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 Paul: 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.

Ryan had pushed Jay to his limits with the pain, any more burns or cuts and he would pass out again, his heart was pounding so loudly he wondered if Ryan could hear it, so it was perfect timing to see Billy walking to the door. Even though there may be worst to come, he prayed for a break for just a few minutes from the pain inflicted on him.

Pulling out a cigarette, Ryan sat opposite Jay; inflicting pain was a tiring job.

Billy didn’t even look in Jay’s direction when he came in, he saw the state of the kitchen, and could smell that Jay had crapped himself. Ryan, as always, had taken it slowly and caused maximum injury without killing the bastard.

              “I need you to help me get him in the boot,” Billy said to Ryan. He nodded towards Jay, but still didn’t fully look at him: he couldn’t, he was feeling so much rage at being in the same room as the horrible fucker.

              “No worries, mate, how are we going to get rid of him?” Ryan was up for whatever Billy suggested; he enjoyed this part of it: he had a taste for blood today, especially that of someone as despicable as Jay.

              “We’re not,” Billy answered bluntly.

              “What do you mean, we’re not; he fucking deserves this, Billy, he has it fucking coming, you can’t be thinking seriously of letting him go?” Ryan couldn’t believe it; Billy must be going fucking soft.

              “No, Ryan, you heard me wrong: we’re not getting rid of him, I am. I just need you to help get him into the boot of my car.” Ryan understood; Billy needed to do this himself, it was his fight and he needed to finish it.

After they had placed a bound Jay in the boot of Billy’s motor, Billy told Ryan to get all his shit out of the cottage: the Ellis’s were on their way over. Unfortunately, the cottage was about to have a bit of its own misfortune; Jonny and Lee were going to start a fire and stick around to make sure the whole place went up, just so that nothing that had gone on here in the last week came back to haunt any of them. Billy thought that although the place probably wouldn’t have been booked out in Tanya and Jay’s real names, but he didn’t want to take any chances on anyone looking for either of them, or him. Anyway, Billy figured a nice little insurance pay-out would much more to the owners liking than to come back to find Jay’s shit and blood over the walls of their precious little cottage.

Getting into the motor, Billy wound the window down so he could feel the breeze as he drove. He turned up the stereo and started to feel upbeat, he was back in control. No-one would make a fool out of him: especially not Jay.