Tainted Love: The gritty new thriller from the #1 bestseller

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘You’ll find ’em one day, Ed. Men like you and me never give up until we’ve achieved what we set out to achieve. Kids don’t just disappear into thin air.’ Georgie and Harry were Ed’s grandchildren. They’d been snatched by their gypsy relatives back in ’93 and hadn’t been seen since.

  Eddie knocked back his Scotch. ‘It’s depressing in ’ere. Fancy a curry?’

  Vinny smiled. ‘Lead the way, Mr Mitchell.’

  Back at the party, Vivian felt a warm glow as Albie belted out ‘Spanish Eyes’ for her. She daren’t look at him though, in case Queenie clocked her and had another hissy fit.

  ‘You all right?’ Queenie asked, when Little Vinny stormed over to the table, his face like thunder.

  ‘No I ain’t! Them two little bastards have only gone and smashed a shop window in the High Road. Sammi’s doing her nut and the Old Bill might be on the way for all I know. We’re gonna have to go, but Ollie wants to stay at yours tonight with Ava. That OK? I don’t see why his evening should be spoilt.’

  ‘Of course Ollie can stay at mine. And try not to worry too much about Calum and Regan. I know they’re sods, but you and Ben Bloggs were no bleedin’ different at their age. I remember catching yous pair up to all sorts.’

  Little Vinny shuddered at the mention of his dead mate. It had taken him a long while to get over being questioned about Molly, and he would never forget Terry’s parting words. He’d suffered from panic attacks afterwards, and still had them now whenever Calum or Regan brought the Old Bill to his front door. ‘I gotta go, Nan. I’ll ring you tomorrow.’

  Aware that Daniel’s eyes were firmly focused on her, Roxanne swayed her body in an extremely seductive manner to the rhythm of the music.

  Tracy felt embarrassed and annoyed. ‘Tell her to calm it down a bit, for Christ’s sake, Alex. She looks like a bloody stripper.’

  ‘Whatever’s wrong with you tonight, Trace? I really appreciate your invite, but you haven’t stopped moaning. Roxy isn’t harming anyone and your new boss certainly isn’t complaining. He’s fascinated by her. Look,’ Alex urged.

  Tracy already knew that Daniel could not take his eyes off Roxanne. That’s why she felt so annoyed. She’d been hoping she might be in with a chance herself and couldn’t understand what a classy bloke like Daniel could see in that immature, trappy slapper.

  Roxy lit up a cigarette. ‘I’m going outside for some fresh air. Bet you any money you like he follows me,’ she stated confidently.

  Alex laughed. ‘Just make sure you put a good word in for us about a job if he does. We’re far more suited to working for him than Stavros.’

  Tracy’s expression was suddenly that of a bulldog chewing a wasp. ‘There are no jobs going here,’ she hissed.

  ‘You need to chill out more, you do, pet,’ Roxanne smirked, before flicking back her hair and flouncing off.

  Over the other side of the club, Michael Butler was chatting to his father and pal about Vinny. Of course he’d heard his brother was in the vicinity with Eddie Mitchell. But was he bothered? No chance.

  ‘What a childish fucktard that man is. Obviously thought it would ruin our evening to know he was lurking nearby. Like he’d have the guts to stroll in here anyway. He’d get lynched by the doormen, let alone me,’ Michael laughed. ‘As for Mitchell, I’m surprised at him for allowing Vinny to use him to play silly buggers. I thought Eddie had a bit more class than that, but obviously not.’

  ‘Forget about the pair of ’em and enjoy the party, mate. Plenty of people’ve got your back if he turns up here. Me and your boys included,’ Kev said, jokingly holding his fists up while repeating the famous Muhammad Ali ‘Float like a butterfly’ line.

  ‘This is what he wants, us all talking about him. So let’s not give him another bleedin’ mention,’ Albie said, before asking Michael where Nathan was.

  ‘At home. If I’d have mentioned the party, Katy would’ve insisted she and Ellie come too, so I didn’t bother. Nath can catch up with Daniel another time.’ Michael leaned forward. ‘Your bird keeps looking over ’ere. I think she’s trying to catch your eye, so me and Kev’ll leave you to it,’ he whispered in his father’s ear. He was the only other person who knew Vivian visited his father, and he found it highly amusing.

  ‘Shush. You’ll get me shot. And don’t you ever let on to Viv I’ve told you. She’ll have me guts for garters,’ Albie warned.

  Michael chuckled. ‘Don’t worry. Your sordid little secret is safe with me. Mind you, don’t get her pregnant though. Our family tree is fucked up enough as it is.’

  Roxanne knew it was him who had walked up behind her even before he opened his mouth. She could smell his aftershave, had caught a whiff of it earlier inside the club. ‘Roxanne my name is, Mr Club Owner,’ she said, before turning around and grinning at him.

  Daniel chuckled. ‘You psychic, or what? How did ya know it was me?’

  ‘Because I saw you staring at me inside and knew you’d follow me out here.’

  Daniel watched Roxanne seductively blow smoke rings and felt a stirring in his groin. He’d met some birds in his time, but none like this one. ‘Tell me about yourself.’

  ‘What d’ya want to know?’

  ‘Everything. How old are you, for starters?’

  Guessing that Daniel was about twenty-six, Roxanne replied, ‘Twenty-one. What about you?’

  Daniel smirked. He knew she was lying. ‘I’m twenty-eight, and no way are you twenty-one. You’re younger than that.’

  ‘No I’m not,’ Roxanne replied defiantly.

  ‘Yes you are. How old are ya really?’

  Hands on hips, Roxanne glared at him. ‘I’ve already told you once, and I won’t tell you again. No point us chatting, is there, if you’re not going to believe what I say.’

  Daniel grabbed Roxanne’s wrist with one hand and put the other on the lower part of her back. He stared deep into her blue eyes. They were mesmerizing, just like she was.

  The kiss blew them both away, especially Daniel, who was by far the more experienced. He wondered fleetingly if he was feeling this way because he’d been incarcerated for the past eighteen months. But he knew even at this early stage it was far more than that.

  The unthinkable had finally happened to Daniel Butler. He’d met a bird he actually wanted to get to know rather than just sleep with, and that was a novelty for him. Perhaps that old saying ‘Love at first sight’ wasn’t such a load of claptrap after all?

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Within four weeks of meeting Roxanne, Daniel Butler was ready to take their relationship a step further. ‘I know it’s early days, but I’m gonna ask Roxy to move in with me,’ he informed his father and brother.

  In a café in Mile End, Michael nearly choked on his mouthful of baked beans. ‘Bloody hell. You don’t beat around the bush, do ya? You sure you’re ready to make such a commitment? It’s a big leap, living together, and Roxy’s a lot younger than you,’ Michael warned. He’d only met the girl briefly on a couple of occasions and could see why his son was besotted with her. She reminded him a bit of Nancy when they’d first got together. Had those same big lips and doleful eyes. She also had a bit of Bella about her. A wild streak, with clever answers and a carefree nature. Beauty and brains was a fatal combination, Michael knew that much.

  ‘Dad’s right, bruv. You’ve only known her a month, therefore you don’t properly know her yet at all, if you know what I mean?’ Lee added. He didn’t dislike Roxanne, but found her a bit of a closed book. She was reluctant to talk about her past and, as far as Lee was concerned, Daniel knew sod-all about her.

  ‘I know this makes me sound like a right soppy prick, but she hates her job and I want her to be happy. I can’t stop thinking about her, and when I’m with her she makes me go all funny inside.’

  Michael smiled. ‘Well, you’ve caught the love bug, that’s for sure. I felt the same when I first got together with your mum, and Bella. No other female has ever made me feel that way, so grab it with both hands and e
njoy it. True love is hard to find.’

  ‘What about you, Lee? Surely you felt the same way about Beth when you first got together? I remember you talking about her non-stop,’ Daniel reminded his brother.

  ‘Yeah, I did. But your feelings tone down a bit once you’ve been together for a while. What will Roxy do for work? Her job comes with her accommodation, don’t it? We can’t be taking no more staff on at the club with the way things are, Dan.’

  Takings at the club had hit an all-time low and Daniel was thankful his brother had hidden that from him whilst inside. Muslims were no longer the minority in the area, they were by far the majority and, unfortunately for Daniel and Lee, most didn’t drink alcohol and neither did they seem to like clubbing.

  ‘I’ve had an idea how to buck trade up a bit. We’ll do away with the grab-a-granny night and have a student disco on a Monday instead. We can charge a pound a drink, alcoholic or soft. There’s thousands of Muslim students round our neck of the woods and hopefully we can start enticing ’em in. Whaddya reckon?’ Daniel asked, grinning broadly.

  ‘I dunno. Might be worth a try, I suppose. The way things are going, I’m gonna be struggling to pay my mortgage soon. So what exactly is Roxanne gonna do for work?’ Lee asked again.

  Sick of his brother’s downbeat attitude towards his love life and the club, Daniel decided to have a pop at him. ‘Nothing. She’s my girl, so I’ll be looking after her. And that, Lee, is what real men do.’

  Over at Stavros’s seedy establishment, Roxanne and Alex were having a well-earned tea and fag break.

  ‘No news on the job front yet, I take it? Why don’t you take the plunge and ask him outright? He’s obviously in love with you to want to see you every night and I’m getting sick of sitting in that shitty room on my own. There has to be more to life than this,’ Alex complained.

  ‘Be patient. Daniel isn’t going to want me working, he’s already said as much. It won’t be long now before he asks me to move in, and when he does I will make sure you get that bitch Tracy’s job, I promise.’

  Alex smiled. She had to admire Roxanne. Her friend was totally smitten with Daniel Butler, and who could blame her? Yet she was still holding out in the bedroom department and always returned to their digs rather than stay at the club. Roxy was clued up and reckoned it was the only way to ensure that Daniel asked her to live with him sooner rather than later. ‘So what did you do last night? Did you wank him off again?’ Alex laughed.

  Roxanne smiled. ‘I actually put it in my mouth for the first time and had a little suck. I stopped after about thirty seconds though because he started getting too excited. I’m so into him, Alex. I never thought I’d love any bloke more than I did Marty, but I do. Daniel is a man not a boy, and he treats me like I’m fragile and precious. I’m going to marry him one day.’

  ‘Whey-aye! Best I get meself a hat then, pet.’

  Unlike most of the males in the Butler clan, Vinny had never been what you would call a ‘ladies’ man’. As a teenager, he’d got his heart broken by his first love, Yvonne Summers, and from that moment on, apart from female members of his family, Vinny had despised anything born with a fanny. Even Little Vinny and Ava’s mothers he’d felt nothing for. Which, with hindsight, was probably why he’d had them both bumped off.

  Bella D’Angelo had been the one woman who’d always had a strange kind of hold over Vinny. She’d made it very clear from the start of his relationship with Antonio that she loathed him, but that didn’t stop Vinny fantasizing about her. Many a time he’d played out scenes in his mind where he’d take her by force and strangle her while raping her. Which was probably why he’d recently become obsessed with his new member of staff.

  Felicity Carter-Price was a twenty-six-year-old upper-class bit of totty. Carl had hired her and when Vinny had first seen her dance, he’d been gobsmacked at how much she reminded him of Bella in her prime. Dark skin and hair, the same tall slender body and, most importantly, her face bore a striking resemblance to Bella’s.

  Clocking Felicity staring at him again, Vinny darted towards the safety of his office. She’d been showing out to him big time, especially this past week, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He’d been celibate for years now; his own choice, to stop him potentially committing murder and spending another stint behind bars. But despite his best efforts, Felicity was having an effect on him and he could feel all those old urges returning.

  Vinny poured himself a Scotch and downed it in one. At fifty-five, the last thing he wanted was more female-related drama in his life. He’d kept himself looking good. Still had his thick dark hair slicked back with Brylcreem, worked out regularly in the gym, and strutted around in the finest suits. His penis was still in good working order as well. Vinny regularly tested that when watching his hardcore porn and snuff films. Twenty-six was fucking young though. But she so reminded him of Bella back in the day, and her posh accent alone was enough to get him off. What the hell was a man to do?

  Katy Spencer smiled as she studied her reflection in the mirror. The gold number that had set Michael back five hundred quid was worth every penny. It clung to her toned figure and showed every curve to perfection, including her recently acquired DD silicone breasts, her Christmas present from her man.

  Katy wasn’t dumb. She knew Michael didn’t love her, not in the way she loved him anyway. But she and her children lived a life of luxury and were the envy of all of her friends.

  When Ellie was born, Katy had insisted that they needed a bigger property. After much persuasion, Michael reluctantly bought the lovely four-bedroomed detached house with the big garden, driveway and electric gates that Katy’d had her eye on. She’d also demanded that Ellie attend a private school rather than the local primary. Nathan was settled and doing well, therefore didn’t want to move schools. But what was good enough for Bella’s daughter was most certainly good enough for hers, so under duress yet again, Michael paid for and was still paying for Ellie’s private education.

  ‘Mum, Dad’s home,’ Ellie shouted.

  Katy touched up her lipstick and hair. She had stopped snooping through Michael’s belongings and credit card statements. What was the point in trying to work out who his latest floozy was or how many times he’d seen her that month? There was no sense in torturing herself when she knew Michael would never actually leave her. He might only spend two nights a week at home, but he always made love to her and it was she and their children that enjoyed a two-week summer holiday with him in an exotic destination every year – not one of his floozies.

  Of course, things could always be better. But overall, Katy was content with her life. She’d never had to work and happily spent her days enjoying her exclusive gym membership, sunbed sessions, massages and general pampering. And if she was bored, she would take her unlimited credit card out and spend, spend, spend. Michael Butler might not be perfect, but he was the nearest to perfection she was going to get – and Katy knew it.

  There wasn’t much in his world that Vinny Butler didn’t hear about, therefore he was well aware what a success his brother and Leo McCann had been having in the gambling game.

  To say Vinny had been pissed off when he’d found out Michael had gone into business with Leo was putting it mildly. He’d been absolutely livid that his brother could even consider going into business with a geezer whose brother had once opened up a nightclub on the Butlers’ doorstep and lured away all their customers. Well, if Michael wanted to play silly games, let him. Vinny had bigger fish to fry and knew his brother would feel far more pissed off than he had when he and Eddie Mitchell opened up their gambling club. They were currently struggling to find suitable premises though, which was very annoying.

  ‘Shame that gaff was so small eh, Vin? Not a bad location,’ Eddie said.

  ‘Perhaps we could extend it somehow, build an upstairs?’ Vinny suggested.

  Eddie Mitchell shook his head. He knew Vinny had been desperate for them to set up a business together for a long time and it w
as only because he fancied being part owner of a casino that he’d finally agreed. He was, however, an astute businessman and if they couldn’t find the right venue, then the joint venture wouldn’t go ahead. ‘You’re talking big bucks, you start doing all that. Plus some of these councils in Essex are bastards when it comes to planning permission. They don’t tend to take a bung as easily as they did on our old manor,’ Eddie laughed. Like many of the old school, Eddie now lived out in Essex. Rettendon wasn’t the liveliest place on earth, but he and Gina were happy there and it was a decent area to raise their young children.

  ‘Maybe we should broaden our search? I bet I could find us a decent joint in London if I put the feelers out.’

  Eddie shook his head again. ‘I told you at the beginning that this has to be right for me, Vin. If I’m investing heavily in a new venture, then I aim to be part of it. I don’t wanna be schlepping up to the smoke regularly, thanks very much. Got Gina and the kids to consider, so it has to be on my doorstep, so to speak.’

  Vinny took a sip of Scotch. ‘I get where you’re coming from. We’ll carry on looking in Essex. Just rein me in if I come out with any more cuntish ideas. Can’t help meself at times. My muvver used to say “Impatience” was my middle name.’

  ‘I’ve gotta take this call, Vin. It’s Frankie,’ Eddie said.

  Having stopped off at a quiet boozer in a country lane, Vinny watched with amusement as all heads turned towards his pal as he sauntered from one side of the pub to the other with the phone glued to his ear. Of all the geezers he knew, Mitchell was by far the coolest. He was incredibly handsome, oozed charm and looked at least ten years younger than his age. Ed’s magnetism could only be good for their joint business venture, Vinny thought proudly. It had been a personal dream for many years for himself and Eddie to go into business together, and Vinny knew that when it finally happened, he and his pal would be the talk of the town, and so they should be. Two legends of their time, him and Ed.