Carnage

by Heather Atkinson

  “You really should be more careful about where you go with strange men,” said Katia. “You don’t know what sort of lunatic you could run into.”

  Amber wanted to say she was the biggest lunatic she’d ever run into then thought that wouldn’t go down very well. “You arranged all this?”

  “I did. I needed to talk to you face to face.”

  “Was Phoebe in on it too?”

  “No,” she laughed. “I would never involve a fool like that. Your friend is fine, she is enjoying being vigorously attended to by Adam just down the hall. He and Parker do provide a top notch service.”

  “Service?” said Amber. “You mean they’re prostitutes?”

  “More high class escorts. But yes, you could call them that.”

  “I’m going to throw up.”

  “Later. First we need to talk,” said Katia, seating herself in the armchair by the bed and placing her handbag on the floor.

  “Fine, we can talk but I need to get dressed first.”

  “You’re not moving until we’ve had our talk,” she hissed.

  Amber knew Katia purposefully wanted her naked for this meeting, so she would feel weak and vulnerable but Katia was so scary that was how she made her feel when she was fully clothed. It had been a harsh lesson meeting Katia for the first time when she’d gone to her jewellery shop. The way the family had always described her she’d imagined an overgrown child, someone she could easily manipulate but Katia was cold, calculating and cruel and she frightened her. It just went to show how dangerous the Maguires and Laws were that they weren’t afraid of someone like Katia. It had only really struck her once Mikey had divorced her just what sort of a family she’d married into.

  “You came to me with an offer,” began Katia. “You promised to get me information I could use to hurt Mikey and Jules and then I never hear from you again.”

  “Because I’ve not got anything useful for you,” she replied sounding more confident than she felt.

  Katia raised a sceptical eyebrow. “In two years?”

  “Mikey divorced me and he won’t let me see my kids. How can I find anything out if he won’t let me near?”

  “Then I suggest you find a way. You came to me, begging for help, desperate for your children back and I gave you five thousand pounds worth of jewellery for free, in good faith.” Her eyes flashed. “I give nothing for free, there is always a price to pay and now it’s time to settle up.”

  “But what can I do against Mikey Maguire? You’ve no idea what he’s like, he’ll kill me if I interfere in his nice new cosy life with Jules.”

  Katia shot to her feet and gripped Amber’s face in one hand, squeezing it painfully. “If you don’t come up with something soon I’ll kill you myself.”

  Amber’s heart hammered in her chest, sweat breaking out all over her body but one thing she’d learnt from the Maguires was that showing weakness could be dangerous. So she wrenched her face free and tossed back her head, eyes flashing. “My last name’s Maguire. You can’t speak to me like that.”

  “Correction, it was.”

  “Mikey said I could keep it, for protection.”

  “If you think it will protect you from me then you’re a fool.” Katia smiled inwardly at the abject fear in Amber’s eyes. God she was a stupid, annoying cow. Deciding she’d had a good dose of fear and needed some gentler encouragement, Katia forced her expression to soften. “What about your boys? Surely you want them back?”

  “Of course I do,” lied Amber, her eyes easily filling with tears. “I miss them so much it hurts but what can I do against Mikey? He doesn’t want me near them, that goth slag has stolen them, pretending they’re hers because the barren bitch can’t have her own.”

  Katia wasn’t sure how true that was. Amber had come to her with the same sob story, making out Mikey had separated her from her kids but little did Amber know she had her own spies in Manchester thanks to Hayden’s connection to the city who said Amber was a full-on party girl, the lifestyle she now led leaving no room for two young children. Plus Mikey gave her enough money to keep her in the style she’d become accustomed to. If only her contacts in Manchester were closer to the Maguire-Law inner circle but sadly they weren’t. It irked her to use Amber, she wasn’t overly-intelligent and she was silly and spoilt but unfortunately she was her only choice. At least she was disposable.

  “Surely you want revenge?” said Katia.

  Amber’s green eyes glittered. “Of course I do. It burns me up inside.”

  “Then do something about it. Don’t sit about sulking like a child. Get your boys back and get your revenge.”

  Katia’s fierce words sparked something inside Amber. Her need for revenge had never died but she’d assumed it was beyond her. After all, how could she fight the Maguires and Laws? But she didn’t need to. This woman would do that for her. All she had to do was give her the key. “You’re right. I’ve sat about for far too long. It’s time to fight back.”

  “A woman after my own heart,” smiled Katia.

  Amber watched warily as she reached into her handbag. Fortunately she withdrew a business card and tossed it onto the bed. “Call me the moment you find something out.” She grabbed Amber’s hand and squeezed. Katia might have been slender but she was very strong, her lips curling into a smile when Amber winced. “And you’d better come up with something soon. I am not a patient woman and you’ve already made me wait too long.”

  “I will, promise. I’ll get right on it as soon as I get home.”

  “Excellent. You can keep the room for the night, it’s all paid for. You’re going to need a good night’s sleep for the work you have to do.”

  Amber watched Katia leave, breathing a sigh of relief when she’d gone. Jesus, that had been frightening. She couldn’t believe she’d been set up like that.

  A thought hit her with the force of a truck. Katia had known she was here, which meant she’d been keeping tabs on her. Amber had made the fatal mistake of assuming that just because she was down south meant she didn’t have a clue what was going on up here and that had just backfired on her. She thought of Parker going down on her and she felt ashamed. Katia had ordered him to seduce her, to call her beautiful and make her feel special. Worst of all, it had been so very easy for him and it made her feel pathetic.

  Amber jumped out of bed, showered, dressed and called a taxi. No way could she stay in that room after her sordid little encounter with Parker. Besides, she had to get back to Manchester. She had work to do.

  CHAPTER 6

  “I can’t believe we’re engaged,” said Jules, admiring the ring on her finger.

  They were snuggled up in bed together after cementing the new depth to their relationship.

  “I know,” replied Mikey. “I’m just relieved you said yes.”

  “You thought I’d turn you down?”

  “You’re so unpredictable I didn’t know what you’d do.”

  “I’m the unpredictable one? I never imagined I’d be proposed to while handcuffed naked to a bed.”

  “It’s not how I imagined proposing but it was the only way to keep you still long enough to ask,” he replied, making her snigger.

  She rolled onto her front to kiss his chest. “So, when do you want to get married?”

  “The sooner the better. I want you to be my wife. But I’m not into big white weddings.”

  “I think me wearing white would be a bit hypocritical.”

  “Probably,” he chuckled.

  “How about a small do, just with family and close friends?”

  Mikey smiled. It amazed him how in tune they were. “Sounds perfect.”

  “Josh and Zach will be so cute as page boys.”

  He loved it that one of her first considerations about their wedding were his sons. “Yeah they will.”

  “Let’s tell everyone,” she said, snatching up her phone.

  “I thought we wanted a quiet wedding.”

  “I just meant family.”

 
; “Okay then,” he smiled, pleased by her enthusiasm.

  Ryan had just finished making a few discreet calls to several contacts about the Wrights. The boys were both in bed and Leah was in her room slaving over her homework. She wanted to study veterinary medicine, for which she needed very good grades in her A-levels. Both Ryan and Rachel were pleased by how hard she was applying herself to her goal. Ever since she’d been kidnapped she’d become much more serious, the childishness knocked out of her.

  “Well?” said Rachel, entering Ryan’s study with a cup of tea and placing it on the desk beside him.

  “Thank you,” he said. “I’ve spoken to a few people who’ve had dealings with the Wrights both here and in Exeter and the stories are all the same - trouble and intimidation from Darren, Dominic, Jacob and Danielle. Even on a couple of occasions from the younger children. Michelle has never caused any trouble but she defends her family aggressively if anyone bad mouths them.”

  “I wonder why she keeps Darren and Dominic around. She’d be better off without them.”

  “Perhaps she needs a strong male presence in the house to keep the children in line?”

  “Strong male presence? You saw how she battered the pair of them all on her own and from what we’ve heard the children are running wild.”

  “True and it can’t be because of the money the men bring in. Rockefellers they most certainly are not. Plus she’d get more benefits if she was a single mother with seven children.”

  “Must be love then.”

  Ryan raised a sceptical eyebrow.

  “So, what do you want to do?” she said.

  “The Wrights certainly need sorting out, if only to bring their neighbours some peace.”

  “I’m not sure giving them a good kicking will do it. If we scare them off they’ll only move away and start up their shenanigans in another area.”

  “And throwing money at them won’t help. They’ll probably waste it on drink and bingo.” Rachel and Ryan only resorted to violence when necessary. If there was a peaceful way to resolve a situation they always took that route and often the peaceful route involved cash.

  “Snob,” she smiled.

  “I most certainly am not.”

  “You can be.”

  “Alright, give them a hundred grand and watch them blow our hard earned cash on useless crap.”

  “We’re not giving them any money, I agree it would be a waste but I don’t want to use violence either. I quite admired Michelle and it won’t help those kids.”

  “What then? Send them on a team building exercise? Help them find their inner child?”

  “You’re taking the Mickey out of me.”

  “I would never do that to you my love but I fail to see what other course is open to us.”

  “We need to do more research, get to know them better.”

  “You missed your calling, you should have been a social worker.”

  “Social workers aren’t allowed to punch people.”

  Ryan smiled. How he loved his wife.

  “I’m off to bed,” she yawned.

  “So early?”

  “It’s eleven thirty.”

  “Really? I hadn’t realised. No wonder John Edmondson sounded put out when I called him.”

  “Come on, I need to snuggle with my man.”

  “Always happy to oblige,” he smiled, getting to his feet, bringing his tea with him.

  “Perhaps we should look into Jacob Wright?” said Rachel, opening the study door. “That might give us a better idea about the family dynamic.”

  “Jacob Wright?” said a voice.

  “Jesus Leah,” gasped Rachel when confronted by her daughter standing in the hallway. As Leah had dyed her hair black, wore black clothes, black nail varnish and black make-up, she’d blended into the shadows. “Have you been studying all this time?”

  “Yes. What about Jacob Wright?” she said eagerly.

  “Nothing.”

  “Yeah, nice try Mum. He hasn’t been at college long but he’s already got a reputation. I know about him and his nasty family. Are you going to sort them out?”

  “Someone has asked us to look into them,” replied Rachel. “But as yet we don’t know how we’re going to tackle the situation. There’s more to them than meets the eye.”

  “I’ll bet. Jacob’s well fit.”

  Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not to go anywhere near him.”

  “Course not, I learnt my lesson after the Reid incident.” She said it casually but her blue eyes flickered at the memory. “I’m off bad boys for life.”

  “Thank God for that,” said Ryan, proud of his sensible girl.

  “But I can help.”

  “Oh no,” he said. “I am not letting you get wrapped up in all this.”

  “It’ll be fun.”

  “Jacob Wright is dangerous. Feral was the word used to describe him.”

  “I can handle him.”

  “No,” he said. “Your mother and I are more than capable. Besides, it’s not Jacob we’re interested in, it’s his parents and uncle.”

  “I saw his mum once. She was called into college after he attacked Mr Mitchell. She’s a proper munter.”

  “That’s not very nice Leah,” said Rachel. “She’s a strong, capable woman and that is to be admired.”

  While Ryan gave his wife a sideways frown, Leah laughed. “You’ve met her already? Wow Mum, you are so savage.”

  “I am not.”

  “It’s a compliment. It means you’re awesome.”

  “In that case, call me savage,” she smiled.

  “We’re hoping to wrap this up peacefully,” continued Ryan. “So there’s no need for you to get involved.”

  “Peacefully, with that family? Jacob hit Mr Mitchell in the face with a broom. If you ask me he deserved it though, he’s a tosser.”

  “Leah, language please,” said Rachel.

  “You’re fighting a losing battle there,” Ryan told his wife with a wink at his daughter, making her grin. “Do you know anything else about Jacob?”

  “I thought we weren’t going to involve her in this?” said Rachel.

  “We weren’t but now we’re discussing him we may as well ask. She might know something useful.”

  “I’ve never spoken to him but he is in my biology class. He sits at the back being brooding and moody. Sarah did her best to chat him up but she gave up when he ignored her.”

  “Does he have any friends?” said Ryan.

  “No. He likes to keep himself to himself. He’s had a couple of fights because of people taking the piss.” She looked at her mum, wondering whether she was going to tell her off for swearing but she appeared too interested in what she had to say to bother. “It’s his clothes, they’re old and full of holes. And not in the good way,” she added when her dad raised an eyebrow at her ripped jeans.

  “Not surprising when they have seven kids to feed and clothe,” said Rachel. “Why did he hit Mr Mitchell with a broom?”

  “Jacob’s really smart, he always gets top marks but he won’t speak out in class. I don’t think it’s because he’s shy, he just seems to look down on everyone else, like we’re not worthy of being spoken to by him. Mr Mitchell tried to encourage him to speak out more in class and answer questions but he got frustrated and said he’d end up like his loser parents if he didn’t start improving himself. Jacob lost it, picked up the brush left in the corner of the classroom by the cleaners and whacked him with it. At least he used the bristle end and not the handle.”

  “Sounds like he deserved it to me,” said Rachel.

  “I think that’s why they didn’t expel Jacob. Plus he’s doing so well in his studies they didn’t want to spoil his future. And from what I heard his mum scared the crap out of the principle.”

  “I’m not surprised,” said Ryan.

  “So,” said Leah. “Anything I can help with?”

  “No,” said Rachel. “We can handle it perfectly well thank you and you have your studies
to think of.”

  “Fine,” she sighed.

  “I mean it Leah. Stay away from Jacob Wright.”

  “Alright, I get it,” she yawned, rubbing her right eye then cringing, staring at the black make-up smeared across her hand with dismay. “Oh crap.”

  “Go and take it off then get yourself to bed,” said Rachel.

  “I’m old enough to decide when I go to bed.”

  “Yes but you look done in. You’ve been working so hard lately,” she added gently.

  “Yeah, I am a bit,” she said with another yawn. “Night.”

  “Night,” they said in unison, watching her tramp upstairs.

  “See,” said Ryan. “She’s just like you. She loves adventure.”

  “But adventure doesn’t necessarily mean fun, as she’s discovered for herself. I worry that, despite what she’s already been through, she’ll get herself caught up in something else. Danger’s a drug and she’s already addicted.”

  “We won’t let anything like the Reid incident happen again.” He wrapped an arm around her, hating the worry in her eyes. “Come on, let’s go upstairs and I’ll give you a massage.”

  The worry vanished, her eyes turning black, a coquettish smile curling her lips.

  “That’s better,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to the stairs.

  They both froze when the phone began to ring.

  “I don’t want to answer that,” said Rachel. “A call at this time of night can only be bad news.”

  “We could ignore it.”

  “Then we won’t sleep for worrying.”

  “You’re right. I’ll get it,” he said, hurrying back into the study and snatching up the handset. “Hello? Jules, is everything okay?”

  Rachel stood by his side, attempting to listen in but unable to hear the voice on the other end, a variety of hideous scenarios running through her head, fearing the worst. She was relieved when her husband smiled. “Well that’s wonderful news. Congratulations.”

  “What is it?” said Rachel.

  “Mikey proposed and Jules accepted.”

  Her knees went weak with relief. “That’s brilliant. Give them my best.”

  “Rachel says congratulations too. When’s the big day? Okay, let us know when you have a date. Too right we will lady and yes, it would be an honour to give you away. Yes, I’ll ask her. Jules, are you aware that it’s approaching midnight?” He smiled at the swearing on the other end. “That’s quite alright. We’re just relieved it was good news. We’ll discuss things in more detail tomorrow. Congratulations again and give Mikey our best.”