The Life Page 8

  That cut no fucking ice with him. It might with his brother; Peter was in awe of these old boys, listened to their stories of days gone by, laughed in all the right places, talked to them as if they were fucking oracles or suchlike. Peter treated them with kid gloves, as if they were important, as if they were celebrities or something. Well, Peter was soft, and Daniel was done with listening to him.

  Taking his leg back, he kicked the man with every ounce of strength that he had left. He saw Lenny’s body rise up off the cement floor, and knew that it had to hurt.

  Daniel also knew that Peter was going to hit the fucking roof when he found out about this latest debacle.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Theresa Bailey looked down at her little granddaughter and secretly marvelled at the child’s likeness to her. Theresa was the image of her own mother, and little Tania was the living image of her. It was amazing really how seeing yourself in your children or your grandchildren made you aware of your own roots, brought to mind people, and events, that you had not thought about for years. Tania had done that to her. She felt the rejection of her family all over again, as if it was new, had just happened. She saw her sister’s face clearly, the shock and disgust when she saw that Peter was black. Theresa smiled sadly to herself as she remembered.

  ‘You know, Lena, this little girl is my mother’s double. It’s uncanny. But I suppose that’s the circle of life. Anyway, this little one is the last we’ll see from either of those boys of mine. Imelda will produce now. She’s sensible that one, she’ll have them in her own time. Sure, girls are lucky as shite these days; they can control everything if they use their noggins.’

  Lena laughed out loud. ‘I suppose so. But then again is there ever a right time to have a baby? All this planning and deciding when you will have one! It seems to me as if they are trying to fit childbirth into their lives, but they are still completely unaware of just how powerful having a child actually is. They spend so much time planning everything, they don’t allow for just how fucking intrusive a baby can be. Kids are like a bomb going off in your life. They are all different, with different personalities, and you can’t plan for that. You have to just go along with them when they arrive.’

  Theresa laughed with her daughter-in-law. She was so glad to see her happy at last. She knew these past months had been a nightmare, with all the worry about Daniel. That eejit of a son of hers! He’d shamed her more than anything in her entire life. Her boys had worked so hard for so long to get where they were, and Daniel had crumbled under the pressure within weeks.

  He’d always had a temper, an irrational streak, even as a child. But he was her son and she loved him. It was seeing him weak, dependent on alcohol, using drugs, which she could not, for the life of her, understand. He had left this woman basically all alone after she’d given him a child, and Lena had never once brought him to task. The foolish bitch! Theresa would have felt happier if Lena had torn him out a second arse, that she would have applauded. But her acceptance of his behaviour, her complete and utter refusal to even acknowledge it, she could not fathom. Daniel had left her to mind the child, mind the house, the boys. His needs were, as usual, of paramount importance, and Lena had just rolled over for him.

  She was, all in all, very fond of her daughters-in-law. Theresa felt blessed that her sons had each found wonderful women, decent women – who were, in reality, far too good for the men they had chosen. Not that she would ever say that out loud, of course. Consequently, she was finding it very hard to forgive her Daniel his treatment of Lena. In fact, she found herself biting her tongue not only with him, but with Lena too. She wanted to shake her so hard she had to physically restrain herself at times. She never interfered with the boys’ private lives; if the girls came to her with a problem, she tried her hardest to be fair. She was amazed that, more often than not, she found herself coming down on the girls’ side. She loved her sons, but she was not blind to their failings. If she had one criticism of Lena it was that she acted as if nothing was amiss. Theresa, ever the realist, found this was driving her demented. But saying it out loud was tantamount to criticism, which couldn’t be tolerated.

  ‘There is never a right time for having children, you’re right there, Lena. Look at me, I had two men in my life and, through them, two children. If I had stayed in Ireland, I would probably be married now, a respectable married woman, and surrounded by an army of fecking children. I’d look years older than I am, would have lost all me teeth before I was thirty, and would live my life by the church bells, say the rosary every night, and thank God every day for the life I was living. Instead I came over here, got into trouble – as they called it in them days – and now I have a great life, sure Jaysus, out and about, and still able to enjoy meself.’

  Lena laughed again. ‘You’re still gorgeous, even at your age now.’ She’d always envied her mother-in-law’s bright sovereign-coloured hair and porcelain skin.

  Theresa smiled. ‘This girl here is gorgeous. I swear I have never seen a child so contented. But don’t say that to Ria – Imelda was a fecker of a baby. She cried for the first two years of her life – miserable as fecking sin she was.’

  Lena grinned. ‘I remember. She screamed if anyone even looked at her. I hope little Tania will have a happy life – I really want her to be somebody, you know? I want her to follow her star. I don’t want her to be a part of this life, not when she grows up. I want her to be outside all this. Imelda’s just married her father – or as good as – she is one of us now, and I’m not putting her down, but I want this little one to be able to choose what she wants from this life.’

  Theresa nodded sadly. ‘That’s exactly what I want for her as well. For all the lads’ hard work, and as far as they have come, I don’t think they are any happier. They thought it was the Holy Grail, that getting to the top would miraculously make them happy. If only life was that easy.’

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‘Daniel, talk to me. Are you sure you’re all right?’

  Daniel Bailey sighed heavily. His blue eyes were tired-looking, and his mouth was set in a grim line. He had just arrived at their new offices in East London. He poured himself a coffee and sipped it carefully; last time he’d nearly welded his lips together it had been so hot.

  When he was finally settled he turned to the question in hand. In his most aggrieved voice he said plaintively, ‘For fuck’s sake, Pete, what do you want from me? What can I do to make you feel better, eh? I’m tired, I admit that. But I have been out on the earn. You know – taking care of business?’

  Peter Bailey could feel the anger boiling up inside him. ‘Is that what you call it, Dan? Beaten up any more old men recently?’ Peter was still fuming at Daniel’s vicious attack on Lenny Jones, a man who he had been friends with for years, who had never given either of them anything other than his loyalty and respect. A man who was now half crippled, and unable to button up his own shirt. A man who, thanks to his brother, had nearly been the cause of a fucking war, whose friends had seen to it that he, Peter, had been held responsible for making sure this brother of his not only apologised, but saw to it that Lenny was given the best treatment available. Peter had done this without a second’s thought; he would have insisted on that anyway. The upside was that Daniel had understood – finally – that his actions had consequences.

  It had been a learning curve for Daniel. He could see now just how fucking precarious his position actually was – especially when you offended just about everyone within a fifty-mile radius. It had taken all that before Daniel had understood just how much damage he had done to their reputations with his arrogance and his temper. He had taken out Lenny Jones on a whim, and look what had happened.

  No matter how hard you were, no matter how high you might have risen, without the goodwill of the people on your manor, you had nothing of any worth. Oh, the Baileys were still up there, still on top but, thanks to Daniel, they now had to claw back not only the trust, but also the respect, of the people they dealt
with on a daily basis – the people who should have been their allies from the off.

  Peter was all right; he had been assured of his place in the world. It was Daniel who needed to swallow, who needed to show willing. But as his brother and his partner, Peter was under no illusions that until Daniel proved himself they would both be suspect. If any other firm decided to push for the top right now, Peter knew that there would not be too many people rooting for the Baileys. Daniel had seen to that.

  Daniel allowed his brother that remark. He understood that he needed to keep his head down and regain his footing with not only his brother, but the whole of East London. He had shown his hand too soon; he should have waited a while, allowed them to get deeply rooted before he started paying back old scores. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t gathering new ones; he would pay back every one of the fuckers who had questioned his actions and seen Peter as the man in charge of everything, the man who could rein Daniel in.

  They were supposed to be the fucking new kings, for Christ’s sake – both of them. And they were not supposed to be questioned about anything. But East London was only available for rent – provided the people renting it were seen as acceptable and did not step out of line.

  Peter had understood that from the off, whereas Daniel had not cared one way or the other. He had been forced to swallow his knob now, and he had done it because he knew that if he had refused, his days would have been numbered. He’d had no other choice, but it would never be the same for him now – no matter what he achieved in the future, people would always remember his failures, would repeat this story behind their hands.

  The worst thing of all for Daniel was that his brother had no real time for him any more. Peter saw him as a burden these days. He was too loyal to aim him out of it completely, and had stood beside him when other men would have walked away. Peter had guaranteed his safety when more than one man had been baying for his blood over Lenny Jones. Peter had smoothed all that over, and let it be known, on the quiet, of course, that if anyone went near his brother he would feel within his rights to distribute his own revenge. Seeing just how well respected and how well liked Peter was had been the hardest blow for Daniel. Peter’s reputation for settling his scores quietly, with the minimum of fuss but the maximum of violence had given him a certain mystique. Peter’s secrecy made him an enigma. And that gave him an aura of power which Daniel did not share.

  Daniel had thrown away his chance to shine, had brought about his own demise and he knew it. He hated that he was now seen as less than his brother. He was the man who had crippled Lenny Jones for no real reason. Lenny Jones, who had had more creds than him, had been the cause of his downfall. Lenny Jones, it seemed, had, inadvertently, been Daniel’s nemesis.

  Peter Bailey, his own brother, suddenly seemed like a stranger to him. Daniel watched him as he stalked around the office, wishing with all his heart that they did not have this wedge between them. But he had caused this rift, and he hated that the longer it went on, the more he resented this man and everything he stood for.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Davey held his little sister in his arms, laughing at her as she attempted to grab his hair. He never ceased to be amazed how much he loved her. He loved his mum, he loved his nana – they were very important to him – and he loved his brothers and cousins, but Tania seemed to evoke feelings that were even stronger. She smiled up into his eyes, and he felt his heart melt with an overwhelming love. He wondered if it was because he had seen her born, although when he thought about that it made him feel ill. He had never felt right about that; his mother was a diamond, but he had seen a bit too much of her for his own good that night.

  Whatever the reason, Davey knew that, out of the boys, he had a special bond with Tania. They all loved her, but it was a haphazard affection, just because she was there. Now she was starting to become a little person, and Davey knew he was already wrapped round her little finger.

  Lena watched her big, handsome son holding his sister and she smiled happily. Davey adored the child, he was a good lad and he’d grown up a lot since Tania’s birth. She liked to see them together – the other boys were not as enamoured with their little sister, they just accepted her as part of the family. To them Tania would only ever be someone they felt the need to protect; none of them would ever really know the girl. Except Davey, of course – he already knew her, already understood her, in fact.

  ‘She loves you, Davey.’

  He smiled. ‘Why wouldn’t she, Mum? She knows I’d do anything for her.’

  Lena laughed. As she poured out the tea she heard the back door open and, smiling widely, she said loudly, ‘Might have known you’d smell a cuppa, Delroy. I’m sure you can hear a kettle boil from fifty paces!’

  Delroy grinned. He looked like a young Harry Belafonte when he smiled, and his grin had got him out of many a scrape through his life. He did not underestimate its power. ‘I do love a cuppa – you know that, Mrs Bailey, never refuse one!’

  He was telling the truth; Delroy Parkes loved a cup of tea. Even in his youth, when he had been arrested then released, he wouldn’t leave the police station if a cup of tea was in the offing. He enjoyed his tea more than anything else in the world. He drank, but not as much as people would think; in reality, he could quite happily be teetotal. He drank to be sociable, that was all.

  As he sipped his tea, he looked down at the little girl in Davey’s arms and marvelled at just how beautiful she was. He was not a baby person, but no one could deny the attraction of this little girl; she was like a fucking poster baby for health and beauty. The Pears’ baby looked like a fucking freak in comparison! She had such a good nature too – all that combined made her a special little kid. She held her arms out for a cuddle and he took her without hesitating. She snuggled into him, and he marvelled at how comfortable she was with everyone who came into her orbit.

  ‘Hello, you!’

  She was laughing at him, and he liked that she was happy in his arms, that she trusted him, felt safe. He turned to Davey. ‘You ready for the off?’ Daniel and Peter wanted to start getting the older boys involved in the day-to-day running of the business, and Delroy was helping to show them the ropes.

  ‘Sure, Del.’ Davey was all eagerness. ‘I’ll get me coat.’

  Davey left the room and Lena said quietly, ‘How is everything, Delroy? Are Peter and Daniel all right?’ She was smiling but he could see the tension in her face. He knew she asked him the questions she couldn’t ask her husband or any of her family, even Ria. She couldn’t ask anyone else because it would be tantamount to treason as far as she was concerned. She would never betray her husband, never make him feel she was checking up on him. If she questioned him or his actions he would never forgive her. Their whole world had turned their backs on him, and this woman knew that her husband had overstepped the mark, had somehow fucked up big time. She also knew that as long as he thought she was ignorant of that fact, Daniel could look her in the eye. Delroy really respected Mrs Bailey for her loyalty, even though he believed it was misplaced.

  ‘Yeah, they’re cool, Mrs Bailey.’ He hated lying to her but what could he do? He couldn’t tell her the truth, he couldn’t tell her that her husband was a fucking imbecile who had nearly caused the early demise of not only himself, but his own brother. He could not tell her that her husband was right now one of the most hated men to ever walk the streets of London Town. She had to be aware of it anyway; after all, it wasn’t like it was a big secret or anything.

  Davey came back into the kitchen putting on his leather jacket and Delroy breathed a sigh of relief. He passed the baby to her mother and, gulping the last of his tea, he was happy to finally leave the house.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ria was thrilled. Her daughter was finally pregnant, and she was so pleased for her. If ever a girl needed a child in her arms it was her Imelda. She needed more in her life than her husband, who she loved with a passion so intense it was a wonder it didn’t burn them both u
p.

  Ria was heart-sorry for her at times. Imelda’s feelings for Delroy were not healthy; she was consumed by him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Ria could almost smell the fear that he would leave her. It was hard for Delroy because she knew he loved this girl of hers, but Imelda could not bring herself to believe it. For the life of her, Ria could not understand why.

  Imelda had been given every chance in life – she had been brought up to believe she was loved and cherished, not just by Ria and Peter, but by her brothers too. Imelda had been literally worshipped from the moment she had entered this world. So why, Ria asked herself on a daily basis, did her daughter have no confidence in herself at all?

  ‘You’ll be a great mum, Imelda. You can’t even imagine what it’s like to grow a child inside you and then bring it into the world. From the second you feel it stir inside your belly, and feel the strength of it, you change. Suddenly no one else in the world can ever replace that child in your affections. It’s like you suddenly understand what this life is really about.’

  Imelda smiled, but she had the feeling that her mother was warning her about something, and she didn’t like it. She put her hand instinctively on to her belly, and wondered what the child she held within her would bring into her life. Until now she had seen it simply as the glue that would keep Delroy by her side, his own flesh and blood, his own kin. She realised that she had not once thought of the baby as hers too, only as an extension of her husband, and an invisible tie between them. Now, though, the enormity of what was happening hit her; she was going to produce a real live human being, who was going to need her for the rest of its life. And she knew that she would need it too.