by Alex Kane
He listened as Billy was quiet. He didn’t like his old friend’s response and the fact that he refused to give up the name of the guy he was looking for. He respected it, though.
‘Then I guess we’ll run into each other very soon.’
Jez didn’t say goodbye, he simply hung up and slammed the phone down on the counter. He had hoped that someone would bring his money and Cole Woods back to him. Going to Glasgow wasn’t going to be easy for him. There were issues from the past in Glasgow. He’d spent two decades keeping those issues in the dark while he’d built a better life for himself in Spain. Going back there could potentially uncover things he’d rather stayed hidden.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cole wrapped his fingers around the cold pint glass and raised it in the air. Jake Cairney did the same. Cole liked Jake, he was a good guy. Reliable, trustworthy and never did he fuck up on a job. He did everything he was supposed to, so going into business with him now seemed like a good idea. It was better than that, because Cole wasn’t giving Jake a choice. He had dirt on Jake. Black, murky dirt that would stick if Cole ever needed to throw it at him. And that was the reason that Jake was allowing Cole to call the shots. And likely the reason he’d remained quiet when Cole had flirted with Roxanne. And she’d flirted back. He’d noticed the way she looked at him, or at least how she tried to avoid his gaze so she wouldn’t give away that she found him attractive.
‘Cheers mate,’ Cole said. They eyed each other as they drank.
‘I’m heading after this one,’ Jake replied. ‘Rox wants me to go and meet her and her friend. Wants me to check out the place we might be able to use as a hub. I just need to make sure it’s secure, you know. I don’t want there to be any fuck-ups if we decide to go ahead with it.’
‘Good lad.’ Cole smacked his lips together and swallowed hard. ‘She gets things done quick, that woman of yours. You should hang on to her.’
Cole felt Jake’s eyes on him, burning into him like hot embers. Pushing Jake’s buttons was fun. It was something he was proud of, being able to do and say whatever he wanted knowing that the recipient couldn’t rise to it. That was how he’d made his name. Building friendships and gaining trust, making people feel important, until he had them over a barrel and they were his to play with. Manipulation was his game and he loved it. Yes, he was younger than most in his position at this game. But he wasn’t scared to get his hands dirty, get the job done right. That was why he’d made a name for himself, a reputation as someone not to be fucked with.
‘I fully intend to,’ Jake replied. ‘So don’t go getting any ideas.’
‘Ach come on, I’m only messing with you.’
Jake offered a smile but Cole could see a warning in his eyes that gave him a thrill. Jake’s girl was fair game if he thought she was worth it. He hadn’t decided yet, but he knew that if he wanted her, he could have her. Women responded quickly to Cole, especially if what they were interested in was power. Roxanne struck Cole as the power-hungry type. If he did go for her, there would be nothing Jake could do about it because Cole could expose him for what he really was. A killer. Not just that. A killer with a secret that could seriously destroy his reputation if it ever got out.
‘How’s about I join you lot? Would be good to check the place out myself. I mean, I trust you, Jakey boy, but you know how it is, always good for the boss to have his say in a place.’
Jake’s eyes widened. He began to shake his head and parted his lips to speak but before he could say a word, Cole jumped in. ‘It’s not a suggestion, Jake. My job, my rules. It’s like when you’ve got a good little paper round going, you wouldn’t have anything to post if the company didn’t print them, would you? And if that were the case, you wouldn’t make your pocket money. So, let’s just say that you’re the paper boy and I’m the printing headquarters. Got it?’
Cole was already getting to his feet and it was clear to him that Jake understood. It was Cole’s way, no argument.
Jake walked through the exit to the street and Cole followed. He’d been in Glasgow many times before, knew most of the city well. He’d acquired colleagues and business partners up here. Some a lot like Jake, others a lot more dangerous. Cole was top man in London, no one messed. But up here, the gangsters were different. In Glasgow, the drug lords and the high-up men took zero shit when it came to business and he’d learned a thing or two from them. They had a tendency to use violence at any opportunity they saw fit. They were far more dangerous than other people he’d come across in his time. There was a glint in their eye he’d never seen in any other.
‘So, where is this place then?’ Cole asked, patting Jake on the shoulder with a little more force than his friendly tone would indicate.
‘It’s not far from here,’ Jake replied, his voice low. The sound of his words fought against gritted teeth and this made Cole smile.
* * *
Standing outside in the pissing rain in Glasgow, Cole glared at the building and nodded in satisfaction. So far, the premises were perfect. Glamour and beauty were the right ingredients for an operation like this. Cole was running drugs from all over the country, from small warehouses, taxi firms, leisure centres. But this would be the first salon.
‘And you say that Rox’s mate owns this place?’ Cole said, rubbing his hands together.
‘Aye, apparently her man bought it for her when she got out the jail just a few weeks before Rox.’
Nodding again, Cole raises a brow. ‘And she’s a criminal? Small time?’
‘I don’t know much about her. But there is one way to find out, eh? They’re inside.’
Cole was already making his way to the entrance when he spied Roxanne through the glass. She was approaching the door and reached out for the handle to open it. She offered Cole a smile but quickly turned her attention to Jake.
‘I didn’t realise he was coming,’ she said, giving a sidelong glance at Cole.
‘He’s the boss, wants to see the place before he makes any decisions,’ Jake replied.
Roxanne stood in a way which blocked Cole from gaining access to the salon. She was sassy, fiery. He liked it. But he didn’t appreciate this move.
‘Out the way, love.’
‘Look, Cole. I know you think you own this city already, you think you own us. But let me assure you, you don’t. And I don’t want us getting off on the wrong foot here. As much as I want this place to be in our common interest, I don’t want us to get screwed over. So, I want to discuss things properly.’
Cole eyed Roxanne and something stirred inside him he hadn’t felt in a long time. Excitement and intrigue about a woman didn’t come by very often but for some reason, Roxanne’s attitude did something to him that he hadn’t expected.
Turning to Jake, he raised a brow. ‘She’s fucking cocky, mate, I’ll give her that.’
‘Oi, don’t talk to him like I’m not here. You want to go into business with us then we all need to be equal. I’m not having you treating me differently because I’m female. I don’t want you in there right now. Leave Arabella to me, let me suss things out with Jake and we’ll report back as soon as we can. Watch from a distance if you have to but if you go wading in there waving your cock about then this isn’t going to work. She’ll shut down, even with me. I need to earn her trust about using the place. Just, go home or something. We’ll be in touch.’
Cole was nodding. As much as he didn’t care to admit it, she was speaking a lot of sense.
‘Fine,’ Cole replied. ‘But earn it quick. I’ve got merch to move and you’ll earn fuck all if you take your time about it.’
He noticed her inhale slowly, as if relieved that he’d agreed to her terms. She was wary of him. And she should be. He needed this deal in Glasgow. He needed the venture for his own good, for his own safety. If they fucked this up, he’d blow Jake’s secret wide apart.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cole Woods closed the front door of his flat behind him and turned to face the lounge. His mobile pho
ne rested in his hand. He’d hated having to leave Jake and Roxanne to finalise things at the salon, but he hadn’t had much choice. He knew Jake would come through for him because there was no way he would do anything to risk Roxanne finding out about what went down in London. In fact, Jake wouldn’t want anyone finding out about it. It was too risky for his reputation. And of course, Cole didn’t want to have to reveal Jake’s biggest secret because that would mean the deal not being finalised, leaving Cole in the shit. All that was just another headache on top of the one he already had. Stealing the one hundred grand from Jez Kennedy had been a stupid yet necessary move. Every time he thought about what he’d done and why he’d done it, that bloody Kenny Rogers song popped into his head. ‘The Gambler’. That’s what Cole was, a gambler and a bad one at that. He seemed to be on a losing streak recently. That was why he’d had to take the money from Jez. It wasn’t as though he’d miss it. He was practically a fucking millionaire and Cole was as close to the gutter as he’d ever been. Cole needed to turn money into more money and quickly. If he hadn’t had to deal with such a loss in his life, one that had almost finished him off, he might never have gone into this life in the first place.
As Cole paced the floor of his rented Glasgow apartment, the phone rang in his shaking hand. It was the fifth call in two hours. He’d ignored it each time, but the more he did, the more it rang. Jez Kennedy wasn’t going to give up. Seeing the unknown caller come up on the screen had made him feel physically sick, but he wouldn’t even admit that to himself. Before the gambling became a problem, Cole and Jez were tight. Cole was a man to be feared, and for those who knew nothing of the predicament that he was in, he still was feared. Jez and Cole had worked well together as business partners. Jez owned the clubs; Cole supplied them with the constant demand for recreational drugs. But the money was disappearing as quickly as it arrived in his pocket. He was practically keeping the casinos going single-handedly over there. He couldn’t afford to lose more, and taking from Jez was his best option to get away from his debt to the Albanian gang he’d been working for in order to supply the clubs all over the islands. The Albanian gang he’d stolen five hundred grand from.
Five hundred from the Albanians, one hundred from Jez plus that diamond ring he’d found in the safe at Jez’s club which he still didn’t have the balls to have valued in case it was traced back to him. He wasn’t scared of Jez. He was scared of the Albanians. If they got hold of him, he’d be dead before he realised they were on to him. Cole couldn’t have that. He hadn’t completed his quest to find out what had happened to his brother. That was partly the reason he’d stolen the money in the first place. Hiring a private investigator wasn’t going to be cheap, but he needed to find out the truth. He had stolen more than enough when he was in Spain to cover the expenses.
That ring was real, he knew that just by looking at it. It was also his insurance policy: if the Glasgow deal went bust he could get it valued, sell it and use the cash to go into hiding. It was all such a mess.
‘Fuck!’ he screamed, squeezing the phone between his fingers. ‘Fuck the lot of them!’ Six hundred grand was nothing to these people. That was partly why he took it all in the first place. In truth, he knew he was in deep shit.
If he could just get Jake and Rox to pull this off, then things would be fine. He’d be able to pay off his debt to the Albanians, go back down to London, and hopefully get back to some sort of normality. Cole was ruthless; he wouldn’t have stolen from a deadly group of gangsters if he wasn’t. He couldn’t tell Jake anything about that though, he had a reputation to uphold and if Jake found out about his dealings with the Albanians then he’d back out, regardless of the risk of the truth coming out about him.
The phone pinged again and vibrated in his hand. Buzzing twice, he glared down at it and his stomach rolled again.
Cole Woods. You stupid piece of shit. You will be found, and when you are you will be buried for what you’ve done.
‘Fuck!’ The phone flew across the room, bounced off the wall and landed on the sofa.
This wasn’t the way things were supposed to turn out. He was supposed to be top dog and now everything was fucked. He’d been stupid, greedy and weak and if he was found before Jake and Rox got things moving, got cash flowing, then Cole Woods would be a dead man. Jez Kennedy wasn’t going to stop until he found him. He was a resourceful man, had people in his circle who would already be looking for Cole. And if Jez did find him, so would the others.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Standing outside the salon and peering through the window, Eddie watched as Arabella danced around the salon floor, with a prosecco glass in one hand and the bottle in the other. The rest of the stylists had left for the evening except for Scarlett and another girl who was in the process of getting ready to leave. Arabella belted out the words to ‘Starships’ by Nicki Minaj in between gulps of fizz and Eddie felt his frustration building. Did she think the place was her own personal nightclub?
Pushing the door open, Eddie stepped inside and Arabella met his eye. She was pretty hammered by the looks of it. Having fun without him, it would seem, after he’d waited on her while she was in prison. After he’d bought her this place. Eddie swallowed down the bitterness on his tongue and tried to remind himself that all he ever wanted was for Arabella to be happy.
‘You’re here.’ Arabella smiled widely and moved across the floor before placing the bottle on the counter at the front desk. As she hugged him tightly, Eddie wrapped an arm around her and took in her scent. ‘I want to introduce you to someone.’
Pulling away, Arabella took hold of Eddie’s hand and led him across the salon towards the kitchen. A woman appeared from the doorway. Tall with auburn hair and fiery eyes to match, Eddie knew exactly who she was, even though she looked a little different from the news report he’d found on Google.
‘This is Roxanne, my friend from Kirktonhill. Roxanne, this is my Eddie.’ Arabella kept hold of Eddie’s hand, and squeezed it a little.
Eddie nodded at Roxanne and noted her expression. A sarcastic smile parted her lips as she raised a brow.
‘Ah, the famous Eddie. It’s good to finally meet you. I wish I had a man who’d buy me a salon.’ Roxanne held out her hand and Eddie shook it.
‘Always good to have a plan when you get back to the real world,’ Eddie replied firmly. ‘It’s nice to finally meet you too. I hear you kept my girl in check while she was inside?’
‘Erm, I’m standing right here, you know,’ Arabella giggled, taking another sip from her glass. ‘Oh by the way, Jake’s just in the bathroom. You’ll get to meet him in a minute. He’s Roxanne’s man.’
Eddie nodded, but he said nothing, unsure how to react.
‘In all honesty, I don’t know how I’d have got through the last ten months of my sentence without this girl. I’m glad you broke the law, Arabella.’ Roxanne laughed.
Arabella leaned into Eddie’s shoulder and smiled. ‘Every crime has a silver lining, eh?’
Movement to his left caught Eddie’s eye and he glanced in the direction of the salon manager getting ready to leave. Scarlett was putting on her coat.
‘Mr Corrigan,’ she said. ‘Arabella, I’m heading now. You’ve got keys, haven’t you?’
‘Yes, yes,’ Arabella replied chirpily. ‘You get off. I’ll make sure things are fine here. Well, Eddie will since I’m half scooped.’
Scarlett laughed and made her way across the salon towards the door. Arabella followed her, grabbed the bottle from the reception desk and turned the music up. He watched as she danced her way back to Roxanne. The pair were laughing and drinking and Eddie admitted to himself that he was proud of what he’d done for Arabella. No one else had seemed to care about her when she went to prison last year. No one had seemed to care about her at any part of her life, from what he knew of her before they’d met. He wanted to be the person who changed that, the person she could depend on.
‘Scarlett?’ Eddie called out. With one hand on the door, Sca
rlett turned.
‘Yes?’
‘Everything okay here, at the salon? Arabella is doing good?’
Scarlett parted her lips slightly but paused for a moment before replying. ‘Yes, Mr Corrigan, she’s doing fine. But what does it matter what I think? She’s the boss. You’re both my employers.’
Eddie took a short breath. ‘And you’re both getting on okay?’
‘Yes, we’re getting on fine. You have nothing to worry about. Honestly.’ Her voice was low.
Relief flooded his veins. ‘Thank you, Scarlett. I appreciate it must be hard having a new boss. But this means a lot to her and I need things to work.’
‘Goodnight, Mr Corrigan.’ Scarlett opened the door and went out to the street. He watched her go, disappearing around the corner. The slow-closing door clicked shut but Eddie didn’t move. He simply continued to stare out to the street.
He heard the door to the bathroom open at the end of the salon and when he turned, he saw a man step onto the salon floor. Jake.
‘Eddie?’ The guy said.
‘Aye, that’s right. You must be Jake? Arabella was telling me about you.’
He knew who Jake was; the news report back from when Roxanne was sentenced had captured an image of him too.
‘Seems they had a right laugh with each other while they were banged up together.’ Jake smiled and held out his hand. Eddie shook it, applying enough strength to show that he was the alpha here. It was a bit pathetic, Eddie knew that, but he couldn’t help it.
‘Aye, so it seems.’
There was an awkward silence, as though everyone clocked on to the fact that Eddie was acting a little off.
