TWENTY-TWO

Danny sat in the boozer opposite Harry the Hand and thought long and hard about what he was being asked to do.

'I dunno what to do, H. What about Billie and me kid?'

'Listen, son, you know as well as I do, if you do this favour for Jimmy, you and your family'll be made for life.'

Sipping his drink, Danny shifted nervously in his seat. 'Ain't there no one else that can do it?'

Harry picked up his car keys with his good hand. Unfortunately for him, his other had been chopped off by a machete, hence the nickname.

'Everyone else has got form, Dan. You are the only clean one amongst that little firm. You won't get long, son, and Jimmy'll make sure the stretch you do is a piece of piss.'

Wondering whether he should discuss the situation with Billie Jo before he made his decision, Danny decided against it. It had been a week now since he'd fucked her without her consent and she'd avoided him like the plague ever since. Knowing she'd probably be glad to see the back of him for a while made his choice for him.

'OK, I'll do it. Tomorrow morning I'll go to the Old Bill.'

'Good lad. I'll let Jimmy know. You won't regret it, Danny. Jimmy'll see to that.'

As he watched the scarred ex-hit man head to the toilet, Danny pondered why Jimmy the Fish had chosen Harry to visit him and not one of their own little firm. He fleetingly wondered what might have happened had he said no.

Refusing a lift home, Danny said goodbye to Harry the Hand. Wondering what the fuck he'd let himself in for, he ordered another drink. He needed some time alone to make sense of the situation and plan his forthcoming statement.

It had been two days ago that Jimmy the Fish had been arrested. He'd been set up like a good 'un by an old pal of his who'd recently returned from Thailand. Bangkok Barry had once been a good friend of Jimmy the Fish and Jimmy had never had any reason not to trust him. Unknown to Jimmy, Barry was now in a lot of trouble, as he had recently been arrested with a substantial amount of heroin. Desperate not to get bird and chomping at the bit to return to a warmer climate, Barry had done a deal with the Old Bill to set up Jimmy in exchange for having his own charges dropped.

The deal didn't exactly go to plan. Jimmy the Fish was meant to be carrying a quarter of a kilo of cocaine, but unfortunately for the Old Bill, he only had a couple of ounces on him. The Old Bill were furious with the amount. They'd expected to find enough to put Jimmy inside for years. Due to his past record of drug-related crime, the Old Bill made sure that he was refused bail. Hence the reason Jimmy had got in touch with Harry the Hand to plead with Danny to take the rap for him.

The following day, Danny put on his coat and walked towards Billie. 'I'd best be going now,' he said, pecking her on the cheek. Unable to leave without picking up his son one last time, he held the boy close. Smothering his chubby face with kisses, he handed him back to Billie Jo.

'I'll see you soon, Bill. You never know, they might give me bail. If not, I'll ring you from the nick. Now, just remember what I said to you and don't lose them phone numbers I gave ya. Anything you need, just ring one of the lads, and they'll sort it for ya.'

'OK.'

Pulling her and the baby close to him, Danny felt her flinch. 'I'm so sorry, Bill. I love you, you know.'

Leroy, tooting impatiently outside, saved Billie from replying.

Danny sat in silence as he was driven to the police station. He'd told Billie what was happening the previous evening. Instead of her looking upset, he'd seen relief in her eyes when he mentioned he'd probably go away for a while.

Looking out of the window, he ignored Leroy's idle chit-chat. Going away for a crime he hadn't committed was nothing compared to Billie Jo not wanting him. Losing her was too upsetting even to contemplate and Danny was determined to win her back. She hated him at the moment and, to be honest, he didn't blame her. Going inside would give their relationship a chance to repair itself. It would also propel him up the criminal ladder, to a height he was desperate to reach.

Billie Jo fed DJ, winded him, then sat him in his baby chair. Watching him doze off, she went into the kitchen to pour herself a drink. She hated drinking in front of her child. It reminded her too much of her own mother. Debating whether to ring Jade, she decided against it. Best wait to see if the police locked Danny up before involving her in all of this. Feeling more alone than ever before, she returned to the lounge. Her life was a mess and there wasn't a soul in the world that she could turn to for help.

Billie toyed with the idea of calling Davey Mullins in Spain, but she decided not to. She was far too embarrassed to involve him in any of this. Feeling her guts churning, she ran to the toilet. She hated shitting lately. The pain she felt as she passed her motions brought back everything that Danny had put her through. She winced as she wiped her bottom. The toilet paper was covered in blood: yet another reminder. As she washed her hands, she glanced in the mirror. She hadn't eaten for days and looked that ill, she barely recognised herself. She sank to her knees. If it wasn't for her baby, she'd definitely consider killing herself right now. Rocking to and fro, she sobbed for what seemed like hours.

Instantly seeing through Danny's lies, the Old Bill did their utmost to make him change his mind. For years they'd been waiting to reel in Jimmy the Fish and were fucked if they were allowing the bastard to swim away to safety.

DI Bond stretched out his arms, whilst choosing his words carefully. Slamming his fists on the table, he did his very best to make the little shit alter his statement. 'Don't let these people mug you off, son. What's he promised you? The earth I suppose.'

'Dunno what you're talking about,' Danny said, nonchalantly.

Frustated, DI Bond stood up and paced the room. 'You wanna own up to this, Danny, fine, but let me tell you, you ain't getting bail. Not only will I charge you with the drugs, but I'll do you and Jimmy for perverting the course of justice. Don't think just 'cause you've owned up, that your boss'll be getting out. I'll make sure that both of you rot inside, don't worry about that.'

'No comment,' Danny replied, cockily.

Leaving the interview room, DI Bond slammed the door as hard as he could. Cases such as this made him vomit. The legal stuff and stupid technicalities made his job impossible and with little shits like Danny O'Leary taking the onus away from the big boys, his job had become untenable. Jimmy the Fish would walk in the morning. His top-class brief would see to that. The backhander would pay up his mortgage and Jimmy would be let off the hook and put back into the water. Exasperated, DI Bond kicked the coffee machine.

'You all right, boss?' asked one of his lads.

'No, I fucking well ain't. Tell Ronny to wrap things up with O'Leary. I'm officially off duty.'

Grabbing his raincoat, Bond stormed out of the building.

Being refused bail, Danny was taken to Brixton Prison. Jimmy the Fish had many contacts in the underworld and, within days, word had got round about Danny.

'You all right, boy?'

Realising that the gym had emptied, Danny put his weights down.

'Razor's the name,' his visitor informed him, holding out a massive hand.

Standing up, Danny shook hands and introduced himself. 'Did Jimmy send you to find me?' he asked, hopefully.

'Yep, I'm a pal of his and he told me to see you all right. Now what do you need?'

'What do you mean?'

'Puff, coke, pills, phonecards. You name it and I'll sort it. I run this wing and I'll get you whatever you want.'

Danny laughed. He wasn't sure if Razor was joking or being serious.

'I wouldn't mind a bit of puff.'

Putting a big tattooed arm around his shoulder, Razor led him from the gym. Telling Danny to go back to his cell, he returned five minutes later with an eighth and some Rizlas. 'Welcome to Brixton, Danny Boy. Believe me, you'll have a better time in here than fucking Butlins.'

Danny soon realised that Razor hadn't been joking when he'd referred to Brixton being sweeter than a holiday camp. Drugs were easier to come by on the inside than a Friday night out in Romford town centre. He wasn't stupid, though. He knew his stretch would have been entirely different if it hadn't been for the Fish pulling the strings. Jimmy had been released within hours of Danny confessing. Shortly after, he'd shown his gratitude by moving Billie Jo and Danny Junior to a three-bedroom house in Gidea Park. Danny had been told of the move via world of mouth. Jimmy refused to talk on prison phones, insisting they were bugged. Billie Jo had also been warned to keep schtum about the move.

Life soon became like Groundhog Day to Danny. Razor sorted him with a cushy little job in the kitchen to break up the days. His nights were spent stoned in his cell, with only his right hand and a porn mag for company. Possessing more phonecards than the local newsagent, he was able to speak to Billie Jo on a regular basis. Danny was premier league when it came to the charm stakes and he was positive that Billie had started softening towards him. He'd win her over in the end, he was confident of that.

Being on remand allowed Danny plenty of visitors. Jimmy had avoided seeing him because of the impending court case, but Leroy, Dave, Arnie and Paulie had all been up to visit. Danny hadn't wanted any of the heavy mob hanging around Billie Jo, so he'd asked Jamie to pop round and keep an eye on her and the baby. Jamie had only been up to see him once, but had been full of stories about Billie and Danny Junior. He'd been a real good friend, which made Danny eternally grateful to him.

Debbie and Michelle had both written to him and had both wanted to visit. Debbie wrote regularly and he wrote back, mainly out of boredom. He'd had to lie to her to stop her visiting him and had told Jimmy to back him up. 'If you start visiting Danny, it'll bring the Cross Keys into the court case and we can't have that, Debbie,' Jimmy had told her in no uncertain terms. Being thick, she'd swallowed it.

Writing to Michelle had been quite emotional for Danny. He'd hardly seen her since he started knocking off Debs and DJ was born and he now felt guilty for having blanked her. Unable to face her, he'd refused her a visit. 'Jimmy only wants the lads up here, Chelle. As soon as I get out, I'll be round yours for a beer, girl,' had been his excuse via letter. He guessed she'd copped the hump though, as he hadn't heard a word from her since.

Rolling up a joint, Danny thought of Billie Jo. Earlier today she had finally agreed to visit him with the baby. 'I'm only bringing DJ once, though. Prison is no place for a child, Danny,' she'd told him.

Lying back on his bunk, Danny smiled. He knew she had forgiven him. Billie Jo loved him, she belonged to him and that's the way things were destined to stay.