by Aidan Thorn
“Look, Emma and I will make the arrangements for the funeral and then once that’s done we’ll be gone,” Kyle said, standing.
“Why are you making the fucking arrangements, hero?” Graham snapped back, also standing, but making sure to keep the table between him and his older brother.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Emma had appeared in the doorway, thunder etched across her face, “There’s a woman in that living room who loved you all and she died last night. She’d be ashamed of all of you right now. So get your voices lowered and if you can’t say anything civil, don’t speak to each other at all.”
With a few carefully aimed words and a look of disgust and disappointment, Emma had achieved more than Frank had managed in clumsily pouring his heart out.
Zoe had followed her mother into the room. She stood holding a tray of tea and looking completely bemused by the scene in front of her. Kyle moved toward his girls.
“She’s right,” he said. “We’re going. We’ll be in touch about arrangements.”
Frank stood, there was a look of longing, he wanted to stop them, he wanted to speak, but he couldn’t—what would be the point? Zoe had spotted her grandfather’s forlorn look and rushed to him. She squeezed him tight.
“I’m so sorry about Grandma,” she said into Frank’s big heaving chest.
Kyle saw red. He ripped his daughter from Frank’s arms. “That’s enough,” he said as he pulled her towards himself.
Zoe wrenched her arm away and stepped away from her father.
“I fucking hate you,” she yelled, with tears in her eyes.
Emma moved in and wrapped an arm around her daughter. Another day she’d have torn a strip off of her for speaking to her father that way, but this wasn’t the time or place and she didn’t want to further inflame a situation she herself had, moments before, been trying to calm. Emma placed her other arm on her husband’s shoulder and guided her family from the room.
Frank knew Kyle would never let his daughter have any sort of relationship with him in future.
No one had noticed the slight grin appear on Graham’s face as he’d watched the fracture reveal itself in Kyle’s perfect family unit.
Chapter Thirteen
“I know how to hurt him,” Graham said.
Graham’s kitchen had always acted as a sort of headquarters for his operation—he was hardly going to use it to cook. That was woman’s work in what counted for Graham’s mind, and he couldn’t keep one around long enough to get her cooking for him—funny that. He was holding court with Ian and Jimmy, the three of them propped on breakfast bar stools and drinking warm beer from bottles.
“Who?” Jim asked. He and Ian had both wondered why they had been summoned so early in the day, it was rare for any of them to be awake before lunchtime.
“My fucking brother,” Graham spat. “The guy who saw to it that you couldn’t get out of bed for the better part of a week.”
“How?” Jimmy’s interest was piqued, keen on revenge for what Kyle had done.
“Through his daughter, she fucking hates him but she’s the light of his fucking life. Unconditional, I don’t get it, but then I’ve never had any fucking kids that I know of. But I’ll tell you something, I could see how much it hurt when she flew at him this morning.” Graham explained what had happened. Violet’s death was a footnote in the story, but the first Jimmy and Ian had heard of her passing.
“Sorry about your ma,” Ian said, with Jimmy nodding along.
Graham brushed off their sympathies. It wasn’t that he didn’t care or wasn’t upset, he did and he was. He just needed to push the pain to the back of his mind. He didn’t know how to show weakness in front of people and feared doing so—that was one reason he was determined to get revenge against his brother. Kyle had shown that Graham wasn’t infallible. If news of that got out, it would leave him vulnerable. And, if he were vulnerable, the whole world would come tumbling down around him. The Glaswegians would lose trust in him and they might start looking for another outlet for their gear. The locals might get brave, start challenging his authority and refuse to pay their dues. He couldn’t have it, Kyle had to pay, and people had to know it was because he’d crossed Graham. And, because Kyle was Graham’s brother, it was even more important that he pay big. It would show people Graham was ruthless—that it doesn’t matter who you are, if you cross Graham Gordon, you’ll live to regret that day.
“That lad that runs the pub, he’s a good-looking lad, right?” Graham asked, a plot clearly ticking over in his mind.
Ian and Jimmy looked at each other like the boss had lost his mind.
“Never thought about it to be honest, mate,” Ian said with a cautious confusion.
Graham saw the looks on the two faces looking at him.
“Don’t worry, lads, I’ve not turned poof. Do we know where the lad lives? Let’s go by and pick him up.”
“That’s him,” Jimmy said pointing at the barman from the Bear and Stag as he pulled the front door of his house closed and stepped onto the street. He was dressed for a run and broke into a brief jog before he was halted by the sound of the horn. The barman looked over, confused at first and then apprehensive as his eyes settled on the three men sat inside the car. There was a moment when it was obvious he’d thought about picking up his pace and sprinting off, but he looked back at the front door of the house and realised there was no running when they knew where he lived.
“It’s Ryan, isn’t it?” Graham called from the cracked back window of the BMW, “Jump in, we need a word. Don’t worry, you’re not in any trouble.”
Ryan approached the car with the sort of slow pained steps that would have been more appropriate for a man who had just returned from a lengthy run, not one just about to start out. Ian got out and held the door open for Ryan before getting in the front. Jimmy started the car and pulled off. In the backseat next to Graham, Ryan looked ready to grab for the door handle at any moment.
“Relax, Ryan lad. I’ve already told you, you’re not in any trouble,” Graham said.
Ryan clearly thought this was something to do with him witnessing the beating that Graham and Jimmy had received in the pub a few weeks back. He’d been expecting a visit for a while, something to warn him to keep his mouth shut about what he had seen. He had no intention of telling anyone about it anyway, he knew that wouldn’t have been smart.
“You’re into girls, right?” Graham asked.
Ryan’s worried expression took on a dash of confusion. “Yes,” he replied slowly, unsure where this was going.
“Good, do you have a girlfriend?”
“No one special.”
“That’s my boy, keeping a few on the go. I like that.” Graham smiled and tapped Ryan on the leg with a playful fist. “So, my niece is in town, I was thinking you two might get on. She’s a bit bored, doesn’t know anyone around here and so I said I’d introduce her to a few people. Do you think maybe you could take her out, show her a good time?”
“A good time, around here?” Jimmy mocked from the front.
Graham ignored the interruption. “You’ve got a car right? Take her somewhere out of town. She’s a pretty girl.”
It quickly dawned on Ryan exactly whose daughter he was currently being pimped out to. This situation was lose-lose. Say no and he’d probably end up dumped on the side of the road in pieces now. Say yes and he’d probably end up dumped on the side of a road in pieces in a few weeks’ time. Different aggressors, same result.
Ryan knew asking questions probably wasn’t sensible at this point, but he had a few. “I don’t mean to pry in family business, Mr. Gordon, and I promise I haven’t said anything to anyone about what happened in the pub a few weeks back, but do I assume this niece of yours is the daughter of the guy that you had a fight with? See, he’d been in before, he told me he was your brother.” He’d been careful not to say, the guy that beat seven tons of shite out of you and your driver there.
<
br /> Graham took a sharp intake of breath, the sort that would often result in someone taking a kicking, but he kept his cool. “My brother and I have cleared the air. Our mother has just died. My niece, Zoe, she’s taken it pretty hard and so I thought it would be nice for her to have a bit of fun while she’s in town. Something to take her mind off things, you know.”
“I’m sorry to hear about Mrs. Gordon, she was a very popular lady around here,” Ryan stumbled clumsily over his words not sure what to say. “Of course, I’ll take the girl out, if she’s interested.”
“That’s my boy.”
“Right, go on Ryan lad, go ask the girl if she fancies a drink or something.”
They had driven to the house that Kyle rented for his family and waited outside. Graham’s instruction came as Zoe left the house with a hood over her head and earphones in. She hadn’t seen the car with the four men inside parked across the street—she hadn’t looked up from her phone.
“I don’t know what to say,” Ryan said, nervous.
“What do you mean you don’t know what to say, you’ve been out with a lass before, right?”
“Aye.”
“So, just go over and ask her out,” Graham was getting angry but trying to keep a lid on it. “What’s the problem, don’t you like what you see?”
“Oh no it’s not that, she’s a good-looking girl, alright, it’s just I’ve never walked up to someone in the street before, it’s a bit awkward.”
“Well there’s a first time for everything,” Graham said, reaching across Ryan, opening the door and giving him an encouraging shove.
Ryan stepped into the cold and shut the door behind him. He psyched himself up to approach the girl who was fast walking away from him as he stood next to the car.
“What the fuck’s wrong with the lad? Call him back boss, I’d love a crack at that,” Jimmy said from the driver’s seat.
“We’re trying to make her fall in love, not run a fucking marathon.”
Ryan took his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a ten pound note. He slipped the wallet back away, crumpled the note in his hand and stepped into a jog towards Zoe.
“Excuse me?” he called to the back of her hooded head. No response. “Excuse me?” he called louder as he made ground on her.
Still no response, the headphones blocking out the world around her. Ryan’s breath made clouds in front of him as it hit the cold air. As he caught up to Zoe he had to wipe a tear from his eye due to the biting wind. He tapped her gently on the shoulder and Zoe leapt as she turned in shock.
“What the fuck!” Zoe yelled, she looked terrified and ready to run.
Ryan held out a reassuring hand, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just I found this tenner on the ground over there and wondered if you’d dropped it.”
Zoe had removed her headphones and relaxed slightly.
“Nah, it’s not mine. You know you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” she said and made to put her earphones in.
“Sorry, I was calling you from way back, you obviously couldn’t hear me,” Ryan said gesturing at the earphones.
“Oh well, no worries.”
“Hold up,” Ryan said, “Where you heading to?”
“Nowhere, I just needed to get out for a while.”
“I get that, it’s why I run. Keeps me fit and gets me out of the house.”
Zoe looked Ryan up and down and although she had tried not to make it obvious, she clearly liked what she saw. There was a smile in her eyes that she tried not to let show but Ryan spotted it.
“Looks like it’s working for you,” Zoe said coyly.
Ryan couldn’t help but smile at the compliment, “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
The pair held each other’s gaze for a moment and nervous laughs burst from both of their faces. Ryan held out the money he’d pretended to find.
“Look, as this isn’t yours and there’s no one else about, I guess it’s mine. You’re not doing anything and neither am I. How about I take you for a drink with it?”
“A drink, it’s a bit early, isn’t it?”
“Well, some food then.”
“Yeah, alright, where are we going to go, though? There’s fuck all around here.”
“You live back that way, right?” Ryan gestured towards the direction Zoe had walked and she nodded. “I’ll run home, quick shower and I’ll pick you up, we’ll go out of town. Sound ok?”
Zoe nodded and told Ryan her house number, unaware that he’d watched her leave it just a few minutes before.
Chapter Fourteen
“Not being funny, but your accent, it’s not from around this way. What brings you to our little town? We’re not exactly in a tourist spot and there aren’t any jobs going.”
Their food had arrived. Ryan knew the answer to his question, but he was under strict instructions from Graham not to let on that he knew who Zoe was, or more importantly who her family were.
Zoe hurried down a small mouthful of burger and apologised with her hands for eating when she wanted to answer the question. Ryan smiled, he liked this girl, she was cute. Shy, pretty and cute.
“My grandmother has been ill and so my dad had us come up here to look after her. She died overnight, and so now we’re just here making all the arrangements. I guess we’ll be gone in a few weeks.”
“I’m sorry to hear that about your grandmother. Were you close?”
Zoe explained that until recently she’d never met her grandmother. She told Ryan of her life brought up as the daughter of a soldier, rarely calling anywhere home for more than a year or two at a time. She told Ryan that her father and grandfather never got on, but she never mentioned who her grandfather was. She wasn’t ashamed of Frank Gordon, but she just knew that Ryan would know who he was and she didn’t want to frighten him off—not within the first couple of hours of getting to know him. She liked this guy, he was handsome, interesting and seemed like he had a good heart.
The young pair stayed at the table far longer than their food lasted. They got the free refills on their drinks a couple of times and talked for much of the afternoon. Zoe asked Ryan what he was doing living in such a place. Ryan explained that his single mother was disabled and so he stayed to look after her. He explained the guilt he felt at being secretly pleased to know that she wouldn’t live many more years and that, before he hit his mid-twenties, he’d be free to pursue a life of his own elsewhere. He loved his mother, but neither of them were living a life that they wanted.
Their waitress came by with the bill even though they hadn’t asked for it. She’d been by a couple of times already and asked if she could get them desserts or coffees which they’d declined. The bringing of the bill signaled that they’d outstayed their welcome if they weren’t going to order anything else. Ryan took the bill in hand and threw down more than enough to cover it and a tip.
“Thank you,” Zoe said with a smile. “I’ve had a really nice afternoon.”
“Me too.” Ryan returned the smile. This morning when he’d been forced to get into that car with Graham, Ian and Jimmy he hadn’t fancied his chances of having a great day but it had been the best he’d had in a long time. “Look, I’ve got a job in a pub back in town, so I’ve got to work this evening, but it’s never busy, so if you fancy it you could always come along and keep me company.”
“I should tell you, I’m only seventeen. I wouldn’t want you getting in trouble for serving an underage drinker.”
“We don’t have to worry about that sort of thing, the police don’t tend to head into our town too often. Not unless they’re picking up a brown envelope to keep them away.”
Chapter Fifteen
Violet’s funeral would be ten days from the day she died. It could have been sooner, but Frank had very specific requirements for his wife’s ceremony. As much as Kyle disagreed with everything his father was and had ever stood for, he wanted his mother’s send-off to be special and
he had to give credit, the things Frank wanted were all nice touches. Kyle, Graham and Frank all took roles in organising the occasion while barely exchanging a word with each other. All communication happened through a reluctant undertaker. The undertaker was clearly uncomfortable as one man asked him to tell the other two that he would like a carriage pulled by four black horses and as one man told him to ask the others present if it would be ok if he paid for all of the flowers. Acutely aware of who this family were and what they were capable of, the undertaker allowed them to play out their drama in front of him, praying that it would keep them from coming to blows in his office.
With the plans for the funeral under way, Kyle and Emma were also making arrangements to return south of the border to England. They would be gone the day after Violet was in the ground. Neither of them wanted to stay an hour longer in this town than they had to. They would return in six months or so, once Violet’s headstone had been erected. They wouldn’t be letting anyone know they would be back They’d stay out of town, just drop by to see the stone, lay some flowers and that would be it, for good. Zoe, who had hated her parents for bringing her here in the first place, now had a new reason to hate them.
“What do you mean, we’re leaving next week?” She yelled at them both as she stood from the dinner table leaving the meal that she’d barely touched. “Well fuck it, I’m not going.”
She stormed from the room and heavy footsteps and the slamming of a door signaled that she’d headed for her bedroom. Moments later the footsteps returned to the stairs and the front door slammed as she left the house.
“What’s gotten into her?” Kyle asked, “One minute she hates the place, the next she’s desperate to stay. Please don’t tell me this is about Frank?”
