She didn’t feel secure enough in her own position at the moment to face that.
‘You heard. I want to know what’s happened. The truth, not some made-up pile of shit.’
‘You’re pushing your luck, Jimmy,’ said Annie flatly.
‘Come off it,’ said Jimmy roughly. ‘I don’t even know you’re a Carter, do I? Oh sure, Jonjo said there’d been a wedding, but he wasn’t there on the day, was he? He said there was a kid too, but it could have been a bastard Bailey, not a Carter at all, for all he or anyone else knew.’
Annie shot to her feet and leaned across the table, eyes glaring.
‘You want to watch your mouth, Jimmy Bond,’ she told him. ‘My daughter’s not a bastard. And Max and I are married. Legal.’
‘That’s what Ruthie thought,’ said Jimmy.
Annie took a breath, tried to calm down. But fuck it. She’d thought that Jimmy would be her ally. She was scared shitless and she needed serioushelp. But she could see that she wasn’t going to get it from him. No way.
‘That’s in the past,’ she said.
‘What goes around comes around,’ he said, and stood up. He put his meaty fists on the table and leaned in close. Despite herself, Annie found herself leaning back a little. ‘I’ll see you around, maybe,’ he said, his eyes holding hers. ‘When you’re ready to tell me the truth.’
He walked to the door, not looking back.
Annie sat down with a thump. He was going to walk out. Simple as that. Convinced she was lying. Hadn’t Max told her that Jimmy had gypsy roots, that his instincts were always sound? He knew she was lying because she bloody well
was
lying.
‘Jimmy,’ she said as he placed his hand on the doorknob.
Jimmy half turned and looked at her.
‘All right,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell you the truth.’
And so Annie told Jimmy Bond the truth. That there had been a hit. That Jonjo was dead. That Max was dead. That Layla had been snatched. That she had had to come back here to get some cash together and that as yet there had been no word from the kidnappers.
Throughout all this, Jimmy kept quiet. When she’d finished, he pulled out a chair and sat down again, his eyes on her face.
‘You’re telling the truth,’ he said. A statement of fact.
‘Of course I bloody am. But no one else can know about this, Jimmy. No one must know Max is dead. Because if they do…’
Jimmy nodded. If word got out on the streets that Max was gone, rival gangs would start to move in. He understood that perfectly.
‘What if the bastard on the phone spreads the word? No Max, no Jonjo—the manor’s wide open,’ said Annie anxiously.
‘Why should he?’ asked Jimmy. ‘He wants money. Why would he risk not getting his wedge from you by making trouble on the manor?’
Annie looked at him. He had a point. ‘But he’s still got my fucking daughter,’ she said bitterly.
‘Yeah, but he won’t hurt her if he wants the dosh. Listen to what I’m saying. He ain’t interested in the manor or he’d have done you all over. He just wants the money. If any rumours
do
kick off, we deny everything. And we kill them off at source,’ said Jimmy.
‘How?’
Jimmy gave a twisted smile.
‘Bust a few heads, people start to think twice about opening their mouths,’ he told her. ‘Trust me, nobody’s going to start anything around me. And I’ll be quiet as the grave. I’m Max and Jonjo’s number one, remember?’
As if you’d let me forget it
, thought Annie.
You arrogant git.
‘I’m placing a lot of trust in you,’ said Annie. ‘More than I’m comfortable with, to be honest, given your connection to Kath and knowing how she feels about me.’
‘Kath won’t know,’ said Jimmy.
‘She mustn’t,’ said Annie. ‘Because if she does, family or not, I’d have to have a word. She starts flapping that big mouth of hers and it’ll be all over the manor before you can say knife. And then we’re fucked.’
‘Kath won’t know. She knows nothing about the business. Never has,
‘You heard. I want to know what’s happened. The truth, not some made-up pile of shit.’
‘You’re pushing your luck, Jimmy,’ said Annie flatly.
‘Come off it,’ said Jimmy roughly. ‘I don’t even know you’re a Carter, do I? Oh sure, Jonjo said there’d been a wedding, but he wasn’t there on the day, was he? He said there was a kid too, but it could have been a bastard Bailey, not a Carter at all, for all he or anyone else knew.’
Annie shot to her feet and leaned across the table, eyes glaring.
‘You want to watch your mouth, Jimmy Bond,’ she told him. ‘My daughter’s not a bastard. And Max and I are married. Legal.’
‘That’s what Ruthie thought,’ said Jimmy.
Annie took a breath, tried to calm down. But fuck it. She’d thought that Jimmy would be her ally. She was scared shitless and she needed serioushelp. But she could see that she wasn’t going to get it from him. No way.
‘That’s in the past,’ she said.
‘What goes around comes around,’ he said, and stood up. He put his meaty fists on the table and leaned in close. Despite herself, Annie found herself leaning back a little. ‘I’ll see you around, maybe,’ he said, his eyes holding hers. ‘When you’re ready to tell me the truth.’
He walked to the door, not looking back.
Annie sat down with a thump. He was going to walk out. Simple as that. Convinced she was lying. Hadn’t Max told her that Jimmy had gypsy roots, that his instincts were always sound? He knew she was lying because she bloody well
was
lying.
‘Jimmy,’ she said as he placed his hand on the doorknob.
Jimmy half turned and looked at her.
‘All right,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell you the truth.’
And so Annie told Jimmy Bond the truth. That there had been a hit. That Jonjo was dead. That Max was dead. That Layla had been snatched. That she had had to come back here to get some cash together and that as yet there had been no word from the kidnappers.
Throughout all this, Jimmy kept quiet. When she’d finished, he pulled out a chair and sat down again, his eyes on her face.
‘You’re telling the truth,’ he said. A statement of fact.
‘Of course I bloody am. But no one else can know about this, Jimmy. No one must know Max is dead. Because if they do…’
Jimmy nodded. If word got out on the streets that Max was gone, rival gangs would start to move in. He understood that perfectly.
‘What if the bastard on the phone spreads the word? No Max, no Jonjo—the manor’s wide open,’ said Annie anxiously.
‘Why should he?’ asked Jimmy. ‘He wants money. Why would he risk not getting his wedge from you by making trouble on the manor?’
Annie looked at him. He had a point. ‘But he’s still got my fucking daughter,’ she said bitterly.
‘Yeah, but he won’t hurt her if he wants the dosh. Listen to what I’m saying. He ain’t interested in the manor or he’d have done you all over. He just wants the money. If any rumours
do
kick off, we deny everything. And we kill them off at source,’ said Jimmy.
‘How?’
Jimmy gave a twisted smile.
‘Bust a few heads, people start to think twice about opening their mouths,’ he told her. ‘Trust me, nobody’s going to start anything around me. And I’ll be quiet as the grave. I’m Max and Jonjo’s number one, remember?’
As if you’d let me forget it
, thought Annie.
You arrogant git.
‘I’m placing a lot of trust in you,’ said Annie. ‘More than I’m comfortable with, to be honest, given your connection to Kath and knowing how she feels about me.’
‘Kath won’t know,’ said Jimmy.
‘She mustn’t,’ said Annie. ‘Because if she does, family or not, I’d have to have a word. She starts flapping that big mouth of hers and it’ll be all over the manor before you can say knife. And then we’re fucked.’
‘Kath won’t know. She knows nothing about the business. Never has,
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