by D. E. White
‘Maybe. I’m home but I’ve got some work to do, following up on a couple of leads.’
He didn’t elaborate and she didn’t ask, forcing herself to be nonchalant. ‘Okay, I’ll ring you if I hear anything.’
‘Yeah me too. How’s Milo?’
‘He’s okay. He thought it was cool. And he also thinks your name is Devil. He wouldn’t listen when I corrected him.’ Holly smiled and could hear amusement warming her voice.
‘Do you still get down the gym?’
‘Shoey’s? Not for years …’
‘We could have a workout next week if you like? See if you can still fight, get the pads out. Go on, you know you want to.’
She did. The thought of releasing the tension, working out until her muscles screamed and her bones ached was strangely appealing. ‘Deal. About ten on Monday?’
‘Deal.’
Saturday morning and despite everything, Holly savoured the thought of a weekend off. When she checked her messages, there weren’t any more crazy texts from Tom either, which subconsciously made her relax a bit more. It would be okay because she would make things right, would fight through whatever was thrown at her. ‘Everything will be okay.’ She could still hear her mum saying the phrase whenever something bad happened, and because of who she was, she had ended up saying it pretty often. When her mum was killed, Holly stopped believing and started taking matters into her own hands.
She called Milo downstairs. Her first proper day off in ages, and she was going to take him to the park near the beach. It was on the fringes of the estate, but she didn’t figure she’d get any bother. Especially not with Cathryn there too. She had an hour to kill as her friend needed to take Angel for an eye appointment at the hospital, but she was restless and Milo would be happy enough chilling on the beach. Refusing to let anything ruin her day, shoving away thoughts of Jayden, the silent child in hospital, and the police hovering like hawks waiting for a kill, she made pancakes for breakfast.
‘These are lush, Mum,’ Milo said, stuffing a pancake dripping with butter and honey into his mouth. ‘And you didn’t burn them this time!’
Holly grinned, treasuring the time they spent together. Time when she didn’t feel guilty about being at work, about missing clubs and matches and bedtime stories, was precious, and today, for the first time in ages she felt like a proper mum.
The sunlight was pouring through the bay windows in the living room and, in the back garden, a few tentative green spikes were starting to appear in the flowerbeds. Beyond asking if the police had caught the man from last night, or if the boy in hospital had said anything yet, Milo seemed to have lost interest in the proceedings, which suited her just fine.
They were just pulling their coats on when Lydia turned up, tottering along on her high-heeled boots and dragging two shopping bags and a dog. Her dark curls were blowing in the breeze and her lipstick was bright pink. ‘Thanks so much for saying you’ll have him today, Holly. I’ll be back around eight so just bring him back tomorrow if you like. I left enough stuff in your cupboard for him when I was here last and Anita sent you these chocolates to say thanks for her birthday flowers …’ She shoved a box of Cadbury’s Roses into Holly’s hands. ‘Holly?’
Holly stared at her, then at the dog. Oh God, she’d forgotten she’d offered to have Oreo. The dog wagged his tail, and automatically she fussed over him.
‘If it’s not convenient I can ring Jackie and see if she’ll have him …’ her aunt said, her voice trailing off, sensing Holly’s confusion.
‘No, it’s fine. We’d love to have him, wouldn’t we, Milo?’ Milo was already down on the ground, his arms around the big dog. Oreo looked far more presentable now, and he was a friendly, clumsy great lump of a dog. ‘It’s fine, Lydia, you go out and we’ll be fine. Sorry, I am a total idiot, it went right out of my mind.’ She hesitated, wondering if she should say anything about last night, before deciding not to ruin her aunt’s day out. ‘I’ll bring him back tomorrow morning.’
‘If you’re sure …’ The relief in her aunt’s voice was palpable. ‘I might be able to pick him up tonight. Oh and, Holly, we need to have a proper chat. There’s a few things you need to know, love.’
Before Holly could grill her, she was gone, tottering away down the road. Holly stared after her for a long moment, good mood evaporating. Too many people keeping secrets. It was rapidly becoming a farce and she didn’t know who knew what, like some crazy child’s guessing game. She bundled boy and dog into the car and cursed the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. Still, they had coats and boots and Oreo, with his thick fur, wouldn’t be bothered by the rain.
The car park opposite the beach was almost empty, and just a few desolate dog walkers trudged along the windswept stones. The ice-cream kiosk was boarded up for the winter and covered in graffiti. Waves, whipped into a frenzy by the recent high winds, spat froth up as far as the tussocky grass that ran along the footpath.
Keeping the dog on the lead, they crossed Beach Road and wandered along the footpath, Holly keeping a look-out amongst the rubbish for needles and broken bottles. Milo hopped ahead, football under one arm, and, satisfied it was safe, Holly unsnapped the dog’s lead so he could run along the beach.
She never heard them approach, but Oreo let out a warning bark, and rushed back from the bit of seaweed he was exploring at the water’s edge.
‘Hey, Holly.’
Her heart gave a sickening jump and she spun round, calling to the dog, holding his collar as he growled at the newcomers. Milo was kicking his ball against an upturned wooden boat, letting it bounce back and kicking it again with his good foot. He glanced up, studied the strangers, but when Holly didn’t react, carried on with his game. ‘Niko. Gareth, haven’t seen you two in ages.’
Niko with his shaved head and an air of insolence, in contrast to his friendliness yesterday, ignored her. Oreo sniffed him, but didn’t run off again immediately. Instead he sat close to Holly, watching the other man intently, pale amber eyes fixed and wary, teeth bared in a warning snarl.
‘Joey told me he gave you the dog.’ Gareth, tall, slim and muscular, with his grey hair tied back, still had the same smile. The baring of teeth, that never reached his cold sea-blue eyes. Everyone said he smiled while he killed. ‘Didn’t expect to see you here, but I was just saying to Niko, I think you and Holly need to have a chat, and here you are. Old friends and all that …’ He was wearing jeans and a grubby bomber jacket with NICHOLLS TRANSPORT stencilled across the front.
‘I don’t have anything to say to Niko,’ Holly told him. ‘Cathryn’s on her way down.’
Niko rolled his eyes. ‘Holly, we just need a chat.’
‘You should go,’ Holly said shortly, just managing to control her emotions. She could handle Niko, but Gareth was another matter. Did Gareth know Niko was getting cosy with her dad? She could drop him right in it, but she’d look pretty stupid if he already knew.
‘I’ll carry on with my walk, then, and leave you two to catch up,’ Gareth said, giving Niko a hard stare. ‘Nice to see you again, Holly. You’re looking—’ his eyes flickered over her body in a cool appraisal ‘—good.’
For hers and Milo’s safety Holly refrained from telling him to fuck off and just nodded. The icy terror she had felt whenever she had encountered Gareth as a child, had faded to a healthy dislike. But she wasn’t stupid, and it would do no good to antagonise such a powerful player.
Niko waited until Gareth had strolled towards the water’s edge. ‘Look, Holly, the police have been round a couple of times and I just don’t need it. What the fuck is going on with this kid in hospital? Alexi and Roman are dead, and your dad’s on about taking on the Nicholls? It’s Jayden, isn’t it? All this has happened because he’s come back?’
She stared at him, seeing his pallor, the shadows around his black eyes, and the way his face was too sharp, the jawline too pronounced. His massive Puffa jacket encased his skinny body like a red shroud, but the old Niko was still there, with
those black-lashed eyes fixed on her. The dog growled again, still watching Gareth, but they both ignored him.
‘I don’t know what’s going on,’ she said finally, satisfied he wasn’t about to launch an attack on them, shifting her gaze to the sea. Far out on the horizon a glimmer of pale gold set the waves shimmering and dancing. Gareth had walked over to the next breakwater, and was strolling along, smoking. ‘I didn’t know you were mates with Gareth, or my dad.’
He scowled, changing the subject. ‘Luke said Jayden was dead. Alexi and Roman swore they never touched him, but you know nobody saw him after that night.’
Luke Hastings, the dealer who swore he’d helped dispose of Jayden’s body, pinned the murder on Larissa’s brothers. There had never been any evidence to charge Alexi and Roman with Jayden’s murder, except for Luke’s confession. Luke said he didn’t know when Jayden was killed, but when he went in the sea he had definitely been dead for a while. Coincidentally Luke died in a car crash soon after he gave the police this snippet of information.
‘Niko, I don’t know any more than you,’ Holly told him. ‘What are you doing with Gareth, and why does he want us to talk? If you go in with him, you’ll just end up back in prison again, for fuck’s sake. And why are you talking to my dad?’
‘Like you care. The boy’s woken up, hasn’t he? The one in hospital. Has he said anything?’ Niko was clearly pursuing his own lines of inquiry.
‘Niko, come on, why are you so worried if Jayden’s back? What’s it to you and Gareth? I can see that my dad is empire building, but not where you fit in.’
Niko’s face contorted in anger, his eyes narrowing. He looked like some evil forest creature. ‘Holly, you should know that if Jayden’s back he still owes me money.’
So that was it. ‘Fuck off, Niko, you can’t be serious. After everything that’s happened!’
He took a step closer and the dog growled. ‘He owes me fifty grand, and if he’s alive I want it back.’
‘What the hell are you talking about? It was never fifty grand! You said fifteen hundred tops before Larissa was killed.’ What the fuck was he playing at? Holly’s fingers tightened on the dog’s collar as he reacted to the change in her voice. She licked her lips, tasting salt, realising how cold she was, shivering in the wind. Milo was still playing ball, and a car drove past, music blaring.
Niko came closer, keeping a wary eye on the dog. ‘This is money that’s gone since I’ve been away. It was in an account … Look, there was no fucking way anyone could have access to that account except me and Dad, but it’s been emptied out. He left me a pound in there! I’ve been banged up for years in that fucking hole, but now I’m out things need to get to how they used to be. I need the money your brother stole from me. If he won’t give it back then the debt passes to you.’
‘How do you know it was Jayden who took the money?’ Her heart was pounding again, her jaw clenched with cold and shock. Jesus, that was a hell of a lot of money. Perhaps Jay had been living the high life all these years. ‘Is that what you were talking to Dad about?’
‘You know what he was like with computers – a fucking genius. He helped us hide all the money before he went rogue on us. This is down to him. When I heard about all the shit that’s been going on, and then the boys got taken out, I knew he was back.’ Niko had calmed down now. He wiped a skeletal hand across his face, which was reddening in the icy wind. ‘Luke’s long gone or I would have tracked him down. Someone must have paid him off to say Jayden was dead.’
‘It’s not like your family has lots of friends. How do you know that it wasn’t the Nicholls family who stole your money?’
‘Because I do know. Soon as I was out Gareth was on the phone, asking me to come in with them, to put some money into the business. Why would he do that if he’d already stolen my money? Besides the Nicholls don’t do cyber stuff, they can only just figure out how a cash point works.’
Holly’s mind was spinning. Nearly ten grand from Lydia, and then fifty grand from the Balintas. Well, that was probably enough to live on for a few years. ‘Do I look like a millionaire to you? Fifty grand, Jesus, Niko, I don’t make that in a year!’
‘You got a house. Your aunt’s got business interests and you got a rich husband. I told your dad Jayden owed me, and he said that we’d sort it all out, if I come in with you. Your dad reckons he’s got money to set up properly again, but what if I just want to take the money and go? Who’s paying then? You maybe?’
‘Hell, Niko, we don’t have any money. Why didn’t you ask my dad to give you the cash, if you’re so sure Jayden stole your money?’
‘He won’t give me fuck-all unless I go in with you.’ His eyes glittered again, another quick mood swing, and she wondered if he’d taken something before they met. ‘And what happened to your husband? Did he find out you were a frigid bitch too?’
Holly moved her hand an inch and Oreo snarled again. ‘Cheap insults Niko. Pathetic. We aren’t at school anymore, and I don’t have any money. And I don’t know where Jayden is.’
Niko’s gaze shifted to Milo, still kicking his ball, hopping and dodging on his crutches. ‘Got a bit of talent your kid, hasn’t he?’
‘Stay away from me and stay away from my kid. You can’t threaten us anymore. Whether Jay’s alive or dead, none of us will be paying his debts. Do you get that?’
He stared at her. ‘You can’t fucking walk away from me, you know. I need this money one way or another. Either I go in with Donnie and we work together, or I’ve got to get something to offer Gareth. He thinks I’m talking to you to find out where Jayden is, Holly, c’mon. Dev’s back too, isn’t he? Have you seen him? This isn’t going to end well for Jay and your family unless someone settles the debt. You need to watch yourself, Holly.’
‘Jesus. Look, Niko, why do you think Jay’s come back?’
‘To take out Alexi and Roman? To dump his kid on the family? I dunno.’
‘Why now? Maybe he waited until you were out and walking around free and happy, because it was too hard to get you killed inside as well. I think Jay’s after you, Niko.’ Holly tried to sound confident. Niko clearly didn’t believe her when she said she didn’t know where Jay was or what he wanted, so she might as well call his bluff. It was all she had left to threaten Niko with. ‘If he stole money from you, haven’t you thought that perhaps he was a tiny bit pissed at the fact you basically murdered his girlfriend and baby?’
‘I didn’t …’ But the shock showed in his face and it was clear he had been so fixated on the money, and going back into business with the Nicholls, that his own safety hadn’t crossed his mind.
‘Whatever. You told them where to go, and what to do when they found him. Come on, Niko, admit it.’
‘I need that money. Even if he is alive, Jayden wouldn’t dare touch me.’ He studied her. ‘You work nights sometimes, don’t you, Holly?’
Gareth was walking back towards them, slowly, hands in pockets, his eyes flicking from one to the other. The dog barked furiously as he approached but Holly held tight to his collar. ‘Did you have a nice chat, kids?’
‘More of a misunderstanding,’ Holly told him, glaring at Niko.
Gareth shook his head. ‘Stupid girl. You’re as bad as Niko’s ex. Years ago, when you were young enough, I said to my brother, those two girls are stupid, but he says to me that one’s hot and one’s got brains. Guess which one he had?’
‘What do you mean?’ Holly had an inkling but couldn’t bring herself to believe it. It was like being punched in the guts. Gareth, she remembered, liked to talk in riddles, clearly believing himself more intelligent than anyone else.
‘Listen, Holly, we always get what we want, and just now it’s that slice of land Joey mentioned. One way or another, it won’t be Hughes-owned for much longer, no matter how big an army Donnie’s building for himself. You tell him that, kid.’ He leant towards her, careful to avoid the snap of sharp teeth, as the dog pulled against Holly’s restraining hand. ‘Every time it gets dar
k, Holly, you think of me, and remember that I know where you are. And I know where your kid is.’
For a second, she stood, hypnotised by his words, his air of menace. Joey, she could understand, he was like all the others, but Gareth was truly evil.
He smiled at her now, still far too close. ‘Every time, Holly, I’ll be watching you.’
Chapter 22
‘Fuck off!’ She turned and stalked away, tugging the angry dog, yelling for Milo, who caught the ball neatly in one hand and tucked it under his arm.
They left the beach, crossed the road and walked quickly across the winter-browned grass to the playground. When she glanced around Niko was striding across the pebbles with Gareth gesticulating wildly.
‘Who was that man, Mum?’ Milo wanted to know.
‘Nobody. Just someone I used to know,’ Holly told him shortly. ‘Do you want to get on the zip line before the others get here? Can you manage with your leg?’ When she turned back towards the beach, Niko was gone. Jesus, fifty grand … She couldn’t get her head around that. Niko was right, her brother had been a right tech nerd when he wasn’t using. He’d spent nights gaming, scanning the internet for opportunities to make a quick bit of cash, testing himself by hacking high-profile websites … It fit, but she didn’t want to believe it. It was another layer of complication.
Cathryn was pushing the stroller across the path towards the climbing frame, a gaggle of fretful children tagging along behind her. ‘You really want to be out in this, Holly? Hey, what’s wrong?’
She waited until the kids had fussed over Oreo, then swarmed across to the climbing frame. The youngest two were busy toddling round the swings. ‘Bloody Niko was here, with Gareth.’
Cathryn’s expression changed, her thin face twisted. ‘With Gareth? Why? Did he talk to you?’
