TODAY, WE ARE THRILLED TO WELCOME OUR GUEST AUTHOR, VAL PENNY, WHO IS SHARING AN EXCERPT FROM HER NOVEL, 'A FIGHTING CHANCE' #RWRTeamBlog #ReadWriteRepeat
- Eva Bielby
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
A FIGHTING CHANCE
An Excerpt
Connor Malcolm O’Grady stepped ashore off the ferry at Cairnryan. It was early, far earlier than he wanted to be up and doing. He looked around. This really was the arse end of nowhere. But it got him into Scotland with least attention.
He left his home in Ireland to check on his Scottish business interests. He couldn’t understand why his gear wasn’t reaching his distributors. The tip-off from bloody Edna Hope better be right. He hadn’t expected Peggy Cheney to be getting out of the big house so soon. In any case, it wouldn’t do for anybody in authority to know he was back. He was not pleased to have to be in Scotland at all, it was risky, so he stood and waited as inconspicuously as possible in the line, despite his tailored suit and designer briefcase.
He felt he was kept waiting too long to hand his passport to the immigration official. Perhaps it was because he was nervous. But he would never want to show that. The woman looked at him and scrutinised the document before returning it to him.
“Welcome home, Mr Connolly,” she said.
“Thank you.” He smiled and waved his false British passport above his head without looking back at her, but he noticed the young policeman at border control did a double take. Shit!
He strode towards the exit where his loyal henchman Brian Squires was waiting for him. The big man cast no shadow; the cloud was too thick, almost as thick as him.
“Good to see you, sir,” Brian said. He was not pleased to have been called back from Spain to Scotland to provide O’Grady’s security.
Why couldn’t the buggers in this rain-soaked hell hole just do what they were meant to do? This kept him away from the lovely Janis Thomson too. Life in the sun was good with her, but God knew how much she would put on the credit cards while he was away.
“When did you arrive Squires?”
“Yesterday. I stayed in a B&B last night. I don’t know why the beds are always too short.” He bent to take the case from his employer.
O’Grady ignored the complaint. “I hope bloody Edna’s not dragged me over here for nothing. When does Peggy get out?”
“Tomorrow, I hear.”
“That old bat is really the least of my problems right now, but I heard that stupid granddaughter of hers has been snooping about our business. She should stay and work for her own family. She’ll attract just the kind of attention that I don’t want. You need to sort her out and make sure there’s no repetition. Who got the stupid bint to come to us anyway?”
“Phoenix. He’s all over her.”
“Fucking idiot. And what’s gone wrong with our supplies to the distributors. I can’t have clients going elsewhere, Squires. You know that, right?”
“Of course, sir. I don’t know, sir. It’ll be put right, sir. Do you want to stop at the Edinburgh apartment now, or go directly to the hotel in Stirling, sir?”
“Let’s get out of here and head to Edinburgh before we go up to the hotel. I need to check out the place and my packages then I’ll want to call a full meeting in Stirling as quickly as we can.”
“I don’t know if everyone’s available, sir.”
“They’re available. Every last one of them. No excuses. It’s an order. Arrange it. I want everybody gathered in the usual place.”
“It’s closed, sir.”
“Good, there won’t be any excuse that there’s a competing booking. So get the keys and get it sorted. Understood?
“God, I’m famished. I need to have something to eat. The food on that ferry is worse than I remember. I’m so hungry I could eat a scabby dog.
“Anyway, I think the couriers…”
“We call them staff now, sir. It’s more neutral. Do you want to stop for a bite?” Squires asked more in hope than expectation.
“No, just get me back to Edinburgh then, once I’ve worked out what’s been happening to my gear, I want to get to Stirling pronto. I need to be there before Peggy’s release. And do I look like a man who cares about your perceived problems? Whatever you call them staff, couriers, we need more to grow the business and remain on top now that Peggy’s getting out. Her boys are a pair of numpties, but she’s shrewd and I want our team fit to massacre her operation.
“Let’s get it arranged and make sure our team is up to scratch. They all need to know that I’m back and I mean business. Peggy’s business must be annihilated and where the old witch hangs her bones will make no difference to my operation.
“We’ll cover more territory and push her and her grimy sons out. Right? Anybody who doesn’t like that will get it in the neck. Clear?”
“Crystal, sir.” Brian held the car door open and watched O’Grady climb into the back of the limousine. He was sorely tempted to kick the bastard in the arse but decided against it and silently took his place in the driver’s seat and turned the car northeast towards the capital.
Author Biography
Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store.
Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd. Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat.
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COMING SOON: On Sunday, 8th February, we are delighted to welcome back our guest author, Toni Kief. This time, Toni is sharing with us, Chapter 1 of her novel, 'Mildred in Disguise'.
