Beyond the Rage (19 page)

‘Nah. I can’t see it. Colin’s your archetypal accountant. He’s all about the numbers.’

‘Here’s another saying for you, Kenny. Still waters run deep.’

36

Mason Budge had a diamond-edged hard-on. He could punch through glass with this one.

His heart started beating like a drill when the text came through and it felt like every drop of blood in his body surged straight to his dick.

It was from the boss. It read,

Disappointed!!! She’s not done her job yet. Make sure she does. Do whatever it takes.

Carte blanche, that’s what that text gave him. Permission to do whatever the fuck he liked. He felt like getting out a pen and drawing up a list. The thought of that pussy wrapped round his shaft was almost enough to make him swoon. He gripped his phallus and shut his eyes. Savoured the thrill.

Exhaled slowly in an attempt to make his heartbeat calm down.

Not yet. Some restraint was called for. If he let himself go completely she wouldn’t be in a fit state to do the job the boss wanted. Fun could be had though. Just enough fist and cock to get the message across and then, when the job was finally done, he could allow himself to really let go.

37

Kenny left ten minutes later with Harry’s promise ringing in his ears. He would scour his mind for memories of that time and see if he could remember anything about a woman and her child dying in an accident.

So lost was he in thought it was a wonder of absent-minded driving that he made it back to his flat without getting into an accident. He found a parking space on his road and reaching for his phone he dialled Dimitri. It was time for some different thinking on this one.

‘Dimitri and O’Neill. Finding people is our speciality. How can I help you?’

‘Except you couldn’t find your way out of a garden shed with a key, an axe and a map, mate.’

‘Och, just having a wee laugh, boss,’ said Dimitri.

‘Not in a laughing mood, mate. Got anything?’

‘Sorry. It’s like he vanished into thin air, boss. Generally if someone really doesn’t want to be found it’s nigh on impossible to find them.’

‘I don’t do impossible, Dimitri. There’s always a way.’

‘Mmmm. Any ideas, Mr Positivity?’

‘You know those milk cartons you see in American TV with the faces of missing people on them?’

‘Oh. Right,’ said Dimitri thinking out loud. ‘That could work. Do you have an up-to-date photo?’

Kenny had scanned the photo of his dad into his computer. He reached over to his laptop, opened up his email, attached the photo and sent it to Dimitri.

‘No, but you’re the computer whizz. I’ve just sent you a photograph. Get yourself some of that face-ageing software and do a mock-up of what he might look like now.’

‘You going for blanket coverage of Scotland with your milk?’

Kenny thought for a minute. ‘No. I’m going to draw up a list. No. You’re going to draw up a list. Historical tourist spots on the west coast and central Scotland and then find out the milk producers in the regions concerned and appeal to their better nature. Failing that we’ll spill some cash their way.’

‘How much you willing to spend?’

‘Let’s wait and see if it’s possible first. Then we’ll talk money.’

Something caught his eye as he was talking and he looked up. Someone was bundled up and sitting at the communal entrance to his flat. They hadn’t been there when he parked. Better not be one of the local druggies or he
’d
kick their arse.

A head lifted from the collection of dark clothing. He could make out blood and bruising. The right eye was swollen shut and entire left side of the face was a lumpen mess. The person had long dirty hair that might have been blonde. They turned and looked down the street as if waiting for someone. Or possibly hiding from someone. The face stopped its traverse of the street when they saw Kenny’s car. He could make out that it was a girl now and the person met his gaze with their one good eye and then looked away as if they had recognised him.

That small movement was enough for Kenny to work out who it was.

‘Dimitri, need to go.’

He was out of the car and on his knees in front of the damaged woman.

‘Alexis,’ he said. ‘What the fuck...?’

‘Just take me inside, Kenny. Please?’ The words were hard to make out as they stumbled from the face that Kenny used to know so well.

‘Inside? You need to get to a hospital, like now.’

‘No. No hospital.’ Alexis grabbed his jacket, her one open eye desperate with the need to get her message across. ‘No. Please. No hospital. That will get the police involved.’ She shook her head, now mute.

‘What bastard did this?’ Kenny was filled with rage. It was so hot it almost blinded him. He didn’t need to ask, he knew who it was. Mr Bigshot and his enforcer guy. If Kenny ever got his hands on either of them...

‘Inside, Kenny. Please?’

She was almost weightless in Kenny’s arms as he climbed the stairs to his flat. She was wordless as he filled his bath and then carefully undressed her. When he pulled off her jeans he saw the blood and bite marks on her inner thighs and his anger took on new levels.

‘I think you should get a tetanus shot,’ he said. She didn’t respond to his suggestion. It was as if all of her strength was being used to keep the air flowing in and out of her lungs. ‘Did you hear me?’ he said again. ‘Human bites are worse than dog bites. You need a doctor to stop any infection.’

‘He bit me?’ she asked in a whisper. ‘Everything so sore... didn’t notice...’ Eyes half-closed with pain and loathing, she turned to him. ‘No doctor. I can’t...’ She began to sob.

‘Okay. Okay,’ he said, stroking her head. ‘No doctor.’

She was in her bra and pants now. Her flesh was mottled down one side. One bruise settling into another. Kenny didn’t know how to touch her without causing her more pain. Neither did he know if he should remove her underwear. She was doing nothing for herself and he didn’t think she would be comfortable being naked before a man after what she had just gone through.

‘In you go,’ he said, thinking that she might make the decision for him. She did and stepped in to the water just as she was. As the hot water touched the more tender parts she inhaled with a sharp hiss. First she went down on to her knees and then she eased on to her backside, twisting so that each leg was placed in front of her. Then she pulled her knees up to her chest and focussed on the shiny metal of the taps as if looking anywhere else was going to hurt her eyes.

Kenny picked up a sponge and flushed it with water, dabbed some soap on it and then began to slowly wash her back. In and out of the water he pushed the sponge and then allowed the water to pour down the bruised landscape of her back. Each of her vertebrae jutted out from her skin like an accusation.
You are a man
, they said. You are guilty by association. He kept his movement even, suspecting that the rhythm he created was more soothing for him than it was for her.

‘You in a lot of pain?’ he asked and then cursed himself as an ass. Of course she was in a lot of pain. His knees creaked as he stood up. ‘I’ll get you some painkillers.’

In the kitchen he found a small white packet that he kept for emergencies. Usually these emergencies were for his own broken bones and sprained joints after a training bout down at The Hut. He never imagined it would be put to use like this.

With a glass of water in his hand along with two tablets, he returned to the bathroom. Alexis was sitting in exactly the same place he had left her.

‘Here you go,’ he said and handed them to her. As if they had performed this action a thousand times, she kept her focus on the tap and held a hand out for the tablets. Once they were in her mouth she took the glass and, tipping it to her mouth, she swallowed.

‘Whenever I take these, I sleep for hours, ‘ Kenny said. ‘So let’s get you out of there and dried and into a nice warm bed.’ Listen to yourself, O’Neill. As if a pill and a pillow is going to make everything better.

Like a child might, she did as he suggested and stepped from the water. She stood in the middle of the floor waiting for him to dry her off.

‘I’ll need to...’ He unfastened her bra and then pulled down her soaking panties. As he did so he averted his eyes. Alexis was past caring. Then he picked a large white towel from the pile in the corner and rubbed her dry. He draped the towel over her shoulders and ran into his dressing room. There he found a large grey T-shirt and a pair of white briefs. She needed to feel kind of decent again, he suspected and these would have to do.

Once she was dried and dressed, after a fashion, he held her hand and walked her through to his bedroom. He pulled the quilt back from the bed and guided her towards it. She climbed in, laid her head on the pillow and waited for Kenny to pull the cover over her.

Kenny looked down at her, at the mess of her face and the numbness in her expression. It made him think of Vi. He
’d
left her not long ago looking much the same, minus the bruising.

‘Sorry, Kenny,’ Alexis slurred.

‘No need to apologise,’ Kenny said.

Alexis grabbed his hand and held on with surprising strength. ‘I have no choice. So sorry.’ Her one good eye begged him to believe her. She struggled up onto her elbows. ‘I need to talk to you. There’s things I need to tell...’

‘Don’t you worry, sweetheart,’ he said, all of his earlier frustrations about her completely forgiven. Whatever she needed to tell him could wait until she was a little better. ‘You’re safe here. Just get some rest.’

‘Sorry. Need to...’ She slurred again and closed her eyes. Her grip loosened and Kenny allowed her hand to fall onto the bed.

How could someone do this, he asked himself. How could a man do this to a woman? He
’d
hurt plenty of men in his time and he was aching to hurt one particular man. If only he knew who he was and how to find him.

Although Kenny had hurt many men in his time, he had never killed anyone. He couldn’t promise that wasn’t about to change.

• • •

In the living room, Kenny walked from the window to the door countless times. He needed to do something. He needed to find out who this bastard was and explain how women should be treated. There was a nice quiet spot up in the Campsie Hills where no one would be able to hear screaming. Or there was a particularly dark basement in one of the pubs he owned where no one would interrupt him.

He needed to find this fucker so badly his jaw hurt. But he wasn’t going to find anyone stuck inside the flat. He picked out a number on his mobile and dialled. It was answered immediately.

‘Hey boss. You needing some work done?’

‘Mark, are you and your brother free right now?’

‘Yup.’

‘You know where I live. Be here asap.’

Half an hour of more pacing, with the odd visit to stand at his bedroom door and gaze over the supine form in his bed, and his doorbell rang.

He answered it and allowed Mark and Calum in.

Mark was bouncing on his toes. Calum performed the usual sombre contrast to his brother.

‘What’s the job, Kenny?’ asked Mark. ‘Anybody needing a doin’?’

Calum looked to the ceiling in frustration. ‘Chill, brother.’

‘If anybody’s needing a doin’ I’ll be the one to do it,’ said Kenny. ‘I need you two to stay here and look after someone special.’

‘Okay, man.’ Mark nodded his head like he was trying to beat the world record for nods per second. ‘There’s a burd?’

‘Yes, Mark. There’s a woman. She’s in my bedroom and she’s hurt...’

‘This got anything to do with that woman down in that place...’

‘Mark, give it a rest. Let the man talk, for fuck’s sake,’ said Calum.

Kenny managed a smile at Calum. ‘All you need to know is that you’ve to let no one in or out of this flat until I come back. Understood?’

Both men nodded. Kenny had one last look in at his bedroom and quietly closed the door. In his bathroom he picked up Alexis’ clothes and her handbag. He carried everything through to his kitchen and, out of sight of the two guys, he went through all of her belongings. There was nothing of any real interest apart from a large group of house keys and her mobile. He pocketed the keys. Her phone was still switched on so he scrolled through it, not sure exactly what he was looking for.

The text inbox was empty, as was the sent items box. Unusual, he thought. How many people are so careful with their mobile phones? They only time he emptied his phone folders was when they were full.

Her contacts were similarly sparse. Mostly initials. He read his. K.O. and looked for Tommy Hunt’s and was disappointed. There were only two names not initialised. Cora and Jo. The first name rang a faint bell of recognition. Cora. Could that have been the name of the girl who was murdered in Alexis’ flat?

Jo’s number was highlighted. Might as well press
Call
.

It was answered after four rings. A voice giggled. A note of happiness that was aimed at someone on her side of the phone. ‘Alexis, how are you, sweetheart?’

Kenny read the voice for any sound of concern before he spoke. There was none.

‘Sorry, Jo. This is Kenny. I’m a friend of Alexis’.’

‘Ohmygod,’ Jo breathed. ‘Is she okay?’

‘She is now,’ said Kenny. ‘But one of her clients has hit her rather badly.’

‘Ohmygod,’ Jo repeated, sounding close to tears. ‘I told her she was too good for this game. Is she okay? Did she...?’

‘I don’t think anything’s broken, Jo, but she won’t let me call the police or take her to a doctor.’ He wondered how much to tell her. If she was part of the same group as Alexis, she would have contact with the bastard who did this.

‘Do you know the flat in the Merchant City where Alexis sometimes works out of?’

‘Never been there, but I know of it.’

Smart girl, thought Kenny, she was being cautious in her response.

‘Jo, I’m going to trust you.’
I’m desperate and running out of options
, he might have added. ‘I’m...’ – he paused for dramatic effect and allowed his voice to crack a little – ‘...in love with Alexis. I was trying to get her out of the game when this happened.’

‘Right...’

Kenny tried to judge from that one syllable if she was falling for his Richard Gere in
Pretty Woman
act. ‘Jo. I need your help. I need to find out who did this to her and I need to make him suffer.’

‘Now you’re singing my song, mate,’ said Jo. ‘How soon can you get there?’ She paused. ‘You got a key?’

‘I’ll be there in half an hour.’

‘Cool. Bring a bottle of gin. And thirty quid.’

‘Thirty quid?’

‘Or fifty. A blow for thirty. A full shag is fifty. Bareback and it’s a hundred. Might as well earn some money while I’m at it. Time is money, mister.’

• • •

In his car and passing through familiar streets clogged with the usual number of cars and his phone rang again.

‘Harry Fyfe here, Kenny. Got a minute?’

‘I’m all ears, old man.’ Kenny was surprised by the feeling of warmth he had for the old cop.

‘I’ll “old man” you. And I hope you’re not driving?’

‘Don’t worry. The pigs won’t stop me, I’m hands-free.’

‘Aw son, you’re not one of those wankers who wears one of those ear-pieces like it’s a status symbol, are you?’