A Family Divided (Dividing Line #3) (20 page)

“
I’m sure you are and I appreciate it.”

He got to his feet.
“I’ve got all I need for now. I’ll keep you informed. Please don’t get up, I’ll see myself out.”

After he
’d gone Rachel slowly climbed off the couch and went into the kitchen to find Ryan. He was staring out of the window, arms folded across his chest. She went up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder.

“
I’m going to kill them Rachel,” he said quietly.

“
I know,” she replied, gazing out into the vast garden, the one Thomas would never get to play in because of some arsehole who couldn’t drive. No matter what she said, she knew she wouldn’t change his mind. “Just don’t get caught, please.”

“
I won’t.” Ryan felt her round belly pressing against his side and he wanted to rage against the world. The pain inside him was like a black, malignant thing taking him over, making him want to lash out and hurt someone. He’d never felt anything like it in his life and, worst of all, he didn’t know how to rid himself of it.

Rachel couldn’t remember anything about the funeral. All she could recall was the tiny white coffin, the hole in the ground, her knees giving way and Ryan catching her. Now she was back at home, her mum on one side, her husband on the other, sitting on the couch in stunned silence. All the children were at Martina’s house, their grandmother looking after them, with Cathy’s help, who thought it best to stay away with her big swollen belly. Amber had stayed away too, although she had sent flowers.

“
I’m just going to talk to Alex,” Ryan gently told his wife.

She looked at him and nodded, face ashen.
“Please don’t be long.”

“
I won’t, I promise.”

He kissed her then got to his feet, nodding at Alex, Declan, Mikey and Jez imperiously, who followed him outside into the garden. Gill watched them go, fearing what they were plotting and that this tragedy would pull her son-in-law back into his old life. Fear clutched at her as she regarded her stricken daughter, who appeared to be on the verge of falling apart. Thomas
’s death had hit her even harder than Danny’s and so it should. Gill’s eyes narrowed at the memory of her first son-in-law, who to her had been nothing but a dirty criminal. But Thomas had been an innocent, his chance at life snatched from him. She started to cry again, clinging onto her daughter when she hugged her tightly.

“
I’m going after the bastard who did this to us,” Ryan told the four men. “You can be in on it if you want but if not then stay out of my way.”

“
Aren’t you best letting us handle it?” suggested Mikey. “You’ve got your new life, you can’t risk getting nicked.”

“
That won’t happen.”

“
It might if you end up killing someone.”

He took an aggressive step towards Mikey, just wanting an excuse to hurt someone.
“Nothing’s stopping me. I’ve already discussed it with Rachel and she’s given me her blessing. I’ve got a list of all the little wankers who enjoy nicking cars and ramming them into things, top of that list is Ollie Jones.”

“
You’re out of luck there,” Alex told him. “Taylor told me he was first on their list too but he was locked up in their holding cells when the accident happened.”

“
If it’s not him then it’s one of his scummy friends. I’m still going to pay him a visit.”

“
When?”

“
Tonight.”

“
Tonight,” exclaimed Mikey. “You’ve just buried your son, you can’t leave Rachel on her own while you go on a witch hunt.”

“
She knows I’ve got to do this and she’s got her parents here.”

“
That’s not the same thing, she needs her husband.”

“
Mikey’s right,” interjected Jez reasonably. “I understand this is something you’ve got to do but you’ve got to put her above your need for revenge.”

“
I’ll wait until she’s asleep then but I’m doing this tonight. You can either come or you can fuck off and leave me to it.”

Jez sighed, knowing his brother wouldn
’t be swayed. “Alright, I’ll come.”

“
Me too,” said Mikey. “Declan?”

“
Yeah, course.”

Ryan nodded in acknowledgement then looked at Alex questioningly.

“I can’t tonight, I’ve got a meeting set up.”

Ryan appeared incredulous.
“What?”

“
How was I to know you were going to do this today? It’s already arranged and I can’t back out without losing a serious amount of cash.”

“
I don’t fucking believe you,” spat Ryan. “Me and Jez went all out when your brother was murdered and we did it straight after his funeral, but you can’t do the same for my son.”

“
Come on Ryan, we all know you did that for Rachel, not Danny,” countered Alex. “I bet you were glad when he died, you jumped into his widow’s bed quick enough.”

Mikey and Jez regarded Alex with their mouths hanging open while Declan took a few steps back in an attempt to distance himself.

Ryan moved so close to Alex they were stood nose to nose, both equal in height and strength. “If my parents-in-law weren’t here, I’d tear you apart for that.”

“
Don’t use my brother’s death to try and blackmail me into helping you. I’ve got a meeting that can’t be changed. If I’d had some warning I could have rearranged it but it’s too late.”

“
Well thanks a fucking bunch. I’ll remember this the next time you want a favour, like Rachel meeting with one of the most dangerous families in the country just to help you.”

“
Ryan, take it easy. Rachel’s coming,” whispered Jez.

Ryan turned and saw his wife coming out of the house, eyes red from crying, so he took a step back from Alex.

“What’s going on?” she demanded. “It looked like you were arguing. Please don’t fall out, not today.”

“
It’s okay, we’re just talking,” soothed Ryan, pulling her to him and running a hand up and down her back.

Alex forced a smile.
“Ryan’s right, we were just having a friendly chat.”

Rachel didn
’t appear to be convinced. “I really hope you’re telling me the truth.”

“
Course we are,” said Ryan, throwing Alex a warning look. “Come on, let’s get you back inside, you’re shivering.”

As he led Rachel back to the house, Ryan looked over his shoulder at Alex, who stared back at him hard. Ryan knew something had changed between them, that the two families were starting to slip away from each other and he feared what it meant for his own family.

CHAPTER 16

“Ryan?” murmured Rachel, pushing herself upright.

Despair filled her when she saw the space in the bed beside her was empty. She got up and checked all the bathrooms, but he wasn
’t in any of them. She checked on the children, who were all fast asleep, amazed they weren’t disturbed by the horrific snoring emanating from her parents’ room. She wandered through the house in her pyjamas searching for him but he was nowhere to be found. When she went through the kitchen door into the garage she saw his Audi was gone. Without him she suddenly felt lost and vulnerable. When he was with her she had the strength to get through this nightmare but without him she was weak.

Forcing away the tears and trying not to panic, she picked up the phone and called his mobile. When the answering machine kicked in she tried again immediately and he picked up on the fourth ring.

“Where are you?” she demanded.

“
Just taking care of a bit of business.”

“
You’re out searching for them already, aren’t you? Ryan I need you here.”

“
I thought we agreed that I’d do this.”

“
I didn’t know you meant tonight.” She crumpled into tears. “Please come home.”

There was a pause followed by an irritated sigh.

“Ryan, please.”

“
I’ll finish up here then I’ll come straight back.”

“
Okay,” she croaked, sensing she couldn’t push him any further.

Ryan sighed again and hung up before turning his attention back to the four terrified teenage boys in Burberry baseball caps and baggy pants. They were knelt before him in a row, lower lips wobbling as Ryan glared down at them and pulled on a pair of black leather gloves.

“Now, do you know who is responsible for crashing into my wife and killing my son?” he said politely.

“
No,” cried the leader of the boys, tears and snot running down his face. “We didn’t nick any van. We like fast cars.”

“
I don’t believe you.” He grabbed the boy roughly by the chin and yanked his face up to his, studying him closely. Witnesses said the driver had a bleeding nose, but the leader didn’t have a mark on him and neither did his friends.

He gestured for Jez, Declan and Mikey to the corner of the room for a chat.

“I don’t think it’s them,” Mikey said quietly.

“
Me too,” said Jez.

“
If they knew who did it they would have told us by now,” said Declan. “They’re shit scared.”

“
I think you’re right,” sighed Ryan. He thought it would be easier than this. He thought he’d have found the little bastard by now and planted him six feet under, but they’d roughed up every little scrote in the area with a fondness for nicking vehicles and turned up nothing. “Rachel wants me home.”

Jez was relieved.
“Good, let’s get out of here.”

Ryan regarded the four teenagers with a dark smile, needing to vent some frustration or he thought he might lose his mind.
“Just give me a few minutes. I want to make an example of this lot,” he said before his fist connected with the eldest boy’s face.

Back at home, Ryan checked himself over to make sure he didn
’t have any blood on him before climbing out of the car. He’d given the four boys a good pasting, which had done nothing to ease the pain inside him.

Rachel was sat on the couch cradling a whisky when he walked in and he felt guilty when she broke into a relieved smile.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” she said, getting up to hug him.

He held her to him tightly, pressing his face into her hair.

“Did you find him?” she said.

“
No. I’m sorry.”

“
Did you hurt anyone?”

“
Yes.”

“
Why?”

“
If I didn’t I thought I’d explode.”

“
Please don’t drag us back down that road Ryan.”

“
We agreed.”

“
To hurt the person who did this to us, not everyone who might have done.”

“
You mean, like you did when Danny died?”

“
Why does everything keep coming back round to Danny?”

“
You tell me.”

“
I don’t understand.”

“
You went on the warpath to find who killed Danny but you can’t do the same for Thomas.”

“
That’s not fair. I was a different person then. I’ve put all that behind me, as have you. I agreed to this because I know you need it. That’s the only reason.”

“
So you’re not behind me?” he frowned, straightening up and releasing her.

“
I’m always behind you Ryan but you can’t go around beating up innocent people.”

“
I never had you down as a hypocrite Rachel. I watched you torture Fedir Lutsky, you ordered him to be water boarded and his right hand cut off even though you knew he had nothing to do with Danny’s death.”

“
You did that Ryan.”

“
For you, on your say so, because I loved you even then. Can’t you allow me this because you love me? Or is it because I’m not Danny?”

“
Will you stop talking about Danny, this is nothing to do with him. This is about us. Thomas was ours.”

“
Yet still he doesn’t deserve the same retribution as Danny Maguire.”

“
Don’t be ridiculous, that’s not it at all. I don’t have the stomach for all this violence anymore Ryan. I was terrified going into that meeting with Jan Jordan. It was only because I had Battler and Bruiser with me that I got through it. So no, it’s not because I think Thomas doesn’t deserve the same, it’s because I’m scared of being pulled back into a world I despise and of having my family ripped apart.”

Ryan appeared chastened.
“I’m sorry.”

“
You’re my whole world Ryan, you and our children. I’ve already lost Thomas and I’m not going to lose you too.”

He pressed his forehead to hers and took her face in his hands.
“You’re my world too but I have to find who did this, I have to,” he said firmly.

“
I know Babe.”

He kissed her.
“Let’s go back to bed.”

He helped her up the stairs and they curled up in bed together. Soon Rachel was sleeping soundly in his arms but Ryan lay awake, unable to rest, the desire for revenge consuming him.

Katia was doing her best to find herself duties that would keep her in the kitchen next to the room in which Alex Maguire was in conference. He was coming here a lot more lately to hold his meetings and it amazed her how Patti had the front to be so calm and pleasant to his face when she was robbing him blind, bringing in punters during the day and pocketing the cash. Neither were they the rich, connected clients Alex wanted but lowlife scum. Katia was glad she was Patti
’s number two because it meant she didn’t have to go near any of those men, who were ugly and smelly. Patti only put them with the worst of the girls, the most drug-addicted who were losing their looks. Katia hadn’t succumbed to the heroin like some of the other girls, she didn’t need drugs, she was too strong. She had far greater ambition than dying with a needle in her arm or being beaten to death.

She
’d taken drinks into the men in conference, which wasn’t difficult. One bottle of scotch and four glasses and Alex had looked up at her and smiled, he’d been noticing her a lot more lately and often spoke to her to ask about the club. Now she busied herself with tidying up and cleaning the work surfaces. It was important to Alex that the entire place was spick and span.

From next door she heard the scrape of chairs as they all got to their feet, the door opening and the sound of laughing and joking. She pretended not to notice, continuing with her chores.

“Cleaning again Katia?” said a deep voice that caused her heart to pound.

She turned to see Alex standing in the doorway, filling it up. She gave him her vacant smile and nodded.

“You can drop the act. I know you can speak English.”

She didn
’t even flinch. “How did you know?”

He entered the room and closed the door behind him, strolling up to her, taking his time. Excitement and a little fear filled her. She was in no doubt as to how dangerous he was.

“I’ve seen you lurking about, listening in,” he said. “You might fool Patti, but you don’t fool me.”

He walked right up to her but she refused to back away, staring into his face fearlessly. She was so tall she could look directly into his eyes without tilting her head.

“You’re strong, I like that,” he continued. “It’ll serve you well here. Patti says she couldn’t manage without you. What brings you to Manchester Katia? Clearly you’re very intelligent.”

“
I was training to be a doctor but I had to stop.”

“
Why?”

Pain briefly filled her blue eyes before she pushed it away.
“Both my parents died. I have a little sister to support. She is training to be a doctor instead of me so I came here to earn money.”

“
I’m sorry to hear that. How would you like a big bundle of money to send back to her?”

“
I would like that very much. What must I do?” she said, hoping he’d say what she wanted him to say.

“
You can drop the smile, not that. I don’t need to pay for sex. I know Patti’s stealing from me. You’re smart, you speak English when she thinks you can’t. I want you to find out how she’s doing it.”

Katia bit her lip uncertainly and rather sensuously. If she gave Patti up too easily he wouldn
’t trust her, he’d think she had no loyalty. “I don’t know, Patti has been very good to me.”

“
I understand and I admire your loyalty but she’s ruining this for all of us, you and your friends included. Tell me who she’s sneaking in and when and you’ll take her place.”

“
Are you serious?”

“
Deadly.”

“
But I like Patti, she’s given me everything.”

“
Correction, I’ve given you everything and I want to give you even more.” He took a step closer and stared deep into her eyes. “Do this for me Katia and I’ll set you up for life.”

His face was so close she could have kissed him and the temptation was strong.
“I will help you because you have been good to me too.”

“
Thank you Katia,” he said softly, the sound of her name on his lips sending arousal shooting through her body. Usually she was the one who worked her magic on men, not the other way around.

Alex saw her nipples pushing proudly against the thin material of her t-shirt and smiled. He leaned even closer to whisper in her ear.
“There’s so much I want to give you.” His thumb brushed her left nipple and she physically jumped, a gasp falling from her lips. Alex pulled away and smiled. “Call me when you find out.”

With that he left her to stare after him, her eyes wide and panties soaking wet.

Alex
’s erection refused to go away and was only starting to wilt when he pulled up his drive. That moment with Katia in the kitchen had been seriously exciting. Things with Beth had got stale, there were no surprises left, no excitement, just rows. He sat in the car and stared up at the house while he waited for his erection to go away, knowing he’d be going inside to more grief. When he saw Beth peering out of the window he knew he’d run out of time.

Walking inside he was glad to see Henrieta had gone, the skinny fucking scarecrow. He only agreed to let her stay on in case Rachel remembered their row and tried to stir things up, but it seemed that wasn
’t going to happen. Give Henrieta her due, the house was cleaner, tidier and Beth a lot calmer.

“
Alright lads?” he grinned when his boys rushed up to him.

“
I’ve got footie tomorrow. Are you coming to watch?” Alfie asked him.

“
What time?”

“
Half ten.”

“
I’ll be there.”

Beth appeared cradling Holly to her.
“Go and finish your homework Alfie. I need to talk to your dad. Take your brother with you.”

As Alfie led Archie away by the hand, Alex rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming.

“Are you in for the night?” she asked him.

“
No, I’ve got a meeting after tea.”

“
How long will that take?”

“
Don’t know yet,” he shrugged.

“
I thought we could spend the evening together, your mum’s having the kids for the night.”