Blood Ties, page 1
BLOOD TIES
Heather Burnside
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About this Book
About the Author
Table of Contents
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About Blood Ties
Adele Robinson is locked up – convicted for the murder of her abusive father. She quickly realises that she’ll have to play it tough if she’s going to survive, and soon gains a reputation for standing her ground.
Meanwhile, her brother Peter is building his criminal empire on the outside – running protection rackets, seedy nightclubs and all manner of schemes to make a fast buck. He soon comes to the attention of, not only the police, but also Manchester’s rival gangs, and a turf war breaks out.
And when things start to get bloody, only Adele can step in to protect the family business. Will she get out in time to save Peter? After all, blood is thicker than water, and when family’s in trouble you can’t look the other way.
Contents
Welcome Page
About Blood Ties
Dedication
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Part Two
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Acknowledgements
About Heather Burnside
Also by Heather Burnside
Become an Aria Addict
Copyright
For Pascoe and Kerry
Part One
1984
Chapter 1
Adele was serving a seven-year stretch in Styal Prison for the manslaughter of her father. Many of the inmates were currently in the visiting room, which made the rest of the prison uncharacteristically quiet. She walked into the cell of her fellow prisoner, Louise, thinking that they might keep each other company while the others were away.
‘Are you OK, Louise?’ she asked.
Louise was sitting on the edge of the bed with her back to Adele. Her head was down and her shoulders rounded. On hearing Adele, she raised her head and glanced quickly over her shoulder before turning away. That brief glimpse was enough for Adele to notice her tears.
‘What’s the matter?’ asked Adele, stepping towards the bed.
Louise turned to face her, the scar on her right cheek magnified under her glistening tears. Adele watched the river of tears change course as they traversed the scar, which dented Louise’s right cheek and stretched the surrounding flesh taut. Louise’s tears then circled her chin, diluting the stream of mucus that gushed from her nose and across her lips.
Despite her concern, Adele felt a momentary repulsion. Louise always had this effect on her. She was skinny and had one of those faces that would be considered pretty if it had been better maintained. Although aged twenty-four, Louise had a childlike demeanour, but this child had been forced to grow up quickly, and it showed.
Her complexion was sallow, her teeth discoloured and her eyes encircled with dark rings. Today Louise’s hair was even tattier than usual; the natural blond highlights lost in a sea of grime and split ends. In contrast, Adele’s dark locks shone with vitality and her face had a healthy glow, which enhanced her attractive features. She was slim, ‘but with curves in all the right places’, as her boyfriend, John, used to tell her.
Louise gave a loud sob, which came out as a snort and drew Adele’s attention back to the situation. Adele took another step forward and sat next to Louise with her back to the door, drawing her into her arms and over-compensating for her intense scrutiny.
‘She didn’t fuckin’ come!’ sobbed Louise, nuzzling her face into Adele’s chest and smearing her top with a mix of tears and mucus. Adele felt another tug of repulsion but tried not to let it show.
‘Who didn’t come?’ she asked.
‘My mam. She’s been promising for weeks,’ Louise sobbed. ‘She said she’d bring Becky, too. I was really looking forward to it.’
Adele sympathised; she didn’t have any visitors either but it was something she was learning to accept. Becky was Louise’s three-year-old daughter, and Adele knew how much she missed her. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be, stuck in prison when you had a child on the outside.
For Adele it was bad enough that she never saw her mother or her former boyfriend, John. Adele’s mother, Shirley, refused to visit and Adele held out no hopes of her changing her mind. Those hopes had vanished as soon as she was convicted of the violent killing of her father. And John had split with her once the guilty verdict was given.
The only person who had visited Adele in the few weeks since she had been inside was her brother, Peter, but he couldn’t make it today. He had a bit of business to attend to, apparently. Adele had her own ideas on what that business might be.
Before she became lost in her thoughts, Adele checked herself and tried to concentrate instead on the young woman sitting next to her. ‘Did she contact you to say why she wasn’t coming?’ she asked.
‘Did she fuck! Got better things to do than come and see me.’
‘You don’t know that,’ said Adele. ‘There could be all kinds of reasons why she couldn’t make it. Try not to upset yourself till you find out why.’
But even as Adele tried to console her, it sounded phoney: false platitudes that she felt obliged to utter even though she didn’t believe them. What did she know about Louise’s situation? The most likely reason Louise’s mother hadn’t visited was because, like the parents of many of the women in here, she just didn’t care.
Adele was still getting used to life inside and she was often shocked by the stories that some of the inmates told. Although her own childhood hadn’t been exactly idyllic, at least she had avoided many of the forms of abuse that other prisoners had had to contend with. Her parents’ faults were numerous but she did have the advantage of being brought up by family, including a loving grandmother, rather than having to live with foster parents, in a care home or, even worse, on the streets.
It was obvious her words hadn’t brought any comfort to Louise, who continued to weep as she buried her face further into Adele’s chest, saturating her top. At a loss as to what else to say, Adele just held Louise close, stroking her hair.
After a while Louise’s weeping ceased and she lifted her head and gazed into Adele’s eyes. Adele held her gaze and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Louise’s ear. It was an attempt at reassurance but she realised, too late, that the young woman had misread her intentions. Louise raised her head further, her lips hungrily seeking those of her comforter. Adele drew back but Louise’s lips were already on hers.
Before Adele could pull away, she heard someone yelling her surname. ‘What the fuck d’you think you’re playing at, Robinson?’ the woman at the door demanded.
It was Denise, Louise’s girlfriend. Adele didn’t have an opportunity to explain before she heard Denise advancing towards her.
Adele quickly prised herself from Louise and raised her bent right arm. With no time to turn round, she judged Denise’s position from the sound of her footsteps. Then she drew her arm back swiftly and jabbed her elbow hard into the soft flesh of Denise’s abdomen.
Adele didn’t give the other woman a chance to retaliate. She rose from the bed and stood to face Denise, who was stooped low, her hands gripping her stomach and her breath coming in short gasps. Before Denise could recover, Adele followed up with an uppercut to her face, which knocked Denise off balance and she crashed to the ground with her nose pumping blood.
Then Adele adopted a defensive kickboxing stance; left leg in front of the right, and hands forming fists in front of her face with her elbows covering her ribs. As she waited for Denise to recover and charge at her, the adrenalin was racing around her body and priming her for action.
‘Stop, stop!’ shouted Louise, dashing up to Adele and grabbing ineffectually at her left arm. ‘It’s not what you think,’ she called to Denise, who was now sprawled across the floor, still clutching her stomach.
Adele stepped back but maintained her defensive stance while she awaited Denise’s reaction. She could feel her heart thumping but she tried to foc
‘What the fuck is it, then?’ gasped Denise.
‘Everyone knows I’m not gay, you silly cow!’ said Adele. ‘I was trying to comfort her, that’s all.’ Then she rounded on Louise, saying, ‘But I won’t fuckin’ bother in future if that’s all the thanks I get.’
She stormed out of the cell, leaving Louise to do the rest of the explaining to her girlfriend. A small crowd had gathered at the cell door: prisoners who had just returned from visiting. On the outer periphery of the crowd Adele could see two prison officers. One of them was Prison Officer Fox, otherwise known by the inmates as Sly.
Nobody liked Sly because of her attitude towards the prisoners, which was hostile and condescending. Sly was middle-aged, overweight and had a matronly bearing. She had plain features and her hair was short and brushed back from her face in a style that was more practical than fashionable. Sly had been married for thirty years and her sex life, or lack of it, was a constant source of speculation and amusement amongst the women.
‘What’s going on here?’ Sly demanded as she approached the crowd.
The women began to disperse and Adele quickly pushed her way through them and strode up the corridor. A confrontation with Sly was the last thing she needed. As she walked away she could hear Prison Officer Fox quizzing the prisoners around her. After a few paces Adele felt a tug on her arm and she swung round, ready to defend herself again. But it wasn’t Denise or Louise. It was her friend Caroline.
‘Adele, stop!’ Caroline said.
Adele turned to face her, her complexion now ruddy and her palms sweaty.
‘You alright?’ Caroline asked.
‘Yes, just a misunderstanding,’ snarled Adele. ‘I’m sure Denise will realise that once Louise has explained herself.’
‘Do you want talk about it?’
Adele looked into her friend’s face, and noticed how the soft folds of her features had settled into a frown. Seeing Caroline’s motherly concern, Adele couldn’t stay angry for long.
‘OK,’ she said. ‘I think I could do with a chat after that carry-on.’
They entered Caroline’s cell, where she poured them both coffee from a flask.
‘Get that down you,’ she said, smiling at Adele.
Adele forced a smile in return.
‘What was it about?’ asked Caroline.
‘She was upset because her mother hadn’t showed up again. I was just trying to comfort her, that’s all.’
‘Ah, right. And Denise got the wrong end of the stick?’
‘As far as I was concerned, yes, but she may have spotted Louise trying to kiss me.’
‘You’re joking!’ said Caroline, stifling a giggle.
‘I know. Hilarious, isn’t it?’ Adele responded, joining in Caroline’s laughter.
‘It amazes me how she could try it on even though everyone knows you’re not that way inclined. Not to mention the fact that she’s already in a relationship with Denise.’
‘I know,’ laughed Adele. ‘And even if I was that way inclined, I don’t think Louise would be my type,’ she added, pulling a face to display her repugnance, then glancing down at her snot-stained top.
Then Caroline’s tone changed. ‘It was good of you to comfort her, though,’ she said. ‘Especially considering you didn’t have any visitors either.’
‘Thanks. I think that’s why she turned to me.’
‘You miss your mum, don’t you?’ asked Caroline.
‘Yes, but it’s something I’ve just got to accept. It’s hard trying to patch up differences while I’m in here. Maybe when I get out I can try to make her understand.’
‘I know what you mean,’ replied Caroline. ‘And it’s also hard to feel that you won’t be with your loved ones again for years. Visits are one thing but it’s not the same as being with them every day.’
Adele noticed the wistful look in Caroline’s eyes. ‘You really miss your kids, don’t you?’ she asked.
‘Oh, yeah.’
‘How are they? Are they OK?’
‘Yeah, they’re muddling along but I’ve missed so much of them growing up.’ Adele spotted a tear in Caroline’s eye as she quickly switched the subject away from herself. ‘What about John? Have you not heard from him either?’
‘No, and I don’t expect I’ll ever hear from him again.’
‘Well then, he’s not worth the trouble,’ said Caroline.
‘I can’t blame him really. After all, who wants a killer for a girlfriend?’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Caroline. ‘I can tell you really miss him but I’m sure you had your reasons for doing what you did.’
It was Adele’s cue to talk about what had happened but she couldn’t. Not yet. Not even to Caroline, who she confided in so much. In the weeks since she had been inside, she had tried her best to block it from her memory.
It wouldn’t do to focus on it too much because, every time she did, all she could picture was her father’s bloody, battered head. And, no matter how badly he had treated his family, Adele couldn’t find the words to justify why she had killed him so brutally, bludgeoning him over and over till his brains spilt out of his shattered skull.
But Caroline seemed to understand how Adele felt. ‘Don’t beat yourself up over it,’ she said, covering Adele’s hand with her own in a comforting gesture. ‘The memories will ease with time, I promise.’ Then she quickly switched topic again.
‘I tell you what else I miss,’ she said, gazing at her mug and grinning. ‘A bloody decent cuppa. That’s one thing I’m looking forward to once I’m released.’
Adele smiled back and clinked her mug against Caroline’s. ‘I’ll drink to that,’ she said, relaxing her strained features.
It was strange how Caroline had a knack of always making things seem better. Adele had gravitated towards her from day one and now the ex-schoolteacher was Adele’s closest ally in prison. Caroline radiated warmth and had a way of always putting people at ease. Maybe it was the schoolteacher in her that had taught her how to relate to people. In the short space of time that Adele had been inside she was already finding Caroline to be loyal and trustworthy.
Although Caroline was in her early thirties, and a good ten years older than Adele, she got along with her better than any of the women her own age. However, Caroline’s motherly nature could never make her a replacement for Adele’s mother, even though Shirley had never been particularly maternal. But it was good to have somebody mature and level-headed to confide in.
The other thing about Caroline was that, like Adele, she wasn’t an addict. That made them unusual in the prison environment where most of the women were hooked on drugs, tobacco or alcohol. It also gave them an advantage as they didn’t have to constantly trade goods or favours to get a fix.
Adele enjoyed a drink, and access to moonshine could certainly help to brighten up an otherwise depressing evening behind bars. It could also help her fall off to sleep when the deafening noise from inside the prison kept her awake. Thankfully, though, she didn’t need it in order to function.
While she had been inside, Adele was pleased to find that she got along with most of the prisoners. The majority were OK but they were often flawed in some way or other. There were many like Louise, who had been abused as children.
Louise’s life experiences had left her with a raw edge that was often hidden beneath a vulnerable façade. Adele had soon learnt that although the girl was likeable, she wasn’t to be trusted. She leant on her dominant girlfriend, Denise, and was anxious to please her.
Louise was also a drug addict and, like most addicts, she would do almost anything to get her next fix. As Adele was gradually finding out, life behind bars could be vicious, and drugs often drove people to commit extreme acts of violence. Even people who weren’t drug dependent could get sucked into the brutality of prison life. Unfortunately for Adele, she was about to become one of those people.
Chapter 2
Louise approached Denise tentatively where she lay on the cell floor still clutching her stomach.
‘You alright?’ she asked.
‘No, I’m fuckin’ not!’ Denise gasped as the blood from her nose circled her lips and coloured her teeth.
While Louise hovered over Denise, she continued to lie curled on her side. Then, after a few deep breaths, she rolled onto her knees, using her hands to lever herself up. ‘Give me a fuckin’ hand then,’ she snapped at Louise, who was still standing over her.
