by Emma Tallon
46
Sammy pulled up on the side of the road, facing a small block of flats in Romford, and cut the engine.
‘And this is where he keeps coming to?’ Freddie asked.
‘Yeah. Last three days he’s gone in there, stayed a while then left. Here are the times.’ He handed Freddie a small notebook.
‘Do you know where in the building he goes?’ Freddie asked.
‘Not exactly, but I do know it’s ground floor. The lift is directly in front of the front door. He always skirts around it and disappears.’
Freddie nodded and stared at the door. ‘How do you know he’s on his way over? There’s no pattern to these times.’ Freddie’s eyes searched over the notebook again.
‘I planted a tracker app in his phone after you called me. It hasn’t been that many years since I was bottom of the pile nicking wallets. I’ve still got skills.’ He grinned, trying to make Freddie laugh. It didn’t work. Sammy took the hint and allowed the quiet to take over.
The pair sat in silence in the dark car for another ten minutes until eventually they saw Paul’s car pull up outside the front of the building. He got out and took a cursory look around. Not noticing his brother and friend in the dark car down the road, he reached into the car and pulled out a full brown-paper takeaway bag. Securing it under his arm, he locked the car and walked up to the building.
‘Well…’ Freddie took a deep breath. ‘It’s now or never. Stay here – I need to do this alone.’ Pulling his leather gloves on, he reached for the door.
‘The code for the buzzer is one-zero-two-three,’ Sammy said.
Freddie nodded, left the car and walked silently up to the building. He keyed in the door code and slipped inside. Skirting around the lift in the middle of the hallway as his brother had done, Freddie took a look around the back. It wasn’t deep, the building. A few feet down the corridor there were just two doors, one on each side. Flat one and flat two. Both doors were closed. He looked around. There was nowhere else to go, aside from a small window at the back that looked as though it hadn’t been opened in a decade. He had to be behind one of these doors.
Moving to the right, Freddie put his ear against the first door and listened. He stopped breathing and strained his ears. There was nothing. No one was in.
Moving across the hall to the left, he repeated the action. As he listened, muffled sounds began to make their way through. A bag rustled, and some footsteps sounded on a hard floor. A man began talking quietly. Freddie couldn’t make out what was being said, but the deep tone was almost definitely Paul. He exhaled heavily and drew in a calm breath before continuing. He tried the door. It was unlocked.
Pushing the door open slowly, Freddie peered into a dark, rectangular hallway. Several doors led off it. He stepped forward, careful not to make a sound. The hallway was fairly bare, just a few pairs of shoes neatly lined up to one side and a coat stand with Paul’s jacket hanging on it. A picture hung on one wall depicting a paradise of white sands and palm trees. An ornate mirror hung opposite it, at head height. Freddie listened again, trying to work out which way to go. There were two voices talking together now. One was definitely Paul, but the other man Freddie couldn’t identify. It wasn’t someone he knew.
Footsteps began to move towards Freddie from the other side of a door on his right. He braced himself and waited for whoever it was to come through. He would use the element of surprise to his advantage and hopefully find out what was happening here.
The door opened and a tall, slender man in his thirties walked through holding a full plate and a glass of red wine. As he caught sight of Freddie standing in the shadows, he screamed in shock and dropped everything he was holding. The plate and glass shattered, covering the hallway in food and broken shards. The man looked terrified and held his hands up, shaking.
‘Please, take whatever you want,’ he squeaked.
Within a heartbeat, Paul lunged into the hall like a bull. He yanked the young man out of harm’s way and brandished a large carving knife, thunder on his face. He opened his mouth to yell at whoever was there but then stopped and stepped back in shock.
‘Freddie?’ he asked, his voice angry and confused. ‘What the hell?’ He lowered his knife, and his jaw dropped as he tried to understand what his brother was doing there. ‘What are you doing here?’ Paul demanded.
Freddie hadn’t moved. He was trying to work out who the other man was, who was at this moment hiding behind Paul. Paul looked annoyed and upset. Freddie’s lips pressed into a determined line. It was time to get to the truth, once and for all.
‘Where is she, Paul?’ Freddie’s voice was low and dangerous.
‘Where’s who?’ Paul’s confused frown grew deeper.
‘Katherine. Where is she? You’ve been lying to me, disappearing, acting shady ever since she was taken. You were there that night, the night she disappeared. You even knew the blind spots on the CCTV. No one knows the blind spots, Paul. No one except us. I didn’t want to think it of you, and if I’m honest, I still can’t.’ Freddie warred with himself. This was the hardest thing he had ever done. ‘But I don’t have any other explanation for all that’s been going on, so I’ll ask you again – where is she?’
Paul barked a humourless laugh as what Freddie was saying finally dawned on him. He seemed to deflate, and he smiled sadly, shaking his head and exhaling loudly. He looked up at the brother he had followed all his life and the sadness Freddie saw there nearly killed him.
‘You really think that I would kidnap some young girl? For what? Some random boy to kill himself for me? I don’t even know William Hargreaves.’ Paul’s voice was quiet and full of pain. ‘I don’t know Ben Hargreaves. I don’t know any of them. I’m just a normal bloke, living his life. I’m your brother.’ His voice cracked, and he swallowed the lump in his throat.
Freddie hesitated. He looked down at the mess around their feet. He suddenly felt as though he’d aged ten years, and seeing his brother’s reaction, he felt like a total wanker. He should never have even entertained the idea that it was possible.
‘No,’ Freddie said soberly. ‘I don’t think that. Really. But I do think you’ve been lying to me, and I need to know why, Paul. Because right now time is against us, and we need to stick together more than ever. I don’t trust anyone anymore. Whoever it is doing this, they’re always one step ahead of us.’ He put his arms out to the side helplessly. ‘They know our every move. They even managed to get around our men, to Hargreaves’ house. They know what’s coming and are leaving us nothing.’
Paul tried to process everything, now that the shock had worn off. He was hurt that Freddie could even have considered him to be the kidnapper, but considering the logic of the evidence Freddie had displayed and the pressure he was under, he could grudgingly understand how he came to that suspicion. He had been disappearing a lot and lying to him. He had been lying to everyone for some time, in fact. But now that Freddie was here, he wouldn’t be able to keep his secrets for much longer. It was time to be honest with his brother. Whatever the consequences may be. Sighing he turned to the man standing silently behind him.
‘James, this is my brother, Freddie. It’s OK,’ he said encouragingly, ‘he isn’t going to cause trouble.’
James stepped forward and stood next to Paul, nodding politely but still looking wary.
Paul faced Freddie and braced his shoulders tensely. ‘Freddie…’ He paused, worry marring his face. ‘This is James. James is my partner.’
‘Your partner?’ Freddie asked slowly.
‘Yes. My partner. And no, not in the business sense.’ He held his head high. ‘I’m gay, Fred. Bent as a nine-bob note. Have been for a long time.’
Freddie stared at Paul in shock. That was the last thing he’d been expecting to hear from his big, burly, hard-man brother. He racked his brains, trying to think back to the last time he had seen Paul hook up with a woman. He couldn’t think of a single instance, at least not since he was a teenager. Paul chatted to women
easily enough, but he’d never had a girlfriend. Freddie thought it was just because he didn’t want the hassle. They led busy, complicated lives – it was often easier to stay single.
‘Well, bloody hell, Paul, you kept that quiet!’ he eventually exclaimed. ‘Why would you hide that from me?’
‘Are you joking? You know this isn’t good for business, Fred,’ Paul replied. ‘I’ve tried to keep this side of my life separate, so it wouldn’t affect anything. I didn’t want to be the reason things went south.’
Freddie nodded his acceptance of this. He had to agree with Paul on that front. A lot of the people they worked with were old school and narrow-minded. It could affect them. But it wouldn’t be the end of the world. And business, though important, was not his highest priority – family was. He was surprised by the news, yes. He really hadn’t had the slightest clue before now. But he felt sad that Paul had felt the need to hide it from him. He didn’t give two shits that Paul liked blokes. It changed nothing.
‘So what?’ Freddie held his arms out and shrugged. ‘Who gives a shit if a few old faces want to take their ball home. We’ll figure it out. But you shouldn’t be hiding like this.’ Freddie frowned. ‘You should have told me. I don’t care what floats your boat – you’re my brother.’
Paul felt a wave of guilt flood through him as Freddie talked. He should have known Freddie wouldn’t care. Freddie had been watching his back since the day he was born. It had been Freddie who’d beaten the bullies who jumped him when he was six. It had been Freddie who’d taught him and Michael how to grow into men, since their dad had died when they were all young. It was Freddie who’d pulled their whole family up from nothing into underground royalty. Everything he had ever done was for the safety and happiness of his family. Paul felt terrible for thinking that Freddie might have turned his back on him now.
Freddie switched his attention to the man standing silently beside Paul. ‘Nice to meet you, James,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry for arriving like this. This is not how we should have met.’ His last remark was a casual dig at Paul, but Paul accepted it gladly.
Paul was overjoyed that Freddie had not disowned him. He could have done. Their empire had taken them years to build, but they all knew how fragile it was. It could all fall around their ears in an instant. If that happened though, he knew Freddie would sit down next to him and watch it crumble. Because they were family. He should have just told Freddie years ago, even if they’d kept it between themselves.
He had met James six months before, and in the last couple of months they’d become pretty serious. He cared for him a lot and wanted to spend as much time with him as he could. It had become increasingly difficult to cover all his absences. It seemed, though, that he hadn’t been as covert as he had thought.
James smiled warmly at Freddie, accepting the sudden change of pace.
‘Well, yes. Quite. On that we can agree!’ He squeezed Paul’s arm and moved back towards the kitchen. ‘How about we all get a drink and start again, yes?’
‘Sounds great,’ Freddie replied politely. He lowered his voice as he passed Paul. ‘I am really sorry, mate. This was all a huge mistake. I hope you can forgive me.’
‘’Course,’ Paul said. ‘It’s forgotten. And I’m sorry I lied to you. I should have told you a long time ago.’
‘Yeah, well…’ Freddie said, rolling his eyes. ‘A heads-up would have been nice! Might have saved me bowling in here looking like a right twat. You hid it well – I had no idea.’ He looked through to the kitchen where James was pouring more wine. ‘As long as you’re happy, I’m happy. I don’t care who it’s with. We are who we are – it don’t change nothing. Not with me anyway.’ He pressed Paul’s arm to strengthen his point. ‘Blood’s thicker than anything, mate.’
47
Anna walked through her front door and kicked off her shoes. She was exhausted. It had been a long night, and instead of coming home when the club had closed, she had sat talking with Tanya into the early hours. She was shocked to learn about Daniel and upset for both women. What a mess. Tanya deserved someone amazing, and Daniel had seemed like he might have been that guy. But all the time he had been a lying, cheating rat. And to top it off, he happened to be Amanda’s lying, cheating rat. Both of them deserved so much better. Anna was more than happy to help bring him down and had readily agreed to being Tanya’s witness. She just hoped that her evidence was enough to help Amanda get what she deserved from the divorce.
Anna walked down the long hallway to her bedroom, her toes curling in the thick carpet. She wanted nothing more than to cosy up into her covers and fall asleep. She turned the light on and jumped as she saw Freddie sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room. She put her hand to her chest.
‘God, you scared me! Why were you sitting in the dark?’ Anna asked.
Something was wrong. Freddie had never looked so drawn and tense. He looked up, and she saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before. It looked like… defeat.
‘Anna, I need to ask you something.’ Freddie said hoarsely.
‘Sure, what is it?’ Anna hurried over and knelt down in front of him, putting her hands in his, her face full of concern.
Freddie was silent for a moment as he tried to find the right words. Anna waited.
‘There are some things going on right now that are out of my control. And there are some influential people who are threatening to take down everything we’ve got.’
‘But they can’t.’ Anna frowned, her eyes searching his face. ‘You’ve been careful. Haven’t you? Surely they don’t have anything solid on you.’
Freddie squeezed Anna’s hands. ‘I have been careful, yes. I always am. But these people don’t need real evidence. They plan to plant it. And they can. Easily.’
Anna’s quick brain worked through what Freddie was saying. ‘They’re police? But you have police of your own, in your pocket.’
‘Not at this level,’ Freddie replied, his voice flat. ‘Look, Anna, I’ve gone at this from every angle in my head and there’s no way out for me if they go down this route. Not this time. Clean pigs I can work with – I can always stay one step ahead. They have to follow rules. But dirty coppers this far up the food chain, those I can’t fight.’ Freddie stared into Anna’s eyes. ‘There’s only one option I have left to take. If it comes to it, I’ll have to leave, and I won’t be able to come back.’ Freddie paused to let that sink in. He purposely left out the threat to Anna in his explanation. He wanted to find out her true feelings before she knew that she had no choice.
Anna felt herself go cold as she realised what he was saying. ‘Right,’ she heard herself say faintly.
‘What I want to ask is, if I have to go, will you come with me?’ Freddie asked the question, hoping against hope that she would say yes. If she said no, he would have to tell her that she too was in danger and that, actually, she had no choice but to leave if the shit hit the fan. He so desperately wanted her to say yes of her own free will. That way she would never have to know how close she’d been to her own death, and also it would give him hope for their future. He hadn’t been sure lately that they had one. ‘I know it’s a lot to ask. I know it will mean leaving everything and everyone else behind, and I hate that I have to put you in this position. But I may soon have no other choice, and I need to know if that time comes whether you’re with me or if you’ll stay here. I have enough cash to set us up comfortably somewhere else; I’ve got papers for us already, new identities. We could start again. But we would never be able to return.’
Anna sank back onto the floor and looked up at the man she loved so much. He meant everything to her. But she had a life here – family, friends. It would mean leaving her whole life and everybody else that she loved, and she didn’t even know why. She knew already that he wouldn’t tell her, if she asked. This was all to do with his big secret. Could she really give up everything for love, with secrets still between them? She would be diving into all of this completely blind, at a time whe
n she had never felt less certain.
‘You’ve already had papers made?’ she asked.
‘Yes.’ Freddie picked up a thick envelope from the small table next to him.
Anna opened it. Inside were four passports and four birth certificates. She opened the passports. The first two had hers and Freddie’s pictures inside. Hannah and Ted Jones. A married couple. The second two contained Paul and Michael’s pictures. She looked at Freddie questioningly.
‘If they go for me, they’ll bring down the three of us. Even if I’m gone, I have no doubt they’ll still go after them. It’s up to them what they do, but I can at least arm them with the means to get away if they need to.’
Anna nodded. She traced her finger over the front of one of the passports. She felt torn. If things were normal between them, if there hadn’t been all the secrets and strain of late, she wouldn’t have had to think twice. But with everything that had been going on, she had begun to question how strong they really were. And now here Freddie was, asking her to gamble her whole life on him without giving her the reasons why.
Anna’s brain raced. They had been together for three years and now that she was being pushed to make a decision, Anna couldn’t imagine being without Freddie. But then she couldn’t imagine being without Tanya and her parents or the club either. But she would have to choose. Freddie was scared. This was serious. Whether or not she wanted to choose between big parts of her life was no longer in play. She had to make a decision. Anna looked around at the stylishly furnished bedroom. Every stick of furniture held memories of when they’d chosen it together. This house, their home, it had been put together with love. Without Freddie, they were just meaningless items. All the money in the world wouldn’t be able to replace him.
