Francesca, page 22
I actually felt sick to the stomach lying to his grandmother—and in church as well. We wouldn’t be together on our wedding anniversary; our year would be up. I noticed Tony blush slightly and look down at the slate floor.
Tony left me chatting away to his grandmother, who insisted I call her Miriam or Nonna, which is the Italian word for grandmother. She was a lovely, warm, and friendly woman, who obviously adored Tony. She caught my stare as I looked at the numerous photo frames on the mantelpiece. There was a photo of a pretty blonde woman holding a baby in her arms standing near a man.
‘Antonias’s mother and my son,’ was all she said and looked at the photo herself.
I know I shouldn’t have, but now the subject was brought up, I couldn’t help myself. ‘Where are Tony’s parents? Do they live here as well?’
She paused and then answered, ‘Both in heaven, my dear. Has Antonias never told you?’ She seemed surprised. ‘My son died first. And then Annette took Antonias away. I never heard from her again.’ She stopped herself to think for a moment. ‘I searched for my grandson for years and eventually found him in England. Thankfully, he had been fostered by Elle, who had also fostered Jake.’ A tear fell on her cheek, and she wiped it away.
I secretly hoped she hadn’t noticed the stunned look on my face and my jaw dropping. Elle was Tony’s foster mother? Now that made a lot of sense. I remembered she had been on the official childminding register.
My brain was spinning. Tony had been fostered? Miriam never mentioned Tony’s mother again, and I had the feeling it was a taboo subject. Elle was Tony and Jake’s foster mother, which in effect made them brothers?
She told me that Jake’s parents had been killed in a car crash when he was a small boy. He had already been living with Elle when Tony had moved in.
This was earth-shattering news, a totally different side to the man I had come to know. Tony presented himself so confidently in his clubs. Yet his history was a different story. No wonder he trusted Elle and she was so familiar with him. She was his mother figure. Today was turning out to be an insight into the man behind the mask.
When Tony came back into the room and interrupted us, Miriam fell silent. ‘Antonias,’ she said after a moment, ‘why don’t you take one of the mopeds and show Francesca around the vineyard? Take a picnic while I have a nap.’
I told her we should be leaving and if she was tired, then we should go. But she seemed a little perturbed by this and apologised for being an old woman who got tired quickly.
‘This is your home, Francesca. Why leave because I am going to have a nap? All of this will be yours one day, maybe even your children’s.’ She looked at us both and paused.
Tony assured her that we would stay a little longer, and he would show me around the vineyard while she took her nap.
When we were alone, I told him that I didn’t like pretending in front of her. It didn’t feel right.
He smiled and nodded. ‘I know. Believe me, Francesca, I know. I don’t like it either.’
We got a small moped out of one of the garages. It reminded me of all those Italian movies with Audrey Hepburn sitting on the back of one of these little motorcycles. Sitting behind him with my arms around his waist, I could feel his well-muscled body. He had changed from his shirt and trousers into a white vest and jeans. He looked more Italian than ever. I had to keep reminding myself he wasn’t mine, and this wasn’t real.
His waist that I was holding on to had, only a few days ago, been encircled by another woman’s arms. And those perfectly formed lips that smiled at me had smiled lovingly at another woman.
How many women had he brought here? The holiday ambience was taking over my emotions. This was all a fantasy.
Workmen and women in the fields shouted to Tony, and he would steer the bike towards them and speak to them, introducing me as his wife. I was starting to wish I hadn’t come. They all seemed so pleased to meet Antonias’s wife. As nice as this day was, it was full of deceit and lies, and I hated it.
Back at the house, he hugged his grandmother and Rosanna. He held my hand as they walked us to the door.
‘My Antonias, what a beautiful couple you make. Make sure you both come back soon,’ his grandmother said with a tear in her eye as she bid us farewell.
He kissed me on the cheek and then went towards his grandmother and gave her a kiss, saying something to her in his native tongue. It was then that I decided I liked Antonias. He was genuine, warm, and friendly. Tony wore an armour for all of the world to see—a man Antonias hid behind.
Driving back, he hardly spoke, and I dozed off. It had been a long day. When I woke, I realised I was lying on his chest, and he had his arm around me as he drove. I sat up and apologised, but he never answered.
Jake was waiting when we got back. The boys were in bed, having had a great day with the nanny at some funfair. There was no sign of Julie or Ralph, so I presumed they had done the same as we had and spent some well-earned time together. I was ready for bed, so I took my leave, had a shower, and left Jake and Tony to it.
‘You have been to see Grandma Miriam, haven’t you? And you took Fran with you. Why?’ said Jake while he poured them both a drink.
Tony ran his hands through his hair. He was tired and stressed. ‘Because, Jake, Ralph is right. We don’t know what the next few days hold, and I wanted to see her just one last time if worse comes to worst.’ He sat on the sofa and took a sip of his drink.
‘Why did you take Fran? I thought this was just a business arrangement. I would have gone with you, Tony. From the very beginning, I have thought that there is more between you and Fran than meets the eye. You like her a lot, Tony, don’t you? If, as you say, our time is running out, maybe now is the time to admit it.’
‘Yes, Jake, I do, and I thought my grandmother deserved to see my wife. Francesca is all uptight and businesslike. After our little talk, we have become friends, and I don’t want to spoil it. We have been getting on okay lately. But I do find, when she relaxes and forgets our arrangement, she makes me laugh. She stands up to me. And I enjoy her company. That’s enough for now. What about you and Sharon? Things okay?’
Now it was Jake’s turn to let out a huge sigh and throw his hands up in the air. ‘To be perfectly honest, I think someone else is already filling my shoes. End of story.’
I didn’t get told the full story. I was told by Julie that Ralph and the men had some unexpected business to attend to, so they were going away for a few days and would be back soon. I felt, if that were the case, then we might as well go home. But Julie insisted we stay on and enjoy the rest of our holiday, saying they would be back soon anyway.
17
Ireland
The men had left a couple of mornings after Naples before I had gotten up. I felt it was a shame Tony hadn’t felt the need to say goodbye after our trip to see his grandmother. But that was him all over. I meant nothing to him, and nothing was going to stand in the way of business. I had felt a close affinity with him ever since Naples, but that was obviously just me. Now he was being Tony Lambrianu again.
Julie, the boys, and I just carried on.
Driving to the airport, Ralph handed Tony and Jake a bag. ‘Put these clothes on. We need an alibi. We cannot leave Italy as ourselves. The world needs to believe we are still on holiday with our families, and everyone has seen us there. We don’t need any of the trouble we’re facing to come back and bite us on the arse, boys. Are you two still sure about coming with me?’
Tony and Jake looked at each other and nodded and then shook Ralph’s hand. Though they had faced some gangland times together in the past, this time, they did feel a little out of their depth. They had no idea what they were walking in to.
In the bag were a couple of old tracksuits and baseball caps. Ralph had informed them they would be flying economy class. He was covering their tracks. He had clearly thought this plan through.
Ralph paused and then spoke very seriously for a moment. ‘Oh, boys, if anything happens to me, remember to ring Julie. She will sort everything out. Remember now, lads, this could save your lives.’
They looked at each other, astonished. Ring Julie? What the hell was she going to do, stop her shopping trip and help them? They both felt this was a ridiculous idea but agreed anyway.
Looking like three guys off the street, wearing the cheapest clothes Ralph could find, they booked in at the airport. It was only then that Jake noticed the passports. Ralph had had false passports made. God only knows when he had arranged this. Their names were now Groucho, Harpo, and Chico Marks.
‘Bloody hell,’ said Jake, looking at them. ‘You called us after the famous comedy trio, the Marx brothers. Who the hell is going to believe that?’
‘Come on, Jake,’ said Ralph with a smile on his face. ‘People are strange these days, and they believe what is said in black and white. Don’t worry about that. It was Julie’s idea.’
Yet again Julie’s name popped into the conversation. She seemed to know more about this than they did. Between Ralph and Julie, they had arranged all of this—probably on the day Tony had gone to visit his grandma and they had disappeared for the day.
On checking in at the airport, Ralph did all of the talking and kept calling Jake and Tony his sons and saying they were on a men’s stag weekend. He had been right. The hostess at the check-in looked totally disinterested and let them through.
After Jake’s continuous complaints about flying economy, the flight was finally over. Ralph and Tony threw a look and a sigh of relief at each other.
Again, they floated through customs, probably because the airline crew was fed up with Jake’s complaints, especially when they had asked if he had enjoyed his flight!
Once they left the airport, Jake was again complaining. They had left the hot sunny climate of Italy and were now walking towards a bus stop, and it was raining.
Ralph had clearly had enough. He grabbed Jake by his neck and squeezed his throat. ‘Shut the fuck up, will you!’ said Ralph. ‘If we had a Rolls-Royce pick us up at the airport, that would definitely have blown our cover. Do you want a ten-year stretch? Be my guest. But you will be in a cell on your own.’ The adrenalin was making Ralph angry and edgy.
Tony intervened. He could see that Jake was nearly choking. ‘Come on, Ralph. Let’s not fight with each other. We have bigger things to deal with.’ He looked at Jake and made a motion with his hand to zip his lips together.
They were staying in some damp bed and breakfast. And when they walked into it and through their bags down, Ralph automatically looked at Jake, waiting for another complaint. None came.
‘The meeting is all set for tomorrow,’ Ralph informed them. ‘It’s a block of offices that I had before. I haven’t been there for a while, but I kept it, even rented it out for a while.’
The food at the bed and breakfast was simple but filling and warm. No one would ever suspect three of the richest men alive would be staying at a place like this. It was a good cover. And as far as the world was concerned, the three of them were still in Italy.
The next morning, Ralph woke them early. There was a lot to do, and he had to keep one step ahead of Paddy and the meeting. He had their suits in a bag. They were still wearing their very dishevelled tracksuits, and Ralph led them into a nearby public toilet.
‘That’s the offices over there.’ Ralph pointed to a large office block.
Tony had already noticed that a few Jaguars were parked outside. Whoever they were meeting seemed to have the same ideas as Ralph. Be prepared.
Jake was a strong man, but even as a young boy, he had always relied on Tony. Tony had always been the strong one, the leader. Now Jake saw that Tony was tense. The situation was definitely worse than he thought. They changed into their suits in the toilets, and then Ralph handed them each a gun—explaining that without guns they were going in there like lambs to the slaughter. He knew Paddy and his friends would all be tooled up.
When they first arrived at the offices, they were greeted by some henchmen, who were going to search them—until Ralph started to laugh and fool around with them, asking why they felt they need to do that. It was a friendly meeting between old friends, wasn’t it?
The men eyed up Tony and Jake suspiciously but led the way to meet Paddy.
Paddy was a thin tall man with a gaunt face that portrayed his drug abuse. His thinning hair was greased from front to back, and although he wore an expensive suit, he looked haggard and tatty.
Inside the office building, it looked like any other boardroom. A large table was surrounded by chairs, and there were complimentary drinks. Paddy greeted Ralph like an old friend, even giving him a hug. Tony and Jake were introduced, though Ralph didn’t mention their last names. Everyone shook hands in a friendly manner and had a drink. Then it was down to business.
The meeting started well. Ralph talked about the money Paddy was taking, and Paddy made excuses about having to pay more for people’s silence. Ralph knew this to be a lie, because he knew a lot of the police in Ireland. Most of them he had paid to turn a blind eye to his dealings.
Eventually, Ralph brought up the drug dealing in his name. Now sparks began to fly, and the arguments started. Tony watched Ralph and Paddy closely, weighing up the situation. Any moment now, things were going to turn nasty. He was ready to intervene when he had to.
Soon, Ralph and Paddy were shouting and screaming at each other. Ralph was telling him to stop the drug dealing; it was attracting too much attention.
The strong Irish accent from Paddy filled the room. ‘You’re through, Ralph. You lost your bottle. I live here. You’re just a memory from the good old days. This is my turf now. These’—he looked around at the other five men in the room— ‘are my men now. You’re a has-been, Ralph. Now, you can walk out of here, or you can be carried out. The choice is yours. And you can take your two monkeys with you.’ Paddy gave a look of disgust and a sneer in Tony and Jake’s direction.
Tony smiled at him. It was not his usual charming smile but one that showed his anger. ‘The only monkey I can see in here, my Irish friend, is you. And you’re the one shouting your mouth off.’
Yet another hurl of abuse came from Paddy’s mouth. ‘Shut up, pretty boy. Don’t think I don’t know who you are, because I do.’ Then he looked at Ralph again. ‘Drugs is where it’s at, Ralph. If we don’t cash in on it, someone else will. And I am taking all of the risks, so I get all of the money! Your protection racket is still in full force still. But now it has a few extras in the nightclub for sale. You’re finished, Ralph. Go home to that slut of a wife of yours.’
Ralph was angry, he had heard enough. Now, it was his time to speak. He took a drink and set the glass down. ‘Looking at you now, Paddy, I would say you’re taking just as much as your selling. You’re not the same person you used today, and you’re not prepared to see reason. These little ‘extras’ you are talking about are in my circle of protection that falls under my name. You talk of fucking risks?’ Ralph was red-faced, and he was angry. It seemed like, for a while, it was only the two of them in the room.
‘You turned respectable, Ralph, mixing with all your high-flying friends,’ Paddy spat back. ‘You turn my stomach. And now you’re afraid to take a few risks. You make me sick. Yes, I remember that slut sister of your wife’s. We’ve known each other a long time, Ralph, and I have a long memory. You want a war, you’ve got one.’
Tony saw Paddy pull out a gun. He aimed it at Ralph and was still shouting as he pressed the trigger. Tony jumped to his feet and pushed Ralph out of the way, but the bullet caught him in the arm.
Jake saw one of the other guys take out his gun and point it. He had already taken his own out earlier and had it in his hand under the table. He fired it at the man.
The man fell to the floor. Ralph was trying to get up, but blood was pouring from his arm. Tony reached in his trouser waistline and pulled out his gun, firing it at two of the other men in the room in quick succession.
Paddy shot at Ralph again, this time shooting him in the leg. He then held the gun to Tony’s head and told him to drop his gun.
It fell to the floor. Quickly, Jake fired his gun at the other men in the room and managed to get one of them. This was turning out to be a massacre.
There was just Paddy and one henchman left, two were dead and the other two were bleeding and unconscious. Ralph was howling on the floor. His suit had turned crimson with blood. Paddy kept his gun pointed at Tony.
‘Problem, Mr Fancy Pants. Do I scar that pretty face of yours with this first’—Paddy pulled out a knife— ‘or just fucking shoot you?’
Jake pointed his gun at Paddy. ‘Drop it now, you bastard,’ he shouted above the mayhem.
The remaining henchman was looking out of the window. He pulled Paddy’s arm. ‘Paddy, we have got to go. I can hear sirens. Someone must have heard the noise.’
jake was surprised Paddy didn’t shoot Tony But after listening to his bodyguard, he raised his gun and hit Tony hard across the head, knocking him unconscious.
The henchman pulled Paddy by the arm, almost dragging him away. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’
For good measure, Paddy turned and punched and kicked Tony while he was unconscious on the floor. He didn’t seem interested in Jake, although he looked at him and said, ‘You’re the one holding the gun, monkey, and there are a lot of dead bodies in here.’ With that, he turned and fled.
Jake couldn’t hear any sirens. He surveyed the room. Blood was everywhere. Bodies were lying on the floor. Ralph was unconscious and losing a lot of blood. Tony was only half conscious. The beating he had taken had half wakened him. Jake looked around the room. What the hell was he going to do? It was a bloodbath.
He kneeled down beside Ralph, hello looked like he was dying. Taking a tie off one of the dead men lying beside Ralph, he wrapped it around Ralph’s leg to try and stop the blood flow. Then he remembered what Ralph had said about ringing Julie if anything went wrong. He took out his mobile phone and dialled and was surprised when she answered immediately.
