by Jacqui Rose
Even though the air-con was on, Bunny opened the window. She sat watching Del talking to the man, although she couldn’t see him as he was blocked out by Del’s large frame.
As if he could read her thoughts, Del moved to the side as he threw down the cigar he was smoking, giving Bunny a clear view of the man he was talking to. Straight away her mind started to race. Blurred memories began to fade in and out. She bent her head down, feeling nauseous, hoping whatever was happening would pass, but it was as if there was a strong smell making her feel sick. Sweet water entered her mouth as Bunny felt the colour draining from her.
She needed to get some air. Stepping out of the car, she looked in the direction of where Del and the man were talking.
‘You all right, Bunny?’ Del’s voice penetrated her dizziness as she stood leaning on the side of the car. She attempted to nod but was afraid she’d lose her balance. What was wrong with her? It was like she was having a panic attack.
Del ran over to Bunny. The sweat was running down her forehead like rain drops.
‘What’s going on, Bun? You ain’t just trying to get out of going, are you babes?’
Bunny gave Del a weak smile. The intensity of the feeling was beginning to pass. She gazed up and found herself staring at the man standing next to Del. His face seemed familiar, but from the distant past, a face blurred and shaded into a forgotten memory.
‘No, I’m okay now. It’s probably because I took one of those travel sickness pills on top of an empty stomach.’ Bunny grinned meekly.
‘Oh Bun, sorry. I haven’t introduced you. This is Alan.’
Alan put out his hand for Bunny to shake. She took it and held his gaze, staring into the dark voids of his eyes. Almost too quickly she pulled her hand away as she felt she was being jarred by unwanted thoughts. She began to sweat again and her breath began to get short.
‘Here you are.’ From out of his pocket, Alan handed Bunny a hankie.
Bunny turned to go and sit back in the car.
Closing her eyes, Bunny welcomed the cool of the air-conditioned Aston Martin as she patted the sweat away from her forehead, trying to remember exactly where she’d seen Alan before.
19
Teddy Davies sat opposite Milo Burkov with just a small table and four fat lines of coke between them. It was quality quiver, the best Teddy had had in a long time, and even though the summer heat was muggy and the Soho streets below them were noisy, Teddy felt refreshed and mellow. The downside of it was that he was struggling to concentrate on what Milo was saying.
‘What was it my friend had to say?’ Milo spoke to Teddy, referring to the meeting Teddy had had with Del the other night.
‘I saw the girl.’
‘Which girl?’
‘Star, Del’s daughter.’
Milo banged his hand on the table, sending the coke up in the air before it sprinkled down like a snow burst.
‘We agreed the girl’s off-limits.’
‘No, you agreed the girl’s off-limits. I haven’t got time for emotional squeezes. Nothing is off-limits when it comes to him. When he falls, I want to make sure he falls hard.’
Milo stood up, sweeping the coke off the table, much to Teddy’s anguish.
‘Detective Davies. I think the powder is starting to affect your brain. You aren’t calling any shots with me. You don’t decide what is or isn’t off-limits. You were the one who came to me asking for my help, not the other way round. You would be wise to remember that.’
The quiver gave Teddy a false sense of confidence. He leapt up in anger. There was no way any foreigner was going to tell him what to do. He prodded his finger into Milo’s chest.
‘This is my manor, not yours. I could even go so far as to say this is my country, not yours.’
Milo looked round at his henchmen and burst into laughter. He gestured his head at Teddy, speaking in his native Russian tongue to his men.
Teddy’s gaze went from Milo to the gargantuan men who edged nearer to Milo’s side. His rush of confidence began to subside as the tight, intense feeling of the quiver started to wear off slightly.
Seeing the look of hesitation in Teddy’s eyes, Milo grinned, showing off his gold tooth. His thick accent was almost cartoon-like. ‘I suppose you are wondering what I said to my men. In English it is translated as “Look at this fool, he is playing with the devil”.’
With a quick right hook from Milo, Teddy shot across the room, landing on a pile of stacked-up boxes in the corner. He could feel his chin throbbing as shockwaves of pain shot up through the nerves of his teeth and he tasted blood in his mouth.
‘In Russia we like to give the foolish one chance. So now my friend, you’ve used up that one chance. Another time, I will not hesitate to kill you.’
Grabbing his coat, Milo walked out of the room, followed by his men. Teddy could feel fury mixed with the pain running through his body. He felt humiliated. He was Teddy Davies and Milo thought he could do this. This was all Del’s fault and he was going to make him pay a heavy price. There was no way Teddy was going to keep his family out of it. That’s where he knew it would hit Del hard and the girl was the perfect place to start.
Soon his name would be known. Everyone in Soho would be talking about Teddy Davies – knowing they couldn’t take the piss any more. It’d be his rule and no one, but no one, was ever going to take that away from him. Oh yes, when he’d finished with everyone it’d be him they were all talking about, not Milo, and certainly not the irrepressible Del Williams.
Half an hour later, Teddy sat in his car in Greek Street, thinking about Del.
Thinking of Del had Teddy reaching for the half-smoked spliff sitting in his ashtray. Taking the smoke deep into his lungs took the frown off his forehead and the twisted knot out from his stomach. He supposed he shouldn’t get worked up. Wasn’t that why he was here now, to lay the foundation of the first part of his plan? And what’s more, he didn’t care a jot what Milo thought.
Stepping out of the car, Teddy walked across the road, in the direction of the flat belonging to Bunny Barker.
20
Alan Day had been released from hospital and Julian Millwood sat opposite him, in a state of excitement as he sat in Alan’s office. He was counting money, something he didn’t often have the chance to do. In actuality he was counting it for the second time as Alan stared grimly, rubbing his chest. The stress with Julian wasn’t helping Alan. Damn him. He sprayed two squirts of the nitrolingual spray he’d been given for his angina into his mouth, before taking a large swig of his brandy.
Julian raised an eyebrow. ‘There’s only eight grand here.’
Alan looked incredulous. ‘You didn’t really expect me to give you a hundred grand, did you? You’re lucky you’re even getting that.’
Julian could feel a sense of disappointment coming over him. Alan was spoiling the moment and he didn’t like people spoiling things – especially criminals in suits. He went into his jacket pocket and pulled out a photograph.
‘Hey, you’ll never guess what I found. They just keep coming, don’t they? Funny how our past sometimes bites us on our arse. Again and again and …’ Julian smiled and handed the photograph to Alan, who crumpled it up in his hands, face turning red.
‘How old was she, Alan, I don’t quite recall? Under twelve? Under ten? Under eight? Stop me when I hit the right number, won’t you? We take a good photo, don’t we? I think I’ve put on a little weight since then and you …’
Alan kicked out at the chair next to him. He shouted loudly, much to Julian’s amusement.
‘That’s enough! This is all a joke to you, isn’t it? It’s all highly amusing to know you could ruin my life. You’ve got your money, now get out. I want you to leave.’
Julian cackled at Alan’s discomfort, then looked down at the money again.
‘Well, I suppose this will have to do. For now, anyway. Thank you, Alan. But I’m sure I’ll see you soon.’
‘Get out!’
‘Alan don’t
get so stressed – it won’t be good for the old ticker. You used to like the adventure.’
‘I said, out!’
Julian walked across to the door, pushing the money back in his pocket.
‘Now stay away. No more money. No more favours. Like we agreed.’
‘No Alan. You agreed.’
Alan snarled. ‘Enough. I’m telling you now, I’m having nothing more to do with you. I’m washing my hands of it all. You’ve got your money, so I’d suggest this is the last time we speak.’
Julian laughed. ‘I’ll tell you when you wash your hands. Don’t forget they’re very dirty ones.’
‘I won’t be blackmailed like this. You’d be stupid to take me on.’
‘Alan, Alan, Alan. Tell me, what exactly are you going to do about it. What? I can’t hear you. Come on, tell me mate, I’d be very interested to know.’ There was a long pause, then Julian added, ‘That’s what I thought. Nothing. Absolutely fuck all.’
Walking out of the meeting place Julian patted his pocket. He’d actually been surprised Alan had so readily agreed to give him money, and eight grand at that. Okay, so he’d asked for one hundred but he never really expected to get anything. Eight grand? Shit, he would’ve been happy getting a grand.
He wasn’t going to ask Alan for any more. Not that he’d ever let him know that.
No, what Julian was going to focus on was making real money – the kind of money that would stop him from ever having to worry about money again. And the way to do that was to get a blonde. An innocent blonde.
Alan Day decided the pain in his chest had stopped enough to let him move again. Sweat sat on his top lip from fear and stress. He wasn’t good at handling pain; he wasn’t equipped for it. But what Alan was even less equipped for was being blackmailed by some low-life scum.
There were many ways to deal with people like Julian Millwood. He was stupid, brash and indiscreet and one way or another Alan would make sure he got his comeuppance.
21
The doorbell rang. In fact, Star knew it had rung four times because she’d counted it on her fingers. But she also knew she wasn’t allowed to open the door. That had been the rule. Or rather it’d been Claudia’s rule when she’d made Star promise she wouldn’t answer the door to anyone.
‘I’ll swing for you if you do, Star. And then I’ll get your dad to swing for you. Do you hear me?’
Of course she’d heard her, she’d said it loud enough. But Star hadn’t argued. She’d nodded her head and given Claudia a hug. Star knew Claudia worried almost as much as her mum did.
Star let out a loud sigh. She was missing her dad and begrudgingly she had to admit she was missing her mum as well. But her mum was a spoilsport and had still been cross with her for going into the woods, not allowing her to have friends over for a sleepover or even a play-date. How unfair was that? So now she was stuck with Claudia.
The bell rang again and Star shivered. She’d promised not to open the door, but she hadn’t promised not to look out of the window or through the letter box.
Star went to pick up her beloved spyglass. She loved it. It was just like the one Captain Jack Sparrow had. Her dad had bought it for her the last time he’d gone to Marbella and most of the time she never went anywhere without it.
Star tiptoed to the window. She hoped it was pirates. That would be fun. Stolen treasure, just like what her dad had sometimes. Star put the spyglass to her right eye, using the other end of it to draw back the blinds.
Circled in the spyglass, Star could see the people across the other side of the street. She could see them so clearly through the glass she could make out the lines and spots on all their faces.
Cautiously, Star went closer to the window and peered down from the first floor onto the busy street, turning the spyglass towards her front door. And then she saw who it was – it was the man from the woods and he was calling up to her.
Star called back down to him through the half-open window. ‘Me Dad’s not here, mate.’
Teddy Davies smiled. He already knew that. ‘Oh, that’s a shame. I really needed to talk to him. Star, isn’t it?’
Star smiled, pleased that the man had remembered her name.
‘Yeah it is.’
‘Do you remember me?’
Indignantly Star replied, ‘Of course I do. I’m seven, I’ve just had me birthday.’
‘Can you open the door? I’d like to talk to you.’
‘I can’t – Claudia would go mad. I’m not supposed to open doors to anyone I don’t know.’
‘Well she’s right, but you do know me. I’m Teddy.’
Star thought about this. It was true she did know the man but she didn’t know him very well. Nobody had told her what to do in this situation when she knew the person, but only a little.
‘Star?’
‘Yes mate?’
‘Are you going to let me in?’
‘Dunno. I’m thinking about it.’
‘What are you thinking about, Star?’
‘I’m thinking I don’t know you very well.’
‘That’s right, Star – but I kept your secret didn’t I? So you know me well enough to know that you can trust me.’
Star crunched up her button nose. ‘Suppose.’
‘No suppose about it, Star. I didn’t tell your dad you were talking to me, did I? And I could’ve done, but I kept my word. It was our secret.’
Star didn’t know what to do now. In a way she wished Claudia would come back from McDonalds with or without the double cheeseburger she’d promised to bring, and then she wouldn’t have to decide.
Star peered at Teddy again. He was right, he had kept her secret, but when her dad had taken her to meet Teddy in the car, her dad had spent the whole time shouting at him. And Star knew her dad really only shouted at people he didn’t like – which meant she shouldn’t like him either, and she certainly shouldn’t let him in. But the problem Star had was that she did like him.
‘Star?’
‘Yes?’
‘How about if I promise to keep this secret, too? I promise I won’t tell anyone you let me in. How about that? Cross my heart and hope to blow a bullet in my head.’
Star laughed loudly.
‘So what do you say, Star?’
Star backed away from the window and walked down the corridor. She reached up to the shelf, almost bringing the books and magazines down as she searched for what she was looking for – the key her mum hid up there.
Slowly she went downstairs to the front door and took a deep breath. She loved adventures, especially ones her mum and dad didn’t have to know about.
Star slowly unlocked the door and faced a red-faced Teddy Davies.
‘So what do you say, Star?’
Star looked up into Teddy’s face; shielding her eyes from the bright sunshine. ‘I say it’s our secret.’
‘Star! Star! What the bleedin’ hell do you think you’re doing? What did I tell you? I’m going to skin you like a bleedin’ cat in China.’ It was Claudia.
Star watched, her heart sinking as Claudia stomped up the street, rolling up her sleeves as if she was about to start a fight.
‘Get inside now!’
‘Sorry, it was my fault.’ Teddy spoke as Claudia poked him in his chest. ‘And who the hell are you? You can’t just turn up here. It ain’t that sort of place and if I ever see you talking to her again, I’ll flatten you. Count your luckies I’m not doing it now.’
‘I only …’
‘What? Only wanted to talk to some kid? You flippin’ perv. Get out of here before I call the coppers on you and that’s saying some.’
Teddy narrowed his eyes, hating this loud fat woman in front of him. ‘I am the police.’
Claudia’s demeanour slipped slightly, though she still held firm. ‘What? I’m supposed to be impressed? Jog on. I don’t care if you’re the friggin’ fire brigade or the ambulance service for that matter, mate, you’ve no right entering into conversation with her.’ Claudia swiv
elled round to glower at Star. ‘And you miss, have no bleedin’ right to open the door.’
Before Claudia could say another word, Teddy butted in. ‘Well, that’s my point. She didn’t open the door. When I walked past, the door was ajar. You left it open. You should be more careful. I used to be a neighbourhood police officer and I know how carelessness like this can lead to all sorts of crimes.’
Claudia looked at Star, who put her head down. She then looked at Teddy and bristled. Her coldness was still present in her voice as she said, ‘Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it, mate.’
With that, Claudia pushed Star inside and quickly closed the door. She stared at Star, then smiled. ‘When you speak to your mum on the phone tonight, I don’t want you to mention this to her. It’ll be our secret.’
Star hugged herself. She was collecting secrets like candy.
22
‘I’m away, Alan. I don’t want to be disturbed. And I certainly don’t want to talk crap over the airways. Understand?’ Del Williams clicked the phone off, using his thumb as hard as he could. That was the problem with mobiles. There was no slamming it down, unless of course you were willing to break the bloody thing, though the way he was feeling at the moment he would have broken it quite happily.
Alan was good at what he did, but in many other ways he was a muppet. What sort of guy talked about wanting to get someone weighed in on the phone – and a mobile one at that? Jesus, the man was a first-class looney tune to think that Del was going to indulge in any sort of conversation like the one Alan was trying to have with him. If the police had been listening in they would’ve been jerking themselves off to hear the convo.
‘Everything okay?’ Del turned and felt the soft touch of Bunny’s hand on his arm. He smiled, trying to shake off the annoyance he felt.
‘Just the usual shit. Nothing for you to worry about, doll. You look beautiful by the way.’