She strode into that building, on the surface full of her usual swagger but underneath she felt sick and uneasy. She’d thought this meet a bad idea from the start. Denny Lambourne, the fat bastard, had sided with Jared Slattery in his attempts to snatch Manchester from them. He’d only been spared so he could spread the word amongst the city’s underworld about how the Maguires had destroyed all their enemies in one magnificent manoeuvre. Now he was supposedly trying to make amends by offering Mikey this very lucrative pub as recompense but Jules didn’t trust him an inch. She’d offered to remove him nice and quietly, she could have made it look like a heart attack but Mikey and Jez wanted to give him a chance. She thought they were going to regret that decision.
Denny was waiting inside for them with two of his heavies. Mikey and Jules glanced at each other, not liking the fact they were outnumbered.
“Ah, there you are,” said Denny, opening his arms wide in greeting, looking like some cheap Mafia don with his expensive grey suit straining over his large belly, long wool coat draped over his shoulders, a thin black pencil moustache and an actual fedora on his head.
“My fault, slept in,” grinned Jules.
Denny’s smile dropped. “You slept in?” His gaze moved to Mikey. “I thought you were supposed to be professionals, or is she taking the piss out of me?”
“Just a little joke to break the ice,” said Jules, eyes sharpening. “Why did you bring along this pair for a simple business meeting?”
“I wanted to show you that I’m a serious man, that I’m not just playing at this. Unlike some,” he added under his breath.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she demanded.
“Nothing,” he said, holding up his hands, the thick gold ring on his right pinky finger glinting in the light.
“Let’s get down to business,” said Mikey. “We’re both busy men. What’s your proposal?”
“My proposal,” smiled Denny. “Yes, well, I was going to offer you this business at a knock down price, I know how much you admire the place.”
Mikey nodded. “It’s got potential. But what do you mean by was?”
“I’m not anymore.”
Mikey’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t fucking want to. You put me in hospital for weeks, you almost killed me.”
“You deserved a fucking good spanking after what you did to us,” bellowed Mikey. “You were happy to sit back and take a piece of our businesses. You’re lucky we let you live and that was only because you didn’t actually take part in the takeover. You are standing here only because of my benevolence.”
“Well your benevolence is going to get you a bullet in the head. And this bitch’s too.”
Denny and his heavies all drew the guns they’d secreted in their jackets, aiming them at Jules and Mikey.
Jules rounded on Mikey. “I said you should have killed him.”
“Even when you’ve got a gun pointed at your head you don’t shut that big trap of yours,” said Denny.
“That’s because I’m not afraid of fat men with little pop-pops.”
“Well this little pop-pop is going to blast your brains out of your head,” he said, grabbing her and pressing the weapon to her temple.
“No it’s not,” yelled Mikey, furious. She’d warned him this meeting was a mistake and he should have listened to her. Now look what he’d got them both into.
“Not nice being in the weaker position, is it?” said Denny, pressing the gun harder to the side of her head. “I watched you slaughter my friends then you beat the shit out of me. I never forget a wrong.”
“You were the one in the wrong you fucking moron,” said Mikey. “If you hadn’t got above yourself your friends would still be alive.” Mikey was talking for time, able to see Jules slowly hitching one of her daggers out of her sleeve without trying to alert Denny to what she was doing. “And do you honestly think Jez is going to let this one slide? Even if you do manage to get rid of us you’ll still have him to deal with and he’ll come straight for you.”
“Do you think I’m stupid?” said Denny.
“Pretty much,” said Jules.
Denny chose to ignore the remark. “The meeting Jez is at is a trap. He should be dead by now.”
“You fucking wank,” roared Mikey, seething.
“Don’t even think it bitch,” said Denny, unfortunately clicking onto what Jules was doing. “Throw the knives.”
“Go fuck yourself you turnip.”
“For someone who’s always boasting about how high their IQ is, you really are thick.”
“Not so thick,” she said.
Mikey couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Denny when his jaw fell open and he suddenly paled. He staggered back, clutching his bleeding side to reveal the knife in Jules’s hand, the one he hadn’t noticed because she’d been distracting him with the other hand. She grabbed the gun from him and shot down one of his men, the other leaping for cover behind the bar. As he shot back Jules ducked down behind a table while Mikey ran to a corner of the room, threw aside an old dust sheet and produced the weapon he’d secreted there the day before. Jules and the second man were firing at each other but neither were able to get a clear shot and bullets were pinging around the room.
“Stay down,” he yelled to Jules.
“Yeah, I’d already got that,” she said sarcastically.
From his vantage point Mikey was able to get a shot off at the man who had entrenched himself behind the bar.
Jules heard movement behind her and turned to see another of Denny’s men burst out of a side door and charge at her. She just managed to duck as a huge fist flew at her and she kicked out, catching him in the jaw. The man groaned and staggered back but didn’t go down. She lashed out again but he was faster than she’d anticipated and caught her wrist. A punch to the chest released her and she followed it up with a punch to the face. Unfortunately she tripped over a fallen chair and staggered backwards into the bar. This gave him all the time he needed to snatch up the gun and aim it at her.
“No,” she screamed, wrapping her arms around her stomach.
Mikey had finally shot down the man behind the bar. He leapt forward and shot the second man before he could fire. As the sound of the last shot died away he looked to Jules, who unwrapped her arms and raised her head, looking upset.
“What the fuck Jules?” Mikey exclaimed as he tugged his phone out of his jacket and dialled Jez’s number. “Have you lost your bottle or something?”
“No I haven’t,” she retorted.
“Then how can you explain behaviour like that? If you can’t handle it anymore just tell me but I can’t have someone on my firm who can’t deal with violence.”
“I’m not losing my bottle,” she yelled at him.
He held up his hand for silence when Jez answered his call and she anxiously waited to hear if her younger brother was okay.
“Jez, thank fuck,” breathed Mikey. “Get out of there, it’s a trap…oh, you already know. Alright. when the clean up crew’s done over there we need them over here. Yeah Denny’s gone, silly bastard.”
“So they’re okay?” said Jules after he’d hung up.
“Fine. Denny’s henchmen were no match. Now, are you going to tell me what’s up?”
She sighed and turned her back, wrestling with herself.
Realising something was really wrong he threw down the gun and decided to try a more gentle tactic. “Jules, please, what is it?”
She turned back round to face him, eyes wide. “I’m pregnant Mikey.”
Mikey swallowed hard, hating the knot of jealousy that formed inside his chest. Involuntarily his eyes swept to her stomach, which looked completely flat. “When did you find out?”
“Just before you came to pick me up. I did a test. Actually I did three tests because I couldn’t believe it and all three of them were positive. I reckon I’m about three months gone.”
“I thought you couldn’t have kids?”
“Jax must be pleased,” he said acidly.
“He doesn’t know.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“He’s not the father.”
“Then who?” His mind slipped back to three months ago. “Oh Jesus, please don’t tell me it’s…”
“Jared Slattery’s. Yes.”
“Holy hell.”
“Indeed.”
Mikey had no idea what to make of that so, to buy himself some time, he got on his phone and called Declan to ask how long it would take for the clean-up crew to arrive.
When he’d done he said to Jules, “sit down,” righting an upturned chair for her.
“I’m fine standing.”
“You’re pregnant and you were almost killed. Sit down.”
“Fine,” she sighed, slumping into the chair.
Mikey righted a chair for himself and sat beside her, carefully thinking over what he was going to say before beginning.
“Go on, give me a bollocking for being a stupid cow. I deserve it,” she said, mistaking his silence for anger.
“I don’t like shouting at pregnant women. What are you going to do?”
“I have no idea.” She regarded him with surprise. “I thought you’d tell me to get rid of it.”
“Do you think I’m some sort of monster?” he said, hurt.
She dragged her hands through her hair. “No I don’t. Sorry, I just thought you’d be really pissed off.”
“To tell the truth, I’m not exactly delighted. It would have made life a lot simpler if it was Jax’s.”
“Tell me about it,” she exclaimed. “What sort of chance does this kid have with me for a mum and that big loon for a dad? Not to mention his mum, she would kill to have a grandkid, literally.”
“You’d be in danger if they ever found out?”
“Definitely. Maybe it would be best all round if I got rid of it?”
“You don’t sound as though you mean that.”
“It’s for the best,” she said through a tense jaw.
“Not for you. I saw the way you screamed and wrapped your arms around your stomach. You were protecting your baby.”
“Don’t call it that.”
“What?”
“A baby. It’s not a baby, it’s just a collection of cells.”
“You keep telling yourself that if it helps you stay detached but I think you love that kid already.”
“It’s not a kid.”
“Yes it is. Your kid.”
“Jesus Mikey, are you trying to convince me to keep it?”
“I’m just trying to make you see all sides. If you had an abortion then realised you’d made a mistake that would destroy you.”
“I didn’t know I wanted it until that arsehole tried to shoot me in the stomach,” she said, gesturing at the dead man. “But I’ll be a horrible mum.”
“I think you might surprise yourself.”
“Jesus Mikey. I’ve killed lots of people, I’m a professional assassin, I even kept my adopted dad locked in a cage for two years. If Social Services found that out they’d not only take the baby off me they’d have me sterilised too.”
“All that’s in the past, you’re not the woman you used to be. I think you’d be great.”
She gaped at him. “Have you lost the plot or something?”
“No. I don’t think there’d be a more loyal, protective mum than you. When you hold your baby for the first time, when you feel that bond with them…well, there’s nothing like it.”
“What if I can’t bond? What if I turn out like Estelle and decide I don’t want it once it’s here then it grows up hating me, wondering what it had done that was so bad its own mother didn’t want it around?”
“Is that what you really think?”
She shook her head. “Not now I know she’s a greedy, evil slag who wasn’t interested in any of her kids. Now I know it was her fault, not mine but for a long time I thought it was because I was unloveable, especially when the Parkers started abusing me.”
“Jesus,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You are not like Estelle or the Parkers. You’re you and you won’t make the mistakes they made.”
“Yeah, right,” she muttered, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out the pack of cigarettes. “Oh crap,” she said when she realised what she was doing. “Take them off me, please,” she sighed, dumping the pack in his hand.
“See, you’re already looking after your baby.”
“Don’t give me that shite.”
“It’s true. It’ll be the drink next.”
“Can’t I have any fun anymore? Please don’t tell me sex is out when you’re pregnant too?”
Mikey swallowed hard as all sorts of images involving himself and Jules together ran through his head. “No,” he said in a tight voice.
“Thank God for that.” Her eyes locked with his and they stared at each other in silence, both realising they were completely alone, the dead bodies around them not dousing their mutual ardour in the least.
Mikey was the first to look away, his wedding ring feeling like a weight. “Just don’t do anything rash, that’s all I’m saying. Take some time to think it over and as of now, you’re on light duties only.”
“Light duties? You mean making the coffee and photocopying? Are you seriously relegating me to that?”
“Yes and no argument. I can’t risk a repeat of today.”
“Fine,” she huffed.
The sound of an engine drew their attention to the windows and they saw a large transit van pulling up with Declan in the driver’s seat.
“The clean-up crew’s here,” said Mikey. “Get yourself home and have a bloody good think. Let me know what you want to do.”
“I will.”
“And if you need to talk…”
Her lips twitched with amusement. “You turning into an agony aunt?”
“No but I’m your cousin and your friend.”
She leaned towards him, a sultry smile on her lips. “I think you’re a whole lot more than that,” she whispered in his ear.
The feel of her warm breath on his skin excited him. He smiled back, leaning so close their lips almost touched. “Yes I am and one day I’ll prove it.”
“Promises promises,” she said, straightening up seconds before Declan and three of their men walked in.
Declan stopped, looked around and sighed. “Another bloody mess.”
“Better get to it then,” grinned Mikey. He looked to Jules. “Get yourself home, you need a break.”
“No I don’t.”
He held up his hand. “No arguing. Go home and rest.”
“Fine. See you around Bossman,” she winked.
“Bye Jules,” he said, watching her go, wondering how hard the shit was going to hit the fan over this baby.
Rachel slept in the next morning, not that Ryan could blame her after what she’d gone through the night before. When he came back from dropping the kids off at school and nursery he found her curled up on the couch in her dressing gown cradling a mug of tea.
“How are you feeling?” he said, sitting beside her.
“Okay, just exhausted. Last night really took it out of me. I’m getting too old for all this crap.”
“I don’t believe that for a moment,” he smiled.
She smiled back and took a sip of tea. “Did the kids go into school okay?”
“Fine. Aaron cried a bit when I dropped him off at nursery but he soon cheered up when the teacher told him they were going to be making cupcakes. Sometimes I worry about that boy. So, what do you want to do today?”
“Nothing to be honest, just lounge about here. Ashley’s coming round in an hour to go over last night again.” Detective Inspector Boyle had been a part of the investigation to track down Ryan when he’d been abducted by two serial killers and was a family friend.
“I thought you already did that at the station last night.”
“He’s hoping I’ve remembered more.”
“Have you?”
“No, I don’t think so but I’ve got to go through it all again anyway.” She glanced at the clock. “I’d better get dressed.”
He watched her head upstairs, a worried look on his face. Everything was just settling down after the recent debacle that ended up in Jared Slattery sending a couple of assassins to Devon to kill them in his efforts to take over Manchester, afraid they’d be after revenge if he killed Mikey and Jez. Although they’d easily disposed of the inept assassins it had still been a shock and they’d just been starting to feel safe again. Then a bunch of cowardly, immature little wanks had come along and spoilt it. He dearly hoped he discovered who they were because he would take great pleasure in teaching them a very harsh life lesson.
CHAPTER 4
The first thing Jules did after being dismissed by Mikey was go straight to her doctor’s surgery. After refusing to leave until she’d seen a doctor the harassed receptionist managed to squeeze her onto the end of the morning’s surgery and she was sitting before her doctor, demanding to know why she was pregnant.
“I’m afraid I don’t know,” he said, a balding man in his forties who had been as overwhelmed by the force of Jules’s personality as his receptionist had been. “I’ve never seen your hospital records.”
“Get them then.”
“I’m afraid I can’t, you’re…” He paused to glance at the computer screen. “Thirty seven now. As you were a child when you were admitted those records would have been destroyed on your twenty fifth birthday.”
“Why?” she exclaimed.
“It’s procedure.”
“It’s a bloody stupid procedure.” Realising she was shouting she paused to take a deep breath. “Sorry, this has come as such a shock.”
“I can imagine. Neither do we have any records from a former GP that I could take a look at.”
“There was no former GP. My so-called parents never registered me with one.”
He looked appalled. “What?”
“They weren’t the best parents,” she muttered. “So there’s no way to know how the hospital treated me?”
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