Czytaj książkę: «The Boss»

Chapter Three
Ten Years Earlier

Grace watched as the attractive man in the suit threaded his way through the crowd towards the bar. He looked vaguely familiar to her, and she was sure she’d met him before but couldn’t place him.

‘Pint of Stella please, love,’ he said.

‘Coming right up,’ she smiled as she set about pulling his pint.

‘Grace Sumner, isn’t it?’ he asked.

She nodded, surprised that he knew her maiden name. Most people knew her as Conlon now, much to her annoyance. ‘Do I know you?’ she asked.

‘You used to,’ he smiled. ‘But I’ve not seen you since you were a dot.’

‘I thought I knew your face.’

‘Patrick Carter.’ He extended his hand to shake. ‘You can call me Pat. I knew your dad. We went way back.’

Grace knew his name. Patrick Carter was a Liverpool legend. He’d worked for Nathan’s old boss, Tommy McNulty, and she wondered briefly if he’d worked for Nathan too. Carter had a reputation for being as hard as nails. Rumour had it he’d once been jumped by a rival firm. Six of them had taken him on and all six had ended up in intensive care, while Patrick had escaped with nothing more than a cut lip.

‘Oh, you were one of those friends, were you?’ she teased him.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he laughed.

‘I know all about my dad’s colourful past, Pat. And no offence, but you look just the type.’

‘I wasn’t aware we all looked the same,’ he chuckled.

‘Yes.’ She nodded as she passed him his drink. ‘Trust me. I used to be married to one of you lot.’

Patrick nodded. ‘Yeah, I know. Nathan Conlon.’

Grace bristled. Mentally checking that her mobile phone was in her trouser pocket should she need to call someone to escort Mr Carter from the premises. Nathan’s former colleagues, John or Ben would do that for her if she asked.

‘Look, if you’re here to settle old scores with Nathan then you’d better think again. I have nothing to do with him anymore. This place is sod all to do with him.’

Patrick shook his head. ‘Not at all. I’ve just got out after a long stretch. Only got out a couple of months ago. I was sorry to hear about your dad,’ he said. ‘I just wanted to pay my respects and see what the old place looked like. I spent a lot of my early twenties in here.’ Taking a sip of his pint, he looked around him. ‘It looks exactly the same.’

Grace smiled. She’d worked hard over the past two years to ensure that the pub was restored to its former glory. Nathan had almost ruined the place. Milking it for every penny, allowing the place to become run down and letting his mates have free rein. As a result, they had lost all of their regular custom.

‘I appreciate your condolences, Pat.’

Grace watched him drinking his pint for a moment. He looked a little younger than her dad would have been. He was tall, with dark hair, greying at the temples and brown eyes. He must have been a hit with the ladies in his younger days. Probably still was.

‘So what are you up to now that you’re out?’ she asked him. By the looks of his suit, he was doing well for himself.

‘This and that.’ He shrugged. ‘And how about you? Is that husband of yours behaving himself in the nick?’

Grace laughed. ‘I doubt that. And I told you, I have no idea what he’s doing in there. I have nothing to do with him now. At least I try not to. If only he would bloody leave me alone.’

‘Oh?’ Patrick raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Giving you a hard time, is he?’

‘That would be an understatement. I’m sure that man lives to torment me.’

‘Well maybe there’s something we can do about that, Grace?’

‘I can handle him,’ Grace replied. She didn’t want to be in Patrick’s debt, as nice as he seemed, she really didn’t know him at all.

‘Look, Grace,’ he said with concern in his eyes. ‘Your dad was a good friend of mine. He helped me out of a few sticky situations. I know he left this life behind, but I always respected him for that. If there is a way I can help his daughter out, then it would be my privilege to do so. Besides, my lads were given hefty sentences because of Nathan Conlon’s inability to keep his trap shut, so any chance to give that greedy bastard his comeuppance would be a bonus for me.’

‘I’ll think about it,’ she said to him.

He nodded. ‘You should. You seem like a woman with her head screwed on and I bet you know what makes that fucker tick better than anyone. I’m sure you could fix your problem all by yourself, but sometimes it’s good to have a little help.’

Grace smiled at him. She couldn’t deny there was some truth in what he said. She knew her ex-husband better than anyone alive. His insecurities; his weaknesses. Maybe she really would think about it.

Five weeks later, Grace and Patrick were sitting in her living room drinking tea. He’d become a regular visitor to the pub. On the nights she wasn’t working, he was invited upstairs to the flat once Jake was tucked up in bed and they’d talk long into the night.

‘So, you, my dad and Tommy were the best of friends then?’ Grace asked.

She’d learned about her dad’s connection to Nathan’s former boss, Tommy, a couple of years earlier. It had come as a massive shock at the time. Her dad, the gangster. She’d only ever known him as a funny, loving, if overprotective, father. She’d wished she’d known before Tommy’s death. Among other reasons, it would have been nice to talk to someone who’d known her dad back then.

‘Yeah. Thick as thieves we were. Funny really when you think about it. We were thieves and we were pretty thick too,’ Patrick laughed.

‘I suppose Tommy was always the ringleader? He seemed the type to always want to be in charge.’

‘No.’ Patrick shook his head. ‘Your dad was the boss. Ever since we were kids. He was just a natural leader, you know. Me and Tommy followed him around like a pair of stray dogs until he finally gave in and let us join his gang.’ Patrick laughed again at the memory.

‘What? No?’ Grace could hardly believe Patrick was talking about her dad.

‘Yeah. Well he was a couple of years older than us. And the girls loved him; he always had loads of dough, so me and Tommy thought he was the dog’s bollocks. He had quite the little empire built by the time he left it all behind.’

‘And he gave it all up, just like that?’

‘Just like that. When you were born, your mum told him she wasn’t having anymore of his nonsense. So, he walked away and he concentrated on this place.’

Grace shook her head in disbelief at the life her father had once lived. The life she’d known nothing of until after he’d died. She felt immensely proud of her mum though, standing up to her dad like that. ‘If only I could have given Nathan that kind of ultimatum,’ she sighed.

‘Wouldn’t have made any difference to him, love. Your dad gave it all up because he loved you and your mum too much not to. All the unpleasant stuff was a means to an end for your dad. But that’s what Nathan lives for.’

‘You worked for Nathan for a while, didn’t you?’

‘Yeah, I’d just come out after doing a few years for armed robbery and went back to work for Tommy. It was a few months before he was killed. After Nathan took over the firm I just kept doing what I was told to. Until I got lifted for bloody drug supply anyway.’ He shook his head. ‘Managed to get to the grand old age of thirty-eight before setting foot inside a nick and then got two long stretches almost back to back.’

Grace swallowed the last remnants of her tea, needing to regain her composure before continuing the conversation. Any mention of Tommy McNulty’s murder always brought her out in a cold sweat. The memories of that day were burned into her brain as though someone had branded them there with a hot poker. When she was sure she could speak without a tremor in her voice, she asked him. ‘You’ve never thought of striking out on your own then? You must have a lot of contacts in the business?’

‘Nah.’ Patrick shook his head and chuckled. ‘I’m just the hired muscle, me. Never had the brains, or the inclination to be the boss. That’s for people like Nathan, who are born for it, or people like you who’ve got the brains. You know how people work. You could go far in my world, Grace. You get that from your dad.’

‘Me?’ Grace laughed. Surely he was joking. ‘That’s the daftest thing I’ve ever heard, Pat.’

‘Not daft at all. You’ve got all that money sitting there doing nothing. And everyone likes you, they respect you. And the way you’ve handled Nathan is brilliant. I was ready to have my lad go in there all guns blazing, but your idea about the fake buyer for the pub was genius.’

Placing her empty mug onto the coffee table, Grace considered what Patrick had said. She thought about the million pounds she had stashed away in bank accounts in various company names, tied up in numerous business ventures. Money she’d stolen from Nathan before he was locked up. Money, he believed the police had nicked from him, when it had been his quiet, unassuming wife who’d taken it from right under his nose. He’d never suspected a thing. Maybe Patrick was right.

‘I wouldn’t say it was genius, Pat. I just know how Nathan thinks, that’s all. He needs to believe he’s making the decision to leave me alone. It couldn’t have worked out better, him being on a wing with your Michael. Being told I’m about to do a moonlight flit with his son, is the surest way to get Nathan to leave me in peace.’

Grace smiled. Who was she kidding? It was a stroke of genius. When Patrick had told her that his son, Michael, was on the same wing as Nathan in Walton, she realized it was the perfect opportunity to beat her soon-to-be ex-husband at his own game. Suddenly, she had someone on the inside who could feed Nathan false information. Information that she wanted him to know.

She had thought about selling the pub soon after Nathan went to prison, but a lot of soul-searching had made her decide against it. The Rose and Crown was her parent’s legacy, and more importantly, it was her sanctuary. But it had given her an idea. As much as Nathan was a monster, he was also a scared little boy. He was terrified of losing the only people he’d ever loved – her and Jake. If Nathan believed she was about to sell her pub, and move abroad, he’d panic. Terrified that she would take their son and never return, he’d back off. It played on every single one of his insecurities – his fear of being abandoned by the only people he loved. The old Grace might have said it was cruel, but it was certainly effective.

‘You must have thought about doing a runner though?’ Patrick said, snapping Grace from her train of thought.

‘Yeah, of course. Many times, But, why should I? This is my pub. My home. I’ve lived here for my whole life. It’s the only place I’ve ever really belonged. The only thing in my life that has ever been entirely mine. My dad entrusted it to me. And these people are my friends. I’ve made this place a success again, all on my own. Jake is happy and settled here. Why should I give that all up for my scumbag ex-husband?’

Patrick laughed. ‘Well you shouldn’t. And like I said, you’re a strong woman, Grace. You should really think about what you want to do with your life.’

Grace picked the empty mugs from the coffee table. ‘Another one?’ she asked.

He looked at his watch. It was just after midnight. ‘Yeah, go on. Why not?’

Patrick walked into the kitchen as Grace was boiling the kettle. ‘I meant to thank you for your help with my other situation, Grace,’ he said sheepishly.

‘Not a problem, Pat. You and Michael have really helped me out with Nathan. I’m happy to reciprocate.’

When two heavy-set cockneys, with more scars than teeth, had come looking for Patrick in the Rose and Crown the previous week, Grace had known he was in some serious trouble. She’d denied all knowledge of him, but they’d told her to pass on a message in any case. If they didn’t get the hundred grand he owed by the end of the week, he’d be taking a dip in the Mersey with some lead in his head and his pockets.

A poor choice of business associate had left Patrick on the wrong side of a dangerous moneylender in the East End. A twenty-five grand debt had quadrupled in the eight weeks since he’d left London. Grace had offered him the money and he’d gratefully accepted. His cockney counterparts had left Liverpool a lot happier and richer than when they’d arrived.

‘I’ll pay you back with interest, of course,’ Patrick said.

‘I know you will.’

‘And I’m forever in your debt, Grace. I’d hate to think what would have happened if I hadn’t been able to get that money together. Anything you ever need, just call me.’

‘Thanks, Pat,’ she said, hopeful she would never need anything from him but his companionship.

As she continued making the tea she thought about Patrick’s comments earlier. Imagine her the boss of some criminal empire? Dressing in power suits and barking orders at her minions. A small laugh escaped her lips as she contemplated the absurdity of the notion. But what if? She’d have her own, personal army at her disposal. Nathan would never be able to get to her again. She’d be untouchable. It was certainly something worth fantasizing about at least.