He gave them a withering look and carried on.
Insults like these were something he would just have to get used to.
“Oi, faggot,” the voice shouted again. “I asked you a question.”
Asher quickened his pace. He didn’t need this aggravation right now. He heard the scuff of trainers on concrete behind him and span around as a hand grabbed the back of his jacket.
“Piss off,” Asher growled at them.
The three boys leered at him, sniggering at the look on his face.
“What you going to do about it?” the tallest sneered.
“You know what he wants to do with us, don’t you?” another said. “People like him. Wants our arses, I bet.”
“Nah, I’m good thanks,” Asher retorted.
“Thought fags like you wanted –”
Asher turned away from them and began walking away, determined to ignore them. He made it only a few steps when hands were on the back of his jacket again. He turned around, but this time he had no time to speak. He caught a glimpse of a clenched fist before it connected with the side of his face and knocked him sideways.
He almost lost his balance, but his police training had prepared him for this. Another fist caught him under the chin and he staggered backwards. The three lads surrounded him. He could have taken them on one at a time, but three against one and he was outnumbered and overpowered. As they kicked and punched him to the floor, he curled up in a ball, trying to protect himself.
He prayed they would stop, but the kicks kept on coming. The beating seemed to stop and the boys were laughing, shouting insults that he couldn’t hear over the ringing in his ears. He risked a glance up at them; there were only two now. His body aching, he managed to get to his feet and wavered, feeling dizzy.
The third lad returned. Asher swallowed hard and tried to run, but the other two ran and stopped him, their hands holding him in place, stopping his escape. He struggled as the third approached. The discarded brick he had found abandoned in the corner of the courtyard drew Asher’s eyes. He said a prayer and fought, but the brick hit him hard in the head and he felt bone shatter, blood gush out over his face, before everything went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The hospital lights were bright and Charley scrunched up her eyes, beads of sweat clinging to her eyelashes, her breath coming in short gasps.
“You’ll be all right,” Toni told her, supporting her weight, and guiding her down the corridor behind the nurse.
Charley tried to speak, but she couldn’t. Pain washed over her body in waves and the contractions frightened her. The baby was coming, and she wasn’t sure she was ready. It didn’t matter anymore. The baby wouldn’t wait for her to sort out her feelings. She managed to nod, and Toni smiled, though she looked worried.
The nurse led them into a small room and put the folded gown on the hospital bed.
“If you could put the robe on and I’ll bring a doctor in,” she said, smiling at Charley, understanding her pain and anxiety. Charley nodded again, and the nurse left the room.
Charley leant against the bed, her fingers clinging to the thin white sheets, as another contraction sent pain through her body. She felt tears in the corners of her eyes, mingling with the sweat that clung to her face.
“You heard the woman,” Toni said, dumping her bag and coat into an armchair in the corner, “Get those tights off and into that robe.”
Charley kicked off her shoes and fumbled for her tights. Toni eyed her with detached interest, then sighed and stepped forward. She stripped Charley off and helped her into the lime green hospital gown.
The nurse returned with a doctor, who examined Charley. She had found the other examinations highly embarrassing and personal, but she was in too much of a state to care now. The doctor spoke some reassurances that she barely heard, then she let out a groan of pain. The contractions were coming faster now.
“I think you’re nearly ready to deliver,” the doctor said, and the nurse smiled, but Charley felt terror rise within her. The doctor, oblivious, continued, “I’ll be back in about five minutes.”
When he had gone, the nurse began taking her blood pressure and Charley clasped Toni’s hand and pulled her close. She leant down, and she moved her lips to her ear.
“Mum, I need you to do something for me, no arguments,” she said, gritting her teeth against the pain, her lips barely moving. “I need you to get Bolton.”
Toni looked horrified, but Charley held her doubtful gaze, and she gave a groan and nodded.
“I’ll find him,” she said, and left the room, grabbing a nurse out in the corridor.
* * *
In the corridor, Toni followed the nurse’s directions towards the pay phone outside the visitor’s waiting room. As she hurried, her shoes squeaking on the floor, a trolley was rushing towards her, nurses and a doctor rushing alongside it.
She glanced at the unconscious figure and froze.
“Asher?” she gasped.
His face was swollen and dripping in blood. A nurse held some gauze against the top of his head, and the white of the material was already turning a nauseating shade of dark red, almost black. He made no response to her call. The nurses sounded urgent as they called instructions to each other whilst directing the trolley down the corridor.
“What’s happened to my son?” she called after them, but they either didn’t hear her or were too preoccupied with Asher to respond.
Another man rounded the corner, his face white with shock, almost bumping into Toni in his haste to follow the trolley. He was wearing a police uniform and Toni knew instantly who this man was. She recognised his face from the photos in the flat that Asher had moved into.
“Carl?” she stammered.
Carl was caught off guard as he registered her.
“Mrs Brunns?”
“What’s happened to Ash?” Toni asked.
“He was attacked by some kids on the estate. They hit him with a brick.”
Toni crossed herself, her jaw falling open.
“Will he be okay?” she asked, frantic.
“I don’t know,” Carl said, already distancing himself from her. “I’ve just got here. They said he’s got serious head injuries, blood loss. I’ve got to go.”
He gave her an apologetic l
ook and rushed after the trolley as it turned a corner. Toni watched him go and put a hand to her chest, her mind racing and her heart hammering.
* * *
Bolton stood before Uncle Jasper and wondered whether he was in trouble. He had been summoned to the office earlier in the evening, and had rushed across the city as fast as he could. He briefly wondered whether Uncle Jasper had heard about the stolen money, but dismissed the thought. If he knew, Bolton reminded himself, then he would already be dead, not standing in front of the desk, locked in his boss’s glare.
“Take a seat,” Uncle Jasper said, after what seemed an age. “Would you care for a drink?”
His voice was jovial, but Bolton sensed there was more to his carefree tone. He shook his head, declining a drink, but sat down gratefully, his knees shaking.
“I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve called you here,” Uncle Jasper said, as he sat down too. Bolton nodded. “I just wanted to check in with you. Make sure everything was going well for you. After our meeting with Ritchie.”
Bolton was taken aback. He had not expected this. His surprise must have registered on his face, because Uncle Jasper smiled knowingly.
“Did you not think I care for my employees?” He asked, amused. “Of course I do, without hardworking lads like you, I would have nothing. Any great leader is only so great as the people he leads.”
Bolton nodded, still not fully understanding the reason for the meeting.
“So,” Uncle Jasper prompted, when Bolton remained quiet. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” Bolton said, feeling nervous, though he wasn’t entirely sure why he felt so wrong footed. Perhaps, he thought, it was the weight of the stolen money pressing in on his thoughts. “He deserved what he got.”
He hoped his voice sounded more certain than his thoughts.
“Of course he did. Anyone who steals from me deserves such a punishment.”
Uncle Jasper’s voice was level, but there was a hint of a threat beneath the soft tones.
Bolton nodded quickly, eager to agree with him, though his heart was hammering against his chest.
“You agree?” Uncle Jasper asked, leaning forward, scrutinizing him.
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