Her mother's mantra over the years had been that they were as God made them. But she was worried that they were as she had made them. Not deliberately, but with the choices she had made over the years, and the mistakes she had forced them to live through.

She had created them. Together with her mother, she had created two men who were as dangerous as they were enigmatic.

Even Ivana was caught up in their thrall. But like any woman who was foolish enough to get involved with them, she was on a losing streak. She wanted to warn Ivana, but she knew it was a pointless exercise and that she wouldn't listen to her. No more than she would have listened if someone had warned her about Patrick. Life had a habit of repeating itself.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Spider was listening to the men around him with interest. He knew they were all wondering why he had not attempted to do anything about Pat's hold over the West End. Spider was renowned for never discussing anything unless he wanted to, so no one thought it strange that he chose to overlook the heavy hints around him.

He looked at his boys; a lot of them were young, up-and-coming wide boys getting an education at his door. But he knew in his heart that at least one of them was in the pay of Brodie Junior, maybe even more than that. It wasn't anything he knew for a fact, it was more a natural progression. Young Pat was everywhere and there wasn't a scam on the go that he didn't have a hand in.

Spider knew Pat was backed by the best. The people he had been banged up with had seen his potential, Spider had seen it himself. Pat was such an astute businessman and knew exactly what was required; how to get the maximum for the minimum. He also had a rep that was even more respected than his father's.

None of that bothered him personally, it was the way he had come home and acted like his long-lost son, thanked him for his help over the years with the family and had then just blanked him. Not in any way that he could jump on, could use against him; it was a more personal insult. He said all the right things but Spider knew that he didn't mean any of it. And yet his son and Patrick were as close as ever. Indeed he wondered at times if it was his son's friendship with Pat that was keeping him alive. Because Spider knew that if Patrick wanted him gone, then gone he would be.

Spider was a realist; he knew the score in this world and he also knew that everyone had a shelf-life, even Pat Junior. It was the law of the pavement. If a big sentence didn't get you, a bastard with a grudge would. People in their world rarely died in their beds; each generation was waiting to step into the next pair of boots and, from what he had heard, Pat had been offered them on a plate.

He watched as his son rolled a joint. He knew he had served up Jasper to Pat and he respected that. But what Spider didn't understand was why no one, even his own flesh and blood, thought it appropriate to tell him what was going on. He had heard it from one of his guys; like a gossip, he was having to ferret out information. Yet nothing had occurred for months, and everyone was relaxed, except for him. He knew that Pat was like his father; he would exact his revenge slowly. If it took years, that would suit him; he would wait until the person concerned was settled in their life and work and sure that they were safe and then he would take great pleasure in proving them wrong. That was the real power of revenge, taking it when the person concerned least expected it, and had the most to lose.

His son was a part of all that planning and yet he had never mentioned it to his own father. He felt like an outsider and was being treated like one into the bargain. The main earner for the younger boys was the dope; it was almost their only business and he knew it was the thing that interested them most. They were all stoned and they were getting on his nerves.

He saw Jimmy Brick come in and he waited a few minutes before joining him. The man was in the same boat as he was and, like him, he didn't know where the fuck he stood any more either. And, like him, he couldn't gather any information; it was almost as if they had been singled out for ostracism. They were getting closer by the week and it was not going unnoticed. They knew everything was reported back to the powers that be. How times had changed and it was hard admitting that you were past your prime, past your best, especially when you felt stronger than ever.

Lil was tired. The doctor was back once more for poor Kathleen and they were trying to get him to see her properly. When he went into the room, Kathleen acted so normal, so together even Lil wondered if she was imagining the rest of it. But she had talked the doctor into pretending to leave and then sneaking back up the stairs and listening outside the door of her bedroom so he could hear her talking to herself.

Lil knew he thought she was the nutter but she also knew that he had to make sure that what she said wasn't true. Kathleen had developed black eyes and bruised arms and they were not caused by anyone in the house. She had to be hurting herself. And, as much as it pained Lil to admit that, she knew it was true.

Kathleen didn't eat and she didn't sleep. She refused to leave the house and she refused any kind of company. Even Lance was hard-pushed to get inside the room and he was the only one who seemed able to get through to her. Pat was welcome occasionally and every so often Kathleen was chatty with her; it was seldom though and she did most of the talking. Lil's growing belly seemed to attract her. She was interested in the coming baby, as were Colleen and Christy, they couldn't wait for it to be born.

As the doctor stood quietly on the landing listening out for her beautiful, troubled daughter to begin talking to herself, Lil wondered at how a life could be so plagued with problems and worries. She prayed that this child would have an easier time of it than her other children, that it would know at least a modicum of peace. This was her last chance to get it right and she knew it. She was focusing all her energy on this baby and the three younger children. She only hoped she wasn't wasting her time.

She heard Kathleen's voice then. She heard her talking to no one, but over the last few months she had listened intently and she knew that Kathleen thought there were at least two people with her.

She didn't really understand the conversations but Kathleen seemed to get some sort of benefit from them. She seemed happier somehow and that was what was so terrible. Lil just didn't know what to do and if the doctor didn't sort it out soon she knew that Pat was going to force Kathleen into a mental hospital. He was of the opinion that she should have been carted off ages ago, but he also knew that Kathleen's biggest fear was being put away. Of being perceived as mentally ill.

She had such a strange take on life; sometimes she washed everything she possessed and yet she wouldn't put any of it in the wardrobe or chest of drawers. Everything was hung on doors or folded up on the bed; it had to be in plain sight. She was not yet fifteen, and she was already being written off.

The doctor had heard enough and as he walked quietly back down the stairs, Lil followed him, her heart sore because she knew what he was going to say.

Eileen was in the back of her boyfriend's van. It was a warm night and her latest boyfriend, a thirty-year-old docker with brown eyes and a penchant for schoolgirls, was trying to talk her out of her top. She was happy enough with the kissing but somehow this was going a bit too fast for her now. He had her bra unhooked and her top up and she was having difficulty controlling the situation. As she pushed his hands away once again, he grabbed her wrists and, grinning, he pinned her arms to her sides. She lay back in her seat and looked at him warily. She had met him in a pub in Essex a few weeks earlier. He was a grown man and he made her feel like an adult. He treated her like a woman and now she was finding out exactly what that entailed.