Ruby's Palace

by KERRY BARNES

  Ruby wanted to suggest she spent the day with him but she knew that was far too serious and no doubt would scare him off.

  She nodded gracefully and suggested they should meet at the same time.

  Just before he left, he gently kissed her on the lips and pinched her cheek. Ruby didn’t know whether she felt like a woman or a child. Her dad pinched her cheeks. She stood, bewildered, as he drove away. It was odd. Did he fancy her or not? She would soon find out on Thursday. She watched him drive away into the distance and suddenly believed in love at first sight. Convinced she had fallen head over heels, she was going to reel him in. By hook or by crook, he would be hers.

  Ocean shuddered, pleased with his performance, but also keen to get away. He thought of Kizzy: she was his, with her natural, dark-haired beauty, her round, childlike eyes, but her womanly body. There was no comparison. Ruby’s hair was neat and groomed but her tan was fake and she wore a ton of makeup. She was pretty but in a fake way, although, if he hadn’t met Kizzy again, he may have shagged her in the back of the car there and then, but it was different now. His heart and soul were with Kizzy. Tomorrow night he would take her for a meal, make love to her in her bed, and treat her like a queen. A smile spread across his face.

  The need to be rich from drug dealing, to be admired, and to be held high in the travellers’ esteem, was becoming less important. His hunger for respect had goaded him for years and spurred him on to take risks, hurt people, and remove some of his natural feelings. He would have mugged a blind old woman if it had meant the others patted him on the back. But things had changed. Kizzy had got to him. His lust for her was overwhelming and yet he believed he needed clout to keep her interested

  He gripped the steering wheel and imagined it was his car. The power behind the accelerator, the groaning of the engine, and the smell of new leather seats, gave him the jolt he needed. There was to be no more stalling. He would get on and date Ruby, get her into his bed, and work in the club. He knew she was keen on him and yet the hatred for the Vincents made the scheming palatable. He toyed with the idea of telling Kizzy the plan but decided it was not worth the risk. He would just have to work extra hard to keep her out of the loop.

  Kizzy was content for Ocean to visit her. She had no intentions of going to London. It was their little love nest, her caravan and a bit of land. She didn’t want to go back to the site which held too many bad memories. It suited him perfectly. What the mind didn’t know, the heart couldn’t grieve over.

  When Thursday evening arrived, Ruby was ready. The music blared from her car as she sped along the Old Kent Road. When she pulled up outside the club, her heart sank. No red BMW. She felt sick and retrieved her mobile phone from her back pocket to see if he had called. There were no missed calls and no text messages. She thought perhaps he had got held up in traffic. After waiting for twenty minutes, she decided to get herself a drink, and what better place than her own club? Luckily, she had the huge bunch of club keys with her and could let herself in. It was just as well she had remembered the alarm code, even though Jack always locked up, or she would have found herself in an embarrassing situation.

  The club was eerie with no customers. She turned the bar lights on and poured herself a brandy. The dance floor seemed so much bigger and the lounge sofa looked inviting. She smiled at the large disco balls reflecting any tiny splash of light. She remembered the opening night and how her family had arrived, an hour before opening, with bottles of champagne. Dan had poured everyone a glass and, with beaming faces, they had all toasted the new owners of Ruby’s Palace. ‘Here’s to Ruby and Jack.’

  The surprise and excitement had been overwhelming. Her months of euphoria had gone just like having the rug ripped from underneath. She knew it was stupid as, after all, she barely knew Ocean, but she wanted him so badly. Never before had she felt so attracted to a man. It was meant to be. He held the key to her future happiness. Now, her life would be perfect: the club, the status and the stunning-looking husband. But what if he blew her out? She shuddered. No, think positive, Ruby. He will turn up, he will.

  She poured another brandy and sat on a sofa. Suddenly, she became conscious of a noise at the back of the club. It was coming from the office. Ruby jumped up and her first reaction was to see who was there but then instinct took over. She needed to call for help. The best place to hide was behind the DJ’s box. She tiptoed over whilst keeping an eye on the back. Once she was hidden, she searched her bag for the phone. As her hands fumbled frantically inside, she could hear footsteps coming towards her. Then she remembered she had left the damn phone in the car.

  Her heart was thumping. She needed to take a deep breath, but she wanted to stay as quiet as she could and hope the intruder left. She knew it wasn’t Ocean. That odd sensation, like watching a psychological thriller, engulfed her.

  As the footsteps came closer she froze, holding her breath, until finally they stopped. As she looked up from her crouched position, there he was, towering over her – a tall man with cropped hair and a cruel grin, holding a monster of a knife.

  Ruby didn’t recognise him at all and her fear was so great her throat was paralysed. She tried to speak, to tell him to take whatever he wanted, not to hurt her, but nothing would come out. With her heart beating so fast, she thought she would die.

  He stared at Ruby for what seemed ages. “Get up!” he demanded. She gingerly rose and as she did so he grabbed her arm roughly and marched her towards the office. Gripped by terror, she was ready to puke. The man looked to be in his sixties. He had two nasty scars on his face and Ruby was petrified he was going to kill her.

  Her voice came back. “What do you want?”

  He was silent.

  “Take whatever, and just go.”

  He pushed her into the bar. “Take whatever I want? You stupid little girl, this is mine, all the fucking Palaces are mine!”

  Ruby could hear his words but made no sense of them. His lips were tight with rage and his eyes were red like a wild, rabid dog, foaming around the mouth.

  She didn’t understand who he was and what he was talking about. But, when he grabbed her again and shoved her violently into the office, she could see the cans of petrol. Fuck, he was going to torch the place.

  “Look, please, do whatever you want, but let me go!” Her voice was frantic.

  “Shut up!” he screamed. “You are the life for a life. You can burn along with the club. I have waited a long time for this.”

  Ruby tried to think of a way out of this but she was blinded by panic.

  The intruder had grabbed a rope. After throwing Ruby onto the chair, he tried to tie her up. She struggled, but her fear was so great she felt weak and parts of her body could not move. Her right leg was just stiff and her right arm was limp. Her brain injury, years before, had resulted in an odd reaction to fear and stress. Try as she might, her limbs were paralysed and she knew she was going to die in one of the worst ways possible – burned alive.

  He looked as though he was a robot – his eyes were strange, as if he was under hypnosis but, in reality, he was a deranged man.

  He wrapped the rope round Ruby’s body and the chair. The last tug winded her.

  Believing he was the only other person in the building, he placed the knife on the side and poured the petrol all over the club: up the walls, along the bar, and then he poured it over Ruby, stinging her eyes. As it ran down her face, she gasped for breath. The rope was so tight across her chest she struggled to breathe. For ages he stood there, just pouring the fuel over her head until the can was empty and she was completely covered in it. The fumes were overpowering. She gagged twice before she eventually threw up. The man smiled, highly satisfied with his night’s work and confident he would get his revenge.

  He walked around the club, checking he had covered every single inch, and realised that the rest rooms were dry. He wanted it burned to the ground – he was intent on destroying every last bit.

  Ruby coughed and spluttered and then, having m
anaged to clear her lungs, she let out a blood-curdling scream for help. The intruder ignored it, however, and continued to pour more petrol, determined to leave nothing to chance or for the girl to survive. No one could hear her anyway. Her desperate cries fell on deaf ears. She was consumed by fear. Eventually, the petrol fumes knocked her out.

  Ocean had, as Ruby suspected, got stuck in traffic. Levi had again lent him the car. This time he had taken it for a long spin around the countryside before heading into London, but the traffic had been heavy due to a fire at Little Palace.

  As Ocean turned the corner, he was relieved to find the blue convertible still there. He guessed she would wait due to her keenness to see him again. But as he drove alongside the car, he could clearly see she wasn’t in it. She must have waited inside the club.

  The back door was open and, as he stepped inside, the overpowering smell of petrol hit him. Quietly, he sneaked his way towards the office. As he reached the door, he somehow suspected something amiss. His eyes widened and immediately he scanned the room. He saw Ruby was unconscious, doused in petrol, with vomit down her front. He could hear footsteps heading towards him. He crept along the short corridor and hid in a small recess used to hold the cleaning equipment and coats. Ocean registered the sound of only one person. He somehow needed to save Ruby. More importantly in his mind, though, he needed to save the Palace – his future bread and butter. The only way to do it was a violent attack but he wasn’t a fighter; it just wasn’t in his nature. He looked around to see if there were any iron bars or even a shovel. He had to go back out to the car and get the crowbar from the boot. Travellers always carried one. It was like carrying your wallet. You never knew when the opportunity might arise. Not for clubbing anyone, more for opening places itching to be prised open.

  Just as he had suspected, there, as bold as brass, was the tool. He hurried back to the club and tiptoed in, clutching the weapon.

  Before he reached the office he could hear a chilling voice saying to a now conscious Ruby, “When I strike this match, there will be one less Vincent breathing!”

  Sick bastard, thought Ocean. Shaking and sweating, he gripped the bar and crept in and, like swinging a rounders bat, plunged the iron bar deep into the man’s head, instantly knocking him to the floor. He raised the bar again but then stopped when he saw the blood making a wide puddle.

  Ocean glared in horror at the man’s open gruesome wound. Ruby was still in shock. She held her mouth to stop the screams. The man lay there with a sadistic grin on his face and with his eyes wide open, but he was clearly dead. She didn’t even feel Ocean untie her. She was staring at the monster who, just seconds ago, had tried to kill her.

  Still trembling himself, Ocean helped her to stand up, put his arms around her, and led her outside.

  The soft comfort of his body against hers was the medicine she needed to snap out of the petrified trance. As soon as she had calmed down and regained her senses, she called her dad.

  Sam and his brothers arrived in minutes, mortified to see the state of Ruby, covered in petrol and clearly still in shock.

  Ocean waited by the car as he tried to clear his thoughts. The clump and the blood had disturbed him. He’d had a few beatings in his time, and seen some too, but never taken to these lengths. He didn’t know he had it in him.

  Sam was fussing over his daughter, getting her to drink some water and trying to wipe the petrol off her face. “Who was he, Rubes, do you know?”

  She shook her head and pointed to the club. “He’s in there, in the office.”

  “It’s all right, babe, let’s get you home and cleaned up. Don’t worry about the club. We’ll have it cleaned up in no time. Just you take deep breaths and drink this.” She was shivering and sipped the water.

  Ruby described what happened as Fred went inside to check the man was dead.

  It was Dan who spoke with Ocean.

  “Look, mate, I don’t know you, but we do owe you one. What do you want?” His voice was calm and business-like.

  Ocean frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it can be sorted one of two ways. I get this mess cleaned up, and no more said, or we call the Ol’ Bill and…” He lit up a cigarette. “We call the Ol’ Bill and let them sort it out. I don’t know you and, for all I know, you might not need this kinda shit in your life.” He shrugged his shoulders, “Your call, bruv!” Dan called him bruv to let him know he knew Ocean was a traveller.

  Ocean felt gutted. He had saved one of the Vincents, only to be sussed the very next minute by the head honcho. The drug game was over before it had even started. Unless… He racked his brains to find a way around this. He needed to be on the Vincents’ side. Owing him a favour wasn’t enough. He wanted to be part of their business.

  Meanwhile, Ruby was telling her father how Ocean had saved her life and how wonderful he was.

  Fred emerged from the club and called Sam and Dan over to the doorway.

  Ruby remained by the car, wiping the petrol from her tear-stained face.

  “You ain’t going to believe who that is in there, covering the floor in claret. Only that cunt Napper!” said Fred.

  Ocean walked over to join the men as the three turned to face him. They would have sent him packing but he had saved their Ruby’s life.

  “Who have I mullered then?” Ocean brazenly asked.

  It was Fred who answered. “Dunno, mate.”

  Ocean was angry. He had heard so many stories about the Vincents but now he was in a situation which caused him to be part of their plan. It was right what people said about them. They looked alike and they had a certain attitude which, without words, spoke volumes. The way they stood and their confident body language gave them an edge. Ocean felt nervous by their cold approach.

  “Look, before I decide what I’m gonna do, I need to know who the fuck I’ve just clubbed!”

  The brothers looked at each other.

  “Napper – know him?” asked Dan.

  Ocean grinned. “Nah, never heard of him.”

  Dan knew he was lying and his temper got the better of him. He lunged forward, lifting Ocean off his feet by his neck. “Look, cocky bollocks, don’t fuck with me. If I find out you had something to do with this, I’ll cut your fucking head off and barbeque it meself!” He let him go.

  Ruby ran over, screaming. “Leave him alone. He saved me from being burnt to death!” She put her arm around Ocean’s waist.

  “I don’t know who he is, I swear.” Ocean stopped before he gave himself away.

  But Dan finished his sentence for him. “On me muvver’s life.”

  Ocean lowered his gaze. He knew they’d guessed he was a gypsy.

  Ruby turned to her uncle. “What’s all this about?”

  “Your boyfriend here is a traveller, a pikey. It’s what they call themselves these days.”

  Ruby looked up at Ocean, who was glaring at Dan. “I don’t give a rat’s arse if he is a fucking alien. Don’t you get it? He saved my fucking life!”

  She grabbed Ocean’s hand and marched to his car.

  Before any of the Vincents could say another word, Ruby jumped into his motor and asked him to drive away. She didn’t want her family giving him any more grief. Ocean looked in his rear view mirror and smirked.

  Sam shook his head. “For fuck’s sake, that girl is so strong willed. She does have a point though, he did save her life!”

  “Oh yeah, and how do you know he weren’t the instigator? This stinks to me. Something ain’t right… I might be wrong. It could be a coincidence: a dead Napper and a gypo on the doorstep,” replied Dan.

  Ocean loved the feeling of having one over on them. There he was, driving up the road with their precious Ruby in his car – well, Levi’s car, leaving a dead body and three Vincents bewildered, so he naively thought.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ocean had previously planned for Levi to be out of the flat for the night so he could take Ruby there and pretend it was his abode. He wanted to play the
game of the rich horse breeder. Levi had a good tidy up, removing his grotty, smelly bed clothes, and replacing them with clean white sheets. He hated not having a woman and still having to resort to desperate druggies or the odd whore for a shag. He wanted a proper relationship, where the girl cooked and cleaned too. A real gypsy wife.

  It was Ruby’s idea to go to Ocean’s place; she looked a mess and the one pet hate of hers was being dirty.

  “Yes, darling, we can go to my flat and, of course, you can get cleaned up. Do you need anything from the shops before we head there?” Ocean was still keeping up the posh accent. He didn’t want to put her off at this stage of the game.

  “No, just a nice hot bath, soap and shampoo, and a cup of tea.” Ruby relaxed in the seat as Ocean drove to Levi’s flat. He worried over the state of the place and if there were would even be any tea bags or shampoo there.

  He turned the corner off the main road and into a small estate, consisting of new modern flats, each with their own parking space. Ruby was impressed.

  Ocean led her to the block, Levi’s so-called penthouse suite – the flat at the top – and she was immediately surprised by the clean and tidy layout. The stairs and landings had highly polished oak flooring and the walls gleamed with fresh

  white paint.

  He opened the front door, hoping that Levi had done as he’d promised. The smell hit him right away and Ocean relaxed. Summer Jasmine air freshener filled the hallway. The cream carpets had been vacuumed and the ashtrays cleaned. He had a mental image of Levi in a pinny, running around with a vacuum in one hand and a duster in the other.

  Ruby was pleasantly surprised. “This is lovely,” she said as she scanned the living room.

  Ocean went to the bathroom to check for shampoo. The bath and toilet gleamed and in the cabinet he found a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. He ran the water and then headed for the kitchen. At this point, he concluded that Levi must have got the cleaners in. Even the stainless steel shone with not a finger mark in sight. Better still, there, in the caddy, were some tea bags.