LITMIR.BIZ

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bruv.’

      ‘What?’

      ‘I stayed round some bird’s house last Sunday and I can’t get her out of my mind.’

      Vinny grabbed a chair and sat on it the wrong way round so he could face his brother. He had always hated Nancy, so this was welcome news to him. ‘Well, well, well. Alfie strikes again! Don’t feel guilty, bruv, not after the shit you’ve had to put up with. Been a crap mother and wife, has Nancy, and I just don’t fall for all that depression bollocks. Auntie Viv’s been mentally ill, the real deal – Nancy’s only playing you. So, who is this bird then? Where did you meet her?’

      Michael explained about his day out with Kev and where he’d met Bella. ‘She’s really beautiful, Vin, and stinking rich. I’ve never met a bird that could mesmerize me like she did. I stayed the night at hers and, even though I felt as guilty as hell in the morning, I had to have her again. The sex was incredible, it really was.’

      ‘Well, if I was you I’d get straight on that blower and call her. Birds like that don’t come along too often. I’ll always cover for you here if you want to get your nuts in.’

      ‘But what about Nancy?’

      ‘What about her?’ Vinny shrugged. ‘This is the same Nancy that can’t be bothered with or accept your eldest son, isn’t it? I rest my case.’

      Johnny Preston was sitting in the visiting room opposite his ex-wife, who was now his fiancée again. She had just informed him that Joanna had given birth to a baby girl and instead of going ballistic, as he would have done in the past, Johnny was calm and deep in thought.

      ‘Well, say something then, Johnny. You’re making me feel uneasy,’ Deborah urged. She couldn’t shake off the memory of what had happened when he found out Joanna and Vinny were a couple. Such was his pain, Johnny had tried heroin for the very first time, taking an overdose which had very nearly resulted in Deborah losing the man she loved.

      ‘How did Joanna sound on the phone? Did you speak to her for long?’ Johnny asked.

      ‘We chatted for about five minutes. She seemed happy enough in herself and spoke constantly about the baby. She’s called her Molly and said she weighed ten pound. Obviously, Jo asked about you. She also said she’d love me to meet the baby. I refused, of course. My loyalties will always lie with you, Johnny, and I want nothing to do with that bastard Vinny whatsoever.’

      Squeezing Deborah’s hands, Johnny forced a smile. He had done a lot of thinking while waiting to be told his grandchild had arrived and now he had come to a decision. The thought of Vinny Butler being anywhere near his beautiful daughter still made Johnny feel physically sick, but there was sod all he could do about it so long as he was stuck inside. He didn’t have that many links to the underworld and there were only two guys he’d have trusted enough to ask for help, but both were unfortunately dead now. ‘I want you to do something for me, Deb. I want you to make things right with Jo and visit her regularly.’

      ‘What! Are you mad? I can’t sit there playing happy families, Johnny. He makes my skin crawl.’

      ‘He makes mine crawl too, but this isn’t about Vinny, it’s about making sure our daughter is OK. It will drive me bonkers trying to get through the rest of my sentence not knowing how Jo is coping with that bastard and a kiddie. I’m just relieved she had a girl and not a boy. At least it won’t turn out like him. Please say you’ll do this for me, Deb. That girl will need you, you can bet your life on that.’

      Deborah reluctantly nodded. She was still angry with Joanna, but all the same she missed her, and if it put Johnny’s mind at rest, it was the least she could do.

      Johnny grinned. ‘That’s my girl.’

      Ahmed Zane sat down opposite his cousin in their restaurant. He had a severe stiff neck today, a regular occurrence since the accident, but he knew he had been lucky over all.

      ‘Is your neck playing you up again?’ Burak asked.

      ‘Yes, but it’s nothing that tucking up Vinny won’t cure, which is the reason for my visit today. I have set the ball rolling already. Hakan and Bora Koç are coming to London to play our two Mr Bigs. They are perfect for the role, especially Hakan. I have agreed to pay them ten grand each for their trouble, and they will also get a two-week holiday, no expense spared. What do you think?’

      Burak grinned. Hakan and Bora were old associates of his and Ahmed’s from Istanbul and were more than capable of pulling the wool over Vinny Butler’s eyes. ‘When will they arrive?’

      ‘I haven’t booked their flights yet. We need to make sure Vinny falls for my lies first. I’m sure he will though. And seeing as he hasn’t any contacts himself, he has no option but to trust me,’ Ahmed replied. Vinny had never met his supplier. The guy was Turkish and would only ever deal with his own kind. He didn’t trust the English.

      ‘When will you tell Vinny?’

      ‘This afternoon. I have a carload of presents for his baby and I am meeting him at his house at four.’

      Chuckling, Burak poured them both a drink. He chinked glasses with his cousin. ‘Let payback begin.’

      Nancy Butler eyed her husband suspiciously. He had been acting strange all week and had just handed her a big bouquet of flowers. ‘What you done wrong, Michael?’

      Michael felt himself blush. ‘What you talking about? I ain’t done nothing wrong. Jesus, is it a crime to buy my wife flowers?’

      Chuckling at his annoyance, Nancy put her arms around Michael’s neck and kissed him. He had been ever so patient with her and now Daniel was at school with Lee, and her mum looked after Adam a couple of mornings a week to give her a break, she felt much better in herself.

      ‘What you doing?’ Michael asked.

      ‘I think it’s about time we made some special time for ourselves, don’t you?’ Nancy replied, taking her husband’s hand and leading him up the stairs.

      Michael felt a mixture of emotions as he stripped off and slipped into the bed beside her. He hadn’t used a condom when he’d slept with Bella, and even though he’d had the sense to withdraw in time so he didn’t get her pregnant, what if he’d caught a dose off her? There’d be hell to pay if he passed it on to his wife.

      ‘What’s up?’ Nancy asked when he tried to insert himself inside her but struggled to do so.

      Michael had never suffered with impotence in his life and he knew it must be guilt that was stopping him from getting an erection. ‘I’m so sorry, Nance. I haven’t been sleeping well and I think I’m just tired.’

      When he went to put his finger inside her vagina, Nancy pushed his hand away. If he couldn’t make love to her, then what was the point in staying in bed? Feeling as though she wanted to cry, she sat up and got dressed in silence.

      Unlike the trendy café they had once owned in Whitechapel, the one that Mary and Donald ran now was just a clean, plainly furnished café. Donald had forbidden Mary to make it showy like their previous one. He insisted that they should learn by past mistakes and not bring any unwanted attention to themselves.

      Donald was wiping the tables down and humming along to a song on the radio when there was a knock on the door. ‘We’re closed,’ he shouted out. On the two days a week that Mary looked after Adam, Donald couldn’t wait to tidy up and dash home to see the boy. Nancy would pick Daniel up from school and bring him to the house too. The café was deemed unsuitable by Donald for two young boys – there were far too many dangerous utensils lying around to have the grandchildren running in and out of the kitchen.

      ‘It’s me – Freda,’ Donald heard a voice shout out.

      He opened the door. When they had first moved to Whitechapel, Freda was the woman who had warned them that the Butler family were bad news. At the time Donald had thought she was the local scaremonger, but he knew now she was far from it.

      ‘Hello,

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