Shafted Read online

  ‘I thought we were mates,’ Larry persisted, adrenalin propelling him on even though he could clearly see that Dex was close to the edge. ‘Come on, man, don’t give up now. Think what you’re gonna lose if you walk out. The money, the car . . .’

  Breathing hard, Dex stopped and turned to face Larry. Peering down at him, he searched his face for signs of duplicity or guilt. At the very least he’d have expected fear, but Larry just looked confused and that, in turn, confused Dex. His instincts were still telling him to get the fuck out of there, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it was just another burst of paranoia. Surely no one could be stupid enough to stand right in front of him and lie to his face like this – definitely not a wuss like Logan. So was he making a huge mistake here? Missing out for nothing on the chance to win the money and the car?

  Before Dex had had a chance to convert these thoughts into a decision, the studio door burst open and the corridor was suddenly swarming with uniformed police officers. Striding to the fore, Keeton said, ‘Derek John Lewis, I am arresting you for—’

  ‘Fuck you!’ Dex cut him off, his eyes narrowed to slits as he glanced at the officers, assessing who to take out first if he was going to make it through them.

  ‘Raise your hands and face the wall,’ Keeton ordered him sharply, gesturing for his officers to move in.

  ‘I wouldn’t if I was you,’ Dex snarled, reaching down and pulling a flick knife out of his sock.

  Hyped with the excitement of being in the middle of something he’d only ever seen on TV before, and conscious of how amazing he was going to look if he talked Dex down, Larry held up his hands in a calming gesture and said, ‘Hey, come on, Dex . . . don’t be stupid. Just put the knife down before someone gets hurt.’

  ‘Stay out of this, Larry!’ Keeton barked, furious that Logan was out here in the first place when he’d been told to stay out of harm’s way.

  ‘Larry?’ Dex repeated darkly, the final pieces clicking into place in his head.

  Larry’s excitement turned to icy fear when Dex turned and glared at him. But before he could even think about running, Dex grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and, flipping him round, dragged him up against his chest. Looping a thick arm around his throat now, he pressed the tip of the blade against the soft skin under his chin.

  ‘Back off – NOW!’ he snarled to Keeton. ‘And get your dickheads out of the way, or he’s dead!’

  ‘Don’t be stupid, Lewis,’ Keeton said calmly, holding up a hand for his officers to stay put.

  ‘I’m not the stupid one here,’ Dex spat back at him. ‘You are if you think I’m sticking around to let you stitch me up again. That TDA was nothing to fucking do with me, and you fucking know it wasn’t! Now, back the fuck off and let me out, or he’s dead, and I’m not messin’ around here.’

  ‘Don’t!’ Larry croaked, feeling light-headed as blood began to trickle down his neck. ‘This has got nothing to do with me, Dex.’

  ‘You think I’m some kind of fucking idiot?’ Dex growled down his ear. ‘You’re the cunt who got me here, and you’re the cunt who’s gonna pay for it if they don’t back off.’

  ‘Let him go,’ Keeton ordered, giving a covert signal to one of his men to get the Taser ready.

  ‘Fuck you!’ Dex retorted defiantly. ‘He’s coming with me, so get that lot shifted. And I want an unmarked car, an’ all.’

  Unable to breathe as Dex started forcing him forwards toward the wall of officers, Larry kicked back with his heels to make him loosen his grip. But it had the opposite effect – bright sparks exploded behind his eyes when Dex increased the pressure on his throat. As the darkness enveloped him, Larry dimly heard Keeton shouting, ‘Go, go, go!’

  9

  ‘I need a smoke,’ Larry said irritably, struggling to sit up.

  ‘Just keep still and let them finish doing what they’re doing,’ Georgie scolded him sharply, reaching out and giving him a gentle but firm push on the shoulder to make him lie down.

  Sighing loudly, Larry did as he was told. Yelping when the nurse resumed her stitching, he gave her an evil look and said, ‘Christ, watch what you’re doing! I thought this was a hospital, not a flaming butcher’s shop!’

  Apologising, the young nurse blushed. She’d never had a patient as famous or as drop-dead gorgeous as Larry Logan before, so it wasn’t easy trying to stitch him up when her hands were shaking so badly. And she was much closer than she’d ever imagined she would get to him, which was making her doubly nervous: knowing that he could probably smell her breath and the sweat that was pouring off her.

  Telling Larry to stop being so bloody rude when people were only trying to help him, Georgie tutted when her mobile phone began to ring in her pocket. Taking it out, she switched it off and tossed it into her messy handbag.

  ‘Who was it?’ Larry asked through gritted teeth, trying not to move his chin as the nurse picked up the syringe to give him another shot of anaesthetic.

  ‘Probably more well-wishers,’ Georgie murmured, peering at him worriedly as the nurse swabbed up a fresh trickle of blood. ‘They haven’t stopped since word got out what happened. You’ll be the only headline in the papers tomorrow, that’s for sure.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Larry said, exhaling through his teeth as the numbness crept up his chin, making him feel like Desperate Dan.

  ‘Yes, well, I’m more concerned about you right now,’Georgie told him sincerely.‘So will you please stop talking and let the nurse patch you up?’

  Winking at her, because he could see that she was genuinely shaken, Larry said, ‘Okay, mum, stop worrying. I’m going to be right as rain.’ Turning his head slightly to look at the nurse now, he said, ‘Sorry for shouting, sweetheart. You’re doing a great job.’

  Almost melting off her stool, the nurse dipped her gaze, unable to look into Larry’s green- and gold-flecked eyes because they were just too beautiful and sexy.

  Another nurse tapped on the door just then. Popping her head in, she gazed at Larry for a moment, then turned to Georgie, saying, ‘Sorry to disturb you, but there’s about a hundred photographers outside, and now some TV news vans are pulling in and blocking the ambulance bays. My manager’s freaking out, and she said to ask if you can do something about it.’

  Sighing wearily, Georgie flapped her hands. ‘I don’t really know what I can do, but I’ll try.’

  Thanking her, the nurse held the door open for her.

  ‘Your mum’s nice,’ the first nurse said when she and Larry were alone, needing to fill the silence in case he heard how loudly her heart was thudding.

  ‘She’s all right,’ Larry said, aware that he was slurring as the anaesthetic began to affect his tongue. ‘Think I look like her?’

  ‘Not really,’ the nurse said diplomatically, thinking that he was utterly gorgeous, whereas his mum had a really big nose and her eyes were dark and droopy. ‘She really loves you, though, doesn’t she? She was so worried when she came into reception looking for you.’

  Amused that the nurse believed that Georgie was his mother despite the fact that she was obviously Jewish and he obviously wasn’t, Larry said, ‘Yeah, she’s always fussing over me, my old mum. Can’t complain, I suppose. But she’s a terror with my girlfriends. Scares the bloody life out of them when I bring them home.’

  The nurse bit her lip, wishing that she would ever get lucky enough to go home with him. And she’d make damn sure his mum liked her if she did.

  ‘I think she’s lovely,’ she murmured now, carefully inserting the last stitches into the small but fairly deep wound under Larry’s chin. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for scarring him any more than could be helped.

  ‘She is, isn’t she?’ Larry agreed quietly, actually meaning it. Even after all the shit he’d given Georgie over the last year, she’d been at the hospital almost before they’d finished unloading him from the back of the ambulance and had stayed with him while he was being examined, holding his hand and telling him he was going to
be fine.

  Outside the hospital at that moment, Georgie shielded her eyes as cameras flashed all around her. Holding her hands up for quiet when the questions started coming thick and fast, she introduced herself as Larry’s agent and spokeswoman. Then she said, ‘I can’t tell you too much at the moment, because I haven’t heard the full story myself yet. But I can assure you that Larry is being extremely well looked after, and his injuries seem reasonably minor, so we’re hoping for a full and quick recovery.’

  ‘Any news on Dex Lewis?’ one of the reporters called out. ‘Is it true he was admitted to hospital for burns caused by the Taser?’

  ‘I have no information about Derek Lewis,’ Georgie informed the crowd coolly. ‘But I’m sure the police will be happy to help you with your enquiries.’

  ‘When will we get to see the show?’ another reporter wanted to know now. ‘Or will it be held as evidence against Lewis?’

  ‘Again, I have no information about that,’ Georgie answered. ‘But I can tell you that the programme wasn’t scheduled to be shown in England anyway, so I imagine you’d have to speak to the producers to see if they’re planning on releasing any extracts.’ Holding her hands up again, she said, ‘That’s really all I can tell you at this stage, so I’ll leave you with that, because I want to get back to Larry. Thank you for your interest, and I’ll keep you informed about his condition.’

  ‘Did you ask them to clear the ambulance bays?’ the nurse whispered when Georgie came back to the door.

  Admitting that she’d completely forgotten, Georgie turned back and called out to the reporters, asking them to please respect that normal hospital business must be allowed to continue as usual, and could they take care not to block the entrances.

  Awed by her aura of authority, the nurse almost curtsied when she let Georgie back into the hospital. Thanking her when the reporters started moving further back, she asked if there was anything she could get for her.

  ‘A very strong coffee would be wonderful,’ Georgie said, smiling gratefully and wearily. She’d been riding along on a tide of adrenalin since she’d heard that Larry had been attacked and injured, but now that she knew he was alive and reasonably unscathed, her body was beginning to close down on her.

  ‘Are you okay?’ the nurse asked, thinking she looked a little too pale.

  Georgie opened her mouth to say that she was perfectly all right, but the ground gave way beneath her feet before a word came out.

  Calling for assistance, the nurse made sure that Georgie was in safe hands, then rushed back to the small private room where Larry was being treated.

  ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ she said, going in and closing the door behind her, ‘but your mum’s had a little turn, and we’re having a doctor take a look at her. I just need to know if she has any conditions we ought to be aware of, or if she’s taking any medication we should know about?’

  ‘I want to see her,’ Larry said, sitting up far too quickly. Shaking his head to clear the dizziness, he tried to get off the bed but stumbled back against it. When both nurses rushed forward to steady him, he pushed their hands away, saying, ‘I’m fine – really. I just need to see her.’

  ‘I’ll get you a chair and take you to her,’ his original nurse said, reluctant to let him out of her sight because they’d been getting on so well.

  ‘I’ll get it,’ the second nurse said, backing quickly out of the room before her rival had a chance to beat her to it. Coming back seconds later, she helped Larry into the chair and wheeled him out.

  Georgie was lying on a trolley in the A&E department, waiting to be seen by a doctor. The curtains were pulled only partially across the bay, and the other patients could clearly see her as they passed, which annoyed Larry.

  ‘Why have you got her in here?’ he demanded. ‘Why didn’t you bring her straight to my room? She’s not a bloody sideshow.’

  Apologising, the nurse explained that Georgie’d had to be brought into this section because she’d collapsed in the reception area.

  Saying, ‘I want her moved to somewhere better. And get a doctor to see her – now!’ Larry pulled the curtain aside and wheeled himself into the small room.

  Opening her eyes, Georgie looked round at him and shook her head. ‘What have I told you about being rude? And what are you playing at, anyway? You should be in bed.’

  ‘Never mind me,’ he said, gazing up at her worriedly. ‘What’s with you and all this collapsing nonsense, you dozy cow? Trying to steal the limelight, or what?’

  ‘I’m diabetic,’ Georgie told him. ‘But I’m fine now. One of the nurses gave me a shot of insulin. They just want a doctor to take a look at me before they okay me to leave.’

  ‘Since when have you been diabetic?’ Larry frowned. ‘And why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘It’s none of your business,’ she told him, mock-sternly. ‘You don’t think I tell you everything, do you?’

  ‘Yeah, well, you should have told me about this,’ he muttered. ‘What if you’d collapsed when you were driving me around? You’d have killed us both, you selfish bitch.’

  ‘For your information, I have been managing my condition quite successfully for nigh on thirty years,’ Georgie informed him tartly. ‘So I neither need nor appreciate a lecture from someone who knows less than nothing about it.’

  Coming back in time to hear this, the nurse raised an eyebrow, shocked that anybody would speak to Larry like that, never mind his own mother. But he obviously didn’t mind, because he was holding her hand and looking up at her like he really loved her.

  Smiling at Georgie now, so that Larry would see that she was treating his mother with the deference she deserved, the nurse said, ‘I’ve arranged for you to be moved to a private room, and a consultant will be coming to see you as soon as possible. I’m very sorry you weren’t seen immediately, but it’s hectic in here tonight.’

  ‘No need to move me,’ Georgie told her, flapping her hand to silence Larry when he opened his mouth to object. ‘And I’m quite happy to wait my turn to see the duty doctor, thank you. I’ve already been treated, so I shouldn’t have another episode just yet. In fact, I’m feeling a little guilty for taking up a bed, because I’m perfectly all right now. You could do one thing for me, though . . .’ She jerked her head in Larry’s direction. ‘Take him back to his room before I strangle him.’

  Exhaling wearily, Larry held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘Okay, I’m going. But you’d best do as you’re told while you’re here. And I’ll be waiting for you out there, so don’t even think about sneaking out and jumping in a cab, because I’m taking you home to look after you.’

  ‘I think you’ll find that it’s you who needs looking after, not me,’ Georgie informed him in clipped tones. ‘So you’re coming home with me tonight. Now scoot.’

  Waiting until the nurse had taken Larry away and the curtain had been pulled all the way across, Georgie laid her head back and pressed her thumbs onto her eyelids to prevent the tears that were burning the back of her eyes from escaping. That was the Larry Logan she knew and loved. Not the egomaniacal little swine he’d morphed into over recent years, who flirted and demanded his way through life not seeming to really care about anyone or anything. She’d always known he was still in there somewhere, but it was so touching to actually see him again – and all the more touching that it should be in his hour of need that he’d chosen to resurface to care for her. That made all the irritations and hurt feelings of the last year evaporate as if they had been nothing but a bad dream.

  All the way across town on the south side of Manchester, having escorted Dex Lewis to Wythenshawe Hospital – personally, to ensure that no more cock-ups occurred before they got him safely back to the station and into a cell – Inspector Keeton was pacing up and down outside the examination room, waiting to hear the prognosis.

  Lewis had looked pretty rough when they’d brought him in, but injuries were unavoidable when prisoners resisted arrest as vigorously as he had. The Taser h
ad laid him out temporarily, giving the police a chance to rescue Larry and get him seen to, but Lewis had been back on his feet in record time, and then it had taken a whole battalion of men to bring him under control. As Keeton had expected and wanted to avoid, Lewis had managed to inflict a fair bit of damage on a few of the uniforms before they managed to subdue him. Most just had minor cuts and bruises, but two of the lads were still under observation back at the MRI, and at least one of them was looking quite serious, having taken a savage kick in the head.

  But, much as he regretted what had happened to his own lads, and, worse, to Larry Logan – awkward questions were bound to be asked about that – Keeton was still glad that he’d finally got hold of Lewis. He just hoped that the bastard hadn’t sustained any serious injuries of his own during the battle, because he’d be bound to put in a claim for compensation, and the increasingly crazy human-rights brigade would no doubt back him up and make sure he got a huge pay-out.

  Stopping mid-pace when the examination-room door opened, Keeton jerked his chin at the doctor.

  Frowning at him over the rim of his glasses, the medic walked away from the door, forcing Keeton to follow him down the corridor. Stopping when he thought he’d put enough distance between them and the patient, the doctor said, ‘He’s a very lucky man, inspector. Given his external appearance, he has remarkably few injuries. No internal bleeding, breaks or fractures. No significant trauma at all, in fact. Just a great deal of bruising, which should fade within a matter of weeks, I would imagine.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Keeton asked, having prepared himself for the worst. ‘What about the after-effects of the Taser? He took quite a hit.’

  Shaking his head, the doctor shrugged.‘Nothing to cause alarm. Appearances to the contrary, the man seems to be in perfect physical order.’

  ‘I’ll be buggered,’ Keeton murmured, running a hand over his face. Then, ‘Right, well, good. I’ll take him, then.’