The Life (31 page)

Walking to Bernadette, he pulled her into his arms in a gesture of possession. As she looked up into his eyes, he appreciated just how stunning her appearance was, and a bit of him knew that many men would envy him his good fortune. Petey was under no illusions that there was anything of any real substance inside the perfect shell. She was like a lot of the girls in their world – useless, without any kind of personality, completely devoid of the work ethic, and on the look-out for a decent pay packet. Bernadette had hit the mother lode with him. As much as that knowledge disappointed him, a part of him didn’t judge her. Bernadette had no proper education or understanding of the real world. She had no chance of getting a job – all she had going for her were her looks, and she had used them as her only asset. Unfortunately, looks did not endure; once they were gone, she would be one fucking unhappy person. She would hang on to her youth with the determination of a Japanese Tosa and, like that dog, she would fight tooth and nail to make sure she got what she wanted.

She swayed against him, and he felt the usual stirring inside him; he knew she was aware of it too. He grinned at her. ‘Happy?’

She nodded, her deep blue eyes sparkling with triumph. ‘I am, Petey. I love you.’

He hugged her close, kissing her softly on her glossy pink lips. They were both aware that he didn’t say it back.

Ria had observed this exchange with Lena and Imelda and each of the three women felt that the little tableau was all wrong. Petey and Bernadette looked like they were on a blind date, and a disastrous blind date at that. They did not resemble a real couple in any way.

Ria sighed. ‘Where’s Tania?’

Lena shrugged. ‘She will be here, you know what she’s like.’

Ria glanced around her home, it was more than large enough to accommodate all the guests, and the DJ who had set up in the conservatory was now, finally, playing the older style records; the younger people were dancing happily to a bit of Motown. The men were in the kitchen, the older men anyway; it was the time of night when business would be the order of the day. She was tired out, but she was relieved that the party was a good one, by anyone’s standards. It was just after eleven, and the whole thing was just taking off; she had hours to go before she could excuse herself.

As she saw Tania come into the room, she smiled in relief. Lena had been watching the door for her daughter all night and, now she was finally here, Lena could relax.

Tania was lovely – not as obviously beautiful as Bernadette O’Toole, but she was a natural beauty. Where Bernadette had learned to enhance her natural assets with make-up, hair dye
and expensive underwear, Tania still had the fresh-faced youth that was actually far more appealing, in Ria’s opinion. With her reddish-blond hair, and her deep blue eyes, she was the double of Theresa Bailey as a girl; anyone who saw her immediately saw the resemblance. It was uncanny. Being the good girl she was, Tania went straight to where her grandmother was sitting, and she made a huge fuss of her before making her way over to her mother and aunt.

‘Where were you? I expected you hours ago.’ Lena tried not to sound as worried as she obviously was and Tania laughed.

‘Mum! I was doing my coursework with Ellen Sparks. I told you I was going there first. We need to get ourselves in gear if we want good grades. How’s it going? Is it all right if I have a proper drink?’

Imelda laughed at her cousin’s bravery. ‘Come on, Tania, one little vodka won’t kill you.’ She whisked her away quickly. ‘You’ve already been drinking! I can smell it on you – cider, and cheap cider at that!’

Tania grinned as they pushed their way towards the bar area.

‘Coursework, my arse! Where you been really?’

‘No, I
was
working, Imelda. Me and Ellen just had a drink while we were studying, that’s all. I’m seventeen, for God’s sake! My mum and dad act as if I’m twelve.’

‘It will never change, you can take that as fact from me. My dad still treats me like I’m a fucking schoolkid.’

They both got double vodkas, and the noise and the heat of the room drove them out into the large gardens. The cool air was just what they needed.

‘So how has it been? Has Petey somehow miraculously seen the light?’

Imelda smiled and took a deep gulp of her drink. Tania had a crush on her older cousin, and Imelda knew that she didn’t
think anyone had sussed that out yet. But Tania looked at him like he was some kind of god, and she suspected that Tania’s crush would be there for a good while yet. It didn’t help that Petey unwittingly made a big fuss of her – they all did. She was a very lovable person. Clearly Tania hoped that one day he would see her for the woman she was becoming, but that was never going to happen. Imelda had her fingers crossed that the crush would fizzle out naturally.

‘Petey is happy, Tania – he knows what he wants. He’s in his thirties, he ain’t a little kid. We might not like her, love, but he’s the one who’s chosen to tie himself to her.’

Tania was devastated by her words, and Imelda was sorry to hurt her, but sometimes you had to be cruel to be kind. Tania was growing into a lovely young woman, and Imelda knew that Tania was feeling the ache of her unrequited crush on a daily basis. It was almost painful to watch her at times. She changed the subject. ‘Lot of people here, why didn’t you invite any of your friends?’

Tania shrugged. ‘Dunno. Look at the boys, drunk together as usual!’

All the cousins were halfway down the garden lawn and, if Imelda knew anything, they were stoned as well. Even at fifty feet away she could see the signs. Both of her Delroys were with them, which annoyed her; her son was a handful at the best of times, without his father and the boys making him worse. She secretly hated that he was working for the family already – unlike Tania there was no way that he was ever going to use his brains for anything outside the Bailey empire. Delroy had been pleased at his son’s insistence that he just wanted to join the family firm. She had not been able to talk him round; he had decided his own fate from a very early age. She had hoped against hope that he would want to become a regular member of society. She
worked the Bailey businesses, and she enjoyed it, but she wanted more for her child; she didn’t want the danger of prison hanging over
his
head. But he had known what he wanted, and she had quickly been made to understand that she had no say in the matter. It was early days – he was only sixteen – but he was already getting a name for himself.

Delroy Junior had always been a difficult, wayward child, with a dangerous streak. He had been nothing but trouble at his school – too much to say for himself, his teachers said, and no interest in working for anything. Eventually he had been expelled for fighting, and that was after years of trying to make him see that there was another life out there if he would only look for it. Her husband had dismissed it as natural spirit; he’d been proud of him almost, whereas she had seen it as a recipe for disaster.

‘You all right, Imelda?’

‘I was just thinking about you and my Delroy as kids – now you’re both so grown up. It’s hard, you know, to finally accept that you’re old enough to do your own thing.’

Tania hugged her, understanding that Imelda was worried for her son. ‘He’ll be all right, Imelda, everyone looks out for him. Stop worrying.’

Imelda nodded, saddened that even Tania knew that her young Delroy’s only real strength against the world he lived in lay in the fact that he was a part of the Bailey family. Except Tania didn’t know just what being a Bailey actually entailed – not yet anyway.

‘Come on, drink up! I’ll get us another one.’

Tania did as she was told. She watched Petey and Bernadette as they slow-danced together – even through the patio doors she could see that Bernadette was moulded to her cousin like a wet T-shirt, and the scene saddened her. Petey was so handsome
and so clever – why couldn’t he see that Bernadette was not good enough for him, was not worthy of his name?

She walked aimlessly towards the boys; they were loud and their laughter was enticing. They welcomed her into their company happily, and she felt the usual warmth of their love surround her.

Peter and Daniel were in a small room at the back of the house that Peter used as an office. It had once been the butler’s pantry, and Peter liked everything about it, from the wood panelling on the walls to the small oriole windows that were still in possession of their original stained-glass motifs. It now sported an antique desk and a large, leather captain’s chair; it was a beautiful room, and Peter knew that it impressed people. He had filled the bookshelves with what he saw as important books – anyone who scanned the shelves would assume that an educated man lived there. He had paid a lot of money to ensure that, and he had sworn that one day he would read the books. It was his dream – when he finally retired – to educate himself before it was too late.

Terry Allen stood with them uneasily; he was about to be reprimanded, and he had expected as much. What he had
not
anticipated was feeling so nervous about it. He had to show the Baileys that he was a man of power and strength, let them know that they didn’t intimidate him. Now, though, seeing the brothers side by side, he could see why they had achieved so much together. As a team they were formidable, there was no doubt about that; even the knowledge that they were not as close as they once were did not detract from the sheer menace that they exuded. Up close and personal, they were evidently more than capable of looking after their interests. The death of
Jack Bailey was still the stuff of legend; there were many people who laid the boy’s death at his own father’s door. Coupled with Daniel’s reputation for maiming, crippling and murdering for the slightest of reasons, the brothers were both seen as men to be wary of.

But the Baileys had been at the top for far too long, and Terry was not going to let old stories and ancient history cloud his judgement.
Everyone
could be taken down; it just needed the proper planning. As in any war, if you used your knowledge of your adversary properly, you could eventually find the right strategy to bring about your enemies’ downfall. The Baileys’ downfall had to be catastrophic – not only public, but also serious enough to incapacitate them completely. That meant, of course, that the Bailey brothers had to die – quickly and violently. Without these two, the whole family would flounder.

Daniel broke the silence, aware that Terrence Allen was nervous, and wondering what the fuck was going on in his head. ‘So, Terry, me and Peter here feel that you need a bit of a tug. Your language tonight and your general attitude has offended us deeply. You see, unlike you, we feel that when in someone’s home, a modicum of decorum is to be expected. Do you get my fucking drift?’

Terrence Allen was astounded by Daniel Bailey’s sincerity; he truly
did
believe that he had the right to say his piece. Whereas Terrence would have used the behaviour as simply an excuse to pull someone into line, he realised that the Bailey brothers believed that they had an honest grievance. It was like stepping back in time. It made him finally understand just what he was dealing with. These men were fucking dinosaurs, still living by some old criminal code, and they had to be made aware that those days were long gone.

Terry Allen smiled, feigning bafflement. ‘Come on, guys, this is a party, for fuck’s sake! I’ve had a few drinks, a bit of gear. If I offended you I can only apologise.’

Peter could tell Terry was far more rattled than he was letting on and he was pleased. Their summoning him away from the party would have been noticed; they had made sure of that. ‘You came into
my
home, and you have not shown me or my son an ounce of respect. Listen to me, Terry. If you
ever
fucking disrespect me or mine like that again, I will kill you.
You
don’t curse around my family, my wife and daughter, and you do not fucking act like a lairy cunt on my watch, or my brother’s. Do I make myself clear?’

Terry Allen was not smiling now. He had made two very dangerous enemies, and his plan of being seen by his peers as a man who had no fear of the Baileys was suddenly moot. Everyone would now know that he had been given a serious tug and, unless he was seen to retaliate somehow, his credibility was basically fucked. He had no intention of causing a tear-up in Peter’s house – there were far too many Baileys under one roof to even contemplate such a foolish action. But he could bide his time.

Daniel could almost read the man’s thoughts, and he loved that both he and Peter still had the skill to suss out a situation for what it was. This ponce had thought he could use this night as his chance to make the Baileys look weak. Now it had been made clear to him that he wasn’t in their league, the humiliation he was about to endure would guarantee that he would not forget this lesson in a hurry.

‘Get your brother, and your crew, and get out.’

Daniel’s voice was low, almost bored-sounding, and Terry Allen knew that he had no option but to leave.

‘Come on, I’ve apologised, we are mates, ain’t we?’

Peter Bailey stood up, and Terrence Allen was reminded of just how big he was; he had misjudged the situation badly.

‘What part of “fuck off” don’t you get, Terry?’

When he left the office, Daniel and Peter started to laugh, once more in perfect sync. Together they were invincible, and that made them both feel good. They could feel the sheer power of their combined strength, and suddenly they were reminded of the early days, how they had worked so well as a team and taken whatever they wanted. The Allens’ departure would be noted, talked about, and they would not forgive them the humiliation in a hurry. But people like the Allens needed to be taken down a few pegs before things got too out of hand.

The Allens were fucking good earners and, if they had used their brains, they would have been given a lot more responsibility. Peter and Daniel had had great plans for them, but they had fucked it all up now. They were mugs of the first water – arrogant, grasping and not prepared to wait for what they believed was their right. Well, they would find their operations seriously curtailed for a while. Let them see who was actually running the whole show.