by Kerry Kaya
As the doors opened, and Jimmy walked through, Tommy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Dean turned toward the doors. “Get the fuck out,” he began, before pausing. Looking toward Tommy, he then turned back to Jimmy. “What’s this?” he asked. “Brothers? Twins?”
“Go home, Jimmy.”
Dean pointed his finger toward Tommy. “No, he’s older. So we have Barking Boy’s little brother to add to the mix. This could be interesting.”
“Jimmy, go home,” Tommy said for a second time. The authority in his voice broke no arguments.
Backing up toward the door, Jimmy spoke. “Davey knows you’re here.” With that, he turned on his heels and ran outside.
Out on the street, Davey raised his head as Jimmy raced out of the pub. “Well?”
“There’s about six of them in there.”
Davey nodded his head. “Are they tooled up?”
“I don’t think so, but I couldn’t really tell.”
Davey pondered this over. He knew for a fact Dean was no fool. He wouldn’t have brought weapons, just in case the old bill was sent for. “Okay, well, we’d better get this over with then, eh?”
“And what if he’s tooled up, boss?” asked Mickey Brown, not taking his eyes off of the pub entrance.
“If there’s one thing I know about Dean, he’s no idiot. He wouldn’t have brought tools to a boozer. Muscle yes, but not weapons.”
A large man with close-cropped hair, Mickey sighed. “I hope you’re right about this.”
“I always am,” Davey replied confidently.
Seeing Davey walk through the doors, Tommy sighed with relief. All he wanted to do was go home to his wife.
“And here he is my old mate, Davey.” Dean’s voice was loaded with sarcasm.
With baited breath, Tommy waited for Davey’s response. He knew how the man answered would be crucial to them getting out of the boozer in one piece.
“What do you want, Dean? I thought all of this old bollocks had been put behind us.”
Dean shook his head. “Do you know what today is?”
Davey shrugged his shoulders.
“Ten years today it was, that my brother Chrissy was shot down and killed. You remember Chrissy, don’t you? Looked a bit like me he did.”
“You know I do. And you also know I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
Dean nodded his head. “That’s right, and so you should remember him, seeing as you were the one who killed him.”
Knowing Dean from old, Davey knew there was no point in trying to talk sense into him. Besides, Dean was right. He had been the one responsible for Chrissy’s death, and with this knowledge, Dean should also know he had regarded the man like a younger brother, and would never have willingly harmed him. Chrissy had just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“So, the question is, Davey, what do I do about this now?” Walking toward Tommy, Dean took a gun from the waistband of his trousers, and pointed it toward the younger man’s head. He didn’t take his eyes off of his adversary. “You took one of mine, I take one of yours.”
“Whoa.” Tommy held up his hands. His eyes were wide, he was clearly terrified.
“Don’t do that,” Jimmy took a step forward. “His wife is in the hospital having a baby.”
Tommy’s eyes widened. Was Jimmy telling the truth?
A father himself, Dean looked down at Tommy. “Looks like your wife just saved your bacon, Barking Boy.” With that, Dean pointed the gun toward the ceiling, and fired a single bullet. “I’m coming for you Davey, and slowly, bit by bit, I will break you down,” he stated, before indicating for his henchmen to follow him out of the pub.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Tommy’s hands were shaking as he got to his feet. “Fucking hell, that was a close call.” He pulled Jimmy toward him, and hugged his brother, as if his life depended on it. All of the hard feelings between them were gone. Jimmy had just saved his life. With his brother’s face clasped between his hands, Tommy kissed Jimmy’s forehead. “I owe you one, bruv.”
“It’s true, Tommy. Stacey is in the hospital. Mum sent us to tell you.”
Astounded, Tommy looked toward Davey.
“Go.” Davey flapped his hands toward him.
Not needing to be told twice, Tommy raced from the pub. His two brothers were hot on his heels.
Flagging down a black taxi, the three brothers jumped inside. “Upney Hospital mate, and as quick as you can. I’m about to become a father.”
Janet’s expression was stern, as her sons charged down the hospital corridor toward her. “Where the effing hell have you been?” she shouted. “You’re too late, the baby’s already here.”
Scooting past his mother, Tommy dodged the clout around the ear, which he knew was coming. A beaming grin was spread across his face, as he hastily opened the door to the delivery room.
Stepping inside, he moved quickly toward his wife. In her arms, she held their newborn baby. Seeing Tommy, Stacey promptly burst into tears.
“Hey, what’s all this?” Tommy asked concerned.
Stacey wiped at her tears. “It’s a girl,” she sobbed.
Tommy peered at the bundle in his wife’s arms. “She’s beautiful.”
“But I wanted a boy.”
Laughing, Tommy kissed Stacey on the lips. “Next time it will be a boy,” he grinned. “I promise.”
Chapter Seven
Amid nappies and night feeds, Tommy and Stacey adjusted to becoming parents. Karen, they had decided to call their daughter, and despite his early reservations, Tommy was besotted with his little girl.
Bleary-eyed, Tommy pressed snooze on the alarm clock beside the bed. The baby had had them up for most of the night. Colic, his mum had said, was the cause of Karen’s constant crying. Nothing a bit of gripe water wouldn’t fix, she’d added gently, seeing their worried expressions.
Rolling onto his side, he pulled Stacey into his arms. “I could stay here all day,” he murmured into his wife’s ear.
“And you know, with a baby in the house, that’ll never happen, Tommy Carter.” As if on cue, Karen let out a shrill cry. “See, what did I tell you?” Stacey grinned.
Rolling onto his back, as Stacey climbed out of the bed and padded across to the baby’s cot, Tommy sighed. “I have to get up anyway. I’ve got a busy day today. Davey wants me working up Soho in the clubs.”
After gently picking up the baby and placing her against her shoulder, Stacey narrowed her eyes. “What sort of clubs?”
Tommy closed his eyes before telling yet another lie. “Gentlemen’s clubs. You know, where men can go to drink or gamble.”
Stacey pursed her lips. “I hope you’re not gambling in there too, Tommy. You know we need all the money we can, so that we can save up for our own place.”
“Of course I’m not.”
Satisfied, Stacey sat on the edge of the bed and lifted Karen toward her breast for a feed.
Quickly, Tommy jumped out of bed. He needed a quick bath and then some breakfast before he had to leave. The truth was, he didn’t want Stacey asking anymore questions about the clubs. He knew instinctively she would go mental if she found out it was a strip club he was working at.
Lillian Chambers smiled as Tommy walked through the club doors. “Hello, darling. Have I got you working here today?”
Tommy gave a wide grin. “Indeed you do, Lil. Let’s hope it’s a good one, eh?”
Lillian nodded her head. She stood chewing on her lip and, as Tommy was about to walk past her, she grabbed hold of his arm. “One of the girls, Kitty Mae, she’s been asking one too many questions about you. Now, I wouldn’t normally get involved, but I know your wife’s just had a baby, and well, I think you should be careful. Don’t get involved with the girls, Tommy. You’re still a young man, and it wouldn’t be fair on your wife.”
Stunned, Tommy stared at Lillian. “What are you talking about, get involved?”
“Look the girls talk, that’s all I’m
saying, and Kitty Mae has been talking a lot about you.”
Disgust was evident across Tommy’s face. “Do I look like I go out shagging behind my wife’s back? I’ve done fuck all wrong with this Kitty bird. I don’t even know who she is.”
Lillian was taken aback. She’d expected him to laugh off her warning. That’s what most of the men who worked here did.
“Well, do I?”
Looking around her, Lillian tried her best to keep Tommy’s voice down. The last thing they needed was for the punters to hear him shouting. “No, of course you don’t. Ignore what I said, Tommy. My mistake.”
“No, c’mon spit it out. If someone’s spouting shit about me, then I want to know about it.”
“It was obviously just talk, darling. You know what they are like. She probably wanted to get one over on the other girls, and I like a silly fool took it as gospel, that’s all.” Realising Tommy wasn’t going to leave until she told him everything, Lillian patted her blonde hair before continuing. “She was asking around, wanting to know where else you worked other than here. She said you and her had been out a few times, and so I wrongly assumed you were shagging around. A lot of the men who work here do that. Sorry, Tommy, like I said, my mistake.”
Tommy was fuming. All he could think about was his Stace catching wind of something like this. He was already skating on thin ice, thanks to the Pete incident. “Where is she, this bird?”
“In there.” Lillian nodded toward the club doors.
“Well, seeing as I haven’t got a clue who she is, don’t you think you’d better point her out to me?”
“Oh, of course.” Leading the way through the doors, Lillian weaved her way through the crowd of girls and punters. “That’s her up there, on the stage.”
Tommy looked up at the girl in question. He had to admit, she was beautiful. He swallowed deeply, before turning back to Lillian. “Okay, I’ll take care of it now.”
With one last look at Kitty Mae, Lillian made her way back to the reception. She could kick herself for having such a big mouth. She should have known better and kept schtum. Davey would go ballistic, if all because of her and her big gob, Tommy started trouble in the club.
Tommy waited for Kitty Mae to finish her dance, before beckoning her over. She reminded him of a cat, as she shimmed up and down the pole. Her moves were both seductive and powerful, and he could see why a lot of men would find her attractive. With thick dark hair and green eyes, she certainly knew how to use her assets to her best advantage. She smiled at Tommy, as she climbed down from the stage.
“I saw you watching me,” she breathed, leaning closer toward him.
Tommy took a step backwards. “And I’ve heard you’ve been spreading a lot of shit about me.”
Kitty laughed. “Let me guess, Lillian?”
Nodding his head, Tommy couldn’t help but smile. “I’m married, so you need to back off.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Kitty began to walk away before glancing back over her shoulder. “You’re still watching me,” she grinned, before sashaying her way out of the club.
Kitty Mae’s real name was Bethany Johnson. She tottered down the street in her high heels toward a waiting car. Her dad always had the same driver come to collect her, and at one time, she would have thought of him as quite attractive, but that was before she’d clapped her eyes on Tommy Carter. Now, she couldn’t get him out of her head.
Silently, she slipped into the back seat, kicking off her heels as she did so.
“Good night, Miss?” asked Brian, her driver.
Bethany smiled as she recalled Tommy’s startling blue eyes staring into hers. “One of the best.”
The situation with Dean was causing Davey concern. He still couldn’t get his head around why his old business partner had waited ten years to drag up the past.
He stared down at the documents on his desk. The sense of foreboding inside of him was strong, and he couldn’t shrug the feeling of dread away. Taking his pen, he quickly signed along the dotted line, before folding up the sheets of paper, and passing them across to his solicitor. “Is that it?” he asked.
Bernard Cohen, nodded his head. “That’s it. In the event of your death, your businesses and assets will be passed over to a Mr. Thomas Carter.”
Satisfied, Davey passed across a key. “If and when the time comes, I want you to give Tommy this key to the safe. He’ll know what to do with it.”
Bernard nodded his head. It wasn’t his place to ask what the contents of the safe were, but he took a wild guess that it would be something illegal.
That evening, Tommy was quiet. The truth was, he was feeling guilty, even though he hadn’t done anything physically wrong. The fact he had spent the rest of his shift at The Soho Club thinking about Kitty Mae, sat heavily on his conscious.
He glanced across at Stacey, as she cradled their daughter in her arms. He knew for a fact he would never cheat on her, so why was he feeling so guilty? It was the temptation, he guessed, and the fact Kitty Mae, if that was even her real name, had let it be known she was more than interested in him.
He smiled as Stacey looked toward him, and he grabbed hold of her hand, giving it a little squeeze as he did so. No, he would never cheat, he reassured himself. He only wished his conscious felt as confident.
Janet climbed into bed beside Frank. Carefully she lay down, not wanting to move the curlers she’d painstakingly placed in her hair just thirty minutes earlier.
“Our Tommy was quiet tonight,” she stated.
Frank shrugged his shoulders. “That boy is always quiet lately. Gawd knows what goes on in that head of his.”
“You don’t think he’s in any kind of trouble, do you?”
“He works for Davey Abbott. What do you think?” Frank blew out his cheeks. It still riled him that his son worked for a man he despised. He’d had such high hopes for Tommy. He could have made it as a middleweight boxer, yet ever since he’d started working for Davey, he couldn’t get his boy into the ring.
“Maybe you should have a word with him.”
“And say what exactly? You know how headstrong he is. Nothing I say or do will change anything.”
Janet sighed. Frank was right. Tommy was his own man, and they had to let him do as he pleased. He wasn’t a little boy anymore.
Dean Johnson was a wealthy man. Albeit he had made his money illegally, as long as he and his family were okay, then screw everyone else. That was his motto.
He glanced up as his daughter walked into the room. Scrubbed of all that makeup she covered her face in, his Bethany looked like his little girl once again.
“How did it go? Did you find out any information?”
Taking a seat on the sofa next to her father, Bethany smiled. “He works in a few clubs. That’s all I managed to find out, Daddy.”
Dean grinned. “Well done, baby. Just a few more weeks, and I’ll pull you out of the club.”
Bethany chewed on her fingernail, before looking up at her father. “You’re not going to hurt him are you, Dad?”
Dean laughed before throwing his arm around his daughter. “First lesson in this business, is you get rid of anyone or anything that stands in your way.” His expression became serious. “And Tommy Carter is in my way.”
Bethany nodded her head. It was exactly what she’d expected him to say. She blinked away the tears that glistened her eyes. The problem she had, was that she was falling in love with Tommy Carter, and she couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him. And if that meant going up against her father, she was more than prepared to do just that.
The next morning, Tommy rose early. Without waking his wife, he crept out of bed, washed and shaved. Then, after eating a slice of toast, he quickly dressed and left the house. He knew he should have woke Stacey and said goodbye, but he was eager to get to the club before the girls arrived, mainly Kitty Mae. The plan was to take the club’s takings out of the safe, and get back to Davey, without him having to see anyone. Well, that was the t
heory. The reality was proving to be a lot different.
Already, the club was a hive of activity, and walking through the doors, Tommy kept his head down.
“Couldn’t keep away, eh?”
Startled, Tommy looked up and locked eyes with Kitty Mae. He groaned inwardly before answering. “I’m not stopping.”
“That’s a shame.” Bethany forced herself to sound a lot happier than she felt. The fact Tommy was leaving again so soon, disappointed her.
“Excuse me,” Tommy said, as he brushed past her. When he felt her hand clasp hold of his, he looked down at their entwined fingers in alarm. “Stop, I’ve already told you I’m married.”
Bethany gave a small smile. Ever since she was a little girl, she’d got what she wanted, and Tommy Carter wasn’t about to become the exception. “Listen,” she said, moving closer toward him. “I like you, and I’ve got a feeling you like me, too. So, where’s the harm in what we’re doing?”
Tommy could feel her hot breath on his neck. The sweet scent of her perfume filled his nostrils. “I’ve already told you I’m …”
Putting her finger to Tommy’s lips, Bethany cut off his speech. “I know you’re married,” she said, standing on her tip-toes to whisper in his ear. “By the way, my name is Bethany. Kitty Mae is my stage name.”
Tommy stared after her. He wiped his hand across his face, before looking around him, checking that no one else had seen the interaction between him and Kitty Mae, or Bethany, as he now knew her to be. He would have to tell Davey he could no longer work here. That was the only thing he could do, he decided. It had to be a lot safer than the alternative.
“What do you mean, you don’t want to work at the club anymore?” To say Davey was surprised, was an understatement. “You don’t get to pick and choose, Tommy. You work where I send you, lad.”
