Aftermath (Dividing Line #6) (25 page)

“You killed him,” she hiccoughed.

“I did. Or would you rather we let them take you back to Spain? There was no in between.”

“I know…I’m not saying I’m not grateful…” It was difficult for her to speak. Her heart raced and she couldn’t catch her breath.

“Put your head between your legs and take deep breaths,” Jules told her, stroking her back with her free hand. “You’re obviously not used to scenes like that.”

“No, I’m not,” she groaned, resting her head in her hands, wondering why she was feeling like this. She should be delighted. Cole was dead and he could never hurt her again, but the tears wouldn’t stop. They streamed down her face, she could taste them on her lips, the saltiness making her gag. Her hands shook and her stomach rolled over.

“Take it easy. We’ll be back at the house soon.”

Lexie wondered how Jules could be so calm when she’d just killed someone. There was only one explamation. It wasn’t her first time.

“He’s dead…he’s dead,” she whispered over and over, rocking in her seat.

“It’s okay baby girl,” said Jules in a curiously sensitive way Lexie hadn’t thought her capable of. Too shocked and exhausted to protest, she let her use the nickname she so loathed.

CHAPTER 27

“I take it everything went according to plan?” said Rachel when Jules entered the kitchen via the garage, supporting a tearful Lexie.

“It went like clockwork but she’s a bit shocked.”

“Sit down,” said Rachel, steering Lexie into a chair. “I brought this just in case, I thought you might need it.”

Rachel produced a bottle of brandy and poured out a glass for her and Jules. “Ryan and Dane?” she asked Jules as she poured.

“Mopping up the leftovers.”

“Leftovers,” murmured Lexie. The smell of the brandy Rachel put before her was the final straw for her churning stomach. “I’m going to throw up,” she said, racing upstairs, a hand clamped to her mouth.

“She’s a newbie to all this,” said Jules, plonking herself down at the table and taking a swig of brandy.

“Thanks for doing that for us. We appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. It was easy. Fucking amateurs.”

“Yes, well, I’ll check on Lexie,” said Rachel, leaving Jules under Battler and Bruiser’s watchful eyes. She headed upstairs and followed the sound of sobbing to the bathroom. The door swung open beneath her touch to reveal Lexie crumpled in a heap at the base of the toilet, her head resting on the seat.

Rachel crouched beside her and placed a reassuring hand on her arm. “That must have been a shock for you. I’m sorry but there was no other way. Cole wouldn’t have stopped until he had you.”

Lexie raised her tear-streaked face, lower lip trembling. “They killed four people right in front of me.”

“It’s a shock, isn’t it? You’ll never forget it, it will always be with you.”

“I want to pull it out of my brain.”

“I understand that urge but it’s impossible. You’ll think about it, brood over it, even have nightmares but one day you will learn to cope and it will start to fade. It’ll never go completely but at least you’ll be able to live with it. They were bad men Lexie, they would have mown down all of us to get to you. They were the ones who put themselves in that position, we were only defending ourselves.”

“You’re preaching to the converted but I’m not used to all this. When I was younger I saw Dad attack someone in his office at home, beat him so badly there was blood everywhere but it wasn’t as bad as that. Even Cole executing that man in our own home wasn’t as horrible. A big bang, a spray of blood and it was over. It was Jules with her knives that was the worst. And I let her touch me.” She closed her eyes and shuddered. “She threw knives into Stevie’s neck. He tried to take one of them out but he couldn’t move his hand properly and the noise he made…” She blanched and retched into the toilet, but nothing came up. Releasing a sigh she leaned back against the cool tiles. “I’m sad Cole’s gone. Why? He was evil and I hated him.”

Rachel thought of Alex, as usual experiencing both heartache and a violent hatred. “At the end of the day you had a relationship, you used to be close, before he turned psycho. You miss the good days.” As she spoke her fingers unconsciously strayed to the black lace choker around her neck.

“You sound like you’re talking from experience.”

“I am. Don’t ask me for any details because I won’t tell you but that’s why you feel so sad. You’re mourning the good times.”

“When I can think straight I’ll probably realise you’re right. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

“It’s over now.”

“Cole had business acquaintances. What if they come looking for him?”

“Then we’ll bury them too.”

The determination and coldness in Rachel’s black eyes scared Lexie and she pressed herself back against the wall, drawing her knees into her chest to make herself as small as possible.

“You might not like it but this is what we do to stay alive,” Rachel told her. Ryan had spent a long time convincing her this was the right thing to do. When she’d overheard him on the phone to Cole she’d assumed he was going to hand Lexie over to him. Even when he’d calmed her down and explained his plan she’d still thought keeping Lexie in the dark cruel, but as usual he’d been right. They were safe. She would not be so weak again. “Them or us Lexie. What would you do?” she snarled. Rachel shook herself out of it, forcing her expression to soften. “Come on, you can’t sit here all day. Have a lie down, you’ll feel much better.”

Lexie allowed Rachel to help her to her feet although the feel of her hands touching her made her sick. Those hands had done terrible things, just like Ryan’s, Jules’s, all of them.
What a fucking family.
“I wish Riley was here,” she croaked.

“Do you think things would have turned out any differently if he had been? Do you think he would have reasoned with Cole and they would have shaken hands and Cole would have happily gone back to Spain alone?”

“No,” she pouted, sinking onto the bed.

“It would still have ended the same way.” Rachel was starting to get annoyed with her. They’d risked everything to help her and it still wasn’t good enough. What did the dizzy cow want?

“Yes, you’re probably right,” Lexie hastily replied, sensing her irritation. “I just need some sleep, I’m sure I’ll feel much better.”

Rachel’s frown smoothed itself out into a smile. “Course you will. Call me if you need anything,” she said before getting up and leaving.

Lexie curled into the foetal position, her arms locked around her knees, shivering. She didn’t think she’d ever sleep again.

“How is she?” said Jules when Rachel returned downstairs.

“Not good.”

“Want me to go upstairs and comfort her?” she said with a wiggle of the eyebrows.

“I think it’s best if she’s left alone for a while.”

“Shame. I suppose you’re wondering about us two…”

“It’s none of my business and I really don’t want to know.”

“They know all about it, don’t you boys?” she grinned, leaning back in her chair, clasping her hands behind her head and nodding at Battler and Bruiser. “They walked in on us. I think they enjoyed the show.”

“Will you please give it a rest?” sighed Bruiser. “You’re getting on my tits.”

Jules laughed with delight. “So he does speak. Wow, deep and hoarse. Sexy. I’d love to get you between my thighs, I bet you’re a right screamer.”

“I’m happy to strangle you. Only difference is I won’t let go until you go still,” he retorted before standing tall and straight, gaze distant, indicating he was done talking.

Rachel and Battler glanced at each other. It was the most they’d heard Bruiser say all at once in a long time, a testament to how much Jules irritated him.

“Christ I need a ciggie,” said Jules, rummaging around for the pack in her jacket pocket.

“Not in here you don’t,” said Rachel. “You can go into the back garden. Battler and Bruiser will accompany you.”

“You know boys, I’m really going to miss you both when I leave,” said Jules as they walked outside. “I love having you two guard my body.”

“Oh for God’s sake,” muttered Battler, making Rachel smile.

It was a relief when Ryan and Dane walked through the door an hour later. Rachel got to her feet to embrace her husband, his eyes heavy with dismay. He’d never wanted to do anything like that again and Lexie had made him.

“Sorted?” she said.

He nodded into her shoulder.

Ryan hadn’t told her what he was going to do with the bodies and she didn’t want to know. Whatever it was she’d no doubt it was thorough. Her best guess was Cole and his men were lying in their car at the bottom of the sea. It was the quickest and most efficient way to dispose of them. She cradled his face in her hands and kissed him while Dane squeezed past them.

“Do you want a kiss too?” Jules asked Dane.

“No thank you,” he retorted, slumping into a chair at the table.

“I bet you do.”

“Give it a rest. I’m not in the fucking mood.”

“You should be nicer to me. We’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other in the future.”

“Not if I can help it.”

“I’m not messing with you Dane. I’m going back to Manchester with Mikey and Jez. They’re bringing me in on the business.”

“You’re joking? Please say you’re joking.”

“I’m afraid not. You’re pleased, I can tell,” she smiled.

“Fucking ecstatic,” he glowered, unable to decide whether this news filled him with despair or excitement.

When Mikey and Jez finally turned up they were surprised to find Cole and his crew had already been eliminated.

“Why didn’t you wait until we got back to you? We told you we were looking into who he was,” exclaimed Mikey.

He was so serious it scared Rachel. “Why? What have you found out?”

“He wasn’t into drugs like Lexie said. He was a money launderer for some very nasty people and he didn’t just have ties to Spain and the UK, he was international too, working for some very vicious Columbians.”

“Oh shit,” she said quietly.

“Oh shit indeed.”

“They won’t be able to track him here,” said Ryan. “He’ll have covered his tracks too well.”

“I hope that confidence is well justified,” he retorted, outraged. “Why didn’t you wait for us? Why did you have to rush into it?”

“We had an opportunity and we took it,” said Ryan.

“You rushed into it and now it could backfire on you,” retorted Jez. He looked to Rachel. “Did you agree with what he did?”

“Yes,” she replied, lifting her chin. “Someone comes after us we bury them.”

Silence filled the room as Mikey stared at Rachel in surprise, her eyes black as night.

“On this Rachel and I are agreed,” said Ryan.

“I thought you were all law-abiding and legit,” retorted Jez. “Now you’re talking about killing anyone who gets in your way.”

“We can never be fully legitimate, we learnt that the hard way,” said Rachel, indicating her neck, the scar covered by the black choker. “We will do anything to defend ourselves and our kids. They turned up at our home and gave themselves a death sentence. Anyone wants to start looking into Cole’s disappearance and they turn up here we’ll do the same to them.”

“Jesus Christ Rachel,” said Jez.

Jules finally realised how fortunate she was to be alive. The look Dane gave her told her he was thinking exactly the same thing. Jules found her respect for her sister-in-law growing exponentially.

“She’s right,” said Jules. “You’ve got to teach people not to fuck with you. Violence is the only language a lot of arseholes in this world understand.”

“Thank you Jules,” said Rachel. She looked back at Mikey, who suddenly seemed a lot older than his years as he sank into a chair at the dining table. The weight of power was already taking its toll. “She gets it so why can’t you?” she told him.

“Murder is a last resort. It’s messy and it leaves a trail.”

“There is no trail,” said Ryan. “Dane and I saw to that.”

“This could have been negotiated and you know it. You got scared and panicked.”

“I. Do. Not. Panic,” spat Ryan.

“We were protecting ourselves Mikey,” snapped Rachel. He was starting to irritate her. “And as Ryan pointed out before, it’s always
us
people come after. Not you or your family, us, and I’m sick of it.”

Mikey took her hand and encouraged her to sit in the chair beside him. “Alright Rach, it’s alright,” he said softly. “I understand why, of course I do. Now we need to assess the risk of anyone looking into Cole’s disappearance.”

“Lexie,” Ryan bellowed up the stairs. “Get down here now.”

A minute later Lexie reluctantly walked into the room, eyes red and puffy from crying. She remained frozen in the doorway, loath to come into a room filled with so many frightening people.

“Tell us Lexie,” began Mikey. “Did Cole have any family?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Close friends?”

“No, just business acquaintances.”

“Good. Who knew you were together?”

“No one apart from his bodyguards, but they’re all…” She trailed off when her eyes filled with tears. She wasn’t sad Stevie and his men were gone, she was just terrified about being so close to those who were responsible.

“So no one else knew you were even together?”

“Definitely not. Cole was very private, he liked it to be just the two of us all the time.”

“Didn’t that set any alarm bells ringing?” said Rachel.

“It should have done, I realise that now but at the time it just seemed romantic.”

“See Mikey, no one’s going to come looking for them,” Rachel told him with a hint of smugness.

“What about the people who will be wondering how the hell they’re going to get their money?”

“What are they going to do, go to the police?”

“Cole wasn’t a drug dealer,” Ryan told Lexie. “He was a money launderer for some very bad people.”

Lexie was stricken. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” She thought she might faint with fear when Ryan glowered at her.

“There was a plane ticket for Alicante Airport in his pocket,” said Dane. “His passport was in the name of Thomas Wright. The car was bought from a garage in Exeter, paid for in cash. We found the documents.”