Top Dog Page 19

  Danny stood up and walked across to the window, turning his back on his friend. “We were kids. We didn’t know what we were doing.”

  “Yes, we did, Danny,” Moray’s voice was low. “We did it to save our own arses.” He stabbed his finger forward. “And you fucking know we did.”

  Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Danny shook his head. “Enough. I can’t think about all of that now. It’s in the past. We buried it a long time ago, and that’s exactly where it should stay, in the past.”

  “The thing is, though, it’s not going to stay in the past, is it? He’s going to come back and haunt us one day.”

  Danny remained silent. He knew, deep down in his heart, that Moray was right, he just didn’t want to admit it to himself.

  * * *

  Maxine sat perched on the edge of the bath. She glanced quickly at her watch, then looked around the bathroom, her eyes darting everywhere, other than the home pregnancy testing kit resting beside her on the sink. She couldn’t believe she was actually having to do this. Why now? she thought bitterly.

  Surely, she couldn’t be pregnant. The truth was, she just couldn’t bear the thought of bringing another child into the world, not the way her life was at the moment. She had only just escaped from Danny, and she didn’t want a further reason for him to be in her life any longer, or more than he needed to be.

  She looked down at her watch for a second time. Please, be negative, she prayed. She held her breath, then glanced across to the pregnancy test. Already, she could see the outcome, and her heart lurched. Two strong pink lines stared back at her, taunting her. The test was positive.

  Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t want this baby. She didn’t want to risk losing two children to Danny’s world. She hastily wiped her tears away. She would get rid of it, she decided. No one needed to know the baby even existed. It was certainly a lot better than the alternative.

  She stood up and slipped the test back into its box. As she made to walk out of the bathroom, she paused in front of the large mirror on the wall and studied her reflection. It was such a stark contrast to how she had felt when she’d fallen pregnant with little Danny. She could still recall how happy and excited she’d been then. She looked down at her still flat stomach, and her heart went out to her unborn child. The fact that it was unwanted, tore her apart.

  In that instant, she knew she couldn’t get rid of it. At the same time, she didn’t want Danny having any part in this baby’s life. It was bad enough that she was risking little Danny growing up as a clone of his father. No, she decided, her husband would never get his hands on this child. She didn’t quite know how she was going to pull it off, but she was already determined that she would.

  * * *

  Moray held up his hands. “Okay, we’ll dig around first and get our facts straight, before we jump to conclusions.” He could see he had unnerved Danny by dragging up the past.

  “I still think Freddie’s the one responsible for this.”

  “Time will tell, mate, and until someone talks, we’re not going to find out, are we?”

  “Yeah, I suppose so.”

  Moray couldn’t believe how calm Danny was being about the shooting. It was actually quite refreshing to see him thinking things through, rather than wanting to go out and head straight for Freddie’s jugular vein. Especially, when he was convinced Danny was putting the blame onto the wrong man. Maybe the talk he’d had with him after the incident with his wife had sunk in.

  “Any news on Maxine? Have you heard from her?” he asked, changing the subject.

  Danny sighed. “She’s letting me see little Danny for an hour today. I’ve given her three weeks to calm down, so hopefully there won’t be any more dramas.”

  Moray flashed a smile. “See, what did I tell you? Give her some space and she’ll come around.”

  “Yeah.” As much as Danny wanted to see his son, he was actually dreading seeing Maxine. He couldn’t bear to see the contempt in her eyes that she felt for him. The problem was, he still loved her, and he had a feeling he always would. “Right then, mate. I’m gonna shoot off and go and see my boy.”

  Moray stood up, shook Danny’s hand and watched him walk out of the office. “Good luck,” he shouted out after him. He watched Danny raise his hand in acknowledgment, then closed the office door and took his phone out of his trousers pocket.

  He had a contact who worked for the prison service. He needed to find out, one way or another, if the hunch he had was right. He knew if he left it to Danny, they would never find out. He had a feeling his mate was still blocking it all out, and a part of him didn’t blame the man. He only wished he could do the same.

  * * *

  Even though, deep down, it was what he’d been expecting, Moray was still shocked. He switched off his phone and dropped it onto his desk. A whole fucking year he’d been out of prison? How the fuck had they not found out before now?

  He sat down heavily and rubbed at his scar. The six-inch slash across his cheek had been the start of the whole sorry saga, and unlike Danny, each and every time he looked in the mirror, he was forced to not only remember what had happened, but also remember what they had done in the aftermath.

  Lee Hart. The name echoed around inside his mind. It had been almost eighteen years since they’d last seen him. That meant that Lee had had half a lifetime to sit brooding on what they had done to him. Moray knew if the roles were reversed, he or Danny would have plotted out their revenge. So what made Lee any different?

  Moray knew, without a doubt, if Danny had been targeted, then surely he would be next. Why would Lee stop at Danny, when they had both been involved? After all, it had been the two of them, together, who’d wronged him. They were equally to blame.

  Only Danny’s pig-headedness would stop him from seeing what was going on, right underneath their noses. He didn’t want Lee to be responsible for the shooting, that was the problem. After all these years, Danny still couldn’t face up to what they’d done. It was one of the only things Moray had ever known his mate to have a conscious over.

  Moray was concerned. He picked his phone back up. He needed an address for Lee. The three of them would have to sit down and talk the situation through, bash it out between them, if that’s what it took—maybe even let Lee throw a few punches around to get it out of his system.

  At the end of the day, they would need to suss out his intentions, and find out what his plans were. If they sat around doing nothing, then the problem wouldn’t go away by itself, and could very well end up escalating. Setting up a meeting with the man was the only viable solution to the problem. Whether they wanted to or not, they would have to front Lee out.

  He needed answers from them, an explanation for their actions, and after spending eighteen years inside for a crime he didn’t even commit, it was the very least he deserved.

  The only other alternative, was too much for Moray to even think about. Even though he knew, if needed, they would carry it through. They would have to. They both had too much to lose, not to mention, they had their own children to think about. No, if it came down to it, they would have no other choice, but to keep Lee quiet, by whichever means they could. After all, a dead man can’t talk, can he?

  In fact, killing Lee had been a part of their original plan, all those years ago. He’d known too much about what had happened that night. Lee had a big mouth, and they didn’t trust him to keep quiet, so together, they’d decided he had to go. They would need to dispose of him.

  Only at the last minute, before they’d had the chance see it through, he had grown a conscious. Somehow, and it had taken a lot of persuading, he’d managed to convince Danny to set Lee up instead. In their naivety, they’d believed, if they planted the evidence on Lee, then he would be sent down for five years, instead of the life sentence he was actually handed out.

  Now, Lee was back to haunt them. If they couldn’t keep him quiet now, then they would have no other choice, but to see the original plan through. Moray
knew he definitely wouldn’t be able to convince Danny- a second time around, not to kill the man, and if he was being totally honest, deep down in his heart, he knew he wouldn’t even try to talk his mate out of it this time.

  Looking back on it now, Danny had been right all along. They should have killed Lee from the off. As callous as it sounded, it would have been the best option. They wouldn’t have had to spend the best part of eighteen years feeling guilty for having Lee sent down for a murder they, themselves, had committed. The whole sorry situation would have been done and dusted years ago.

  * * *

  Danny was excited to see his boy. He pulled up outside his old house and climbed out of the car. If he was being honest, though, he felt more than a little bit nervous. If he was being even more truthful, he had to admit, he was terrified at the prospect of seeing Maxine.

  His wife held all of the cards where his son was concerned, and she could easily stop him from seeing their boy. At this moment in time, Maxine was probably the only person in the world who actually scared him, as daft as that may sound.

  He walked down the path, and tapped lightly on the front door. After a few moments, Maxine pulled the door open. Little Danny was nestled on her hip, and he held out his arms, as his boy gave a gummy grin and kicked his legs out excitedly.

  Taking little Danny from his wife, Danny kissed the top of his son’s head. “How’s he been?”

  “Fine.”

  He followed Maxine through to the kitchen. She was being frosty with him, and in a way, to a certain degree, he supposed he deserved it.

  “I was thinking I could take him to the park. Would you like that, eh?” he smiled down at little Danny.

  Maxine shook her head. She didn’t trust her husband to be left alone with their son. “No, Danny, you’re not leaving the house with him.”

  Danny sighed. He could see this was how things were going to be from now on. “Why not? I won’t be long.”

  “I said no.”

  “Okay, calm down. Keep your hair on, it was only a suggestion.”

  “Don’t ever tell me to calm down.” Maxine bristled at his words. “You’ve got an hour with him, and then I want you to leave.”

  Closing his eyes, Danny’s heart sank. Even though he could understand her frostiness, there was no need for her to be like this. He’d apologised over and over for what had happened at the club.

  “I know I’ve got an hour with him, Max. It’s what we agreed on.”

  Leaning against the breakfast bar, Maxine watched, as he hugged their son to his chest. He was a good father to little Danny, she couldn’t deny that, and he obviously loved their little boy.

  “He needs his lunch. He’s probably hungry. Here, take this,” she said, handing over a small Tupperware tub of pureed food she’d prepared earlier that morning. “You can feed him, if you’d like.”

  Danny took the bowl, and sat little Danny in his highchair. “When can I see him again?” he asked, as he spooned the food into his boy’s open mouth.

  Maxine passed over a wet wipe, to mop around little Danny’s lips. “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it, and then let you know.” It was the only answer she could give him. She hadn’t thought through what would happen after today.

  He walked across the kitchen. “Well, we need a routine, don’t we?” he asked, trying to be as civil as he possibly could. He was about to drop the wet wipe into the chrome coloured pedal bin, when he paused. Something had caught his eye. “What’s this?” he asked, scooping down to pick up the pregnancy test box.

  Rushing across the kitchen, Maxine’s cheeks were flushed pink. How could she have been so careless? “Give it to me,” she demanded.

  Danny held her off. “What the fuck, Max? Are you pregnant?”

  “Give me it, Danny.”

  Glancing across to his wife, Danny tipped out the contents of the box. He picked up the testing wand and turned it over in his hand. Immediately, he could see the test result, and his heart leapt. He was going to become a father for the second time. A wide smile spread across his face. “When were you going to tell me about this?”

  “It’s not yours.” In a panic, the words tumbled out of Maxine’s mouth, before she’d even realised what she was saying, or had the time to think the situation through.

  The smile froze across his face, and he stared at her. “What the fuck do you mean, it’s not mine? Of course it is.” How could it not be his baby?

  Maxine shook her head. She didn’t know how she was going to get out of this one. “No, no it’s not.” It was the only thing she could think of replying. The lie was already out there, and seeing as she didn’t want him involved, there was no point backtracking.

  Danny couldn’t get his head around what she was saying. Of course the baby was his. Why was she even saying it wasn’t? “What are you talking about, Max? Of course it’s my baby, look,” he nodded his head down at the wand. “It’s positive, you’re pregnant,” he said stating the obvious. He stood waiting for her to explain herself, genuinely puzzled.

  Maxine snatched the wand out of his hand. “I said, it’s not yours.”

  As if a lightbulb had gone off in his mind, Danny stared hard at her hard. His eyes flashed dangerously. He got it now. Everything had fallen into place. No wonder she was being so frosty toward him. She’d obviously dropped her knickers for another man. “Not that fucking prick from the club? Please, tell me you didn’t, Max?”

  Swallowing deeply, Maxine remained silent. She hadn’t even heard from Steve since she and Jacqueline had said goodbye to him outside the hospital. Somewhere in her handbag, she had his telephone number. It hadn’t even crossed her mind to give him a call.

  “Well, answer me then, is it his?”

  She nodded her head and bit down on her lip. “Yes.” She didn’t know what else to say.

  Completely lost for words, Danny felt his heart sink. He’d been well and truly mugged off. He would batter the no good bastard for this, if he ever got his hands on him. He’d warned the prick to stay away from his wife. They’d made him look like a complete and utter muppet, and he could just imagine the two of them having a good laugh at his expense.

  Despite his fury, outwardly, Danny remained calm. He couldn’t, for the life of him, believe that this was actually happening. He watched, as Maxine threw the wand into the bin, and he battled to keep his temper under control. Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, he continued watching her every move through narrowed eyes.

  “Well, how do you even know it’s not mine?” he demanded. He knew he was clutching at straws, but they’d only been separated a month. Surely she couldn’t know for certain if it was or wasn’t his baby.

  Despite everything, he would be willing to forgive her, if she was carrying his child. He would have no other choice, but to accept that she’d slept with another man, and to put it down as a silly drunken mistake.

  Thinking fast, Maxine stumbled on her words. She was sure Danny would be able to tell she was lying. “The dates don’t add up. I’ve double checked them, and it’s not your baby.”

  Danny rubbed his hand across the nape of his neck. He felt as though she’d taken his heart out of his chest, and stamped all over it. He could feel a hard lump form inside his throat, and he quickly swallowed it down. He was devastated.

  “I see,” was all he could manage to utter. She’d hurt him, in more ways than she could ever imagine. His Max was carrying another man’s child. He couldn’t get his head around it. Why would she even do this to him? He kissed little Danny goodbye, then walked across the kitchen to the door.

  Without even looking at his wife, he spoke. “I have to go,” he said, pausing beside the open doorway. He didn’t wait around to hear her response. He didn’t trust himself to stay around her for a minute longer.

  * * *

  Lee Hart had aged considerably over the years. Prison hadn’t been kind to him. He bent over the snooker table to take a shot, the cue stick resting between his thumb and f
orefinger. His blonde hair was now receding and beginning to thin. He looked much older than his thirty-six years. He potted the ball, then straightened up and nodded his head at the man walking toward him.

  “Freddie,” he said, in a greeting.

  Freddie shook Lee’s hand. Seeing Lee now, with a cue stick in his hand, reminded him instantly of Lewis. They were like two peas in a pod. Lee definitely wouldn’t have been able to get away with saying Lewis wasn’t his son. The similarities were plain for everyone to see. It was just a shame Lee hadn’t had the chance to get to know his boy. Maybe if he had, then Lewis would still be alive.

  Like Lewis, Lee had been one of Freddie’s boys. Talk about like father like son. The only difference being, Lee had a vicious streak inside of him. He supposed prison did that to a man, and after spending eighteen years banged up at Her Majesty’s pleasure, he was bound to have a lot of pent up anger inside of him.

  Lee downed his lager. “I’ll have the same again, Freddie,” he said, tipping his glass toward the older man.

  Freddie swallowed down the irritation. He was no lackey. “Get Lee a lager and get me a double scotch,” he ordered Matty, passing across a twenty-pound note.

  “You’ve got him well trained, haven’t you?” Lee asked, throwing Freddie a sly look. “Was my Lewis as good as him?”

  Freddie didn’t bother to answer. Lee was pissed. It was the only time he ever mentioned his son. Either that, or was he was after something from him.

  Taking his lager from Matty, Lee drank deeply, his beady eyes watching Freddie over the rim of his glass. “So, when are we having another one of your parties?”