by Sam Michaels
The sun began to rise over the buildings. They were just minutes away from the West One Club. It was one of Temi’s smarter premises, often frequented by influential guests from parliament and the councils. Sometimes top ranking police officers too. The club sat a few minutes away from Piccadilly in a small tree-lined street. Georgina had never been inside but she knew that a dead-end alley ran alongside the club from which a back door could be accessed. But the alley would have two of Temi’s men guarding it and there would likely be at least another two on the front door. The Zammits had ensured the club was impenetrable to uninvited customers.
Johnny pulled the car up right outside the club. Temi’s men would be expecting them, but not with Temi’s wife.
‘Don’t fight me and if you do as you’re told, you and your children will be fine. Do you understand me?’ Georgina hissed.
Lora swallowed hard and nodded.
‘Right, let’s do this,’ Georgina said to Johnny.
He got out of the car first and opened the back door for Georgina. She pushed Lora out and climbed out next, all the time holding the gun into the small of Lora’s back. ‘Take her,’ she said to Johnny.
Johnny stood behind Lora and wrapped his arm loosely around her neck while holding his gun to her head. ‘You heard Miss Garrett. Just do as you’re told,’ he said and eased her forward.
Georgina walked a step or two in front. ‘Let us pass or Mrs Zammit dies,’ she said clearly to the three men on the door.
She could see the looks of confusion on their faces as they weighed up the situation and stepped aside. Georgina walked into the club. The corridor was much brighter than she’d expected. She heard Johnny tell Lora to keep walking.
A set of double doors in front of them was guarded by another two of Temi’s men. When they saw Lora Zammit with a gun to her head, they quickly lowered their weapons and one of the men pulled open the door.
‘Mr Zammit will fucking kill you for this,’ he snarled as Georgina walked past him.
Through the doors led to the main club area. Georgina’s nose wrinkled at the musty smell of stale alcohol and tobacco. The club was mostly in darkness but she saw Temi sat at a table near the stage area. His face was illuminated by a crystal lamp on the table. He sneered at his wife. Georgina strode slowly past another four men and towards Temi. She stopped several feet away from him. Johnny stood beside her with Lora.
‘I see you’ve brought company,’ Temi said. His gun was in his hand, which hung at his side.
‘I thought we could have a chat,’ Georgina said casually, hiding her fear.
‘You want to talk. Why is it that all women want to talk? What if I don’t want to talk? What if I would rather shut you up forever?’
‘No, Temi,’ Lora cried, ‘you have to listen to her. She has our children.’
Temi’s eyes narrowed. ‘An effective threat, Georgina, I applaud you.’
‘You should have put protection on your family. But I’m glad you didn’t. So are you ready to talk now?’
‘What is there to say? You are going to plead for your life. So go on then, beg.’
‘That wasn’t what I had in mind.’
‘If you want to live, woman, let me see you beg on your knees.’
Lora cried out again, frantically this time. ‘Please, Temi, think about our children. My babies,’ she sobbed.
Temi raised his arm and fired his gun. The booming sound echoed off the walls. Georgina recoiled but quickly realised that she hadn’t been shot. Lora groaned.
Georgina looked to her side to see Johnny was holding Lora’s head in his arms. She was laid on the floor, gripping her stomach. Blood seeped through her pretty pale blue dress and spread across the material.
‘My babies… please don’t kill my babies,’ Lora whispered.
Johnny took her blood covered hand in his own and leaned his face closer to hers. ‘Your children won’t be hurt,’ he said quietly.
Georgina wasn’t sure if Lora had heard Johnny’s reassurance before she’d slipped into unconsciousness. The thought of the woman possibly dying in fear of her children’s lives made Georgina feel physically sick. Bile rose in her throat.
She swallowed down the vomit and glared at Temi. ‘You bastard. How could you shoot your wife down like that?’
‘She got on my nerves,’ he answered flippantly. ‘Was there still something you wanted to discuss?’
‘If I don’t walk out of here alive with Johnny, your children will be joining their mother in death,’ she warned and waited for his response. Georgina had known Temi was merciless with his enemies but she’d underestimated his callousness. Surely a threat to the lives of his children would resonate with him. After all, she’d assumed he was a family man.
‘I’ve already agreed to have a discussion with you so go ahead, talk, but you and your boyfriend can put your guns down first.’
Georgina crouched down and placed hers on the floor. It left her feeling naked and vulnerable. She looked at Johnny. His beige wool coat was covered in Lora’s blood. She could see he had a tight grip on his gun and made no move to give it up.
‘It’s all right, Johnny,’ Georgina said quietly.
Johnny looked back at her. She recognised that expression in his eyes.
‘No, Johnny, don’t do it,’ she said, but it was too late.
Johnny aimed his gun at Temi. Another almighty boom sounded and Johnny fell to the floor alongside Lora. Georgina dropped to her knees beside him, relieved to see he was breathing and his eyes were open.
Johnny grimaced in pain. ‘It’s just a flesh wound,’ he said, holding his hand over his wounded shoulder.
‘I warned you,’ Georgina screamed at Temi. ‘Your children!’
‘He was going to shoot me. I haven’t killed him,’ Temi said in his defence.
Georgina helped Johnny from the floor and onto a seat at a table. Then she turned back to Temi. ‘We need to resolve this before anyone else gets hurt.’
‘I’d love to hear your suggestions. I mean, you must know the reasons why I want you dead?’
‘I’m guessing it has something to do with Elsie Flowers lying about me stealing from your father’s shop?’
‘Yes, but I know you didn’t do it. It was that bastard, and he gunned down one of my most loyal coppers,’ Temi said, pointing at Johnny slumped at the table. ‘But you knew he’d done it. You should have come to me, Georgina, and owned up. Instead, you covered for him. Then you tortured and killed my artist who, incidentally, died owing me money. But do you know what really pissed me off?’
‘I didn’t kill The Top?’
‘That’s right, you didn’t. I found out why… because The Top is David Maynard. You see, that’s put me in a very difficult predicament. You know I backed you killing him because I felt he could have been a threat to me. Well, the threat has become a whole lot bigger. See, me and Mr Maynard, we’re probably on par – but if you team up with him, where does that leave me?’
‘God, you are just as fucking pathetic as him,’ Georgina said in disgust.
Temi looked taken aback.
‘It’s all about the egos with you men. My gun is bigger than your gun. I’ve got more power than you’ve got. You should listen to yourselves. You and David sound like schoolboys arguing in the playground. I’ll never work with either of you!’
Temi placed his gun on the table and began to slowly applaud her. ‘Nice speech,’ he grinned sardonically.
It wasn’t lost on Georgina that although Temi had disarmed himself, the rest of his men were pointing their guns at her. Now would be the opportune moment for Ned and the Barker twins to act, but something must have delayed them. Ned, by now, should have innocently walked past her car and stuffed a lit rag into the petrol tank. She was expecting an explosion right outside the club. It would be a distraction to the bouncers guarding the alley. Nobby and Eric would use it to their advantage to slip in through the back door. But nothing had happened. She feared they may have been caught by
Temi’s men – but if that was the case, why hadn’t they been dragged through here to be held at gunpoint with her? ‘Come on,’ she urged under her breath. But instead of an explosion, she heard the unmistakable sound of the air raid sirens.
‘It seems we have some more unwanted visitors,’ Temi said, pointing up towards the ceiling.
‘Ironic really. There are brave men out there fighting for our freedom yet we’re using that freedom to kill one another.’
‘And there lies the problem, Georgina. You’re quite right, I want you dead but I have a dilemma as you have my children. How do you suggest we overcome this?’
‘Call a truce?’
‘We both know that will never work. The trust has been broken between us. If I let you walk out of here, you know that as soon as I have my children back, I’ll come for you again. And you’ll be gunning for me too… No, a truce will never work. It’s your life or my children’s lives. But here’s the thing, I don’t believe you’ll harm my children. You’re tough but you’re not a child murderer.’
Georgina folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head to one side. ‘You don’t know me, Temi,’ she drawled.
‘I think I do,’ he replied as he picked his gun up from the table.
The sirens were still wailing outside as Temi pointed his gun at her. Georgina turned her head to look at Johnny and held his gaze. She wanted a loving face to be the last thing that she saw, not Temi’s smug face.
‘Sorry,’ Johnny mouthed helplessly.
She smiled warmly at him. ‘It’s all right, Johnny,’ she whispered and braced herself.
Images of Alfie and Selina flashed through her mind. They’d never know their mother but she would always look over them. Was it her imagination or could she feel Lash breathing softly on her cheek?
Georgina closed her eyes and waited for the bullet to rip through her flesh. She was ready to face death but had one last thought – please, make it quick.
*
‘Oh, no, not again,’ Fleur moaned as she woke to the sound of the air raid warning sirens blaring.
Charlotte hadn’t been to sleep. She’d sat up all night worrying about Georgina. The two young children in the bed with Fleur woke up and began crying.
‘I want my mummy,’ the little girl of four years old sobbed.
‘Mummy,’ the six-year-old boy cried.
‘What are we going to do?’ Fleur asked, her voice high pitched with panic.
Charlotte’s heart pounded hard. She gulped. ‘Let’s get the kids in the Morrison.’
‘But what about us?’ Fleur screeched.
‘I dunno, we can shelter under the bed.’
‘Why can’t they get under the bed?’
‘They’re just kids, Fleur. Come on, help me get them in the cage.’
Charlotte and Fleur each gathered a child in their arms and tried to encourage them into the shelter. Both children were screaming and hysterically crying.
‘I don’t want to go in there,’ the girl shouted.
‘This ain’t going to work,’ Charlotte said. ‘Come on, I’ve got an idea.’
‘What? Where are we going? It ain’t safe out there!’
‘Fleur, calm down, will you? You’re not helping. We can go to the public shelter in the next street. It’ll be safer. This house is so bleedin’ rickety, I reckon if a bomb landed ten streets away, this place would shake and fall down. Come on, hurry.’
They’d slept in their coats, but Charlotte’s had been over her lap. She plonked the sobbing girl on the floor and quickly threw it on, before grabbing the child again and rushing out the door.
‘Hurry up, Fleur,’ she called as she ran down the street.
‘I’m trying but he’s heavy.’
Charlotte stopped to wait for Fleur to catch up. ‘Quick, swap kids,’ she said. ‘The girl is lighter.’
They exchanged children and resumed running. As they turned into the next street, Charlotte saw an old couple going into the brick built shelter which ran along the middle of the road with rows of terraced houses on each side.
The old couple saw Charlotte and Fleur running towards them.
‘In you come,’ the old lady said and ushered them through.
It was dark inside and didn’t smell very pleasant. The screams and cries from the children filled the shelter.
‘It’s frightening for the little ’uns,’ said a middle-aged woman. She had a scarf over her head but was still wearing her night clothes. ‘’Ere you go, this will quieten ’em down.’ The woman pulled a couple of sweets from her dressing gown pocket and offered one to each of the children.
‘I want my mummy!’ the girl screeched again.
‘Ain’t she yours?’ the woman asked.
‘No. We’re babysitting for a friend,’ Charlotte lied.
‘Blimey, I should think their mother must be worried sick about them.’ The woman tried again to persuade the children to take the sweets and they did, finally quietening down.
‘I know that bloke over there,’ Fleur whispered in Charlotte’s ear, ‘he used to be a customer of mine.’
Charlotte glanced across to the man who looked uneasy stood alongside his wife. ‘Just ignore him,’ she told Fleur.
There must have been at least twenty or thirty people in the shelter. Charlotte’s eyes roamed over their faces. Some looked pale with fright, others appeared annoyed and a couple looked as if they were still half-asleep.
‘Anyone bring a flask?’ a voice said from the back.
‘Yeah, we did,’ the old man said.
‘Us an’ all,’ another called.
‘I’ve brought some biscuits.’
‘There’s some sandwiches here if anyone is hungry?’
‘Right, let’s have some breakfast and a sing-song, eh? Mrs Jones, you pour the tea. Mrs Higgins, pass the biscuits. I’ll start the music.’ The man was stood just a few feet from Charlotte in the cramped space. He pulled a harmonica from his pocket and began playing a tune that she recognised. Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run. But much to Charlotte’s amusement, when people started singing the lyrics, they sang, Run Adolf, run Adolf, run, run, run.
Charlotte found herself joining in and bobbing the young boy up and down on her hip in time to the music. Mrs Jones handed her half a cup of black tea. Mrs Higgins offered her a plain broken biscuit. Even the young boy was smiling now. Charlotte placed him on the ground and watched with delight as he began to dance with his little sister. And then something occurred to her. She wasn’t terrified. She wasn’t plagued by the images of the mutilated bodies she’d seen during the earlier Blitz. In fact, she’d been calm and had taken control of the situation and had got Fleur and the children to safety. Tim would be proud of her, she thought with a soft smile.
Charlotte looked down at the young boy and ruffled his hair as she realised that she’d put her own fears aside to look after others. She’d protected the child as best she could, just like a mother would have done. She thought of Tim again. Maybe one day, once this blasted war was over, she would bear Tim’s children. The thought had always horrified her but now it gave her a warm feeling. Charlotte knew that she had grown up and was ready to be a wife and mother.
*
Georgina’s eyes were squeezed shut as she waited for Temi to put a bullet in her. Then over the noise of the air raid sirens, she heard a huge explosion which sent a whoosh of air blasting through the club. The chandeliers rattled and bottles chinked. The whole building had shook. Had the Jerries bombed the street or had Ned finally managed to explode her car?
She opened her eyes to the sound of gunfire. Bullets tore past her head.
‘Get down,’ Johnny shouted from under the table.
Georgina looked around for her men. She couldn’t see Ned or the Barker twins but several other blokes were firing at Temi’s gang and she was caught in the crossfire.
‘Get down,’ Johnny yelled again.
Georgina looked at the empty seat where Temi had been. She hadn
’t seen him leave. Everything had happened so fast but seemed to play out around her in slow motion.
The firing ceased. Three of Temi’s men stood with their hands in the air. The rest were shot dead.
Georgina quickly took stock of the scene. She saw one of Temi’s blokes spread-eagled across a table with a fatal gunshot wound to his chest. The man’s gun had fallen to the floor and sat just feet away from her. Georgina ducked and scurried over to the gun. She picked it up and held it close to her face as she hid behind a seat. Who were these men?
The club doors opened and a dark figure strode in. She couldn’t make out who he was but could see he was flanked by at least six other men. She was sure Ned was one of them.
The dark figure spoke. He called her name and when she heard his voice, she instantly recognised it and rose to her feet.
‘David. I should have guessed. Was all this for my benefit?’ she asked, gesticulating to Temi’s dead men.
‘Of course.’
Georgina knew she should be grateful but couldn’t bring herself to thank him. Instead, she dashed to Johnny’s side and knelt beside him. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked tenderly.
‘I’ll live,’ he answered weakly. ‘Lora, she’s breathing,’ he added.
Georgina glanced over her shoulder and urgently called to David, ‘They need a doctor.’
A few of David’s men rushed across and swooped Johnny and Lora up.
‘They’ll take them to the hospital,’ David said as he approached her.
‘Where’s Temi?’ she asked, remembering he’d escaped.
‘With Nobby and Eric. Your men caught him trying to do a runner out of the back door. By the way, that was a nice touch with the car blowing up outside.’
‘What are you doing here?’
‘Saving your bacon.’
‘How did you know?’
‘Anyone can be bought, Georgina. After you came to see me, I questioned how you’d managed to get past my bodyguards with a gun. It didn’t take much to work out that one of the blokes was working for Temi. And for the right price, he jumped ship and tipped me off.’
