Reckless Moments

Chapter 5 – Still getting to Grips

Dave had been out for eight months and it was 1990 and what a time it had been Margaret Thatcher resigned after the poll tax riots and everyone was singing Nessun bleedin Dorma because England were in the World Cup semi-finals only to lose on a penalty shootout.

Gary had turned twenty and Jack eighteen. Both left school, where had the time gone thought Dave, they were just nippers when he went inside. Gary left as soon as he could but much to his surprise Jack stayed on got his A levels, who would have thought a kid of his would have done that. Molly may not be quite the teenager yet but she could wind him up at times. Her latest attempt was those two ugly mutts she had brought home. She had gone to the estate to see her mate Sharon and they had gone round to Bells friend's place, Shazza he thought she was called, Belinda had met her while he was in prison, weird woman and couldn't understand how Bells had someone like that as a mate. She was another one that had the knack of winding him up at times. Made disgusting onion soup, stunk the place out for weeks that stuff did. Still dressed like a hippy drove an old VW camper van which she lived in for a bit while protesting at Greenham Common or so she told anyone who would listen. She was always going on about something. Bloody pain up the jacksie, even Marge agreed with him, reckoned to roll her up in a carpet and chuck her on the M25. He had to say it was a bit too bloody tempting as he snorted a laugh. Him and Marge had never agreed on anything before and this would probably be the first and only time they ever did.

Shazza had one of those huge, dribbling dogs a rottie Belinda told him, all he knew was that whenever he saw the bleedin thing it slobbered all over his whistle. The bloody thing had got out and been impregnated with god knows what because he had never seen such ugly pups. Gonna be huge looking at their feet and bloody hairy too and he wouldn't mind betting they would cover the house in hair and spit. Grey black and tan and jaws that looked like the entrance of the Blackwell tunnel, what had possessed Molly to bring those ugly shitting machines into the house he just couldn't fathom. Felt sorry for them being so ugly Belinda had told him, thought it made them cute. There was absolutely nothing cute about them.

Molly had called them Bill and Ben. Good job there was only two of the buggers because there was no way he was having a dog called Weed. He would have every druggie in the East End running up to him down at the park. He wanted to take them down the yard but Molly just looked at him, her hands on her hips, lips pursed as she said they were too little. To bleedin little, was she having a bubble, fuckin things had already eaten two pairs of his shoes and the stair carpet and he was pretty sure that was brickwork he could see now that the plaster was missing in the hall.

While he had been reminiscing he was driving over to Tony's house to meet with him Fred and Sam. Some of the new people may not be in the inner circle, and it would appear that Derek still wasn't although he had been on the team for years. There were days he felt he didn't think he would be able to cope with all the changes, the biggest being the scrap yard that he and Fred had bought.

-OG-

They had a couple of mechanics to strip down the cars before crushing, but if they weren't too bad they had welders and breakers that could do the cut and shut. You would never know it was such a professional job.

A huge warehouse had been built and containers of scrap metal was brought up the river for sorting then they would crush it or shredded to sell it on, all legit business, although hidden in the containers amongst the metal was fake booze. All looked the real deal right down to the labels, indistinguishable from the real thing, they sold it to most of the pubs and clubs in the area, including their own, bigger profits for them and the club owners. Win win all round. They had men on the inside at the Port of London and the coast guard, keeping everyone away when one of their boats were coming in, not doing a proper inspection or checking the paperwork too closely.

After several whiskeys and a long talk well into the night with Fred and Sam he was also told they had it pretty much sown up for what came to them up the river. Much as Dave was against the drugs, he'd been in nick long enough to see men who came in clean and never having touched drugs end up hooked on them. He really wasn't happy about that side of the business, but Fred said they had a top notch supplier who only delivered quality, not cut with rat poison or nothing, a bit of bicarb that's all, and certainly not crystallised. All the young professionals were snorting the stuff after a hard day on the stock markets, the new social habit like they would have a whiskey.

"If we don't do it Dave someone else will and then our clubs will be flooded with all kinds of shit and being raided" argued Sam "At least this way we can control how much and only allow our suppliers into our clubs and those rich pricks have a good time"

"Yeah, we keep the clubs reputation a place to come to" continued Fred as he tried to convince Dave "They can come with their wives and girlfriends if they want and you haven't got some skank trying to sell crack or worse in the bogs"

Dave nodded as he downed his whiskey, he didn't like it, wouldn't touch the stuff himself but if that's what these high flyers today wanted then the least he could do was make sure that they supplied quality gear.

–OG-

He'd spent months going through the books, the yard, the bookies, the clubs and the casino. Seems they were providing security and slot machines to pubs and clubs too. His Gary and Jack were working on that side for the moment as they learnt the business from the bottom up. Try as he might he was finding a few discrepancies at the bookies but he couldn't see how they were doing it. Small bets at random times not many punters but the pay-outs had been a reasonable size, the smallest being two grand and the biggest ten grand. Their casino also seemed to have money skimmed off the top after, eight years away he would have expected profits to have grown but they hadn't they were about 20% down. When he had the meet with Tony he would have to discuss it because, he couldn't fathom where some of the money was going. Being their type of business they only kept one set of books for the businesses all hidden away in safes and written up by the managers. Perhaps he should think about a second set for him, maybe that would be how he could work out the skim.

All the time the words from Reg ringing in his ears there's a traitor and Tony thinks so too. Thing is, he wasn't entirely sure if it was genuine or him still having this feeling of paranoia, there was an enemy in their mist.

-OG-

Doris opened the door to Dave as he arrived and she grinned before kissing him on the cheek. "Good to see you Dave, you look good not so pasty and I can see Belinda has been feeding you properly" she patted his arm "Now come on Tony's waiting for you, Fred and Sam aren't here yet"

"Thanks Doris" grinned back Dave "Feel better, fresh air and the sun on me face and you're right if Bells keeps it up with all the food I'm gonna have to spend more time down the bleedin gym" Doris laughed "Go on with you Dave, go through he's expecting you the others should be here any minute so I'll put the kettle on for a cuppa and butter some scones"

This was a treat he thought, he loved her scones, she didn't stint on the fruit she put in them "I'll put some in a tin you can take them home for Belinda" Dave raised an eyebrow although he knew that Bells would like them. They were now standing in Tony's office him still sat at his desk smoking his Cuban cigar, since he was a kid Tony had always had one of those big cigars in his hand. "Did you think that Belinda wouldn't tell me, she loves me scones at the moment" giggled Doris and Dave went red as she and Tony laughed harder "Well bit of a shock at our age, not sure that Bells is that happy about it what with the others off her hands now and her job" He had caught Belinda being sick and she had told him that she was pregnant, he was over the moon himself but he could understand that she was worried what with her having turned 40 this year.

"Well keep it quiet Doris" laughed Dave "She ain't told her mum yet"

"She ain't that old" smiled Doris "But not surprised that she hasn't told the old bat, do the kids know yet"

"Yeah, they don't seem that bothered Molly reckons it will be good we will all leave her alone now that she won't be the baby anymore"

"That girl cracks me up" she threw her head back laughing, Molly had always been a live wire "She still in her blonde phase" and Dave nodded rolling his eyes, he didn't think he would ever like it "Yeah and I have had to go round every tattoo parlour and ear piercing establishment and let them know she ain't sixteen" shaking his head as both Tony and Doris howled with laughter "Sorry Dave" said Tony his eyes streaming with laughter "We shouldn't laugh, if she was my daughter, I'd be having bleedin kittens with her antics" he nodded for Dave to sit down "Don't worry mate, we'll all keep an eye out" as Tony sat back down "You hoping for another girl then" "Fuck me no" replied Dave grinning as he too sat down. "You tell the boys something, they may not like it but they get over it, tell our Molls and it's like a nuclear bomb has gone off" He could hear Doris laughing up the hall as she went to the kitchen. Her smile slipped, yes she knew that Molly was a bit of a handful, always skiving off school, running amuck with that Proud Mary but she would have loved to have a daughter like that, full of life, inquisitive, wanting to fit in if only someone would notice, bright at a button their Molly. There was a knock at the door as she sighed and went to open it.

-OG-

Doris had left them all in Tony's office with a big plate of scones and some biscuits along with a pot of tea as they got down to business.

"So Dave are you up to speed on all the businesses" asked Tony and Dave nodded before wincing, he had to tell them that the books didn't make sense.

"There are some funny transactions going on in the bookies and the casino, the only ones I can make sense of are the slots, the yard and the clubs"

Fred frowned "what do you mean, how bad" taking in a huge breath "You know me mate, ask me to open a safe, plan a raid and I'm your man, give me a load of numbers and I go blind"

"You and me both Fred" nodded Sam "Bad enough trying to do the gym" Tony inhaled from his cigar "So what you found Dave"

"Dunno" shrugged Dave "Small bets with few punters but big returns, staff we have paid but can't find records for them" he sighed "The casino is down 20% and thought I found an account out in the Caymans but it's been emptied and closed don't know what it was or where the moneys gone"

"We got a traitor" snarled Sam and Tony held up his hand in silence "I wondered that for a long time" he said quietly and looking across to Dave "Ever since Dave got a tug"

"But who would do that" queried Fred, his brain engaging. Sam had often wondered about Derek but there was no proof, nothing he had spotted, but it looks like Dave had, someone was skimming off their profits "Which bookies and what about the clubs" and Dave told him as Fred nodded "Could it be those brothers Jim and Tom Barton, they came on board a few months after you went down Dave maybe Derek took his eye off the ball and gave them too much lea way, you was always the one with the figures mate"

"Give them a pull" barked Tony "Take them to the farm out in Kent, if they're mongrels sort it and dump them in the channel" Fred and Sam both nodded, with Dave not having been out of prison long they decided it was probably best if they handled it, after all they knew them, and he was probably still being loosely watched since his release. It's not that they liked that side of the business but it was a necessary evil sometimes.

"There is one thing before we set off" started Fred "My nephew Andrew, he was chucked out of his University and my sister says he's got it into his head he wants to live in London…"

"What" exclaimed Sam "He don't know the life are you suggesting we give him a job"

"I dunno mate" shrugged Fred "I'm going down at the weekend to have a chat with Beth and Andrew about him coming up here to live, it's not exactly as if Josie an me ain't got the space" he shrugged again "But he's good with figures, really good at maths, and he can't be a ponce all his life can he" looking at Dave "You're Gary has been working four years already"

Dave held up his hands "No problem mate, if you want him on board and he's up to it. You're Beth was good to Bells and the kids, letting them stay there and that when they wanted, I know Molls always liked it down there. Its family ain't it" Fred nodded and smiled in gratitude for Dave's support especially after the discussions so far about some of the firm not being trustworthy. "Come on Sam" he said standing up "Best we round up Jim and Tom and have that little chat"

-OG-

Dave walked through the door of their home with his tin full of scones from Doris and put them on the kitchen counter. Belinda was probably still at the school , she still had her job as a teaching assistant even though Molly was now at senior school, well that was if she even bothered to turn up. He heard a noise from upstairs and smirked, she thought he was going to be out all day, didn't she. Skiving off again was she as he quietly made his way up the stairs. Thank god those bloody mutts were in the garden and hadn't barked the bleedin place down. Not that she would have heard them what with that crap she was listening to "especially for you" what kind of shit was that. He threw open her bedroom door and Molly jumped out of her skin, she had been reading her magazine lying on her bed and listening to one of her cassettes with one of her random play lists. She turned her music off and waited for the onslaught about her not being in school but it didn't come as he sat down on the bed next to her. "Do they do computer studies at your school?"

"Course they do Dad" rolling her eyes

"Do you go to them?"

"Sometimes"

"Well you start going to all of them" he ordered and she sat up looking at him their eyes matching and her wondering what was coming next "I've been going through all the books and I think it's time we had another set and I want it electronic and easy to hide and all in one place" he said looking at her. He wasn't entirely sure that everything was down to Jim and Tom and he wanted to see if the figures in the sales and purchase ledgers changed over time. Molly sat up her eyes shining with excitement that she was able to help her dad like her brothers. "Easy dad we can put it all on a floppy disk and you can hide that easy over a ledger" now sitting close to him.

"Right you learn all there is to know about computers and programs and then come and teach me" she beamed up at him "Course dad" since he had been home he didn't think he had seen her smile like that, she was almost glowing with pride. "Does that mean I can keep Bill and Ben then Dad" her smile getting even wider and a cheeky glint to those green eyes "Don't push it Moll" he grinned back at her but nodded as he got up and left her to it in her room "and don't tell your mum about our arrangement"

Over the coming months that was exactly what Molly did, she went to school more often, although she hated some of it, but the computers she actually quite liked, her teacher said that maths was a good subject as it helped with programming if she wanted to get into that when she left school. Not bleedin likely she thought as she went home after her classes and taught her Dad everything she had learned. He had bought a computer to keep at home and she spent ages showing him how to use it and set it up, how to use spreadsheets as she learnt.

She helped her mother as her pregnancy progressed, her Nan as expected going off on one about Belinda having more sense and how could she let a twat like that impregnate her again. Bill and Ben were getting to be much bigger than she expected but she loved them to bits. They weren't exactly trained but she did do her best to make sure that they didn't eat any of her Dad's stuff again. She wasn't entirely sure but she thought her Dad was coming round to them now, had even taken them out for a walk a few times.

-OG-

Belinda and Dave were in the kitchen drinking tea when he suddenly asked how she'd feel about moving. Bloody hell she was six month pregnant and he wants to bleedin move. Turns out he had seen the property details of a 4 bed terrace over in Wanstead, he had always loved Wanstead. She looked at the pictures, OK it was another terrace but, twice the size of this one, they could get 2 cars on the front and there was parking out on the road. The house was to die for, it had obviously had a complete make over. The back garden had raised flower beds with trees all around giving an impression of total seclusion. It was beautiful and her jaw dropped as she saw the price

"But Dave…" she said aghast

"We've got the money Bells" he beamed at her hoping she liked it "You've got the underground close if you want to come back to the city and Wanstead Park and Flats for the new little one and those bleedin ugly mutts of Molly's to run around in"

"But look at the price Dave"

"When I was a kid my Nan used to take us to Wanstead flats tiddler fishing made us a net with an old coat hanger, a broom handle and a pair of her old stockings, always remember me and Fred taking the bath off the shed door and filling it with water and putting all our fish in there" he huffed a laugh "me dad went for his Sunday bath and found it full of tiddlers, had to go to the public baths that week, me and Fred fed them brown bread but they didn't last long" he shrugged "It just felt it was in the country" he held her hand across the kitchen table "What do you think?"

"It's a beautiful house Dave" she couldn't help but grin back at him, yeah she remembered being taken out to Wanstead and it was nice out there and it was still London as she looked at the details, she could almost imagine herself sitting in the garden drinking her tea, feeling like she was in a jungle "Come on Bells you will still be on the underground and from the top floor you will probably be able see Canary Wharf when its finished"

"The whole of bleedin London will probably be able to see that place when its finished, bet you could even see it from outer space" she giggled

She took one final look at the details looking up at him and unable to stop the huge grin from spreading across her face partly because of his excitement and partly because it really was a beautiful house.

Belinda couldn't quite believe how quickly it had all happened, they had sold their house and bought the one in Wanstead, they wouldn't change Molly's school but drive her there. Dave reckoned it was about time she learned and he would buy her a car when she passed her test which gave her an incentive. Martin had been born a few months before they moved but they were all settled in now and she was trying to organise his christening, although none of the other kids had been done, Dave had always been against it. It wasn't that they were religious, they weren't but it was a good excuse for a knees up and a big family get together. Since the move and having Martin it had been a while since she had seen her friend Beth.

-OG-

Tony and Doris had announced at the start of 1992 at their traditional New Year party for friends, and what they considered their extended family, they would finally retire to Spain. They had built their villa years ago but had only used it for holidays. It was the ideal year what with the Olympics in Barcelona this year, they would probably be able to drive there and watch some of it. Tony felt that now was the time, Dave was out and had been running things with Fred and Sam for a couple of years, he didn't need to be here so much and he felt like they were his boys, loyal and hardworking, he had known the three of them since they were kids and they were almost blood as far as he was concerned and he pretty much knew that Doris did too. He loved his wife and he knew it was their only regret that they hadn't been able to have their own, but both of them had taken to Dave, Fred and Sam. Doris loved all their children and felt a surrogate grandma to all of them, particularly fond of little Molly as the only girl, Dave having three boys and Sam the one boy.

He was over 60 for goodness sake, most of his friends were either dead, had mysteriously vanished, were in prison or had retired to Spain, time to leave London to the next generation. They had bought a little flat near the docks for if they wanted to come back and visit but most of the time would be spent in the sun. Perhaps he could learn golf he grinned to himself. They had earnt it, him and Doris blood and sweat keeping the firm going after the twins' demise to prison. It was all getting too much, London had changed. He was an old school criminal he shook his head but those riots a few years back, bloody hell he'd never seen anything like it. He had no love for the coppers and a bent one, well they were just scum of the earth, no sense of loyalty shouldn't trust one if they can turn on their own like that but still trying to chop that coppers head off was a bit much, poor bugger, it just weren't right. Everything was changing and he didn't understand it all. Christ if they ever decided to dig up Epping Forest it was littered with bleedin bodies, some of them he had put there, but not for no reason, he justified to himself, they were traitors and deserved it. Yeah it was definitely time to retire, before he lost his marbles or someone tried to pop him.

They hired one of the hotel banquet halls and rooms as Doris said it should be a real event as they had so many friends coming to their retirement bash.

-OG-

Beth was so pleased that William was home for a change and could come up to London with her for this do although he wouldn't be here long he was off to Bosnia soon. They were going to stay overnight with Fred and Josie and she was looking forward to seeing old friends again. She was also looking forward to seeing Andrew and see if he was settled up in London with her brother. She knew that William was concerned about him too, worried he seemed to have no direction in life, unlike his younger brother Charles.

Andrew had done his A levels even started Uni, but unbeknown to his father had been selling drugs and they chucked him out, it was all hushed up as they didn't want a bad reputation and lose some of their funding. It was only small scale but the University didn't want it on their premises, hence his exclusion. She had discussed it with her brother Fred and they agreed that they wouldn't tell William about the drugs but just say that he hadn't liked University, felt the course was wrong for him and he decided to leave. He would go to London and her brother gave him a job as an assistant in their casino. Seems he was doing well. She was hoping that she might get to meet his new boss Derek to find out how he was getting on. She had always worried about Andrew ever since he was small, after Charles had been born there had been sibling rivalry between them, and she had caught him a couple of times being a bit spiteful to Charles when he was a baby. She thought he would get over it as they got older but he never did, never played with Charles or included him. Always trying to make sure that Charles didn't get something more than he did.

-OG-

"You'd best be a bit economical with the truth when you see your mum and dad lad" said Fred as he straightened his tie in the mirror. "No reason to go worrying them about what you are doing here" Andrew rolled his eyes behind his uncles back, did he think he was stupid or something, of course he wouldn't, his dad would have him out of there if he knew some of the not so legal activities of Uncle Fred. Gary had let slip that the old book keepers Jim and Tom had gone on their holidays and weren't coming back, although he hadn't found out exactly where they had gone on holiday, perhaps they were in Spain, that's where a lot of the old criminals went wasn't it. He knew that Gary and Jack knew what had happened to them but they weren't saying, he'd heard them laughing about going fishing, and his Uncle Fred changed the subject every time he brought it up. He was looking forward to seeing his mum and it made a change for his dad to actually be about and surprise, surprise, golden boy Charles was home from Uni and coming with them.

-OG-

"See you are still in the blonde phase" he grinned down at Molly, he couldn't help but make a bee line to her when he saw her

"Yeah" she grinned back up at him going a little red "Pisses me dad off no end" she giggled "Wanna get me ears pierced and a tat next"

"You're 14 you're not old enough"

"I know but it keeps him on his toes, every time a new place opens he goes round to tell em I ain't old enough and he won't take kindly if they stick me full of holes" she burst out laughing as he shook his head grinning back at her.

"You get on with him better now?" Charles asked "Got used to him again"

"Course" she smiled and looked over her shoulder to see his brother Andrew walking towards them. He may think she had forgotten that he helped her up that tree and left her there but she hadn't, she could still remember his spiteful words, even if she was only four, and she was pretty sure that he had something to do with her stuffed dog Bennie, going missing too. She really didn't trust him, there was something snide about him. Her expression hardening and her smile dimming. He was nothing like Charlie, polar opposite she thought.

"Haven't you stopped growing yet Charlie, you ain't 'alf getting tall" he couldn't help but snigger, that's exactly what his mum kept saying every time she saw him

"Have you started growing yet" he grinned down at her "So how is your new brother" asked Charles trying to continue the conversation even though Andrew had joined them

"He's blindin" she grinned "Love him to bits, and it keeps Mum and Dad off me back, they're always fussing over him" she cackled

"Perhaps your father can get him a stuffed dog like you had to keep him occupied" started Andrew joining the conversation. She knew it, she absolutely knew it. He nicked Bennie. Andrew didn't know why he had felt the need to wind her up, he had done ever since he had met her, maybe it was because her brothers looked out for her with her being so much younger or maybe it was because everyone kept going on about what a happy kid she was. She had cried for days when that bloody smelly stuffed dog had gone missing, Belinda, his mum, her brothers and even bloody Charles pandering to her and searching high and low for the bloody thing. He chucked it in the bin on collection day, not that she knew that.

Still Dave would be tied up with Belinda and that new kid of his. Tony was retiring to Spain and all he needed to do was have a chat with Uncle Fred like Derek had suggested and start the ball rolling for an expansion. Uncle Fred, Dave and Sam didn't like some of the new trades coming to London, but he did, they were lucrative and earnt far more money than massage parlours and a few clubs. Drugs and guns were the thing, that's what they should be focusing on. That's where the real money was.

-OG-

The party was in full swing and while Jack had put a shot of vodka into her Coke, she thought it was all a bit boring as she sat there at the bar with her drink, a complete look of disinterest on her face. She gave a small smile as Jack winked at her and pushed another Coke in her direction. It wasn't just a bit boring it was really bloody boring. She couldn't understand why her Dad wouldn't let her bring Proud Mary with her, then at least there was someone her age to talk to. Gary, Andrew, Charles, Jack, Sam and that twat Derek were all at the bar chatting and not including her. She looked across to see her Mum who was chatting animatedly to Beth. They were all sitting at a big table, Chloe, Doris, Josie, and Beth all of them laughing about something, well at least that silly mare Shazza hadn't been invited, well it probably would have gone against her principles what with Charlie's Dad being in the army. Her Dad, William, Tony and Fred all there too and she could see her Dad laughing his head off at something William had said. Sometimes she couldn't believe that was Charlie's Dad, he seemed so strict but today he looked like he was having a good time. He'd been to loads of places, when they had gone to Bath once, Charlie had showed her the world map hanging in his bedroom and he had little pins stuck in it and each one was somewhere his Dad had been. Northern Ireland, Belize, Brunei, Germany, Cyprus the Falklands some of them had such exotic names, too many pins to remember. There must be even more pins in that map now she thought, she knew he had been to Kuwait last year when Iraq invaded and he was off to Bosnia soon. She hoped that one day she got an opportunity to travel, Charlie had got her interested in Geography it was one of the only other lessons apart from computer studies that she bothered to go to. Charlie said he wanted to join the army when he grew up, perhaps he would go to all of those places. Charlie had always wanted to join the army, perhaps he would take her to some of those places when she was older. She was brought out of her daydreams by her father calling her from across the room and she rolled her eyes, as she got up from the bar stool and walked across to the table where they were all sitting.

"Molls, get Jack to drive you back to Wanstead before he has a few, send your Nan home, she don't need to look after Martin but before you do take Bill and Ben for a walk"

"Dave there is no reason why Mum shouldn't stay the night" berated Belinda and Dave rolled his eyes he was rather hoping he could have her out the house by the time they got back home. He wouldn't have minded a bit of alone time when he got Belinda back home, and he could do without his mother in law being a bit of a passion killer with her snoring in the next room.

"OK you can leave the old bat there" he grinned at Molly "but take those ugly mutts out, they're too strong for her and will have her in the lake" personally he thought that was a good idea as he winked at Molly. He had been right they were bloody big dogs. Belinda had looked up breeds in a book and thought they might be crossed with Irish Wolf Hounds, Shazza thought they might be half Newfoundland, he thought they were just bloody great wolves that had escaped from some bleedin zoo.

Molly nodded and started to walk back to the bar to tell Jack what their Dad had said. Jack nodded, he didn't mind really, this do wasn't really his cup of tea, he'd rather be down one of the clubs with people his own age, it gave him an out so he didn't have to come back.

"I can come with you if you like" said Charles "Keep you company on the way back" Jack just grinned at him, he had no intention of coming back here.

"Yeah" laughed Gary "We can all go, drop the car off back at home and go to one of the clubs, leave the oldies here"

"But how will your parents get back" queried Charles "Not to mention ours" he continued looking at Andrew

Gary threw his head back laughing before patting Charles on the back "This is London, there are trains, taxis and even buses if they're not staying here the night, they'll get back OK"

"Come on Charles" grinned Jack "Lets show you some of the places that your brother has been going to for the last couple of years" Charles couldn't help but smile at the two brothers, his own might be scowling at him but these two were quite happy to show him around London. Charles nodded grinning widely, what with uni and his studies it had been a long time since he had let his hair down.

They set off back to Wanstead, Jack driving and Gary sitting in the front with him. Molly sat in the middle between Andrew and Charles. Her two brothers chatting nineteen to the dozen which covered up the fact that Andrew was staring out the window fuming that his own brother was being included.

"Don't you forget to walk the beasts when we drop you off Molls" said Gary looking over his shoulder grinning at Molly.

"Isn't it a bit late for Molly to be walking about at this time of night" responded Charles, thinking they couldn't be serious, she was only 14, was she really expected to take dogs for a walk at this time, it was pitch black and anything could happen. Always the stick in the mud, let's look after everyone, thought Andrew as he continued to stare out the window. There were howls of laughter from Gary and Jack as they pulled up outside their Wanstead home. Charles hadn't been here before, visited with his mum to their old place in Stratford. He got out the car to let Molly out as Gary walked round to join them and walking up the drive. There was a thunderous crash as something slammed into the front door and Charles thought he saw it move on its hinges.

"You fuckin maniacs" he heard screeching from inside the house as Gary turned the key in the lock.

"Fuck" stammered Charles as he stepped back and two of the biggest ugliest dogs he had ever seen leapt over Molly who was laughing and hugging them as they licked her.

"This is Bill and Ben" laughed Gary at the shocked expression on Charles face "Their mother was a Rottweiler but who knows what the father was, Mum reckons it was an Irish Wolf Hound and Dad reckons it was just a devil dog"

"Fuckin great things" called out Jack from the open window of the car and laughing with his brother at how Charles had stepped back when greeted by these two huge dogs.

"Sit" said Molly and both dogs did. Their mouths open, tongues hanging out almost smiling but displaying a perfect set of teeth thought Charles.

"They're nearly two" continued Gary laughing "We think they have finally finished growing"

"Ugly fuckers ain't they" shouted Jack from the car laughing "You still think our Molls ain't safe walking with these two" and Charles shook his head looking at the huge funny coloured shaggy dogs with drool dripping from their mouths, even sitting down they looked like they weren't much shorter than Molly as he watched her kiss each one of them on the head.

"Woe betide anyone that goes near our Molls while these two are about" grinned Gary "Right Charles you ready to go clubbing" almost dragging Charles back to the car. Molly grinning at him waving them off.

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It all changes again in the next chapter - time has moved on

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