The Betrayed: A shocking, gritty thriller that will hook you from the first page

by Casey Kelleher

  She barely knew anyone that was here today as it was; there was no one she wanted or needed to impress. Only Jimmy.

  And this had been her one and only stipulation: no one, but no one was to see her dress before her mother.

  Colleen had never known her father. Her mother had brought her up as both mum and dad since birth, and Colleen had never wanted for anything. It felt right that it was her mother giving her away. Doing her the honour of walking her down the aisle. Colleen wanted this final moment before she said her vows to be just for them.

  Even Joanie hadn’t dared to argue with that.

  Stepping into the room, Edel was ready to say the thousand things that she’d rehearsed in her head, but seeing her daughter standing there in the middle of the room, like a vision dressed in white, a beautiful angel, Edel couldn’t find her voice. For the first time in her entire life, she was rendered completely speechless.

  Opening her mouth to speak the only noise that escaped was a small strangled gasp.

  Colleen laughed.

  ‘Oh Colleen!’ Edel finally managed. ‘My darling…’ Overcome with emotion, Edel started to cry. Not gentle little tears of joy either. Big racking sobs.

  ‘What is it? Don’t you like it?’ Colleen said, suddenly feeling panicked at her mother’s reaction. This level of emotion was completely out of character. Her mother rarely cried. She always prided herself on her strength, on staying in control.

  ‘Oh God. You think it’s awful, don’t you? Do you think it looks a bit old-fashioned? Does it make me look fat?’ Colleen said, kicking herself for not letting anyone else see her dress until now as she examined her reflection in the mirror, wondering how she’d got it so wrong.

  ‘Don’t be so silly!’ Edel laughed, holding out her hands, as she clasped Colleen’s tightly, smiling at her daughter through her tears. ‘Colleen. My girl.’ Edel shook her head, clearing her throat, still visibly choked. ‘You look absolutely beautiful,’ she said, admiring her daughter with such love and affection she thought she would burst. ‘In fact I’ve never seen a bride look so perfect!’

  Colleen smiled. That was all she’d wanted to hear.

  ‘You look like an angel,’ Edel said, her eyes drinking Colleen in.

  As biased as Edel might be, being the girl’s mother, she meant every word she said. Colleen looked sensational. Her figure-hugging dress swept down to the floor, embellished with thousands of tiny pearls that shimmered in the light with Colleen’s every movement.

  ‘There is one small thing that I’d change though,’ Edel said pursing her lips.

  ‘What?’ Colleen asked wide-eyed. She thought she had everything covered. She was wearing simple silver sandals so that her feet wouldn’t ache, her jewellery minimal and understated so that it didn’t look too much against the intricate detailing of the dress. Her hair and make-up natural-looking but expertly applied. She hadn’t forgotten anything, she was sure of it.

  ‘It’s only a suggestion. I won’t be offended if you don’t want it. Hang on.’ Stepping out of the room, Edel returned seconds later holding up a small bouquet of flowers she’d made for Colleen: a delicate spray of cream roses, each displaying a crystal centre, entwined with eucalyptus leaves, all tied together with a string of pearls – the same flowers that Jimmy had first bought her.

  ‘Oh, Mum! They are breathtaking!’

  It was Edel’s turn to smile then.

  ‘I know Joanie told me to enjoy my day today and not to worry about getting involved with the flowers, but I couldn’t help myself with this one. I know that they are your favourites.’ Then looking down at the purple lilies that Joanie had chosen, Edel couldn’t help herself.

  ‘As much as that Joanie one rates herself, she hasn’t got a clue when it comes to flowers. Money can’t buy you class indeed! Lilies are a funeral flower, they’re not for weddings.’

  Taking the bouquet, Colleen stepped back and observed her reflection in the mirror once more, overcome with emotion now too at her mother’s thoughtfulness.

  Her bouquet was perfect.

  Flinging Joanie’s flowers down on the bed, Colleen let out a small laugh.

  ‘These ones are awful, aren’t they? I don’t even like purple!’ she said, choosing her words carefully. The truth was Joanie was really overbearing.

  ‘Well don’t tell Joanie that, will you. She’s wearing her best purple pyjamas today.’

  ‘Pyjamas?’ Colleen laughed.

  Edel batted her hands at her flyaway comment. ‘Sorry, it’s a “jumpsuit”. You should see her swanning about downstairs in front of all the guests. She looks like Anneka bleeding Rice.’

  ‘Mum!’ Colleen said, trying her hardest not to laugh at her future mother-in-law’s expense. She couldn’t help herself, her mother never being one to hold back on her thoughts or opinions and, to be fair, she seemed to have got Joanie sussed out.

  ‘Me and Nellie were just sat there taking the piss out of her, watching her walking around chatting to people as if she’s bleeding royalty. Making eyes at them, while sticking the knife in as soon as they walked off. Two faces that woman’s got, yet still she chooses to wear the ugly one!’ Edel shook her head at the bouquet of lilies once more. ‘Anyway that’s enough about Joanie Byrne. Today is your day, my lovely. How are you feeling?’

  Colleen shook her head, unsure at this precise minute of how she felt.

  ‘Nervous. Excited. A bit sick!’ she said truthfully. ‘You don’t think I’m rushing into it all do you, Mum? I mean it’s all been a bit quick, hasn’t it? We’ve only known each other a few months.’

  Edel placed her hand over her daughter’s. In usual circumstance, maybe so, but Colleen and Jimmy hadn’t had a usual start to their romance. Colleen’s life, along with Edel’s, had been turned upside down, and the only one that had been there for them both was Jimmy Byrne.

  She couldn’t be happier for the two of them to get wed; the sooner the better she decided, too, seeing as the alternative would be them both living together out of wedlock.

  ‘When you know, you know, Colleen. Jimmy is a good man.’ Looking into her daughter’s eyes, Edel said wisely: ‘I know that he’s not as straight as he could be, what with his business dealings and so forth,’ she said honestly. Nellie Erikson had been telling her a few stories of Jimmy’s line of work lately and as much as Edel didn’t agree with some of the things she’d heard, she knew that Jimmy’s business was exactly that. His business.

  He was a good man to her daughter and he’d make her happy. As far as Edel was concerned that was all that mattered.

  ‘You’d be pushed to find anyone else like him. He’ll take good care of you, Colleen. I just know it.’

  Edel spoke softly, knowing full well why Colleen was having her doubts. Her and Jimmy’s relationship had been a whirlwind romance. Jimmy had picked Colleen up off her feet and whisked her off into a world that Colleen hadn’t even dared to imagine existed. Wealth, and kudos. It was almost like living a celebrity life and Colleen was more than aware of exactly what Jimmy really was.

  He was a face. Notorious. It was no wonder the girl was having last-minute jitters. Colleen was soft. She was sensitive too. She wasn’t hardened like Jimmy when it came to the ways of the world, but then that’s why it probably worked, thought Edel. They were like chalk and cheese the pair of them.

  ‘Look at all he’s done for us already, huh. Helping me with the florist. Sorting out the flat. That’s the sort of man that he is, Colleen. Forget about the stories you’ve heard, and the rumours. That’s all just chat. The man has a reputation to protect. So he’s shrewd when it comes to his work. Good for him. As long as he treats you well, that’s all that matters.’

  Colleen nodded. Her mother was right. The only thing that mattered was her and Jimmy, and so far, all he’d done was treat her well. Taking her out to lovely restaurants, buying her fancy gifts. But the way he’d helped out with the florist after the fire had been the thing that had made Colleen love him the most. He mother ha
d been devastated by the damage the fire had caused. If it wasn’t for Jimmy’s help, they’d have lost everything. As it was, he had helped Edel find a new location, in Piccadilly Circus and he was doing all he could to help get her mother’s little business up and running again. He really had gone out of his way to help her mother in any way that he could.

  ‘Do you think I’m just being silly? I feel like a nervous wreck,’ Colleen said with a small smile, hoping that was true and that it wasn’t her intuition coming into play.

  ‘You’re not being silly, love. Every bride has last-minute doubts, Colleen, it’s normal. But that’s all they are, the jitters. You’re doing the right thing. Trust me.’ Then holding out her arm to lead Colleen down to the ceremony, Edel smiled warmly, overflowing with love for her daughter.

  Colleen took a deep breath, and returned the warmth, smiling at her mother in the mirror.

  ‘You’re right. Marrying Jimmy is the best thing I’ll probably ever do.’

  Edel nodded in full agreement.

  ‘Right, are you ready to go and knock the socks off your future husband and show him and everyone else down there what a bloody beautiful bride you make or what!’

  Nineteen

  The sight of Colleen walking slowly down the aisle towards Jimmy Byrne affected him more than he’d anticipated.

  This was a big step today for them both, and he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that, up until a few moments ago, he’d been wondering if he was doing the right thing.

  It had all happened so quickly.

  But as he watched Colleen glide down the aisle, so natural-looking yet so breathtakingly beautiful, he knew that he’d made the right decision. Smiling at Colleen, Jimmy realised that he was holding his breath.

  He wasn’t the only one to notice.

  ‘Not bad if you like that sort of thing,’ Alex quipped, unable to hide his distaste for Colleen.

  Jimmy shot him a warning look. Even now, on one of the most important days of his life, Alex couldn’t help himself. Jimmy held his tongue. His and Alex’s friendship had been hanging by a thread these past few months. Somehow Jimmy meeting Colleen had driven a wedge between them, and Alex was clearly bitter. Still, he was here, standing next to him, playing the dutiful role of his best man, so that counted for something he guessed. He just wished Alex would accept his decision; he wished he would respect his need to have a family. Children.

  As the harpist’s music came to a stop, Jimmy took Colleen’s hand as she stood next to him, and smiled at her.

  ‘You look beautiful,’ he whispered.

  And she did.

  A sea of adoring faces told him so. All eyes were on Colleen. The beautiful, blushing bride. This was the dream. This was what everyone in this room strived for: a relationship like this; Jimmy and Colleen looking so in love. So happy.

  Jimmy was a good actor.

  He knew deep down in his heart that Alex was right. He wasn’t capable of loving Colleen. Not really, not the way that she wanted him to. He wasn’t capable of loving anyone if he was honest. It just wasn’t in him.

  He did care about the girl, which had surprised him at first.

  Colleen and Edel: Jimmy had taken a liking to them both.

  Besides, this was the closest he’d ever get to being ‘normal’. A loving wife. Two point four children and the obligatory picket fence. Maybe a dog thrown into the mix too just to complete the perfect picture that Jimmy intended on painting.

  The rest would somehow fall into place. It had to.

  As the registrar started the ceremony, and Colleen vowed to love Jimmy for all eternity, Jimmy Byrne did what he always did and went along with it all. Full of charm, a perfectly poised smile plastered to his face.

  Colleen was his now, and Jimmy would take his vows very seriously.

  Until death do us part.

  Twenty

  Taking a deep pull of his cigarette as the loud music floated out from the grand hall’s main doors, Alex Costa strolled among the hundreds of twinkling white lights that danced across the beautiful courtyard.

  It was peaceful out here.

  Pressing himself up against the wall, under a blanket of shadows, he was glad to get away from all the fucking madness of Jimmy Byrne’s wedding reception. Joanie Byrne was doing her usual, swanning around like lady muck as she lapped up being centre of attention, trying her hardest to outshine the bride, while Michael Byrne had somehow managed to get himself as pissed as a fart. Goading for a row, the man had stood perched at the bar, glaring at his wife with pure hate. It didn’t take a clairvoyant to tell Alex that tonight wouldn’t end well for Jimmy’s parents. That was marriage for you, nothing more than a noose around your neck, and Jimmy had just set himself up for a life sentence.

  He still couldn’t get his head around what Jimmy was playing at, marrying a girl like Colleen. She wasn’t enough for him. Jimmy must know that. He was right about her being different to all the other girls that Jimmy dated, Alex could blatantly see that. Colleen wasn’t the usual bimbo that Jimmy normally attracted, that generally only wanted Jimmy for his money.

  That’s what probably bothered him most about the girl.

  Colleen genuinely thought that she loved Jimmy, but she didn’t have a clue. She had no idea what she’d married into, but Alex knew it would only be a matter of time before the girl found out. Until then, he’d just have to put up and shut up.

  He knew that he’d been treading a fine line the past few weeks. Jimmy was still being off with him and the last thing Alex wanted to do was piss the man off any further by saying his piece, by having his opinion about Colleen. He knew it had riled Jimmy. He just couldn’t help himself. What sort of mate would he be if he didn’t speak up and tell Jimmy what he really thought? Still, he’d said his bit, and Jimmy hadn’t fucking listened. So what else could he do?

  Alex just hoped that all this would be worth it for the man. Though he wasn’t going to hold his breath. Drinking back the last of his whisky, Alex thought he’d spent the day on his best behaviour. As weddings went, the day hadn’t actually been too bad. None of this was done to Alex’s taste though. The venue, a fancy Edwardian manor house, in the arseholes of nowhere, was a bit too poncy for his liking. It wasn’t even Jimmy’s taste either come to think of it. The place was too stiff and formal for Jimmy: Jimmy liked everything brand new and modern. This place was all for his mother’s benefit. Good old Joanie. Never missing a trick to impress everyone around her, even on her son’s big day.

  And boy had they impressed everyone, in true Byrne style.

  Jimmy must have forked out an absolute fortune for exclusivity for the weekend, with its twenty bedrooms and thirty-five acres of beautiful woodlands. He’d hired some of London’s finest chefs to cover all the catering too, not satisfied with the more than adequate chefs that worked here.

  It was genius really.

  Today had set the precedent for what lay ahead for Jimmy. Everyone that Alex and Jimmy knew was here tonight. Every business associate, every contact. All of them here to wish Jimmy well. Though it was Jimmy who was playing the real blinder. Today wasn’t just about a wedding for Colleen: today was Jimmy’s way of letting everyone know that he’d made it.

  The flats had all gone through now. Edel’s unit had caused them a major setback, and the insurance claims adjuster had picked every detail of the insurance claim apart. Still, they had paid out eventually, and Jimmy had somehow persuaded Edel to take the deal that was originally offered to her and sign what was left of her flat over to the property developer while she still had the chance.

  Mint Property Developments.

  Little did the woman know that was Jimmy and Alex. Jimmy had joked that the development was going to leave them minted when he’d come up with the name, and never in their wildest dreams had they realised the truth behind the words. They’d both already made a complete fortune from the units that they had found tenants for.

  On top of that, business with the girls had reall
y taken off. Now that Westminster Council was clamping down on all the sex shops and shows in Soho, the massage parlours were becoming increasingly popular. Business was booming in every sense of the word, and now that Jimmy Byrne was part of London’s elite, he wanted everyone to know about it.

  A man stumbled towards him in the darkness, staggering down the pathway, clearly another drunken wedding guest worse for wear after indulging in Jimmy’s free bar. Alex shook his head in amusement as he took another deep lug of his cigarette.

  But the hilarity of the man’s sobriety vanished as rapidly as it had first appeared, as the man neared and Alex got a better look at him.

  It wasn’t a man at all.

  It was a bloody kid. Stuart fucking Matthews to be precise.

  ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’ Alex said. Dragging the kid into the doorway of the old barn he was standing outside, Alex was incensed. ‘I told you to lay low. Coming here to Jimmy’s wedding isn’t the smartest of moves, is it?’

  ‘Come on, man! I couldn’t miss out on all of this, could I? The wedding of the century.’ Stuart Matthews opened his arms widely in exaggeration. ‘Fuck me, the man’s doing well for himself these days, isn’t he?’ Slurring as he spoke, Stuart propped himself up against the wall behind him for support and lit up his own cigarette before taking a deep puff and blowing out the cloud of white smoke. Watching it disintegrate into the black night sky.

  If he was purposely trying to piss Alex off, it was working.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Alex said, sternly. The boy was so drunk that he could barely stand up straight. He wondered what Stuart thought he was doing. Even turning up here tonight had been forbidden, let alone turning up here and allowing himself to get into such a state. ‘I told you to stay away,’ Alex warned, thinking that Stuart must have a death wish for going against his orders. The mood Alex was in now, he had a good mind to swing for the kid. But the last thing Alex wanted to do was draw any attention to the fact that he was even here. Though he had a feeling that Stuart knew that too. In fact that’s what Stuart was probably depending on. Safety in numbers and all that. At a venue so full of people he knew that Alex couldn’t and wouldn’t do anything to him. That’s why the jumped up little shit was looking so cocky.