Reckoning

by Heather Atkinson

  “Fine, have it your own way.”

  A small generator with an electrode connected to it was brought up and placed on the table beside her.

  “Tell me about your family’s deal with Toni McVay,” he repeated.

  “So that’s what you’re really after,” she said. “You don’t give a shit about Manchester, you just want to impress Toni.”

  “You’re right. I want to do business with her. So tell me about it.”

  “Nope. Go on then, do your thing,” she said, nodding at the electrode he held in his hand.

  “Have it your own way,” he replied, rolling up her left trouser leg before applying it to her skin.

  The shock jolted her entire body, clenching her fists shut. When he removed the electrode she took in a deep breath.

  “Mmm, tingly,” she said.

  “That was five milliamperes, just a little taster. The more questions you refuse to answer the higher I’ll turn the dial.”

  “Go for it, then we can both enjoy ourselves,” she said cheerily.

  He turned the current up slightly and reapplied it to her leg. Jules’s spine arched and she released a loud, lascivious moan.

  “Tell me about your family’s deal with the McVay’s,” repeated Jared.

  Jules opened her eyes and grinned. “Fuck you.”

  “Let’s whack it up to ten milliamperes and see how you like that,” he said, turning up the dial. Her body jumped and jerked, eyes and fists screwed tight shut, jaw clenched. When he finally relinquished the electrode Jules took a moment to take a breath before shouting, “yes.”

  “If you enjoyed that then you’re going to love twelve milliamperes,” said Jared.

  Pain gripped Jules’s entire body, which shook uncontrollably, muscles involuntarily clenching, spine arching up off the table. When the current was removed her body slumped back onto the table, her muscles unrolling themselves and her jaw going slack.

  “How was that?” smiled Jared, convinced he’d managed to break her.

  It took Jules a moment to find her tongue, everything slow and sluggish, including her thoughts. “Fucking marvellous,” she panted.

  “The next setting is seventeen milliamperes,” he said. “Severe muscular contractions that could break your bones, extreme pain, possible heart attack. Want to risk it?”

  “I’ll be fine, more lives than a cat me.”

  “Are you willing to die for them?”

  She thought carefully before replying, “you know what, I think I am.”

  “You’ve not known them long.”

  “They’re still my family and I am not a grass. Besides, I’m enjoying myself.” Her eyes slid to the bulge in his jeans. “As are you.”

  Her words were cut off when he jammed the electrode against her arm, body spasming so violently her boots banged off the table. When it was over she wasn’t capable of talking. All she could do was lie there, head rolling from side to side as she tried to keep Jared in her line of sight, but he disappeared from view.

  “She’s not going to tell us anything,” said a voice she thought was Jared’s.

  “That’s one tough bitch,” replied another.

  Jules’s eyes slid shut. All she wanted to do was sleep. If they were going to kill her she’d rather not be conscious when they did it. Faces popped up behind her closed lids - Jez, Cathy, Rachel, Ryan, Dane, Jax…Mikey. She hadn’t even had the chance to get to know them properly.

  Jules felt herself lifted and carried out of the room, the carnal stink fading. Gently she was placed back on the bed in her cell.

  “Get some rest because this isn’t over,” she heard Jared’s voice say before she lost consciousness.

  “Well?” said Tanya, putting her interior decorating magazine aside when Jared walked into the living room.

  “She’s refusing to talk. I shocked her good but nothing. Actually I think she enjoyed it.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “Back in her cell until I can think what to do with her.”

  “What do you want to do with her?”

  “Not sure. She’s really skilled. She managed to break Damien’s hand with her hands and feet tied and she’s fucking tough.”

  “You admire her?”

  “I do.”

  “You want to keep her?”

  “I’m not sure she can be tamed.”

  “Doesn’t sound like she can be. You’re better off torturing her, go on, have some fun then get rid of her.”

  “No, not yet. Anyway, I don’t really need her to tell me anything about her family’s operation, it’s pretty clear cut and I got most of it from Brogan. No doubt by now Toni McVay’s heard about how I destroyed the compound and Jez and Mikey in one go. She’ll be in touch soon.”

  “So you don’t really need Jules?”

  “Nah, not really.”

  “Then dispose of her.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Enjoy her then dispose of her.”

  “What I mean is I could use her to get to her family.”

  “True, but whatever choice you make please make sure it’s the right one.”

  “I will,” he said with a smile, already planning how he’d make good use of Jules Maguire.

  CHAPTER 26

  “What are you doing?” demanded Jules when Jared burst into her cell, rudely awakening her.

  He didn’t reply. Instead he grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her to her feet.

  “Get the fuck off me,” she cried, trying to shrug herself free. He just threw her over his shoulder again and marched out of the room towards another room further down the corridor, Jules’s heart sinking as the stench of bleach and death drew closer.

  He kicked open a door and entered the torture chamber. Every gangster’s base should have one Jules thought wryly. Four of his men were assembled there and her heart sank. This was it. She was never going home.

  She was forced to her knees while Curtis stood before her, brandishing a video camera with a cruel smile. “This is going to be fun,” he quipped.

  “Go fuck yourself you fucking tosspot,” she bawled at him.

  “You’re a really classy bird.”

  “Wanker,” she yelled back.

  “Enough,” said Jared. He looked to Curtis. “Are you rolling?”

  He aimed the camera at Jules. “All ready Boss.”

  “Good. We’re all set then.” Jared smiled down at Jules. “Ready for your big moment?”

  “Just get on with it, I’m getting bored,” she sniffed.

  “You heard the lady.” He drew his gun and aimed it at the back of her head. “Let’s get on with it.”

  Mikey was laid on his bed feeling wretched, shoulder throbbing, unable to stop his frantic mind from imagining all sorts of horrible tortures Jared Slattery was inflicting on Jules. He wondered if she was thinking of him, if she blamed him for what had happened to her. Hot tears welled in his eyes but he forced them away. It was never more vital he hid any weakness.

  When his phone rang he almost ignored it, not wanting to hear whatever bad news the caller undoubtedly had for him. He changed his mind when he saw Jules’s name flash up on the screen.

  “Jules?” exclaimed Mikey.

  “Nope. Jared Slattery.”

  “How the fuck did you get this number?”

  “Jules had her phone with her. Jesus, I thought you were supposed to be smart.”

  “Let me speak to her, I want to talk to her,” he yelled down the phone.

  “Sorry, not possible. I’m sending you some footage. You’ll soon seen why she can’t talk.”

  Abruptly the call ended and Mikey felt sick as his phone pinged, indicating a new message had been sent. His fingers shook slightly as he opened up the folder to reveal a video file.

  “No,” he rasped when he saw Jules in some sort of cellar, the floor concrete, a single light bulb hanging above her head casting her face in a watery glow. She’d been forced to her knees and Jared stood behind her, a gun
pressed to the back of her head.

  “Say hello to your brothers and cousin Jules,” he said tauntingly, smiling right at the camera.

  “Go fuck yourself you southern ponce,” she barked.

  Jared jammed the gun harder into the back of her head, forcing her forward until she was almost bent double. The noise wasn’t much louder than a pop, a mess of blood and brains splattered onto the floor and Jules toppled forwards in a heap. For good measure Jared shot her again and again until her head was entirely obliterated, not stopping until he’d run out of bullets.

  Mikey couldn’t do anything except stare at the screen with his mouth open, his fingers holding the phone numb. In fact his whole body was numb, he couldn’t even feel the wound in his shoulder. Neither could he tear his eyes off the screen, he simply couldn’t believe she was gone, that woman who’d overflowed with life, who had survived years of abuse, gang wars and a massive explosion only to be shot in a dirty cellar by that wanker. It wasn’t right.

  “What’s up with you? You’re crying,” said a shocked voice.

  Mikey managed to drag his eyes off Jules’s ruined body. He hadn’t even heard Jez come in.

  Jez’s face was white with fear. “Why are you crying?”

  “I didn’t know I was,” he murmured.

  “What are you looking at?” said Jez, almost frightened to ask.

  When Mikey didn’t respond Jez snatched the phone from his hand. “No, it’s not her.”

  “It is. I saw the whole thing. Jared called me to gloat first.”

  Jez watched the video from the start, unwilling to believe she was dead. When it was over he just stared at it in silence before quietly handing Mikey back his phone.

  “Fuck,” Jez suddenly exploded. “I’ll fucking kill him.”

  Jez started to tear the room apart, flinging furniture about and raging at the world while in contrast Mikey sat on the bed in silence, his head in his hands.

  “What’s happened?” said Grant, charging into the room along with Mark and Shane.

  Jez paused in destroying the room to yell at them, “Jared Slattery fucking topped Jules. He shot her in the head.”

  “Shit,” said Mark, kicking over a bin.

  Mikey didn’t speak, he couldn’t. The horrible, overwhelming grief was welling up inside him, crushing his throat.

  “Will you fucking say something?” Jez roared in his face.

  Mikey wanted to but he couldn’t, the crushing sensation was getting worse. When he didn’t speak he thought Jez was going to hit him. Instead he turned his rage back on the room, not stopping until the only thing still standing was the bed Mikey was sitting on. He stopped to catch his breath, soaked with sweat, glaring at them all. “Fuck getting the Starklaws. We’re going to kill Slattery instead and every single one of his men. We’re going to line them up, force them to their knees, blow their heads apart and burn them until nothing’s left. We’re going to wipe them off the face of the planet and then…”

  He was cut off mid-flow by a bang at the door.

  “Who’s that?” said Grant. “We’re not expecting anyone.”

  “And no one knows where we are,” added Jez.

  Mark drew a Glock. “I’ll check it out.”

  Shane swallowed hard. “I’ll help.”

  “Thanks lad but you stay here. Grant.”

  He nodded and the two of them cautiously approached the door.

  “Ready?” said Mark.

  Grant stood to one side of the door, gun clutched in both hands. “Ready.”

  Mark pulled it open and raised the gun. “Hands on your head.”

  The man just frowned back at him, not deigning to raise his hands, an overnight bag dangling from one of them. “Get that gun out of my face Mark.”

  “Sorry Ryan,” he said, shoving it back into the belt of his trousers.

  “That’s better. Now, where is my sister?”

  Mark looked to Grant, who swallowed hard.

  Ryan’s eyebrow arched in impatience. “Well, I’m waiting.”

  Ryan stared at the image of his sister lying dead on the floor, her skull blown apart by bullets. Just like Mikey he was finding it very hard to believe she was gone. Jules had exploded into their lives and - even though she’d not been in their lives for very long - it had felt as though she’d always been a part of it. She’d helped save his life too and he’d been unable to do the same for her.

  “Fucking bastard Slattery’s going to pay for this,” muttered Jez, using his anger to mask his pain.

  “Yes he is.” Ryan’s voice was devoid of all emotion, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t feeling any. In fact the strength of it was taking him by surprise. He looked to Mikey. “You’re very quiet.”

  He was sat bolt upright on the bed, torso bare, chin resting on his chest, staring at the floor. “I shouldn’t have left her behind, I shouldn’t,” he whispered more to himself than Ryan.

  Ryan looked to Jez with a questioning look but Jez just shook his head.

  “Dane Black’s here,” Grant called through from the hallway.

  “I called him to let him know about Jules,” said Mikey.

  “Let him in,” called back Ryan and Jez simultaneously.

  “Sorry,” said Ryan. “This is your show.”

  “Feel free to jump in as much as you like bruv because we’ve fucked things up big style.”

  “Not even I could have predicted this would happen,” he said, putting the phone on the bed screen-down so he wouldn’t have to look at the image of his dead little sister.

  Dane burst into the room, looking frantic. “Tell me it’s not fucking true. Jules can’t be dead.”

  “I’m afraid she is,” replied Ryan stiffly. He picked up the phone and held it out to him. “Here’s proof if you want to see it. I advise you not to look.”

  “I have to see for myself or I won’t believe it.”

  Dane watched the video, the others wincing at the sound of the gunshots slamming into Jules’s skull. Although he didn’t tell the others, Dane moved his line of sight to just below the phone, so he wouldn’t have to see Jules die. The sound of each gunshot felt like the bullets were hitting him. He just managed to pluck up the courage to look when the shooting had stopped, glimpsing a booted foot and a lifeless hand spattered with blood. He handed the phone back to Ryan before he saw anything else because he wanted to remember Jules as she was, not as a corpse on the floor. Legs shaky, he sank onto the end of Mikey’s bed and buried his face in his hands.

  Ryan felt sorry for Dane, he’d known Jules since she was sixteen, been her lover since she was eighteen. They had a long history together and, even though she’d driven him crazy, she had been a huge part of his life.

  “I take it you’re going after Slattery for this?” said Dane. “I want in.”

  “Of course,” replied Ryan when neither Jez nor Mikey spoke. He looked to the latter, who seemed to be disintegrating at a worryingly rapid rate. “I wonder if you’d all be so kind as to let me speak with Mikey in private?”

  “Come on Dane, let’s get a drink,” said Jez.

  “I hope you’ve got some scotch,” he replied as they left the room together.

  The others filed out behind them, Shane looking sick and pale.

  Mikey didn’t even seem to notice they’d gone, he just stared at the floor, lost in his own world. Ryan couldn’t allow this to happen, they needed Mikey firing on all cylinders for the truce with the McVays to hold. If that fell through then there was a good chance they wouldn’t survive this particular war. Plus Rachel had asked him to look out for Mikey, so look out for him he would.

  He knelt before Mikey but he stared through him.

  “Mikey, look at me.”

  Finally Mikey’s eyes focused on Ryan’s face. “It’s my fault, I left her behind.”

  “The way I hear it you didn’t have a choice.”

  “She did it for me.”

  “She did it for all of us.”

  “I mean Jake.”r />
  “What did she do?”

  “Made sure he got a sneaky shot, like she did to Terry. She made it look like he had a heart attack then swung it so no autopsy was done. He was a weak link but I couldn’t bring myself to finish him, so she did it for me. After Leighton she understood what it was like having someone who was so bad for you dragging you down, constantly in the back of your mind. She said she did it for me,” he said, a fat tear clinging onto an eyelash for a moment before dropping and sliding down his cheek.

  “Mikey, were you in love with my sister?”

  Mikey wiped the tear away, refusing to reply.

  “I take it your silence means yes?”

  “I don’t know Ryan, honestly I don’t. I was attracted to her, a lot, I could talk to her about stuff I couldn’t tell anybody else too. When I was with her I felt different, relaxed. It felt really good.”

  “Sounds to me like you were.” Ryan rubbed a hand across his forehead, wishing Rachel was here, she’d know exactly what to say while he just felt awkward.

  “She stayed behind in the compound for me too.”

  “No, Mikey.”

  “Yes she did,” he practically yelled.

  “Listen Mikey, you’ve got to hold it together. If you lose it Toni will break from us and we’ll all end up with bullets in our heads. Don’t let Jules’s sacrifice be for nothing.”

  This stirred something in Mikey and Ryan saw some of his old fight flare in his eyes. “I won’t.”

  “Good lad. Remember, you’ve got a wife and child to think of.”

  “I haven’t forgotten,” he said, dragging a hand down his face.

  “How’s the shoulder?”

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry Ryan,” he said before disintegrating into sobs.

  Oh hell thought Ryan as Mikey rested his head on his shoulder and cried. Ryan patted his bare back uncertainly until he’d got it out of his system. While he waited for Mikey to pull himself together he was tempted to indulge in a bout of reminiscence and just remember Jules, but he couldn’t afford to lose himself in sentiment just yet, he had to fight back. No one hurt his family. “Come on, get it together,” he said, pushing Mikey upright.

  “Thanks Ryan, I feel a bit better.”

  “Good. Now get dressed. We’ve got a lot to do.”