The Easter Egg Hunt – XI

Since Ben and Joss Beckett took over The Fair Maid and Falcon, they have had to deal with ghosts, gangsters and well dodgy goings-on. Despite that they have their own family of twin daughters and dogs, and a fabulous ‘found family’ of friends. Life seems to be going well when…

My friend from the lunch table leaned down and picked his captive up by the neck.
“Talk.”
For about ten seconds I thought mister stupid was going to add stubborn to his list of misdeeds, but he saw something in his captor’s eyes that frightened the swagger right out of him. I saw the second he caved in, and watched his Adam’s Apple bobbing up an down in his throat as he fought to keep up his tough facade.
“We was paid a grand to come along and bust up this cafe.”
He pronounced it as if it rhymed with safe and Morgan sighed.
“I’d quite like to know who paid you.”
He stared at her, shocked, I think, by the idea a mere female dared question him. A slap across the back of the head from a big hard hand brought him back to a sense of his own peril and he swallowed noisily.
“I don’t know the geezer’s name, but he used to work for Amos Proudly. Reckons he represents the family’s new boss.”
That earned him another cuff round the head.
“They haven’t got a new boss you thick bastard. You were about to get yourselves right in the middle of a nasty little power struggle.”
“So why was we sent here?”
“Because old Proudly’s granddaughter is bidding for his empty throne.”
“Still why?”
Morgan explained.
“Because the silly cow got in a slanging match with my boss on the internet. She lost so now she has to have revenge to prove what a hard woman she is.”
“So why didn’t she come herself?”
“Because there’s people here, me included, who’d like nothing more than to clean her clock for her.”
He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.
“Cowardly cow.” He looked at his muscular opponent. “If we promise to bugger off and put the word out that it ain’t safe to come here and do some silly cow’s dirty work, will you let us go?”
I wasn’t even remotely surprised to see the young giant who held him in a pitiless grasp look to Morgan for a decision. She put her hands in her pockets and subjected the squirming captive to a cold stare.
“Let ‘em go. But do remind them that it will be extremely unhealthy if they show their faces round here again.”
“You heard the lady.”
“Why’d I have to lissen to some girl?”
“Because I day so. And because her dad says so.”
“Why’d I have to lissen to some girl’s old man?”
“You ever hear of Brown Brothers? Mark Brown is her dad.”
He looked puzzled, but one of the other would-be hard boys lifted his head.
“Would you let me up a minute? I’ll lay back down again after I’ve ripped that eejit a new asshole.”
“Let him up.” Morgan said.
Once the boot was removed from his back he stood up and moved to where his confederate squirmed in an iron grip.
“Scuse me sir. Would you mind lending me mister stupid for a couple seconds.”
The big lad nodded and dropped his prey. At which, stupid’s erstwhile buddy ploughed a bony fist into the soft tissue under his sternum. Stupid dropped to the ground retching and crying.
“You’re a fucking moron. Come and smash a bit of furniture you said. It’s worth a couple of centuries you said. What you never said was we’d be putting a fucking great target on our backs.” He turned to Morgan. “If we take him away and beat him up some, and we put the word out that the Proudly clan is annoying your pop, will you let us go?”
Morgan looked to me and I dropped her a swift wink.
“Okay. Take him away. But don’t let me down.”
He actually pulled his forelock. “We won’t.”
Three Brown lads assisted their egress, while the big lad grinned down at Morgan.
“You’re nearly as scary as your mum.”
“And you’re nearly as big an asshole as your uncle.”
“His uncle? Is he Mark’s nephew?” I had to ask.
“Yup. This is Simeon. He’s the runt of Uncle James’ litter of gargantuan eejits.”
I couldn’t help laughing, but then I put a little whip in my voice as I addressed Simeon.
“Family here incognito? Keeping an eye on me and Ben?”
He grinned, not a whit abashed. “Nope. Just me. Keeping an eye on my not-cousin.”
He looked down at her smooth, brown head and what I saw in his eyes explained a lot. He met my gaze and I smiled him a nice smile, after reciprocating he turned away.
He was just about out of the door when Morgan spoke up.
“You want an ice cream, Simeon?”
He turned to face her and she unleashed her dimples. “It won’t get busy here for a while, so I reckon you and me could get outside a knickerbocker glory while we wait.”
He was in front of her in four gigantic strides. “I’d like that.”
“And I’d like your company.”
Ben and I beat a strategic exit, to find the other three big lads waiting outside in the sunshine.
“Is Sim coming out?”
Ben shook his head.
“Does that mean he’s finally got Morgan to notice him?”
“Possibly.”
The three lads all grinned widely.
“He’s been after her for months, but she couldn’t seem to see beyond the idea of cousinship.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Even though they aren’t cousins at all?”
The lads shuffled their feet a bit and the spokesman, who I thought was John, nodded.
“Judging by her use of the dimples god gave her, I think she’s noticing now,” Ben said.

There will be more from Joss, Ben and their friends, courtesy of Jane Jago, next week, or you can catch up with their earlier adventures in Who Put Her In and Who Pulled Her Out.