“You mean she could be trapped in the compound?”
Ryan nodded.
“What a mess,” sighed Rachel. “Should we go down there?”
“My first instinct was to stay well away from it, let Jez and Mikey sort it out, but Jules…”
“Wait for more information first. You know how resourceful she is, she’s probably holed up somewhere licking her wounds, plotting how to bring down Jared Slattery.”
“I do hope you’re right.”
She grasped his hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just hit me harder than I thought. I can’t lose another sibling. I’ve already lost three brothers. No more.”
“You won’t lose Jules, she’s not the type to allow herself to be lost.”
“Perhaps,” was all he replied.
“You’re wanting to go down there, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” he said, watching the kids play on the swings. “I can’t just hang around here.”
“Wait for Jez to get back to you,” she said, trying not to sound desperate. She didn’t want him in the middle of this new war. “If it turns out Jared’s taken Jules back to Essex you’d be better going from here instead of trolling all the way up to Manchester then back down again.”
“You have a point there. I’ll wait for his call.”
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. Her husband was staying out of it for the time being, but she knew it was only a temporary reprieve.
CHAPTER 23
Mikey didn’t experience a slow and gentle return to consciousness. Instead his body was rocked by a huge surge of adrenaline, his heart rate soaring, every muscle jumping as he relived being dragged away from Jules, leaving her all alone with their enemies and a big fuck off bomb. Her eyes were sad, the detonator cradled in one hand.
“Mikey,” said a voice that sounded a million miles away.
“Jules?” he murmured, trying to force his eyes open.
“It’s me, Jez.”
Finally his eyelids became unglued and he found himself looking into his friend’s face. “Where is she?”
“We don’t know.”
Mikey wasn’t so out of it that he didn’t spot the wrath in Jez’s eyes.
“Grant says she wanted to stay behind to detonate the bomb. Is that true?” demanded Jez.
Mikey groaned and nodded. “Grant was going to do it but she couldn’t lift me, I was too heavy. I wanted to stay behind, it should have been me, not her.”
“I had one hell of a fight getting him out of there,” said Grant. His first loyalty had always been to Mikey, who had spotted his potential and raised him up in the world, so he was determined to defend him from his business partner’s wrath. “He didn’t want to go but, like Jules said, if he’d died…”
“Yes I already fucking know what she said,” barked Jez. “It didn’t mean you had to listen.”
Grant gritted his jaw, emotions gravitating between anger and fear.
“With all due respect, where were you?” said a voice.
They all turned to look at Mark, whose blue eyes glittered angrily.
“What the fuck did you just say to me?” demanded Jez.
“It’s a miracle any of us got out of there alive. Mikey and Grant did their best, as did I and so did Jules. But at least we were there, fighting for everything while you were with your missus.”
Jez slammed his fist down on the table and stormed up to him, standing nose to nose with Mark, who didn’t even flinch. “Don’t fucking speak to me like that. Have you forgotten who’s in charge here?”
“Then tell us what to do. Your brother wouldn’t waste time playing the blame game like you are.”
“You think I’m playing a fucking game? I’m trying to find out what happened to my sister.”
“You’ve had the truth but for some reason you don’t want to accept it. Now we can stand around all day tearing lumps out of each other but shit’s gone down and we need to sort it out. Now, I’m waiting for some fucking orders.”
Mark didn’t raise his voice once, like Ryan he didn’t need to and his calm manner finally got through to Jez, who considered what his brother would think of his performance. He’d had the truth from Mikey and he believed it absolutely. Time to move on. He sucked down his anger, safely stowing it away so it didn’t explode on the wrong people. “You’re right Mark, I’m being a dick. You have my apologies.”
Mark nodded his head graciously.
Everyone was relieved when Declan returned, noisily banging through the front door. “I spoke to DCI Taylor, he’s in charge of the mess at the compound.”
Jez was relieved. Taylor had been stuck in Alex’s pocket and had helped them bring him down. He was bent but in a strange, honourable sort of way.
“Is…is she alive?” said Mikey.
“They can’t get inside, tons of debris fell on top of the cellar. They’re bringing in all sorts of specialist equipment. If someone’s in there they’ll find them.” He looked to Mikey. “He asked if I knew where you are. I didn’t tell him anything.”
“Good. Keep it that way,” replied Mikey. “What?” he said when he saw Jez was staring at him.
“Nothing,” replied Jez. He thought Mikey’s reaction to Jules was over the top to say the least, he was acting more like a lover than a cousin and employer, unless it was just the guilt talking for leaving her behind. Now wasn’t the time to think about that.
“Amber and Josh?” said Mikey.
Finally he was thinking about his wife and child. “I’ve moved them to a safe place with Cathy and my kids until I can send them away. Riley Cutter’s guarding them,” said Jez.
“Riley?”
“Some of our men betrayed us and I can’t trust anyone outside this room.”
“Where’s Hayden? I sent him to watch over Amber and Josh.”
“I’ve not seen him,” replied Jez. “Amber asked him to return to your house to fetch a couple of things and he never came back.”
“He wasn’t at the compound either,” said Grant, glad Jez seemed not be using him as a focus for his anger anymore. “What if Jared’s men found him there and killed him?”
Mikey’s eyes widened. “The boys.”
“You mean Alex and Daniel?” said Jez.
“Yeah. Someone check on them. Now.”
Jez called Annie. “There’s no answer,” he said redialling.
“I thought he looked funny at those kids,” said Mikey, thinking back to his last visit to the boys.
“He felt guilty about taking them from the mad blond cow,” said Mark.
“That’s right,” said Grant. “When we were doing the job he kept asking questions and he said he wasn’t comfortable with it.”
“You think he’s taken them?” Jez asked Mikey.
“Yes…no…oh I don’t know. I mean, why would he?” said Mikey. “Katia’s dead, it’s not like he can give them back and I can’t see him going on the run with two kids, he wouldn’t know what to do with them. He knows I take good care of them.”
“Annie might just be taking them for a walk or she might be in the shower or she’s switched the ringer off because the boys are napping,” said Jez. “There could be a million innocent reasons why she’s not answering.”
“Want me to check it out?” said Declan.
“Yes,” replied Mikey. “But be careful. You go there and come straight back, no detours and no heroics.”
“Promise,” said Declan before rushing out of the room.
“Grant, go with him, make sure he doesn’t do anything daft.”
Grant nodded and went after him, relieved to be away from Jez’s wrath.
“Mark, we need you to stay here now those two have gone, you’re on bodyguard duty,” said Jez. “There you go, you’ve got an order. But first, I need to speak with Mikey in private.”
“Come on, let’s see what weapons we’ve got,” Mark told Shane. “Ever use a gun before?”
“No,” replied Shane, eyes widening.
“Then I’ll show you.”
“Cool,” he replied, closing the door behind them.
Jez drew up a chair next to Mikey’s bedside. “We need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Jules.” Jez sighed inwardly when Mikey’s eyes flared. “What’s going on between you two?”
“Nothing.”
“Yes there is. Are you shagging her?”
“No,” he retorted. “I’ve not slept with anyone else since I’ve been with Amber.”
“But you want to shag Jules?”
Mikey’s jaw tightened and he looked away.
“Jesus. What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t know, she gets under my skin. But nothing’s happen, I swear, apart from one kiss,” he said, trying not to think about that time recently in his office at the club.
“A kiss?” glowered Jez.
“In Devon. But that’s it, we both said nothing would ever happen again and it hasn’t. She’s just so…unique.”
“She is that. Shit Mikey, you’ve got to get over this crush.”
“I’m trying, believe me. I didn’t want to leave her behind.” He thumped his fist down on the bed. “Fucking Jared Slattery.”
“We’ll sort him out good and proper,” said Jez, ignoring the knot of uncertainty in his chest. In all the wars their family had endured, no one had ever bested them like this before. He ignored the little voice in his head that was saying Ryan and Rachel wouldn’t have let anyone back them into a corner like this. Neither would Danny or Frank. Christ, not even Alex would have found himself in such a mess. Jez was seriously starting to wonder if he and Mikey were up to the job.
“Jules topped Jake for me,” continued Mikey. “She knew he was getting to me, she understood after what she’d been through with Leighton, she was the only one who could ever understand. She got me like no one else ever has.”
“Don’t talk about her like she’s dead already.”
“I’m not and she isn’t,” he said firmly. “She’s still alive and kicking somewhere and we’re going to find her.”
“And when we do, what will you do?”
“I’m not going to fuck her if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“It is. Amber might seem sweet and meek but I bet if you cheated on her she’d cut your balls off.”
“She wouldn’t, not my Amber.”
“Yes she would, you’ve got to watch the quiet ones. Don’t do anything bloody stupid, you’ve got a good one in Amber and you’ve got a kid.”
“I told you, there’s nothing between me and Jules and there never will be.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think she’s dead, don’t you?”
“No I mean….oh leave me alone Jez, I’m in pain here.”
Jez had to own that he didn’t look good, he was pale and sweating and his eyes were glassy. “Alright, we’ll leave it at that. For now. I have to call Toni McVay anyway.”
“I think it would be better if I handled her.”
“You sure you’re up to it?”
“Yeah.”
Jez handed over his phone, hoping he didn’t look relieved. Toni McVay was not someone he wanted to talk to right now.
Mikey dialled and pressed the phone to his ear, trying to ignore the ache in his left shoulder. Soon the painkillers would wear off and it would be agony. He was tempted to take more, just to keep it at bay but he wanted the bite of pain for this conversation, it would keep him alert. Then he could sink into oblivion for a little while.
“Toni, it’s Mikey. Something’s happened.”
“This is it?” said Katia.
“Yep.”
She surveyed the countryside with a frown. “Is very beautiful but lonely. I don’t like my boys out here with a stranger.”
“Mikey’s been taking good care of them.”
“The best care would have been with me, their mother,” she said, before pushing the car door open, tripping over herself in her haste to reach the front door. Hayden hurried after her, grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “Let me ring the bell. Annie will get suspicious if she sees you.”
“Get off me, nothing is going to stop me from going in there,” she snapped, shrugging her arm out of his grip.
“Oh…fine but stay out of sight.”
“Just remember, you try to trick me and I will shoot you.”
“Yes, I haven’t forgotten, now get out of sight,” he said, steering her behind the door as he rang the bell.
Annie opened the door, cradling one of the babies, Hayden had no idea which one. “Hello Hayden,” she smiled. “What can I do for you?”
“There’s been some trouble. The compound’s been attacked. Mikey wants the boys moved to a safer location.”
Annie bristled, cuddling the baby closer. “Mikey hasn’t called me and he said he would if they were ever to be moved.”
“He can’t call, he’s been shot.”
“Oh my God,” she gasped. Then she frowned. “Hold on a minute, if he’s too ill to pick up the phone and call me, how is he not too ill to give you an order?”
“It was a strategy we set in place in case of an emergency. If there was any attack on him then I was to move the boys.”
“Mikey never told me,” she said, taking a step back, putting her hand on the door, instinct warning her something was wrong.
Katia’s fragile patience snapped and she stepped round Hayden, gun extended, backing Annie up into the house.
“No,” cried Annie, turning her back to Katia so her body was shielding the baby.
“Give me back my sons or I will kill you,” yelled Katia, eyes locked on the tiny face peeking at her from over Annie’s shoulder. She lowered the weapon when she realised that if it went off there was a chance it would hit the baby. “It’s okay Daniel, mummy’s here,” she said softly.
Annie spun back round, keeping the boy close. “His mother’s dead.”
“Mikey tried but he failed. Give me back my sons, they’re mine,” she spat, stuffing the gun down the back of her jeans and reaching for Daniel. “Give him to me.”
“No,” said Annie, backing away.
“Give him to me,” she screamed.
In response to the sound of his mother’s voice, Alex set up a loud wail from the living room.
“I’m coming baby,” Katia called to him. She turned her glare back on Annie. “If you don’t give me my children back I will pull you apart piece by piece.” It was a threat she’d heard Alex use on several occasions and she liked it, she thought it very menacing and it encapsulated perfectly what she wanted to do to this woman holding her baby.
“Hayden, the woman’s mad. Stop her.”
“Just give her the kid Annie. She’s their mum for Christ’s sake.”
The look she gave him was ferocious. “Traitor.”
Panic and anger surged through Hayden and the next thing he knew his fist had connected with Annie’s jaw, just a gentle tap but enough to knock her out. As she went down Katia tore Daniel from her grip.
“Thank you God, thank you,” she whispered over and over as she cradled him to her, the desperation and terror inside her finally abating at the feel and scent of her son. Holding him close she rushed into the living room and scooped up Alex, holding a baby in each arm, kissing them.
Hayden carried the unconscious Annie into the living room, laid her on the couch and bound her hands and feet with flex he ripped from a couple of table lamps. Then he covered her with the throw on the couch so she wouldn’t get cold. Someone would be along to check on her pretty soon so she wouldn’t be left like this for long. Briefly he considered putting a bullet in her head so she couldn’t tell Mikey that he’d betrayed him, until he recalled how tortured he’d been when he’d thought Katia had been killed and he hadn’t even been responsible for that. But what could he do? He’d fucked things up royally for himself, he had no choice. He had to get out of Manchester.
Katia bundled the boys into thei
r coats and shoes and placed tiny hats on their heads. There was a desperation to her movements, as though she was afraid she would be stopped before she could take them away. Her eyes were almost feverish and filled with delight to have them back.
“Thank you,” she said to Hayden.
Hayden thought baby Alex actually looked happy for once. The tension in his body finally drained away, he’d done the right thing. “You’re welcome.” He hesitated before adding, “I’ll drive you back down to Essex, you can’t drive in that state.”
She zipped up Alex’s coat and picked him up. “Why would you do that?”
“Because you’re too wound up to drive safely, especially with those two in the back and…well, I may as well drive you because after what I’ve done I can’t stay in Manchester. Mikey will have me killed for this.”
“Then why did you help me?”
“Because ever since they tried to kill you and took your babies I’ve felt guilty.”
Katia’s eyes narrowed. “Why would you feel guilty?”
“Because I was there.”
Her lips drew back over her teeth, blue eyes shining like sapphires. “You were there?”
“Yes.”
Putting Alex down she drew the gun and pointed it at him. “You took them from me.”
“No, that wasn’t me.”
“Then who?”
“Mark Cameron. He stuck the needle in you and took the babies.”
“So what did you do?”
“Nothing, I just sat in the car.”
“You lie.”
“No Katia, I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t do anything.”
“Then why do you feel guilty?”
“Because I was there and I did nothing to stop it from happening.”
Katia found this very strange but this man was helping her, he’d given her her babies back, so she was willing to let go the fact that he’d done nothing to stop it. “Mark Cameron,” she said. “I will remember this name.”
“So you want me to drive you?”
“I can’t let the man who gave me back my children get shot. I owe you.”
“No you don’t. Come on, let’s go before anyone turns up.”
Katia picked up the boys, pausing to look down at the still unconscious Annie. “The only reason I am letting you live is because you put yourself between Daniel and the gun.” With a haughty sniff she followed Hayden out the door.
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