Brutal, page 12
‘Aw, jeez, look at the muggy twat’s face,’ Nick jeered. ‘She must have done a proper job on him.’
Karel grasped Irena’s chin in his hand and turned her face toward him.
‘How far did you go?’ he asked, his voice deceptively soft.
‘I already tell you I did not do anything with him,’ she replied, coolly returning his gaze. ‘He want to, but I tell him I am good Catholic girl and must wait till I am marry.’
‘You’d better not be lying,’ he said, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her toward him.
Shocked when the man gave her a decidedly unbrotherly kiss, Frank gaped at them in disbelief.
‘Ahhh, look at the lovebirds making up for lost time,’ Nick crooned. ‘Makes you feel all mushy, don’t it, Frankie boy?’
Desperate to get these people out of his house, Frank remembered the money he’d withdrawn from the bank during one of his shopping trips a few weeks earlier. He’d intended to give it to Irena to pay her way to London and afford her a couple of nights in a hotel while she looked for work, but then they had decided to give their relationship a go, so she hadn’t needed it.
‘If it’s money you’re after, there’s five hundred in an envelope in my bedroom,’ he said. ‘Just take it and go.’
Karel released Irena and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.
‘You think you can pay us off with five hundred poxy quid?’
‘That’s all I’ve got. There’s some jewellery you might be able to get a few quid for, but please don’t take my wife’s wedding ring.’
‘You can shove your jewellery up yer arse,’ Nick said, coming up behind the chair and yanking Frank’s head back. ‘We know how much you’ve got in the bank, matey.’
Unable to move his head because the man had a tight grip on his hair, Frank looked at Irena out of the corner of his eye.
‘You leave detail on computer, so was easy to see,’ she said.
A bitter taste flooded Frank’s mouth as he realized Jo and Evan had been right about her. They’d tried to warn him, but she’d flattered his ego, and – stupid old fool that he was – he’d lost his mind.
‘Come on, now, Granddad, don’t be stressing out and having another heart attack,’ Nick purred down his ear, letting Frank know that they knew about his health problems as well as his account balance. ‘We need you alive and kicking for what we’ve got in mind, so you just sit there and chill while we have some scran, then we’ll bring you up to speed. And if you promise to be good, Reeny’ll make you a nice brew to calm you down – yeah?’
Frank nodded and then held his breath as the three left the room. Chair legs scraped loudly on the kitchen floor tiles, and he could hear Irena taking plates out of the cupboard and cutlery from the drawer. They were going to sit and eat the food she’d been cooking when he’d left that morning – the food Frank had bought at her insistence, because – she’d claimed – she wanted to make this Christmas the most perfect one ever. It had all been a lie, because she’d known all along that these men would be here.
But she’d also lied to them, he realized, when she’d told Karel – if that was even his name – that nothing had happened between her and Frank. So maybe she wasn’t that willing a participant, after all, and was only going along with this because she was terrified they would hurt her if she didn’t?
His mobile phone suddenly started ringing, and he looked around, desperately trying to locate where it had landed. Just as he’d spotted it sticking out from under Maureen’s chair and was about to go for it, Karel walked in holding Frank’s shotgun.
‘Don’t even think about it,’ he said, aiming the gun at Frank’s head as he walked over to retrieve the phone. Picking it up, he glanced at the name on the screen and grinned. ‘It’s your son. Maybe he wants to make friends for Christmas, eh?’
‘He’ll get worried and come round if I don’t answer,’ Frank croaked.
‘You’d best hope he doesn’t, ’cos he won’t be leaving again if he does,’ said Karel. ‘Now, answer it, and tell him to stay away. And don’t say anything to make him suspicious, or I’ll kill you and then go after him.’
‘What am I supposed to say?’ Frank asked when Karel tossed the phone onto his lap. ‘He’s not stupid; he’ll be able to tell something’s wrong.’
‘Don’t fuck with me,’ Karel barked, smashing the gun into the side of Frank’s head. ‘I told you what to do, so do it. And put it on loud-speaker so I can hear.’
The blow had cut Frank’s temple, and blood trickled down the side of his cheek and dripped onto his sweater. Irena walked in carrying a cup of tea, and he was gratified to see a flash of alarm in her eyes. She might not love him, as she’d professed, but she couldn’t have spent all this time alone with him and not feel anything, so if he could get through this call and make Karel believe he was co-operating, maybe he’d be able to talk to her on her own at some point; convince her to persuade the men to take whatever they wanted and leave.
‘About time,’ Evan said when, at last, Frank answered. ‘I was about to give up.’
Acutely aware of the danger he’d be placing his son in if he screwed this up, Frank forced a cold edge into his voice, and said, ‘Well, maybe you should have, because I’ve got nothing to say to you.’
‘Come on, Pops.’ Evan sighed. ‘It’s Christmas, and this has gone on for long enough. We both said and did things we didn’t mean, so let’s forgive and forget and start over, eh?’
‘I’ve done nothing I need forgiving for,’ Frank said, squeezing his eyes shut as he added, ‘And attempted rape isn’t so easy to forget, so I don’t know what made you think I’d be willing to brush it under the carpet. I gave you ample time to apologize to Irena, and I tried to build bridges with you, but you didn’t want to know, so that’s that.’
‘Seriously?’ Evan sounded both hurt and angry. ‘You still believe her about that?’
‘Yes, I do,’ said Frank. ‘And I’m guessing you don’t want Marie to find out about it, so I suggest you get on with your own life and leave me and Irena to get on with ours.’
‘Is that a threat?’
‘Take it however you like. But I love Irena, and I won’t have you ruin this for me, so stay away.’
‘Are you out of your fucking mind?’ Evan yelled. ‘You’ve only known her a few weeks, and look what she’s done to us already with her lies. Mum would be rolling in her grave if she coul—’
Frank abruptly disconnected the call and breathed in deeply to calm his racing heart when Karel snatched the phone out of his hand. He’d dealt Evan a low blow by threatening to tell Marie about the accusation Irena had made against him, and he could only hope that his son would forgive him if he ever got the chance to explain. But it was the only thing he’d been able to think of to stop him from coming round.
Karel was staring at Irena when Frank looked up.
‘What’s this about rape?’
‘Is nothing.’ She returned his gaze as boldly as when she’d lied about her and Frank earlier. ‘He came to stay, and he would have interfere with plan, so I accuse him of try to rape me to make Frank send him away.’
Karel put his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her face close to his.
‘If you’re lying . . .’
He left the rest unsaid, but Frank could tell by the frozen look on Irena’s face that she knew exactly what he meant.
Seeming to decide that he believed her, Karel released his grip and turned to the door, saying, ‘Give him his drink, then come and serve dinner.’
When the man had left the room, Irena placed the teacup on the table beside Frank. He grasped her by the wrist before she could turn away, and whispered, ‘I know you’re not as involved in this as they’re making out, and if you help me get out of here, I promise I’ll help you to escape as well. Close the kitchen door when you go back in there, and I’ll be able to sneak out without them seeing me.’
For a moment, the Irena he’d thought he knew peered back at him. But then, shaking her head, she yanked her arm free and walked out without saying a word.
18
Marie’s family had made short work of the huge Christmas dinner she’d cooked, and were now cracking each other up over a drunken game of charades. After all the worrying she’d done that week, stressing out about every little detail, wanting everything to be perfect, she was made up that it was going so well and the house was filled with laughter.
Evan wasn’t so happy, though, and she could tell his heart wasn’t really in it, even though he’d been making an effort to join in. He’d had no contact with his dad since coming home, and she knew it was getting him down, especially today, but he was too stubborn to make the first move. So, after dinner, she had forced his hand by ringing Frank and passing the phone to him.
He had gone into the kitchen to talk in private, and she’d hovered in the hallway, praying that it would go well and he’d cheer up. It didn’t sound like it had, though, and when he went quiet, she went in and found him sitting at the table with a glum look on his face.
‘How did it go?’ she asked, as if she hadn’t been listening.
‘He wouldn’t talk to me.’ Evan sighed. ‘Told you it was a waste of time.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Marie squeezed his shoulder. ‘I only rang him because I know you’re missing him, and I thought he’d be missing you.’
‘Clearly not.’
‘Don’t let it get you down, love. It’ll get sorted eventually.’
‘I hope so,’ Evan said miserably. ‘Hearing his voice made me think of all the good times, and I don’t want to lose him over a stupid misunderstanding.’
‘Want to talk about it?’ Marie asked, hoping that he wouldn’t clam up like he usually did when she tried to broach the subject.
‘Nah.’ Evan shook his head. ‘I’ll go over tomorrow and talk to him face to face. But let’s not go on about it today. You’ve put a lot of hard work into this, and I don’t want to ruin it for you.’
He smiled, but Marie could tell it was forced, and she said, ‘Why don’t you go over there now, love? He’s probably sitting on his own feeling as miserable as you, so go talk to him.’
‘No, tomorrow will do,’ Evan insisted, getting up and taking a can of beer out of the fridge.
Outside, the dog had heard Marie’s voice and started whining and scratching the door.
‘Pack it in!’ Marie yelled.
‘Let him in,’ Evan said, tearing the tab off the can.
‘You sure?’ Marie gave him a dubious look. ‘He’ll only start begging for leftovers and sniffing crotches.’
‘Good,’ Evan said, leaning down to add, in a whisper: ‘It might make your lot push off faster.’
‘Don’t be so mean,’ she scolded.
‘Only kidding,’ he grinned. Then, taking a swig of beer, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and said, ‘Right, come on, you. It’s Christmas, so let’s give that family of yours a party to remember.’
Happy that he’d decided not to let the situation with his dad cast a cloud over the day, Marie let the dog in and followed Evan into the living room.
PART TWO
19
‘So, here’s the plan . . .’ Karel said.
He, Nick, and Irena had eaten, and they were now in the living room with Frank: the men lounging on the sofa with glasses of Frank’s whisky in their hands; Irena perched on the arm beside Karel, a large glass of wine in hers.
‘You’re going to marry Irena.’
Conscious of Maureen smiling down at him from the photo on the mantelpiece, every fibre of Frank’s being revolted, and he couldn’t prevent himself from blurting out a horrified, ‘No!’
‘You what?’ Karel narrowed his eyes.
‘I can’t,’ Frank spluttered, thinking on the spot. ‘She’s in the country illegally; we’d never get away with it.’
‘Is she fuck illegal,’ Nick snorted, picking a piece of turkey out of his teeth with his fingernail and examining it before eating it again.
‘I don’t understand.’ Frank switched his gaze onto Irena. ‘You said he’d taken your passport.’
‘She says a lot of things, but it doesn’t mean any of it’s true,’ Karel said, placing a proprietorial hand on her knee. ‘Now as I was saying . . . you’ll marry her, and then you’ll make a will leaving everything to her.’
‘My kids would never accept that,’ Frank said, guessing that they planned to kill him as soon as they got their hands on his money. ‘My daughter used to work for a solicitor, so she’d definitely contest it. And there’s nothing here of any value, anyway.’
‘Your daughter is on the other side of the world, and by the time she hears about this it’ll be too late,’ Karel countered smoothly. ‘And there’s plenty of value here.’ He waved his hand, indicating that he was talking about the house.
‘And plenty of privacy, an’ all, now we’ve got rid of that nosy old bint from the cottage,’ Nick added.
‘She’s not dead,’ Frank muttered, sickened to think that these thugs had attacked that defenceless old woman in her own home.
‘Ah, well, you know what they say,’ Nick smirked. ‘If at first you don’t succeed . . .’
It was clear to Frank that these people had targeted him in order to take his house off him, but why choose this crumbling old wreck when there were so many better farmhouses in the area?
Because the others are still active farms, he answered his own question. And they’re all staffed by strapping young farmhands, with customers to supply, and firms to take regular deliveries from – all of which would make it hard, if not impossible, for anyone to launch a take-over and get away with it. Frank, on the other hand, was a sitting duck. His wife was dead, his daughter was in Australia, and he and his son were at loggerheads, so he had no one to fight for or with him. The lane finished in a dead-end, so there was little danger of passers-by witnessing anything strange and reporting it. And now these men had effectively got rid of Yvonne, there were no neighbours close enough to interfere with their plans.
‘There’s no way out, old man,’ Karel said, grinning slyly as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and brought a photograph up on the screen. ‘You’ll do as you’re told, or you won’t be the only one who suffers.’
He turned the phone round and leaned forward, and Frank’s blood ran cold when he saw a shot of Evan and Marie coming out of their house.
‘There’s more,’ Karel said, quickly scrolling through the photos to find the one he wanted.
This time the image was of Jo’s house, and Frank felt the blood rush to his head when he spotted his granddaughter at the living room window, which told him that the photograph had been taken before the family had left the country.
‘As you can see, we’ve been planning this for some time,’ Karel said, slotting the phone back into his pocket. ‘And don’t make the mistake of thinking your daughter’s safe because she’s in a different country, ’cos she’ll be home soon, and we’ll be at the airport to meet her and Miss Emily if you don’t do as you’re told.’
The sound of his granddaughter’s name leaving the man’s mouth caused Frank to almost throw up. Aware that he had no choice but to go along with it – for now – he said, ‘OK, I’ll do whatever you want. But you’ve got to leave my kids out of it.’
‘Oi, Billy Big Balls, we’re giving the orders, not you,’ Nick scoffed.
‘He look pale,’ Irena said quietly to Karel. ‘I think he need eat so he does not get sick. Can I get him plate?’
Looking at Frank, Karel said, ‘Yeah, go on, then.’
Touched that, despite her involvement, she still had some level of compassion for him, Frank thanked her with his eyes when she glanced at him before making her way to the door – but he didn’t allow himself to smile, for fear that it would enrage Karel and make him question her again.
Irena came back a few minutes later with a plate of food, and Frank picked at it as she took a seat on the sofa between the men. Karel draped his arm around her and reached for the TV remote, and all three settled down to watch the film he chose.
Out of the corner of his eye, Frank studied Irena’s face as she watched the on-screen antics of a baby-faced boy trying to outwit two hapless burglars. Her entire demeanour had changed since the arrival of the men, and he could see no trace of the contented girl he had left a few short hours earlier. He didn’t know which version was the real Irena – or how she had managed to fool him so completely. The bruises had definitely been real, though, because he’d seen them up close and had watched them fade. But had she voluntarily taken a savage beating in order to make her story more realistic, or had these men beaten her to force her into doing it?
He so wanted it to be the latter, but seeing her like this, sitting between the man she had said was her brother, and the one she’d claimed had held her prisoner and forced her into prostitution, Frank had to accept that it had all been an act – and he had fallen for it hook, line and sinker. And, worse, he’d fallen for her, destroying his relationship with his children in the process.
Too disgusted with himself to stomach any more food, Frank put his fork down and cleared his throat.
‘I need to go to the toilet.’
‘You’ll have to wait,’ Nick said without taking his eyes off the TV.
‘Take him,’ Karel ordered at the same time.
‘I don’t need an escort,’ Frank said, standing up. ‘I’m hardly going to do anything stupid and put my family in danger, am I?’
‘Better safe than sorry,’ Karel replied, clicking his fingers at Nick.
Grumbling that he didn’t see why he had to do it, Nick grudgingly got up and, pulling his handgun out of the waistband of his jeans, jammed the barrel into Frank’s back and shoved him out of the room.
Upstairs, Frank hesitated when Nick made to follow him into the bathroom.
‘I wouldn’t if I were you,’ he said, rubbing his stomach. ‘My gut’s churning, and I reckon it’s going to be pretty disgusting.’
