by Jessie Keane
‘What about the other copies?’ snapped Ivan.
‘That’s our insurance,’ said Rob, pausing on the threshold. ‘Behave, and they stay out of the public eye. Don’t, and the society pages will get an eyeful.’
Rob then stepped outside, grabbing Daisy’s arm and walking her quickly round the side of the building.
‘What the fuck are you doing, showing up here?’ he asked her as he bundled her over to his car.
‘I’ve got my—’ she started.
‘No leave the frigging Mini right there. There’s no guarantee he won’t come after us even now. Just get in the bloody car, you daft mare – and hurry up.’
Daisy got in Rob’s car and he jumped in, started the engine and roared off full speed down the drive.
‘Shit, that was scary!’ said Daisy, clutching her chest. ‘My car . . .’
‘We’ll pick it up when things have cooled down. You shouldn’t have come. What the hell were you playing at?’ Rob reached the end of the drive and steered the car quickly into the lane with a chirp of tyres.
‘Me? How about you? You vanished without a word. I phoned round, trying to find you, and then it hit me. I knew you’d be down here on your own, playing the big man.’
‘He could have shot us, Daisy. Both of us.’
‘Jesus, don’t you think I’m aware of that?’ shrieked Daisy.
They tore through the village and out the other side, and onto the main road. Slowly, Daisy began to feel just a little safer.
‘Daise, calm down.’
‘Calm down? After everything that’s been going on?’
She couldn’t believe that they had just been standing in Vanessa’s drawing room with Ivan pointing a gun straight at Rob. What if she hadn’t shown up? Would he have taken the opportunity to dispose of Rob? He could be dead right now. And knowing that, how awful it would be, how truly terrifying, brought it home to her all the more forcefully: she was in love with Rob.
And the worst thing was, it wasn’t reciprocated.
100
Once they’d put a good distance between themselves and Brayfield, Rob pulled in at the side of the road and turned off the engine. He looked at Daisy.
‘You great fool, he could have killed you!’ she shouted, thumping his arm.
‘Daise.’
‘Oh, shut up. You had to play John Wayne, didn’t you? Strutting down here on your own. Has it occurred to you what would have happened if I hadn’t shown up? You could be in a hole somewhere! Do you seriously think he wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t there as a witness? Vanessa wouldn’t let him hurt me, so he couldn’t hurt you. I’ve just absolutely fucking saved you, and all you can say is calm down!’
‘Daise,’ said Rob again.
‘And you shouldn’t have left the prints there. The police would have treated those as evidence, we could have given those photos to them and perhaps made a case.’
‘The police don’t give a shit about Michael’s death, Daisy,’ cut in Rob harshly. ‘The case has been sidelined. We could hand photos of Lady Bray and her gardener swinging bollock-naked off the light fittings or boffing a bloody donkey, and they wouldn’t give a toss. But when Ivan said he’d have used his bare hands? I think that was true.’
Daisy thought it was true too; Ivan was a real old-school officer type, super-posh and tough as cowhide. She had always imagined him as the sort of man who would trek to the Pole with his toes blackening and dropping off through frostbite, and he wouldn’t utter a word of complaint until he’d got there, achieved his goal.
‘You know what? I honestly hate you,’ snapped Daisy. She put her hands to her head and shook it, digging her fingers into her scalp. Then she threw her arms wide and sent him a desperate look. ‘And who the hell gave Michael that LP, that ring? That’s driving me mad.’
Christ, he thought, she looked so sexy with her hair all mussed up, her face flushed with temper and her chest heaving from the exertion of their run out of Brayfield. When she’d thrown her hands out like that, pneumatic things had happened in her chest area: a heavy delicious swaying movement that drew his eye. He had this terrible, fatal weakness for heavily stacked girls.
She was close, and she was available. Now he caught himself wondering how those fantastically alluring breasts of hers would feel under his hands if he were to lean over and slide them up under her bra. He could already imagine the feel of them, so heavy and cool and . . .
Whoa there, tiger, he thought suddenly.
What was he thinking? The blood rush of their narrow escape from that bearded twat Ivan had stirred him up, that was all, got his juices flowing. Big luscious bazookas or not, Daisy was rich, spoiled and spoke with a plum in her mouth. And she liked to be in charge. She wasn’t for the likes of him.
‘Am I wrong, or did that scrawny jumped-up little gnome actually call me “sonny” back there?’ he wondered aloud.
‘Yes. He did. But never mind that now, that’s a blind alley.’
‘What, you don’t think it’s possible he offed Michael?’
‘No, I really don’t. I believe Ivan was telling the absolute truth. Knowing Michael, he wanted revenge for the torment Vanessa had put Ruby through in the past, and he fished around until he found the perfect thing to sting Vanessa with. She cares for her reputation, for her standing in the community, above all else. And it’s clear Ivan adores her and wanted to protect her reputation.’
‘He’s fucking her, if that’s what you mean,’ snorted Rob.
‘Do you have to be so crude? The reason he was so intent on getting those photos back was to protect the name of the woman he loves. It’s rather noble, if you ask me.’
‘Jesus!’
‘But I don’t think for one minute that he’d shoot Michael in the back of the head. It seems a cowardly thing to do. I can’t imagine an honourable old soldier like Ivan would ever stoop to that, can you?’
Rob slumped in his seat. Unless he was missing something obvious, she was right.
‘So now we move on,’ said Daisy, shaking her head. ‘You know, I still can’t believe that Michael was unfaithful to Ruby.’
Rob sent her a look. ‘I can’t believe that Lady Bray would fuck her gardener, but she does.’
‘I don’t think it’s quite like that,’ said Daisy.
‘Daise, it’s exactly like that.’
‘Look, Vanessa was always very fond of Ivan, they had much more in common than she ever had with my father. They got on well. And . . . I suppose this is the inevitable result.’
‘I think you’re fooling yourself with this LP-sleeve business, and the ring.’
‘In what way?’
‘It’s another dead end. Penny to a pinch of shit it was that little fucker Gabe killed Mike. Look to the nearest and dearest – isn’t that what they always say?’
‘Yes, but Gabe’s never been near or dear to Michael. They parted company when he was in his teens.’
‘And Gabe resented that,’ said Rob. ‘And it festered. Then he was banged up. Finally he gets out and he’s on his uppers, low as you can get – and he finds out his dear old dad has cut him out of the money. Wham! He snaps.’
‘God, I need some fresh air,’ said Daisy, opening the car door and getting out onto the verge. Rob got out too, watching her, frowning. ‘What about Thomas Knox?’ Daisy turned to him. ‘That man is fixated on Ruby.’
‘So?’ Rob shrugged. ‘Ruby’s a very attractive woman.’
‘Yes, but Knox has had his eye on her for years. And what stood in the way of his getting her? Michael. That’s all.’
Rob was silent for a minute. ‘That LP sleeve – Ruby was close to Michael, maybe she’ll recognize the writing.’
‘Worth a try,’ said Daisy.
‘Sure is,’ said Rob. ‘Let’s do it.’
They walked back to the car and it was then that Rob saw a lightweight motorbike zooming around the corner of the lane, closing in on them fast. The black-helmeted rider had his arm straight out, aiming somethi
ng at Daisy.
Rob took two quick steps and grabbed Daisy in one swift movement. As the gunshots started to blast away the silence, he pushed her down onto the verge and threw his full weight on top of her.
He heard her give a thin shriek and for a moment all was chaos. He was scrabbling for his own weapon and thinking, Slow, too fucking slow, he’s going to stop and finish us.
But the roar of the two-stroke engine was dying away. Rob raised his head and saw bike and rider tearing off to their left, then vanishing from sight.
Silence returned. All he could hear now was Daisy’s gasping breaths, all he could feel was her frantically racing heart against his rib cage.
‘You all right?’ he managed to get out.
He looked down and Daisy was staring up at him. She gulped twice: nodded.
‘Sure? No damage?’
Daisy shook her head. ‘You’re heavy,’ she pointed out.
Rob eased himself to his feet, slipped his gun back into its holster inside his jacket, and pulled her upright.
‘You going to pass out?’ he asked. He felt pretty shaken up himself. Daisy could be dead now if he hadn’t happened to see that fucker coming.
Daisy took a huge breath. Shook her head again.
‘He was trying to kill me,’ she said. ‘Wasn’t he?’
You and yours, thought Rob. I’ll tear the heart out of every one of you.
Despite the fact they had Bianca, Vittore was on the warpath. He’d sent his crew out to follow Kit’s family, to find a chink in their armour and pierce it if they could. That bastard on the bike must have been watching them all day, just waiting his chance.
‘Come on,’ he said, bundling Daisy back into the car. ‘Let’s get you out of here.’
101
Kit was resting at home. When Ruby went to his house and let herself in with a spare key, he was sitting up in bed, staring pensively out of the window.
‘Hi,’ she said, feeling almost shy.
‘Oh.’ He looked round, saw it was her. ‘It’s you.’
‘Yep, me again,’ she said brightly, sitting down at his bedside. ‘How you feeling?’
‘All right.’ Kit lay his head back against the pillow.
‘You looked as though you were deep in thought,’ said Ruby when the silence fell between them, same as it always did. And in that silence she thought, He hates me, he will always hate me, because he thinks I abandoned him. This is the way it will always be between us.
It broke her heart in a thousand pieces, to think that he would never come to terms with the past, that he would never forgive her.
‘I was deep in thought,’ said Kit, closing his eyes wearily. ‘I was thinking what a royal fuck-up I’ve made of my life.’
‘Meaning?’
His eyes opened. He turned his head and looked at her. ‘Meaning I killed Tito for murdering Gilda and then Michael. I thought I was doing the right thing, the only thing I could do. But turns out Tito wasn’t the one I was after. Whoever killed Michael is still out there, free as a bird.’
Ruby gulped, thinking of Thomas. God, she’d been so stupid, getting involved with him.
‘He was Bianca’s brother. And I killed him,’ said Kit.
‘Kit, she very nearly killed you.’
He shrugged, then winced.
‘She didn’t, though. She pulled to the left. Like the rabbit.’
‘The what?’
‘Tito took her rabbit shooting when she was young, but she couldn’t do it. Thought of all the baby bunnies back at home: what if she killed their mother and they starved to death?’ He gave a wry smile. ‘That’s what she did with me. She wanted to kill me, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. But you know what? Deep down, I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me for offing Tito. I really don’t. How could she? So I’ve fucked it all up. Everything.’
Ruby was silent for a moment. Then she said: ‘Once, I thought I’d done the same. Fucked my entire life up.’
‘Yeah, when?’ He gave her a cynical stare. ‘Big successful business lady, that’s you.’
‘That might be me now, but back in the war it was all different. I fell in love with a rotten bastard and he knocked me up.’
Kit’s eyes hardened. ‘My dear late and unlamented old dad, eh? Cornelius Bray.’
‘When I lost you, and Daisy . . . I felt as if I might as well be dead. That there was no future, no hope.’
‘Yeah, yeah.’ Kit looked unimpressed.
‘But I survived it. I found Daisy, and then I found you too,’ said Ruby.
Now Kit was staring at her. ‘You still glad you did? Find me, I mean? Knowing what I am, that after you chucked me on the scrapheap . . .’
‘I never did that. You were taken from me, I’ve told you.’
‘After that, I got shoved around kids’ homes and then on the streets and then into being a bone-breaker for Michael. Yeah, I might have wedge in my pocket now. I might have property portfolios and shares in hotels and I might lunch at the Ivy along with the nobs and the celebs, but I’m still a bone-breaker – that’s what you made me, those are my roots. Right down deep that’s still what I am, even if I pay other people to do the dirty jobs now. I’m a heavy, knocking heads together, scaring the shit out of people to make a living.’
Ruby leaned forward and grabbed his hand. She was so sick of this. ‘Kit, I found you,’ she said fiercely. ‘And I am glad, of course I’m glad. You’re my son and I love you. Whether or not you ever love me, it doesn’t matter. I love you. You’re so like me, you even look like me. You’re passionate, sensitive, impulsive, clever. You’re not just a bone-breaker. You’re not just a thug. Not you.’
Kit was watching his mother’s face intently. ‘What about Daise? Who’s she take after, eh? Cornelius Bray?’
‘She’s got his looks,’ shrugged Ruby, leaning back. ‘And his intelligence. But you think you’re scarred by what happened to you in your childhood? Well, Daisy is too. She may have had a privileged upbringing, but Cornelius was never there except to throw money at her, and for Vanessa I imagine it was like getting the wrong Christmas present. Vanessa wanted a quiet little girl. Daisy? She’s not quiet. She’s bright, robust and assertive. For Vanessa, I think Daisy came as a bit of a shock.’
‘She’s been pretty wild in the past,’ said Kit, unable to suppress a slight smile.
‘Those days are behind her. Having the twins settled her right down, there’s no doubt about that. It’s sheer hell for her, you know, being separated from them. Still, she’s a work in progress.’ Ruby squeezed Kit’s hand. ‘We all are, son.’
Kit’s eyes grew cold and he snatched his hand away. ‘Don’t call me that.’
Ruby shrank back. ‘Why not?’ she asked. ‘It’s what you are.’
‘Yeah. A fact you conveniently forgot for most of my lifetime.’
‘I never forgot it. Never.’ Ruby stared at his face, closed off with anger. ‘I . . . I went to see your uncle Joe yesterday.’
‘That wife of his! What a slapper. My God, I thought she was going eat Rob or me whole.’ Then Kit sobered. ‘It’s good you went, anyway. He’s pretty rough.’
‘He’s running out of time fast,’ said Ruby sadly. Then she brightened. ‘But you’re not. You’re on the mend.’
‘Yeah, with my fucked-up life,’ said Kit.
‘Don’t give up yet,’ said Ruby. And then she told him what Thomas had told her about Bianca.
102
Reg drove Ruby home. There had been such sadness, such awful stress lately that she felt wrung-out, ready to crumble. She thought of the horror of nearly losing Kit; Joe, who was on his way out of this world; of Michael, who was gone, never to return; and Thomas Knox who had seduced her utterly, then ruined everything.
Exhausted, she leaned back against the soft leather upholstery and longed for sanity to be restored, to have nothing to concern her other than how many pairs of XL tights Darkes should stock and whether she ought to be changing her suppliers for skirting mate
rial, cutting herself a better deal.
She had been teetering on the edge of the criminal abyss for years, and she had always been careful not to get involved; but how could she not be? Kit was her blood, her precious boy. Whatever he did, whatever trouble he was in, she had to support him.
She thought of Daisy. Daisy who would never fit into shop work of any kind, whose upbringing worked against her just as much as Kit’s did. Even now she was a mother, Daisy still seemed to be floating around, restless, looking for a direction in life. Ruby felt a stab of anxiety pierce her. Right now Daisy was out there somewhere with Rob, trying to find out who killed Michael. What if working with Rob, seeing that side of life, that dark, threatening, gutter side, drew her in, stimulated something in her?
Ruby sat up, told herself she was letting her imagination run riot. What she needed was a hot bath, a warm bed. The events of the last few weeks had left her shattered. She needed to rest, restore her strength. Then she could think about how to get them all back to some sort of normality. And . . .
Shouldn’t there be two men on the gate?
Ruby felt a bolt of unease shoot from her feet to the top of her head. Her heartbeat quickened.
‘Reg, stop,’ she said, instantly alarmed.
Reg didn’t answer. He kept on driving, right up to the house.
‘Reg!’ Ruby reached forward and tapped his shoulder. ‘There was no one on the gate. Where are they?’
Reg glanced sideways; there was no question that he’d heard her. Then he looked stonily ahead.
He brought the Mercedes to a halt outside the front door. In the light from the porch, she could see a group of men standing there. Big men in black coats.
Oh no.
Ruby lunged across the seat and threw open the far door, getting ready to run. But someone got to it before she could, held it wide open. It was Fabio Danieri, and his smile was mocking.
Ruby looked at Reg. For a moment her eyes burned into his in the rear-view mirror, then he turned his face away. She saw a dull brick-red flush creep up from his neck to his cheeks. Reg had betrayed her. Of all people, Reg.
