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  All Jack’s instincts were telling him that it could not be Lenny Scott. Surely not Lenny? He picked up the phone and started ringing round; once he located him he would feel a lot better in himself. No matter how much he thought about the last few nights, there was not one person he could think of who would have dared to retaliate for Frank Barber. He was a Face in his day, admittedly, but now he was a fucking bit of a joke. No youngster would put themselves out. So what the fuck could be going on?

  For the first time in many years, Jack Johnson was seriously frightened. He looked on Lenny like a son. He loved that lad like a son. Lenny was far too shrewd; no one would get near him. This had to be a fucking big misunderstanding. But there was a small part of him that knew that cunt Smithson would not have rung him unless he knew what he was talking about. Lenny Scott was dead and that was the truth of it.

  Jack felt an inordinate need to cry. Lenny Scott had been everything to him, and he had been cut down in his prime, never to reach his full potential. It was a crying shame because that boy had been going places and he had been going to make sure of that personally. He was devastated as he carried on calling round; there was still a hope that ponce Smithson had got it all wrong. Fucking detective? He couldn’t sniff out his own fucking arse! He was hardly the sharpest knife in the drawer. But as time went on Jack began to lose every shred of the hope he’d been clinging to.

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Reggie was still reeling from the knowledge that Lenny Scott was dead. It was unbelievable. He loved Lenny like he had never loved another person in his whole life. It just could not be possible that he was gone from him.

  As Reggie pulled up at Jack’s yard, he checked his face in the mirror. He could see the shock and desolation in his eyes, and he felt the urge to cry once more. But that was a luxury he would have to forgo until he was locked inside his own flat where no one could see him and could guess the strength of his grief. How would he live without Lenny: the one person who had made everything in his life make sense? And, more importantly, who had done the dirty deed? If it was anything to do with Jack’s businesses with they’d find out soon enough and exact retribution. But maybe Lenny had pissed off some fucker Reggie knew nothing about. He had to box clever, whatever the lie of the land. His hands were shaking as he lit a cigarette.

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  ‘I think that’s him, that’s definitely his suit . . .’

  Sharon felt like she was going to throw up. Her Lenny, her husband, the only man she had ever loved, was destroyed. He had been completely obliterated. She knew one thing for sure: this was not a random fucking mugging in any way, shape or form. The way the Filth were acting told her that this was a big deal.

  Lenny’s body was broken completely. It looked all wrong, misshapen, like he had been crushed. She could see it even under the white sheet the mortuary had covered him with. There was something very wrong and she could not voice her thoughts, not to the Old Bill anyway. That would come later. Much later. She would have to talk to Jack and she would have to talk to fucking Reggie.

  Reggie Dornan, her husband’s so-called best friend. Deep down she knew he was Lenny’s biggest secret. There was something inside her that made her feel sure her son had told the truth. Whoever the culprit was she had to ask herself: had they actually done her a favour? Had they saved her from having to acknowledge that her husband had been living a lie all these years and that her marriage was nothing but a fucking sham? She felt sick again. She wondered if her life would ever again take on some kind of normality.

  The policewoman held her as she cried, and she could feel genuine sympathy from this strange girl who made a career out of locking up other people. But she held on, and she cried bitter tears as she tried with all her heart not to feel anything but relief.

  When Jack arrived she had never been so happy to see someone in her whole life. He took her home to her family, and he was so gentle with her that she felt sorry for the man who had looked on her husband as a son. Jack was devastated too and she clung to him for dear life, knowing that she would always quell any rumours that might begin to circulate about her husband’s true nature. Her job now was clear: she had to protect her sons and she would do it even if it was the last thing she ever did on this earth.

  Chapter Seventy-Eight

  Sharon Scott was back at home, sitting in her kitchen nursing a glass of wine, still in a state of shock. Whoever had attacked Lenny had done a good job. His face and body had been destroyed. A ‘sustained attack’, they were calling it, meaning that he had been tortured too. Completely wiped out.

  Sharon had answered all the questions from the police in the same way. She knew nothing of her husband’s business dealings and, no, she didn’t know anyone who might want to hurt him. He had been a very popular man. The police seemed to want to believe it was a mugging that had gone dangerously wrong. Like anyone could have mugged Lenny Scott and got away with it! It was fucking laughable, as her father pointed out over and over again, until she had screamed at him to shut the fuck up.

  Lenny had been murdered, there was no doubt about that. Someone had beaten him to death. The question was: why? Was it business or personal? If she was honest with herself, she didn’t want to know. There was a tiny part of her that was glad he was dead. She was glad that she didn’t have to question her marriage or the man she had married any more. But that didn’t mean that her heart wasn’t completely broken because, when all was said and done, she had loved him, loved the very bones of him. She would honour him, as his wife and the mother of his children. That was all that was left to her now. She cried, but anger lingered and it was growing by the minute.

  Chapter Seventy-Nine

  Ivy Conway was worried. She knew there was something seriously wrong with her daughter and she had no idea what to do about it. Sharon had worshipped her husband. Now it was as if she was on autopilot, even refusing to speak at his wake and leaving the funeral preparations to his family. It was like she didn’t want any part of it at all.

  On one level her daughter was devastated, of course, and Ivy understood that. But she knew her girl better than anyone else and she felt there was a break somewhere along the line. Lenny had hurt Sharon somehow and she couldn’t get to the bottom of it. All she could tell for sure was that her daughter seemed almost relieved at the turn of events. Her husband murdered, and she didn’t seem to want to know any more than that. Ivy kept quiet about her misgivings, but she sensed there was something she didn’t understand. One thing she knew for certain, though, was that everything came out in the wash eventually. She would help her arrange the funeral; what else could she do?

  Chapter Eighty

  Reggie was devastated. It was as if he had died himself. He felt the man’s death more acutely than anyone else in their world could. It was unbelievable to him that Lenny had really gone, that he would not walk in as he always had, with that half-smile on his face and that look in his eyes that was only for Reggie. He had genuinely loved Lenny, and that was something no one could ever know. He had to grieve alone. But it was a hard road and Lenny’s death had taken away everything Reggie had ever really cared about. He had loved him with a passion he never believed possible. Lenny Scott had been the man of his dreams and he had been taken away from him by some vicious fucker. No matter where he looked, who he asked, he couldn’t find a trace of him.

  Now, as Reggie stood in the church, he looked about in bewilderment. He could not believe the scene in front of him. He was in the first pew, as befitted his best-friend status, but Lenny had been far more to him than that and it grieved him that he could never let anyone know. He looked at the bowed head of Sharon and his heart went out to her and those two little boys who were the apple of Lenny’s eye. He was heart-sorry for them all. They had lost someone that would have moved heaven and earth to give them a good life. Reggie would take on that mantle now and do whatever he could to ease their pain. It was the least he could do for Lenny; it was what he would have req
uested, what he would have wanted. Reggie would take care of Lenny’s family as if they were his own.

  As the Mass started and the priest began the preparations for Lenny to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it took all of Reggie’s willpower not to break down there and then.

  But he mustn’t do that. He felt Jack Johnson squeeze his hand in solidarity and that brought Reggie back to his senses. If he was happy about anything it was that no one had an inkling of the real relationship he and Lenny had shared and, for that, he could at least be thankful. He knew the ridicule that would come if that knowledge were to get out and he didn’t want it for any of them. Especially Lenny, who wasn’t there to defend himself.

  Reggie tried to catch Sharon’s eye but she kept her head down and her sons pulled into her arms protectively. She was a wonderful mother, as Lenny had always insisted. Reggie swore to himself once more that he would do everything in his power for those two fatherless boys.

  Chapter Eighty-One

  Sharon listened to the eulogies and wished for this farce to be over. Jack Johnson was visibly moved as he spoke of the man he had looked on like a son, and how his death was a reminder to them all of how fleeting life could be, and how important it was to pack in as much living as possible. He had smiled at her and her sons as he’d said that and she had felt cold hatred in her heart once more for the complete hypocrisy of her life with the man everyone was feting. It was hard not to feel the disgust at what he had really been.

  Had he ever come to her after he had been with Reggie? She could not forget the times he had returned home late at night, smelling of soap and aftershave, and had taken her into his arms and loved her. He never could have really loved her. He was unnatural. He had wanted a man, not her. He had wanted Reggie Dornan, not his family.

  She felt certain now that her life had been a lie. A great big filthy lie. But she would get this day over with for her sons and then she would decide what she was going to do with their futures. That was the only thing she could do, even though every bone in her body cried out with the urge to unmask the unnatural fuckers and tell people the truth. But, for the sake of her boys, she had to keep her silence and, for them, she would do that much. They were without a father now – she was all they had and it was her job to make sure they were protected; she would protect them until she drew her last breath. But it was a hard road she was walking, knowing that the man she had loved and adored had never really wanted her in return. That the man she had married had taken more pleasure from another man who was as masculine as he had been.

  Well, she knew better now – she would not fall into that trap again. She wiped the tears from her eyes. Everyone would think she was crying for her husband, not because she had been duped by the man she had loved more than life itself. She remembered her nan telling her years ago about a headstone in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin. It said, ‘Under this sod lies another one.’ Never was a truer word spoken.

  Chapter Eighty-Two

  Jack was worried about Sharon. She looked awful. He had tried to talk to her earlier about Lenny but she had shaken her head in distress. He envied the dead man the love of such a good woman. She was white-faced and she had clearly lost weight. It was as if life itself had left her – he knew that sounded melodramatic but it was the only way he could describe her. Her troubles had somehow made her even more beautiful, and she was a beautiful woman already – no one could deny that. Lenny had worshipped her; there had never once been a hint of scandal about him with another bird and, in their world, that was seriously unusual. Women – or a certain type of woman – threw themselves at Faces for the kudos they possessed, and the money they could provide. But Lenny had never once strayed, not to Jack’s knowledge anyway.

  He glanced around the wake; everyone who was anyone was there. Wreaths of complete ostentation had abounded at the graveside, and that had pleased him. Jack knew it was important for Lenny’s sons to remember this day as homage to their dead father. It was important for boys like them to know the high esteem in which their father had been held. He hoped they had all done Lenny proud. He felt the sting of tears again.

  There had been nothing – not even a whisper – of why he had died as he had; it was unheard of, but that was the way it was. Jack had spread money all over the Smoke and still there were no leads. Not a fucking whisper, not even a rumour, and that was what he found so blatantly suspicious. The Filth might not know anything, granted, but there weren’t even rumours among other Faces of any kind of fucking scenario that could have brought on such actions. That was something Jack couldn’t believe. Someone somewhere had to know what had gone down, and he would do all in his power to find out what that might be. Not just for Lenny and his family but because it was genuinely pissing him off now too. No one liked being out of the loop. Least of all Jack Johnson.

  Chapter Eighty-Three

  Reggie slipped outside to have a cigarette; it was too hot in the Irish club. He saw Sharon standing alone, smoking quietly under a street lamp, and he made his way over to her. He could have sworn she was ignoring him; she had hardly spoken to him all day.

  He walked over and put his arm around her shoulder; he really was sorry for her loss. But she moved away from him as if she had been burned. The force of her feelings was such that even the most ignorant of men would have realised that she wanted nothing to do with him.

  ‘Don’t you ever fucking touch me, Reggie.’

  He was shocked at the vehemence in her voice. She could see the confusion in his face as he looked at her. She laughed bitterly. Her heart was already broken; there was nothing left to hurt.

  ‘I know, Reggie.’

  He looked into her wide, blue eyes. Even now, as she mourned her husband, she was a beautiful woman and he could appreciate that fact. But her words were cold and to the point, and fear gripped his heart.

  He looked at her for a long moment and she finally said quietly, ‘Liam saw you. You and my Lenny. He saw you kissing! Kissing his fucking dad. As young as he is, he knew it was wrong! How fucking ironic is that?’

  Reggie felt the shock hit him then and all he could do was stare at her, at the woman he knew he had wronged in so many ways. He grabbed her arm and pulled her round to face him.

  ‘It is not like you think. He loved you—’

  She laughed then, a nasty, vicious laugh. ‘Oh, really? Enlighten me, please. I’m dying to hear what you and him thought you were doing together. Playing hide-the-fucking-sausage?’

  He looked at her with such distress and pity that she felt the urge to rip his face open, to make him hurt as much as she was.

  ‘I loved him, Sharon, just like you did. But he would never have left you or those boys. You have to understand that this was never about you as a person. He always admired you.’

  ‘Oh, get the fucking violins out! He was fucking you. And, if he admired me so much, why did he hit me and hurt me like he did? Tell me that, Reggie. I’m so fucking interested in what Mr Library has to say. That’s what he called you, Mr Library. Call you that in bed, did he? While you were fucking each other up the arse?’

  Reggie suddenly lost all compassion. Physically dragging her away from the doorway, he pushed her into the car park and, grabbing her coat, he pulled her face towards his.

  ‘You listen to me, Sharon. You’re fucking hurting. I get it, all right? Well so am I, lady. I loved him. God help me, I fucking loved him. He was a treacherous cunt, we both know that. But if we have nothing else to build on, we have that much. I know you are hurting and, believe me, I would give anything to make your hurt go away. I love you, just like I love those boys, because you were part of him. He was my first love too, Sharon, and I know that you can’t understand why he would want another man. I wish to Christ he had not wanted me, but what we had never could take away from what he had with you. You have to believe that. You and the boys were always his first priority.’

  Sharon was actually beginning to feel sorry for him – for Reggie, who had fucked her old man! She
needed to get away.

  ‘Lenny worshipped you and those lads. Please, Sharon. Never forget that.’

  She grinned again, and she knew that she was very drunk. ‘Thank you, Reg. I feel so much better now.’

  The sarcasm wasn’t lost on him, and his anger nearly took over as he said quietly, ‘I will never rest till I know who killed Lenny. I loved him and I will always be there for you and those lads. Remember that.’

  She turned away then, and crushed out her cigarette angrily. He knew he couldn’t stop her as she made to walk off. But then she turned suddenly and said with quiet hatred, ‘I’m glad he’s dead. You unnatural fuckers.’

  He watched her walk away and felt the sting of tears once more. It was up to her now. She could make or break him. Oh, Lenny, he thought, how will I live without you? And Sharon Scott was clearly thinking the exact same thing.

  Reggie Dornan ran to her then, and said sadly, ‘We both loved him and that is something we can never change. But, no matter how much you hate me, I will always be there, looking out for you and the boys. Whether you want me to or not. It’s the last thing I can do for him.’

  His voice was choked with emotion and it suddenly occurred to Sharon that he was hurting just as much as she was. That, like her, he was bereft. As his arms went round her she felt herself holding on to him and then the real tears came. The deep sobbing that she knew she had to allow before she could ever really start to heal.