Carnage: Book #1 The Story Of Us (Volume 1)(66)

“What wine bar did you meet him in?” Bailey looks down and asks me.

“The one he owns,” Jimmie piped up again, I sat up straight.

“Fuck me George, you said that without moving your lips,” Bailey joked.

“Get you, going out with a bloke that owns a wine bar.”

“It’s a wine bar Len, not a rock band.”

Len raised his eyebrows at my remark. “I wasn’t being sarcastic George.”

I shrugged, I don’t know why I’d said that out loud but it was true, it was just a wine bar, nothing to do with a rock band.

“Which one?” Bailey asked. “Which wine bar does he own?”

“Kings,” I reply.

“You’re dating Cameron King, seriously, f*ck George, does the old man know?” Lennon asks. How does he know Cam I wonder?

“You are kidding Georgia; you aren’t seriously dating Cameron King are you?’

“Yes, well no, I went on a date with him last night, he took me to dinner. How do you two know Cam?” Bailey is standing up now and standing over me and I don’t like the way this conversation is going.

“Georgia, everybody knows Cam, you do know who he is right?” I shake my head and shrug my shoulders. “Cameron King owns half of London and most of Essex, he’s partners with us in Kings but only because his wife’s sister sold us her share and he couldn’t do anything about it. Does Dad know? He’s dangerous George, I mean it, he’s f*cking dangerous.”

Baileys pacing the floor in front of me, I don’t understand what his problem is; Cam’s a nice bloke, from what I know of him. Why didn’t he tell me he was in partnership with my Dad? Why the f*ck didn’t he tell me he had a wife?

“He’s married?” I swear Jimmie could read my mind.

Bailey shook his head. “He was she’s dead.”

What the f*ck?

“What, how did she die?”

Bailey scratched at the stubble on his jaw. “I don’t remember all the details, she was pregnant and it all went tits up, her and the baby both died, he was a mess, he was completely f*cked up by it all, he’s only sorted himself out this last couple of years. Did you not know none of this?”

No I didn’t, he’d mentioned that he knew my Dad; surely he must have guessed that I would find out. Did he want me to find out like this? I felt a little hurt but then at the end of the day, I hadn’t been exactly forthcoming with the details of my past.

“It was our first date; it’s not exactly first date conversation is it?”

Bailey stops pacing and looks at me. “No sorry it’s not. Look George, I know this is bollocks but you really do need to stay away from him, he’s bad news, Dad will go mental and he’s way too old for you anyway.”

“How old is he?”

“You went out with him and you didn’t even know how old he was?”

I shrug and shake my head again. “Just tell me Bailey, how f*ckin’ old is he?”

“I’m not sure, he’s older than me, I think he’s about thirty-five, thirty-six, too old for you and Dad will not be happy when he finds out, I’m not happy George.”

“What’s Dad’s problem with him?”

“Our paths have crossed his a few times, he owns a few bars and clubs, and he’s got quite a lot of fingers in quite a lot of pies. He owned Kings with his wife, and when she died it went to her sister, I forget her name but she’s a right bitch, hates him with a passion, and blames him for her sister’s death. Anyway, she got her sisters share of the club, King wanted to buy her out but she wouldn’t let him, she wanted to sell to anyone but him.” He shrugs. “She just wanted to f*ck him over, we heard she was looking for a buyer, put in an offer and she took it but as part of the deal, we can’t sell on to him for at least ten years, he offered Dad all sorts but the club does well so why wouldn’t we want in, he made a few threats at first but he was such a mess at the time that we didn’t take them seriously. Anyway, he has nothing to do with the place, it’s his in name only, pretty much the same as us, we own it but the club runs itself. We have people we trust in there and no doubt so does he but I’m telling you now George, Dad won’t be happy if he finds out you’re seeing him.”