On the eighth day, the consultant told Sam that she could go home to recuperate. Joe persuaded her, however, to let him take her to Caithness for Christmas and the New Year. He knew that she'd be safer there than in Edinburgh and Maggie would provide her with gentle care. Sam's parents were both dead, so it wasn't hard to persuade her, although she dreaded the idea of having to explain to people all that had happened, possibly several times over. Joe drove slowly and carefully, allowing her to doze for much of the journey. They stopped for a break at Aviemore, which sparkled in it's festive garb and was very busy with visitors hoping for a holiday of winter skiing, and again in Dornoch, which was more reserved. When, at last, they pulled up in front of the small cottage, Dot rushed out of her kennel, barking with excitement, and Maggie, drying her hands on her apron, hastened to greet them.
'Come away in,' she smiled. 'I've just put the kettle on.' She put a protective arm around Sam's shoulders and guided her inside. 'You bring in your things, Joe, and put them in your bedroom … And I've got everything ready for you, if you'd like a lie down, Samantha lass.'
* * *
Sam had been restless in the night, but was sleeping peacefully when Joe got up. He left her to rest and went into his grandparents room to chat to Jim, who was now starting to make a good recovery from the effects of his cardiac arrest.
Maggie, working in the kitchen, had been carefully listening and heard Sam stir. She opened the door and peeped in. 'Oh, you've woken up, lass,' she said quietly. 'Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?'
'Hello, Maggie. I … I'm sorry I didn't greet you properly last night ... I … I was shattered,' she replied, and her bottom lip quivered as she fought back tears.
'There, there, lass. You're among friends now.' The old woman sat down beside her and took hold of her hand. 'I understand exactly how you're feeling. I do … All empty ... You ken, many years ago, before Jean and Marie came along, Jim and me was expecting our first child – but it wasn't to be. I had a miscarriage myself and we lost him.'
'Him – a boy?'
'Aye, that's right. He would have been, what – almost sixty now … I've never told anyone else this, Sam, dear, but afterwards, I just couldn't stop myself crying ... Jim was kind, but he's a man - he didn't really understand what I was going through.'
'But Maggie, I feel so bad – like there's no point in carrying on any more.'
'Aye, and it'll take a while to get over it. In fact ... you'll never forget … Afterwards, Jim didn't want to talk about my miscarriage – I think he wanted to pretend it'd never happened, but I simply couldn't get the bairn out o' my head. Will, I called him ... aye, I even gave him a name – same as my faither, but I never let on about that to Jim.'
Sam nodded and another tear rolled down her cheek.
'Later on, we had Jean and Marie and, after a few more years, Brenda, and each time we chose a boys name as well as a girls one. It wasn't like today – they couldn't take photographs inside you and tell you what you was going to have. Jim always suggested William – it was his faither's name as well as mine, but I always said I didn't like the name and made him choose something else. You see, I'd already had and lost my Will!' She squeezed Sam's hand and stroked her cheek with bony arthritic fingers. 'So, I really do understand what you're feeling, lass, and if you need to talk – or just have a good cry – I'm here for you.'
* * *
Chapter 16 January
With no time to prepare, Christmas was a quiet affair for Joe. He enjoyed the time he spent with Sam, who was beginning to gradually recover her physical health, although she still wanted to avoid any contact with the other residents of the Burness township. They sat and talked together and occasionally walked down to the cliffs, where they could watch the waves crashing onto the rocks, and taste the salt in the strong sea winds gusting in from the west.
He realized, with some surprise, that he was missing the bustle and lights of Edinburgh at this time of the year, though, and they reminisced about their early years in the city, when they'd ventured out almost every evening.
When he saw Sam holding her ribs, and he looked at her cut and bruised face, he felt sadness and remorse, but when he saw the pain in her eyes, from the loss of her baby, he felt a cold and bitter anger.
Jim enjoyed the full house, and his good-natured personality helped Sam when she began to feel depressed, but it was Maggie's quiet, caring nature, always aware of the changes in the younger woman's mood, that helped most – something that Joe had instinctively known.
The New Year celebrations in Edinburgh also contrasted with Caithness. In the city there were lights, fireworks, open air concerts and street parties that could last a couple of days. Burness, however, still celebrated in the old traditional Scottish way, where neighbours travelled between the croft houses on foot, carrying a bottle, and the drunken greetings didn't end until everyone had visited everyone else, and that could easily take a whole week. Joe didn't plan to stay around for that. At the end of New Years Day, he told Jim and Maggie that there was pressing work that needed his attention in Edinburgh, and he'd shortly have to leave.
He talked to Sam about it on the way back from the headland to the cottage. 'We can't just go back to the flat, continually looking over our shoulders – knowing that M&M are biding their time, waiting for the right moment to attack us again.'
Sam looked worried. 'What are you planning?'
He hesitated.
'Come on, Joe ... spit it out.'
'I don't know yet, love. I'm still not sure, but I've got to think of something.'
'So, when are we leaving?'
'We aren't leaving, Sam ... I am ... You're not well enough yet, and it's better for you to stay here, for the time being. I'll go and try to find out what kind of danger we may be in, and I'll feel happier if I've only got myself to think about.'
'I'm gonna be worried. You will be careful, Joe, won't you?
'You're a good one to talk,' he smiled. 'Seriously, though, I want to talk through some ideas with Paul and the others. One option might be for us to sell up and move somewhere else, but I think that if we did, it could just transfer the trouble on to one of the others ... Another idea, possibly the crazy option, could be for us to work out if we can take the fight to them – get our retaliation in first!'
* * *
Joe arrived back in Edinburgh late in the afternoon of the 2nd January. In the city centre, a major clean-up was underway, following the previous night's Hogmanay Celebrations, and the streets contained many who were still in “party mode”. He had arranged to meet Neil for a meal, later in the evening, and had also happily accepted his offer of accommodation at his flat, if he wanted it, but, otherwise being at a loose end, he went into the office and caught up on his e-mail and the correspondence in his in-tray.
That evening, Joe met Neil in an Indian restaurant in Clerk Street and, over a hot curry, they discussed what had happened to Sam and what might happen next. They agreed that the situation was dangerous, and that they had seriously underestimated the resourcefulness and ruthlessness of the M&M gang. They also agreed that the others in CAT should be consulted with regard to whatever was decided, as they were also potential targets for the gang.
Neil told him that Fraser wasn't currently in Edinburgh, but had left with Laura for a skiing holiday in the Alps, and Liz wouldn't be returning to work until Steven went back to school, but she had asked Neil to keep her updated on everything.
* * *
After the weekend, they went into the office together and, as each member of staff arrived, the annual ritual of male handshake and female kiss marked the beginning of the New Year. Everyone asked about what had happened before Christmas and Sam's condition, but Joe only told them the story that had been explained to the police.
Just before ten o'clock, Joe asked Paul, Neil and George if they would join him in the conference room, and he began as soon as everyone was seated. 'Neil tells me that he's filled you in with the details of what really ha
ppened to Sam, when M&M's thugs went round to our flat and Sam was there alone?'
Paul and George nodded.
'What I didn't tell you, though,' added Neil, 'is that before they went round to Joe's, they'd already hospitalized Madalina – Keith's girlfriend. They were trying to get information about Joe out of her.'
'No way!' said George, appalled.
'Yeah. Her friend Ana came to warn me that they were looking for Joe, so I went round to the flat, but by the time I got to Ashley Terrace they had already got to Sam.'
'So, these are really nasty, dangerous bastards and I wanted to talk to you about it,' Joe said. 'I really don't think we can hope it will go away – because it won't. And we can't keep looking over our shoulders, waiting for their next move.'
'So what are you saying, Joe?' Paul asked.
'I've thought of a couple of options over Christmas. We know they're looking for me, so I've considered leaving Edinburgh with Sam and moving somewhere else … I like it here, though, and they might just change their target and start looking for Neil or Fraser.'
'I knew that business with Smythe was a big mistake!'
'Yeah, George ... Neil and I now agree with you. We underestimated them, big time. If we could turn the clock back, we would. We didn't think fitting up Smythe would lead to anyone else getting involved, and even now, we still don't know how they got on to Madalina.'
'No?'
'You said you'd considered other options too?' asked Paul.
'Aye,' said Joe, looking round the table. 'I wondered if we could take the battle to them!'
George frowned. 'That's crazy. You just want revenge!'
'Of course I do,' Joe snapped, 'but I'd want it done properly. I don't want to start some kind of street warfare. That's exactly why I'm talking to you, and when they get back, I'll listen to Liz and Fraser's advice too.'
Paul looked at him steadily. 'You've thought of something though, haven't you?'
'Look, we know from Madalina and Ana that they're a criminal gang. According to them, they're loan sharks and they've been trafficking women from Europe into Scotland to work on the streets. If we could get hold of evidence, we could shop them to the cops, and get them off our backs for years – maybe, we could even help some sad, unfortunate women like Ana and Maddie at the same time.'
'He talked that through with me last night,' added Neil. 'At first, I thought it was a stupid idea, but I've been thinking about it, and now I think it makes sense, provided that we plan any moves carefully, covering our tracks.'
'Hmm,' said Paul, looking down at the table. 'Possibly … but I'd like us to mull it over and discuss ideas in more detail before we agree, though – and no acting on an impulse! ... Before we split up and get back to work, though, I do have a bit of good news … We've been asked by Ramsay's to put a Design Team together and give them a quote for a new-build project – a Genetic Research Facility near the Agricultural College. It'd be a Design and Build.'
'Now that is good news,' smiled George. 'Ramsay's are a good firm and good clients. I read in the Scotsman that they've been expanding and they're keen to widen their portfolio.'
* * *
Joe pulled the hood on his jacket up over his head as he got out of his car. It had been raining all evening and it was now turning to sleet. He left the car at the top of the hill and walked quickly down Dublin Street.
Earlier, he'd walked down and back up the street, checking all of the parked cars before sitting in his own car for almost an hour. He was satisfied that there was no-one watching Madalina's flat. He pressed the button for the flat on the top floor.
A hesitant voice answered, 'Yah, who is it?'
'Maddie, it's me, Joe,' he whispered.
'Joe! .... Oh, I'm sorry ... I didn't mean to tell them ... It was M&M's guys!'
'I know that – I don't blame you. I just want to talk. Let me come in.'
'But Joe, I'm so sorry about your woman!'
'I know, Maddie. Ana told Neil. I understand – I know they forced you to give them my name.'
'I dunno – It's very late.'
'I know, I've been waiting – making sure that no-one is watching your flat. It's safe. Let me come up.'
There was a pause, then the buzzer sounded, and he pushed the door open. He quickly climbed the stone steps and found Maddie waiting on the top landing. She had extensive bruising and swelling around both eyes, strips of adhesive tape across her nose, cuts and grazes on her forehead, and a line of fine stitches across a vivid gash that extended from below her left eye down to her chin. She angled her face away from him, and her hand hovered in front of the wound in a futile attempt to hide the damage to her face.
'Oh, Maddie,' he said sadly. 'The bloody bastards! What did they do to you?'
She tried to smile, but it was painful. 'It's getting a bit better, every day.'
'It will. And the surgeons these days can do some amazing cosmetic work. When they remove the stitches the scar will heal and it'll be almost invisible.'
He reached out and squeezed her arm. She nodded and stepped to one side, letting him move past her into the room.
'How's your woman, Joe? Ana says she lost her baby ... I'm really so sorry.'
'Sam took it very hard, but she'll get over it ... in time ... She's tough. We'll have another baby together, one day, when she's ready. What's been happening with you and Ana?'
He glanced around him. The room was a mess.
'I not too great. Can't feel bother to clean up.'
'I've heard that Mannion wouldn't give you back your passports?'
'No. But at least none of his guys have been back here since I got out of hospital. Ana says she heard Pit Bull and Antonelli have gone into hiding for a while ... an' Carlo doesn't want me back.'
'Because of Smythe?'
'Yah. He says I lost him a good punter, an' anyway he say now I look like an extra from a 'slasher' movie ... says I'd scare the other punters!'
'Oh, Maddie!'
'Joe, we don' know what to do. No-one'll give me a job, the money's running out and I can't get a loan from a bank. An' Mark has told one of the girls his dad is gonna sell us to people in Glasgow!'
'What? …. No, he isn't – that's not going to happen. Listen, I do have a bit of good news for you. Paul, one of the directors in CAT, where I work, came through to speak to me this afternoon. He told me that Sandside Links – a Golf Club near Dunbar, has just refurbished and upgraded their bar and restaurant. They were going to advertise for more staff, but Paul has suggested you and Ana to the Secretary.'
'But he'll take one look at me an' run a mile!' Maddie protested.
'Paul's told him that you've been in a car accident, but you would be really good and reliable workers. I can give you a phone number, and if you contact him he said he'd like to meet you both.'
'M&M wouldn't agree to that – they want us only working for them or their friends.'
Joe nodded. 'Paul's even thought about that as well. He really is a great guy. It seems that last year he did the design work for a steading on a farm near where he lives. It was to convert the old outbuildings into holiday cottages, for one of his friends. He did the drawings for free, so the guy owes him one. Paul's arranged with him for you and Ana to stay in one of the apartments until the holiday season kicks off again ... but only if you want.'
Madalina shook her head slowly. 'Mannion won't let us leave. I know it. They'd come round and stop us. They'll take us to Glasgow!'
'Let us help you, Maddie ... Make sure you only tell the truth to Ana, but pass the word around that you're going to Dundee, to meet up with a friend of your brother or something ... Maybe you could even phone and book train tickets. We'll pick you up, and you can do a runner into East Lothian – No-one else would know.'
Joe saw, for the first time, the cloud of gloom begin to lift. Her eyes brightened, as a feeling of relief started to lift her spirit.
'Why you do this, Joe? I thought you'd hate me.'
'I don't. I
t's not you I hate, Maddie. It's Mannion and his gang, and all the misery they're responsible for. I tell you, there's unfinished business between me and the two who went round and beat up Sam.'
'You better be careful, there, Joe. They're dangerous guys.'
'I know that now. I won't underestimate them again. But you can help me. You can tell me everything you know about who they are, where they live, what they do and how they do it. Every bit of information you can tell us will help us make our plans. We intend to dump shit on them in a big way!'
* * *
Chapter 17 January
Madalina got off the bus into heavy rainfall. She put up an umbrella and hurried past some commuters who were trying to squeeze underneath the canopy of the bus shelter. She headed along Constitution Street and went into a small cafe. Inside, the air was heavy with the smell of fried food and steam rising from the customers who had been caught in the downpour. Condensation ran down misted up windows and dripped from the cill into pools on the floor. She ordered a coffee and carried her steaming mug into the corner, where Ana sat talking to Janika, a thick-set and heavily made-up Hungarian woman.
Janika was having trouble with a neighbour who had been complaining that she made too much noise late at night, and had been threatening to report her to the Council.
Madalina listened, without comment, until she had finished her coffee, then leaned over to Ana, speaking softly. 'Ana, I got the tickets. I can't stay now, though. You gotta be at Waverley at quarter to three. It goes at three o'clock. If we miss it we'll have to wait another half an hour.'
She slid a small orange and white card across the table and Ana pocketed it.
'See you later,' she said, sliding out of her seat and heading back out into the rain.
'What's that? Where you goin'?' Janika asked.
'Nowhere.'
'Come on. You and Maddie are off somewhere. Where are you goin'?'
'Well … keep it to yourself, Janni. We don' want Mannion to know. We're off to Dundee. Maddie's brother has a friend there. He works in the jam factory, and says we can stay with him while we look for work. Says there's jobs in his place, an' the University are looking for people to work in their kitchens.'
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