A Family Divided (Dividing Line #3)

by Heather Atkinson

  Aaron had been a surprise, they’d wanted a bigger gap between the two boys but they’d still been happy when Rachel discovered she was pregnant, the result of a wild night after they’d signed the contract on their third city centre restaurant. They planned on having just one more child to complete their family.

  Today was a Sunday so there was no school, nursery or work and they were taking the children to Alex and Beth’s new house for lunch. They’d just moved into a suburb a few minutes drive from themselves. Alex had bought a huge home to accommodate their family after the birth of their daughter.

  “Any Paracetamol left?” Rachel asked, walking over to one of the cupboards and rummaging around inside. The kitchen was a vast room with an island in the centre and lots of space for the kids to run about. But then again, space wasn’t an issue in a seven bedroomed home. Rachel loved the house, it was her haven, set in its own vast grounds away from people and cars and noise. It was just her and her family and this was where she was happiest.

  “Feeling delicate are we?” said Ryan, spooning another lump of brown cereal into Aaron’s waiting mouth. The boy loved food and if allowed he would eat constantly.

  “It was the champagne Martina made me drink.”

  “Made you drink?”

  “You know what she’s like, she never gives up. I bet she’s feeling rougher than me this morning.” She picked up the local newspaper and frowned.

  “What’s up?” said Ryan.

  Rather than reply in front of the children, she held up the newspaper so he could see. There’d been another series of stabbings in a Manchester nightclub the previous evening, the third in two months. Someone was going around the clubs slashing and stabbing at people on the dance floor, not bad enough to kill them, just enough to cause pain and a lot of fear. He only attacked on a Saturday night, hence the media had christened him The Saturday Night Slasher. Last night six people had been injured before the staff realised what was going on and no one had any idea who was responsible.

  “I don’t want you going to your clubs until they’ve caught him,” said Ryan quietly, so as not to worry the children.

  “The staff are always okay, it’s the customers they’re targeting.”

  “All the same, I think it best.”

  “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine and I have to go in sometimes.”

  “Then go during the day.”

  “And leave my staff to take all the risk? That’s not how I work.”

  “I don’t care about your staff, I care about you.”

  “Well I do and stop fretting, whoever’s doing this wouldn’t have the guts to do it in a club with the Maguire name over the door.”

  “That name doesn’t make you invincible.”

  “It’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.”

  He didn’t appear convinced so she planted a kiss on his lips. “I’ll be careful, promise. Now I need a shower before we go out.”

  After loading up the children into their big black Range Rover, they drove to the park so the kids could run off some excess energy, the bright sun not helping Rachel’s hangover. As lunchtime approached Ryan drove them to Alex and Beth’s new home. Although it was a beautiful big house Rachel thought it wasn’t as nice as their own. This was a soulless new build with absolutely no character but Beth adored it.

  “Come on in,” beamed her friend when she opened the front door to them, cradling four week old Holly in her arms. Leah doted on the baby and paused to kiss her cheek and stroke her downy hair. When she saw seven year old Alfie, her best friend and closest playmate, she raced inside, followed by three year old Archie, Beth and Alex’s second child. Ethan pushed his little legs as hard as they would go to try and keep up but Aaron preferred to remain in Rachel’s arms.

  “Oh Beth, it’s beautiful,” said Rachel as they got the guided tour, wondering how the cream carpets and white furniture would fare with three children.

  “Isn’t it? I’ve never lived outside the city before but I like it. It’s so peaceful.”

  Alex emerged from the kitchen with two glasses of wine. Rachel regarded hers uncertainly, her stomach churning.

  “Go on, hair of the dog. It’ll do you good,” encouraged Beth.

  “Alright, go on then,” she said.

  “Ryan?” offered Alex.

  “No thanks, I’m driving.”

  “Get a taxi home.”

  “I won’t if you don’t mind. One of us has to be sober and Rachel’s already suffering.”

  “You’re not, are you Rach?” grinned Beth. “I remember when you could drink any man under the table.”

  “It’s since I’ve had kids, I’ve gone soft.”

  “Rachel Law soft, I don’t believe it.”

  They walked through the kitchen into the back garden, which was beautifully landscaped and most importantly, safe for the children to play in. Alfie and Leah were playing badminton, Ethan and Archie running back and forth between them, hands in the air, giggling as they tried to catch the shuttlecock. Aaron wriggled in Rachel’s arms and she put him down and let him join in.

  They found Martina sat beneath the shade of a tree wearing a pair of sunglasses and a pained expression. Rachel knew she must be suffering because normally she’d have leapt up to greet her grandchildren. Although she was related only to Leah by blood, she classed Ethan and Aaron as her grandkids too.

  “How are you feeling?” Rachel asked her.

  “Awful. I think there was something wrong with the champagne at your club Love.”

  “The only thing wrong was the amount you consumed.”

  “I couldn’t drink very much. Gary wound up wearing most of it.” Martina managed to give a small smile at the memory. “It was worth it.”

  From inside the house Rachel heard a voice heavy with a Glaswegian accent that sent a shiver down her spine. A ginger-haired figure burst into the garden in an immaculate grey suit, sporting his trademark thick black framed glasses.

  “Now this party can get fucking started,” he exclaimed, clutching a bottle of expensive wine.

  Everyone decided not to chide him for his bad language in front of the children. Frankie McVay did not take criticism well.

  “What does he want?” Ryan quietly asked Rachel. “This is a family gathering.”

  Rachel just shook her head, feeling very uneasy. Frankie was a ferocious Glaswegian gangster and had been in partnership with the Maguires for a few years now. He never came south of the border unless he really had to, he hated England, so she had no doubt this wasn’t a social call.

  “Rachel,” he beamed, making his way over to her.

  Oh shit she thought, despite her welcoming smile. She got to her feet to greet him and he planted a kiss on her cheek. Martina, who was well aware of who he was, appeared appalled to see him so close to her grandchildren. Someone with a fondness for chopping people up with hatchets was the last person you wanted around your family.

  “You look as lovely as ever Mrs Law. Shit, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that name,” he grinned. He looked to Ryan. “Alright Pal?”

  “Hello Frankie,” replied Ryan in his smooth tones. “What brings you to England?”

  “Just passing through. I’ve been on a bit of business further down south. I thought the north of England was bad but in comparison to that lot down there, Jesus Christ, full of southern poofters.”

  “Frankie, the kids,” said Ryan, afraid of no one.

  “Oh aye, sorry. So I thought I’d stop by and say hello.”

  This sounded just a bit too sociable for Frankie McVay, thought Rachel. No doubt there was a pressing matter he wanted to discuss with Alex, something which couldn’t wait and that had to be done face to face, something connected to his trip down south. Who were the main families down there? It depended where he’d been; London, Kent, Essex, it could be anywhere.

  She was distracted by Ryan’s fingers stroking her arm, his face telling her he knew exactly what she was thinking and to stop it, it was
n’t their business anymore. Rachel still found herself prone to bouts of extreme curiosity about the Maguires’ business dealings, despite her determination to stay out of it all. To their mutual surprise, Ryan was the one who went out of his way to keep her out of it, even though he’d been the most reluctant to give it all up in the first place. She gave him a reassuring smile, dismissing the thoughts from her mind, grasped his hand and settled back in her chair. Frankie McVay was Alex’s problem, not hers. She didn’t need to worry about his presence here.

  Frankie could be very charming when he wanted to be and he soon had Martina eating out of the palm of his hand. As the wine flowed she even started to flirt with him.

  After enjoying the grand buffet Beth had put on, Frankie gave Alex a solemn nod and the two of them, along with Mikey, disappeared inside, Rachel watching them go.

  “It’s none of our business anymore,” Ryan whispered in his wife’s ear before planting a kiss on her neck.

  His tender caresses soon put all thoughts of the Maguires’ business out of her head and she kissed her husband.

  The three men returned twenty minutes later, Alex and Frankie looking cheerful but Mikey a little pissed off.

  “He looks very unimpressed,” said Rachel.

  “I don’t care,” replied Ryan.

  “I know, nothing to do with us but Mikey’s like my little brother. I don’t like seeing him upset.”

  He raised her hand to his lips to kiss it. “You don’t need to look out for him anymore.” Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “He’s changed, becoming more grown-up, careworn.”

  Rachel had to agree. That cheeky boyishness was deserting him, he even looked older, face harder, eyes steely. He was a man to respect and fear and right then he looked extremely displeased, standing outside the patio doors with his arms folded across his big chest, staring straight at Alex and Frankie talking together.

  “Don’t,” said Ryan quietly.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Ask him what’s wrong. I know you’re itching to.”

  “Not at all.”

  “That innocent look doesn’t fool me Rachel Law.”

  She gave him a grin before taking a sip of wine. A loud snort cut through the air and they turned to see Martina fast asleep in her deckchair, mouth hanging open and snoring like a train, causing all the children to burst out laughing.

  Mikey waited until Frankie had left, everyone breathing a sigh of relief, before cornering Alex in the kitchen. “What the hell are you playing at?”

  “What do you mean?” frowned Alex, helping himself to a beer from the fridge.

  “Backing Frankie up with the Slatterys down south. What the fuck is that to do with us?”

  “Because if we get them on board we’ll be able to distribute much more effectively through the country. Frankie in Scotland, us in the north and the Slatterys in the south.”

  “The Slatterys are a bunch of sodding animals and their rivals, the Jordans, aren’t any better. The Jordans will do all they can to sabotage this.”

  “The Jordans are coming to heel, Frankie’s already seen to that. Tony Jordan and his son Andy have agreed to help.”

  “The Jordans and the Slatterys have been tearing each other apart for years. It’ll never work.”

  “It worked for us. Who’d have thought Ryan Law would ever come to my house for a party?”

  “If it wasn’t for Rachel how do you think that would have played out? It’s only because of her that he didn’t kick off at us when he came out of prison.”

  “He’d have been topped in prison if it hadn’t been for Rachel.” Alex scowled through the window when he saw the pair of them kissing. They couldn’t leave each other alone, even when they were in company. “I think she had feelings for him even then, when she was supposed to be with Danny.”

  Mikey noted the dangerous glint in his eye. “Don’t go there Alex, you know she was mad about Danny and it was her idea to set Ryan up in the first place and that got him put away.”

  “Getting nicked saved his life and Danny only agreed to let him live because it was what she wanted. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were shagging while my brother was still alive.”

  Mikey was gobsmacked. “Of course they weren’t, don’t you know Rachel at all? After everything Danny did to her she still took him back when most women would have kicked him into touch because she loved him. If Danny hadn’t died they’d still be together now.”

  “Only because he made her his second-in-command.”

  “You were Danny’s second only you didn’t want it at the time so she was left with no choice. Anyway, she couldn’t have wanted the power that much because she gave it up after Danny died when she could have been head of the family, you even offered her the position.” Alex’s reasoning was starting to scare Mikey, it was paranoid and illogical.

  Although he hadn’t told a soul, Alex’s malice for Rachel had been steadily growing ever since Gary - the barman who his mum had covered in champagne - had inadvertently let something slip a couple of months ago when he was drunk. Apparently one night after work years back, when Rachel had been married to Danny, Gary left the bar after his shift then went back to pick up his mobile phone and saw Ryan and Rachel together in one of the booths. Apparently the dirty slag had allowed Ryan to put his fingers inside her and she was writhing and moaning under him with everything on display. Gary hadn’t told him out of malice, he’d been pissed out of his head and had thought it was actually a good thing, said since then he’d always known they’d become a couple. Apparently Gary couldn’t remember he’d told him because he’d not mentioned it since and Alex was sure if he knew he would have been mortified. Now Alex had lost all love and respect for Rachel. The past tormented him as he wondered if they’d been at it all the time she’d been married to his brother. Seeing how close her and Ryan had become so quickly, he’d already decided that they had been. If it hadn’t been one hundred percent certain that Benton had killed Danny, he’d have suspected the pair of them of conspiring in his murder. He even wondered if Beth and Mikey had known about their affair because they were both so close to Rachel. These thoughts had steadily turned him toxic, the trust in everyone around him diminishing. He watched Ryan and Rachel curled up together on a sun-lounger, Rachel leaning back against his chest, her fingers threaded through his, looking wondrously content.

  “They’re happy Alex. Don’t spoil it for them,” said Mikey, intruding on his thoughts.

  “Yeah, well, things can change.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Nothing. This deal with the Slatterys is going ahead, so get used to it.”

  “I thought we were supposed to talk things through before making a decision.”

  “Jesus you sound like my missus. We’ve already discussed it.”

  “No, you discussed it with Frankie, not me.”

  “It’s done, so leave it.”

  “This is going to bring us a shitload of trouble.”

  “No, it’s going to bring us a shitload of money.”

  “The Jordans already hate Frankie because he fucked them over in business a few years back. Tony might have agreed but the rest of the family won’t.”

  Alex was getting irritated with the conversation. “What the fuck do you think they’re going to do against the Slatterys and Frankie? Sod all.”

  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  “Forget about your feelings Psychic Sally, this is business and making money comes first.”

  “That’s all you care about these days.”

  Alex’s jaw set. “What the fuck is that meant to mean?”

  “You used to have a conscience Alex, you thought through how your actions would affect others but not anymore. All you care about is the filthy lucre, regardless of who you have to steamroll over in the process. That’s how you almost got Beth killed.” That was the real reason Alex had bought this house, to get his wife out of the city centre after a rival gang threatened to kill her
.

  Alex slammed down the bottle, causing it to froth and spill onto the counter. “Keep your mouth shut about that. She knows fuck all about it and if she does find out I know who to come to.”

  “Just you keep that in mind when you press ahead with this new deal with Frankie.”

  “Have you told anyone about Dragovic?”

  “No, course not.”

  “Not even Rachel?”

  “No way, she’s out of the business. I wouldn’t do that to her.”

  “You’d better not because if anyone finds out then I’ll plant you six feet under.”

  Mikey squared up to him. “I’d like to see you try.”

  Alex thrust his face into his. “You threatening me little boy?”

  “I’m not a little boy anymore. You might do well to remember that.”

  “I suppose you think you should be running this family instead?”

  “At least I’d put the family first and leave Ryan and Rachel alone. He makes her happier than Danny ever did.”

  With that Mikey turned on his heel and walked back into the garden, leaving Alex fuming. But it was Rachel his eyes were fixed on, the anger inside him seething against her as he watched her cavorting with Ryan.

  He was regretting the alliance with the Laws too, he always thought they should just have killed Ryan and Jez and taken what they had. He’d perceived it as a weakness on Danny’s part when he’d not only helped get Ryan out of prison but then handed him everything back. The city had been theirs for the taking but Danny had let go of that chance because of that bitch who had wanted to save her secret lover from a life sentence. If it wasn’t for her then Superintendent Benton wouldn’t have killed his brother because he was so obsessed with her, Danny would still be alive and they’d own Manchester. But his brother was gone forever and he was forced to share the heroin and prostitution - the most lucrative businesses - with the fucking Laws, their arch enemies. Not anymore. The Laws’ time was coming, Rachel’s included. As she was so fond of reminding him, she wasn’t a Maguire anymore.