Roxanne had been released just two hours ago and already she was on her way into the city for a business meeting with a man she’d never met but had heard a lot about. Cole Woods was a dangerous man but a man in the know when it came to the underworld, not just in Glasgow but up and down the country and, she was led to believe, abroad too. She wasn’t sure she believed that the rumours about him were all lies. Drugs, robbery, murder. Roxanne had dealt in drugs before, of course she had. There was real money to be made there, but it had always been a territorial game with her and Jake. Work within the area, make your money there. But murder? She’d gone as far as to beat someone to a bloody mess and it hadn’t bothered her, but she wasn’t sure she was willing to work with a man who would shoot you as quick as look at you. Cole was a bit of a loose cannon, everyone in this game knew that, but she had to admit to herself that she was a little intrigued by him. Maybe Cole’s proposal was going to be much bigger than either of them expected. Was this Roxanne’s chance to make a real go of her life?
‘You’re quiet,’ Jake said, pulling the car into a space on the side of the road.
‘I don’t have much to say.’ She paused. That wasn’t a lie. This wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind for her first day of freedom. She’d thought Jake would have sat her down and shown her everything he’d done for the business since she’d been away. Now, she was walking into the prospect of a new deal, with a new gangster. Walking straight into danger almost immediately. The thought was scary, but there was no way she was going to voice her thoughts to Jake. Instead, she said, ‘Not a lot has happened for me in the last ten years. I’ve been in prison, remember.’
Jake smiled. ‘You don’t have anything to worry about, Rox. Cole’s an alright guy, once you get to know him.’
‘I’m not worried about Cole.’ Rox raised a brow. ‘But you’ve heard the rumours, Jake. People are saying he’s linked to some unsolved murders down in London. Just because I was in the jail doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on. Is he stable enough for us to go into business with him?’
‘And we’re angels, are we?’ Jake said, ignoring her question.
Roxanne sighed. Jake was right but it didn’t shift the feeling of unease that weighed heavy on her chest right now. But she had to remind herself of who she was before she went inside. She was Roxanne McPhail and she had her own reputation. She might not operate as far and wide as Cole Woods, but in her patch, she was someone to be reckoned with. Jake had kept things going. The shoplifting operations had been working fine up until recently, a nice little side earner on top of the drug operations. However, Roxanne wanted to build her empire and maybe Cole had turned up at the right time, to offer something far bigger than she and Jake had done before.
‘I know we’re not angels. But I know us, how we operate. I don’t know much about him or how he runs things. The only thing I’ve heard about him is that he’s brutal. And how do you know we can even trust him?’
‘Okay, firstly I don’t understand why you’re so concerned about brutality. Secondly, I don’t know for sure that we can trust him, Rox, but that’s what this meeting is all about. To see what he will bring to the table and what the margins will look like. If things don’t look good, then we walk. And I’ve already told you, those rumours are exactly that.’
Roxanne could tell that last sentence was half-hearted, but she chose to keep her mouth shut about that for now. Jake opened the door and stepped out of the car and Roxanne followed. They crossed Duke Street and entered the Old Duke Bar on the corner. As soon as they were inside, the smell of stale beer hit Roxanne in the face. The place was packed with older men, all sat around the edge of the bar sipping pints and reading papers. Some watched the dog racing on the television on the wall in the corner of the room. As Jake approached the bar, Roxanne turned to find somewhere for them to sit. As she moved towards a table just by the door, she was stopped by a man slightly taller than her. His dark hair and transparent skin made her stare into his eyes. He smiled widely at her and she knew who he was.
‘Roxanne McPhail. It’s a pleasure,’ he said in his loud, thick cockney accent while holding out his hand. ‘Where’s the main man, then? Getting us all a beer, I hope?’ His eyes moved away, searching the room for Jake before quickly resting on hers again. He smiled again, more gently this time. ‘Cole.’
Roxanne regarded him with a smile that slightly raised the corners of her mouth. In her thirty-eight years, she’d only met two men with that same grin and charm. He reminded her a little of someone from long ago. Jez, her first love and heartbreak. That charm never lasted in any man; it always fizzled out into something else. Deceit, lies.
‘Good to meet you, Cole. Jake’s just getting us a drink,’ she replied, noting how he hadn’t yet let go of her hand or broken his gaze. Roxanne quickly rectified that and pulled her hand away before sitting down at the table. Cole sat across from her and she tried to study his face without staring. His features were dark, mysterious. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the rumours of his links to the unsolved murders of various gang members down in London, or because he reminded her of Jez, but Rox had to remind herself that Jake was present and that ultimately, Cole’s stare wasn’t something she wanted to linger on for too long. She had to admit that he was handsome, but he had a snake-like stare that was almost predatory as he took in every inch of her.
‘Cole,’ Jake said as he placed the beers on the table and brought Roxanne out of her thoughts. ‘Glad you could make it, mate.’
Cole stood up and the men shook, each placing the opposing hand on the other’s shoulder. Roxanne glanced up at them and raised a brow. The embrace and enthusiasm was forced on Jake’s part. She knew him well enough to know when he was playing someone for his own gain. That was what worried Roxanne about this whole situation. Cole Woods was not someone to be played, she could tell that just by his presence alone.
They sat down and Roxanne could feel the tension, along with Cole’s eyes on her. Shrugging it off, she turned to Cole and smiled. ‘So, what’s this proposition you’ve got for us then?’
‘Ha, I do like a woman who gets straight to the point.’
Roxanne smiled and glanced at Jake. His expression was hard and she could sense that he was feeling put out. She’d bet most men would feel put out by Cole, in business and otherwise. He was charismatic, she’d give him that.
‘Right guys,’ Cole started. He sat forward and lowered his tone. ‘I’m looking to expand. The demand for my supply is higher than it ever has been and I need team leaders. People who can run a team of distributors, keep them in line, you know how it goes. You’ve both done this for a long time. Glasgow is a city we can make real money in but then, every major city is full of junkies crying out for supply,’ Cole said, eyeing Jake. ‘Jakey boy here worked on a couple of runs for me a few years ago when you were inside. Made himself a pretty penny so I know he’s trustworthy.’
Roxanne frowned and turned to Jake, a fury building inside her she’d never felt for him before. ‘Is he now?’
‘Ah,’ Cole interrupted, sitting forward and focusing all his attention on Roxanne. She took a breath and wondered what he was going to say next. ‘You served a fucker of a sentence. What was it? Ten years?’
Roxanne drew her eyes from Jake, angry that he’d failed to mention his previous dealings with Woods. Cole didn’t seem to notice. ‘Yes, ten years. Got out this morning.’
‘This morning, and you came straight here to meet me?’ He held both his hands against his chest, eyes and smile wider than Roxanne would have thought possible. ‘I’m fucking honoured, mate.’
Sarcastic bastard, Roxanne thought.
Dropping his hands to his lap, he reached for his pint and took a large gulp. Roxanne didn’t know what to make of Cole. He seemed on edge; he was calm one minute then high on life the next. It made her feel uneasy, yet intrigued.
‘Thanks,’ was all she could think to say.
‘I’ve heard all about you and Jake here and what you’re both capable of. And word on the street is that you both have fierce reputations and can be relied on to get the job done. That’s the kind of characters I’m looking for. And Rox – can I call you Rox? You’ve just done a ten-year stint and by the looks of it you’ve coped well. Looking beautiful for having been locked up, if you don’t mind me saying. Anyway, my point is that you’re both hard as fuck and I need you. You run a good business. You’re experienced in organising and distributing. I did my research. You don’t suffer fools gladly, Rox, do you?’
Roxanne felt in a trance-like state listening to Cole. The speed of his words meant her brain took a little time to catch up but she was getting there. He knew everything about them. He knew everything about her.
‘Meaning?’ Roxanne pressed.
‘I heard what you did to that lad. Nearly fucking killed him, by all accounts. You’re one rough girl and I like that. That’s what this industry is missing. Too many women in this world on the edges, and not enough leading things. You could be the one who changes all that.’
Roxanne felt her eyebrows knit together. Cole had a way with words, knew how to use them to pull her in. It was working.
‘You read about my trial?’
‘Call it an interview, one of those police check things that people get when they’re starting a job with the public. You see, I had to know who I was taking on. I already knew all about Jake but I didn’t know much about you.’
Jake shifted in his seat. ‘Give us all the details, Cole. We can’t agree to anything until we have all the facts.’
‘Right. Fair enough,’ Cole swallowed loudly, baring his teeth and licking his lips. ‘Seems as though there was a bit of a bust-up between the rivals on the west end and south side. One of ’em’s dead and the other’s in jail waiting to be tried for murder. Rest of ‘em have gone into hiding by all accounts, left their shit wide open for the taking. Fucking mental, and I thought London was bad for territorial shit.’
Roxanne frowned and looked in Jake’s direction. Why hadn’t he told her about this? Unless he didn’t know?
‘Yeah, I heard that rumour too. Although we’re east end so it doesn’t affect us, not really,’ Jake replied, not meeting Roxanne’s eye.
‘It affects us all, mate. That’s why I’m here. We could be the ones to take it over. I’m talking thousands upon thousands of pounds here, mate. With those pussies leaving their shit open for anyone, we’ll be the next ones to step in. No one else has the balls like us, Jake.’
Roxanne couldn’t hide the smile on her face. She knew this was going to happen. Cole was already speaking as though they’d shaken on a deal. There was no going back now.
‘So, remind me. What drugs you deal in then? The small time stuff? Cannabis, coke?’
‘Aye,’ Jake replied.
‘Right, well, now you’re in with me, you’re dealing with the big time gear where there’s real money to be made. And not just here in Glasgow, or across the other side of the country, Edinburgh and the likes. I’m talking county lines material, mate. But you’ll need to assemble a team for distribution. People you know you can trust but who won’t take the fucking piss out of you. Because if they take the piss out of you, they’re taking the piss out of me and we don’t need that kind of negative shit.’
Roxanne listened as Cole and Jake discussed details. They’d need to pull together a team. They’d need a hub. They’d be organising drug runs, but they would have to know how they were going to do this discreetly. Cole mentioned the cities the drugs would travel to. Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, London. The list went on and on. The details ran deep. And the more she listened, the more she could see on Jake’s face just how serious this was, and how nervous he was about the operation. All the while, Roxanne’s excitement grew. It was the way Cole talked about it. With passion and excitement. He knew what he was doing and how things would work. He’d been doing this for years in London.
‘So, Cole. I hear you were living abroad for a while?’ Roxanne asked. He shot her a look, as though he hadn’t expected her to ask about it. ‘Can I ask where?’
He hesitated, clearly not wanting to go into detail. ‘You know how it is in this business. I was here and there. Doing deals for the big clubs all over the islands, you know?’
‘The Canaries and Balearics?’ She pressed. ‘That must have been a laugh.’
Roxanne thought about her time in Majorca. The memories were still raw, not just because she’d had her heart broken by losing the man in her life and her best friend, but because she’d lost a life opportunity. How different things would be for her now if Jez hadn’t been such a tosser.
‘It was business. Making money,’ Cole said, raising his drink to his mouth and keeping his eyes on her.
‘I lived in Majorca for a while, back in the day,’ she said, but she could tell that Cole was done with this conversation. He’d already moved on in his head. He didn’t want to discuss his life abroad for reasons she might never know.
‘You’ll want to get hammered now that you’re out of that shit hole, Roxanne,’ Cole said and his words snapped her out of her thoughts.
‘Aye,’ she replied. ‘Not had a proper drink in a decade.’
‘Jake, grab your woman a proper drink. What ya like? Tequila? Whisky?’ Cole said. Roxanne was surprised by how quickly Jake seemed to do what Cole said, as he was already getting to his feet.
‘She likes vodka,’ Jake replied, bending down and kissing her. She knew the kiss was a warning to Cole without the exchange of words. He’d noticed the attention Cole had been giving Roxanne.
‘Right then, shots of vodka all round. Make mine a double. I think this is a cause for celebration, don’t you?’
Jake left the table and Roxanne straightened her back and pushed back her shoulders. Why did she feel excited when she knew that she should be feeling the exact opposite? Jake had his reservations; that was obvious to her. What was also obvious was how blatantly Cole was flirting with her and she liked it.
‘So, you got anyone in mind for the team you’ll need to get the goods moving?’ Cole asked. He’d moved around the table and was now sitting next to her where Jake had been.
‘Aye,’ she replied. ‘I can think of a few people.’
Roxanne didn’t have many friends, mostly acquaintances. But she’d think of someone.
Roxanne looked up to see Jake return to where they were sitting. He looked at Cole through narrowed eyes as he laid three glasses on the table. ‘Here.’
Cole got up from his seat and moved back around the other side of the table. It was as if he knew not to overstep the mark with Jake. Sighing inwardly at the idea of being an object which both men fought for possession of, Roxanne lifted her glass and held it at her mouth.
‘Here’s to making a shit ton of cash,’ Cole said, raising his glass.
Roxanne nodded and knocked hers back, allowing the burn to take over. She rose from her chair and excused herself from the table, leaving the men to compare cocks and went outside for some fresh air. Feeling their eyes on her as she exited the pub, she felt like telling them both to fuck off. That she would happily go about this all on her own, that she didn’t need one man to help her earn some cash, let alone two. But in truth she couldn’t do this alone. And she did love Jake, but not as much as she used to. Being away for ten years had created a space between them that even Jake couldn’t deny. Roxanne was angry at him for not being truthful about his previous dealings with Cole. Perhaps Cole had seen it too and that was why he was behaving the way he was.
Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she punched in Arabella’s number and waited for the ring.
‘Well, hello there, Ms McPhail. You’re out then?’ Arabella answered.
‘And it feels fucking glorious,’ Roxanne replied with a smile. It was good to hear her friend’s voice. ‘Listen, why don’t we meet up?’
‘Oh, well I can’t right now. I’m kind of at work.’
‘You’re at work?’ Roxanne couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m a business owner now. A salon in the west end.’
‘Oh. My. God! I have to come and see this place. And you of course. I could come now?’ Roxanne felt excited to see the salon. ‘I’ve just finished up at a meeting.’
Arabella was silent on the other end of the line and Roxanne knew fine well why. She wouldn’t want a convicted criminal just out of prison that very day, swanning into her business and driving away customers.
‘You still there?’ Roxanne pushed.
‘Yeah, I’m here. It’s just, well, I don’t know if you coming here today is such a good idea. I’ve literally only just started myself, getting to know the place and the girls who work here. I don’t want them to think that I’m taking the piss by having all sorts of people dropping in unannounced to see me just because I own the place.’
Roxanne felt her expression change, her brow furrowed. ‘All sorts of people? Thanks for that, Arabella.’ She forced a laugh.
‘Oh god, no that’s not what I meant. Fuck, sorry. I’m shit at this.’ Arabella paused and Roxanne wondered what exactly it was that she was mulling over in her head. Maybe she didn’t want people to know she was friends with a convicted criminal. But then, wasn’t that what Arabella was? Except Arabella was a bit of class. Well, compared to Roxanne she was. She was young, beautiful, and surely intelligent if she just put her mind to it, rather than allowing people to carry her away and put her at the heart of their shitty games.
‘Okay,’ Arabella said. ‘I’m sure it won’t do any harm for you to come by for a while. I suppose I am the boss. But we can’t stay for long. I don’t want people thinking that I’m just using the place as some kind of entertainment venue. I know what you’re like, Roxanne. You’re going to want to crack open the voddy as soon as you get here.’
Roxanne laughed. ‘Just text me the address, I’ll be there soon.’
Roxanne hung up and flagged down a taxi and told the driver where to take her. She had cash in her pocket and Jake could pick her up later if he wasn’t wasted.
She travelled through the east end and across the city to where Arabella was, thinking about the morning’s events. So much had happened in the last few hours. She’d been released after ten years, met up with one of London’s top gangsters and learned that parts of Glasgow were now for the taking. Jesus, she thought. A lot to take in on her first day as a free woman. Now she was going back into the drug business with Cole and Jake. Things were moving so fast that Roxanne’s head was swirling. As the taxi pulled up outside the salon, she paid the driver and got out.
Staring up at Hair Envy, she smiled. Nice one, Arabella, she thought. She’d certainly landed on her feet with this place. Pushing through the door, Roxanne moved inside and saw Arabella standing at the back of the salon, chatting with a woman who was around the same age as Roxanne.
‘Do you have an appointment?’ one of the stylists asked Roxanne.
‘No, I’m here to see the owner,’ Roxanne replied. At that, Arabella looked across the room and smiled widely at her.
‘Oh my god!’ she almost squealed. ‘I can’t believe we’re both here.’
Roxanne smiled as she hugged Arabella. She looked entirely different to when she’d last seen her, with a face full of make-up and her blonde hair styled in loose curls. Roxanne expected nothing less.
‘Ah, freedom suits you,’ Roxanne said. She noted the look on the other woman’s face but ignored it. ‘We have some catching up to do. Coffee?’
Arabella nodded. ‘Yes, we can go to the kitchen. You don’t mind, Scarlett?’
Roxanne regarded Scarlett. Clear skin, the type who could get away without having to wear make-up to look decent. Shoulder-length dark hair. She was the type to look down her nose at the likes of Roxanne.
Scarlett smiled at Arabella, but when she looked at Roxanne, there was something in her eyes that told Roxanne she was right. She was looking down her nose at her. Maybe Arabella had mentioned how they’d met, that they’d become friends while sharing a prison cell. Scarlett might be the type of woman who would prefer not to mix with the likes of Roxanne, but she certainly wasn’t going to be made to feel like scum by a woman she’d just met.
‘Not at all,’ Scarlett said hesitantly. ‘You own the place, after all.’
Drawing her eyes away from Roxanne, Scarlett moved away, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. Sarcastic little bitch, Roxanne thought.
‘Right, first things first. Where the fuck did you get the money to buy a place like this? Three weeks ago, you were in the jail.’
‘Let me get the kettle on first and then I’ll tell you everything.’
Roxanne followed Arabella through to the kitchen at the back of the salon. She took in her surroundings and imagined just for a moment what it would be like to own a legitimate business. That kind of thing was so far removed from a life like Roxanne’s that she allowed the thought to disperse. This place could be perfect for a not-so-legit venture, she thought to herself.
This could be the hub Cole was talking about.