Payback (16 page)
Whitechapel was and would always be close to Vinny’s heart, but he did not want Molly to grow up there. His daughter had exposed a soft side to him, a vulnerability he hadn’t realized existed until now. He only had to look at that little girl and his heart melted, and he wanted her to be brought up in a posh area and send her to the best possible schools.
It had just been agreed by all that Ahmed would wire £125,000 to an account in Turkey. Once the money was received, the drugs would be delivered by plane and picked up by Ahmed in a remote field in Essex. Then, providing Vinny and Ahmed were happy with their investment, they would immediately wire the outstanding £125,000. The dates of the first exchange had been agreed and a few other small details clarified.
‘Have you any more questions?’ Hakan asked, directing his smile towards Vinny.
‘Actually, I have, as I mentioned to Ahmed on the way here. The brown I haven’t sampled, but Ahmed said a pal of his has and it was good, so I’m happy with that. I have a slight concern over the cocaine though. The gear we was getting before was something like ninety-seven per cent pure. Obviously, with stuff that strong we can cut it to fuck and make a fortune out of it. No disrespect, but that sample you gave us was nowhere near the same quality.’
‘Vin, I’ve already told you that the other stuff came straight from Nicaragua, hence the quality. We can search high and low, but we aren’t going to find that again,’ Ahmed replied, sharing an awkward glance with Hakan and Bora. In the restaurant the other evening Vinny had seemed happy enough to proceed with the deal, and it was only on the way to the hotel today that he’d dropped this little bombshell. Obviously, that had given Ahmed no time to warn his pals.
‘Vinny, my cocaine is best money can buy in Turkey, and I do you very cheap deal. Do you know what mine and Bora’s names mean in our country?’
Vinny shook his head. He wasn’t really bothered what their names meant, but he couldn’t be rude in case it left himself and Ahmed without a supplier.
‘Bora means violent storm, and my name, the emperor. That is what we are in our country. I rule and Bora not so quiet as he seem. He have very violent temper when he upset.’
Vinny didn’t take threats from anyone, and realizing what Hakan had just said sounded like one, Ahmed pushed his pal out of the room and told Hakan they needed to have a private chat.
‘Was that cunt threatening me?’ Vinny asked as they took the lift down to the bar.
‘No, of course not. He tells that story wherever he goes. It wasn’t aimed at you.’
‘It better fucking not have been.’
‘Vinny, chill out. You’ve got the wrong end of the stick. Now, what do you want to drink?’
Two large Scotches later, Vinny had to make a decision. Ahmed had explained that he could still put together the deal with their previous supplier, but Vinny wasn’t about to chance that. Aside from Ahmed, he didn’t like or trust Turks.
Ahmed also insisted that they could still cut Hakan’s cocaine and earn the same profit as before. ‘The mugs who buy from us probably won’t even notice the difference,’ he assured Vinny.
‘OK, I’ve made my choice. Let’s go with your pal Hakan, but I’m telling you now, I don’t fucking like him and I like his shifty-eyed sidekick even less.’
Ahmed allowed himself a smirk as he led Vinny back to the lift. The cocaine being weaker than the stuff from their previous supplier was all part of the plan. What Vinny did not know, was that the cocaine he’d snorted was actually from their previous supplier. Ahmed should know, he’d cut it himself.
Michael Butler was sitting in a restaurant just off Oxford Street. With Vinny going away for the weekend, there was no way he could take Bella out on Sunday now, so he had arranged to meet her today instead.
When she walked into the restaurant, Michael noticed most men’s heads turning. She was wearing a short red leather jacket, black shiny leggings and high-heeled red leather boots. ‘This is a pleasant surprise, I must say. I didn’t think I’d get to see you until Sunday.’
‘Well, I knew you had a photo shoot up here today, and I had a business meeting nearby, so I thought I’d give you a bell,’ Michael lied. There was no business meeting; he’d come because he knew the longer he put off finishing with Bella, the worse he was going to feel.
When she leaned forward and squeezed Michael’s hands she immediately knew something was amiss. He seemed edgy and wouldn’t look her in the eye. ‘What’s the matter? Is something wrong?’
‘Let’s order some food, shall we?’ Michael suggested.
‘No, tell me what’s wrong first.’
Michael poured Bella some wine and topped his own glass up. He could not afford to bottle this. He had come here to end their affair, and end it he must.
‘I’m sorry, Bell, but I can’t do this any more. My feelings for you are too strong, and if we continue seeing one another my marriage will be over. If I didn’t have kids I’d leave Nancy tomorrow, but I can’t be parted from my sons …’
Bella stood up. ‘I understand, Michael. It was good while it lasted.’
‘Don’t go yet. Let’s at least have some lunch and a proper chat,’ Michael said.
She picked up her handbag and smiled. Michael Butler had the handsomest face she had ever seen in her life and she would never forget him. ‘There’s nothing left to chat about. Look after yourself, Michael.’
When Bella walked out of the restaurant, part of Michael wanted to chase after her, tell her he loved her and had made a big mistake. The thought of never seeing her again just didn’t bear thinking of and as he sipped his drink, Michael felt like crying.
Queenie and Vivian had both cheered up by the time they got to Eastbourne. Vinny had bought a bungalow on Kings Holiday Park and both women loved it there. Kings wasn’t just any old holiday park. It had a massive clubhouse that attracted lots of star acts and there were even plans to build an upstairs to it.
‘What shall we do first, Viv? We’re bound to need some bits from the little shop, so shall we pop to the amusements, then get some shopping on the way back?’
‘Ooh yeah. The prize bingo should start soon,’ Viv replied.
‘Can I go and see if Gary and Steve are here, Dad?’ Little Vinny asked. There hadn’t been any room in the car for him to bring Ben Bloggs, and Little Vinny was already sick of being surrounded by adults and a screaming baby.
‘No, not yet. You’re coming out with me somewhere first.’
‘Where?’
Vinny took no notice of his son’s question and turned to Joanna. ‘You’ll be all right on your own with the baby for a bit, won’t you?’
Joanna nodded, then grinned. She’d had butterflies in her stomach all day. Life at home was hectic, what with Molly to look after and Vinny working nights, but life in Eastbourne was different. Queenie and Viv were bound to go over to the clubhouse this evening, and Little Vinny would be out playing with his pals, which meant her and Vinny would have the bungalow to themselves. It had been a long time since Joanna had been ravished by her man and she couldn’t bloody wait.
Michael Butler rarely got drunk, but today he was steaming. After leaving the restaurant he couldn’t face going home, so had driven straight to the club instead.
The knock on the door had been a welcome surprise. Matthew Palmer had been Michael’s pal as a young child, and they hadn’t seen one another for years due to Matthew’s parents moving to Australia. Michael hadn’t needed much persuasion to go on a pub crawl, but now he could barely stand up.
‘Matt, it’s been great seeing you, pal, but I’m gonna have to shoot off. I’m lagging,’ Michael slurred.
Matthew put his arm around Michael’s shoulders. His accent had a slight Australian lilt to it now, and he had done well in life, just like Michael had. He was the lead singer with a rock band, hence his trip to London. ‘You can’t go home. I haven’t seen you for years. Have a livener,’ Matthew urged, pressing something into Michael’s hand.
Apart from taking some blues when he was a Mod, Michael had never touched a drug in his life. ‘What is it?’
‘Cocaine. It’s cool, man. You won’t get addicted to it. It just sobers you up and makes you feel damn good.’
After the day he’d had, Michael would have done anything to feel good, so when Matt suggested they go to the toilet and take some cocaine together, Michael eagerly followed his pal.
Back in Eastbourne, Vinny Butler drove towards the Moorings pub in silence. He hadn’t had the best of days and he was not looking forward to what he had to do next.
‘You got the hump with me, Dad? I ain’t done nothing wrong,’ Little Vinny said when his dad slammed his foot on the brake.
‘Get out of the car. We’re gonna have a little chat on the beach,’ Vinny spat.
Little Vinny followed his father, then sat down opposite him on the sand. It was getting dark now and, apart from a couple of dog walkers, the beach was empty. ‘What’s wrong, Dad?’
Vinny grabbed his son by the shoulders and stared him straight in the eyes. ‘I’m gonna ask you something and I need you to tell me the truth. If you do that, I won’t be angry with you whatever your answer is. But if you lie to me and I find out, I will be fucking fuming. Now, do we understand one another?’
Little Vinny nodded.
‘Did you throw or get Ben to throw that brick through our window the other night?’
‘No! ’Course not, Dad.’
Vinny knew he had to keep calm to extract the truth, so did his utmost to keep his notorious temper in check. ‘Look, Vin, I’ve had my car done over, my club door sprayed with graffiti, and now my window put through. As you well know, boy, I ain’t silly. All that stuff is the work of a kid. Please tell me the truth and I promise I won’t shout at you. I realize it’s been difficult for you with me and Jo getting together and Molly arriving in your life, so in a way I will understand why you did it. You’re a growing lad and I had many temper tantrums like that when I was your age.’
‘But I ain’t done nothing, Dad. I swear on your life I ain’t.’
Unable to stop himself because he was positive his son was lying, Vinny put his hand around his son’s throat and squeezed it gently. ‘Unfortunately for you, I don’t fucking believe you, boy, and I’m warning you, if you ever put Molly’s life in danger again, I will break your fucking neck, comprende?’
Little Vinny burst into tears. If he had ever needed proof that his dad loved Molly more than him, then this was the moment.
Over in the East End, Michael had now forgotten his woes, sobered up, and wanted to carry on partying. ‘Let’s go back to my club, Matt. We’ve got a good singer on tonight. She doesn’t sing rock, but does plenty of other stuff, and she’s a babe.’
Matt chuckled to himself as they walked back towards the club. Michael had taken to cocaine like a duck does to water. He only hoped his pal didn’t ask for any more as he had virtually run out. ‘Hey, man, look at that smoke.’
The cocaine had made Michael more alert than usual, and he immediately sensed that the smoke was rising from a location very near to his club. ‘Come on, let’s jog.’
When they reached the club there were three fire engines, two ambulances, and a police car parked outside. The building was on fire. Not at the front, but at the back. ‘Paul, what the fuck has happened?’ Michael asked his doorman.
‘Some kid got in the back and set fire to it. Pete just spoke to the ambulance man and they reckon the kid’s in a bad way. Loads of people have been injured, Michael. They tried to save the boy.’
Michael looked around at the mayhem. There were shocked women, dumbstruck men and quite a few people were being given oxygen, probably for smoke inhalation. ‘My brother is gonna fucking kill me, Matt.’
‘Why man? You wasn’t here. This isn’t your fault.’
Vinny had a rule that when the club was open on a Friday and Saturday night, at least one of them had to be there. The fact Michael had been on the gear was making him more paranoid than ever. He knew there was no way he could speak to the police in his current state. He felt good, but out of his nut. ‘Matt, let’s go. I need to get away from here.’
‘You can’t, man. Your club’s on fire.’
Feeling like he was about to have a heart attack, Michael turned on his heel and ran.
Vinny Butler had driven back to London as soon as Pete had rung him. Thank God he’d had the brains to have a phone installed in the bungalow, else he would still be none the wiser.
Joanna had pleaded to travel back with him, but she was the last person Vinny wanted around him in a crisis. He’d insisted she stay in Eastbourne for the time being, saying he would call her in the morning.
When he arrived at the club, the police and fire brigade were still milling around. Spotting one of his trusted doormen, Vinny led him away from listening ears. ‘What exactly happened, Paul? And where’s Pete?’
‘Pete’s at the hospital being treated for burns. I think he’s feeling a bit guilty.’
‘Why? He never started the fire, did he?’
‘No, course not. He ran out the back when the smoke started billowing through the club. He ain’t told the Old Bill this, but the kid who must have started it was climbing out of the window. Pete grabbed his legs and pulled him back in, then the ceiling collapsed on top of the kid. The whole storeroom was on fire by this time, so Pete had to leave the kid in there.’
‘Good! And I hope the little fucker is burnt to cinders. Was the kid alone?’
‘No. Pete said he had a mate outside. He heard him shout something out. A few of the customers tried to help the kid, but they couldn’t get to him either.’
‘More fool them. They should have just left the little cunt to die. Did you catch a glimpse of him?’
‘No, he was covered over when they put him in the ambulance. I could smell the burnt flesh though. Horrible, it was. A few of the customers had to be treated for burns as well. I don’t think any of them are critical though. I got your thingy out the safe, by the way. It’s well hidden. The police wouldn’t let Pete out of their sight, so he gave me the code and I sneaked in the office.’
Vinny breathed a huge sigh of relief. He knew how much the Old Bill hated him and had been frightened the fire would give them an excuse to have a good old root around. Obviously, they wouldn’t have known the code to his safe, but Vinny wouldn’t put it past them to bring an expert in to open it. A firearms charge was the last thing he fucking needed.