‘Good job your mother, aunt and Vinny didn’t know about my Dorothy. Be laughing their socks off, wouldn’t they?’
Michael said nothing. Unbeknown to his father, the family did know about Dorothy. He hadn’t said anything, but the boys had spoken fondly of her, and his mum and aunt had put two and two together.
‘Pass me that bottle of brandy, Dad. I’m staying here tonight, so I might as well get pissed with you.’
Taking a breather from his own grief, Albie studied his son. Not only had Michael lost weight over the past year or so, a father’s intuition told Albie that he wasn’t happy. ‘What’s wrong, boy?’
‘What you on about?’
‘Michael, I know you better than you think, and I can tell something is wrong.’
‘Now isn’t the time or place, Dad. Have you thought about Dorothy’s funeral yet? I’ll pay for a decent send-off for her.’
‘Thank you. You have always been a wonderful son to me. The best a dad could wish for, but can we talk about the funeral tomorrow? I really can’t handle it tonight. Everything’s too raw,’ Albie said, bursting into tears.
Michael hated to see his father so upset, so decided to change the subject. ‘I met a woman, Dad, a few years back now. She could have been to me what Dorothy was to you. I only knew her for a short while, but I loved her in a way I have never loved any woman before. Her name was Bella and I just can’t get over her. I try not to think about her, but when I close my eyes I can still see her face.’
Albie took a slurp of brandy. His Michael had always had an eye for a bit of skirt, just like he had. ‘Does Nancy know about the affair?’
‘No. I ended it with Bella for the sake of my marriage.’
‘Well, you did the honourable thing, son.’
‘But why doesn’t it seem like that? I don’t love Nancy any more, Dad. I respect her because she is the mother of my boys, but I still yearn for Bella. A couple of months after I ended it, I realized I’d made a big mistake and tried to find her, but it was too late. She had moved to New York. Anyway, I’m now shagging one of the strippers at the club and drinking too much,’ Michael admitted. There was no way he was going to burden his father with the knowledge that he liked to indulge in a gram of cocaine after work. His old man would be so disappointed in him, and he had enough on his plate as it was.
Albie sighed. ‘What am I gonna do with you, eh? You are so much like me, Michael, and I have always known that. Your brothers and sister always took after your mother’s side of the family, but not you, thankfully. I remember you first getting pissed. You were only about eleven and I managed to sneak you indoors and put you to bed without your mother ever knowing.’
Michael forced a smile. ‘I remember that, Dad. I was sick in the night and you told Mum that I had a bout of gastroenteritis.’
‘And do you remember when your mother caught you having a fumble with that blonde girl that used to live opposite us? I can’t remember her name, but she was a good few years older than you,’ Albie reminded his son.
Michael chuckled. ‘Lucy Parker that was, I had my first-ever French kiss with her and I remember showing her my willy.’
Albie put a supportive arm around his son’s shoulders. ‘Listen, Michael, I’m bound to hit the booze again now my beloved Dorothy has left me. But before I die, I need to see you settled and happy. I only ever got bladdered and had affairs because I was so unhappy with your mum. I know you love her, but you remember how nasty she was to me over the years. Nancy isn’t like her, boy. That girl has a good heart and she loves you very much. Forget about Bella, she’s history and might be married to some Yank by now for all you know. Try to get your marriage back on track, and lay off that bloody booze, else you’ll end up looking like me by the time you’re forty, and you don’t want that, do you?’
With tears streaming down his face, Michael hugged the most unselfish man he had ever known. Even in his own hour of need, his dad was more concerned about him. That’s what being a father was all about. ‘I love you, Dad.’
Albie kissed Michael on the forehead. ‘And I love you too, son.’
Unaware that their daughter’s future was currently being discussed, Mary and Donald were standing by the window in eager anticipation. Christopher had never had a girlfriend in the past, and even though he had only met Olivia just over a month ago, both Mary and Donald could sense that the relationship was already very serious.
‘I feel ever so nervous, Donald, don’t you? I do hope we like Olivia and she likes us. I never thought we would see the day when our Christopher found love.’
‘Whyever not?’ Donald exclaimed.
‘Because he’s twenty-three and has never had a girlfriend before.’
‘And good for him, biding his time! Unlike our daughter, Christopher has his head screwed on, my dear. He was never going to search for his wife-to-be until he had gained promotion first. How wonderful that Olivia’s father is a detective inspector. I cannot wait to welcome her into our family.’
‘For goodness’ sake, Donald, please don’t refer to the poor girl as his wife-to-be this evening. You’ll have her running a mile!’
‘Don’t be daft, Mary. Now our son is a detective sergeant, he shall be able to marry any young lady he chooses.’
Vinny Butler was at the club and his mood was not good. In an effort to win some custom back from Denny McCann, he had organized a comedy night.
Billy Smith was a funny geezer, in the same mould as Jimmy Jones. Trouble was, the club was only a quarter full and to say Vinny was disappointed with the poor turnout was an understatement. No matter what he tried to do to boost business lately, apart from the strippers, nothing seemed to work.
Vinny stared at his décor. He had the best leather sofas, multi-coloured stage lighting and big silver disco balls that hung over the dancefloor. He only ever sold quality spirits these days, yet still that bastard McCann was pulling in the custom. Denny’s club was a shithole in comparison, with its shabby furniture and watered-down booze, so Vinny could only put his lack of punters down to last year’s unfortunate shooting. A lot of people had got caught in the crossfire that night, and if that tosser Mitchell Moran hadn’t died, Vinny would have finished the bastard off himself for the damage he’d done to the club.
‘You OK, pal? I couldn’t leave things as we left them earlier.’ Vinny was shocked to see Ahmed. They’d had strong words on the journey home from Richie’s flat, which had resulted in Ahmed reminding Vinny that he had taken the rap for Lenny’s death to save him from the shame.
Gesturing to Ahmed to follow him into the office, Vinny poured them both a good measure of Scotch.
Ahmed threw the bag of cocaine onto Vinny’s desk. It was the sample from earlier. ‘Be a shame to waste this, eh?’
Vinny held his hands up. Once upon a time, he would have snorted the whole bag to himself, but his daughter had changed all that. He adored his little girl more than life itself, and apart from testing cocaine for business purposes, no way was he ever going to take it for fun again. It didn’t seem right somehow. Not when he had an angel like Molly indoors.
‘Not for me, mate, but you go ahead. As you said, be a shame to waste it.’
Ahmed put the small plastic bag back into his pocket. ‘No, you’re right. Let’s speak sensibly.’
Vinny took a sip of his drink. ‘I liked Richie, but how well do you know him?’
‘Not that well, to be honest. But my cousin has done business with him, and there has never been a problem. Besides, the guy seemed sound enough to me. He took us to his home, and he didn’t ask for the money up front. We can’t go wrong with that kind of set-up, surely?’
Vinny shrugged. ‘It all seems above board, but there is no way I am driving anywhere with gear in my motor, Ahmed. It’s too much of a risk.’
‘I agree. When I used to do the pickups from Essex, I made sure the stuff never came near my car. My cousin’s friend Mohammed has a van with a false bottom – we’d load the drugs in there
and for two grand he’d drive it back to Burak’s place. Of course, I always followed the van, just to make sure it arrived at its destination. Mohammed’s a good guy, but that’s a lot of temptation to put in anyone’s way. We could use the same set-up, that way you and I won’t have to get our hands dirty.’
‘I can’t imagine Richie being too happy with you, me and Mohammed all turning up at his flat. He wanted to keep things low key.’
‘If he wants our business, he’ll have no choice but to do things our way. We shall speak to him tomorrow, see if we can arrange a more secluded meeting place.’
Vinny felt his stomach churn. Being a silent partner had suited him just fine, but since the crash Ahmed had been less accommodating. Any sign of reluctance from Vinny was met with a shrug and a none-too-subtle reminder that Burak would be only too happy to step in and take over the responsibility – as well as Vinny’s share of the business.
‘So, do you want in or out?’ Ahmed asked bluntly.
Vinny held out his right hand. ‘Count me in.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Little Vinny felt like death warmed up as he gingerly got dressed. Every muscle in his body ached from the long hours and hard graft his dad was forcing him to do at the club. And to top it all, he now had a stinking cold.
‘You up yet, boy?’ Little Vinny heard his father bellow.
‘Yes, Dad …’ As soon as he heard his father’s footsteps fade away, Little Vinny added the word ‘cunt’.
When he had led his dad to where he had hidden the gun and they had retrieved it without any problem, Little Vinny had thought his father would mellow towards him. He hadn’t though. Apart from going to work, Little Vinny was not allowed outside the door, and he felt like a prisoner in his own home.
He trudged dejectedly down the stairs. ‘Dad, I feel really ill. I can’t stop sneezing and I ache all over. I think I’ve got the flu, so can I have the day off, please?’
‘No, you bloody well can’t! I want you to scrub the cellar today and I expect it to be that clean, we could eat our lunch off the floor.’
‘Vinny, say hello to Molly Dolly,’ Molly ordered, toddling towards her brother with her doll in her hand.
Little Vinny picked his sister up and was immediately ordered to put her back down. ‘She doesn’t want to catch your cold, does she, you div? Take this and get yourself some breakfast in the café,’ Vinny said, handing his son a five-pound note.
‘Aren’t we going to work together?’
‘No. I’ve promised Jo I’ll take her out to lunch, so I’ll be in later this afternoon. Oh, and while I remember, your granny Maureen rang me at the club yesterday. She was asking after you and said she hasn’t spoken to you in ages. What have I told you about ringing her every couple of weeks, eh? Anyway, I said me and you will drive down to Hornchurch on Friday and take her out to lunch. That’ll give your aching bones a rest.’
Little Vinny nodded, then stomped out of the front door. His Grandma Maureen was his mum’s mum and even though he had quite liked visiting her when he was younger, she now bored him rigid. She treated him as if he were about ten, and had even bought him some stupid toy car on his last visit.
Hating his father more than ever, Little Vinny kicked a nearby dustbin in frustration. There had already been one fire at his dad’s club in the past and if the tosser didn’t lighten up towards him soon, there might just be another.
Nancy Butler was not in the best of moods. Michael had stayed out again last night, the boys had been little bastards this morning, and to top it all, Joanna had just cancelled their picnic in the park because Vinny wanted to take her out.
Having purposely avoided speaking to her mother on the phone earlier, Nancy could have screamed when she heard the key go in the front door, followed by Mary calling, ‘Cooey.’
After giving her grandsons and Lee a hug, Mary handed them a bag of penny sweets each, and ordered them to go play in the garden. ‘What’s going on, Nance? And what’s all this about Michael not coming home at night? Where is he now?’
‘Who told you he hasn’t been coming home?’
‘The boys slipped up. They aren’t babies any more, love, and can sense when something isn’t right. They even mentioned that their dad never goes to Kings these days. So what’s up? Have you and Michael been arguing?’
Nancy’s eyes welled up as she opened her heart to her mother. She admitted everything that had been upsetting her, apart from Michael turning his back on her in bed. She really didn’t feel comfortable discussing her sex life with anybody other than Joanna. ‘Be honest with me, Mum. Do you think he is having an affair?’
‘Probably. Why would he be staying out all night if he wasn’t? I’m bloody fuming with him, Nance. Always stuck up for Michael, I have. Even rowed with your father and brother over him. How dare he treat you like this? You wait until I see him. I’ll give what for, all right.’
‘Noooo. You can’t say anything, Mum. This is why I didn’t want to tell you in the first place. Promise me you won’t get involved,’ Nancy said, panic in her voice.
‘Well, best you start standing up for yourself then, Nance. I never brought you up to be treated like a door mat. Do you think I’d have put up with your father staying out all night? I’d have chopped his penis off, love. I know me and your dad have had our ups and downs over the years, but don’t you remember what I used to do when he made me really angry? I left him. Worked every time, it did. Men soon learn which side their bread is buttered when you walk out the door. You are such a pretty girl, you could still have your pick of men.’
‘Mum, no man is going to want me with two young boys as baggage, especially not when they find out who the boys’ father is.’
‘The right man wouldn’t be put off, love. I bet that Dean Smart would still walk across hot coals for you. Have you spoken to him lately? Last time me and your dad saw Freda was the day your brother got promoted.’
‘No, I haven’t spoken to him. Last time I saw Freda, she said Dean had a new girlfriend, so I stopped all contact after that. Anyway, I wouldn’t want Brenda’s leftovers, thank you very much. I can’t deny I’m pissed off with Michael at the moment, but I still love him, Mum.’
‘Well, I can’t live your life for you, Nancy, but if I were you I would give that husband of yours such a kick up the arse he won’t sit down for a week.’
Joanna Preston waved at her daughter. Molly was playing in the sandpit with two other little girls and was giggling away. Joanna smiled at the two ladies on the next table. ‘Are those your daughters playing with mine?’
‘Yes, the one in the yellow is my Sarah and Kayleigh is my friend’s daughter. Your little girl is ever so pretty. What’s her name?’
‘Molly. She loves other children and they seem to love her too.’
‘She really looks like you. Is that Molly’s dad who you are with?’ the other woman asked.
Joanna could not help but smirk. She had seen the two women staring at Vinny earlier and instead of feeling jealous, she was proud. Vinny looked really handsome today in his dark suit and black sunglasses. ‘Speak of the devil, he’s coming back from the bar now. Yes, Vinny is Molly’s dad and my other half. I’m Joanna, by the way.’
The auburn-haired woman introduced herself as Diana and her blonde pal as Lucy.
Vinny handed Joanna a menu and smiled at the women. ‘Can I get you a drink, ladies?’
‘No thanks. But thank you for asking,’ Diana replied. She and Lucy had been commenting how hot Vinny was; it hadn’t occurred to either of them that he and Joanna were a couple. The pair of them did not look at all suited to one another.
‘I’m just going to ask Molly what she wants to eat, babe. I won’t be long,’ Vinny informed Joanna.
‘Are you married?’ Joanna asked Lucy and Diana.
‘I’m divorced and Di has recently split up from her bloke. Both our men were useless fathers, weren’t they, Di?’
‘Yep! The lazy gits were best friends, always in the
pub and didn’t even get off their backsides to work. What does your Vinny do?’ Diana asked nosily. Judging by his smart clothes and expensive aftershave, the man had serious money.
Joanna felt as proud as a peacock as she explained that Vinny was a nightclub owner in Whitechapel.
‘Yous ladies talking about me?’ Vinny grinned, walking towards Joanna with Molly in his arms.
‘Yes, I was just telling Diana and Lucy about your nightclub. They asked what you did for a living.’
Molly had one hand around her father’s neck and giggled as she took his sunglasses off with the other. ‘Oi, what you doing, you cheeky little monkey? Give us them back.’
When Molly shook her head, Vinny swung her around in the air. ‘Stop it, Daddy,’ Molly chuckled.
Laughing himself, Vinny laid Molly on the grass and tickled her until she begged for mercy.
Diana and Lucy glanced at one another. The love between father and daughter was clear to see and both women were thinking the same. Why had they had the misfortune of meeting such arseholes? ‘Shall we go now, mate?’ Diana suggested.
Lucy nodded. Seeing such a happy family was making her feel depressed. Some girls had all the luck, they really did. She would give her right arm for a rich handsome man like Vinny.
Joanna said goodbye to Lucy and Diana, then took a large gulp of wine. Vinny was in an especially good mood today, so surely now was the best time to ask him?
‘You picked what you want to eat yet? Molly wants fish fingers and chips,’ Vinny said.
‘And tomato sauce, Daddy. Can I go and play with that little boy, please?’
Vinny glanced around. Even though Molly was only young, he had to check out any boys she wanted to play with. He dreaded to think what he would be like when she was older. She was his little princess and the thought of her ever dating a lad made him feel sick to the stomach. ‘Go on then, I’ll call you when your lunch is ready.’
Payback Page 16
