“She doesn’t speak any English,” he replied, face taut. “Alright, I admit I thought there was something a bit weird about the place. I’ve heard the girls crying and screaming, the men shouting at them but I told myself it was just a game, that they were role-playing.”
“Don’t give me that shit. You were as thick as thieves with Alex, you know exactly what goes on in there and you don’t give a shit. I wonder what the newspapers would do if they found out what you get up to?”
“Please don’t do that,” said Strang, starting to panic. “I’ll give you whatever you want. Name your price.”
“We don’t want or need your fucking money. We want to hear everything you know about that club.”
Strang sighed resignedly and sank back in his seat. “If I tell you will you go away?”
“Yes,” said Mikey, retaking his seat and waiting for him to begin.
Without Mikey Maguire looming over him Strang could breathe a little easier.
“Everything takes place below stairs. There’s a hidden door in one of the wooden panels in the wall of the upstairs club. Below is a series of rooms where the girls are. You pay for how long you want and you can choose the girl and the fantasy.”
“Is there only the one entrance to these rooms?” said Mikey.
“No. There’s a rear door leading into an alley but I’ve never used it. We always go through the front.”
They nodded for him to continue, his information tallying with what they already knew.
“Who meets you at the front door?” said Jez.
“Katia. She’s the most beautiful woman in there, tall and blond. But no one’s allowed to touch her, no matter how much you offer.”
“Tried have you?” said Mikey.
“Actually I did get some alone time with her once. She used to be one of the girls but when she became manager she stopped sleeping with the customers.”
Mikey thought that sounded just like Alex. No one was allowed to touch his stuff.
“Katia runs the place,” continued Strang. “She has her own office downstairs. She greets you at the door, takes you downstairs to the girls and disciplines them if they get out of line. She can be pretty ruthless too.”
“You mean she’s the Madam?” said Jez.
Strang nodded. “When you’re finished she escorts you back out again.”
“So you’re not allowed to wander around the building on your own?”
“That’s right.”
“Who are the clientele?”
“All wealthy and connected people, women as well as men. It’s a very exclusive club.”
“Do the girls stay on the premises?”
“From what I can gather, yes. They don’t speak English, except for the few dirty words they’re taught.”
“Any security?”
“Yes, a couple of gorillas downstairs but they’re there to keep the girls in line rather than the guests.”
“Any cameras? Alarms?” said Mikey.
“Not that I’ve noticed.”
“How long has it been operating?”
“About eighteen months. I’m sorry that’s all I know.”
“Thank you for being so candid Mr Strang,” said Mikey with a predatory smile. He picked up a yellow post-it note and a pen off Strang’s desk and scribbled down a phone number. “I want you to continue going to the club. If you see anything of interest I want you to let me know immediately. Just so you know, it’s an untraceable number.”
“Anything of interest? Like what?”
“I’m sure you’ll know it when you see it, an intelligent man like you,” he said sarcastically. He grabbed Strang’s hand and squeezed it hard, feeling the bones grate against each other. “You’d be wise to keep our little chat to yourself.”
“I’m hardly likely to tell Alex am I? I dread to think what would happen to me if he found out. Can you please let go of my hand now?” he winced. Mikey released him and he exhaled shakily, cradling his tender hand. He was relieved when they both got to their feet but miserable at being conscripted by them.
“Don’t look so upset Mr Strang, it’s only a temporary arrangement,” smiled Jez. “I doubt the club will be in operation for much longer.”
Strang wondered what on earth was going on. He thought these two were close associates of Alex Maguire’s but he was too smart to ask.
Jez and Mikey took the lift back down to the ground floor, both so furious they failed to notice the receptionist trying to catch their eyes.
“I can’t believe that bastard Alex,” Jez exploded the moment they were back in his car. “How could he get himself involved in such an operation? If the coppers find out we’ll all go down, there’s no way they’ll believe we didn’t know about it. He might even have set it up so the blame falls on us if the place gets raided. I might be a pimp but I don’t force anyone to do anything. I don’t steal women from their homes and get them hooked on drugs.”
“I’ve just had a horrible thought,” said Mikey.
“What?”
“You remember that big heroin deal you made about eighteen months ago that - according to Strang - was when the club opened?”
“Yeah?” Jez’s face fell. “Oh no fucking way, don’t tell me I’ve been supplying the drugs to keep those girls slaves.”
“He’s getting it from somewhere and you’d know if anyone else was making big heroin deals like that in the city.”
“Oh fucking hell, I don’t believe this,” seethed Jez. “What do I do? I can’t cut off his supply without tipping him off that we’re onto him.”
“Keep the supply going for now. I guess that explains why Alex took out that Serbian gang who were known to be into trafficking. He was wiping out the competition and I helped him do it because I thought it was about the coke.”
“It’s big business and Alex doesn’t like to share.”
“I always thought Alex was a bit of a lunatic but smart. Now I know I’m wrong, he’s an idiot and he’s going to drag us down with him. I bet Col Sugar’s in on it too, they’re always whispering in corners,” he said bitterly, hating how his own cousin had used him.
“We need to bring our plans forward before this gets out of hand. You still up for it?” said Jez, concerned that Mikey would lose his nerve.
“Yeah, no worries.”
“How shall we do it?”
“Hard and fast, we can’t give him time to react. We hit him at the compound.” The Maguire compound was a massive warehouse and base of their operations that was hard to get in and even harder to get out.
“We do it there and we’ll never get out.”
“We wait until he comes through the gate. He thinks he’s invincible in that place. It’s the last thing he’ll expect,” said Mikey.
“I think it best if we keep this between the two of us. I don’t trust anyone else.”
“Me neither.”
“Sure you don’t want me to pull the trigger? He is your cousin after all.”
“No, it has to be me.” Mikey didn’t want to leave that part to Jez because it might make him think he had the right to take over the family. The thought of killing Alex caused sweat to trickle down his spine but this was a matter of survival.
“When?”
“The sooner the better. We leave it any longer and he’ll take us out first.”
“Let’s give ourselves a deadline to work to.”
Mikey stared out of the window thoughtfully. “He always goes to the compound on a Wednesday afternoon, he’s usually out of there by two, three o’clock at the latest. The minute he’s out the gate we hit him, but it’ll have to be done with military precision, Col’s always with him and we’ll have to be gone before he has time to retaliate. So we’ve got six days.”
“In that case, I think I have an idea,” smiled Jez.
CHAPTER 11
“So the prodigal brother finally returned, did he?” said Gill.
Rachel had taken her parents out for lunch at their new seafood r
estaurant. Business was good and the place was packed with locals and tourists alike.
“What’s he like?” said Rick, popping a prawn into his mouth.
“He’s lovely. He’s in the army, but he’s on leave at the moment and he looks just like Ryan, the resemblance is eerie.”
“Ooh, it must be a thrill for you having two of them in the house,” Gill smiled.
Rick appeared horrified. “Gillian.”
“I’m only joking.”
He moved her wine glass out of reach. “No more of that for you. You never could drink during the day.” He looked to Rachel and nodded in his wife’s direction. “She’ll be asleep the moment we get home.”
“I’m just pleased for Ryan, it must be good for him to find another brother after three of his died,” said Gill.
“He was a bit resistant at first but I think they’re starting to get along. They’re spending the day together,” said Rachel.
“Doing what?”
“They’re hiring bikes and going on a tour of the area.”
“Oh good, cycling is such a healthy pursuit.”
Rachel thought it best not to correct her mum. “We’ve got more visitors coming in a couple of weeks. Dee and Vince.”
“It’ll be so nice having them here, I’ve always liked Dolores,” said Gill.
“I know, I’ve missed her like crazy, but we don’t know that they are moving here permanently yet. This visit is just for them to look at the area. If they agree to it I thought Dee could manage this place, we haven’t got anyone in place yet.”
“She’ll be good, that woman can do anything she sets her mind to,” said Rick.
They were interrupted by a loud rumble and Rachel saw two big flash motorbikes pull up outside. They were making so much noise everyone looked up from their food.
“What is that?” said Gill disapprovingly.
“Looks like you’re about to meet Riley,” smiled Rachel.
A group of women on their lunch break let out excited gasps and began pointing eagerly at the window as Ryan and Riley, unaware they were being observed by an entire restaurant, clambered off their bikes and removed their helmets.
“They could be twins,” said Gill.
“I know,” grinned Rachel, enjoying the commotion the brothers’ arrival was making. The table of women almost overloaded when they walked in dressed in black leather and wearing big smiles. This was followed by disappointed murmurs when Ryan dipped his head to kiss Rachel. However this only ensured all their attention was focused on Riley.
“Riley, these are my parents-in-law, Gill and Rick,” introduced Ryan.
“Good to meet you,” he said.
Gill got to her feet and took his hand, flustered by the wine and his good looks. “Good to meet you too. Rachel’s been telling me all about you,” she said as a couple of waiters brought up extra chairs and they took their seats, Ryan sitting beside Rachel and taking her hand. While her parents talked with Riley she couldn’t resist leaning into her husband to whisper, “you look so sexy.”
Ryan’s grey eyes narrowed, drilling into her. “I didn’t know you had a thing for black leather.”
“I do when it’s on you.”
He moved closer, his thumb grazing the top of her hand causing her to tingle all over. “I’d love to see you in leather with just stockings and black panties underneath.”
“Stop it, you’re really turning me on,” she whispered.
“Are you getting wet?”
“Sinfully.”
“Don’t get me too excited, these trousers are tight,” he whispered.
She glanced down and smiled. “So I see. Have a napkin,” she said, draping it over his lap.
“I didn’t know you liked motorbikes Ryan,” said Gill, interrupting them.
“I haven’t ridden one in years, I’d forgotten how much fun they are.”
“So you’ve had fun?” Rachel asked them both. She was pleased when they grinned at each other.
“Yes and it’s not over yet,” replied Riley. “We decided to stop for some lunch then we’re off again.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourselves,” she told Ryan meaningfully, who winked and squeezed her hand.
Riley was a lot more relaxed and was perfectly at ease in their company, chatting amiably with Rick and Gill, who were both charmed by him. When they declared it was time for them to get back on the road Rachel was disappointed, she was enjoying herself.
“This time you’re coming with us,” Ryan told her.
“Me? I’ve never been on a motorbike before,” she protested.
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“But I don’t have the equipment.”
“One moment.”
Ryan and Riley disappeared out the door, every female eye in the room on their leather clad backsides, including - to Rachel’s horror - her mum’s. She watched through the window as they retrieved something from beneath the webbing strapped to the backs of their bikes then returned, Riley clutching a box and Ryan a bag.
“You can change in the toilets,” said Ryan before the objects were thrust her.
“What’s this?”
“Leathers and a lid.”
“A lid for what?”
The brothers smirked at each other. “A lid is a helmet,” said Ryan sarcastically.
“Well excuse me,” she replied equally sarcastically.
“Come on, chop chop,” he said, patting her backside and steering her in the direction of the toilets.
“You’d better not drive silly with my daughter on the back,” said Rick as she disappeared into the toilets.
“You know I’d never do anything to put her at risk,” Ryan replied.
“Yes I do but be careful all the same.”
“I will.”
Ryan felt like falling on his knees before his wife when she emerged from the toilets looking incredible in tight black leather, the lid tucked under one arm, dark hair long and loose.
“Well, what do you think?” she said.
“That I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
He was distracted by the table of four women chiming “aw” in unison. When Ryan looked at them with a raised eyebrow they grinned back at him.
“We’ll pick up the kids, they can come to ours for tea. Take all the time you want,” smiled Gill.
“Thanks Mum,” Rachel replied.
As they walked out the door the eye of every man in the room was on Rachel’s backside, causing her dad to glare at them all.
The restaurant staff had big smiles on their faces as they watched their eccentric new bosses leave, knowing things would never be dull with them in charge.
Ryan showed Rachel how to pull on the helmet then deftly leapt onto his bike.
“Do you want me to give you a hand?” Riley said to her. “It can be a bit tricky getting on the first time…”
Deftly she swung one leg over the bike and landed on it elegantly, giving him a smug smile.
“Alright, no help needed,” he said, climbing onto his own bike.
Rachel’s heart pounded as the machine burst into life, the roar of the engine and vibration beneath her tremendously exciting. She didn’t know what to expect having never been near a motorbike before but she was more than ready for the adventure.
She wrapped her arms around Ryan’s waist and hung on tight as he pulled out into the road, Riley following. She jumped when his voice burst into life in her ear.
“The lid’s equipped with a radio so we can talk.”
“Bloody hell I wish you’d warned me, you scared the crap out of me. Riley is that you?” she said when she heard laughter.
“Yeah it is. I saw you jump. It was really funny.”
“You’re a pair of bastards,” she said good-naturedly, making them both laugh.
They headed in the direction of Berry Head Bay, following the coast road round to St Mary’s Bay, the sparkling blue ocean stretched out below.
As the jou
rney progressed Rachel found herself relaxing, loving the different sounds of the engine, the low rumble and purr as it cruised along at thirty through the residential areas then the click as the gear changed up followed by the roar as Ryan opened up the engine and the machine shot forward. She still clung onto him tightly but only because she enjoyed it, she felt completely safe with him in charge. When they came to another residential area he slowed the bike and sat up to stretch out his back, cruising along with one hand on the handlebars, the other finding her own hand on his waist. When they left the houses and traffic behind he hunkered back down, Rachel following suit, and opened the engine back up again until all she knew was the power and snarl of the bike, the sound of the wind rushing past and Ryan’s warm body before her.
“How do you like it?” his disembodied voice echoed in her helmet.
“Bloody brilliant,” she enthused.
“That’s my girl,” he said, patting her hand.
Although she enjoyed the bike, it was a relief when they stopped and she could stretch out her back and legs. She was also very hot and beginning to regret wearing nothing but her stockings and underwear beneath the leather, just like Ryan had fantasised about. They’d stopped at a quiet little picnic area by the sea and bought drinks from the kiosk that was made up to resemble a log cabin. The three of them took a seat at a table and gazed out over the ocean, basking in the peace. They had the place to themselves.
“You look hot. Why don’t you take your jacket off?” said Ryan. The two men had removed theirs to reveal tight black vests underneath, which wasn’t helping her cool down any.
“I’m fine.”
“You look hot.”
“I’m fine, honestly,” she said, slapping his hand away when he tried to unzip the front of her jacket.
Ryan’s eyes penetrated her and she tried to repress a smile.
“Riley, we’ll be back in a minute,” he said, getting to his feet, taking Rachel’s hand and leading her away.
“Where are we going?” she said, hurrying to keep up.
He pulled her into a copse of trees, sheltering them from the road and the picnic area.
“Let me see,” he said, slowly pulling down the zip of her jacket to reveal her black bra. “You actually did it,” he smiled, running his fingertips over the tops of her breasts. “But I meant when we were at home alone, not now. You must be very uncomfortable.”
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