by Ricky Black
Colin audibly swallowed, dabbing at his shimmering face with the same tissue from earlier.
‘If I do all that, are you promising they’ll leave me alone?’
Lamont met Colin’s eyes again. ‘I can’t promise that, but I will intercede on your behalf, and I’ll talk with the right people to get this sorted. In the meantime, we’re gonna meet my associate, and I will leave you two to talk.’
Lamont signalled for the bill, still holding the smile back. Colin’s misfortune would do wonders for Lamont’s bank balance. As he paid, he was already ringing Xiyu.
Chapter Nineteen
Friday 30 June 2001
Lamont hung around across the road from an office building, checking his watch to make sure he had the right time. He jammed his hands in his jacket pockets, hoping he didn’t look as nervous as he felt. When he saw a familiar face walking from the building, he headed over to them.
‘Hey, Layla.’
‘L?’ Layla Kane looked shocked to see him. She was dressed in work gear; a simple blouse and trousers with a black coat. Her butterscotch skin seemed to emit an aura, and Lamont felt her presence. There was something special about her. It had taken him the longest time to realise it, but he was glad he’d reached out. Even if it had taken three years.
‘How are you doing?’
‘I’m . . . how did you know where I worked?’
Lamont winked, making Layla smile.
‘I have my ways. I wanted to see you. Do you want to go for a drink?’
‘I’ve been working for twelve hours straight, L.’
‘Let’s get you a coffee then.’
They sat across from one another in a cramped coffee shop. Lamont watched Layla sip her drink like she was dying of thirst.
‘What the hell do they have you doing in that firm?’ He asked.
‘Too much. It’s a nightmare. I work every hour of the day for very little money, on top of studying and prepping for exams. Doesn’t leave much time for anything else.’
‘I can imagine,’ Lamont reached out and brushed his fingertips against Layla’s palm. ‘It’s great to see you.’
‘I have a boyfriend, L.’
Lamont didn’t immediately pull his hand away, but he felt a jolt of something similar to something he felt in 1997. It stunned him. Lamont thought he had buried that part of himself, but here he was, getting in too deep with another woman who was too good for him.
‘Do you love him?’
Layla laughed. ‘Who asks a question like that?’
Lamont shrugged. She was right. It was a stupid question and the whole thing was none of his business. He was reminded of the last conversation he’d had with Layla, where she’d essentially told him to come and find her when he was ready. He’d taken too long though, and he was now painfully aware of that fact.
‘Tell me about him.’
‘Why?’ Layla’s brow furrowed, and Lamont couldn’t blame her.
‘Because I like you, and because you like him.’
Layla surveyed Lamont, but after a minute, she began talking about her boyfriend; how they’d met while studying, and how it was early days, but she thought he’d be good for her.
Lamont saw it for what it was. A sign that Lamont could never be that guy while he lived the life he did. He paid for her coffee, but knew he’d never seek her out again.
Thursday 5 July 2001
‘So, we’re gonna go out and have a big party in town.’
Lamont was sat on the sofa at Shorty’s place with his arms folded, listening to his friend talk. He’d been rambling for ages, so Lamont was thinking about other things, namely the state of the streets.
Gunplay and gang warfare had broken out on a whole new scale. Several West Indian gangs were warring with several English ones.
Lamont had interceded for Colin Leary last year. Using Marcus and Shorty, he’d spoken with the aggressors, and they’d eventually agreed to leave Colin alone. Unfortunately, other conflicts had sprung up, and the people involved, didn’t have Lamont’s diplomacy.
‘L, are you listening?’
‘Yes, you’re having a birthday party in town and you want me to be there. I heard you loud and clear.’
‘What’s the problem? Why do you look so emotional?’
‘I’m worried.’
‘What’s new there then? All you do is worry, Teflon.’
Lamont resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He still hadn’t grown used to the nickname Shorty and K-Bar had given him, but it didn’t bother him as much anymore.
‘The streets are nuts. There’s the beef Marcus had with Mori, and now the Yardies are going crazy, shooting at people in broad daylight. There’s tension. Don’t tell me you can’t feel it out there on those streets.’
‘I don’t care. Anyone comes for me, I’ll drop them myself. You know I don’t play.’
‘There’s no profit in it. We’re here to make money, remember? Warring with Yardies who have nothing to lose is ridiculous,’ replied Lamont.
‘Yeah well, Ronnie and them other boys aren’t gonna back down, so unless you’re gonna weigh in and organise sit-downs, stay out of it and keep it moving.’
Lamont wished it were that easy. He had a bad feeling about the Yardies, and he was preparing for them to make a move against him. He was rising in stature and an obvious target. Lamont was careful about who he was around and had moved house to avoid anyone becoming familiar with his patterns.
‘Just make sure you’re prepared, Shorty. If things kick off, we need to move quickly.’
‘Whatever. Can we go back to speaking about my birthday, please? How many people do you think I should invite? You know a couple’ people will act proper emotional if they don’t get an invitation. I want plenty of women there. Stace will come, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look. Are there any chicks you want there?’
Lamont shook his head, still thinking.
‘Stop thinking about that war nonsense. No one is trying to mess with us. We’re deep in the game, and we have the firepower to take out neighbourhoods if we need to. Make sure you’re planning on fucking someone at my party, because you know women will be pointed in your direction.’
‘You’re worried then.’
Lamont and Marcus sat in Marcus’s ride in the Hood. It was early evening, but the weather remained ridiculously warm. Marcus was shirtless, his muscled build on display, whilst Lamont wore a white vest and shorts. He was still sweating, and the heat was making him irritable.
‘I don’t understand why no one else is. The Yardies are coming after crews. People are getting robbed and chopped up. They don’t care about the rules. All they care about is anarchy.’
‘Do you wanna take them out?’
Lamont laughed. ‘That’s a great idea. Kill a few of them, then spend the rest of my life watching out for Yardie triggermen. It’s nothing for them to sneak into the country and come after me.’
‘If they try, I’ll kill them. All of them. You never need to worry while I’m here.’
Lamont grinned. He and Marcus had an up and down friendship, but Marcus’s loyalty had never wavered. He still went on robberies, but also had a few people selling drugs for him, so there was always money coming in. He wasn’t in the same bracket as Lamont, but had enough for what he needed.
Lamont was constantly trying to get Marcus and Shorty to consider investing their money. They weren’t interested though, so he left it alone.
‘Yes Marcus!’ A voice called out. Lamont looked to see who had spoken and his blood ran cold. He recognised the posture immediately, the wild hair and the scar on the face. The man slowed his Mercedes to a crawl and hopped out with the engine still running, music pumping from the speaker. Like Lamont, he wore a vest, his corded, wiry muscles on display. He looked at Lamont with cold brown eyes, then slapped hands with Marcus, who had climbed from the car.
‘Yes, Ricky. What’s happening?’
‘Nothing much. Looking to chill for the evening. Just driving ar
ound trying to get into trouble.’ Reagan’s eyes flickered toward Lamont again. The two men stared one another down, neither budging. Marcus noticed.
‘Ricky, this is my brother Lamont. People call him Teflon. L, this is Ricky Reagan. I’m sure you’ve heard the name.’
Lamont resisted the urge to cut his eyes to Marcus. He knew full-well Lamont knew who Reagan was. Lamont was sixteen again, waiting outside the door as Rochelle closed it on him to spend time with Reagan. His jaw tensed, but he controlled his thoughts. He wasn’t going back. Lamont would never be that person again.
‘Have we met?’ Reagan awkwardly shook hands with Lamont.
‘Years ago,’ said Lamont. Reagan kept his eyes on Lamont a moment longer, then turned back to Marcus.
‘Have you spoken to Lennox lately? I’ve been trying to reach him.’
‘He’s out of town. Should be back in a few weeks.’
‘If you hear from him, tell him to bell me. Might have a job for him. In fact, you can take it if you want. Someone needs to go missing. Ten bags.’
Marcus grinned. ‘I’ll check you tomorrow and we can talk.’
Reagan cut his eyes back to Lamont, who hadn’t stopped staring. The man who had been responsible for everything Lamont was now.
‘Delroy’s mentioned you a few times. He thinks you’re the second coming,’ Reagan’s tone was hostile. Lamont wondered if he was jealous. Delroy hadn’t slowed down his recruiting campaign over the years. Recently, he’d sent his son to talk with Lamont. Lamont had chilled around Winston Williams over the years, but it was so transparent that he was recruiting for his father. Lamont still wanted to work for himself, but Winston was cool, so he didn’t make an issue.
‘He’s never mentioned you,’ said Lamont. Reagan’s eyes flashed, but he didn’t move. His eyes flicked to Marcus then back to Lamont.
‘I’ll see you around, Teflon.’
Climbing back in the Mercedes, Reagan took off down the street. There was a short silence after he left.
‘Fucking hell, L . . . I thought you were over that Rochelle mess?’ Marcus, laughed. Lamont didn’t reply, his attention on the spot where Reagan had stood, his thoughts filled with rage and a little anguish he tried pretending wasn’t there.
Tuesday 10 July 2001
‘Would you though?’
Lamont closed his eyes. He was in another borrowed car with Shorty and they were waiting at some traffic lights for the light to turn green. Shorty was at the wheel, animated, bopping his head to Mobb Deep as he tapped on the steering wheel with both hands.
‘It’s not important if I would or not,’ replied Lamont.
‘For fuck’s sake, L. I’m just asking a question. Why you gotta kill shit all the time?’
‘Because you’ll end up getting yourself in trouble.’
‘I’m just asking a question,’ Shorty repeated. ‘Would you bang Bill’s missus? Yes or no?’
‘Fine. Yes I would,’ said Lamont after thinking about it for a moment. Shorty laughed. Despite Bill supplying them with drugs, Shorty couldn’t help mentioning his wife at every opportunity.
‘I thought so! I’ve seen her looking at me like she wants a piece. I don’t think Billy is hitting it right.’
‘That’s between Bill and his missus. Focus on business.’
‘You need to have some fun once in a while. You’re too damn serious, man,’ said Shorty, kissing his teeth. He turned up the volume on the music and rocketed ahead when the light changed.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive at Bill’s place. A few random faces milled around outside, staring at the pair when they pulled up. Lamont had seen a couple of them around before, but there were a few faces he didn’t know. True to form, Shorty seemed oblivious, wading through the crowd like it wasn’t even there. Lamont followed suit. No one made any move to stop them.
Bill’s woman answered the door again, smiling widely. Her cleavage was prominent in her tight tank top, and Shorty openly leered.
‘Nice to see you lot again. Bill and his brother are downstairs in the basement. I’ll take you down to them.’
‘You’re looking sexy today,’ Shorty piped up. She giggled, reddening slightly.
‘Thank you. C’mon, before Bill comes up.’
They followed her down to the basement. Lamont shot Shorty a look, but he ignored him. Lamont planned to tell him to curb this one. Bill’s woman was flirty. Lamont didn’t want any lines crossed though, especially with the man who was giving them their supply.
The basement was already cramped. Bill’s woman didn’t hang around after showing them down. In the room stood Bill, Jonny, and two others that Lamont hadn’t seen before. He didn’t know what they had been talking about before he and Shorty showed up, but the second Bill saw them, everything stopped.
Lamont’s instincts were going haywire now. He didn’t know why Bill had requested the meeting but the whole setup was unnerving. He searched the faces of the men surrounding Bill and Jonny. They looked unfriendly, but they weren’t giving anything away. Lamont forced himself not to look at Shorty, hoping his partner would be ready if things went bad.
‘Nice to see you, boys,’ Bill shook hands with them both. ‘I wanted you to meet someone. This is Daz,’ he motioned to one of the men behind him. Daz was taller than Lamont, with golden blonde hair, blue eyes and an easy demeanour. He wore a jacket over a t-shirt with some jeans and was beaming. ‘Daz does a lot of business for me. He’s one of my best.’
Daz nodded, almost preening at all the praise. Bill watched him for a moment.
‘He was one of my best anyway, until he started shitting in the pot.’
Daz’s face paled but before he could move, Jonny grabbed him by the throat and drove his knee into Daz’s stomach. Daz slid to the floor, coughing and retching. Jonny kicked him repeatedly, spewing curses at him as Daz tried to cover up.
‘Daz thought he could steal from me, and I can’t have that. Do you understand?’
‘Not entirely,’ said Lamont. ‘Are you trying to accuse us of something?’
The beating stopped. The whole room was silent, save for the whimpering and snivelling of Daz, crumpled on the dusty floor of the basement.
‘Should I be?’ Bill’s voice was deadly.
‘No, you shouldn’t.’
‘Good. I’m not trying to accuse you of owt. I’m showing that this isn’t how to do business. Don’t bite the hand feeding you. I’ve got a good feeling about you lot, but I’m getting old and sometimes I’m wrong. Had a good feeling about that one too.’ Bill kicked Daz in the back.
‘There’s no mercy in this shit,’ said Shorty, nodding at the beating in front of him.
‘Definitely not. There can’t be. I’m not a bloody soft touch and if I take a shot on some guy like Daz here,’ Bill kicked him again, ‘then I expect him to make the most of it. Not to cheat me.’
‘That’s understandable,’ said Lamont. He understood the message that Bill was trying to share with him. Stepping forward, Shorty kicked Daz in the head and began whaling on him with hits. Jonny and the others did the same as Bill smiled with approval, looking at the scene like a proud father. He glanced at Lamont, who fought to keep his expression neutral. He wouldn’t let Bill see that he had affected him.
Chapter Twenty
Saturday 21 July 2001
Lamont climbed out of the shower, tripping over his own feet. He’d stupidly had a nap when he was supposed to be getting ready and now he was pushed for time.
Shorty had messaged him twice saying he was in the taxi. For a person who was always late, he was a stickler for the punctuality of others. Hurrying to the wardrobe, Lamont hastily ironed a white t-shirt and jeans. He wasn’t sure which clubs they would end up at, so he opted for shoes. Popping his watch on, Lamont heard the taxi beeping from outside.
‘Yes, L!’ Shorty grinned, his eyes red and slightly drooping. K-Bar sat up front with the taxi driver. He nodded in Lamont’s direction as the taxi drove towards town.
‘How much have you drank?’ Lamont asked Shorty.
‘Half a bottle of Henny. Hit the fucking spot too,’ Shorty replied. The driver frowned but didn’t turn around.
‘Make sure you get some water in you. If you start falling all over the place, I’m leaving you.’
‘Forget that. I’m lean but I’ll still out-drink you.’
The taxi let them out on Briggate. K-Bar tried paying the driver but Lamont cut across him, handing the driver a twenty.
As they approached the club, they heard the thumping sounds of Garage tracks along with the excited shrieks of the crowds. They headed inside; the atmosphere overwhelming. There were flashing lights, scantily clad women and enough goons to start a riot. Shorty was a thug, but he had charisma and people enjoyed being in his company.
K-Bar and Blakey had organised the party, and Lamont had paid. While Shorty began slapping hands and flirting with every girl in sight, Lamont hovered around the edges of the party, talking with the few who approached him. He was happy for Shorty to get all the attention.
‘Why are you so quiet?’
Lamont smiled when he saw Xiyu walking towards him. He was dressed to impress in a plum-coloured shirt, blue trousers and expensive shoes.
‘Finally, a friendly face,’ laughed Lamont. ‘How long have you been here?’
‘Couple of hours. I had business here earlier.’
‘Everything go as planned?’ asked Lamont. Since bringing Xiyu into the fold, he had never failed to fill Lamont’s pockets come payday. Lamont didn’t know the specifics of what Xiyu did, but whatever it was, he did it well. Shorty and his clique still had issues with Xiyu, openly calling him Chink and trying to undermine him. Xiyu seemed to take it in his stride though.
‘You’re going to have another good week,’ Xiyu winked.
‘I’ll need it after paying for this party.’