Aftermath (Dividing Line #6)

by Heather Atkinson

  “Let’s not discuss it here,” said Mikey, noting everyone looking at them. Although no one had actually seen what had happened they’d noticed them chasing someone.

  They walked back to Mikey’s car and climbed in, not speaking until they’d closed the doors, safely blocking out the rest of the world.

  Mikey turned in his seat to address Jules, who was sitting in the back. “Well done, you did good there. We’d let our guards down but you hadn’t.”

  “I wish I’d caught up with him but he was too fast.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it,” said Jez. “You stopped me getting a knife in the chest. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome little bruv, sorry, I mean other boss man.”

  “It’s alright big sis,” he replied, making her smile.

  “I know the Starklaws,” she said. “A bunch of little scrotes. Want me to go after them?”

  “We’ll discuss it later. Right now we’ve got a celebration to go to,” said Mikey, starting the engine. “Stay close Jules, they might make another attempt.”

  Jules sat back in her seat, pleased. Take that Grant.

  The Wherry Tavern was heaving with people waiting to congratulate Jackson, who hadn’t yet arrived. Fond memories returned to Mikey of his own many triumphant returns here after winning another boxing match, free drinks flowing all night, the women throwing themselves at him. Good days. He’d given it all up because he was worried what would happen to his family if he got seriously injured in the ring. Neither was it appropriate in his current position. He still sparred at the gym but he did miss the pomp and ceremony that went with a real match in the ring.

  He didn’t get any pleasure from being in this pub, not after all the shit that had happened here. In this ordinary-looking pub Alex had plotted against him and Frankie McVay had decapitated a man and hacked his associates to pieces. The bad memories were more vivid than the good. It belonged to Beth now, who knew nothing of its dark history and that was fine by him.

  Jules got some strange looks as she prowled the pub, sticking close to Jez in case of another attack. She’d really come through for them, acted very professionally and with discretion. Maybe she would make the cut after all? He hoped so, he didn’t want to kill her. There were a lot of people here well acquainted with the city’s underworld so they all knew who she was and were puzzled to see her with them. They’d accept her, he’d make sure of it. He had to give Jules her due, she clearly didn’t give a shit what they all thought of her. She lounged against the bar chatting with Jez. At least they looked to be getting on.

  Everyone was distracted from her by the man of the hour, Jackson Driscoll bursting in with Benson, both sporting bruises but once again the best of friends and followed by their own entourages. Ignoring the dolly birds hanging around him Jackson made straight for Jules, who leaned against the bar watching him approach, knowing full well he would. At least she didn’t resist when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It would have been too embarrassing if she’d given him the cold shoulder but then again, why would she? He was the man of the moment who all the women wanted and she would get a kick out of claiming him in front of all the tarts, even if deep down she didn’t really want him.

  Poor Dane was doing his best to pretend he didn’t care as she wrapped herself around Jackson. Women flocked around him too and he pulled the nearest one to him aggressively, the blond obviously delighted by his attention, and kissed her. The daft bint hadn’t realised she was second choice.

  Mikey’s gaze was inexorably drawn back to Jules and he noticed Jackson’s fingers linger on the body of the snake twisted around her bare abdomen and experienced the urge to touch it too.

  “Stop it,” he muttered.

  “What’s that?” said Jez, coming up behind him.

  “Nothing,” he sighed, feeling doomed. He was a poor, trapped fly just waiting to be devoured.

  “Vic, how nice to see you again,” smiled Katia, greeting him at the door. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

  “I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” he leered, talking to her chest. “It’s about bloody time.”

  She’d finally given in to his incessant demands for sex, she’d no choice if she wanted to stay in his good books.

  “I’ve arranged a room upstairs with champagne, roses and a wardrobe full of my special little toys,” she said.

  “You can keep the shagging flowers but the booze and toys sound just the fucking ticket,” he grinned, slapping her on the backside.

  Katia swallowed down her annoyance. He was so common she couldn’t stand it. “This way,” she said, flashing him a smile.

  As they ascended the stairs to the first floor Vic’s big clumsy hand continuously pawed at her backside and she almost fell on the steps when it disappeared right up her skirt.

  “Are those kickers silk?” he panted from the act of walking up a flight of stairs as well as lust.

  “Yes,” she replied flatly.

  “Phwoar.”

  Katia rolled her eyes as she continued her ascent, wishing she could turn and push him down the stairs and listen to the snap of his fat neck.

  Once they were alone in the room she’d allocated for this purpose she turned to face him, her fingers toying with the buttons of her blouse. “I will strip for you,” she said.

  “No need to stand on ceremony with me girl, just get ‘em off.”

  “I like to strip, it turns me on.”

  “To be honest, I couldn’t give a monkey’s toss what turns you on.”

  “A what?”

  “Just get your fucking clothes off,” he said, ripping open her blouse. “Fucking hell girl, you’re gorgeous,” he said, grabbing at her breasts. Next he unzipped her skirt and dragged it down her legs. Beneath her clothes she wore a white silk chemise to hide her hips and stomach. Despite the tummy tuck she’d had to remove the loose floppy skin she’d been left with after carrying the twins her body still wasn’t what it was, it would take lots of gym time to tone the muscles back up and lots of make-up to hide the stretch marks. Vic didn’t seem to mind. He pushed her back onto the bed, panting his hot stinky breath in her face, the flab of his body quivering with excitement. Katia hid her disgust well, the picture of arousal as his sausage-like fingers tugged at the delicate silk of her panties.

  It was a huge relief when the ligature was thrown around his neck from behind and sank into his soft flabby flesh. His frog eyes bulged and his wide mouth flapped open grotesquely.

  “Bi…bi…”

  “Are you trying to call her a bitch?” snarled Jared in his ear, “Just like you always call my poor old mum. This isn’t down to her. It’s my fucking doing.”

  Vic grunted as Jared’s powerful arms hauled him up onto his knees, twisting the ligature so tight it almost disappeared into the folds of skin that made up his neck.

  Katia scrabbled out from under Vic to watch him slowly strangle to death. Her painted lips smiled cruelly as she enjoyed his pathetic struggles against his powerful son.

  “You’ve had your time old man and now you’re done,” said Jared, sweat standing out on his brow as he put all of his strength into strangling his father. “It’ll be a smooth takeover, everyone’s behind me. They’re all fed up with you, you fat fuck.”

  With a loud grunt Jared gave one last pull on the knotted rope. Vic’s tongue lolled, his eyes popping out of his head with the pressure, then he went limp.

  Jared let his body drop. Katia watched in silence as he proceeded to stamp on his father’s face with a huge booted foot, crunches and squelches filling the room as the bones crumpled beneath the force, cartilage and muscle turned into pulp.

  “Stupid fucking bastard,” yelled Jared until, with one last stomp, he took a step back, glaring at the mangled corpse as though he wished he could kill it all over again.

  When Jared’s fevered eyes snapped on Katia her spine rippled with unease. She’d just witnessed him commit murder, he might see her as a threat. Not that
she could go to the police anyway, he’d made her an accessory by using her to lure Vic up here. They were bonded by murder.

  “You did well,” he said.

  “Thank you,” she replied, forcing herself to remain cool and calm. If he detected any fear he might decide to get rid of her in case she lost her nerve.

  “My men will clean up this huge useless pile of shit,” he snapped, jabbing a digit at the body. In response two shaved gorillas entered the room carrying a length of plastic sheeting. “Don’t worry, not a trace will be left behind. In the meantime you can get out there and start looking for new premises. You’re moving up in the world Katia.”

  “I can’t wait,” she smiled.

  “Cover yourself up for fuck’s sake love, you’re distracting these two,” he said, indicating his men who were paying more attention to her exposed body than the body of their former boss.

  “Sorry,” she said, pulling the torn halves of the blouse around her. As she passed Jared on her way to the door she hesitated. “I am very impressed. I think we will work well together.”

  “You’re cold and merciless.” His lips twitched up into a smile. “So am I.”

  Katia forced herself to look him right in the eye and not panic when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

  “Irina sleeps with no one but me until I get bored of her. That is my one condition.”

  “I understand.” Somehow Katia didn’t think Irina would find that much of a chore.

  He released her. “Good. Don’t let anyone near this room for the next three hours.”

  She nodded and left, hurrying across the landing to another room where she’d stashed a spare outfit to change. Vic Slattery was dead and she was delighted. Maybe now she could finally get her revenge on the Laws for Alex. She’d heard nothing from Venom and it was making her edgy. Either she was taking her time, making sure she got it exactly right, or she was dead.

  There was a polite knock at the door.

  “Enter,” she called imperiously.

  Irina came in, closing the door behind her. “Well?” she asked in Slovakian.

  “It is done. No one is to go anywhere near that room for the next three hours.”

  “I will make sure of it.”

  “Jared says I’m to start looking for new premises. We’re getting out of this dump and into the big time. I want you to run things here while I sort that out. There will be a lot of work to do.”

  Irina beamed with pleasure. “I will not let you down.”

  “I know. Jared says you are to sleep with no one else. You are to entertain only him.”

  “I can manage that,” she replied solemnly, although her eyes sparkled.

  “He is a very impressive man, is he not?” said Katia as she wiggled out of the skirt Vic had his grubby hands all over and pulled on a clean one.

  “Very.”

  “And it seems you’ve impressed him. Together Irina we will go far. We will make much money and live good lives. Not bad for two little ladies from Slovakia.”

  CHAPTER 36

  Jules was lying on her front enjoying Jackson’s fingers lightly running up and down her bare back. Sometimes she just liked to be stroked, like a cat. Daylight was creeping through the gap in the curtains towards them and she scrunched her eyes up against it.

  “Why don’t we get together Jules?” he said. “We’re fucking dynamite.”

  Jules’s automatic response was to tell him no, she was a free spirit now Jasper had finally done her a favour and died, but she hesitated. This was the start of a new life. Mikey wanted her to find stability before he really trusted her. Maybe this was the way? Show him she was serious about starting again. She didn’t love Jackson, she’d only ever loved one person properly her entire life and that had been little Cara, but she thought she might be able to love him, one day.

  She turned on her side to face him. “Why do you want to be with me so much Jax? You have women throwing themselves at you but you never seem interested in them.”

  “Because I only want you.”

  “Why for God’s sake?”

  “Because you’re gorgeous and sexy as hell.”

  “Is that it?” She pushed herself up onto her elbows. “There has to be more to it than a physical attraction.”

  “Alright then. Most people find you prickly but I like that about you.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. Keeps me on my toes.”

  “It would drive you mad if you had it full time.”

  “Perhaps but I’d like the chance to find out.”

  “You might regret it.”

  “Are you finally starting to weaken?”

  “Maybe,” she smiled.

  He rolled on top of her, took a section of her hair between his finger and thumb and used it to tickle her face. She liked it.

  “You do realise how fucked up I am?” she said.

  “No, I’m deaf and blind,” he said sarcastically.

  “I’m a nightmare, you’ll end up hating me.”

  “Look, neither of us are psychic, we don’t know what’s going to happen but I’d rather try and have it go wrong then never try and always wonder.”

  “That was deep.”

  “You know I’m right, but if we do try I need to know I’m the only one. In other words, no shagging about. Think you can manage that?”

  “Yeah, I think so. I was faithful to Jasper, for a while anyway.”

  “Until we started sleeping together.”

  She hadn’t the heart to tell him she was sleeping with Dane long before him. “The same would apply to you. No tarting about with that bunch of groupie slags who are always hanging round you.”

  “When have I ever? You know I don’t touch them.”

  “Because if you ever did the dirty on me I’d kill them and you. You do get that?”

  “Yeah, Jesus calm down.”

  “Just as long as we’re clear.”

  “We are. So, what do you say?”

  The ringing of a phone filled the air and Jules reached for her mobile phone that was lying on the floor, lost in a heap of clothes.

  “Ignore it,” he said.

  “I can’t,” she replied, attempting to unravel the device from her jeans. “I have a job now, it could be work.”

  Jackson sighed and laid back on the bed.

  “Yep?” Her eyes widened and she sat up. “Rachel.”

  “Hello Jules,” said Rachel. “Is this a good time to talk?”

  “Yeah, just give me a minute.”

  Rachel patiently waited, listening to the sound of Jules moving about, the soft murmur of a man’s voice in the background.

  “Okay, ready,” said Jules.

  “Entertaining are you?”

  “Yes, I have a friend here.”

  “Dane?”

  “No, a different friend. He’s in the other room, he can’t overhear. I’m glad you called, I wanted to explain about the Jordans. If I’d known you were pregnant I wouldn’t have done it and I played absolutely no part in the attempted abduction, I just told them where you were.”

  “Alex was setting me up all along?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you mention any of this when you were in Devon?”

  “Because I didn’t think it would help my case. I knew Ryan was seriously considering disposing of me and I didn’t want to give him any more encouragement. I was going to keep it to myself until Mikey started talking about fresh slates and being honest with each other. My therapist mentioned something about it too. New start and all that, I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  “You were. I believe you Jules when you say you didn’t know I was pregnant.”

  “Thank you. I feel an unusual respect for you Rachel. No woman has ever got the better of me before and you did. I hope one day we can be friends.”

  “Me too.” Rachel heard Ryan’s footsteps coming up the stairs. “I’ve got to go Jules, thanks for talking.”

  “Anytime.” />
  She hung up a second before Ryan entered their bedroom.

  “Who was that?” he said.

  Rachel considered lying but knew that would be impossible. She could never lie to her husband. “Jules.”

  “Why do you want to talk to that mad cow?” he frowned.

  “I had to hear it from her own lips about Thomas.”

  “And?”

  “I believe her. She didn’t know. Give her a chance.”

  “That may be more complicated than we’d originally anticipated. Riley’s just called. He’s resigned from the army.”

  “What? I thought he loved it.”

  “He’s sick of being thrown about the world, his words. He wants stability, a home. I think he’s had some encouragement from Beth too, apparently they’ve kept in touch. He’s got to work out twelve months’ notice first, he can’t just quit. How do you think he’s going to react when he comes home and finds the queen of Lucifer’s Shadow, the murderers of his fiancée and unborn child, ingratiating herself into the family he’s only just found?”

  Rachel sighed and fell back onto the bed, gazing at the ceiling. “Not well.”

  “Exactly,” he said, lying down beside her.

  “If it’s not one thing it’s another.”

  “That’s families for you and we have the most fucked-up one on the planet.”

  “Who was that?” said Jackson when Jules walked back into the bedroom, looking troubled.

  “No one you need be concerned with,” she mumbled, sitting down on the edge of the bed, replaying her conversation with Rachel over in her mind.

  “Jules?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “You okay?”

  She just nodded.

  He sat up and encircled her waist with his arms. “So, what do you say about us getting together?”

  She turned her head to look at his handsome face, his light green eyes big and soft. It had been a nice dream. “Do yourself a favour Jax and run as far from me as you can. I’m not called Venom for nothing.” She removed his arms from her waist and got to her feet.

  “Jules…”

  “It’s Venom,” she hissed, pulling on her clothes.