I write the times of each viewing on the property details as Jake wanders through to the kitchen. “Mrs. Drake, is there any more of that tea?” He asks “It’s very good.” He adds with a smile.
“No, but I’m about to make another pot, its Assam, my favourite!” I pop two tea bags into my pot. Anna reaches for her orange juice and picks at some strawberries that James has left out.
“Did I hear you say you’ve arranged to go to Birmingham tomorrow? Ben did say I would be needed to drive you.” He tells me as he stands in my kitchen waiting patiently for his drink.
“We’re going to look at apartments for Anna, she starts at Birmingham University in October, thought we may as well buy an apartment, we can always sell it when she’s finished, or if Anna ends up working in the Midlands she can just stay there.” I show Jake the properties we’ve shortlisted.
“You’re a lucky girl.” He looks at Anna.
“I know I am,” she smiles at me, “but, you know even if mum didn’t have the cash I know she’d have done right by me, we’d have managed somehow, wouldn’t we mum?”
“We certainly would have.” I smile, and we would have done somehow.
“Well, I’m tasked to be with you for the foreseeable, so it’s Birmingham tomorrow. What time do you need to be there?” He asks.
“First appointment is at ten. James never said anything about “the foreseeable”!” I huff.
“I’m sorry Mrs. Drake, but my orders are to stick like glue and to answer the door and to check your mail and to drive you. If there’s something you need to discuss with Benny boy, you’ll need to call him.” The huge security guy wanders around the kitchen, very observant taking everything in.
“Benny Boy?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Sorry, shouldn’t call him that. Benito.” He murmurs.
“No, don’t worry Jake. You can tag along with us.” Anna laughs, we don’t really bite! He looks at Anna, a little confused before wandering back to his study, Anna goes to her room, apparently she needs to touch base with Katie and I call Shauna who can fit me in at three tomorrow afternoon.
Next thing, I need to sort out Nial.
Looking through the paperwork to do with Henry’s again I call Gerald. Once I’m connected to him I explain what James and I had discussed the previous night, that I should offer Nial his money back plus twenty five percent for his half of the club, in additional I will settle all the outstanding debts.
“I think that’s generous Alex, very generous. He’d be a fool not to accept, if he doesn’t I have no doubt he’ll lose the lot, walk away with nothing, you will as well, as far as Henry’s is concerned but then you’ve plenty of cash anyway, really and truthfully Alex apart from the monthly income from the place it wouldn’t make any difference to you.”
“That’s what I thought, he’s got everything to lose.” I agree.
“So are you going to make the offer?” He asks me.
“I think so. I’m going to call the lawyers now, get them to draft something for me. I think I’ll need to act quickly before anyone calls in the debts. I’d like to think I can see Nial this afternoon if the lawyers can act quickly enough – next phone call I think!” I laugh.
“Well good luck Alex, and let me know how you get along.”
“Will do. Bye.” I clear the call and ring the legal practice that deals with my business affairs, I’ve not really had a lot to do with them at all as everything was, or so I thought, tickety-boo and it takes me a while to connect to the correct person. I explain what I have found out, what I plan to do. They agree and can have proposed documentation drafted up in an hour, they suggest that in the initial stages I see Nial on a face to face basis, discuss this with him and try to keep it all as friendly as possible, which I totally agree with. I don’t like conflict and will do my utmost to avoid it, probably why I jumped when Lewis asked me to and became the compliant, model wife, although I know he would disagree with that as apparently I can’t do anything right, according to him anyway.
The lawyer I speak to will arrange to have the draft documentation couriered to me.
I telephone James, he answers pretty quickly, “Blossom.” He says.
I huff, “Bossman”
“Touché.” He grumbles.
“The lawyers are drafting documents for the club; they should be with me in an hour or two. Can I arrange to meet you at Henry’s this afternoon, about three o’clock? Assuming Nial can see us then?” I rattle off my plans, of course it all hangs on whether Nial even agrees to see me this afternoon.
“Sure. How are you getting there?” He asks.
“I’ll get Jake to drop me off. You know Jake.” I draw out the word “The bloke you’ve installed to babysit me.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll see you at Henry’s at three. Be careful.”
“I will. See you later. Love you” I blow a kiss down the phone before clearing the call.
Chapter 24
The documents arrive from the lawyer’s office as planned and I glance over them, exactly as we discussed, great. I telephone Nial and luckily he can accommodate us at three. I wonder if he knows what I want to see him for?
Anna and I have a light lunch together, Jake refuses to join us, apparently he’s not allowed, stupid rules - installing a man into someone’s home and then telling them they can’t join us to eat, I mean we’re not Victorian, are we? I make him a sandwich and take it through to the study, he needs to eat, the bloke’s huge.
At two thirty I ask Jake to run me to Henry’s, Anna comes along for the ride, partly because she is apparently bored and partly because Jake feels unhappy about leaving her on her own to take me into town. We all pile into his Range Rover Anna in the back I sit in the front beside Jake, I have no doubt a company vehicle, black with darkened windows, a huge car and I just know that Anna will have fun with this, being the “green” person that she is. It’s not long before she shows her sarcastic side, bordering on a little bitchy, but I have to hold back a little laugh as she asks, “Do you ride?” quite seriously.
Jake coughs, chokes, it’s quite amusing watching him, completely taken off guard. He composes himself, “Sorry Miss Drake?”
“Ride, do you ride?” She speaks the words clearly, emphasising every consonant.
“I’m sorry Miss Drake, I don’t know what you mean?” He blushes, clearly misinterpreting what Anna has asked, he’s a dirty mind too, obviously!
“Horses Jake. You drive a country vehicle, do you ride – horses, you know drag a horsebox around or maybe some sheep?” Anna smiles at me as she explains the reasoning behind her question, I having difficulty stopping myself from laughing as it’s apparent that my darling daughter is simply winding the poor chap up!
“No, sorry. I hate horses, they bite and stamp!” He cringes, outwardly I guess having had an encounter with a horse in the past.
“Oh, I thought as you had a four wheel drive you might drag a horse box or something?” She presses.
“No!” He snaps, “It’s a company car, assigned to me to drive you around in, that’s all.”
“Oh.” She mumbles.
“You don’t like it?” He asks.
“It’s just big!” I jump in to stop Anna annoying this poor man any further, “You have to remember Jake that we come from the country, our neighbours tended to use Land Rovers or Range Rovers for moving live stock or just for getting through the country lanes. If I was spending this sort of cash on a car I would not be buying a Range Rover, no I’d go for a nice luxury marque instead – Mercedes or BMW. Having said that, with what I spent on the R8 I could have bought an Aston Martin. Anna why didn’t we look at Aston Martin when we bought the Audi?” I look into the back of the box on wheels.
“We were in a hurry mum, we’d no car and the Audi garage was the first we walked into, and it’s pretty!”
We pull up outside Henry’s and Jake says that he will wait for me to finish the meeting. I feel for him being trapped in that box with my annoying daughter. I
know she’ll give him a hard time “Be good Anna.” I say as I leave the car winking at her, I smile sweetly at Jake and shrug my shoulders. Poor bloke, I wonder if this is a punishment, being landed with us two! He’ll need therapy after an hour trapped in a box on wheels with Anna having to listen to her views regarding big cars, horseboxes, farmers and close protection security people!
I enter Henry’s via the covered VIP entrance and raise my hand to Josie who is wiping down tables in a seating area of the main club. She acknowledges me with a smile. I check my portfolio case and make sure I have the thick brown envelope that contains the proposed buyout agreement.
As I approach Nial’s office he opens the door, I guess he’s seen me on the CCTV walking across the club.
“Alex.” He holds his hand out, takes mine and leans forward, kissing me on the cheek. “Come on through.” He still stinks of booze.
I follow him through to his office. I hadn’t really paid much attention to Nial before and as I take a seat in front of his desk I notice the drawn, thin face and the somewhat scrawny body beneath the black t-shirt and jeans, he looks tired and worn out. He’s certainly not like James who has an amazing physique, not body builder big, but just right. Muscles in the right places, firm stomach, nicely toned pecs.
“Take a seat.” He says as he indicates towards the chairs in front of his desk. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Water please. James should be joining us.” I glance at my watch, he should be here by now.
Nial leaves his office giving me the opportunity to look around the office. From where I sit I see piles of paperwork, baskets and trays full of what look like delivery notes and invoices, there’s a couple of filing cabinets with further stacks of paperwork on top, empty glasses scattered here and there and a plate with a half eaten, stale looking sandwich on a low drawer unit. The place really is a mess, and looks, to be frank, dirty.
He returns with a bottle of Highland Spring for me and what looks like Scotch for himself, although it could be any pale amber coloured spirit I suppose, whatever there’s clearly a problem here.
“So, what can I do for you today?” He places the green bottle in front of me, no glass, oh well a good job I’m not prim and proper then! He wanders around to his swivel chair with his glass of whatever spirit it is. I glance at my watch again, James must be delayed.
“I was hoping that James would be joining us, but he must be delayed.” I say as I open the bottle of water. I can do this on my own, after all it’s not nasty or hostile, I’m just making a proposal, if he turns aggressive then I’ll leave and we can do this via the lawyers.
“When I was here, the other day, I asked if you had a balance sheet I could look at.” I remind him.
He nods in reply, “I didn’t have one at the time.”
“Well, then something happened Nial, and there’s no easy way to say this.” I look at him and swear I see a thin film of perspiration across his forehead. “I was approached by someone who advised me that there has been a problem with pay, not being paid on time, that sort of thing.”
“There’s a reason…” He starts to interrupt me and I get the impression he’s going to defend himself but I cut him off, “Let me finish Nial, please!” I pause, taking a breath. “Well, that led me to check one or two things out, after all I do own fifty percent of the business.”
“Yes.” He mutters, looking increasingly flustered and sweatier by the second.
“Well, things aren’t good, are they Nial? Why didn’t you say how bad things are? And more to the point why are they so bad? The club’s making huge profits, massive, so why can’t we pay the suppliers, the staff. Anyway, to cut a long story short I can salvage this, make things better and keep Henry’s operating, so I have a proposal.” I pull the large envelope from my portfolio.
“What!” He snaps.
“I’m prepared to offer you your money back, the fifty per cent you initially invested into Henry’s plus a further twenty five per cent on top of that for your half of the business I’ll also clear all the debts with the suppliers. I’m effectively offering you the option to sell your half to me. In turn you walk away, twenty five per cent up on what you invested, plus your initial stake. The alternatives are, as I’m sure you’re fully aware, pretty dire for you. My accountant seems to think the place has got two weeks tops before the creditors start issuing winding up orders. You’d get nothing, absolutely nothing at all if that happens. For me, well I’d lose the monthly profit share, that’s it. I know that Maggie put half in, but as far as I’m concerned I never saw that or had it, so I’ve lost nothing.”
He looks at me, intently. His thin face hardening, it’s a look I don’t like. I breathe deeply and put myself in my happy place, thank God it seems to be working this time. I check my watch again, where the hell is James.
Nial stands and paces around his desk. “I don’t know Alex, this place is everything to me.”
“And soon it’ll be nothing!” I finish his sentence for him.
“I’ve worked hard, built it up from scratch. Maggie had no involvement, just the cash. Everything else I’ve done myself.” His tone becomes aggressive.
“There’s no denying that Nial but something’s happened and, well you either accept my offer or walk away with nothing – if not today then certainly in the next week or two!”
He walks behind my chair, I feel uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. I lean forward to pick my handbag and portfolio up as I do I feel his fingers run across the tops of my shoulders, I go to stand. “I’ll give you some time…”
He cuts me off pushing me back down into the chair. “The moment I first met you, when I ran you home that night I fancied you. You have to know that Alex. I bet you’re an amazing fuck!” I feel both of his thin hands on my shoulders, a horrible unwanted feeling. I recall James telling me of a different girl every night, about being a Playboy, clearly he still is, or still has desires to be one, although who’d want to have him, inside them, I have no idea. He smells, he’s scrawny, and really not nice, although I suspect he never used to be this way, I can’t imagine Maggie investing with a drop out, which is what Nial looks like now!
“I thought we could run this place together, make a go of it, you know. You. And. Me?” He punctuates his words his voice hoarse, “I can see us, working together Alex, being together. You know what I mean?” His fingers dig into my shoulders, he’s in my space, well into it, the feeling makes my skin crawl.
“I need to go Nial. Please think about it.” I try stand, and turn to leave his office as his hand trails down my arm. “Please don’t touch me Nial, please don’t!” I raise my voice. As I say the words I hear the door handle turn and James stands there. He takes one look at Nial, his hand on my arm and smack! The punch comes out of nowhere, straight under Nial’s chin sending him stumbling backwards and onto his desk, papers pens used glasses and my bottle of water fly in all directions, clattering and smashing to the floor. Nial’s just sprawled backwards on his desk, his arms flung out to his sides his legs barely holding him up.
“Out!” James looks at me shouting , “go to Jake, now!” He points towards the door. I pick up my handbag and portfolio and vacate the office glancing behind me as I leave the office.
I walk quickly across the club and listen to the sounds of James shouting at Nial as I hurry towards the door. I have no idea what’s going on in there, I can’t hear anything that sounds like fighting, just James’ incredibly loud and aggressive voice booming. The staff behind the bar, cleaning the tables look up at me as I cross the main area, but look quickly down again, avoiding any eye contact. Surely they must know what Nial is like, that there’s a problem?
Outside I find Jake sat in his Range Rover chatting to Anna. I open the door and slide into the passenger seat. “Can we go straight home? Now!”
“Of course Mrs. Drake.” He acknowledges me as we pull away from the kerb.
“Everything okay mum?” Anna asks from the back.
“Fine swe
etheart, absolutely fine – I think.” I mutter.
Once we’re back to home Jake insists he opens the door and enters first, he turns the key in the lock and deactivates the alarm Anna goes straight to her room, I make tea for Jake and myself. “Please, come and join me in the kitchen Jake, don’t sit in the study on your own.”
“I shouldn’t really Mrs. Drake.” He grumbles, stood in the hall.
“Who’s the client?” I ask him.
“Well, you I suppose.”
“And do you always go against your client’s wishes?” I remind him that, even though I don’t approve and didn’t request this he is working for me.
“No, but it’s, well it’s protocol I suppose.”
“We’ll let’s just break the protocol shall we? Come and have a cup of tea with me, in the kitchen. James’ll be here soon anyway, then you can go for the day.”
He reluctantly follows me through to the kitchen and I tell him to sit, wafting my hands towards the stools around the island.
“So, James has been very cagey about what Benito does, just says it’s security. What do you do?” I ask, prying for information on Benito’s security business.
“The organisation offers standard security, you know the sort you see around business parks but also the more professional stuff, like this – close protection. Ben’s got some high profile clients, pop stars and film stars, people like that.”
“Oh.” Well he hasn’t told me anything that I didn’t suspect already.
“So, presumably you’re all trained in that sort of thing.” I press him again.
“You could say that Mrs. Drake. Those of us that work in this field, we’re mostly ex-military.”
“Can I ask what sort of military?” I ask. We’re back to one question and one answer.
“No, sorry ma’am you can ask but I can’t answer.”
Loving Alex (The Alexandra Drake Series) Page 21
