by Caz Finlay
‘Your dad and Sue wanted to take the kids for a few hours, so I thought I’d drop by and see what was going on,’ she said with a shrug.
‘Can’t bear to be away from the place, eh, Grace?’ Murf said.
‘Nah. She can’t bear to be away from me, that’s all, can you, love?’ Michael said with a wink, before giving her a kiss and offering her his seat.
Grace sat down at the desk. ‘So what on earth has happened to make Murf think that you’re a big softie then?’
* * *
Grace listened as Murf relayed the story of Carl the bouncer and the barmaid from the previous night and soon the three of them were laughing so hard, Murf almost fell off his chair.
‘Oh, I do miss this,’ Grace said when they regained their ability to speak. ‘No one can tell a tale quite like you, Murf.’
‘You know you can come back any time you like. Don’t think I don’t know you’re always keeping an eye on me anyway,’ Michael said with a smile.
‘But Oscar—’
‘Oscar would be fine. Try a day or two and see how you feel.’
‘It would be great to have you back, Boss,’ Murf added. ‘Someone to keep this fella on his toes.’ He nodded towards Michael.
‘Maybe I’ll think about it,’ she replied. The truth was Grace was torn over her decision to return to work. As difficult as it was at times to be the one who always had to make the tough decisions, it was a role that she had made her own, and one that she had found harder to let go of than she’d expected. There was no escaping the fact that this was her world and she belonged here, but she was also a mum to two young children whom she adored and wanted to protect from all of the potential dangers in the world. She and Michael had chosen the lives they led, and they had acquired more enemies over the years than she cared to admit. There was no one better equipped to protect her children from harm than she was. But being back at the helm and keeping a watchful eye on Jake and the twins was good for all of their sakes. ‘Maybe in a couple of weeks,’ she added with a faint smile.
‘Whenever you’re ready, love,’ Michael said and kissed the top of her head.
Murf was looking at them both with a smile on his face.
‘What are you fucking grinning at?’ Michael said to him.
‘I’m just glad you two finally came to your senses and got together, that’s all,’ he said.
‘And I’m the big softie? You soppy old bastard,’ Michael said to him good-naturedly.
‘You know me, I’m all heart really, Boss,’ Murf said as he stood up. ‘I’ll give that Carl kid one more chance then. If he fucks up again, he’s had it.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ Michael replied.
‘I’ll be off then. I need to sort the lads’ wages. Leave you two lovebirds in peace.’
‘It’s nice to see you, Murf,’ Grace said to him.
‘It’s nice to be seen,’ he replied.
‘Close the door on your way out,’ Michael said.
Murf gave a mock bow as he walked out of the office and closed the door as instructed.
As soon as they were alone, Michael sat on the desk beside Grace and pulled her up into his arms. ‘This is a very nice surprise,’ he said as he brushed her hair behind her ear. ‘I thought the most exciting part of my day today was going to be listening to Murf’s sordid tales of bouncers and barmaids.’
‘Well, I’m happy to be of assistance,’ Grace whispered in his ear. ‘Just what exactly were Carl and that barmaid caught doing again?’
‘Murf already told you,’ he replied with a smile. ‘Weren’t you paying attention?’
‘Obviously not. I was too distracted by how good you look in that suit.’
‘Well, maybe I should give you a practical demonstration?’ he growled in her ear.
‘Hmm, now there’s an idea,’ she replied with a grin as he took her face in his hands and kissed her.
Chapter Six
Half an hour later, Grace had said goodbye to Michael and was walking through the offices of Cartel Securities, looking for Murf. She found him in his usual spot in the break room, chatting to Edna the cleaner over a mug of coffee. They both looked up as she walked into the room.
‘Hello, Grace, love,’ Edna said as she approached her and pulled her into a warm hug. ‘Murf mentioned you’d popped in. It’s lovely to see you.’
Grace returned Edna’s hug. ‘Thanks, Edna. It’s good to see you too. How’s things?’
‘Oh, I can’t complain, girl,’ she said with a grin. ‘I’d better get on and finish cleaning this place though. I’m meeting our Marg in the Bingo at two. This fella would keep me gassing for hours.’ She gave Murf a nudge in the ribs.
‘Behave yourself. It’s you can’t stop your nattering, Ed,’ he replied good-naturedly.
Edna giggled like a schoolgirl before fluttering her eyelashes and disappearing in a waft of Chanel N°5.
‘You’re such a bloody flirt, Murf,’ Grace said with a smile.
‘Me? It’s all Edna,’ he protested with a twinkle in his eye. ‘I swear if she were twenty years younger, my Carol would have a fight on her hands.’
Grace sat down at the table opposite him.
‘So, how’s things been, Murf? Other than your bouncers getting caught with their pants round their ankles?’
‘It’s all good, Grace. Business is great. But, you already know that.’ He eyed her suspiciously over the rim of his coffee mug as he took a swig.
Grace nodded. ‘You’ve been working The Blue Rooms?’
‘Yep. I always do.’
‘Anything unusual happened there lately?’
‘It’s a nightclub. Unusual stuff happens there all the time. Are you thinking of anything in particular?’ he replied with a frown.
‘No. I’ve just got a feeling, that’s all. Everything seems to be going a little too well, and you know that makes me twitchy.’
‘I can understand that. But things are ticking along nicely, Boss. And there’s been no bother at the club. Well, nothing out of the ordinary anyway.’
‘Okay. But keep your eye out for anything fishy going on, would you?’ she said as she stood up.
‘Of course, Grace. Always,’ Murf assured her.
‘Thanks.’
Grace said her goodbyes for the second time and left the office. As she climbed into her car, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Was it simply that she was such a stranger to happiness that she couldn’t trust it to last? Or had her conversation with Connor the night before caused the growing uneasiness she was suddenly experiencing? No, she’d been feeling like this for a few weeks now, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. An occasional shiver down the spine as though someone had walked over her grave, or a sudden sense of dread in the pit of her stomach, with no idea where it had come from. At first, she’d put it down to the tiredness of looking after a new-born and a toddler. But her chat with Connor had brought it the fore again. Perhaps she wasn’t just tired? Or perhaps both she and Connor were paranoid for no reason?
Whatever the truth of it, her returning to work was now looking more imminent than she’d expected.
Chapter Seven
Connor Carter sat back in his seat and closed his eyes as his brother Paul drove the two of them home. They each had their own apartment on the same landing of a block on Liverpool’s waterfront.
‘What’s the matter with you tonight, face-ache?’ Paul asked him.
‘Nothing. Why?’
‘You’ve been moody for weeks, Con. I thought a pan of scouse at Grace and Dad’s last night would snap you out of it.’
‘I’m fine,’ Connor said with a sigh.
‘You’re not. Is it this bird you’ve been seeing? Is she giving you grief? Coz if she is, bin her off, lad. She’s fucking married anyway.’
Connor glared at his brother. ‘It’s nothing to do with Jazz.’
‘So, there is something then?’
‘Just fucking leave it, will y
ou, Paul?’
‘Con. It’s me, Bro. You can tell me anything. And you usually do. What’s up?’
They stopped at some traffic lights and Connor felt his twin brother’s gaze burning into him.
‘This had better not be about Isla. Is it?’ Paul asked.
Connor glared at him. ‘Course it’s fucking not. Why would it be?’ he snapped.
‘All right. Keep your fucking hair on.’
‘If you must know, I can’t shake this feeling that something’s about to go down. Something just feels off. I know you and Jake think it’s fucking hilarious when I mention it, but I can feel it, Paul. Someone, somewhere, is fucking us over.’
‘Well, if you think that, let’s do some housekeeping then.’
‘What?’
‘It’s about time we did the rounds and made sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to. Might as well start now. It’s only half eight. Phone Jake and tell him to meet us at Eric’s gym.’
After Connor had phoned Jake, he spent the rest of the drive looking out of the window. It was true he did have a bad feeling about something. Maybe it was all the sneaking around with Jazz? The guilt of seeing a married woman? Nope, definitely not that, he decided. He didn’t feel an ounce of remorse or regret about his relationship with Jazz.
As much as he would never admit it to Paul, he had been thinking about Isla a lot. His niece. The daughter of his best mate – Jake. At least that was what everyone thought. But shortly before Isla’s conception, Connor had made an incredibly stupid mistake and screwed Jake’s then girlfriend, Siobhan. She’d announced she was up the duff a few weeks later, and then Jake had married her shortly after. Connor had stood by and let it all play out, knowing there was every chance Siobhan’s baby was his, but unable to say anything because of the huge fallout it would cause in his family. He’d watched one of his best mates marry a woman he didn’t love because he thought it was the right thing to do. Connor had tried to forget about it all, and had convinced himself that the child was Jake’s. He’d only been with Siobhan once – surely the odds were in Jake’s favour.
Then Isla had been born and as soon as he’d seen her, Connor had been convinced that she was his own flesh and blood. He saw her every week at his dad and Grace’s house, and each week he thought about how she was starting to look more and more like him. He wondered how nobody else had noticed the resemblance and lived in constant fear of someone picking up on it and asking awkward questions. He’d tried staying away for a few weeks, but everyone had given him so much grief about missing family Sunday dinners that he’d given up soon after. The guilt of that was what was eating away at him. He was sure it was only a matter of time before someone found out. There was no one he could talk to about it. The possibility that he might be Isla’s father was a secret so explosive he could never let it out. Paul knew about his encounter with Siobhan – he and Connor told each other everything – but it wasn’t a topic that was usually up for discussion. On the odd occasion Connor had brought it up, Paul had shut him down, probably because it made him feel disloyal to Jake, and Connor could understand that, so he’d stopped mentioning it altogether. But keeping it all to himself was killing him. The one person who would know exactly what to do, the one person, apart from his dad, whose advice he sought on almost everything, was Grace. And there wasn’t a chance in hell he could ever risk her finding out.
Chapter Eight
‘Come on, Jake, stop dicking about on your phone and get out here. It’s fucking freezing,’ Connor shouted from the garden of Nipper Jackson’s semi-detached house in West Derby. ‘You said this cunt would be in.’
Jake Conlon grinned as he put his phone into his coat pocket and slammed the car door shut. ‘He is. Trust me. He’s just not expecting a visit tonight, that’s all. He’ll have taken one look at your ugly mugs and barricaded himself in.’
‘Well, it’s definitely about time that we met the elusive Nipper then, isn’t it?’ Connor snapped as he shuffled his feet in the cold. ‘Let’s get in there and tell him to get the fucking kettle on.’
Jake laughed as he walked past Connor and Paul Carter. Using his fist, he banged loudly on the front door. ‘Nipper. It’s Jake,’ he shouted. ‘Let us in, it’s fucking Baltic out here.’
A few seconds later, the sound of heavy bolts being drawn back signalled Nipper had heard Jake’s request. He popped his head around the door and eyed the three of them warily. ‘Sorry, Jake, I didn’t know who it was,’ he mumbled.
‘Not a problem, Nipper,’ Jake said as he pushed past him through the doorway and into the warm house.
Paul and Connor followed him inside while Nipper watched silently.
‘Any chance of a brew, lad?’ Jake asked.
‘Yeah, we nearly froze our nuts off waiting for you to answer the fucking door,’ Connor snapped.
‘Sorry, lads,’ Nipper said again. ‘Course I’ll make a brew. Come through.’ He signalled for them to follow him through to the kitchen as he walked past them.
Nipper filled the kettle and put it on to boil. He looked at the three men sitting in his kitchen. He knew now that the two men he’d never seen before were the Carter twins, and they were as terrifying a sight as their reputation suggested. Nipper only usually dealt with Jake, although he’d been working for all three of them for the past three months. He was their counter – responsible for collecting, counting and distributing all of their considerable cash. They had it coming in from everywhere. Some days he could barely keep on top of it. But he did and he could account for every single penny. There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d ever leave himself open to being accused of robbing from this lot.
Not that he needed to steal their money. They trusted him and they paid him well for his services. It was a role he’d fallen into when his brother, and predecessor, had been sent down for six years. Now Nipper lived in constant fear of having his own collar felt, and having to do a long stretch because he would never grass his employers up. At first he’d been terrified that the huge quantities of cash he often had in the house would make him a target for thieves, but he’d soon learned that there wasn’t a man alive who would dare take anything from Jake Conlon or the Carters – not a sane one, at least.
‘I wasn’t expecting you tonight,’ Nipper said as the kettle boiled behind him. ‘Is anything wrong?’
‘You tell us,’ one of the twins snarled at him.
Nipper shook his head vigorously. ‘Not that I know of. Everything’s good from my end.’
‘Take no notice of Connor.’ The other twin, who Nipper now knew must be Paul, laughed. ‘He’s got a cob on because his bird has stood him up.’
‘Fuck off,’ Connor replied although Nipper sensed it was in good humour.
‘My colleagues here thought it was about time they met you face to face,’ Jake said. ‘Paul and Connor Carter,’ he said as he nodded towards the twins. ‘And also because we need to make a significant withdrawal.’
‘No problem. How much?’ Nipper replied. They’d had their usual fifty grand each earlier that week, deposited at Jake’s club, The Blue Rooms, as usual, and they didn’t normally take extra. There was only so much money a man could spend without drawing too much attention.
‘Half a mill,’ Paul answered nonchalantly, as though he was talking in pennies.
‘Not a problem. That will clear me out though, lads,’ Nipper said.
‘There’ll be more coming tomorrow,’ Jake said. ‘Plenty of it.’
‘We need you to count and parcel it up as soon as you get it,’ Connor warned him. ‘There’s people need paying as soon as.’
Nipper resisted the urge to tell Connor he knew what he was doing. Instead he turned his attention to the kettle which had now switched itself off. He took three mugs from his kitchen cupboard and made his visitors a hot drink.
‘I’ll go and get your money while you finish those,’ Nipper said as he left the three most terrifying men in Liverpool in his kitchen sipping tea while he went to his
loft to retrieve half a million quid for them. He was just grateful his wife and kids were staying out for the night. His wife, Shirley, knew full well what he did, but he didn’t think she’d take kindly to having her house invaded at ten o’clock on a Saturday night.
‘I told you he was all right,’ Jake said to the twins as they sat in Nipper’s kitchen. ‘Just over five hundred grand is exactly what he should have right now, and he’s trotting upstairs to get it like the good little soldier he is. Why did you think he was having us off all of a sudden?’
Connor shrugged. ‘Just a feeling. Something feels off, lads. And I can’t put my finger on it.’
Jake shook his head. Now they were stuck with five hundred grand that they didn’t need right now, which was going to have to be kept somewhere, and all because Connor had a feeling that Nipper, or someone, was ripping them off. Connor was becoming increasingly paranoid and suspicious. It seemed the better they did, the more edgy Connor became, when for Jake it was the complete opposite. They were considered untouchable in Liverpool now. They had a loyal workforce who were paid well, enough of the filth in their pockets to ensure that none of those pricks ever bothered them, and more money than they could spend in two lifetimes. Life was good. It was time to start enjoying it a little. But Connor seemed to be becoming moodier by the week.
Chapter Nine
Paul threw the holdall into the back seat of Jake’s car and climbed in next to it.
‘Where are we gonna keep this little lot then?’ he asked Jake and Connor as they got into the front seats.
Jake shook his head. ‘I can’t take it home. The wife will think it’s a licence to go on another fucking spending spree. I keep telling her she needs to rein it in a bit, but that woman doesn’t know the meaning of the word subtle.’
‘We could leave it at the club?’ Paul offered.
Jake shook his head. ‘There’s already a shitload in the club. I can’t fit any more in the safe. It needs to go elsewhere.’
