Payback

Squeezing Deborah’s hands, Johnny forced a smile. He had done a lot of thinking while waiting to be told his grandchild had arrived and now he had come to a decision. The thought of Vinny Butler being anywhere near his beautiful daughter still made Johnny feel physically sick, but there was sod all he could do about it so long as he was stuck inside. He didn’t have that many links to the underworld and there were only two guys he’d have trusted enough to ask for help, but both were unfortunately dead now. ‘I want you to do something for me, Deb. I want you to make things right with Jo and visit her regularly.’

‘What! Are you mad? I can’t sit there playing happy families, Johnny. He makes my skin crawl.’

‘He makes mine crawl too, but this isn’t about Vinny, it’s about making sure our daughter is OK. It will drive me bonkers trying to get through the rest of my sentence not knowing how Jo is coping with that bastard and a kiddie. I’m just relieved she had a girl and not a boy. At least it won’t turn out like him. Please say you’ll do this for me, Deb. That girl will need you, you can bet your life on that.’

Deborah reluctantly nodded. She was still angry with Joanna, but all the same she missed her, and if it put Johnny’s mind at rest, it was the least she could do.

Johnny grinned. ‘That’s my girl.’

Ahmed Zane sat down opposite his cousin in their restaurant. He had a severe stiff neck today, a regular occurrence since the accident, but he knew he had been lucky over all.

‘Is your neck playing you up again?’ Burak asked.

‘Yes, but it’s nothing that tucking up Vinny won’t cure, which is the reason for my visit today. I have set the ball rolling already. Hakan and Bora Koç are coming to London to play our two Mr Bigs. They are perfect for the role, especially Hakan. I have agreed to pay them ten grand each for their trouble, and they will also get a two-week holiday, no expense spared. What do you think?’

Burak grinned. Hakan and Bora were old associates of his and Ahmed’s from Istanbul and were more than capable of pulling the wool over Vinny Butler’s eyes. ‘When will they arrive?’

‘I haven’t booked their flights yet. We need to make sure Vinny falls for my lies first. I’m sure he will though. And seeing as he hasn’t any contacts himself, he has no option but to trust me,’ Ahmed replied. Vinny had never met his supplier. The guy was Turkish and would only ever deal with his own kind. He didn’t trust the English.

‘When will you tell Vinny?’

‘This afternoon. I have a carload of presents for his baby and I am meeting him at his house at four.’

Chuckling, Burak poured them both a drink. He chinked glasses with his cousin. ‘Let payback begin.’

Nancy Butler eyed her husband suspiciously. He had been acting strange all week and had just handed her a big bouquet of flowers. ‘What you done wrong, Michael?’

Michael felt himself blush. ‘What you talking about? I ain’t done nothing wrong. Jesus, is it a crime to buy my wife flowers?’

Chuckling at his annoyance, Nancy put her arms around Michael’s neck and kissed him. He had been ever so patient with her and now Daniel was at school with Lee, and her mum looked after Adam a couple of mornings a week to give her a break, she felt much better in herself.

‘What you doing?’ Michael asked.

‘I think it’s about time we made some special time for ourselves, don’t you?’ Nancy replied, taking her husband’s hand and leading him up the stairs.

Michael felt a mixture of emotions as he stripped off and slipped into the bed beside her. He hadn’t used a condom when he’d slept with Bella, and even though he’d had the sense to withdraw in time so he didn’t get her pregnant, what if he’d caught a dose off her? There’d be hell to pay if he passed it on to his wife.

‘What’s up?’ Nancy asked when he tried to insert himself inside her but struggled to do so.

Michael had never suffered with impotence in his life and he knew it must be guilt that was stopping him from getting an erection. ‘I’m so sorry, Nance. I haven’t been sleeping well and I think I’m just tired.’

When he went to put his finger inside her vagina, Nancy pushed his hand away. If he couldn’t make love to her, then what was the point in staying in bed? Feeling as though she wanted to cry, she sat up and got dressed in silence.

Unlike the trendy café they had once owned in Whitechapel, the one that Mary and Donald ran now was just a clean, plainly furnished café. Donald had forbidden Mary to make it showy like their previous one. He insisted that they should learn by past mistakes and not bring any unwanted attention to themselves.

Donald was wiping the tables down and humming along to a song on the radio when there was a knock on the door. ‘We’re closed,’ he shouted out. On the two days a week that Mary looked after Adam, Donald couldn’t wait to tidy up and dash home to see the boy. Nancy would pick Daniel up from school and bring him to the house too. The café was deemed unsuitable by Donald for two young boys – there were far too many dangerous utensils lying around to have the grandchildren running in and out of the kitchen.

‘It’s me – Freda,’ Donald heard a voice shout out.

He opened the door. When they had first moved to Whitechapel, Freda was the woman who had warned them that the Butler family were bad news. At the time Donald had thought she was the local scaremonger, but he knew now she was far from it.

‘Hello, Freda. How are you? Recovered from your operation now, I hope?’ Donald asked politely. Freda had been in hospital when Nancy was admitted for depression the previous autumn. She had been very kind to Nancy, and Donald was grateful for that.

‘I’m doing fine, thank you. Take more than a bit of cancer to kill me off. How’s your Nancy now? It’s her I’ve come to see actually.’

‘She’s doing well, thanks, Freda. Back with Michael unfortunately, but Mary and I see our grandsons now. Wonderful lads they are. Very polite and loving.’

‘Well, they won’t stay that way. If they were girls they might have stood half a chance, but those boys will be forced into the same lifestyle as their father soon as they’re old enough, you mark my words. Vinny’s brat of a son is at it already. Robbed the Patels’ shop recently. Smokes like a chimney as well and he’s only ten. You wanna tell your Nancy all this, make her see sense before it’s too late.’

Feeling dizzy at the thought of his grandsons robbing shops at the age of ten, Donald sat down on a chair. Everything Freda had said about the Butlers thus far had been proved right, so he was not about to argue with her. Nancy insisted that Michael was a legit club owner, but Donald guessed there was more to his business than met the eye. You certainly did not get a reputation like that family had by being law-abiding citizens. ‘So is that what you come to tell Nancy?’

‘No. I came to give her a message from my Dean. Got himself sorted now with a job and a flat, and he asked me to give Nancy his phone number. Thinks the world of her, he does. Such a shame he got with that Brenda. I’d have loved to see him settle down with a decent girl like your Nancy. I’m not allowed to see Tara any more. I’m sure that old cow Queenie put the block on it. Just had a son as well, Brenda has. Fat Beryl said she’s called him Tommy. I’ll never be allowed to get to know him either – my own flesh and blood. Not right, is it, Donald?’

Seeing the tears in Freda’s eyes, Donald felt incredibly sorry for her. Her son Terry’s body had never been found, but he had supposedly been murdered by Vinny. Dean was her only grandchild and he had been forced to flee the area. Now the poor old dear had no family left whatsoever. ‘Look, I know nothing will make up for not being able to see your family, but why don’t you pop round our house for tea, seeing as you’ve travelled here from Whitechapel? Mary’s cooking, and Nancy will be there with Daniel and Adam. You can give Nancy your message personally then, and I’m sure she will be thrilled to see you.’

Freda smiled. Because of her blunt independent nature, she had no close friends and the only creatures that were nice to her were her cats Moggers and Midge. ‘Thank you, Donald. I would like that very much.’

Ahmed smiled as Vinny placed his daughter in his arms. He had never seen a newborn baby with such a mop of blonde curly hair. ‘I can’t believe how big she is. She really is a beautiful baby.’

‘Wow, look at this, Vinny,’ Joanna exclaimed as she unwrapped the last of Ahmed’s gifts. It was a gold baby bangle engraved with flowers and hearts.

‘Aw, thanks, pal. You needn’t have bought so much stuff, but we really do appreciate it, don’t we, Jo?’ Vinny said.

‘You haven’t opened the card yet,’ Ahmed reminded Joanna.

Having already unwrapped a massive teddy bear, two pretty dresses, a rattle and the bracelet, Joanna was gobsmacked when she opened the large card and saw it was full of twenty-pound notes. ‘We can’t take money from you too, Ahmed. You’ve bought Molly plenty already.’

‘It’s to open a building society account for her. It is the custom in my country to give money to babies. Although I think Molly might have just thanked me by having a little dump in my arms,’ Ahmed chuckled.

‘Take Molly upstairs to change her, Jo. Ahmed and I need to talk business, so make yourself scarce for a bit and I’ll give you a shout when we’re done,’ Vinny ordered.

When Joanna left the room, Vinny shut the lounge door and poured himself and Ahmed a Scotch.

‘So, how’s it going with you and Jo? You seem to be getting along OK,’ Ahmed pried.

Vinny sat opposite his pal in his favourite armchair. ‘All right, I suppose. She don’t seem to grate on me as much as some birds do, and she’s gonna be a good little mum. Her old man must know she’s had Molly now ’cause Jo rang her mother the other day. I wonder how he’s handling the news?’ Vinny said, smirking sadistically.

‘Have you fallen in love with Jo?’

‘Don’t be daft! I can’t even be arsed giving her one any more. But she’s the mother of my kid and I need someone to look after Molly and Little Vinny. As long as she does as she’s told and don’t get in my face, then we’ll get along just fine. This was all your fucking idea, me moving her in in the first place,’ Vinny reminded his pal.

‘So, when are we going to the whorehouse again? It’s been months,’ Ahmed asked. He wanted to act as normal as possible in case Vinny smelt a rat.

‘Soon, pal, soon. How’s business? Did the last drop-off go OK?’

‘Yes, it went fine, but we do have a slight problem now.’

‘What?’ Vinny asked, alarmed. He had always been happy to be the silent partner and let Ahmed be the active one. His mother and Auntie Viv would disown him if they knew what he was up to, so he’d kept his involvement in the drug trade under wraps, though he was sure Michael had a hunch.

Secretly enjoying the look of panic on his so-called friend’s face, Ahmed took a couple of sips of his drink before explaining. ‘You know Emre, my main man? Well, he has a court case coming up in Turkey for tax evasion charges. His brief reckons he is looking at a two-year sentence, and his trial starts the end of June.’

‘So what we going to do? Surely Emre will leave somebody in charge while he’s away?’

All their heroin and cocaine came from Emre, and they bought in such bulk now that they only needed to place an order every few months.

Ahmed shook his head. ‘Emre will not trust anybody to run his empire. He would rather take a break.’

‘Well, you must know somebody else we can buy from.’

‘Not that I can trust like Emre. Look, how long have we been buying off him? Never had any problems with him or the Old Bill, have we? Why change something that works, eh? What I suggest we do is stock up before he goes inside. Buy enough to last us for the two years.’

Vinny immediately shook his head. ‘Fuck off, Ahmed. You pay Emre up front and I’ve never met the bloke. How do we know his court case story is true? He might rip us off for a fortune.’

‘Of course he won’t! Emre is my friend. I have known him since I was three years old. He hasn’t suggested we buy two years’ supply up front. He doesn’t even know about it yet and for all I know he might not even be able to supply us that amount. I’ve spoken to you about it first. We know the gear off Emre is good. If we buy it elsewhere it will probably be cut to fuck and if we take a break while he is in prison, then you know full well that somebody will step in our shoes. We have the money to buy it, Vinny, the perfect place to hide it, so why not take the plunge? In the years we have been dealing with Emre, at least fifty times we must have given him money up front and he has never conned us out of a penny. The man is like my brother, I swear,’ Ahmed said, holding his hand on his heart.

Vinny knocked his drink back and put his hands on top of his head. He and Ahmed usually parted with three hundred grand between them every three months. The gear was the proper uncut stuff, so it could be turned into millions in street value once it was mixed with other substances. It did involve a big outlay though. Vinny and Ahmed never got their own hands dirty, which meant a long line of people on the payroll, from the boys who cut the stuff right down to the two-bob merchants who punted it out in wraps on the street.

‘I’m gonna need to think about this one. Is there no way you can bypass Emre and go straight to his suppliers while he’s inside?’

‘Are you fucking kidding me, Vinny? I know for a fact the drugs come from Nicaragua. Do you fancy a trip out there? Because I sure don’t.’

Vinny shook his head, then put it in his hands. ‘I’ve had a hectic week, mate, and I’m not thinking straight at the moment. No way I can give you a decision right now. This is something I need to sleep on.’

Little Vinny was sitting with Ben Bloggs in their den. It was a remote spot they had found about a year ago and it was what they referred to as their special place. Little Vinny had only had his going-out ban lifted the day before and even though he had promised his dad he would be good from now on, today he and Ben had stolen two bottles of cider from the off-licence along with six packets of crisps.

‘I don’t like the taste of this. I wish we’d nicked lemonade instead,’ Ben said, screwing up his face and passing the bottle to Vinny.

Vinny didn’t like the taste either. Neither he nor Ben were used to alcohol, but seeing as they had taken the trouble to steal it, he was determined it wouldn’t be wasted. ‘I don’t want to go home. Let’s kip here tonight, Ben. It will be exciting and we’ll have a laugh.’

Ben shook his head. His mother wouldn’t care if he didn’t come home for a week, but he knew Vinny’s dad would go mad. ‘You got to go home, Vin, else your old man will kick off and blame me. Then, he won’t let you out again.’

‘My dad don’t care about me no more. All he cares about now is Molly. You should see how he is around her. He don’t leave her alone. I never remember him being like that with me. He loves her more, I know he does.’

Seeing his best pal near to tears, Ben Bloggs put a comforting arm around his shoulder. ‘It’s only ’cause Molly’s a baby, Vin. You ain’t used to having brothers and sisters, but I am. I’ve got six of the buggers, and you get used to it. My mum barely notices me; neither does my nan, but I just go out to play to get away from them all.’

Little Vinny took another mouthful of cider. ‘I wish my mum was still alive. Her name was Karen and she was lovely.’

‘How did your mum die?’

‘My dad said she was a drug addict, and killed herself.’

‘My mum takes drugs too, Vin. I’ve seen her, she smokes them, injects them – it’s horrible. I don’t really like her much. I wish I had a dad like yours. At least he buys you nice things and cares about what you do.’

Little Vinny glared at his pal, then pushed him in the chest. ‘No, he don’t. Since he met that slag Jo, he’s changed. All he cares about is her and Molly now. I fucking hate him and I hope Jo and Molly die in a car crash like Lenny did.’

CHAPTER EIGHT

On the day of Vivian’s homecoming, Queenie Butler was all of a fluster. A few months ago, Vinny had treated her to a posh new kitchen. It had gold Formica counters, an electric double oven, harvest gold vinyl flooring and dark wooden-looking Spanish-style cabinets. It even had something called a dishwasher, but Queenie couldn’t get on with that. No machine could clean her plates and cutlery as well as she could.

It was Vinny’s idea that Vivian would like a similar kitchen, but now Queenie wished she had said no. Vinny had said it would be good for Viv if she came home to a nice surprise, but Queenie knew what an old stick-in-the-mud her sister could be at times and she was dreading her arriving home and hating it.

Going over Viv’s house once more with the duster and polish, Queenie put the vase of fresh flowers in the centre of the coffee table. She had popped in every day to check on things while Vivian was in hospital and had put air fresheners in all the rooms and opened the windows regularly to keep it smelling sweet.

Remembering she had not yet dusted Viv’s old grandfather clock that sat in the corner of the hallway, Queenie smiled. Another couple of hours and her wonderful sister would be out of that nuthouse and back where she belonged.

Another person in a fluster was Joanna Preston. Her mother had rung her out of the blue and said she wanted to visit. She was travelling to London today with her friend Sandy and even though Joanna was looking forward to her mum meeting Molly, she was also very nervous. Little Vinny had been treating her like shit lately whenever Vinny wasn’t about, and Joanna knew if he did it in front of her mother, Deborah would say something back and that might cause an argument with Vinny. Her mum’s sudden change of heart was bothering her a bit too. Only last week Deborah had flatly refused to come and see Molly, and Joanna couldn’t help wondering what had happened to change her mind.

‘You OK, babe? Don’t be worrying about your mum’s visit. It’ll be fine, I promise,’ Vinny said, cupping his hands around Joanna’s cheeks and kissing her on the forehead.

When Joanna tried to put her arms around his neck and kiss him properly, Vinny grabbed her wrists and chuckled. ‘I’ve got to go out, Jo, so don’t start getting me all excited.’

It was a lame excuse. They hadn’t made love or even had a proper kiss in months. ‘You do still fancy me don’t you, Vinny? I will lose this bit of baby weight soon, I promise.’

Feeling guilty, Vinny took Jo in his arms and squeezed her tightly to his chest. When they had first hooked up he had enjoyed the sex immensely, but that was only because he was getting one over on her father. Vinny had always hated kissing, he found it too intimate, and the only sex he ever enjoyed was the really rough kind. ‘I’ll tell you what, how about we get the Jubilee out the way then shoot down to Kings at the weekend? My mum and Auntie Viv will come, so they can look after Molly and we can have some us time. What do you say?’

Desperate to feel loved and wanted again, Joanna grinned. ‘That sounds like a great idea.’

Nancy Butler looked at Michael in total disbelief. Not only had he tried to make love to her again this morning and failed miserably, he had just had the cheek to inform her that Daniel and Adam would not be going to her parents’ street party, they would instead be going to Queenie’s.

‘But I’ve already told my mum and dad that I’m bringing the boys to theirs.’

‘Well, best you untell them. You don’t think I’m gonna leave Lee to spend the day with just us adults, do you? The Silver Jubilee is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and, seeing as they’re so close, the boys should spend it together. I don’t mind you going to your mum’s party, but only if you take Lee as well.’

‘And why would I want to do that? He isn’t even my bloody kid, Michael. It’s bad enough I have to suffer him day in, day out, without forcing my parents to suffer him too,’ Nancy screamed, unaware that her sons and Lee were all ear-wigging outside.

Furious that his mother’s nasty comments had made Lee cry, Daniel opened the back door. ‘Me and Adam don’t want to come to your party, Mum. We want to go to Nanny Queenie’s party with Daddy and Lee.’

Aware that Lee had tears streaming down his face, a guilty Nancy bent down to comfort the child.

‘Get away from him. You’ve already said enough for one day,’ Michael spat, before ordering all three of his boys to play in the bedroom upstairs. Michael then turned back to his wife. ‘You are one selfish cunt, Nancy. No wonder I can’t get a fucking hard-on when I try to make love to you. How do you think that little boy feels, now he’s heard you slate him, eh?’

Nancy burst into tears. She’d had no idea the boys were listening to her and Michael’s conversation and she now felt dreadful. ‘I’m sorry, Michael, I really am. I’ll speak to Lee and apologize to him. It was said in the heat of the moment, I didn’t mean it. Where are you going?’

Snatching his arm away from his wife’s grasp, Michael stormed out of the house, slamming the front door behind him.

Vinny was quiet on the journey to Goodmayes. Shelling out a hundred and fifty grand up front to a complete stranger was one thing, but shelling out over a million was a gamble he was not sure he could take. He knew he owed it to Ahmed to trust him on this, especially after the accident, but if a million pound plus went astray it really could mean financial ruin. The club earned him and Michael a decent living, but the takings were nowhere near what they’d been raking in at their old club down the Commercial Road. It had taken Vinny a long time to become as wealthy as he was, and there was no way he was gambling his daughter’s future away.

‘What’s up with you? And don’t say nothing, because I know you like the back of my hand,’ Queenie said.

Vinny smiled. ‘I’ve had a business proposition put to me. I don’t want to go into detail, but I think it’s too much of a gamble.’

Queenie had never been one to pry too much. She knew Vinny had business interests other than the club and it would only worry the life out of her if she knew what they were. ‘Go with your head and not your heart, Vinny. You inherited that brain of yours off me – it certainly never came from your father’s genes – so use it wisely.’

Vinny pulled up in the hospital car park, switched the engine off and gave his mum a hug. ‘I know I don’t say it as often as I should, but I really do love you, Mum.’

‘And I love you too, boy, much more than you’ll ever know. Right, let’s go and get your Auntie Viv and pray to God she likes that fucking kitchen.’

Hoping to break the ice quickly, Joanna opened the door to her mum and Sandy with the baby in her arms. It was a bank holiday, Little Vinny had gone out to play and Joanna was praying the little sod wouldn’t come back while her mum was here.

‘Aw, Jo, isn’t she beautiful!’ Sandy gushed.

Deborah stared at the child. She had expected it to be dark-haired and olive-skinned like Vinny and had been prepared to dislike it on sight, but Molly was nothing like her father. She was blonde, chubby and the bonniest baby that Deborah had ever laid eyes on. ‘Can I hold her?’ she asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

‘Of course you can, Mum.’

The next hour or so passed pleasantly. Both Sandy and Deborah complimented Joanna on her house, Vinny wasn’t mentioned at all unless Jo said his name, and baby Molly had them all eating out of the palm of her chubby hand.

When the front door opened, Joanna’s heart lurched. Vinny had gone to pick up his Auntie Viv and said he was going to make himself scarce for the rest of the day, so Jo knew it had to be Little Vinny. It was, and he was accompanied by Ben Bloggs.

‘Where’s me dad?’ Little Vinny asked.

‘He’s gone to pick your Auntie Viv up from hospital. Mum, Sandy, this is Vinny’s son, Vinny, and his friend Ben.’

‘Pleased to meet you both,’ Little Vinny replied politely.