by Martina Cole
Now he was in the pub with Eugene and he didn’t like what he was hearing.
‘The thing was, Patsy, I arrived at the safe house and the money owed was paid without a murmur. But that was the strange thing, no chit-chat. Normally we all have a laugh, you know, the usual. I felt it the other week, and I just shrugged it off. But today it was like they couldn’t wait for us to fuck off. Considering we pay their wages, I saw that as a bit of an insult.’
Patsy listened intently but he didn’t offer an opinion; he knew better than to say anything until he knew what the score was. He needed to talk this over with Aiden and Jade. The last thing they needed was to cause a big drama when it wasn’t warranted. But, if he was being honest, he believed that there was something iffy going on. But he couldn’t even put a cause to it. What could possibly be occurring that they didn’t have wind of? He shook his head and sighed.
‘Come on, it’s time to get to the meeting.’
They left the pub together quietly, but each of them had their own thoughts on the situation.
Chapter One Hundred and One
Marvin Hendry was born and raised in Jamaica. He was a Kingston boy who more than had his creds. He was known as a dangerous man, and that was not an epithet given lightly in the Jamaican underworld. There was an abundance of bad fuckers − the real knack was knowing how to be the biggest and baddest fucker of them all. That was something that came naturally to him; he had no conscience and he had no real interest in anything that did not pertain directly to him or his needs. He was known for his extreme viciousness and also for his astute business acumen. The men who worked with him were all known for doing exactly what Marvin requested or expected.
He had cherry-picked the entire workforce, personally requesting their services. They were mostly from the poorest townships and had each come to his attention because they were not only violent but were intelligent enough to use their brains when anything went wrong. Anyone could shoot their way out of trouble − that was the easiest fucking answer in the Caribbean; everyone had a gun. But if the people used their sense and their mouths, Marvin knew that they were just what he was looking for. Marvin appreciated the usefulness of these men and women; he understood that they were the real backbone of his business and also how expendable they were. That was nothing personal as far as he was concerned − that was just real life. He gave them a chance that they could never have had without him, and they knew that themselves. If you worked for Marvin, you were fucking rocking, he made sure of that. A great deal of his reputation was reliant on the people who worked for him. That was how the world worked. Young guns were falling over themselves to be a part of his organisation. He didn’t need to do any recruitment drives. They were lining up to be taken on board. It was a fucking honour to work for him and he made sure that everyone knew that.
He had made a point of bringing these people on, of making sure that everyone knew exactly who they were and who they worked for. Marvin knew the importance of advertising. That was why he was so successful. Until him, the drugs trade had been hampered by feuding gangs, by complete morons who had thought it was enough just to muscle in on other people’s fucking hard work. And it wasn’t just in Jamaica that it was rife, it was everywhere that he supplied. He was a legend, he made sure of that. It was what he was good at and it was how he had made his brand so powerful.
The difference was that he had been born into money and privilege; he had been privately educated but he had known that, unlike his father − a successful businessman − he would always be attracted to the darker side of life. From his first tentative drug deal, selling third-grade grass to his school friends, he had loved the whole experience of being outside the law. It had been a revelation to him in that he had found his natural medium. His father’s wealth and contacts had been what had kept him out of prison on more than one occasion, and he had learned every time by his mistakes. Now Marvin saw himself as untouchable. He made sure that no one in his organisation could ever get close enough to accuse him of anything even remotely sinister. He had legitimate businesses that accounted for his wealthy lifestyle, and he had enough people to put him anywhere at any time should that be required. In short, Marvin Hendry believed that he had covered his bases, and covered them well. He felt he had done the impossible and, in many ways, he had, because he was still at the top of his game after ten years and, in Jamaica, that was not an easy feat. It was a small island for a start and, worse still, there were far too many people after too few prizes. His family and his own intelligence had ensured that he could happily trade with the minimum of restraint. He had also made a point of paying off everyone in his orbit who might have the means of bringing him down. Even his own father had finally come round to his way of thinking.
As he walked into the premises that Aiden O’Hara owned with his crew in tow, Marvin was impressed. London wasn’t Jamaica, and he was very aware of that fact. He was awed by the luxury of the reception area alone. This was what he wanted, what he saw as the next step for his workforce. Aiden O’Hara was what he ultimately wanted to be. Marvin’s dream was to relocate to London and ply his different trades from here. He knew that, unlike Jamaica, London was an open door for anybody who could provide not just the product but, more importantly, the guarantee of an endless supply of it. The best product that these fuckers had ever had access to.
He had used Joshie because he was blood, he was family. But, as far as Marvin was concerned, Joshie would never be any real family of his. The boy was a fucking strutting queen − an embarrassment. Even his own father was suspicious of him. His saving grace was that he was doing so well as a DJ. Although Marvin could not help wondering just how well he would have done in Jamaica or any of the other islands, because while here he wore his Jamaican heritage like a badge, Joshie didn’t have the presence needed to survive in the real Jamaican environment − yet. If Joshie made it here, he would automatically be welcomed back in Jamaica with open arms. Only then would he be one of their own.
Marvin knew in his gut that Aiden O’Hara would be more than agreeable about rowing that fucker out once and for all. Aiden had already given his cousin another fucking way of life − the way of life that he really wanted. Marvin appreciated that even though he couldn’t stand the weirdo. He was family at the end of the day.
As he was shown through to the offices to see Aiden O’Hara, Marvin felt a great vibe, because he liked everything he had heard about this Aiden. He seemed to be a man after his own heart. They were of an age, and they were both men who knew exactly what they wanted, and made sure that they got it. That was how you controlled your workforce: you made sure that they felt they were earning enough for the time being. Eventually, if they were shrewd enough, you pushed them up the ladder and made them even richer. That was the main aim of everyone that you singled out. That way they either sank without a trace or they proved their worth.
Marvin had left his crew in the lap-dancing club − he knew that they would not be invited into the actual meet; they would be entertained, of course − he wasn’t worried about that. He would have insisted on exactly the same terms. The job they did was never about advertising the meeting they attended, and never letting anyone know more than was deemed necessary; his workers only ever knew enough to guarantee they did the job that he paid them for. Basically that meant he kept his meetings private − the people around him never knew more than was good for them.
Marvin Hendry had always made a point of guaranteeing to everyone who purchased his product that not one person in his organisation could ever bring any of them down. Once his people had completed what he had arranged for them to do, they were out of it, forgotten about. Marvin made sure that every step was a separate venture. No one person knew everything about who they were dealing with and, if anyone was a bit too inquisitive about the job in hand and what it entailed, they disappeared. Just disappeared without a fucking trace. They could never be linked back to him or anyone who worked for him. He knew better than to adver
tise his fucking villainy to the world; he didn’t need to be a big man in a small pond. From the very beginning, he had just walked in and taken everything over without even one fucking person confronting him. His style of business was not the usual. He had slowly and quietly wiped out his opponents, while assuring certain other people of his friendship − meaning they now all worked for him.
As Marvin entered the VIP bar, Aiden O’Hara was standing there with his hand out to greet him and, as they shook hands, both recognised their similarities. Aiden looked at Marvin, and he instinctively liked him from his dreads to his handmade shoes. The man was class. Marvin looked at Aiden and knew that he could work with him. Marvin had taken in everything about him from his bespoke suit to his expensive dentistry. As they summed each other up, they both felt that they were going to get on like the proverbial house on fire.
Marvin Hendry looked around the empty bar; he recognised that this was Aiden’s way of welcoming him, of making him feel at ease. The two of them were alone to discuss whatever needed to be spoken about, without either of them having to worry about what might be said. And, as they retired to a small table, he saw that there was every kind of whisky and rum there waiting to be poured.
As he sat down, Marvin looked at Aiden and said, ‘Really? Cockspur rum. I’m impressed.’
Aiden laughed heartily. ‘I know it’s more Antiguan or Barbadian, but I think it’s a fucking good drop of rum.’
Marvin poured himself a large glass. ‘I was never a lover of the Appleton shit, you know. That is more for the tourists these days. So much is for tourism now. Not that I haven’t jumped on that fucking bandwagon myself.’
Aiden grinned craftily. ‘I think that me and you could broker a really good deal for everyone concerned, Marvin. I know I’m the only person you’ve dealt with so far. But I can tell you now that I am willing to offer you a wonderful opportunity. I can shift anything that you can bring into the country.’
Marvin stretched languidly; this was just what he wanted to hear. Smiling widely, he said confidently, ‘That’s what I came here for. I am here to tell you, Aiden, that I want an ally in London − a partner, if you like. I have achieved everything that I possibly can in Jamaica. But Jamaica is a small island, full of fucking wannabe gangsters. They can purchase a gun, but that doesn’t make them a serious threat. They are amateurs, and that doesn’t help when you’re trying to build a proper business. I’m sure you understand what I am saying. I have had to remove young men who, if they had one ounce of sense, would have known from the off that they could never fucking defeat me. It grieves me that so many young men died because they didn’t have the sense to see that a gun could never guarantee them anything other than their own demise. Jamaica is still like the Wild West: too many young men thinking that they can just walk in with a brand-new gun, believing that would be enough for them to take what they wanted. It breaks my heart, Aiden, you know? But, eventually, I made them all aware of the fact that I was not going to suffer fools gladly.’
Aiden watched warily as Marvin took a large drink of his rum.
‘I think that it’s time for me to spread my wings and expand my enterprises. I think that between us we could accomplish a lot. If we could work together. You know I have the product, and it’s the best fucking product you will ever get your hands on − I know that’s a fact. What I’m offering you is the chance to distribute it to others alongside me. I can guarantee an unlimited supply, as you are already aware. I will also make sure that it arrives here as and when needed. I think that together we could really sew the market up.’
Aiden O’Hara sipped his whisky and, as he watched Marvin Hendry light up a huge joint, he saw a man after his own heart. Aiden could always suss out the people he should associate with. Those people were few and far between but Eric Palmer had always trusted what he called his gut instinct. He had already researched Marvin Hendry, and everything that he had learned about him had convinced him that he was a man to be reckoned with. Almost everyone he had spoken to had nothing but good things to say about Marvin. That had pleased Aiden because he really wanted to work with this man. It was more than enough that Marvin Hendry could provide such a pure product on a regular basis, but the added bonus that Marvin could also become his partner, and thereby give him the access to the product he needed, was the icing on the cake. Marvin needed him, and he needed Marvin. This was the perfect scenario.
Aiden O’Hara was delighted that he had not had to talk Marvin round; it had almost been too easy really. But they were of like minds; both knew they could each offer something to the other. That was how people like them could establish a new line of business. How long this mutual love affair would last only time could tell. But, until there was a problem, they were more than happy to play at grown-ups. That was the nature of the world they lived in, and that was why they were both well aware of what they were taking on.
‘I think we could come to some arrangement, Marvin. I appreciate how candid you have been tonight. That was why I made sure there was only the two of us. I knew that together we might strike a good bargain.’
Aiden poured them both more drinks and, when they shook hands, they were both really pleased with themselves. Aiden had brokered a deal that could change the face of the British drug scene and also allow him to drop the people he had been dealing with so far, who were more than ready to be pensioned off in his opinion.
Chapter One Hundred and Two
Jade was tired, but she had to do what was expected of her and meet up with Aiden and Marvin Hendry as arranged. Aiden loved showing her off and telling people that they were together and had a child. He wasn’t acting; she knew that he really did adore her and that he loved to introduce her to people. When they were out together she could not fault him; he gave her his undivided attention and treated her like a queen. It was ironic that he could then be unfaithful to her without a second fucking thought when she wasn’t around.
The thing that had always worried her was Aiden’s willingness to physically harm those girls he was so happy to use for his own fucking ends, especially if he thought they might cause discord between the two of them. His argument to her was always that he had only ever loved her. She knew that there wasn’t another woman who could ever replace her; even if she left him, she believed that Aiden would never bring another woman permanently into his life. She would always be the only one for him and, in many ways, that was a hard cross for her to bear. Knowing that she was so important to him was not an easy way to live her life because, as much as she loved him, his love for her came with so much pressure. Aiden loved her with a frightening intensity and that was something he believed she reciprocated because she had always protected him − more so than he could ever deserve. She could not help herself, she did love him.
He knew everything about her past, that she had been used by men since being a young child, that she had overcome everything that had happened to her and had eventually risen up in a world that she loathed but was all she had ever known. The fact that he had never once questioned her, or used it against her, was something she could never forget. After all this time he still saw her as everything he had ever wanted. But every fucking tart he took up with broke her heart a little bit more.
As she walked into the lap-dancing club − a club that she had designed and watched over until it had been finished but a place that she vowed she would never again step inside once it was up and running unless she had to − she pulled her shoulders back and straightened herself. She walked through the place as if she owned it, which, of course, she did. But she avoided these places like the plague, because they were where her Aiden trawled for his newest fucks. She knew that these girls never lasted that long and they meant nothing to him − God knew she had stepped in to stop him harming them. But it still rankled. That he didn’t try to hide it from her or from anyone was what really hurt her, but she had too much pride to let anyone think that she gave a flying fuck.
She walked into the bar with a b
ig smile on her face, and no one would ever know just how hard it had been for her to meet here on one of Aiden’s hunting grounds. Aiden, as ever, treated her with the utmost respect, and introduced her to Marvin Hendry as the love of his life. And Jade played along as always.
Chapter One Hundred and Three
Reeva was annoyed. Tony was on the missing list, and her daughter was acting like she was the bad bastard because she had had a few fucking drinks. Well, she wasn’t fucking pregnant, so, as far as Reeva was concerned, she could do what she fucking liked. She didn’t need Miss fucking Goody Two-Shoes telling her anything, thank you very much! Who the fuck did she think she was? Reeva was not in the mood for this shit. She was never in the mood when her kids decided it was a great moment to point out her fucking failings. Like she needed anyone to remind her, especially when she was feeling pleasantly drunk.
‘Leave me the fuck alone, Agnes. So I am drunk! Let’s be really honest here, it’s not like it’s the first time, is it? Love me or loathe me, darling, the one thing we know is that, for all my faults, I have always put my hand up when needed.’
Agnes could quite cheerfully clump her mum one, and she would not even regret it. Her mum was never going to change.Every now and then she would just disappear and, when she finally came home, she would be so drunk that she wouldn’t even know who any of them were. In the past Aiden would take over. He would put her to bed, strip her off, make her drink a pint of water, even hold her head when she spewed up everywhere. Aiden had always argued that she was entitled to let rip every so often, that she was still a young woman and she needed to let off steam every now and again.