Read The Faithless Online

Authors: Martina Cole

Tags: #Fiction, #Crime, #General

The Faithless (9 page)

Cynthia preened at the praise and, feeling magnanimous, said kindly, ‘You’re getting there, Celeste, so don’t let it bother you too much.’

‘I won’t. Thanks for coming, mate, it means a lot.’

Cynthia was thrilled at how her sister saw her as the yardstick for her husband’s new enterprises. It was another balm to her tortured soul. She felt she should be the one enjoying all this,
not her younger sister. If only she had seen the truth of the situation years ago, she wouldn’t have let him go, whatever the circumstances.

It never occurred to Cynthia that her sister was actually in the know where all that was concerned. Celeste was clever enough to keep that information close to her ample chest. Jonny had never said a word – he wouldn’t, he was too nice a person – but she listened to gossip. It
had
bothered her that her sister had been there before her, but now she knew, deep inside, that Jonny loved her,
really
loved her, and she was woman enough to accept the truth of that. She only worried that her sister would find out that she actually knew the score, and thereby feel the humiliation of realising that Celeste knew and didn’t care. With people like Cynthia you told them what they wanted to hear, because it was so much easier that way. If they ever saw themselves as everyone else did, it would be too much for them to take onboard. They lived in their own little worlds, it was what made them into the people they were.

Jonny Parker walked deliberately to the table that held his lovely Celeste, as always feeling the pull of her. She was worth fifty of any other woman in his world.

‘You enjoying it, babe?’

‘Oh, Jonny, it’s wonderful.’

He looked into Cynthia’s eyes as he said seriously, ‘She chose all the décor, what a star, eh?’ Tonight he wanted to get his first conversation with her out of the way, and he wanted it to be in front of his Celeste. He had nothing to hide and he wanted to make that plain.

Cynthia smirked as she answered him. ‘That explains a lot, Jonny.’

The insult was clear and he knew it. More to the point Celeste knew it but, as ever, she chose to ignore the implication. Jonny loved her for her kindness and the fact that she only ever saw the good in everyone, including that ponce of a sister.

Cynthia looked at Jonny with her heavily made-up eyes; she could eat him as he was. Every time she saw him she could kick the fuck out of herself. What she could have had was evident in every move he made. She wanted him more than ever. If she had only known he would have achieve what he had, and in such a massive way, she would never have let him slip away from her. Unfortunately, she had believed he was no more than a fucking wanter, she had never believed he would be a getter. Just proved how wrong a girl could be. But Cynthia wasn’t going to give up – she still believed she could change the future, and she wanted Jonny Parker back badly. She felt that if she fought hard enough she might just get him. After all, what was she up against? Her sister Celeste wasn’t exactly a hard sell where she was concerned. She was a prat, and a prat of the first water.

Jonny watched the thoughts flicker over Cynthia’s face and he could read her mind. He had no intentions of giving this vicious bitch what she wanted, what she expected. True he had felt something for her once, well, her body at least – that had been spectacular and what she had promised him and eventually delivered had been the best of the best. But it had not lasted. She had expected too much for far too little. She had been a great fuck, but even then that was only because he had been her first, and
that
had only happened because she had wanted what she
thought
he might have to offer. Cynthia was like a robot, she would fuck a table if it got her what she wanted. And, as luck would have it, he had realised that sooner rather than later, seen the seriousness of his dilemma. In fact, he now thanked fuck at every available opportunity for getting as far away from her as possible. That he had met and fallen in love with her younger sister he now saw as righteous retribution. It was as if Christ Himself was making amends.

‘Come on, Celeste, let’s go and meet our clientele.’ This was said with enough arrogance for Cynthia to know that it was a barb aimed directly at her.

Cynthia watched as her sister walked away with the man of
her
dreams. If life was really fair it would have been her walking around like she was the dog’s knob. Not her little sister. It was as if the world had gone mad, and somehow her little sister had been given the all clear, had been allowed to be somebody. Celeste, who was a no mark, a nothing, who was actually the recipient of her leftovers.

As they walked into the crowd, James came and sat beside her. He was full of it she could tell, loving the fact that they were a part of it all. Enjoying the whole experience. He made her sick. He was so grateful for nothing.

‘What a great night, Cynth! And you know I’m a part owner now, don’t you? If we play our cards right this could be the start of something big.’

He was made up, thrilled with the whole shebang, as her mother would say. But to her, he was no more than a pawn in what would eventually be her sister’s pension. He had a minor stake in what would one day be a very lucrative business. After all, who stood to really gain from all these restaurants and pubs and nightclubs? Fucking Celeste, that’s who. With
her
ninety-eight per cent share, as opposed to Cynthia’s two per cent. Two per cent out of a hundred! And her husband thought that was something they should celebrate. While the rest would be Celeste’s. Would be her sister’s earn. Celeste, who couldn’t fight her way out of a wet paper bag. Who was as much use as a fucking chocolate fireguard. Who, if the Filth came knocking, would not know how to answer their questions, wouldn’t know how to protect her own.
She
would be the main earner. It was fucking outrageous, and here was
her
husband bragging because Jonny Parker had allowed him a tiny percentage. It was easier than giving him a proper wage! She knew that even if Mr fucking Know-It-All financial advisor didn’t understand. It disgusted her that her husband, her James, could be pleased with
so little.
That he could allow Jonny Parker to insult him
and still not see the reality of what was going on grieved her. He was obviously being offered a pittance – and she was convinced it was no more than that – and there was he, almost on his knees with gratitude and that, above all, was what really made her angry.

It should have been fifty-fifty at least. If her James had been given a stake he must have earned it, but Jonny Parker, being what he was, would never give anyone what they really deserved. It meant that her husband was being ripped off, another reason to make her feel hard done by. To make herself believe that they were being had over, were being taken for mugs. After all, her James was the person who kept these people
legitimate.
He was the money man, and knowing that made her feel much better about herself. It made her believe that all the hateful things she felt and she thought about had some kind of basis in fact.

As she looked around her, saw the people fawning over her sister and Jonny Parker, she was already wondering how she could bring them down and, more importantly, when.

She knew she could easily take them out without a second’s thought if she opened her mouth to the right people, at the right time. She didn’t know enough yet. But she would, eventually. She would bide her time and she would learn what she needed to know. And then bring them down she would, if it was the last thing she did in her life.

Chapter Nineteen
 

‘Stop it, Cynth, we’re earning a good wage. He gives us more than anyone else would.’ Jimmy watched as his wife rolled her eyes dramatically and shook her head in abject disbelief.

‘Huh, only you would say something that fucking stupid.
They
are the ones on a good earn, not us! They are making fucking mugs of us. You might be content with fuck-all, but I’m not.’

Jimmy looked at his wife and, for the first time in years, he knew he had to fight her, had to make her see sense. He knew that if he wasn’t careful she would queer their pitch once and for all. This had been coming for a long time, and he knew he had to nip this latest tantrum in the bud. She was getting too outrageous even for him. If only she could understand their world like normal people, but he knew that was never going to be the case. So now he had to finally stop her in her tracks.

Jonny Parker had already said as much and, in fairness to him, he had a point. Cynthia was a liability, and he knew that better than anyone. She had a trap that was dangerous, she never knew when to
shut the fuck up.
He also knew that if he didn’t sort her out then Jonny would have to make sure someone else did the dirty deed. They were all in it up to their necks, and he had no interest in being sidelined because his wife was a loose cannon.

‘We are on a seriously good earn if only you would see that. We get a percentage of everything, Cynth. Where else would we get that, eh?’

Cynthia laughed derisively as if he was a complete fool, then shouted angrily, ‘Oh, have a day off, James, will you, for fuck’s sake! You’re such a mug! We’re not earning fuck-all in comparison to that lot, you’re a fucking joke . . .’

‘Don’t, Cynth, not tonight, don’t start now . . .’

Cynthia was shaking her head slowly and deliberately as if she was in the presence of the greatest moron since Benny off
Crossroads.
But Jimmy shook his own head then, and she suddenly realised that she was pushing him too far. Looking at him now, his face contorted with anger, his heavy body taut with rage, she saw that her constant criticism had finally hit home. He looked menacing and dangerous; after all, he had had a good teacher and she forgot at times how his life had changed. He was playing with the big boys now and picking up their bad habits. He was looking at her with distrust, with an anger she didn’t know he possessed. He looked capable of anything, and she knew it was in her interests to leave it for a while. That she should temper her barbs, not make her anguish so plain.

After all these years she understood that she had finally pushed him too far. For the first time ever she actually felt afraid of the man she had married, felt the strength of him, saw the anger in his eyes. In fairness, she knew he was providing for them more than adequately, not that she would ever tell him that, of course. But that was not enough for her, would never be enough for her; she wanted what her sister had. The lion’s share was all she would ever be content with, was all she would ever accept. Even she admitted to herself that at times her jealousy got out of hand, but she couldn’t help the feeling that life was pissing on her from a great height. That seeing that mousy little sister of hers getting one over on her was all she could ever think about. She should have been the one to have achieved it; she had more brains and more savvy than Celeste would ever have. It was unfair, it was so unfair. Not that he would ever understand that, of course.

But as he looked at her now, disgust and dislike in his eyes, she knew they had somehow crossed a line. Never before had he fronted her up like this, it had always been the other way round. Something had given him some Dutch courage that he’d never previously had, and she had a suspicion what that something was.

‘You, calling me stupid?’ he said. ‘You, who wouldn’t know how to earn a crust if your life depended on it?
You,
who can’t even bloody get yourself together long enough to take care of your own kids!
You
dare to question me, and what I do for this so-called family?’

She didn’t answer him, didn’t know how to.

‘I fucking get up and go out twenty-four seven. And do you know what?
That’s
why Jonny looks after us, you stupid mare. He offers me a taste, a bit of what he’s doing and I am thrilled to take it. Because without him we’d be scratching a living, like we were before. So you had better wind your fucking neck in, shut your trap and be grateful for what you have got, instead of constantly harping on about what you think you
should
have. I’ve had it, Cynth. I’ve had you and your fucking wants till I’m dizzy.’

Cynthia looked at her husband in complete amazement; if someone had told her he would turn on her like this she would have laughed in their face. But she shouldn’t have been so shocked; she had watched him getting too big for his boots, saw him blossoming as he became more and more successful in his chosen field. She had seen him become a man of renown almost, knew he was respected because he could hide a few quid from the tax man and the law. Now it seemed he thought he was better than her, the mother of his children. She also suspected that he had acquired a habit of sorts – a severe case of the sniffles. In fact he was often assaulted by a case of Colombian flu. She was pretty sure her goody-two-shoes husband was a bit of a cokehead.

Oh, how times changed.

‘You can’t talk to me like that! I won’t swallow
you
of all people treating me like a fool.’

Jimmy laughed then and, pushing her backwards on to the sofa, he said seriously, ‘
Fuck you,
Cynth, do I look like I care what you think these days? I’m over you and your viciousness. You bring my kids back home or you can fuck off. I’ve had you up to my eyebrows. You’re a vindictive cunt, and a bully. But I ain’t swallowing no more, so you better sort yourself out.’

Jimmy couldn’t believe what he had just said, let alone that it was to Cynthia! All the things he had dreamt of saying he had finally said. He knew it was because he had partaken of a few lines of cocaine. Lately he had found that he liked the way it made him feel. He didn’t care what anyone thought of him after a few lines, and he felt invincible. He felt that he could do no wrong. He also knew that if Jonny Parker found out about it he would go ballistic. Jonny didn’t like drugs, especially not in his personal circle of friends; he might sell them of course, and in large quantities, but that was just business as far as he was concerned. As long as Jonny didn’t know about his newfound habit, Jimmy knew he was OK. He also knew that his wife, who he still loved after everything, was a woman who needed a serious slap. And, if she wasn’t careful, the chances were she would get just that. He had had enough, in more ways than one.

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