Bad Decision: The Carter Brothers Read online

  For the first time in what seems like ages, my heart shifts a little. My eyes fill with tears as I take in his kind words. Uncle Jimmy was always described to me as a rough diamond with a heart of gold. I never knew what that meant, until now. The man who carries so much on his shoulders is strong, dependable and shines like a beacon of light in a thick fog. He offers security and comfort without judgement and I relax as I sense the support all around me.

  Yes, this was the right thing to do. A family needs to stick together at times like this and they are now the only ones I have, biologically speaking.

  My father’s family are back in California. My grandma and grandpa begged me to stay, but I had to do this. I left them behind with my other uncle and his family while I traveled halfway across the world to find mine. Thinking of them settles my soul. I have them to turn to if I need to and that makes me feel less lonely.

  The door slams bringing my mind back into the room and a girl around my age heads inside and looks at me with curiosity. Aunt Kim says happily, “Trace, come and say hello to Summer. It’s been years since you last saw each other, goodness where did that time go?”

  Tracey smiles tentatively and I see a girl not dissimilar to me. Fairly tall and slim with long dark hair where mine is blonde. She has beautiful brown eyes that are looking at me with compassion.

  She says softly, “Hey, Summer. Good to see you.”

  I smile warmly and she drags a chair beside me and shakes her head. “I was sorry to hear about your family.”

  I nod feeling my heart weighing me down again. To my surprise, she reaches out and grasps my hand tightly. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll look after you. You’re not on your own here.”

  Such simple words that mean more than any I’ve ever heard. My Aunt sets a plate of food before her and I see Tracey wince. “Sorry, mum. I think I can only manage coffee this early.”

  Her mother shrieks, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the time young lady. The fact you’re still wearing the clothes you left here in last night is also a bit of a giveaway. Haven’t I warned you about staying out all night a million times before? You’re heading for trouble if you carry on this way, mark my words.”

  Tracey shrugs and winks at me before taking a sip of coffee and sighs. “Just what I needed.”

  My Aunt glares at her and Tracey shrugs. “It’s no big deal. I stayed at Mandy’s. It got late, and I didn’t want to get the train. You knew I was with her.”

  My Aunt shakes her head. “It’s not right. I don’t like the thought of you out all night. There are all sorts out there and these people prey on beautiful young girls and if I had any hair, it would have left of its own accord by now.”

  Tracey rolls her eyes and I smile slightly. Then uncle Jimmy jumps up and says loudly, “Anyway, I should be getting to work. I’ve got a job in Kent today and may be late.”

  Tracey whispers, “He’s a delivery driver and travels all over the country, it must be so boring.”

  Aunt Kim hears her and frowns. “He does an honest day’s work for a pittance.”

  She turns to me and says angrily, “That’s the trouble with this country. Honest people get the rough deal. We pay our taxes and keep ourselves to ourselves with no handouts and get looked down on by those who have no right to.”

  I watch as my uncle moves across and hugs her gently, kissing her softly on the cheek. She hands him a lunch box and says sadly, “Drive safely, love. Let me know when you’re on the way home and I’ll have your tea waiting.”

  He smiles as he heads outside and Tracey says loudly, “Anyway, let me show you to our room, Summer. I’m sorry but we have to share. I’ll try to keep out of your way if you prefer, otherwise consider me your British tour guide.”

  My Aunt looks at her sharply. “You keep Summer away from that rough crowd otherwise you’ll have me to answer to.”

  Tracey just smiles and drags me by the hand from the room.

  Tracey’s room is a mess. It appears that she’s averse to hanging clothes on rails and the drawers are open and messy. Make-up litters every surface and her bed is unmade with several objects littering the foot of it.

  She looks at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, I forgot to tidy up.”

  I watch as she sweeps everything off another bed adjacent to hers onto the floor and smiles sweetly. “There you go, your very own sanctuary.”

  The bed is tiny compared to what I’m used to and yet looks comfortable and clean. Tracey looks around and frowns.

  “I’ll clear some room for your clothes later and try to make this nicer for you. I knew I should have stayed in last night but you know…”

  She grins wickedly and I smile as I sit on the bed. “Know what?”

  Sitting beside me, she giggles. “What can I say, we live in London. The nightlife is wild and there’s no time to waste by lying in bed all night.”

  She grins and then looks at me with concern.

  “Listen, mum said you were here to find your father. She wouldn’t tell me anything else, do you know where he is?”

  Shaking my head, I sigh heavily. “No. I only have a name.”

  Tracey looks excited as she grabs her phone. “Give it to me and I’ll check him out on Facebook. It’s a long shot but you never know.”

  Shrugging, I say, “Joseph Carter.”

  The phone drops from Tracey’s hand and she looks at me with her eyes wide in shock. “What the fuck?”

  I stare at her in surprise. “Do you know him?”

  She jumps up and closes the door quietly and then sits beside me on the bed and whispers, “Not personally, but if it’s the Joey Carter I think it is, that’s heavy.”

  “Why?”

  She looks at me through frightened eyes. “Joseph Carter is the closest thing to mafia we have here. He runs the Honey Club in town along with other bars and restaurants. Word is, he’s heavily into all sorts and nobody messes with the Carters. If he is your dad then god help you because I wouldn’t want to get involved with that family.”

  Her words strike a fear in my heart that threatens to overwhelm me. Mafia. Really? Surely my mom wouldn’t fall for a guy like that.

  Then my Aunt’s words come back to me as she told me he’d been arrested. She spoke of a crazy life and the pieces fall into place. Tracey starts backtracking and says, “Well, it’s a common name. I suppose there are hundreds of Joey Carters around London. We’ll start a list and look up every one until we find him.”

  In my heart I know we have. Joseph Carter is my father, I can feel it in my bones. Do I want to meet him, hell yeah!

  3

  Maxwell

  “Baby, you haven’t called me in days. What’s the matter, you know I was hoping to spend some time with you, one on one?”

  Her stupid giggle grates on my nerves and I push her away. Fucking, Jessica. She just won’t take a hint and thought a few fucks made us married. I relish the hurt in her eyes as she whines, “What’s going on?”

  Standing up, I nod toward the door, “What’s going is you. Fuck off, Jessica, it was fun but then it got boring really fast.”

  She gasps and shakes her head. “Max, no. You don’t mean that. I thought…”

  I laugh darkly. “You thought what, Jess? That I can’t live without your fucking well-used pussy. That I want a woman who had half of London inside her? A woman that thinks it’s ok to come on to my brother behind my back. Did you really think he wouldn’t share that information with me? Did you?”

  I watch the blood drain from her face as the penny drops. She gasps, “No, it wasn’t like that.”

  She starts to back away from me as I slowly advance. I can feel the fear she generates from here and I love it. I thrive on my victim’s fear. I relish that look in their eyes as they cower down before me waiting for the inevitable. I would never strike a woman though. It’s the unwritten rule. Never lay a hand on a woman in anger and I’m not one to break it. No, my words are far more destructive and I crowd her space and snarl, “Slags like
you are good for only one thing. Parking a hard dick inside. Now run along and find some other poor bastard to run rings around. Consider your services terminated as of immediate effect. If I see your heavily made-up face in any of my establishments, you’ll see how angry I am. Now fuck off and crawl back to the gutter where you belong.”

  I open the door and push her outside, banging it shut behind me. Fucking slag. I should have known better than to let myself near her in the first place. The trouble is, they’re all like that these days. Plastic Barbie dolls teetering in here on their high heels with more plastic injected in their bodies than blood. They have fake hair, fake boobs and fake lips and I’ve had it with the lot of them.

  The phone rings and I bark angrily, “Yes.”

  “What’s the matter with you, is that the way you answer my fucking phone?”

  Sinking down on my seat, I say wearily, “Sorry, pops. Just a bit of business that needed dealing with.”

  He says angrily, “The only business you’re interested in wears a skirt. For fuck's sake, Maxwell, I’ve told you time and again to find a decent girl and settle down. It’s all very well playing with the tarts on offer but they’re not the sort to bring home to your mother. It’s about time you grew up and started taking responsibility for your life.”

  I say nothing because it’s a speech I’ve heard countless times before. He’s a fine one to talk, anyway. We’ve all heard about his indiscretions and past mistakes but nobody would ever call him out on them. Joseph Carter is not the sort of man who would appreciate it. Even though he’s well into his fifties, he’s still a man you don’t mess with. Born in the East End he clawed his way up off the streets. His life was hard and most of it against the law. Joseph Carter is still that man today. He may have legitimate businesses but is not averse to bending the law to get what he wants.

  He barks, “You still there, son?”

  I sigh. “Yes, what do you need?”

  He says angrily, “I need you to find your fucking brother and then get your backsides over here for lunch. Your mother’s getting worried in case the dinners ruined and I’m so hungry I could eat the dog. You know the rules, Sunday roast at 2 pm and if you’re late, you suffer the consequences.”

  I laugh. “Sure, I’ll pick him up and we’ll be there no later than 2 o’clock.”

  As I replace the receiver, I think about my mother. Rosemary Carter is a force to be reckoned with. She met Joey about fifteen years ago when she did some book work for him. It turned out my mother helped him in more ways than one and now we are one big happy family. He took me and Charlie and made us his own and raised us to call him dad. Now we’re the sons he never had and always wanted and are heirs to his empire.

  Sighing, I grab my keys and jacket and set off in search of my brother. Nobody misses lunch with my mother because the consequences he spoke of wouldn’t come from him. No, nobody upsets my mother unless they have a death wish.

  I hear him before I see him.

  “Oh baby, that’s so good. Fuck me, Charlie, you’re so big. Give it to me hard just the way I like it.”

  His groans can be heard down the hallway and I roll my eyes. I wonder what unfortunate girl fell on his dick today?

  I knock loudly on the door and shout, “Drop her, Charlie. Mum’s waiting and dad’s on the warpath.”

  I hear a muffled, “Nearly there.”

  I laugh to myself as I lean against the wall and try not to hear the sounds coming from the room. I shout, “Now you dickhead before I come in there and drag you out myself.”

  The girls’ screams tell me what I need to know and I’m sure the whole of London hears her shrieking his name.

  It only takes a minute or two before the door opens and he saunters out looking extremely pleased with himself. “Fucking weirdo listening at doors. There’s a name for men like you.”

  I push him roughly and growl, “Fuck off. If you think I want to hear my kid brother getting his rocks off with some tart in the office, you’re seriously deluded. I thought you had more class than that.”

  He shrugs and winks cheekily. “What can I say, it’s a cross I bear but someone’s got to break the new girl in.”

  Shaking my head, I click the alarm on my car and we jump inside. The roar of the beast reminds me of what I love about this car. Pure. Fucking. Power. It’s an addictive drug and the only one I really need. Power is my preferred drug of choice and that brings with it other benefits that are on a constant supply.

  As we wheelspin away from the kerb, I can’t shake the feeling that I need something more. Maybe Pops is right, maybe I should start settling down. The trouble is, who with?

  4

  Maxwell

  Sunday lunch is a tradition in our house as it is in most homes in the UK. We live in a smart area in a large house with everything we could wish for. Mum keeps the place nice and dad indulges her shopping habit.

  It always feels good to be home. No worries, no looking our shoulder every five minutes and no women desperate to claim our attention. The only woman in this house never needs to try. She’s the most important one in all our lives -our mother.

  My heart lifts as she hears the door and comes to meet us.

  “Boys, good to see you.”

  We move across and kiss her warmly in turn and she looks at us critically. Rolling her eyes, she reaches out and uses her tea towel to wipe a smear of lipstick from Charlie’s mouth before batting him around the head with it.

  “For gods’ sake, Charlie, couldn’t you at least try to respect the Sabbath? You should be praying hard in church for forgiveness young man and failing that, ask for a woman who will put up with your nonsense and give me the grandkids I’m long overdue.”

  Charlie grins and I see the twinkle in her eye as she turns to me.

  “Same goes for you, Maxwell. Open your eyes and see the real women standing behind the plastic ones you surround yourselves with. For god’s sake, I’ll be in my grave at this rate and I want an excuse to shop in those baby boutiques in the shopping centre that draw my eye every time I walk past.”

  I shrug and she rolls her eyes. “You boys will be the death of me. Go and wash your hands. Your father’s in a right mood in there as his stomach thinks his throats been cut.”

  We do as we’re told because nobody messes with Rose Carter and why would we want to? She is everything to the three of us and rules this family with a velvet covered fist.

  As we eat, we chat about anything other than work. It’s always been the rule. No work at the dinner table. We listen as mum tells us stories of the families she mixes with and dad just smiles as if interested but downs more beers than a body should surely stand.

  However, as soon as the remains of the apple crumble is cleared away, I notice that look in my father’s eyes that spells trouble.

  As mum starts filling the dishwasher he says loudly, “I think I need a game of squash to work off that meal. How about it boys, do you fancy challenging your old man?”

  I feel Charlie’s good mood change as the tension sets in. We both know what he really wants, and it’s not a game of squash.

  Mum rolls her eyes. “That’s a guaranteed heart attack if ever I heard one. Why do you want to be playing sports after a Sunday lunch? Honestly, Joe, you should be taking it easy at your age.”

  He shrugs. “I need to shift some of that crumble you just fed me so I can stay fit and healthy for the foreseeable future.”

  She shakes her head. “Well, let your dinner go down first. I don’t know, this family will be the death of me.”

  She heads to the kitchen mumbling under her breath and my father whispers, “Grab your gear and meet me out the front. It’s all set and shouldn’t take longer than a game of squash.”

  Nodding, we set off upstairs to grab our kit and I sigh inside. Great, just what I need. A fucking job in the middle of the day.

  The first stop is the sports centre. As we sign in, I make sure to give the pretty receptionist a long, lingering, look. She
blushes and I watch her hands shake as she hands us our locker keys. Winking, I throw her an interested look before following the others to the changing rooms. However, we never reach them. We duck out of the fire exit and head back to the car park where we find our usual car waiting for us. Unregistered and untraceable and just what we need. Pops laughs. “There, one alibi safely in the bag.”

  It doesn’t take us long before we reach our destination. A scruffy looking house in a bad area of town. The curtains at the window look tatty and worn and the front garden is overgrown with weeds. This place is as fucked as the people inside and I set my mood accordingly.

  Dad filled us in on the ride over and my blood boils. Fucking bastards, grooming young girls and selling them into prostitution. Young girls fresh off the train and most of them underage. These men bring them to houses like this and drug them before raping them and beating them into submission. If there’s one thing my father hates above everything else, it’s this. He had word of this place and true to form, wants them run out of town - the hard way.

  I see Dennis and Gary waiting in a side street and grab my weapon. I can sense Charlie is as ready as ever. He may be the joker of the family but he’s a cold-blooded killer when he needs to be. We’re a good team which is why we are feared. Nobody messes with the Carters and these fuckers are about to find this out the hard way.

  As soon as dad signals, we’re off. We cover our faces with the usual ski masks and head to the front door and knock loudly. The door remains firmly shut and Joey nods as Charlie kicks it in with one sharp boot to the lock.

  With Charlie by my side, we sweep every room in the house. Dirty mattresses line the floors and the place reeks of sex. I hear a scream as Dennis kicks in a door upstairs and hear the sounds of bones cracking and yells of terror. Charlie covers me as I step inside a room and see maybe four guys trying to leave through the window and we’re on them. The man I grab takes a swing at me and I punch him hard. His groans are music to my ears as I swing back and relish the crunch of bone as my fist connects with his skull.