by Martina Cole
They laughed together at the skulduggery of youth.
Chapter Ninety-Five
Agnes looked at her big handsome husband and felt herself finally relax. There had been a part of her that had worried he might do a runner before the big day. But now here they were together, surrounded by her family and friends, and she felt the urge to weep. She placed a hand on her belly and wondered if her child was as aware of her as she was of it. These were exciting times for her, and now she had to forget the past and get on with her future. It was the strangest feeling that she could begin to live outside of her brothers and her mother − it was heady stuff. All her life, she had been dictated to, smothered, and her only escape had been the Church. She had once seen herself accepting holy orders and entering a convent. She wondered now if that had been her way of rebelling against her mother’s lifestyle and her brothers’ constant surveillance; the more good she became, the less she had in common with any of them. And yet now she had met and married a man who was, to all intents and purposes, her brother Aiden’s double. But there was something about him and, whatever it was, she was so attracted to him.
She was nervous, as any young bride would be, but she convinced herself that she would be happy with this handsome man of hers. She was desperate to be happy with him and she was determined. After all, she had fought for him, for this day, and she had got it. As he kissed her tenderly on the lips, she knew that, whatever happened, this really was the best day of her life.
Chapter Ninety-Six
‘Honestly, Reeva, I despair of you at times!’
Reeva laughed loudly and pulled Tony into her arms, kissing him on the lips. ‘Shut up, Tone! I’m just enjoying my daughter’s wedding day, that’s all! Fucking hell, can’t I even do that?’
Tony kissed her back, but it was just to shut her up.
The meal had been perfect, the toasts had been drunk and the room had a festive atmosphere and, as the first few bars of Diana Ross singing ‘You Are Everything’ played, Colin Clark took his new wife’s hand and swept her on to the dance floor. They made a handsome couple and, as he held her tightly to him, there was a small round of applause. Colin was loving all the attention and, as he twirled her around and enjoyed the reaction, he was as shocked as everyone else when Aiden walked on to the dance floor and cut in.
Unsure what to do, Colin stood there for a few seconds before handing his new bride over to her brother, who, giving a mock bow, continued the dance with Agnes as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Everyone watching was uneasy, uncertain as to how to react. After all, this was the bride and groom’s first dance together as man and wife! There were plenty of eager faces wondering what the upshot was going to be for this little escapade. It was evident to everyone in the room that Aiden O’Hara was making a point. Gradually other couples joined them on the floor, but no one could fail to notice that the bride was near to tears and the groom was drinking a large Scotch at the bar with a face like thunder. So much for Aiden’s wonderful speech saying how he had gained a brother and how happy he was for his sister and her new husband. Aiden had just basically fucked him over in front of all the guests. It was a deep humiliation, and there was nothing Colin could do.
Timmy Clark’s jaw was set, and he stood close to his brother in case he decided he wanted to reclaim his new wife. That was exactly what Aiden wanted, of course, and Timmy was not going to give him the satisfaction.
Jade sat and watched Aiden and wished that she had a large hammer, because at this moment in time she would happily fell that fucker of hers to the ground. He just had to ruin everything. It was like he enjoyed these displays of petulance, because that was all it was.
Even Reeva, as drunk as she was, noticed, and for a few seconds a terrible feeling of dread washed over her.
Tony said quietly, ‘Fucking hell, he could not even give her that.’
Eric Palmer was shaking his head as if he could not believe what he was seeing, and all the brothers watched without even a small smile on any of their faces.
It had ruined the day, and everyone was aware of that. Especially Agnes Clark.
Chapter Ninety-Seven
Tony and Reeva were listening to Jade as she berated Aiden about his behaviour. They were back at Reeva’s − it seemed that was where they always gravitated, no matter what the occasion.
Aiden Junior, who had loved the wedding, was now lying in his bed at his nanny’s, listening fearfully to the argument going on below him. His new suit was hanging on the back of the bedroom door, and his excitement at wearing it was long gone. The wedding that had been so much fun had suddenly become full of undercurrents, and he knew that it was because of his dad dancing with his Auntie Aggs when he wasn’t supposed to. He knew that his uncles were not happy, and neither was his nanny or his mum. He closed his eyes tightly because he was sick and tired of hearing it.
Downstairs, Jade was shouting at the top of her voice, her anger for once finally getting the better of her. ‘You are a cunt, Aiden! And you of all people should have known better!’
Aiden shrugged nonchalantly, his arms open wide, saying, ‘I gave her away. I was acting as any father would have done!’ He had convinced himself of this now. That was a knack he had when it suited him; he could justify anything when he set his mind to it.
Reeva joined in. ‘But you are not her father, are you?’
Aiden laughed sarcastically as he shouted, ‘I am the only father she ever knew. She was a fucking whodunnit like the rest of us. I mean, be fair, Mum, if you don’t know who the culprit was, how the fuck could anyone else, eh? Answer me that, clever bollocks.’
Patsy shook his head in disbelief. ‘Don’t you fucking take it out on Mum because you fucked up, Ade. You ruined her day and that is the end of it.’
‘Fucking right and all, and you were all warning me to be good!’
Even Jade had to smile at that one. ‘I think you owe your sister and Colin an apology, Aiden.’
Aiden stood up abruptly and poured himself another glass of Scotch. Taking a large swig, he said to Jade maliciously, ‘Never fucking happening, lady.’
Porrick and Eugene banged out of the house then, and Patsy watched them go in despair, but he knew that, like himself, they couldn’t listen to any more tonight.
The damage had been done, and there was nothing anybody could do to change that.
Annie walked into the lounge from the kitchen. She looked heartbroken and, looking at her grandson, she said sadly, ‘I never thought I would ever say this to you, Aiden, especially after some of the stunts you have pulled over the years. But I was ashamed of you today. You showed yourself for the petty, vindictive fucker you really are. Now, if you will all excuse me, I am going home. I have had enough.’
Tony Brown used the opportunity to get away too. ‘Come on, Annie, I will walk you home, darling.’
Without bothering to wish anyone a good night, Annie walked from the room, and even Aiden O’Hara had the grace to look ashamed.
When they heard the front door close behind them, Reeva walked over to her eldest son and, looking him in the eye, she said loudly, ‘She has cancer. Terminal. Dr Metcalf told me. He is not supposed to, but he was worried about her. She doesn’t know I know. But the one thing that she wanted to see before she died was her only granddaughter get married. Well, you fucking naused that up for her, didn’t you? Because it’s always about you, isn’t it?’
Aiden looked so devastated, even Patsy felt a sneaking pity for him, until he said nastily, ‘Well, I had a good fucking teacher, didn’t I?’
That was when Reeva slapped him and pandemonium broke out.
Chapter Ninety-Eight
Annie died five days later. She had advanced-stage bone cancer. She went peacefully in her sleep, and her passing was as unobtrusive as she had always been in life.
Reeva took it badly, and Agnes came back from her honeymoon in Marbella to attend the funeral with her new husband. Everyone was devastated, but no o
ne more so than Aiden, who, as always with him, blamed someone else for his own bad behaviour.
It was another stick to beat Colin Clark with. Aiden’s reasoning was that if Colin had never touched his little sister, if he had not encroached on his family’s life, his nan would never have had reason to talk to him so harshly.
Annie’s passing broke him in more ways than one. For the first time in his life, Aiden O’Hara was feeling an emotion called guilt, and he did not like it one bit.
Chapter Ninety-Nine
Aiden was feeling relaxed. He had just spent a few hours in the company of a young girl called Priscilla. She wasn’t exactly a raving beauty, but she was all right; it wasn’t like she needed a bag over her head. By the same token she would never win any competitions for her good looks. Her attraction for Aiden was that she possessed the body of a porn queen. And she was all natural. She had tits like fucking barrage balloons, heavy and full, not a hint of silicone. They were as natural as her blond snatch. She was built like women should be: nice knockers, a tiny waist and an arse that you could lose a puppy in. It had been a while since he had found himself such a little star.
The icing on the cake was that she was as thick as fucking shit. She couldn’t count past fifty, and she had a problem reading Hello! magazine. She just looked at the pictures. She was perfect for him; she didn’t question him or demand anything from him like his fucking phone number or his undying devotion. All he had to do was ring her up and arrange a meet. That was it, the extent of his involvement. She wasn’t exactly a sparkling conversationist, but she suited him because of that. He didn’t want a fucking candidate for Mensa. All he wanted was a fucking shag. And that was exactly what she provided.
When she wasn’t with him she lap-danced at one of his clubs and, once again, that suited him down to the fucking ground. He wasn’t looking for a love job. Unlike Jade, who could hold forth on politics, current affairs and who was respected as an intelligent woman, Priscilla was like a pet: you stroked her regularly, fed her and made sure she was happy. And that was the height of her ambition. She was an uncomplicated person and, sometimes, that was all that any man really wanted. A completely brainless and purely physical fuck, devoid of the drama and mind games that most women expected.
As he walked into the club, he smiled sneakily. Joshie D was bringing his cousin’s second in command to meet them tonight. Aiden really did want to know exactly who he was dealing with, even though they had already provided exactly what they had promised. The product that they had been given was top grade, there was no doubting that. But Aiden still wanted to meet the distributor face to face. He didn’t have anything against Joshie D, but Aiden suspected that he was a front man who was more interested in getting himself famous. He had achieved that and all power to him. But, as Aiden had remarked on more than one occasion, Joshie D was bound to bring them to the notice of the powers-that-be. As he got more famous, his life would be scrutinised − especially a life that had everything the newspapers wanted. He was black, he swung both ways, and he courted publicity. That could only end in fucking tears. This wasn’t a fucking Guy Ritchie film, this was real fucking life.
This was what he wanted to explain to the men he was meeting tonight. He already knew from his people on the ground that the men from Jamaica were suspicious of Joshie because of his sexuality anyway. It seemed that the Jamaicans were not as forgiving as the rest of the world. That they didn’t really accept alternative lifestyles and he had heard that they were more than happy to bypass young Joshie if that was at all possible. Well, that suited Aiden; he wanted that preening cunt out of the way. He didn’t trust him − and it wasn’t because he was a fucking drama queen. He didn’t trust him because he knew that his mind would never really be on the earn, it would always be on his DJing.
Aiden had arranged for him to DJ at his nightclubs, and he had made sure that it paid well. The clubs had benefited too, because people were queuing up to listen to him. He had to admit that the bloke had a fucking huge following. He had also invested in raves, and he had to admit once again that Joshie did pull the punters in. He was good at what he did, and he was on his way to bigger and better things. For Aiden, the sooner that Joshie did that, the better for everyone concerned. So, basically, it was a win–win for all of them.
He walked through the club slowly; he liked this place. Jade hated the lap-dancing clubs, and he could never understand that about her. She had no problem with the brothels, so he couldn’t see what her problem was with girls dancing around a fucking pole. It was lucrative and fucking legal − that was the real attraction. Her problem really was with him, and his forays into the clubs and the ladies who worked in them. She loathed that he took up with these girls, and that everyone knew about it. A lot of the girls were more than happy to flaunt the relationship, and act like they were somehow suddenly special. That was what really bothered her, but he believed that she should not let it all get to her. It was one of life’s fucking puzzles, because Jade knew that the woman had not been born yet who could ever replace her.
He stood for a few minutes and looked around him with pride. This place took thousands of pounds every day of the week. He had watched Jade as she had chosen everything, from the wallpaper to the carpets. She had designed it all and, as always, she had been spot on with what the punters wanted and what would work in the space she had been given. That was what she was so good at: she utilised everything and she made sure that every scrap of space was used to its best advantage. She even ensured that the girls they employed were given lessons in money management so they didn’t piss it all up the wall. She reminded them that they had a very short shelf life, and that, within a few years, they would be replaced by younger, fitter girls, but that if they used their heads they could come out of this with enough money to either start a business, or even purchase a property of their own. Jade had always had her eye out for the girls that worked for them, which is why the girls wanted to work with them in the first place. Even though many of them were willing to do the dirty on her, they still knew that she, at least, had their best interests at heart.
He went to the bar and, walking behind it, he poured himself out a large Scotch. This club was really fabulous. The counter of the bar was black granite, and it had cost a small fortune. But it had been worth it. Jade had argued that with him and she had been right. She said that people got what they paid for and if you offered them a fabulous space they would happily pay through the nose for it. It was a private members’ club, and the fees were not fucking cheap. But the men who frequented it, and the small female clientele, loved the look of it, and also the knowledge that they didn’t have to worry about any of their antics being made public. It was all a big part of the club’s success.
As he settled himself on a leather couch, he sipped his drink and waited patiently for his guests. He observed himself in the mirrored walls and was pleased with what he saw. He still looked good and he knew that was a big part of his charm. He was a lucky man in more ways than one. Women liked him for a variety of different reasons, and he used his looks, his position and his chat to get whatever he wanted from them. That was how Aiden O’Hara saw everything in his life − as no more than a means to an end. He was looking forward to this meeting, because he wanted to bring about a change in the hierarchy, and he would accomplish that no matter what.
Chapter One Hundred
Patsy was not sure what exactly was bugging him but something didn’t feel right.
He had felt odd all day. He had gone to pick up the proceeds from one of the open houses, the new politically correct term for the brothels that were still a huge part of their empire. Another one of Jade’s clever marketing techniques − even the girls who worked there felt good about being referred to as ‘recreational workers’. As Jade had often argued, there was no reason not to give the people who worked for them a completely different take on the job they did. She reasoned it gave them the feeling of being part of something that wasn’t seedy and made
them feel that they were valued members of the team. When he had told Aiden that he thought that was all complete bollocks, Aiden had pointed out with a sarcastic laugh that, as Jade was also fond of saying, a happy workforce was also a productive workforce, and none of them could argue with that. They were coining it in, and that was not a fucking exaggeration either. They couldn’t ever have foreseen such a huge turnover.
Jade had systematically eradicated the younger element that was once on the payroll, and now they ran adult brothels for an adult clientele. Except, of course, for when the Arabs arranged to take over the houses for a whole night to initiate their sons into the wonders of the European female. Those boys were normally about fifteen, but they were used to being given what they wanted and that was exactly what they provided. Jade charged the Arabs through the nose, and the girls were guaranteed an easy night with a good payment at the end of it. It was a different world now, and that was never more noticeable than when he went to the open houses. There was almost an atmosphere of gaiety and, as everyone concerned was earning a fucking fortune, that was to be expected. Fucking hell, Jade even made sure the girls were given tests every month, and she was adamant that they took precautions even though everyone knew some of the girls would still ride bareback for an extra few quid. That was only to be expected. But if they ever tested positive for any kind of STD they were politely shown the door.
In the first house Patsy had visited, all had seemed as usual, but there had been an undercurrent he just couldn’t put his finger on. There was nothing blatantly wrong, but he had a bad feeling and it wouldn’t leave him. It had been the same at the other houses and, even though he couldn’t say what was exactly bothering him, he knew that there was something not right. In fact, Porrick had argued that he was imagining things, but for some reason he could not shake off the feeling. It had remained with him all day.
