by Alex Kane
Sarcastic bastard, Roxanne thought.
Dropping his hands to his lap, he reached for his pint and took a large gulp. Roxanne didn’t know what to make of Cole. He seemed on edge; he was calm one minute then high on life the next. It made her feel uneasy, yet intrigued.
‘Thanks,’ was all she could think to say.
‘I’ve heard all about you and Jake here and what you’re both capable of. And word on the street is that you both have fierce reputations and can be relied on to get the job done. That’s the kind of characters I’m looking for. And Rox – can I call you Rox? You’ve just done a ten-year stint and by the looks of it you’ve coped well. Looking beautiful for having been locked up, if you don’t mind me saying. Anyway, my point is that you’re both hard as fuck and I need you. You run a good business. You’re experienced in organising and distributing. I did my research. You don’t suffer fools gladly, Rox, do you?’
Roxanne felt in a trance-like state listening to Cole. The speed of his words meant her brain took a little time to catch up but she was getting there. He knew everything about them. He knew everything about her.
‘Meaning?’ Roxanne pressed.
‘I heard what you did to that lad. Nearly fucking killed him, by all accounts. You’re one rough girl and I like that. That’s what this industry is missing. Too many women in this world on the edges, and not enough leading things. You could be the one who changes all that.’
Roxanne felt her eyebrows knit together. Cole had a way with words, knew how to use them to pull her in. It was working.
‘You read about my trial?’
‘Call it an interview, one of those police check things that people get when they’re starting a job with the public. You see, I had to know who I was taking on. I already knew all about Jake but I didn’t know much about you.’
Jake shifted in his seat. ‘Give us all the details, Cole. We can’t agree to anything until we have all the facts.’
‘Right. Fair enough,’ Cole swallowed loudly, baring his teeth and licking his lips. ‘Seems as though there was a bit of a bust-up between the rivals on the west end and south side. One of ’em’s dead and the other’s in jail waiting to be tried for murder. Rest of ‘em have gone into hiding by all accounts, left their shit wide open for the taking. Fucking mental, and I thought London was bad for territorial shit.’
Roxanne frowned and looked in Jake’s direction. Why hadn’t he told her about this? Unless he didn’t know?
‘Yeah, I heard that rumour too. Although we’re east end so it doesn’t affect us, not really,’ Jake replied, not meeting Roxanne’s eye.
‘It affects us all, mate. That’s why I’m here. We could be the ones to take it over. I’m talking thousands upon thousands of pounds here, mate. With those pussies leaving their shit open for anyone, we’ll be the next ones to step in. No one else has the balls like us, Jake.’
Roxanne couldn’t hide the smile on her face. She knew this was going to happen. Cole was already speaking as though they’d shaken on a deal. There was no going back now.
‘So, remind me. What drugs you deal in then? The small time stuff? Cannabis, coke?’
‘Aye,’ Jake replied.
‘Right, well, now you’re in with me, you’re dealing with the big time gear where there’s real money to be made. And not just here in Glasgow, or across the other side of the country, Edinburgh and the likes. I’m talking county lines material, mate. But you’ll need to assemble a team for distribution. People you know you can trust but who won’t take the fucking piss out of you. Because if they take the piss out of you, they’re taking the piss out of me and we don’t need that kind of negative shit.’
Roxanne listened as Cole and Jake discussed details. They’d need to pull together a team. They’d need a hub. They’d be organising drug runs, but they would have to know how they were going to do this discreetly. Cole mentioned the cities the drugs would travel to. Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, London. The list went on and on. The details ran deep. And the more she listened, the more she could see on Jake’s face just how serious this was, and how nervous he was about the operation. All the while, Roxanne’s excitement grew. It was the way Cole talked about it. With passion and excitement. He knew what he was doing and how things would work. He’d been doing this for years in London.
‘So, Cole. I hear you were living abroad for a while?’ Roxanne asked. He shot her a look, as though he hadn’t expected her to ask about it. ‘Can I ask where?’
He hesitated, clearly not wanting to go into detail. ‘You know how it is in this business. I was here and there. Doing deals for the big clubs all over the islands, you know?’
‘The Canaries and Balearics?’ She pressed. ‘That must have been a laugh.’
Roxanne thought about her time in Majorca. The memories were still raw, not just because she’d had her heart broken by losing the man in her life and her best friend, but because she’d lost a life opportunity. How different things would be for her now if Jez hadn’t been such a tosser.
‘It was business. Making money,’ Cole said, raising his drink to his mouth and keeping his eyes on her.
‘I lived in Majorca for a while, back in the day,’ she said, but she could tell that Cole was done with this conversation. He’d already moved on in his head. He didn’t want to discuss his life abroad for reasons she might never know.
‘You’ll want to get hammered now that you’re out of that shit hole, Roxanne,’ Cole said and his words snapped her out of her thoughts.
‘Aye,’ she replied. ‘Not had a proper drink in a decade.’
‘Jake, grab your woman a proper drink. What ya like? Tequila? Whisky?’ Cole said. Roxanne was surprised by how quickly Jake seemed to do what Cole said, as he was already getting to his feet.
‘She likes vodka,’ Jake replied, bending down and kissing her. She knew the kiss was a warning to Cole without the exchange of words. He’d noticed the attention Cole had been giving Roxanne.
‘Right then, shots of vodka all round. Make mine a double. I think this is a cause for celebration, don’t you?’
Jake left the table and Roxanne straightened her back and pushed back her shoulders. Why did she feel excited when she knew that she should be feeling the exact opposite? Jake had his reservations; that was obvious to her. What was also obvious was how blatantly Cole was flirting with her and she liked it.
‘So, you got anyone in mind for the team you’ll need to get the goods moving?’ Cole asked. He’d moved around the table and was now sitting next to her where Jake had been.
‘Aye,’ she replied. ‘I can think of a few people.’
Roxanne didn’t have many friends, mostly acquaintances. But she’d think of someone.
Roxanne looked up to see Jake return to where they were sitting. He looked at Cole through narrowed eyes as he laid three glasses on the table. ‘Here.’
Cole got up from his seat and moved back around the other side of the table. It was as if he knew not to overstep the mark with Jake. Sighing inwardly at the idea of being an object which both men fought for possession of, Roxanne lifted her glass and held it at her mouth.
‘Here’s to making a shit ton of cash,’ Cole said, raising his glass.
Roxanne nodded and knocked hers back, allowing the burn to take over. She rose from her chair and excused herself from the table, leaving the men to compare cocks and went outside for some fresh air. Feeling their eyes on her as she exited the pub, she felt like telling them both to fuck off. That she would happily go about this all on her own, that she didn’t need one man to help her earn some cash, let alone two. But in truth she couldn’t do this alone. And she did love Jake, but not as much as she used to. Being away for ten years had created a space between them that even Jake couldn’t deny. Roxanne was angry at him for not being truthful about his previous dealings with Cole. Perhaps Cole had seen it too and that was why he was behaving the way he was.
Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she punched in Arab
ella’s number and waited for the ring.
‘Well, hello there, Ms McPhail. You’re out then?’ Arabella answered.
‘And it feels fucking glorious,’ Roxanne replied with a smile. It was good to hear her friend’s voice. ‘Listen, why don’t we meet up?’
‘Oh, well I can’t right now. I’m kind of at work.’
‘You’re at work?’ Roxanne couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m a business owner now. A salon in the west end.’
‘Oh. My. God! I have to come and see this place. And you of course. I could come now?’ Roxanne felt excited to see the salon. ‘I’ve just finished up at a meeting.’
Arabella was silent on the other end of the line and Roxanne knew fine well why. She wouldn’t want a convicted criminal just out of prison that very day, swanning into her business and driving away customers.
‘You still there?’ Roxanne pushed.
‘Yeah, I’m here. It’s just, well, I don’t know if you coming here today is such a good idea. I’ve literally only just started myself, getting to know the place and the girls who work here. I don’t want them to think that I’m taking the piss by having all sorts of people dropping in unannounced to see me just because I own the place.’
Roxanne felt her expression change, her brow furrowed. ‘All sorts of people? Thanks for that, Arabella.’ She forced a laugh.
‘Oh god, no that’s not what I meant. Fuck, sorry. I’m shit at this.’ Arabella paused and Roxanne wondered what exactly it was that she was mulling over in her head. Maybe she didn’t want people to know she was friends with a convicted criminal. But then, wasn’t that what Arabella was? Except Arabella was a bit of class. Well, compared to Roxanne she was. She was young, beautiful, and surely intelligent if she just put her mind to it, rather than allowing people to carry her away and put her at the heart of their shitty games.
‘Okay,’ Arabella said. ‘I’m sure it won’t do any harm for you to come by for a while. I suppose I am the boss. But we can’t stay for long. I don’t want people thinking that I’m just using the place as some kind of entertainment venue. I know what you’re like, Roxanne. You’re going to want to crack open the voddy as soon as you get here.’
Roxanne laughed. ‘Just text me the address, I’ll be there soon.’
Roxanne hung up and flagged down a taxi and told the driver where to take her. She had cash in her pocket and Jake could pick her up later if he wasn’t wasted.
She travelled through the east end and across the city to where Arabella was, thinking about the morning’s events. So much had happened in the last few hours. She’d been released after ten years, met up with one of London’s top gangsters and learned that parts of Glasgow were now for the taking. Jesus, she thought. A lot to take in on her first day as a free woman. Now she was going back into the drug business with Cole and Jake. Things were moving so fast that Roxanne’s head was swirling. As the taxi pulled up outside the salon, she paid the driver and got out.
Staring up at Hair Envy, she smiled. Nice one, Arabella, she thought. She’d certainly landed on her feet with this place. Pushing through the door, Roxanne moved inside and saw Arabella standing at the back of the salon, chatting with a woman who was around the same age as Roxanne.
‘Do you have an appointment?’ one of the stylists asked Roxanne.
‘No, I’m here to see the owner,’ Roxanne replied. At that, Arabella looked across the room and smiled widely at her.
‘Oh my god!’ she almost squealed. ‘I can’t believe we’re both here.’
Roxanne smiled as she hugged Arabella. She looked entirely different to when she’d last seen her, with a face full of make-up and her blonde hair styled in loose curls. Roxanne expected nothing less.
‘Ah, freedom suits you,’ Roxanne said. She noted the look on the other woman’s face but ignored it. ‘We have some catching up to do. Coffee?’
Arabella nodded. ‘Yes, we can go to the kitchen. You don’t mind, Scarlett?’
Roxanne regarded Scarlett. Clear skin, the type who could get away without having to wear make-up to look decent. Shoulder-length dark hair. She was the type to look down her nose at the likes of Roxanne.
Scarlett smiled at Arabella, but when she looked at Roxanne, there was something in her eyes that told Roxanne she was right. She was looking down her nose at her. Maybe Arabella had mentioned how they’d met, that they’d become friends while sharing a prison cell. Scarlett might be the type of woman who would prefer not to mix with the likes of Roxanne, but she certainly wasn’t going to be made to feel like scum by a woman she’d just met.
‘Not at all,’ Scarlett said hesitantly. ‘You own the place, after all.’
Drawing her eyes away from Roxanne, Scarlett moved away, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. Sarcastic little bitch, Roxanne thought.
‘Right, first things first. Where the fuck did you get the money to buy a place like this? Three weeks ago, you were in the jail.’
‘Let me get the kettle on first and then I’ll tell you everything.’
Roxanne followed Arabella through to the kitchen at the back of the salon. She took in her surroundings and imagined just for a moment what it would be like to own a legitimate business. That kind of thing was so far removed from a life like Roxanne’s that she allowed the thought to disperse. This place could be perfect for a not-so-legit venture, she thought to herself.
This could be the hub Cole was talking about.
Chapter Twenty-Two
‘This feels so weird, doesn’t it?’ Arabella said, sitting down in the kitchen at the back of the salon. She watched as Roxanne smiled and sat down on the chair across from her. ‘I mean, the last time we did this was back in that hellhole of a place.’
‘Aye,’ Roxanne said, glancing out at the salon floor with a look of wonderment. ‘So, how’s that lassie? What’s her name, Scarlett? She seems a bit up her own arse if you ask me.’
Arabella frowned. ‘Why would you say that? You don’t know her. I don’t even know her.’ She chose not to share the conversation she’d had with Scarlett earlier. That wasn’t her story to tell.
‘Just the way she looked at me when I got here. Like she thought she was better than me or something.’
‘She’s actually lovely, really nice. I only just met her today but so far, she’s been so lovely and showed me everything she could in such a short space of time. I’ve kind of been shadowing her. She knows her stuff, has the place running like clockwork. She’s going to go over the books with me later but if I’m honest, she’d be as well showing me in Japanese because I don’t have the first clue how to run this place. But I know that I can trust her; she’s worked here for years and I couldn’t step on her toes even if I wanted to. She’s a mum too, so I know she’s working hard to give her kids a good life. She’s unlike my own mother, that’s for sure.’
Roxanne shook her head. ‘You’ll pick it up quickly. If you can get through almost a year of living with me in the jail, you’ll be running this place single-handed within the week. And look how far you’ve come now, without that woman in your life. We don’t all need a mum; we can survive without them. I mean, look at me. I turned out just fine without mine.’ Roxanne gave a sarcastic grin.
Arabella laughed at Roxanne’s attempt to ease her. She had been able to do that ever since they met in Kirktonhill, somehow instilling in her a confidence that she’d never really felt before. It was different with Eddie, although their relationship was loving, romantic. Roxanne was the first friend that Arabella had ever had. A true friend.
‘So, you like her then?’ Roxanne asked.
Arabella noted that this was the second time Roxanne had asked about Scarlett’s character. She watched as Roxanne’s eyes trailed towards Scarlett and saw her expression change. Was there more to it than Roxanne was letting on? She didn’t strike Arabella as the type to care what people thought of her.
‘Is there something you’re not telling me? Do you know her or
something?’
Roxanne didn’t answer. Scarlett and Roxanne had locked eyes with one another, but Arabella watched as Scarlett looked away first. What the hell was going on?
‘I just don’t like how she’s looking down her nose at us, Arabella. Because we’ve been in prison.’
‘No, she’s not. Rox, she doesn’t even know anything about you. I haven’t told her about you other than that you’re my friend. She only knows that I was in prison, not you.’
Roxanne’s expression softened then and Arabella felt relief wash away the tension she hadn’t realised was there. ‘Ah, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you get your hair done?’
‘Here?’ Roxanne failed to hide her surprise. ‘Now?’
‘Why not take advantage of the fact that your bestie owns the place? I’ll get mine done too. We can get a bottle of fizz and really celebrate being out. Oh come on, it’ll be a laugh.’
Roxanne’s surprise switched to delight as a smile raced across her face. ‘Go on then, you twisted my arm.’
Arabella smiled widely and got up from her chair. The feeling inside was like waking up as a child on Christmas morning. The excitement and butterflies almost caused her to start giggling. She half-walked, half-skipped towards Scarlett who was wiping down the surfaces of the front desk.
‘Scarlett, a few questions. The first is, would you mind if I spent some time catching up with Rox here? We’ve not seen each other in a while and have a lot of catching up to do. And do you happen to have champagne or prosecco on the premises? And lastly, could you arrange for me and Rox to have our hair done today? I know it’s short notice but I’d really appreciate it.’
Scarlett hesitated, stole a glance at Roxanne then smiled. ‘Yes to all,’ she said glancing down at the diary. ‘I can do Roxanne’s hair and I can fit you in with Leanne over there. She’s had a cancellation today so it won’t be a problem. Means you’ll get to see the kind of treatments we offer here at Hair Envy. And the prosecco is in the fridge in the kitchen. Help yourself to however many bottles you want.’
