CRUEL SECRETS Read online

  Johnnie had heard that Eddie’s daughter had taken over the manor, and at the time, he had laughed out loud; this would be easy pickings, and he could get his hands on South London as well. With the cocaine drying up, he wanted to run his scams further afield. Yet, looking at this young woman, it soon dawned on him that Kelly was another Eddie, just by the sneer she gave him and the sarcastic tone in her voice. She was composed and daring but he was unnerved.

  “Well … err, both, I suppose. I worked with your father, you see, and since you—”

  He had no sooner got the words out of his mouth when Kelly jumped in.

  “Actually, Mr Carter, you didn’t work with my father, and correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe you tried to take from my father. So, let me make something very clear. You have North London now and it will stay that way. I, on the other hand, have my businesses south of the Thames, and that, my friend, is how it will remain.” She grinned and picked up her drink, taking a swig of the brandy.

  Johnnie looked from Kelly to all the intense eyes surrounding her. He was escorted out of the pub along with his two footmen. Cyril nearly wet himself laughing. “We taught you well, you little fucking rogue.”

  Kelly clinked glasses with him and winked. “Well, Uncle Cyril, I am being taught by the best.”

  *

  The days following the wake, cemented Kelly’s confidence. She knew, in her heart, she could run the firm, with the help from the men. Putting aside her firm’s commitments for the time being, there was one issue she had to deal with first. Ruth was on her mind, and although she knew it was probably none of her business, she couldn’t rest until she knew for sure she was all right.

  She had passed her driving test and was now the proud owner of a Range Rover, much like Keffa’s, who jokingly accused her of copying him. But she had set her heart on one since the day she had sat in his as a kid and had admired the plush interior.

  All her new-found wealth was hard to comprehend at first; she owned pubs, a club, and was in receipt of weekly money and lots of it. Eddie’s three homes were up for sale, as she couldn’t bring herself to move into any of them. His money was transferred to her bank. Cyril had employed the best lawyer, his very own man, to secure all of Eddie’s assets into Kelly’s name. Of course, fake paperwork was carefully compiled, but that was all part of the life she was now living in, and it was a world that for some reason she easily slid into.

  The only issue she had was where she should live. The small box room at Rudy’s was her safe haven, and having her family around her was what she wanted; and yet, there was Keffa, who had followed her everywhere, making sure she was safe. Their relationship hadn’t even started properly, as it had all been too hectic. In between the madness were the odd stolen kisses and loving words. Nevertheless, Keffa was happy as long as one day she would be his wife. He could wait – after all, he had done so since she was fifteen.

  Kelly sat outside the run-down flat and watched. It was bitterly cold outside, and she had her car’s heating turned up to full blast. Keffa was by her side, reading the newspaper.

  “’Ere, Blue, you will never guess what? That DI Maddox has been nicked and it mentions Eddie Raven. Fuck me, the old cunt was working for him. No wonder he was hell-bent on having you locked up. Well, now he has his just desserts.” He chuckled. “Imagine him inside with all those men he arrested along the way. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.”

  Kelly smiled. “Good. That’s one more degenerate out of the picture. Now for another.”

  The door opened and out stepped Ruth, wearing a thin jacket and ushering three little girls down the path. Kelly’s heart sank; she looked even thinner than before, and none of them could have eaten a solid meal in weeks. Then the husband appeared; he was a big man with a beer in his hand. They didn’t look like a couple at all. Whereas his wife and kids were wearing tatty clothes, all far too small, as though they were clothed third-hand, he had on a fur-lined flight jacket and designer boots. Kelly swallowed hard, feeling her temper rising.

  “Look at that asshole and her in fucking rags!”

  “What have I told you about swearing? It ain’t ladylike. But I see what ya mean.”

  Kelly watched as Ruth’s husband grabbed Ruth by the shoulder. Immediately, her face became screwed up in pain. The three little girls bunched together, holding each other’s hand. They looked deathly white, and it was at this point, Kelly didn’t care if she was poking her nose in. She couldn’t bear to see that man browbeat her friend.

  “And make sure you stay out of the house all day. I don’t want them screaming brats running around, when I am conducting business. Got it!” he growled.

  The sky was dark and it was going to rain or snow. She saw Ruth nod and keep her eyes down, terrified of the overbearing lump of a man – her self-styled husband.

  Ruth hurried the children on and her husband went off in the opposite direction.

  Kelly, wasting no time, followed, stopping directly by Ruth.

  “Quick, get in.”

  Ruth’s eyes darted up and down the street, and then she looked down at her three tiny thin children who were frozen. Their pale freckled faces looked blue, and their huge round eyes appeared frightened. What did she have to lose? She wasn’t allowed home until night time, and it was too cold to stay outside. She only had a few pence to sit in the café. Feeling that there was no time to waste, she urged her kids to get in the back, which they were excited to do, having never been inside a big flash car before. She followed them in, and within seconds, Kelly was away and up the street.

  Ruth was still a bundle of nerves. “Where are we going, Kelly?” she asked nervously, looking at Keffa.

  “Ruth, I am going to take you somewhere and show you something, and if you decide to return back here, then that’s up to you. I will go away and leave you in peace.”

  Ruth trusted Kelly and sat back without another word. At least her girls were enjoying the ride and were warm for the time being.

  Kelly drew up outside her old house, and this time she didn’t shudder; the front looked the same, but inside, it had been given a complete overhaul and brought into the modern world. She’d had the shed taken down and the back garden tidied up.

  “Come inside, Ruth, I want you to see something.” Ruth frowned but followed Kelly in. The three children skipped along the path, giggling. The heating inside had been left on and the warmth embraced them.

  Wiping her feet on the mat, she asked, “Is this your home, Kelly? It’s beautiful.”

  Kelly shook her head. “No, it used to be. I own it, but I can’t live in it. It holds too many bad flashbacks for me, yet it is a decent size for a family to make a proper life for themselves.”

  Ruth nodded. “Yeah, I agree, it’s lovely, Kel. But why bring me here? What did you want to show me?”

  The children skipped past their mother into the living room; they stood by the patio doors and stared in fascination out into the garden. “Mummy, look, there are swings and a slide. Can we go out there?” asked the eldest child.

  Ruth frowned and then the penny dropped.

  Kelly put an arm around her shoulders. “Do you love him, Ruth?”

  “Love him, nah. If the truth be known, I hate him, Kel. But what can I do? I ain’t got money and that stinking flat is his. If I tried to leave, he would bash me up, not that he needs any excuse, and me girls, well, they can’t move without him on at ’em.”

  “’Ere, Ruth, take these keys and make some good memories for yourselves. Bring this house back to life, how it should be.”

  Ruth placed her hands over her face and almost choked, crying; it was so much to take in. Kelly knew only too well what a life of subjugation could do to the soul. Ruth had been dragged down, stripped of her character. It had left her totally despondent and powerless and too shit-scared to move without her husband telling her to.

  This house offered her freedom, and her children could live the life they should be entitled to, to laugh and talk
, play on the swings, and be happy. Then reality hit her. “But he will come and find me.”

  “Oh, no, he won’t. I promise you that.”

  Ruth saw that look on her friend’s face and didn’t need to ask questions. She had seen the men at the funeral and how they treated her with such high regard. Her husband was a nobody, in comparison.

  “But I can’t repay you, Kelly. I don’t have a penny to my name.”

  “Oh, about that,” replied Kelly. “You can earn your weekly wages by making sure your girls are happy. Ruth, I have more money than I know what to do with. I can’t go through life and merrily indulge myself, knowing me mate is struggling. I hate bullies, Ruth, and you, my friend, have been bullied for too long. Please, just take the keys and the weekly money and give the girls a good life.”

  Little Rosie, the cheeky six-year-old, had snuck upstairs and with a squeal she came bolting back down. “Mummy, where’s the little girl that lives here? She has so many toys up there to play with.” Her delightful face looked up at Kelly. “Have you got a girl? Can we play in her room? She’s got a dolls’ house and My Little Pony toys and …”

  Kelly bent down and touched the child’s cheeks. “I don’t have a little girl. I guess I have just inherited three little nieces. Those toys upstairs are for you and your sisters, so go on and have fun.”

  Ruth and Kelly followed the children upstairs, just to see the look on each of their faces. Keffa went up too. He was choked up; the last time he had seen Kelly’s old bedroom had been a heart-wrenching moment. Now, here he was, gazing at a paradise for kids with funky furniture, colourful bedding, and hand-painted murals on the walls. The toys were everywhere, in every nook and cranny. The children were shrieking with excitement and Ruth was numb with shock.

  As Kelly said her goodbyes, she took one last look at the house, and there at the window, she saw three shiny faces with huge smiles and not the ghost of an evil mother.

  Keffa was at a loss for words; he would never have even thought of doing such a kindness. Underneath the hardness that Kelly had taken on was still a soft woman. As she was about to start up the engine, he put his hand on her knee. She slowly turned to see his face, the man she loved so much. In his hand was an envelope.

  “Open it, Blue.”

  Inside were two tickets to the Caribbean.

  “Me and you, babe, two weeks, just us, no business, no running around saving the world, just time out, please.”

  Kelly laughed. “Well, first there is a final piece of work I need to do.”

  Keffa rolled his eyes. “Now what?”

  “Pack my bags and move in with you, of course, if you want me to.”

  He didn’t say a word; he just pulled her close and kissed her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  A year on

  Kelly’s club, recently renamed Naomi’s, was becoming popular with the stockbrokers and city slickers. She had, for the most part, changed the décor; it operated as a wine bar during the week, and at weekends it was a nightclub, staying open until the early hours. However, there was one part of the club she had left largely untouched – the old pub bar, after Cyril’s mates had twisted her arm. She had her own men running the businesses, overseen by Cyril, Blakey, and Frank. All of them swore they were retired, though.

  Cyril met with the men every Thursday for a business lunch, so he said, but really it was just an excuse to have a good old-fashioned pub lunch and a few beers. She liked the place and its atmosphere, but most of all, she relished the feeling of being someone and of having the respect the punters gave her. She had earned herself a reputation although what that was exactly would become clear in time, but she had the right kind of support behind her and was looking forward now – now her past was just that, her past.

  “Hello, me ol’ son,” greeted Cyril, as Frank took his seat.

  Blakey nodded and looked at the menu. “Pie and chips all round, boys?”

  Frank laughed. “As always, mate. I don’t think ya need a menu. We have the same dinner every fucking week.”

  “So, Cyril, what’s on the agenda today?” asked Frank in his gruff voice.

  “Our, Kelly, the little rogue, ’as only gone and secured a fucking deal with the Colombians. I swear that kid is clever. Who would Adam and Eve it, eh? There was us old-timers, running around protecting her, pretending she was like Eddie Cako, a woman with clout, and blow me, she goes and completely ’as the manor running in her name. Now the Colombians are in her back pocket.”

  Blakey lifted his pint. “I’ll drink to that.”

  “Yeah, it’s outlandish how that happened. S’pose people believed all along she meant to kill Patrick and assumed she was so dangerous from the age of fifteen.” He laughed. “Then showing up Johnnie Carter, the way she did.”

  “Oh, and not forgetting shit-legs Sheila and her boys …” added Frank.

  “Come to think of it …” mused Cyril, as he paused and looked at the two men, “perhaps it wasn’t a game. Maybe Kelly is a dangerous woman that should be feared. After all, boys, she has got resolve. Have you seen that fucking look in her eyes when she’s pissed off? That’s Eddie, all right.”

  Frank nodded. “I for one couldn’t give a flying fuck. She can fuck over whoever she likes and will have my backing. Ya know she has paid for a flat in Oxford for my Ellie to go to university? She may be Eddie’s daughter all right but she ain’t all Raven. I see her sweet mother in her, when she’s not conducting business, that is.”

  The doors opened and all eyes looked to see who had arrived. Each punter nodded and smiled as Kelly, dressed in her Barbour jacket, khaki jeans, and her hair plaited to one side, strolled in. She kissed each of her men on the cheek and graciously took her seat.

  “So, I got me first shipment of Charlie arriving at midnight. Are you three still in, or, Uncle Cyril, ’ave you retired again?” she laughed.

  “’Ave I fuck. Right my girl, what’s the plan …?”

  Kelly smiled, and for a second she was her father, sitting there in his chair and wearing his cocky grin.

  As she reflected briefly on her life up to this point, she realised she was her father’s daughter but only in a good way. Crime was in her blood, but she recognised her heart was in the right place. She didn’t know what the future would hold for her, but she knew one thing: she wanted to do good for her mother, Naomi. She was Eddie’s daughter, and she carried his sins, but not through want, only through blood.

  Available early in 2018

  The sequel to Cruel Secrets

  Wicked Lies