Read Online Reckoning by Heather Atkinson - Free Book Online Page A

must have contacted the Starklaws somehow,” said Jules.
    “Good thinking,” said Mikey. “All three are still in hospital. Grant, Mark, get down there and make them talk.”
    They both nodded and left.
    “Let’s hope they can tell us something,” said Jez.
    “I don’t know,” said Mikey. “The Starklaws are fucking dingbats but Nilsen’s smart, he wouldn’t have made such a rookie mistake as to give that bunch of crack heads information that could lead us right to them.”
    “Let’s hope he had an off day,” said Jez. “I’ve got the feeling we’ve got a few of those coming.”
    That feeling only increased when Mikey’s phone rang. He answered and his shoulders slumped. “Okay, yep, we’ll be right there.” He hung up, tossed the phone onto his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose.
    “Has another business been hit?” said Jez.
    “No. That was Toni Mcvay. She’s here.”
    “In Manchester?”
    He nodded. “And she wants us to meet her at The Wherry Tavern.”
    “Then we’d better not keep her waiting,” said Jez, getting to his feet.
    “Want me to come?” offered Jules. “You might need back-up.”
    “Yeah, you can come along,” replied Mikey.
    “I’ve never met her before. What’s she like?”
    “You’re in for a treat,” he said doubtfully.
    “Is she like her brother?”
    “Did you ever meet him?”
    “No but I would have liked to.”
    “You would have got on well. Toni’s not as openly psychotic as Frankie but at least he had a sense of humour. Toni doesn’t. I want you there. She likes the ladies so you can work your usual magic.”
    “I’ll do my best,” she said cockily.
     
    “You took your time,” were Toni’s first words. Mikey had called ahead and instructed the intimidated pub manager to settle her in the office with a drink. He noticed she’d opted for champagne, gracefully sipping from a long-stemmed glass, the bottle beside her on the desk. She was a very attractive woman with long black curly hair, the clingy dress she wore revealing a lot of bosom, as usual.
    Mikey had never seen the man standing by her side before. He appeared to be in his early fifties in a sharp grey suit, ear length black hair streaked with grey, matching black and grey goatee and a scarred face, as though someone had put a knife in his mouth then pushed upwards, making him look as though he was perpetually smiling, even though his eyes were hard.
    “We came straight away,” replied Mikey. It had been agreed that he would do most of the talking as Toni’s deal had actually been made with the Maguires, not the Laws, even though Jez helped run their drug distribution operation. “Who’s this?” he said, nodding at the scarred man.
    “This is Caesar, my personal bodyguard,” said Toni, smiling up at her associate.
    “Caesar?” said Jez.
    The man’s mouth pinched into a line, highlighting the scars. “Yeah, Caesar. You got a fucking problem with that?” he barked in a hoarse Glaswegian accent.
    “Me? No. The missus is expecting and we’re looking for names. I like it.”
    Jez spoke with a hint of derision but not enough for Caesar to call him out about it so he went silent, glaring at Jez, who did his best to keep a straight face.
    Toni patted her associate’s chest. “Caesar gives me what no other man can.”
    Mikey decided it would be best not to comment on that statement. “And Uncle Tam?”
    “Overseeing things in Glasgow while I’m here.” Her black eyes, almost as black as Rachel’s, fixed on Jules. “Who’s she?”
    “This is Jules, my cousin and Jez’s sister.”
    “Oh yes, the infamous Venom,” she said dismissively. “I don’t like discussing business in front of strangers.”
    “Jules is part of our inner circle now,” said Mikey. “She’s in on everything so we thought it was time for you to meet her.”
    “In that case she can stay,” she said haughtily, placing the champagne glass on the desk. “I’ve been dragged down here by some very