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  “I’m glad I caught you. These need signing,” he said, pushing paperwork across the desk.

  “What are they?”

  “It’s the forms from the solicitors for this place. All I need, is your autograph, and it should be ours, as soon as the brief has pushed your divorce through.”

  “I’m surprised you still want me as your partner,” Danny grinned sheepishly. “I’ve not exactly been easy to be around of late. I’m sorry, mate, truly, I am. I shouldn’t have took it out on you this morning. I was bang out of order.”

  Laughing, Moray, shook his head. “I’ve known you since we were fifteen, you tosser. I think I know what I’m getting myself involved with. And yeah, you are a loose cannon, and some days, I don’t think you’re quite right up here,” he said, pointing to his temple. “But I’m pretty certain I can handle you, so sign the bloody paperwork.”

  Danny burst out laughing. Moray certainly had a way with words. He quickly signed the forms, then handed them back.

  “That’s it now. You’ve signed your life away,” Moray grinned. “And trust me, you won’t regret it.”

  Danny smiled. He knew he wouldn’t regret it. This was exactly what he needed, to take his mind off of everything else that was going on in his life.

  * * *

  Maxine was panicking. She tapped Steve’s number into her mobile phone, but her finger hovered over the dial button. She’d told Danny such a huge lie about him not being the baby’s father. And now, she was about to tell a second lie. She felt disgusted with herself for what she was about to do, but her baby needed a father, she argued.

  She wished she could blame it on her hormones, but she knew that wasn’t true. She was obviously a spiteful, deceitful, cruel, wicked woman. She was planning on tricking another man into getting her pregnant. The only problem being, she was already at least five weeks pregnant.

  She’d planned it all out in her mind. She was going to sleep with Steve, and hey, presto, as if by magic, a few weeks later, she would tell him she was pregnant. Obviously, the baby would then be born prematurely.

  Feeling sick with nerves, she hesitated, as her finger paused over the dial button. What if the baby looked like Danny, though? Little Danny was the spit of his daddy, so chances are this baby would, too.

  She didn’t know what to do now. Maybe she should come clean to Danny, tell him she’d panicked and lied about the baby being someone else’s. What a mess she’d gotten herself into. She could really do with a large glass of wine right now, to calm her nerves.

  Recalling the look on Danny’s face when she’d told him the baby wasn’t his, was enough to make her want to cry. He’d looked not only heartbroken, but also devastated. She swiped the image of her husband from her mind. She was doing the right thing, and she had to keep reminding herself that. She was giving this baby the chance of a normal life, with normal parents.

  Pushing her finger down on the dial button, she held the phone to her ear, and waited patiently for it to be answered. “Hi Steve, it’s Maxine. I was wondering if you fancied going for a drink?” she smiled, forcing herself to sound a lot happier than she actually felt.

  Once she’d ended the phone call, Maxine crumpled. Tears fell from her eyes, until she was sobbing into her hands. She didn’t think she would ever be able to forgive herself for what she was doing.

  * * *

  Big Tone had been in the game a long time. Not much got past him, without him noticing first. He was stood outside the doors of the Earl of Essex Public House, on Romford Road, in Manor Park, East London. Not many people tried anything on with him. He looked handy, his cropped hair giving him a thuggish appearance. Most of the punters steered clear, not wanting to mess with him, and that suited Big Tone down to the ground. His heavy frame was intimidating, and on more than one occasion, he’d heard people whisper, “Look at the size of him. You wouldn’t want to meet him down a dark alley,” or, “I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him.”

  Of course, he could look after himself, if need be. He wouldn’t have lasted all these years, if he couldn’t. Right now, he had his eye on a man who he’d let into the pub over an hour ago. Every instinct had told him to watch the bloke. He couldn’t exactly put his finger on the reason why. Maybe he just had one of those faces.

  Speaking into his earpiece, he told Lloydy to change positions with him. He had a feeling the geezer was dealing. He had to be. From his position at the door, Big Tone had seen so many people approach him, that it was blatantly obvious he was up to no good.

  Quickly switching places with Lloydy, he came to stand just ten feet away from the man, so he could keep a closer eye on what he was up to. Freddie had allowed dealing when he ran the doors, taking a cut from the profit. More often than not, they were instructed to turn a blind eye, as long as the dealer passed over the cash at the end of the night, then everyone was happy.

  Under Moray Garner, dealing was forbidden. He wanted to run a legit business, and it was more than Big Tone’s job was worth, to turn a blind eye now. Not to mention, he didn’t want Danny or Moray coming down on him like a ton of bricks.

  He continued watching the man. He couldn’t believe how bait he was. Every instinct he had, told him something wasn’t right about the situation. Unless they’d had prior permission, he’d never known a dealer to be so open about what they were doing before.

  Grabbing the man by the collar, Big Tone hurled him toward the door. “That’s it, you’re fucking out.”

  The man protested, as he was being dragged outside. “What have I done wrong?” he shouted. His irate screams caused customers to turn and look.

  Big Tone ignored him. Seeing the commotion, Lloydy ran inside to help drag the man outside. “Get back,” Big Tone shouted out. He had a bad feeling this was an attempted takeover. He’d seen it once before—distract the doormen, and then bang them out, while they were preoccupied.

  Once out on the street, the man ran as if his life depended on it. As Big Tone had predicted, four men walked toward the pub. He and Lloydy may have been outnumbered, but they were prepared. The takeover had been foiled. It was a poor attempt, thanks to Big Tone’s eager eyes.

  Seeing the men off, Big Tone blew out his cheeks, the exertion causing him to breath heavily. He really needed to go on a diet and lose some weight, he decided.

  “Keep an eye out,” he instructed Lloydy, once he’d got his breath back. “I’ll get on the blower to Danny.”

  * * *

  Speeding down Romford Road, Danny brought the car to a screeching halt outside the pub. He jumped out of the motor and strode purposely toward Big Tone, his fists balled at his sides.

  “Who the fuck was it?” he demanded.

  “The fucking Greeks, mate.”

  Danny was momentarily taken aback. He was certain the big man was going to say Freddie. He narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure it was the Greeks, not one of Freddie’s lot?”

  “I’m positive. If it was one of Freddie’s lot, I would have recognised them from the off. These were definitely Greek.”

  Immediately, Danny recalled his previous conversation with Moray. He just couldn’t understand why the Greeks would want to cause trouble now. He’d been convinced the issue had been about Freddie, and not the actual doors themselves. It was a startling revelation. He couldn’t help but think of Lee Hart—the two went hand in hand, after all.

  “Keep your eyes peeled,” he said, as he made his way back toward his car. “And call me, immediately, if anything else happens.”

  “Will do, Danny.”

  Starting the ignition, Danny decided to drive around to the remaining clubs and pubs, before going back to Moray and telling him the score. Something seemed off about all of this. Why would they half-heartedly attempt to take over the doors. Why not just go all out and take them, like he and Moray had done? No, something just didn’t sit right about any of this. It made no sense to him, and that was the problem.

  * * *

  George chuckled to himse
lf. Alexandros may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer, but at times, he came up with some good plans. He had to agree that his brother’s plan for taking the doors was good this time around. In fact, it was pretty much fool-proof.

  They were planning to have a few half-hearted attempts at taking the doors over, just enough to make their presence known to the men working them. They would rattle a few cages, put them on edge, so to speak, before they went out, all guns blazing, in attack mode.

  Unlike the previous attempts, this time, they really would take over, and just like all the other times, McKay and Garner would believe, wrongly, that they could maintain their stronghold. In other words, they were luring them into a false sense of security. The plan was genius, and was exactly what they all needed to pick them up after Nico’s funeral.

  Poor Nico. He still hadn’t come to terms with what had happened to his favourite nephew. As he watched Nico’s coffin being carried into the church, he’d had to bury his anger deep inside. They couldn’t even have his body on display, as was their custom, because his death had been that horrific.

  He still believed Freddie was responsible for the murder, even though he had no proof. Nonetheless, he blamed him for the deaths of two of his family members. The first had been his brother, by that murdering scumbag, Hart, who’d worked for Freddie Smith.

  They would find the bastard, eventually. He’d promised his brother’s widow and son of that, and when they did, they would leave his gutted body swinging on a meat hook to rot, just like Adam Senior’s body had been left, rotting away, for days on end. He’d had so many maggots crawling all over him, eating away at his flesh, that the police couldn’t even tell if he was a human being or an animal at first.

  George swallowed down the hatred he felt for Smith and his firm. He knew the day for revenge was fast approaching. He could feel it in his bones.

  * * *

  “Do fucking what? Why the fuck didn’t you tell me he was out?”

  Moray raised his eyebrows. Was Danny seriously asking him that question, after his escapades just that morning? “It wasn’t the right time, mate, and I know you don’t like dragging up the past, where Lee is concerned. But all of this that’s going on with the Greeks, there’s got to be a connection. There has to be. None of it makes sense. My main concern is the truth coming out. That’s why we have to speak to Lee. We’ve got to keep him quiet.”

  “Well, where the fuck is he? Have you seen him?”

  “Of course I haven’t seen him. What do you take me for? But we do need to speak to him at some point in the very near future, and let’s face it, the sooner the better.”

  “Well, first thing’s first. We need to locate him.”

  Locating Lee was turning out to be a lot harder than Moray had anticipated. “I spoke to Jonny Carter. He’s gonna keep an eye out for him.”

  “Jonny Carter, as in Tommy Carter’s younger brother? What the fuck did you go to that ponce for? I’ve had nothing but agg from that little prick, and believe me, he’s lucky I haven’t caught up with him yet.”

  Moray held up his hand. “The reason I went to him is, between the Carter brothers, they know most of what goes on around here, and I’m guessing someone would have mentioned Lee Hart was out and about to them.”

  “Well, does he know where he is then?”

  “Not as yet. I’m still waiting to hear.”

  Danny began to laugh. “If Carter finds out we’re working together, you’re gonna have a long wait hearing back from him. Trust me.”

  Moray didn’t doubt that for a second. In fact, Danny’s name had been one of the first things Jonny had mentioned, when he’d called him up. “Thing is, I sort of told Jonny I’d smooth things over between the two of yous.”

  “You did fucking what? No way. That bastard tried tucking me up, not once, but twice. I’m not letting him get away with it.”

  He’d had a feeling Danny would say this, and Moray was prepared. “If Carter tells us where Lee Hart is shacked up, then in the grand scheme of things, we’ve had a result, mate.”

  Danny tilted his head to the side, as he thought it through. In a way, Moray was right, and Tommy Carter had tried to make amends for his brother’s wrong doings on more than one occasion. “All right, I’ll do you a deal, as long as I don’t have to come into contact with the slimy little bastard, then use him to get what you need. But you tell him from me, I’m still gunning for him.”

  Moray smiled now. They both knew that he would say nothing, until he’d learnt Lee’s whereabouts. “It’s a deal.”

  * * *

  Jonny Carter had a finger in a lot of pies. You name it, he was involved in it, or knew someone who was, much to his elder brother’s chagrin. After a hard days graft, he was stood in the snooker hall, enjoying a well-deserved pint.

  He’d spotted Lee Hart, as soon as he’d walked in through the doors. He didn’t know him well, admittedly, being that much younger than the man, but he knew who he was, all right. Everyone in the club did, and as a result, they gave him a wide berth.

  After spending eighteen years inside for murder, naturally, most people were wary of Lee, and would whisper about the atrocious crime he’d committed. The severity of the murder went down in folklore, giving Lee a huge amount of kudos. The truth was, people were just scared of Lee dishing out the same treatment to them. After all, he’d done it once. What was stopping him from doing it a second time?

  Downing his pint, Jonny placed the empty glass down onto the bar, then walked outside. He took his mobile phone out of his pocket and dialled Moray Garner’s phone number. He just hoped Moray had had a chance to speak to Danny first. He didn’t fancy him breathing down his neck, and all. He was already getting it in the neck from his brothers over trying to rip the man off.

  “You never fucking learn, do you?” his eldest brother, Tommy, had bellowed at him after his latest escapades. Tommy was right. In all fairness, though, he didn’t have to learn. He’d always had his big bothers to bail him out.

  * * *

  Grinning from ear to ear, Moray switched off his phone. “See, what did I tell you? Jonny Carter came through with the goods.”

  “Where is he?”

  Moray stood up, grabbing his jacket as he did so. “In the snooker hall down the road. The cunt’s been under our noses this whole fucking time.”

  The two men bolted out of the office. “Just remember to go easy on him,” Moray reminded Danny. “This was all our fault to begin with.”

  “What do you fucking take me for?” Danny answered, his voice low. “We’re just gonna have a nice, quiet, friendly chat with him, that’s all.”

  “Well, make sure it is friendly.” He knew what Danny was like. It didn’t take much to push his buttons, and what with the mood he’d been in lately, he didn’t fancy Lee’s chances, should he start getting lairy.

  * * *

  Pulling up outside the snooker hall, Danny and Moray jumped out of the car. Spotting them, Jonny Carter took a step backwards. He was wary of being anywhere near Danny McKay, without having his elder brothers around to back him up.

  “Is he still inside?”

  “Yeah, he’s still in there.” Jonny nodded his head.

  “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, either. Pay up what you owe me, otherwise, my fist will end up sending you for a kip,” Danny growled.

  He stabbed his finger toward Jonny, and meant every word. Being a Carter wasn’t going to save him this time. It was only the fact that he had bigger fish to fry, that he was giving the younger man a swerve, for the time being.

  “Right,” Moray said, as he peered through the doors leading to the club. “Let’s get this over and done with.”

  * * *

  Lee Hart felt the colour drain from his face. Despite his big, “I am” attitude in front of Freddie, he was nothing but a coward, and seeing the two men striding toward him, he felt his insides instantly turn to mush. They were a lot bigger than the last time he’d seen them. Back th
en, they’d only been kids. Now, they were men.

  “Lee, long time,” Danny said. “We wanna have a quick word with you. Come out to the motor.”

  Lee shook his head. “Nah, you’re all right. I’ll stay in here, thanks.”

  “Wrong answer. Move your fucking arse out to the car, now, before I end up dragging you out.”

  “We just want a quiet word, that’s all,” Moray interrupted, changing tact. Danny had never had much patience, and he could see this going tits up if they weren’t careful.

  Looking around him, Lee had no choice but to go outside with them. He didn’t want to lose face, especially not now, seeing as he had a reputation to withhold.

  * * *

  “See, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” Danny asked, as he climbed onto the back seat beside Lee.

  “I suppose not. What do yous want from me?”

  “The thing is, Lee, and I’m sure you’re going to understand where we’re coming from on this,” Moray stated, as he turned in his seat. “You know a bit too much about what happened that night for our liking, and other than Danny and me, you’re the only other person who really knows who killed that Greek.”

  “I’m not going to say anything about it. Honestly, I’m not.”

  “But, we only have your word for that, don’t we? Which leaves us in an awkward position, doesn’t it?”

  Lee shook his head furiously. “I swear to you, I’m not going to say anything.”

  “What do you think, Danny? Do you believe him?” Moray asked. There was a hint of humour in his voice.