by AJ Adams
“You’ve only twelve men?” Ulke cried out. “Against how many Horde?”
“There are dozens of them.” Henry was being helpful again.
“And I think they may be bringing mercenaries,” Rex interjected. “There may be as many as a hundred of them.”
“I’ve no experience in this area,” Lady Constance said majestically. “But I do remember my school history books. This sounds like Waterloo - except that this time we are on the wrong side.”
Harding wavered. “We have no proof the Horde are on their way.”
“Better safe than sorry, old chap,” Freddie urged him.
Rex punched home. “We can discuss your issues with the Disciples tomorrow. Today we need to keep the village safe and with the Horde on the way, we need to work together.”
“I don’t think the Horde is coming,” Harding maintained.
“Erm, begging your pardon, Sir.” Constable Keeble was stepping up nervously. “An emergency call, Inspector. A big party of motorcycles just passed Bonnington Bridge. They intercepted our road policing unit, and erm, they set it on fire.”
Harding blanched. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, Sir.” Keeble was visibly sweating.
“Harding,” Rex urged. “We have no time to argue. We need to fight, and I need the executive.”
“Yes. No. Wait.” Harding was on this phone, hands shaking as he suddenly realised what peril he’d put us all in. “Maybe they can send that extra manpower now.”
“Let the Disciples out!” Wally snapped.
“Yes, don’t fuck around,” someone in the crowd yelled. “Get the Disciples out!”
Harding took in the crowd and buckled under. “Sergeant Fisher,” he started.
“On it, Sir!” Fisher didn’t walk; he ran.
Rex had been in the village since dawn, and clearly, he’d been thinking ahead. “Cliff, are your team on standby? This is going to be ugly, and Pig likes to start a fight by torching the place.”
“They’re here,” Cliff called back to the crowd. “All right, lads. Step up so we can see you.” Six burly men stepped up.
‘”I want all civilians out of the way,” Rex ordered. “Everyone indoors, now.”
“I’m in the Army Reserve,” Rob declared. “I’m staying.”
“And I was captain of the boxing team at Oxford,” Freddie announced. “I’m staying too.”
“You can count on us.” A dozen blokes stepped out, and I recognised the footie shirts from that first day in lockup. “Bonningham FC rules!”
“Us too.”
“I’m in!”
The village men were stepping up en masse.
“Good. First job, block the main road with cars,” Rex ordered them. “We force the Horde into a single, narrow file. It’ll be easier to pick them off.”
A low roar, like a giant swarm of hornets, filled the air.
“Too late,” Harding said in horror. “They’re here.”
Rex was pure ice. “Don’t panic. Hold your ground. I want all of them in the square.”
I gazed at him. “Hold your ground? Just you against them? Are you insane? What are you doing?”
“Keeping you safe,” Rex picked up Mia and was pushing me towards the Oak Leaf. “Lacy, this is going to get hairy. I want both of you inside and out of sight.”
My heart was torn between protecting my chick and my love. “Come with us!”
He put Mia down, pushed her gently inside and then he held my hands. “Sweetheart, you know I can’t.” He kissed me tenderly and pushed me inside. “No matter what happens, don’t come out!”
As I stood there, tears running down my face, a hundred big bikes roared into the square. The Horde had arrived and Rex was facing them alone.
Chapter Twenty
Rex
The Horde rode into the square, revving their engines and whooping in triumph.
“Ladies and children, to me!” Lady Constance’s bugle-like tones cut right through the noise. “Come on, look sharp! Inside, all of you!”
The quick-thinking woman was holding hands with Dot, Amy, and Ulke, creating a little corridor of safety that led right into the hotel. To my horror, Lacy had popped out of safety and was propelling the Pony Club inside with a “Quick, girls, inside. Best trot. On you go.”
They funnelled the kids and young mums safely inside, and then Lacy was standing in front of the Oak Leaf, barring the entrance, with Ulke and Constance right beside her.
“Get inside!” I hissed.
“I’m not leaving you,” my stubborn girl cast back.
In the square, the Horde were sizing up their situation and deciding they were in a good place. They formed a block in front of me. For a moment I felt as if I were in a film, one of those old black and white cowboy ones. My heart was thumping away, and I was trying to remember who survived the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
If he’d had any sense, Pig would have stayed on his Fireblade and driven right over me. If he had, it would have been game over. But I stood there, pretending I wasn’t about to stroke out, knowing Pig would prefer a showy confrontation.
I got it right because the Horde leader got off his bike and removed his helmet. Behind him, his men switched off their engines. Suddenly, the square was eerily quiet.
“Parking in the main street is forbidden.” Harding was making an arse of himself. “I order you all to leave.”
Pig stepped up, Barrows by his side. Neither of them even looked at the copper.
“That’s the bitch,” Barrows was mouthing off, pointing at Lacy who was ramrod straight and eyeballing him right back. “See? There!”
He still towered over everyone, but his eyes were red, his hands shaking and he’d lost a tonne of weight. The slurred voice and blast of booze gave the problem away; it was barely past breakfast time, and he was already drunk. In just a few weeks, Barrows had gone right downhill; he’d become a raging alcoholic.
“Hello, Rex, we thought we’d drop by for a bit of business,” Pig shouted.
“Her.” Barrows was pointing again.
“Yeah, her too,” Pig grinned.
“Anyone who wants her has to go through me.”
Pig looked around the square. “Just you?”
The village men had stepped up but faced with the Horde and their crew they’d fallen silent. Pig’s men were protected by leathers and carrying cricket bats, golf clubs, and knives. As for the imported troops they’d brought with them, they were all business. I was looking at a wall of seasoned fighters, some of whom were wearing professional-looking soft body armour.
“Seeing we’re off for a trip to the seaside, I brought some friends,” Pig laughed. “They’ll be camping on the beach by that nice new dock you built for us.”
“It’s private property,” I said evenly. “And you’re not welcome.”
“Too late, mate,” Pig replied. “You’re down and out, and it’s me taking over. Thanks for building us a dock. We appreciate it.”
I’d been right. He wanted my village and my marina, and this was his move.
“As for your girl,” Pig continued. “We’ll take turns at having her, and we’ll make you watch.”
Standing up tall and proud, Lacy simply sneered at him. “You’re a pig.”
“And proud of it.”
“That’s enough,” I stepped up. “You’re not wanted here. Get out before we throw you out.”
“You’re going to throw us out?” Pig sneered. “You and what army?”
“You screwed up,” I said quietly. “We’re not as helpless as you think.”
The village men were eyeing me, clearly thinking this was way too much. But to my utter surprise, Harding blew his police whistle. “All right men, fall in!”
I don’t know if they were brave or suicidal, but Sergeant Fisher, Constable Keeble, and their mates lined up on the steps. They didn’t even have riot gear. They stood there in their blues, armed with nothing more than their badges and truncheons.
Looking at the Bonnington constabulary, Pig was amused. “What the fuck? Is this it?”
“There’s also me.” Wally was shaking like a leaf, but he kept his chin up.
“And me,” Freddie was rolling up his sleeves.
“Count me in,” Cliff said. “And my lads.”
“Bonnington rules!” the footie club roared.
It was a brave display, but Pig’s men and the troops were grinning; they knew it would be a walkover.
“Hi, Rex.” To my relief, Crush and the executive strolled out. They stood there, Kraken, Zero, DT, Flash, Total and Speed, big, burly and grinning at the prospect of a fight. They spread out, forming a thin line behind the Horde clustered in the centre of the square. “Sorry we’re late,” Crush called out. “We got held up.”
“Better late than never. Want to take it from here?”
“This is your party,” Crush nodded. “You carry on.”
I turned to Pig. “You still have time to call it off. Walk away, and we’ll negotiate a truce on Monday.”
“Fuck you.” Pig was convinced he’d win. His men were grinning too. Even with the villagers pitching in, it was three against one. With those odds, it would be a massacre.
“Good, we’ll settle it here and now.” I glanced at my girl. “Stand well back, sweetheart. We’re going to get busy here.”
Lacy was smiling, and only I could see her tremble and knew she was dead scared for us. “I’ll be right here when you’re done,” she called cheerily.
“Good girl.” I put my fingers to my mouth and whistled. “Game’s on!”
There was an answering whistle, and then the associates were flooding in. Mitch, Fred, Drew, Viper, the lads from the garage, and our fairground people came in behind Crush and the executive. Like the Horde, they were well protected by leathers, and all of them were carrying bats and clubs.
Snake, Poison and their teams were strolling out behind me. They’d emptied out Durham and Skegness, bringing every man and associate. They’d quietly raided a sports store on the way because every man was wearing a crash helmet and carrying a golf club.
Seeing the villagers armed with no more than their courage, Snake began handing out clubs and pool cues, announcing, “Mah mum always said, if you’re ganging go to a party, ye gotta bring enough for everyone.”
Suddenly the Horde weren’t looking so gleeful.
“Is that the fuck who set fire to my clubhouse?” Poison was pointing a three iron at Pig. “I’ll have you, you porcine prick.”
“What the fuck?” Barrows said loudly to Pig. “I thought you said they’d be too busy with their own problems.”
“They weren’t supposed to be here,” Pig muttered. “Or know we were coming.”
“Oh puh-lease,” I taunted him. “Surely you didn’t think we’d fall for it?”
Pig didn’t reply, but Snake was loud and nasty. “For Christ’s sake, you wanker. We knew you’d try it on.”
“We called them last night and told them what was going down,” I told Pig. “They were on the road at dawn.”
“But your clubhouses are burnt to the ground,” Barrows was babbling. “And your bikes with it.”
Poison just laughed. “So what? We’ll replace them.”
“Rex hired minivans, dead posh ones,” Snake informed him. “We had a singsong oan the way.”
“You shouldn’t be here.” Barrows was in an alcoholic haze, unable to come to terms with reality but Pig had realised this was a trap within a trap. The Horde has strolled in, thinking they had a clear and easy win but now they were sandwiched in between two lines of Disciples and the numbers were even.
“Last chance,” I offered Pig.
“Fuck you.”
“Okay.”
He kicked high, aiming for my chest but I was ready for him. In the dojo, you block. I leaned back and kicked him in the balls. Pig froze, clutched himself, and then he was down. That’s the thing about fighting; if you’re not in it to win, you’re going to get creamed. And rules are for losers.
Hell was breaking loose all around me. I could see Crush taking on two of Horde, but as he was swinging a nine iron, and laughing, he was clearly enjoying himself. DT was trading punches with a bloke who was doing his best to run away, and Kraken was treading all over a bloke on the ground while trying to engage his second man.
On the far side of the square, Wally was busy thumping a bloke in a yellow helmet, and Freddie was demonstrating his best uppercut. The footie club were piling in, kicking and swinging their clubs and cues without restraint. The village was doing all right too.
In all the mayhem, Barrows was still standing around. He had a cricket bat in his hand, and as I made my way towards him, he was raising it and heading straight for Lacy, raging, “You fucking bitch! This is all your fault!”
Ulke screamed, and Constance was trying to pull them all inside, but my girl didn’t even move. “Naff off, you knob.”
The bat swung, but luckily I’m quick. I kicked him in the back of the knees, and as he went sprawling to the ground, I kicked him in the balls too. I picked up his bat and then I piled into the fray.
I like a fight and I’ve had lots of practice. Add in a black belt in aikido and another in karate, and you’ll understand why leather jackets and cricket bats don’t do a lot to keep me from going for your jugular.
I had a good workout, taking careful aim at the professional fighters Pig had brought with him. I got a good half a dozen, and with the Disciples made mincemeat of the rest, and the village dealing with the Horde regulars, the fight was soon over.
When the dust cleared, there was groaning and moaning all around, and it was the Horde who were down and out.
“Sergeant, arrest them all!” Harding’s jacket was torn, and one eye was blackening rapidly, but he was full of vim and vigour.
“Yes, Sir!” Henry Fisher was red as a beet but grinning. “Not sure if we have enough cuffs, Sir!”
“I should have brought mine.” Lacy came dancing up, throwing her arms around me. “Rex, you’re a total hero.”
I hugged the sweet curves, relief flooding through me. We’d made it through. “I thought I told you to stay safe indoors?”
“And miss this?” my wicked angel giggled. “No way!”
“Well done, Rex.” Lady Constance was bright with triumph. “Jolly good job.”
“Not awfully diplomatic, I’m afraid.”
“Sometimes diplomacy is saying ‘nice doggy’ until you find a big rock,” Lady Constance informed me.
“But a kick in the balls works just as well,” Ulke giggled.
I couldn’t take it in. “It’s not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“Lacy called,” Lady Constance informed me.
“She told us all about that awful Jason and Pig,” Ulke shivered.
“And that unfortunate misunderstanding with Kennard Wilton and his board,” Lady Constance added.
“You should have told us, Rex,” Ulke scolded. “We called David to set him straight, and John is seeing Kennard on Monday.”
Lacy looked up at me. “The bishop, the Prescotts, Sir William, Polly Wyndham, Tiffany, and Dicky have all sent texts saying they’ll be here by noon.”
“So will the Featherstones, the Fitchett-Smyths, the Ainsworths, Colonel Marlow, and dozens of others,” Ulke said.
To say I was flabbergasted would be understating it.
“None of us could find Sir William, and the commissioner is unreachable because she’s on her way to Hong Kong,” Lady Constance informed us. “But we will get to them, and in the meantime, the rest of us are here for you.”
“They ought to be ashamed of themselves,” Ulke said fiercely. “You and the Disciples saved the day.”
“Exactly,” Lady Constance agreed. “My dear Rex, you’re a hero. I’m so proud of you.”
The words just wouldn’t come to me. Relief and gratitude overwhelmed me. After all the despair and darkness, I was suddenly filled wi
th light.
“You okay, Rex?” Lacy was holding on to me, concern filling those big blue eyes.
“No, I’m not okay.” I swung her into my arms. “I’m better than okay.”
I kissed her, sinking into the soft lips, hands running over the rippling sweetness of her.
“Oh look!” We were pulled out of it by a squeal of childish laughter. Little Lizzie Finch was pointing and giggling as she nudged Mia. “Rex is kissing your mum.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Rex is going to be my daddy.”
“Is he?” Ulke was instantly captivated. “Ooooh, I love weddings!”
I crouched down to talk to Mia. “Does this mean my application has been accepted?”
Her eyes were just like Lacy’s, and she had the same sweetly teasing ways. “Maybe.”
“Would an incentive help?”
“Rex!” Lacy protested giggling.
I held on to Mia’s hand as I looked up at her. “I was thinking it’s time we had a family dog.”
“Oooh!” Mia threw her arms around me. “A puppy? I can have a puppy?”
“If Mummy agrees.”
“If I can have a puppy, then you can have the job as daddy,” Mia said instantly.
Lacy was laughing. “Oh dear lord, what am I going to do with you two? Bribery isn’t right.”
Mia sighed and hugged me. “Never mind, Rex. You can be my daddy anyway.”
I thought I’d reached the pinnacle, but at that, I had tears in my eyes. “Thank you. I will do my best to be the best father ever.”
We crouched there, revelling in a bubble of joy.
Lacy kissed my cheek. “I guess we need to celebrate,” she murmured. “And puppies seems a good way to go.”
“Yes!” Mia crowed. “Pawsome!”
I picked her up. “We’ll get on it first thing tomorrow. But first, I need to get to work,” I apologised. “The visitors will be here soon, and I don’t want them seeing this.”
“Bonnington first,” Lacy grinned. “Come on, Mia. Let’s show Lady Constance and Lady Ulke how good our ice-cream is.”
The square was now filling up again, with bystanders flocking back outside to see what was going on. Harding had run out of cuffs, but Crush had organised a raid on the hardware store, and it was super strength cable ties all round for the Horde.
