Brutal Retribution

by Clive Barry

  The girls had removed their shoes along the way and were now at least four inches shorter than when they’d left the pub. Of course, the first thing on the agenda when they walked through the door was a need to pee, so the two of them ran straight up the stairs leaving the lads behind.

  Paul turned to Mike and said.

  ‘It’s all wrong Mikey.’

  ‘Okay, then I’ll take Julie and you can have Chrissy, I don’t mind.’

  ‘No kid, everything in here’s wrong, we’ve been turned over.’

  ‘How do you figure that out then? Everything looks the same.’

  ‘It’s not. I tidied up while you were in the bathroom earlier and it’s not the way I left it. It’s fuckin’ subtle and professional but someone’s been in.’

  ‘But there’s nowt of any real value to take.’

  ‘They didn’t necessarily come to take anything mate, they came to fuckin’ look for something, or maybe even someone.’

  Both girls came slowly and seductively down the stairs giggling. Neither of them were wearing a stitch of clothes. They both just stood at the bottom posing coyly in just their very high heeled shoes. These girls had been created simply for men’s desires and were both fully aware of the power they possessed.

  Paul looked at the girls, then his younger brother and shrugged.

  ‘Fuck it, we’ll sort it all out in the morning mate.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Sally woke before the alarm. Both kids had joined her again at some time through the night and managed to climb into the big bed without her knowledge.

  She woke feeling on top of the world. Leaping over little Charlie who was laid sprawled out as normal. Considering how last week had started and developed, this week was looking quite positive.

  Sally hadn’t been able to get Dave out of her mind and it had taken quite a while before she’d been able to drift off to sleep. She was unsure how the kids were going to react to him, but that was a worry for another day.

  She went into the shower and had a long hot all over wash. Then just stood under the spray, letting the hot water rinse over her long lean body taking all her troubles and reservations with it.

  After, she went into her bedroom, dried her hair and put on her makeup. All the swelling and previous damage done to her face by Charlie had all but gone, there was still a slight bruising to her nose from yesterday. Good old Max Factor was the answer to that little problem.

  Sally looked at her hands and even thought of doing her nails later. They weren’t very long, but they were a nice shape and could be made pretty and feminine. Then she noticed the rings and dragged them off her fingers, went into the bathroom and tried to flush them down the toilet, but they wouldn’t go. She dipped her hand back into the bowl to retrieve them, dried them on the bath towel, then put them to one side to be thrown in the garbage on her way out. Good riddance she thought.

  Clothes were next on the agenda, but unfortunately Sally didn’t have too many nice ones to choose from. She’d always looked good in her pale blue skinny jeans though. She had the long legs and pert bum for them and maybe a nice summery looking shirt to go with it. The white long sleeved one to hang out over the top. She dragged out her old pair of black stiletto heels from the bottom of the cupboard that had been hidden away for such a long time, but still looked in pretty good nick. Stiletto heeled shoes were always hot and never went out of fashion she thought and to finish off, she put in her big gold loopy earrings.

  Sally stood up and inspected herself in the mirror and the person looking back at her was not the Sally who had spent the past seven bleak years being dominated, tormented and abused. No, the person looking back was stunning. Standing tall, slim, sexy and full of the youthful vibrancy that had once been there so many wasted years before.

  When she turned around, both Little Charlie and Georgia were wide awake, sat up in the bed staring at her. Both kids had smiles as big as the Cheshire cats and when she did a twirl and asked what they thought, she was given a rapturous round of applause and a cheer with little Charlie saying.

  ‘You’re the most beautiful mam in the whole wide world and yeh look just like a real life movie star princess.’

  Sally thought she was going to cry, it had been such a long, long time since anyone had thought about her in that way.

  ‘Right you two, up and washed and don’t forget to clean your teeth. I’m goin’ down to make your breckies, then dressed and school, come on, chop, chop.’

  Sally clapped her hands to hasten them quickly along.

  The kids jumped out of bed laughing, hurrying into the bathroom to get ready, whilst trying to keep the joyful atmosphere going for as long as they possibly could.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Donika Demaci was up and dressed when Hamiti rang the downstairs door bell. Demaci released the door lock allowing him to enter the building and he rode up in the lift to the eleventh floor of the Tower Flats.

  The door to Demaci’s apartment was open when he got there, so he let himself in. Mr Demaci was sat behind his antique mahogany green leather topped desk talking on the phone, but was able to signal to Hamiti to pour two cups of coffee from the filter coffee maker in the kitchen.

  Hamiti did as instructed and returned a few minutes later, placing Demaci’s cup and saucer on a place mat on the desk and taking his own to sit at the big black leather corner sofa. Hamiti sat quietly relaxed, gazing out of the large picture window watching the boat traffic on the busy river Tonnet, awaiting Demaci to finish his phone call.

  Eventually Demaci turned his attention to Hamiti.

  ‘Okay, my friend, what news do you have that will make me very happy this morning?’

  ‘Sorry Mr Demaci. Nothing that might make you very happy, but I’ve had one of our people search the brothers house last night and there was nothing to be found. This means that both the wife and the wife’s brothers houses have been searched with no sign of the missing goods or this Charlie person.’

  Donika Demaci walked over and sat on the sofa with Hamiti.

  ‘Do you know what Bashkim? If this wife and her brothers were to have denied in the beginning that there had ever been such a person as this Charlie, I think I would have been very inclined to have believed them and would have just thought that maybe young Oggy had made up this name to cover his own loss. We must try one last time and failing that, I think we have spent enough time and effort on the subject and we might just have to assume that this Charlie has gone ‘walk about’ as our Australian friends say.’

  ‘Yes Sir, I was going to visit the house again later today and see if there were any further developments. Do you still want me to go, or do you have something else planned for me?’

  ‘No, go, and give it one last try. There is nothing for you here today, so concentrate on this small issue. Then we must move on. Anyway, I’ll be working from home today, we have that rather large shipment arrived and once it’s been customs cleared, it must be delivered later in the week, so we will be very busy soon.’

  At that, Hamiti finished his coffee and took both his and Demaci’s cups and saucers to the kitchen, washed them, dried them and put them neatly away, before bidding his employer a good morning and leaving.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  ‘Away Julie pet, get up, Mike and me we gotta get goin’.’

  ‘Just another ten minutes Paulie, yeh fuckin’ wore us out man. I’m knackered and probably gonna be walkin’ like fuckin’ John Wayne for a week.’

  ‘No love, come on, we have somewhere we need to be and we can’t be fuckin’ late, it’s dead important.’

  With that Paul jumped out of bed, slipped into his boxers and ran into the bathroom to empty his over stretched bladder. He could hear little brother singing downstairs and the smell of sausages frying was drifting up to the bedrooms at the top of the stairs.

  He finished in the bathroom and went down and sure enough, there was Mike in his navy blue briefs and white sport socks, dancing a rumba a
nd twerking to his own singing while frying sausages in the big pan.

  ‘How many yeh makin’ our kid?’

  ‘Enough for all of us. Did we ‘ave a fuckin’ good night? Was we a good boy? Or maybe we was a very, very, dirty fuckin’ bad boy then?’

  Paul grinned, he could never keep a serious face when his kid brother was in this mood and he was always in this mood when he’d just got laid, which was pretty regular.

  ‘So, where’s Chrissy then?’

  ‘Probably the same place as Julie, tucked up in bed. I couldn’t get her to wake up man, she said she was fucked and I know that’s true cos I fuckin’ did it and may I add, I did a very fine job of doin’ it, even if I do say so meself.’

  ‘Ya I know. Yeh kept putting me off me fuckin’ stroke yeh noisy little bastard and might I just add as your older brother, our mam woulda’ bin fuckin’ disgusted if she coulda heard some of the stuff you was shoutin’ out. You really need to wash your dirty fuckin’ mouth out before yeh kiss our mam again.’

  ‘Darlin’ bro, I shall never wash this mouth, nor this tongue, they have travelled to places that beautiful memories are made of.’

  ‘Oh, fuck off yeh dirty little twat, there are some things big brother’s don’t need to know.’

  ‘What don’t yeh need to know then Paul?’

  Chrissy and Julie had finally surfaced and come downstairs with Chrissy wearing Mikes shirt from last night and Julie wearing Pauls. It should be noted at this point however, that both girls looked far better in them than the lads ever did and the lads had always looked pretty good.

  Food was eaten around the breakfast bar sat on tall stools with lots of tea for the boys and coffee for the girls. Again, the banter was good natured with a lot of embarrassing comments directed to all sides. Nobody was free to take verbal prisoners this morning.

  They all took it in turns to use the bathroom and shower, but when Paul entered for his turn, Julie joined him and after going down on her knees and making such a good job of getting him big and hard again, Paul helped her to her feet, gently pushing her against the wall, Julie turned offering her pert round butt to him. Paul being the total gentleman, accepted the offer and slipped into her from behind, a gentle back scuttle in the shower was exactly what the doctor would have ordered, had there been a passing doctor to consult with that is.

  The lads dropped the girls off at Chrissy’s place with kisses all round, promising to meet up again soon, then they turned the Mondeo around and headed for Sally’s house.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  That morning, Sally walked the kids to school with both bairns laughing and telling her their stories. As they approached Jenny’s house the two of them ran off ahead and caught up with Jenny’s two. The four of them then went on talking away like a congregation of washerwoman. Jenny stood by the front gate waiting for Sally to catch up.

  ‘What the bloody hell happened to you?’ she said eyeing Sally from top to bottom then back to the top again, a look of utter shock and surprise on her face.

  ‘I always knew, given half a chance yeh might brush up a bit tidy like, but lordy me, yeh look absolutely bloody gorgeous our Sally. Charlie had nowt to do with this, did he? Please say he didn’t’

  ‘He did in a roundabout sort of way Jen. He hasn’t come home or owt, but I think I’ve met someone else and we’ve decided that if Charlie does come back, we’re just gonna run ‘im off.’

  ‘Well, whoever he is you’ve met Sally me darlin’, I take my hat off to him and me, well I personally already like him and yeh can tell ‘im that an all. Do I know him? Right, listen, tell Aunty Jen all the gossip there is to know about this mysterious man and what you’ve bin up to and Sally it’s okay, yeh can exaggerate as much as yeh like please.’

  Jenny linked her arm through the crook of Sally’s and they both walked to the school laughing and talking, revelling in their own conspiracy like a couple of teenage school girls. Totally ignoring the conversation of the four kids walking along in front of them.

  When they arrived at the school yard there was total silence as they both walked past all the other mothers. The look of total amazement in the faces of some of the bedraggled women was more than obvious and so was the jealousy of many others. The false sympathies and knowing nods were there when the beatings and bruising had been apparent, but once the beauty of the inner person had manifest itself, then it was the turn of the green eyed monster to be released from its nasty little cage and the vicious tongues would start wagging overtime.

  The school bell went and with all the kids locked away inside for the day Jenny and Sally walked out of the yard.

  ‘Are yeh coming round for a brew then Sal? do yeh have time pet?’

  ‘Not right now Jen, I need to get home, I got our lads coming ‘round to sort some stuff out for us.’

  ‘Okay pet, the doors always open. Yeh know that don’t yeh? Just call us if yeh need owt and if you and that new fella of yours need a babysitter, yeh know to just drop the bairns off anytime, they’re never a bother.’

  Sally thanked Jenny for the offer and with that, walked up to Mr Patel’s convenience store for milk, bread and biscuits.

  Mr Patel was behind the counter sat on his high stool serving with one of his granddaughters stacking shelves when Sally walked in.

  ‘What is this? Who is this? It must be a vision from the Gods. This can’t be the Sally we all know and love, this must be someone else, but who?’

  ‘Good morning Mr Patel, how are you and Mrs Patel today?’

  ‘I know that voice, it is the voice of young Sally Vickers, metamorphosed from that of a duckling into that of a beautiful being. We are both well my dear child, but thank you for your kind consideration, may I just say however, so much, much, better for having seen you this morning.’

  By this time, Sally was blushing bright red. She had never in all her life had so much positive attention thrown her way and she would be quite happy for it never to stop.

  ‘Mr Patel, just milk, bread and chocolate chip cookies if you please.’

  ‘Of course, of course, please excuse the ramblings of an old Indian who has just been given a glimpse of nibbana. Here you are Sally my dear and may I say whatever has happened, I hope and pray it lasts forever.’

  Sally paid for the goods and gave a flirty little wave to Mr Patel as she walked out of the shop, whispering a quiet bye to Mr Patel’s giggling granddaughter as she left.

  Sally walked the remainder of the way home by herself, but whilst strolling along she was made aware of being followed by a car keeping pace with her at a slow walking speed. She was too frightened to turn in case it was Hamiti come early, or even one of his monstrous goons about to throw her into the back of the van and drive away to some horribly secluded spot in the middle of nowhere.

  She most certainly couldn’t out run anyone in the stiletto heeled shoes she was wearing, so she stopped and as she stopped so did the car. Slowly she turned and the first thing she noticed was the luminous yellow and blue checks down the side and the blue light on top of the police car.

  A young, very handsome uniformed officer opened the door, stepped out and walked towards her. The smile that crept across Sally’s face was a picture in itself, but when the officer approached and said.

  ‘That must be the most perfectly beautiful arse in the whole world Miss. I would follow that arse anywhere.’

  ‘Aye, and a good morning to you too officer. Taking a wee bit of a liberty though, aren’t we?’

  ‘That’s nothing compared to what I would like to Miss. You should be arrested for looking this good. Where yeh off to then? What yeh doin’?’

  ‘Firstly officer, I’m minding my own bloody business and what makes yeh think it’s any of yours? Or have I broken the law in some way?’

  ‘I wish you had Miss because it would fulfil nearly every one of my personal fantasies to be able to handcuff you in the back of this car and interrogate you down some quiet country lane for an hour or three.’
/>
  ‘Well make an appointment and just maybe we can fulfil some of those dirty, disgusting, little fantasies of yours, but for now officer, I have urgent business to attend, so if there’s nowt else, I bid you, have a good day.’

  ‘Are yeh busy after lunch then, can I call on yeh later Sal,’

  ‘You bloody better David Riley, I didn’t go to all this bloody trouble for nothing yeh know.’

  Dave ran over, looked quickly around and then gave Sally a quick kiss on the lips. She on the other hand didn’t return it. She was smiling too much and had missed a great opportunity for a snog with a man in uniform.

  They both waved to each other as Dave drove away, but Hamiti sat watching in the Range Rover down the road was very intrigued. What kind of arrangement could there possibly be between this Charlie Oldham’s wife and a police officer? How could it be? If this Charlie is her husband, would she blatantly act in this way in a public place. Charlie couldn’t be anywhere near, could he?

  Paul and Mike pulled up outside Sally’s house, just as she turned the corner at the top of the road. Both brothers were sat watching and were busy daydreaming about the very pretty young woman in high heels walking towards them, when the harsh realisation struck them that this was in fact their own little sister. They looked at each other in the knowledge that they’d both been thinking the same disgustingly perverted thoughts.

  Both brothers got out to stand somewhat self-consciously by the side of the car as Sally approached, smiling, walking tall and confident, hips swaying sexily with each step she took.

  ‘What the fuck do yeh think you’re doin man?’ asked Paul angrily.

  ‘I just took the bairns to school and picked up some groceries at Mr Patel’s why?’

  ‘I don’t fuckin’ mean that, I mean the way yeh look an’ that.’