Knowing that Vinny and Roy also lived at the club, Nancy was horrified. ‘But I thought we would sleep at a hotel?’
On the verge of losing his temper, Michael took a deep breath. ‘Just dry your eyes, Nancy, clean your face up a bit, and we’ll get this over with. There’s no time like the present and you’ll be fine once you’ve had a couple of drinks.’
Knowing she had little say in the matter, Nancy took the handkerchief off Michael, got her compact mirror out of her handbag, and began to wipe away the smudged mascara. She was dreading seeing Michael’s family again, especially Vinny, but now she had left home, what choice did she have? She and Michael were a couple now. They were going to be living together. So, the quicker she got the awkwardness with his family out of the way, then bonded with them, the better.
When Karen took her break from behind the bar, Vinny grimaced as his son threw himself at his mother and smothered her in kisses. Little Vinny had never been the most touchy-feely child, but with Karen he acted differently. Even his behaviour had improved since he had met her, and the thing that pissed Vinny off the most was that Karen actually seemed like a bloody good mum.
‘We need to start the fucking ball rolling,’ Vinny hissed in his pal’s ear.
Twenty-nine years old, Ahmed Zane was originally from Istanbul. Young Turkish lads were taught at an early age how to charm the birds from the trees, it was how they survived, and with his perfect physique and chiselled features, Ahmed had been more blessed than most. At the tender age of nineteen, Ahmed had met a rich English woman fifteen years his senior. He had married her within weeks of meeting her, moved to England, stayed with her for two years, then took off with half of her money. He was eligible to stay in the country for life now because he had been kind enough to provide her with his child.
Ahmed and Vinny had met approximately three years ago. Both hard-nosed businessmen, they had clicked immediately, and were now best buddies and partners in crime. Vinny was used to having a sidekick. He and Roy had been inseperable growing up and for many years afterwards, but that had all changed when Colleen had come on the scene. Their closeness had now dwindled and in the past year, Ahmed had all but taken Roy’s place in Vinny’s life.
With Vinny’s financial backing, Ahmed was now considered to be the drug lord of London. Once upon a time, Vinny had got his thrills through violence, but he had promised his mum when Little Vinny was born that he’d do his utmost to curb his awful temper.
Flooding the streets of London with heroin was a different kind of buzz to beating somebody to a pulp, but it still gave Vinny a natural high. So did the fact that it was all top secret. Nobody bar Ahmed knew that Vinny was involved, and the money he was raking in gave Vinny the biggest adrenaline rush of all. That beautiful brown powder had made both him and Ahmed incredibly rich almost overnight.
‘Daddy, Mummy says she is gonna take me to the zoo soon. Will you come too? I want to see the reptiles. Can we bring the snakes home with us?’ Little Vinny asked, snapping his father out of his trance.
Karen raised her eyebrows. Her son had an obsession with snakes, and she hated the bloody things. ‘I don’t think we can bring the snakes home with us, can we, Daddy?’ she asked, grinning at Vinny.
Playing along with the happy family façade, Vinny chuckled. ‘Yeah, I’ll come to the zoo as well.’
‘I’m gonna tell Nanny,’ Little Vinny said, skipping away happily.
‘Karen, I’d like you to meet my pal, Ahmed. I’ve been telling him what a good mum you are to Little Vinny and how we have managed to forget the past and build a happy relationship once again, and Ahmed has just come up with a fabulous idea.’
Karen allowed Ahmed to kiss her on both cheeks, then smiled when he complimented her on her beauty. ‘So, what is this idea then?’
‘Well, it seems daft you travelling up here from Dagenham most days, doesn’t it? Ahmed rents out properties, and he has a beauty not far from here in Beckton. I’ve seen it. It’s a luxurious three-bedroom flat, and I am willing to pay the rent on it, Karen. It will enable me, you, and our son to spend some quality time alone as a family. What do you think?’
Staring into Vinny’s piercing green eyes, Karen’s heart leapt. Even though he had been the perfect gentleman up until now, she was sure that he wanted to make another go of it with her. Little Vinny had brought them closer together than they had ever been in the past, and the chance to become a proper family was far too much for Karen to turn down. Her council flat in Dagenham was on the twenty-first floor of a tower block, so what the hell did she have to lose? ‘That sounds fab. When can I view it?’
Ahmed smiled at Karen’s enthusiasm. ‘I can show you tomorrow, then you can move in the following day, if you want? I am only renting this flat at a cheap price because Vinny is a pal of mine, and I know how much he thinks of you,’ he replied in a broken cockney accent.
Karen was ecstatic. ‘Thank you, Ahmed, and thank you, Vinny. I’d best get back to work now.’
When Karen darted back behind the bar, Vinny shook Ahmed’s hand. ‘Well played, pal.’
Ahmed chuckled. ‘English women are just so dumb.’
Queenie was amazed when Michael plonked a stunning-looking girl in the chair opposite her, then introduced her as his girlfriend who would be moving in with him. Queenie had lost count of the amount of girlfriends Michael had ploughed through, but none had ever tempted him to give up his bachelor lifestyle before.
‘Oh, Queen. Ain’t she a pretty thing? The face of an angel,’ Vivian gushed.
Queenie looked around the club, her heart beating rapidly. If Vinny was to spot Nancy, there would be murders and she would hate things to kick off in front of Colleen’s family. Roy would go apeshit if that were to happen. Knowing she had to play along and pretend that Vinny hadn’t spoken to her about the girl, Queenie forced a smile. ‘An absolute princess. So, where do you come from, darling? Are you local?’
Nancy squeezed her boyfriend’s hand to urge him to answer the question for her. She didn’t have a clue what she was meant to say.
‘Mum, Auntie Viv, there is something I need to tell you. Do you remember that couple who took over the café that used to belong to Old Jack? They weren’t there for long. Their names were Donald and Mary.’
‘Yep, I remember ’em. They had a little boy who witnessed the murder outside your old club,’ Vivian remarked.
Michael took a deep breath. ‘Well, Nancy is their daughter. Her parents have just found out about our relationship and chucked Nancy out. I need you to help me square things with Vinny, Mum. Nancy and I are very much in love and I want you to back me up. I think it’s probably best that we don’t tell him Nancy’s true identity until tomorrow though. I would hate to spoil Bren and Roy’s party. You know how hot-headed Vinny can be after a few Scotches, and I’d rather talk to him when he’s sober.’
Queenie’s nerves were suddenly shot to pieces. Vinny already knew what Nancy looked like, but Queenie could hardly tell Michael that his brother had been stalking him. Then there was Brenda. She and Nancy had once been friends, so surely Bren would recognize the girl as well?
‘Can I say something, Mrs Butler?’ Nancy asked timidly.
‘Call me Queenie, love, and yes, of course you can.’
‘I just wanted you to know how serious I am about your son. My parents didn’t exactly chuck me out. They offered me a choice. It was either them or Michael, and I chose Michael. He is the kindest, funniest, loveliest person that I have ever met and there was just no way I could give him up. I love him so much.’
Queenie felt her heart lurch in her chest when she saw the way Michael and Nancy looked at one another. They were clearly in love, and there was no way Queenie would allow Vinny to ruin his youngest brother’s happiness now by forcing Denise Thompson to make up wicked