Liverpool Loyalty
Caz Finlay

One More Chapter

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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2020

Copyright © Caz Finlay 2020

Cover design by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

Cover photographs © plainpicture/TOBSN (woman); John Davidson Photos / Alamy Stock Photo (background)

Caz Finlay asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008405113

Ebook Edition © December 2020 ISBN: 9780008405106

Version: 2020-10-22

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Thank you for reading…

You will also love…

About the Author

Also by Caz Finlay

One more chapter...

About the Publisher

For my husband, Eric. You truly are my other half.

And as always, for Finlay, Jude and James.

Chapter One

Grace Carter switched off the engine of her Range Rover and waited in the side street opposite St Anne’s Street police station. She’d spent the best part of her day on the phone to various people, including her solicitor Faye Donovan, who had cut short her holiday to Monaco and caught the first flight home, heading straight to the police station when she’d landed at John Lennon Airport. Faye Donovan was the best solicitor that money could buy, and Grace paid her well to receive a priority service. Right now, her son Jake and stepson Connor were being interviewed by Merseyside’s boys in blue, and Faye and her team were doing their best to stop any charges being brought against them.

Faye had assured Grace that she’d do her best to make sure the boys walked out of St Anne’s that same day, and Grace believed her. If anyone could deliver on that promise, it was Faye. She was ruthless, and well known amongst her peers as being one of the most ferocious and relentless opponents any of them had even encountered. It was rumoured that whenever her name came up on a trial docket, there was a collective groan from the CPS and the defence team. She’d worked her way up from a small criminal law firm based in Birkenhead to being the managing partner in Donovan, Haigh and Macaulay in Liverpool city centre. Faye only took on the most prestigious and highest paying clients, and Grace was her top priority. Over the years, Grace had practically bankrolled the setting up of the firm’s new offices in Dale Street, but she considered Faye worth every penny she’d paid her. She’d kept Grace’s, and later her husband Michael’s, employees out of hot water on numerous occasions and in doing so had ensured that their operations continued to run smoothly.

Grace had left Michael with their two youngest children, Oscar and Belle, who were safely tucked up in bed, while she had driven into town so she could pick up Jake and Connor as soon as they were released. She’d had a text message from Faye a short while earlier to tell her that things were moving along, and she was hopeful that the boys would be released soon. Grace sat in her car, watching the rain running down the windscreen and hoped that Faye was right. The thought of Jake and Connor going to prison for murder made her feel like throwing up. From the limited information she’d been able to glean from DI Tony Webster, who was on Grace’s payroll and had been the one to alert her to Jake and Connor’s situation, the boys had been arrested for the murder of Billy Johnson, which had happened just over three months earlier.

Billy Johnson and his brothers had been a pain in the arse for Jake and Connor, but they’d never posed a credible threat to their business. At least, Grace had never figured them as one. There had been some rumours that the brothers had been involved in Grace’s stepson Paul’s murder, but there had been no credibility to them. Paul had been gunned down in broad daylight in the street outside the gym he frequented. It had been a professional hit, and both the hitman and the man responsible for ordering the job, Sol Shepherd, were now dead themselves. Shortly after Paul’s death, the oldest Johnson brother, Bradley, had disappeared and Billy had been murdered. Grace suspected that Jake and Connor had been involved in Billy’s death, but she’d never spoken to them about it. The aftermath of Paul’s murder had been a difficult time for the whole family, and Jake and Connor had dealt with it in their own way. Grace had given little thought to the departed Johnson brothers since – she’d had much more pressing matters on her mind. No one else had seemed overly interested in them either – until now.

Grace was deep in thought when she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Looking up, she saw the unmistakeable figures of Jake and Connor approaching her Range Rover, with Faye Donovan following closely behind. Faye walked confidently, with a smile on her face as she flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder with a toss of her head. Grace felt a huge sense of relief. Not only were the boys out of the station, but the look on Faye’s face meant that it was good news.

Grace waited while Jake and Connor climbed into the back seat and Faye slid into the passenger seat beside her.

‘So?’ Grace asked.

‘They’ve both been questioned in relation to Billy Johnson’s murder, but the police don’t have much to go on,’ Faye answered in her usual calm and assured manner. ‘No DNA at the scene. It’s all circumstantial, which is why they’ve let the boys go pending further investigation. They don’t have enough to charge, and in my opinion they’ve played their hand too soon. But that’s to our advantage. Their whole case seems to rest on an eyewitness at the moment.’

‘An eyewitness?’ Grace replied.

Faye nodded.

Grace turned in her seat to face the boys. ‘Is that possible?’

‘Of course not,’ Jake said.

‘We’re not that stupid,’ Connor replied.

‘Well, no. But there’s still someone claiming that they saw you, isn’t there?’ she said with a sigh as she stared at her son and stepson in the back seat, looking to the outside world like the ruthless hard men they were, but to her like a pair of little boys who had just been sent to the Headmaster’s office.

Faye cleared her throat and Grace was reminded she was still in the car.

‘Sorry, Faye. You must be exhausted,’ Grace said as she rested her hand on the other woman’s arm. ‘Thank you so much for rushing back for this. I can’t thank you enough.’

‘It’s not a problem. Anything for you, Grace. You know that,’ Faye replied with a smile.

Grace nodded. Faye had never once let her down in a crisis. ‘Well, I appreciate it all the same.’

‘The boys have told me everything I need to know. I’ll let them fill you in, Grace. So, unless there’s anything else you need me for, I’ll be getting home for a shower and a large G and T,’ Faye said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

‘Of course. You get off home. I think you’ve earned that G and T,’ Grace replied.

‘Thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow and we can discuss things further,’ Faye said before turning to Jake and Connor. ‘You two stay out of trouble, and call me if anything happens that you think I need to know about.’

Jake and Connor nodded. ‘We will. Thanks, Faye,’ they said in unison.

Grace watched Faye step gracefully out of the car before turning to give a final wave as she walked away. As Faye disappeared out of sight, Grace turned to the boys in the back seat. ‘Ready to get out of here?’

They nodded.

‘Too fucking right,’ Connor said with a sigh. ‘Is Jazz at home or is she at your place?’

‘She’s still at ours with your dad. She didn’t want to be on her own, so we made up one of spare rooms for you both.’

‘Sound. I’ll come to yours then,’ Connor replied.

‘Jake?’ Grace asked. ‘Are you coming too? I’ve made up a room for you as well. Both have fresh bedding and I can promise a slap-up cooked breakfast in the morning.’

Jake shook his head. ‘No. Take me to the club, please, Mum. I need a drink.’

‘We’ve got all the drink you need at our house,’ she reminded him. ‘And it would give us all a chance to talk things through. Consider our next steps?’

‘I just want a drink with the lads,’ he snapped. ‘We can talk tomorrow. I’ve been stuck in a sweaty interview room all day being talked at. The last thing I want to do now is talk some more.’

Grace frowned at him in the rear-view mirror and she saw Connor nudging him in the ribs.

Obviously remembering who he was talking to, Jake quickly added, ‘Not tonight, eh, Mum? We can talk tomorrow.’

Grace sensed she wasn’t going to change her son’s mind, and as much as she wanted to have a good talk with him about everything that had happened that day, she let it go. ‘Okay. I’ll drop you at the club on our way home. You can still call in for a fry-up in the morning if you fancy.’

‘I’ll see,’ he replied.

‘We’ll wait for you,’ Connor added. ‘We need to talk about today, and what we’re going to do next, whether you feel like it or not.’

Jake sat back in the seat with a sigh. ‘Fine. I’ll be round for breakfast. Now can we go?’

Grace started the engine and resisted the urge to remind him that if it wasn’t for her he’d still be sitting in that sweaty little interview room. She reasoned that he’d had a tough day, and he was entitled to go out and see his mates and let off some steam. It must be hard for him to see Connor and his girlfriend Jasmine all loved up, especially when losing Paul was still so raw for him. It had been a shock for Grace to learn that Jake and her stepson, Paul had become much more than stepbrothers. They had been in an on/off relationship for years and had kept it a secret from almost everyone – for numerous reasons including the fact that Jake had been married at the time and also firmly in the closet. Grace had learned about their relationship shortly beforehand, but it was only after Paul was shot and killed that she discovered just how much her son had loved the other man. His death had hit them all hard, but Jake seemed to be unable to pull himself out of the pit of despair he’d been wallowing in. She knew that despite having his family around, all of whom adored him, he still felt alone. He and Connor were like brothers, and, being Paul’s twin, Connor had been hit harder by Paul’s death than anyone. But Connor had Jasmine and their unborn baby to focus on and give him a reason to go on living. Michael had, understandably, been floored by the murder of his son. But he had Grace to keep him warm at night and his other children to think of. Jake had his daughter Isla, of course, but he didn’t see her as much now that Siobhan had moved to Lytham. His contact had been reduced to one weekend a fortnight, but that was at Jake’s own request. Grace wondered what on earth she could do to try and make him see how much he still had to be grateful for.

Chapter Two

DI Leigh Moss stormed through the open-plan office of St Anne’s Street police station with a face like thunder. Walking into her office, she sat down on her chair and threw the manila folder she was carrying onto her desk.

DS Nick Bryce followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

‘Damn Faye bloody Donovan,’ Leigh snapped. ‘She is a pain in my sodding arse.’

‘She’s stopped more people going down than herpes,’ Nick said with a laugh.

‘How the hell does she sleep at night?’ Leigh asked in exasperation.

‘On a gold plated four-poster bed, probably. But to be fair to her, I’m not sure we’d have got a word out of Conlon or Carter even if she wasn’t their brief.’

‘You’re probably right, but nobody can put the shits up an interviewing officer like she can. I should have interviewed them both myself.’

‘With respect, Ma’am, you can’t be in two places at once, and you were needed in court last minute.’

‘Yes, I was, wasn’t I? And don’t tell me there wasn’t something fishy about that. I finally lift two of the biggest villains in Liverpool and all of a sudden my witness testimony in the O’Keefe trial is needed a day earlier than expected. You think that’s just a coincidence?’

‘You know how trials are. Besides, do you really think Conlon and Carter have that much clout that they can influence trials?’

‘No. But Grace Carter does. All it would take is a word in the right judge’s ear, and I’ll bet my life on the fact that she’s got at least a couple of them in her pockets.’

Nick sucked the air through his teeth and shook his head. ‘I think you’re being paranoid, Leigh,’ he said, breaking rank and using her first name in the safe confines of her office.

‘Then you obviously don’t know Grace Carter very well.’ Leigh glared at him.

‘And you do?’ he asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

‘Of course,’ she snapped. ‘It’s my job to know. Now, how about you make yourself useful and use your considerable charm to get Forensics to put a rush on those fingerprints. If Conlon or Carter touched anything at that crime scene, I want to know.’

‘Of course, Ma’am,’ he replied before walking out of her office.

Leigh sat back in her leather chair with a sigh. She’d snapped at Nick unnecessarily, and now he was pissed off with her. He was so bloody sensitive sometimes. She wondered at times like these whether it was sensible to have him in her team, given their relationship. They had been good mates for years, and friends with benefits for most of that time. But lately it had been turning into something more. They’d agreed to keep their relationship secret until they figured out whether they had any real future together. No point in screwing up their working relationship unnecessarily. The truth was that he’d hit a nerve with his quip about Grace Carter. What Nick, or any of her colleagues, didn’t know was that in another life Leigh had known Grace well. They were what some people might consider friends. But that had all been before Leigh had joined the police force and Grace had become the queen of the Liverpool underworld. It was amazing to Leigh that they had taken such different paths in life. Once allies, they were now on opposite sides of the fence.

Leigh shuddered when she thought about how her life could have turned out so differently. What would have become of her if she hadn’t aborted Nathan Conlon’s child? If he’d divorced Grace and married her instead, as she had once begged him to do? Would it be her sitting in a mansion in South Liverpool? She had to believe that she would have never have sunk so low, but who knew? She had been an entirely different person back then. She smiled at the irony of it all. If it wasn’t for Grace Carter, she’d have been left for dead in an alleyway. Grace had saved her life, and given her the chance to become who she was today. And it would be Grace who’d try to stand in her way when she finally brought the Conlon–Carter empire down. Leigh would do it though. Even if that meant bringing Grace down too.

Chapter Three

Michael was waiting at the open front door by the time Grace and Connor arrived home at a quarter past midnight. Connor walked up the path first and Michael pulled his son into a hug before ushering him inside.

‘I told you I’d bring them home,’ Grace said with a smile as she reached him.

He put an arm around her. ‘I never doubted you for a second,’ he replied. ‘Where’s Jake?’

‘Gone to his club. Said he needed a drink and didn’t want to talk about anything. Not yet anyway.’

Michael didn’t respond as they walked into the house together and Grace suspected he was resisting the urge to say something she might not appreciate. She was well aware that she had overlooked too much of Jake’s selfish behaviour recently, but what choice did she have? He was her son and he was in pain. So even if, on this occasion, she might agree with whatever Michael had to say, she was still grateful that he chose not to say it.

Walking into the living room, Grace saw Connor and his heavily pregnant girlfriend Jasmine locked in an embrace. Jasmine was holding onto him as though she might never let him go and Grace could hear her gentle sobbing.

Seeing them walk into the room, Connor gently pulled away from her. ‘I’m not going anywhere, babe. I promise,’ he assured her, before turning his attention to Grace and Michael.

Jasmine turned to look at them too and Grace noticed how tired she looked. At eight months pregnant, and after the day they’d all had, she had every reason to be.

‘I’m sorry, I must like a right mess,’ Jasmine said as she wiped the tears from her face. ‘Pregnancy hormones?’ she added with a slight shrug.

Grace walked over to her and gave her a hug. ‘Well, either that or this one and my son almost giving us all a heart attack,’ she said as she pulled away and nodded towards Connor.

Jasmine laughed and gave Connor a playful shove. ‘Oh yeah, and that.’

Connor held his hands up in mock surrender. ‘Don’t blame me. I didn’t plan to be arrested for murder when I got out of bed this morning.’

A silence fell across the room and nobody spoke for a moment, not wanting to think about the potential implications of that statement.

‘Why don’t you head off to bed, babe? You look shattered,’ Connor said to Jasmine.

‘Yes, I think I will,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you all in the morning. Goodnight.’

‘Goodnight, Jazz,’ Grace and Michael said.

‘I’ll be up soon, babe,’ Connor said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

‘Brandy?’ Michael asked as Jasmine left the room.

‘Yep, and make it a large one,’ Connor replied.

‘Just a small one for me,’ Grace added.

Connor knocked his drink back straightaway and Michael quickly poured him another.

When the three of them each had a drink in hand and were sitting comfortably, Grace was finally able to ask the question she was sure she knew the answer to, but had to ask anyway.

‘So, did you and Jake do it?’

Connor nodded and sat back against the sofa with a sigh. ‘We hadn’t planned to, but it just got out of hand. Neither of us were thinking straight. We just wanted … for Paul…’

Michael placed a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder. ‘We know, son.’

Grace appreciated that it was painful talking about what happened, but now wasn’t the time to let emotions run away with them. She had to know what happened and whether the police would find any further evidence, or, more importantly, whether there was anything she could do to prevent that from happening. ‘Faye said the police didn’t seem to have much to go on. That it was all circumstantial?’

‘Yeah. Seemed to be. They have our car driving into the street around the time of the murder, but thanks to the building works at the end of the road, no CCTV of us leaving the same road. They took our fingerprints and DNA samples, but we both wore gloves, so it’s not likely we’d have left any of our DNA on the body. We weren’t cut or anything.’

‘Did you use any weapons?’

Connor shook his head.

‘Well, at least there won’t be a weapon to be found, or any fragments on the body that could have your DNA on,’ she said as she sat forward. ‘But Faye mentioned they had an eyewitness?’

‘Yes. She told us that. But there were no witnesses, I told you that.’

‘How are you so sure no one could have seen you? It could have been a neighbour who saw you go in the house.’

‘That street’s half empty. Most of the houses are boarded up. And the people who do live there don’t talk to the filth. None of them saw us, but even if they did, they wouldn’t have talked. I guarantee it.’

‘Was there anyone else in the house?’ Grace asked.

‘No. We checked.’

‘But Billy lived with his youngest brother Scott. So maybe he was there and you didn’t find him?’ she said, aware that after a day of being interviewed, the last thing Connor probably wanted to do was answer more questions, but it was important that she knew everything that there was to know. She had to think of every angle, just as the police would.

‘He may have been there before we arrived, but he definitely wasn’t there afterwards – we checked. And if he’d been there and seen his brother getting the shit kicked out of him, he’d have phoned the bizzies, wouldn’t he?’

Grace nodded and sat back in her chair, deep in thought. ‘Faye said that it was Scott and Craig who found the body. I think maybe Scott was at the house before you got in, and he went to get his brother.’

‘You’re probably right,’ Michael said.

‘So, you think Scott’s the witness then? But he must have lied and told them he saw us going into the house,’ Connor said.

‘How else would he be an eyewitness? He would have to have seen you, and if you’re sure he didn’t, then he must have lied,’ Grace replied.

‘But why is he just coming forward now?’ Michael asked.

‘Maybe he’s not. Faye mentioned she thought the police had revealed their hand too soon. Maybe they’ve been trying to put together an investigation for a while but this is all they’ve come up with?’

‘Or maybe he’s only just plucked up the nerve?’ Michael added.

‘Whatever the reason, I think Scott Johnson may be the key to all of this,’ Grace said.

‘Well, let’s just see if Faye can work her magic first, eh?’ Michael said as he downed his brandy.

‘Either way, the Johnson brothers are going to need managing,’ Connor reminded them.

Grace nodded but she saw the hint of a scowl flicker across Michael’s face. He’d been getting increasingly restless lately. Talking about moving out to the suburbs and selling the security business. He seemed to want to turn his back on everything they had built. She knew it was because of Paul’s death. He wanted better for their remaining children, but he didn’t understand that they couldn’t just walk away and leave Connor and Jake to handle things. Not until the boys had proved they were capable of doing so, at least. And so far, they hadn’t. What Michael didn’t seem to realise was that leaving this life behind them might protect Belle and Oscar, but it would be tantamount to throwing Jake and Connor to the lions. Grace couldn’t bear to think what might happen if both she and Michael took their eye off the ball. They both wanted to protect their family, but they both had different ideas about how to go about it. It was a strange feeling when he wasn’t on the same page as her, and one she wasn’t used to. He’d always had her back. He had always trusted her judgement. Perhaps he still did, but she wasn’t so sure…

‘Any chance of a refill?’ Connor asked as he held up his empty glass.

‘Of course,’ Michael said, standing up and taking the glass from his son’s outstretched hand.

‘I think I’ll head to bed and leave you two boys to it,’ Grace said as she stood up too. ‘It’s been a long day.’

‘I’ll be up soon, love,’ Michael said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Grace slipped out of the room and left them to it.

Grace looked up from her phone to see Michael entering the bedroom. He walked towards her as she sat on the bed, placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

‘Has Connor gone to bed?’ she asked him.

‘Yeah. That last glass of brandy sent him over the edge. I practically had to carry him upstairs.’

‘It’s been a tough day,’ Grace said.

‘For everyone,’ Michael replied as he sat on the bed beside her.

Grace placed her hand on his. ‘How are you feeling?’

Michael shrugged. ‘Better now that Connor and Jake have been released. But this isn’t going away, is it?’

Grace shook her head. ‘Not for a while,’ she replied with a sigh. ‘But Faye is the best. And if she can’t fix it, we always have other means at our disposal.’

‘Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.’

Grace nodded. Although she hoped so too, there was nothing she wouldn’t do to prevent Jake and Connor going to prison for murder and if what Connor had told her about that night was true, then she was in no doubt that the police’s eyewitness was the youngest Johnson brother, Scott. It would be easy enough to get to him, but if she got to him now, it might look too suspicious and make the police even more determined. However, if she left it too late, the police could build a stronger case. Without knowing exactly what the police had, it was hard to determine what to do for the best. Grace was sure that her meeting with Faye the following day would give her some answers. For now, all she could do was wait.

‘What time are you meeting with Faye tomorrow?’ Michael asked as if reading her thoughts.

‘We didn’t agree a time. I’ll probably go over in the afternoon. You coming with me?’

‘Yeah. It will be good to hear what she has to say. Then we can plan our next move.’

‘That’s exactly what I was thinking,’ Grace said as she turned to look at him. The day had taken its toll on him. In the past, he’d have taken something like this in his stride, but since Paul’s murder he’d lost something of himself – he’d once had a belief that things would always work out in the end. Understandably, he no longer viewed the world in quite the same way.

‘You didn’t know I could read your mind, did you?’ Michael said with a faint laugh.

‘Well, you must know what I’m thinking now then?’ she said as she turned her body and wrapped her arms around his neck.

‘I think I have a pretty good idea,’ he answered with a grin before pushing her back onto the bed and smothering her with a kiss.

Chapter Four

Grace looked around Faye Donovan’s beautifully furnished office while she and Michael waited for her to arrive. She’d been delayed at court and was running late, which wasn’t unusual for her. Grace had first met Faye ten years earlier when Michael’s father, Patrick, had found himself in a spot of bother with the police while doing some business for her. Even back then, before she’d married Michael, Patrick had been like a father to her, so she’d looked around for the best solicitor she could find and had stumbled upon Faye.

Faye Donovan was a formidable opponent and a formidable woman. She was only a few years older than Grace, and the two of them had hit it off straightaway. Grace had been impressed by Faye’s commitment and her willingness to do whatever it took to get the job done. Grace supposed they were alike in many ways, and the two women had worked together ever since.

Glancing across at Michael, who was sitting beside her nursing the now lukewarm coffee Faye’s assistant had brought them ten minutes earlier, she wondered just how much longer Faye was going to keep them waiting. Michael looked up at her and was about to speak when the large wooden office door swung open and a breathless Faye walked through it. Grace had always marvelled at how quickly Faye could walk in five-inch heels.

She smiled at the two of them as she brushed her long blonde hair back from her face. ‘I’m so sorry to keep you both waiting,’ she said as she walked past and took a seat opposite them. ‘I just couldn’t get away this morning.’

‘No problem. Beth made us a coffee while we waited,’ Grace answered with a smile.

Michael nodded and downed the last of his, before placing his cup on the desk.

Faye nodded and leaned forward in her chair. The smile slipped from her face and her carefully composed and cool façade took its place, signalling that the pleasantries were over with.

‘Your boys have got themselves into a bit of a mess with his one. I’ve told them they’ll need to be careful from now on and expect every move they make to be under scrutiny. They could well be under surveillance. That new DI, Leigh Moss, is on a crusade. She’s determined to make them go down for this. But that could also be the very thing that tips the scales in our favour.’

‘Oh? How so?’ Grace asked as Michael placed his warm hand over hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

‘I think DI Moss may have jumped the gun arresting them when she did. She could have taken the time to build a better case in my opinion, but she obviously thought what she had was enough.’

‘And is it?’ Grace asked.

Faye gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. ‘There’s an eyewitness – apparently. Not enough to charge them with yesterday, but who knows what will happen in the future?’

‘Maybe she didn’t have anything else to build a case with? Maybe this eyewitness is all she’s got?’

‘It was certainly all she had, but now she has the boys’ prints and their DNA…’

Michael nodded. ‘That’s why she pulled them in then.’

‘If they left any prints at the scene…’ Faye started, not needing to finish her sentence.

‘They said they wore gloves,’ Grace replied.

‘Let’s hope so. Limits the chance of any DNA being left behind too.’

‘So who is this eyewitness?’ Grace asked.

Faye shook her head. ‘They haven’t disclosed yet. But I’m working on it.’

‘I have a feeling it’s Scott Johnson,’ Grace said. ‘He lived with Billy. He’s the only one who could have seen anything, and he’s probably the only one green enough to go to the police about it if he did.’

‘From what the boys told me, they’re sure there was no one else around, but you never know,’ Faye added with a raise of her eyebrows.

‘What do you think the chances are that they’ll go down for this?’ Michael asked as he leaned forward in his chair.

Faye looked at him, as though giving serious thought to his question. ‘If you want my honest answer, in a murder trial it could go either way. If this witness is credible, and he really did see something, he could be the key to the whole thing…’

‘But?’ Michael asked, as though he was waiting for her to finish her sentence.

‘But if anyone can discredit a witness, to gain the sympathies of a jury, then it’s Faye,’ Grace replied for her.

Faye gave a faint smile. ‘I’ve certainly beaten worse odds before.’

‘But there’s a chance they’ll go down for life if this ever goes to trial?’ Michael snapped.

Faye nodded. ‘There’s always a chance if it goes to trial. But I’ll do my best to make sure that never happens. I promise.’

‘And so will we,’ Grace said as she looked at her husband.

Michael sat back in his chair, his shoulders slumped as though in defeat. ‘We’ll fix this,’ Grace said to him as she placed a hand on his arm. He looked at her and nodded but Grace saw no conviction in his eyes.

Grace leaned back in her seat as Michael pulled the car away from the kerb and began the drive home from the city centre to their home in Mossley Hill.

‘Are you still going into the office?’ Grace asked.

‘Yeah. I need to sort some stuff out. I won’t be too long though.’

‘No problem. I have to take the kids to that party anyway.’

They drove in silence for a few moments before Michael spoke again. ‘So, what are we going to do about Scott Johnson?’ Michael asked.

Grace closed her eyes. ‘I don’t know yet. We need to be careful. If we approach him, we need to be one hundred per cent certain that he’ll co-operate. Or…’

‘Or we need to make sure that he doesn’t have the chance to co-operate with anyone?’ Michael finished her sentence for her.

‘Exactly,’ Grace replied.

She heard a soft sigh and out of the corner of her eye saw Michael shaking his head.

‘What?’ she asked him. While they might be effectively discussing the elimination of Scott Johnson, it was nothing they hadn’t done before to protect their family.

‘Nothing,’ he replied.

‘Don’t lie to me. What’s going on with you?’

Michael turned to face her as they stopped at the traffic lights on Edge Lane. ‘Our kids might go down for murder, Grace. That’s what’s going on with me,’ he snapped at her.

‘Don’t you think I know that? Isn’t that precisely what we’re talking about here?’

‘I know, Grace. I know,’ he replied, his tone much softer now. ‘I’m just worried about them. I can’t lose another son.’

Grace placed a hand on his arm. ‘You won’t,’ she said, trying to convince herself as much as him.

‘I hope you’re right.’

‘I am.’

‘When this is all over, we need to seriously consider leaving all of this behind us,’ he said as he continued driving, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

‘We will,’ she replied with little conviction. How could they possibly walk away and leave Jake and Connor in charge?

Chapter Five

Michael Carter sat back in the leather chair of the office he shared with Grace and his brother Sean in their flagship restaurant and bar, Sophia’s Kitchen. It was situated in Liverpool’s Albert Dock and was considered one of the finest eateries and meeting places in the wider Merseyside area. Grace and Sean had always used the restaurant as a base, while Michael had favoured their office at Cartel Securities, the security company that he and Grace owned. More recently Grace had been spending a lot of time setting up their new wine bar in Lytham and Michael had felt the need to distance himself from the security side of their business as much as he could, and so he’d taken to working in the place too. Ever since Paul had been killed eight months earlier, he couldn’t stand to be around all of the lads who’d known his son so well. He realised that some people might have found it comforting, but for him it was a daily reminder that his son was no longer with him.

The office in Sophia’s Kitchen was big enough for him, Grace and Sean to occupy comfortably, although it was very rare the three of them would be in there at the same time, and today Michael was glad he was there alone. Connor and Jake’s arrest had him rattled and he wanted time away from anyone involved in it. Grace was doing her best to convince him that everything would be okay, but he no longer trusted that it would. Since he was avoiding the offices of Cartel Securities, his head bouncer and trusted right-hand man, Jack Murphy, or Murf, as he was commonly known, would often call in to Sophia’s Kitchen to keep Michael apprised of any developments, or just to sit and talk. Today was one such afternoon and Murf popped his head in through the open door.

‘All right, Boss?’ he asked.

‘Yeah, come on in, Murf,’ Michael replied with a wave of his hand.

Murf took a seat opposite, his heavy frame filling the chair. ‘I heard what happened with Connor and Jake,’ he said. ‘Everything okay?’

Michael shook his head and sighed. ‘Fuck knows, Murf. They’ve been released without charge for now. But they’re still under investigation for murder.’

Murf shook his head. ‘Fuck!’ he breathed.

‘Tell me about it.’

Murf leaned forward in his chair. ‘I’m sure Grace will sort everything out though?’ he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

‘Well, she thinks so too…’

‘But?’ Murf prompted him.

‘But what if she can’t this time, Murf?’

‘She’s Grace Carter. She will.’

‘If they’re both charged with murder, and there’s enough evidence, then I’m not sure there’s anything Grace can do about it. As good as she is, she’s not a fucking magician.’

Murf frowned at him and Michael sensed his friend’s discomfort at the direction the conversation was going in. They were rescued from any further awkwardness by a knock at the door.

Both men looked up to see Sophia’s Kitchen’s newest waitress and barmaid, Lena, standing in the doorway with a tray in her hand.

‘The drink you ordered, Boss,’ she said as she smiled sweetly and sashayed into the office with a swish of her long, flaming red hair. Michael could see Murf staring at her – unapologetically so. It was something Michael assumed she was used to as she seemed to have that effect on almost every man she came into contact with. She was one of those women that turned heads when she entered a room and she had been a massive hit with the customers – both male and female. He’d noticed that when she spoke to people she had a way of making them feel like they were the only person in the room. Bending over his desk, she placed the large mug of coffee in front of him. ‘Hot and sweet. Just how you like it,’ she said with a laugh and a lick of her lips. Then she spun around and faced Murf, giving her behind a little wiggle in the process. ‘Would you like something nice and hot yourself? Or would you prefer something cold?’ she purred.

‘A Coke would be great,’ Murf stammered as he pulled at the collar of his shirt with his index finger.

‘Coming right up,’ she said before turning to Michael again. ‘Anything else I can get you. Boss? Anything at all?’

‘No. I’m fine, thanks, Lena,’ he replied.

‘Jesus Christ,’ Murf said with a sharp intake of breath after Lena had left. ‘Who the fuck was that?’

‘She’s our new waitress, Lena. Grace hired her a few weeks back. The customers love her.’

‘I can see why,’ Murf said with a laugh.

‘You’re old enough to be her dad, you perv,’ Michael said with a smile.

Murf shook his head. ‘She’s got her eye on you, Boss. How the fuck do you work around her all day and get anything done?’

‘I’m too busy to be perving over the staff, Murf. And besides, have you met my wife?’ he said with a raised eyebrow.

Murf chuckled good-naturedly and turned his attention to their earlier conversation. ‘Speaking of your wife, I’m sure she’ll straighten this whole mess out, Michael. Has she ever let you down before? And this is her son we’re talking about. And Connor. Do you honestly think she’d let them go down for murder?’

Michael stared at Murf. There was a time when he would have wholeheartedly agreed with him. But that was before Paul was murdered. Before everything had changed. ‘We can’t always protect the people we love though, Murf. No matter how much we want to.’

Murf considered him for a few seconds before giving a brief nod. ‘I suppose you’re right,’ he replied with a shrug. ‘But I wouldn’t underestimate Grace.’

‘I never do,’ Michael snapped at him, conscious that the conversation was becoming far too personal. Murf had been a good and loyal friend to him over the years, but he was still an employee. He worked for Grace as much as for Michael, and for that reason Michael felt some guilt for talking about her in such a way. But mostly he was annoyed that Murf had the nerve to suggest that Michael would ever underestimate Grace – as though somehow Murf knew her better than he did.

‘Okay, Boss,’ Murf said, raising his hands in surrender. ‘I was just saying.’

‘What did you come over here to see me about anyway?’ Michael asked.

Murf shuffled in his seat. ‘Nothing in particular. Just wanted to see how things were and catch up, you know? I heard about the lads and just wondered if you were all okay? Or if there is anything I can do?’

Michael looked at Murf and felt a pang of guilt. He knew that the worry over Connor and Jake was clouding his judgement and he was being unfair in taking some of his anger out on Murf. But some days he felt angry at the whole world.

‘Thanks, Murf. I appreciate it, but there’s nothing you can do right now.’

‘No problem, Boss,’ he said as he stood up and straightened his jacket. ‘I’ll leave you to it then.’

Just as he was turning to leave, Lena returned with his drink. ‘Here you go, that should cool you right down,’ she said with a flutter of her eyelashes and a grin at Michael.

‘Thank you,’ Murf replied as he took the proffered drink and watched her disappear out of the doorway again.

Murf took a long swig of the Coke and placed his almost empty glass on Michael’s desk. ‘You’d better watch yourself with that one,’ he said with a grin. ‘She’s dangerous.’

Michael smiled. ‘I think I can handle her.’

‘I’d certainly like to,’ Murf said.

Michael shook his head as Murf walked out of his office.

Lena Munro leaned on the bar and watched as the stocky, bald-headed man she now knew as Murf walked out of the restaurant. He turned and winked at her and she giggled in response. She’d seen the way his eyes had glazed over when she’d walked into Michael’s office earlier. She always had that effect on men. It was laughable really how easily she could get them to do her bidding. A winning smile and a flutter of her eyelashes and she had men like Murf eating out of the palm of her hand. Not that she had any interest in Murf. He wasn’t her type at all. But Michael Carter – now there was a man she’d like on her arm, and in her bed. Big and brooding. And with all that money and power. Lena felt the butterflies in her stomach just thinking about him. So far, he had resisted all of her subtle advances and she feared he was one of those men who just didn’t have a clue when a woman was flirting with him. She would have to ramp up her efforts, because she couldn’t stop thinking about him. He was the hottest man she had ever encountered in her life, and if she didn’t get him into bed soon, she might just implode.

‘Haven’t you got some customers to serve?’ Lena’s colleague and friend Jamie came up behind her and whispered in her ear.

‘I’m going,’ she said with a sigh as she straightened up. ‘Just having a quick daydream.’

‘Not about him again?’ Jamie said with a roll of his eyes.

‘You’re just jealous,’ she replied, giving him a playful shove.

‘Yeah, right,’ Jamie snorted. ‘You honestly think you have a chance with him?’

‘Of course I do,’ she snapped at him. ‘Just you wait and see. Give me a few more weeks and he’ll be begging for me.’

‘Seriously, Lena. You need to be careful,’ Jamie warned her. ‘This is Grace Carter’s husband you’re talking about here.’

Lena shrugged. ‘Isn’t she his third wife? Obviously, he doesn’t like to stay married for long, does he? I’m sure it won’t be the first time he’s cheated, but it will be the last,’ she said with a wink.

‘Oh, you think you might be the next Mrs Carter, do you?’ Jamie said with a shake of his head. ‘You’re deluded, babe.’

‘We’ll see, Jamie. We’ll see,’ she said as she picked up her notepad and made her way over the group of men in suits who’d just been seated in her section. She winked at Carlos, the maitre d’, as she passed him. He always gave her the best customers.

Chapter Six

Grace sat at one of the tables outside All Bar One in Victoria Square and sipped her lime and soda. She’d chosen the perfect spot with an unhindered view of the entrance and exit of Liverpool Crown Court. It was a sunny day and she pondered how little time she had these days to sit and relax. Her life felt like a constant whirlwind where she lurched from one crisis to another. Everyone was always looking to her to solve their problems. But wasn’t that exactly how she liked it? That was what Michael would say anyway. He thought that she craved the adrenaline, that she thrived on it, but Grace wasn’t sure if she did or not. She sometimes thought about the brief time she’d spent in the little village of Harewood near Leeds. She’d moved there just after her ex-husband Nathan was killed, and just before she’d found out she was pregnant with Belle. She had spent a blissful eighteen months there before she’d had to return to Liverpool – to her old life. And while she didn’t regret her decision for a moment, she did sometimes miss those quiet, carefree days.

Michael was keen to move away from the city now, although not too far away, and she would like that too, but it wasn’t so easy just to up and walk away. They both had responsibilities. Grace didn’t always enjoy being the one who made the decisions, but the truth was she was good at it. The few times she had left other people to take up the reins, it had ended in disaster.

A flash of a bright red coat caught Grace’s eye and she recognised DI Leigh Moss leaving the court. Grace stood up and walked towards her. Just like Grace, Leigh was a difficult woman to get time alone with. But Grace had plenty of contacts within the court who had alerted her to Leigh’s presence there today.

Leigh saw Grace approaching and frowned. Grace reached her and fell into step beside her and they walked through the crowded square towards James Street.

‘What do you want, Grace?’ Leigh asked.

‘I want to know what the hell you’re playing at arresting my son and Connor,’ Grace replied.

Leigh gave a brief shake of her head. ‘My job!’

‘Your job? But he’s my son, Leigh.’

‘What difference does that make?’

‘Are you kidding me?’ Grace snapped. ‘It makes every difference.’ She grabbed hold of Leigh’s arm and the two women turned to face each other.

‘Look,’ Leigh said through gritted teeth. ‘I know you’re upset about this, but this is my job, Grace. I don’t have a choice.’

‘Of course you do!’

‘What? And be like Webster and whoever else you have in your pocket? Just turn a blind eye?’ Leigh hissed.

‘If you have to,’ Grace hissed back.

‘I would never do that. You know I wouldn’t. I thought you understood that?’

‘Jake and Connor are off limits. I thought you understood that?’ Grace snapped.

Leigh shook her head. ‘Nobody is off limits, Grace. Not even you.’

Grace glared at her. The woman standing before her might think she was a million miles away from the stripper whom Grace had once had to rescue from being murdered in a grubby alleyway, but Grace knew differently. ‘Don’t threaten me, Leigh.’

‘It’s not a threat. If you stand in my way, I will take you down too.’

‘I’d like to see you try,’ Grace said quietly, to ensure that no passers-by would overhear. ‘Be careful, Leigh. You don’t want to make an enemy of me.’

‘Ma’am,’ someone called and both women looked up to see a uniformed officer standing near a squad car.

‘There’s my lift. I need to go,’ Leigh said with a smile before walking away.

Grace watched her climb into the front seat of the police car and frowned. She had known that Leigh wouldn’t budge. Despite her past, she was straight now that she was a police officer. But Grace had wanted to look her in the eye and remind her of who she was – of who they both were. And on that score at least – mission accomplished.

‘Everything okay, Ma’am?’ Constable Barrett asked as Leigh climbed into the patrol car.

‘Yes, why?’ she asked, sure that the constable from Traffic wouldn’t have recognised Grace Carter.

‘You just look a bit flushed. Was that woman bothering you?’

‘No. She asked me if I knew where Ted Baker was. I told her I didn’t have a clue but I don’t think she believed me.’

‘Oh, okay,’ he said with a smile as he pulled away from the kerb.

‘Thanks for the lift,’ Leigh said. ‘I didn’t fancy walking after all.’

‘Not a problem, Ma’am, I was in town anyway when the boss asked if anyone was free. I’ll drop you back at St Anne’s Street and then I’ve got some paperwork to catch up on.’

Leigh nodded and settled back in her seat. Her meeting with Grace had her rattled. Despite her assertion that she would take Grace down if she had to, she didn’t feel quite as confident as she’d sounded. It was one thing talking about bringing down Grace Carter – actually doing it was a whole other matter entirely.

Chapter Seven

Craig Johnson sat at his usual table in The Grapes, sipping his pint and waiting for two of his brothers, Ged and Scott, to meet him. Since their eldest brother Bradley had disappeared four months earlier, things hadn’t been going very well for the Johnson brothers. Craig had once worshipped the ground that Bradley walked on, but now he realised that his former hero was a coward and a backstabbing cunt. Not only had Bradley left them all in the shit and disappeared with over two hundred grand of Alastair McGrath’s money, but his big mouth had also ended up getting their younger brother Billy killed. Bradley had been stupid enough to insinuate that they had been responsible for Paul Carter’s murder, and poor Billy had paid the ultimate price. Craig took a swig of his pint and continued watching the door for Ged and Scott. He had to give his older brother, Ged, credit – he’d always known that Bradley was a bad apple, but Craig and the rest of the family had put it down to Ged having a massive chip on his shoulder because he wasn’t the oldest and therefore hadn’t become the head of the family when their father died. Now, Craig knew that Ged’s instincts had been spot on all along. For the moment, at least, Ged seemed to be happy to look to Craig to tell him what to do next.

It was Craig who’d scored them the contract with Alastair McGrath. Alastair was a Scot who had married into a well-connected Essex family and was now one of the biggest gangsters in England. Alastair had trusted Craig to start growing his business up north and the plan was for the Johnson brothers to finally become a firm to be reckoned with. But for some reason Craig still couldn’t fathom, Bradley had fucked them all over and done a runner with all of Alastair’s money. Since then, it had been a constant game of cat and mouse, trying to convince Alastair that nothing was wrong, while sending him dribs and drabs of money in an attempt to cover the fact that they had lost a shitload of his cash. But there was only so long that someone like Alastair could be fobbed off before he stopped asking questions and instead started dismembering limbs and burying people in deep, unmarked graves.

Craig was about to order himself another pint when he noticed his two brothers walking through the door. They came straight over to him and took seats at the table.

‘How’s things, bro?’ Ged asked.

‘Not good,’ Craig replied with a shake of his head. ‘Alastair’s goons are still breathing down my neck. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold them off for. If we don’t get Alastair his money soon, we’re fucking toast, lads.’

‘What are we gonna do then?’ Ged asked.

‘We need to pull off a big job,’ Craig replied.

‘What? Like nicking someone’s drugs?’ Ged asked.

Craig shook his head. ‘There’s no time for that, now. We need to nick the money from somewhere – or someone.’

‘Do you have any ideas where we could get our hands on that kind of money?’ Ged said.

Craig nodded and leaned forward so only his brothers could hear him when he answered quietly, ‘Nipper Jackson.’

Even Ged, who was usually game for anything, flinched at the name. ‘You mean Jake Conlon and Connor Carter’s counter?’ Ged whispered. ‘Are you mental, Craig? You want to steal their money? After everything that’s happened?’

‘I don’t see what other choice we have, lads,’ Craig replied. ‘I know it’s a risk, but so is Alastair McGrath finding out we’ve lost two hundred grand of his money. Besides, we owe those pair of bastards after what they did to Billy.’

Scott shook his head while Ged stared at Craig in disbelief.

‘Look, I’ve got a plan. And there’s every chance that if we do things right, Carter and Conlon will never have an inkling that we had anything to do with it.’ Craig said.

‘They might have their hands full with other things by then anyway,’ Scott, who had been completely silent until this point, piped up.

‘What are you on about?’ Craig scowled at him.

‘I’ve sorted it. Jake and Connor will be out of the way for a long time,’ Scott replied with a smile.

‘What have you done, Scott?’ Ged snapped.

‘They were arrested for Billy’s murder yesterday afternoon,’ Scott answered.

‘What? How did that happen?’ Craig said.

Scott sat back in his chair with a smug grin on his face and Craig resisted the urge to shake him. ‘What the fuck did you do, Scott?’ he hissed.

‘I told the police what they did to Billy,’ he replied.

‘You stupid fucking bastard!’ Ged said before Craig had a chance to.

‘What?’ Scott asked as he looked between his two older brothers. ‘They’ve been arrested. I told the police I saw them do it.’

‘But you didn’t!’ Ged said.

‘So? We know they did it,’ Scott replied with a shrug.

‘That’s the least of our fucking worries, to be honest,’ Craig snapped. ‘You’ve gone and signed your own death warrant, Scott.’

Scott stared at them both as the colour slowly started to drain from his face and Craig was reminded how young and naïve his baby brother was. He’d been coddled by their mother all of his young life and it showed.

‘What do you mean? I told you they’ve been arrested,’ he stammered.

‘And you think they’re not going to walk out of that police station today? If they haven’t already.’

‘But I told the police I saw them do it. I spoke to the DI from the organised crime task force and she told me that she’d make sure they went down.’

Ged started to laugh and Craig shot him a withering look, causing him to stop.

‘You know, for someone with an IQ worthy of Mensa, you’re as thick as pig-shit sometimes, Scott. Do you have any idea of the connections that Jake Conlon and the Carters have? They have half of the fucking city on their payroll. Not to mention a fucking shit hot legal team. They will be walking out of that police station without so much as a parking fine and they will find out that it was you who fingered them for murder.’

Scott shook his head. ‘They won’t. They’re not going to find out it was me. That DI said—’

‘Never mind what she said. She’d tell you the sky was green if she thought it would help her put those two away. You’re living in cloud cuckoo land. That’s not how the real world works, lad. I’m off to get some fucking drinks,’ Ged said as he stood up and stomped towards the bar.

‘Do you really think they’ll walk?’ Scott asked Craig once Ged had left the table.

‘Yes, mate,’ he said with a nod. ‘I really do.’

‘But they were arrested,’ Scott persisted.

‘Scott! We’re not talking about your average Joe here. You have grassed on the two most powerful men in Liverpool.’

‘Well, you wanted to nick their money,’ Scott offered in protest.

‘Yeah. Because we’re fucking desperate and there was a chance we could pull it off and not get caught. But what you’ve done is completely different.’

‘But why?’

‘Where do I even start? Firstly, you do not grass people up to the filth. That is the surest way of making sure you’ll either end up dead or at the very least you’ll never make any half decent money ever again. And if that wasn’t bad enough, you fucking lied about what you saw, and we all know you don’t do well under pressure. If it ever did get to trial, which I highly fucking doubt, you’d fall to fucking pieces. But all of that doesn’t mean shit really when you consider that you have just tried to stitch up two men who have the means, and quite probably the inclination, to wipe you, me and our Ged off the face of the earth and not lose a wink of sleep about it.’

Scott stared at his older brother, his bright blue eyes blinking as beads of perspiration started to form on his forehead. ‘They won’t know it was me though, will they?’ he repeated.

Craig considered his younger brother and felt a twinge of sympathy. Scott was as green as freshly laid AstroTurf and he had never been cut out for the family business. Bradley should have let him fuck off to university like he’d wanted to, but instead their eldest brother had insisted Scott follow in his older brothers’ footsteps. Scott was a fucking liability – but he was also his baby brother. ‘Maybe not,’ Craig lied, knowing full well that Grace Carter alone had the means to find out anything she wanted to. ‘But you just keep your head down from now on.’

Scott nodded. ‘I’ll go and speak to that DI, and ask her to put me in witness protection or something. They haven’t got a case without me.’

Craig almost spat out the mouthful of lager he’d just gulped. ‘What?’ he snapped. ‘And just leave me and Ged to take the fall instead?’

‘Maybe they’d put us all in witness protection?’ Scott offered, confirming to Craig that he just didn’t get it at all.

‘I’d rather take my chances with Conlon and the Carters than collude with the filth, you stupid little prick!’ Craig snarled. ‘You stay the fuck away from the police. Next time that DI comes sniffing around you, tell her to fucking do one. And if you dare disappear and leave me and Ged to deal with this on our own, then I’ll find come and find you my fucking self.’ Then, shaking his head in disgust, he stomped off towards the bar to stand with Ged.

Scott watched at his older brother walked away from him with a face like thunder and sipped his pint as he tried to ease the queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and mulled over their recent exchange. He knew Craig and Ged didn’t like the police, but he hadn’t expected that kind of response from them. If they could only see past their hatred of coppers, then they would recognise that what he was doing was right. So what, he hadn’t actually seen Jake Conlon and Connor Carter murder Billy? He was sure that they were guilty and the only way Scott knew to make them pay for what they did was for them to be sentenced for Billy’s murder. Craig and Ged, however, seemed unwilling to do anything about the fact that the two men who had beaten their brother to death were carrying on with their lives as though nothing had happened. And if Craig and Ged wouldn’t do something to rectify that, then he would.

Scott was starting to feel a little better. Surely Craig was exaggerating – trying to scare him off? Scott knew that his brothers thought he was stupid, but he was far from it, and there was no way that he was going to let the men responsible for Billy’s murder get away with it.

Craig walked over to the bar and stood next to Ged, who was drinking his pint.

‘That stupid little bastard is gonna get us all killed,’ Ged said as he placed his glass on the bar.

‘I’ve told him to fuck that DI off if she comes asking again. Hopefully we can undo any damage before this goes too far.’

‘You think?’ Ged scoffed.

‘Yes, I do think, Ged,’ Craig snapped. ‘Which is more than I can say for you or knobhead over there.’

‘And what the fuck’s that supposed to mean?’ Ged shouted.

‘It means that I don’t see either of you trying to sort out the situation with Alastair. You’re either out on the pull or just pissed. And Scott – well, the least said about him, the better.’

Ged turned to Craig with a scowl on his face. ‘You’re a cheeky fucker, Craig. So, you think you’re the boss now, do you? Think you’re clever, eh?’

‘Well, I think you’ve proven that you’re not up to the job!’

‘Really? I was the only one who saw through your precious Bradley though, wasn’t I?’

‘Oh, fuck off. You couldn’t see through a window, you thick bastard. You just hated the fact that you were always second to him,’ Craig snapped. He knew that wasn’t true but he was angry and he needed to take it out on someone.

Ged frowned. ‘And now I’m supposed to play second to you too, am I? I’m the oldest after Brad. That means I’m in charge.’

Craig placed a hand on Ged’s shoulder. ‘Tell that to Alastair McGrath, or any other face round here. You’re not a leader, Ged. You’re the muscle. You always have been. So, you just do what you do best and leave the thinking to me.’

‘Fuck you,’ Ged growled before turning back to his pint.

Craig ordered himself a drink from the blonde barmaid who was his Friday night bit on the side. Ged was understandably pissed off, but deep down he had to know that Craig was right. Craig was the boss now, and their brief but loaded exchange meant that Ged had finally accepted that.

Craig sat on the bar stool and ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. Bradley had well and truly left them all in the shit. Alastair McGrath was breathing down their necks for his money and there was only so much longer that Craig could keep fobbing him off. While Craig understood Scott’s desire for revenge – he was devastated by Billy’s death too – there was a time and a place for everything. But now Scott had gone rogue, making the Johnson brothers an even bigger enemy of the Carters than they already were. Who in their right mind would want to be responsible for leading this shower of fuck-nuggets? Picking up the whisky chaser he’d ordered and downing it in one, Craig realised with despair that he was the only man for the job.

Chapter Eight

DI Leigh Moss watched as her sergeant, Nick Bryce, strode across her living room with a plate of curry in his outstretched hand.

‘Lamb Rogan Josh, Ma’am,’ he said as he handed her the plate.

She took the plate from him before picking up the cushion beside her and throwing it at him. ‘Don’t be a smart-arse,’ she said with a laugh.

Nick ducked and the cushion missed him. ‘Smart-arse? Me?’ he replied with a grin as he walked back out into the kitchen. He returned a few seconds later, shirtless this time, and with his own plate of curry in his hand. Leigh raised an eyebrow at him and he looked down at his naked chest. ‘What? I didn’t want to get curry on my T-shirt.’

‘Yeah, right,’ she said before tucking into her dinner.

Nick sat on the sofa beside her and they fell into their usual evening routine of eating dinner in her lounge before chatting about their day and watching a film – usually a cheesy superhero one that Nick chose.

Leigh and Nick had been good mates and on-and-off lovers for the past four years. They had made a promise that they would never get too serious about each other, which had suited them both down to the ground. They were both too committed to their work to commit to another person as well. But despite that, they had been spending more and more time together over the past few months, and although neither of them was prepared to admit it, they were a couple in every sense of the word. Leigh looked across at him. Nick kept himself fit. He was good-looking in an understated way. But, more importantly, he was funny, and kind, and he was a man of principle. She knew that the more time they spent together, the harder it would be to stop whatever this thing was they had going on. She loved him. But was love enough? She thought about the ribbing he would get from the other lads at the station if they found out. Most of them thought she was a dragon. A jobsworth with a stick up her arse was how she’d overheard one of the constables describe her once. Not that she cared what other people thought of her. Leigh was comfortable in her own skin and happy with the person she had chosen to be. But she did worry about Nick. The job was his life too, but in a different way. His colleagues were his family, and like family, he cared more than he should about what they thought of him.

Leigh’s thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her mobile phone. Picking it up, she saw Scott Johnson’s name flashing across the screen and her heart started pounding. This couldn’t possibly be a good development, could it?

‘Hi, Scott,’ she answered, trying to sound as casual as possible.

‘DI Moss,’ he answered breathlessly, as though he’d been running. ‘How likely is it that Jake Conlon and Connor Carter are going to find out that I’m the key witness in this investigation?’

Leigh swallowed. ‘Well, they won’t find that out from me or my team, I promise you that,’ she replied.

‘That really doesn’t answer my question though, does it? Will they find out some other way?’

Leigh looked across at Nick, hoping illogically for some help, despite knowing that he could only hear her side of the conversation. ‘I suppose they might put two and two together and think it was you. You did live with Billy after all.’

‘Shit!’

‘If you’re worried about that then let me bring you in. We can offer you witness protection—’

‘No, I can’t do that,’ he interrupted her. ‘Who knows when or if I’d ever be able to come back to Liverpool, and I can’t just leave my brothers in the lurch like that. I’ve already lost two brothers, I couldn’t handle the possibility of never seeing Craig and Ged again too. Besides, you said they wouldn’t find out,’ he said and Leigh could hear the edge of desperation creeping into his voice.

‘I have never told you that, Scott.’

‘Okay, but you implied it. You would have said anything to get my testimony though, wouldn’t you?’

‘That’s not true,’ Leigh said, trying to maintain her temper and speak calmly. ‘I have never lied to you about the possible implications. But it’s true that we have no case without you, Scott. Without your testimony, the men who murdered your brother will never see the inside of a courtroom, let alone a prison.’

‘I know.’

‘Let us protect you,’ she insisted.

‘No! Look, I know they’ll figure out it was me if they haven’t already. But they’d be stupid to take out the key witness, wouldn’t they? Surely that would prove their guilt?’

‘Perhaps,’ Leigh answered, thinking that Scott had watched far too many cop dramas on television.

‘Then I’m going to go and stay with an old friend of mine from school for a bit. No one knows where she lives, or knows we’ve stayed in touch. She lives in Widnes, and I’ll be safe there. I’m going to ditch my phone, but I’ll text you my new number as soon as I get it.’

‘Okay. And if you see anything suspicious, or feel like you’re in any danger at all, phone 999 before you call me. Okay?’

‘Okay. I will. I’ll speak to you in a few days.’

‘Bye, Scott.’

Leigh put her phone down on the coffee table and sat back with a sigh.

‘What was that about?’ Nick asked.

‘Scott Johnson getting twitchy about the investigation.’

‘Understandable,’ Nick replied, putting his plate down on the floor beside him. ‘You think he’s going to back out?’

‘No. He’s scared, but he still seems determined to go ahead with it. I’d feel better if he agreed to go into witness protection though. At least then, we could keep an eye on him for the duration of the investigation.’

‘I do too, but we’ve had that conversation with him before, and it didn’t seem like he was willing to budge.’

Leigh nodded in agreement. ‘I know. He’s going to stay with a friend of his in Widnes for a while. Apparently no one knows about her. But I don’t think he appreciates the reach the Carters have.’

‘I know what you mean. He’s a bright lad, seems quite clever actually, but no common sense at all. Can you imagine him growing up with the rest of the Johnson lot? He must have stuck out like a sore thumb.’

Leigh smiled. ‘Would you really want to blend in with them though?’

Nick laughed. ‘Suppose not.’

‘The best thing we can do for Scott is arrest Jake and Connor as soon as possible. I’m going to speak to the CPS tomorrow and see if there’s any progress on being able to proceed with a charge.’

‘Let’s hope Forensics come back with something.’

‘I know,’ Leigh replied with a frown. ‘Even a fingerprint or a shred of DNA would give us something to tie them to the scene. Without that all we have is Scott’s testimony.’

Nick winced. ‘And even that is iffy. He saw them going in, but didn’t see the murder. Faye Donovan will tear him to shreds on the stand.’

Leigh nodded. ‘I know. But we’ll just have to prep him to hold his nerve. I believe he’s telling the truth, and I just hope that a jury would be able to see that too.’

‘The truth? Whoever cared about the truth? Grace Carter and her bloody family walk around this city believing they’re invincible. But one day we will have them banged to rights, and I for one can’t wait.’

Leigh nodded at him again. ‘Me too,’ she said although with less conviction.

Nick held up his arm and Leigh leaned against him on the sofa, inhaling the clean, soapy smell of his freshly showered body. Nick was right, of course, and she wanted the streets of Liverpool to be safe again as much as he did. Bringing down the Carter family would be an epic feat and one that would cement her career in the police force. But that would mean bringing down Grace too, and although she was prepared to do that, it wouldn’t be as easy for her.

‘What do you fancy watching?’ Nick asked.

‘You choose,’ she replied and she watched as Nick flicked through the channels. She thought about Grace Carter: the women they had both become, and the women they had once been.

Leigh Moss had been nineteen years old when she’d applied for a job as a barmaid at The Blue Rooms. She’d been studying law at Liverpool University and had wanted a decent-paying job to help her keep on top of her bills. She had been raised in one of the roughest and poorest neighbourhoods in Manchester and her parents didn’t have any spare cash to help her out if she was ever in a jam. In fact, they’d been pretty annoyed that she’d decided to ‘flounce’ off to university instead of getting a job in the local supermarket or claiming the dole so she could start finally bringing some money into the house. She could still hear her mother’s words now – If it was good enough for me and your father, why do you think you’re any better than the rest of us round ’ere?

Leigh couldn’t wait to get out of the house she’d grown up in – she’d never felt comfortable enough in the place to call it home. She was raised by a mother who was a spiteful bully, seemed to resent Leigh’s youth and intelligence and belittled her every chance she got, and a father who was only interested in where his next six-pack of Skol was coming from.

That had all changed when Leigh had moved to Liverpool and she had finally been allowed opinions and friends of her own. One such friend had told her that she could make a few hundred quid in tips alone working at The Blue Rooms. So, she’d walked in there that evening, in her sexiest little black dress, to ask for a job behind the bar. On her way to the bar, she’d been stopped in her tracks by the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. Then he’d smiled at her and she’d almost passed out with lust. Her heart still thumped in her chest when she remembered her first encounter with Nathan Conlon. He’d told her he was the club owner and twenty minutes later they were drinking Cristal champagne in one of the Club’s private booths.

Nathan Conlon had swept her off her feet, showering her with gifts and attention. She hadn’t cared at the time that he was married with a child, that was his wife’s problem and not hers. Besides, Nathan had told her that he didn’t love his wife any longer. She had trapped him in a marriage he didn’t want by getting pregnant. They never had sex. He didn’t love her, but it was complicated. Leigh shuddered inwardly as she thought about the naïve little girl she’d been back then. Nathan had promised her the world and she’d believed him. But after a few months her fantasy had started to turn into a nightmare and it had all happened so slowly that she hadn’t even realised it. Nathan had told her that her incredible body was wasted behind the bar and that she should become a dancer instead. But such was his charisma and charm, he’d sold it to her in a way that she had believed it was her own decision. He was a master manipulator. Soon, she was dancing five nights a week, had dropped out of university and was doing coke and ecstasy just to get through the day. But even then, she’d thought it was all worth it just to have Nathan on her arm. He’d strung her along for almost a year. Soon his attention had turned to the other dancers, but he always had a few crumbs for Leigh, or Candy Malone, as she had called herself in an attempt to disguise her identity, and she, like the pathetic excuse for a woman she’d become, would lap them up. All he had to do was smile at her, give her a few quid to buy herself something pretty and promise her that she was still his girl, and she forgot about it all. God, what a narcissistic prick he was.

So Candy had gone on hanging around, waiting for any scraps he would throw her and hoping that one day he would realise how much he loved her. But that had all changed when she’d found out she was pregnant. In her drug-addled brain, she had thought that the baby would be the thing that would make Nathan finally realise how much he loved her. How wrong she was. He had demanded that she get rid of it, and when she’d refused, he had promised her that he would leave his wife and son if she aborted their baby. He didn’t want any more children, he’d told her. He wanted a nice easy life – just the two of them. And he’d made it sound so plausible that she’d believed him. Then, after she told him she’d had aborted their child – her one and only chance to have a child, she’d later discover – he had laughed in her face and told her she was a deluded cow. She had sunk to her knees, sobbing and begging him to love her and he had pushed her away and told her that he had never loved her at all. He adored his wife and she, Candy, had only ever been a good fuck. That had all been bad enough, but then she had decided to confront his wife.

Leigh’s cheeks burned with shame and anger whenever she thought about that night – something she tried to do as little as possible.

It had been a freezing Christmas Eve when Candy had stormed into Grace and Nathan’s pub, The Rose and Crown, to tell everyone who cared to listen that she had been screwing Nathan for the past year. That she had aborted their baby because he had promised to leave his dried-up shrew of a wife for her. At the time, she had paid little attention to Grace’s reaction, but now she could recall it in great detail. How this beautiful and broken woman had stood there, in her own pub, while this crazed loon told all of her customers in graphic detail about the intimate details of her affair with her husband. Grace had looked just like Leigh had felt – defeated and completely worn down.

Nathan on the other hand had been incandescent with rage and had frog-marched her out of the pub. Then he had raped her, and tried to kill her, before Grace had intervened. Grace Carter had saved Leigh’s life and Leigh knew that she would always owe her for that. No matter how different their lives had become, Grace had done that for her. She had put her own life in danger for a woman she barely knew, and who she had just found out had been sleeping with her husband. And despite who she had turned into, that was the kind of woman Grace was.

Leigh could only ever wonder at the years of abuse and torment that Nathan had put Grace through. Grace had hinted at it afterwards, when the two women had become friends for a short time. They had been married young and he had controlled every aspect of Grace’s life. All the things he had ever done to Candy paled into insignificance compared to the years of torture that Grace had endured. Yet she had come out on the other side of it with compassion and humanity. Leigh often wondered whether she would have had the strength to do the same and she was ashamed to admit that she wasn’t sure if she would. At least, not back then. In her darkest times, Leigh still thought about what might have become of her if she hadn’t aborted Nathan’s child, or if he had left Grace for her. Would she have had the strength to endure? And if she had, would she have blood on her hands too? Would it be her, fighting to protect her child from going to prison? What was it her old nan used to say? There but for the grace of God go I. Leigh closed her eyes as she thought about how true that was.

Chapter Nine

Grace poured two mugs of coffee and handed one to Michael as he sat at their kitchen table with their one-year-old son Oscar, who was noisily enjoying his lunch.

‘Can you pick Belle up from school at three?’ she asked Michael. ‘I was hoping to go to the wine bar and go through some final invoices with Siobhan, and then I can hand it over to her.’

Michael raised an eyebrow at her and smiled.

‘What?’ she asked him.

‘You’re going to hand Carter’s over, are you? Just like that?’

Carter’s Wine Bar in Lytham was their newest venture and therefore Grace’s latest project. She’d been heavily involved from the outset. Choosing the new premises and almost every piece of décor, as well as choosing the menu. She loved the excitement of setting up a new business. Her soon to be ex-daughter-in-law Siobhan Davies was managing the place for them and Grace considered her a competent and trustworthy appointment.

Siobhan had been married to Jake for two years, and together they had a daughter, Isla, who was almost two years old. The previous year, just before Paul had been murdered, Siobhan had dropped the bombshell that Connor could be Isla’s father, and understandably all hell had broken loose. It was only then that Grace had learned Jake was gay. It had caused a huge family rift and there was a time when Grace had wondered how they would all find their way back together again. Then Paul had been murdered and the tragedy of his death had bound them all together. Jake and Siobhan were in the process of divorcing, but Grace hadn’t been able to cut ties with her daughter-in-law entirely. The truth was she had come to love Siobhan, and the troubles within her and Jake’s marriage – of which there were many – were really none of Grace’s business. Siobhan had mended some fences with Connor and Jake too, but she was keen to make a fresh start for herself. That was when Grace had come up with the idea of Siobhan running the wine bar for them. It would mean she could start anew in Lytham, which wasn’t too far away from Liverpool, and Grace would have someone she knew and trusted managing the place.

‘Of course I’m going to hand it over,’ she said to Michael. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘It’s just that you have trouble handing anything over, Grace. You can’t help yourself. Some people might say you’re a control freak.’

‘Well, it’s still our wine bar,’ she said as she walked over to him. ‘Of course I’ll be involved. But I’ll step back from it. I promise.’

‘Good,’ he said with a smile as he put his free arm around her waist. ‘It will be nice to have you back at Sophia’s again.’

Grace nodded. ‘It will be nice to see more of everyone. I feel like I’ve neglected the place. But I know you and Sean are more than capable of handling the place without me.’ She planted a kiss on the top of his head and sat down at the table with him and Oscar. ‘You haven’t been at the Cartel offices for a few weeks. Is everything okay?’ she asked, knowing that since Paul’s murder Michael had distanced himself from their security business.

‘Everything’s fine,’ he replied. ‘It’s just nicer working at the restaurant, that’s all.’

‘Do you need me to do anything? I can work there for a while. Make sure everything is ticking over?’

‘Murf has got it all under control. There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, I was looking forward to having you around Sophia’s a little bit more.’

‘Okay,’ Grace said, taking a sip of her coffee. She sensed that this was all part of Michael’s long-term plan to have them take a back seat in the more dangerous aspects of their business and focus on their bars and restaurants.

‘I’ve asked Webster to brief us on what the police have got so far. He said he’ll meet us at the usual place at half past one, he can’t chance coming here with so much spotlight on the family. Is that okay?’

DI Tony Webster was a police officer whom Grace had known, and paid off, for many years. Along with a few of his colleagues, he was paid a considerable amount of money to look the other way wherever possible, and provide crucial information when needed. Michael hated Webster, and although Grace wasn’t his biggest fan, she had to admit that he sometimes had his uses.

Michael nodded. ‘I’ll ask my dad to watch Oscar for an hour.’

An hour later and Grace and Michael had dropped Oscar off with his grandparents, Pat and Sue, and were walking into a small café in Everton.

‘Do you actually think he’ll have anything worth telling us?’ Michael asked as he held the door open for Grace.

‘Who knows? But I like to remind him who he’s working for at times like these.’

Walking into the café, they spotted Webster sitting in the table furthest from the entrance, and they made their way over to him.

Webster nodded as they approached. ‘I got you both a coffee,’ he said indicating the mugs on the table.

‘Thanks,’ Grace said as she and Michael sat opposite him.

‘So, what can you tell us about the investigation?’ Michael asked as he picked up his mug and blew lightly onto the steaming liquid.

‘Not a lot, I’m afraid,’ Webster said as he sucked air through his teeth. ‘The DI in charge of the investigation is a right jobsworth. Got a stick so far up her arse it’s a wonder she can walk.’ He laughed at his own joke.

‘What evidence does she have on Jake and Connor?’ Grace asked.

‘I don’t know,’ he said with a shake of his head.

‘You’re fucking useless,’ Michael spat.

‘Look, you don’t understand the way this DI works. She’s a rottweiler, and she’s playing this one really close to her chest. She won’t let anyone not directly involved with the case within a sniff of it. I’m doing my best, but it’s not easy. And for some reason, DI Moss seems to have taken a bit of a dislike to me—’

‘I can’t think why,’ Michael interrupted.

‘So, there’s nothing of any relevance you can tell us?’ Grace asked with a sigh.

‘Only that Leigh Moss is on some sort of one-woman mission to clean the streets of Liverpool. I think she sees herself as some sort of fucking saviour. She’s not even from Liverpool, she’s from Manchester,’ he sneered, his disdain for his colleague blatantly obvious.

‘Is that why she’s arrested the boys? Has she got it in for them?’ Michael asked.

Webster nodded. ‘Them and every other gangster in Liverpool.’

Grace felt Michael bristle beside her and she placed a hand on his leg. ‘Do you know what her next move is?’

‘No. But she would have charged them if she could have. I swear this woman is like a dog with a bone. She won’t let this go. If she doesn’t get them for this, she’ll be looking for something else. You should tell the boys to be careful.’

‘Are they under surveillance?’ Grace asked.

‘Not yet. At least I don’t think so. I spoke to my mate in Intel. But, as I said, Moss is playing this one very close to her chest. If she’s got them under surveillance it’s all being kept top secret. But approving an operation like that would need approval from the top. You know the assistant Chief Con is a golf buddy of mine?’

Grace nodded. ‘Keep us posted on any developments, will you?’

Webster downed the last of his coffee. ‘Will do,’ he said before standing up and walking out of the café without a backwards glance.

‘That man has a face that’s just begging to be punched,’ Michael said as he drank his coffee.

Grace smiled at him in response.

‘This DI sounds like bad news though,’ he said.

‘Hmm,’ Grace agreed. She’d been wondering whether to tell Michael about her history with Leigh. Although she hated keeping secrets from him, she’d decided that telling him about that now would only cause more problems and she would have to explain why she hadn’t told him before. How could she possibly explain that even after everything that had happened, she felt some sort of loyalty to Leigh Moss? Grace had once made Leigh a promise that she would never reveal the secrets of her past, and Grace was a woman who kept her word. Besides, keeping that word, and the fact that Grace had once saved her life, meant that Leigh was indebted to Grace – whether she admitted that to herself or not. That was a more powerful tool in her arsenal and while Grace knew there was no way she could coerce Leigh into dropping the investigation into Billy’s murder, perhaps she might be able to convince her that someone else was responsible for the crime?

‘How about I take you out somewhere nice for dinner tonight?’ Michael asked, interrupting Grace’s thoughts. ‘We haven’t been out, just you and me, for ages.’

‘That would be lovely,’ Grace replied. ‘I’ll be back from seeing Siobhan about six. But would you mind if we went to Sophia’s? Steph told me she’s put some new dishes on the menu and I’m desperate to try that chocolate and hazelnut soufflé she’s been going on about. Please?’ she said with a smile and a squeeze of his arm.

‘We can go wherever you want,’ he said before leaning in to give her a kiss.

‘Great. It will give me a chance to catch up with Steph too. I haven’t seen her for a few weeks.’

Michael rolled his eyes. Steph was Sean’s daughter and their niece. At the age of thirty, she was the eldest of the next generation of Carters and she and Grace had become good friends years earlier.

‘I’ll only speak to her for a few minutes. She’ll be working anyway.’ Grace laughed. ‘For the rest of the evening, I’ll be entirely yours.’

‘I’ll hold you to that,’ he replied.

She placed her hand over his. They had both been so busy lately, it would be nice to spend some time alone together.

Chapter Ten

Grace walked through Carter’s and admired the tasteful décor. The place had opened a few weeks earlier and was already doing better than they’d hoped. It catered for an eclectic mix of customers, from the super-rich who had made the seaside town of Lytham their home to the holiday makers, young, old and everywhere in between – everyone was welcome and it worked. Grace had to admit that Siobhan Davies had played a big part in making the place a success. Although Siobhan was in the process of divorcing Jake, she would always be family to Grace. She was the mother of her beautiful granddaughter for a start, and despite the fact that less than a year earlier she had thrown a hand grenade into the Carter family by revealing that Connor could be Isla’s father, after the two of them had had a one-night stand, Grace couldn’t help but love the girl. She was feisty and intelligent and she didn’t take shit from anyone. She reminded Grace of herself when she was younger.

Siobhan had wanted to get away from Liverpool after the whole paternity issue had been resolved, and Grace couldn’t blame her – hadn’t she done the very same thing herself a few years earlier when she was pregnant with Belle? But Grace couldn’t bear to be too far away from Isla, and she had also needed someone she could trust to manage Carter’s, so offering Siobhan the job had seemed like the perfect solution. It meant that both Siobhan and Isla were only an hour’s drive from Liverpool, and Grace still got to see her granddaughter at least once a week.

Grace was walking towards the bar when she saw Siobhan walking out of the back room. Her beautiful auburn hair was hanging loose and she was wearing a fitted green dress which complemented her skin tone perfectly. She looked every inch the professional woman and Grace felt a surge of pride.

‘Hey, Grace,’ Siobhan said with a smile as she looked up.

Grace sat on one of the stools. ‘Hi, Siobhan.’

‘Can I get you a drink?’

‘A coffee would be great.’

‘You said you wanted to go over some paperwork?’ Siobhan said as she made Grace’s coffee.

‘Yes. I wanted to make sure you had everything you need before I hand the place over.’

‘Hand it over?’ Siobhan said in surprise.

Grace nodded. ‘I think it’s about time I let you get on with managing the place, don’t you?’

Siobhan smiled in return. ‘Well, only if you’re sure?’

‘I am. The place is doing amazing. I don’t think there’s anything else I can do but leave the place in your very capable hands.’

Siobhan placed Grace’s coffee on the bar. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly. ‘I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Grace.’

‘I know. Now don’t have me getting all emotional,’ Grace said with a wave of her hand. ‘You’ve earned this chance, Siobhan. I wouldn’t leave you in charge of my wine bar if I didn’t believe you were capable of it.’

‘Well, thank you anyway. After everything that’s happened…’

‘Forget about that now. Is Jake having Isla this weekend?’

Siobhan looked down. ‘I’m not sure, to be honest.’

‘Oh? Why not? Is this about the other day?’

Siobhan’s head snapped back up. ‘Why? What happened the other day?’

‘He was arrested. Him and Connor. Didn’t he tell you?’ Grace asked although the look of shock on Siobhan’s face answered the question.

‘What were they arrested for?’

‘They were released the same day,’ Grace replied.

‘But what were they arrested for?’

‘Murder,’ Grace said quietly. ‘But they weren’t charged.’

‘Bloody hell,’ Siobhan said as she leaned against the bar. ‘Will they be charged?’

‘No,’ Grace replied quickly, trying to convince herself as much as Siobhan. ‘It will be fine.’

Siobhan shook her head. ‘Will it though?’

Grace studied the younger woman’s face. ‘Is there something else going on, Siobhan?’

‘I’m not sure I should say,’ Siobhan said.

‘Well, you’ll have to now. What’s going on, Siobhan?’

‘Last week when I picked Isla up from Jake’s place, he was…’

‘What?’ Grace asked, although she was afraid she already knew the answer.

‘He seemed like he was on something. I could smell he’d been drinking too, although he said he’d only had a couple. He looked different, and he was acting really weird. I know him so well, Grace, I knew he’d had something more than a few drinks. I’m no angel, Grace, and Jake can do what he likes in his free time, but he was looking after our two-year-old daughter, for Christ’s sake. Anything could have happened to her,’ Siobhan said with a shake of her head.

Grace frowned. She’d seen the change in Jake for herself. It had started shortly after Paul’s murder and initially Grace had accepted that it was her son’s way of dealing with his grief. But it had been over eight months now and Jake seemed to be getting worse rather than improving. He was moody, prickly with almost everyone. He picked fights constantly and more than once the bouncers who worked for her and Michael had had to intervene on his behalf. He was drinking every day despite the fact that he’d never been much of a drinker in the past, and although he would deny it until he was blue in the face, she knew he was using coke too. It was a slippery slope when suppliers started taking their own product; Grace knew it, and so did Connor, but Jake didn’t seem willing to listen to anyone. There had been a time when Grace could always get through to him, but now she wasn’t so sure. She saw so much of Nathan in him that it terrified her. Jake could be charming and charismatic when he wanted to be, when he wanted something from someone, and then in a split second his whole demeanour could change. Just like his father. And now he was drinking and taking drugs when he was looking after Isla too. Even his beautiful daughter wasn’t enough to keep him on the straight and narrow.

‘I don’t think I can trust him to look after Isla on his own after that, Grace. I know you might not agree with that—’

‘I don’t blame you, Siobhan,’ Grace interrupted her. ‘He can’t be getting wasted while he’s in charge of a child. I can’t believe he’d stoop so bloody low,’ she said with a sigh. She sipped her coffee before looking up at Siobhan. ‘I thought I raised him better than this, you know?’

Siobhan placed a warm hand over Grace’s. ‘You did,’ she assured her. ‘He’s just lost right now. He’ll find his way back.’

‘You have a lot of compassion for a man who lied to you for your whole marriage,’ Grace smiled.

‘Well, I wasn’t exactly a saint, was I?’ she replied with a laugh.

‘I see so much of his father in him, it scares the living daylights out of me, Siobhan,’ Grace said suddenly, surprising even herself with her candour. While she had her concerns about Jake, she never criticised him openly. He was her son and she was loyal to him, but something had to give. If he carried on down the path he was currently on, she was sure that she’d end up visiting him in jail, or, even worse, at his graveside.

‘He’s your son, Grace. He’ll see sense soon. Just give him time,’ Siobhan said. ‘But until he does, I can’t have Isla staying with him. I just can’t trust him.’

Grace nodded. ‘Why not let Isla stay at our house for the weekend? That way you still get a bit of time to yourself and we’ll all get to see her – Jake too. I’ll suggest it to him if you like. With everything he’s got going on, it won’t sound too suspicious that I’d offer to have her stay with us instead.’

‘That would be great.’ Siobhan smiled. ‘I wasn’t looking forward to having that conversation with him to be honest, so the longer I can put it off, the better. Maybe he’ll even sort himself out before I have to?’

‘Well, that would be good, wouldn’t it? If incredibly unlikely.’

Siobhan nodded. ‘Wishful thinking?’

‘I’ll speak to him later and let you know what he says. I shouldn’t see it being a problem though. Anyway, shall we go through this paperwork then? I have to get back soon, I’m off out and I need to get ready.’

‘Oh? Anywhere nice?’

‘Just for a meal with Michael. It feels like we haven’t been out, just the two of us, for ages.’

‘Well, let’s get this paperwork sorted then so you can get ready for your hot date,’ Siobhan replied with a grin.

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