The worst part of being held prisoner was that Little Vinny had been unable to contact Shazza. He had been inebriated and stoned when he had written down her contact details and had taken down her phone number wrong. It was a digit short, and smudged because he had written it with Shazza’s lipstick. He could still read the address clearly though and as soon as he got a chance to escape, he was determined to visit her.
Little Vinny had never been a boy to masturbate much in the past, but since he had met Shazza, he had become accustomed to relieving himself on a daily basis. About to do so again, he quickly moved his hand away from his private parts as his dad barged into his bedroom.
‘Ain’t you fucking dressed yet?’
‘I’m getting dressed now.’
‘Well, pack some clobber in a sports bag as well,’ Vinny ordered.
‘Why? Where you sending me?’ Little Vinny asked alarmed.
‘A children’s home.’
‘What?’
Vinny chuckled at the look of horror on his son’s face. ‘We’re going to Kings for the weekend.’
‘I don’t wanna go to Kings, Dad. Can’t I stay here? I’ll be really good and I’ll work at the club all weekend, I promise.’
‘Your promises aren’t worth a wank, boy. Just pack your bags and do as you’re told for once.’
Desperate for some breathing space away from his father and to see Shazza again, Little Vinny argued his point. ‘Why have I got to go to Kings? I don’t like it there no more and I ain’t got no mates now in Eastbourne.’
Vinny glared at his son. ‘I could not give a shit what you like and what you don’t. You can’t be trusted to stay here. As for you having no mates in Eastbourne, you ain’t got none in London apart from that doughnut Ben Bloggs. You’re coming to Kings with me and that’s final, understand?’
About to fly into a rage, Little Vinny had a better idea. He’d had enough of existing rather than living, so forced a smile. ‘I understand. I’ll pack my stuff now, Dad.’
When his father shut the bedroom door, Little Vinny stuck his middle right-hand finger up. ‘Fucking prick! Swivel on that you cunt if you think I am coming to Eastbourne with you.’
Little Vinny grinned as he packed his bag. If running away from home was the only way he was going to see Shazza again, then run away he would.
Nancy was giving the bungalow a thorough tidy-up in preparation for Michael and his father’s arrival when Joanna poked her head around the door. ‘I need some advice. Have you got five minutes?’
Turning off the vacuum cleaner, Nancy checked on the boys who were outside playing football, then made a brew. ‘So, what’s up? You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders.’
‘Nance, if I tell you something, you promise you won’t tell anybody?’
‘Of course not. You know me better than that.’
‘You know I told you I was bored with being blonde which is why I had my hair dyed?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Well, I lied. Vinny drove me to the hairdressers and forced me to have it done. I wanted to tell you, but I felt so stupid that I allowed him to dictate to me like that. I used to be such a strong-willed person, Nance, and I don’t like what I’ve turned into.’
When her pal began to cry, Nancy held her in her arms. She hated Vinny, but never slagged him off to Joanna. However, she was appalled by Vinny bullying Jo into changing the colour of her hair. ‘You need to start sticking up for yourself, Jo, because if you don’t, Vinny will lose all respect for you. I know me and Michael have had our ups and downs, but no way would I ever allow him to choose what colour my hair would be. That’s really taking the piss.’
‘He made me change it because of that Billy. He said being blonde made me look like a slag and that’s why I was attracting dickheads.’
Nancy was disgusted. ‘Bloody cheek! I’m blonde, so does that make me a slag too? Tell him you don’t like it and you’re changing it back.’
‘It’s not just my hair, it’s other stuff too. I spoke to my mum yesterday for the first time in ages. My dad got granted parole and is due to be released any day now. Vinny’s forbidden me to have any contact with him whatsoever, but I’m desperate to see him, Nance. How can I not see my own dad? I love him.’
‘Jo, you cannot go on like this. You must put your foot down and do what you want to do. Even though my dad has always refused to have anything to do with the Butlers, Michael has never stopped me or the boys from seeing him. I wouldn’t put up with it if I were you. You should do what I always do when the going gets tough. Threaten to leave, then carry the threat out if you have to. It works every time. My mum gave me that sound advice. She left my dad a couple of times over the years and he soon begged her to go back. Michael hated it when I left him after I came out of hospital that time. Being alone gives men the kick up the arse they need to realize just how lucky they are to have us.’
‘But I don’t think Vinny loves or wants me. We haven’t slept together for Christ knows how long and that makes me feel horrid inside and unattractive. I’m so unhappy, Nance, I really am. Even though I still love Vin, I don’t like him much any more. I would leave him if it wasn’t for Molly, but I know he would never let me take her with me,’ Joanna admitted.
‘Jo, you’re her mother! Vinny would not have a leg to stand on if you left him. If he tried to get custody of Molly, he would be laughed out of court.’
‘But you don’t know what he’s like, Nance. I bet he would snatch Molly and disappear abroad with her or something if I left him. He’s not like your Michael. He always has to get his own way.’
Knowing exactly what Vinny Butler was like, Nancy decided there was no more she could do or say to help her pal, so she changed the subject. ‘Look, today’s my mum’s last day at Kings and I’ve promised to take her and the boys to the pier. Dry them eyes, and you and Molly come with us. A change of scenery will do you good.’
Vinny Butler was sitting in the armchair when the phone rang. ‘Hello.’
‘It’s me. I thought you’d be interested to know that your old pal said his goodbyes earlier. Probably as free as a bird as we speak.’
Thanking Scottish Pat for the information, Vinny ended the call and poured a large Scotch to calm himself down. Knowing Johnny Preston was up for parole was bad enough, but the news that the bastard was now breathing the same air as him on the outside was another.
To mellow himself out a bit, Vinny put on a Roxy Music album. Bryan Ferry’s voice always soothed him, and as he sang along to ‘Dance Away’ he stared at the photo of himself, Roy and his mother that occupied pride of place on his lounge wall. It had been taken outside the club on their opening night. He had been nineteen at the time, Roy seventeen and their mother had been so thrilled by what they had achieved.
While Preston had been inside, Vinny had satisfied his lust for revenge by making Joanna fall in love with him, then getting her pregnant. He’d got off on imagining how it must have tortured Preston to be locked up in his cell, knowing that his worst enemy had his big hard cock shoved up his baby girl.
However, now the bastard was free, things were very different. Queenie wasn’t the only one who expected Vinny to even up the score for what had happened. The entire London underworld would be waiting for him to get even.
Vinny picked up the phone and rang the bungalow at Kings. ‘Is Jo there, Mum?’
‘No, love. She dashed in earlier, grabbed Molly and said she was going out for the day.’
‘When? What time?’
‘I can’t remember exactly, about an hour ago. Why? What’s the matter?’
‘Johnny Preston’s been released from prison. She better not be fucking meeting up with him, Mum, because if she is, I won’t just kill him, I’ll kill her too.’
Hearing his father ranting and raving in the lounge, Little Vinny grinned. Seconds later, with a few of his belongings in a sports bag, he successfully crept out of the house without getting caught.
Johnny Preston took a
deep breath of fresh air and sighed blissfully as the sun shone down on him. When he had first got banged up, he had never believed he had the strength to get through such a long sentence. It had been tough at first, really tough, but the worst part had come afterwards.
Finding out that Vinny Butler was involved with his beautiful daughter had been like somebody sticking a knife through his heart. The thought of Butler kissing or touching Joanna had made him want to top himself. And he very nearly had, but as luck would have it the heroin overdose had turned out to be the wake-up call he’d needed. With Deborah’s strength and support, he had finally seen a light at the end of the tunnel.
‘Johnny,’ Deborah shrieked as she ran towards her man and hugged him.
Johnny held her close, savouring the moment. He had been a bastard to her in his younger days, forever having affairs and one-night stands, but she had been his rock during the dark days in prison, and he planned to treat her with nothing but total respect for the rest of her life. Even her weight did not bother him any more. So what if she was a size sixteen? Deborah had a beautiful face and a heart to match.
‘You spoken to Jo?’ he asked hopefully.
‘Yes, the other day. She sounded a bit down, if I’m honest.’
‘Did you tell her I’d been granted parole?’
‘Yeah, I told her and she seemed dead chuffed. I suggested we all have lunch, but she mumbled something about having to see to Molly and got off the phone. She loves you, Johnny, I know she does, but she’s obviously too afraid to meet up with you in case that bastard finds out.’
Johnny could not hide his disappointment. ‘No way is Vinny stopping me from seeing my own daughter, Deb. He has no right.’
Deborah sighed anxiously. They’d made it one of Johnny’s parole conditions that he had to live in Tiptree for the time being, which had scuppered his dream of moving to London. He was also banned from having any contact whatsoever with the Butler family. ‘Please don’t do anything rash, Johnny. Joanna will see you, I know she will, but she just needs time to get her head around it all. Now, let’s not talk about this subject any more today. I’m so happy that you’ll be sleeping next to me tonight, I don’t want anything to spoil our reunion.’
Johnny kissed Deborah, then smiled. ‘I’ll tell you what, let’s head home and stop on the way for a nice slap-up bit of grub. Then later, I shall ravish you like you’ve never been ravished before.’
Vinny Butler was absolutely livid as he pummelled his fist against Ben Bloggs’ front door. Little Vinny had left a note on his bed:
Dad,
Can’t be held prisoner no more. Need to see my girlfriend.
Will ring you when you get back from Kings. But not coming home if I ain’t allowed out again.
Vinny
Hearing Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ blaring out, Vinny pounded on the lounge window instead. It was opened seconds later by a dirty, bedraggled-looking little girl. ‘Is your mother in?’ Vinny asked.
‘Mum,’ the child yelled.
Vinny felt physically sick as Alison Bloggs staggered towards the door in a filthy dressing gown with a joint in her hand. No wonder his son had gone off the rails, mixing with a child of hers. ‘I’m looking for my son. Is Ben about?’ Vinny did not believe for one second that his son had a girlfriend, so had guessed he would be with Ben.
If there was ever a moment Alison wished she’d had a bath and put on her mini-skirt and make-up, then this was it. Vinny Butler was gorgeous, her dream man, and she would have been only too happy to fuck him and suck his cock for nothing.
‘Ben’s upstairs, but Little Vinny ain’t ’ere. Do you want a drink? I’ve got some cider.’
‘Don’t be lying to me,’ Vinny hissed, pushing past Alison and running up the stairs.
Ben was asleep, and when Vinny prodded him, he woke up, petrified. ‘I ain’t done nothing wrong. What do you want?’ he babbled, sitting bolt upright.
‘I want to know where my son is – and don’t fucking lie to me because I will chop your tongue off if you do.’
‘I swear, I haven’t seen Little Vinny. I’m telling the truth, honest I am.’
‘Little Vinny reckons he’s got a girlfriend. Do you know if that’s true?’ Vinny bellowed.
Not wanting to admit that he had been with his pal the night he had met Shazza, but too afraid to blatantly lie, Ben admitted that he knew Little Vinny had met a girl called Shazza and that she came from Dagenham.
‘Look, boy, I won’t be wild if you have seen Little Vinny, but I need you to tell me his girlfriend’s address.’
Ben could feel beads of sweat developing on his forehead. ‘I don’t know where Shazza lives. Vin met her at a party in Dagenham, that’s all I know.’
Vinny glared at the child and then pointed a finger in his face. ‘If I find out you’re lying, you’re gonna regret it big time.’
Alison Bloggs said nothing when her trembling son burst into tears. Nobody messed with Vinny Butler, herself included.
With the late August sun at its peak, Queenie and Vivian were sunning themselves outside the bungalow. ‘Gawd, stone the crows! Is that who I think it is, or are my eyes deceiving me?’ Vivian exclaimed.
Queenie was furious when she spotted Albie trotting alongside Michael with a suitcase in his hand. Kings was her and Vivian’s place of tranquillity, so what was Michael thinking, bringing that old toad down here? ‘Ruined our holiday you have, Michael. Thanks very much,’ Queenie yelled, the bitterness evident in her voice.
‘Yeah, what a bastard liberty,’ Vivian added loudly.
Aware that his father was visibly shaking, Michael unlocked the door of his bungalow and urged him to go inside. He then stormed over to where his mother and aunt were sitting. ‘That bungalow belongs to me and if I want to bring my father here for the weekend, then I shall. Dad’s been through a tough time lately, so if you haven’t got anything nice to say, best you say nothing.’
‘Who do you think you’re speaking to, you cheeky little sod? That drunken, womanizing old goat led me a dog’s life for years, or have you forgotten that?’ Queenie spat.
‘And you led him a dog’s life too, Mum. Now let’s just leave it at that, shall we?’
When Michael strutted off, Queenie and Vivian were both left dumbstruck. Michael had always been the cheeky, happy-go-lucky type compared to Vinny and Roy. Whatever had happened to him?
Carol Young was a very laid-back type of parent. She had brought her only daughter up singlehanded after her ex had left her when Sharon was a baby, and she liked the fact that her daughter’s friends deemed her cool. So when Little Vinny knocked at the door and asked her where Shazza was, Carol invited him in.
‘Shaz, you’ve got a visitor, love,’ Carol shouted out.
‘Send them up to my room, Mum.’
Little Vinny ran up the stairs. He could hear Althea and Donna singing ‘Uptown Top Ranking’; so followed the music. ‘All right, Shazza?’
Shazza was surprised to see Vinny. ‘What you doing here? You’re, like, nearly a week late.’
‘I know and I’m sorry. I had some problems at home and I couldn’t ring you, your phone number was written down wrong. Look for yourself if you don’t believe me,’ Little Vinny urged, handing Shazza the piece of paper.
‘What’s in your sports bag?’ Shazza asked.
‘Some clothes. I left home today. I bought you a present to say sorry as well.’
Shazza grinned when Little Vinny handed her a box of Milk Tray and a bottle of cider. She wasn’t used to lads buying her presents. ‘So why have you left home? Have you had a row with your mum?’
‘I haven’t got a mum. Mine died years ago. I left home because my dad is a bastard. Can you see that bruise on my face?’
Shazza nodded.
‘Well, that’s where my dad punched me for having my head shaved again.’
‘God, that’s terrible, Vinny. My mum doesn’t really like me being a skinhead, but she would never stop me from being
who or what I wanted to be,’ Shazza replied, sparking up two cigarettes and handing one to Vinny.
‘Won’t we get in trouble for smoking? Say your mum smells it?’
Shazza chuckled. ‘It’s OK. My mum lets me smoke indoors, but says I must never tell my nan and granddad. She knows I sometimes drink cider too. My mum always says she would rather me be truthful with her and do what I want indoors than have me doing it behind her back.’
‘Your mum sounds well cool. Wish I could say the same about my old man. It’s his fault I wasn’t allowed to visit you before. He kept me prisoner.’
‘Well, never mind. You’re here now. Sit down and share this cider with me.’
Little Vinny grinned as he sat on the bed. Shazza’s room was perfect. She had a big Union Jack pinned up on one wall and the other wall was decorated with posters of the Selecter, Madness and the Specials. She also had a massive mobile stereo system and a record player.
‘So, where you gonna be living now, Vin?’
‘Dunno yet. I’ll probably stay at my mate Ben’s house.’
‘You can stay here for a bit, if you want? My mum won’t mind, and if we promise to behave ourselves she might even let you stay in my room.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. My ex-boyfriend used to stay here all the time.’
Little Vinny took a slurp from the bottle of cider, then awkwardly asked Shazza the question he had been gagging to ask her all week. ‘Shaz, will you go out with me? You know, like be my bird?’
When Shazza nodded, then leaned towards him and gave him his first ever passionate kiss, Little Vinny wondered if he had actually died and gone to heaven.
Donald Walker was a very inquisitive man, so he’d been none too pleased when his son was rather vague about the details of the meet with his informant.
Today was the first time since the meet that Donald had managed to drag his son out for a pint, so as soon as they sat down at a table, he started his own interrogation.
‘What are you keeping from me, Christopher? You’ve hardly said anything about this chap you met. Surely you trust me, don’t you?’ Donald asked, putting on his most wounded expression.
Payback Page 23
