dark eyes didn’t look very friendly at all.
Dr. Jamie Snell shook his head in disbelief.
“How the hell he survived is beyond me. We have had to put over forty stitches in his neck and he took a serious beating beforehand. It seems that when they hung him, they actually stopped the blood flow. Lucky really.”
The Prison Officer shrugged.
“Strong old boy, Vic.”
“Well, he’s not out of the woods yet. He’s still unconscious and until we see how he goes through the night…”
Dr. Snell left the sentence unfinished.
PO Boston grinned.
“An easy night for me anyway. At least the bastard can’t wake up and give me any aggravation.” He sat himself down by the bed in Intensive Care and opened up the Sun. He folded the paper at the crossword and licked his pencil earnestly.
Dr. Snell wrote his notes quickly, and after talking to the nurse in charge, left the ward.
Vic Joliff had listened to everything through a haze of pain; he was much stronger than any of them thought.
But Vic being Vic knew how to play the game.
Benny and Abul dropped Coco off at the local hospital at 8.45.
Benny was silent as Abul assured their victim that it was nothing personal. Just business. Coco was heartbroken at what had occurred and also knew he needed medical treatment as soon as possible.
Before getting out of the car he said sadly, “I would never betray you, Benny, you must believe that.”
He nodded, like a bored benevolent pontiff.
“Just fuck off now, Coco. I heard you the fiftieth time.”
As they drove off Abul glanced at him and they both started laughing.
“Did you hear him squeal when I stuck the cattle prod in his ribs?”
“They will guess what happened by the burns, Ben, but he won’t say a word.”
Abul sounded very certain of this. Benny just shrugged.
“Who gives a fuck if he does. Prick, he is.”
Forty minutes later the car pulled up outside a block of purpose-built flats in Southend. Benny left the car and made his way up to the penthouse. The door was opened by a small-boned, dark-haired young woman of seventeen.
“Hello, Benny.”
Her voice told him how pleased she was to see him. He smiled at her, one of his blinding smiles that made people want to like him, want to please him.
“Get your kit off, Carol, I have an appointment in an hour.”
Carol tutted as she put her hands on her hips. Her cross expression made Benny laugh.
“Mr. fucking Romantic.”
He laughed harder.
“I told you, girl, you want Mr. Romantic then give me back the key and go and find him.”
He took her where she stood, up against the wall. He was rough with her, and she cried out in pain. He slapped her hard across the face and she held her breath, frightened to move or make a sound until he had finished. All the time it went on he spewed filth into her ear and she tried to block out what he was saying to her. He would be back tomorrow or later in the evening with money and sweet words to soothe her. That was the Benny she loved, not this maniac who turned up frequently and just used her.
Fifteen minutes later he was back in the car with Abul on his way to Camden. Carol was sitting on the hall floor, sore and hurt and crying her little heart out. She could see the smears of blood on the wall beside her and it made her cry harder.
She kept repeating one word like a mantra under her breath: “Bastard, bastard, bastard.”
“Hello, Kenny.”
Maura half-smiled at him and he was made aware of how powerful her presence actually was. He liked Maura, always had; she was one of the few women he actually respected. But then, she wasn’t really like other women. She had the same coldness in her that her brother Michael had had. That unpredictability that all successful people in their line of business shared. She was also still very good-looking even if she would never see forty again.
“Maura.”
His voice was clipped. He had no intention of showing his fear though he had an idea that Maura Ryan could
Dr. Jamie Snell shook his head in disbelief.
“How the hell he survived is beyond me. We have had to put over forty stitches in his neck and he took a serious beating beforehand. It seems that when they hung him, they actually stopped the blood flow. Lucky really.”
The Prison Officer shrugged.
“Strong old boy, Vic.”
“Well, he’s not out of the woods yet. He’s still unconscious and until we see how he goes through the night…”
Dr. Snell left the sentence unfinished.
PO Boston grinned.
“An easy night for me anyway. At least the bastard can’t wake up and give me any aggravation.” He sat himself down by the bed in Intensive Care and opened up the Sun. He folded the paper at the crossword and licked his pencil earnestly.
Dr. Snell wrote his notes quickly, and after talking to the nurse in charge, left the ward.
Vic Joliff had listened to everything through a haze of pain; he was much stronger than any of them thought.
But Vic being Vic knew how to play the game.
Benny and Abul dropped Coco off at the local hospital at 8.45.
Benny was silent as Abul assured their victim that it was nothing personal. Just business. Coco was heartbroken at what had occurred and also knew he needed medical treatment as soon as possible.
Before getting out of the car he said sadly, “I would never betray you, Benny, you must believe that.”
He nodded, like a bored benevolent pontiff.
“Just fuck off now, Coco. I heard you the fiftieth time.”
As they drove off Abul glanced at him and they both started laughing.
“Did you hear him squeal when I stuck the cattle prod in his ribs?”
“They will guess what happened by the burns, Ben, but he won’t say a word.”
Abul sounded very certain of this. Benny just shrugged.
“Who gives a fuck if he does. Prick, he is.”
Forty minutes later the car pulled up outside a block of purpose-built flats in Southend. Benny left the car and made his way up to the penthouse. The door was opened by a small-boned, dark-haired young woman of seventeen.
“Hello, Benny.”
Her voice told him how pleased she was to see him. He smiled at her, one of his blinding smiles that made people want to like him, want to please him.
“Get your kit off, Carol, I have an appointment in an hour.”
Carol tutted as she put her hands on her hips. Her cross expression made Benny laugh.
“Mr. fucking Romantic.”
He laughed harder.
“I told you, girl, you want Mr. Romantic then give me back the key and go and find him.”
He took her where she stood, up against the wall. He was rough with her, and she cried out in pain. He slapped her hard across the face and she held her breath, frightened to move or make a sound until he had finished. All the time it went on he spewed filth into her ear and she tried to block out what he was saying to her. He would be back tomorrow or later in the evening with money and sweet words to soothe her. That was the Benny she loved, not this maniac who turned up frequently and just used her.
Fifteen minutes later he was back in the car with Abul on his way to Camden. Carol was sitting on the hall floor, sore and hurt and crying her little heart out. She could see the smears of blood on the wall beside her and it made her cry harder.
She kept repeating one word like a mantra under her breath: “Bastard, bastard, bastard.”
“Hello, Kenny.”
Maura half-smiled at him and he was made aware of how powerful her presence actually was. He liked Maura, always had; she was one of the few women he actually respected. But then, she wasn’t really like other women. She had the same coldness in her that her brother Michael had had. That unpredictability that all successful people in their line of business shared. She was also still very good-looking even if she would never see forty again.
“Maura.”
His voice was clipped. He had no intention of showing his fear though he had an idea that Maura Ryan could
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