Head of the Firm Read online

  Turning around, he put the gun in his jacket pocket and started to head for the door when he noticed the figure standing in the doorway.

  ‘You must be Michael. Connor looks just like you,’ she whispered.

  As he approached her, Michael noticed the bruising on her neck, the blood congealed around the gash on her lower lip, and the makings of a black eye.

  ‘I thought you were supposed to be at your sister’s?’ he snapped.

  Michael shook his head. He thought he’d done his homework on this one. There was not supposed to be a snip of evidence to connect him to the crime, especially not a witness. According to her Facebook page, Jasmine was visiting her sister in North Wales for her nephew’s first birthday, not standing in the living room watching the murder of her husband. This was a complication he could do without.

  She nodded. ‘I am at my sister’s. At least that’s what everyone is supposed to think anyway. My sister Rose has even been posting photographs of me from the last time I was there two weeks ago, as though they were taken today.’

  Michael rubbed a hand across his forehead. ‘Why?’

  Jasmine lifted her hand, and it was only then that he noticed she was holding a small handgun. ‘I’ve been planning this for a month now. I can’t live like this any more,’ she said quietly as she touched her cheek.

  ‘So you were on your way down here right now to shoot him yourself?’ he asked incredulously. That was a hell of a coincidence.

  ‘No. I was going to do it later, when he was asleep in bed. But then I heard a noise. I thought someone had broken in. So I came down with this.’

  Michael shook his head. He didn’t know whether to believe her or not. She was either telling the truth or about to blow his head off. ‘You think you’d have actually done it then?’ he asked, trying to read her.

  She nodded firmly. ‘It was either him or me. It was only a matter of time.’

  Michael sighed. What the fuck was he going to do with her?

  ‘Would you mind taking me to my sister’s?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘My car’s at my sister’s house. She picked it up from the garage today and drove it to her house for me earlier. I need to be at my sister’s house. I already disabled the CCTV before I went to bed, so no one will see me leave. I couldn’t possibly have been a witness to whatever went on here tonight, could I?’

  ‘I suppose not. But what makes you think I’d trust you enough to let you walk out of here?’

  She smiled at him. ‘You may not know me, but I know you, Michael Carter. I know you wouldn’t hurt a woman, even if I am armed,’ she said as placed the gun on the sideboard next to her. ‘Besides, why wouldn’t I keep my mouth shut? You have just done me a massive favour and saved me the job of killing that bastard myself. I love Connor. I have done for a while, and I’ve been desperate to leave Sol for a lot longer than that. But if that wasn’t enough to convince you, then how about the fact that I’m four months pregnant with your grandchild? I wouldn’t have been able to hide it from him much longer, and then what do you think Sol would have done to me and my baby? And Connor too? Sol would have known it wasn’t his. He fires blanks, you know? Had the snip after his daughter died coz he didn’t want any more kids.’

  Michael shook his head in exasperation. ‘Does Connor know?’

  ‘Not yet,’ she whispered. ‘I haven’t been able to see him for a few weeks. Sol’s had me on a very short leash.’

  Michael stared at her. He knew very little about this woman other than that she was allegedly carrying his son’s child. But what choice did he have?

  ‘I’m really sorry about Paul,’ she said softly, pulling him from his thoughts. ‘I know it was Sol. I’m sorry I caused all of this.’

  ‘It was Sol. Sol was the one responsible for all of this. Not you, or Connor. He can never find out about this. It would kill him.’

  Jasmine stood in the doorway looking up at him like a child. ‘I won’t tell him, I promise. And if you could take me to my sister’s, I can lie low for a few days and then when this all blows over, I can tell Connor about the baby. I think he’ll be over the moon, don’t you?’

  ‘Probably,’ Michael conceded. ‘Come on then.’ He gestured for her to walk out of the door before him. ‘Where does this sister of yours live then?’

  Epilogue

  Grace wrapped her hands around her husband’s waist and kissed him full on the lips.

  ‘What was that for?’ he said with a smile.

  ‘Just because,’ she replied.

  ‘Do you have any idea how much I love you?’ he asked her.

  ‘Yes, I do.’ Because she did. She felt it every single day. Despite everything that had happened between them, and everything their family had endured, this man was there for her through it all, and she loved him more than she had ever imagined she could.

  ‘What time’s everyone coming?’ Michael whispered in her ear.

  ‘In half an hour,’ she replied. ‘And we still haven’t finished putting up the balloons, so don’t be getting any ideas.’

  ‘Me?’ he protested with a laugh. ‘You’re the one who dragged me back to bed as soon as the kids were gone this morning.’

  She gave him a playful shove. ‘Behave yourself and go and hang some banners or something.’

  ‘Yes, Boss.’ He gave a mock salute before disappearing into the sitting room where Jasmine’s baby shower was due to take place. She was due in three weeks’ time, and to Connor’s delight was having a boy. Obviously, the child was going to be named Paul after the uncle he would never have the chance to meet.

  Grace stared out of the kitchen window into her back garden and thought about how far they had come since Paul’s death four months earlier. Belle and Oscar were happy and healthy. She and Michael were as solid as ever. Isla was still very much part of the family, and Grace had even maintained a relationship with Siobhan, who was now living in Lytham and managing Grace and Michael’s new wine bar. Isla stayed with them every other weekend. Jasmine and Connor were as happy as any couple Grace had ever seen. Whilst Connor had understandably gone off the rails after Paul’s death, Jasmine, and their unborn child, seemed to have calmed him down a lot.

  He and Jake were partners again, and had branched out further into a wide range of ventures. Jake had finally come out as gay, and to his relief everyone who knew him had accepted it as a non-issue. No one would dare to cross him or Connor now. After everything that had happened, they were considered untouchable. Grace still worried about Jake though. She wondered if he’d ever really dealt with Paul’s death. Neither he nor Connor had been told that Connor was the intended target that day. Grace, Michael and Jasmine had sworn to take that secret to their graves. It would do nothing but cause more pain and upset. Although she would never admit it out loud, Paul’s murder had united them all. The Carter family were stronger than ever and nothing would ever come between them again.

  Grace’s train of thought was interrupted by her mobile phone ringing. She glanced at the screen but didn’t recognise the number.

  ‘Hello?’ she answered.

  ‘Grace. It’s Tony Webster.’

  Grace’s stomach lurched. Webster would never phone her on a Sunday unless the news was urgent – and bad.

  ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘I thought you’d want to know as soon as, that Jake and Connor have been arrested.’

  Grace sighed. This was all she needed. Especially as their very expensive but very accomplished barrister, Faye Donovan, was on holiday in Monaco. ‘For God’s sake! What for?’

  Tony paused before he answered. ‘Murder.’

  The word hit Grace like a punch to her gut. The urge to sink to the floor and rest her cheek against the cool tiles was strong. After everything they had just been through? Now this? Taking a long, deep breath, she ended the call from Webster and dialled Faye Donovan’s number, no longer caring that she was about to interrupt her holiday.

  To ensure her son and stepson
’s freedom, Grace Carter was prepared to wage a war the likes of which the city had never seen.

  * * *

  THE END

  * * *

  Don’t miss Liverpool Loyalty, the next heart-stopping instalment in the Bad Blood series.

  * * *

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  Treat yourself to the next gut-wrenching instalment in the Bad Blood series by Caz Finlay with the utterly gripping Liverpool Loyalty.

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  You will also love…

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  You will also love Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker, an utterly addictive psychological thriller following a notorious murderer who has been terrorising the streets of Lancaster for decades, far longer than should ever have been possible for a single killer…

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  And don’t miss the intoxicating Maggie Jamieson series by Noelle Holten, in which the relentless titular detective of the Staffordshire police must contend with secondment to a specialised unit as well as the savagery of arch nemesis and brutal serial killer Bill Raven, all the while trying to protect Irish criminal psychologist, new friend, and instant crush Dr Kate Moloney from any and all harm.

  Happy reading!

  Caz Finlay lives in Liverpool with her husband, two children, and a grumpy dog named Bert. A qualified probation officer, Caz has always been fascinated by the psychology of human behaviour and the reasons people do the things they do. However, it was the loss of her son in 2016 which prompted her to rediscover her love of writing and write her first novel, The Boss.

  cazfinlay.com

  Also by Caz Finlay

  The Boss

  Back in the Game

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