Retribution

by Heather Atkinson

  “Yeah,” he said warily. “What of it?”

  “We’ve got a plan to top her. Want in? What did I say?” he added when Tom rolled his eyes, got to his feet and took his pint to the bar.

  “What’s up Tom?” said the barman. “You look pissed off.”

  “I am Steve. The whole world’s gone mad.”

  “It went mad fucking years ago mate. You want another?” he said, indicating his glass.

  “No thanks, I’m good.”

  “Great. That means I can get back to discussing the plan to get into the care home to top Jules Driscoll.”

  Tom gaped at him as he hurried to the opposite end of the bar, leaning on it to talk to three big, scarred, scary-looking men. Seven weeks the woman had been in a coma, all helpless, which would have been the ideal time to make a move. But where was the fun in killing someone who didn’t even know it was happening? That was why they were all deciding to strike now, while she was conscious of what was going on but helpless to stop it. Men like these could have a lot of fun with that. But they were all too thick to realise that - even if they were successful - the Laws and Maguires would hunt them down and kill them. And why attack a family who time and time again had obliterated everyone who had come after them, criminals much stronger and better organised than the shower of shite in this pub. He wondered if in every boozer in Manchester similar plots were being made. Jules was going to have a whole fucking city coming after her.

  CHAPTER 12

  Rachel was worried about Leah. She was quiet and moody and it went beyond the usual teenage angst stuff. She’d confided her fears in Ryan, who agreed he thought she was behaving strangely too.

  “Maybe we should stage an intervention?” he suggested. “Like we did for you.”

  “I don’t think scaring the shit out of her will help.”

  “I refuse to believe we frightened you.”

  “No you didn’t but I’m not a fifteen year old girl. I’d rather wait for her to open up to us in her own time.”

  “What if she doesn’t?”

  “She’s a teenager and she’s stubborn. She’s not going to tell us anything until she’s ready and pushing her will only make her clam up even more.”

  “I suppose that makes sense but we must watch her carefully. She’s been through so much.”

  “Agreed,” said Rachel seconds before Leah exited her bedroom, as usual looking sullen and like a replica of her aunt Jules with her black nail varnish, thick eyeliner, black lipstick and black clothes.

  “Ready to go to the care home?” Rachel asked her as sunnily as she could.

  “Yeah,” said Leah, who was actually desperate to talk to her aunt alone but not knowing whether she would get the chance, or if Jules was even up to hearing about her problems.

  On the drive to the care home Leah’s phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Reid again. So far she’d stuck with her resolution not to talk to him but he was becoming so insistent she was starting to weaken. She knew she couldn’t put it off forever, one day she’d have to speak to him and the longer she left it the worse it would get. For her. Instead she took out her phone, typed in a quick message telling him she’d speak to him later then shoved it back into her pocket.

  “Mum, Leah’s texting a boy,” called Ethan, who was sat beside her in the back seat.

  “Shut up,” she hissed at him.

  “A boy?” said her mum, turning to look at her from the front passenger seat. “What boy?”

  “It’s not a boy,” said Leah, deciding to front it out. “It’s just Britney. Ethan’s rubbish at reading.”

  “Am not,” he pouted.

  “Are,” she scowled at him.

  “Am not,” he yelled.

  “Enough,” said Ryan from the driver’s seat, silencing them both. “We’re going to see your Aunty Jules and I will not have you turning up there in a bad mood.”

  Both Leah and Ethan pouted while Aaron happily played with his toy car, oblivious.

  Rachel glanced at Ryan, smiling at how hard his face had gone and how he gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. They knew the day would come when Leah began dating. She just hoped Ryan didn’t make good on his threat to keep a baseball bat behind the door. At least it explained her odd behaviour, which was frankly a relief to Rachel.

  Leah was heartened by how much stronger Jules looked. She actually had colour in her cheeks and she was sitting up, smiling.

  “You look better,” said a pleased Ryan, bending to kiss his sister’s cheek.

  Jules nodded. “I go out. Fresh air good.” Her smile faltered when Leah’s eyes widened at the sound of her speech.

  “It’s certainly done you the power of good,” smiled Rachel, sitting on a chair and pulling Aaron onto her knee.

  “Don’t like inside all time,” she said, trying not to let her fragile confidence be damaged by the frown creasing her niece’s forehead.

  “Why is Aunty Jules talking like that?” said Aaron.

  There was a moment of awkward silence, Jules’s hurt eyes flicking down to her hands, frantically picking at her nails.

  “Sorry,” said Ryan.

  Jules took a deep breath and forced herself to look up again. “It okay.” She looked to Aaron. “I had poorly, make me not talk well but I get better.”

  “I like it,” grinned the boy. “It’s funny.”

  “Aaron, that’s enough,” said Rachel.

  “It okay,” said Jules. “He not know. He like though. That good.”

  All of Leah’s hopes were crushed. No way could she discuss her problem with Jules, she had enough shit on her plate. That just left her Uncle Mikey.

  “Are you going to give your Aunty Jules her presents?” Rachel prompted Leah.

  “Oh, yeah,” she said, holding out the gift bag.

  “Thank you,” said Jules, taking it from her. She held her arms out to her, looking uncertain. “Hug?”

  Jules was surprised by how forcefully Leah flung herself at her, wrapping her arms around her, which pleased Jules, she was afraid her speech had driven her away.

  “I’m so glad you’re awake,” said Leah, swallowing down the sob in her throat, appalled by how thin and frail her aunt felt.

  “Me too honey,” she said, patting her back. She leaned back slightly to look at her and frowned, not liking what she saw in Leah’s eyes. “You okay?”

  Leah forced a smile and nodded. “Yeah, great Aunty Jules, now that you’re finally awake.”

  When Jules hugged her again, Leah clung onto her. Her speech didn’t bother Leah, although admittedly it had startled her at first. She was just glad she was back.

  Amber and Mikey walked in, the latter carrying Zach in one arm and holding Josh’s hand with the other. But for once Amber didn’t stride into the room as though she owned it, instead she snuck in quietly behind Mikey and stood at the back of the room while Mikey greeted the others. She’d not wanted to come here, she’d done her best to get out of it but she knew it would look suspicious if she avoided visiting Jules. She just prayed she hadn’t heard the bad things she’d said to her when she’d been in the coma about how she was going to steal Jules’s husband from her and how she hoped she died.

  It made her furious to see everyone fawning over the woman she loathed most in the world. How was it fair that she had to be nice to the woman who was fucking her husband?

  “Babe, you going to say hello?” said Mikey, turning to her.

  Everyone else looked at her and she realised she couldn’t get away with it any longer, she had to speak to Jules.

  Taking a deep breath she stepped toward the bed, feeling sick with nerves when Jules’s eyes settled on her but her look wasn’t angry. Neither was it happy, they’d never really got on but so far so good. “Hello Jules,” said Amber. “I’m very glad you’re awake.”

  Jules’s eyes narrowed, as though she were struggling to recall something and Amber held her breath.

  “Your voice,” she murmured.

  �
�What about it?” said Mikey.

  “I remember, when I was in coma…you talk to me.”

  Oh God, thought Amber. She does remember. She prepared to run out of the room. If Jules announced what she’d said to her in front of them all then she’d be lynched. She had no doubt Rachel would batter the shit out of her. Leah would probably be keen to stick the boot in too.

  “What was that?” said Mikey, looking from her to Amber.

  Jules shook her head and waved a dismissive hand. “Amber talk while I asleep.” Her gaze was sincere as it settled on Amber. “Thank you.”

  Amber resisted the urge to laugh out loud. She didn’t have a clue and what was the deal with her speech? Big bad Jules Driscoll was a fucking vegetable. Instead of gloating, she nodded her head magnanimously. “You’re welcome.”

  Leah looked to her Uncle Mikey who was regarding his wife with suspicion. No one believed Amber had said anything nice to Jules while she was in the coma but it looked like they wouldn’t be able to prove it. A little more of her hope was extinguished. Her Uncle Mikey had so much on his plate too and she wasn’t going to add to his burden. Her family had gone through so much horror over the years and she was ashamed of herself for bringing more to their door. No, she would sort this out herself and hopefully they’d never need to know.

  Just as their visit was coming to an end, Jez arrived, alone.

  “Alright all?” he said cheerfully. He kissed Jules on the forehead. “How are you feeling?”

  “Okay,” she smiled up at him.

  He looked to Ryan, who nodded at him, almost imperceptibly. Rachel, who was already aware that Ryan and Jez wanted to talk to Jules in private, ushered out the children. Mikey, also privy to the secret, departed with Amber, leaving the three of them alone together.

  “Alright, what going on?” said Jules.

  They sat either side of her bed while Jules frowned at their serious expressions. “You…freak me…out,” she said.

  “Sorry,” replied Ryan. “But we have something to tell you, about the reason the Slatterys attacked you.”

  “Because…Cara.”

  “Yes but did they tell you how they found out about her?”

  “DNA…Jared’s man…take the…” She sighed as she struggled for the right word. “Thing you drink with.”

  “Glass?” said Jez.

  She shook her head.

  “Straw?” offered Ryan.

  She nodded. “That it.”

  “Someone prompted them to do that DNA test,” continued Ryan. “Do you know who that was?”

  “No. Who?” she demanded when her brothers glanced at each other.

  “Estelle,” said Ryan.

  Jules went absolutely still, hands gripping onto the sheets as she processed this information.

  “Jules, you alright?” said Jez, afraid this shocking information had made her ill.

  Eventually she nodded, to his relief. “How she know?” she replied, eyes ablaze with fury.

  “We’re not entirely sure,” said Ryan. “But she was at the Homestead when we attacked it. In fact, Hayden Brody had already warned us she was there before we went in, he used to live on the Montford Estate too so he recognised her. She was ingratiating herself with the Slatterys.”

  “I tried to kill her for what she’d done to you,” said Jez. “But she got away. I’m sorry.” He was still furious with himself over that one.

  Jules had so much to say but she lacked the ability to put it into words and the frustration overwhelmed her. She snatched up the clock off her bedside cabinet and hurled it against the wall while releasing a scream of anguish.

  Ryan leapt up and pulled her into his arms. At first she resisted before slumping into him and letting the tears fall.

  “What on earth’s going on?” said Catherine, hurrying into the room.

  Jez got up to intercept her. “It’s okay, we’ve just broken some upsetting family news to her.”

  Catherine looked past him to her patient. “Jules, are you okay?”

  She relinquished her grip on Ryan and straightened up, wiping away her tears. “I fine. Thanks.”

  “Well okay, if you’re sure,” she said before reluctantly leaving.

  “Estelle sell me…when baby,” gasped Jules between sobs only this wasn’t hurt, it was absolute, overpowering rage. “I get treated bad…pain…” She grunted with annoyance, struggling for the words that would express the turbulence she felt. “Then she nearly kill me…destroy everything…Where is she?” she snarled.

  “She’s vanished,” said Ryan. “Unfortunately she’s very good at that. Jez and I learnt how to do it at her feet.” Ryan thought back over the many times Estelle had disappeared on them when they were kids and he’d been left to ensure his siblings were fed and went to school. “But we will find her.”

  “And when you do?”

  “We’re both agreed that she poses too much of a threat to let go again.”

  “I kill her,” she rasped, pointing at herself.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We just thought you had a right to know.”

  Jules nodded, her anger exhausting her. It seemed selling her to a pair of paedophiles hadn’t been enough for Estelle. No, she had to destroy her when she’d finally had everything she could ever want. Jared was first on her hit list. Estelle was next.

  After their visit to Jules had ended and they’d left the care home, Mikey dropped Amber and the kids off at home while he returned to work.

  An hour after he’d gone the doorbell rang and Amber was delighted to open her front door to Jackson.

  “Come on in,” she purred.

  “Thanks,” he said, stepping inside. “Is Mikey here?”

  “No, he’s working.”

  “Oh good,” he replied, making her eyes light up. “I need to speak to you.”

  “Come on through,” she said, indicating the lounge.

  “Actually, here will do. I don’t want to say this in front of the kids.”

  “Say what?”

  “Thanks. You’ve been really great about the whole Cindy thing and I really appreciate you not saying anything to Mikey.”

  “I’m not particularly happy about keeping such a big secret from my husband but I understand the hell it would unleash if everyone found out. I’m just trying to keep the peace. Plus I don’t want Jules to get hurt.”

  “Yeah, me neither and she would be so hurt if she found out.”

  “Undoubtedly. Have you seen Cindy since?”

  “No. I’ve purposefully stayed away from her. Cara hasn’t been very happy, Cindy’s daughter Emily used to come to the house to play with her, she’s her best friend but I daren’t risk it.”

  “You’re really attracted to Cindy, aren’t you?” she said, outraged that he could find that bug-eyed stick insect so irresistible but not her. “That’s why you daren’t be around her, in case it happens again?”

  He nodded. “I feel horrible about it but it’s true. We do have a connection but I won’t do anything to put my marriage at risk.”

  “I’ve got news for you, that ship’s already sailed.”

  He nodded sadly. “Well, that’s all I wanted to say. I’ll get out of your hair now.”

  “Hold on,” she said when he turned to leave. “There is a price for my silence.”

  He frowned. “What?”

  She slid her arms around his neck, leaning into him. “For a while now I’ve been wondering what it would feel like to have you inside me.”

  “What?” he exclaimed.

  “Don’t tell me you don’t find me attractive,” she breathed, leaning in to kiss him.

  He removed her arms from his neck and took a step back. “Actually I don’t. Sorry, I’ve never had a thing for gingers.”

  “I’m not ginger. My hair is red,” she announced, hands on hips, eyes flashing.

  “Are you serious or is this some twisted joke? You want me to have sex with you so you won’t tell anyone I slept with Cindy?”
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  “Yes.” She twiddled one of her curls around her finger, eyes wide with innocence. “If you don’t I might have to tell Mikey and Jules about what you’ve done.”

  “I don’t believe this. I thought you were my friend.”

  “I am,” she said, attempting to hold him again, however he took another step back. “But you don’t know what it’s like. I dream about you all the time. At night I ache to feel that amazing body of yours against mine. Don’t tell me you’re not tempted?”

  “No, I’m bloody not tempted.”

  “What difference would it make? You’ve already cheated on Jules. You might as well have some more fun while you can. The state she’s in she might never be able to have sex again.”

  “You are one nasty piece of work,” he said. “Yes I cheated with Cindy but she’s a warm, kind woman who I genuinely like and respect and Jules is a fucking goddess. You are a spoilt brat who will go to any lengths to get what she wants.”

  “If you don’t do it, I will tell them.”

  “Do you know what, do it.”

  “What?” she said, unprepared for this reaction. She’d imagined him leaping into the sack with her the second she’d made the offer.

  “Tell them about what I did with Cindy and I’ll tell them how you tried to blackmail me into bed.”

  “They’d never believe that.”

  “Course they would because they know what a bitch you truly are.”

  Amber couldn’t believe how wrong this had gone. He’d called her bluff and she’d made a complete idiot of herself in the process. “Trust me, you don’t want me as an enemy.”

  “Neither do I want you as a friend and I certainly don’t want you for a lover you stupid ginger tart,” he snarled before leaving, slamming the door shut.

  “My hair is red,” she screamed after him, stamping her feet on the tiled floor. In the lounge, Zach let up a startled cry at the sound of his mother’s raised voice but she ignored him, glaring at the door that had been closed in her face.

  Charlie was amazed by how easy it had been to sneak into the care home grounds. All he’d done was don the uniform of a maintenance man and he was given free rein, although so far he hadn’t found a way into the actual building without being noticed. Rob was with him, wearing the same uniform and so far no one had given them a second glance but they knew they would if they tried to gain access to the patients.