The Family

around, or playing up, as Phillip so nicely put it, it seemed to make him more paranoid, more determined to prove himself. When she was away it was as if he knew he had a free rein and acted accordingly – he wiped people out on a whim. Christine seemed to keep him on an even keel, if not inside the household, at least outside it. Christine's opinion of her husband was very important to him, more important than it should be really. That boat had sailed when he had shown her his true self. Because that was the start of all their problems, especially Christine's – she had never been the same since.

Now it appeared that Phillip was determined to get the boys fully involved and, in some ways, that would be seen as natural to most people. But those boys hadn't been brought up on the estate like his generation of Murphys had. They didn't understand death, not really. The closest they had ever come to it was playing fucking Grand Theft Auto, and that wasn't the same thing at all – no matter what people thought. Killing people up close and personal took a lot of bottle, and Declan's big worry, if he was really honest, was that the boys would take to it, and that would be the finish of them.

He lit a cigarette, and coughed harshly; he really should start on the cigars like Phillip, they were better for you.

'Come on, Breda, let's go and get drunk.'

She laughed as she said sarcastically, 'As Phillip always says, when in doubt, do a Christine!'

It was the nearest they had ever got to running Phillip down, and it showed them both just how the times were changing.

Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen

Jonnie Piper was with two of his best men, Colin Banks and Jerome O'Grady. They had worked for him for years and, though not real players in his main games, they were both more than capable for what he needed from them this night. Plus they were dispensable – always a handy trait in this kind of scenario.

'You've got to get to the farm and we'll walk the land, which Phillip will insist on because even he wouldn't kill me in his kitchen – no matter how much he pays Lily Law, no Filth will swallow a blatant piss-take like that. When we get to his barn, the big barn, I'll take him out, and then you take out his boys. We can leave them where they lie – let that old fucker who works for him discover them. I know Declan won't be there, he's meeting with Jimmy Mac at the arcades. Even Phillip wouldn't want his boys to be in on a kill, so he must want information from me about the euros. Either way, you make sure you're there for me, right? If there is a welcome committee, then we sort that as and when.'

Both men nodded. They had already done their homework, and they knew exactly how they would enter the premises and leave it. It was all sorted, except for the actual kill, and that would take seconds. It was fifty large each, up front, and that was not a bad wage. Though both knew that considering it was Phillip Murphy it should be a lot higher, which was why they were secretly a bit miffed about it.

'I want them shot in the head and then the face. This is a fucking warning now to every cunt who thinks they can fucking have me over.' This was personal, and Jonnie was angry. He laughed suddenly. 'I bet his old woman will be over the moon. According to my wife, all ain't as fucking rosy as he would have people believe.'

Jerome O'Grady said seriously, 'I don't think she'll be too thrilled about her sons though, especially shot in the face.'

Jonnie waved his hand at the man in a gesture of irritation, he was a fucking moron to state the obvious so he ignored him. 'Murphy needs removing, and so does his fucking progeny. Fuck them, fuck them to hell and back. But I will have the fucking last laugh.'

'What about Declan and the sister? Won't they be looking for revenge?'

Colin always thought things through and, nodding in his direction, Piper said nonchalantly, 'First, I have a feeling they might not be as fucking angry as they make out. Anyway, once Phillip's gone, so has their strength. Phillip is the one people respect, without him they are fuck-all.'

'What about his mates, have you thought about them?'

Colin was getting on his nerves now, and with thinly disguised annoyance Jonnie said quietly, 'People like Phillip Murphy don't have real mates. What is this, Colin, fucking twenty questions?'

Colin wasn't fazed at the man's words. 'I like to get things straight in my mind, that's all. Look at every eventuality, that way you don't fuck up.'

Jonnie calmed down at that; the man was only covering all the bases, which is exactly what he was paying him to do. 'Yeah, well there's that to it, I suppose, but I am going to enjoy telling people that I think Bantry took him out. See how Declan and that coon-shagging sister of his react to that little gem of information, shall we?'

As Colin's mother was white and his father a Jamaican, he wasn't thrilled at Jonnie's offensive words, but he didn't say anything, not yet anyway. There was plenty of time to react when the dirty deed was over.

O'Grady was watching the clock; they had a lot of preparation to do before the night's work, and he said as much. 'Look, Jonnie, we need to go and get ourselves in position, but don't worry, we've got your back, no matter who he might have with him, OK?'

It was exactly what Jonnie needed to hear. He wanted all this over with so he could get back to Liverpool. Fucking southerners! All they had going for them was a milder climate – other than that the place was a shithole, full of blockheads and fucking thieves. But he felt better now it was all in place, he was even toying with just taking Murphy's knees out at first and letting him watch his boys die. Like Phillip, Jonnie Piper could be really nasty when the fancy took him, especially when he felt he was being had over. And as he was being had over, royally, it was going to stop tonight.

Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen

'Are you frightened, Philly?'

Philly thought about what his brother had asked, before answering him truthfully and with passion. 'I'm shitting it. Aren't you?'

Timmy nodded, but the truth was, he wasn't scared at all – he was excited, exhilarated even. But not in the least bit scared. He remembered as a kid he had dreamed of being like his father, of being without fear, and it had suddenly come to him that on the day he had taken out Joey White he had discovered his true self. He wasn't even twenty yet, and he was already on the cusp of serious crime, and serious crime meant serious respect. He felt like he was living in a Martin Scorsese film. It was every young boy's dream. He knew inside himself that he was born for this. Even more so than Philly. It was his destiny, and as cheesy as he knew that sounded, he honestly believed it. Timmy was champing at the bit to get this over with. He wanted to be blooded, he wanted to know what it was like to have the power of life and death. He wanted, if he was really honest, to be his father.

Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen

Phillip was visiting his wife and, as he looked at her strained face, he felt the usual rush of what he thought of as love.

There was, even now, something about Christine. From the moment he had laid eyes on her, he had wanted her, and he would never not want her. Of that much he was sure. He could cheerfully take her out at times, fucking strangle her, but he knew he wouldn't, because she represented everything he had ever cared about. Even like this, in rehab, her life in tatters around her, he still felt that pull. She was like something you know you can never have, but you long for it anyway. Even when he had got her, he had never really believed it. He could remember when she had felt the same, when she had run to him as soon as he walked