Barking Boy Read online

  Mehmet began to laugh at the threat, he wasn’t concerned in the slightest, in fact he was more than capable of taking care of himself. “Tell Mr. Abbott I will deal with him personally, not with some little boy.”

  Tommy lunged forward. He grabbed a handful of Mehmet’s shirt in his fist, and as promised, he hurled him head-first, across the length of the bar. Once the man had fallen to a crumpled heap on the floor, Tommy stood over him. “Money now.”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll get the money.” Scrambling to his feet, Mehmet hastily opened the till and counted out fifty pounds in crisp ten-pound notes. “Here take it.”

  Taking the money from the man, Tommy passed it across to Mad Dog. “I’ll be back next week,” he warned, stabbing his finger toward Mehmet. “Make sure you have the cash ready for me.” He didn’t wait around for a reply, and with his head held high, he left the restaurant.

  Out on the street, Mad Dog began to laugh. “The boss said you were a live wire—he wasn’t wrong.”

  Tommy shrugged his shoulders. He’d only just started.

  Stacey stood back and inspected her handiwork. She was impressed with herself. Hers and Tommy’s room was coming along nicely. He’d bought them new furniture and a lovely grey carpet, which her toes sunk into.

  She began unpacking a box of their clothes, placing them into the white chest of drawers Tommy had bought. She’d never had such a lovely bedroom before, and couldn’t stop admiring the plush furniture and matching double bed. Tommy had been right when he’d told her it would only be the best for them from now on.

  Once she was finished, Stacey cast her eyes across the room, before straightening out the bedspread. She wanted everything to look perfect, before her Tommy came home from work. She was about to leave the room, when something caught her eye, poking out from underneath the bed. She could just see a tiny scrap of something black.

  Crouching down, Stacey sat back on her hunches, before shoving her hand underneath the bed and fishing the object out.

  In horror she recoiled. Her eyes were wide, and her heart was beating ten to the dozen, as she stared down at a black gun. It was the first time she had ever seen a gun before, and in her panic, she fell backwards, kicking the firearm back underneath the bed.

  Why would her Tommy have a gun? She kept asking herself the same question, over and over again. She needed to know the answer, she decided, and there was only one way of doing that. She would have to ask him.

  Immediately, Tommy’s eyes flickered toward where he’d hidden the gun.

  “Well?” Stacey demanded. “What’s it doing there?”

  Even as he shrugged his shoulders, he knew Stacey was no fool. There was only one person who could have put the gun underneath their bed, and that was him. He took her hand and sat her down on the bed, giving him a few moments to think through an explanation. “It’s for protection.” He could see confusion spread across her face. He continued talking fast—a sure sign that he was lying. “I need it for work, Stace. Davey Abbott insists we all carry one, just in case we come across any trouble.”

  Biting down on her lip, Stacey thought through Tommy’s words. “But it was underneath the bed. You didn’t take it to work.”

  Tommy paused. He’d known she would catch him out on the lie. The truth was, this was the gun that had been used to shoot and kill her brother. Davey had shoved the firearm into his hand, and ordered him to dispose of it, but instead he’d panicked, and brought it home. He wished now he’d just thrown it into the Thames. “Yeah, you’re right. I just don’t feel comfortable carrying it around, Stace, but I’ll get rid of it soon. I promise.”

  “But if Davey said you should keep it with you for protection, then shouldn’t you do that? I don’t want anything to happen to you, Tommy.”

  Tommy kissed his wife’s forehead, before pulling her close. “Don’t you worry about me, Stace. I can look after myself.”

  When he felt her arms curl around him, Tommy wanted to curse himself. Maybe his mum was right all along, and he was stupid.

  Chapter Four

  Stacey smiled at Jimmy, as she followed him through to the kitchen. They were alone in the house, and it was on the tip of her tongue to ask him about the gun. Something just wasn’t ringing true with Tommy’s explanation, as much as she wanted to believe her husband, the problem she had, was that she knew him, and she also knew when he was lying.

  She busied herself making a cup of tea. “Would you like one?” she offered Jimmy, her hand hovering over the small round tin that contained the tea bags.

  Jimmy shook his head, feeling awkward. He’d never felt completely comfortable around her, or any female come to that, not that he would ever let on to his family.

  “I’m glad I caught you, actually. I wanted to ask you something.”

  Alarmed, Jimmy stared at his sister-in-law.

  Stacey could feel Jimmy’s shyness and continued to make her tea, pouring the hot water over the teabag. “It’s about the gun.” She looked up now, and watched his reaction. “The gun Mr. Abbott makes you all carry.”

  Confused, Jimmy racked his brains as to what she was talking about.

  Starting to laugh, Stacey shook her head sadly. “You don’t even know what I’m talking about, do you?”

  “Yeah, I do. You mean the guns.” Jimmy stumbled on his words. The problem was, Stacey was right, and he didn’t know what she meant. There was only one gun he’d seen, and that was the one Tommy had gotten rid of. The one that had been used to kill her brother.

  “It’s okay, Jimmy, I know.” Picking up her mug, Stacey walked from the kitchen.

  “I am sorry, Stace, it was an accident, honest.”

  Coming to a halt, Stacey’s stomach flipped over. “Was it, Jimmy?” she asked, turning toward him. She was calling his bluff. She didn’t know what he was actually referring to.

  “Tommy was gutted, please don’t blame him for it. He didn’t even know we had him, not until yous came back from your honeymoon. Honestly, we didn’t mean for him to get killed. It was an accident. The gun just went off. And even if it was him who’d robbed our Tommy, he would have made Davey let him go. I know he would have done. That’s what he’s like.”

  Stacey could feel the colour drain from her face. Was Jimmy trying to tell her they’d killed someone? “Yeah, he would have done that. He would definitely have let him go,” she said playing along. “The trouble is … Tommy doesn’t like talking about it much.”

  “He probably doesn’t want to upset you, or he’s worried you’ll tell your dad and brothers.”

  Stacey stared at him now. How did her dad or brothers come into this? She could feel her chest begin to tighten. She had a horrible feeling Jimmy was talking about her brother, Pete. Her mouth felt dry as she spoke. “Who did yous kill, Jimmy?”

  “What?”

  “I asked, who did you kill?” Stacey’s voice remained calm, despite the hysteria she could feel building up inside of her.

  “I thought you knew.” Cold beads of sweat began to break out across Jimmy’s forehead. He thought she knew about the shooting, that’s what she’d said.

  “Who did you kill?” she began to shout, before taking a step toward him. She raised her fist in the air, ready to thump him if he didn’t tell her. “Tell me.”

  “I dunno, forget I even said anything.”

  “I said tell me.”

  “Pete.” Pushing Stacey away from him, Jimmy ran from the room. He was terrified, and knew Tommy would go ballistic when he found out he’d told Stacey.

  Collapsing in a heap on the cold linoleum floor, Stacey felt as though her world had shattered in front of her eyes. How could Tommy do this to her? He was meant to love her. And what was she supposed to tell her family now? Tears spilled down her cheeks as she lay on the floor, and sobbed her heart out.

  Davey clapped Tommy on the back. He was more than impressed with the lad. He’d sent him to the Turkish restaurant as a little test. He knew from experience just how hard it was to prise
money from Mehmet Ali’s hands, and he wanted to see how Tommy coped with the situation. By all accounts, the boy had done well. He’d started to gain a name for himself had young Tommy, and he’d heard him referred to as the Barking Boy, with a mixture of fear and respect on more than one occasion.

  “You’ll do, Tommy, and I think it’s about time I promoted you to the strip clubs and protection rackets. Mad Dog here will show you the ropes.”

  Beaming, Tommy grinned from ear to ear. His hard work had paid off and he definitely had a step on the ladder now. “I won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t, Young Tommy.” Davey grinned, raising his glass toward him.

  Tommy was in high spirits as he returned home. He let himself into the house, whistling as he did so. “Stace,” he called out. “I’m taking you out tonight.” A night on the town was exactly what they needed to celebrate his promotion.

  Walking through to the lounge, he looked at the faces staring back at him. “What?” he asked, feeling a sense of panic begin to sweep through his body.

  Janet Carter, nodded her head toward his and Stacey’s bedroom. “You’d better see for yourself.”

  With one last glance toward his mother, Tommy headed toward the bedroom, his heart was in his mouth, as he gingerly pushed open the door.

  Stood in the middle of the room was his Stace, her eyes were red rimmed, her hair array, and in her hand, she held the gun.

  Closing the door behind him, Tommy’s arms were outstretched as he cautiously took a step toward her. “Stace,” he began. “What’s going on?”

  “Did you do it?” Her voice was low, as she spat out each word.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Did I do what?”

  “Did you do it?” she screamed. “Did you kill my brother?”

  Tommy’s heart sank. He could feel the colour draining from his face. “No.” And it was the truth, he hadn’t been the one holding the gun.

  Stacey narrowed her eyes. She’d fully expected him to lie.

  Taking a step forward, Tommy eased his arm toward his wife. “Give me the gun, babe, and then we can talk about it.”

  “You mean, you’ll lie to me again?” Stacey stabbed the gun toward him.

  “No, I’ll tell you the truth.” He watched as the hand holding the gun dropped down and he lunged forward, half twisting her wrist until she dropped the weapon. He then kicked the firearm across the bedroom floor. “Fucking hell, Stace, what were you planning to do, shoot me?”

  She began to cry and Tommy pulled her into his arms. “Is Pete dead?” she asked, her breath coming in short little bursts.

  Tommy closed his eyes before speaking. “It was an accident, Stace.” He felt her body stiffen and he held her tighter. “We didn’t mean to kill him. The gun just went off.”

  Janet Carter’s eyes were wide with fear, as Tommy came out of the bedroom. She’d ushered the rest of her sons out of the house. The less they knew, the less they could repeat.

  “Did you do it son?” she asked, not sure she really wanted to know the answer.

  “Not now, Mum.”

  Following her first-born through to the kitchen, Janet was scared. It could mean life in prison, if Tommy was ever caught and found guilty.

  Tommy sat down heavily at the kitchen table. He took out his cigarettes and lit one, before dragging on it hard. Janet sat down opposite him. She reached her hand across the table and grasped Tommy’s free hand in hers. “Please son, tell me the truth.”

  Exhaling the smoke noisily, Tommy sighed. He looked shattered, and all Janet wanted to do was hold him close to her, like she had when he was a little boy. Only, he wasn’t a child anymore. He was a married man and about to become a father himself.

  “It was an accident, Mum. And to answer your question, no I didn’t do it, but I was there. Me and Jimmy were both there.”

  Janet gasped. Not both of her boys! An ice-cold chill ran down her spine, making her shiver. “Where is our Jimmy?”

  Tommy shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, but when I get my hands on him, I’m gonna kill him. It was him who told Stace about her brother.”

  The calmness of Tommy’s words chilled Janet to the bone. “He’s your brother Tommy, not some stranger you’ve just met down the pub. You don’t go killing each other.”

  Tommy’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Then he should have kept his fucking mouth shut, shouldn’t he?”

  Jimmy was scared. It wasn’t often he and Tommy fell out, and this was by far the worst the situation had ever been between them. In fact, he wasn’t so sure that things could ever go back to being normal again.

  He was hiding out in Davey’s scrap yard on River Road, and knew it was only a matter of time until Tommy found him. The problem that he faced, was if Tommy did turn up, there was actually no place he could run and hide. He was completely blocked in.

  He chewed on his fingernail as he crouched down beside the filing cabinet, his eyes trained on the office window, looking out toward the scraps of metal piled high across the yard floor and side fences. There was no escape. Maybe coming here hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

  Every little noise outside had him jumping out of his skin. He should have kept his mouth shut, that’s what he should have done, but Stacey had tricked him into talking. Somehow though, he didn’t think Tommy would see it like that. In his brother’s eyes, he would be a grass, and if there was one thing he knew for certain about his brother, it was that Tommy loathed people who told tales.

  Tommy was on the war path. He stormed into Davey’s yard, ready to have a tear up. “Jimmy,” he bellowed. “I know you’re fucking in here.”

  Standing stock still, Tommy looked around him, his eyes missing nothing. All he needed to see was the tiniest of movements, and he knew he would find where his brother was hiding out.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of movement come from the office window, and without even pausing he ran toward it. He threw open the office door, curling his heavy fists into balls. “I fucking knew it,” he spat. “I knew you would tell Stacey about Pete, you grassing no-good cunt.”

  His heart in his mouth, Jimmy scrambled to his feet. “She tricked me into telling her.”

  “And are you so fucking stupid that you fell for it? No, you knew what you were doing, and you did this out of spite and jealousy, because you don’t like the fact I’ve actually got someone in my life other than you following me around everywhere I go like a fucking dog.”

  Tommy didn’t wait around to hear a response. His heavy fists pummelled into Jimmy’s body as he went to town on him. Weeks of pent up anger came to the fore, as he kicked and punched the living daylights out of his younger brother.

  It was Davey who pulled him away. “Enough,” he yelled. “What are you trying to do, kill him?”

  Out of breath, Tommy stabbed his finger toward Jimmy. “Make sure you stay out of my way. You’re dead to me now, and no brother of mine.”

  Wide-eyed, Davey watched as Tommy walked from the office. He could see now he had underestimated the boy. Tommy Carter was clearly a dangerous individual. He looked down at Jimmy. Tommy had done him over good and proper, but he would live. He heaved the boy to his feet. “Go home,” he told him. He had a feeling their mother may well be the only person who could stop Tommy from killing the boy, if he should decide to come back and try to finish off what he’d started.

  Chapter Five

  Despite her threats to leave her husband, Stacey had decided to stay with him. At the end of the day, she loved him and she was having his baby. But still, she kept her suitcase filled with a few of her belongings beside the bedroom door, just to make him think she would leave.

  She may have decided to stay, but she wasn’t happy with him and what he’d done, and as much as she loved Tommy, she knew she would never forgive his or Jimmy’s involvement in Pete’s death.

  Stacey rubbed her hand over her bump, and wondered what kind of man she’d married. People on the estate had the cheek t
o say her family was bad. Well, they had clearly not looked at the Carters closely enough. They were the real villains.

  She heaved her heavy body up from the bed and padded across the room. Stopping by the window, she looked up outside at the grey sky. She was beginning to feel closed in. Everywhere she went, she could feel her in-laws’ eyes on her, watching her every move. She knew they thought she held all the cards regarding both Tommy’s and Jimmy’s freedom. After all, all it would take was one word from her and the old bill would be all over them like flies around shit. But she wouldn’t talk. From an early age, it had been drummed into her that you didn’t grass.

  Determined that Tommy would always remember what he’d done to her brother, she hoped the baby was a boy. She’d already decided she would call the baby Pete if it was, and every time Tommy looked at their son, he would remember he’d been involved in her brother’s death. In fact, her husband had no say in the matter. She’d already made up her mind. The baby would be named Pete, whether he liked it or not. It may have been a small victory, but it brought her some satisfaction nonetheless.

  Lillian Chambers patted her peroxide blonde hair, before popping a cigarette between her scarlet painted lips. She waited for Mad Dog Harris to light her cigarette for her, then slowly exhaled the smoke.

  “And who’s this?” She had a little soft spot for the Scotsman, and she gave him a wide grin before nodding her head toward Tommy.

  “Tommy Carter, one of Mr. Abbott’s new boys.”

  “Well, you’re a handsome fella. Where’s Davey been hiding you, eh?”

  “He’s here to learn the ropes … see how the clubs work.”