Jessie Keane - Lawless

Christ, he thought, she looked so sexy with her hair all mussed up, her face flushed with temper and her chest heaving from the exertion of their run out of Brayfield. When she’d thrown her hands out like that, pneumatic things had happened in her chest area: a heavy delicious swaying movement that drew his eye. He had this terrible, fatal weakness for heavily stacked girls.

She was close, and she was available. Now he caught himself wondering how those fantastically alluring breasts of hers would feel under his hands if he were to lean over and slide them up under her bra. He could already imagine the feel of them, so heavy and cool and…

Whoa there, tiger , he thought suddenly.

What was he thinking? The blood rush of their narrow escape from that bearded twat Ivan had stirred him up, that was all, got his juices flowing. Big luscious bazookas or not, Daisy was rich, spoiled and spoke with a plum in her mouth. And she liked to be in charge. She wasn’t for the likes of him.

‘Am I wrong, or did that scrawny jumped-up little gnome actually call me “sonny” back there?’ he wondered aloud.

‘Yes. He did. But never mind that now, that’s a blind alley.’

‘What, you don’t think it’s possible he offed Michael?’

‘No, I really don’t. I believe Ivan was telling the absolute truth. Knowing Michael, he wanted revenge for the torment Vanessa had put Ruby through in the past, and he fished around until he found the perfect thing to sting Vanessa with. She cares for her reputation, for her standing in the community, above all else. And it’s clear Ivan adores her and wanted to protect her reputation.’

‘He’s fucking her, if that’s what you mean,’ snorted Rob.

‘Do you have to be so crude? The reason he was so intent on getting those photos back was to protect the name of the woman he loves. It’s rather noble, if you ask me.’

‘Jesus!’

‘But I don’t think for one minute that he’d shoot Michael in the back of the head. It seems a cowardly thing to do. I can’t imagine an honourable old soldier like Ivan would ever stoop to that, can you?’

Rob slumped in his seat. Unless he was missing something obvious, she was right.

‘So now we move on,’ said Daisy, shaking her head. ‘You know, I still can’t believe that Michael was unfaithful to Ruby.’

Rob sent her a look. ‘ I can’t believe that Lady Bray would fuck her gardener, but she does.’

‘I don’t think it’s quite like that,’ said Daisy.

‘Daise, it’s exactly like that.’

‘Look, Vanessa was always very fond of Ivan, they had much more in common than she ever had with my father. They got on well. And… I suppose this is the inevitable result.’

‘I think you’re fooling yourself with this LP-sleeve business, and the ring.’

‘In what way?’

‘It’s another dead end. Penny to a pinch of shit it was that little fucker Gabe killed Mike. Look to the nearest and dearest – isn’t that what they always say?’

‘Yes, but Gabe’s never been near or dear to Michael. They parted company when he was in his teens.’

‘And Gabe resented that,’ said Rob. ‘And it festered. Then he was banged up. Finally he gets out and he’s on his uppers, low as you can get – and he finds out his dear old dad has cut him out of the money. Wham! He snaps.’

‘God, I need some fresh air,’ said Daisy, opening the car door and getting out onto the verge. Rob got out too, watching her, frowning. ‘What about Thomas Knox?’ Daisy turned to him. ‘That man is fixated on Ruby.’

‘So?’ Rob shrugged. ‘Ruby’s a very attractive woman.’

‘Yes, but Knox has had his eye on her for years. And what stood in the way of his getting her? Michael. That’s all.’

Rob was silent for a minute. ‘That LP sleeve – Ruby was close to Michael, maybe she’ll recognize the writing.’

‘Worth a try,’ said Daisy.

‘Sure is,’ said Rob. ‘Let’s do it.’

They walked back to the car and it was then that Rob saw a lightweight motorbike zooming around the corner of the lane, closing in on them fast. The black-helmeted rider had his arm straight out, aiming something at Daisy.

Rob took two quick steps and grabbed Daisy in one swift movement. As the gunshots started to blast away the silence, he pushed her down onto the verge and threw his full weight on top of her.

He heard her give a thin shriek and for a moment all was chaos. He was scrabbling for his own weapon and thinking, Slow, too fucking slow, he’s going to stop and finish us.

But the roar of the two-stroke engine was dying away. Rob raised his head and saw bike and rider tearing off to their left, then vanishing from sight.

Silence returned. All he could hear now was Daisy’s gasping breaths, all he could feel was her frantically racing heart against his rib cage.

‘You all right?’ he managed to get out.

He looked down and Daisy was staring up at him. She gulped twice: nodded.

‘Sure? No damage?’

Daisy shook her head. ‘You’re heavy,’ she pointed out.

Rob eased himself to his feet, slipped his gun back into its holster inside his jacket, and pulled her upright.

‘You going to pass out?’ he asked. He felt pretty shaken up himself. Daisy could be dead now if he hadn’t happened to see that fucker coming.

Daisy took a huge breath. Shook her head again.

‘He was trying to kill me,’ she said. ‘Wasn’t he?’

You and yours, thought Rob. I’ll tear the heart out of every one of you.

Despite the fact they had Bianca, Vittore was on the warpath. He’d sent his crew out to follow Kit’s family, to find a chink in their armour and pierce it if they could. That bastard on the bike must have been watching them all day, just waiting his chance.

‘Come on,’ he said, bundling Daisy back into the car. ‘Let’s get you out of here.’

Kit was resting at home. When Ruby went to his house and let herself in with a spare key, he was sitting up in bed, staring pensively out of the window.

‘Hi,’ she said, feeling almost shy.

‘Oh.’ He looked round, saw it was her. ‘It’s you.’

‘Yep, me again,’ she said brightly, sitting down at his bedside. ‘How you feeling?’

‘All right.’ Kit lay his head back against the pillow.

‘You looked as though you were deep in thought,’ said Ruby when the silence fell between them, same as it always did. And in that silence she thought, He hates me, he will always hate me, because he thinks I abandoned him. This is the way it will always be between us.

It broke her heart in a thousand pieces, to think that he would never come to terms with the past, that he would never forgive her.

‘I was deep in thought,’ said Kit, closing his eyes wearily. ‘I was thinking what a royal fuck-up I’ve made of my life.’

‘Meaning?’

His eyes opened. He turned his head and looked at her. ‘Meaning I killed Tito for murdering Gilda and then Michael. I thought I was doing the right thing, the only thing I could do. But turns out Tito wasn’t the one I was after. Whoever killed Michael is still out there, free as a bird.’

Ruby gulped, thinking of Thomas. God, she’d been so stupid, getting involved with him.

‘He was Bianca’s brother. And I killed him,’ said Kit.

‘Kit, she very nearly killed you.’

He shrugged, then winced.

‘She didn’t, though. She pulled to the left. Like the rabbit.’

‘The what?’

‘Tito took her rabbit shooting when she was young, but she couldn’t do it. Thought of all the baby bunnies back at home: what if she killed their mother and they starved to death?’ He gave a wry smile. ‘That’s what she did with me. She wanted to kill me, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. But you know what? Deep down, I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me for offing Tito. I really don’t. How could she? So I’ve fucked it all up. Everything.’