Martina Cole - Close

'Let me think about it, all right?'

Dennis nodded imperceptibly. He was halfway home and he knew it; he had given his brother the bullets, now it was up to him to fire them.

Annie was putting the children to bed and, as usual, Lance was playing her up. She pulled him on to her lap and whispered in his ear as she always did. 'Once the others drop off, come out to your nana, darling.'

This was despite the fact that Pat had made a point of telling her that the children were to go to bed at the same time, and if he did find out that she had been favouring Lance, she was out for good. She and Pat had an uneasy alliance in that she made sure she didn't antagonise him and he made sure she spent as little time with the kids as possible.

'I don't want to sit with you, Nana.'

Lance's petulant face was beginning to irritate her and she took a deep breath before saying quietly, 'I have a few sweeties for you, and you can watch TV? Her voice was soft and the other children watched the little tableau with interest.

'Come on, darling. Nana has missed you, give me a hug?' The yearning was in her voice and the child picked up on it, knew he had the upper hand, and used it to his advantage.

'No, Nana. I'm tired.' Lance pulled away from her, his thickset body almost knocking her off the chair with its strength. He hated the feel of her rough hands on him, the way she pulled him about, kissed him all the time and squeezed him into her body, nearly suffocating him. But he loved the power he had over her, and because of that, he had power over his brother and sisters. His nana adored him and tolerated them, they all knew that. Because it had always been like that none of them questioned it; they were just glad she didn't feel the same way about them.

It was the first time in ages that Annie had babysat. Pat made sure she spent as little time as possible with the kids and she knew she was on borrowed time. Lil was not enamoured of her any more either, so she had to sit it out and wait until they were desperate before she got access to the one thing that made her life bearable.

'Kiss your poor old nana and we'll play games; whatever you like.'

Lance shook his head and said loudly and with force, 'I don't want to, Nana. I don't like you any more.'

The hurt in her faded eyes made him feel a moment's sadness, but she made him feel uncomfortable and he had realised, as young as he was, that her feelings for him were not healthy. His mother had no real time for him; he knew that she didn't love him like she did the others. But his nana, who worshipped him, just made him want to hurt her. She smelt awful and she made him feel like he was being suffocated.

The smack was loud in the room and all four children jumped with fright. Lance had a red mark on his face and he stared at Annie with defiance and hatred as she started to berate him.

Pat Junior pushed his sisters from the untidy living room and walked back towards his brother. He grabbed his arm and started to pull him from the room, all the time Annie's screaming and swearing was ringing in their ears.

'You two-faced little fucker, all I've done for you…'

It was the usual litany of complaints and both boys closed their ears to it.

Lance watched helplessly as Pat Junior was dragged back into the middle of the room by his hair. All his power was gone now, and he knew it. His nana was off on one of her rants and no one could calm her down. He ran from the room and went up the stairs to his sisters, settling them into their beds and listening to the commotion below him.

Pat Junior felt her nails in his scalp and, turning towards his grandmother, he landed a hefty kick on to her shins, making her let go of him, and also making her curse louder than ever. He was eight years old and he pushed her forcefully and shouted, 'I am telling my dad about you.'

Annie knew she had gone too far and forced herself to calm down.

She looked at the boy in front of her and, smiling tremulously, she did what she always did. With eyes full of tears and a broken voice she said sadly, 'I am so sorry, child, but I miss you all so much, and you are all so horrible to me…'

Pat Junior stood there without any expression on his face and after a few seconds he said with quiet dignity, 'We are never rude to anyone. My sisters need a drink of hot milk and a story and I am telling my mum that we don't want you looking after us any more.'

Annie was in bits at his words. If the kids mentioned what had happened she would be relegated to the wilderness once more and she needed to be around Lance like other people needed water or food.

As Annie tidied the room, she felt the jealousy that ate at her like a cancer once more. The house was large, beautifully decorated and peopled by a family who loved and cared for one another; Patrick and Lance had proved that much this night. Her daughter and her lifestyle was like a thorn in her side. She produced children with ease and kept a man in her bed without even trying. She was everything that Annie Diamond had wanted to be and more. People actually liked Lil, she still had her friends from the factory and she attracted new friends. She was a naturally happy person and, other than Pat's sojourns every now and then, she loved her life. It was all this that made Annie resent her only daughter so much: that her child could have made something of her life without even trying, galled. That she was dependent on her daughter for the very bread she ate was something she would never be able to forgive, even though she had been living off her only child since the day she had started work. Sighing heavily, she made the hot milk Pat Junior had requested for his sisters. Then she placed biscuits and cake on to a tray and went up to her grandchildren to attempt to repair the damage she had caused earlier.

She smiled when she saw the twins asleep in their brothers' arms, even though the urge to batter Lance was so overwhelming that she had to breathe in deeply to calm herself down. But instinctively she knew it was Patrick Junior who was the dangerous one, the one who she needed on her side, so she concentrated her efforts on him.

Like his father, you couldn't fathom what was going on behind his deep-set blue eyes. And like his father, she knew he was going to become one dangerous fucker in the future; he had the same arrogance, the same blank stare and, uncannily, the same presence that had made his father a man to be wary of. He was still only a lad, but the coldness in his expression was enough to make anyone uneasy if they found it directed at them.

Cain was smiling as Dennis Williams bought him another drink.

They were in the Burford Arms in east London; it was a predominantly black pub, but Dennis was a frequent, if not exactly welcome, visitor. He had a few of the boys around Stratford on his payroll and he paid them out there. Cain was often in there having a drink while he sorted out business and the two men had always had a good rapport until recently. Cain could not say exactly when the dynamics of the relationship between them had changed, but he knew it had now gone too far to attempt any kind of reconciliation. He knew it was over the drugs and he was not about to climb down or give this fucker an inch. This was personal now; it was about territory and making sure no one took what was rightfully yours.

He was secure enough while Dennis was alone, the brothers did give him pause for thought though. But he was relaxed enough knowing that Brodie was behind them. He reasoned that the Williamses had enough going on without pulling Brodie and his businesses into the limelight with public aggravation. Cain had a crew that stayed close and watched over him at all times. The Williamses were not people to take lightly or to overlook; they were dangerous fucks and he knew that he needed to watch his back. He was sorry though, because he had always rated Dave and his family. It was a shame that it was going wrong now, but that was the times they were living in.