Liverpool Loyalty

by Caz Finlay

  Grace was walking towards the bar when she saw Siobhan walking out of the back room. Her beautiful auburn hair was hanging loose and she was wearing a fitted green dress which complemented her skin tone perfectly. She looked every inch the professional woman and Grace felt a surge of pride.

  ‘Hey, Grace,’ Siobhan said with a smile as she looked up.

  Grace sat on one of the stools. ‘Hi, Siobhan.’

  ‘Can I get you a drink?’

  ‘A coffee would be great.’

  ‘You said you wanted to go over some paperwork?’ Siobhan said as she made Grace’s coffee.

  ‘Yes. I wanted to make sure you had everything you need before I hand the place over.’

  ‘Hand it over?’ Siobhan said in surprise.

  Grace nodded. ‘I think it’s about time I let you get on with managing the place, don’t you?’

  Siobhan smiled in return. ‘Well, only if you’re sure?’

  ‘I am. The place is doing amazing. I don’t think there’s anything else I can do but leave the place in your very capable hands.’

  Siobhan placed Grace’s coffee on the bar. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly. ‘I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Grace.’

  ‘I know. Now don’t have me getting all emotional,’ Grace said with a wave of her hand. ‘You’ve earned this chance, Siobhan. I wouldn’t leave you in charge of my wine bar if I didn’t believe you were capable of it.’

  ‘Well, thank you anyway. After everything that’s happened…’

  ‘Forget about that now. Is Jake having Isla this weekend?’

  Siobhan looked down. ‘I’m not sure, to be honest.’

  ‘Oh? Why not? Is this about the other day?’

  Siobhan’s head snapped back up. ‘Why? What happened the other day?’

  ‘He was arrested. Him and Connor. Didn’t he tell you?’ Grace asked although the look of shock on Siobhan’s face answered the question.

  ‘What were they arrested for?’

  ‘They were released the same day,’ Grace replied.

  ‘But what were they arrested for?’

  ‘Murder,’ Grace said quietly. ‘But they weren’t charged.’

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Siobhan said as she leaned against the bar. ‘Will they be charged?’

  ‘No,’ Grace replied quickly, trying to convince herself as much as Siobhan. ‘It will be fine.’

  Siobhan shook her head. ‘Will it though?’

  Grace studied the younger woman’s face. ‘Is there something else going on, Siobhan?’

  ‘I’m not sure I should say,’ Siobhan said.

  ‘Well, you’ll have to now. What’s going on, Siobhan?’

  ‘Last week when I picked Isla up from Jake’s place, he was…’

  ‘What?’ Grace asked, although she was afraid she already knew the answer.

  ‘He seemed like he was on something. I could smell he’d been drinking too, although he said he’d only had a couple. He looked different, and he was acting really weird. I know him so well, Grace, I knew he’d had something more than a few drinks. I’m no angel, Grace, and Jake can do what he likes in his free time, but he was looking after our two-year-old daughter, for Christ’s sake. Anything could have happened to her,’ Siobhan said with a shake of her head.

  Grace frowned. She’d seen the change in Jake for herself. It had started shortly after Paul’s murder and initially Grace had accepted that it was her son’s way of dealing with his grief. But it had been over eight months now and Jake seemed to be getting worse rather than improving. He was moody, prickly with almost everyone. He picked fights constantly and more than once the bouncers who worked for her and Michael had had to intervene on his behalf. He was drinking every day despite the fact that he’d never been much of a drinker in the past, and although he would deny it until he was blue in the face, she knew he was using coke too. It was a slippery slope when suppliers started taking their own product; Grace knew it, and so did Connor, but Jake didn’t seem willing to listen to anyone. There had been a time when Grace could always get through to him, but now she wasn’t so sure. She saw so much of Nathan in him that it terrified her. Jake could be charming and charismatic when he wanted to be, when he wanted something from someone, and then in a split second his whole demeanour could change. Just like his father. And now he was drinking and taking drugs when he was looking after Isla too. Even his beautiful daughter wasn’t enough to keep him on the straight and narrow.

  ‘I don’t think I can trust him to look after Isla on his own after that, Grace. I know you might not agree with that—’

  ‘I don’t blame you, Siobhan,’ Grace interrupted her. ‘He can’t be getting wasted while he’s in charge of a child. I can’t believe he’d stoop so bloody low,’ she said with a sigh. She sipped her coffee before looking up at Siobhan. ‘I thought I raised him better than this, you know?’

  Siobhan placed a warm hand over Grace’s. ‘You did,’ she assured her. ‘He’s just lost right now. He’ll find his way back.’

  ‘You have a lot of compassion for a man who lied to you for your whole marriage,’ Grace smiled.

  ‘Well, I wasn’t exactly a saint, was I?’ she replied with a laugh.

  ‘I see so much of his father in him, it scares the living daylights out of me, Siobhan,’ Grace said suddenly, surprising even herself with her candour. While she had her concerns about Jake, she never criticised him openly. He was her son and she was loyal to him, but something had to give. If he carried on down the path he was currently on, she was sure that she’d end up visiting him in jail, or, even worse, at his graveside.

  ‘He’s your son, Grace. He’ll see sense soon. Just give him time,’ Siobhan said. ‘But until he does, I can’t have Isla staying with him. I just can’t trust him.’

  Grace nodded. ‘Why not let Isla stay at our house for the weekend? That way you still get a bit of time to yourself and we’ll all get to see her – Jake too. I’ll suggest it to him if you like. With everything he’s got going on, it won’t sound too suspicious that I’d offer to have her stay with us instead.’

  ‘That would be great.’ Siobhan smiled. ‘I wasn’t looking forward to having that conversation with him to be honest, so the longer I can put it off, the better. Maybe he’ll even sort himself out before I have to?’

  ‘Well, that would be good, wouldn’t it? If incredibly unlikely.’

  Siobhan nodded. ‘Wishful thinking?’

  ‘I’ll speak to him later and let you know what he says. I shouldn’t see it being a problem though. Anyway, shall we go through this paperwork then? I have to get back soon, I’m off out and I need to get ready.’

  ‘Oh? Anywhere nice?’

  ‘Just for a meal with Michael. It feels like we haven’t been out, just the two of us, for ages.’

  ‘Well, let’s get this paperwork sorted then so you can get ready for your hot date,’ Siobhan replied with a grin.

  Chapter Eleven

  ‘Come on, Grace,’ Michael shouted up the stairs as he fiddled with his cufflinks. ‘We’ll be late.’

  ‘We own the restaurant. They’re hardly going to give our table away,’ she said as she walked down the stairs, fixing her earrings in place.

  ‘You look gorgeous,’ he said as she walked towards him. ‘I think I’ve changed my mind about going out. Is there any chance I can take you back upstairs and relieve you of that dress?’

  She smiled and ran a perfectly manicured fingernail down his chest. ‘You’ve just been telling me to hurry up, and now you want to delay us further. Come on, handsome. Let’s go.’

  Grace walked through the open door of Sophia’s Kitchen with Michael’s hand on the small of her back. She smiled at the bouncers as she passed, all of whom nodded to her and Michael in greeting.

  ‘I’ve kept you the best table,’ Carlos the maitre d’ said as he ushered them towards the table near the window. ‘Lena will be your waitress,’ he added as he handed them a menu each.

  Grace sat on th
e chair that Carlos pulled out for her and smiled across the table at her husband. A few moments later, Lena walked over to them, flashing her megawatt killer smile.

  ‘Good evening, Grace, Michael,’ she said. Grace noted the change in Lena’s voice when she addressed Michael but quickly dismissed it. She trusted her husband implicitly. Grace had hired Lena a few weeks before after a particularly memorable interview during which Lena had impressed Grace with her wit and charm. The fact that she was stunningly beautiful to boot was a bonus, and she had been an immediate hit with the customers.

  ‘A bottle of Barolo, and some water for the table,’ Michael answered.

  ‘Coming right up,’ Lena said with a smile.

  ‘She’s turned out to be a good fit, hasn’t she?’ Grace said as she watched Lena disappear through the crowded restaurant.

  ‘Hmm. The customers like her,’ Michael replied as he opened the menu and started to read.

  ‘Well, yeah. And the fact that she’s absolutely stunning doesn’t hurt,’ Grace said.

  Michael looked up from his menu. ‘I can’t say I’ve noticed, love,’ he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

  ‘Liar,’ she said, and laughed.

  Grace was just tucking into her puttanesca when she heard her mobile phone ringing. Taking it from her handbag she saw John Brennan’s name flashing on the screen. Grace’s history with John was a long and complicated one. He had once been Nathan Conlon’s right-hand man – but now he was hers. She answered it with a frown. Why was he calling her when he knew she was out with Michael?

  ‘What is it, John?’ she asked, and noticed how Michael scowled when she said John’s name.

  ‘I need to speak to you, Boss.’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘I’d rather not say over the phone.’

  ‘Why? What’s going on?’

  ‘I’ve found something out that I think you should know about.’

  ‘John, please just tell me what’s going on?’

  ‘It’s about that DI who’s investigating Jake and Connor. I know her, Grace.’

  Grace swallowed. Of course John would recognise Leigh if he got close enough to her. He had been almost constantly at Nathan’s side, back in the day, and must have met her on dozens of occasions.

  ‘Where are you?’ Grace asked, at which point Michael put his knife and fork down on the table.

  ‘The Blue Rooms,’ John answered.

  ‘I’ll be there in half an hour,’ Grace replied before ending the call.

  ‘What’s going on? Where are you going?’ Michael asked.

  ‘I need to speak to John about something. I’m sorry but I’ll have to go.’

  ‘Can’t it wait?’ he snapped.

  ‘Not really,’ she replied. ‘It’s important.’

  ‘For fuck’s sake, Grace. What’s so important that you’re going to walk out of here in the middle of our dinner? Is it the boys?’

  Grace shook her head. ‘No. Look, can I tell you later? I need to go.’

  ‘Well, I’ll come with you then,’ he offered.

  ‘It’s fine. You stay and finish your meal. Sean said he was calling in tonight. Why don’t you have a drink with him and I’ll see you at home in few hours.’

  ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’

  She stood up. ‘I need to go. I’ll explain later,’ she said with a sigh. She would have to tell him about her connection with Leigh, she knew that, and she didn’t fancy doing it right there in the middle of their busy restaurant. He would feel like she’d deliberately kept it from him. Perhaps she had. But it had been such a long time ago. It wasn’t like she’d lied to him, she just hadn’t given him full disclosure. And how could she? When Leigh had come back into her life, Michael had been dealing with the murder of his son. It had just never seemed like the right time. Besides, it pissed her off that he seemed to have an issue with her and John, despite never having been given a reason to.

  ‘Fine,’ he replied.

  Lena watched as Grace Carter walked out of the restaurant, leaving her handsome husband sitting alone. From the look on Michael’s face they’d had some sort of row. Lena smiled to herself. If she was Grace, she’d never let Michael out of her sight, least of all abandon him in the middle of dinner – in their own restaurant! How embarrassing for him! Well, Lena would make sure he wasn’t left alone for too long. Taking a bottle of the best scotch from behind the bar, she poured him a glass.

  Walking over, she placed it on the table in front of him and sat down in Grace’s now unoccupied seat. ‘I thought you could do with a drink, Boss,’ she said, flashing him her best smile and leaning forward just enough to give him the perfect view of her cleavage.

  He looked at the glass in front of him. ‘I don’t drink scotch.’

  ‘Oh? You look like a man who appreciates a fine whisky,’ she said.

  He stared at the glass for a few seconds. ‘Actually, I do,’ he said as he picked it and downed the drink in one before slamming the glass down on the table.

  ‘Can I get you another?’ she asked.

  He looked at her, his brown eyes burning into hers. For a second she thought that this might be the turning point in their relationship. Maybe he would stay behind and have a few more whiskies? They would talk and she’d make him laugh so much that he’d forget about his frigid cow of a wife. Then perhaps he’d finally take her home and fuck her. Her insides trembled just thinking about it.

  ‘No thanks,’ he said and for a second she wondered if she’d said those things out loud, but then he stood up and handed her his glass and she realised he was talking about the offer of another drink.

  ‘Okay. Maybe next time?’ she said, hopeful that he would change his mind and kiss her right there in the middle of the restaurant.

  He smiled at her. ‘Goodnight, Lena,’ he said before walking away.

  Lena watched him leave and smiled. He was going to be hers soon enough.

  Grace walked through the crowd of clubbers to the office at the back of her son Jake’s club, The Blue Rooms, where John Brennan was waiting for her. Pushing open the door, she went inside and saw him sitting on the small sofa in the office. To her relief, Jake and Connor weren’t there. She hoped that John hadn’t disclosed Leigh’s true identity to anyone else yet.

  John looked up as she walked into the room. ‘Thanks for coming so quickly, Grace. I know you were out with Michael, but this can’t wait,’ he said as he ran a hand over his face.

  ‘Well, Michael’s not very happy that I’ve just walked out on him in the middle of dinner, but I know you wouldn’t ask me here unnecessarily. So, what is it?’

  John nodded and started talking. ‘I was meeting the lads earlier. You know they’re trying to keep their noses clean at the minute so they’ve been asking me to sort out a few bits out for them. They also asked me if I’d look into this DI who seems to have it in for them.’ He paused and looked at her. She hadn’t sanctioned any such operation, but she supposed they were all grown men, and while John worked for her, that also meant he sometimes worked for the boys.

  ‘Okay,’ Grace said, with the sinking feeling that she knew exactly where the conversation was heading.

  ‘Well, I spoke to Webster about her. I got the impression she’s not his biggest fan, and he fucking hates her. Anyway, he had no qualms in telling me where she lived.’

  ‘What the hell, John? We don’t go around stalking the bloody police!’ she snapped. ‘What if someone had seen you?’

  ‘I wasn’t stalking her, Grace. I just had a little drive past her house. I waited outside for a few minutes and saw her parking up and going inside and then I left. I was on my way to our Kelly’s and I promised to take the kids a pizza and there was a little takeaway on the end of her road. So, I stopped in. I figured she has no idea who I am so there was no problem with me going there just the once. But as I was coming out, she came in. She was looking at her phone and I had an armful of pizzas. She walked right into me. Then she looked up from her phone and sa
id sorry. And I think she recognised me—’

  ‘But you said she wouldn’t know you?’

  ‘Well, DI Leigh Moss wouldn’t. But Candy fucking Malone would. I recognised her too. And there’s something you should know about Detective Moss.’

  Grace sat down on the chair.

  ‘I already know, John,’ she said.

  He stared at her. ‘What?’

  ‘I already know that she used to go by the name of Candy, and she worked here.’

  ‘What? But how? And since when?’

  ‘Since I found out she’d been having an affair with Nathan and aborted his child.’

  John shook his head in apparent disbelief. ‘So you knew her before she even started looking into Jake and Connor?’

  ‘I’ve known she was in the police since she joined up. Our paths used to cross occasionally, but I hadn’t seen her for years. I saw her again just after Paul was killed. She helped me out.’

  ‘Fucking hell. I thought I’d stumbled on the perfect way to get the lads out of bother – but you already knew?’

  Grace nodded. ‘Yep. And I can’t use it. I’ve thought about it. But what would I say? The fact that she once screwed the father of one of her main suspects, albeit a lifetime ago, might get her thrown off the case, but it wouldn’t stop the investigation. And who could prove it? Mine and your word against that of a highly decorated DI? Besides, you know what Nathan was like better than most people, John. You know how he operated. How he treated women. He almost ruined her life, and she pulled herself up by her bootstraps and made something of herself. If she can do that then I’m sure she could brazen out a bit of a scandal. Don’t you?’