Toxic

by Jacqui Rose

Ma stepped closer to Johnny. ‘I don’t. I couldn’t care less about her. It’s you I care for. I ain’t going to lose any sleep if you killed her, but why do it son, when we could use her to our advantage.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘I’m talking about getting Bree to help us serve up Alfie. She told us they go back a long way, right? Well, we could get her to find out where the diamonds are. It sounds like he trusts her, and he don’t know that your men were driving the lorry, and neither does he know that we know about him. So, he won’t suspect nothing, and once we know where they are, not only will we get the diamonds, we can get rid of Jennings once and for all.’

  ‘I won’t do it! I won’t!’

  Ma spun round to Bree, booted her hard in the sides before leaning forward, grabbing her face in her hand, squeezing it hard. ‘You’ll do as I say.’

  Bree’s voice was full of panic. ‘I can’t! I can’t!’

  Nastily, Ma squeezed Bree’s face even harder, and snarled back at her. ‘Oh, you can Bree, and you will.’

  Johnny looked at Bree then back at his mother. ‘We can’t trust her.’

  Ma smiled at her son. ‘Come here, boy.’

  Looking like a child, Johnny walked over to his mother, leaning his head on her shoulder as the energy drained out of him.

  ‘That’s it Johnny, Ma will make it better. I’ll sort it like I always do.’

  ‘I need the noise to stop in me head.’

  ‘Shhh, baby, I know.’

  Johnny rubbed his temples. ‘Why won’t it stop, Ma?’

  ‘Hey, hey … Don’t you cry son, don’t you dare cry. You know what I said about crying. That’s it son, that’s it. Ma’s here. Ma will give you kisses and make it better. You’re worrying too much, and there’s no need to.’

  ‘Ain’t there?’

  ‘You know there ain’t cos I’ll sort it … Listen, what have I always told ya, hey? If you rob a bank, I’ll get you the gun. If you get caught, I’ll do the bird. If you kill someone, I’ll buy you the spade and help you bury them. I’m here for you; always. Ma ain’t going nowhere, so don’t you worry. I’ll make sure Bree does it, because if she don’t, then Ryan here, who she seems so fond of, will be the one to get it … That’s right Bree, make your choice. If you don’t do what we say, Ryan’s going to get hurt. The way we like to do it. So, if I were you I’d do the right thing, otherwise he’ll be in trouble, big painful trouble, all before you can say Alfie Jennings.’

  31

  Bree wandered into the small shop just off the Market Place in Saffron Walden. She came here quite often. She was too tired to go any further and although she couldn’t afford to buy anything, she was happy enough just to browse, looking at all the baby clothes. So tiny. So pretty.

  There were cream silk booties that looked like they were made for a doll, and terry towelling trousers that were so small she couldn’t imagine they’d ever fit a baby.

  ‘Can I help you?’ The tall, dark-haired shop assistant came over to Bree, and she smiled warmly.

  ‘No thank you. I’m just looking.’

  ‘When are you due?’

  ‘Not for a couple of months yet.’

  ‘Boy or girl?’

  Bree shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘You prefer a surprise?’

  ‘Something like that.’

  ‘Okay then, shout if you need me.’ The assistant, spotting a couple walking into the shop and seeing the chance of a commission, closed down the conversation quickly as she hurried off.

  Bree sighed, heading for the door. She felt so tired she could hardly put one foot in front of the other. She didn’t know why. Ma, who’d offered her an olive branch since the day in the woods, had told her it was probably just her hormones running wild, but most days she just wanted to sleep. At least Ma had been kind, driving her wherever she needed to go and letting her sleep most afternoons.

  She stopped suddenly, her thoughts fading away. Touching her stomach, she glanced across at the assistant who was in mid flow, discussing the merits of fleece blankets.

  She looked down at the beautiful, yellow cardigan and smiled. It was so small and so delicate, with white flower-shaped buttons and a satin hem. She looked at the price tag. Too much for her to afford. But it was pretty … So pretty and she wanted it so much.

  Then quickly, without really thinking, Bree slipped the cardigan into her bag before hurriedly leaving the shop.

  32

  Frankie Taylor sat in the stables with the lights turned out. He could see Janine in the kitchen from where he was. He smiled, she certainly was one of a kind. He’d known her for a long time, so long he couldn’t remember not knowing her.

  They’d met in Soho. Him and Vaughn, Alfie and Janine and, of course, Lola. Life in Soho had been different back then. Easier in some ways, when faces were faces and pimps were pimps. And Toms, well, they were just Toms.

  Everyone had their place, and it suited him. He’d been a number one face, making his money in strip clubs and peep shows. And Alfie and Vaughn had wheeled and dealed and were names to be reckoned with. And it’d been a good living for them all. A damn good one. But over the years things changed and life had certainly become harder; the place he once felt a connection to, a place where he belonged, had become a place he no longer wanted to be.

  So, eventually, he’d packed up with his missus, Gypsy, and moved away, leaving his son to run the businesses. And he had run them, alright. Run them right into the ground. And the millions he once had stashed away, ran too.

  Yes, he was luckier than others. He had his gaff in Marbella, he still had his missus in tow, and for all intents and purposes he was still close to his son. And, of course, then there was the baby, the apple of his eye, his granddaughter. The one thing he didn’t have though, was lots of money. And it was the first time in years. And he didn’t like it, not one little bit, so when Alfie had asked him to go in with them it was a chance not to be missed.

  When Janine had called, telling him what Franny had done, he’d thought it was a wind-up but after an hour on the phone he’d realised she was straight up. Alfie had told her that he’d invested some money, so it made sense that she had called, and it was a good job she had because knowing Alfie like he did, he would’ve left telling him until it was too late. And like both Vaughn and Alfie, he was eager to get back in the game. He missed it, but he missed the money more. He wasn’t interested in just getting by. Who wanted just to get by? Certainly not him and certainly not Gypsy. There was no way either of them was going to go from Royal Beluga caviar to Richway Supermarket beans.

  Standing up and stretching, his blue Savile Row suit fitting rather too tightly from overindulging on plates of tapas and red wine, Frankie sighed, his handsome sun-kissed face grimacing at the feel of the sunburn on his back. He wished Gypsy had come with him. She gave him stability, the love he’d always craved. The friendship and intimacy he would never swap.

  They’d been married for years, since she’d been a teenager, and he’d been a good husband; not faithful, but Christ, what man was, and what woman really expected that? But good he had been. And he loved her. Cared for her and protected her. And although he’d cheated, he’d never thought of being with anybody else.

  About to light a cigarette, Frankie froze. A noise coming from behind the stables made him crouch down, his attention drawn towards the darkened corner of the garden. Something or somebody was there.

  Crawling forward and hiding behind the stable door, Frankie peered closer, trying to make out the silhouette of a person he thought he could see. But the rain continued to fall, blurring the vision of the trees and the garden, giving Frankie pause. Making him think it wasn’t a person at all.

  He stood up, peering into the dark. Then, deciding it was nothing, he turned back to walk towards the house, but almost immediately Frankie stopped. There was the noise. He was sure of it. He listened again. Straining to hear through the rain.

  Slowly, Frankie edged along
the wall, keeping himself as far back as possible. The noise had stopped, but he could still feel it … He knew there was somebody there.

  Cautiously, he stooped down, running and making his way to the house, the lights in the kitchen now turned out.

  Adrenaline rushed through Frankie’s veins. He quickly ran across to the pine tree, pushing his body against the trunk. He craned his head round, squinting through the storm, and behind the bushes, Frankie was sure someone was moving.

  Taking a deep breath, he glanced across to the house. He couldn’t see Janine in the kitchen anymore but he knew he needed to get to the others to raise the alarm. The problem was that between where he hid and the back door there was a wide-open space, making him an easy target. But perhaps if he got close enough, maybe he could make a dash for it.

  Creeping forward, he heard a branch snap, but before he had a chance to turn around and react, Frankie Taylor felt the cold end of a gun at the back of his head.

  ‘Hello, Alfie! It’s payback time.’

  Frankie heard the click of the trigger as he was pushed down on the ground onto his knees. His heart raced, frantic, his eyes darted around for something. For anything.

  ‘Say your goodbyes, Alf.’

  Frankie leapt to the side, grabbing a piece of wood by the pine tree. He swung it round as the gun went off. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder followed by a burn. Gritting his teeth and trying to ignore the pain, he swung with the wood again.

  In the darkness, the gun flew out of the masked attacker’s hand and Frankie, seeing this was his chance, threw himself towards it, scrambling, desperate to grab the weapon.

  As he grappled in the darkness, Frankie felt an arm clamping around his head and the point of a blade held against his throat as his head was yanked back.

  ‘I’ll break your fucking neck here and now, Alfie.’

  ‘… Oi!… Oi!… Who’s out there!… Oi, stop!’

  The lights came on and the sound of a gun and a shout from Vaughn followed, causing the assailant to release his grip and slip back into the shadows.

  Frankie closed his eyes in relief, listening to the words of Janine

  ‘Bleedin’ hell, you alright, Frank? Frank!’

  Frankie Taylor pushed himself up, mud and blood covering him. He looked at Janine, wiping the dirt from his face. He gave a wry, pained smile.

  ‘I think I’ve been shot, girl, but I’ve had worse days.’

  Running over, Alfie bent down. ‘Jesus, Frank. Did you see who it was?’

  Frankie shook his head. ‘No, but it weren’t me they were after. It was you, Alf. And let me tell you something, that was no threat. They were out to kill you.’

  Vaughn Sadler stood in the bedroom doorway looking in on Frankie. He was patched up and fast asleep. Thankfully the bullet had only skimmed his shoulder. A flesh wound. But Frankie had been lucky. Really lucky. A couple of inches more to the right, he could’ve been brown bread.

  That was the problem right there. It wasn’t a question of being scared – he hadn’t lost his bottle – but the game of selling and dealing with knocked-off diamonds took no prisoners; didn’t matter if you were young or old, if your number was up, then bingo. And he just wasn’t interested in that, life had become too precious. He’d wanted to run an empire, not push up any daisies. Yes, he missed the old life, the charge, the buzz, but he didn’t need to be on the front line to get that.

  Though in truth, he hadn’t been interested in being on the front line for a while. It had always been a means to an end for him. Even before he’d left for Spain, he’d turned his back on the Soho life. Unlike a lot of the men he worked with, hurting people had never been in his nature, and although violence had been the order of the day, the taste for it had left him years before, the day his best mate – Alfie’s brother – Connor, had died in his arms when a job went wrong.

  It still hurt to think about it, and the guilt over Connor Jennings’ death lived with him every day. He and Alfie never spoke about it, but he’d taken it hard, and it was a long time before Alfie managed to get his life back on track. Eventually, as the years passed, the haunted look in Alfie’s eyes disappeared, but he knew the pain, although hidden away, was still there.

  Yes, they needed to get the money together to sort out the mess as soon as they could, and of course he didn’t want to have to tell Casey that he’d lost everything, especially when he was going to try to win her back, but what he didn’t need was to watch anyone close to him dying or getting hurt. And the problem was that his gut told him if he got involved in this diamond job, he’d probably end up seeing both.

  33

  Johnny Dwyer sat at the breakfast table, staring at Eddie Styler. His irritation was rising and it didn’t help the boiled eggs his ma had made him that morning were repeating on him. Letting out a smelly burp, he spoke to Eddie, who seemed unusually quiet.

  ‘I’m going to use Bree to set Alfie up.’

  ‘Bree?’

  Snapping at Eddie, Johnny’s tone was aggressive. ‘That’s what I fucking said, ain’t it?’

  ‘Yeah, but I don’t understand.’

  ‘Ed, listen to me, I ain’t in the best of moods today. I’ve got a lot of noise in me head. It’s all over the place, can’t seem to think straight, so I’d advise you not to piss me off.’

  Eddie swallowed hard, slightly louder than he anticipated, as Ma, who’d been sitting in the corner eating a charred piece of toast and Marmite, looked up to glare at him.

  ‘I might be being a bit of a muppet here, but I don’t get it. I’m sorry.’

  Massaging his forehead, desperate to stop what seemed like a constant banging in his head, Johnny muttered, ‘Look, Bree and Alfie go back a long way and not many people know Bree.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So, she don’t get out a lot, and only those nearest to me know her name, what she looks like or even the fact that she’s married to me. So, Alfie ain’t going to smell a rat, she’ll just be another bird who he once knew. She’ll be able to give him any old crap and he’ll lap it up.’

  Eddie looked interested. ‘How do they know each other?’

  ‘Oh, for fuck’s sake, I don’t know and I don’t care. Do I look like a bleedin’ genealogist?’

  ‘A what?’

  With Eddie’s voice going through his head like a wailing siren, Johnny growled at him. ‘Shut up, Ed, you’re doing my nut in. Anyway, what I do know is I’m going to get Bree to find out if Alfie really has the diamonds, and if he does, where they are.’

  Eddie took a sip of the tepid tea in front of him and immediately wished he hadn’t. ‘How she’s going to do that?’

  ‘Use your imagination.’

  Speaking out loud what he was supposed to be only thinking, Eddie said, ‘Lucky bastard.’

  ‘What did you say?’

  Putting his hand over his mouth, Eddie watched Johnny’s eyes darken and a throbbing vein appeared, running down the centre of his forehead.

  ‘I … I …’

  Abruptly, Johnny stood up, grabbing the butter-covered toast knife off the table. He leapt at Eddie, pushing the blunt blade against his eye. His words spat out. ‘I said, what did you say?’

  ‘I …’

  Johnny screamed. ‘Say it!’

  Thinking quickly as the pain in his eye shot through his entire body, Eddie stammered, ‘I only meant … I mean … I said, he’s lucky … But only because … Because it’s better than you going to pay him a visit … I meant, he’s lucky, cos having Bree go speak to him is preferable to you. So he’s a lucky bastard that he’s got off so easily.’

  Exhausted by the noise in his head, Johnny threw down the toast knife on the table. He stared at Eddie, who held his hand over his eye. ‘Is that right, Ed?’

  Feeling quite smug at getting away with it, Eddie nodded, causing a sharp pain to rush through his eye. ‘Yeah, that’s right.’

  Going to sit back down, Johnny cricked his neck from side to side, trying to release the constant tens
ion as he held a cold stare with Eddie. ‘What we don’t want, Ed, is Alfie and his muppets thinking we’re onto them. So, we keep everything as normal. We don’t say nothin’. We don’t do nothin’. I know your old woman is related but you said they weren’t close. Right?’

  ‘Yeah, he ain’t bothered with her properly for a long time. Besides, she don’t really know anything much … Though when I got meself in this mess, I asked him for a favour.’

  ‘You what?’

  ‘No, don’t worry, this was before we knew he had the diamonds. Anyway, I told him I was in trouble with a couple of people which meant Sandra was in trouble. The geezer just looked at me as if I was a floating turd.’

  Ma piped up. ‘Well there you go, that says it all about him. How can family mean nothing? He deserves everything he’s going to get.’

  Eddie agreed. ‘Yeah, and it’s only a shame that I couldn’t …’ He trailed off, realising what he was about to say.

  Johnny looked at him strangely. ‘Couldn’t what, Ed?’

  Breathing hard and trying to hold his gaze steady, the half a bottle of whiskey he’d drunk earlier not helping, Eddie shrugged. ‘Dunno.’

  Johnny leant forward, picking up the knife again, and slowly he began to tap it on the table, louder and louder. Over and over.

  ‘Eddie, I’m waiting. If you’ve got something to say, you better spit it out. What is it you couldn’t do?’

  ‘Okay, look. I paid Alfie a visit last night. But don’t worry he never saw me … I was just pissed off. I don’t like to be made a fool of and—’

  Johnny interrupted. ‘What was the last thing I said to you the other day?’

  Panicking, Eddie said the first thing that came into his mind. ‘That … that you had to go home for your tea?’

  Johnny moved so fast that it was only when Eddie landed backwards on the floor did he realise what had happened.

  Sitting on top of him, Johnny grabbed Eddie’s top, their faces inches away from each other. He shook Eddie hard, his face turning a deep shade of red. ‘Do you want me to kill you, Ed? Cos it’s beginning to look that way. You’re becoming a liability and it feels like it’s one big joke to you.’