The Downfall Series Box Set

by Edie Baylis

  “I’m keeping you where I know what you’re doing,” Seth called from the other side of the door.

  As his footsteps faded away, Jane screamed with rage and tried the door again. “SETH!”

  Shaking with anger, she ran into the lounge and paced around the floor. She yanked the few framed photographs they possessed off the wall, along with anything else she could get her hands on and launched them through the window onto the street below.

  SETH HADN’T GONE FAR. In fact he’d only gone next door. He wasn’t sure why, only that it was the closest place. He needed some breathing space to fight off the impotent sense of dread that still remained when he’d thought he hadn’t reached Jane in time and that his child was dead.

  Letting himself in he found Stuart lying on the sofa, his face still bruised.

  Hearing Jane screaming and smashing things from next door, Stuart turned his head towards the wall and smiled. “Everything alright?” he asked sarcastically.

  Seth glared. Was he taking the piss?

  Stuart grinned. He still had one bargaining chip to play with. Although he’d been unable to remember a lot of what had happened the other night when those two dorks had jumped him, he could recall what he’d heard directly before slipping into unconsciousness. This would either make or break it.

  Trying to read Seth’s mood, which didn’t look too good he decided nevertheless to chance it. “Jane needs to chill out a bit now she’s pregnant doesn’t she?”

  Seth’s eyes narrowed. This really wasn’t the best topic right now.

  “Or has she let it slip it isn’t yours?” Stuart let out a nasty chuckling laugh, cut short when Seth gripped him round the throat and pushed him deep into the sofa.

  Needing to take his frustration and rage out on someone, Seth decided it may as well be Stuart. He owed the fucking wanker one anyway. “You never learn do you?” he growled, bearing his weight down onto Stuart’s damaged knee.

  Stuart’s mouth flapped open and closed, gasping for breath as his windpipe was crushed. Bollocks. He’d misjudged that one hadn’t he?

  “Don’t insult my missus again,” Seth seethed, watching Stuart thrash his curly head from side to side, trying to loosen the hand from around his throat. Relaxing his grip, he rocked back onto his haunches, then stood and steadied himself with one hand, then stood to his feet.

  Stuart pushed himself upright and smiling falsely, rubbed his throat. “I was only joking,” he lied.

  Seth pulled a hunting knife from his pocket and with one flick of his wrist, the sheath dropped on to the carpet. Launching himself back onto Stuart he pressed his knee into his chest. “Think it’s funny do you?” He lined the knife horizontally against Stuart’s mouth. “Let’s give you something to really smile about shall we?”

  Cutting through the skin from the edge of Stuart’s lips to halfway along his cheek on both sides of his mouth, Seth laughed. “There you go, wanker. A permanent smile!”

  IGNORING THE WEIRD howling coming from next door, Jane launched one of the televisions from the spare room with all her might against the lock on the front door. As it smashed off its hinges for the third time, she grabbed her bag from the hallway. With her heart beating like a drum, she ran down the steps from the flat.

  Slipping on a piece of wood half-way down the stairs and whacking her head, Jane righted herself and ran out into the courtyard. She wiped the blood trickling into her eye off with the back of her hand and took the stairwell two steps at a time.

  Hearing Jane’s heels clattering across the stone courtyard, Seth’s head shot up. Damn. He hadn’t finished with this wanker yet.

  Glancing at the gaping wound pouring blood from Stuart’s face, he wiped the knife on his jeans. “You can wait,” he hissed, then raced from the flat.

  JANE FIRED THE ENGINE and yanked at the stiff handbrake seeing Seth running towards the back of the car. Come on. Come on. Finally releasing it, she slammed into reverse and stamped down on the accelerator.

  As Jane shot backwards, Seth leapt on to the boot and clung on whilst the car smashed into the wall at the side of the parking lot.

  Jane glanced into the rear view mirror as he tumbled onto the floor and she scraped the car into first gear.

  Seth dived into the back seat as the car lurched forward. “JANE! STOP THE FUCKING CAR!”

  With tyres screeching Jane swerved out onto the road. “Get out Seth. Just GET OUT!”

  Unable to stop the floodgates from opening, tears poured down her face. Overshooting the junction, she swerved across the road as Seth clambered over into the passenger seat, grabbing at her arms. “Get off me!” she yelled, the car swerving again amidst much blaring of horns.

  “For fuck’s sake! STOP THE CAR!” Seth roared, tears rolling down his face. “Please Jane. Please. I’m begging you.”

  Jane couldn’t do this anymore. She’d had enough. Stopping abruptly at the side of the road, she put her head in her hands and sobbed harder than she had in a very long time.

  Dragging her shaking body across the seat, Seth wrapped Jane in his arms and held her tight as she cried, pressing her face deep into his chest.

  He lifted her head up and brushed his mouth against hers.

  Twining her fingers in Seth’s hair, Jane clung on to him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t going to go through with it, but I still don’t see how we can do it. My head’s so fucked up. I don’t know what’s going on anymore, Seth.” She looked into his eyes. “I don’t know who we are anymore.”

  Resting a hand on the side of her face, Seth whispered in Jane’s ear. “You’re you and I’m me.” He placed his hand gently onto her belly, a trace of a smile running over his mouth as he kissed her eyelids in turn. “I love you Jane. More than anything. We can do this and our baby will be beautiful. Just like you.”

  Ignoring the people walking past their car haphazardly half-parked on the pavement, Jane unbuttoned Seth’s jeans whilst he licked the blood from the cut on her head.

  THIRTY SIX

  DEBBIE SLIPPED HER HAND underneath the table and stroked Paul’s leg through his tight ripped black jeans. She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t jumping at the chance to get it on with her.

  Over the last few months they’d been working together to sort Seth and Jane out, she’d become more and more attracted to him, but he hadn’t taken her up on it. Maybe she needed to be a bit more obvious?

  Necking the remains of her cider, Debbie winked and waved the empty glass at Paul. She needed something to get her mind off things. Not only had her plan to set Jane up with Davis failed miserably because he’d gone and fucking died, but her brother’s sexual demands had gone through the roof since she’d moved back in with him.

  Not that she minded fucking Ian. He even made her come sometimes. It was more to do with Teddy. He was a bit fat for her liking, but it wasn’t just that - it was more do with the news Paul had given her a couple of weeks ago. He’d heard on good authority from his cousin that Jane was pregnant and since then Debbie had felt horribly depressed.

  Initially she’d tried to ignore it as a rumour. After all, no one else had mentioned it and that sort of stuff usually spread around town like wildfire, but since seeing Seth and Jane in the bakery last week, she could no longer pass it off as hearsay.

  She’d concealed herself behind a tall shelving unit when they’d come in and stared in shock when Seth had put his arms around Jane from behind, lovingly spreading his hands over her quite obviously rounded belly. Jane had tugged her top down over her bump before turning around and kissing him passionately.

  Oh, she’d seen the love in his eyes as he’d looked at Jane and now they were having a fucking baby. There was much less chance of breaking them up now.

  Gritting her teeth with jealously and rage, Debbie glared at Paul. He was taking far too long at the bar getting her refill.

  When he returned to the table Paul carefully sat out of reach of Debbie’s wandering hands and passed her a fresh pint.


  “About time!” she snapped, snatching the drink. “Listen. We really need to act. Especially on Jane.” Debbie smiled savagely, revealing her crooked teeth. “I have a plan.... Although we need to be clever how we do it, we’re going to poison the bitch.”

  Paul nearly choked. He hated the thought of Jane having another man’s baby more than anything, but he wanted to marry her, not kill her. “Can’t we poison Seth?”

  Debbie stared at him uncomprehendingly. Was he stupid or something? “Seth? What the fuck for? He’s not pregnant is he, you thick bastard!”

  Paul didn’t like where this was going. “Well we can’t be completely sure she’s pregnant. Only Stuart has said that.”

  Debbie scowled. There was no mistaking what she’d seen last week. “However much Jane’s trying to hide it, I saw her belly. She’s pregnant alright, but she won’t be by the time I’ve finished.”

  Paul grimaced. This was getting out of hand, but he was unsure exactly what to do about it.

  DRINKING STRAIGHT FROM THE flat bottle of coke in the kitchen, Jane pulled a face. Her mind was speeding and the lack of vodka was not doing much for her mental or physical state. Plus she was bored and getting more frustrated by the minute.

  In the three weeks since the abortion attempt Seth had refused to let her go anywhere on her own even though she’d assured him countless times she wouldn’t do anything. Now, with no job to go to she was completely trapped and felt like she was slowly suffocating. This coupled with refraining from drink-fuelled oblivion meant her mind was as wired as an over-tuned piano teetering on the edge of the Grand Canyon. At least that job was on tomorrow so she could get out of the bloody flat for once.

  Jane self-consciously ran her hand over the bump which had expanded further in the last three weeks and knew it was only a matter of time before everyone guessed. She smiled. At least her morning sickness had stopped. Although it was odd not to have a flat stomach anymore and she felt horribly fat, she was getting more comfortable with it.

  STUART SHUFFLED ACROSS the bathroom, his bad leg stiff as ever and peered into the small plastic-framed mirror on the windowsill, scowling at his reflection. For fuck’s sake, what a bloody state.

  Wincing, he bared his teeth and counted five missing, including both his front ones. He ran a finger over the long scabbed scars at the corners of his mouth and winced for the second time. He looked like Worzel bloody Gummidge!

  Pushing his hair out of his grey eyes he studied the rest of his face and wondered whether growing a beard would hide the scars.

  Stuart pushed his tongue around his mouth feeling the stitches. He’d had no choice but to take himself to the hospital, but he’d got twenty questions. It had been so tempting to tell them who had carved his fucking face up, but he’d found himself making up some cock and bull about getting mugged on a canal towpath.

  He knew they hadn’t believed him, but he didn’t care. He was going to frame that cunt Seth with bells on. In fact, he’d kill the pair of them and didn’t give a shit if that didn’t fit into Paul’s stupid plans.

  Gingerly sluicing water on his face, Stuart realised he’d have to venture out at some point soon. Gritting his teeth, he promptly wished he hadn’t, when pain shot from the raw nerve endings. The bastard had proper tucked him up.

  “Yes Jane, no Jane...” he mimicked, “and you’re supposed to be a hard case Seth? Taking orders off that bitch?”

  Realising he’d degenerated into talking to himself, Stuart shook his head. Jane, Jane, Jane. Bloody Jane!

  He threw his toothbrush onto the windowsill angrily. What was the fucking point? He had hardly any teeth left. He’d have to find a way to get rid of Seth and Jane once and for all and he would concentrate on that whilst his face healed.

  MAGGIE HAD ALMOST PULLED her big toenail off from her right foot. Her nerves were well and truly shattered and she felt like an animal waiting to be shot. She hadn’t dared go out for almost three weeks in case she’d seen Jane. The question was, did Jane know it was her who’d told Seth?

  She swallowed and wrung her hands. She’d fucked up big time. However at least Jane was keeping the baby or so Eliza said when she’d popped round, but that didn’t solve how she was going to face either of them again.

  Maggie put her head in her hands and cried.

  “CLEOPATRA! CLEEEEOOOOPATRAAAAA!” Ian groaned, watching as his length slid in and out between Debbie’s ample buttocks.

  Holding onto the side of the sofa, Debbie winced as her brother pounded harder into her. She wasn’t a great fan of anal, but if that was what Ian needed today, then she’d oblige.

  As his thrusts became more urgent she repositioned her feet slightly. Her balance was still dodgy since the bout of concussion from Jane’s bashing, but the bitch would get hers soon. And her stupid baby.

  “Tell me slave,” Debbie panted, playing into Ian’s fantasy. “Have you prepared my bath of milk?”

  Why on earth he’d wanted her to pretend she was Cleopatra was a little confusing, but she didn’t really care one way or the other. She actually quite fancied herself as the beautiful Cleopatra. Bathing all day in the milk of asps without a care in the world, apart from running out of eyeliner of course.

  Hearing a groan, Debbie opened her eyes and glanced towards the fat ginger man on the chair. With jeans round his ankles and grubby stained pants half-way down his white mottled thighs, Teddy’s thick hand pumped furiously.

  Locking eyes with him, Debbie ran her tongue over her fat lips and looked at the thin trail of saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth.

  “Going to make you bleed Cleopatra!” Ian shouted suddenly, one hand grasping and twisting her pendulous breasts, the other pulling her hair.

  Debbie grimaced, the soreness of her scalp reminding her that the stitches were due to come out of the back of her head later today.

  “SO, THE FINE TUNING is this,” Phil looked around the Chapter House table, seeing Adrian lean forward and pick a fresh scab on his knuckle. “Wazza drives the smaller van with Adrian in the back, Ok? And Digger, you’ll be driving the larger one with Seth in the back.”

  “And Jane?”

  Phil glanced at Seth, who up until this point had been silent and hadn’t seemed even like he’d been listening. Taking a swig from his beer he turned his packet of cigarettes on its end. “I was getting to that. Jane will go in the small van with Adrian and Wazza who’ll drop her at the layby once we’ve had word the security van has been done. That way w...”

  “I want her in the van with me,” Seth interrupted. Staring intently at Phil, he picked up his tumbler of whisky.

  Phil held Seth’s gaze. “That won’t work. Wazza’s van is positioned to pull in front of the blue one once it slows by the layby.” He focused his eyes. “Jane can’t go in your van because you’ll be blocking the other end.”

  Leaning back, Seth put both hands behind his head and sighed. “Then I ain’t doing it. Or she ain’t. One or the other.”

  “Seth!” Jane was getting more frustrated by the second. She’d thought it weird he hadn’t started griping when the message had come in for the final meet and now she knew why. He was trying to get her off the job.

  Phil clocked the surprised expressions of all those seated. “What’s this about Seth?” It wasn’t like him to play games. “Jane’s got to go in that way, you know that.”

  “I’m doing this the way that’s needed,” Jane snapped, glaring at Seth. “Stop being so fucking ridiculous!”

  Digger exchanged glances with the others, knowing Seth wouldn’t appreciate being spoken to like that in front of them. Adrian however, hadn’t noticed any of it and was busy picking at something in his teeth with a flick knife.

  Folding his arms, Seth cut Jane a withering look. The muscle twitched in the side of his neck, but he remained silent.

  “Look,” Phil knew he needed to turn this around. He didn’t want Seth and Jane kicking off. “I know you’re worrying about her getting involved in....”

>   “I can handle myself, thank you!” Jane griped.

  Phil clenched his teeth and placed his hand over hers. “I know you can, babes. Seth just wants to look after his woman.” Hopefully that would placate them? For fuck’s sake. He needed both of them on this job.

  “I don’t need looking after!”

  Phil forced a smile. He wasn’t going to win either way at this rate. “She’s more than capable Seth.”

  Scraping his chair back, Seth banged his fist on the table. “I know that! It’s just a bit different now sh...”

  “ENOUGH, Seth!” Jane screeched.

  Phil had had enough. What the hell was going on? He looked from Seth to Jane. “This is a big job guys and I can’t afford any weird fucking domestics! Leave it at home, eh?”

  Glaring, Seth planted himself heavily back down on the chair whilst Jane shot daggers at him. “Carry on.”

  Phil looked around slowly. “Like I was saying, Jane gets dropped at the layby once we’ve had word the van has cleared. It will then be around a minute before the blue van arrives.” He smiled at Jane. “Best togs girl, short, short skirt. Stockings. The works, yeah?”

  Ignoring Seth’s eyes burning into the side of her head, Jane absentmindedly wondered whether anything like that would fit by that point.

  “As soon as you see the blue transit, step as close to the road as possible. Wave your arms about and look suitably upset, but fucking lovely, yeah?”

  Jane nodded. That bit was relatively easy at least.

  “Now,” Phil continued. “The van won’t stop, but courtesy of Jane’s distraction, it should slow. Digger and Seth will tail the van and Wazza, as soon as Jane steps towards the road, floor it and swerve in front, yeah? Digger, once Wazza blocks the front, you block from the back.”

  He paused to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “Only Wazza and Adrian to jump.”

  Phil turned back to Digger. “You and Seth empty the lovely cargo and Jane, you get in the back of Digger’s van.” He glared at Adrian. “No shooting unless you have to. Everyone clear? Collect vans at 5.30 from here and wait for the off.”