The Annie Carter Series Books 1–4

‘Thought you ought to know, Boss. Annie Bailey’s just come in with Kieron Delaney.’

Max sat up straight. He had thought of her and now here she was. With Kieron fucking Delaney.

‘Keep an eye on them,’ said Max. ‘I’ll come down.’

And do what? he wondered as the door closed and he was alone again. Why go down at all? Let them have a drink and a dance, then leave. Why torture himself?

No good getting older if you didn’t get smarter with it. She was with Delaney, why not leave it at that now? She’d made her choice, he thought bitterly. And it wasn’t him. He took another sip of whisky and went back to looking at the books.

It was over an hour later when Jimmy Bond knocked and entered.

‘That Delaney ponce is causing trouble,’ he said.

Max sat back and looked at him. ‘Is Jonjo in?’

‘Yeah, with a girl. Kieron Delaney’s been cutting in, and Jonjo’s about to blow.’ Jimmy cleared his throat. ‘Annie Bailey’s down there with Delaney.’

‘I know.’ He didn’t want Jonjo going off on one in the middle of the club when it was packed with good regular punters.

‘Ask Mr Delaney to step into the office, will you, Jimmy? Bring Annie up too.’

‘There’s more,’ said Jimmy.

‘Go on.’

‘Redmond and Orla Delaney have just arrived. They’re asking to see you.’

‘Looks like we’ve got us a party,’ said Max.

‘You carrying, Max?’

‘Is it looking as bad as that?’

‘I’m not sure. I’m getting a bad feeling.’

Max nodded. Jimmy’s ‘feelings’ were not to be ignored. His parents were settled Cockneys but his grandparents had been travellers. Jimmy had gipsy roots. Max didn’t ever discount Jimmy’s ‘bad feelings’. On the night of the robbery, Jimmy had been keeping watch and had ‘felt’ that someone was about. He’d gone to what he believed to be the main door, the one all the staff entered through. The manager had come through the back, surprising them all. But Jimmy’s instinct had been proved sound.

‘I’m okay,’ he said. ‘You?’

‘Packing, yeah. I’ll bring a couple of the boys up too.’

‘No. Just you.’

With Jimmy gone, Max opened his top left-hand desk drawer and looked at the gun and the box of bullets. He took both out, and loaded the weapon in readiness.

Max’s office was small so it was a bit of a crush with five of them in it. Kieron was flushed and irritable. Max wondered how much booze he’d knocked back tonight. Annie looked tired, almost frail, not like herself. Orla and Redmond, in dark coats that set off their red hair, looked like cool alabaster bookends. Unflappable, possibly dangerous. Jimmy had bundled Kieron up the stairs and Kieron hadn’t liked it at all.

‘Take your fucking hands off me,’ he snapped.

Max nodded. Jimmy released him.

‘Wait outside, will you? Jimmy?’

Jimmy gave Max an ‘are-you-kidding?’ look, but he reluctantly concurred.

‘Annie, Miss Delaney, take a seat,’ said Max when the door closed behind Jimmy. Donald Peers was still singing away downstairs, waves of applause following each song.

‘You mobsters are so polite,’ sneered Kieron.

‘Thanks,’ said Annie to Max. ‘But I’m not stopping.’

‘Can I order you a taxi?’ He didn’t want her to stop here, either. If anything kicked off now, Annie would be in the way and he didn’t like that. He wished she’d keep her arty fucking boyfriend on a tighter leash, though.

‘No, you fucking can’t,’ said Kieron. ‘She came with me and she’s going home with me. I’ve had enough of you pushing in, Carter.’

Redmond gave Kieron a cold look.

‘And you too,’ said Kieron hotly. ‘Come on Red, don’t be looking at me like that. I know what I’m doing. There’s no need to be coming along after me like I’m some sort of moron.’

‘Isn’t there?’ said Redmond. ‘Then why are you behaving like one?’

‘I’m sorry about this,’ said Orla to Annie. ‘We thought that when you left Kieron was rather upset. So we thought we’d better come after you, make sure you were all right.’ She looked pointedly at Kieron. ‘I don’t know what’s got into him lately.’

Annie slumped into a chair. She felt exhausted and she didn’t want to be here. She was very aware of Max sitting across the desk from her, watching all this interaction and wondering what was going on. She wanted to be in her bed, asleep. This was a fucking nightmare.

‘It was kind of you to come,’ said Annie to Orla.

‘Not kind at all. We have a lot of respect for you. We admire you as a businesswoman, and we have a great deal to thank you for.’

‘You have nothing to thank me for,’ said Annie wearily.

‘But we have.’ Orla’s face was blank but her voice was sincere. ‘For instance, we have you to thank for solving a major problem for us.’

Annie frowned. ‘What major problem?’

Orla smiled gently. ‘Why Pat, of course. He was getting to be a terrible problem, and you got rid of him for us. You and Mr Carter here. Isn’t that the case?’

There was silence in the room. Annie was aware that Max was tensing as Orla spoke. He was ready to move. But Orla was still coolly sitting there beside her, as if this were a bloody afternoon tea party and not an unexpected meeting that was turning out to be very scary indeed.

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she said finally.

‘Yes you do,’ said Orla. ‘We know most of what happened to Pat. Nearly all of it, really.’

They’re guessing, thought Annie. They’re hoping I’ll admit something and then their bait will have worked. I’m not falling for it.

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she repeated.

Redmond tutted under his breath and looked at his sister.