All Screwed Up (Belial's Disciples Book 2)

by AJ Adams

  As if that wasn’t a heads-up, the Prescotts turned up, with Ollie saying, “Damn what everyone says, I like Rex, and I’ll not desert him.”

  I got the full story from Sir William. “It would have been okay if Rex tore a strip off Nathara Hyde or got one over on David and that sanctimonious Kennard Wilton,” he sighed, “but the fact is that Rex has been thumbing his nose at convention for too long.”

  “You mean you toffs don’t like him belonging to the Disciples?”

  “It’s not just that,” Sir William informed me. “Rex has ridden roughshod over the police, over the council, and over every other authority in Bonnington as well.”

  “But he cuts through red tape so that the village can grow and flourish,” I protested.

  “I understand, but it does ruffle feathers.”

  “Like the banker wankers wanting Rex to fix it so they profit from the marina project as long as they can lie about it?”

  I was steaming mad; I’ll tell you that for nothing.

  “Perhaps it is unfair, but Rex wasn’t straight with them.”

  “He didn’t tell a single lie.” But I knew that wasn’t what had irked the board, and so did Sir William.

  “Inspector Harding reports that Rex’s associations have led to problems with Lincoln gangs,” Sir William said dryly.

  “You mean I’m trouble too.”

  “To leave a husband is acceptable but to deprive him of his savings is not.”

  “That’s a lie!” I told him the real story, in short, pithy sentences, finishing with, “And if it weren’t for Rex and the Disciples, Jason and Pig would be flooding the country with fake doctors and you wouldn’t even know about it.”

  Sir William was appalled. “Why wasn’t I informed?” He looked over at Rex who was busy introducing Suzie to Freddie. By her giggles and his half-empty glass, he was inviting her for a bedroom gallop. “He’s a young fool.”

  “Freddie? He’s harmless.”

  “I meant Rex,” Sir William said. “He should have told me all this.”

  “Rex says you don’t want to know about the Disciples.”

  “There’s a difference between dodgy dealing and an outright war against an organised crime gang,” Sir William snapped. “This business should have been settled by the authorities.”

  “Harding can’t cope, why do you think the Disciples are helping?”

  “You don’t get it, do you?” Sir William said exasperatedly. “We’re talking massive counterfeiting, cyber fraud, and document fraud. And if Pig puts fake doctors into our hospitals, we’d have a national crisis.”

  Put like that, I suddenly put the last few weeks in perspective. “Erm, it was Twitter gossip and fake rock fest tickets at first. I guess it snowballed.”

  “This isn’t a job for a village bobby or a bunch of amateurs; this is a case for the Organised Crime Unit.” Without ado, Sir William was off, taking Rex by the arm. “A word with you. Now.”

  “Lacy, do you have a minute?” Amy Finch was at my side, blushing a little. She shot a worried look at Rex and dropped her voice, saying, “Look, I didn’t mean what I said.”

  “Oh hell. Don’t tell me he’s kicked you out and blacklisted you. I thought I’d talked him out of that.”

  The second the words were out, I realised I should have kept mum because poor Amy went white. “What? He’s doing what?”

  She was so pale that I had an arm around her waist. “Nothing. He’s doing nothing. Sorry, Amy, I spoke out of turn.”

  She had her colour back, but this was bright scarlet. “Actually, that would be me. I just heard from Wally that Wendy overheard Lizzie talking to Mia.”

  That’s villages for you; they’re quicker than CNN for gossip.

  “I shouldn’t have said what I said,” Amy said carefully. “I’m so sorry, Lacy.”

  Being talked about had been the story of my life, but I’d never had an apology before, so I hugged her straight off. “Never mind, love. Forget about it.”

  “I was a bitch,” Amy admitted. “Also, and it’s no excuse, I was a bit sloshed.”

  “Pooh, we all say things we regret. It’s all good.”

  But Amy was still worried. “Rex was going to blacklist me?”

  “Nah, he was mouthing off. You know how he is.”

  “Yes, I heard about Nathara Hyde.”

  Bugger. “That was different. She lost a ring and then tried to blame us. Her gossip online might have hurt the whole village.”

  “I see. Yes, of course.” Amy was agreeing, but I saw the shiver. “Rex isn’t mad at me, is he?” To my horror, I saw she was scared.

  Sir William was shifting discretely into the hall, phone in hand, so I nodded at Rex, who came straight over. “Amy’s all worried because of that silly thing with the kids.”

  “Forget about it,” Rex said promptly. “How’s Blue Lightning, Amy? I hear you were thinking of entering her at Doncaster next month.”

  Rex was at his smoothest, and I was happy to see Amy relax.

  As they chatted Wally and Suzie joined in. “I’ll put fifty quid on Blue Lightning, and if I win, I can put in a bid for one of the properties at the new marina,” Wally said.

  “Are you interested in a condo?” Rex asked.

  “No, but I do want a second restaurant.”

  “I’d like to open another beauty shop as well,” Suzie confessed. “But I probably won’t be able to afford it.”

  “Why not?” Rex asked. “You’re a local business, so you get first crack at it.”

  “Really?” Suzie asked amazed. “I thought that you’d want someone posh from London, like Toni & Guy.”

  Wally was on that right off. “Come on, love. You know Rex is always about Bonnington first. Didn’t you read the development application?”

  “I looked at the cover and got lost in the first heretofore and hereinafter,” Suzie confessed.

  “Marina safety will be outsourced to experts, but services go to Bonnington business owners,” Rex informed her. “And there’s soft loans if you need them.”

  “Goodie!” Suzie squeaked. “I had no idea!”

  “Why didn’t you ask me?” Rex said.

  “Oh, I didn’t want to bother you,” Suzie said vaguely. “With all the troubles going on, I thought you might not be able to afford to keep subsidising us.”

  Rex looked poleaxed. “What?”

  “Erm, I just heard you took out a giant loan,” Suzie said. “For the marina.”

  “That’s true, but it’s not like I’m broke,” Rex protested.

  “Oh,” Suzie was beetroot. “But they’re saying that Kennard Wilton cancelled the loan because of erm...” she glanced at me.

  “For the last time: I wasn’t married to Jason, and I didn’t take his money,” I said quietly.

  “We know that,” Suzie said immediately. “Honestly, I believe you.”

  “And that loan hasn’t been pulled,” Rex said dryly. “Not by Kennard Wilton or anyone else.”

  Wally looked uncomfortable. “It’s just a stupid rumour, Rex, but Harding is telling everyone that you don’t own Perdition anymore.”

  “Is he?” Rex drawled.

  The way he didn’t deny it wasn’t lost on the group.

  “That doesn’t matter,” Suzie said brightly. “Big business is always complicated isn’t it?”

  “And you know I’m always behind on my stable fees,” Amy added.

  That’s when it struck me how much trouble we were in. Thanks to Pig, Rex was losing the support of his friends and the village thought he was broke and losing it too.

  We were all standing there, thoroughly uncomfortable, when Sir William rushed into the room. “Rex,” he said urgently. “Come quick! The marina’s on fire.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rex

  Concrete doesn’t burn but whoever had done the job had been a pro because the marina was a mess.

  “The dock is intact, but the site for the condos is trashed, “ Crush said gloomily as h
e shone his torch over the smoking ruins. “They doused the place in oil and set fire to it.”

  “It was a professional job, all right.” I looked around. “It must have gone up like a bomb.”

  Crush was kicking at some blackened embers. “The wood supports for the walls burned and the steel reinforcement bars are fucked, but the concrete foundation should be okay.”

  “It will need to be tested, and the equipment has to be replaced.” The excavator was trashed, the cement mixers shredded, and there was a pile of ash and shredded metal where the shed with the spare reinforcement bars had stood. “How the hell did they get here? We’re watching the roads, and there’s a guard on the fence.”

  “They came by boat,” Crush sighed.

  “Impossible. They’d have to dock at the boat club. It’s strictly members only.”

  “They had papers, Rex. Good ones.”

  I think that’s when it hit me. “Fakes?”

  “The best.” Crush was grim. “They tooled up in a fast craft, claiming to be coastguard. The uniforms were right, stolen, and the badges looked real. So did the search warrant.”

  “Search warrant? For what?”

  “The security guard didn’t think to ask. He let them pass, turned his back on them to call me, and they bashed him on the head.”

  I hadn’t even thought to ask. “Is he all right?”

  “Concussion but he’ll be okay.”

  “Thank God for that.” I looked around again. “It was hit and run. They didn’t stop to do much else.”

  Crush was wide-eyed with surprise. “Rex, on their way out of here, they trashed your boat!”

  Pig’s idea, no doubt. “Yes, but mine’s the only one. Every other craft is untouched.”

  “Don’t you care? You loved that boat.”

  I had, but it was the least of my concern. “I can replace it. Thank God they didn’t destroy the boat club. We can still have the meet tomorrow.”

  Crush shook his head. “Un-fucking believable.”

  He wasn’t getting it. “We can’t afford more disappointment and bad press.”

  “Bonnington first,” Crush sighed. “So, we tidy up here, and on Monday we start again?”

  “Exactly. We never let the bastards grind us down.” But I saw trouble ahead.

  Harding turned up minutes later, and he was predictably tiresome. “It’s your own fault. You only have yourself to blame.”

  “Is that so?”

  “You’re too big for your boots, My Lord.” Harding was loud and nasty. “You got in with the wrong people, and you’re too damn stubborn to see your mistakes.”

  He’d been a pain in the arse from the start, and although I’d backed him and his men, he’d been sabotaging me in every possible way.

  I focussed on what mattered, Bonnington. “We need the fire brigade to inspect and to be certain tomorrow goes well, we need them to check the boat club premises too.”

  “I’m not helping you!”

  “Then fuck off.”

  “You can’t talk to me like that!”

  “I just did.”

  “You should stick to your own business,” Harding mouthed off. “Or rather, your brother’s business, seeing it’s him who owns Perdition.”

  I did not hit him, but it was a close-run thing.

  “No, Rex.” Crush was hanging on to my arm. “You can’t kill him, even if the little fucker deserves it.”

  “One more word and I’ll shut his gap for him. Permanently.”

  “You’re both scum! I’ll arrest you!”

  “Fuck off, Harding or I’ll bury you.” I was raging. “I’ll have you and your fucking badge.”

  “You can’t do that!” But Harding saw my eyes, knew I meant it, and then he was retreating, mewling, “I’m going to report you to the commissioner!”

  “That didn’t go well.” Cliff Wetherspoon, head of Bonnington’s fire and rescue service, saw Harding pile into his car and roar off.

  “You shouldn’t have said that, Rex,” Crush sighed.

  “He’s damn lucky I didn’t kill him.” I was in a foul mood.

  Cliff poked around the site, shining his torch here and there before confirming my worst suspicions. “I’ll come back at daybreak to look at the boat club. It’s too dark now to see properly. But I can tell you right now that the marina inspection will take time.”

  “Quicker is better.”

  “Isn’t it always? But it’s not just my report, Rex. You’ll need to talk to your insurance too, and the planning committee and the health and safety folk. Plus, you need new equipment, and it will need to be inspected.”

  Like, I said, trouble.

  Cliff lowered his voice. “Hey Rex, you are insured, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” The man was obviously relieved. “You’ve done a lot for Bonnington. I’d hate to see you lose your shirt.”

  Great. Another one who thought I was a loser.

  “I don’t listen to gossip usually,” Cliff apologised. “But this came straight from Percy Whittington.”

  That was a shock. “How do you know him?”

  “I don’t, but he was at a civic banquet last week. He inferred you were struggling a bit,” Cliff shrugged. “As he’s in banking, I thought he might be right.”

  I’d known Percy at school, and although I didn’t like the stuck-up twat, I didn’t think he’d stab me in the back like that.

  “Rex, mate, you okay?” Cliff asked worriedly.

  I was too tired to set him straight, saying merely, “Of course. Don’t worry; everything is fine.”

  There was nothing more to do, and so I went home. As it was past three in the morning, Perdition was in darkness. All the guests had left hours ago. But as I walked in, I found Lacy was up and waiting for me.

  “Rex, you poor thing.” Lacy had carried on as hostess for the charity dinner, with my godfather standing in for me as host. “Sweetheart, you look shattered.”

  I took the single malt she thrust into my hand and sank into my favourite chair. “It’s surface damage, but it’s a bugger. How did you do here?”

  “We made ten thousand in donations, and Doc Fielding was delighted,” Lacy replied. “But Rex, this is not going well.”

  “Tell me about it.” I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. I’d been up at the crack of dawn every day, fighting off marauders every damn night, and spending too much time dealing with nervous contractors, villagers, and investors. “The boat club meet is tomorrow. I have to get the fire service to give us the all clear in the morning.”

  “You missed dinner. Let me get you a tray.”

  “I couldn’t swallow a bite.” The whiskey was going straight to my head. The room wavered. “I’m a bit tired.”

  “You’re going to kill yourself if you don’t get some shut-eye,” Lacy scolded. “Come on, love, up you get. Bedtime.”

  I don’t remember walking up the stairs or even undressing. All I know is that I was warm, comfortable and wrapped in a scented cocoon of love. “I forgot to set the alarm.”

  “All done. Just sleep.”

  It seemed I’d barely shut my eyes when the alarm went off. Lacy sent me off with a kiss, but as I rushed to the marina, there was a knot of tension in my stomach that just wouldn’t quit. I knew it was going to be bad and I was right.

  Cliff turned up just as the sun was inching over the horizon but it was all bad news. “I know that the boat club wasn’t touched, but there’s no denying your sailboat went down.”

  “But that’s my private property.”

  “As it went up in flames and then straight down, it may have damaged the dock,” Cliff said gently. “I’ve had word from headquarters not to take any risks. Rex, you have to cancel the meet.”

  I had my phone out. “What can I do to help fix this?”

  “Nothing.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “Look, it sucks, but you have to understand where they’re coming from. I’ve got an expert coming out first thing M
onday.”

  “But it will be too late for the meet.”

  Cliff shrugged. “Even if I got him here right now, you’d not fix this in a day. You need to get him to certify the dock and club as safe, have it endorsed by my chief and then back to the insurance people to be checked by their legal team. It’s only then if they okay it that your cover will be restored.”

  I knew the process, it was bog standard, but even so, it was a hard hit to take. “Hell. We’ve got caterers, hotel rooms, and other suppliers depending on this meet.”

  “We’ll survive,” Cliff said. “But Rex, you’ve got Miss Bonnington tomorrow. Isn’t part of that supposed to be on the beach?”

  I’m always three steps ahead, but this time I was blank. “I didn’t even think about that!”

  “Lacy will deal with it,” Cliff assured me. “That woman is a powerhouse.”

  It surprised me that he knew her. “Yes, she is.” But I didn’t get to ask any questions because I was focussed on trying to rescue at least some of the day.

  I went back to Perdition, holed up in the library, considered the situation and came up with a plan.

  My first call was to Skegness. “We already heard,” Polly Wyndham said. “I was going to give you a call,” adding pointedly, “at a more civilised hour.”

  “I’m dreadfully sorry, but I thought I’d call early because I have an idea. Aren’t you a member of the Skegness Sun and Sea Club?”

  “Yes. My bank thinks being seen is good for business.”

  I explained briefly. “If we shift the whole lot to you, people can still have their day out.”

  “But you have fifty boats coming,” Polly exclaimed. “I’d need marshals, judges, security, and what about catering?”

  Crossing my fingers for luck, I laid it out for her. “You’re only an hour up the road from us. I’ll send the caterer to you. Nita is a lovely girl, and she’s easy to work with. Mitch will come with his team, and he will coordinate your security for you.”

  Polly paused. “You mean Disciples,” she said reluctantly.

  “Only for security,” I said quickly. “You can scrounge a couple of judges from the club bar easily enough.”

  “Well, maybe. I suppose so,” she said slowly.

  “And think, Polly. If you save the day, you’ll be in all the newspapers. Your board will love you for it.” I counted to three, adding, “You’re a candidate for promotion, aren’t you? This kind of success and limelight would put you well ahead of Percy Whittington.”