The Locksmith by Linda Calvey (reading in the dark .TXT) 📕

had started to tremble inwardly as she spoke. He might be friendly enough, but she had the feeling that what she was doing was more akin to baiting a lion. He looked happy but at any minute he could pounce, and then there would be his giant jaws, his large teeth biting down on her.

Ruby kept her hands folded on the table in front of her now, all attempts to eat the meal abandoned. She couldn’t show him how scared she was, how out of her depth she felt right now.

‘Tell me what you’ve got in mind and I’ll tell ya if we’ll do it.’

Charlie stopped eating. He dabbed his mouth rather theatrically. The air went still, even the candles seemed to stop flickering. Charlie looked up at her, and she thought, This is it, now is when he attacks.

Suddenly, the big man’s face creased into an amused smile. ‘So, this is how it’s goin’ to be, is it? All right, Ruby Murphy, I think we could make a good team. If Bobby turns off the alarms and gets into the bookies, he can keep half of what’s in there, which is thirty grand for you. I’m reliably informed there’s sixty in there.’

Ruby almost gasped. Thirty thousand pounds was a small fortune to them. They’d never had that much money in all their lives. If Bobby did this one job, they could move away, somewhere nice in the country, somewhere where little George could run and play outside.

Steady yourself . . . steady, Ruby, she admonished herself. Hold it together. The young woman smiled. ‘I think we ’ave a deal, Charlie.’

Charlie nodded. ‘We do, conditional on me meetin’ Bobby.’

Ruby understood. He didn’t take anything on trust. ‘Of course,’ she demurred.

With that the kingpin lifted up his glass. ‘A toast to us and a new workin’ relationship.’

‘To us,’ Ruby murmured, holding in her sigh of relief. She felt instinctively that this crook was taking her seriously.

‘To new business, and to a beautiful woman,’ Charlie smiled, taking a drink, at the same time as shooing away the waiter who had appeared to fill the glass again. ‘I’m drivin’ and I want a clear ’ead as I’ve got more business after this. It’s been a pleasure meetin’ ya, Ruby. From now on, you’re under my protection, until we see how Bobby does.’

Charlie stood up. The meeting was clearly over. Ruby had barely touched a morsel of the delicious dinner. She’d been too nervous to eat, but she was now filled with a new feeling, a buzzing sensation that seemed to stem from her brain down the length of her body. She’d done it. She’d met a man who could’ve destroyed her and her family in seconds, yet she’d warmed to him, even felt that she was now under his wing. She knew that this was the beginning of a new way of life, a new path that had appeared under her feet. She didn’t know where it would lead, but she knew that Charlie Beaumont was going to take her there.

CHAPTER 17

By Thursday afternoon, Ruby had scrubbed the house from top to bottom, ashamed at their humble home. She imagined that Charlie lived in a mansion somewhere flash, with servants and Rolls-Royces, and the sight of her basic home, with its utilitarian furniture and few comforts, made her feel strangely vulnerable. Bobby came in from work, his face like thunder. Ruby arched her eyebrows at him. She didn’t need to speak a word. He got the message and said, ‘All right, Rube, I’ll put a smile on my face. I won’t let ya down, I promise.’

Ruby sighed. ‘I know ya don’t like it, but think of the rewards, think of the money we’ll make with Charlie behind us. And it ain’t just about the cash. With Charlie on our side we’ll be safer. No one will try to mug us off knowin’ we’re in with him.’

‘Listen, Rube, it’s one thing crackin’ a safe, it’s another thing working for the likes of Beaumont. We don’t know nuthin’ about him except he’s a blagger and he runs things round ’ere. We don’t know what we’re gettin’ into.’

Ruby knew her brother was nervous. If she admitted it, she was more than a little anxious herself. Even though they’d met just once, she had the feeling she could work with him, and not just as a minion.

‘He’s kosher, and we’ll be fine, I promise ya. Your talents are wasted on break-ins at offices, Bobby. They should be used to do the really big jobs, the big banks, big warehouses. We could clean up.’

Bobby grimaced. ‘Yeah but the big jobs come with long jail stretches, Rube. It’s riskier.’

‘Maybe, but Charlie’s been at it for years. It could be safer workin’ with a big-time crook who knows what’s what,’ Ruby butted in. ‘I know this is ’ard for you but it’s the only choice we ’ave. Charlie will do right by us.’

‘If we do right by him, you mean,’ Bobby said, but he nodded in agreement anyway.

‘Right, you can take George, while I get changed,’ Ruby said, handing the warm bundle to her brother. Bobby’s face changed instantly. He smiled beatifically down at his little brother’s sweet face and began whispering endearments to him while George chuckled and wriggled in his arms.

Ruby smiled, this time, genuinely. Things were really OK between her and Bobby. He just needed a bit more time to get used to it all. She stood in the doorway for a second watching her soft-hearted brother’s face light up as he talked to the toddler. He was a born father, a family man to the core. She had to tread carefully to keep him happy.

An hour later, Ruby was dressed in a new outfit, a black dress and heels, with a matching jacket. For the first time in her life, she could afford to buy new clothes. It was a nice feeling, and one she didn’t take for granted. Bobby had put George down for the