Head of the Firm

‘Why are you staring at me with a grin on your face?’ Michael said to her.

‘I was thinking of the night you proposed to me,’ she replied.

That seemed to snap him out of his sombre mood and he looked at her with a genuine smile on his face this time. ‘I honestly thought you were going to say no.’

‘Then why did you ask me?’ she said with a laugh.

‘Well, if you remember, I’d plied you with wine first, which does make you a bit giddy. And then I thought, fuck it, life’s too short,’ he said with a flash of his eyebrows.

‘I love you, you know?’ she said, conscious that she didn’t say it enough to him, whereas he told her almost every day.

‘I know,’ he said softly. ‘I love you, too.’

Grace sat back in her seat. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe her suspicion was brought on by the wonderful day they’d had and the fact that she still couldn’t trust that happiness lasted. Perhaps, this time, it would.

Chapter Thirteen

Carrying a sleeping Oscar in his car seat on her arm, Grace climbed the rickety wooden steps to Nudge Richards’ Portakabin. Nudge was an old friend. He didn’t have many friends himself, on account of his job as the best fence in Merseyside (he’d discovered it wasn’t good for business to show favouritism), and also because he was a huge, hairy gorilla of a man, with questionable hygiene at times, and he didn’t attract people easily. There was something about him though that Grace had always liked. He had a good sense of humour, he was discreet and he was fiercely loyal. Grace had helped him out of a situation years earlier which had prevented him losing everything, including quite possibly his head, and he had never forgotten it. He’d remained loyal to her ever since, and whilst he was usually a model of discretion, he also knew everything and everyone, and he bent his rules for Grace and her alone.

Grace pushed open the creaky door and peered inside. ‘You in, Nudge?’ she asked. He was expecting her but she still proceeded with caution. As well as being a bit of a gambler, Nudge also had a penchant for women – the cheaper and looser the better. Once before, Grace had visited him and found him and his lady-friend in a very compromising position. She’d felt the need to bleach her eyeballs afterwards.

‘Grace,’ she heard him bellow from the other side of the room, as he walked towards her, kettle in hand. ‘I was just putting a brew on.’

Grace smiled before holding a finger to her lips and nodded towards Oscar, who was still fast asleep.

‘Oh, sorry, love,’ Nudge said quietly. ‘Want one? I’ve washed the cups.’ He laughed. It was a standing joke between them that she’d only accept a drink from him if he scrubbed the cup first. He owned a scrapyard and didn’t see why his office shouldn’t replicate the rest of his yard. But for Grace, he made an exception.

‘Yeah, go on. I’m parched,’ Grace said as she placed Oscar’s car seat on the desk and sat on the chair.

Nudge finished making the tea before placing the two mugs on his desk. He peered inside Oscar’s car seat. ‘He isn’t half coming on. Spit of his dad, isn’t he?’

‘Yep,’ Grace replied with a nod. ‘I didn’t get a look-in with any of them, did I?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. I see more of you in Belle as she gets older. And where is the lovely Belle today?’ Nudge asked as he took a seat opposite her.

‘Nursery. Only two days a week. She started two weeks ago. I thought it was probably best to get her used to going before she has to start school next year. I was worried she wouldn’t settle, but she loves it. Comes home telling me all about the fun she’s been having all day. Probably much more exciting than sitting at home with me, eh?’

‘Ah. It’ll do her good, no doubt,’ Nudge replied.

‘So? Anything interesting happening?’ Grace asked as she picked up her mug and blew on the steaming tea to cool it.

‘Not much, to be honest, Grace. All’s quiet on the Western Front. Seems Jake and the twins have got everything sewn up and running smoothly.’

‘For now,’ Grace said before taking a sip of her tea.

‘Forever the optimist?’ Nudge said with a laugh.

‘Well, you know as well as I do that things never stay the same for long round here. It seems the better you’re doing, the more people want to take it from you.’

Nudge nodded. ‘I suppose you’re right there. You can never take your eye off the ball, and you, my dear, never do. Aren’t you supposed to be on maternity leave?’

‘I am! This is a social call,’ Grace replied, even though that wasn’t entirely true. While she was visiting Nudge for a catch-up, she could never switch off entirely from her previous responsibilities as head of the firm. Because of that, she liked to keep herself apprised of any developments she might need to know about, and Nudge always seemed to have the lowdown on the comings and goings of the Liverpool underworld.

‘Oh, well in that case, I’m honoured,’ Nudge replied with a laugh. ‘I hope those lads appreciate you always looking out for them, Grace.’

‘I don’t do it for the appreciation, Nudge. Besides, I wouldn’t say it’s keeping an eye out for them. They’re big boys, they can handle themselves. I just like to keep my ear to the ground, that’s all.’

‘Well, I’m happy to keep my ear to the ground for you. I enjoy our little chats.’

‘Me too,’ Grace said with a smile.

Nudge took a big gulp of tea. ‘I suppose you heard those Johnson brothers are out in a couple of weeks though?’ he said as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

‘I hadn’t heard, no. I forgot they were inside, to be honest. They got a hefty sentence, didn’t they?’

‘Yeah. Craig and Ged did anyway. Eight years each. Billy did five, while Bradley got off scot free.’

Grace nodded. The Johnson brothers could have been big players if they had only been a little smarter and not blindly followed their eldest brother, Bradley, who was as stupid as he was dodgy. Craig and Billy actually had something about them, but the two eldest, Bradley and Ged, were walking egos who seemed too self-obsessed and arrogant to see the bigger picture and consider that their younger brothers could actually lead them and therefore make any real money. ‘Yeah, I remember that,’ Grace replied. ‘I always thought that was a bit suspect, to be honest. He was in the thick of it, and he walked away without even a slap on the wrist.’

‘Seemed a bit fishy to me too,’ said Nudge. ‘I bet he was a grass.’

‘Against his own brothers though?’ Grace said with a shake of her head. ‘That’s low.’

‘Not for Bradley Johnson,’ Nudge snorted. ‘He’s a horrible little fucker. He’d sell his kids for the right price. You know I love a little flutter, Grace, but this fella’s something else. Would bet on an egg and spoon race if he could. He’s a fucking sore loser as well. Mean bastard when he wants to be. You’d think he’d have gotten used to losing by now, he does it so often.’

‘I didn’t realise he was a gambler. I always wondered why him and his wife never seemed to have a pot to piss in. I assumed he was being careful so he wouldn’t get nicked. I thought he must have had at least some of the money that went missing from the job his brothers went down for?’

‘Nope. It’s because he goes through money like the clap in a whorehouse. And as for the money from that job, I reckon Sol got it all, otherwise, why would Bradley still be breathing?’

Grace had forgotten it was Sol’s job. The Johnson brothers had never worked in Merseyside since they’d tried to muscle in on her business years earlier. No doubt assuming they could because she was a woman. Michael had dealt with them for her, and whatever he had done, had ensured she never heard from any of them again. Grace had worked with Solomon Shepherd too, back in the day. For a long time, he and Grace had had an arrangement that had been beneficial for both of them. Sol was now the top dog in Manchester and any business connection Grace had with him had been severed when she’d moved to Leeds before Belle was born. Sol had been the instigator of her coming back to Liverpool. He was the one who’d told her that Jake was in trouble, and he’d seemed to expect some sort of recognition or reward for that, but Grace had stayed well away from him, and had warned Jake and the twins to do the same. Sol was into absolutely everything now – things that she would never allow herself or any of her family to become involved in.

‘You’re right. There’s no way Sol would have let him off with that. So, Bradley’s penniless then?’

‘Yep. He spends it twice as fast as he can earn it.’

‘Good to know, Nudge,’ Grace said with a grin. ‘You really are a mine of information.’

Nudge smiled appreciatively. ‘Well, I’m glad to be of service, Boss. Fancy another?’ he said as he held up his empty mug.

Grace glanced at Oscar, who was still fast asleep, and probably would be for another half hour at least. As much as she enjoyed chatting to Nudge, she couldn’t chance having to feed her son in Nudge’s grotty Portakabin, and with Nudge looking on – pretending not to look, but being unable to anyway. She enjoyed a strictly platonic relationship with Nudge, and would rather keep it that way.

‘I’m sorry, I can’t. This little milk machine will wake up for a feed soon, so I’d better get home. I’ll pop in one day next week though. I’ll leave the baby with Michael so we can have a proper catch-up.’

‘Sounds good to me. I’ll see you next week,’ Nudge said as he stood up to show Grace out.

‘See you, Nudge. Thanks for the brew,’ Grace said as she gave him a hug.

‘My pleasure. And give Michael and the boys my best, won’t you?’

‘Of course.’

Grace gave little thought to the Johnson brothers as she drove home. They had never really been on her radar and the fact that two of them were getting out of prison shortly was of little consequence to her. Hopefully they would remain out of her and her family’s way, as they always had done. She couldn’t help wonder again about her conversation with Connor earlier that week, though, and the uneasiness he’d described. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with. Things had been going too well for too long, and in Grace’s experience, it was only a matter of time before something happened to change that.

Chapter Fourteen

Jake looked up as Paul and Connor came bounding through into his office at The Blue Rooms.

‘How did it go, lads?’ he asked.

Paul grinned and sat on the chair opposite Jake. ‘Go on, tell him, Con.’

‘It was fine. It’s all sorted,’ he replied with a groan.

Paul started to laugh as Connor sat on the leather sofa in the corner of the room.

‘Then what’s up with Chuckles here?’ Jake said, indicating Paul.

Connor glared at his brother but Paul didn’t heed the warning.

‘We saw Kenny the Melon,’ Paul said, stifling his laughter. ‘We had a word with him. Slapped him around a bit. He didn’t have a clue what he was doing or who we were, so we were just going to mess with him a bit, you know, pretend we were going to pull his teeth out or something. But then…’ At this point, Paul burst into a fit of laughter.

‘It’s not even fucking funny, Paul,’ Connor barked.

Jake, who was smiling at this point, urged Paul to go on and finish the story.

It took Paul a while to compose himself before he could finally speak. ‘But then he shat on Connor,’ he snorted before literally doubling over with laughter as tears streamed down his face.

Jake stared at them both. ‘What? How did that even happen?’ he asked through his own laughter.

‘He didn’t exactly shit on me,’ Connor snapped. ‘He shit himself when we told him we were going to cut him up and throw him in the Mersey. He was wearing these baggy fucking shorts, so some of it went on my shoe. That’s all. He didn’t shit on me!’

Jake looked down at Connor’s shoes.

‘I fucking threw them away! And my keks too. Dirty bastard!’ he snapped.

‘Where is he now then?’ Jake asked.

‘We left him there in the street, covered in his own shit,’ Connor replied.

‘That’s hilarious, Con,’ Jake said as he started to laugh harder. ‘You’d better hope word doesn’t get our that the quickest way to take out the Carter twins is to shit on them.’ This caused Paul to become hysterical again and soon Paul and Jake could barely speak for laughing.

‘You’re a pair of fucking clowns,’ Connor said, although Jake could see the hint of a smile on his lips. There was something about Paul’s laughter, in particular, that was infectious.

It took a good ten minutes for Paul and Jake to stop laughing entirely and when they did Connor spoke again.

‘In all seriousness, while I’m not bothered about Kenny or them lads we caught the other night, I am bothered that someone knew where our stuff was and blabbed about it. Whoever this mysterious fella in the pub was, he basically goaded them into nicking our gear. Do you think we have a leak?’

Jake shook his head. ‘Nah. More likely someone who works on the docks saw our container and the fact that it was set aside, assumed it was full of weed because it’s come from the Dam, and blabbed to some young lads in the pub to give himself a bit of kudos.’

‘Yeah. That’s more likely,’ Paul agreed. ‘If he’d known anything about our operation, he’d have known what was really in that container.’

‘I think it was a case of wrong place, wrong time,’ Jake said.

‘I still think we should check out how our Wirral business is doing,’ Connor suggested. ‘It wouldn’t hurt to pay Stu Poynter a visit, would it?’

‘No, I suppose not,’ Paul said.

‘If you insist,’ Jake replied. ‘It would give me a chance to meet Stu anyway.’ Stu was responsible for ensuring their operations in Wirral ran smoothly, which included keeping all of their dealers in line, as well as handling any possible takeovers. It was a job that they paid him, and the small army he recruited to assist him, handsomely for, and one that he’d always done well. Nevertheless, it was always good to remind their employees who was really pulling the strings.

‘Tomorrow then?’ Connor suggested.

Jake and Paul nodded.

‘I’ll give him a ring then and let him know we’ll be round,’ Paul said.

Chapter Fifteen

‘Stu? Are you in, lad?’ Paul Carter shouted up the stairs of Stu Poynter’s open-plan house in Heswall as he let himself through the unlocked door.

‘Yeah. Come up,’ was the reply.

Jake watched as Paul jogged up the stairs and frowned. There was something about the way that he did it, as though he’d ran up and down them many times before. Connor sat down on the sofa and stretched out his legs. Jake followed suit and sat on the armchair, keeping an eye on the stairs for Paul and Stu’s return. A few moments later the two of them came bouncing down the stairs laughing.

‘What’s so funny?’ Jake asked.

Stu shook his head. ‘If I told you, I’d have to kill you.’

Jake scowled at him. ‘What the fuck did you just say to me, you little cunt?’

Stu looked at Jake in surprise as Paul replied for him. ‘Calm down, Jake. He’s just messing.’

‘We were just laughing about something that happened years ago,’ Stu said apologetically. ‘It’s not even that funny.’

Paul frowned at Jake as he sat next to Connor on the sofa.

‘So, how are things up here in sunny Wirral going then?’ Connor asked. ‘Everyone behaving themselves?’

‘Yep.’ Stu perched on the arm of the sofa. ‘It’s going well. We’ve had no bother from anyone for a while. Business is good,’ he said as he lit himself a joint. He took a long drag before handing it to Paul. ‘Want some?’

‘No, thanks,’ Paul said.

Stu shrugged, but didn’t offer the joint to anyone else, which only annoyed Jake further. Not that he’d have taken it, but that wasn’t the point.

‘In fact, we could probably shift more, if you’ve got it?’ Stu said.

‘Sound. We’ll make sure there’s some extra in this week’s drop then?’ Connor said.

They made some small talk before Jake suggested it was time to leave. As they reached Stu’s garden gate, he shouted after them. ‘Paul. Have you got a minute?’

‘I’ll just be a sec,’ Paul said to Jake and Connor before walking back to Stu’s front door. Jake watched the two men chatting and laughing for a minute before Stu handed Paul a small package. Paul put it in his pocket and jogged back to the car with a smile on his face. He climbed into the back seat and Connor started the engine.

‘What was that about?’ Jake asked.

‘He gave me a bag of some of our finest quality weed. The lads have just harvested a fresh crop, so he thought we might want to sample the merchandise.’

‘Is that all?’

‘And he wanted to know if I fancied going to a party later.’

‘And do you?’ Jake said as he felt the anger bubbling beneath his skin.

‘Not that it’s any of your fucking business, Susan, but no, I don’t,’ Paul snapped.

‘Oh, will you two give it a fucking rest,’ Connor shouted at them before turning up the radio to such a volume that any further conversation was cut dead.

The atmosphere in the car on the journey back was tense, and in the time it took to reach The Blue Rooms the three men barely said a word to each other. It wasn’t until they were in the privacy of Jake’s office that Jake spoke.

‘Are you fucking around with Stu?’ he snapped at Paul.

‘What the hell?’ Paul replied.

‘Oh, for fuck’s sake!’ Connor mumbled.

‘I asked you if you’re fucking Stu?’ Jake shouted.

‘No, I’m not,’ Paul replied.

‘But you want to?’

‘Fuck off!’

‘Jesus Christ. Will you two get a fucking grip!’ Connor shouted. ‘I don’t have the sodding energy for this. Sort out your screwed-up love lives in your own time, and preferably out of my earshot. Because in case you hadn’t noticed, we are trying to run a business here.’

‘Don’t fucking tell me. It’s him.’ Paul pointed at Jake.

‘Me? You’re the one fucking one of our dealers.’

‘What did I just fucking say?’ Connor snarled. ‘Will you two pack it in? I’m going to get a drink. And when I come back in here can you two have sorted yourselves out? You pair of fucking tarts.’ He shook his head as he left the office.

Jake sat on the chair behind his desk and Paul opposite him. They sat in stony silence for a few minutes until Paul finally spoke.

‘There’s nothing going on between me and Stu, you know. He’s not even gay.’

Jake stared at him but didn’t respond.

‘I’ve known him for years, that’s all. I don’t see much of him but we have a laugh together. That’s all. I did bang his ma once though,’ he said with a grin.

‘His ma?’

‘Yep. I was only sixteen. But she was a right goer. My dad went mental at her when he found out,’ he said with a laugh.

‘You’re a fucking slag,’ Jake replied, smiling.

‘And proud of it. Anyway, as funny as it is to see you getting all jealous and hot under the collar about me and Stu, what’s going on with you? Between you and Connor, you’re a right pair of moody gits lately.’

‘Just the usual,’ Jake said with a sigh. ‘Siobhan’s been giving me grief about staying out late the other night. I can’t fucking stand living like this, mate. It’s fucking exhausting.’

‘Then leave her.’

‘Just like that?’

‘Yes! People get divorced all the fucking time, Jake. You’re in a mess of your own making. You know that as well as I do. And only you can get yourself out of it.’

Jake stared at him. ‘Everything’s just so fucking easy for you, isn’t it? Just leave her. You haven’t got a clue what it’s like to be married or have kids.’

Paul sighed. ‘I fucking give up with you, Jake. I don’t know what you want me to say then. If you’re not gonna leave her then fucking suck it up.’

Jake stared at him. Paul was right, but he wouldn’t admit it. Sooner or later though, something had to give. Living this double life was taking its toll on him in more ways than one. He was finding it increasingly difficult to keep Siobhan happy while also lying to her almost every day. He’d felt it more acutely since he’d started up with Paul again and knew that any happiness he found with Paul was coming at great cost to his wife and child, and this only exacerbated his feelings of guilt. But he couldn’t divorce Siobhan. He had an image to maintain. To the outside world he was a happy family man with a gorgeous wife and a beautiful daughter, and he couldn’t lose that. It offered him the perfect smokescreen for who he really was, and it gave him the perfect excuse to turn down the constant stream of women who threw themselves at him.

‘You coming to mine when we’re done here?’ Paul said to him, his voice softer now.

‘Yeah,’ Jake replied. Despite everything he’d just said, he couldn’t say no.

Chapter Sixteen

Paul walked into the living room of his flat, with Connor close behind him, and threw the bag of weed onto the coffee table before taking off his jacket and throwing it onto the armchair. Connor put down the large takeaway pizzas he was carrying, kicked off his shoes and sat on the sofa.

‘Beer?’ Paul asked him.

‘Yeah. Where are the Rizlas?’

Paul nodded towards his jacket. ‘In my pocket. If you’re building a joint, make sure you put enough of the good stuff in. It’s not like we haven’t got enough to go round, is it? Stu gave us a bag full.’

‘You fucking build one then, you ungrateful bastard,’ Connor said with a smile.

A few moments later, Paul returned to the living room with two bottles of Budweiser, placing them on the coffee table as he sat on the armchair opposite his brother.

‘So what were you and the arl fella talking about the other day then?’ Paul asked as he rolled himself a joint.

‘When?’ Connor replied with a frown as he tucked into a slice of meat feast pizza.

‘At Isla’s party?’

‘I can’t fucking remember. It was days ago, lad. Why?’

Paul shrugged. ‘Looked like you were getting all emotional sitting out there in the garden.’

‘Aww, feeling left out, were you, Bro?’ Connor said as he started to laugh.

‘Fuck off, you knob!’ Paul said as he picked up a slice of pizza from the open box in front of him and threw it at Connor.

Connor ducked and the pizza landed behind the sofa. ‘We were just talking about Isla being one. Him marrying Grace and becoming a grandad and all that shit.’ Connor shrugged.

‘Him being a grandad?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Did you happen to mention that you think he’d be Isla’s grandad even if he hadn’t married Grace?’

Connor stopped eating his pizza and glared at his brother. ‘You always tell me to shut up when I mention Isla. So why the fuck would you bring it up now when Jake will be here in a minute?’

‘I’m bringing it up because you’ve been walking around with a face like a slapped arse for the past few weeks, mate. And, other than that married bird you’ve been knocking off, I can’t think of anything else that might be bothering you. So, which is it? The bird or the fact you think you might be Isla’s dad?’

‘Just leave it alone, Paul.’

‘Did you tell him?’

‘Tell who?’

‘Tell our dad what you fucking did?’ Paul snapped.

Connor nodded.

‘Oh, nice one, Con. You’ve proper landed him in the shit there,’ Paul said. Selfishly, his most pressing concern was that Jake was one step closer to finding out the truth, and the impact that would have on their relationship. Paul wasn’t sure if Jake would ever forgive him, and the thought of that made his chest physically hurt.

‘He knew something was wrong, Paul. What was I supposed to do?’ Connor replied.