An hour later, Caelan and Ewan stood outside an estate agent’s premises pretending to look at properties advertised in the window. The sky was grey, rain clouds gathering overhead as a strong breeze picked up litter and flung it at their shins. The address Reuben Nash had provided was a scruffy-looking place a few doors down, with several vehicles parked outside, all emblazoned with the company name in silver lettering. There were saloons, an estate and a minibus with blacked-out rear windows.
‘Kwik Kabs. Wonder how many seconds it took him to think of that,’ Ewan said. ‘Doesn’t look as though they’re busy, either.’
‘According to Mulligan, Harris’s family also own a pizza place and a chip shop. Maybe they’re all frying fish today.’
‘Fish and chips. That’s what we should have for tea tonight.’ Ewan nudged her, and Caelan knew he was trying to lighten the mood. She was apprehensive, and she could feel his unease too.
‘If Harris leaves us any teeth to eat with,’ she said. ‘Come on, let’s get it over with.’
‘Wait a second. How are we going to do this?’ Ewan blushed. ‘I mean, I don’t want to mess anything up.’
She smiled. ‘Harris is going to think he’s in control, because we’re on his turf and we owe him – apparently. To a point, we’ll have to see how it plays out. I don’t have the money, and there’s no point pretending I can get it.’
Ewan scowled. ‘Bloody Penrith.’
‘He was never going to hand it over. Maybe two or three thousand, but fifteen?’
‘Not him who has to face Harris, though, is it?’
She lifted her shoulders. ‘I should never have said I’d repay it.’
‘You didn’t have a choice, not with Harris standing there, his men ready to kick the shit out of Mulligan.’
‘Yeah, couldn’t let that happen, could I?’ She smiled. ‘Are you ready?’
He nodded, and they turned to cross the road. As they waited for a break in the traffic, a black BMW sped towards them and screeched to a halt behind one of the Kwik Kabs vehicles. Harris climbed out with a jaunty wave, the bruising on his jaw visible even from across the street.
‘Where are his guard dogs?’ Ewan murmured.
‘Probably inside, chewing on someone’s remains.’
Harris waited on the pavement, leaning against the wall. As they reached him, he said, ‘No huge suitcase of cash? Hope you’ve brought your chequebook, then.’
Caelan met his eyes. ‘Can we talk?’
He gave an unpleasant smile. ‘If you don’t have the money, I think we need to.’ He pushed away from the wall, waved them inside with mock politeness. ‘After you.’
Inside, the place was even dingier than it looked from the outside. There was a square room with several white plastic garden chairs for people to wait for their cab, another door, and a hatch in the wall where they could see a woman at a desk barking orders into a phone.
‘Meet my mum,’ Harris said. ‘Worked here every day since she was sixteen. Built the place up from nothing, didn’t you, Mum?’
She waved a hand but didn’t turn.
‘Salt of the earth. Now,’ he jerked a thumb towards the door at the back of the room, ‘upstairs.’
Caelan started to move, and as Ewan made to follow, Harris’s hand shot out and grabbed his forearm. ‘Not you. You can stay down here, keep my old mum company.’
Ewan looked down at Harris’s hand. ‘Not going to happen.’
Harris smirked as one of his muscle men appeared behind Ewan, the other in the doorway that apparently led upstairs. ‘Think you better do as you’re told, sunshine, don’t you?’
Caelan turned. ‘I’ll be okay, Owen. Let me talk to him.’
Ewan seethed and snarled, but in the end threw himself down in one of the plastic chairs.
‘I’ll look after her.’ Harris leered. ‘Promise.’ He glanced at the man standing behind Ewan. ‘Stay with him. Don’t let him out of this room.’
The man nodded, planting his feet as though he expected Ewan to charge at him.
‘Can they even speak?’ Caelan asked.
Harris took her arm. ‘They can say “yes, sir”, and that’s all I need.’ He squeezed. ‘All I need my women to say too.’
He marched her through the door, the other man following behind like a puppy. The stairs were on the right, and on the left was an open door, a toilet and grimy sink visible. For a moment Caelan toyed with pretending she needed to use them, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Harris would no doubt think it a good laugh to deny her the chance.
The last thing she wanted was to allow him to drag her upstairs, but if only one of his men was coming with them, she still fancied her chances if things got rough. He was bigger, heavier, definitely stronger, but she doubted he’d had the training she had. Ewan could always wade in too, unless Harris or the others were armed… She didn’t allow her mind to consider the possibility, focusing instead on the details of her surroundings, wanting to learn everything she could about Harris’s home territory. So far, it wasn’t much. The place was bare, neglected. Functional. Even the stairs were uncarpeted.
Halfway up, she pretended to stumble, and Harris almost lost his footing. Yanking her upright, he snarled, ‘Clumsy bitch.’
Caelan ignored him, kept walking. His grip on her arm had tightened and she knew he would leave bruises, but for a second, he’d panicked, and she’d had the upper hand.
At the top of the stairs was a landing with one door leading off it. Harris looked down at her.
‘I’m going to let go of you so I can unlock the door. You’ll be a good girl, won’t you? I wouldn’t advise running, because you won’t get far. Johnny here would happily throw you down the stairs, wouldn’t you, mate?’
Johnny laughed, rubbing his hands together like a pantomime villain. Caelan gave him a disdainful glance.
‘Why would I run?’ she said. She didn’t say ‘I’m not afraid of you’, but they all knew she meant it.
Harris scowled and barged the door open. ‘Get inside.’ He gave Caelan a shove and she allowed herself to be pushed through. ‘Wait out here, Johnny. Don’t let anyone in,’ Harris ordered.
Johnny might have replied, but anything he said was lost as Harris slammed the door and locked it. Caelan felt her heartbeat rocket, her body begin to hum. Adrenalin. The familiar sensation, somewhere between excitement and fear. Harris moved close, trapping her against the wall, then smiled and abruptly turned away, giving her a chance to look around the room for the first time.
It was clearly his office, kitted out slightly more impressively than downstairs, but not by much. There was one window, on the opposite wall to the door, which was now at Caelan’s back. There was a desk with a computer, a leather office chair that Harris was settling into, and a dining chair on the other side of the desk. In the corner was a filing cabinet and a large plastic toolbox. Caelan eyed the toolbox. She knew the hideous uses ordinary tools could be put to in the right, or wrong, hands. Pliers, screwdrivers, nail guns… She told herself to focus. Harris was a loudmouth and a bully, but she would not allow him to hurt her. Then again, in a room this size, the only door locked, would she be able to fight him off? She shut the thought down, took a few steady breaths. Of course she would. Stay calm. Concentrate.
‘Sit down,’ Harris said. His demeanour had changed – he was now playing the reasonable businessman. She did as she was told, sitting up straight, only the balls of her feet making contact with the floor, appearing casual and relaxed but ready to spring out of the chair if necessary.
Only she knew that her heart was hammering against the back of her throat.
‘You don’t have the money,’ Harris said.
‘Nope.’
‘Then we’ve got a problem.’ He leant back in his chair, eyes half closed. ‘You promised me you’d have it.’
‘I said James would have it.’
Harris inclined his head. ‘From what I’ve heard, your cousin’s in no position to do anything but stare at a hospital ceiling for a while.’
‘Who told you that?’
‘Doesn’t matter. And before you ask, it wasn’t me who attacked him. If I wanted Mulligan put out of action, I’d make it permanent, but he’s not worth the effort. You, though…’ Now he leant forward. ‘You I think I could get used to having around.’
She said nothing, staring back at him with what she hoped was a disdainful expression. It didn’t seem to bother him.
‘Let’s talk about the money you owe me,’ he said. ‘It’s not that I need it, more… Well, it’s about respect, isn’t it? Responsibility. I made the sale in good faith, and Mulligan screwed me over. It’s time to settle the debt.’
‘Yeah, well, like I say, I can’t pay you.’
He leant back again, rubbing his jaw. ‘And yet you told me you’d made decent money in Scotland. Were you lying about how successful you’ve been?’
‘Why should I bail out my cousin?’ She allowed some belligerence into her tone. ‘Would you pay a debt for Reuben Nash?’
Harris scowled, furious, as she had expected. ‘I’d step over Reuben Nash if I saw him dying on the street. Anyway, he’s nothing to me. Mulligan’s your family, and I’m getting my money. I don’t care which one of you pays, but someone’s going to.’
‘What’s the problem between you and Reuben?’
‘Apart from the fact his brother’s a psychotic bastard who’s attacked me more than once?’
She watched him. ‘His dead brother, you mean? The one who’s been murdered?’
‘Murdered? Come on. Way I heard it, Nathan hit his head. How’s that murder?’
‘Depends if he fell or was pushed, doesn’t it? And after the incident with the knife, you’re probably the first person the police will want to talk to.’
Now he laughed. ‘You think? You saw Nathan, he was off his face. He probably just tripped over his own feet. The police have been round here already, and I told them the truth. I left the club, got straight in a taxi. I was going to go to A and E to see if that fucker had broken my jaw, but in the end I didn’t bother. I went home, then to bed. Whatever happened to Nathan, it was nothing to do with me. My mum backed me up; she heard me come in.’
Caelan hid a smile. ‘You live with your mum?’
He glared at her. ‘No, she lives with me. Something wrong with that?’
‘Not at all.’ She nodded towards the door. ‘What about your friends out there? Johnny and…?’
She waited for him to fill in the gap, but he said, ‘They dropped me at home, and where they went after that is their business.’
‘Back to the club to give Nathan Nash a kicking? To kill him?’
His nostrils flared. ‘I’ve told you it was nothing to do with us, and even if I’d wanted to teach him a lesson, I wouldn’t have done it outside his brother’s club. I’m not that stupid.’
Caelan wondered about that, but didn’t comment. ‘Then who do you think did it?’
‘No idea. Why do you care?’
‘I want to know who tried to kill James, and it seems too big a coincidence for him and Nathan Nash to be attacked within hours of each other if there’s no link.’
Harris gave a dismissive shrug. ‘Forgive me if I don’t give a shit. We’re here to talk about my money.’
She risked a smile. ‘Well, unless I’ve won the lottery in the past five minutes and haven’t been told, I still don’t have it.’
He didn’t laugh. He pushed back his chair, got to his feet. Caelan didn’t turn her head as he moved around the desk to stand behind her. She forced herself to stay still, her body thrumming with energy, ready to attack or defend herself.
It was a mistake.
His hands were on her shoulders, gentle as a lover. He caressed them, his mouth close to her cheek, cigarettes and coffee on his breath. Caelan burned with anger, revulsion, but she knew she couldn’t react. This was a test, one she was determined to pass.
His fingers moved down her arms, encircling both biceps for a second before sliding back up to her shoulders.
Then, suddenly, they were around her throat.
She froze, her body urging her to fight, or run. Harris didn’t speak, but he was breathing faster. He was enjoying this – the power, the control. Her options flashed through her mind – drive her fist into his groin, shove the chair back into his body, then grab it and batter him with it. Her seated position would make any attempt to throw him off difficult, though, and she was furious with herself for allowing him near her. She waited, sensing that he had hesitated.
‘You’re going to work for me until you’ve paid off your debt,’ he whispered. The pressure on her throat increased, but only slightly.
‘Doing what?’ she managed to say.
More pressure. ‘Whatever I want. Whatever I tell you.’ He laughed softly, his lips brushing her ear. ‘Whenever I want.’
Caelan fought the rising panic, the disgust and fury. He wasn’t hurting her, not yet. This was posturing, a show of dominance. How far was he willing to go? She didn’t know, didn’t want to risk finding out. He had locked the door, put the key in his pocket, and to retrieve it she would have to get close to him. Even if she’d put him out of action, that would leave her vulnerable again. She knew she would struggle to exit the room unless he opened the door himself. On the other hand, that meant Johnny, the man outside, couldn’t get in to help his boss out unless he also had a key, which Caelan doubted. She imagined Harris would want to keep them to himself. Everything he did was a display of power. She knew she could hurt him, kill him if she had to, unless he got in a lucky punch. She was well trained, but a punch in the face would put her flat on her back as quickly as it would anyone else. The secret was to strike first and not allow the other person back up.
Harris’s right hand slid up her throat and he gripped her jaw and chin. Viciously he yanked her head around so that their cheeks were pressed together.
‘You’ve been getting on well with Reuben Nash, haven’t you?’ His voice was low, husky, and Caelan knew the situation was exciting him. The thought revolted her, and she cursed herself for coming here at all.
‘I’ve spoken to him,’ she croaked.
‘Am I hurting you?’ Harris whispered. Caelan said nothing, and he wrenched her jaw and chin again, hard. She made a small sound of distress, and he nuzzled her neck. ‘Well?’
‘A little.’
His left hand increased the pressure on her throat. ‘You know, in your position, I’d be telling the truth. You were in Nash’s office, just the two of you, nice and cosy. I want to know what he said to you.’
She didn’t reply, and he squeezed. She choked, coughing, and he laughed as he released his grip. Caelan swallowed. He hadn’t hurt her as much as he thought, but she knew she had to give him what he wanted. With him standing behind her, she was too vulnerable. It wasn’t as though Reuben had passed on state secrets.
‘He asked what my business was, said maybe we could work together, that he’d introduce me to people,’ she said. ‘I told him I needed to do a deal soon, because Mulligan owed you money. When he heard your name, he backed off. Didn’t seem to want to know any more.’
His left hand was back at her throat, the right still gripping her face, his thumb digging painfully into her jaw. ‘What else?’
‘Nothing, I swear. He asked for my number later on, but then we found Nathan’s body and…’ She allowed her voice to trail away.
‘You’re sure there’s nothing else?’ This time he grabbed a fistful of her hair, twisting it, pulling her head back so her chest rose. Caelan knew that if he touched her breasts she would have to react. She couldn’t allow this to go too far. ‘Did Reuben tell you how he makes his money?’ Harris said against her ear.
Caelan spoke quickly, as though she was panicking. Harris didn’t know how close he was to having his fingers snapped. ‘He said all I needed to know was that he’s a businessman. He asked whether I dealt, like James.’
‘What did you say?’
‘I told him it was a safe assumption.’
Abruptly Harris let her go. Caelan made a show of half falling out of her chair. She pretended she was struggling to sit upright, fighting the temptation to rub her jaw, to explore her aching throat with her fingertips. She decided she would not give him the satisfaction, and kept her hands clenched in her lap.
He stepped away and stood over her, grinning. ‘Do we understand each other?’
She lifted her chin. ‘I think I’m beginning to get the picture.’
He laughed. ‘You’re a mouthy bitch, you know that? Usually I don’t like women who talk back to me. They only ever try it once.’
‘I’ll try to remember that.’ She looked at him. ‘But no promises.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Careful.’
She didn’t reply.
‘I want you to find out what Nash is up to,’ he said. ‘He allows people to deal in his club, but he’s never let me near. I want to know why, who his major players are. I know faces, but not names. More importantly, I want to know how else he makes his money.’
‘What do you mean?’
Harris waved an impatient hand. ‘His place is a dump, yet Nash seems to be loaded. Where’s the money coming from?’
‘I don’t know. Don’t people pay him to trade in the club?’
‘Who told you that?’
‘James.’
‘Mulligan?’ He made a sound of disgust. ‘How would he know? He asked Reuben if he wanted to buy some of the crack he was peddling. Reuben laughed in his face.’
‘Why?’
‘Because Mulligan’s small-time. Not worth the bother, especially now.’ He checked his phone. ‘Talk to Reuben. Anything you find out, let me know. I want that bastard’s business.’
‘His business?’
‘The club. I made an offer when he bought it, but the seller was someone I’d pissed off years ago and he told me where to go.’
Caelan frowned at him. ‘Why would you want it? You’ve just said it can’t make much of a profit.’
‘I have plans for it. The rest is none of your business.’ He held up a hand, threw the key on the floor behind her. ‘Now get out.’
She stood up slowly. ‘All you want me to do is talk to Reuben?’
His smile was predatory. ‘For now. But remember, I know you’re staying at Mulligan’s house, and I can visit any time I like. If I was you, I’d do as I was told. And don’t think about running back up to Scotland or anywhere else. I’ll find you.’
Caelan picked up the key, unlocked the door. Ignoring the urge to hurl it at his face, she left it in the lock. As she opened the door, Harris said quietly, ‘And remember, you owe me fifteen grand. It’s going to take you years to pay that off, and I’ll own you until you do.’