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  He shouted loudly and very angrily, ‘Open up, Danny Boy, the fucking cavalry has finally arrived.’

  The door was opened slowly, and Patrick sensed immediately that he wasn’t welcome. That annoyed him even more. He knew that he was being unreasonable, but he couldn’t help himself. This was what he missed, this was what he craved being part of again. It was also what he paid Danny Foster for, though he chose to forget that momentarily. All he could think was he was too far out of the game these days – even though that was what he had wanted and what he was paying exorbitant amounts of money for.

  Noel Christmas was tied to a chair and already looking seriously battered and his elder brother, Nick, was watching it all from his vantage point – on the floor.

  Patrick looked at Danny and said loudly, ‘You didn’t think to tell me about this, then?’

  Danny Foster looked at his boss, at the man who he revered and who he respected more than anyone else on the planet, and he said snidely, ‘No, Pat. I was under the impression that you were retired and I was being paid to make sure that you didn’t have to deal with shit like this.’

  Patrick Kelly knew that Danny was absolutely right and that he should not have been within a donkey’s roar of this place, but he didn’t care. He was incensed that the Christmas brothers had thought they were in with a fucking chance. That told him that they didn’t think he was a worthy opponent any more. He didn’t care who was behind this pair of muppets, because that is exactly what they were – a pair of fucking wannabes. A pair of wankers who actually thought that they could have him over. It was ludicrous, and it was an insult. And Patrick Kelly had never responded well to insults of any kind, as they were all about to find out.

  ‘You know who is bankrolling them, don’t you, Danny Boy?’

  Danny Foster nodded his agreement.

  ‘Then we shall deliver them to their doorstep as a warning, won’t we?’

  Danny knew that he had no choice but to agree with Patrick. After all, he paid their wages. He also knew that there would be no talking to Patrick Kelly while he was like this. Pissed and with a problem that involved his son, his daughter-in-law and his grandchildren. Patrick needed this tonight, if for no other reason than it would take his mind off what was really bothering him. The other men in the lock-up were thrilled to be in the company of Patrick Kelly, and Danny knew that Patrick would not disappoint.

  That was his secret weapon; Patrick Kelly could harm and maim, and it didn’t bother him in the least. Danny Foster had watched and learned from the master. A man who had been around since the old days, when this kind of thing was expected. Danny looked around him and he knew that he had to let Patrick have his head, because this would go down in history. It would become a story that harked back to the old days, and that could only be good for them.

  Patrick looked at Danny Foster, and he said jovially, ‘Pour us all a drink, Danny Boy, this is going to be a long night.’ Then he looked at the Christmas brothers, and he said quietly, ‘You fucking pair of retards really thought you could have me over? Thought that I would swallow my knob on the say-so of a pair of fucking degenerates? What fucking planet are you two on, for fuck’s sake?’

  Then he set about Noel Christmas with the baseball bat, and everyone there knew that neither of the Christmas brothers was going to see the light of day ever again. Patrick Kelly was on a mission, and he had the fucking hump. He was not a happy bunny. They were also aware that they were in the presence of a real Face, a man who had been in the game since before they were born. It was a privilege to be a part of something so Old School and so fucking violent. It was a real learning curve for all those who were there.

  Danny Foster stepped back and let Patrick Kelly do his worst. At the end of the day, he had no other choice.

  Chapter One Hundred

  The next morning, Patrick and Danny were ordering breakfast in a café Patrick owned on Bethnal Green Road. He had acquired it many years before from a Turkish guy who had owed him a serious amount of wedge – a degenerate gambler who Patrick had always liked but who had eventually queered his own pitch. In the end, even Patrick Kelly had to be seen to sort the fucker out. It was about showing strength and, because everything was common knowledge, he had to rout him for the safety of everyone concerned.

  Patrick, being Patrick, had let the man stay on and run the place and still let him live in the flat above – and he took a good cut from the profits. It was another story that had helped give Patrick the persona he had sought. Hard but fair was the general consensus, and that suited Patrick. Plus he had always liked Oscan; Patrick had known his father way back when they were all kids. He could have earholed the whole family, but he hadn’t done that. He had no interest in proving a point – he didn’t need to. He was a mate, and that meant something to Patrick.

  He had always understood that the people around you needed to see you not only fight your corner but also show that you were capable of loyalty to the people in your orbit. He had never wanted to out them from their home and business. He liked the family, for fuck’s sake! But he had been put in an impossible position. He could not be seen to swallow his knob; he had to be seen to be looking after his interests, and that is what he had done. He had to prove that he would not be taken for a cunt.

  It had been hard, but he’d had no choice. He had arranged though for a private poker game to be held on the premises on a regular basis. That had been for the family’s benefit – not that anyone else had been privy to that, of course, but it was his way of giving a helping hand.

  He was enjoying the food and the treatment that he was getting from the people around him here. And that was how it should be – he knew his worth better than anybody else. It was the secret of surviving in the world they inhabited.

  He was well aware in the cold light of day that Danny had the arse with him. But Danny knew that Patrick was not a man to be fucked with, and Patrick felt that other people needed to be reminded of that occasionally too. He had needed to show his hand, especially with all this shit that was coming from the Christmas brothers; he needed to step in because it was fucking personal. Pair of tossers thought they could actually have him over? It was unbelievable in Patrick Kelly’s world, and not something he would forgive or forget. It was a direct insult to him, and he had not been about to let that go without a fucking word.

  He would show the powers-that-wished-to-be just what they were dealing with, because the Christmas brothers had royally pissed him off. Never a good idea, no matter who they might be, because he was a man who could happily hold a grudge and who could happily pay out anyone who was foolish enough to irritate him. He had had to make a serious point, and show any pretenders that he was not quite ready to give up his crown easily. But it was also about him too, and how he was feeling.

  Last night, Patrick had felt for the first time in years that he was still a part of his world, that he was still capable of running his own businesses. He knew that it was childish – he had taken a step back deliberately, he had retired voluntarily. But he couldn’t deny that he needed to feel that he could still fight his corner if required. Last night had proved to him that he was still someone to be reckoned with, and he had loved every second of it. He had missed the adrenaline and the act of proving that he was still capable of fighting his own end personally. Oh, he had done a wrong ’un and he was well aware that he should have kept as far away as physically possible from the garage, but the drink, the anger and the want had overridden all of that.

  He had been on a mission, and now he was wondering how Kate would react to it all, should she hear about it. But he missed this life and, with everything that had happened, he had been desperate for something to take his mind off it all. Unfortunately, he had completely overlooked Danny’s standing in the business and that was not something he should have done in front of others. It was a double-edged sword, as usual: what he wanted to do, and what he should have done. That had been the story of his life in many respects.

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sp; Now, he looked at Danny Foster and grinned sheepishly. ‘I made a cunt of myself, didn’t I?’

  Danny laughed and said honestly, ‘No, actually, you didn’t. You gave a few of our younger employees a window on to the Old School, and they were genuinely fucking impressed.’

  Patrick sighed heavily. ‘I was completely pissed and trying to prove a point. But I miss all this, Danny Boy. I feel like I’m getting old, and I needed to prove myself, I suppose. It was good to get back into the fray, though. I had to take a step back for Kate, you know? But I miss being a real part of everything.’

  Danny shook his head slowly, and he was genuinely laughing as he said with honesty, ‘You, Patrick, don’t need to prove anything to anyone any more – that fucking boat sailed years ago. You still have your creds. What’s really wrong with you is you don’t know what to do about the situation with Joseph and that mad fucker he married. You now have an impossible dilemma. You have a new family and they are suddenly all living at your house. You need to think about how you can help them and at the same time help yourself.’

  Patrick sipped at his mug of tea and looked out into the street that was part of his old stomping ground. ‘I know you are right, Danny. Last night, I admit, I went a bit far. But it felt so fucking good to be back in the game. I have missed it.’

  ‘Of course you have, Pat. That’s real life, mate. But you also know that you retired to be with Kate and play golf! Fucking hell, you have a place in Florida so you can play fucking golf. Why are you suddenly so determined to get back in the saddle? You are a legend, Pat, and I am so honoured to be a part of your legacy. But, Patrick, you can’t put yourself out there like that. If you do, it is going against everything you wanted with Kate. You brought me up through the ranks because you knew that you had to step back, mate. Last night wasn’t about the Christmas brothers – it was about you, Pat, and what is going on with your new family. Can I be honest with you? Without us two falling out because of what I have to say?’

  Patrick sat back in his chair and said sadly, ‘Of course, you can say anything to me, Danny. You are my number one. You are the only person I trusted with everything that pertains to this part of my life.’

  Danny believed that Patrick was speaking the truth, and he knew that he had to say what needed to be said, whether it would please or offend. This was all getting complicated now, and he would rather walk away than fall out with the man he looked on as a father and a friend.

  ‘Look, Patrick, if I am being totally upfront with you, I think you need to get your house in order. I get Joseph, and I get his family, and I get the importance of all that shit. Believe me, I really do. But you have to fucking get back in the real world and sort your son’s shit out with that mad cunt he married, and let it all go from there. He can’t be a part of this, Patrick, it’s not in his nature. He’s a coward, and you know that as well as I do. He’s a great guy, and I like him, but he is not and never will be a part of our world. Tell me now – are you planning on bringing him on board? Because, honestly, if you do, Pat, then I will have to go, because I refuse to carry him. And that is what I would be doing.’

  Patrick looked at the handsome fucker that he still saw as a son, and he understood that the man was not only speaking the truth, he was also giving him an ultimatum. They had been together a long time, and Danny had earned the privilege to say whatever he thought and be listened to with the utmost respect. Danny Boy had been running his businesses well, and without fault, for a long time.

  Patrick Kelly knew that if the boot had been on the other foot, he would have said exactly the same and Patrick would not have been as easy-going as Danny was. He would have gone off like a fucking firework! Patrick had to really swallow the proverbial knob, because he couldn’t argue with anything Danny Foster was saying to him.

  ‘I know you are talking sense, Danny Boy, but he is still my son.’

  Danny laughed loudly, a big rip-roarer of a laugh, and it was so infectious that Patrick laughed with him. ‘Oh, for fuck’s sake, Pat, buy him a business, a restaurant, whatever. But he can’t join the firm. You know that as well as I fucking do! He wouldn’t last five minutes. He isn’t like us, Patrick, he is a fucking corporate lawyer. Think about it, please! You and I know that the people we deal with would distance themselves from him – we would all be hung out to dry.’

  Patrick agreed that he was speaking the truth; he had already worked it out for himself. ‘He needs help, and he needs me and a family, but he doesn’t have the nous for what we do, and he never will. I get it, and I will bear that in mind for the future.’

  Danny Foster felt a deep sorrow for Patrick and his predicament. He understood that for a man like Patrick Kelly to have a son that he found lacking was a difficult thing. Joseph might have been good at his job but he would be finished in the City after this. He didn’t belong in either world now.

  It was an abortion, and Danny suspected that Joseph O’Loughlin was waiting for Patrick Kelly to offer him a helping hand. Patrick had realised that much too, and it was a hard lesson for him to learn, because Patrick had assumed that any son of his would be as strong and capable as he was. That had not been the case and Joseph was not coming out of any of this looking even remotely without stain. In fact, he had shown himself so far to be as weak as a kitten in many respects. That was fine in the real world, but it wouldn’t fly in the world that they lived and worked in. At the end of the day, Patrick Kelly was a businessman and that would always come first and foremost for him. It was what had made him into the man that he was – the man who had the knack of earning a living, and earning it against all the odds. A man who had worked his way up from the bottom to the very top of his chosen profession.

  Patrick Kelly shrugged his trademark shrug that, even in this day, could instil fear into his enemies, because they knew that when he shrugged there would be no more talking to him. ‘Danny Boy, I bow down to you and your wisdom. I can only apologise, mate, because I was put into an impossible position. I had hoped that Joseph would be like me, and he’s not. I have to help him in any way I can, but I think deep inside that he is a fucking pussy. I can’t change the fact that he’s my son and I’m thrilled I have grandchildren now – I had basically accepted that was something I would never have.

  ‘But you are my heir in every way, Danny Boy. I have given you everything that I could, because you are worthy and Joseph isn’t. He’s a nice guy, and I’m sure he is clever in his own way, but not in our league. He would be a liability, because he can’t defend himself.’

  Danny Foster smiled gently. ‘He is still your son, though, and that is something you need in your life, Pat. You need blood family, for fuck’s sake. You are even making me feel the need to reproduce!’

  They sat back in their chairs as their full English breakfasts arrived and they toasted each other with mugs of tea.

  ‘Do you know what, Danny Boy? I might have needed last night, but I hope that my Kate never finds out about it! She would have my nuts on a plate.’

  Danny stabbed his fork into a large slice of black pudding, and he said with all seriousness, ‘Not a chance, mate. Those pricks have already disappeared. Ain’t anyone going to ever see that pair of fucking romancers again, I can guarantee you that much.’

  Patrick Kelly tucked into his breakfast with a renewed vigour, because that is exactly what he had wanted to hear.

  Danny grinned mischievously as he said in a whisper, ‘Good to know that there is someone you are still afraid of!’

  They laughed together then as the enormity of the situation hit both of them.

  ‘Danny, she is a woman to be in fear of, take it from me!’

  ‘I never doubted that for a second, Pat. She has given me one, on occasion.’

  They both laughed, but they knew that they would never discuss this situation again; it was over with, finished, done. That suited Patrick Kelly right down to the ground.

  Chapter One Hundred and One

  Kate was down at the station and
she was enjoying being back there. She missed this, and she knew that feeling was never going to leave her; she relished being back with a team and working on a case. It was what had been her life for so long, and she had felt the want of a reason to get up in the morning, more than ever since all the aggravation with Patrick and his new-found family – that’s when it had truly hit home. For all that, though, she was not going to take over Annie’s job. She was going to make sure that she was seen as no more than someone who had experience with other cases that dealt with multiple deaths.

  Kate had never been comfortable with the term ‘serial killer’. She had always felt that it gave the person concerned too much kudos with the people who were obsessed with them. It was too much like some kind of badge of honour that was given to people who were not worthy of being admired. They were scum. They killed indiscriminately, and they did it for their own enjoyment and, she believed, so they would be remembered after they were dead. If it was left to her, she would not let anyone write books about these fuckers, and certainly not treat them like they were special, because they weren’t.

  No, she was going to make sure that she was regarded by the team as someone who was only there to advise. The fact that she had been the lead investigator on three different serial killer cases was already in the public domain. She didn’t feel the need to remind anyone of that. Annie Carr had to be seen as the boss, and Kate would do everything she could to make sure that no one was unaware of that fact. She was here to give the benefit of her experience, and that was what she was going to do. She just hoped that experience would be of use.

  She would happily help Annie, as she had already, only now she would be a real part of the investigation and she would have access to everything that pertained to these cases. You had a different overview when you were a part of it all, because you had access to everything that the people around you saw or felt or even wondered about. It was a great help to be around the people involved and to listen to their different takes on everything.