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  Chapter 7

  The next morning, Danny woke early. Today was to be the day he blew apart Freddie’s world, and as far as Danny was concerned, it couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke. He stood up and stretched out his arms, shaking out the tension and easing his aching muscles. He was actually looking forward to tonight. He only wished he could be there to see Freddie’s face, when he discovered everything he had worked for over the past twenty years, was gone.

  “You all right, mate? Did you sleep okay?”

  Turning to see Moray standing in the doorway, he nodded his head. “Yeah, mate, all good. I’ve made some notes. Here, take a look.”

  Moray took the sheet of paper. “Everything will go like clockwork, mate.”

  “It better had,” Danny grinned. “I need to go home and change. I should be back around four, and then we can put the teams together.”

  “Off to see the enemy, eh?”

  Danny shook his head. “Women, mate. I swear they’re not from the same fucking planet.”

  “Can’t live with ‘em and can’t live without ‘em.”

  “True,” Danny laughed. “Right, mate, I’ll be back soon. The sooner I get it over and done with, the better.”

  “If you’re not back by four, I’ll send out a search party. You never know, she could have you tied up somewhere.”

  “I’m not that lucky.” Danny winked, before leaving the room. He was in high spirits. He just hoped his Maxine didn’t bring his mood crashing down.

  * * *

  Matty Payne was exhausted. He’d been at Freddie’s beck and call all night, and he’d just about had enough, not that he would ever complain to Freddie about it. In the big man’s company, he did as he was told.

  He spooned sugar into Freddie’s tea, and careful not to splash any of the liquid over the sides of the mug, he gave it a stir. He then took the steaming mug through to the lounge and placed it on the small nest of tables beside Freddie’s chair.

  With Lewis now dead, everything fell upon his shoulders, and he couldn’t help but feel resentful. Out of the two of them, Lewis had always been stronger. Somehow, he had been able to cope with Freddie and the others, a whole lot better than he himself ever could.

  He thought of Lewis now, and remembered the good times. There hadn’t been many of them, admittedly, and the ones they had had, were few and far between. On the rare occasions they had been allowed to be the young boys they actually were, they’d had fun.

  He missed Lewis, and couldn’t help but feel partly responsible for his death. It was him, who had given Danny the gun, and it was Danny, who had shot and killed his one and only true friend. He carried the guilt around with him, like a lead weight upon his shoulders.

  Matty stood beside the doorway, watching Freddie as he slept. For a brief moment, he contemplated running away, but he knew there was no point. Freddie would find him, just like he had the last time. Only this time, he knew the man would kill him. He knew too much about them, about all of the men, and it was this knowledge that would sign his death warrant.

  He returned to the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and began to wash up the few items in the sink. Looking out of the window, Matty imagined how different his life could have been, if he and Lewis had never met Freddie that fateful night. Imagining his life in a parallel universe was one of his favourite pastimes, and was one of the only things that got him through his day.

  * * *

  Big Tone climbed out of his car. He had been sitting inside it, with the engine switched off, for the past ten minutes, still unsure of how exactly he could get out of the precarious situation he found himself in.

  He took a deep breath, before banging his fist on Freddie’s front door. It was his duty to check up on his boss, and he planned on being in and out within minutes.

  Matty opened the door, and he waited for the lad to move out of the way, before walking through to the lounge. “How is he?”

  Matty’s voice was low. “Okay, I think. He’s been asleep for most of the day.”

  “You doing okay today, Fred?” Big Tone asked in a loud voice, as he nudged Freddie awake.

  “I’m not deaf,” Freddie growled.

  “Course you’re not, mate. Look, I’ve brought you some grapes.”

  Freddie looked toward Big Tone, then the bag of grapes clutched in his fist. “I’m not a fucking invalid. What have you bought me those for?”

  Big Tone shifted his weight, feeling slightly foolish. “I don’t know. It’s what people do, isn’t it?” he asked, putting the bag down on the table beside his boss.

  “Get Tone a cup of tea,” Freddie ordered, clicking his fingers toward Matty.

  Big Tone, held up his hand. “Freddie, mate, I can’t stop. This is just a flying visit.”

  “Get Tone a cup of tea. We’ve got things to discuss … mainly that cunt.”

  Reluctantly, Big Tone took a seat. “I haven’t heard from McKay, and as far as I know, no one else has either.”

  “Keeping his head down low, most likely. Look at what he’s fucking done to me. If he thinks he is gonna get away with this, then he can think again.”

  “How are you feeling? You look in a bad way, if I’m being honest, mate.”

  “I feel like I’m in a bad way,” Freddie winced, as he made himself more comfortable. “Bastard has broken more than one of my ribs, I can feel it.”

  Big Tone grimaced. He would never say it out loud, but Freddie looked as though he had been in a car accident. He would put money on the fact that McKay had also broken his boss’s nose, and unless he was very much mistaken, his cheek bones, too, if the bruising to Freddie’s face was anything to go by. He decided to keep that little titbit to himself, though.

  “I could kill him for what he has done.”

  Big Tone nodded his head. From what he had seen of Danny’s famous temper, he highly doubted it. “So, it’s business as usual tonight, is it? Do you want me to go around all of the pubs and clubs, checking that everything’s okay?”

  “Well, I can hardly go out looking like this, can I?”

  “No, of course not.” Big Tone had to bite his tongue, to stop himself from adding that the sight of Freddie would scare off the punters. Somehow, he didn’t think he would appreciate his humour.

  Gulping down his tea, he placed the mug on the floor, and then rubbed his hands together. “Well, mate, I best shoot off.”

  Freddie nodded his head. “If McKay turns up for work tonight, tell him to fuck off. In fact, put him on the phone to me, and I will tell him to fuck off, personally.”

  “Yeah, of course I will.” Somehow, Big Tone couldn’t imagine Danny McKay turning up at the club, as if nothing had ever happened.

  * * *

  “So, he just walked out?”

  Maxine nodded her head. “He said I was mad, and that he hadn’t done anything wrong.”

  “You don’t believe him, do you?” Jacqueline frowned.

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

  “Well, you’ve seen the evidence with your own two eyes, and he can’t crawl his way out of that.”

  “I know. It’s just … he looked as though he was telling the truth. Oh, I don’t know, Jac. Maybe I’m wrong?”

  “And maybe you’re right, and he is having an affair.”

  They were sitting on the leather chesterfield sofa in Maxine’s lounge. For the past hour, Maxine had poured her heart out.

  “It’s just … he actually looked shocked, you know?”

  Flicking her blonde hair from her eyes, Jacqueline raised her eyebrows. “Of course he looked shocked, he was bound to. You’ve caught him out.”

  “I suppose so,” Maxine answered. Her mind was going ten to the dozen, and she didn’t know what the truth was. All she knew for certain, was that something wasn’t quite right. Something was going on.

  As they heard the front door open, the two women looked toward each other. “Keep strong,” Jacqueline whispered.

  Maxine nodded her head. S
he eased her body up from the sofa, took a deep breath, and then walked through to the hallway. “You came home then?” she asked her husband.

  “I do still live here, Max.”

  “Jacqueline is here.”

  He rolled his eyes and groaned, then poked his head around the living room door. “Jac.”

  “Danny,” Jaqueline replied in a greeting.

  “I need to shower and change, before work,” he said, making his way up the stairs.

  Maxine followed him up. Once they were in the bedroom, she closed the door firmly shut behind them.

  “If you’re going to start, I’m gonna walk straight back out of that door,” he said and stabbed his finger toward his wife. “I’m warning you now, Max. I mean it.”

  Maxine shook her head. Her voice took on a pleading tone. “I just want to know the truth, please. I deserve to know.”

  Pausing, Danny looked his wife in the eye. “There are no other women. I don’t know what else you want me to say,” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

  “But …”

  “There are no buts. I stayed at my mate’s, in Southend, and on the way home, I bought petrol. That’s it.” He gave a bitter laugh. “How the fuck you came up with me shagging other women, I’ll never know.”

  Maxine rubbed at her temple, as she tried to take in what was being said. “But, you’ve been acting so strange lately. You’re never here, and when I saw the receipt, I just put two and two together.”

  “I’ve done sod all wrong.”

  Tears sprang to Maxine’s eyes, and she swiped them away, determined not to cry. As Jacqueline kept reminding her, she was stronger than that. “You don’t tell me anything anymore. What am I supposed to think?”

  “I’ve got a lot going on, Max. Stuff I can’t talk to you about. It’s work.”

  “Am I supposed to just believe that?”

  “Well, yeah. It’s the truth.”

  Moving forward, Danny pulled Maxine into his arms. “Come here,” he said. “I swear to you, babe, I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  Maxine nodded her head, as he hugged her to him. She just wished the niggling thought in the back of her mind, also believed her husband.

  * * *

  Lloydy listened intently to what Big Tone had to say. He couldn’t say he was entirely shocked to hear what had gone on between Freddie and Danny, and he certainly wasn’t shocked to hear about the damage Danny had caused. They all knew to be wary of him, and he himself, had learnt early on that the man was unpredictable.

  “What did I tell you? He’s like an animal. Only someone, either stupid or on a death wish, would cause hag with him.”

  Big Tone shook his head. “Well, it shocked me. Don’t get me wrong, we all know he’s a lump. And I’ve seen him in action before, of course I have, but this was something else entirely.”

  “He’s a law unto himself, mate, and always has been,” Terry Stevens said, as he lounged back on his sofa.

  “The thing is,” Big Tone said, clearing his throat, “I really don’t think it’s a good idea to go ahead with what Freddie wants anymore.”

  Lloydy and Terry Stevens looked toward each other, waiting for Big Tone to continue.

  “Someone’s going to get hurt.”

  “Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t that the general plan?” Terry asked.

  “Yeah, I know it was, but …”

  “Has Freddie called everything off? Only he can make that call.”

  “No he hasn’t, and that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you both about. Freddie is losing his reign. This thing with Danny proves it. If he can’t control one of his own, then what will happen out on the street?”

  Lloydy shook his head. Remaining silent, he let Terry do the talking.

  “Listen, mate, we work for Freddie, and only he can call this off. Until Freddie tells us otherwise, we still go ahead and end McKay.”

  With a sigh, Big Tone nodded his head. He had expected this, and in any other circumstances, he would have had the exact same attitude. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, clearly concerned. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, when all of this goes tits up, which I can guarantee you, it will,” he warned.

  * * *

  Danny was greeted like a celebrity, as he walked into Ritzy’s Nightclub. The men on Moray’s payroll craned their necks to get a better view of him, the majority of them thrilled to be in the company of the man they only knew by reputation.

  “Listen up,” Moray said. “I’m sure most of you will know of Danny McKay. As of now, you are working for him, as well as myself.”

  Hushed conversations went around the room, and Danny held up his hand to quiet them down. “Tonight, we’re taking over a number of pubs and clubs. All of you need to be tooled up, so take whatever you want with you. Just make sure it’s something you can actually smuggle into a club. Then, you wait until Moray and myself arrive, for us to take over.”

  This time, an excited buzz went around, and both Danny and Moray gave the men a few moments to talk amongst themselves.

  “I’m Callum Riley,” one of the men said, coming forward and shaking Danny’s hand, his Irish accent strong. “But you can call me Cal, that’s what me friends call me, so they do.”

  Danny nodded his head. “Okay, Cal. You know what to do tonight?”

  “Sure I do, Mr. McKay. And can I just say, it’s a privilege to be working for you. I’m going to be one of your best men.”

  Danny nodded his head and smiled. As Callum walked away, he leaned into Moray. “He’s got some front, hasn’t he? But I like him. Put him down for the first club on the list.”

  Moray laughed. He knew Callum well, and the cheeky Irishman was, indeed, one of his best men.

  Once the men were put into teams, Danny ran through the plan for a second time, making sure there were no mistakes. It was vital they all knew what to do.

  “There are two of you to each of the doormen inside, and two of you ready and waiting, outside. When you’re given the signal, you bring down the men you are covering. I don’t care how you get it done, just make sure they are on the ground and unlikely to get back up.”

  “Is that clear?” Moray asked. “Any questions?”

  The men shook their heads and Moray dismissed them. Turning to Danny, he raised his eyebrows. “This is it, mate. How are you feeling?”

  “We can’t fuck this up.”

  “And we won’t. Relax, Danny. Everything will go to plan. We’ve worked hard on this, and it’s fool-proof. Not to mention, we have the added bonus of you knowing these clubs like the back of your hand.”

  Danny nodded his head. He knew, without a doubt, that he wouldn’t fully relax, until they had taken over the very last club on their list.

  * * *

  The first club they planned to target was The Belgrave, in Stratford, East London. It also happened to be a venue where Danny often worked.

  Danny and Moray pulled up outside the club. Climbing out of the car, they strolled across the road. There was no urgency in their manner, nothing at all to alarm Freddie’s two men stood on the doors.

  “Evening, Danny. You not working tonight?”

  Danny smiled. “Yeah, mate, I am working.” He then gave the nod to two of Moray’s men, stood waiting outside the club, and watched, as they steamed in, heavy-handed, expertly knocking both doormen to the floor.

  “Consider yourselves made redundant, as from now,” Danny grinned, as he stepped over the semi-conscious men. He then walked through the doors of the club, giving a second signal.

  The club was barely a quarter full. The night was still early, and Danny and Moray easily navigated their way around the venue.

  “Throw these bastards out,” Moray said, looking down at the dazed doormen, as they lay in crumpled heaps on the floor. “They’re making the place look untidy.”

  Laughing, Danny watched as Moray’s men dragged Freddie’s dazed and bleeding doormen toward the fire escape. “Make sure they don’t t
ry to get back in,” he called after them.

  The two men then made their way through the back doors, where the offices were located.

  Danny barged open a door, his large frame dominating the small doorway.

  The manager of the club, Warren Lewis, looked up from a mound of paperwork on his desk. His eyes were wide. “Can I help you?” he asked, looking from Danny to Moray.

  Danny pulled out a chair and sat down. “As from now, you pay myself and Mr. Garner each week, for the services of our men on your doors.”

  “But I already pay Mr. Smith,” Warren began to stutter.

  Danny laughed. “No, mate, you pay us now. Freddie Smith is out of business, as from tonight.”

  “I don’t quite understand.”

  His patience was being tested, and Danny leant across the desk. “Do I need to bang it into your thick skull? We now run your doors.”

  “Therefore, you now pay us for the service of our men,” Moray added.

  Warren Lewis nodded his head. A bead of sweat formed across his forehead and upper lip. He was clearly terrified. “Yes, yes, I understand.”

  Danny rubbed his hands together and looked across to Moray with a wide grin spread across his face. “Good, well, our men are already on the doors, so payment starts from today.”

  Warren nodded his head once again. With baited breath, he waited until the big men had left his office, before running toward the toilet and emptying his bowels.

  Danny and Moray made their way back through the club.

  “Well, that was easy.”

  Moray smiled. “Like taking candy from a fucking baby.”