he wasn’t the only one playing that game. Dominic MacDonald had been playing it too. But those days were about to come to an end because nobody got one over on Michael Walsh. Nobody would win against him in any kind of fight, but especially a fight where the prize appeared to be India.
CHAPTER 18
Kenny couldn’t believe what Charley had just told him. Jimmy Cash was back and a long forgotten nightmare had all of a sudden resurfaced. Something she really didn’t deserve.
‘I’m assuming you haven’t told Vince,’ Kenny said, watching Charley as she stared blankly into her drink.
‘No. I can’t do it, Kenny. I…’ She looked up, staring right at him, and Kenny couldn’t help but notice the fear in her eyes. ‘I know I should, but… I just don’t know what to say to him because… because he’ll do something stupid, I know he will. He wants to protect me, I know he does, and I love him for that. He makes me feel safe, Kenny. But going after Jimmy Cash – that can’t happen. Can it?’
It was Kenny’s turn to look away, watching life going on around them as they sat at the poolside bar; the laughter and buzz of people enjoying themselves surrounding them. It was almost surreal, when he remembered how dangerous a man Jimmy Cash could be. And he was somewhere in this town, Kenny was certain of that. Jimmy Cash was here, in Vegas. Meaning that a big, dark, dangerous cloud now hung over them, tainting everything around them.
He looked at Charley, shaking his head. ‘No. That’s not a good idea.’
‘I had to tell someone, Kenny. And I’m sorry it was you, I’m sorry I had to drag you into this, especially after the last time…’ She trailed off, looking away into the distance for a few seconds. Then, almost as if someone had just flicked a switch, she turned back to look at him. ‘But it was killing me, keeping it all to myself. I didn’t know what else to do, who to turn to, and when I saw you… I’m terrified, Kenny, I’m so scared, but… you understand, don’t you?’
Kenny reached out and took her hand, squeezing it tight, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. ‘Hey, come on. Of course I understand. I know what you went through before, I was there, remember?’
‘I know,’ she whispered, sadness clouding her eyes once more. ‘You were there when Jimmy… You found Terry, didn’t you?’
Kenny looked down at their joined hands as the memories of that devastating night almost fifteen years ago came crashing back into his head. He could still hear the sound of the gunshots ringing out in the black night sky, as loud now as they had been back then; the memory of India’s brother lying dead in the road still as heartbreaking as it had been all those years ago. He’d never wanted to go back there, never wanted to revisit that time in his life, but it looked as though Jimmy Cash had other ideas. That one night had almost destroyed all of them, and now it looked as though he was back for some kind of sick revenge on the woman who’d made sure he’d stayed behind bars for a long time. Just, not long enough.
‘How can you be certain Vince won’t find out some other way? About Jimmy being back, I mean.’
Charley gave a shrug of resignation, letting go of his hand. ‘I can’t be certain of anything Kenny, can I? I don’t even know where Jimmy is.’
‘He’ll be here, Charley. In Vegas. You know he’ll be here.’
She felt a cold shiver run down her spine when Kenny spoke, because he was right. Of course Jimmy would be here. What was the point of him turning up like this if not to mess with her mind? And he was certainly succeeding on that score.
‘In some respects it’s worse than the last time,’ she whispered, absent-mindedly poking at the ice in her glass with a straw. ‘At least last time I knew where he was, I knew where’d he’d be. But, even if he’s here, Kenny – even if he’s here in Vegas, I still don’t know what his next move is going to be, and that scares the hell out of me. I’ve got my daughter to think about this time. I’ve got Lily to protect… Oh, Jesus; I can’t believe this is happening again…’
Kenny watched as the tears started streaming down her face