Текст книги "Rotten to the Core"

Автор книги: Casey Kelleher

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              “Well, is she happy about it?” Norma asked.

              “Yeah, stupid cow is over the moon, says she’s in love too.” He took another sip of his drink. “Thing is, Norma, she doesn’t know the half of it. She can’t have this baby, she just can’t.”

              “Look, love, I know you are just looking out for her, but she is going to have to make her own decisions. You can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do,” Norma advised, taking another long pull from her cigarette. “You may not be happy about it, but this is not your mess to sort out.”

              Billy was quiet for a long time. Then, and he didn’t know what came over him, but maybe it was because Norma was like his mum, so easy to talk to, or maybe it was the years of bottling up all his torment, he found himself telling her the whole story.

It had all started with Den Shaw, Jay’s dad. Den was one of life’s freeloaders, a nasty scumbag. He would literally take from the poor in order to give – to himself. He called himself a “financer”, but he was actually just a thieving bastard who specialised in lending to those that couldn’t get credit from anyone else, desperate people on the dole mainly. He would offer them a loan at a good rate: too good to be true. Because it was such a good rate he would persuade them to borrow an extra bit more. Then a few months down the line, he paid them a little visit, letting them know about the new interest rates due to “inflation”.

He wouldn’t elaborate any more than that, but by his snide tone and the look of the two apes he brought with him as heavies, people knew they had no choice but to pay whatever he asked.

              Billy’s mum had had dealings with Den. As a child, Billy used to see the way Den would walk into their house and intimidate her. Knowing she had no husband to back her up, he had taken advantage of the fact that she was on her own, thinking she was an easy target: things were tight back then and there were days when there was little if any food in the cupboards.

When Billy was twelve, he had been lying in bed one night when he heard a knock at the door. He had heard voices, then people arguing heatedly. He had heard his mum pleading, begging for a bit more time, asking Den for a few more days.

After a few minutes, it had gone quiet, and Billy had got out of bed, curious now at what had been said. He tiptoed down stairs. He could hear his mum crying quietly in the kitchen and wondered when Den had gone, as he hadn’t heard the front door when he left. He wanted to make sure that his mum was okay. As he went towards the kitchen door he heard a funny noise, and his intuition told him something was wrong.

Billy had peered through the crack in the door to see Den pinning his mum’s hands down on the table. Den’s jeans were around his ankles and he was laughing quietly whilst thrusting on top of her. Den pulled Billy’s mum top up, exposing her breasts, and bit them, sinking his teeth in hard. She was struggling for him to get off her but she was helpless. She was crying quietly in pain, begging him to stop, pleading with him that her kids were upstairs. He ignored her cries as he bent down over her and put his mouth over hers, forcing his tongue inside, thrusting harder and harder. Then it all stopped, and shuddering, he lay still on top of her.

Billy, who had never seen his poor mum look so scared, stood paralysed with fear at what he had just witnessed.

               “Now then, Helen, if you don’t have the cash for me next week,” Den sneered, as he pulled his jeans up, “this little arrangement would suit me just fine. Okay?” he said.

Then he looked over to where Billy was still standing and winked at him. Billy felt as if he was going to be sick, he put his hand over his mouth and tiptoed as quickly as he could upstairs. Stupidly, he thought that perhaps if his mum didn’t know what he had just seen, and then somehow it wouldn’t have been real.

Billy had lain in his bed and a few minutes later the front door had closed so he guessed Den had left. He heard his mum crying herself to sleep: that night, and for the next few nights. He had never spoken about what had happened to his mum, but it played in his head for years like a movie, tormenting him. No matter what they had had to go without in his childhood, from that day on his mother always had the money for Den.

As he grew up, he got angrier and angrier about what had happened. If only I had burst through the door and stopped him, got a knife out the kitchen draw and threatened him, or better still stuck it in him, he had thought, but Billy knew he was kidding himself, a boy back then would have been no match for Den.

Norma placed her hand on top of Billy’s as he spoke; she had never heard him say so much, it was like a floodgate had opened. Norma’s heart went out to him. All his angry thoughts seemed to pour out of him. How he had been so scared and shocked that he hadn’t helped her; how his mum had looked so frightened. When he stopped talking, tears streamed down his cheeks. He wiped them away and gulped down the last of his drink.

              “Den is Jay’s father,” he finished, “this baby is going to have that rapist’s blood in its veins, and I’ll put money on it that Jay is no better than his old man was.”

Norma knew there was nothing that she could say that would help to take away the hurt that Billy was feeling. She had listened, and she had a feeling that that was all Billy had wanted her to do. He was going to deal with this regardless; there was no point in trying to make him see reason.

              There was someone waiting to be served. Norma knew what a private man Billy was, he would want time on his own now to gather his thoughts after being so honest with her.

Norma got up and bent over towards Billy and kissed him on the cheek.               “You know where I am Billy, if you ever need an ear. I am always here for you, darling.”

Stubbing her cigarette out, she walked off to serve her customer.

Billy was embarrassed that he had been so open with Norma, but at the same time it felt as if a bit of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders; he had finally said what had happened out loud. Norma wouldn’t tell a soul, he knew that. He hadn’t told her everything though; it wouldn’t have been fair to burden her.

Billy may have just been a boy back then, but the bad news for Den was, little boys grew into men. Den had been found in a skip just over two years ago, someone had cut his dick off. He’d been slowly tortured too; his body had been a real mess by all accounts.

              Billy had been questioned about the murder, but as far as the police could tell he had no motive and a strong alibi, thanks to some of Billy’s very loyal mates. Den had lots of enemies and the case was left unsolved. Another piece of shit disposed of, not even worth the police manpower.

              One of Den’s sons, Jay, had taken over Den’s little empire shortly after his death. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, it seemed to Billy, who had put the word out that from then on, any shit that went down with Jay, he wanted to know about. Billy had collected a lot of information over the last two years, and he wouldn’t be standing by to let that piece of scum anywhere near his sister.

How he hadn’t heard about his sister having a relationship with Jay was beyond him. He was seriously fucked off. Picking up his jacket as he stood up, he decided he was going to find Jay. Kate had no idea what she had got involved with, so it was up to Billy to sort it out for her. He knew he would have to play this one carefully or that little fucker would ruin Kate’s life for good.

7

Kate couldn’t believe it when she saw her phone flash up with Jay’s name, every time it had rung she had jumped on it and each time it hadn’t been him. She had been checking it all day thinking maybe it had rung and she hadn’t heard it, or maybe it was broken. She had been driving herself nuts, and now finally he was ringing her.

              “Jay, where the hell have you been, I’ve been worried sick, and I’ve been calling you all day!” She looked at the clock, frowning now: it was almost four pm.

              “I’m so sorry, babe, I had a real shit one last night, some fight kicked off at the club and it got really out of hand.”

              “Oh my God; are you okay, babe, you’re not hurt are you?”

              Jay smiled; he knew that he already had her onside again. God! This was just too easy.

              “Yeah, babe, I’m good, nothing I can’t handle. It was just a long one you know, so I went back to my mum’s and slept for England. I think I must have switched my phone off and then just zonked out.”

Kate felt guilty, she had started to worry that maybe he was elsewhere, she knew what that club was like, she saw the way the girls all looked at him, and some of them threw themselves at him. He was a man, as much as she knew that she could trust him, sometimes when it’s all around you…. No, she pushed the thought from her mind. Jay wasn’t like most men, he was better.

              “What’s happened, I’ve got like a thousand missed calls from you, are you okay?” Jay asked.

              “Billy knows about us, Jay, he knows about us and the baby.”

              Jay already knew, from earlier at Emma’s. He grinned, thinking about the day he had just had; that girl was one dirty bitch, and she had all but worn him out. He had only meant to stay for a bit but they had been at it for most of that night and the best part of the day. He had never been with a girl who was hungrier for it than him, she had shown him positions in bed that he didn’t even think were possible, and that was saying something, as Jay had been around the block more than a few times! He seemed to have met his match in the bedroom department, who’d have thought?

              Deciding to play dumb, he used an exaggerated shocked voice. “Shit, you’re joking! What did he say?”

              “He went mental, Jay, absolutely mental; he said he was going to break your legs. Said I had to stop seeing you, I just don’t understand what his problem is, Jay? I mean, if he really got to know you like I do, he would know what a nice guy you are.”

              While Kate started to cry softly, Jay was smiling. He could imagine that Billy was doing his nut; he only wished he had seen his face when he had been told: it must have been like a giant kick in the balls.

              “What are we going to do, Jay, I can’t stop seeing you, you and this baby are my life.”

Jay knew that Kate would do whatever she could for him; she was that kind of girl. Not desperate to please like a lot of the others, but she was definitely loved up; he knew that she would pretty much do anything to keep him happy. He decided that he would try and make this situation work to his advantage.

              “Hey babe, stop crying. It’s going to be okay, Kate, I’m going to lay low for a couple of days, but I’m going to sort something out so we can be together, okay?”

              Kate stopped crying. “What do you mean?” she asked.

              “We’re having a baby, Kate, and it’s none of your brother’s business. The sooner he realises that the better. Give me a bit of time, babe; I’m going to see what I can do, but I think it’s time me and you started making plans, proper plans for us, and our baby.”

When Kate finally put down the phone from Jay she felt over the moon with happiness. He had talked about making a commitment to her, said he was going to sort things. Oh my God, she thought, maybe he was he going to ask her to marry him. Kate hoped so, maybe then Billy would leave it all be. She skipped around the tiny kitchen, trying to contain her excitement, saying aloud: “My name is Mrs Shaw, Mrs Kate Shaw.” Laughing, she felt calmness wash over her; maybe things were going to be okay.

Kate hoped they would be married before the baby arrived, give the little one a stable family – and so that she wouldn’t look huge as she walked down the aisle. It was the way she had always imagined it as a girl. She knew lots of girls that had had babies on their own, and she couldn’t imagine going through all this without Jay by her side. She felt dizzy with excitement, as she pictured in her head her big day. Her dress would be beautiful. Kate could see herself now dressed in a beautiful white dress, all chiffon and lace, Jay on her arm in a lovely suit looking as handsome as ever. She was almost bursting with excitement. If Jay said that he would make it right, she knew that he would. God only knew what Billy would say, but Jay was right, it was none of his damn business. He is my brother, not my blinking dad, she thought; her loyalties were with Jay and the baby now.

Kate decided to have a hot bath; last night had been a long one and had taken its toll on her. Kate was feeling knackered. Climbing up the stairs she saw her haggard-looking reflection in the mirror, she had bags under her eyes bigger than suitcases and her hair looked a greasy mess.  A nice, hot bubble bath and a whole lot of beauty sleep were definitely called for. Mrs Jay Shaw would need to look her absolute best.

8

Billy was riled; if that prat behind him bumped into him one more time he was going to lamp him one. Saturday night, as always, was heaving at Goldie’s. It was gone midnight and Billy had never seen the place so busy. There was a group of men behind him, and one of the idiots had obviously had more than he could handle to drink and was constantly brushing up against Billy and knocking his arm as he stood waiting for his drink.

              Billy swung round as the man trod on his foot for the umpteenth time. “Do you want a fucking smack, mate?” Billy snarled. He could do with a bit of venting, and this little prick was a good place to start. Billy glared at the drunken man who seemed completely oblivious to his fiery mood.

              The man shrugged and turned his back on Billy, infuriating him even more.

              “I was fucking talking to you,” Billy yelled, as he grabbed the man’s arm and swung him back around to face him.

Paul, who had been watching the scene, walked briskly over to the bar, interrupting the men. “Hey, why don’t you go and take a seat, Billy, I’ll bring you and the lads some drinks over, yeah?”

              The two guys standing with the drunken man seemed to grasp the heavy mood and could see that Billy was more than up for inflicting a bit of damage. Apologising for their friend’s drunken behaviour, they skulked off with their staggering mate in tow.

Billy, seeing the stern look on Paul’s face, decided that the man wasn’t worth kicking up over, he liked Paul and he wasn’t going to cause trouble for him over some drunken twat. He went to the table where his friends were sitting. They were upstairs in the private members club, which was just as well he thought, looking at the TV screen in front of him displaying the dance floor. Downstairs was looking manic, there were so many people dancing, he was surprised any of them could actually move.

              “Here you go fellas.” Paul put a tray of shots in front of Billy and his mates and then pulled out a chair and joined them. Billy handed the shots to his mates, Jonny, Lee, and Ryan, who were sitting around his table. The four were thick as thieves, and had been friends since as far back as Billy could remember.

These were Billy’s main men, there was nothing that they wouldn’t do for each other, and he trusted them with his life. The Ellis brothers, Johnny and Lee, were a feisty pair. They were very clued up on business and had helped bring in a lot of money over the years. Ryan was the muscle, a big bastard and vicious with it. He had to be reined in a lot of the time as he easily lost it, but when he helped to inflict ‘persuasion’ he did the job as quickly and brutally as possible. If you heard that Ryan Clarke was looking for you, your best bet would be to fuck off on the next plane available, as there would be no time for reasoning with the man, Ryan was evil. If someone needed sorting, he didn’t bat an eyelid: torturing was like a hobby.

Billy was the main man, the brains behind most of their business; he had the ideas and the nonce to pull stuff off, and he had nice little deals going on all over town, most of it dodgy: import, export, that kind of thing. Billy always had everything well thought out with all angles covered, so no one would ever catch them out on anything, he made sure of that. He was doing well for himself, had invested wisely in lots of properties over the years, and he definitely wasn’t short of a bob or two. They were a good team, no-one with any sense fucked with them.

Although Billy needed to get wasted tonight, he would have avoided Goldie’s at all costs at the moment with everything that had been going on, but he’d heard it was Jay’s night off. He hadn’t wanted to bump into him just yet, knowing the more he drank the more he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist doing him some damage. If he saw him face-to-face he’d lose it and fuck his plan up completely.

              “How’s things?” Billy asked Paul, as he downed his shot, starting to feel a bit calmer as the liquid warmed the back of his throat and start to take effect.

              “Things are really good; business is booming so I have no complaints.”

Paul could see Billy was still on edge, but no harm had been done. Although he and his friends were generally okay guys, he made a mental note to make sure he kept an eye on this lot tonight. He hadn’t done much business with them but their reputation preceded them; if you needed a job done then these boys came up with the goods. There was very little that they couldn’t get hold of: motors, guns you name it. Not that Paul was into that sort of thing, but he liked to have contacts.

              “Good, that’s what I like to hear, let me get you a drink, Paul.” Billy lent over to the tray of shots.

              “No thanks, Billy. I don’t drink while I’m working; I like to keep a clear head.”

              Billy looked at him and smiled. “It’s a shame all your men here don’t think that way, Paul; some people can’t help but indulge themselves, even while they are on the job.”

              “What do you mean?” Paul could sense by Billy’s tone that he had a bee in his bonnet about something, the comment had been loaded. He was intrigued. Billy obviously thought that he knew something Paul didn’t, and like Billy, Paul liked to know everything where his business was concerned. He was a control freak when it came to his club, he could admit that. Knowledge is power, and therefore he had always made it his business to know everything that was going on around him.

              “You got something you want to tell me, Billy?” Paul was getting a bit pissed off with the way this conversation was now going.

              “Yeah, I have as it happens. Your man on the door, Jay:  some of my men have been keeping an eye on him for me, and it’s a good job too as it turns out.” He paused for effect, enjoying the look on Paul’s face, there was something going down right under his nose that he didn’t know about it.

              “Go on.” Paul had a feeling he should have taken that drink he had been offered.

              “He’s a dealer, and he dabbles himself, I’m told. He’s been using your little club here to build a nice little clientele for himself.” Billy watched for a reaction then seeing there was none, he continued, “China White? You heard of it? Real lethal shit it is.”

Paul felt as if he had been punched in the chest. He had heard of China White. It was a type of heroin that you could snort; a bit like coke, but twice the strength of normal heroin and much more addictive. There had been loads about it in the papers recently; only last week, a kid in this area had died whilst using it. If that fucker Jay had been selling it to his punters there would be murder. A bit of coke flying around his club was one thing, but heroin, and China White at that, was a whole different matter. He didn’t want that on his conscience, when the shit hit the fan and where drugs like that were concerned it would only be a matter of time.

              “Why are you telling me this? It’s not like you to be telling tales, Billy; what do you get out of it?”

              “Just think about it for a second, Paul, some young girl in your club snorts some of that shit he’s throwing about, ODs on it. Your name will be linked to it, and if you lose this place, where the fuck are we gonna go for a bit of entertainment?” Billy laughed now. “I’m letting you know Paul, because you’re a nice bloke, and he’s a fucking waster, simple as.”

Paul was trying to take in what he was hearing. He paid Jay to man the door, not to stand there and make a killing off the back of him. He knew that Jay must have been taking the piss out of him and his position at Goldie’s for the entire time he worked here, and he knew he would have to make an example of him. Paul wondered who else knew about it, but he was well aware that he could be also doing a bit of Billy’s dirty work for him. There was no way Billy was tipping him off out of the goodness of his heart.

              “I don’t know what your problem is with Jay, Billy, but I’ll tell you something, it’s got fuck all to do with me! I appreciate you letting me know about what he’s doing in my club and I will be sorting that out myself, make no odds about that.” Paul got up, nodded to the men around the table and walked off.

              “You’ve fucking set the cat among the pigeons there, Billy mate,” laughed Jonny, “what do you think he’s going to do with that snippet of information?”

              “Well, let’s just say that we have just taken Jay out of this little scene for starters, he’s going to have to find somewhere else to sell his gear now, and his going to have fuck all back up from any of these boys,” he looked over to where Paul was now standing deep in conversation with a couple of the security men.

It was a start, thought Billy, as he looked over to one of the escort girls heading towards him. She was wearing a skimpy red miniskirt and tiny bra that barely covered her breasts. Catching his eye, Candice wiggled over. She was five foot nothing, but stunning, like a tiny doll. What she lacked in height she made up for with her big personality.

Billy always paid her well, so she gave him all her attention. Candice always made him, like she did with all the others, feel like they were her one and only. That’s how she managed to rake in almost double what the other girls earned each night. If you made a man feel special, as if you had been hoping and praying that he would even glance in your direction, made it all about them, they were putty in your hands. She had figured that out early on, it wasn’t rocket science, and she couldn’t believe that some of the other girls hadn’t caught on. She was certainly not just a pretty face. Candice placed her arms over his shoulders and started kissing his neck, whispering into his ear. Billy smiled and then standing up grabbed her small pert arse.

              “Back in a bit, lads.” Billy winked at Jonny, as he strode off with Candice to one of the private booths. Still thinking about how he was going to put Jay in the gutter and how he was going to enjoy every minute of it, he closed the booth door behind him and grinned at Candice. She had a cracking figure and tits to die for: she was the best-looking girl in the club. He thought she had a thing for him, she always made herself available to him if he was around, always went out of her way to please him.

There was no need for small talk. Knowing exactly what Billy liked, Candice dropped to her knees. She had figured Billy out a long time ago; he had a girlfriend that gave him more chat than he could listen to: he liked a bit of light relief now and then. Billy felt himself getting hard as she undid his belt. Taking his cock in her hot, wet mouth, she began teasing him gently, licking slowly and then going deeper and deeper down his shaft. He groped her breasts now, feeling their fullness through the tiny silk bra, she started sucking him harder and faster then, her mouth really wet. He took her long, blonde hair in his hands and pulled hard as he came in her mouth, shuddering intensely. After pulling up his trousers, Billy put some notes on the table. Wiping her mouth, Candice smiled; she knew she was good. Billy normally took ages, tonight she had barely got started, and he had paid her the usual amount too: result.

9

The two men had been sitting in the van for over two hours. It was only a little escort van, no room to swing a cat, especially with two huge men inside it.

              It was a chilly morning; March was normally a bit milder than this. The street was quiet, which was to be expected as it was now almost three am. Just the flickering of a streetlamp and a scrawny white cat walking along the path broke up the darkness of the dull, rundown street.

The people who lived here weren’t exactly house proud, looking around the men could see the front gardens of most looked as if they were being used as dumping grounds. There were overflowing rubbish bags, old rusty bikes, broken flower pots, an old bath leaning up against a fence. It was a dump!

Carl, the larger of the two men, shook his head in wonder. “The people around here may not have a lot of money but it doesn’t cost much to be fucking clean, does it? Lazy fuckers: probably too busy sitting on their arses watching Jeremy Kyle while waiting for their dole checks to clear.”

              He thought of his missus, who always kept their home lovely and clean. She would be there now, in bed. He couldn’t wait to be under the warm duvet and feel her snuggled up next to him, but he had to finish the job first. He looked over to Tommy next to him, who was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Where the fuck is he?” Carl asked.

              Tommy sighed; he was also fed up of waiting around. Just like his mate he wanted to get home to his bed. It had been a long day and he wanted a bit of shut eye.

              “Fuck knows, mate. He may not even go straight home; you know what he’s like.”

              He looked over to the house that they were watching; it was the only one that looked half-decent. It was still rundown, and the garden was full of crap, but it had a big solid door on the front, not a typical white council one like the rest of them, and thick windows, which judging by the gleam had only recently been fitted. The driveway was empty and all the lights were off, just the flicker of an alarm system flashing intermittently. It stood out because of the alarm system, made you wonder what would need protecting in a shithole like this. He obviously had something of some value, Tommy thought. Round here people had no call for security alarms; most would sooner put their last fiver on a few bottles of cheap cider rather than in their gas meters, let alone install an expensive alarm system.

Suddenly, they saw the bright headlights of a car coming towards them; finally, it was him. They watched as the beamer drove right past them and turned slowly onto the driveway. Taking their chance the two men quickly grabbed their bats and made their way over to the car, quietly, undetected like the true pros that they were.

              As the man got out of the car they saw the shock on his face at the sight in front of him, shock mixed with genuine fear. Who wouldn’t be scared? They were both over six feet tall, and armed with baseball bats. The worse thing was he knew them, and knew what they were both capable of.

              Before he could even take in the scene before him, the man found himself lying on the floor, the bats raining blows down on him, over and over again. He didn’t beg or plead, he knew he deserved this, this was his lesson, he was well aware that it would come to this. Feeling blood pour down his face, and the sound of a bone crack above his stomach, he felt an almighty pain wash over him before he passed out.

A light came on in an upstairs window above them, the two men decided to make a fast exit. Jumping into their van they sped off, just in time to avoid the plump lady opening the front door and screaming hysterically at the site of her son’s broken blood-soaked body lying in a heap on the cold floor.  People peered out of windows, having a good look, taking it all in so that they could have their own piece of gossip for the morning.

              Tommy put his foot down; the police would be called, and they needed to get themselves and the van out of sight. Carl made himself useful, picked up his mobile and tapping in a number.

              “It’s done,” he told his boss. “The smarmy little fucker has just considered himself told.”

              “Good,” said Paul. “I’ll see that you both have a little extra in your wages.”

Paul put down the phone. He had left it a few days after he had been told of Jay’s little side-line, and tonight it had been put to bed. It seemed Carl and Tommy had done well. From what he had just been told, Jay wouldn’t be working anywhere, anytime soon. He’d got what he was owed, as far as Paul was concerned. No-one took the piss out of him. Paul had worked too hard, for too long, to risk his club for someone like Jay to ruin it all.

10

Sonia was sitting in a dull-grey cubical, at her son’s bedside. They had been at the hospital for over twelve hours and although the doctors had told her that he was not critical, she felt heart-broken. Following a thorough examination and numerous x-rays, they had given him some high dose painkillers and something to help him sleep. Several of his ribs were broken, along with his nose; although looking at all the congealed blood and cuts and bruises all over him, it had looked much worse on first glance.

              Sonia looked down at Jay’s swollen face and wondered how it had come to this. Sonia knew that he was no angel, far from it. In fact, she knew a lot more than she would ever let on even to him, or anyone else for that matter. Even so she couldn’t help feeling guilty; maybe that was why she always made excuses, always trying to justify his behaviour. She should never have left him with Den, she should have taken him with her, brought him up properly. This was her fault.