by Kerry Kaya
Karen walked through to the kitchen. She placed her handbag down on the kitchen table. “It’s me. Dad just went out.”
Up to her elbows in soapy suds, Stacey was standing at the kitchen sink. “Oh, that’s right, he did say he was popping out,” she said, drying her hands on a tea towel. “He’s gone to meet your uncle, going to Calcutta of all places,” she gave a little a giggle. “Calcutta Road in Tilbury, not India, that is.” She grinned at her own wit. “Fancy a cuppa, Kal?”
“No thanks, Mum,” Karen shook her head. “I think I’ll go and have a bath instead,” she added scraping her hair back from her face and twisting it into a bun on top of head.
“Okay, darling.” Stacey plunged her hands back into the soapy water. “How about after you’ve had your bath we watch a film together? We could open a bottle of wine; I’ll even get out the box of chocolates I’ve been hiding from your dad.” She gave a little wink. “What do you reckon?”
“Yeah, okay, Mum.” Karen gave her mother a warm smile, then walked from the kitchen. Climbing up the stairs, she thought over Stacey’s words. Calcutta. She heard the name before someplace. She gave a little shrug of her shoulders and continued walking toward the bathroom.
Calcutta Road. Suddenly, she paused. Of course she’d seen it before, it was the address written on a scrap of paper on the table at Jack’s house.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end. Why would Jack have the exact same address as to where her dad was going? Her dad and uncle weren’t exactly the best of friends, were they?
Abruptly, Karen turned around and ran back down the stairs. She grabbed her handbag from the kitchen table and sped out of the house.
“Kal?” Bewildered, Stacey stared after her daughter. “I thought we were going to watch a film together?” she called out.
* * *
Darkness had descended by the time Tommy had arrived in Tilbury, Essex. Pulling into the industrial park, he looked across at the warehouse units. Trust Gary, he thought to himself. Only he could come up with the hare-brained idea of buying a warehouse. He continued driving until he spotted his brother’s car. Pulling in behind it, he stepped on the brake, switched off the engine, placed his mobile phone on the passenger seat, then climbed out.
He looked around him. Other than his and Gary’s car, it was quiet, too quiet. He couldn’t see Gary prospering from this venture. He walked over to the unit in question and rapped his knuckles against the metal door.
He could hear footsteps approaching from inside and stood back slightly so the door could be opened.
Adjusting his eyes, Tommy squinted at the sudden light. “Jack?” he enquired, hiding the shock he felt. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s Cameron, actually, and my dad’s expecting you.” Cameron stepped aside, allowing Tommy to enter.
Walking through, Tommy looked around him. The warehouse was empty, and stood in the middle of the vast space with his back to him, was Gary. He felt his body involuntarily stiffen. He had more than a bad feeling about this.
* * *
“Come on, Dad, answer.” With one hand on the steering wheel, Karen held her mobile phone to her ear. She was driving down the A13 toward Lakeside. Already, her little Nissan Micra was exceeding the speed limit. When he didn’t pick up, she hastily redialled her father’s telephone number for a second time. “Come on, Dad,” she willed.
Throwing the phone down beside her, Karen placed both hands on the steering wheel and pressed her foot down on the gas even farther. She didn’t care if she ended up getting a speeding ticket, and didn’t care if she had points added to her driving license. She needed to get to Tilbury, as fast as she could.
* * *
Glancing over his shoulder at Cameron, Tommy began to walk toward his brother. “What the fuck is going on, Gal?” he asked.
Turning around, Gary spread out his arms. “Thought we could have a nice little family reunion,” he grinned.
Tommy rubbed his hand across his jaw. He could feel the familiar stirrings of anger begin to build in the pit of his stomach. “And you had to drag me all the way out here for that?”
“What better place than here, just you, me, my boy, and …,” he said, gesturing toward the back of the warehouse. “… the mother of my son.”
Tommy turned his head. Stepping out of the shadows was Bethany Johnson. Across her face, was a wicked grin, the same wicked grin that he had come to despise all those years before.
“Hello, Tommy, long time no see.” Bethany’s stomach did a somersault. After all these years, she had finally set her eyes upon the only man she had ever loved and despised, in equal measures, for the majority of her life. He hadn’t changed at all, and instantly, she was transported back in time, to a time when she had almost made him hers.
“What’s she doing here?”
Bethany tutted. “That’s not very nice, is it, Tommy? You haven’t seen me in over twenty years, and this is the reception I get?”
Tearing his eyes away from her, Tommy took a step closer to his brother. His fists were clenched at his sides. “I asked you a question. What the fuck is she doing here? And I’m telling you now, you’d best start explaining yourself, Gal.”
“Or what?” Gary gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “Or what, Tommy? What exactly are you going to do, eh? Beat me to a pulp again? Or maybe even try to finish off what you started all those years ago? Is that what you’re gonna do? Let’s face it, that’s usually your answer to everything.”
Giving his brother a cold stare, Tommy shook his head. “Fuck you, Gal. I haven’t got time for this shit. I’ve got enough on my plate without you giving me grief an’ all.” He looked from his brother to Bethany. “Play your sick little games. In fact, do whatever the fuck you want, I’m out of here.”
Bethany took a step forward and wagged her finger toward him. “That’s where you wrong. In answer to your question of what I’m doing here …” She looked across to Gary and gave him a knowing grin. “… I’ve come to watch you die, Tommy.” She gave him a wide smile, and barely able to contain her excitement, she spread out her arms. “How could I possibly miss watching something like that?”
Tommy’s eyes widened. “What?” He turned to look at Gary. An ice-cold shiver ran down his spine. “What the fuck is this crazy bitch talking about now?” he demanded.
Gary returned Bethany’s wicked smile. He placed his hand inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a small hand gun. “You’re not the only one with contacts, bruv,” he said, nodding down at the weapon in his hand.
“Fuck you, Gal. You’re as crazy as she is.” Walking across the concrete floor, Tommy pulled down on the door handle. It didn’t budge. He tried twice more in quick succession. It had obviously been locked when his back had been turned. “Open the fucking door,” he roared. Met with silence, Tommy closed his eyes as realisation finally set in. Gary, his own brother, had well and truly tucked him up, and he, like the fool he was, hadn’t even seen it coming.
* * *
Flicking the switch for the Tilbury turn-off, Karen’s heart was in her mouth. With absolutely no idea of where she was, she craned her neck to look up at the street signs. Driving onto a housing estate, she pushed her foot down on the brake and brought the car to a halt. Putting the gear into reverse, she made a three-point turn.
Where the fuck was Calcutta Road? By the time she had driven away from the estate, she was frantic. Tears sprang to her eyes. It was no use; she would have to ask for directions. She pulled the car over to the kerb outside a convenience store and jumped out. Five minutes later, she returned to her car, repeating over and over to herself the directions she had been given.
Finally, she was on the right road. She could see an industrial park up ahead and pushed her foot down on the gas. She had wasted valuable minutes in getting lost and she bit down on her lip. “Please don’t let me be too late,” she muttered underneath her breath.
* * *
“So, you’re plannin
g to shoot me, is that it?” Composing himself, Tommy turned to face his brother. “All because of that mad bastard over there, you’re planning to kill me?” Despite his fear, Tommy’s voice was strong and unwavering.
“You’re in our way, Tommy.” It was Bethany who answered. “And that,” she said, pointing a perfectly manicured red-tipped talon toward him, “was one of the first things my father taught me—destroy anything and everything that gets in your way.”
Tommy gave a bitter laugh. “You really are one crazy fucking bitch.” He turned his attention back to his brother. “I know we’ve had our differences, Gal, but this isn’t the answer, is it? No matter what happens, we’re still brothers. We’re family. Come on, think rationally, bruv.”
Gary gave a shrug of his shoulders. His elder brother’s impending fate meant absolutely nothing to him.
Swallowing deeply, Tommy changed tact. If he was going to get out of the warehouse in one piece, then he had to plead with Gary’s softer side, that was, if he could get past the craziness first. Glancing in Bethany’s direction, he lowered his voice. “Think of my wife and kids. Think of Stacey. She’s never done anything to hurt you, Gal, has she?” He paused, allowing his words to sink in. “Think of Mum. Think of what this would do to her.”
“You always were her favourite.” Gary held the gun in his hand. A snarl was spread across his face as he lifted the weapon and aimed it toward his brother’s chest. “You always were her blue-eyed boy.”
Tommy shook his head. “That isn’t true, Gal, and deep down, you know it isn’t.” When his brother didn’t answer, Tommy continued. “If you see this through, then it will more than devastate her, it’ll kill her. Is that what you want on your conscious? And for what?” he asked throwing up his arms. “For revenge? For getting your own back on something that happened over twenty years ago? Something that should have been buried and long forgotten by now?”
Still, Gary didn’t answer.
Panic began to set in, and Tommy spoke fast. Beads of sweat broke out across his forehead, and a slither of fear ran down his spine. His breath caught in his throat. “I’m begging you, Gal, don’t do this. If not for my sake, then for my kids, for Mum. Please, Gal.”
“Yeah, you’re right, she will be devastated.” Gary lowered the gun slightly. He watched his brother visibly relax and saw his shoulders slump downwards with relief. “But so fucking what. She’ll get over it,” he said, squeezing the trigger, all the while, a maddening smile was plastered across his face.
The gun shot was deafening and echoed around the warehouse. The bullet seared through the crisp white shirt Tommy wore, leaving scorch marks in its wake and the flesh of his abdomen to tear apart. His head lowered as blood began to seep through the shirt. He brought his hands to his stomach. He opened his mouth to speak and could only sink to his knees, as his life’s blood oozed out of him.
“Not so fucking cocky now, are you?” Gary snarled. He stalked around his brother, taunting. “The big I am, Tommy, finally brought to his knees.”
“Gal,” Tommy managed to choke out. He pushed down farther on the wound. His fingers were slick with blood, and he could smell the unmistakable scent of iron, and could taste it in his mouth. Images of his wife danced before his eyes. “Stace,” he cried out.
His vision grew darker and he slammed his eyes closed, wanting the nightmare to end. He sunk lower on his hunches and put out his hand to stop himself from falling to the ground. Around him, their voices became more distant. His body became weaker and his muscles trembled. As he slumped to the floor, his eyes fluttered open one final time. There was nothing but darkness.
“Good fucking riddance,” Gary spat down on his brother’s motionless body, before looking across at Bethany, the same wide grin remained plastered across his face. For the first time in his life, he felt triumphant. He’d finally beaten his brother; he’d finally won.
* * *
With her hand clasped tightly across her mouth, Karen physically jumped at the sound of the gun shot. Frozen to the spot, her eyes were wide with terror. She stood in front of the warehouse door, unsure of what she should do next.
Hesitantly, she ran back to her car and grappled to turn the key in the lock. Finally, she flung open the door, climbed inside the car, and stared intently across to the unit, all the while, her heart beat wildly inside her chest.
Snatching up her phone, she dialled 999. Her fingers stumbled over the keypad. “Ambulance,” she cried. “Someone’s been shot.” She reeled off the address, then switched off the call and threw the phone down beside her once again.
Aware that her uncle could just as easily come outside and shoot her, too, Karen started the engine. She sped out of the industrial area with tears streaming down her cheeks, blinding her vision. In the distance, she could hear the faint wail of sirens. They did nothing to erase her fear. Her dad was dead, he had to be. There was no way he could survive being shot. Pulling the car over in a quiet tree-lined side street, she held her head in her hands and sobbed her heart out.
Chapter 10
“He’s going to die, isn’t he?”
Jimmy tore his eyes away from his brother to look at his sister-in-law. Stacey’s eyes were red raw from the tears she had shed, and her face was pale underneath the fluorescent lighting. It was plain to see the grief she felt etched across her features. He gripped onto her shoulders to stop himself from recoiling away from her. “I don’t know, Stace,” he answered, truthfully.
“I can’t live without him,” she sobbed. “He’s my whole life, Jimmy. Without him, I’m nothing.” Her voice cracked with emotion, and holding her face in her hands, she broke down.
Turning to look at his brother once again, Jimmy’s own fear came to the fore. As much as he hated to admit it, the situation wasn’t looking good.
Laid out on the hospital bed, Tommy’s skin was as deathly white as the starched white sheet covering him, and his eyes had remained closed for as long as he had been on the unit. They hadn’t flickered at all, not even once. The machines keeping him alive gave intermittent bleeps, as his plummeting blood pressure sent the screeching alarms into overdrive.
“Come here,” he said, pulling her farther into his arms. He let her sob and closed his eyes tightly. He had to remain strong; he had to be the one to hold everything together. He opened his eyes once again and wiped away a stray tear that had rolled down his cheek. He wouldn’t break down, not here; he couldn’t.
From outside the private room Tommy had been placed, he watched as the hospital staff worked around his brother. Holding his sister-in-law tight, he watched with baited breath, as they pressed buttons on the machines and silenced the alarms, before writing their findings on a clipboard at the end of the bed. He had no idea what any of it meant.
“Jimmy.”
Jimmy turned his head to see his mother, accompanied by Gary and their younger brothers, walk past the police guard sat outside the door of the Intensive Care Unit. He glanced toward Tommy once again, before releasing Stacey and walking over to them.
Janet Carter had seemingly aged overnight and her eyes were wide and full of worry as she spoke. “How is he?”
Jimmy shook his head. He held his hands out to her and looked over his shoulder to where Stacey was standing. “You need to prepare yourself, Mum. It isn’t looking good.”
Janet gave a nod of her head and pursed her lips. “Just let me see my boy, and then let me be the judge of that.”
“The nurses are with him now,” Jimmy explained, as he led them toward the room Tommy was occupying.
Stopping beside the open doorway, Janet clasped her hand across her mouth and tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Tommy,” she cried. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of her eldest son laid out on the metal framed hospital bed, his skin deathly white. She grasped onto Jimmy’s arm tightly as her legs buckled from underneath her. “Why would someone want do this to him?” she cried.
Jimmy was saved from answering by the nurse walking from
the room. “You can go in with him now,” she said, giving them a pitiful smile.
Gathering around Tommy’s bedside, Stacey and Janet clutched each of his cold, lifeless hands in theirs. “Who did this to him?” Janet demanded for a second time. She already knew that her son was no angel, certainly not the angel he pretended to be in front of her, but even so, why would someone try and kill him? She just couldn’t get her head around it all.
“We don’t know, Mum.” It was Sonny who answered.
“What have the doctors said?” Janet asked. She looked across at Stacey waiting for an answer.
“I …” Stacey could barely speak. The hard lump in her throat made her voice hoarse. Looking across at Jimmy, her eyes beseeched him to speak on her behalf.
“They haven’t said much, other than that he’s lost a lot of blood.”
“And?” Janet nodded down at the padded dressing strapped across the length of her son’s stomach.
Jimmy followed his mother’s eye-line. “They said he was shot just below his ribs. His liver took most of the damage.” He cleared his throat. “They managed to get most of it out, I mean the bullet. They managed to get most of the bullet out when they operated on him. Apparently, a part of it imploded on impact. They reckon there’s likely to still be some shrapnel left inside.”
“Well,” Janet gave a hopeful smile. “If they got most of it out, then that’s got to be good, hasn’t it? It has to be a good sign, surely to God. He just needs to rest now, and then he’ll be okay.”
“I don’t think it’s as easy as that, Mum.” Jimmy’s voice was gentle as he spoke. “They said that he’s still critical; it’s still touch and go.” He could recall the surgeon, who’d operated on his brother, telling him the outcome could go either way. “He’s gravely ill,” the doctor had warned, with concern in his eyes. Jimmy rubbed at his temples. He decided to leave out the part where the doctor had gone on to tell him to gather the family around Tommy’s bedside, just in case they needed to say their goodbyes. “I think you should call the kids, Stace. Get them down here, too. They need to be here with their dad.”