CRUEL SECRETS Page 9

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Rudy sat in the messy office, staring at the computer screen but oblivious to its contents. Anything which involved reading instructions was a no-no for him. He knew he had it in him, but living on the streets had given him no time for schooling. With Kelly’s help, he could at least try now.

  “Rudy, the key on the right-hand side is ‘enter’. Now, click it, and there ya go. You have just sent ya message up there to the satellite, and now it’s landed in my inbox.” Kelly giggled like the teenager she was.

  He watched her face; it was so alive with life. It was ten months ago, when he had found the terrified child on the streets, but in that short time, she had changed so much. She even talked differently, with a strong South-East London accent now. She had ditched her posh words and her anxious expression for a laid-back, bubbly persona. The boys, Ditto and Reggie, enjoyed having her around; they were like the three musketeers, all for one and one for all. They were on a decent earn, all thanks to Kelly and her put-on lady-of-the-manor act.

  Rudy was concerned that Pat had gone AWOL. No one had heard a thing. Not that he missed the man; in fact, the atmosphere was better in the house. He sensed that Phoenix didn’t like Pat because he seemed a different person, putting forward ideas to make money. He was never like that before; it was always Pat who called the shots. A bit like a pecking order, Rudy was the main man, then Pat, followed by Phoenix, and last, the two boys, Ditto and Reggie.

  “What’s up, Rudy?” Kelly had noticed him staring at her. She didn’t feel nervous or uncomfortable. She trusted him with her life.

  He smiled and kissed her cheek; it was totally out of character. “You have changed so much from the quiet little door mouse you were when I found ya.”

  Kelly turned to face him. “Oh yeah, I s’pose I have changed a bit.”

  The loud bang at the door made them both jump.

  Kelly got up. “I bet Ditto’s forgotten his keys again.”

  Before Rudy could stop her, she was pulling the door open. “Wait!” he screamed. It was too late; the door was wide open and two huge men, the size of Mike Tyson, one bald the other with dreadlocks, stood either side of Ditto. Kelly couldn’t take it all in, at first. Then she saw the state of him. His face now swollen like a balloon, he was unable to stand, so both men had to hold him up. Rudy grabbed her arm to pull her away, as the huge men aggressively threw Ditto down the hallway.

  Like a scorpion, she found she had a nasty sting in her tail, and it really surprised her. When ‘Dreadlocks’ grabbed Rudy and tried to drag him away down the steps, it must have been the look of sheer desperation on his face that caused Kelly to go into a blind fury. She lost it – completely.

  “Let him go, you bastard!” she yelled at the top of her voice. ‘Baldy’ then tried to grab her. But her swift dodge saved her. Without a thought, she lifted her leg, kicked hard, and caught the man right in the solar plexus. He instantly folded in half.

  “Legend!” she screamed.

  ‘Dreadlocks’ was rag-dolling Rudy, when, out of nowhere, Legend came hurtling down the hallway and threw himself off the step and on top of ‘Baldy’. In his frenzy, the dog tore at his ear. The growling was fierce but the attack was worse. Kelly watched as Legend went in for another bite; this time sinking his teeth into his head. The scream was blood-curdling and high-pitched. So much so, that Rudy was flung to the kerb, as ‘Dreadlocks’ ran for his life. Legend unhinged his teeth from ‘Baldy’s’ head and ran past Rudy, chasing after his accomplice.

  Kelly jumped the two steps and helped Rudy to his feet, pushing the bloody victim aside. Rudy was dazed and bewildered but Kelly wasn’t. Once he gripped the doorframe and steadied himself, Kelly called Legend back. The bald-headed man, with half his ear hanging off, glared at her. “You’re gonna pay, all of ya, when Keffa hears about this.” With that, he gripped his loose flesh and staggered in the direction towards his mate.

  “Ya can tell Keffa he will get the same, if he tries a stunt like that again!” she screamed after him.

  Legend appeared by her side with blood around his mouth, looking pleased with himself. “Good boy.” She patted him on the head.

  Inside, Ditto was groaning on the floor, with Lippy and Rudy trying to get him to his feet. They managed to drag him into the lounge and to lay him on the sofa. Kelly was raging, as she peered down at her friend’s battered face. She wasn’t afraid – just angry. It was as if a light had come on, relinquishing her from the dark place she had been all her life. Her mother had never allowed her even to raise her voice. Nevertheless, that rage was there, festering inside. The lid had been lifted, and she was now who she was supposed to be. She was a woman. But she was more than this: she was a woman with real passionate emotions. When push came to shove, she was able to fearlessly stand her ground.

  On her knees now, she opened Ditto’s shirt to see the extent of his injuries. His ribs were black and blue. Lippy was like a mother hen. She had a first aid kit she kept under the kitchen sink. “Bluey, make some sweet tea. Ditto’s in shock, poor chil’.”

  In a flash, Kelly jumped to her feet, ran into the kitchen, filled a cup with hot water, and threw in the teabag. She scooped two teaspoons of sugar, added a dash of milk, and ran back to the lounge, nearly spilling the drink down her legs. Rudy tried hard to get Ditto to speak but all that left his mouth were incoherent mumblings. He was then helped to sit up enough to sip the tea. The puffiness around his eyes held them tightly shut, so he couldn’t see. Lippy wiped his face with the antiseptic and cleared away the blood. “Sweet Jesus, why? Why would they hurt him? He is only a boy.”

  Racked with guilt, Rudy stood up and moved his wild dreadlocks away from his face. “It’s a warning. They wanted me. It should ’ave been me, the no-good sly bastards.”

  Unexpectedly, Ditto spoke. Through dribble and swollen lips, he muttered, “Pat, it was Pat. He set you up.”

  Rudy rushed to Ditto’s side. “All right, mate, you just rest. We’ll get ya better. D’ya need the hospital?”

  With his eyes still tightly shut, Ditto shook his head. “Nah, just a joint, Rudy.”

  Rudy set about rolling the fattest spliff, hoping it would ease his nephew’s pain. After gently placing it on Ditto’s bottom lip, he held it there, while he took a few deep drags. Within seconds, Ditto was asleep. Rudy finished it off. The whole incident was a shock and unexpected. He wasn’t prepared and had been left wide open.

  Lippy was still wiping Ditto’s face, when Rudy laughed. “Well, our lickle Bluey is a kung fu fighter. Seriously, ya got some kick on you. That soldier was folded like a piece of paper, and Legend, ya trained that dog well.” He giggled, shaking his head.

  Her sudden confidence allowed her to join in. “Yeah, well, they can go back to that Keffa, or whatever the hell his name is, and give him the message from me.”

  The reality kicked in and Rudy stopped laughing, his expression turning serious. “Listen to me, Bluey, that Keffa is a bad man, a lethal man. Maybe it’s best you leave. Move into me mate’s flat. I know that Keffa, and he will stop at nothing to hurt anyone.”

  “I ain’t going anywhere. I’ll knife him, if he shows his face.” She flared her nostrils in defiance.

  “Bluey, he won’t come here. I know he is shit-scared of dogs. Nah, that nutter will wait for ya. I can’t have it on me conscience.”

  Lippy was looking from one to the other. “D’ya think you should call the others? Only, I’ve not seen them all day.”

  Rudy sprang from his seat and frantically searched for his phone. It was in his back pocket.

  He dialled Reggie, and much to his relief, he was with Phoenix. “Get back. Ditto has been hurt badly by Keffa’s soldiers.”

  As the minutes ticked by, Kelly began to realise that it was her fault. Pat had never liked her and was no doubt angry that Rudy had told him to clear off, placing herself higher in the rankings. Her mind was an avalanche of thoughts all running into each other. Finally, she concluded that they would all be
safer if she left.

  Whilst Lippy was still fussing over Ditto, and Rudy was rounding up the troops, Kelly snuck off to her room. Legend was on her bed, his regular spot now. She gazed around. It was so perfect – more than she could have ever dreamed of. It was safer for all of them, if she just packed up and moved on. Rudy and Lippy, strangely, had become more like her mum and dad; in fact, she loved them more than her mum and she never remembered her father. If Pat was so determined to get back at Rudy, then he would probably call the police and disclose her whereabouts. Her new family would be done for harbouring a criminal. Tears fell aimlessly down her cheeks. She never meant to cause any trouble. It seemed that her life was on a downward spiral, and she would not take down with her those she loved.

  On top of the wardrobe was a large fake Prada holdall. She stood on the bed, reached up, and pulled it down. Carefully, she folded her jeans and tops, grabbed her underwear and socks, and placed them inside. A knot in her throat choked her; it was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. On her cabinet lay five hundred pounds which was her cut from the business. She felt uncomfortable taking the money, but she had to have some, and Rudy did say it was hers. Ah, Rudy, she would miss him, him and his animated laugh and childlike eyes.

  At that moment, she heard the boys coming in through the front door. Her room was right next to it and adjoining the lounge. “Jeez!” hollered Reggie. He must have seen the state of Ditto. Kelly felt sick. Poor Ditto. She listened, and she didn’t have to strain either, as their voices were loud when they were excited.

  “Why would Keffa do this, Rudy?” asked Phoenix.

  “I know what’s happened, it’s Pat. That sly cunt has sold him shit skunk in my name. I only ever sold Keffa top gear, and I also know that Pat did me over not so long ago. He cut the cocaine and creamed off some profit for himself. Pat has always had it in for me, but, as the saying goes, ya keep ya enemies closer. Now, he’s done the off and so that’s what has happened. I can bet me life on it.”

  “But why do this to Ditto? He ain’t part of any of it,” pointed out Phoenix, with a real sorrowful tone in his voice.

  “Keffa is a shrewd man. He used Ditto to hurt me.”

  “What about Bluey? Is she all right?”

  “Our Bluey saved me life. She set Legend on them and sent them packing. She has some guts, threatened them an’ all. I swear that child has a fire in her belly.”

  Kelly heard Phoenix and Reggie laugh. She didn’t feel good about it though, not now, and she wished she hadn’t made that threat. Besides, it wasn’t for her to get involved. Now, she couldn’t take it back, and she feared Keffa’s men would return and really do some damage. She listened to their conversation once more.

  “They’ll be back, ya know,” warned Rudy.

  “Maybe we should pay him a visit. I mean, he is only up the road,” fumed Phoenix.

  “Is he still at Latchmere? I thought he had moved. Only Pat dealt with him. I can’t stand the man. He was good for business, though. He always came up with the money. See, that’s how I know this is Pat’s doing.”

  With her ears pricked, Kelly heard everything they said. She left the bag on the bed and crept out of her room. Carefully, she opened the front door and silently closed it. She heard Legend whine but tiptoed quietly and then ran along the street. It was dark now and cold, but dressed in her tracksuit and trainers, she was warm enough. However, the thought that this Keffa would hurt them made her shiver inside; it was a notion she just could not bear to live with.

  Latchmere was a twenty-minute walk away. She wasn’t so afraid of the streets as she had been ten months ago. And despite never having met the man, she wasn’t particularly scared of Keffa either. Perhaps it was her innocence that allowed her to go and do something that could cost her her life.

  The block called Latchmere was a new build; it consisted of a classy set of apartments, compared to the others on the estate. Kelly stood at the entrance and watched two older women march past with their heads down. The steel dustbins were foul-smelling and a sudden gust of wind, which had just started, caused loose paper to swirl in circles. A tall, smartly dressed black man went to open the main door.

  “S’cuse me, d’ya know which number Keffa lives at?”

  The guy looked Kelly up and down. He frowned. “What ya want him for?”

  Kelly swallowed hard. This person must be a friend or an associate of Keffa.

  She stood with her legs apart and gave him a cold stare. Her anger was rising and the picture of Ditto popped into her head. “Look, mate, ya either know where he lives, or ya don’t. My business with ’im is my business.”

  The stranger narrowed his eyes, and then he flicked his head for her to follow him. She got the impression he was in a rush.

  The inside was clean and fresh, unlike the street outside. They walked up one flight of stairs and faced a black door. He stepped inside the apartment and nodded for Kelly to join him. Then, unexpectedly, he slammed the door closed and bolted it with the three heavy metal bolts. At that point, Kelly was nervous: she now had no means of escape. In her mind, she expected the place to be full of skunk smoke with all the heavy reggae drums, a bit like Rudy’s, but she was about to have a shock. She realised there were no voices, no music for that matter, and the air was devoid of smoke; in fact, there wasn’t any ambience in the spotless property either. He flicked the light switch on, and instantly she felt hot and nauseous and assumed he was some random guy who had locked her inside.

  The lounge had a somewhat minimalist look, perhaps reflecting this man’s character. She liked the enormous Bang and Olufsen TV and Hi-Fi system in the corner though and was impressed with the leather furniture – very classy.

  “Sit!” he ordered, his face now expressionless. He removed his expensive leather jacket and placed it over the back of a chair. Kelly’s mouth was dry and her heart was thumping. She followed him with her eyes.

  “So, like I said, what do ya want him for?”

  She glared, trying to remain calm and in control. “And as I said, that’s my business.”

  “Well, ya found him. I am Keffa, so what is ya business?”

  “Nah, mate, you ain’t Keffa, I’m going!” She raised her voice, more out of fear.

  Pat was good with his descriptions, so Keffa guessed right away who she was.

  “Ya got some front, I’ll give ya that. Ya mutt did some damage, by all accounts,” he said, but too calmly for Kelly’s liking.

  “I am going to make some tea, it’s been a long day. Would you like one?”

  In total bewilderment, Kelly noticed how green his big round eyes were. His skin was a very light caramel colour, like Ditto’s, and his hair was clipped close to his head. She was taken aback by his looks, confidence, and overall demeanour. Her perception of him, whilst walking to the address, was another monster of a man, like ‘dreadlocks’, surrounded by machete-wielding soldiers. This was too surreal. She thought back to what Rudy had said. In fact, he hadn’t said too much – simply that Keffa was lethal and shrewd. Also, to her surprise, this man didn’t even talk like a Jamaican; he was a well-dressed, attractive black cockney.

  He returned with two white cups each with a teabag string hanging over the top. He passed her one and then sat down. She then eyed him over. He was clean-looking, that was evident. Despite the gold Rolex on his wrist and a white designer shirt, the most distinguishable feature about him was a nasty scar across his neck. She couldn’t guess his age, maybe thirty-five, but he was fit. Under that white shirt was a muscular, well-defined individual.

  “So, you know who I am, then?” she asked, as she took a sip of her green tea.

  “I make it my business to know who everyone is.” He was sitting back now with his hand holding the cup, totally at ease.

  “Well, then, Keffa, if you are that good at knowing who’s who, you have to know Rudy ain’t done nuffin to you and what you did to Ditto was a proper cunt stunt.”

  Keffa raised his eyebrows. “Don’t swear,
it’s not ladylike.”

  “I s’pose setting me dog on your men weren’t either.”

  Keffa laughed. “No, now that was clever.”

  “Yeah, well ya man didn’t think so. He said you were gonna make me pay for it!” She tried to stay confident. She was there on business.

  He laughed aloud this time. “Maybe Blade deserved what he got, then, ’cos only I can make those threats, and I don’t much appreciate people using my name to make menaces.”

  Kelly sipped her tea. This was all a bit mad. His manner, she could see now, bore no resemblance to the dark, aggressive men who had attacked Ditto and rag-dolled Rudy. She was curious and in some way drawn in by the confidence and class of the person opposite her, who was sitting so relaxed.

  “Look, mate, this is all a bit mental. I don’t get it. I came here to sort it out, I mean …” she paused. Actually, she didn’t quite know what she did mean. The only thing that crossed her mind was facing Keffa, and if she got a beating, then so be it. She couldn’t handle the pain she had caused Ditto and the fear of the men hurting Rudy. “Look, Keffa, I might be wrong. I ain’t used to all this violence and shit. All I know is, it may have something to do with Pat. Did he tell ya that the gear ya got was from Rudy?”

  Keffa stood up and walked to the window. “Ya got so much guts. Not many would come to my home and front me out, unless, of course, they had a gun. Ya ain’t got one, ya come here unarmed, and for what? Tell me?”

  Uncomfortable, Kelly looked at the floor. All she had was what she knew. “I don’t know ya, Keffa, and to be honest, I don’t know the street life – the who’s who of the criminal world and all that shit. Rudy saved me life. He took me off the street and looked after me and for nuffin. Like I said, I don’t know about drug deals and stuff, but I do know people, yeah. I know that Ditto didn’t deserve what he got and neither did Rudy. He might have his business going all right, but the one thing that man is, he is not a mugger. I do his bookkeeping, so I know a little bit.”

  Keffa was seated again, fascinated by Kelly. The kid spoke from her heart. He was used to scallies lying through their back teeth to save themselves, and every one wrapped around him was after something, in one way or another.