Payback (31 page)

‘Well?’ Shazza asked.

‘Can’t wait.’

Back in Eastbourne, Michael and Albie had got to the downstairs club early to grab a decent table. Daniel, Adam and Lee had insisted on accompanying them rather than waiting for their mother, who always took ages to get ready.

For the first time since Dorothy had died, Albie felt his life was worth living once again. Because Queenie and Vivian had pushed him out of the family circle when his own children were growing up, he had missed out on so much. Now it was as if he’d been given a second chance with his grandsons. ‘So, are you all going to enter the talent competition for your old granddad, eh?’

Sipping his Coke through a straw, Daniel shook his head repeatedly. No way was he standing on stage, making himself look silly.

‘What about you, Lee?’ Albie asked.

‘No, Granddad. I don’t want to go on stage with lots of people watching me.’

‘I will, Granddad,’ Adam piped up.

Albie ruffled the head of his youngest grandson. Adam was only five. ‘What you gonna do then? Dance? Or sing?’

‘I’ll sing that song you taught me.’

Knowing exactly what song Adam meant, Albie had tears in his eyes as the boy dashed up to the stage to put his name down for the competition.

Christopher Walker nodded politely when Ahmed climbed into the passenger seat. He had given Ahmed his pager number the other day and told him to contact him via that in future and he would call him straight back, so as not to arouse suspicion at work.

‘I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again quite so soon,’ Christopher said.

Ahmed chuckled. ‘The early bird catches the worm, and I’m sure there is no bigger worm we would both like to catch than Vinny Butler, so why waste time?’

Christopher smiled. He knew Ahmed was a villain, but even so, there was something about him that he admired. Perhaps it was the fact Ahmed despised Vinny Butler just as much as he did? Or perhaps it was just his honesty about the whole situation? ‘So, what’s the plan?’

‘I spoke to Vinny yesterday morning and he has a drug deal going down next Thursday afternoon. I have washed my hands with anything illegal I might have been involved with in the past, but I have agreed to accompany Vinny on Thursday just to make sure everything goes smoothly.’

‘I understand that, Ahmed, and obviously you will not be implicated in any of this.’

‘But this is what we must sort out, Christopher. I
need
to be implicated. A grass is something I am not, and I cannot be tarred with that brush. I got in touch with you for personal reasons only. Had I not known that you and Vinny had crossed paths in the past and you had an axe to grind, I would never have involved the police.’

‘What is it you want me to do then?’

‘I want you to arrest me along with Vinny, then let me go. On the day in question, I will make sure that we are travelling in Vinny’s car, therefore the drugs will be in his boot. I want you to haul me in too, then release me after questioning. Not my car and I had no idea Vinny had drugs in the boot, you get me?’

‘Yes, I get you, Ahmed, but without telling my colleagues you are an informer, that’s going to be extremely difficult for me to pull off,’ Christopher admitted.

‘And this is why I do not want you to involve your colleagues. I need you to do this alone, Christopher.’

‘But I can’t. It would be totally against police policy. Besides, what if Vinny turns violent? I wouldn’t stand a chance. I have to have somebody with me as back-up, Ahmed.’

‘Well, bring some wet-behind-the-ears PC with you then. I’m warning you, Christopher, if you involve the heavy mob and this goes wrong, I shall have no alternative but to spill the beans about your past, and you really don’t want that to happen now, do you?’

Feeling his stomach churn, Christopher clocked the evil expression in Ahmed’s eyes, and nodded. Suddenly, he didn’t like this man very much at all.

Queenie Butler felt an uneasiness about the evening ahead. Vinny was knocking back the Scotch like there was no tomorrow. She felt sorry for Joanna because her son was virtually blanking her, and to top it all, she had just spotted Albie, Michael, Nancy and the boys sitting on a table opposite theirs across the dancefloor.

‘You’re ever so quiet, Queen. You all right?’ Vivian asked her sister.

The resident band were belting out Neil Diamond’s ‘Cracklin’ Rosie’ so Queenie leaned towards her sister and spoke into her ear. ‘Got a bad feeling about tonight. Vinny’s in a weird mood, I can tell, and I hope he don’t start,’ she hissed.

‘Vinny’s all right. He’s just put Molly’s name down for the talent competition. Can’t believe we’ve got to sit looking at Albie for the evening though. Bloody liberty, Michael bringing him down here, if you ask me.’

The compere’s announcement that the talent competition was starting saved Queenie from answering. ‘And our first contestant is Adam Butler. A round of applause for Adam, please.’

Queenie and Vivian clapped as hard as anybody when Michael lifted his son onto the stage.

‘Hello, Adam. How old are you?’ the compere asked, crouching down and holding the microphone near Adam’s lips.

‘I’m five, Charlie. I come from London and I’m gonna sing a song for my granddad,’ Adam replied, remembering the name of the compere who was also the children’s entertainer.

Charlie Case and the audience all chuckled at Adam’s cute cockney accent and bravado, apart from Queenie and Vivian. ‘Singing a song for his granddad! He’s only known the old bastard five minutes,’ Vivian spat.

When her grandson proceeded to sing Clive Dunn’s ‘Grandad’ an open-mouthed Queenie leapt out of her seat. Albie was grinning like a Cheshire cat and she had seen enough. ‘I’m not watching and listening to any more of this old bollocks. Come on, Viv. Let’s go to the amusement arcade.’

Little Vinny could feel his heart beating like a drum when Shazza put her hand on his cock. He still had his jeans on, but already his penis felt as if it was about to explode.

‘Shall we get undressed and get under the covers?’ Shazza asked.

The thought of having sex for the first time was exciting yet scary, and Little Vinny decided to delay the inevitable until he had built up a bit more Dutch courage. ‘Let’s drink our cider first, eh? There’s no rush. We’ve got the house to ourselves all evening and I ain’t got to get you home until twelve.’

‘Put some music on then. What records you got?’

Feeling embarrassed, Little Vinny admitted that his father had smashed up his entire record collection.

Shazza was bemused. ‘But why would he do that?’

‘Because he’s a prick and he wants me to be just like him. My dad has a bit of a reputation round here, and he’s embarrassed ’cause I’m a skinhead. He wants me to wear smart suits like he does, but I’m my own person.’

‘Your dad sounds like a right pig. You’re sixteen – he has no right to tell you what to do and how to dress.’

Praying that Shazza would never find out he was only fourteen, Little Vinny glugged down a large amount of cider, then put the empty bottle on his bedside cabinet. ‘What’s that?’ he asked, pointing at the folded up piece of paper Shazza put next to the bottle.

‘My phone number. I wrote it in pen this time, so you’ll have no excuse not to ring me in future. My mum had a word with me when you was in the bath earlier. She really likes you, but said you can’t stay at mine when I go back to school next week. She’s worried, what with it being my final year, it will affect my exams.’

‘I understand, Shaz. I’ll probably need to move back home to go to work anyway. My dad is bound to be pissed off with me for a week or two, so if he makes me work all the time and I can’t see you, you won’t go off with another boy, will you?’

‘’Course not. I like you, Vinny. Now let’s get under them covers, shall we? It’s turned cold tonight.’

When Shazza began to take her clothes off, Little Vinny awkwardly did the same. The only real live naked woman he had ever seen was Joanna, after he accidentally walked into the bathroom as she was stepping out of the shower. Apart from that it was just the ones in the magazines that he and Ben sometimes stole from the local newsagent.

Shazza was rather taken aback when, as soon as she laid down, Little Vinny leapt straight on top of her and, without any foreplay at all, immediately rammed his penis inside her. She was even more taken aback when he came within seconds, rolled off her, then declared his undying love.

Queenie and Vivian arrived back from the amusement arcade just in time to see Molly called onto the stage. ‘What’s she singing, Jo?’ Queenie asked, as Vinny proudly held his daughter’s hand and led her towards the stage.

‘That song you taught her. I think she’s going to do a bit of tap dancing too, but I doubt that will be very good seeing as she’s only been to three lessons,’ Joanna chuckled. She had felt awkward earlier on when Vinny had been ignoring her, but when his mum and aunt had left the table, he had been quite pleasant towards her, which had cheered Jo up no end.

‘Hello, Molly. How old are you?’ the compere asked.

‘I’m three, and I’m singing a song for my nan,’ Molly replied, remembering what her dad had told her to say.

‘And is your nan here tonight?’

Molly pointed towards the table where Queenie was sitting. ‘Yeah, my nan is here with Auntie Viv, my mum, Dad, and Molly Dolly.’

Aware of the laughs and claps the cute little girl was getting from the audience, the compere asked who Molly Dolly was.

‘Dad, show Charlie Molly Dolly,’ Molly shouted over the microphone, much to the amusement of the audience.

It was Vivian who grabbed the doll off the chair and waved it in the air.

‘My dad named her after me,’ Molly explained proudly.

Chuckling, the compere asked Molly what song she would be singing.

Without even answering, a confident Molly grabbed the microphone off Charlie Case and sang the golden oldie ‘You Are My Sunshine’. When she did a little shuffle hop and a twirl in the middle of the song, the audience roared with laughter, while clapping frantically at the same time.

As he sat watching the adulation his niece was receiving, Michael Butler was fuming. He had been so chuffed when Adam had got up and sung a song for his granddad. It had been the first time Michael had seen his dad smile properly since Dorothy’s death, and he was sure his son would have won the competition had Vinny not pissed on his parade, as usual.

When Molly finished her song and received a standing ovation, Michael saw both Vinny and his mother smirking in his and his father’s direction. Absolutely livid, he knocked back his drink in one, then stomped off to the bar to get another.

Christopher Walker had never been a man to frequent pubs, especially of an evening when all the riff-raff were about. His nickname at work had once been ‘Boring Chris’, such was his dislike for socializing, but tonight he found himself sitting in a boozer alone.

Going out with Olivia and her parents had been a no-go after his meeting with Ahmed. For one thing, he couldn’t think straight. And secondly, both Olivia and her father would have known something was very wrong.

To say Christopher’s mind was mashed up was putting it mildly. He thought back to his training at Hendon Police College. He had worked so hard there, and had carried on in the same vein ever since to get to where he was today. Now, he was facing the biggest decision of his career. Should he go it alone and try to arrest Vinny Butler himself? Or should he let a superior or Olivia’s father in on the plan – and risk Ahmed blowing his dirty secret from the past wide open?

Christopher put his tired head in his hands. He would sleep on it and make his difficult choice in the morning.

Since Molly had been announced the winner of the talent competition, Michael had been knocking back the booze like there was no tomorrow. Sensing he was in a foul mood, Nancy pleaded, ‘Let’s go back to the bungalow, eh Michael? The boys are tired.’

Whereas in London he would have had no choice but to escort his family home, Kings was an extremely safe place for women and children to walk about alone at night, so Michael told her to go on without him. ‘I want to speak to that cock of a brother of mine, and I’d rather you and the boys not be here when I do so.’

Overhearing the conversation, Albie grabbed his son’s arm. ‘Leave it, Michael. I know Adam was upset he didn’t win, but he’ll be fine tomorrow. Don’t rise to the bait, your brother isn’t worth it.’

Still livid that his brother had also grassed him up to his father for taking cocaine, Michael told his dad to keep out of it, then turned back to his wife. ‘Just do as I say, Nance. Take the boys home, now,’ he demanded.

Knowing that something was about to kick off, Nancy quickly rounded the boys up and led them out of the club.

Over on the other side of the club, Vinny Butler was bouncing Molly up and down on his knee as yet another couple came across to fawn over his beautiful, talented daughter.

‘However did she learn all the words to such an old song at a young age?’ the grey-haired lady asked.

Also beaming with pride were Joanna, Queenie and Vivian. ‘Me and my sister taught her to sing it, didn’t we, Viv?’ Queenie said proudly.

‘Yep. We’ve taught her loads of songs. She knows all the words to “Maybe It’s Because I’m a Londoner”, too – don’t you, Molly?’ said Vivian.

‘Shall I sing it now, Auntie Viv?’ Molly asked, thoroughly enjoying being in the limelight.

‘No, darling. You can enter the competition another time and sing that,’ Joanna said, stroking her daughter’s curly blonde hair.

For the first time in ages, an inebriated Vinny squeezed Joanna’s hand and looked at her with genuine affection in his eyes. It might have been a game to him, snaring Jo just to piss off her father, but even so, they had produced the most beautiful child between them. ‘Created a future superstar, we have, babe,’ Vinny stated proudly.

Thrilled by Vinny’s rare display of affection, Joanna was stopped from replying by Michael marching towards them with a face like thunder. ‘Happy now, are ya, Vin? Sobbing his little heart out, my boy was. You are one sick cunt at times, do you know that?’