Petey Bailey was buzzing. Bernadette was looking good, and she had impressed him with her choice of decor for their new house; it occurred to him that she might very well be an asset to him one day. The house looked fantastic, and he knew it would impress anyone who walked through the door. His only worry was that he owed a hefty wedge to the mortgage company, and they were already chasing the debt. Unlike in his world, they were a faceless corporation, and they didn’t give a fuck if they upset you in the course of their negotiations. His name meant fuck-all to them; they were operating well within the law and, if he lost this house, he knew he would never get over the shame of it. He had not put down a huge deposit, so the payments were astronomical, and he had the added stress of paying the decorators as well. He had to find the cash, and he would; he had always managed before. He would have to take a bit of a breather from the cards for a while, recoup some money, and he had a few scams on the go that would bring him in a good earn. He would sort it; he wanted this place badly, and so did Bernadette.

He was really pleased with his choice of wife-to-be. For the first time in their relationship, he felt as if they were on the same wavelength and that they might have a fighting chance. He wanted this as much as she did; he needed the validation of owning an expensive property. It was all top show to them both, all about what you had, and they wanted the best.

Petey Bailey recognised now that he was as shallow as she was and that, like him, she was only ever after the main chance. If she managed to bang out a few sons, Petey thought she might just be worth the effort.

He felt good today; life was on the up. He had one last meeting and then he was looking forward to having a good night out. He had to start cultivating Liam; he needed him now. He would start his campaign tonight – he knew how to grovel when he needed to. Liam was a good, loyal man, there was no doubt about that, especially when it came to the family.

‘Give us a kiss, Bernie, I’m running late.’

She kissed him chastely on his cheek. He smiled as he left; unbeknownst to her, once they were married, she was going to get a big shock. He would ride her hard, and she would not be in a position to call the shots any more. He was quite looking forward to it.

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Six