A Gangster's Grip: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 2

by Heather Burnside

  Jenny nodded. The fight had now left her, and Rita dashed to the car with Yansis, reluctant to prolong the embrace and let Jenny see the tears that were starting to form. She was surprised that she had become so emotional. Her, Rita, the feisty one who nothing ever seemed to touch. But she knew what had upset her. It was the fear she had seen in Jenny’s eyes.

  Chapter 6

  Friday 22nd March 1991 – early afternoon

  The visit to her sister, Jenny, had unsettled Rita more than she cared to admit. She had hoped that, by talking to Jenny, she might convince her to break free of Leroy’s clutches. But after Monday, there didn’t seem much chance of that. Rita’s memories of Jenny were of a naïve little girl who hung onto her every word. Boy had things changed! Jenny had definitely inherited the same feistiness as her; that was for sure.

  Rita couldn’t work out what kept her sister tied to Leroy. Was it because she was so smitten that she couldn’t see the bad in him, or was it down to fear? Jenny certainly seemed smitten when she had seen them together at her parents’ house, but then she had noticed the fear in her eyes on Monday. That had unnerved Rita more than anything. Perhaps it was like the girls in the Buckthorn Inn had said; once you was in a relationship with Leroy, it was difficult to just walk away. Their words had shocked her, but there was a part of her that still didn’t quite believe them. There might have been an element of truth, but it smacked of the melodrama of youth.

  The trouble, as far as Rita was concerned, was that the longer Jenny was with Leroy, the deeper she would become embroiled in his shady world. That being the case, Rita wasn’t prepared to give up just yet. She therefore decided to visit her dad in the Brown Cow. She wasn’t sure what she expected to achieve, but she knew that her dad was involved with Leroy, so perhaps he could wield some influence, or at least tell her what was going on.

  Rita anticipated that her discussion with her father might become heated, and she didn’t want Yansis to get involved. She always felt embarrassed when Yansis saw that side of her. He’d been brought up differently, and wasn’t used to this way of life, so in some ways she felt as though she wanted to shelter him from it. Fair enough, she had dragged him along to the Buckthorn Inn, but what choice did she have? She wasn’t exactly inundated with offers to accompany her.

  Anyway, she knew the Brown Cow, and she’d go at lunchtime when she felt safe going in on her own. It wasn’t her favourite pub. She and her friends had preferred the Flying Horse when she lived on the estate, mainly because the Brown Cow had always been the pub where her dad hung out. Another reason was because there was generally a better clientele in the Flying Horse, although this wasn’t always the case. The Flying Horse was nearer to Julie’s former home, which was where the council housing estate met with the older style properties where Julie had lived.

  Rita hoped to catch her dad in the pub now, as it was still the place where he spent most of his spare time.

  When they pulled up in the carpark of the Brown Cow, Rita persuaded Yansis to wait outside in the car, as she didn’t expect to spend too long in the pub. She told him it was best if he kept an eye on the car and, in view of the recent events outside the Buckthorn Inn, he didn’t take a lot of convincing.

  Inside the pub, Rita recognised a few faces, but she hadn’t been to the Brown Cow for years, so there were a number of strangers too. She walked around the pub lounge, searching all the tables to see if she could spot her dad, but there was no sign of him. It had been wishful thinking on her part; she knew that he was most likely in the vault, but the vault of the Brown Cow wasn’t the most inviting place for a woman. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t let that deter her.

  Rita strode into the vault to the sound of whistles and jeers from several of the men. It was nothing less than she expected, and she tried to ignore them and focus on the matter in hand. She spotted her father straightaway, sitting at a table with a few of his cronies, and walked over to him. “Can I have a word, in private?” she asked.

  A cacophony of taunts and suggestive comments ensued from the men sitting with Ged, until he shut them up by announcing, “Give over, it’s my fuckin’ daughter!”

  It didn’t take Ged long to leave the table, and Rita guessed that he wouldn’t want his friends to hear what she had to say, any more than she wanted to be overheard. He would know that she hadn’t come here to have a nice friendly drink with him, but her visit had still piqued his curiosity. She led him away, through the door and into the large pub foyer.

  “What you doing here?” he demanded.

  “I told you. I want a word.”

  “Well what’s wrong with having a word with me at home, instead of coming here showing me up in front of all my mates.”

  “I don’t think you’d want my mam to hear what I have to say. It’s about our Jenny and Leroy.” She whispered the last word.

  “Oh yeah?” he sneered.

  “Yeah, I’m a bit worried about our Jenny. I think she’s in danger … with him. I think he’s bad news.”

  “What the hell you talking about? He’s alright; he’s been good to us.”

  “Well you’re bound to think that. He’s fixing you up with plenty of fake and knock-off stuff to shift.”

  “So, what if he is? What’s it to you?”

  “That’s not all he gets up to, is it?” She lowered her voice before continuing. “He’s dealing drugs.”

  “Is he ’eck.”

  Her father’s reply was instantaneous and defensive, and she could tell he knew more than he was admitting to.

  “Look, Dad, I know he is; I’ve been told things. I think you know what he gets up to as well as I do. Now you might think it’s alright to turn a blind eye, as long as he’s seeing you right, but have you thought about the harm he can do? He’s not just a dealer, he’s a dangerous man. I know how he treats women. I’ve been to the pub where he used to live, and seen the scar on his ex-girlfriend’s face …”

  Before she could say anymore, Ged interrupted. “You what? Are you stupid, going down there?”

  “No, I’m not stupid, but you are for dealing with him. Anyone in their right mind would run a mile. Instead, you’ve got your daughter shacked up with him. But never mind, eh,” she added sarcastically, “as long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters.”

  Ged surprised Rita by grabbing hold of her arm and threatening her, “Keep your fuckin’ nose out of things that have got nowt to do with you!”

  “No, I won’t!” she retaliated, trying to prise her arm from his grip. “Someone’s got to help Jenny. You need to warn her, and stop selling his stuff for him so he’s got no hold over you.”

  Ged was becoming increasingly agitated now as, still gripping her arm, he leant towards her. She could smell the alcohol fumes, as he snarled into her ear, “You just don’t fuckin’ get it, do you? Nobody tells Leroy what he can and can’t do, not if they want to live to tell the tale anyway.”

  She tugged sharply, managing to wrench her arm away and he backed off, as if realising how menacing he must appear to any passersby. While Rita stared at him in disbelief, he added, “You know your trouble, Rita? You don’t know when to keep your big mouth shut. You’ve always been the same. Now clear off back to Greece and leave things alone, before you really upset the apple cart.”

  He turned towards the pub door, but Rita hadn’t finished with him yet. “You make me sick!” she yelled. “Thank God our John’s out of it. No wonder he joined the bloody army; he probably didn’t want to end up like you!”

  She didn’t get a chance to say any more as he was already on the other side of the door, cursing her under his breath as he went back to join his friends. Rita stepped out of the porch and onto the pavement, taking a moment to compose herself before she returned to the car.

  She was thankful she hadn’t taken Yansis with her. Although he wasn’t one for trouble, she knew that he wouldn’t have stood by while her father behaved in such a way. If Yansis had retaliated, the whole thing could have escalated, a
nd it was bad enough as it was. The experience had left her shaken, and she took her cigarettes from her handbag and lit one up with trembling hands.

  Rita was standing outside the Brown Cow, taking furious drags on her cigarette and trying to calm herself down, when she felt a prod in her ribs. She spun round, primed for a repeat performance with her father, but was surprised to see a face from the past. It was a young woman called Tracy, who used to be a regular in the same local pubs as Rita, years before.

  “Rita Steadman. Bloody hell, I thought it was you! I thought you were gonna do me some damage for a minute. I haven’t seen you for years. How are you?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve just had a barney with my old man. I thought he’d come back to give me some grief. I’m alright. It’s Rita Christos now, actually. How are you?”

  They soon fell into conversation, catching up on the years since they had last seen each other, and it helped to take Rita’s mind off her current predicament. Rita hadn’t been close to Tracy in the past, but she provided a link to an old friend that Rita had lost touch with. That friend was called Debby, and Rita had been thinking about her a lot since she returned to Manchester. She had wanted to visit her, but Debby’s family had moved off the estate, and Rita’s mum didn’t know where they lived.

  When Rita had asked her mother about Debby, she told her that, as far as she knew, Debby hadn’t moved away with her family. She now had a young family of her own, and a house on the estate, but her mother didn’t know any more than that. Unfortunately, Joan didn’t know Debby’s new address. Rita was therefore pleased to find out Debby’s address from Tracy, and it wasn’t too far away.

  After saying goodbye to Tracy, Rita went back to the car. At least some good had come out of today, she thought, and she was looking forward to visiting her old friend, but she would leave it for another time. She had had enough excitement for one day.

  Rita returned to Julie and Vinny’s home with Yansis, and recounted her meeting with her father, firstly to Yansis in the car and then again to Julie. She left out some of the facts, not wishing to upset Yansis by letting him know how aggressively her father had behaved towards her. When she spoke to Julie, she kept the facts brief; she was still feeling troubled by the encounter, and wasn’t in the mood to rake over the finer details just yet.

  -------------------

  Friday 22nd March 1991 – evening

  Jenny and Leroy were having a night out in the Brown Cow. It wasn’t the nearest pub to their home, but it had been Jenny’s local when she lived at her parents’ so they still went there sometimes. The landlord was running a disco on Friday evenings, which increased the pub’s popularity. The place was packed, and customers were queueing three deep at the bar.

  While Leroy was waiting to get served, Jenny scanned the room. She noticed how people regarded her and Leroy warily. Those who were acquaintances became over-friendly, and people who had never bothered with her kept their heads down and whispered amongst themselves. They knew of Leroy’s reputation.

  Leroy didn’t have to wait long before he was served; he never did. That was another advantage of him having such a bad reputation.

  “Right, where do you wanna sit?” he asked Jenny.

  “There’s no seats. You have to come early if you want a seat.”

  “I said, where do you wanna sit?”

  “Oh.”

  Jenny soon interpreted his meaning, and looked over at the crowd sitting in the corner. She had already seen them when she walked in. Kelly Brady, with her boyfriend and some other mates. Kelly bloody Brady! She’d known her for years, been to the same school as her. But they’d never been friends. She was the ultimate mean girl who’d picked on her at school, and Rita had even had to step in once or twice when things escalated. Nowadays, she left her alone, but Jenny hadn’t forgotten what she’d put her through. Kelly bloody Brady.

  “I fancy sitting in the corner over there, away from the speakers, but all those seats are taken.”

  “Not for long, come on. You carry the drinks, and I’ll sort the seats.”

  She tried to keep up with Leroy as he strutted across the pub.

  “Which seats d’you fancy?” he asked Jenny, once they reached the table where Kelly Brady was sitting.

  Jenny pointed to Kelly Brady and her boyfriend. “Those two.”

  Despite a slight feeling of apprehension, Jenny took delight in the expression on Kelly’s face when she caught sight of over six feet of towering aggression, looming over them. Leroy slapped his hands on the back of Kelly and her boyfriend’s chairs.

  “These two are taken,” he said. “Get your drinks and go.”

  “Yeah, taken by us,” said the boyfriend, laughing to his friends in a desperate show of bravado.

  “Not anymore they ain’t. My woman’s pregnant and wants to sit down. Now have some respect, and fuck off and find somewhere else to sit.”

  Kelly chipped in. “There’s no other seats. Besides, we came here early to get these seats. If you want to sit down, then you should come early like the rest of us.”

  “Shut it bitch!”

  “You what? Andy, are you gonna let him talk to me like that?”

  “You’re out of order, mate,” said Andy. “These are our seats. You can’t just walk in and expect us to shift out of ’em.”

  “Who says?” Leroy leant over to Andy and whispered in his ear. “You ever heard of the Buckthorn Crew? You know what my lads do to guys who disrespect me?”

  “Look, I don’t want no trouble, mate,” said Andy. “We just came for a good night out with our mates.”

  Jenny watched the look of disgust on Kelly’s face, at her boyfriend’s lack of courage.

  “If you don’t want no trouble, then you best do as you’re told,” said Leroy. “You don’t wanna be lookin’ over your shoulder every time you leave the house, do you? In fact, even inside your house you’re not safe these days. You see that story in the paper the other night? Three masked men with guns raided a house in Salford.”

  He then held two fingers to his head, in the shape of a gun, and imitated the sound of a gun discharging.

  “Nothing to do with me, but there’s some bad bastards around these days. You gotta watch who you’re dealing with. Now, I ain’t making no threats,” he stated, to the rest of the group. “I’m just telling you what some people are like, that’s all.”

  “Come on Kelly, let’s go,” said the boyfriend, who left his seat without finishing his drink, pulling Kelly behind him. Kelly fixed Jenny with a scowl as she passed her, and Jenny responded with a sarcastic grin.

  Kelly’s group of friends followed her and her boyfriend, eager to get out of the pub as soon as possible.

  “Take your pick,” Leroy said to Jenny. “You need room to spread out in your condition.”

  They moved into the corner, taking advantage of the space around them. Leroy dragged one of the stools towards him, and used it to rest his oversized feet on. As she gazed around the pub, noting the reactions of the anxious customers, Jenny felt like royalty.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “It’s alright. They should have got up for you anyway. Scumbags shouldn’t expect a pregnant woman to stand up, especially my woman. They need to learn respect.”

  Despite the implication that she was Leroy’s possession, Jenny was pleased to be linked to him. Nobody messed with her when she was with Leroy. She felt a fluttering in her stomach; it was the baby moving around. It triggered thoughts of how proud Leroy was about the fact that he was to become a father. He had been delighted when he found out she was pregnant, and was determined that his child would have everything he never had.

  Jenny knew that things hadn’t always been good for Leroy. He’d told her about it one night after a few drinks, in one of his rare vulnerable moments. He was the oldest child, but he’d never known his father, who had split from his mother even before Leroy was born. For a few years his mother struggled to bring him up alone, occasionally leaving him w
ith relatives while she went for nights out. They’d got along well while there were just the two of them. Then, when he was seven, his mother got married, and had several children to Leroy’s stepfather.

  Leroy and his stepfather never got on. He resented his stepfather for coming between him and his mother and, as a young child, he failed to hide his feelings. Many stepfathers would have been patient, and built up a relationship. Leroy’s stepfather wasn’t like that. Instead, he repaid Leroy’s resentment with a ferocious venom. Leroy wasn’t his child, and he found ways to remind him of that at every opportunity.

  Not only did his stepfather leave him out of treats he bestowed on his own children, he blamed him for everything. If one of Leroy’s younger siblings tormented him, and he reacted, he was to blame because he was the oldest. As he got older, Leroy lashed out against his stepfather, verbally at first, but when his stepfather punished him physically, Leroy retaliated. He always came off worst against a grown man. When he tried to enlist sympathy from his mother, she told him he had brought it on himself for being disobedient.

  Then, when Leroy was 16, his stepfather returned home drunk one night and picked a fight with Leroy, who was a big lad by then. Although his stepfather had the age advantage, he underestimated how much his drunkenness had slowed his reactions. When he swiped Leroy round the head for back-chatting him, Leroy responded with a powerful blow to his stomach, followed by a swift uppercut. While his stepfather was winded and doubled over, Leroy grabbed a breadknife and held it to his throat.

  “You ever touch me again, and I swear I’ll finish the fuckin’ job off,” he threatened, as his stepfather stood trembling.

  After that night, his stepfather never touched him again, and it was a few weeks later when he packed his bags and left. Leroy swore from that moment onwards that nobody would ever pick on him again. With his stepfather gone, he took on the role of protector for the rest of his family, on an estate where it was vital not to show any signs of weakness.