Get Even (10 page)

When they got back to Jack’s yard they were still high as kites. It was such an adrenaline rush. Neither of them cared that Jason was dead and gone. In truth they were pleased. Jason Prior had been an accident waiting to happen. He had mugged off too many people, laughing while he did it. No one would be mourning him.

‘You took a fucking chance there, Len.’

Lenny shrugged; he had expected this from Jack.

‘Reggie is a good bloke, plus his share of the earn is going to pay off some of his mother’s debt. I’d heard good things about him, thought I would give him a try-out.’

Jack Johnson grinned. ‘A nice fella, I admit. Must be hard coming from a shower of shite like that lot.’

Lenny nodded. ‘Thing is, he ain’t been seen around because he was obviously banged up. So I put him nearest to Jason, thinking if he noticed him he wouldn’t click anything, you know? Jason would expect trouble from me, but not from an unknown face. And Reggie looks like butter wouldn’t melt.’

Jack nodded. ‘Good-looking lad, no doubt about that. And your hunch played out.’

Lenny grinned. ‘I think we can use him, Jack. He’s got a bit of savvy. Knows the score. He is willing and all – appreciates the chance we are giving him. We need some new blood. No disrespect, but a lot of the blokes are getting on a bit, and the younger ones ain’t exactly fucking contenders for
Mastermind
, if you get my drift. We could do with a few team leaders. He is good with people as well, very respectful.’

Jack laughed loudly. ‘Fuck me, when’s the wedding? All right, you’ve convinced me. And, joking aside, you have a point. Time fucking rushes by, son – remember that. Old Sammy is sixty-five this year and still at it. Sounds like a fucking sewing machine when he has to run away. But he’s still game. I wouldn’t fancy my chances with him in a straightener, old as he is.’

Lenny knew Jack spoke the truth. But this was a young man’s game, and the older blokes still thought it was the 1960s. They had no finesse whatsoever. He was wise enough to keep that little gem to himself though – Jack wasn’t exactly a spring chicken either and Lenny knew his place.

‘There was eighty-five grand taken from Jason Prior’s residence. You did good, son. I will make sure you and Reggie get a decent bonus. It will be all over the Smoke now, and that can only be good for business. People will be on the blower, selling off difficult debts, which is just what we want. That’s where the big earn is. I think you and that lad can sort them.’

Lenny nodded his agreement. It was exactly what he had been hoping for.

The pub was packed with men celebrating Lenny Scott’s birthday. The atmosphere was all friendly camaraderie and jokes. Big Lenny looked around and felt pride in this lad of his. He had really made his mark on the world. He watched as the men were respectful to his boy, and saw how respectful Lenny was in return. He always gave people their due. He had a great nature – though, as everyone knew, he wasn’t a man to cross. Now he had taken out Jason Prior and that just added to his mystique.

He was a son to be proud of, in every way – he was a good provider, a wonderful father and he was also a fucking nice man. Big Lenny Scott was thrilled with his boy, and he didn’t care who knew it either.

The drink was flowing and the men were starting to get raucous now. Lenny was still known to not really be a drinker except for a few beers and so he was not offered serious alcohol – everyone remembered the Keith incident too well. But he was happy for everyone else to indulge and he liked a laugh and a joke.

One lag, Freddie Forester, was regaling them with stories of his sexual exploits when he had been a youngster. Freddie had been, by his own admission, a seriously good-looking fucker, and there were still traces left in his old face. He had a magnificent head of hair and, though he was heavy these days, he looked fit for his age.

‘This bird had tits like fucking rugby balls. The face on it wasn’t anything to write home about, but the body . . .’ Freddie rolled his eyes and everyone laughed at him. ‘So, there I am, going at it like fucking no one’s business, and her fucking dad walks into the room. Straight up! I nearly fucking passed out. And she goes – all bored, like – “Your tea’s in the oven.” I nearly missed me fucking stroke! I finished up and was straight out of there, I can tell you!’

The men were roaring with laughter and Lenny joined in although he caught Reggie’s eye and smiled, shaking his head at the way Freddie carried on. Reggie Dornan was laughing hard with everyone else but Lenny could see that, like him, he found the story irritating really. These kinds of tales were outdated now. Nevertheless, Freddie could make a cat laugh and that was his secret: he was a genuinely funny man.

Lenny walked outside to get some air. It was like a sauna in the bar, and he felt the need for a bit of quiet. He had drunk more beer than he usually did and he felt light-headed. Reggie followed him, and they stood round the side of the pub, smoking together.

‘I just wanted to say thanks, Lenny. For giving me the chance, like. I needed a fucking job, you know? I was boracic.’

Lenny shrugged. ‘Plenty more where that came from, mate. You did good. Jason Prior wasn’t an easy first. But it did the job in more ways than one, see? Jack is inundated with difficult debts now. That will be me and you sorting the harder ones. You are up for this, I take it?’

Reggie looked into Lenny’s eyes and smiled slowly. ‘What do you fucking think?’

Lenny grinned.

‘My mum’s over the moon, so I had to put the hard word on her. I don’t think I will ever make her exactly respectable, but I told her to sort herself and the fucking kids out. She had them – she has no choice but to take care of them. I was fuming that Gerry – my sister Geraldine – was nearly put on the bash by that cunt Prior. I really gave Mum hell to pay over that. But she is what she is.’ He shook his head.

Lenny knew Reggie was ashamed of his family and he was trying to let Lenny know that he was aware of their status. He was doing everything he could to try and bring some kind of normality into his brothers’ and sisters’ lives. Lenny would have done the same thing. He grabbed the man’s shoulder and squeezed it, saying, ‘You are a good bloke, and now you’re in with us lot you should find it easier to get things done. As for your mother, she is a lost cause, I think. You will have to concentrate on the kids – that’s all you can do.’

Reggie put his hand over Lenny’s and squeezed it gently. ‘I do appreciate this, mate.’

It was said low, and Lenny pulled away quickly. He felt embarrassed suddenly and, laughing, he said loudly, ‘Bit pissed, I think, don’t you?’

Reggie smiled and nodded, and went back inside the pub. Lenny stood there and lit another cigarette. His hands were shaking. He had never felt such a powerful pull towards anyone before in his life. He shook his head, as if trying to clear it. That could not have just happened. But he knew that something
had
happened and he didn’t know what to do about it. He wasn’t a fucking shirt-lifter. It was the drink – he was never good with alcohol. It was just a misunderstanding. All the same, his mind was asking him why was he sorry that Reggie Dornan had gone back inside the pub? Why did he still want to feel his touch on his skin? What the fuck was wrong with him? He had a wife and a child, that should tell him everything he needed to know.

He went back inside, so shaken he decided to order a large brandy. He noticed that Reggie was nowhere to be seen. Swallowing the burning liquid down quickly, he stood and cheered with the other men as the strippers started their routines. He loved his wife and he was just drunk. That was all it could be.

He kept his eye out for Reggie all the same, but he had clearly gone home. Lenny was disappointed, and that bothered him more than anything.

‘Let me do that, darling. You will have the baby up with this racket!’

Sharon was happy enough to cook her husband a bacon sandwich when he got in. After all, she was his wife, and it meant less clearing up as well! He was one messy fucker, and the place would look like a pikey camp if she didn’t take over.

Lenny sat at the kitchen table and watched as Sharon made his sandwiches and a pot of tea. He loved her; he loved her with all his being. So what had happened to him to make him feel like he had earlier in the evening?

‘Did you have a good night, Len?’

He nodded. ‘Rather have been at home with you, darling.’

She smiled happily at his words.

‘How was the little man?’

Sharon sat at the table. Now she had cleared the kitchen, she could relax. ‘He was as good as gold, Len. We are lucky with him, you know. Some of the horror stories I hear about babies not sleeping!’

He listened to her prattle on, but all the time he was thinking about Reggie Dornan. About his face, his eyes, his physique. Even his hands, feeling the thrill once more as their skin had touched briefly. What he couldn’t understand was why he had not beaten the man to within an inch of his life. Surely that is what he should have done?

Sharon Scott looked at her big, handsome husband and, leaning over, she kissed him softly on his lips. Then, suddenly, without any preamble, Lenny was picking her up bodily and the next thing she knew they were naked and he had her on the kitchen table. The excitement was overwhelming and she enjoyed his attentions, glad that he still had this need of her as powerfully as she did him. She had heard that after a kid men often lost interest in their wives, but this was not the case with her Lenny. She closed her eyes and let the good times roll.

Reggie Dornan was lying in his bed awake and he was a worried man. He should not have drunk so much tonight – then he would not have made a pass at Lenny Scott. But he sensed that Lenny – whatever he might be telling himself – was as up for it as he was. They had had a rapport from the minute they had clapped eyes on one another.

Reggie felt sick with apprehension; he knew that many men denied their real instincts. Christ Himself knew,
he
had tried to push his feelings aside for years. It had taken a stint inside for him to admit what he really was and, in that way, it was the best thing that could ever have happened to him. But that didn’t mean Lenny was likely to embrace the truth of his real nature.