“Oh, that was fucking lush, Sonia, just what we all needed.” Finishing his last mouthful of bacon and eggs, Billy stretched his arms up, realising that was the first proper bit of food he had eaten all week; he hadn’t really felt any hunger, he guessed worry did that to you. It was probably the same for all of them. They had all survived on a diet of fags, tea and extreme stress for the best part of the week.
Emma had been on cloud nine after Billy called to say they were on their way back, and that Kate was with them. After calling Sonia, she had done a quick tidy up of the place. Everything had been neglected this week, as she had been so preoccupied with what was going on with Kate. She didn’t want her to come home to a pigsty, so she spruced the place up a bit, and then got cups of tea ready for them all.
“Yeah, that was a mean fry up, Son,” Paul thanked her, “I don’t think I’ll need to eat again all day.”
“All week more like.” Emma winked at Kate. “I saw you shovelling in those extra sausages, Paul.”
“They are big strong men, Emma, they need their fill of good grub,” Sonia smiled, pleased as punch that she had been of some use to them all this morning.
“Yeah, come on, Em; get the kettle on again, will you? Us ‘big strong men’ need another cuppa.” Lifting his cup and waving it in Emma’s direction, Billy smiled. Emma had grown on him, she was a good friend to Kate; he was glad that she was around for her. Shaking her head, but smiling back at him, Emma put the kettle on.
The smell of bacon, combined with a diet of what might as well of been dog food all week had been a lethal combination, and Kate had eaten like she had never seen a plate of food before; she had scoffed it down so quickly, her stomach ached afterwards. As she sat there, and looked down at her clothes, she realised that she probably stank to the high heavens. She hadn’t had a bath in seven days, and her hygiene hadn’t been under her own control either. Kate decided that she would bin everything she had on, even her shoes; she wanted no reminders of what she had been through. The hardest thing she had ever had to deal with was losing her baby; this would be nothing in comparison. She was determined she would get through this; she wouldn’t let them beat her.
Kate had told Billy everything on the drive from Surrey: how Jay had lured her into the car, and how he and Tanya had plotted what they would do to her if Billy hadn’t paid. She told him how Tanya wanted to make her suffer. She had wanted to get revenge on Billy and knew hurting Kate would have been the ultimate means to do this. They both thought that it was Tanya who had been the brains behind the whole sorry episode, after all, as Jay was too dim to come up with any kind of plan worth worrying about.
Tanya, on the other hand, had been another story. She had legged it with Billy’s money, leaving the man that had risked it all for her to take the rap: what a catch she had turned out to be. As per usual, Billy thought, she had been out for herself. Well, Billy would be having the last laugh with that one. The poor bitch had no idea what was coming.
No one had mentioned Jay or Tanya, or anything to do with Kate’s ordeal since she had arrived home, though, it was as if they were all trying really hard to act normal for her sake and make her feel at home again, and for that Kate was thankful. That was how she dealt with things: not bottling them up as such but not going over stuff that had happened, it would only torment her. She couldn’t change it and nor make what had happened go away, she just had to keep moving forward.
Looking around the table at them drinking tea and ribbing each other, Kate realised that these were the people that she cared about most in the world, the ones who were always there for her no matter what: when the shit hit the fan, they came up trumps. It was good to be home.
51
Billy had thought long and hard about what he was going to do to Jay when he got back to the cottage. He had played out countless clips a suitable punishment in his mind. What he had done to Jay’s father a few years back had been very apt and seemed to fit the crime, and that’s what he needed to think of now: a truly fitting punishment for Jay’s crimes. Going in and blowing the cunt’s head off was just a bit quick and easy for Billy’s liking, Jay wouldn’t really be aware of what was going on, and he would be out of his misery the second the bullet tore through his brain. Sticking a knife in him would be pretty much the same, far too quick and easy, and after the initial deed was done not very satisfying. After everything that piece of shit had put Kate through he was going to really make him pay, with the only thing he had left, his worthless scummy life.
Torture definitely seemed the best option; a slow painful death would be right up Billy’s street, but Ryan would probably have started dishing that out already. Never one to sit about, Ryan got bored easily; he had probably had hours of fun with Jay today already. Ryan was an evil bastard when you were on the wrong side of him, he had dished out punishments to many people over the years, and his reputation preceded him. He didn’t tolerate violence to women or children, and as friends go you couldn’t ask for better. Billy had known him since they were kids and trusted him implicitly; Ryan had never let him down.
Billy had left Kate to rest at the flat; they had all spent a few hours having breakfast and all got through enough tea to fill a large swimming pool. She had seemed a bit better by the time he left her; more like herself. He had left her soaking in a nice hot bath, and she had said that after that she just wanted to go to bed. Billy was so grateful that nothing serious had happened to her; he was so happy that she was home safe and sound.
Billy had dropped Paul off at his gaff before driving back to the cottage. Paul had wanted to go with Billy to sort Jay out, but Billy insisted that he wanted to do it himself, once and for all, and besides the less people involved the better; he didn’t want this coming back on any of them, especially not Pauclass="underline" the guy was a diamond.
Paul hadn’t said much to Kate while he had been at her house, not in front of Billy, but his presence spoke volumes, as it must have done to Kate. He cared about her. Billy had seen the way the bloke looked at her: Billy had never seen anything more obvious. Kate had been through a shitload this year and probably needed time on her own, but a good friend in Paul would not go amiss, Billy was sure.
Pulling up outside the cottage, Billy gave a deep sigh: what was coming had to be done, but it never got easier. But sometimes you started things and just had to see them through, he muttered to himself.
Looking out through the curtains, Ryan smiled.
“My, my, what a popular boy you are, Jay, looks like you’ve got yourself another visitor.”
Jay, tied to a chair, tried to lift his head up to see. He could feel blood trickling down one side of his face, and he could taste it in his mouth. He couldn’t believe that Tanya had handed him over to these fucking animals after everything he had done for her. He realised that she had well and truly used him, it was hilarious when you thought about it, he had gone through life using women like toys, as and when he had wanted, and the one time that he had let his guard down and trusted a woman, the devious bitch had all but fucking crucified him.