Tainted Love: A gripping thriller with a shocking twist from the No 1 bestseller. Kimberley Chambers

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СКАЧАТЬ them the truth: that Nadia was choking and flapping around while he throttled her to death. He honestly hadn’t meant to kill her though. Imagining she was Bella was where it had all gone wrong.

      Jay Boy had been ordered to go out and steal a motor. Not a flash car, van, or old banger because they were always liable to get a tug off the Old Bill in the middle of the night. A sensible motor. The plan then was to shove Nadia in the boot, drive her miles away and burn her and the car to cinders. Hopefully, with her gnashers removed, the Old Bill wouldn’t have a clue who she was. She’d be nothing more than a pile of ashes.

      ‘I’ve sorted the motor. It’s perfect. A Ford Cortina, and I managed to nick a mini-cab aerial an’ all, so I’ve shoved that on the back. Plates have already been changed. We set to go?’ Jay Boy asked.

      ‘Not yet. Still trying to get her teeth out.’

      Jay Boy sighed. He loved working for Vinny, but seriously didn’t need all this other shit that went with his job at the club. He had Jilly and her kid to consider now. ‘Well we’d better get a move on. Fuck burning her when it’s light.’

      The Enemy had become impatient. He’d stalked Vivian a few times now, and whenever he’d been about to strike, something had occurred to stop him from doing so. It was as though God was warning him it wasn’t meant to be.

      He’d also followed Vinny and Michael on a couple of occasions. They usually had their henchmen with them and the Enemy wasn’t stupid. No way did he want to go back inside, which was why he’d now turned his attention to Brenda.

      It was common knowledge that Queenie wasn’t as close to Brenda as her sons, but she was still her only daughter. He’d also heard through the grapevine that Little Vinny was getting married this weekend, so to spoil the wedding would be an added bonus.

      After a bloody long wait, the Enemy finally saw Brenda and her drunken friend stagger from the Eastbrook pub. He crossed the road and glanced around. The pub was situated near traffic lights and he needed to wait for a lull in the passing cars.

      After tottering unsteadily along Rainham Road South for a few minutes, the women decided to get some chips. The Enemy was dressed like a nerd again, and pulled the hood of his duffel coat over his head. He’d done his homework. The nearest cab firm was a five-minute walk away, but unfortunately it was within spitting distance of Dagenham Police Station. Would the drunken mingers head there or would they walk home? The Enemy had learned Brenda lived in Oldmead House, which would be a bit of a schlep given the state she was in.

      He watched and waited while the girls sat on the pavement, mauling their food like animals. Realizing there were no people or cars in sight, the Enemy put his hand inside his satchel. It was now or never, he thought, as he ran towards Brenda.

      Ginger Sharon glanced up as he approached. ‘Buy your own fucking grub,’ she slurred.

      The Enemy didn’t reply. He aimed straight for Brenda’s stomach, plunging the knife in three times.

      When the ginger bird dropped her chips and started to scream manically, the Enemy turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could down Oxlow Lane.

      ‘Bobby Jackson’s son. Don’t tell the police – tell my brothers,’ Brenda gurgled. They were the last words she ever spoke.

      Having had no time to prepare for the disposal of this particular body, Vinny Butler ordered Carl to drive the Cortina to Purfleet. He knew the area reasonably well as that was where he’d killed Ahmed and Burak.

      Vinny hadn’t fancied sitting in the stolen car with his latest victim in the boot, so had chosen to accompany Jay Boy. His pal was driving and Carl was following them.

      ‘Do you wanna talk about what happened?’ Jay Boy asked Vinny.

      ‘No point, is there? She’s dead. As I told you earlier, it was a sex game that went wrong,’ Vinny lied, flicking another of Nadia’s teeth out the window as they cruised along the A13. It had been Jay Boy who’d dislodged the last of them. Bastards to get out, they’d been, especially the molars.

      ‘You should try and find yourself a decent bird, Vin. I’ve never been happier since I settled down with my Jilly. Playing the field ain’t all it’s cracked up to be at times.’

      ‘Tell me about it. Just drive and don’t lecture me, Jay. I’m so not in the mood. My love life has had disaster stamped all over it, ever since I found out what me cock was for. I think we turn off soon. Slow down a bit.’

      ‘I know exactly where to turn off. It’s not yet, Vin.’

      Eight minutes later, Carl Tanner pulled up behind Jay Boy’s motor. He’d felt no nerves driving about with a dead body in the boot. His previous career as a con man had taught him how to control any form of anxiety.

      The area Vinny had chosen was that desolate you could’ve heard a pin drop. ‘I think we should burn her separately. I need to make sure she’s totally unrecognizable. We can set fire to the motor afterwards,’ Vinny said.

      Jay Boy was worried. ‘Vin, it’s nearly four, and it’ll be getting light soon. Let’s just burn her in the boot and get the fuck out of here. We’ve got to go home in my motor – which happens to be registered in my bloody name.’

      ‘Want me to do the honours?’ Carl offered, waving a petrol container in the air.

      Ignoring Jay Boy’s advice, Vinny opened the boot and dragged the girl out. She was wrapped in a sheet. He urged Carl to help him pull her along the lane a bit, and with no remorse whatsoever, callously poured the petrol over her, then struck a match.

      Jay Boy gagged as the smell of burning flesh hit his nostrils. He was no wimp, but setting fire to random women was something he would never be able to get his head around. The poor bird had only gone out for a drink earlier, must have a family who would be devastated to never see her again. As much as he respected Vinny, now he was planning to marry Jilly and start a family himself, at times such as this Jay Boy did wonder if he should quit his job, while he was still able to.

      Vivian Harris had always been a light sleeper, and since her fall-out with Queenie, woke up sporadically throughout the night.

      Hearing a car engine, Vivian glanced at her radio/alarm clock, then got out of bed. ‘Oh no,’ she gasped, as she spotted two coppers get out of a marked car outside Queenie’s.

      Queenie’s heart beat wildly when she opened the front door. Surely Vinny hadn’t been arrested? Or worse still, was dead? ‘Whatever’s the matter?’ she asked.

      ‘May we come inside please, Queenie?’ DC Marriot asked. He knew the woman well, had often spoken to her around the shops and market.

      ‘It’s all right, Queen. I’m here,’ Vivian assured, leading her sister into the front room and urging her to sit down. She could tell by the look on the Old Bill’s faces that it was extremely bad news. They didn’t knock you up in the middle of the night for anything less.

      Queenie felt as though she was in a trance as she stared at Marriot.

      ‘I’m afraid we have some bad news for you, Queenie.’

      ‘Not my Vinny or Michael? Please tell me it ain’t my boys,’ Queenie gabbled.

      ‘There was an incident in Dagenham earlier. A woman received СКАЧАТЬ