Jessie Keane - Ruthless

‘Boss,’ said a voice at Max’s shoulder.

Max glanced back. Tone was standing there, sunlight glinting off his bald pate and the crucifixes in his ears. A gurgling noise was coming from Junior.

‘He can’t breathe,’ said Tony gently, looking around, making sure his boss was secure, that no one was on hand to witness or try to interrupt proceedings. He nodded towards the back door of the house.

Max could see Kath standing there, mountainous, pallid and frozen with fright. He looked at Tone, and felt calm descend once more. He released Junior.

The boy drew in a strangled breath and slumped back against the fence, his eyes closed.

Max gave his face a slap. ‘Why’d you run, you little shit?’ he asked.

‘What?’ Junior was gasping, his colour returning to normal. He was clutching his throat. His eyes flickered open and he stared at Max in abject fear. ‘You… you fucking nearly killed me.’

‘Hey! I didn’t kill you. Don’t make me reconsider that decision. Tell me what’s going on. All this crap that keeps happening to my family, turns out you’ve been on hand every time.’

‘I can’t… I don’t…’ said Junior.

Max grabbed the front of Junior’s shirt and yanked him in close. ‘You better start talking, arsehole, because I am all out of patience with you. What’s the deal between you and Rufus Malone?’

‘Dunno what you’re on about – I’ve never heard of him!’ Junior was regaining a bit of his usual cocky belligerence.

Max stared at him. ‘Don’t bullshit me. That name rang a bell with you – I can see it in your eyes. So, Rufus Malone – tell me about him.’

‘I don’t-’

‘You’re helping him!’ Max yelled.

‘I’m not.’

Max saw red again. ‘You lying little prick,’ he said, and slapped Junior, slamming his head against the fence. A trickle of blood came out of Junior’s nose, and he started to shake.

‘You think I’m stupid?’ Max demanded. ‘Malone knew it was safe to do Precious in the VIP room because you’d told him what time Kyle took his break. You’d told him there’d be no one in the monitor room to put a stop to it. You didn’t bank on Layla stumbling in there, did you?’ He grabbed Junior by the hair. ‘And the day of the fire at Layla’s office – you were there. Did you set that for him?’

‘No! No!’

Max drew back his fist.

‘Wait! No! Don’t.’ Junior took a gasping breath. ‘Look,’ he said desperately, ‘I didn’t know he was going to put her in hospital, for Christ’s sake! I thought he was going to give her a slap, that’s all.’

‘You gutless bastard. He put that poor bitch in intensive care. What do you think he’d do to Layla, or Annie, given half a chance?’

‘I didn’t think he’d go that far, I swear it.’ Junior was gasping, struggling for breath, he was shaking so hard. ‘He just paid me… paid me…’

Max was watching Junior with disgust. ‘Yeah, for what?’

‘He wanted me to do him a couple of favours in return for cash,’ Junior managed to get out. He looked at Max and sneered. ‘Mum’s right. Your old lady is a stuck-up cow. She deserves some shit, always swanning about like Lady Muck. Rufus got me to do a couple of jobs, that’s all.’

‘What jobs?’ asked Max.

‘Nothing major. Little things. I put the paper thing in Layla’s Filofax, and chucked a lit fag in the bin at her office. He told me it was a wind-up, nothing serious. And I thought, why not?’

‘Why not ?’ echoed Max. He pushed Junior hard against the fence, crushing him. ‘You miserable, ungrateful little turd. Annie thinks the world of you.’

‘Ow… don’t…’ Junior pleaded, his face screwed up in pain. Seeing the murderous look on Max’s face, his cocky bluster dissolved into nothing. There were tears in his eyes now; he looked scared to death.

Max thought of Layla’s mate Precious, laid up in a hospital bed. It was terrifying to think that Malone had been in the same building as Layla, being helped by this treacherous little tick. He yanked Junior away from the fence.

‘Come on, you,’ he said, and dragged him back up the path to the house.

‘You can’t do this,’ complained Kath, chins wobbling in indignation at the kitchen door. ‘You can’t come in here and start knocking people about.’

‘Get out of my fucking way,’ said Max.

Kath took one look at Max’s expression and stood aside. But Molly was in the kitchen too, and she flung herself at Max with a shriek. Tony moved forward as Max fended her off, but it gave Junior just the chance he needed.

‘Fuck it!’ said Max loudly as Junior tore along the hall and out the front door.

Tony moved to follow, and Molly started throwing useless punches at Max’s head. Kath joined in, shouting and screaming: it was bedlam. Max grabbed one of Molly’s flailing arms and dragged her off down the hall after Tony.

The front door was wide open. Out on the road, Junior was behind the wheel of a cheap car, swerving away from the pavement with a squeal of tyres. The engine was revving hard as he shot away.

Tone was off down the path and throwing open the Jag’s door. Max stopped and pointed a finger at Kath. She flinched away from him.

‘Stay here,’ he warned. ‘If I hear you’ve been mouthing off to anyone, you’re in trouble.’

Then he hauled Molls out to the car, threw her in the back seat, ran round to the front passenger door and climbed in. Tony hit the accelerator, and the Jag roared into life.

After leaving the hospital, Layla went shopping. She wanted to buy something nice for Precious. Her two bodyguards trailed her around Bond Street as she struggled to find a suitable gift. Godiva chocolates? No good, the poor cow couldn’t eat solids yet. But later, she’d buy her some of those.

After much deliberation, she arrived at the solution: a pretty pink cropped cashmere cardigan to keep her warm when she was well enough to sit up. Precious was tough, she would heal fast.

Pleased with her purchase, Layla had the goons drive her home to Holland Park. As she hurried into the hall, passing Bri standing stony-faced on the door, Annie came out of the drawing room.

‘Hi,’ said Layla.

‘Come in here, Layla,’ said Annie.

What now? she wondered. ‘But I need a shower…’

‘It’ll only take a moment. Please, come in here.’

Curious, Layla did as she was asked. Her mother had stepped back inside the room, and as Layla passed her she closed the door behind them.

‘Has Dad seen Junior?’ she asked, dumping her bags on the sofa and sitting down.

‘What?’ Annie looked blank. She sat down too, on the sofa opposite.

‘Was Junior helping Rufus Malone?’ said Layla, barely able to get that name out without a strong surge of disgust and hatred. ‘Was Dad right?’

If Rufus had caught her, would he have done to her what he’d done to Precious? Or worse? She shuddered every time the thought crossed her mind, and it crossed her mind a lot. As for Junior, she couldn’t believe it. Would he really do that, betray them that way? They were family.

‘Oh,’ said Annie, rubbing a hand distractedly through her hair. ‘Your dad’s not back yet, I don’t know how it went with Junior.’

Layla pulled out the cardigan. ‘I got Precious this, do you think she’ll like it? Fuschia pink, she loves that colour, she’s a crystalline winter same as me, and it’s cashmere, soft as-’

‘Layla. Honey…’

Layla stopped. She was staring at her mother’s face now. A chill of fear settled in her midriff.

‘What is it?’ she asked.

‘I got a call from Mr Westover.’