CRUEL SECRETS Read online

  “I’ll go, Eddie, but please remember, Kelly is trouble, and she hates you! Oh, by the way, you should never have laid your hands on me, you bastard. I won’t forget that.”

  As Eddie looked and met her eyes, he laughed. “Good, you make sure you don’t forget either, ’cos you might wanna stay away now, unless you want another one … go on, fuck off!”

  She stared for a second, waiting for him to calm down and apologise, but he didn’t; he simply stared off into space. She knew then he had never really cared about her, not truly cared anyway. She didn’t hate him though; she hated Kelly. Her niece had ruined her rep in prison, going against her at every opportunity. The truth was she hated Kelly because she was afraid of her. That fight had knocked her sideways and she’d never felt the same afterwards. Now, Kelly was the one who would be by his side, if Eddie had it his way. She would be the one given respect. There would be no Eddie’s sister, Toni; it would be Eddie’s daughter, Kelly.

  As she slammed the door behind her, her eyes filled with burning tears, and a fierce anger raged in her heart. She would get that fucking bunny if it killed her and show Eddie she was his real sidekick, not cocky Kelly.

  The pub down the end of the road was Eddie’s local. He and Toni were well known in there. The punters liked him, he paid for the Christmas decorations, and he lent the landlord money when the rent was due. That was it about Eddie; he didn’t like to shit on his own doorstep.

  Toni sat heavily on the bar stool and was instantly served by Clifford the landlord.

  “A double brandy, Cliff.”

  “No Eddie today, girl?”

  “He ain’t me keeper!” she replied, with spite in her eyes.

  Clifford sensed the tension and wouldn’t push it. He did not want to upset Eddie. He had seen his handiwork at first-hand.

  He poured the drink. “On the house, love.”

  Without a thank you or a smile, she downed the drink and slammed the glass down for another. Clifford pulled out the bottle and placed it on the bar. “’Ere ya go, girl, help yaself.” He shuffled away, leaving her to it.

  As she slowly got herself pissed, a young lad in his late twenties observed her. She was hanging on to the counter and her face looked like a rat chewing a Ritz biscuit. He watched her naked leg slip off the rail along the bar. Her head bobbed up and down, as she scanned the room. Stevie was bored. He had lost his job a year ago, and now he spent his time down the pub, splashing his dole money. His girlfriend had scarpered because she was too upper class for him. There, on the stool, was a good-looking woman and easy pickings for a free fuck. He got up from the chair in the corner and swanned over to her.

  “Hello, darling, it seems to me that you and I both ’ave something to drink over. ’Ere, fancy another?”

  Toni looked up and through her blurred vision she saw a handsome man with striking eyes and a fit body. But what she couldn’t see were the rotten teeth and greasy complexion.

  “Yeah, mate, why not, mine’s a double brandy,” she slurred.

  “Why don’t me and you ’ave ourselves a right good time, a party back at mine? I got a bottle of drink!”

  Toni’s head was still nodding, and as she tried to get off the stool, she felt her legs go to jelly. He managed to catch her before she fell and walked with her outside the pub.

  “Come on, darling, let’s get you somewhere safe. Me flat’s just up there.”

  Toni was oblivious to her surroundings and too out of it to care. She allowed the stranger to almost carry her down to his dark and gloomy basement flat, courtesy of the council. The damp concrete steps were stinking of piss. She didn’t notice how scruffy it was. Once inside, he helped her onto the sofa. The carpets were rotten and had never seen the hoover and the damp mould was growing up the walls. The tap in the kitchen was constantly dripping and the basin leaked water over the floor. The property would have been condemned but the landlord was happy to continue taking the maximum rent supplied by the housing benefit. Stevie didn’t care; he spent all his time in the pub or at the park. A rat scurried across the floor. Stevie threw a boot and watched it scarper away. He stared down at Toni; her mini skirt had ridden up and he made out her black lace frills peeping out and her shirt buttons bulging from her ample breasts. He acted quickly before she came to and saw the mess and smelled the stench. The two-seater sofa was not big enough for him to climb onto. He nudged her face, to see if she responded – nothing.

  He then decided to turn her over and pull her legs down off the couch. She was unconscious and floppy. Now, she was on her knees, with the sofa holding her body weight. Stevie licked his lips and removed his jacket. Like a mannequin, he pulled down her knickers and positioned her legs. After he rode her skirt up, he sat back on his knees and stared. It had been a long time since he had seen that sight.

  Toni stirred, grumbling, so he had no time to lose. He undid his trousers and carefully engaged himself. It had been a while since he had wet his helmet. As he entered her, she mumbled under her breath and forced herself back on him. She groaned, and as he inserted again, she was like a rabbit, moving back and forth. Stevie was surprised and began stroking her back. She was writhing in ecstasy, moaning and groaning with pleasure. He gripped her hips and maintained his momentum, watching her body thrashing up and down. Once he had shot his load, he dropped her like a sack of potatoes and jumped up. She lay there with her underwear around one ankle and her arse still in the air.

  Stevie was uncomfortable now and decided the best move would be to go back to the pub and leave her here.

  As the evening drew in, Toni came to. She opened her eyes and tried to focus. Her head was pounding and her mouth felt as if she had been eating talcum powder. As she tried to turn around, she realised she was laid out half-naked. She put her hands down below and felt the remains of sex. She tried to swallow hard but her mouth was so dry. Gingerly, she tidied herself up, her mind all over the place; she had no idea where she was until the dread came over her. Was she locked up in this stinking hellhole? She searched for the door and almost tripped over the mouldy pizza boxes and cans of beer. The smell was vile, as if someone had died. She panicked and grabbed at the handle, relieved that it opened instantly. The street light beamed down the stairwell. Her heart was pumping fast. She had to get away. Maybe her assailant was going to return and keep her captive? She ran up the steps and on to the street. Here, the busy commuters were on their way home from the buzz of London and incognizant to the state of Toni. She soon realised where she was; it was only a few streets away from Eddie. She would go there and tell him what had happened. Then her memory came back, slapping her in the face. Like a light bulb moment, she thought if Eddie knew she had been raped, then he would go mad, threaten to kill the man, and go arm in arm with her, ready to hunt down the rapist. They would be back to how it was before: it would be him and her versus the rest of the world.

  She hurried past the rush-hour public back to Eddie’s, looking a mess, out of breath, and with black make-up spread across her face and her hair in need of a brush.

  After banging on the door three or four times, Eddie appeared. He looked her up and down, seeing her breathing hard.

  “What the fuck do you want?”

  “Eddie, Eddie, I’ve been raped … I woke up in this rotten flat … I think he was gonna lock me up … the cunt’s raped me …”

  Eddie raised his eyebrow. “Oh, yeah, who is he?”

  “I dunno. I woke up in his flat, a right crappy place, with me drawers around me feet …”

  “What the fucking ’ell are you doing knocking at my door when ya went and got hammered and fucked some guy and can’t even remember it? See, I told ya, you are no fucking use to me, now fuck off!”

  “But, Eddie, I can take you there. I bet he’s back now.” She was pleading with him but the look of indifference baffled her. A few years ago, he would have burned the flat out, with the bloke in it.

  “Unless ya want another clump, fuck off. You are pathetic, Toni. If you wan
na get off ya fucking face, you do it, but don’t you dare come to me wanting me to kill some bloke ’cos you were too fucked to say no. Now, I won’t tell ya again, fuck off!” He slammed the door shut, leaving Toni speechless on the doorstep. Kelly had a lot to answer for.

  *

  Tommy was heading back from Peckham, having finally been given sufficient room to do so, and eager to give Eddie the low-down on what he’d seen, which wasn’t much really, but he’d had enough of a numb bum, sitting in a car, staring at closed doors. When he pulled up outside Eddie’s house, he was annoyed because nearly all the spaces were taken in the street and his boss had three cars parked in his drive. At the end of the road, he saw a woman jump into her car, and so he waited for her to pull away. Then, he managed to ease his car into the tight gap. As soon as he banged on the door, Eddie was there, looking pissed off.

  “Get in. I waited for you to call. I thought you’d fucked off.”

  Tommy stepped inside and waited for a nod from Eddie to be seated.

  “Well, what’s the kid been up to?”

  Tommy had a sinking feeling. “She ain’t no kid, Eddie, she’s all woman, mate. She’s got herself a fella. I followed him and found out he is some top doctor. Anyway, that’s all, really.”

  Eddie slowly nodded. “And she ain’t been to any banks or anywhere else? Just with this doctor, yeah?”

  Like a school kid, Tommy nodded.

  “You best get ya arse back over there. I wanna know where she goes. I wanna know everything. Oh, make sure she don’t know you’re following her, ’cos that would be stupid, now, wouldn’t it?”

  He suspected he had been rumbled when the two black guys blocked him in. “No, she ain’t got a clue, Eddie. So, shall I go back in the morning?”

  Eddie laughed. “Wait there, sunshine.”

  He left and went upstairs. Tommy could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Cyril had a distinctive squeaky sound and Frank had a deep rasp to his tone. Tommy felt insignificant; if he was to be a part of the firm now, then he should be in there, sitting around the table. Eddie returned with a quilt and pillow. “’Ere ya go, Tommy, ya can sleep in the car now.” He placed the heavy bundle into Tommy’s arms and patted him on the shoulder.

  “Oh, yeah, and phone me, Tommy. Don’t come here.” He saw Tommy to the door and mumbled, “Prick,” under his breath.

  *

  The summer evening was now drawing to a close. Kelly had finished her dinner, along with a couple of rums, and was enjoying the banter with the boys. Rudy was sitting in his grandad chair half-asleep and Legend lay across Kelly’s lap.

  “So, Bluey, are we on for tomorrow? I got samples coming first thing and they are supposed to be the mustard. The latest Chanel and Coach bags are proper good gear,” said Phoenix, eager to get back to business.

  “Of course. Someone needs to get back in with the Indians. I mean, you three just don’t have the tits for it.”

  Phoenix looked down embarrassed but Ditto and Reggie were rolling around laughing; they only saw Bluey as one of them. But Phoenix was attracted and found it more difficult to be the same as he was before. Kelly had changed into one stunning lady.

  She eased Legend off her lap and went to fetch his lead. “Come on, boy, let’s have a walk.”

  Legend wagged his tail and sat, awaiting the lead to be attached. She pulled open the door, and there, just down the road, was the blue Mercedes. Sod this, it’s time to identify the owner, she thought. Legend didn’t pull but happily walked alongside her. Approaching the car, she noticed the driver had nodded off; he was squashed up in the front seat, his head leaning on a pillow. She stood watching him for a while before she decided to tap on the window. Tommy almost jumped high enough to hit his head on the roof lining. Blinking a few times, he tried to focus. Kelly laughed sarcastically.

  Tommy felt awkward now. What should he do? He couldn’t just ignore her, so he lowered the window. “Yes, what do you want?”

  “Nah, mate, more like, what the hell do you want?”

  Legend was growling and lifting his top lip, showing his teeth.

  “Look, love, I don’t know who you are.”

  Kelly laughed. “Okay, just tell Eddie that if he wants to know what I am up to, then he should be man enough to knock on my door and ask.”

  Tommy couldn’t hide the shock and fear creeping over his face. “I, err …”

  Straightaway, she knew. “Don’t give me any ol’ fanny. I am one step ahead of you and that numbnuts father of mine. Jesus, you lot are pathetic.”

  Surprised by her words, he responded without thinking. “He ain’t …” he stopped dead in mid-sentence. He knew he had blown it. How the hell was he going to tell Eddie?

  “In fact, I think I’ll call him meself and let him know what I think of his spy holed up outside my house.”

  With a red face, Tommy was shitting himself. That would be curtains for him. He would be the next one to be thrown to the pigs or in the Thames. “Wait, no don’t do that!”

  Kelly sensed the panic in his voice and read the dread in his eyes. “Tell me what he wants and I won’t call him. I hate the dickhead. There, just so you know.”

  With a genuine look of puzzlement, he replied. “I honestly dunno, love. He just asked me to keep an eye on your every move. Look, if he knows I have been sussed, he will have me shot, believe me. Listen, love, I don’t know you, and you seem like a nice woman, but your dad is …”

  “Yeah, I know, one dangerous fucker. Well, he don’t frighten me. In fact, I would love him to come knocking, ’cos I would shoot him meself and do time over it.”

  Tommy straightened himself up and opened the door. Kelly pulled Legend back before he went for him.

  He pulled out a packet of fags and lit one up. “Want one?”

  Kelly shook her head. “Known me father long, ’ave ya?”

  Tommy didn’t care anymore; he had been living on his nerves for three years. The constant death threats, if he didn’t do what Eddie asked, were getting him down. He either wanted to be free or dead. “I’ve known Eddie for years now. Everyone in my world knows him. But, listen to me, if he even suspected that I have spoken with you, seriously, he will kill me. I know nothing about you and I am trusting you literally with me own life.”

  “I ain’t me ol’ man. I hate him, for what he stands for, and I can assure you I am a woman of my word. So, tell me, what does he want from me, really? I have nothing.” She pointed to the house. “All I have is a room in that house. I don’t even own a car.”

  Tommy shook his head; he sounded so deflated. “Kelly, can I call you Kelly?” She nodded. “If you have something he wanted and it was of value, then he wouldn’t tell anyone. He is a distrusting man. Whatever it is you have, we would never know. Not even his sister would know.”

  “That old trollop! I really detest her.”

  Tommy laughed. “Be careful of her too, Kelly. She is a nasty piece of work.”

  “I ain’t scared of that bitch and she knows it. She still has the scar across her nose, when I beat the crap out of her.”

  “It’s not how hard she is, it’s the shit she stirs.”

  “Hey, it’s late. Do you want a hot drink or something to eat? I think we need to talk,” suggested Kelly, with a comforting smile on her face.

  He shook his head. “I think I have said too much already.” He lit up another fag and Kelly noticed his hands were shaking.

  “I won’t ask your name, but trust me when I say I won’t grass you up. I just have to know a few things. What’s Eddie’s address? And Toni’s?”

  After Tommy looked up and down the road, he leaned forward. “Kelly, I am warning you, if you know what he wants, give it to him. He will torture you to get it. Don’t go to his house. He is never alone and God knows what he would do to you.”

  “What makes you so sure I have something he wants?”

  “I know Eddie, and something is distracting him, and for Christ’s sake, he has me following yo
u, noting your every move. He would only do that if you have something he wants, unless of course …” he paused as though he was thinking, “… unless it’s information you have. He wanted to know if you have been to the bank.”

  Kelly laughed. “What! I don’t even have a bank account. Maybe he is trying to be the doting parent, looking out for me,” she suggested sarcastically.

  She watched as Tommy shook his head. “I am afraid there is only one person Eddie loves and that’s himself.”

  “Yep, you got that right. So, look, you can watch me. I won’t say a word. I don’t think there’s much to report back, though.”

  “Your boyfriend. He knows about him.”

  Kelly’s face changed and the look of anger in her eyes moved Tommy.

  “You tell Eddie I have been meeting another fella, a big black man. I met him tonight and had dinner in the Italian, and tomorrow, you’ll see me in the park with him, and then tell him you saw me fucking him in the back of a car, but make sure he knows nothing about the doctor.”

  With a sad smile, Tommy nodded. “Yeah, all right, kiddo, I will. One day, I’ll end up shot in a ditch somewhere because of him, but maybe I will get to save someone else, eh?”

  “Take my number, save under another name, but call me if you know anything. Please!” she asked, and Tommy instantly pulled out his phone and tapped in her number.

  He got back in the car and watched as Kelly walked away. She didn’t deserve a father like Eddie, and he didn’t deserve all the shit he was getting. In his own way, he was getting revenge. He was going to die anyway, wasn’t he?

  As soon as she was back inside, the boys were on to her. “What did he say? We were watching him, making sure everything was okay.”

  Kelly laughed. “His wife has kicked him out and he has to sleep in the car. I got him wrong, poor bloke.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Three days later