Raven, page 8
The image of his beloved sister lying dead, semi-naked and wide-legged, flashed through his head. A man had taken her innocence and gruesomely killed her. Most likely, the same fate had been bestowed the children he’d seen at his father’s house.
Thomas stood and began to pace the floor. He’d always known that his dad had been ruthless, but now he hated the thought of how low his father had stooped to make money. And a rapist too… could that be true? Thomas banged his palm hard against his head several times as he realised that, yes, unfortunately, it probably was. He’d once seen his dad drag a maid onto the dining room table but he couldn’t understand what was going on. His father had growled at him, telling him to piss off. He could remember running from the room, but had glanced over his shoulder to see his father pinning the maid down, and hearing the young woman’s cries.
His dad had done the same to the cleaner, this time on the hallway stairs, and again his father had ordered him to bugger off. Thomas had bumped into the cleaner later that day with a small suitcase in her hand. She’d had a black eye and a split lip. No doubt, he now realised, his father had given her a backhander for fighting back. She had never returned to the house, and after that, probably due to his mother, only middle-aged women had been hired in service.
The muffled sound of David groaning in pain brought Thomas from his thoughts. His eyes narrowed as he wondered how far he’d have to go to get Georgina Garrett’s attention. He’d heard that she was a force to be reckoned with and even though it was David Maynard who ran the business, she was just as capable. Thomas wanted Maynard’s business and nothing was going to deter him from taking it over. Despite what his father had done, Georgina Garrett had to die. He had to avenge his father’s death. It was a matter of honour, but first he had to find her.
*
Charlotte hadn’t wanted to leave Tim’s bedside but the doctors had said that he was unlikely to come out of the coma any time soon, if ever. As Ned had led her from the hospital and to the car, she’d fought back tears. She’d already lost her unborn baby and now she was facing the harrowing prospect of losing her husband too.
‘I should be with him,’ she said in despair, hesitating before climbing into the car.
‘You heard the docs, Charlotte. There’s nothing that you can do for him right now. Let me take you to Miss Garrett and then I’ll run you back here tomorrow, eh?’
Charlotte nodded. She supposed that it made no sense to sit at Tim’s bedside when she could be helping to find the men who had done this to him. Her jaw tightened and she gritted her teeth, the thought of revenge the only thing keeping her going. Now that she was no longer by Tim’s side, her anger rose from the pit of her stomach, burning its way through her chest, consuming her, and she growled, ‘When I find out who did this, I’ll kill ’em.’
‘If Miss Garrett don’t get to ’em first,’ Ned commented.
Charlotte didn’t want that, but said nothing. Though she thought that Ned was probably right and Georgina would get to the men first.
Ned started the car, and as they drove off, he tutted. ‘If I had my way, I’d be with the rest of the blokes but it looks like I’m stuck with looking after you,’ he moaned but with a chortle.
Charlotte didn’t find anything funny about his griping. She wasn’t in the mood for any banter and she wasn’t overly keen on Ned. He had been a face in the Battersea gang long before Georgina had taken over and had worked for both Norman and Billy Wilcox. Yes, he’d shown his loyalty to Georgina, but Ned always voiced his opinion whether it was asked for or not. Charlotte supposed that with him being one of the oldest and longest serving members, he felt that he had the right to say whatever he wanted. But she thought that there were times when he should learn to keep his mouth closed and his opinions to himself.
They were soon pulling up at the back of Mary’s shop. Johnny let them in, and in the small kitchen he pointed to an old chair, saying kindly, ‘Sit down, sweetheart.’
It wasn’t lost on her that Johnny had known she’d miscarried just a few hours earlier. She knew that if she met his eyes, she’d see sympathy there and would be unable to hold back her sorrow. Instead, she brushed past him, ignoring the seat, and found Georgina just coming out of the shop, carrying a bundle of clothes.
‘I’ve just been sorting out a few bits to wear,’ she said. ‘I didn’t bring much with me when I left. How’s Tim?’ Georgina asked.
‘Not good. He’s in a deep coma and they’re saying that he may never recover.’
‘I’m so sorry, Charlotte.’
‘They’re wrong though. He’ll get better. I know he will. And in the meantime, I want to kill the bastards who did this to him… and me.’
‘Well, some progress has been made,’ Georgina said and then she handed Charlotte the note from ‘T’.
‘Shit, Georgina. Do you know who sent this?’
‘No, the initial means nothing to me.’
‘Are you going to meet him?’
‘I have to.’
‘Alone?’
‘Those are the instructions.’
‘But he might kill you!’
‘What choice do I have? If I don’t go, he’ll kill David.’
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘No, Charlotte, you’ve been through enough and I’m not putting you at any more risk. I’ve had Nobby and Eric Barker here, along with a few of David’s blokes who weren’t slaughtered. I’ve got a plan, and that plan does not involve you.’
Charlotte rolled her eyes. She should have known that Georgina would have a plan. The woman always did! And it was reassuring to know that the Barker twins were on board. Johnny and the twins had always worked well together and were Georgina’s hardest and toughest men. ‘Tell me about this plan then.’
‘For now, all you need to know is that you’ll be staying upstairs while Mary and her husband take my children to Lash’s family in Ireland. Ned will be with you for every minute of every day and night. He’ll drive you back and forth to the hospital to see Tim but you are not to go anywhere else.’
‘Hang on a minute… you’re telling me that I’m being kept under guard here? Like a prisoner?’
‘No, Charlotte, not like a prisoner. I just don’t want you hurt so it’s for your own protection. Please, I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment so just do as I ask.’
‘You’ve got a lot on your mind,’ Charlotte parroted bitterly. ‘My husband is in a coma and might never wake up. I’ve just had my baby punched out of my belly. My home was broken into. My sister is harbouring your children, which puts her and the rest of my family at risk. And you’re telling me that you’ve got a lot on your mind. That’s bleedin’ rich, that is!’
For a moment Georgina’s eyes flared, but then what Charlotte had said must have sunk in and she said, ‘I’m sorry and I deserve that. I know you’ve been through the mill and back too. I didn’t mean to sound unsympathetic.’
Charlotte drew in a breath to contain her anger. It wasn’t helping, but something inside her had snapped and she hadn’t been able to stem her words. ‘I’m sorry too, Georgina. I know none of this is your fault.’
Georgina’s jaw tightened and her eyes gleamed with hatred. ‘I need to get the bastards who’ve done this. Knowing that you’re out of harm’s way will be one less thing for me to worry about.’
‘I know you want to keep me safe, but I don’t want to be pushed to the sidelines. This is my fight too.’
‘It’s me they want, Charlotte. It’s my fight and I promise I will make them pay for what they’ve done to you and Tim. Please, just trust me.’
Charlotte gently lowered herself into one of the saggy chairs. The tears that she’d been fighting to hold back sprung to her eyes and she couldn’t stop them from falling, but along with tears her anger still burned. ‘Kill them, Georgina. But make sure that they die slowly. And make sure they know that their long and painful deaths are for the life of my baby.’
8
David shivered. He couldn’t get warm and yet his body felt hot and clammy. He knew that an infection had set into his hand where his finger had been crudely cut off and it was spreading now, poisoning his blood. There had been moments when he’d longed for death but Kelly seemed determined to keep him alive. Food had been roughly shoved into his mouth and water poured down his throat, almost choking him at times. It was only the thought of Georgina that gave him the strength and will to survive.
The days and nights had merged into one long arduous ordeal of pain and torment. He wouldn’t have known what day it was or how long he’d been held captive if it wasn’t for Thomas Kelly’s excitement. His torturer seemed in good spirits, though anxious, as he taunted him.
‘Sunday at long last! Tonight’s the night that I finally get to meet your bitch of a wife. That’s if she shows up… What do you reckon, Maynard? Do you think that she loves you enough to want to save your life?’
David kept his head bowed and his eyes closed, pretending to be unconscious. He knew that Georgina would do everything in her power to rescue him but he wouldn’t give Kelly the satisfaction of knowing that. She’d be there, without a doubt, because that was the sort of brave woman that she was. Though on this occasion, David wished that his wife would abandon him and save her own life.
He felt a fistful of his hair being pulled and his head yanked back.
‘Oi, wake up. You don’t want to miss all the fun,’ Thomas Kelly mocked.
David kept his eyes tightly closed. Kelly leaned in closer and David could smell the man’s musty breath.
‘I said, WAKE UP!’
David flicked his eyes open to see the man’s face just inches from his own. Kelly had released the grip on his hair, so using the opportunity, and mustering all of his waning strength, David threw his head forward as hard and fast as he could. His forehead connected with the bridge of Kelly’s nose, sending the man falling backwards.
David looked down and smirked at the sight of the man on his arse and holding his bleeding nose. ‘I’m awake. Did I miss something?’ he asked sarcastically.
Two of Kelly’s men had stomped across the room and were standing each side of David, waiting for instructions. Kelly pushed himself to his feet and looked to each of the blokes with a wry smile. ‘The cheeky fucker. Can you believe he nutted me? Caught me a right one on me hooter. It’s all right, stand down. I’ll have the pleasure of this one. Bring me the metal rod.’
One of the men walked purposely to where the small bonfire was dwindling. David watched as Kelly, a little unsteady on his feet from being headbutted, began to slowly remove his belt from his trousers. He then wrapped the belt under David’s chin, pulled it up the sides of his face and then tightened it on top of David’s head. He was powerless to struggle. His jaw was now clamped closed, rendering him unable to open his mouth.
The man returned from the fire with the metal rod that he’d pulled from the hot ashes. The tip wasn’t glowing red this time but David knew it would still be searingly hot.
Kelly waved it in front of David’s face and said menacingly, ‘An eye for a broken nose? Sounds fair to me.’
Terror shot through David as the end of the hot metal rod came towards his eye. He rocked his body and twisted, trying desperately to avoid the poker.
‘Hold him still,’ Kelly ordered.
The man moved behind him. David’s muffled yells didn’t stop the thug from grabbing his head and holding him firmly.
‘You’ll think twice before you try and pull another stunt like that,’ Kelly warned.
David squeezed his eyes closed, but he was powerless to stop what happened next. An indescribable burning pain pressed against his lid. The pressure in his eye socket built up until he felt sure that his eye would pop out. With his mouth strapped shut, his screams were gurgled, and all the while, he could hear Thomas Kelly sniggering.
The man let go of his head and the sound of the metal rod reached David’s ears as it clanged on the floor. His head flopped forward until his chin rested on his chest. He didn’t try to open his eye. He wasn’t even convinced that he could. He could smell the sickening stench of his burnt skin. The damage inflicted had been bad but he thought his eyeball was still in place. At least, he hoped it was, but the incredible agony made it difficult to know for sure.
‘I can’t wait for your wife to see the fucking mess I’ve made of you,’ Kelly said. ‘And the only reason I haven’t poked your eye right out is so that you can watch her scream and beg for mercy while I slice the bitch from head to toe.’
His pain was so unbearable that David could feel himself about to pass out again. Unconsciousness would be a welcome relief from his suffering and from the fever burning his ravaged body. As dizziness and darkness consumed him, he thought of Georgina. Her beautiful face. He had wanted to die quickly, but now realised that he wanted to live. He had to do whatever he could to save her from the torturous hands of Thomas fucking Kelly.
*
Georgina answered the door to Mary’s flat and Johnny came in with Larry, one of David’s trusted men.
‘Have you got everything?’ she asked.
‘Yep. It’s all here.’
She took the bundle from him and went straight into Mary’s bedroom, calling over her shoulder, ‘Charlotte will help you to get ready, Larry.’
In the bedroom, she laid out the bundle on the bed, pleased to see that the outfit looked as though it would be a good fit. Quickly undressing, she folded her dress before slipping into the men’s trousers, shirt and pullover. She slid her feet into the clumpy boots and lastly, pulled a flat cap over her head. Standing back, she examined her reflection in the mirror on Mary’s dressing table. ‘Hello again, George,’ she said aloud with a reflective smile. It wasn’t the first time that Georgina had dressed as George but she hoped that it would be the last.
Charlotte looked up when Georgina walked into the front room. ‘I’ve found the scissors,’ she said and told Georgina to sit on the newspaper on the floor in front of her. ‘Wait ’til you see Larry. But try not to laugh at him,’ Charlotte whispered. ‘He’s a bit sensitive about it.’
Georgina heard the sound of the scissors slicing through her long, dark locks and grimaced when she saw her hair fall onto the paper around her. But losing her crowning glory was a small price to pay to save her husband.
As Georgina’s hair was being chopped off, Larry came into the room, wobbling in a pair of mid-heel shoes. He was wearing a wig, and shoved back the dark hair that had fallen across his face. Then, tugging at his skirt, he announced belligerently, ‘I feel like a right bloody poofter in this get-up.’
‘I’ll tell you what, Larry the lady, you ain’t ’alf giving me an ’ard-on.’ Ned laughed.
‘Fuck off, Ned, you mouthy git.’
Georgina chipped in. She couldn’t have them in-fighting. She needed them focused on the plan. ‘Hey, the pair of you. That’s enough,’ she warned.
‘Yeah, sorry, Miss Garrett,’ Larry said. ‘It’s just that I feel like a complete idiot.’
The man was clearly uncomfortable being made to look like the image of her so she said softly, ‘I really appreciate what you’re doing and so will David.’
Her words didn’t placate him and he growled, ‘If you ask me, it’s a stupid fucking plan, but you’re the boss.’
‘That’s right, Larry, I am and I didn’t ask you,’ she snapped. The tense atmosphere felt explosive, but it wasn’t surprising when they were embarking on something that they all knew was fraught with danger.
The tension was broken when Charlotte announced, ‘Welcome back, George.’
Georgina stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror over the mantel. The masculine hairstyle completed her disguise and she shoved her cap back on before giving them a twirl. ‘Well then. Do you reckon I’ll pass as a bloke?’
‘Not if you spin around like that,’ Johnny answered. ‘It’s been a long time since you’ve donned a fella’s clothes. You gotta remember to carry yourself like a man.’
‘Johnny’s right, Miss Garrett, but don’t go copying how he walks or you’ll look like a right prat.’
Georgina smiled as she walked splay-footed across the room with her shoulders rounded and her hands in the trouser pockets. ‘Is that better?’
‘Yeah, you’ll do,’ Johnny drawled. ‘Put it this way, if I bumped into you on the common, I wouldn’t chat you up. I might have a go with Larry though.’
‘You cheeky bastards,’ Larry said, but chuckled. ‘If you tried it on wiv me, I’d flatten you.’
The mood had lightened but Georgina could still feel the thick tension in the room and knew that Johnny and Charlotte could too. It was written in their furrowed brows and tight jaws. ‘I know you’re worried about me, but I’m not going to get myself killed tonight,’ she offered, trying to reassure them.
It was Ned who spoke first. ‘I hope you don’t think I’m talking out of turn, Miss Garrett, and I hate to say this, but whether you turn up tonight or not, the odds aren’t good for Mr Maynard.’
‘I know. I’ve been thinking about nothing else. But I’ve got to try. I won’t give up on him. If I don’t go along tonight, I’ll never know who is behind this. It’s my only chance to find out.’
Charlotte was chewing nervously on her fingernails and Johnny’s leg was jigging up and down. Ned twiddled his thumbs and Larry practised walking in his heels. Georgina looked at the clock. Nine-thirty. Two and a half hours to go. ‘We should think about getting into place,’ she said.
Charlotte leapt to her feet and ran across the room. She threw her arms around Georgina and pulled her close, saying, ‘Please, please be careful.’
Georgina, never one for open displays of affection, peeled away Charlotte’s arms to take her firmly by the shoulders. She looked her squarely in the eyes. ‘I have no intention of dying tonight. I’m a mother and have my children to think of. Alfie and Selina have already lost Lash. They won’t be losing me too. I’ll be home. I swear.’
