Dividing Line

by Heather Atkinson

  She slips the cheque in her purse and Ryan smiles, gratified that she has accepted his olive branch.

  “You are too good Mrs Maguire,” he says softly.

  Danny doesn't like the way Ryan is looking at Rachel. He takes her hand and leads her away, Ryan’s eyes still on her.

  “You've said your piece now piss off,” says Frank, coming up behind Ryan.

  He smiles and slowly turns to face him. “Frank Maguire, good to see you.” He holds out his hand for Frank to shake but he ignores it.

  “Wish I could say the same Ryan. Why the hell did they let your anarchic ass out so early?”

  “I've no idea but I'm here to tell you this Frank. I'll let Adam's death go, the silly sod brought it on himself. But as for Jamie and Simmy, that's a different matter.”

  “You've obviously been misinformed. Simmy started it. He sent Jamie to kill Danny, he didn't have the balls to do it himself. The retribution was ours and we took it. End of.”

  Ryan appears unimpressed. “I'm afraid Frank, this is just the beginning.”

  He walks away whistling to himself, leaving Frank to stare after him, fists clenched.

  The reception is in full swing. The country club has done them proud and the room is large and elegant with a polished wooden floor and expensive furnishings. Lilies of all colours and varieties adorn every available surface.

  The manager of the country club is finally beginning to relax. He's been on pins about this wedding for weeks. After the stories he'd heard he'd imagined the Maguires to be a bunch of yobs in tracksuits and bling who after a couple of drinks would start tearing his beautiful reception room apart. On the contrary they are polite, well dressed and well behaved. Plus it’s good for business. A lot of couples will find holding their reception in the same venue as the area's leading crime family exciting but he still worries about the Laws. Everyone knows they are in all out war with the Maguires. He just hopes they don't pick today to even up the score.

  Rachel and Danny are slow dancing together, gazing into each other's eyes, Danny still marvelling at how beautiful she is.

  “I love you Mrs Maguire.”

  “I love you too,” she replies.

  He pulls her close and as he looks over her shoulder he notices the lads are keeping watch by the windows and doors. He frowns then shrugs off his worries. They're probably just being cautious after Ryan Law turned up at the church. He pushes these thoughts to the back of his mind. Today is about him and Rachel and for once he is putting family business on the back burner. He runs his hand over Rachel's smooth hips.

  “How easy is it to get that dress off?” he whispers in her ear.

  “Well, it took three of them to pour me into it.”

  “Oh.”

  She grins saucily. “But it does lift up very easily.”

  “Why don’t we sneak up to our room for a while?”

  “Now we're married all that nonsense has to stop,” she admonishes. She says it so seriously that for a moment he believes her. She breaks into laughter. “You should see your face.”

  He laughs with relief and she takes his hand and leads him towards the door.

  “Come on, you've got to remove my garter yet.”

  They hurry out of the room, holding hands. Mikey watches them go, happy for them however Jake watches them with hate on his face and he swigs at his drink angrily. Mikey has been watching his brother closely. He’s been behaving strangely all day and now he’s drinking heavily. Mikey has noticed that he has been giving Rachel the evils all day too, in fact he's always looked at her as though he hates her. Mikey can't think why because as far as he's concerned she's great but now he's worried. He's heard about what happened to the limo driver and he suspects his brother is behind it. Jake's always been a psycho but he’s good at hiding it. When Danny and Rachel left the room together Jake looked as though he could murder them both. Mikey thinks it over carefully and decides to go to Alex. He’ll know what to do.

  In the meantime Frank has been held up at the main door by the police, who have come about the attack on the limo driver. The Manager stands by sweating slightly and wringing his hands. He hopes to God the police leave soon, having them on the premises isn't good for business. They want to question the family as to possible enemies who would want to disrupt their wedding. Frank knows the smarmy gits are only trying to upset the day and is doing his best to contain his anger.

  “If we could just speak with the new Mr and Mrs Maguire for a few minutes then we'll be on our way,” smirks Jarvis.

  The PC accompanying him, a young lad new to the game, looks terrified of Frank Maguire. Frank looks at him with his big bull's head and he almost wets his pants.

  “They've just got married for Christ's sake so you'll have to speak to me instead.”

  “Mr Maguire, a man has been critically injured.”

  “And I'm sorry for that but Danny and Rachel will only tell you the same thing I'm telling you. Pay a visit to the Montford because whoever did it sure as shit lives there. Now Superintendent Jarvis, I respect you but this is my son's wedding day and I'm not going to allow anything to ruin it. Please leave.”

  Jarvis is angry now. He’s sick of being spoken to like crap by the scum of the earth.

  “How do you know it was one of them? From what I've heard you should look closer to home.”

  At that moment Alex comes tearing up to them, red faced and angry.

  “What do you mean coming here and stirring up trouble? Do you lot respect nothing? And since when do superintendents leave their comfy offices to investigate a simple assault?”

  “Alex I've dealt with it. Now leave it,” says Frank quietly.

  Alex instantly obeys and goes silent, contenting himself with glaring at the two officers. The PC is now wide eyed with fright, the sight of an enraged Alex Maguire threatening to send him over the edge.

  “I've got all I need for now,” says Jarvis pleasantly. “Tell Danny and his new bride that I will be contacting them soon for more information.” He smiles at the puzzlement in Frank's eyes. The seed of paranoia has been planted. Now he will sit back and watch it grow.

  Back in the function room Mikey is growing increasingly worried. Danny and Rachel have returned to the dance floor looking flushed after obviously consummating their marriage. They move together slowly and are so wrapped up in one another they barely seem to notice anything else. Danny whispers in Rachel's ear and she laughs and flings her arms around his neck. Jake is sat at the bar with yet another drink in his hand and looks as though he is about to explode. Sharon also watches Jake nervously from the corner of her eye, turning pale beneath all her make-up at the rage in her eldest son’s eyes.

  Mikey approaches Alex in the corridor outside the function room, disconcerted to see he looks as mad as hell but he swallows his reservations and approaches him anyway.

  “Can I have a word?” Mikey says quietly.

  “Not now,” snaps Alex.

  “It's important. It's about Jake.”

  Mikey has his attention. Alex has noticed Jake's strange behaviour too and is curious to see what Mikey has to say about it. “Well?”

  “He's been acting weird all day. He was glad the limo driver had his head bashed in and when he found out Rachel was going to get to the church on time he was angry. Really angry. He's been giving Rachel evils all day and he's been drinking and snorting heavily. He's on the edge and right now he looks like he could kill them both.”

  Alex studies Mikey carefully. He doesn't like the little runt but Rachel does so that’s good enough for him. He nods.

  Alex returns to the function room with Mikey. He immediately spots Jake at the bar and is shocked by his appearance. He's usually so good natured and easy going but now he looks diabolical, the malevolence surrounding him palpable in its fierceness and it’s all directed at Danny and Rachel. As he watches Jake leaps to his feet, smashes the bottle he’s drinking from on the bar and rushes over to Danny and Rachel, clutching the jagged glass
tightly. Alex and Mikey run after him but they know they can't reach him before he reaches them.

  “Danny, watch out,” yells Alex.

  Reacting quickly Danny spins round and spots the danger immediately. He stands before Rachel protectively, grabs the hand Jake is holding the bottle with and punches him hard in the face. Jake's nose breaks and he drops to the floor like a stone.

  “What the hell are you doing?” bellows Danny, incredulous.

  Rachel stares at the scene, shocked. Indeed the entire room has stopped and everyone stares at Jake dragging himself up off the floor.

  “I was going to gut that bitch,” he hisses through rapidly swelling lips, indicating Rachel with a nod of the head.

  Rachel is staggered but she recovers quickly. “What have I ever done to you?”

  Jake slowly gets to his feet. “Don't speak to me you filthy whore.”

  Danny floors him again with another punch and starts kicking him hard in the ribs and back. Jake curls into a tight ball and covers his head with his hands, waiting for the onslaught to stop. No one moves to stop Danny, not even Rachel, who regards the scene coolly.

  Martina fights her way through the gawping crowd. “Danny, what the hell are you doing? Alex, stop him.”

  Alex and Mikey drag Danny off the badly injured Jake. He struggles to free himself from them, desperate to cause Jake more damage but Rachel takes his face in her hands and looks him straight in the eyes. She smiles gently and he immediately calms down. Everyone with a bit of sense makes a mental note that Rachel has influence over Danny. This information may one day come in useful. Panting and sweating with exertion Danny holds Rachel, encircling her protectively in his arms.

  Jake begins laughing hysterically as the blood pours from his nose.

  Mikey can contain himself no longer. “It was you who poisoned Gavin and his girlfriend,” he blurts out. Everyone is surprised to see anger on his face because it’s the first time he’s ever shown any emotion. “You fucking set me up you bastard.”

  Sharon fights her way through the crowd and gasps when she sees her son a bloody mess on the floor. “Oh my poor baby, what's he done to you?” She glares at Danny with accusing eyes. “What have you done to him psychopath?”

  “Jake's the psycho not Danny, isn't he Mum?” snarls Mikey. “You've always known it. That's why you blamed me for the poisonings, because you couldn't accept your perfect little boy was a fucking lunatic. You hated me so it was easy for you to have me put away.”

  Everyone gasps and stares at them, dumbfounded. Mikey glances at Rachel and she nods at him encouragingly.

  “Is this true?” demands Martina.

  “Course not,” retorts Sharon none too convincingly. “Mikey's the loony, not my Jake. He always was, right from being a baby.” She glares at Mikey and spits on the floor at his feet, the hatred in her eyes plain for all to see.

  Frank, who has been watching proceedings from the doorway, decides to make his presence known. Everyone stands aside to allow him to pass and they all look to him to show them what to do.

  “Look what your son did to my lovely boy,” weeps Sharon. Normally her tears are enough to get him on her side but he looks down at her icily.

  “We’ll discuss this in private.”

  Sharon is astonished by the coldness in his eyes and decides it wise to remain silent.

  “Alex, will you help Jake up and follow me?” Frank says softly.

  Alex nods and does as he’s bid. Sharon gets Jake's other side and the three of them stagger out of the room. Then he turns and follows, patting Mikey comfortingly on the shoulder.

  “Come on lad,” he says gently. Martina wraps an arm around him and they follow Frank out of the room as do Danny, Rachel, Terry, Gillian and Rick. As the door closes behind them the room is filled with excited chatter. This will keep everyone in gossip for months.

  The manager sags with relief against the wall. The only damage had been to a bottle, which his staff are clearing up. He can't wait for this night to end.

  Frank leads them all to his suite upstairs. Alex dumps Jake on the bed and looks down at him with distaste while Sharon clucks over him, tending to his wounds. Danny stands over him with balled fists, looking as though he wants to give him another pasting. Terry and Alex stand next to him, just in case he decides to launch himself at Jake again. Although Jake's wounds are not minor Rachel makes no move to assist and stares down at him impassively. Martina hands round some glasses filled with brandy to all of them except Sharon and Jake. Frank smiles at his wife sadly and she gives his hand a reassuring squeeze. He is so glad she’s here. As yet he has no idea how to handle this and intends to see how things pan out.

  Mikey stares down at his mother and brother angrily, all the emotion he‘s repressed over the years seething inside him.

  “Is this true Shaz?” says Frank, voice heavy with sadness. “Did you set up Mikey to protect Jake?”

  Sharon gazes down at her eldest son and strokes his bruised cheek. “I had to. I couldn't see him put away, he’s too special and what would have happened to me? I would have been left with that,” she says, pointing at Mikey. “My life would have been over.”

  The hurt on Mikey’s face is heartbreaking and he slumps on the couch with his head in his hands. Rachel sits beside him and rubs his back reassuringly.

  Martina regards Sharon with disgust. “You sick bitch. How could you do that to your own son, your own flesh and blood?”

  “Because I couldn't stand to have him around, staring at me with those blank, accusing eyes. Shit me right up he did. He’s been a disappointment from the day he was born. Jake was a gorgeous child, loving and sweet. He's the light of my life.” She sighs wistfully and gazes at him adoringly. Loathing fills her eyes when she looks at Mikey and everyone is shocked by the intensity. “That thing sat over there has always been an millstone round my neck. Fighting and getting into trouble. Couldn't even play normal like the other kids. Drove my Arthur away he did. He couldn't stand to be around him so he went off and lumbered me with him. If Jake had been put away then it would have just been me and that. I couldn't bear the thought so I planted that stuff in Mikey’s room. Stitched him right up I did.” Sharon's eyes are wild and she laughs hysterically. “I did a bloody good job too. And you know what? I'd do it again.”

  Tears well in Mikey's eyes but he blinks them back. The emotion threatens to break through his carefully constructed defences but he doesn’t want to do it here, in front of everyone. They all stare at Sharon, stunned into silence. It’s Rachel who speaks first. She gets to her feet and stands over Sharon.

  “Did it never once cross your tiny mind that you made Mikey into what he was? You thought he was cold when he was just shy and all those years of mental abuse he suffered at your hands caused him to repress his feelings. He was just an innocent boy and you made him out to be a monster.”

  She yells these last few words in Sharon's face, who flinches and clutches Jake to her tightly.

  “As a mother I find you disgusting,” spits Gill and Rick nods his head in agreement.

  “And you turned Jake into a monster too,” continues Rachel, more controlled this time. “You smothered him and treated him like a little prince. You made him think he can do whatever he likes, so he did. Unfortunately what he likes to do is hurt people.”

  “Why were you going to hurt Rachel? What has she ever done to you?” says Danny, his rage barely contained. “And on our wedding day for fuck's sake.”

  Jake looks at him and everyone is shocked to see tears in his eyes. “Because she was going to take you from me.”

  This is clearly not the answer Danny expected and he takes a step back as Jake's hand tries to grasp his own.

  “You'd had plenty of tarts before but none of them meant anything. Then she came along and suddenly you had no time for me. All you wanted to do was be with her and when I did see you all you did was talk about her. I hated her. So I was going to kill her.”

  “That’s what s
et it off last time wasn’t it, with Gavin?” says Danny quietly. “When he got serious with a girl you poisoned them both.”

  “Yes,” Jake hisses. “I would have done the same to you but I preferred a change of technique. I have more anger. I wanted to see her blood.”

  Rachel now realises how close she had come to death. Danny notices her expression and holds her to him, sending Jake into another rage. He can barely move from the beating he received but he thrashes around on the bed, teeth gnashing and eyes wild. Sharon strokes his hair soothingly and murmurs gentle words, as though rocking a baby to sleep.

  “Bloody hell this is fucked up,” breathes Terry, revolted by the scene before him.

  “What are we going to do?” Martina asks Frank.

  Frank sighs heavily and slumps into a chair. “We're going to do something we've never done before. We're going to go to the police.”

  They all turn to him, mouths open in astonishment.

  “Frank, please you can't,” begs Sharon. “They'll put him away, my beautiful boy.”

  Jake goes limp in her arms, his breathing deep and ragged. He stares at the ceiling and whimpers.

  “I'm sorry Shaz but you've brought this on yourself. You did this to these boys and now you'll pay for it.”

  She opens her mouth to protest but Mikey shoots to his feet.

  “Six years I spent in that place. Six fucking long years when I should have been going to college, dating girls, having a normal life and you took all that from me because of him.”

  It’s the first time Sharon has seen Mikey express himself and it shocks her. Her mouth opens and closes soundlessly.

  “You sacrificed me to protect that fucking lunatic,” he ends.

  Tears spill down Mikey's cheeks and he slumps back down on the couch. Rachel takes him in her arms and gently rocks him as he sobs on her shoulder, unable to hold it back any longer.

  “Frank you can't do this. I'm your sister and Jake's your nephew. You can send us away somewhere, I'll make sure he behaves. I swear I'll do anything you want but please don't separate us.”