by Martina Cole
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
About the book
About Martina Cole
Praise
Also by Martina Cole
Dedication
Prologue: 2011
Book One: 1980
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Book Two: 1983
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
Chapter Forty-eight
Chapter Forty-nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-one
Chapter Fifty-two
Chapter Fifty-three
Chapter Fifty-four
Book Three: 1988
Chapter Fifty-five
Chapter Fifty-six
Chapter Fifty-seven
Chapter Fifty-eight
Chapter Fifty-nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-one
Chapter Sixty-two
Chapter Sixty-three
Chapter Sixty-four
Chapter Sixty-five
Chapter Sixty-six
Chapter Sixty-seven
Chapter Sixty-eight
Chapter Sixty-nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-one
Chapter Seventy-two
Chapter Seventy-three
Chapter Seventy-four
Chapter Seventy-five
Chapter Seventy-six
Chapter Seventy-seven
Chapter Seventy-eight
Chapter Seventy-nine
Book Four: 2000
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty-one
Chapter Eighty-two
Chapter Eighty-three
Chapter Eighty-four
Chapter Eighty-five
Chapter Eighty-six
Chapter Eighty-seven
Chapter Eighty-eight
Chapter Eighty-nine
Chapter Ninety
Chapter Ninety-one
Chapter Ninety-two
Chapter Ninety-three
Chapter Ninety-four
Chapter Ninety-five
Chapter Ninety-six
Chapter Ninety-seven
Chapter Ninety-eight
Chapter Ninety-nine
Chapter One Hundred
Chapter One Hundred and One
Chapter One Hundred and Two
Book Five: 2008
Chapter One Hundred and Three
Chapter One Hundred and Four
Chapter One Hundred and Five
Chapter One Hundred and Six
Chapter One Hundred and Seven
Chapter One Hundred and Eight
Chapter One Hundred and Nine
Chapter One Hundred and Ten
Chapter One Hundred and Eleven
Chapter One Hundred and Twelve
Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen
Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen
Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen
Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen
Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen
Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen
Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-one
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-two
Book Six: 2011
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-three
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-four
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-five
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-six
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-seven
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-eight
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-nine
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-one
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-two
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-three
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-four
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-five
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-six
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-seven
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-eight
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-nine
Chapter One Hundred and Forty
Chapter One Hundred and Forty-one
Chapter One Hundred and Forty-two
Chapter One Hundred and Forty-three
Chapter One Hundred and Forty-four
Epilogue: 2019
Love No Mercy? Read more by Martina Cole
Copyright © 2019 Martina Cole
The right of Martina Cole to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders and obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. The publishers would be pleased to correct any errors or omissions if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book.
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
This Ebook edition was first published by Headline Publishing Group in 2019
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN: 978 1 4722 4942 5
Cover photograph © Peter Kindersley/Getty Images (background buildings © Melissa Lund/Arcangel Images)
HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP
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About the book
Diana Davis has been head of the family business since the death of her husband, an infamous bank robber. She’s a woman in a man’s world, but no one messes with her.
Her only son, Angus, is a natural born vi
llain, but he needs to earn Diana’s trust before she’ll allow him into the business.
Once he’s proved he has the brains to run their clubs in Marbella, he is given what he’s always wanted. It’s the beginning of a reign of terror that knows no bounds.
But Angus has a blind spot: his wife, Lorna, and their three kids, Angus Junior, Sean and Eilish. And as the next generation enters the business, Angus has a painful truth to learn. Even when it comes to family, he must show no mercy . . .
About Martina Cole
© Bill Waters
Martina Cole’s first novel Dangerous Lady caused a sensation when it was published, and launched one of the bestselling fiction writers of her generation.
Since then Martina has gone on to have more No. 1 original fiction bestsellers than any other author. She won the British Book Award for Crime Thriller of the Year with The Take, which then went on to be a hit TV series for Sky 1.
Four of her novels have made it to the screen, with more in production, and three have been adapted as stage plays.
Her unique, powerful storytelling is acclaimed for its hard-hitting, true-to-life style – there is no one else who writes like Martina Cole.
This is what they say about Martina Cole . . .
‘The stuff of legend. It’s vicious, nasty . . . and utterly compelling’
Mirror on FACELESS
‘Her gripping plots pack a mean emotional punch’
Mail on Sunday on THE RUNAWAY
‘A blinding good read’
Ray Winstone on THE KNOW
‘Intensely readable’
Guardian on FACELESS
‘Right from the start, she has enjoyed unqualified approval for her distinctive and powerfully written fiction’
The Times on BROKEN
‘An extraordinarily powerful piece of family drama’
Daily Mirror on THE BUSINESS
‘The acknowledged mistress of the insanely readable gangster thriller, Cole has delivered another addictive tale of men of violence and the women who love them . . . brutally compelling’
Sunday Mirror on GET EVEN
‘We always get excited when a Martina Cole novel drops on our desk, and she continues to maintain her reputation as one of the best fiction authors around with this gritty and unforgettable story of a family immersed in a world of violence and revenge. Spectacular’ 5*
Closer on THE LIFE
‘Martina tells it like it really is and her unique, honest and compassionate style shines through’
Sun on THE TAKE
‘The queen of crime’
Woman & Home on HARD GIRLS
‘Dark and dangerous’
Sunday Mirror
‘Thrilling, shocking and exceptionally written, you’ll get lost in this gritty novel, which proves there really is only one Martina Cole’
Closer on REVENGE
‘The undisputed queen of British crime thrillers’
Heat on GET EVEN
Also by Martina Cole
Martina Cole’s bestsellers in order of publication.
All available from Headline.
Dangerous Lady (1992)
The Ladykiller: DI Kate Burrows 1 (1993)
Goodnight Lady (1994)
The Jump (1995)
The Runaway (1997)
Two Women (1999)
Broken: DI Kate Burrows 2 (2000)
Faceless (2001)*
Maura’s Game: Dangerous Lady 2 (2002)*
The Know (2003)*
The Graft (2004)*
The Take (2005)*
Close (2006)*
Faces (2007)*
The Business (2008)*
Hard Girls: DI Kate Burrows 3 (2009)*
The Family (2010)*
The Faithless (2011)*
The Life (2012)*
Revenge (2013)*
The Good Life (2014)*
Get Even (2015)
Betrayal (2016) *
Damaged: DI Kate Burrows 4 (2017) *
On Screen:
Dangerous Lady (ITV 1995)
The Jump (ITV 1998)
Martina Cole’s Lady Killers (ITV3 documentary 2008)
The Take (Sky 1 2009)
Martina Cole’s Girl Gangs (Sky Factual documentary 2009)
The Runaway (Sky 1 2011)
*Martina Cole’s No. 1 bestsellers - Martina has held
the record for spending more weeks at No. 1 than
any other author
For my beautiful new granddaughter Loretta, another
wonderful addition to my family.
Also thanks and much love to Darley Anderson,
Jane Morpeth and Tim Hely Hutchinson CBE,
for over twenty-five years as a great team!
Prologue
2011
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Matthew 5:7
Eilish wondered why the fuck she bothered with any of it, but she knew that the feeling wouldn’t last. It never did.
Sometimes it was brought home to her that the businesses were all she really had now – and this outcome was something she couldn’t have done anything to avoid. Life certainly seemed to throw her more than her fair share of shit-storms, and she could do nothing but sort them out as best she knew how.
She looked down at the photographs. It didn’t seem possible that she was here, in her flat, looking at the smiling faces of the people she loved and wondering how – or even if – she should address the catastrophe that had befallen them.
It had all happened so fast, and with such precise planning and foresight, she couldn’t help but be impressed. One thing she had been taught in her family was to respect anyone who had a bit of nous about them. You might not like them – and you might want to kill them – but you had to admire their acumen. It was only fair and honest to give credit where it was due.
She poured herself another large Scotch and took a deep gulp. She glanced at one of the photos scattered around her on her bed; it was of her and her brothers as kids. They looked so happy and carefree. But that was another lie, this time for the camera. She wondered how many other families had the same snapshots in their albums – of gap-toothed, smiling kids with their expensive clothes, playing against beautiful backdrops – when in reality they were slowly dying inside.
She was the youngest, the only girl, and they’d treated her as such.
She couldn’t get the earlier phone call with her mother out of her head – it was like a worm eating away at her.
She rubbed her belly and wondered if she had really done the right thing, but she had to believe that she had. She had kept her pregnancy secret from everyone around her – and that was all to the good now. As her mother had said, the children in this family were cursed, brought into the world with pain and without mercy.
That was something the Davis family were good at, as anyone would tell you. There was no mercy for anyone – least of all their own flesh and blood.
Finally, she cried.
Book One
1980
Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good.
Charlotte Whitton (1896–1975)
Chapter One
‘For fuck’s sake, Mum, anyone would think I was a fucking moron the way you carry on.’
Diana Davis sighed and held on to her temper as best she could under the circumstances. She loved this boy of hers, but she was well aware that he had a lot to learn where the game was concerned. Angus thought that the sword was mightier than the pen. What he needed to understand was that anyone could pick a fight and earn a reputation for violence – that was the easy part. A knife, a hammer or a gun would quickly make a body known to those who didn’t matter! The real deal was making sure you got a rep with people who actually did matter.
‘Well, Angus, you are a fucking moron on occasion, that’s the bottom line.’ She lit herself a cigarette, taking a deep pull on it to calm her anger, as she said candidly, ‘
You do not take anything on yourself until you run it by me. That’s the law! For your information, son, you picked a fight with the one man I am currently relying on to bring serious money into my business. My business, not yours, incidentally!’ She shook her head in frustration. ‘Like I need this in my life! I’m fighting against men all the time. I don’t want to be fighting you too, son. And if you don’t wind your neck in then I will.’
Angus Davis knew that his mother spoke the truth. At nineteen, he was still too young to be taken seriously, and sometimes he was fool enough to try and interfere with things that were, frankly, way over his head. But he did these things for the right reasons – he was trying to look out for his mum. Not that Diana Davis needed looking out for. She could piss all over most of the men she dealt with. And she dealt with a lot of men. Hard men. Men who respected his mother and were more than willing to work with her and for her.
He recognised he had inadvertently undermined her here. It was food for thought. But what bothered him was that the men on their payroll saw him as an extension of her and not as a man in his own right.
‘And it doesn’t help that you and his son aren’t exactly bosom fucking buddies, does it?’
Angus knew when to shut up, and this was one of those times. He had royally clumped Danny Cave while they were both incarcerated in a young offenders’ prison awaiting their bail hearings. No one questioned his mother’s morals, especially not a piece of shite like Danny Cave. Angus guessed that his mother knew exactly what had been said and why the incident had occurred – after all, there was fuck-all that escaped her attention. His dad used to say she was always up before everyone else had set their alarm clocks!
Unlike his mother, Angus didn’t have it in him to turn the other cheek. One of Diana’s great strengths was the ability to ignore whatever interfered with her ultimate goals. She could swallow anything if circumstances played to her favour, plus she knew the people involved were usually relieved that they had been given a swerve and that was something to file away for later. He knew that she was right, that often the best way was the hard way; wipe your mouth and keep your eye on the big picture.
Angus didn’t work that way. Diana expected it from him, but her son had what she referred to as a ‘loser’s temperament’, meaning his temper would be his downfall. As she pointed out frequently though, not on her fucking dime. His lack of control was something she couldn’t afford, and his reaction to Danny Cave had really yanked her chain.
