Fractured (Dividing Line #4) (27 page)

“You alright Mate?” said Alex.

“I will be when Rachel Law is dead. I really hate her.”

“Not long now. Listen, if this all goes tits up I want you to go to Katia. You’re to protect her no matter what happens to me.”

“You want me to leave you behind?”

“Yes. Frankie knows I tried to have him done over, he and Ryan will be coming for me. I know I can fight them off, this is just a precaution. I don’t trust anyone else to do this Col.”

“I’ll do it. She’ll be safe with me.”

“Thanks mate,” said Alex, helping Col to his feet and shaking his hand. He glanced into the car. “How’s Gus?”

It took both of them to get his door open and he fell out of the car too, face covered in blood. Col had to help him to his feet and together they staggered inside.

Alex stood over Rachel and glared down at her. “Nice try but face it, you’re not going to get away and Ryan isn’t going to find you.”

She let him pull her into the building. What was the point in fighting? If she did he’d kill Beth. He had his pregnant mistress, he didn’t need her anymore.

A series of images flicked through Rachel’s head; Leah riding her pony, the boys tucked up in bed sleeping peacefully, Ryan smiling down at her, his warm naked body pressed against hers.

“Goodbye,” she whispered to those faces.

CHAPTER 30

Alex shoved Rachel inside the warehouse and she landed at Beth’s feet. Her friend threw off her captor, helped Rachel up and hugged her tightly.

“Where are the kids?” said Rachel.

“They’ve locked them in the office in there,” she replied, pointing inside.

“Are they okay?”

“Yeah, physically anyway.”

The two women attempted to cling onto each other but they were pulled apart, Col dragging Rachel inside and kicking her to the floor. She stared up at him as he aimed his gun at her head. Rachel took the opportunity to scan the vast empty room, which had obviously been a warehouse at one time and was in serious need of renovation, the floor bare wood, massive stone pillars supporting the high ceiling. She could feel the dust and grime of years beneath her palms. A stack of huge metal containers were off to one side.

It seemed Alex had mustered most of his muscle; Col and three of his brothers, the three heavies she’d seen at the wake, Gus, who was wiping the blood off his face with a handkerchief while swaying on his feet and some faces she didn’t recognise. Two of them were big and burly and wore leather jackets, Lucifer’s Shadow MC patches stitched to the back. She’d heard of this club and knew them to be savage and ruthless. If Alex had banded with them they really were in trouble.

“Watch her closely while Gavin gets Beth’s surprise,” Alex told Col. He moved behind his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist. “You have to learn that you can never leave me and what will happen to those who try to take you from me.”

A door banged open and a battered Nick was marched in at gunpoint by Gavin.

“No, Nick,” cried Beth. She tried to run to him but Alex maintained his hold on her. “Let him go you evil bastard. Let him go.”

“He tried to take my wife and kids away from me. Why do you think I would show him any mercy?” he yelled, voice bouncing off the bare brick walls. “You and Rachel are whores, the pair of you, worming your way into my family. We gave you everything you’d never had before; money, a nice place to live, security and you both repay our kindness by sleeping around behind our backs.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, I didn’t cheat on Danny,” cried Rachel in exasperation.

“Shut the fuck up and wait your turn. I’m dealing with Beth now.”

Rachel was elated when Beth welled up with fury. “Typical Alex Maguire, blame everyone else. Is it any wonder I cheated on you? You hit me, treated me and the kids like shit and slept around behind my back. In what fucked-up universe did you think this marriage was a success? I used to love you so much but you killed that when you started abusing me. Then a wonderful man came along and I fell in love with him,” she said, gesturing to Nick. “He’s ten times the man you are.”

Alex backhanded her, knocking her flying.

“Beth,” said Nick, running towards her.

“Don’t fucking move,” said Alex, pressing his gun to the top of her head.

Nick went still, looking like he could tear out his hair with helplessness. “How did you find us?”

“I had a little help,” said Alex, gesturing to the door.

Nick’s mouth fell open when Robbie walked in. “Let him go, he’s nothing to do with this.”

“Robbie’s here voluntarily. He was the one who told me where you were hiding.”

The shock and hurt on Nick’s face brought a lump to Rachel’s throat.

“You betrayed me,” he told his younger brother.

“No, you betrayed me and our entire family,” retorted Robbie. “You sold us out and that led to them all getting slaughtered.”

“I did that because they had to be stopped and to save your life. They were out of control.”

“You shot our mum.”

“If I hadn’t we would have been killed too. I did it all to save you. Have you forgotten that evil woman murdered our dad and brother and was plotting to kill us too?”

“Bullshit,” he said, aiming his gun at his brother. “You’re just a coward who sacrificed his entire family to save himself.”

Rachel felt she must interject. When the Jordans abducted her Nick did everything he could to protect her and she had to return the favour. “Nick’s telling the truth Robbie. She killed your dad and brother and if he hadn’t done what he did you would be dead now.”

Nick nodded her his thanks and she nodded back.

“See?” Nick said to Robbie.

“Do you think I believe a word she says? I watched that sick twisted bitch chop off my mum’s hand.”

“She killed my son, that’s the sort of person your precious mummy was,” she retorted.

“Shut up Rachel, you’re getting on my tits,” said Alex. “The point is Nick tried to run off with my family and now he’s a dead man.”

“No Alex, I’m your wife, I’m the one who did wrong. Take it out on me,” said Beth.

“I fully intend to,” he replied, “But he has to pay for taking what’s mine.”

“I am not yours. Jesus Christ Alex what’s happened to you? You’re a monster. You’ve even turned your own kids against you, they’re terrified of you. You’ll never get them back.”

Alex glared down at her. “You will pay for that,” he said before striding up to Nick and pulling out his gun.

Nick, resigned to his fate, looked to Beth. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she cried back passionately.

Nick smiled at her words seconds before Alex pulled the trigger. Nick’s head snapped back, blood and brain matter spraying the floor and he was pitched backwards.

Beth stared at his prone form in mute horror. “Oh my God, oh my God,” she whispered over and over. “Nick?” she whimpered. She screamed out his name when he failed to respond, tears streaming down her face.

“You’re mine and you can never escape,” Alex told her.

But Beth wasn’t listening, her eyes riveted to her dead lover.

“Now it’s time to deal with your best friend.”

Beth fell to her knees, a wail of despair and grief tearing from her throat. Unlike Rachel she had never been around violence on such a scale and she couldn’t handle it.

Rachel coldly stared up at Alex as he loomed over her. It was a relief when he holstered the gun.

“Before I put you out of your misery you’re going to admit that you made a fool of my brother. How long did it go on for with Ryan?”

“Are you stupid? I’ve already told you. I admit that one time in Martina’s Bar but that’s it, end of story.”

“Fine. Looks like I’m going to have to force it out of you,” he said, pulling a knife from his belt.

Alfie cuddled his little brother and sister to him, all three faces stained with tears as they listened to the horrible noises from the next room. They could hear their Aunty Rachel screaming in pain and their mummy sobbing and pleading with their daddy to stop.

Alfie knew he had to do something. Someone had been guarding them but they were gone now so he looked around the room, seeking escape. They were in a small office containing only a desk with a telephone that didn’t work - he’d already tried it - and a dead plant. However there was a window.

“Hold Holly,” he told Archie, who nodded and pulled his little sister to him.

Alfie jumped up onto the desk and from there scrabbled onto the windowsill. He tried opening the window but it refused to budge. Eventually he figured out that he had to press a button on the handle first and it opened outwards but not very far and he hoped it was enough for him to pass through.

“Archie, I need your help.”

“Don’t leave us,” he whispered.

“I have to get Uncle Mikey. If I don’t Mum and Aunty Rachel are going to get really hurt. I’ll come back I promise but you need to look after Holly for me. Please Archie.”

The little boy nodded, tears shining in his eyes. “Okay.”

Alfie jumped down to hug his brother, both boys struggling not to cry. “Just stay here and keep quiet, alright? Don’t do anything to make Dad angry. I’ll get Uncle Mikey, he’ll help us.”

Alfie climbed back onto the windowsill then hauled himself through the gap. He panicked when he thought he was going to get stuck but he wriggled and slid out, dropping to the ground with a thud. He could still hear his Aunty Rachel’s cries of pain even out here. Tears blinded him as he ran.

“We are not fucking stopping,” bellowed Ryan, making them all wince in the confines of the car.

“We’re going to need Frankie’s back-up,” said Mikey. “If just the four of us go in there we’re going to be seriously outnumbered. A psychopathic Scotsman with a hatchet is one hell of an ally.”

“He’s also one hell of an enemy. What if he turns against us? Frankie’s on no one’s side but Frankie’s.”

“We need a decision now,” said Jez.

Ryan threw his hands in the air. “Fine, pick the bastard up but if he’s not ready and waiting he’ll be left behind.”

“He’ll be there, he’s as keen to get his hands on Alex as we are.”

Frankie was indeed waiting for them on the side of a quiet road on the outskirts of Moss Side, just like he’d promised. He jumped into the back of the car with Riley and Jez, Riley feeling a little awkward about being in such a confined space with a man who hated him and a stranger who’d already been labelled a psychopath.

“Who the fuck are you?” was Frankie’s first question when he saw Riley. “Hold on, I’ve got it, you’re Riley Cutter. I knew your dad, he was a great man.”

Riley decided not to comment, merely acknowledging the compliment with a nod as Mikey pulled the car back into the flow of traffic.

“So what are you doing here? Getting back into the business?”

Riley finally recalled exactly who this man was. Frankie McVay was a living legend but not the type you’d ever want to meet and for some reason he seemed almost glad to see him. “No, I’m not in the business. I’m in the army.”

“Riley’s just here to help us get Rachel back,” Ryan called from the front. “He has invaluable skills.”

“Do we know where he’s holding her?” said Frankie.

“We think he’s got her at a warehouse he recently bought,” replied Ryan, gazing straight ahead, wanting Frankie to shut up and Mikey to put his foot down, but the traffic was quite dense leading back into Moss Side. He’d no choice but to take it easy.

“You
think
he’s holding her there?” said Frankie derogatorily.

“It’s all we’ve got, we have to go with it,” said Mikey.

“Then we’d better hope for Rach’s sake that you’re right.”

Jez and Riley regarded Frankie uneasily when his fingers slid into his jacket to caress the blade of his hatchet and both leaned away from him, Jez practically squashing Riley against the door.

Frankie thought the machete had been good but there was nothing like comfort and familiarity for causing some real mayhem. “I can’t wait to use this wee beauty on Alex,” said Frankie, eyes starting to roll back in his head.

“Just so everyone’s clear, I’m the one who kills him,” said Ryan.

Frankie’s eyes snapped open. “That fucking honour is mine.”

“He’s not kidnapped your wife Frankie.”

“Only because I’m not daft enough to get one.”

When Ryan whipped round in his seat, Jez, Riley and Mikey held their collective breath.

“What’s it to you as long as he’s dead?” snarled Ryan. “He nearly burns my family alive then he kidnaps Rachel. This isn’t business it’s fucking personal and nothing is going to stand in my way.”

Frankie was thrown. He wasn’t used to being spoken to like this, everyone was usually so quick to defer to him. In fact Ryan Law was the first person ever to stand up to him and he wasn’t sure whether to erupt into a rage or respect him for it. The tension in the car built up and up while the two men stared at each other. Mikey wished he wasn’t driving, he didn’t like presenting Frankie with his back.

Eventually Frankie relaxed and smiled. “Alright Pal, he’s all yours. Just as long as I get my little trophy.”

“You can have whatever part of him you want,” said Ryan. “I’ll happily hold the Tupperware box for you.”

Frankie released a loud bark of laughter. “Fucking brilliant. You’re on.”

The tension relaxed. Both men had come out of that argument with their dignity intact, no one had really had to concede anything and best of all, both Ryan and Frankie were appeased. However the other three men had just had a shocking wake-up call. They’d thought Frankie McVay was the most dangerous man in the country. Now they realised he had a serious contender in Ryan.

“Come on Rachel, you can do better than this,” said Alex as she struggled to get up off the floor, spitting blood.

“Stop it you fucking coward,” screamed Beth while Col held her back.

“I’ll leave her alone as soon as she admits that she cheated on my brother.”

“She can’t because she didn’t. She’s my best friend, she tells me everything and I know for a fact that she didn’t.”

“Oh yeah? Did she tell you about her and Ryan in Martina’s Bar?”

Beth hesitated before replying. “Yes.”

“Fucking liar. There are lots of things she hasn’t told you.”