Betrayed (33 page)

Adrian didn’t answer. Flinty turned the blowtorch on his arm again and held it this time for a second longer. Rosie turned away as she saw the flesh redden then turn shiny. He took the torch away and a huge blister appeared.

‘This is for big Jake.’

Flinty then held the torch on Adrian’s arm so long that Rosie could see the flesh crisp and blacken then drop to the floor. She felt sick. She wanted to blurt it all out, tell them everything. She was sure they were going to kill them anyway and she couldn’t bear to see Adrian in such agonising pain, his teeth gritted as he tried to bear it. She caught his eye and he slowly shook his head as though reading her thoughts. Then, he screamed as his flesh burned, and she
could see the colour rise then drain from his face as his legs buckled and he passed out.

‘That’s just for starters,’ Flinty said. ‘I’m going to do that all over your fucking body so that you’ll actually be glad to jump off this building.’ He turned to Rosie. ‘Your turn.’

Rosie’s heart pounded in her chest, her whole body shuddering.

‘Get her up.’

Psycho and the other two pulled her to her feet.

‘Oh please, no,’ she whimpered.

‘No? Would you rather we just shoved you off the fucking roof? It’s no bother for us. You’re going off anyway. We’ve been told to get rid of you, I’m only having a bit of fun. I get a kick out of burning people.’ He sparked the blowtorch into her face for a second and she jerked her head back.

He nodded to Psycho and the others. She struggled and tried to push her feet hard against the ground as they dragged her to the edge.

‘Hold her tight.’

Rosie heard the roar of the blowtorch before she felt it burn the back of her legs and she jumped, one leg hanging off the building. She glanced down and almost passed out. The thugs chuckled and held onto her.

‘Hold her tight, for fuck’s sake,’ Flinty said. ‘Get her arm out.’

Psycho held her arm stiffly out. Flinty fired up the
blowtorch and came around to the side of her. He sprayed it across her arm and she screamed.

‘So why are you here?’

‘Working. On the fans. I told you. Please. No more.’ She glanced at Adrian who had regained consciousness and was looking up at her, his arm a blistering, gaping gash, almost to the bone.

Flinty flicked the torch again onto her arm and held it. The sudden, searing, sickening pain made Rosie utter a high-pitched scream. The last thing she saw was the raw flesh of her arm as she collapsed.

They went across to Adrian.

‘Get him on his feet. He’s going over first.’

But as they pulled him up, the door burst open, and they dropped him. Three armed police in uniform came in, with Garcia behind them. One of Flinty’s men fired and one of the cops went down. Then a burst of gunfire, another cop got hit, and the other henchman went down. Adrian made a grab for the gun just as Flinty dived across, but Adrian got it first and fired it in a split second into Flinty’s stomach. As he stumbled back, Adrian scrambled to his feet and kicked him off the roof. More gunfire as Psycho was shot in the stomach and dropped to the ground.

Garcia dashed to the edge of the building in time to see Flinty hurling through the air, as the door burst open again and Javier came rushing onto the roof along with three other armed police.

He went across to the edge of the roof where Garcia was looking down.

‘That’s going to take a bit of explaining,’ he said, smiling at Garcia.

The detective barked instructions to one of his men about an ambulance, then he came over, crouching down beside Rosie. He touched her face.

‘You are safe now,’ he said.

She passed out.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Jimmy ordered another beer as he waited in the cafe across from Wendy’s apartment. He scanned the front door, willing it to open and for Wendy to come walking out and greet him with the smile on her face that had haunted his dreams since the night she disappeared. But he knew deep down that wasn’t going to happen. He didn’t even know what the hell he was doing here, but he couldn’t stop himself from making the call. He just had to see her one last time before he left.

The Rangers victory party was in full swing in the city centre with jubilant fans dancing in the streets, celebrating the narrow win that put them closer to qualifying for the next round. By the time he’d left the main square, Mitch had jumped into the huge fountain, joining dozens of other fans as they danced a conga in the water. But as every triumphant cry of ‘No Surrender’ echoed around the square, Jimmy’s heart was sinking further. These were his people.
This was his life. But without Wendy it was never going to be the same. He knew he’d have to live with that, but he wanted to see her one more time.

Suddenly the door to the apartment block opened and she stepped out into the narrow street. She stood for a moment, bathed in the yellowy glow of the street light, and Jimmy’s heart ached for her. But the face that he’d dreamed of, the eyes that had captivated him from the first time he saw her, had lost their spark. He watched her for a second as she stood, forlorn, and shame washed over him for failing to appreciate just how much she’d gone through since the night Eddie raped her. All this time, he’d been thinking only of himself, how much he missed her, how he longed to feel the touch of her body against his, yet he didn’t fully consider the toll it had all taken on Wendy. She looked across and their eyes met, but her face didn’t break into the smile he missed so much. She walked towards him.

Jimmy got up to greet her, but he couldn’t speak. They stood looking at each other for a moment, before he stepped forward.

‘I’m sorry, Wendy,’ he said softly. ‘I had to see you. I … I’m sorry.’

He waited to see if she would reach out to him, but she didn’t. She sighed and sat down.

‘I’m sorry too … I’m sorry I got raped and ruined your life.’ Her eyes filled with angry tears.

The words stung and for a few seconds Jimmy was speechless as he watched the muscle on her jaw twitch.

‘Aw, Wendy. Don’t. Please. Don’t say that.’ He shook his head and looked down at the table.

The silence hung over them like a blanket, suffocating everything they’d been to each other. It was only broken when the waiter came up. Wendy ordered a glass of wine, and Jimmy hesitated before asking for a Jack Daniels on the rocks. He needed a stiff drink to get through this.

‘I’m sorry, Jimmy,’ Wendy said, wiping a tear from her cheek. ‘I shouldn’t have said that. I … I’m just so screwed up with everything.’

‘It’s okay. I deserved it. I’m so sorry for what happened to you.’ Jimmy picked at his fingernails, fighting back tears. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.’

‘Oh, Jimmy.’ She looked up across at him, tears spilling out of her eyes. ‘I’m so sad all the time. I … I just want to run away, and keep on running and never come back. As if, maybe if I keep running then I can run away from that night and everything after it and maybe one day I’ll be who I was again.’ She wiped her face with a napkin. ‘I don’t know who I am any more.’

He stretched across and took her hand, relieved when she didn’t pull it away. They sat in silence, and Jimmy fought the urge to pull her to her feet and take her in his arms and promise her he’d protect her, that he would never leave her and she’d never again feel the fear or pain or loneliness she
had suffered. That was the man he used to be, the man he couldn’t be any more.

‘When do you go back?’ Wendy broke the silence. ‘Tomorrow?’

Jimmy nodded. ‘Bus leaves at eleven. Everybody’s wrecked tonight though. It’ll be some trip. Not looking forward to it.’

Christ, he thought. Is this what it’s come to? Small talk with the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with? He bit his lip.

‘Jimmy, listen.’ Wendy let go of his hand. ‘That reporter lassie I told you about.’

Jimmy shook his head and sighed. ‘Wendy, you shouldn’t have spoken to that woman. Honestly. I’m not just saying about what we’re doing here … okay, that’s part of it. But you just shouldn’t have. You’re not safe any more because of that. Neither is Liz. It was stupid. If the reporter puts something in the paper, the cops will be onto her to find out how she knew. You think she’s going to protect you?’ He paused. ‘She won’t. Look … I’m sorry for doing my nut about it yesterday in your apartment, but I was just so shocked. I … I know what the UVF is capable of. But it was wrong what you did.’

Wendy’s mouth tightened. ‘I don’t care what you say. I did what I thought was right. Anyway. It’s done now.’

Jimmy nodded, blowing out his cheeks.

‘That woman. That Rosie Gilmour? You know she came after me into a bar after I had been to your place? She
confronted me. Took me on.’ He shook his head. ‘Ballsy bitch, I’ll say that for her. But she’s dead meat now.’

‘I know what happened to you,’ Wendy said. ‘Rosie told me. And I know you got into a fight with Adrian.’

‘Who the fuck is that guy? Her minder?’

‘Don’t know. He’s from somewhere like Bosnia or something. He’s a good guy. He protects us. I feel safe when I’m with him …’ Her voice trailed off.

Jimmy sat tight-lipped. He glanced at Wendy and knew the dig wasn’t intentional, but it was still true. He should be the one protecting her, but he wasn’t.

‘Jimmy. I need to tell you something.’

He raised his eyebrows at her and said nothing.

‘I met with Rosie earlier on. She’s been beaten up. So has Adrian. They’re both quite badly hurt. Some guy burned them with a blowtorch.’

Jimmy’s stomach lurched. Flinty Jackson. It had to be. But why?

‘A blowtorch? When?’

‘Today. Earlier on.’

‘Fuck’s sake. That’s bad. But I did warn her she’d get in trouble, trying to take people like us on.’

‘People like you, Jimmy?’ Wendy snapped. ‘People who use blowtorches on women? People who rape women?’

‘Wendy, come on. You know what I mean. I don’t know anything about what happened to that Gilmour woman.’ His mind flicked back to the afternoon with Eddie and
Flinty exchanging the holdalls. There had been no mention of where Flinty was going when he left suddenly. He was supposed to meet them after the game, but he hadn’t turned up.

‘But it’s true, Jimmy. If the guy who did this to Rosie and to Adrian was one of your mob, then that makes you the same.’

‘We’re not all the same. I don’t even know who it was, for Christ’s sake. That bird has got her nose into everything and she’s rattling cages everywhere. She’s bound to get hit eventually. She’s a daft bastard. She wants to chuck it, because she won’t win. She’ll get done over.’

‘Well. Whatever. The guy who burned her won’t be doing it again.’

‘How come?’ Jimmy was curious.

‘He’s dead, that’s how come. Cops killed him. Don’t know the details really. But he ended up falling off a roof.’

‘Really? Fuck me.’ Jimmy’s mind raced, trying to put it all together. ‘Rosie Gilmour told you all this?’

‘Yeah,’ Wendy said. ‘She was there. Look, Jimmy. I don’t know if this is all connected. I don’t even know what you’re doing or if you were a part of that. Because at the end of the day you’re UVF and that’s your priority, so you’re not going to tell me. But if it is all connected then you’re in trouble, because the cops have got all this sewn up. Rosie is working with them. I told you that in the beginning. But you’re so stupid you think you’re a big man and the UVF will run
the world. Well they won’t. And tomorrow you’ll find yourself in the pokey.’

Jimmy said nothing. He thought of Eddie and what it would mean if he got wind of Flinty being killed – if it was actually true. He couldn’t work out how it was all connected. The guy at the table was big Jake Cox, a player from Glasgow – everyone knew that. And he was UVF through and through. But he didn’t know if there was any link with him and Rosie Gilmour or with Flinty and Gilmour. He knew bugger all. That was the truth. He just did what he was told. He couldn’t exactly go knocking on Eddie’s hotel room door, asking him for information. And there was no way he could tell him what he’d just heard.

Wendy finished her drink and pushed the glass away.

‘Listen, I need to go.’ She swallowed. ‘I don’t think there’s much more we have to say to each other.’ She put her hand to her mouth as she fought back tears. ‘But I just want you to know that I really thought we
had
something together – even though we’d only been seeing each other for two months. For the first time in my life I thought I’d found a mate, a best friend, someone who could make me laugh and make me feel like I was the only woman in the world. I … I never felt that in my life before and …’ She paused, her voice shaking with emotion. ‘And you know what … If I never feel it again, then that’s okay. Because I know what it feels like.’

She stood up and Jimmy got to his feet.

‘Oh, Wendy … Please. It doesn’t have to be like this. I can still make you happy.’

‘No you can’t. You can’t.’

‘But I love you. I’ve never loved another woman in my life apart from my ma.’ He blinked away tears. ‘I don’t want to love anyone else. I love you, Wendy. Please.’

He took a step forward and put his arms around her and hugged her tight. She held him and he could feel her body warmth and the fragility of her.

‘I have to go. Please. Don’t make it any more difficult.’

Wendy eased herself out of his arms and they stood there, tears blinding them. Then she walked away and Jimmy watched as she crossed to the apartment block and put her key in the door. Please turn around, he said to himself. And she did, for a fleeting, final glance before she closed the door on them both.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Rosie was falling. Tumbling over and over again, grasping desperately for the walls as they turned to sand in her hands. High above, she could see them laughing as they stood at the edge of the building. Ugly faces with shaven heads, roaring and guffawing. And then suddenly she was soaring through the air, as her mother and father scooped her up. They fluttered, all three of them, to the ground and Rosie could smell the freshness of moist grass. Then she felt their kisses on her cheek, and they were gone. Rosie raised herself up on her elbow to look for them. But a white-hot pain cut through her arm and she let out a high-pitched howl. The banging on her hotel bedroom door brought her back and she heard herself screaming.