The Annie Carter Series Books 1–4. Jessie Keane

went to dinner on Saturday at Redmond’s and Orla’s house and got a nasty shock when she found Kieron there too. There was a brooding atmosphere between the brothers and sister. There’d definitely been a family row. Annie was a connoisseur of family rows.

      ‘What did you think of the cheese soufflé?’ asked Orla, making polite conversation while Kieron and Redmond looked daggers at each other.

      ‘It was great,’ said Annie, although with the court case looming she was a bit off her food. With Kieron making cow-eyes at her from across the table, she felt even less inclined to eat.

      ‘And the lamb?’

      ‘Superb.’

      There was a silent middle-aged woman serving them, and Annie guessed she was probably their housekeeper and had been elected chef for the night. Now she was bringing in small pots of chocolate mousse. Redmond waited until the woman had left the room before he said, ‘You’re looking thin, Miss Bailey.’

      ‘Am I?’ Annie was startled. Redmond didn’t usually get personal.

      ‘Yes, I thought that,’ chipped in Kieron. ‘You are looking thin, Annie.’

      For fuck’s sake. Talk about Little Sir Echo. Annie felt a pang of utter loathing. She had tried so hard to get shot of Kieron, yet here they were again, him taking an interest in the state of her, her wishing he’d back off.

      She couldn’t forget how repulsive it had felt when he kissed her and she didn’t want him thinking he could try anything like that again. When was the stupid bastard going to take no for an answer? When Max finally snapped and killed him stone-dead?

      Probably Redmond and Orla had engineered this evening with the best of intentions, but she wished they’d let her know Kieron was going to be here. Because then she wouldn’t have been.

      Weeks had gone by since the police raid, and Annie had stayed at the Limehouse parlour with her friends. A sort of fatalism had settled over her. All right, she was going down. Fair enough. It had given her a certain clarity of mind. She now strongly felt that there were people in her life who shouldn’t be there, and people who weren’t in her life whose company she would appreciate.

      She knew it was finished with Ruthie. There’d been no word from her, although Kath must have told her what had gone on. Even if Kath hadn’t told her, it was splashed all over the bloody papers. Difficult to miss. So Ruthie clearly didn’t give a toss what happened to her sister. Fair play to her – Annie didn’t blame her. It was almost a relief to have all that over with, she thought. Now she’d get the court case done with, do the time, and then start again. Preferably somewhere else. Somewhere new.

      She thought of Max. No good doing that. Give poor bloody Ruthie a chance now. Do the right thing for once in your life.

      ‘Well, this is a nice meal,’ she said brightly for Orla’s sake, spooning up the mousse although her appetite was gone. ‘The condemned woman ate heartily,’ she quipped.

      ‘Ah, don’t say that,’ said Kieron. ‘You’ll get off, never fear.’

      ‘I don’t think anything is to be gained by giving Miss Bailey false hope,’ said Redmond. ‘A sentence seems inevitable.’

      ‘You’re famous, Annie,’ said Orla, trying to make light of it all. ‘In the papers and all.’

      ‘More like notorious,’ said Annie.

      ‘Surely it won’t be a long stretch,’ said Orla.

      ‘Maybe two years.’

      The thought made her blood freeze. Sure, everyone was rallying round, trying to cheer her up, but the prospect of prison was daunting. Aretha, who had done time in her youth for some unnamed crime, had told her to be careful.

      ‘You watch out for they bull dykes in there, girl,’ she’d said. ‘You find yourself a nice friend and keep close. No wanderin’ off alone, an’ keep out of Ambush Alley.’

      ‘Ambush Alley?’ Annie had echoed.

      ‘The showers, silly. They hang about in there, lookin’ for fresh young flesh.’

      ‘Do you think you’ll get time off for good behaviour?’ said Redmond.

      Annie nodded. ‘And I’ll appeal.’

      ‘Eat up that mousse now,’ said Kieron like a mother hen, curse him. ‘There’s hardly a pick on you.’

      ‘Thanks for the meal,’ said Annie when they finished eating and were on coffee and brandy.

      ‘It was the least we could do,’ said Redmond.

      ‘Yes it was,’ said Kieron. ‘After all, you were involved too, weren’t you Red? And you’ve got off scot-free whereas Annie’s going to carry the entire can.’

      Redmond gave his younger brother a freezing glance. ‘That’s the way it works, Kieron. You know that.’

      ‘It’s all right,’ said Annie, wondering what the hell had got into Kieron to talk to his brother like that. The row must have been a bad one. ‘I know that. I took full responsibility. That was always the deal.’

      ‘All the responsibility and half the profits.’ Kieron threw back his brandy in one hit. ‘That doesn’t seem such a good deal to me.’

      ‘Well no one is asking you,’ said Orla.

      ‘Oh pardon me.’

      ‘Shut up, Kieron. If you can’t be civil, at least be quiet.’ Orla looked at Annie. ‘I apologize for him, Annie.’

      ‘Don’t apologize on my behalf,’ snapped Kieron. ‘I’m just stating the facts, that’s all.’

      ‘Well – don’t,’ said Redmond with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

      Kieron’s eyes locked with Redmond’s for a few beats; then his gaze dropped away. He ran a hand through his hair. ‘Ah, feck it. I’m not good company tonight.’ He looked at Orla. ‘We’ve had a few upsets over the last few days, haven’t we Orla?’

      Orla nodded guardedly.

      ‘It’s all knocked me off-centre,’ said Kieron. He turned to Annie. ‘Look, let’s the two of us go on to a club and leave these two homebodies to it.’

      Orla shook her head. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’

      ‘Orla’s right,’ said Redmond, pushing back his chair and standing up.

      ‘I’m a bit tired,’ said Annie.

      She didn’t fancy trying to fend Kieron off yet again. He was nice enough, but she saw him clearly now for what he was – a spoiled little prick who had a talent but who threw his toys out of his pram when he couldn’t get exactly what he wanted.

      ‘Nonsense, I’ll soon liven you up, girl,’ he said, and bounced off to fetch their coats.

      Jesus, get me out of here, she thought.

      ‘Now where shall we go?’ he said, coming back and helping her into her coat. He flashed a grin at a frowning Orla while Annie stood there silent, wondering how she was going to get out of this without making a scene in front of them all.

      ‘Can’t go to the Liberty or the Galway, now can we?’ he said. ‘Someone went and burned the fecking things to the ground. I know. We’ll go to the Palermo Lounge. I’ve heard they get some really good acts there on a Saturday night.’

      ‘For God’s sake, Kieron,’ said Orla, really worried now.

      The Palermo was the jewel in the crown of the Carter clubs – and Max’s favourite.

      Orla was looking anxious. As well she might. Annie didn’t know what had got into Kieron, but she was liking all this less and less and she was getting seriously pissed off with him. What was he thinking