Blood Pact Read online

  BLOOD PACT

  HEATHER ATKINSON

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  More from Heather Atkinson

  About the Author

  About Boldwood Books

  1

  Jamie Gray felt the satisfying crunch of bones breaking beneath the force of his fist and his opponent staggered backwards, hands instinctively going to his damaged nose. Jamie took the opportunity to deliver a kick to the side of his head and his opponent was knocked sideways, hitting the bloodied canvas hard.

  A cheer went up from the assembled crowd as the referee counted out the fallen fighter, who was groaning in pain. When the countdown had ended, the referee grabbed Jamie’s right arm and raised it aloft, indicating he was the winner. The spectators filling the warehouse on a quiet industrial estate in Glasgow revelled in these bloody matches, which was why these fights had to remain underground. Two fighters had died on this very canvas in the last year. It was a relief to Jamie that neither of those deaths were on his conscience.

  He could hear his three best friends cheering at the foot of the ring, no doubt celebrating the nice wad of cash they’d made by betting on him.

  The referee released Jamie’s arm after growling a congratulations in his ear, and he jumped out of the ring, wiping the sweat from his brow, body aching.

  ‘Congratulations, man.’ Digger grinned. ‘That was a hell of a fight.’

  Jamie grimaced when his friend gave him a bear hug, crushing him with his enormous muscles. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was released.

  ‘Aye, it was a bit touch and go there for a while,’ said Gary, the most rotund of the four Blood Brothers. ‘But it made for a bloody exciting fight.’

  ‘Toni will be pleased,’ commented Logan, who was the most serious member of their group. ‘Which is always good.’

  ‘Aye,’ replied Jamie. ‘I hope it’s the last fight she asks me to do for a while, unless she gi’es me a real challenge,’ he added with a wicked grin.

  ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ said Logan.

  Jamie looked around for the Queen of Glasgow herself through the throng of well-wishers surrounding him, all wanting to shake his hand, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘She’s waiting outside,’ said Logan. ‘She says it smells in here.’

  ‘She’s right.’ Gary grimaced, wrinkling his nose. ‘It stinks of old cabbage.’

  ‘It’s the water leak from last week,’ said Digger. ‘They didnae air the place out properly.’

  Jamie and his friends slowly made their way through the crowd of various gangland figures and nasty bastards Toni permitted to attend the underground fights she arranged. Jamie made sure to reply respectfully to everyone who stopped him to congratulate him. These were not people he wanted as enemies.

  Finally he was able to reach the dressing rooms, his friends waiting outside the door on guard duty as he hurriedly showered and changed. After stuffing his shorts into a gym bag, which he slung over his shoulder, he and the rest of the Blood Brothers hurried out of the warehouse by the back door. It didn’t do to keep Toni McVay waiting.

  She awaited them in a top-of-the-range black Mercedes. Caesar, her lover and second-in-command, was in the driver’s seat. When she saw the Blood Brothers approaching, Toni wound down her window and smiled.

  ‘Congratulations, Jamie,’ she said. ‘I knew you could beat Barry the Beast, despite his impressive record. His brute strength was useless in the face of your speed.’

  ‘Aye, cheers,’ he replied.

  ‘Bask in your victory because there won’t be any matches for a while.’

  ‘Really? Why?’ he replied.

  ‘An issue has arisen that means I need to keep everything as quiet as possible,’ replied Toni enigmatically.

  ‘You mean an issue with the fights or something else?’

  ‘If you need to know I’ll tell you,’ she said, black eyes turning even blacker. Her gaze cleared and she smiled, although it was a cold, empty gesture, devoid of any real human emotion. Toni delved into her handbag and produced a thick roll of notes. ‘Your share of the winnings,’ she told Jamie before tossing it to him.

  ‘Cheers,’ he said, catching it in one hand.

  ‘I’ll be seeing you all again soon, boys. I may have something else I want you to look after for me.’

  One role the Blood Brothers performed for Toni was guarding things she didn’t want anyone to find, neither the police nor her enemies. These items could range from stolen goods to people needing a place to lie low.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Toni told Caesar.

  Her scarred lieutenant switched on the engine and put the car into gear. ‘See you later, wee men,’ he called as he set off.

  ‘I thought he wasn’t gonnae call us that any more,’ said Digger.

  ‘He’ll never stop,’ said Logan. ‘He enjoys it too much. We’d better get back to Gallowburn, your maw will be doing her nut, Jamie, worrying if you’re okay.’

  The four of them piled into Logan’s brand-new black Golf and he drove them back to the scheme where they’d been born and raised. Although Toni paid them more than enough money to move to one of the better parts of Glasgow, the estate was vital to their work. Thanks to the Blood Brothers, crime was now practically non-existent in Gallowburn, meaning the police rarely bothered with it any more, which in turn meant it was the perfect place for Toni to hide her secrets. So here the Blood Brothers remained, not that they were complaining. They couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. The reduction in crime hadn’t encouraged the residents to take better care of the area they called home. The streets of Gallowburn were still strewn with litter and dog turds, the gardens either overgrown or full of broken trampolines and mattresses. There were hardly any more instances of graffiti, though, after Digger had caught one young ned vandalising the side of the community centre. He’d taken the can of spray paint off the lad and used it to paint a giant cock on the front of his coat before breaking his nose with the butt of the can. That incident had encouraged other budding graffiti artists to think again.

  All four of the friends lived on the north side of the scheme. The south was the territory of their rivals the Lawson family, who had found themselves wielding much less influence in Gallowburn since the Blood Brothers rose to power.

  Like all the houses on the scheme, the Gray home was a small terrace with just a thin strip of grass outside the front door. As the car pulled up at the kerb, the front door opened to reveal a slim, pretty blonde woman with piercing green eyes. Jackie Gray’s will was as forceful as her gaze. She breathed a sigh of relief to see her oldest son safe and well as the weight she’d carried around with her all day lifted. She resisted the urge to charge down the path and fling her arms around his neck, knowing it wouldn’t do his image much good.

  ‘All right, boys?’ she said. ‘Come away in, then.’

  Only once she’d closed the door behind them did Jackie ask her son, ‘Are you okay? Do you need any medical treatment?’
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  ‘Naw,’ he replied. ‘I’m all good thanks, Maw. No need to worry.’

  ‘But I do worry, constantly, especially when you’ve got to fight.’

  ‘Well, there won’t be any for a while now. Toni’s got a lot going on, so she’s had to put them on hold, for now.’

  ‘Oh, that is a relief,’ she breathed, raking her fingers through her hair.

  ‘Where’s Mullen?’

  ‘Me and Gavin have been together for over a year now. It’s safe to use his first name.’

  ‘It doesnae suit him. Mullen does.’

  ‘If you insist. He’s working but he should be back within the hour. He’ll be pleased to hear you won the fight.’

  ‘It was thanks to him I did. That new punch he taught me helped me win.’

  ‘Good. Are you hungry?’ Jackie asked her son.

  ‘I’m pure starving,’ said Gary, rubbing his stomach.

  ‘She wasnae asking you,’ Digger told him.

  ‘I’ve got bacon butties on standby,’ Jackie told them.

  ‘You’re an angel, Mrs G,’ said Gary. ‘I hope you know that.’

  ‘It has been mentioned before,’ she said with a fond smile.

  Jackie placed the enormous plate of sandwiches on the small kitchen table and watched the four of them take a seat and tuck in. Ever since she and Gavin had got back together, she’d been in a perpetually sunny mood. After discovering her new boyfriend had been paid by their enemies to spy on her family in his role of private investigator on behalf of Cameron Abernethy, she’d dumped him like a hot potato, but she’d come to realise that he genuinely loved her and that she hadn’t just been a mark to him. So eventually she’d given him a second chance and they’d been blissfully happy ever since.

  The front door opened and in strutted Charlie, Jamie’s thirteen-year-old brother. He seemed to have grown up overnight and the little boy had been replaced by a lairy teenager who was obsessed with his appearance and girls. He entered with two of his friends, the three of them looking very smart in neatly ironed shirts, their hair gelled.

  ‘It’s the wee men.’ Digger grinned, making the three of them pout. ‘Are you off somewhere special?’

  ‘There’s a party at Dale McCurdie’s house,’ replied Charlie in his deep voice, which had broken a few months ago. ‘His sister’s gonnae be there.’

  ‘Aye, Emily’s a cute wee lassie. You’ll knock her dead looking that smart.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Charlie flatly.

  ‘Do you want something to eat before you go?’ Jackie asked Charlie.

  ‘No thanks, Maw,’ he replied. ‘There’ll be food at the party. Can I have a can of lager?’ he said, spotting the cans on the table.

  ‘No, you can’t. You’re only thirteen.’

  ‘Jamie was drinking at my age.’

  ‘No’ with my permission he wasn’t, and if you come home drunk from this party I will raise holy hell with the McCurdies and you don’t want that, do you?’

  Charlie sighed and shook his head. ‘No, Maw.’

  ‘That applies to all three of you,’ she said, giving his friends a hard look too.

  ‘Yes, Mrs Gray,’ they chimed in unison.

  Charlie sighed, shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and looked down at the floor, embarrassed about being chastised in front of his brother and his friends. Although he’d never told Jamie, he was immensely proud of his older brother, who was a man to be respected, and their family no longer had to worry about money. Plus, as Jamie was the most feared person on the scheme, that gave Charlie himself a lot of kudos as everyone was always keen to ingratiate themselves with him. He was often asked if he was going to join the Blood Brothers when he was older but already Charlie knew that wasn’t the life for him, he couldn’t fight like Jamie could. Truth be told, he didn’t have a violent bone in his body. Criminality wasn’t for him, but he still admired Jamie for his own abilities and his quick, clever brain. Everyone knew that if it hadn’t been for Jamie, the Blood Brothers wouldn’t be where they were now.

  ‘Good,’ said Jackie. ‘Well, away you go, then, and I want you back by ten o’clock, Charlie, okay?’ she called after him as the three boys headed to the front door. She sighed. ‘I do worry about him.’

  ‘He’ll be fine,’ said Gary through a mouthful of bacon and bread. ‘He’s Jamie Gray’s wee brother. No one’s gonnae lay a finger on him.’

  ‘It’s not other people I worry about, it’s drink and drugs.’

  ‘The McCurdies are a nice family,’ said Jamie.

  ‘What if Gillian and Chris aren’t there? What if they go out and someone sneaks in some drink or cocaine?’

  ‘There aren’t any dealers on the scheme. We chased them all off.’

  ‘But people can still get hold of drugs outside the Gallowburn and kids that age are so easily led.’

  ‘Charlie’s more sensible than that.’

  ‘Even sensible weans can get peer-pressured into doing stupid things.’ She shuddered. ‘I hope he doesn’t get up to what I used to get up to as a teenager.’

  ‘Oh aye.’ Digger grinned. ‘And what was that, then?’

  ‘Never you mind.’

  ‘Want us to go to the McCurdies’ and keep an eye out?’ Jamie asked his mother.

  ‘That’s kind of you to offer, sweetheart and I’m tempted to say yes but I couldnae do that to him. It would only embarrass him having his big brother watching over him. If I don’t show I trust him then he’ll only start to rebel. Charlie’s got a good head on his shoulders. I need to believe in him.’ She sighed. ‘Being a mother is the most wonderful thing in the world but, by Christ, it comes with a ton of worry.’

  ‘It’s why I’m never having weans,’ said Digger.

  ‘Thank God for that,’ said Gary. ‘We don’t want any more big bags of rocks plodding about the scheme.’

  ‘Oh aye, are you gonnae breed, then? Will there be more beach balls bouncing about the place?’

  ‘I am not a beach ball,’ exclaimed Gary, spraying breadcrumbs across the table.

  ‘Eat, boys,’ Jackie told them. ‘Stuff up those holes in your faces.’

  She bobbed her head into the front room when she heard the front door open and in walked Mullen. Jamie couldn’t help but smile at the way her eyes lit up.

  ‘Gavin.’ She beamed, rushing up to him and throwing her arms around his neck.

  ‘Hello, beautiful.’ He smiled back before kissing her.

  Mullen had owned a swanky penthouse in the west end but he’d sold it when he moved into this tiny house on the Gallowburn to be with Jackie. He knew Jamie couldn’t leave the scheme, which in turn meant Jackie and Charlie would refuse to leave too, so he’d chosen to move in with them rather than try and persuade her to move away, knowing it would be futile. Even though this house was a world away from the luxury he had lived in, to Mullen it was far more comfortable and welcoming than his previous abode, which had simply been a place to lay his head. This house was a real home, something he hadn’t experienced since he was a child. His relationship with Jackie was strong and he got on well with both her sons. In fact, he couldn’t remember when he’d last felt so content.

  ‘How was work?’ she asked him.

  Mullen owned his own private investigation business in the west end of the city and business was booming.

  ‘Not so great actually. Steven handed in his notice.’

  ‘Oh no, why?’

  ‘He wants to move to Ireland with his girlfriend. He leaves in a couple of weeks.’

  ‘That’s a shame, because he’s so good at his job.’

  ‘True, but think I’ve already found a replacement.’

  ‘Oh aye, who?’

  ‘You.’

  ‘Me?’ she exclaimed. ‘But I cannae do what he does.’

  ‘Course you can. I’ll train you up personally,’ he added with a twinkle in his eyes.

  ‘But I’ve never done anything like it before. I know Steven doesn’t just do paperwork, he helps out w
ith cases too.’

  ‘You can do what he does and you’ll probably do it better because you’re smarter than he is.’

  ‘But he went to university.’

  ‘That doesn’t matter. You’re very clever and you have an eye for detail. You’re perfect for the job.’

  ‘Won’t you get fed up seeing me all day at work and at home too?’

  He wrapped his hands around her waist. ‘I could never get fed up of you. I miss you when I’m at work, so it would be a dream come true to be with you there too.’

  Jackie beamed and kissed him.

  ‘Oops, sorry,’ said Gary when he walked into the room, spinning on his heel and heading back into the kitchen.

  ‘No, it’s okay, Gary, love,’ said Jackie. ‘Gavin’s just offered me a job working at his agency.’

  ‘Doing what?’ He scowled at Mullen. ‘You’d better no’ be hiring her as a cleaner.’

  ‘Certainly not,’ he replied. ‘Steven, who runs my office, has handed in his notice and I think Jackie would be perfect for the job.’

  Gary’s frown turned into a smile. ‘Oh, that’s all right, then. Hey, Jamie,’ he called into the kitchen. ‘Your maw’s gonnae work as a private investigator for Mullen.’

  ‘I haven’t accepted yet,’ she said as the rest of the Blood Brothers piled into the living room.

  ‘How no?’ said Digger. ‘You’d be good.’

  ‘Well, it’s a full-time position. I’m worried about you and your brother,’ she told Jamie.

  ‘We’ll be fine,’ he replied. ‘I’m a grown-up now, I can cope, and Charlie’s already so independent. Do you want the job?’

  She looked to Mullen, who smiled. Jackie nodded and turned to her son. ‘I do. It would be so interesting.’