The Life Page 38

Peter could hear the deep bitterness in Danny’s voice. His son should have been fucking put down long ago. He should have followed his instincts but, after Jack, he had not wanted to believe he had another son devoid of decency and strength. He had not wanted his Ria to have to live with the knowledge that another of her children was gone from her. He had seen how hard Jack’s death had been on her. He had been so amazed at how strong she had been for him then; she had hidden her real feelings because she had known that he would never have done what he had without good reason. But it had taken its toll; she was a mother, first and foremost. Women loved their babies from the second they pushed them into the world; they were programmed to love them, feed them, and protect them, no matter what. Poor Ria. She would be heartbroken at Petey’s death. She couldn’t know the circumstances though – she would never forgive herself if she thought a son of hers was capable of anything like this.

  He was pulled out of his reverie by his brother’s voice.

  ‘I’m sorry, Pete, but you do know that he’s got to go, don’t you?’

  Peter nodded; he accepted this was inevitable. ‘Of course. Can I ask you one last favour?’

  Daniel shrugged. ‘Sure.’

  ‘Make it look like a fucking hit, like he was ironed out by strangers. Ria can’t know the truth, she couldn’t live with it.’

  Daniel nodded.

  Danny could see the logic in that; no one wanted the women upset. ‘Liam might know more than he’s letting on, Uncle Pete – he’s been carrying him for a while. Shall I bring him up to speed or what?’

  Peter didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do. He was devastated; he would have only one son left out of three boys, three handsome boys. He had done everything physically possible for his children – he had always done what he believed was the best for them and, at the end of the day, what had he been left with? What had it all been for?

  Yet here was Daniel, a fucking bona fide looney by anyone’s standards, a man who could murder on a whim, and yet his kids were all fucking diamonds. Daniel’s kids were worthy men, and they were absolutely loyal to him – each and every one of them. They were all men to be proud of.

  He had no choice but to wipe his mouth and look to what he still had; his Liam was a good lad and his daughter Imelda was a strong and capable woman. And, ironically, Delroy, who was not even his flesh and blood, and who he had disliked for no real reason, had proved to be the most loyal, hardworking, and trustworthy of men. Life was a funny thing.

  Petey was living on borrowed time. He had warned him on so many occasions that he knew he was on the worst kind of rob – stealing from his own. Yet his son had never had the nous to see that his actions would eventually lead to his downfall.

  Peter Bailey was feeling old suddenly, old and decrepit. The Life, as good as it could be – had been to him and his family – was now the instrument of his eldest son’s destruction. It was the reason he would be minus two sons, and why his wife would never again know true happiness.

  He stood up abruptly. ‘Come on then, Daniel, let’s get this over with.’

  Daniel sighed. ‘No, Pete, you get yourself home. Ria will need you beside her.’

  Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Five

  Petey Bailey was buzzing. Bernadette was looking good, and she had impressed him with her choice of decor for their new house; it occurred to him that she might very well be an asset to him one day. The house looked fantastic, and he knew it would impress anyone who walked through the door. His only worry was that he owed a hefty wedge to the mortgage company, and they were already chasing the debt. Unlike in his world, they were a faceless corporation, and they didn’t give a fuck if they upset you in the course of their negotiations. His name meant fuck-all to them; they were operating well within the law and, if he lost this house, he knew he would never get over the shame of it. He had not put down a huge deposit, so the payments were astronomical, and he had the added stress of paying the decorators as well. He had to find the cash, and he would; he had always managed before. He would have to take a bit of a breather from the cards for a while, recoup some money, and he had a few scams on the go that would bring him in a good earn. He would sort it; he wanted this place badly, and so did Bernadette.

  He was really pleased with his choice of wife-to-be. For the first time in their relationship, he felt as if they were on the same wavelength and that they might have a fighting chance. He wanted this as much as she did; he needed the validation of owning an expensive property. It was all top show to them both, all about what you had, and they wanted the best.

  Petey Bailey recognised now that he was as shallow as she was and that, like him, she was only ever after the main chance. If she managed to bang out a few sons, Petey thought she might just be worth the effort.

  He felt good today; life was on the up. He had one last meeting and then he was looking forward to having a good night out. He had to start cultivating Liam; he needed him now. He would start his campaign tonight – he knew how to grovel when he needed to. Liam was a good, loyal man, there was no doubt about that, especially when it came to the family.

  ‘Give us a kiss, Bernie, I’m running late.’

  She kissed him chastely on his cheek. He smiled as he left; unbeknownst to her, once they were married, she was going to get a big shock. He would ride her hard, and she would not be in a position to call the shots any more. He was quite looking forward to it.

  Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Six

  Noel and Jamsie were already at the scrapyard, waiting for their dad to meet them there. They knew that he was on his way, and they were hoping that they could be out of here sooner rather than later. They had arranged to meet a few mates in Canning Town, and were going to have a few drinks there, before going on to the Electric Lady.

  When their cousin Petey drove into the yard, they let him in and closed the gates behind him, before following him into the offices. Petey, as always, was on his high-horse. He looked around the small office pointedly, before saying sarcastically, ‘No one here yet?’

  Jamsie shrugged. ‘Not unless they are hiding under the desk, no.’

  He was not bothered in the least about Petey’s attitude; Jamsie knew that he would not dare act up like this if his dad or his uncle were in the vicinity.

  ‘My old man’s on his way. Do you want a drink, mate?’

  Petey nodded warily; this felt off, there was clearly another agenda going on. He wondered if his uncle had found out about his taking cash from the safe at the betting offices. He had always placed bets after races had been run – he had a few little girls who he worked the scam with. His Uncle Daniel had queried the size of the debts and the frequency of them recently. He had a feeling that he had worked out what was going on. Petey was suddenly all smiles, putting on a front. ‘Yeah, why not? I’ll have a beer. I’ve just been to the new house – fuck me, it does look good, lads. I must be honest, I was sceptical initially of letting Bernadette loose on the place – let’s face it, she is a lot of things, but fucking classy ain’t one of them! But she did a really good job. For the first time, I’m actually looking forward to marrying her!’

  They all laughed.

  Noel saw a car pull up at the gates, and he rushed out of the office to open them.

  Petey sipped his lager. ‘Do you know what this is all about, Jamsie? Bit cloak and dagger, ain’t it?’

  Jamsie didn’t answer him; he was too busy watching his father as he walked slowly towards the Portakabins. He had a shotgun in his arms, and Danny and Davey were walking slowly behind their dad. He felt a sudden sorrow envelop him. It looked like his cousin Petey was actually for the high jump; he didn’t know what this was about, but obviously it was serious. He saw Petey looking at his dad, seeing the gun; he could only imagine how scared he must be.

  Daniel Bailey saw his nephew watching him through the window of the office, saw the fear on his face. He was surprised at how calm he felt. Long gone were the days of him acting first and worryi
ng about the consequences later. He was finally able to channel his anger and make it work for him as opposed to against him. Lena was the reason for that, he supposed. He missed her so much.

  Petey Bailey knew immediately that he was finished; his uncle was coming for him and there was nothing he could do about it. Petey was gutted, even though he knew, on a very basic level, that this had been coming for a long time. He was just sorry that it had to be now when he was feeling so good about himself and his coming marriage. He had been so certain that he had covered his tracks. He wondered briefly if his father knew about this, if he had sanctioned it. Who was he kidding? He was probably the instigator of it. Peter had never suffered fools gladly, and his son was a fool – he saw that now. Hindsight was a wonderful thing.

  Jamsie saw his father stop outside the Portakabin; he was waiting patiently for his nephew to come outside.

  Petey Bailey smiled a crooked, sad little smile. ‘I assume he is here for me?’

  Jamsie nodded.

  ‘I suppose there’s no way I can sort this all out, is there?’ Jamsie raised his eyebrows. ‘What the fuck do you think?’ Petey felt strangely calm. He was glad it was his uncle coming for him and not his father or brother – that would have been much worse. Jamsie opened the door and, as the cold air blew in, he said to his cousin, ‘Let’s get this over with, shall we?’ Petey couldn’t deny the fear inside him, but he was determined that if he achieved nothing else in this life he would have a good death. No one would be able to say he had been a coward and had tried to run.

  He walked slowly outside. It was a dark night, and the stars were out; he wished he had bothered to notice things like that before. The scrapyard was bathed in moonlight, and he knew this was the last scene he would ever witness. It was cold, so very cold. Winter was on its way.

  ‘Get down here, you treacherous piece of shite.’

  As he walked down the steps, he said quietly, ‘It was never anything personal, Uncle Daniel, it was just business. Auntie Lena was a fucking accident. No one could have foreseen that.’

  Daniel Bailey stared at his nephew, noting his fear, but also his resignation.

  Then Petey smiled suddenly, a wide beaming smile, and he said craftily, ‘But your little Tania, now that was deliberate. I took her cherry, and she fucking loved it. You know me, Uncle Daniel, I always liked to be the first.’

  He was still laughing as Daniel Bailey blew his head off.

  Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Seven

  Liam was trying to get his head around his brother’s dilemma. He had always feared that this was on the cards; Petey had to have known that he would eventually be found out. Liam himself had been tempted at times – he admitted that. It was hard living in the shadow of two men who were both unable to take a step back in favour of their families. But Liam had also understood that he would be exactly like that if he was in that position of power. The Life was so seductive, it was a great way to live.

  Petey had never been content; he had always wanted more. Well, tonight he was going to be taken down a peg or two if Danny’s phone call was anything to go by. Liam was ashamed that a small part of him was gloating, glad that his brother had finally been seen for the piece of shit he actually was. He wished he could see Petey’s face when he realised that he had been fucking sussed.

  How could he have even entertained the notion of plotting his own father’s death? The whole ethos of the Bailey family was that they were just that – a family, and their true strength lay in that fact. You took on one, you took on them all.

  His older brother had never understood that – he was a man who saw nothing more than his own wants and needs. Now he had nothing – he was a fucking pariah, and he was finding out the hard way that, eventually, everyone had to pay the piper.

  In this case, it seemed, the piper was his Uncle Daniel, a man who, when roused, made Mad Frankie Fraser look like a girl guide.

  Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Eight

  Daniel Bailey was having lunch with his daughter, and he was watching her closely. He loved this girl, she was all he had left of his Lena. He sadly believed that Petey had been telling the truth. Lena had confided in him their daughter’s crush on her cousin; they had even laughed about it together, never believing for a second that Petey Bailey would take advantage of Tania. But he had done just that. Worst of all, Daniel knew that Petey would have enjoyed taking her down as a means of getting one over on him. Tania had been just another fucking way to spread his poison, another excuse for him to take what he wanted. But Tania had not said a word to him, and he could never let on that he knew the truth. Tania would need to keep that to herself more than ever now. Petey was dead and gone, and Daniel would have to draw a line under the whole fucking situation.

  Peter and Ria arrived at the house as they were finishing their meal. Tania knew immediately that there was something radically wrong with her auntie. She stood up abruptly and went to her, and Ria put her arms around her niece, as she said in a broken voice, ‘My Petey, my boy. He was murdered last night. They shot him, they shot him dead. He was dumped in a skip in Walthamstow.’

  Tania felt as if she was going to pass out; the news was so unexpected. She wasn’t sure if what she was feeling was relief; all she knew was that she couldn’t really take it in yet.

  Petey was dead, and she was carrying his baby.

  Petey was dead, and she would never have to face him ever again.

  She was relieved. She could feel it washing over her in waves. Her secret was safe.

  Daniel Bailey went to his brother and, hugging him gently, he said seriously, ‘I’m sorry, Pete, I’m so very sorry.’

  And he was. They both knew the truth of that.

  Epilogue

  She got a compact mirror

  Stole it off her mother

  She got her daddy’s overnight travelling bag

  Always been told ‘If you wanna leave home, honey,

  You ain’t ever, ever welcome back’

  And now she’s down at the station, baby in her belly

  Alabama 3, ‘How Can I Protect You’

  Album: Outlaw, 2005

  Woke up this morning

  Got herself a gun

  Mama always said you’d be,

  The Chosen One

  You’re one in a million,

  You’ve got to burn to shine . . .

  Born under a bad sign

  With a blue moon in your eyes . . .

  Martina Cole & Larry Love, George & Dragon pub,

  July 2012 (Lyrics changed to fit with the book!)

  Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine

  2000

  ‘He’ll be all right with me. I ain’t in me dotage yet, for feck’s sake!’

  Tania laughed; her nana was a real hardcase at times. ‘Imelda will be here soon. He’s staying the night at hers, but I need to get into work early – my dad’s expecting me.’

  Theresa picked up her great-grandson; he was a beautiful child, and the apple of everyone’s eye, including her youngest son. Daniel took far more notice of this child than he had ever taken of his own squad that was for sure. Tania had named him Daniel – that would have pleased her mother. Lena, God rest her, would have adored him.

  Theresa had been worried for a while that the child’s looks might give away his parentage, but he was blond and blue-eyed. All he had of his father was his build. At two, he was tall for his age and strong as an ox. He was already very independent, and whatever he decided he wanted he went after with a tenacity that belied his age.

  Tania had certainly grown into herself; since the baby arrived she had become a very beautiful woman. She worked in the family business now; Daniel had taken her under his wing and he had been pleasantly surprised at how quickly she had adapted to her new role in the Life. She was his right-hand girl, and she seemed to be enjoying it. She still lived at home with her dad, and Theresa knew that Daniel couldn’t imagine his life any other way now. He needed this girl and her son – they wer
e what kept him sane. He still missed Lena so badly it was painful to witness.

  Tania kissed her little boy, and he hugged her tightly. ‘You be good now.’ She kissed her nana on her wrinkled cheek and said lightly, ‘Thanks, Nana, I’ll see you tomorrow.’

  Theresa grabbed her arm; she was smiling as she said smugly, ‘Before you go, lady, how’s things going with your fella? I like him, and I think we can safely say that he likes you! Your dad thinks the sun shines out of his arse. You do realise that, I hope.’

  Tania could feel herself blushing now. ‘We’re OK, Nana. It’s still early days.’

  Theresa looked at the girl she loved like her own child, and she said softly, ‘If you want my advice, Tania, grab happiness every chance you get. Life is so fucking short, girl.’

  Tania smiled happily. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, OK?’

  As she left the house, Tania felt a wave of contentment wash over her; she was finally living her life, and she was enjoying it. After the last few years, she had not believed that she would ever feel like this. She was happy, really happy, and it felt so good.

  Chapter One Hundred and Fifty

  Imelda was running late to pick up little Daniel; he was staying with her tonight and she was looking forward to it – he was the apple of her eye and she loved looking after him when Tania was working.

  She scanned the ledger before her; as she expertly tallied up the different columns, it was clear that the Baileys were earning far more than ever before. As a cash business, they still did everything important by hand; all the money was still accounted for in old-fashioned ledgers. This was the era of software, yet her family still insisted on doing it the old way. Only the taxable incomes were put on to the computers. She realised they were probably right, and she actually enjoyed doing it; there was something very calming about numbers and working them out. Imelda prided herself on keeping the books she dealt with neat and tidy. It was soothing to see the lines of figures – they made sense, they could be resolved. Being so close to the money in this way made you far more aware of it, and where it was going. She was good at it, and she knew that.