Joey handed Madonna to Dominic. ‘Take her outside for a wee-wee, Dom. I need to have a quiet word with my dad.’
When Dominic left the room, Joey closed the door and turned to Eddie. ‘I didn’t want to say too much in front of Dom ’cause, unlike our family, his parents are so normal, but what I don’t understand is how is Jimmy O’Hara going to accept a truce when Uncle Ronny and Paulie have killed his son and blown his grandchild to pieces?’
Eddie was a little taken aback. Unlike his other two sons, Gary and Ricky, Joey had rarely taken any interest in the family business or asked any questions in the past. Ed downed the rest of his lager and decided to be truthful with Joey.
‘I’m going to offer O’Hara Ronny and Paulie on a plate. Tell him that what happened was fuck-all to do with me and if he wants revenge, it’s all right to do whatever he wants to do to them. And before you call me a wrong ’un, Ronny and Paulie are in Belmarsh, where I know plenty of people who will watch their backs for me so O’Hara’s henchmen can’t get to ’em. What else can I say to the man, Joey? I have no choice.’
Joey had steel in his eyes as he faced his father. When he was a child, he’d been a proper crybaby and even now he’d sob at the drop of a hat, especially if it was a sad story or film where someone was nasty to an animal. But at the end of the day, he wasn’t a boy any more, he was a man. He might be gay, enjoy a normal life and detest violence, but he was still his father’s son.
‘Paulie and Ronny are both a pair of arseholes, always have been. I’ve never liked them and neither has Frankie. They haven’t exactly got many good points, have they?’
Eddie threw an incredulous glance Joey’s way. He couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing and for a second he wondered if his son was taking the piss out of the callous way he’d sometimes behaved in the past.
‘Are you having a laugh with me or what, Joey?’
‘No, Dad. I’m deadly serious.’
Eddie scratched his head. It was a habit of his when he was struggling for the right words. ‘Look, I know what you’re saying, and yes, your uncles are both arseholes, especially Ronny, but they’re still our flesh and blood, son. Even though I’m gonna tell O’Hara it’s OK to fucking top ’em, I don’t think he has the power to do it. Once they come out of Belmarsh he might, but they’re looking at life and until then, I think they’re both safe. Whatever my or your opinion of ’em, I grew up with ’em, and you know how much I loved your grandad Harry. I can’t, in reality, order a hit on me own, Joey, it ain’t done in my circles.’
Joey faced his father with a nonchalant expression on his face. He walked towards him and placed his hands on Eddie’s shoulders. ‘Listen to me Dad, and listen carefully. I might not be part of your world, but I’m not stupid. If I was, I wouldn’t be working in the Stock Exchange. I’m worried about us. Me, you, Frankie, Dom, Nan and Grandad. And let’s not forget about Dom, Gina, Gary and Ricky. Mum’s death toughened me up and I’ve thought about your world a lot since. Do you honestly think that if you offer O’Hara Paulie and Ronny and then he can’t get to them, he’s gonna fall for that? He won’t. I barely know the man and even I know he won’t. Frustration at not getting his own back will set in and then he’ll look for other targets. You seem to be more concerned about Jimmy, but I know that Jed is the worst out of the lot, Dad. Frankie didn’t tell me too much, but I know he’s evil and he won’t let something like this rest. Don’t ask anyone to protect your brothers in prison. It’s all their own doing, aint it? Let the O’Hara’s have their revenge. If you don’t, you’re putting all our lives at risk.’
Frankie’s good mood evaporated as she walked into the dormitory and saw who she’d be sharing with. The girl that had bullied and humiliated Frankie on her arrival at Holloway had been black and this girl was the same colour. Fearing the worst, Frankie smiled and nervously held out her right hand.
‘Hi, my name’s Frankie.’
As the girl stood up, Frankie was shocked by how short she was. She was no more than five feet tall, if that. With a mass of bushy afro hair and enormous breasts, she almost looked as though she was about to topple over. The girl smiled, and as she did, her face lit up. She had one of the most beautiful smiles that Frankie had ever seen, and perfect white teeth. As she began to speak, her voice had a slight Jamaican lilt to it.
‘Thank you, Lord. I prayed last night that I wouldn’t be saddled with another head case, and he must have listened because he sent me you. My name’s Barbara, but you can call me Babs. Me and you, Frankie, are gonna get along just fine.’
Eddie arrived home, poured a large Scotch and sat at the kitchen table. The cottage seemed dismal and lonely without Gina’s presence and he couldn’t wait for her to return. Unable to stop thinking about what Joey had said earlier, Ed mulled over his words once more. The boy was right: if O’Hara couldn’t get to Paulie and Ronny, he’d get his revenge elsewhere. With his conscience pricking him, Ed topped his drink up. If he ordered nobody to watch his brother’s backs in Belmarsh, he was sure O’Hara could find somebody to get to them. The question was, could Eddie order his own brothers’ death sentences? He was temporarily saved from feeling like an executioner by the shrill ring of his phone.
‘Ed, it’s Pat. Just a quick call to let you know that Jimmy’s home. They’re all back, including Jed and your grandkids. Apparently they’d spent the week with poor Marky’s wife and kids.’
‘Did you tell Jimmy that I wanna speak to him, Pat?’
‘No. To be honest, I don’t really want to get involved, mate. It’s awkward, because I’m friends with the both of yous. Having said that, I do think you need to sort it, Ed. I know you’re no man’s fool, but if I was you I’d get this shit sorted fast. Jimmy ain’t a man to be messed with, you know.’
Eddie ended the call and sat back down at the kitchen table. He could sense the threat in Pat Murphy’s voice: O’Hara had said something to him, that part was obvious. Furious with the decision he was now faced with, Ed slammed his glass down so hard that it shattered into pieces. The O’Haras were the bane of his life and he would never be truly happy until they were all dead.
Over in the maternity wing in Holloway, Frankie and Babs were getting along rather well. Frankie had been suspicious of Babs’ warm welcome at first, but the more she’d chatted to her, the more her earlier distrust had evaporated. Babs was six months into her pregnancy and, like Frankie, she was also the mother of two other children, a boy and a girl. The only subject they hadn’t yet discussed was how they’d both come to end up in prison. Frankie was the first to broach the subject.
‘So when is your court case, Babs? And how long have you actually been in Holloway?’
‘My trial is probably next year sometime. I’ve been in here four months, but I know I’m gonna get life.’
Frankie was gobsmacked. Babs seemed so nice, but she must have done something really bad to be looking at life. Sensing Frankie’s reluctance to ask her what she’d done, Babs started to open up. In the four months she had already spent in Holloway, she had never really talked about her crime. The other inmates all knew what she’d been charged with, but nobody knew why she had done it. Her usually bubbly expression disappeared and was instantly replaced by a look of sadness.
‘My first boyfriend, Dennis, was a bastard to me. He’s the father of my daughter, Matilda, and I met him when I was fifteen. As soon as I fell pregnant, the beatings started. He nearly killed me one time; pushed me down some concrete stairs and I was in hospital for nearly two month. He was Jamaican, like me, and involved with the Yardies, into drugs, prostitution, the works. Once he even made me sleep with a mate of his while he filmed it.’
‘Oh my God, that’s awful,’ Frankie said, shocked.
Months of not speaking about what had happened came bubbling to the surface and Babs was determined to share her burden with Frankie.