The Jade Garden (The Barrington Patch Book 2) by Emmy Ellis (reading diary txt) 📗

Lenny laughed. “It’s like everything I do. The pigs will mind their own, otherwise they’ll find themselves minus a limb.”

He still couldn’t get over how easy it had been to take over the estate, the residents doing as they were told, coppers turning a convenient blind eye for a few quid. So long as Lenny kept a tight rein on everyone, the coppers seemed happy to pretend shit wasn’t happening. Lenny ruled here, and people would do well not to forget it.

He sank another pint with Joe while he waited for the couple to finish their meal. “How’s your old man?”

Joe grimaced, the pain of his father’s imminent death appearing as deep, curved wrinkles bracketing his mouth. “Don’t think he’s got much longer. Six months the hospital reckon, but he seems to be failing faster.”

“That’s shit, that is. Looking forward to taking over the farm?”

Joe shrugged. “In a way. I grew up there, know it like the back of my hand, but I enjoy the factory, the people. I’ll miss it. Then there’s you finding a new manager.”

So Lenny would have to cross that particular bridge sooner than he’d thought. “Francis can deal with it for a while. It won’t hurt her nipping in when Cassie’s at playgroup. I’d rather that than pick someone too quickly and make a mistake. She hasn’t worked there since she got pregnant, but it’ll be like riding a bike, and anyroad, she can go back once Cass is in full-time school. We’ll manage. Ted and Felix will help her out. Good blokes, they are. You just worry about your end. It’s going to be tough when your dad dies. Concentrate on Lou and Jess, yourself, not the factory.”

Joe swallowed. “Shut up now. It’s getting a bit sentimental.”

Lenny smiled. “Yeah, and I don’t usually go for that malarky.”

He stared into the mirror behind the bar and eyed the couple. Their plates were empty, the wine three-quarters gone. Nuwa spoke animatedly, her face devoid of the harshness from before, her whole demeanour that of someone breathing in the life-giving oxygen of a new dawn, a dream coming true. Li Jun didn’t appear so enthralled, and it seemed Nuwa encouraged him to take that golden egg with both hands, no matter the consequences.

Li Jun gazed over and made eye contact with Lenny in the mirror. Lenny turned, elbow on the bar, and raised his eyebrows. Nuwa waved him over, her eyes sparkling. Fuck, Lenny was the king, giving this woman hope of a better future, and he felt bloody good about it.

He joined them in the booth. Looked at Nuwa. “Did your old man tell you exactly what you’re in for?”

She nodded. “We will risk it.”

“Good decision. Now then, if you want to finish that wine, I’ll take you to have a gander at your new takeaway and flat. Where do you live now?”

“In bedsit.” Nuwa told him the address.

The shitty street Doreen Prince lived in. Those bedsits were slums.

“Got visas?”

Nuwa smiled. “Yes, we allowed here. Friend find us cleaning job before we come.”

“Excellent. And you’ll be giving your family jobs before they come, so their visas should go through okay. I’ll get my mate over there to arrange for your belongings to be taken to the flat. Drink up, we’ve got somewhere to be, haven’t we. Give me the keys to your place.”

Nuwa dug in her pocket and handed them over. “We not have much. Some clothes, some personal things in bedside drawer. The furniture not ours.”

He left them and stood beside Joe, explaining what was going on. “So get your arse there and bring their shit to the Jade.”

Ten minutes later, Joe on his way to the bedsit, Lenny led the couple down the street, past The Shoppe Pudding, the laundrette, and on to the Jade. They stopped outside to stare at the takeaway with its flash new sign. The windows were whitewashed, he hadn’t wanted people nosing inside while the builders had been in, but these two would soon know they were onto a good thing once they saw the refurb.

Lenny unlocked the door and entered first, giving Li Jun and Nuwa one last chance to piss off into the sunset, back to their scutty bedsit. They spoke with their eyes, staring at each other, Nuwa smiling, Li Jun frowning—he wasn’t quite there yet in taking that all important step. She spoke in what Lenny assumed was Mandarin, her voice full of urgency.

“Look, pal, if this is too much for you, back away now,” Lenny said. “It’s not as scary as it sounds. If you want, any time you get caught dealing, you can make out some fella forced you to do it or he’d kill you.” He chuckled. “Because that’s the truth. You just don’t say who that bloke is. But you won’t get caught, I’ll see to that. You do what I ask, everything will work out.”

Nuwa came inside and stared through the cutout in the wall behind the counter. The gleaming new kitchen was in view, and she gasped. “This is your dream.” She spun to face her husband. “Come and see. We will be happy here.”

Li Jun’s shoulders sagged, and he appealed to Lenny. “I do not want to die. I do not want my wife to die. Or my family.”

“No one’s going to sodding die.” Christ, any more of this, and Lenny might end up feeling sorry for him. He shrugged. “It’s your call. If you walk away, no hard feelings.”

Li Jun stepped inside.

Lenny grinned. Deal done.

Chapter Six

Cassie sat in the passenger seat of Jason’s car. He’d driven past Brett Davis’ place, but the lights were off. Karen Scholes had been on the pavement, and Cassie didn’t need that nosy cow asking questions. That woman liked to know the