Jessie Keane - Lawless

‘You want me to hate him,’ she said.

Kit shook his head.

Bianca started to cry. ‘Not Tito,’ she sobbed. ‘He wouldn’t…’

Kit pulled her to him and held her tight. ‘He would. He did.’

‘No!’ She tried to pull away. Kit held on until she gave up struggling. ‘He wouldn’t,’ she said more quietly.

‘Jesus, I’m sorry,’ Kit murmured against her hair as she shook with the force of her tears. He was hurting her, and it killed him to do that. ‘You were stolen from your parents. Kidnapped. Taken because Bella Danieri wanted a girl. And your attachment to Tito… I’m so sorry, Bianca. It was him who snatched you away from your family, and your strong feelings for him, the way you’ve always loved him… it’s all wrong. It’s like that thing kidnappers’ victims develop.’

‘I can’t believe this,’ said Bianca.

‘Believe it. It’s true.’

She stood up, walked away from him, arms clasped around her, as if to keep out a chill. She was shaking her head slowly. He kept quiet, let her take it in. Poor little mare, this must be a hell of a shock.

Finally Bianca turned back to face him.

‘You think that Tito killed my real parents?’ she said quietly. ‘Then why don’t I remember? Why don’t I remember anything about…’ Into her mind came the image of Tito, her beloved Tito – and the blonde smiling woman, and a strong arm, a man’s arm, and the blade of grass, the bead of blood slipping down its edge. What did it all mean?

‘Maybe it was so bad that you blanked it,’ said Kit. ‘People do that sometimes. In wartime and when people have been through something terrible, I’ve heard that can happen. It’s like it’s so bad, their mind just can’t take it in.’

The blood slipping down the edge of the grass, staining green to brown…

‘So it was all lies? My whole life is nothing but a lie? You’re saying that they tricked me, deprived me of what I should have had, my own family, my real family, not them?’ asked Bianca.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Kit.

‘He’s late,’ said Vittore, sitting in the back of the car with Ruby beside him and Fabio on her other side. It was five minutes past midnight.

‘Maybe he won’t show up,’ said Fabio. That wouldn’t surprise him, Miller calling their bluff. He glanced at Ruby. Not a mark on her. Not yet. A shame, really. She was a good-looking woman and whether or not Miller played ball she was going to be dead meat within the hour.

They were in the abandoned skeleton of an old rope-making factory off a deserted side street in Clerkenwell. Miller had been told to bring Bianca there to exchange, or else…

Now Vittore was getting seriously annoyed. That fucking schifosa Miller. Vittore had six of his people spread out around the factory, all packing guns, all ready for the action to start should Miller try anything crafty. No way was that bastard getting his mother back alive. He would pay, all of them would pay for what he’d done. And once he had Bianca back, he would sort her out, make her toe the line. Make sure that she never again brought such shame upon the family name. She would be punished for her transgressions. And when he’d seen to all this, got even with Miller, dealt with Bianca, then he would address the Fabio problem. Fabio – the cheating conniving little cunt – had to go.

Fabio was twitching, snapping his fingers, humming under his breath, sweating and shooting anxious looks across at Vittore. He knew that Vittore planned on killing him. Maybe even tonight. After all, this exchange would make good cover. Fabio could find himself hit in ‘accidental’ crossfire; such a shame, Vittore would say, his little brother, how sad. But in reality, he would be pleased.

Between them, Ruby was silent, trying to make herself invisible. She stared ahead, drained of hope. Kit wouldn’t come for her. She knew that. They didn’t know it yet, but soon they would. And when they did, she knew they would kill her. Dump her body on her son’s doorstep, saying, Look, you bastard, this is your mother and she’s dead. We warned you and now look what you’ve made us do.

Her head jerked up. She could hear the rumble of an engine. She looked out through the windscreen to where the blue-white glare of the Danieris’ headlights were illuminating the grim interior of the empty factory; the rust-bitten metal supports, the wet gleam of moisture, sodden leaves and old beer cans on the concrete floor where they’d been washed in by the rain and wind over the years and never swept away, because no one ever came here.

There was another car crawling towards the car they sat in, its headlights sweeping around in a blinding arc. It came to a halt about twenty paces away, its engine still running. Ruby blinked, unable to see anything but the white tunnel cast by the glare of two clashing sets of headlights. Her heart was beating so hard and so fast that she thought she was going to faint.

Kit…? Jesus, could it really be him?

‘Well not before fucking time!’ said Vittore.

Roughly he flung open the car door, grabbed Ruby by the arm and dragged her out after him.

Kit was in the back of the other car with Bianca; Rob was at the wheel with Fats riding shotgun. They watched the bulky shape of Vittore emerge, then Fabio and the two minders. Vittore was holding Ruby by the arm, pulling her along to the front of his car where the light washed over them both, turning them into black silhouettes. But Kit recognized the outline of his mother. She was tall like him, and slender. There was no mistaking her.

He glanced at Bianca as Rob came and opened the door for him, mindful of his weak left arm. Kit got out, easing Bianca out beside him. He kept a tight grip on her with his right hand. Daisy had wanted to come too, but Kit had said no way. There would be too many bodies littering up the place as it was, without her adding to it. He’d given her another job to do.

Vittore and Ruby were at the front of the car now, standing ready. Vittore was smiling. He had the place well covered, and Miller was unarmed, the twat. None of Miller’s people would get out of here alive tonight, he promised himself that.

Kit and Bianca were ready too.

‘Send Bianca over!’ yelled Vittore, and his voice echoed around the place like a ghost-whisper. Send, send, send…

‘Ruby first!’ shouted back Kit.

‘On the count of three, we both let them go. OK?’ said Vittore.

’Kay, ’kay, ’kay…

‘OK!’ said Kit.

Rob watched his boss and thought, Fuck, he’s going to do it. It’s all going to be all right.

He’d had his doubts. But now, Kit was coming good.

‘One!’ shouted Vittore.

Kit tensed. Shot a quick look at Bianca.

‘Two!’

Rob, glancing all around, saw sudden movement at the far edge of the factory floor. What the f-?

‘ Three! ’

Vittore gave Ruby a shove forward, and she stumbled then straightened and started walking toward Kit. Kit let go of Bianca, and she started walking too. They had each taken three steps when Vittore took a gun out of his pocket and aimed it between Ruby’s shoulder blades.

Kit had already primed Bianca. If I yell ‘down’, hit the floor.

‘Down! Get down!’ Kit yelled, reaching inside the concealing sling on his left arm, and pulling out his gun.

Ruby flung herself onto the dirty wet concrete. Vittore’s shot nearly deafened her as it zinged over her head, narrowly missing her.

Bianca went down too, very fast.

Kit lifted the gun and shot Vittore straight between the eyes. A perfect plum-coloured hole appeared there, and blood streamed down over Vittore’s shocked face. He flew backwards, the force of the blast spinning him around. He lay across the bonnet like a stretched-out sacrifice. Both Vittore’s minders and Fabio dived for cover behind the open car doors.