by Jacqui Rose
Bunny laughed warmly. ‘Oh shut up. The bleedin’ sun’s hit your brain.’
Taking hold of Bunny, Del swept back her long blonde hair, away from her eyes. ‘I know I don’t say it a lot, but … it’s … I …’
Bunny could see Del was straining under the embarrassment of trying to put his feelings into words. She decided to come to his rescue and tapped his face gently. ‘Have a day off, Del. I know how you feel about me and Star. You don’t need to lay an egg saying it.’
Del burst into raucous laughter, showing the dimples in his cheeks. ‘That’s what I love about you, Bun. You let me be myself.’ He winked at her and squeezed her bum at the same time.
‘Well, what do you think?’ Del wrapped his arms around Bunny’s waist as he swivelled her round and stood behind her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, looking out to the sea from the whitewashed villa’s large terrace, which was surrounded by landscaped gardens and tropical plants.
The panoramic view from Del’s luxury hilltop villa was the most beautiful sight Bunny had ever seen. The only sadness was that Claudia and Star weren’t there to share it with them. But there’d be another time, Bunny was sure of it. Next time Del offered to take her she wouldn’t be so hesitant or afraid. For now though she was just going to enjoy and bathe in the beauty and seduction of it.
‘It’s exquisite, Del.’
‘Now who’s getting all soppy? It’s not a bad view is it? I’ve never really taken much notice before, not when it was just me and Edith. She chewed me ear off so much about one thing or another it shit on anything nice. Turned it all into crap. But now I’m here with you, I can honestly say it’s the dog’s fucking bollocks.’
Bunny looked at Del, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
‘One thing though. The name of the villa. Casa Williams? Are you having a laugh?’ Bunny raised her eyebrows and both she and Del giggled childishly.
‘Bun?’
‘Mmm?’
‘Will you do something for me?’
Dreamily, Bunny answered, ‘Yeah, of course.’
‘Will you give it up?’
Lazily, Bunny turned her head to face Del. ‘What you talking about?’
‘I want you to give your work up, babes.’
Bunny’s face dropped, and so did her hand from Del’s. Disappointment and hurt showed in her face. ‘Don’t start this again. Why are you starting when we’re having such a nice time?’
‘It’s because we are having such a nice time that I’m saying it. This is how it could be all the time, Bun.’
Bunny scanned Del’s face, looking in his eyes for any hint of understanding. ‘You don’t get it. I can’t give it up.’
‘You can’t or you won’t, Bun? Two different things.’
‘Isn’t what we have enough?’
‘I could say the same thing to you. This isn’t just mine, it’s yours as well. You and Star’s. Anything I have, you have.’
Bunny shook her head, sadly. ‘It’s mine till you get bored of me. It’s mine until you decide I’m not what you want.’
‘That’s never going to happen. I love you.’
‘I learnt a long time ago that love should be enough, but it simply isn’t.’
‘I don’t understand you Bunny.’
‘Then stop trying to, babe.’
Del held onto Bunny’s arms gently as he spoke. ‘Do you trust me?’
She turned her head away. ‘Don’t ask me that.’
The hurt began to show in Del’s eyes. ‘Yes or no, Bun? It’s a simple question. Do you trust me?’
‘Please.’
The hurt turned into shock. ‘You don’t, do you? Fuck me, you don’t trust me.’
Tears filled Bunny’s eyes. ‘I told you, you just don’t understand.’
‘Do you know I’d give my life for you? I’d take a fucking bullet for you, Bun.’
‘I know.’
‘You can’t know.’ Del raised his voice for a moment and then saw the people he’d invited round for a few drinks looking over at him. Lowering his voice, he spoke again. ‘You can’t know, otherwise you would trust me.’
‘Look, it’s not you …’
Del broke into scornful laughter. ‘Don’t, Bunny. Don’t fucking insult me by finishing that clichéd sentence.’
‘Okay, no clichés, doll. But you haven’t had my life. You haven’t been where I’ve been.’
‘Then tell me. Maybe then I’d understand.’
Bunny’s eyes stared at Del. ‘Just know I’m doing all I can to give Star everything I didn’t have as a child.’
‘You know I’ll buy her anything she wants.’
‘That’s not what I mean.’
‘Then what? Tell me.’
Bunny stroked Del’s face. ‘No. Let’s just leave the past in the past where it belongs. Let’s not disturb it.’ Changing pace, Bunny tried to sound more upbeat. ‘I’m here with you now. I love you, Mr Williams, and I love our daughter more than words can say. That’s the only thing that matters.’
She looked behind her, seeing the group of people milling round the bespoke swimming pool; eating canapés, snorting lines of cocaine, drinking Cristal champagne and enjoying each other’s company.
Seeing that he wasn’t going to get any further with Bunny, Del took a deep breath to calm himself down. He didn’t want the time with her to be ruined. He’d let it go for now but he’d try again.
Smiling, he chatted casually to Bunny as if the conversation they’d just had hadn’t happened. ‘You didn’t mind me inviting some people? I thought then I could mix business and pleasure. I could do what I need to do, rabbit with who I need to, but still keep my eye on you.’
Bunny dug Del in his stomach gently. He proceeded to make a big show of it; bending over double as if she’d hit him hard and Bunny laughed, appreciating what he was doing. She knew he’d been hurt by what she’d said. And it’d hurt her seeing the look in his eyes. If only he’d learn to leave it and then everything would be fine, or as fine as it’d ever be.
Picking up his glass of champagne from the marble-clad stone wall, Del looked at Bunny laughing. He loved it when she laughed, though he could see she was tired. Maybe, as Claudia had said, she just needed to relax and get away from it all. But he wasn’t so sure, and he knew the time he spent thinking about Bunny was distracting him in his work and making him sloppy.
He’d been worried about her in London. Worried she was getting tired of being with him. Perhaps that’s why she was so adamant she wouldn’t give up the game. He cringed when the word came into his head. He tried not to say it how it was, but amongst the beauty of the Spanish coastline hills, the word seemed uglier than ever.
‘Are you okay?’ Bunny’s voice interrupted his thoughts and he realised he had crushed the glass of champagne he’d been holding in his hand. Not wanting to tell Bunny what he’d been thinking, Del shook himself, put the glass on the wall and smiled.
‘Come on, let’s stop the heavy. I want to introduce you to a couple of people.’
Taking Bunny by the hand, Del walked her over to a tall rotund man dressed in a garish Hawaiian shirt, standing over near the fairy-lit palm trees. As they approached the man, Del whispered. ‘He’s known as Fat Man Burke but no one calls him that to his face. Everyone just calls him Burkey.’
Bunny squeezed Del’s hand, smiling warmly. She’d heard of Fat Man Burke. Everyone had – and not just people in the criminal underworld. She’d seen him in the papers many a time and she knew for a fact he was wanted by Interpol and the police for his involvement in a multiple shooting last year, as well as drug trafficking and money laundering.
‘Burkey, can I introduce you to me …’
‘Oh this is bleedin’ nice, ain’t it? Kick me out of me own home only so you can wine and dine a bunch of East End muppets.’
It was Edith. Loud, brash and very angry. Del stared at her, taking in her bruised swollen face. Curiosity made him want to ask her what had happened, but, first off, he did
n’t really care. Secondly, she was embarrassing him in front of his friends and business acquaintances and then lastly – and most importantly – she hadn’t done what he’d told her to do. Which was, stay the fuck away.
‘Edith. What are you doing here? Didn’t we already discuss this? Didn’t I tell yer what you were supposed to do?’
‘What am I doing here? What am I frigging doing here? What do you bleedin’ think I’m doing here darlin’? Shitting in the pool? No. I live here, don’t I? So I’ve got just as much right as you to be here. More so than your bunch of frigging cronies.’
Del grabbed hold of Edith’s arm tightly, his face flushed with fury. ‘Don’t make a fool of yourself, Edith.’
‘You mean don’t make a fool out of you. Well you’re doing a good enough job yourself.’
Ignoring Edith, Del continued to drag her, pulling her hard by her arm along the palm tree-lined terrace. Edith opened her mouth as wide as she could and began to shriek like a banshee.
‘You get your fucking hands off me, you bleeding gorilla. Get the fuck off me, you cunt.’
‘I see your mouth is still as coarse as it ever was.’
‘Fuck you,’ Edith shrieked in Del’s face as she trod her heels into the ground, trying to stop herself being dragged along.
‘Leave her, Del.’ Bunny’s voice was soft.
Del turned to look at Bunny. Sensing Del was distracted, Edith took her cue and wriggled her way out of the grip. Free now to stand with her hands on her hip, Edith fixed Bunny with a steely gaze.
‘Who the fuck is this?’ Edith looked towards Del. ‘Oh don’t tell me, it’s your cheap little whore. Jessica fucking rabbit.’
‘My name’s Bunny, actually.’
Edith roared with nasty laughter. ‘What sort of fucked-up name is that? Turn it in, you sound like a poor man’s porn star. Listen lady. I want you to get the fuck out of my house.’
‘It’s my house,’ Del shouted angrily, not caring that everyone was watching.
‘When it comes to your whores, it’s my house.’ Edith turned to Del, her eyes flickering with anger. ‘I want her out. Get your whore out of here.’
‘I say who comes or goes, not you. So it’s you who’s getting out. Now!’ Del turned to all his visitors. ‘I want all you lot out too. Out! Now!’
None of Del’s visitors put up a fuss. They nodded to him in an understanding and sympathetic manner as they placed down their glasses and plates of food. At one time or another they’d all had their missus squeezing their balls and steaming off at whoever they were shafting. And as they watched Del, his face turning different shades of red, they were all grateful the scenario playing out in front of them was happening to someone else this time.
Edith prodded Bunny hard in the chest. ‘Let me tell you something, Bunnykins, you’re ten a fucking penny. I could buy you tomorrow. So don’t come here thinking you’re special, darling. Remember you’re nothing but a whore.’
Del caught hold of Edith’s arm. He spoke through gritted teeth, a mist of rage coming over him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this angry. ‘Do not put your hands on her. If there’s any whore round here it’s you, Edith. You’re nothing but a money-grabbing bitch. A fucking leech, sucking the life out of everything.’
‘Del, please. Leave it. You can see she’s upset. I’m sorry Edith. I know seeing me here must be hard for you, babe.’
‘You fucking tramp. Hard for me? You come into my fucking house with your arms draped around my husband like you’re a fucking coat, thinking your pussy’s made of gold and your tits are made of sugar candy, and you have the bleedin’ front to stand there and say it’s hard for me? You want me to show you what’s really hard? Here’s hard.’
With a swipe of her right hand and using all her force, Edith brought up her fist, smashing it into Bunny’s face. The blow knocked Bunny sidewards. She staggered, trying to hold onto Del who put his hand out to stop her falling. Just as she was reaching out to him, Edith, not having finished yet, took hold of Bunny’s hair and grabbed it hard, pulling Bunny into her. As Edith continued to shriek, Bunny cried out with pain.
‘How does it fucking feel now, Bunnykins? Hurts, does it?’
Del sprang into action, attempting to peel Edith’s fingers from Bunny’s hair. ‘Get yer hands off her, Edith. You’re making a massive mistake.’
Not put off, Edith continued to tear at Bunny’s hair whilst screaming loudly. ‘Oh is that the big-shot gangster talking? Well you can fuck off too.’
‘I said get off her, Edith.’
‘No!’
Seeing that Edith wasn’t going to budge and Bunny was still in distress, Del braced himself, feeling he had no other choice. With a quick flick of his head, Del side nutted Edith, whose nose exploded with blood.
It had the desired effect. Edith dropped hold of Bunny’s hair, but as she did so, she fell into both Del and Bunny, who in turn stumbled backwards. Their arms flayed frantically as they stepped into nothing but mid-air, all three of them splashing down into the warm waters of the pool.
Spattering up to the surface, with his mouth spitting out water, Del pulled Bunny up. ‘Are you okay, babe? I’m so sorry. Babe, talk to me.’
Bunny pushed her soaking mop of blonde hair out of her face. ‘I’m fine. Really.’ With that, Bunny waded out of the pool, with all the major faces from both London and the Costa watching her as the pink jumpsuit she was wearing clung to the curves of her body.
Del turned to look at Edith, her nose trickling with blood. He hissed through his teeth as he spoke. ‘I want you to pack your bags and get out. Then I never want to see your miserable face again. If I do I won’t be responsible for my actions. And don’t think you’ll ever get a penny out of me, Edith. You’ll get fuck all from me.’
‘I want what you owe me.’
‘I don’t owe you anything, darling, and while I’m at it, I want a divorce.’
‘You’ll never get a divorce from me unless I get what I want. Don’t forget I know everything about you. You should remember that.’
Del walked up to Edith in the pool. He took hold of her chin firmly in one hand, then turned her face towards him and leaned in, his face just centimetres from hers. ‘Don’t, Edith. Don’t take me fucking on. And never, never threaten me.’
‘Then give me what’s mine.’
Del let go of Edith’s face. He stared at her for a moment. ‘You’ll have to kill me, Edith, before I give you anything.’
Edith glowered at Del, hostility and hatred in her eyes.
‘Be careful what you wish for, Del. You never know, it might just happen.’
Watching the commotion from the darkness, Alfonso slunk back into his room. His brain began to race. Life, he thought, had a funny way of turning out.
‘What the fuck was that all about? I thought I told you to play it cool with Del not put a firecracker on his bollocks.’ Alfonso growled as he sat smoking a Camel Light back in the tiny hotel room on the harbour of Puerto Banús.
Edith pushed a Dorito into her mouth. ‘How could I play it cool when I have to deal with that cunt?’
Alfonso shouted, ‘Because that’s what I told you to do, you silly bitch. I give the orders now.’
Edith pointed her red manicured finger at Alfonso. ‘That’s where you’re wrong Alfonso – because everything’s changed now. You heard him. He’s not giving me fuck all, and he wouldn’t give a shit on a cherry pie if I’d been humping the whole of the foreign fucking legion. So you telling me what to do was short-bleedin’-lived mate.’
Alfonso could feel the rage inside him. The bitch was right.
Springing up, he pushed her hard.
‘You stupid fucking cow. If you hadn’t opened that fat gob of yours I would’ve been quids in.’
Edith tumbled backwards, crashing down on the floor. Alfonso’s eyes were flashing with fury and he screamed as he kicked her in her side, his sinewy body jumping up and down with the energy he was exerting. He dived on top o
f her, insane with anger.
‘There’s another way! There’s another way!’ Edith screamed. Taking hold of himself, Alfonso stopped. He was sweating and panting hard. He wiped his lips, feeling the saliva running out of the side of his mouth.
‘Another way how?’
Edith panted for breath. ‘I made him what he is today. He owes me. I want half of what he has, but he ain’t going to give it me no matter what. Even if I talk, spill what I know, I still ain’t going to get it. So I’m not going for half. I’m going for it all. You following me?’
Alfonso got off Edith. He thought he was, but he wanted her to say it, needing to hear exactly what her plans were.
Edith sat up, pushing her tongue out to soothe her cut lip. Her broken nose throbbing. ‘You said it. You said it in the hotel room, Alfonso.’
‘I dunno what you’re talking about.’
‘A bullet in his head. Okay, let’s do it. I want to put that cunt Del in the ground.’
Edith was surprised to see the slight hesitation in Alfonso. ‘I don’t know. He ain’t just the postman. Your husband isn’t someone we can blow away just like that. He’s got a lot of people around him.’
Edith looked at Alfonso scornfully. She hated weakness and that was what she was suddenly beginning to smell, almost as if it was oozing out of his pores. ‘I thought you were in. Ain’t that what you wanted?’
‘What I wanted was to get my money.’
Edith raised an eyebrow.
‘You mean my money, Alfonso.’
‘I don’t want to be having to look over me shoulder for the rest of me natural.’
Edith stood up and walked across to the bathroom.
‘Listen. We do it this way or no way, but whether you’re in or out, Alfonso, I’m getting what’s owed – and I know just the person who’ll help me.’
23
‘Can you believe it? Can you believe that shit?’ Del Williams paced up and down, stopping for a moment to snort a line of coke.
‘Del, you need to calm down, honey. Getting worked up won’t do you any favours.’
‘Calm down? Calm down? How the fuck am I supposed to do that? You saw what I’ve got to put up with. If it ain’t Edith doing my head in, it’s you.’