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

the old man handed it over. Every bloke she fleeced took a vast sum out of their bank, thanks to Brenda convincing them she was the love of their soon-to-end lives. “I might well be able to get this one to leave me everything in his will an’ all. He’s spoken about it, and I haven’t even been his ‘carer’ for long.”

“You’ve obviously charmed him. Right, I have somewhere to be. Keep your ears open.”

“Will do.”

“And again, thanks. You’re a diamond. I’ll pop some cash to yours in a few. You deserve a bonus.”

The line went dead, and Brenda stared at the phone. Fucking hell, if she’d known Cassie was all about bonuses for passing on info, she’d have grassed Jason up the day he’d told her what he was up to. Mind you, Lenny had died that night, so maybe not.

She smiled, imagining how much it would be and what she’d buy with it.

It paid to be on a Grafton’s side, Lenny had always told her that.

Seemed he’d been speaking the truth.

Chapter Fifteen

Cassie had parked outside the high-rise to take Brenda’s unexpected call. While she should be seething about the woman keeping it to herself regarding Jason, she’d taken a breath to listen to her properly instead of jumping down her throat. Cassie had reminded herself Brenda was a good sort, and any decision she’d made would have been for the right reasons, not to dupe her. When she’d said she’d planned to record Jason, trap him, Cassie had acknowledged that was what she needed to do for her own trap. He must think Brenda was trustworthy if she hadn’t told Cassie about him by now, that his secret was safe, the sneaky little prat.

She stared across the grass outside the high-rise and thought about her chat with Cheryl in the break area out the back of the salon. The poor woman hadn’t known her son was messing about in the street, paid to tell people to get lost, and she’d got straight on the phone to him, school lessons be damned, and told him to go to the loo so she could speak to him.

Cassie had taken the phone once the lad said he was in a cubicle.

“It’s Cassie Grafton,” she’d said. “Nowt to worry about, you’re not in any bother. How did last night go?”

“We scared people off for you, like the man said.”

Cassie’s tummy had clenched. “Which man?”

“I dunno his name. He came to speak to us when we were dicking about in the park.”

So he’d picked them out, chosen them for the job? “What did he look like?”

“He had a beard, big eyebrows an’ that. He said you wanted us to tell people they weren’t allowed in the Jade, and if they went there before nine, you’d hurt them with some weapon.”

That could be anyone. Her weapon had been mentioned in The Life. “Did he say why people couldn’t go there?”

“Nah, just that you’d be angry with us if we let someone past. But someone did go in. A man. Then he went to The Pudding. I feel right bad about that.”

She’d felt sorry for him. “It’s okay. How come that man went inside?”

“We were messing about by the lamppost outside the laundrette, not concentrating, like, and he came along in his car and parked right in front of the Jade. He’d gone in by the time we ran towards the Chinese to stop him.”

“Did you see anyone else in the street?”

“Yeah, some bloke by a hedge.”

“What was he doing?”

“Staring at the Jade. A bit later, he went over there, like the park man said he would, so we legged it. That was what we were told to do. Am I really not in bother?”

“No, you did well. What else can you remember about the man—the one from the park, that is?”

“He had a beanie hat on, black clothes, and a gun in a holster, like he was some copper. He showed it to us. Said he’d shoot us if we fucked up.”

A holster. “What colour was it?”

“The holster? Brown.”

Jason. “Right. If he approaches you again, you agree to do what he wants so he doesn’t think you’ve told me owt, but go home and tell your mam straight after. She’ll let me know, then you don’t do what he wants, okay?”

“He said if we didn’t, he’d kill our mams, like.”

Cassie’s anger had gone haywire, and she’d clenched the edge of the worktop that was stained with tea rings. “I won’t let him do that. He’s a nasty man, and I didn’t send him to you for that job. He was lying, and he might lie again. Can you tell your friend what I said? Make sure he understands what he has to do if you see the bloke again?”

“Yeah. You won’t kill me mam, will you?”

“Not likely. She’s done my hair nice.”

He’d laughed at that, the poor little sod.

“But your friend can’t tell any other friends what’s happening, got it? Your mam says it’s okay to keep this secret. I can tell him myself if you don’t want to.”

“Nah, it’s Ronnie Stevens, he’s a scaredy-cat and will do what I tell him.”

She clenched her teeth now, thinking of Jason putting a beard and glasses on, pretending to be someone else, threatening those lads. It had to be him—she didn’t know anyone else with a brown holster—and she’d make him pay for what he’d done.

For now, she’d go and see Jimmy, get him on her payroll, and give him his first set of instructions.

At his door, she knocked hard so it was heard over the thumping music coming from next door. Jimmy opened up, and she held back laughter at him in a flowery pinny.

“What the fucking hell?” She pointed to it.

His shoulders