Roy Butler ripped open the creased envelope, unfolded the letter, and took a deep breath as he started to digest the words.
Dear Roy,
I am writing this letter as you are currently fighting for your life in hospital. Realizing you had been shot broke my bloody heart, and I so wanted to be at your bedside with the rest of the family willing you to pull through. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be. I was forced to leave the area for good, and I had to tell you this, son, as I would hate you to think that I didn’t care enough to be with you in your hour of need. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As you well know, I am not a man of many words, Roy, but I just wanted you to know that you are never far from my thoughts and you will always have a special place in my heart.
Love always,
Dad
Roy felt a mixture of emotions as he laid the letter beside him on his bed. Today had been a funny old day. He had thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Michael, even though his heart was broken at the thought of Colleen sharing her bed and life with another man. That hadn’t stopped him going to the pub and having a decent bit of grub and a few pints for the first time since he’d been shot though, and he was proud of himself for not letting the news ruin his day. The letter from his dad was a nice surprise. It was lovely to know that his father loved him and hadn’t abandoned him, but the part in the letter when his dad had informed him he had been forced to leave the area for good had made Roy really angry. The reason being, he knew his evil fucker of a brother was the only person in the world who could be behind such an act of nastiness.
Roy read his father’s letter again, then put it in his bedside drawer. For once he felt quite mellow. The reason being, he just needed to add the last couple of pieces to the jigsaw, then he could do what he had wanted to do for the past five years. As the old saying states, revenge is a dish best served cold, and Roy was planning on serving his up at below zero.
Vinny Butler had just bent over his desk to snort a line of cocaine when his office door burst open and Lenny strolled in. ‘What you doing, Vin?’ Lenny asked innocently.
‘What have I told you about always knocking before you enter, Champ? Made me jump out my fucking skin, you did,’ Vinny said angrily.
‘Sorry. I forgot. What’s that white stuff?’
‘Headache tablets I crushed up. I’ve still got hangover from last night and I can’t swallow the bloody things. They’re too big and get stuck in my throat,’ Vinny lied.
‘There’s a man on the phone wants to talk to you, Vinny. He says it’s urgent.’
‘Who is it?’ Vinny asked, discreetly putting his bag of gear back in his safe. He now kept his own stash at the club. There was nothing worse than fancying a livener and not being able to have one.
‘I don’t know, but he said hurry up because he’s in prison.’
Vinny dashed out to the bar area. The phone in his office was definitely on the blink as it hadn’t bloody rung again. ‘Hello,’ Vinny said, putting the receiver to his ear.
‘It’s me. Just thought you’d want to know the shit has hit the fan. He’s gone mental apparently. Had to be put in solitary.’
Vinny smirked. ‘Did the old woman visit?’ he asked. He and Scottish Pat never used names on the phone but both knew who the other was referring to.
‘Yeah. About three hours ago.’
‘Thanks for keeping me in the loop. I’ll get Pete or Paul to visit you with another parcel. Update me if there is any more news, yeah?’
The pips went before Pat had a chance to reply.
‘You look happy, my friend. You win the football pools?’ Ahmed said, sauntering towards Vinny.
‘Ahmed! Can you take me to see Layla again soon?’ Lenny asked, running towards the big man and giving him a bear hug.
‘I don’t see why not, Champ.’
‘Come in the office. I have some gossip. No, not you, Champ. I need you to scrub the steps out the front and give the outside of the doors a good wash down. Looked fucking filthy as I came in this morning, they did.’
Ahmed followed his pal. ‘So, where is your lovely wife-to-be today?’ he joked.
‘Haha. Very funny. I gave her two hundred quid to go shopping with and sent her up the West End. Having her stay here with me has been doing my head in, mate. I’m me own man, like to come and go as I please. Feel like I’ve got an albatross hanging round me neck at the moment. Anyway, on a brighter note, Scottish Pat has just rung me from the Scrubs. Preston has found out. Gone off his head apparently and has been put in solitary.’
‘Do you think he might send someone to the club for revenge? If so, I’ll stay here with you.’
‘You’re having a giraffe, ain’t ya? Preston is a mug. He used to hang around the Richardsons and Mad Frankie years ago. He was more of an albatross around their necks than his daughter is round mine. They used to laugh at him behind his back. I ain’t worried at all about repercussions. The geezer’s a nobody. None of the big guns will help him out. He ain’t worth a wank.’
‘So, what happens now? You going to dump Joanna?’ Ahmed asked.
‘Got to see how it pans out first, ain’t I? Preston must be stewing sat alone in solitary with images of me sticking my big hard cock up his baby girl. I’m hoping the cunt will top himself. It will save me the task of ending his life for him when he gets out. As for Jo, I shall take her back to Eastbourne tomorrow. I shan’t dump her just yet. I want that piece of shit to suffer as much as my mother has watching Roy lose the plot.’
‘You still trying to get her pregnant?’ Ahmed asked.
‘No. I spunked up her at first, but I haven’t for the past month or so. No need to be lumbered with her or another kid if there’s no point. Let’s see what happens with Johnny Boy first. If finding out that I’m shafting his baby girl isn’t enough to make him go off his rocker, then I will do whatever it takes to torture him even more. I might even ask the silly tart to marry me. Now, that would rub salt in his wounds, wouldn’t it?’
Ahmed chuckled as Vinny laid out two big fat lines of cocaine in front of him. ‘You really are an evil man, my friend. That is why I like you.’
Snorting a line, Vinny handed the rolled-up ten-pound note to his pal and grinned. ‘Me, evil? Never.’
Michael had only just walked indoors when the phone rang. ‘Bruv, it’s me. I’ve read Dad’s letter and I would really like to speak to him. I won’t tell Mum or anybody else, I promise. Can you bring him to visit me?’
‘I can, Roy, but I don’t know when that will be. Dad lives miles away now.’
‘But I need to speak to him a.s.a.p.,’ Roy replied dismally. He had been staring at his gun for the past half an hour, and now he was positive that the time was right to use it, he wanted to tie up the other loose ends in his life as quickly as possible.
‘Listen, Roy, I’ve just this second walked in. Give me a ring back in a bit, and I’ll try and get hold of Dad in the meantime. You must swear you will never breathe a word of this to anyone though, OK?’
‘You have my word, Michael. I have another couple of important phonecalls to make now, so I will call you back in half an hour.’
Roy put down the phone, glanced at the gun and the photo of Vinny, then picked the receiver back up. He knew his brother was in London and at the club as his mum had told him earlier. ‘Hello, Vin. It’s me, Roy.’
‘You OK, bruv? Is something wrong?’ Vinny asked. Roy had only ever rung him once since the shooting, and that was to demand he find him somewhere to live by the sea.
‘No, nothing’s wrong. Michael came to visit me and it got me thinking. I feel happier since I’ve moved, and I really enjoyed going to the pub today for a few pints and some lunch. I thought perhaps me and you could do the same? Are you busy on Wednesday?’
Vinny smirked. It might have taken many years, but finally Roy was ready to forgive him. ‘Wednesday is perfect, bruv. It’s your call, so we’ll go anywhere you choose. I would love to show you Kings as well though. The clubhouse is proper. You’ll love it there.’
‘OK, I’m up for that. Can you get here at midday?’
‘I sure can. And thanks for ringing me, Roy. You’ve not just made my day, you’ve made my bloody year.’
Roy said goodbye, replaced the receiver, picked up Vinny’s photo and chuckled. ‘So, you fell for it, you mug. You think you’re so clever, bruv, but you’ll never be as clever as me.’
Back in Barking, Michael was getting angrier by the second.
‘Mummy’s in bed. She won’t get up,’ Daniel said, tugging his father’s arm.
Michael ran upstairs. He’d had enough of Nancy’s silly behaviour now. There was him running around like a blue-arsed fly taking the kids to school, picking them up, cooking their meals, and running a club, and all his dysfunctional wife could do was drink wine and lie in bed all day. His mother and aunt had both said recently that Nancy needed a good kick up the arse, and instead of pandering to her every whim, it was about time she got one. ‘Time to get up, Nance. The boys need some dinner, and seeing as I have to go into work tonight, I think it’s time you learned how to use the oven again.’
‘Go away. Leave me alone,’ Nancy mumbled. Michael could tell she was pissed. She was slurring.
Crouching down next to their bed, the stench of wine hit Michael tenfold. ‘I am fucking sick of this idiotic behaviour, Nancy. You need to get a grip, else me and you are finished.’
‘What a matter with Mummy?’ Adam asked, toddling into the room.
When Nancy began to sob like a newborn, Michael strolled out with his youngest son in his arms, and slammed the door. To say he was furious as he walked down the stairs and spotted three empty bottles of wine in the lounge was an understatement. How could he go to work and leave Nancy with the kids in the state she was in? He couldn’t.
The home in Eastbourne had two mobile payphones that were wheeled into the patient’s room so they could speak privately, and when one of the carers knocked on his door to inform Roy that he had hogged the phone for too long, Roy told her that he would need it for at least another half an hour.
At his request, Michael had stopped at an off licence and brought him a bottle of brandy on the way back from the pub, and Roy took a large gulp of it before he dialled the next number. He just hoped she was in. When the phone was answered, he recognized her voice immediately. She had such a beautiful Irish lilt that it almost brought tears to his eyes. He took a deep breath and did his best to pull himself together. ‘Colleen, it’s Roy. How are you? And how is Emily-Mae?’
When Colleen burst into tears, Roy held the phone away from his ear. He knew they were tears of sympathy rather than love.
‘Oh, Roy. It is so wonderful to hear from you,’ Colleen said, before going on to explain how well their daughter was doing at nursery, amongst lots of other stories about the child he barely knew.
Roy grinned as he listened to his daughter’s antics. She sounded a right little character, just like he had once been.
‘Have you rung because you are ready to see Emily-Mae now, Roy? I will bring her to see you whenever you want,’ Colleen said.
Feeling embarrassed because his speech was so slow and slurred compared to when Colleen had been with him, Roy felt compelled to apologize for that before telling his ex he didn’t want Emily-Mae to visit.
‘So, why have you rung then?’ Colleen asked.
‘Because, I just wanted to check my daughter was OK and that you were happy.’
When Colleen assured him that everything was fine, Roy forced himself to smile. She hadn’t told him about her new chap, but she sounded bubbly enough for him to know that her new fiancé must be an OK kind of guy who was obviously treating her well. ‘I have to go now, Colleen, but I just want to tell you something before I put the phone down. I will always love you and Emily-Mae, but I want you to promise me you will move on with your life, meet a nice man and be happy. Can you do that for me?’
When Colleen burst into tears again, Roy ended the call. There really was no need for her to feel guilty. Colleen was truly a wonderful girl. She had sat by his bedside day and night when he had been in a coma, and even when he had woken up as a different man, Colleen had been willing to give up her own life to care for him. She had even still wanted to marry him. Roy took another swig of brandy, and smiled. He was so glad he’d had the guts to set Colleen and his daughter free. The reason being, they both deserved better.
Back at the club, Dean Smart sat down nervously opposite his boss.
‘And what can I do for you, Deano? Do you need time off because of your nan?’ Vinny asked, with a hint of sarcasm. He couldn’t put on a sympathetic voice, as he hated Mad Freda with a passion.
‘No. It’s nothing to do with my nan. I need to speak to you about Brenda.’
‘Go on, and there is no need to gabble. I don’t bite, you know. I’ll pour us both a drink,’ Vinny replied. He liked Dean, and thought his little sister had done quite well for herself considering what a pain in the arse she was at times.
Dean gratefully accepted the Scotch, and necked it in two gulps. He was dreading this conversation, but he was so unhappy, it couldn’t be put off any longer.
Vinny listened in earnest while Dean explained how awful life was with Brenda. ‘So, what do you want me to do about it?’ he asked, when his brother-in-law finally came up for air.
Dean took a deep breath. ‘Nothing. The reason I have spoken to you is I wanted to ask your permission to leave Brenda. I can’t take any more, Vinny, I’m at the end of my tether.’
Vinny leant across the table and stared Dean straight in the eyes. ‘You got a bit of fluff on the go? And don’t lie to me, because I will find out if you have.’
Dean held his hands up in a surrender poise. ‘I swear on my Tara’s life I am not having an affair and I never have since I married Bren. I wouldn’t do that, Vinny. I have too much respect for her and your family.’
‘Good! Glad to hear it. Look Dean, I’m sorry to hear how bad things are for you but, I’m afraid leaving Bren is totally out of the question, boyo. My dear old mum would be so upset if that were to happen, and you know how I like my mum to be happy, don’t you?’