Divided Loyalties (9 page)

“Alright Maguire, help me get her to the infirmary.”

“Of course,” she replied pleasantly.  Rachel held the now half conscious Liz over her shoulder, blood dripping from her nose while the guard unlocked the door.  “You say a word and I’ll fucking finish the job.  Got it?”

Liz nodded her head slowly and painfully in acknowledgement.

Rachel sat anxiously awaiting her visitors.  It was Family Day at the prison and Danny was bringing Leah to see her and she couldn’t wait.  She had contemplated whether it was right to bring her into this dump but reasoned she was too young to remember it.

As Rachel was a remand prisoner her visitors didn’t need a visiting order.  If they did she thought the powers that be would make it difficult for Danny to get in.  When she saw him enter carrying Leah she leapt to her feet.

“Danny,” she breathed, rushing into his arms. 

“I’ve missed you Babe,” he said, kissing her hard.

“Oy Maguire, that’s enough,” snapped the guard, her bravado leaving her when they both glared at her.  “Please sit down,” she said in a gentler tone.

They sat opposite each other and he handed her Leah.  She took her daughter and inhaled her scent, that mixture of milk and something indefinable that was peculiar to infants.  Rachel kissed her forehead and rocked her gently, a sense of peace descending upon her.

“I hope they’re treating you well in here?” he said.

“They’re nice enough.”

He spotted Liz Law sat a few rows back, her face a mass of livid purple bruising. 

“Has she given you any more trouble?”

Rachel’s lips twitched up into a smile.  “Nope and I doubt she will again.”

They both noticed one of the guards hovering, attempting to overhear and they both stared at her until she moved away.

“To be on the safe side Ryan’s sending her a message via her visitor,” he said, nodding in Liz’s direction.

Rachel turned her head to see Liz talking with a buxom blond.

“That’s his cousin’s missus.  She’s telling Liz right now that if she tries anything on you again Ryan will personally remove her boyfriend’s bollocks.”

“Tell Ryan thank you.  I’ve got enough to worry about.”

“Will do.  Just be careful in here Babe, you need to be on your best behaviour.  They’ll use the slightest thing against you.”

“Have you managed to find out who the witness is?” she said quietly.

He shook his head negatively.  “But as we speak Battler and Bruiser are looking into a few possibilities.”  He saw the worry etched on her face and gently squeezed her hand.  “Don’t worry I’ll get you out.”

“Benton’s determined to take me down one way or the other.  I’m worried how far he’s willing to go.”

“He can’t do fuck all and I’ll move heaven and earth to keep you safe.”

“I know,” she said with a tender smile.

“I’ve got some good news.”

“Oh yes?” she said, rocking Leah, who was drifting off in her arms.

“Beth’s had the baby.”

“Oh that’s fantastic.  What did she have?”

“A boy, Alfie.”

“What a cute name.  Dammit and I’m stuck in here.”  She’d missed her best friend and sister-in-law giving birth because of fucking Benton.  One day she would make him pay.

Benton was called downstairs to deal with a disturbance in the reception area of his station and even he wasn’t ready for what he was confronted with; twenty angry women all yelling at the bemused desk sergeant, including Janine Wareing, Mrs Dawson, Tiff and Emma’s Aunt Fay.  When they clapped eyes on Benton their fury was turned on him instead, much to the Sergeant’s relief.  Benton held his hands up for quiet.

“Ladies, I can’t tell what you’re saying.  One at a time please.”

This had the desired effect and they all went quiet.  Mrs Dawson stepped forward to act as spokeswoman.

“You’ve got Rachel Maguire locked up in Styal.”

“Yes.  What’s it got to do with you?”

“We’ve come to tell you that Rachel came to a party we had on the Montford the night you said she was out murdering someone.”

All the other women nodded eagerly in agreement.

Benton laughed.  “Rachel Maguire socialising at the Montford?  Are you serious?”

“Yes we are,” said Mrs Dawson firmly.  “She was there and twenty of us are willing to testify in court to the fact.”

Again they all nodded as one.

He knew they were lying to protect her.  “You’re willing to swear on the Bible to that?” he said, fixing Mrs Dawson with his gaze, who he knew to be a god-fearing churchgoing sort.

“Yes,” she replied resolutely.

Benton sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose.  This could severely fuck up his plans but not ruin them.  He still had the gun.

Just then one of the uniforms tapped him on the shoulder reluctantly.

“What?” spat Benton.

The uniform swallowed nervously.  “There’s been a fire in the evidence room.”

“Is it out?”

“Yes Sir but…”

“But what?” he said, with a sinking feeling.

“The evidence against Rachel Maguire is gone.”

“It’s gone?” he bellowed.  “Fuck.”

The women all cheered as Benton shoved them out of the way in his haste for the door.

CHAPTER 9

Danny waited in the back of the Mercedes, excited about having Rachel back.  Bruiser sat in the driving seat.

The moment Rachel emerged from the prison gates Danny leapt out of the car and raced towards her.

“Hi Babe,” he grinned, scooping her up and kissing her hard.

She wrapped her arms around her husband and sank into his kiss.

“It’s good to have you back,” he breathed. 

Even Bruiser had a smile on his face.  Danny took her hand and led her to the car quickly, afraid something would happen to put her back in that place.  He wanted to get her away as quickly as possible.

“Oy, Maguire,” roared Benton.

He stormed up to them, face red with anger.  Hastily, Bruiser put himself between him and Danny and Rachel.

“It’s okay Bruiser,” said Danny genially and he reluctantly sidestepped.  “Superintendent Benton, have you come to share in our good news?”

“Where is it Danny?”

“Where’s what?”

“The evidence against that bitch,” he snarled, pointing at Rachel.

“I seriously recommend you watch your mouth.”

“I know you were behind that fire.”

“Prove it.”

“I fucking will.”  He turned his glare on Rachel.  “You can’t get away with it forever Rachel.  One day you will have to pay the piper.”

Rachel appeared unimpressed.  “Let’s go home Danny.  There’s a bad smell around here.”

“Too right.  Goodbye Superintendent,” he said politely.

Benton watched them go, chest heaving with rage. 

Rachel and Danny forgot all about Benton as they locked in a passionate embrace in the back of the car.  When Danny’s hand slid up her skirt Bruiser put up the privacy glass.  The moment he did Rachel straddled Danny and unfastened his trousers.

“You want to do this now?” he grinned.

“Yes, I’ve been inside surrounded by women.  The car’s got tinted glass, no one can see in.”

She groaned quietly as she sank onto him, conscious of Bruiser up front.

“Everyone’s….waiting at….at the….shit where are they waiting?” murmured Danny as she started to move harder and faster.  “The pub,” he groaned into her neck, “to welcome you home.  Oh fucking hell Rach.”

He pulled open her blouse and smiled.  “Hello girls, I missed you.”

“Oh God Danny,” she breathed as he pushed up into her.

They both came quickly and after adjusting their clothing she rested in his lap, her head on his chest, enjoying listening to his heartbeat and being back with him. 

“Do you think Benton will try to set me up again?” she said quietly.

“I don’t think so.  He was lucky to get away with it once, he won’t dare do it again.”

“I hope not,” she said, nestling into him closer.

As the car pulled up outside the pub Rachel drew her compact out of her handbag and hastily checked her hair and make-up.  Then she stepped out of the car, eager to be reunited with her family and friends.

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief when Rachel walked through the door.  He’d had the terrible feeling something would go wrong at the last minute to keep her inside.  She looked great as usual, clearly prison hadn’t had a negative effect on her.  He hung back as she was swamped by friends and relatives hugging her and telling her how glad they were that she was out.  He smiled, she looked so happy.

When she held her daughter in her arms her eyes filled with tears but being Rachel she blinked them away determinedly and kissed her child.  Eventually she made her way round the room to him.

“Hello Ryan.”

“Hello Rachel.  It’s good to have you back.”

“I believe I’ve you to thank for helping get me out of there.” 

She leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek.  His heart pounded at the physical contact and he had to fight the urge to grab her and kiss her right back. 

“Thank you Ryan.  You can’t know how much I mean that.”

“Anytime.  I’d do anything for you Rachel.”

Her pitch black eyes locked with his.  “I appreciate that,” she said softly before moving on to finally hold her new baby nephew.

Danny watched them from across the room.  On the surface it had seemed innocent enough but he saw how Ryan looked at his wife, his eyes still on her as she talked with Beth and Martina.  He was satisfied when Rachel didn’t look back at him.

“How could you let this happen?” bellowed Richard.  “You said it was all sewn up and today she walked out of prison a free woman.  What the f…”

“Richard please calm down,” said May reasonably. 

“Calm down?  You promised me justice and once again the Maguires are out there no doubt celebrating that bitch’s return.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” interjected Benton equally angrily.  “These people are criminals and will stoop to any level to dig themselves out of the shit.”

“How the hell did they set a fire in your evidence room?  They must have someone on the inside.”

“Of course they do, several of them, but I’ve no proof.”

“Useless,” snarled Richard, causing Benton to glare at him.

“Gentlemen, please,” said May sternly.  “Turning on each other will get us nowhere.  It didn’t work, now we must think of something else.”

“I’ve had enough,” spat Richard.  “You lot can sit here plotting in the dark.  I’m going to sort this out once and for all.”

With that he turned on his heel and stalked out.

“Richard,” called Benton.

“Let him go Superintendent,” said May.  “He needs time to calm down.”

“Do we still have the witness?” said Jeremy.

“Yes, for all the good it does us.  It’s just his word against Rachel’s and twenty women off the Montford.”

“Can’t we utilise him some other way?”

“How?”

“He knows Rachel intimately, he has inside knowledge.  Perhaps we could use that knowledge to our advantage?”

“He’s been out of her life for too long, he doesn’t know her anymore.”

May chewed her lip thoughtfully.  “How is the investigation into the fire coming along?”

“It was arson no doubt but there’s no evidence pointing to the culprit.”

“Can one of those women who were willing to give her an alibi be made to tell the truth?”

“Doubtful.  Give the Maguires and Laws their due, they have brought order back to the estate.  No one will say a word against them and to be honest, it’s taken some pressure off my officers.”

“We don’t want to hear about their good deeds,” said May incredulously.  “We want them off the streets for good.”

“Richard has contacts.  Perhaps we should wait and see what he comes up with?” suggested Benton, not knowing what else to say.

“Mum’s taking Leah out today,” said Danny, kissing Rachel’s neck while she sat before her dressing table, putting on her make-up in the mirror.  “Why don’t we go out for lunch?”

“Okay.  Giorgio’s?”

“If you like.”

A week had passed since she was released from prison and they’d hardly spent a moment apart.  She turned to face him and he knelt before her and took her face in his hands to kiss her. 

“You’re really spoiling me,” she smiled.

“You deserve it and there’s something I want to run past you first.”

“What?”

“Not now, at lunch.”

After dropping Leah off at her grandmother’s they headed to the restaurant.

“So, what did you want to discuss?” she said, tucking into a steaming plate of pasta.

“I know how you’ve been wanting to take a step back from the business now we’ve got Leah,” he said, careful to euphemise in case of prying ears, “especially after recent events, so I’ve had an idea.”

“What?”

“I‘ve heard a whisper that the Harmony Hydro is coming up for sale in the next few months.  I want to buy it for you.”

Her mouth fell open.  “You mean that massive complex on the edge of the city that has a gym and a pool?”

“Yes,” he grinned.  “So what do you think?”

“I think it’s great.”

“So you’d like it?”

“Yes but do you think I’m up to running something on that scale?”

“Course I do.  You’re a hell of a businesswoman Rach, it’ll be no problem for you.”

“But I don’t know anything about running a spa.”

“You don’t have to, you get in people who do to help.”

“What about the clubs?”

“They practically run themselves.  Get someone to oversee them.  Dolores would be a good choice.”

“Wow Danny, I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Well, what do you say?”

“I say yes,” she beamed.

He kissed her hard.  “You’ll make a success of it, I know you will.” 

“Thank you Danny.  This means a lot.”

“I have to admit, I have a bit of an ulterior motive.”

“Oh yes?”

They leaned towards one another to talk, their lips just inches from each other.  They were so wrapped up in one other that they failed to notice the waiter hovering by their table, trying to ask if everything was okay with their meals.  Not wanting to lose his tip he decided to retreat and leave them to it.

“I want you to stick to the legitimate businesses from now on.  I couldn’t stand it if you got nicked again.  I want to protect you from all that.”

“I appreciate that Babe,” she said, touching his face.  “But what about you?  The same could easily happen to you.”

“I want to get out too, eventually.  Alex is the right one to take over but he lacks the confidence yet.  He still blames himself for not seeing what Terry was.”

Rachel nodded.  She thought it such a shame that Alex doubted his own abilities, which in her opinion were considerable.  He treated her as Danny’s second rather than taking on the role himself. 

“You’d better get on with encouraging him then, so we can be totally legitimate.”

“It would be a weight off, not having to worry about getting nicked all the time.  I don’t know how Dad put up with it for so long.”

Rachel knew.  It was because Danny wasn’t like his dad, he was more like his mum.  Alex was Frank’s true heir, he didn’t feel things like Danny did.  Rachel swallowed down the lump in her throat, she still missed her father-in-law badly. 

“I’ll take a step back from it all,” he continued, “and we’ll build our own empire together, one that’s completely legal.”

“I like the sound of that,” she replied, relieved that he was talking this way.  The thought of them being separated again by prison terrified her.

He leaned even closer, his lips brushing hers.  “We’ve still got some time before Mum brings Leah home.  Why don’t we go to bed?”

“Yes please,” she purred.

He kissed her, his hands playing through her hair, neither of them caring that they were in a restaurant full of diners.

“Can we have the bill please?  Quickly,” added Danny when Rachel ran her hand over his crotch, the gesture hidden by the tablecloth.

They exited the restaurant happily, Danny’s arm slung around her shoulders.  Battler waited for them by the car.  Danny had asked him to drive them because they both wanted a drink.  Just before they climbed into the Mercedes, Danny pulled her to him.

“There’s one other thing I wanted to discuss.  How do you feel about trying for another baby, once the spa is up and running of course?”

Rachel gazed up at him adoringly.  She didn’t think she could feel any happier but she could.  “I’ve been thinking the same thing myself.”

He beamed and pulled her to him for a kiss.  As their lips touched there was a loud bang and Rachel’s body jumped as she experienced a sharp pain in her left shoulder.

Attempting to process what had happened she looked up at Danny, who’d gone ghostly pale, eyes wide with surprise.  It was then she spotted the pristine white of his shirt front rapidly staining red.  Time seemed to stand still as he slumped to the pavement and she desperately tried to catch him and simultaneously cling onto consciousness in order to help her husband.

Battler raced up to them, horror written all over his normally impassive face and she could hear people screaming.  It was then she realised what had happened.  They’d been shot.

Battler shoved them both behind the car just as another shot hit the pavement to their left, shielding Rachel with his big body as he frantically talked into his mobile phone.  Ignoring the fire consuming her left side, Rachel focused on Danny, who was shaking violently, eyes rolling back in his head as he went into shock.

“Please Baby, hold on,” she begged.  “The ambulance will be here soon.”

The bullet had hit him squarely in the chest and blood foamed in his mouth as it filled his lungs.  She pressed a hand to the wound in an attempt to staunch the flow but it seeped through her fingers.

“Please Danny,” she sobbed.