“Is that all you can say?” Adrianna asked, frustrated.
“What did you expect?” Brandy asked, looking equally exasperated. “You told the guy you’re sleeping with that you fucked someone else last night, and you’re surprised when he reacts? What did you think he’d do?”
“I don’t know,” Adrianna admitted sullenly. “Not hit me, though.”
“We’re talking about Trent Banks,” Brandy insisted. “He does his talking with his fists. He was hardly going to buy you flowers for sleeping around.”
“I guess,” Adrianna groaned.
Now that she thought about it she could see Brandy’s point. Perhaps she had misjudged the situation. She hoped Trent was thinking about her, going over what she had said, and she hoped he would feel jealous at the thought of her being with another man. Then maybe he’d decide to be more committed to her, rather than just seeing her as a link-up he could use for sex and dump when he felt like it.
She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Sanjay’s number. He had been a nice guy, she remembered, and he was attractive too. He wouldn’t hit her, she knew that much, and the fact he had a girlfriend didn’t really bother her. If Trent wouldn’t show her sympathy, and Brandy wouldn’t either, then perhaps Sanjay would provide her with reassurance that she was worth it, that she deserved more than to be treated and dismissed in such a way.
She texted him, ignoring Brandy shaking her head with disapproval.
“What now?” she demanded, glaring at Brandy.
“You’re texting the other guy?” Brandy asked. She looked half amused, half concerned for her. “You’re playing with fire, girl, that’s all I’ll say on it.”
Adrianna shrugged. She knew Brandy meant well, but the fact of the matter was Brandy was probably just jealous because whereas she had once dated a Banks brother, now Adrianna was, and she was even getting close to another guy with a good reputation and who had done time. Brandy was just jealous, Adrianna decided.
Sanjay replied to her text and Adrianna beamed, relieved that at least he was showing an interest in her. She winked at Brandy, who rolled her eyes. Adrianna shrugged off her warning, and text him back, wondering if Trent was jealous yet.
* * *
Jessie let herself into the house and heaved the metal front door shut behind her. It was a reinforced door, just one of the many reminders that this was not just a home but a fortress, from which the Healy brothers could command their empire.
She wondered if she was a bad sister for dismissing Tyrese’s plea for help, but instantly dismissed the thought. He had not been there for her when she’d had the first miscarriage. She had needed her family then, but all she’d had from Tyrese was a text message. Then she’d learnt she was pregnant again and she had felt so much happier; she had been certain this one would be smooth, but she had lost that baby too. She shuddered as she remembered the feeling of emptiness that had overcome her then, as she had sat in the shower, blood running down her thighs, unable even to cry she had felt so numb.
No, she thought, Tyrese wasn’t worth her time.
She went upstairs to the bedroom she shared with Corey, and found him drying himself off with a towel, and he smiled when he saw her.
“Where have you been?” he asked, looking pleased that she had been out. Jessie knew he had been worried, and she didn’t really blame him. She rarely left the house now, and Corey had taken to trying to lure her outside with promises of shopping and a meal out, but Jessie always refused. She wasn’t sure why, but the lingering sense of emptiness, of loss, had been hard to shake after she had lost the second baby, and her mood never seemed to improve.
“Just went to see my mum,” Jessie said. She wasn’t sure why she had lied to him, but she didn’t want to tell him about Tyrese or what he had asked of her. Corey had been tense enough with her lately, she didn’t want to make things any worse.
“That’s great,” Corey said, pleased. “Perhaps we could go grab some dinner later? There’s this new restaurant down the –”
He trailed off as Jessie shook her head. She fumbled in the drawer of the bedside table and began rolling herself a joint. She needed it to take the edge off. Tyrese had reminded her of the babies she might have had, and she was beginning to feel hollow once more.
Corey sighed as he watched her roll the joint, and she felt frustrated with him. When they had first started sleeping together he had loved her sense of recklessness, he had rolled the joints for her, but now he thought she was going overboard with it. He had been hurt by the loss of their babies too, but it was like he had forgotten all about them now, and that made Jessie feel even more alone, as if she were the only one in the world who cared that two children had died inside her.
“You can go without me,” Jessie suggested, lighting the joint.
Corey sighed and left the room, closing the door behind him, and Jessie stretched out on the bed, pulling an ashtray towards her. She was alone again, with only her dark thoughts for company, and she wondered if this was how it would always be.
* * *
Troy greeted Mr Rush, his lawyer, with a curt nod and sat down across the table from him in the private meeting room, eyes narrowed in suspicion, anxious as to what news his lawyer might have brought with him this time.
“How have you been holding up?” Rush asked.
Troy wondered if his lawyer really cared, but he shrugged anyway. How the hell did he think he’d been doing? He was in prison, not a fucking holiday resort.
“I have some news I thought you’d want to hear,” Rush said, rifling through some papers on the desk in front of him. Troy looked at him, and wondered if this man was really all that stood between him and freedom. He had lines around his eyes, his hair was more grey than black now, and he had patchy stubble. Troy couldn’t quite believe his future lay in this man’s hands.
“Is it good news?” Troy asked, intrigued despite himself. He leant forwards, and Rush smiled at the eagerness of his client.
“Yes, very good news,” Rush nodded. Troy felt his pulse quicken with excitement. “I received the news this morning and had to clear it with the boss, but I thought you’d want to know as soon as possible.”
“Get on with it then,” Troy prompted him, “What’s such good news?”
“The CPS has been in touch,” Rush replied. “As you know, the police have still been investigating Sasha Morton and Wright O’Neill’s deaths, with connection to you. They informed me today that they have dropped the charges against you in these two cases.”
Troy could hardly believe it. He felt relief wash over him. He had known that Patterson was desperate to pin both murders on him, and now that she had failed he felt vindictive satisfaction as he wondered how she had taken the news.
“It’s very good news,” Rush went on. “Of course, you’ll still be facing trial for Shaniqua Curtis’ murder, but the fact that the charges for two other crimes have been dropped against you doesn’t look great for the prosecution, especially as it was the same arresting officer, DS Patterson, that charged you with all three murders.”
“You mean it’ll look like she got it wrong?” Troy asked.
Rush nodded.
“She charged you with two murders when there was little to no evidence available, and those charges have now been dropped,” he explained. “The CPS threw the cases out, and that means a jury will have to consider the fact that she got it wrong in arresting you for Shaniqua Curtis’ murder too. It’s looking good.”
Troy beamed. He wished he could’ve seen Patterson’s face when she had been told the news. As Rush began to talk through some other implications, Troy wondered if, in a few short weeks, he would be out of prison and walking free.
The thought thrilled him and he smiled at Rush, for once not noticing the grey hair or the age lines around his eyes, only seeing the smiling face of the man who had brought him such good news.
* * *
“The charges are being dropped?” Ser
ena repeated. She glared at Casey. “I knew something was on your mind. How long have you known for?”
“I only found out this morning, just before I picked you up,” Casey replied, abashed.
“And when were you going to tell me?” Serena asked. Casey looked down into his lap, blushing. She sighed, shaking her head. “Let me guess, never? Or when I’d testified and gone back down to Cornwall?”
“Something like that,” Casey murmured. He shifted in his seat. “Jenkins told me not to tell you. He said that you might kick off.”
“He said that?” Serena demanded, temper flaring.
“In so many words,” Casey nodded.
“Right, take me to his office,” Serena said.
Casey faltered. He looked imploringly at her, but Serena’s gaze was stern and he must have known there was no changing her mind. He pulled away from the front of her hotel and started back down the road.
Serena was seething.
The thought that the charges against Troy Banks had been dropped rankled with her. She was in no doubt that he had pulled the trigger and killed Sasha Morton and Wright O’Neill. Now he would get away with it, if the CPS had their way.
The car was silent as they drove to Scotland Yard. Serena knew that Casey was afraid to broach the subject or voice his opinion for fear of unleashing her rantings, and she did not blame him. She could barely contain her frustration, and it would serve no purpose to get annoyed at him. He was on her side, she knew that.
When they reached the building, Serena was out of the car and breezing across the lobby before Casey had shut off the engine. He jogged after her, catching up with her as she called the lift. He was breathing hard, and gave Serena an uncertain look.
“You’re not going to turn violent or anything, are you?” he asked.
“No, don’t worry,” Serena told him. “I won’t get you in any trouble.”
“I think it’s too late for that,” Casey sighed, as they stepped into the lift and Serena pressed for Jenkins’ floor.
Serena looked at her former partner, and she felt bad that she had put Casey in this position.
“I’m sorry,” she managed, sounding awkward even to her in the silence of the lift. “For putting you in -”
“Let’s just keep the apologies until after we’ve established the damage,” Casey sighed, holding up a hand to stop her. “If I keep my job, then you’re forgiven.”
Serena smiled to herself. Perhaps Casey was secretly pleased that she was going up against Jenkins. Maybe that was why he had let it slip to her in the first place.
The lift doors opened. Jenkins was waiting at the door to his office already, looking down the corridor at them as they approached. Serena realized that reception must have notified him already of his visitor. Perhaps he had expected her intrusion.
“Welcome back, Serena,” Jenkins beamed, as she neared him. He held out his hand, and Serena reluctantly shook it. “I thought you would be settling into your hotel room by now,” he smiled, with a glance at Casey. “What brings you here?”
“I think you already know,” Serena said, forcing a smile.
Jenkins’ smile faltered but he stepped aside and beckoned them into his office.
Serena was surprised to find another man stood in the room. He nodded towards her, then Casey. He looked uncertain, as if he was not entirely sure of his purpose at this meeting. Serena glanced at him, before watching as Jenkins walked around his desk and sat down in his leather chair.
“I assume you’ve heard that the charges have unfortunately been dropped,” Jenkins said.
“Yes,” Serena confirmed. “I want your permission to re-open that case. I can get more evidence, or more witnesses. I know that I can.”
“No,” Jenkins shook his head. “Absolutely not. You can’t be involved in that sort of investigation, not when you are due to testify against your prime suspect.”
“I can’t just do nothing,” Serena protested.
“I understand that,” Jenkins nodded. “Hence why I sent for Mr Carl Hurst, here,” he gestured, introducing the other man in the room. Carl smiled. “He has just been promoted to detective. He has been heading up a new case, and I think you can offer some help.”
“Which case?” Serena asked, despite herself. She knew she was being sidelined. Jenkins was hardly subtle. Yet she was interested. She looked from Jenkins to Carl.
“Jasper Okoro was murdered several months ago,” Jenkins explained. “He ran a criminal empire. He was known more commonly as Uncle Jasper. Detective Hurst is trying to investigate the criminal empire that he had built up before his death.”
“He was murdered by his brother,” Serena said. She was familiar with the case from the news. She had come across Uncle Jasper before. He had deserved death, she thought, for all the misery his drug deals and violence had caused.
“Yes, indeed,” Jenkins nodded. “Brilliant. You’re already clued-in. You can hit the ground running, as it were.”
Serena frowned.
“What about Sasha Morton and Wright O’Neill?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about that,” Jenkins told her. “That’s all in hand.”
Serena did not believe him, but she knew that she could not persuade Jenkins to shift on his position. Perhaps he was right, she thought. It could affect Troy’s trial if she was investigating him for other charges at the same time.
She sighed, and Jenkins seemed relieved that she had not argued her point.
“I’m sure you’ll want to be brought up to speed by Detective Hurst,” Jenkins said, smiling from one to the other. “And what better time than now?”
Serena knew they were being dismissed. She forced a smile and thanked him. She led the way out of the room, nodding at Casey as she left, followed by Carl.
As the door closed behind her, Serena could not help but feel slighted.
* * *
Sanjay watched his mum retreat to the kitchen and turned to glare at Amal and Naz, glaring at each other and acting more like kids than men. Naz was still moody, and Amal seemed to be avoiding his gaze, perhaps remorseful, or not as the case may be.
There was a knock on the front door and Mrs Siddiqui called out to them. Sanjay hoisted himself off the sofa and went to answer it. He was surprised to see Trent Banks standing on the front step, looking at him uncertainly. Whilst Sanjay had been good mates with Tyrese and Jayden at school, he had never been close to Trent. They had never really been mates, and from Trent’s expression, that wasn’t about to change any time soon.
“What can I do for you?” Sanjay asked, feeling a moment’s panic.
“I just wanted to ask you something,” Trent said, and Sanjay sensed that he didn’t want to be here, and that he felt awkward asking whatever it was he had come to ask him. “It’s about one my girls, she was here at your party the other night –” He trailed off, unable to meet Sanjay’s eyes.
“She ain’t still here mate,” Sanjay joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Sorry, man, I just wanted to know if, well, if she was hanging out with any guys in particular,” Trent said, trying to keep his voice casual. He fumbled for his phone and brought up a photo on the screen. “You remember seeing this girl? Her name’s Adrianna.”
Sanjay looked at the phone and shook his head, hoping his surprise hadn’t shown on his face when he’d heard the name. He remembered her at once, of course, he’d fucked her in his bedroom and he was sure he’d fuck her again if he saw her.
“Nah man, sorry,” Sanjay shrugged. “My memory’s a bit hazy, you know, too much tequila, so I can’t help you out.”
Trent looked as if he hadn’t expected anything else, and forced a smile.
“Cheers anyway,” he managed.
Trent went off down the street, slipping the phone back into his pocket. Sanjay closed the door, feeling a small amount of pleasure at the thought that he had fucked one of the Banks brothers’ girls. Adrianna had told him she had a boyfriend, but not who he was. The thought turne
d him on. Still, Trent could seriously disrupt his plans with Tyrese if he found out, so as he returned to the lounge he scrolled through his contacts and found Adrianna’s number. He sent her a text, knowing he had to make sure she kept quiet about who he was, or he would regret it, he was sure of that.
* * *
Trent had never trusted Sanjay and as he walked down the street, he wondered whether he had just been lied to. He couldn’t be sure, but he always felt uneasy whenever he was in the guy’s presence and he still couldn’t understand why Tyrese thought so highly of him.
It wasn’t like he was jealous of Sanjay or had anything specific that he could pin on him to cause such distrust, but Trent couldn’t bring himself to like him, or respect him, and he wondered if he was perhaps being a little hard on him.
The party had been a big one, from all accounts, and he could hardly blame Sanjay for not remembering one girl. It was just his natural dislike for him that made him question Sanjay’s reply, Trent told himself. He didn’t think Sanjay would lie to him, not when he was working for Tyrese. He pushed aside his doubts about Sanjay, and wondered who Adrianna might have slept with, feeling embarrassed that he cared so much. It wasn’t so much her, he thought, more that some guy disrespected him enough to sleep with one of his girls. A thought occurred to him and he began to smile.
Adrianna might have made the whole thing up just to get a reaction out of him, make him feel jealous because he wasn’t showing commitment. Yes, that was it, he decided, shaking his head at his own foolishness. As if she’d go out and cheat when she had him, he thought. Feeling reassured, he decided he would make a bit more of an effort with her, keep her sweet, at least until he got bored of her.
* * *
The screams from the lounge were doing Brandy’s head in and she wished Aunt Bo would shut the baby up before it gave them all a headache. Her mum was back at the flat too and she knew she wouldn’t take well to being disturbed.
“What the fuck you doing to that kid?” her mum screamed from her bedroom, and Brandy sighed. Her mother had woken up and until she fucked off out the flat there would be nothing but arguments.
The Goldsworth Series Box Set Page 92