by Martina Cole
‘Porrick is the nearest to you in age, Aggs. Of course he will feel that he should have looked out for you more, that he should have noticed that something was going on. I mean, be fair, darling − it wasn’t like you and Colin were open and honest, was it? We all thought you were out with the church people as usual. Fuck me, you were always home by eleven, latest. So your brothers are fucking miffed because you had us all over. To be really honest, love, if it had been anyone else I don’t think it would have caused such a stir. But with Colin Clark? Think about it, Agnes. If you didn’t think it would cause any fucking drama why didn’t you tell anyone that you were going out with him?’
Agnes sipped her tea and didn’t say a word. Not that Reeva expected her to; she knew her daughter inside out. Agnes was what Trisha could refer to as a ‘passive aggressive’. Reeva loved the morning talk shows, they really did help explain so much that she had never understood until now. Reeva adored Trisha Goddard, who she saw as an example of everything that was good about society. Until she had started watching her she had never understood herself, let alone the people around her. Clever bollocks Aiden called it ‘pop psychology’, whatever the fuck that meant. But Reeva saw it as an education, and she never missed a programme. It was a whole new world to her, and she embraced it wholeheartedly.
‘Mum, if I had told any of you then it would have been nipped in the bud. And, to be honest, I didn’t want anyone to know. I’m not a child and what I do is my business, surely?’
Reeva puffed on her joint and coughed her head off before saying jokily, ‘I can see where you are coming from, Aggs. But, be fair, it’s not like you have a lot of experience with blokes, is it? Colin Clark isn’t exactly a fucking virgin and, in all seriousness, he isn’t exactly reliable where women are concerned, you know? That will be your brother’s worry. So, try and see it from that point of view. Colin loves them and leaves them. Your brothers wouldn’t want that to happen to you, would they?’
Agnes didn’t rise to the bait. She knew her mum was as always trying to justify her brothers’ behaviour. She didn’t blame her; she did the same thing herself. But trying to insinuate that Colin was only with her because they had been found out rankled. She knew that her mum was trying to warn her that sometimes things were not quite as you believed. But that was her mum’s life, not hers. Agnes believed that Colin loved her and that she had changed him.
‘Well, Mum, we are getting married. So all that is what I suppose you could say was a moot point.’
Reeva smiled sadly because, as much as she liked Colin Clark, she wouldn’t trust him as far as she could throw him. She believed he would look after her daughter, and she believed he loved her in his own way. But she also knew that he would never be completely faithful, and that her daughter was the kind of girl who could never cope with that. But what could she do?
Instead, smiling, she got up and, hugging her daughter to her tightly, she said honestly, ‘I just want you to be happy, darling, that’s all. You’re my baby. My only girl. I want more for you than I ever had.’
Agnes hugged her mum back; she meant well, but she didn’t know Colin like she did. He was everything to her. He was the love of her life, her first, and he would be her last − of that much she was determined.
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Aiden was watching his youngest brother with a mixture of pride and annoyance.
Pride that Porrick was looking out for his sister and annoyance because his brother didn’t have the sense to keep his feelings private. That was something he had tried to instil in them all since day one of their educations: never let anyone outside of the family know what you are really thinking. It was not something he felt he should have even had to mention, but he did, because you never knew how much people were taking in.
Eugene was quiet and that pleased him, though he knew that Eugene was probably as upset as he was. Eugene had a natural reticence that was in his favour. Like himself and Patsy, he kept his own counsel until asked his opinion. Porrick, though, was like a fucking firework and he would go off at the slightest provocation. He could not control his emotions nor his actions and that could cause a lot of trouble.
Colin was nervous but he wasn’t about to back down; he knew that he had to fight for not just himself, but for Agnes as well.
‘Come on then! What have you got to say to me?’
It was bravado but the only way he could survive this was by making sure that these men believed that his attention towards their little sister had been for no other reason than he loved her. He had fallen in love with her in some ways but, truth be told, if she wasn’t Aiden’s sister he would have walked away as usual.
Aiden O’Hara was just watching him quietly; he was not even bothering to answer his question, and that told Colin he needed to work harder at convincing him.
‘What do you want us to say, Colin? You fucked our sister. She is pregnant so now you have no choice but to hold your fucking hand up. After all the secrecy and the fucking clandestine meetings you really want us to believe that your intentions were honourable?’ Eugene laughed, before adding, ‘Hardly fucking Mills and Boon, is it?’
Aiden started to laugh as well. Eugene had hit the proverbial nail right on its proverbial fucking head and so he said as much.
‘Come on, Colin, you can’t pretend that my brother doesn’t have a point. Because he fucking well does, as you well know. You went behind my back, and you took my little sister. You fucked her and now that she is pregnant you are going to marry her. Like that makes everything all right. Well, it doesn’t.’
‘Fuck him, Aiden. Let me sort the fucker out once and for all.’
Porrick was leaning forward in his seat. He was willing to murder Colin and they were all more than aware of that fact – no one more than Colin Clark. This was the make or the break of his life. He could not fight all of Agnes’s brothers. They outnumbered him for a start. He knew that he had stepped over a line. Aiden would never forgive him for his actions and he couldn’t blame him. He had really taken the fucking piss. They had gone out on the pull together and they had enjoyed each other’s company. Now that it had all fallen apart he regretted his actions.
‘Look, Aiden, I will hold my hand up. I was a cunt. But I couldn’t help it. Agnes is a good girl. She is decent and loyal, especially to you lot. She is everything I ever dreamed of in a wife. How many times, Aiden, did I tell you that when I finally settled down it would be with a girl that I knew I could trust one hundred per cent? Who I knew would be beyond reproach? Who had not been out and about in every pub and club, who wasn’t known to anyone but me?’
Aiden listened quietly; he had heard him say all of that and more. And he had understood him, even though his Jade was not exactly in the same league, of course. Everyone knew about her, and it had never bothered him as much as it could have. He had fallen in love with her and her alone. And her past had never been an issue unless he thought someone else was disrespecting her. Then, of course, he would defend her in any way he needed to.
‘I fell for Agnes even though I knew that I shouldn’t, Ade, because she is everything that I ever wanted in a girl. She is my dream. I will look after her and my baby, you know I will, Aiden.’ He turned in his seat and, looking at Porrick, he said sadly, ‘You wonder why I didn’t fucking advertise our relationship? None of you would ever let her have a fucking boyfriend, that was part of the problem. She isn’t a child any more, no matter how much you lot might try to deny that fact. She is well over the age of consent, and she knows what she wants. I never forced her into anything. All I ever did was love her.’
Aiden let Colin say his piece; then he held up his hand in a gesture that told his brothers to keep quiet. They were more than willing to do just that; after all, it was Aiden who would finally decide what was to be done about this situation.
‘So what you are saying, Colin, is, that you and Agnes just fell in love? Our little Agnes, who was considering becoming a nun, who attends Mass twice a day whenever
possible, and who was, without sounding crude, a natural virgin. She just fell for you in an instant?’ He looked at his friend with scepticism as he carried on talking. ‘You don’t think that you might have had to, I don’t know, cajole her or talk her into going out with you? You didn’t have to assure her that what you were both doing was OK? That sneaking around behind her family’s back was something that could be seen as perfectly fucking innocent? That together, you two lying and cheating and treating us all as complete and utter cunts was not really a problem? I mean, come on, Colin, tell me. I’m interested. Really, I want to know the truth.’
Colin Clark could understand where Aiden was coming from, but now he was starting to feel offended too. They had pulled up outside the offices for the meet − the meet that was so important, that was going to be the icing on the cake, and was going to bring them all untold riches. He wanted this sorted before they went inside.
Turning to Aiden, Colin said angrily, ‘You fucking hypocrite, Aiden! How many times have we been out on the fucking nest and you have not even thought about Jade? How many times have we shared a pair of tarts, and laughed about it the next day? So, I fell for your little sister − at least I love her. I would never hurt her. I might not be the most faithful man on the fucking planet, but I would never let her know that. Can you say the same, Aiden? You rub it in Jade’s face. You fuck the girls that work for her, you humiliate her, Aiden. So what the fuck does that make you, eh?’
Porrick couldn’t listen any more. Grabbing Colin by the hair, he dragged his head backwards over his seat. ‘Agnes isn’t Jade, Colin. You better remember that – Agnes was never a fucking whore . . .’
Eugene and Colin were struck dumb by Porrick’s statement. It was like he was on some kind of death wish. Aiden looked at his little brother; he could see that Porrick had regretted his words as soon as he had uttered them. But that wasn’t the point − the fact he had said them was enough for Aiden. Colin Clark kept quiet; he knew that the best thing to do now was to keep as low a profile as possible.
Eugene was the first to move and he simply opened the car door, saying, ‘Come on, we are late enough as it is. Eric Palmer won’t be too thrilled if we keep him waiting any longer.’
But the damage had already been done.
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Joshie D was a breath of fresh air after the car journey and they were thankful to give him their full attention. The meet was intended to seal the terms of the deal – on Aiden’s terms, of course. Joshie thought that his connections were all he needed and that pleased Aiden. It just meant that he could negotiate without too much fucking hassle. There was nothing he loved more than a flash cunt on his first real foray into the world of bastardy. So he sat there with everyone else and listened respectfully to Joshie D as he repeated what he had learned off by heart.
Eric Palmer was watching Aiden warily. After all these years he was more than aware of the man’s moods and it had been obvious since he had walked through the door that he was not in a good one. Jade looked nervous too, which didn’t help put his mind at ease. Eric Palmer was not happy; he didn’t ask for much, but the one thing he insisted on was that the people who worked for him acted like professionals.
Aiden smiled pleasantly at Joshie and made him feel important − that was something that the Joshies of the world needed.
‘I think that we can accommodate you, Joshie. It’s a wonderful deal. But the one thing I will insist on is meeting the people you are dealing with, face to face.’
Everyone in the room knew that this was the one thing Joshie had not allowed for, and that was exactly why Aiden had requested it.
‘I am willing to travel to Jamaica − wherever. After all, I have more than a few contacts out there, as I am sure you know. But I never deal with people I haven’t met. That’s the bottom line, Joshie: either they come to deal directly with me, or I travel out to see them. The former would suit me better, of course.’
Joshie D sensed that there was something going on here. And he was sensible enough to know that he should not try and get involved in any kind of dialogue. This was, after all, Aiden O’Hara, and he was not a man to suffer fools gladly. Instead of taking umbrage at Aiden’s words, he said quite amicably, ‘If that’s what you want I am sure it can be arranged.’
Aiden grinned. ‘You are agreed, Eric, I’m sure?’ He didn’t wait for Eric’s answer. Instead, he turned his full attention once more to Joshie D saying, ‘It’s nothing personal, mate. I am sure you understand that.’ Then, looking at Colin, he said innocently, ‘The thing is, you have to know the people you are dealing with on a first-hand basis. After all, the one thing that we need is to be able to trust one another. Without trust, it’s all a waste of fucking time.’
Joshie had no choice but to agree. When he left a little while later, they sat quietly waiting for the bomb to drop. They didn’t have long to wait.
As soon as Joshie had been driven away, Eric Palmer looked around him at everyone in the room and shouted, ‘What the fuck was all that about?’
Aiden went to the bar and, pouring himself a large Scotch, he turned to Eric Palmer. Shaking his head slowly, he looked at the man he had adored for years before bellowing, ‘Are you fucking retiring or not? Only, if I remember rightly, Eric, you were supposed to be taking a back seat. I want to make sure that the people we are dealing with are on the up and up. That was something you taught me many years ago, Eric. You explained to me in graphic detail the folly of dealing with people you didn’t actually know. If you couldn’t put a face to a name you were a cunt, apparently. I mean, call me old-fashioned, Eric, but I am only doing what you told me years ago when you introduced me into this fucking life. Now suddenly it is OK to deal with people we have never clapped fucking eyes on. Is that what you are telling me?’
Eric Palmer was so angry he couldn’t even talk. In all his days he had never been spoken to so disrespectfully, and he had never dreamed that Aiden, of all people, would have been the first one.
Aiden regretted his words as soon as he had said them, and he knew that he had to make amends as quickly as possible. Eric Palmer had always been good to him, and Eric Palmer deserved much more than he had ever given him.
Jade got up and started to clear the room, and Aiden knew that she was doing the right thing. He had been bang out of order in more ways than one, but he wanted to make amends in front of everyone who was there.
‘Hang on, everyone. Before you go, I have something to say.’
They all stopped and looked at him in embarrassment; he wished that he had never allowed his anger to get the better of him. He wasn’t even angry with Eric − it was Colin that he wanted to go for.
‘I can’t apologise enough, Eric. That was completely out of order. I am ashamed of myself. I know that there was no reason on earth for me to be so rude to you. I can only stand here and beg your forgiveness. The only explanation I can give you is it hasn’t been a great day.’
His brothers were looking at him in amazement. Aiden admitting he was wrong was something none of them had ever seen before. They all knew that Aiden’s personality did not allow for him to ever be seen as anything other than perfect.
Colin Clark sat quietly and watched everyone leave the room, knowing that Aiden expected him to leave with them. His brother, Timmy, had tried to catch his eye and, when he had not managed, he had sat back down beside him. Colin would always love him for his loyalty.
When Jade had escorted the others outside, and warned them to keep quiet, she pointed out that this was a really important deal and they needed to remember that.
She slipped back into the office. Like everyone else she was worried about Aiden and how he was going to react to the day’s events. She was sick of having to always placate him, and be the sensible one. It was always left to her to sort out his messes – even the ones he got into himself with his girls on the side. As soon as the aggravation started, Jade stepped in and made sure that they disappeared from his orbit. Becaus
e, if it was left to Aiden, those girls would disappear off the face of the earth for ever. He was a fucking nutcase, she knew that. But he was her nutcase and she would defend him to the death.
Jade poured herself a stiff drink and, as she sipped it, she looked around her at these men who were held in such high esteem in the criminal world. Men who she knew, without her, would have sunk without trace a long time ago.
‘Fuck me, isn’t anyone going to speak? I mean, forgive me if I am out of order − not that I actually give a flying fuck − but are we going to address the elephant in the room or not? Only, personally, I am sick to death of you lot.’
They all looked at her wordlessly.
‘Eric, I’m sorry, but in a way you asked for that tonight. You know and I know that the situation between Aiden and Colin is not exactly ideal. Colin has been sneaking around with Agnes, who is not exactly a fucking teenager, is she?’ Jade finished her drink and, as she poured another, she carried on talking. ‘Colin Clark is going to be your brother-in-law, Aiden, and I’m sure that will not curtail your evenings out together in any way. As for you, Timmy, I understand that you are shocked and outraged that your brother has got his mate’s sister pregnant. But it could have been worse − he could have given her a fucking dose. What I am more annoyed about is you all put your personal feelings above the earn. And, like Eric, I find that very suspect. So my advice to you pair is to fucking grow up.’
Aiden was as aware as the other men that no one else could have said that to him and lived to tell the fucking tale. From any other person there would have been fucking ambulances arriving. That was what he had always loved about Jade: she had never sugar-coated anything − she just said it as she saw it.
Eric Palmer was still upset, and he voiced that anger. ‘Jade is absolutely spot on, as usual. This is the last time any of you ever bring your personal problems into my businesses. The one thing you need to remember is that I can drop any of you if I decide that is what needs to be done. I might be on the edge of retirement, but I have not gone yet. And don’t any of you lot forget that.’
