Jail Bird

really frightened about all this. Having dreams, too. Nightmares.

Which only confirmed Winston’s opinion that it was all bullshit, and troublesome bullshit at that, if it could upset their normally happy home the way it was doing right now. He’d been tolerant of her tarot crap, but now he was thinking it was like all this ouija board stuff like that film he’d seen, scary shit, The Exorcist, that was the one – and he was thinking that if he could persuade Suki to hang up her crystals and burn those cards, then he would. And why should he care about the King woman’s problems?

‘Hey, that’s her worry,’ Winston had told Suki. ‘Not ours.’

‘Yeah,’ said Suki, but she looked unconvinced. She had seen something in the cards that had rattled her.

He really hated to see her or Bev upset. They had such a good life here, the three of them. He loved both his women with a passion, and would protect them with his own life if necessary.

‘You want to talk about this?’ asked Winston, keen to play the supporting role, although it was a pain in the arse.

Suki only shook her head, which surprised him. He was used to Suki running off at the mouth like there was no tomorrow, telling him all about swords and cups and auras and shit.

She’d get over it. Winston cast an eye around the little kitchenette, checked he’d turned off the gas, then put the tea towel on its hook, silenced Bob with regret, switched off the lights, and took himself off to bed.

Hey, nice surprise. Bev tonight, who welcomed him with open arms as he snuggled down naked with her beneath the crisp white sheets. The sex was good, like always. Bev was uninhibited after a toke or two, would do anything, venture anywhere, to give pleasure. So it was cool. And finally they slept, wrapped in each other’s arms. They never heard the dull thud of the lit rag as it dropped onto the doormat downstairs.

55

Nick thought that if Freddy was mad enough to get Tiger Wu under contract to do Lily this soon, then a drive-by wasn’t beyond the bounds of possibility either. One of his and Si’s gofers was favourite. He suspected Jase Conway, because there had been talk on the street that Jase had fallen from grace, lost the door on the club, and was keen to ingratiate himself with the brothers. And how better than to do what they had long promised – to off Lily?

He had no proof, but his gut was telling him that Lily outside was in far greater danger than Lily inside. He drove over to see her, stopping at the electronic gates to use the intercom. He was aware of the camera above, tracking him. That was good. He was pleased about The Fort’s good security, because by Christ she certainly needed it.

She was waiting for him at the open kitchen door as he drove up, looking fine. She was wearing figure- hugging jeans and a turquoise t-shirt, her blonde hair falling around her shoulders. She looked ridiculously young, and her eyes smouldered at him as he got out of the car and walked over.

‘Hi,’ he said huskily, and leaned in and took her in his arms and kissed her.

‘Hi,’ breathed Lily against his mouth, relishing the hard male feel of him, the heat, the strength. She’d missed that. She’d missed him. This was the man she should have married. The man she should have been with all these long, cold years. Not Leo.

She caught herself thinking these things and then thought, Oh Jesus I can’t go here again…can If

But maybe it was too late for second thoughts. Because she’d slept with him, and it had been wonderful. And she wanted to sleep with him again. She was sad to think that they’d lost all those years…but what good were regrets? You could only start from now. The past was dead. The future was uncertain. Only now mattered.

She clung to him, and just for a moment she forgot about Julia, forgot all her suspicions, that he could be the one who had let her rot inside…but only for a moment.

‘Something wrong?’ he asked.

Everything. She was glad she’d called him. But now he was here…now she wasn’t sure. She looked at his face, such a strong face: the dark hair, the deep and dark eyes staring into hers.

Lily shook her head and looked away. She led him into the kitchen. Oli was there, chatting on her mobile. She gave him a wave and a mouthed hi, but she looked wan, pale, not her usual bubbly self.

Lily knew why.

Oli had finally taken the pregnancy test this morning. Together they had stood, clutching each other, and watched the single blue line appear. Oli was going to have Jase’s baby. It was definite now.

Oli left the room, still talking on the phone.

‘I wanted to have a word with you,’ said Nick.

‘Okay,’ said Lily, trying to compose herself, trying not to behave like an overexcited teenager around this man. ‘I’m listening.’

‘About Jase Conway,’ he said.

Lily sat down and gestured for Nick to sit, too. He seemed to take up a lot of room in the kitchen. His sheer presence was overwhelming. ‘What about him?’

‘I heard a rumour that Oli’s been seeing him. Is that still the case?’

Lily shook her head. ‘No. It ain’t. She’s dumped him.’

‘Tell her to make sure he stays dumped.’

‘Why?’

Nick looked around him. ‘He’s been right here? Inside the house?’

‘Yeah. Sure he has. Seeing Oli.’

‘Don’t let him in again. Under any circumstances.’

He was frightening her. Lily stared at him anxiously. ‘Why?’ She wanted to tell him about Oli’s pregnancy, she wanted to confide in him, but she knew she couldn’t. She was still unsure about him. And she couldn’t subject Oli’s private life to public scrutiny.

‘Freddy set Tiger Wu on you. If he’d do that, he wouldn’t draw the line at a drive-by.’

Lily’s mouth dropped open. ‘What, you think Jase could have been in that car?’

Nick shrugged. ‘Can’t prove it. Yet.’

‘But you think it was him.’

‘Yeah. I do. He’s looking to regain favour with Si and Freddy. How better than to get to you? I’m telling you, Lily, you don’t ever let him in here again. Not ever, you got me?’

This was all getting messy. Too messy. She thought again of what Jack had said. Fuck off to a distant shore and sip pina coladas. It was looking more and more appealing. Saz still hated her. Leo had boffed a whole tribe of women, any one of which could have taken it into her screwy head to kill him. The Kings were trying their damnedest to see her in hell. And now this.

All right, she’d never liked Jase. She thought he was muscle-bound, thick-headed and handsome, nothing more. When he’d hit Oli, he’d screwed any chance of making Lily alter that opinion. But now…now she was supposed to believe that he was in that car, shooting at her, trying to kill her?

But I’m Oli’s mother.

Would Jase for a single moment baulk at causing Oli pain? The bastard had hit her. Impregnated her too. What else had he done to her, Lily wondered? And the thought of how Oli’s life could have panned out made Lily’s blood turn to ice. Married to an aggressive oik like that. Tied to him. Used and abused as a punchbag when his temper boiled over – as inevitably it would.

‘He’s never coming in here again,’ she said to Nick.

Nick let out a breath. ‘Good.’

Oli came back into the kitchen. She was off the phone at last.

‘Hi, Nick,’ she said with a smile.

‘Hiya, Oli,’ returned Nick.

‘I’m gonna have to love you and leave you,’ said Oli, giving Lily a peck on the cheek. She glanced at her