by Martina Cole
After all, as much as she loved him, Lorna wasn’t unaware of his lifestyle and his businesses. She had thought everything through and convinced Angus that she was right. She had hinted at the off chance of a police raid, and the fact they would have plenty of warning given the distance from the gates to the front door. She had obviously tempered that with visions of the children having a wonderland to explore in complete safety.
Angus had loved the idea of a tennis court and swimming pool. There were outbuildings too, even a barn; they had a lot of land, and they could build on to it, as and when they needed to. It could grow over the years, as they would grow together as a family. They would soon be the proud parents of their very own baby. She had never seen her Angus so excited about anything before – this child was everything to him.
She could hear her mother coming through with the tea and toast she had requested, and she smiled. Angus was due home soon. She was aware that it had not been exactly the greatest trip to Marbella he had ever experienced. She could hear the disappointment in his voice when he’d spoken to her. She would find out what had happened, of course. She had to know the score, and that was only natural. She wasn’t going to be one of those wives who weren’t savvy enough to keep their eye on the old man’s business.
Angus accepted that she needed to know what was going down; she needed to be prepared. She knew that he respected her for it. Because no matter what he might do, she never questioned it. And she didn’t offer an opinion either way. She just wanted to be in the know. Knowledge was power. She had read that somewhere, many years ago, and it had struck a chord in her mind.
She bit into her toast and savoured the richness of the butter on her tongue. ‘Oh, Mum, this is just what the doctor ordered!’
Sinead Connolly looked at her beautiful daughter and forced a smile. This one had fallen on her feet all right, and the usual guilt she felt rose to the surface once more. She loved this girl but, deep down, she didn’t like her. Truth be told, she had not liked her for a long time. Her Lorna had always been self-contained, even as a child, emotionally closed off and determined to get her own way, no matter what.
Sinead was looking forward to this grandchild. She wanted an outlet for her love, because her daughter had never really needed it.
Chapter Forty-nine
Angus was still smarting from the attempted shooting, even though he knew the culprits had been dealt with.
The actual experience had rattled him more than he would ever admit. He had not been impressed about being so close to the receiving end of death at its most raw and visceral. Without Roy and his natural nous, this trip could have had a completely different outcome. That was what was bothering him. He wasn’t frightened of dying, per se – he knew the pitfalls of his chosen profession – but he had never really understood the value of life. Until now.
He had never before felt so close to death. Now it was all over, and he was out of danger, his brief contact with it had thrown him. Suddenly it was all he could think about, it was filling his mind. He had believed that he was invincible, and now – for the first time – he understood that wasn’t actually the case.
He had been lucky that his mum and Roy had always given him protection. He appreciated that. But he also knew now that nothing was guaranteed. Facing his own mortality gave him food for thought. He could finally see his mother’s point of view. She was always going on about him watching his back, not putting himself in harm’s way. He had laughed at her, even mugged her off at times. He realised now that this was the arrogance of youth.
His mum was an old hand. Not that he would ever use the epithet ‘old’ to her face, of course. He felt a rush of love for her. While, at times, she irritated him because she held all the cards, he couldn’t deny that she deserved to hold said cards. Until this debacle he had not really appreciated that fact. Now, though, he had actually experienced what could happen when you least expected it. He wanted to hug her to him and apologise to her for every time he had rolled his eyes, or sighed with boredom, when she was trying to give him her advice.
How could he have been so crass and so obtuse? She was only looking out for him and trying to educate him in the finer points of their world. Roy had always been angry with him for his attitude towards his mum, and now he finally got it. He had been mollycoddled really. His mum had done it to protect him, as he would her – and as he would his new wife and baby.
It had also made him realise that when you did decide to remove someone from your orbit, it had to be done properly, with aplomb. Not just with excellent foresight, but also with a pretty good plan B. He wondered how he had never truly understood anything, until these last few days, and he was able to admit that he had not been clever enough to work out that he had actually been looked out for. It had just been the norm to him.
Roy had ensured that the people around him had been trustworthy and loyal, and until this had all happened he had just accepted it. He owed that man a debt that he could never repay. Because of his mum and Roy Rogers he had never had to worry about his personal safety. But now he had to start thinking long and hard about that himself. He needed to start taking responsibility for his own life.
He had been given a big wake-up call. He had to prove to everyone that he could look after himself, and his family.
And that included his mother and Roy Rogers.
Chapter Fifty
When Lorna picked up the phone she was half asleep.
Through half-closed eyes, she saw that it was after two in the morning, and she assumed it was Angus, telling her he had landed safely and was on his way home.
‘Is that you, Angus?’
No one answered her. There was just silence and the hiss of a landline.
‘Angus?’
She was wide awake now, and she pulled herself up into a sitting position, her belly feeling heavy and cumbersome. She listened eagerly, hoping to hear his voice.
Then she heard a woman’s voice say huskily, ‘Is Angus there?’
Lorna stared at the phone for a few seconds before speaking. ‘Who shall I say is calling?’
The woman laughed lightly. She sounded full of fun and life as she said, ‘Would you tell him it’s Mandy?’
Lorna didn’t answer her for long moments. She just sat there in abject disbelief. That this person could ring her house, ring her home! That this person actually had her phone number – her private phone number – was a shock in itself.
‘Mandy fucking who?’
Lorna’s voice was harder than a concrete bollard, and the girl on the other end of the phone seemed to pick that up.
‘I said Mandy fucking who?’
Lorna was so agitated, she could feel the child quickening inside her. She felt as if she had been stabbed through the heart.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and then she said airily, ‘Listen, darling, I assume you are one of the dancers in one of the clubs or whatever. They are my clubs too, you stupid cow, and he’s my fucking husband, darling. You crossed a line when you rang our home. You really need to understand that when I find you, I will fucking kill you, and that is not an idle threat. But that’s nothing to the wrath of my Angus when he finds out what you’ve done.’
She replaced the receiver as gently as she could. She was not going to slam it down, because that is what this girl wanted. She lay back on her pillows and made herself take more deep breaths until her anger had passed.
Sometimes she could cheerfully knock Angus out, he was so fucking predictable. Another no-brain with plastic tits and a make-up overdose no doubt. The girl was probably regretting her impulsive action already, she had sounded very young and very drunk. Lorna was really more interested in where this Mandy had got their home phone number, because she knew that she had not been given it by Angus – of that much she was sure. He could be a cunt of Olympian standards, but even he wasn’t that big a cunt.
She would box clever with this latest escapade. The one thing she believed was that her Angu
s loved her above all others, and that was what really mattered. You couldn’t hold a man like her Angus to his marital vows; there would always be other women.
She just had to make sure they didn’t last.
Chapter Fifty-one
Angus was caught bang to rights, and he knew it.
That young Mandy had not seemed the type to cause murders, but he was obviously wrong. She had seemed like a little mouse, but he had really underestimated her. He couldn’t believe it – what had possessed her? The dozy bitch. He had fucked her a few times, he had never declared undying love.
He knew he would have to tread carefully after this latest scandal. Lorna wouldn’t let this slip by her. He had made it home, safe and sound, and got into bed as quietly as possible. He had pulled Lorna and his baby into his arms, caressing her belly, loving the feel of them so close to him, because they were the most important things in his life. After what had happened in Spain, he felt an even greater need for this woman he had married and the child they had created.
He had been just about to drop off when Lorna had said sleepily, ‘Oh, you are home, darling.’
He hugged her even closer and kissed her hair. ‘I’ve missed you, darling, I’m so glad to be home.’
Lorna kissed his hands and pulled him closer to her. ‘I missed you too, Angus. And oh, before I forget, Mandy rang you at about two this morning.’
He had not said a word. He had just waited with trepidation for the ball to drop.
But – nothing. Lorna had just gone straight back to sleep.
That alone was a worry. She could keep an argument going for days if the fancy took her – and it frequently did if she felt she was within her rights. It was strange because she was the only woman he would take that kind of treatment off. He supposed it was because he respected her as well as loved her. He had been looking out for strange since day one. But if he thought she had slept with another man, he would have no worry about killing her and the culprit involved.
She wasn’t like that though. He knew that he would always be enough for her. She wasn’t looking for anything other than him; he had taken her virginity and she had given herself to him one hundred per cent. Even if he got twenty-five years in prison, she would wait for him without a second’s thought. She was that loyal and that good.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t say the same. He loved her with every ounce of his being but he just couldn’t be faithful. He had tried, God knows he had tried. But he just couldn’t do it. He loved being romantic with her – he showered her with flowers, chocolates and jewellery. She blossomed when they were alone together, and only he saw that side of her.
But she wasn’t as sexual as he was, she wasn’t as adventurous, and he appreciated that about her. He had found himself a decent and good woman, and these days they were few and far between. He loved his life with her, that they were going to have a family together, and he enjoyed being with her. But he also needed a plain, good old-fashioned fuck on a regular basis, with no strings, no dramas and no romance. He couldn’t be faithful to one woman, it just wasn’t in him.
It didn’t make him love Lorna less. In fact, it made him love her more, if that was possible. He didn’t want her to satisfy the needs that his outside women filled. She was going to be the mother of his children; her mouth would kiss his baby. He didn’t expect her to be as earthy as the women he pursued, and he knew that Lorna wouldn’t countenance it anyway. She was a lady.
But he didn’t like being caught out like this. That fucking Mandy was going to be launched into outer space tomorrow. The stupid bloody bitch had committed the cardinal sin: she had made the mistake of thinking that she was important to him. Important enough to think that she could interfere with his home life. That he would not swallow. She had the shock of her life coming to her tomorrow, and she would rue the day she had crossed him and upset his wife.
That was something he would never allow from anyone, let alone a fucking lap dancer who had been round the turf more times than a prize-winning greyhound.
Chapter Fifty-two
Gabriel and Angus were in their new wine bar and club in Old Compton Street.
It looked fantastic, and they were both confident that it would be a good earner. It would also be legitimate, and that was its main asset. They were looking for mainstream legit businesses that could explain away their lifestyles. The big mistake that a lot of Faces made was that they lived beyond their means, and it was a red flag to the Filth.
Angus even knew a bloke who was bringing in a fortune and still signing on the fucking dole. It was ludicrous and, worse than that, it put everyone they dealt with in jeopardy too. He wanted to be off the radar, not putting himself on it. Now the moron was doing a lump and a half, and that could all have been avoided with a little forward planning.
Gabriel went behind the bar and poured them each a large brandy.
‘Cheers, Angus. This is a right touch, mate, it looks fantastic.’
Angus grinned happily. ‘I think it will be a little goldmine. I’ve found us a brilliant chef. He’s a terrific guy – gayer than a maypole – and let’s face it, this will probably be a gay club because of where it’s situated. I don’t care. You know me: live and let live. Anyway, Geoffrey Pole is going to give it his seal of approval, and that will guarantee the punters.’
Gabriel nodded. He knew the score as well as Angus did – though, unlike Angus, he wasn’t that comfortable around the gays. They still spooked him. Angus guessed that Gabriel wouldn’t be frequenting this place very often, but that didn’t bother him in the least. Each to their own, was his attitude. Personally, he didn’t really care about what people did in their own homes.
Gabriel drank his brandy quickly and then poured himself another.
‘You’re on it early, Gabe! My mother giving you a hard time, mate?’
Gabriel grinned. ‘She always gives me a hard time, you know what she’s like.’
They laughed together companionably. They got on well and genuinely liked each other. Gabriel appreciated that Angus didn’t judge his mother or him. He had always just accepted the relationship, and that meant the world to him.
‘I need a favour, Gabe, but it has to be between us.’
Gabriel was intrigued, because Angus rarely asked anyone for anything.
‘If I can help, mate, I will.’
Angus smiled, pleased that Gabriel hadn’t even had to think over his request for a second.
‘I want you to keep my mum away from here for a few days, if you can, until the official opening night. I want to arrange a surprise for her.’
Gabriel was visibly taken aback at his request. Angus understood then that Gabriel thought he had wanted him to help him in the business in some way, and he made a mental note to do just that – get him involved in more than just this club. He was one of the good people and Angus needed good people around him, Marbella had proved that. The events in Spain had really given him food for thought, as his old granny would say.
So he smiled and said genially, ‘And once this place is up and running, I have a couple of other business propositions I want to run past you. We can have a nice lunch somewhere and talk things through.’
Gabriel looked made up. ‘That sounds good to me, mate.’
He would like to work properly with Angus. And he knew it would please Diana, because it would be another person watching over her son, whether he liked it or not.
Angus checked his watch, a large and expensive TAG Heuer. He had always had a penchant for the outlandish, and the watch suited his personality. He believed that you should look the business at all times, and he made sure that he did.
‘I need to get to the club in King’s Cross, I have a bit of business that needs sorting.’
Gabriel knew exactly what that business was, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to rock that particular boat.
Chapter Fifty-three
Mandy Downs was sober and of sound mind when she walked into the BB Club.
She was also very subdued and she didn’t look her usual made-up and dressed-up self. In fact, she was in tracksuit bottoms and a baggy T-shirt with Duran Duran on the front; she just hadn’t been up for anything since she had opened her eyes that morning. Truth be told, she was terrified of the fallout from her stupid fucking antics of the night before.
She couldn’t believe she had been so reckless. But there was something about Angus that really appealed to her, and she had fallen for him hard. One thing she knew, though, was that she had to face the music, no matter what, because the last thing she wanted was Angus looking for her. As her best friend, Angel, had remarked on the phone earlier, ‘Girl, you better find him first because believe me, Angus is not going to be a happy bunny.’ Talk about stating the fucking obvious!
She had to get this over with. And she would apologise, because she knew she was well out of order. His wife was pregnant. What had possessed her? But she knew exactly what had possessed her. Too much champagne – or what passed for champagne in this shithole – and too much cocaine.
She went through to the dressing rooms quietly. She was aware that Big Bobby Talbot didn’t hail her as he usually did, and that alone told her all she needed to know. As she entered the club itself from the foyer, she saw Angus sitting at the bar with a glass of beer. He held his arms out, as if he was pleased to see her, and she walked towards him with trepidation.
