The Annie Carter Series Books 1–4. Jessie Keane

said the driver when the last of the punters departed at five to five, then one of Max’s boys pulled on his mask and gloves and ran into the shop.

      The owner was there, mopping up after the day’s trading. He froze like a deer in headlights, which was good. The till was one of those big heavy efforts, but Max’s boy was tasty and could lift it easily, he’d already taken care to look it over.

      He leaned over and grabbed the thing.

      Or he tried to.

       ‘Shit!’

      It was screwed down.

      The shop owner started gabbling away in a foreign language. Christ knows what he was saying. Fuck you, probably. The man started slapping at Max’s boy with the wet mop. It was a bit funny but Max’s boy was getting steamed up.

      Two of the others had seen there was a problem and came running in to help, while the driver stayed put. The mop attack and the slopping of water all over the place and the shouting was getting worse and worse. Then the shop-owner chucked the remains of the bucket of water over the lot of them and suddenly they were skidding and sliding all over the fucking place. Then he reached for the phone.

      One of the boys yanked the cord out of the wall and gave him a cautionary slap.

      Another went back out to the car and grabbed a pickaxe from the boot. With it he demolished the counter and then they had it away with the till, no problem.

      They took the till, with bits of broken counter clinging to it, outside and got it into the car. They piled back in and the driver gunned away. They pulled off their masks and gloves and roared with laughter in the aftermath of the excitement. They were drenched to the skin.

      ‘Jesus, it was like being slapped in the face with a cod,’ said one, trying to dry himself on a rag from the dashboard. ‘Good job Jonjo wasn’t there, he’d have wrung his fucking neck.’

      Two of them were in the back with the till.

      They opened it.

      Plenty of notes.

      They sat back, smiling.

      ‘That’s what I call a good day’s work,’ said one.

      ‘Yeah,’ agreed his companion.

       6

      Ruthie was very quiet, thought Max.

      He knew she was never one to gabble on, but this was quiet even by her standards. Because there was heavy business going on they had to forgo a foreign honeymoon, but he knew she would be impressed with his Surrey place and he took her straight there after the reception, his Jag rattling with tin cans until he stopped round the corner and took them off.

      During the rest of the drive she was silent. Then they got home to Surrey and she was still too quiet. Maybe she was just overawed.

      She was mistress of this grand manor house now, she would live among the fancy furnishings and crystal chandeliers and would step on to deep-pile carpets when she emerged from her bath or from the big bed they would share tonight.

      There were grounds instead of gardens, huge stretches of green to do as they liked with. There were garages and outbuildings. There was an annexe, for Christ’s sake. It was a far cry from the East End, a very long way away from what she was used to.

      That was it, he thought. She was probably just overcome with it all. Max could see that she was tired, and suggested they go straight up. It was after two in the morning. It had been an exhausting day for them both.

      He opened a bottle of the best champagne that had been laid out ready by the bed. His housekeeper Miss Arnott had turned back the sheets, stoked up the fire, made everything comfortable for the newlyweds. His mum would have done it had she been here and, as always when he thought of Queenie, he felt the wrench of grief at her loss and the gut-deep anger at those who had taken her from him.

      He poured the bubbly while Ruthie hovered uncertainly by the bed. She looked almost pretty today in her going-away suit of soft cream wool. Her hair, always her best feature, was swept up in an elegant chignon, throwing the clean lines of her face into sharper focus.

      ‘You look lovely today,’ he said, pouring the champagne into expensive crystal flutes and holding one out to her.

      Poor kid, she looked more lost than lovely. But there were three things that never failed with women. Talk to them gently, tell them they look good even if they didn’t, please them sexually.

      Ruthie came around the bed and took the glass and drank from it.

      ‘Hungry?’ he asked. ‘I’ll get something sent up.’

      She shook her head and gulped down more champagne.

      ‘Steady with that,’ said Max with a smile. ‘It goes to your head.’

      Ruthie drained the glass. She still felt numb after what Annie had said.

      Annie and Max.

      She’d been so happy to be marrying him, she’d loved him so much, worshipped him almost. She’d felt that he was too good for her from day one. But somehow he’d convinced her that it would all work out okay. That she was what he wanted.

      But now she knew the truth.

      Annie and Max.

      How long had that been going on? And – oh God – would it still go on now that Max was married to her?

      How could she stand that?

      She felt anger thaw the numbness until she flushed with heat. They’d made a fool of her. All the time she’d been misty-eyed with love, they’d been at it, screwing like animals. Like dogs in the street.

      Max took the glass from her and placed it on a side table. All the furniture in here looked costly to Ruthie’s eyes. The whole place was full of lovely antique pieces, things she had never even been close to before. Connie’s furniture was charmless Utility stuff from the war and a few modern bits that had come off the back of a lorry, no questions asked.

      This was a whole new world, a world that she had felt so excited to be entering. But now it was all ruined, and she hated Max and Annie for doing this to her, for killing her dream.

      ‘I’ll get ready for bed,’ she said coldly.

      Then she looked around. He’d brought her small suitcase upstairs with them and she was so tired, she just wanted to change into her nightdress and go to sleep. But Max was here. He was here, and things were expected of her. But she couldn’t undress in front of him.

      She just couldn’t.

      Max saw her sudden confusion and took pity on her.

      ‘You get yourself settled in,’ he said, swigging champagne then putting the flute aside. ‘I’ll be back in a tick.’

      He went into the adjoining bathroom and relieved himself, then shucked off his suit and washed, shaved and splashed on cologne. He felt excited at what was to come, every part of him seemed to pulsate with anticipation.

      His wedding night.

      Christ, married at last.

      Well, it had to happen. He wanted to pass all this on to someone, and Jonjo was still the crazy bachelor, showing every sign of staying a fucking playboy for the rest of his natural, while Eddie was a bum-bandit and unlikely ever to father a kid. Some fucker had to carry on the Carter family line, to build the family back up into the force it should be, and it was going to have to be him.

      He put on his dressing gown and went back out to the bedroom. Ruthie was sitting up in bed looking like she was about to be shot. Her hands were gripping the bedcovers so tightly the knuckles were white.

      Her nightie was one of those cotton