by Karen Clow
Helping her to her feet he led her to the sofa. Having heard the conversation Jimmy entered nodded at Mickey and said, “Go and make Gladys a cup of tea.” Jimmy sat down with her and said, “You alright babe?” “Just a bit shaky, I’ll be ok love.” “That’s my girl. Can you remember anything Nick said?” Still looking a bit dazed she replied, “It was awful, Maria was screaming and begging him to leave, but the bastard laughed and said if she’d let you touch her she was dead! We were terrified. I tried to tell him that you’d just been looking after her, but he slapped her around and said terrible things to her!” “What things Gladys?” “Oh Jimmy, disgusting things, my Arthur would cringe if he heard me talk like that.” “I know but it’s important, so I need you to tell me?” Despite her embarrassment at having to repeat what Nick had said, she continued, “He said that if she didn’t stop screaming, he would stuff his thing in her mouth; he added something vile like, he expects she’s missed it. The dirty pig, even asked her if she’d sucked your thing.”
Totally mortified by this point and clearly unable to use the word cock, she said, “I can’t say any more Jimmy, but it was disgusting things like that; he was a pig!” “Did he say where he was taking her?” “No, but he did say he had some Russian friends who were waiting to see her. He did say something strange though.” “What was that babe?” “He said he hadn’t decided whether to keep her or not, that would depend on her; if she pleased him he might. When he finished hitting her, he dragged her out by her hair; she was screaming for you Jimmy, I tried to stop him but when he punched me again I must have blacked out.” Placing his arm around her he replied, “I know babe.” By the time she had finished talking, she was sobbing her heart out. Trying to reassure her there was nothing she could have done to stop him. Jimmy’s said, “You couldn’t have stopped him babe, he’s a psychopath. Don’t worry about Maria we’ll get her back.” Mickey brought her tea in and smiling at her said, “Feeling better sweetheart?” Still crying she nodded her head before sipping her tea. A few moments later she said, “What did Nick mean when he said, whether he would keep her or not?” “Don’t worry about it Gladys, psychos say things like that to frighten people that’s all,” said Jimmy “Well he certainly did, that poor girl was absolutely terrified of him.” “Was there anyone else with him Gladys?” “I didn’t see anyone, but I can’t be sure, like I said it all happened so fast and the bastard thumped me!” “Now are you sure you’re ok, do you want us to get the doc to take a look at you?” “No I’m fine, just a bit shaken up. I would like to go home though.” “I’ll take you home Gladys,” said Mickey.
When they were in the car he said, “Can I ask you not to say anything to anyone except Arthur, just until we sort things out.” “Ok but I still think you should call the police.” “No need my girlfriends a detective, she’ll deal with it for us.” Gladys seemed content with his reply.
By the time Mickey returned to the apartment, the anger Jimmy was displaying was frightening. Mickey had seen him in a rage many times over the years, but never had he witnessed such a display of aggression. Despite trying to calm him down; Jimmy punched the door, putting his fist through it. Finally, Mickey managed to convince him to calm down when he said, “This is not going to help Maria, we need to keep our wits about us if we’re going to get her back.” “You’re right; I’ll save it for when we find Nick. So what do we do now, I’ve got to get her back Mick.” “Well let’s look at what we know, Nick wouldn’t be stupid enough to take her back to his place, or to any of his clubs; he said he had friends who wanted to see her; the Russian bastards. They need somewhere quiet and isolated where they won’t be disturbed. With the information we have, I would hazard a guess they’ve taken her either to the house where the orgies take place, or to the MP’s house. Quinton said that the MP lives alone, with only his housekeeping staff. Considering the photos that I gave to Uri, they wouldn’t have any problems convincing the MP to let him take her there.” “So what’s the plan then?” “First we need to decide who to take with us; if the Russians are there we’ll need to be prepared.” “The four lads all did ok today and what about Terry and Reggie?” “No, they’re more likely to favour Nick.” “Ok then, what about Tony, he made it clear if he had to pick a side.” “Yeah he would be a good choice.” “What about Hudson?” “No, too close to Maurice; for all we know he may be ok with the Russians.” “Good point Mickey.” “Maybe Shaun?” “But he’s one of Nick’s boys.” “I know that Jimmy, but we also know he doesn’t fuck young kids; that’s one part of Nick’s business that he stays out of; plus we both know how he feels about Maria and those Russian bastards.” Nodding his head in agreement with his friend, Jimmy said, “She feels the same way about him; she told me once he’s her guardian angel.” Raising his eyebrows and grinning Mickey replied, “Not an easy image to conjure up Shaun as an angel? Nevertheless, he would be a great ally to have. I think we should call him, test the water.” Pouring them both a drink, Mickey suggested calling the lads. Using their phones together they began calling.
Shaun was the first one that Jimmy called. When the big Irishman answered Jimmy said, “Alright Shaun? I suppose you know what happened today?” “Can’t say I do Jimmy, Nick didn’t need me today so I’ve spent time with the family, so what’s happened then?” “He’s taken Maria and we had a run in with the fucking Russians!” “Fuck me Jimmy I warned you; where’s he taken her, back to his place?” “No we doubt that; someone heard him tell her that he had some Russian friends who wanted to meet her.” “Fucking hell Jimmy, that sounds bad, that fucking Russian is a nasty bit of work. Have you got any idea where she might be?” “We’ve got a couple of addresses; we’re rounding up some of our lads.” Without hesitation Shaun replied, “Best count me in then. Another thing Jimmy, the Russians carry guns, so make sure your boys are tooled up.” “They will be, I’ll see you alright for this Shaun.” “Aye I know; after tonight I’ll need a job.” “Consider it done mate; we can always use a good bloke, but are you sure about this? There’s bound to be reprisals from Nick.” “He’s a fucking wanker who dicks young girls; with any luck someone will get to him before we do. That’s another reason why I want out, he’s in over his head and people die Jimmy!” “I’ll bell you soon Shaun with the details.”
Closing his phone he looked at Mickey and said, “Shaun’s in and he’s officially working for us as of now, oh and the Russians will be armed.” “I would expect it, I’ve told the boys to tool up. I’ll call Tony now.” It rang several times before being answered, “Alright Tony?” “How’s it going Mickey?” “Not good, we’ve had a bit of trouble today, that photo you sent us stirred up a real fucking hornet’s nest. Also there were other photos in Maurice’s deposit box, I was going to call you later and tell you about it.” “Who said I sent you a photo?” “Whatever Tony, that’s not the issue.” “What is the issue?” “We had a run in with some Russian friends of Nicks; they came to the club started throwing their weight about.” “Be careful, Maurice told me about the Russians, they’re fucking dangerous. He set up a couple of parties for them with Nick, but they were too extreme even for him; that’s why he got himself some insurance.” “You mean the photos?” “Yeah,” he said Nick and the Russians were getting involved with some very powerful people. Maurice was no fool; he gave me a couple of photos in case anything happened to him. I feel really bad about it now; maybe it’s what got him killed, but I just wanted to help Jimmy out.” “Believe me Tony, the photo he gave you was only the tip of the iceberg. It was the ones from the deposit box that got him killed” “What are you talking about?” “I’ll tell you later there are more important things to sort out now.” “I’m listening.” “I’ll be straight with you; Nick broke into Jimmy’s today and took the girl.” “Fuck me Mickey; this is getting out of hand he shouldn’t have done that, not to one of us. Has Jimmy thought about just letting him have her back?” “Too late for that, Nick is using the Russians as muscle, he’s made it personal. Things used to run smooth
ly but Nick has got too big for his fucking boots. If we back down now he’ll have the upper hand and none of us want that.” “So what are you saying Mickey, are you asking me if I’ll help you out?” “In a nut shell Tony, yeah.” “I’m surprised you have to ask, I thought I made it clear to Jimmy I’d be with you if it came down to it, so what do you have in mind?” “Cheers Tony, it’s like this.” He explained what had happened and what the plan was. “Ok just bell me when you need me. One last thing, tell Jimmy the girl is just a pawn in all this; Nick’s an arsehole; we all have a lot to lose. I hope it works out for Jimmy and the girl.” “Cheers Tony, bell you soon.”
As the two friends got ready to leave the apartment Mickey said, “I want to stop by my office and pick up some more photocopies, just in case we need them.” “Before we go we should bell Shane and ask him to bring his Range Rover, change the plates; same goes for Billy, it will be better to go in their cars. They’ll be more likely to blend in, especially when you think what we drive.” They talked about arranging a meeting time for the others to pick everyone up.
While Mickey made the calls to give everyone the details, Jimmy was removing the false floor from inside a fitted wardrobe in his bedroom, where along with several other illegal items; he kept his guns; there was a small armoury hidden there. Returning to the lounge, he passed Mickey a small handgun and a handful of bullets.
Twenty minutes later, Jimmy looked out of the window and said, “Shane’s here, looks like Shaun’s with him.” “Best be getting our arses down there then,” replied Mickey.
Approaching Shane’s motor, they spotted Tony sitting in the back. “Good to have you with us,” said Jimmy as they got in. Shane raised his hand out of the car window to acknowledge the others, who had just pulled up behind them. When they asked where they were going; Mickey gave directions to the MP’s manor house. That would be their destination as it seemed the most likely place Nick would have taken her, but first he wanted to call into his office to collect the copies.
The five men travelling in Shane’s car talked about the job. When Jimmy asked if everyone was tooled up Shaun opened his jacket and flashed a sawn off shotgun. “Well I must say that is discreet,” joked Jimmy. Shane piped up and said, “Fuck me; London’s answer to Dirty Harry!” Even Shaun laughed before replying, “I’m not taking any chances those Russians are ruthless bastards!”
They had been driving for about forty five minutes, when Shane said he wasn’t sure exactly where they were. Pointing to a slip road, Mickey indicated for him to drive up it, about two hundred yards in, they spotted a sign, it read, ‘No access to road users; private property, trespassers will be prosecuted.’ “Aye this looks like the place,” said Shaun, “All these dirty perverts are tucked up out of the way, this fucking country should bring back hanging for these fucking low lives!” “Well maybe we could suggest that to him when we get there, after all he is a fucking MP,” said Mickey. Everyone laughed. “What’s the prick’s name?” asked Tony. “Aubrey Morton- Smyth.” “Fuck me that’s a fucking mouthful! Let’s just call him the arsehole; it’s got a nice ring to it!” Laughing, he added, “Get it? Ring to it!” The laughing stopped as Mickey indicated for them to be quiet; because he could see the MP’s manor up ahead. “We’ll stop here then me and Jimmy will walk up to the house see who’s about. Give us ten minutes; if we’re not back come and find us.” Billy pulled up behind them. Walking over to his car Mickey told them the plan.
Minutes later Mickey and Jimmy approached the rear of the manor, they could see several parked cars; the black people carrier they’d seen at Dixie’s was there, along with a Bentley and a Range Rover.
Peering in through the window they could see four Russians, the three who had been at the club earlier and one other. The MP was chatting with them; but there was no sign of Maria, Nick or Uri. Something startled them. “Fuck me,” said Jimmy, “it’s a fucking dog!” Just a few feet from where they were standing was a kennel with a fucking big German shepherd chained to it. One of the Russians walked over to the window to investigate the dog barking. Hiding underneath the window they heard the MP say, “Don’t worry about Barkley; he’s probably heard a fox or something?”
They waited until the Russian moved away from the window, then whispering Jimmy said, “Fuck me that was close.” Pointing to where they had left the others, he indicated for them to go back.
A few minutes later they were telling the others that they believed Maria was there. Exiting the cars quietly they all began making their way up to the manor, only this time going to the front of the house so as not to alert the dog. Mickey rang the bell assuming that the staff had been sent home, he knew he was right when the MP answered the door. Instantly Mickey stuck a gun under his chin and signalled to him to be quiet, then he indicated for Jacky Boy and Kevin to stay at the door while the other men followed the MP inside.
Walking into the room where the Russians were, Shaun pulled out his shotgun and said, “If any of you Ivan’s wants to be a fucking hero, just say so now, if not put your weapons on the table.” They all placed their guns down on the table and then sat back down.
Leaving Shane, Billy and Shaun to watch them; the others went to look for Maria. As they made their way quietly up the stairs, they could hear laughter. They were thrown off guard by a Russian coming out of a room, before they could silence him, he shouted something. Jimmy shot at him, hitting him in the neck. Hearing the shot, one of the Russians downstairs threw an ashtray at Shaun to distract him, while another Russian grabbed a gun, which was hidden inside his boot. Billy took a slug in the arm as the Russians tried to get their weapons from the table. Shaun fired, missing one of them by barely an inch. One rushed at Billy, who despite having been shot delivered a fierce right hook, knocking the Russian on his arse. It was pandemonium; everyone was trying to hide behind furniture, or shoot someone; the MP was cowering under the table.
Upstairs, having been alerted to trouble Nick and Uri had begun plotting their escape. Within seconds of the three friends reaching the upstairs landing, Jimmy kicked the door with such force it burst open. A warning shot was fired from inside to prevent them from entering. Trying to look into the room without getting shot, Jimmy indicated to the others that he couldn’t see anyone. Tony picked up a vase which was housed on a small ornamental table in the hall and threw it into the room. There was no response. Crouching down low he made his way in, the room was empty, but a door to an adjoining room was open, which was an indication there could still be someone there.
They could still hear shots being fired downstairs as they slowly made their way into the other room, scanning it for several seconds before they agreed it was empty. The window was open so they assumed that Nick and Uri had escaped. It was as they continued to look Tony noticed something out of the corner of his eye, on a large bed in the corner of the room was a naked body. Instantly he alerted the others to what he’d seen. “It’s Maria,” shouted Jimmy as he rushed over to the bed where her lifeless body was tied to it. Fresh blood stains were visible on the sheets and she was covered in cuts and bruises, there were cigarette burns on her chest and a leather strap pulled tight around her neck. Frantically Jimmy tried to undo the bindings which were cutting into her flesh where they were so tight. Mickey quickly took a penknife from his pocket which Charlie had bought for him; so he always kept it with his keys. Trying not to hurt Maria he desperately tried to cut the strap.
At that moment Shaun and the others appeared, the MP was with them, Shane was pressing a small gun into his back. Billy was pale from his wound; but he was confident he would be okay once he received medical treatment. Seeing Maria, Shaun rushed over to help but as he approached he heard Tony say,” We’re too late Shaun, she’s gone.” Jimmy was frantically screaming her name; Mickey grabbed hold of him and pulled him away from the bed as he shouted for Tony to cover her up. Jimmy was ranting hysterically, “The bastards who done this are going to pay!” Pulling away from Mickey he rushed out of the bedroom and down t
he stairs into the lounge, he could see the four dead Russians lying in different areas of the room.
Kevin was standing in the hallway just inside the front door. Jimmy ran towards him, shouting, “Which fucking way did they go?” “I don’t know, when the shooting started, I stayed at the door in case anyone came this way,” replied Kevin. Still in a rage Jimmy said, “Where’s Jacky?” Seeing the anger Jimmy was displaying he replied, “Calm down mate, Jacky ran round the back in case they tried to get to their cars, he hasn’t come back yet, but no one came this way. I was just going to look for him.”
Suddenly there was a shout from upstairs, “Jimmy!” “Find Jacky Boy Kev,” shouted Jimmy as he rushed back up to the bedroom taking the stairs two at a time. Entering the room he could see Shaun giving Maria CPR. Realising the impact of what he was witnessing he hurried over to the big Irishman and placing his hand on his shoulder tried to pull him off her in an effort to get him to stop. “We were too late Shaun she’s gone!” “No she fucking well ain’t, I’ve got a pulse!” Immediately on hearing Shaun’s words Jimmy grabbed her and shouted, “Maria don’t leave me babe, come on fight!” Although it was barely noticeable, he heard a noise, she was trying to breathe. “That’s it babe, breathe!” For a brief moment she tried to open her eyes as she raised her hand to touch his face. Whispering in her ear he said, “Don’t leave me babe, I love you.” Her eyes closed as she drifting into unconsciousness. “She needs to get to hospital now,” exclaimed Shaun. “You take her, Shane can drive” said Jimmy; “You go with them Billy and get that wound checked out.” “Shouldn’t you be coming with us Jimmy?” said Shaun. “I trust you with her life Shaun; I need to sort things out here. That bastard is not getting away with this; as soon as I can I’ll meet you there. Give Doc Daniels a bell on the way; we don’t want any awkward questions at the hospital; he’ll sort all that out for you.”
