Ruthless (37 page)

‘Don’t. If you make me laugh, I will crawl from this bed and lamp you.
Everything
hurts.’

‘You’ll feel better soon. You want me to bring you anything?’

‘No . . .’ She winced, seemed to hold her breath for a moment. ‘There’s nothing I need. Only to get out of this bloody place.’

‘Here –’ Layla took out a notepad and pen and wrote down her number at home in Holland Park – ‘I’ll leave this with you. Give it to your parents, tell them to ring me if you need anything. Now, before I go . . .’

‘Hm?’

‘. . . I need to know anything you can tell me about the man who did this. Anything at all you can think of.’

‘Oh no . . .’

‘
Please
, Precious, you have to try.’ Layla took a calming breath. This was so hard. ‘I think . . . I think he did this to you because you’re a friend of mine.’

Precious showed no surprise at this. A tear slipped from the corner of one bruised eye and slid down into her dark matted hair. ‘He beat the crap out of me, didn’t he,’ she said. ‘What else is there to tell you.’

‘Was that the first time he’d been in? The first time you’d seen him?’

‘No. He’s been a few times.’ She closed her eyes, as if they felt heavy.

Layla reached out and gently rubbed her hand, trying to comfort her. But much as she wanted to reassure Precious, she could feel the hairs on her neck pricking at the news that he’d been in the Shalimar, he’d been that
close
, and she hadn’t even realized it. ‘Come on, Precious. It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything else if it upsets you.’

‘Yeah. I do.’ Precious’s eyes flickered open. ‘His name’s Rufus.’

‘Rufus Malone,’ said Layla.

‘You know him?’

‘I know
of
him.’

‘He showed up a couple of weeks ago. You know I told you about China, how she’s supporting her family . . .?’

Layla nodded, wondering what China had to do with Rufus Malone.

‘Things are really bad for her. Her daughter’s sick, her parents are old. Plus they’re on the other side of the world. And she isn’t making enough.’

‘I know. You told me.’

‘What I
didn’t
tell you was that she’s playing the long game. She’s been having sex with the clients, if they look flush, but refusing to take their money. She’s hoping to hook a millionaire, and you do that by
not
appearing grasping.’

Layla was puzzled. Her heart went out to China, caught in such a trap. ‘But what’s this got to do with you and . . .’

Precious coughed, harder.

Layla lifted the cup and straw to her lips again. Precious drank, then sank back on to the pillows with a sigh.

‘I was getting short of money too,’ said Precious.

Shit!
thought Layla. ‘You didn’t . . .’

Precious swallowed painfully. ‘I did a dance for Rufus in the VIP rooms. He asked me how much for sex. I said he couldn’t afford me, and he said that he could. He had this wild-man vibe about him. He was solid, like a rugby player. Wild long red hair. Dark grey eyes. And . . . he was sort of charismatic. He had this charming way about him, and this Irish accent. So I named a price. I wasn’t serious though, not really.’

Layla felt sick. ‘How much?’

‘A grand.’

‘Don’t tell me: he said yes?’

Precious nodded and closed her eyes.

‘Only you couldn’t do it on club premises,’ said Layla, ‘because Ellie would never allow it. So where did this happen? Where did he take you?’

‘He took me to Blakes – Anouska Hempel’s place.’

‘He did what?’ Layla knew of the hotel. It was
the
place to see and be seen right now, stuffed full of movie stars and royals.

‘We had a night in one of their best suites. And he paid up, too. A thousand pounds. And he said he’d be back to see me at the club. I didn’t believe him, of course. But he did come back. He came . . .’ Precious’s voice broke ‘. . . and he did this.’

‘When you were together, I suppose you talked about your life, your friends . . .?’

‘He wanted to know all about me.’ Her mouth twisted with bitterness. ‘He asked about my friends . . . he did seem particularly interested in you, but I thought it was because of your dad being Max Carter. You know what it’s like when the champagne’s flowing – I spilled my guts, I told him everything he wanted to know.’

‘He used you,’ said Layla. ‘To get to me.’

‘Yeah, I know that
now
.’ Precious sobbed. ‘He beat me up, Layla. He
beat me up.
And you know what he said before he did it?’

Layla shook her head.

‘He said, “Now I am going to hurt you, Precious. First you, then Layla Carter, then Annie Carter and Max Carter too. I’m sorry as hell about it, but I need to send a little message to the Carter clan.”’ She winced again. ‘“Tell them this is from me,” he said. “From Rufus Malone.” Those were his exact words.’

83

Junior wasn’t at his usual digs, so Max went with Tony to the safe house in Ilford where his mother and sister were staying. Molly opened the door to him, looking sullen.

‘Junior here?’ asked Max.

‘Who is it?’ called a female voice from the bowels of the house.

It was Kath, Annie’s cousin – Max knew that foghorn voice of old. Then Junior came clumping down the stairs.

‘Who is—’ he started, then froze mid-step when he saw Max standing there with Tony, a bald-headed three hundred pounds of muscle, right behind him.

‘Yeah, it’s me,’ said Max. ‘Having a cosy family visit, are we? Come on outside, I want a word.’

But instead of doing as he was told, Junior hopped over the newel post and took off up the hall to the back of the house.

Max let out a curse and shot off after him. He shoved past Molly, who responded with a string of colourful swear words in protest. Then he ran along the hall, into the kitchen. He had a quick impression of Kath sitting fat and shabby at the kitchen table, yelling something at him, but he was focused on Junior, who had flung the back door wide and was now legging it away down the garden.

Junior had youth on his side, but Max was in far better physical shape. He charged after the youngster, who was halfway up a six-foot fence when Max caught him and dragged him off.

‘You little
fuck
,’ snarled Max. Junior’s reaction to the sight of him had told Max everything he needed to know.

Junior was scrabbling to get his footing when Max swung him against the fence. All the breath went out of him in a loud
humph
as he hit. Max hauled him away, then slammed him against the fence again. A neighbour’s dog was going berserk on the other side of it, barking its head off, drowning out whatever Junior was shouting at the top of his lungs. Wrapping an arm round Junior’s head, Max clamped him in a vice-lock until he stopped shouting and started to turn purple.

‘Boss,’ said a voice at Max’s shoulder.

Max glanced back. Tone was standing there, sunlight glinting off his bald pate and the crucifixes in his ears. A gurgling noise was coming from Junior.

‘He can’t breathe,’ said Tony gently, looking around, making sure his boss was secure, that no one was on hand to witness or try to interrupt proceedings. He nodded towards the back door of the house.

Max could see Kath standing there, mountainous, pallid and frozen with fright. He looked at Tone, and felt calm descend once more. He released Junior.

The boy drew in a strangled breath and slumped back against the fence, his eyes closed.

Max gave his face a slap. ‘Why’d you run, you little shit?’ he asked.

‘What?’ Junior was gasping, his colour returning to normal. He was clutching his throat. His eyes flickered open and he stared at Max in abject fear. ‘You . . . you fucking nearly
killed
me.’

‘Hey! I didn’t kill you. Don’t make me reconsider that decision. Tell me what’s going on. All this crap that keeps happening to my family, turns out you’ve been on hand every time.’

‘I can’t . . . I don’t . . .’ said Junior.

Max grabbed the front of Junior’s shirt and yanked him in close. ‘You better start talking, arsehole, because I am all out of patience with you. What’s the deal between you and Rufus Malone?’

‘Dunno what you’re on about – I’ve never heard of him!’ Junior was regaining a bit of his usual cocky belligerence.

Max stared at him. ‘Don’t bullshit me. That name rang a bell with you – I can see it in your eyes. So, Rufus Malone – tell me about him.’

‘I don’t—’

‘You’re helping him!’ Max yelled.

‘I’m not.’

Max saw red again. ‘You lying little prick,’ he said, and slapped Junior, slamming his head against the fence. A trickle of blood came out of Junior’s nose, and he started to shake.

‘You think I’m stupid?’ Max demanded. ‘Malone knew it was safe to do Precious in the VIP room because you’d told him what time Kyle took his break. You’d told him there’d be no one in the monitor room to put a stop to it. You didn’t bank on Layla stumbling in there, did you?’ He grabbed Junior by the hair. ‘And the day of the fire at Layla’s office – you were there. Did
you
set that for him?’

‘No! No!’

Max drew back his fist.

‘Wait! No! Don’t.’ Junior took a gasping breath. ‘Look,’ he said desperately, ‘I didn’t know he was going to put her in hospital, for Christ’s sake! I thought he was going to give her a slap, that’s all.’

‘You gutless bastard. He put that poor bitch in intensive care. What do you think he’d do to Layla, or Annie, given half a chance?’

‘I didn’t think he’d go that far, I swear it.’ Junior was gasping, struggling for breath, he was shaking so hard. ‘He just paid me . . . paid me . . .’

Max was watching Junior with disgust. ‘Yeah, for what?’

‘He wanted me to do him a couple of favours in return for cash,’ Junior managed to get out. He looked at Max and sneered. ‘Mum’s right. Your old lady
is
a stuck-up cow. She deserves some shit, always swanning about like Lady Muck. Rufus got me to do a couple of jobs, that’s all.’

‘What jobs?’ asked Max.

‘Nothing major. Little things. I put the paper thing in Layla’s Filofax, and chucked a lit fag in the bin at her office. He told me it was a wind-up, nothing
serious.
And I thought, why not?’

‘Why
not
?’ echoed Max. He pushed Junior hard against the fence, crushing him. ‘You miserable, ungrateful little turd. Annie thinks the
world
of you.’

‘Ow . . . don’t . . .’ Junior pleaded, his face screwed up in pain. Seeing the murderous look on Max’s face, his cocky bluster dissolved into nothing. There were tears in his eyes now; he looked scared to death.

Max thought of Layla’s mate Precious, laid up in a hospital bed. It was terrifying to think that Malone had been in the same building as Layla, being helped by this treacherous little tick. He yanked Junior away from the fence.

‘Come on, you,’ he said, and dragged him back up the path to the house.

‘You can’t do this,’ complained Kath, chins wobbling in indignation at the kitchen door. ‘You can’t come in here and start knocking people about.’

‘Get out of my fucking way,’ said Max.

Kath took one look at Max’s expression and stood aside. But Molly was in the kitchen too, and she flung herself at Max with a shriek. Tony moved forward as Max fended her off, but it gave Junior just the chance he needed.

‘Fuck it!’ said Max loudly as Junior tore along the hall and out the front door.

Tony moved to follow, and Molly started throwing useless punches at Max’s head. Kath joined in, shouting and screaming: it was bedlam. Max grabbed one of Molly’s flailing arms and dragged her off down the hall after Tony.

The front door was wide open. Out on the road, Junior was behind the wheel of a cheap car, swerving away from the pavement with a squeal of tyres. The engine was revving hard as he shot away.

Tone was off down the path and throwing open the Jag’s door. Max stopped and pointed a finger at Kath. She flinched away from him.

‘Stay here,’ he warned. ‘If I hear you’ve been mouthing off to anyone, you’re in trouble.’

Then he hauled Molls out to the car, threw her in the back seat, ran round to the front passenger door and climbed in. Tony hit the accelerator, and the Jag roared into life.

84

After leaving the hospital, Layla went shopping. She wanted to buy something nice for Precious. Her two bodyguards trailed her around Bond Street as she struggled to find a suitable gift. Godiva chocolates? No good, the poor cow couldn’t eat solids yet. But later, she’d buy her some of those.

After much deliberation, she arrived at the solution: a pretty pink cropped cashmere cardigan to keep her warm when she was well enough to sit up. Precious was tough, she would heal fast.

Pleased with her purchase, Layla had the goons drive her home to Holland Park. As she hurried into the hall, passing Bri standing stony-faced on the door, Annie came out of the drawing room.

‘Hi,’ said Layla.

‘Come in here, Layla,’ said Annie.

What now?
she wondered. ‘But I need a shower . . .’

‘It’ll only take a moment. Please, come in here.’

Curious, Layla did as she was asked. Her mother had stepped back inside the room, and as Layla passed her she closed the door behind them.

‘Has Dad seen Junior?’ she asked, dumping her bags on the sofa and sitting down.

‘What?’ Annie looked blank. She sat down too, on the sofa opposite.

‘Was Junior helping Rufus Malone?’ said Layla, barely able to get that name out without a strong surge of disgust and hatred. ‘Was Dad right?’

If Rufus had caught her, would he have done to her what he’d done to Precious? Or worse? She shuddered every time the thought crossed her mind, and it crossed her mind a
lot.
As for Junior, she couldn’t believe it. Would he really do that, betray them that way? They were
family.

‘Oh,’ said Annie, rubbing a hand distractedly through her hair. ‘Your dad’s not back yet, I don’t know how it went with Junior.’