by Ricky Black
Everything wrong with her was down to him, and Lamont freely accepted that.
‘I’ve missed you.’
Jenny didn’t smile. ‘I’ve missed you too, L.’
‘I’m sorry for the things I said. I don’t think you’re weak. The opposite in fact. You’re one of the strongest people I know, and I know for a fact I wouldn’t have been able to handle everything you have.’
‘I appreciate what you’re saying, L. But it’s a bigger conversation than that now.’
Lamont wasn’t surprised by Jenny’s. The leaden feeling in his stomach expanded, but he steeled himself.
Jenny took a deep breath, tears pooling in her eyes.
‘For my health and sanity, I need to leave you, L. I love you, but I need to do this for me. You’re . . . in too deep. Even after the attempt on your life, you’re still doing it. Don’t deny it.’
Jenny watched Lamont for any glimmer of a reaction, but his face was like stone.
‘Does any of this relate to Malcolm?’
‘I find him appealing, and I’ve spent time with him. It’s not about Malcolm though. I love you, but I can’t be with you. I can’t be with anyone.’
Lamont twitched with anger, furious at the thought of Malcolm spending time with his Jenny. The information Akeem had given him on Malcolm had yielded nothing. He controlled his rage, opening his mouth to reply, but his phone rang.
‘This isn’t a good time,’ Jenny watched as Lamont’s eyes widened, his mouth agape. ‘Find him. Send people to the hospital. I’m on my way there and I want it locked down.’ Lamont faced Jenny, his jaw tight.
‘I need to go, Jen. Something terrible has happened.’
Shorty and Grace returned home. Grace held bags full of clothes and toys. After leaving his mum’s house, they’d gone shopping. Shorty had bought her a quick burger from McDonald’s, then they headed back. Since leaving town, Grace had become distant, content to stare out of the window and communicate with nods.
‘Gracey?’ Shorty stopped the car. Grace faced him. To try to make her smile, he’d let her sit in the front seat.
‘I’m . . . Sorry it came to this. You’re the only good thing that daddy ever did in his life. I know I left you alone, and I can never make that up to you, but I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere. Anytime you want daddy, all you need to do is tell your mummy, and I’ll be there. Okay?’
Grace stared at Shorty for a long time. The doubt in her big brown eyes made Shorty want to cry. This wasn’t supposed to happen. No child should ever be so disappointed by a parent.
Shorty blinked back tears, searching for the words to comfort her. He heard the sharp acceleration of another vehicle. Instantly, he knew.
‘No!’ Shorty lunged towards a stunned Grace just as brakes squealed, followed by the unmistakable roar of gunfire.
Shorty covered Grace’s body with his own as bullets bombarded the ride, showering them with glass. Shorty’s body jolted, a bullet grazing his shoulder. Grace was screaming. Shorty had no weapons, but even as that terrifying thought gripped him, the car was gone.
Shorty hurtled out of the Land-Cruiser in time to see a Vauxhall Astra pulling around the corner.
‘Shorty?’ Amy was hurtling the door open. Shorty whirled around as Amy’s eyes widened.
‘GRACE!’ she screamed. Dumbfounded, Shorty looked down, his entire world shattering. At first, he thought she was sleeping. Then he saw the blood.
‘No . . .’ He gasped, frozen. Amy wrenched open the vehicle door, holding Grace, screaming her name, tears streaming down her face. Shorty still hadn’t moved. His own tears harboured his vision now. He blinked, his entire body and mind on standby.
This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real . . .
‘CALL AN AMBULANCE!’ Amy shrieked at Shorty. He dumbly reached for his phone, dialling the number, waiting for someone to answer.
‘My daughter . . . She got shot . . . Please, send someone,’ he said, his voice shaking when a woman answered.
People gathered on the street, wearing expressions of shock and disbelief. Amy hadn’t stopped clutching Grace. Shorty heard the wailing of sirens, but he didn’t dare tear his eyes from his daughter. He didn’t know where she’d been hit, but she was deathly still. As the ambulance screeched to a stop, followed shortly after by two police cars, Shorty finally let the tears fall.
Chapter Sixteen
Saturday 14 March 2015
It was easy for Lamont to shake away thoughts of Jenny as he strode through the hospital with Akeem at his side. The breakup hurt, but the present situation was far more important. People would die from the results of what transpired today.
Lamont ignored his ringing phone. Akeem was barking orders down his own, ignoring the onlookers. People were already in place, securing the perimeter in case of attack. Others were combing the streets for immediate answers.
Shorty slumped against a wall, his face tear-streaked, his agony almost palpable. Lamont had never seen him so devastated. Even after Marcus’s murder, when they drank and cried together. This was different. The fringes of Shorty’s sanity were on the verge of exploding; a pulsating aura of destruction. Lamont knew of it, and a quick glance to Akeem showed he sensed it too.
Amy tottered towards Lamont, pale and red-eyed, flinging her arms around him. He held her tightly, muttering pointless platitudes, telling her everything would be okay.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Lamont repeated, over and over again. He felt the wetness on his chest from her tears. After a moment, she released him. Lamont approached Shorty, placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder. Shorty didn’t look up, but Lamont felt the resonating rage, his muscles almost vibrating.
‘I don’t even know what to say, Shorty. However you want to do this, I’m with you. The team, money, anything you need. We’ve got people out there now. They’ll find something.’
‘It was Lutel,’ Shorty croaked. ‘He’s the only one who fits. The only one dumb enough to try to hit me when I’m with my girl.’
Lamont didn’t argue. It made sense.
‘Did you tell the police that?’
The vicious look Shorty gave was answer enough.
‘I’ll target Lennox’s people until he comes forward. No one is gonna rest on this shit. I love Grace too. Do you know anything?’
‘They’ve taken her in for surgery. Bullet hit her in the lung, she’s barely hanging on. I don’t know too much about all that technical shit, but she’s fighting.’ Shorty’s shoulders shook. ‘My girl’s a fighter.’
‘I know she is. Just like her parents. Stay here with Amy, and I’ll take care of everything.’
‘I’m coming too.’
‘Shorty . . .’
‘Don’t fight me on it, L. You said however I wanted to do it. I’m no good here. I’ve already nearly scrapped with security and screamed at the nurses. I need to be out there making things happen.’
‘I agree.’
Both men gave a start. They hadn’t noticed Amy approach. Her face remained pale and drawn, but her blazing eyes kept them tethered to the spot.
‘I want you to go, Shorty. I let you back into Grace’s life, and now she’s fighting for it. Go be you, do what you need to do, kill who you need to kill. You will never see her again.’
It was a testament to how devastated Shorty was that he didn’t argue. His shoulders slumped and he let out a breath before following Lamont and Akeem from the hospital.
Grace’s shooting sent a ripple through the streets of Leeds that it hadn’t felt in a long time. There had been scores of incidents, murders, shootings and beatings, but nothing that matched a young girl being shot on a quiet suburban street. The fact it was Shorty’s daughter only added to the tension.
Everyone on the streets began mobilising, and most people pulled back, content to wholesale their drugs for now. It was only a matter of time until the drama started.
Lennox and Nikkolo strode to Lutel’s spot in Ebor Gardens. Lutel was watching a TV show with
his feet up when they stormed into the room.
‘It’s fucked up that I missed, but—’
Lennox hit Lutel in the face, feeling the satisfying crunch of Lutel’s nose breaking under his fist. Lutel fell to one knee and was kicked in the face, toppling to the ground. Lennox kicked him several times, not uttering a sound. Nikkolo watched in grim silence.
‘Why do I bother?’ Lennox finally said, over the sounds of Lutel’s pathetic whimpering. ‘You’re an absolute liability. Missing Shorty was the worst thing you could have done, you cretin. I said clean up, not make a situation worse. Did you not understand your orders?’
‘Listen, I panicked when I saw the little girl. I just let a couple shots go thinking I’d pop Shorty and done. I didn’t mean to hit her.’ Lutel coughed, holding his battered ribs.
‘You’re weak. Weak, petty and emotional. The girl is nothing to me. I care about one thing; ruling Chapeltown. I don’t know if I’ve ever bothered to tell you why, but now I will; I’m the only one who can give the streets structure. I can stop the tit-for-tat, my-strap-is-bigger-than-yours nonsense. More money for everyone. Less police interest. No drugs. It makes sense. It benefits everyone, but now you have ruined that with your foolishness.’
‘If you’d backed me earlier, none of this would have happened!’ Lutel snarled, forgetting himself. ‘If you just took Shorty out, there wouldn’t have been any problems. But no, you just left him.’
Lennox stared at Lutel for so long that the man started to tremble. Even Nikkolo stepped back, marvelling at the quiet force emanating from Lennox. After a moment, Lennox scratched his cheek.
‘Hide out until we can sort the mess. Nikkolo will get a spot for you.’
When they left the house, Lennox didn’t speak until the pair were back in Nikkolo’s car.
‘Lutel is a loose end. Leak the spot to Shorty. He’ll take care of it. It might even placate him.’
‘Do you really believe that?’ Nikkolo couldn’t keep the scepticism from his voice. Shorty was a maniac. Lamont had kept him on a leash since he left prison, but that was done. Lennox ignored Nikkolo, already deep in thought.
‘Let me know when you hear anything else.’
K-Bar hung up on Darren, putting his hands in his head. The streets were about to be locked down. K-Bar knew exactly how it would go. He’d spoken briefly to Akeem about the situation. They had dispatched men to find out the location of Lutel and whoever had driven the car.
K-Bar tried ringing Shorty, but his phone was unavailable, and Lamont was flat out ignoring K-Bar’s calls. Marika wrapped her arms around K-Bar, kissing him on the cheek.
‘Have you spoken with Shorty or L yet?’
‘I can’t get hold of either of them. I’ve got all kinds of people ringing me, trying to find out what’s going on, and I can’t say shit to them.’
‘Good. People are too damn nosy,’ said Marika, though she wanted to know what was going on just as much. ‘What happens now?’
K-Bar pulled Marika closer, running his fingers through her hair as she leaned further into him. They stayed this way for a few moments. K-Bar was sure he was falling for Lamont’s sister. It was dangerous, and he needed to speak with him before feelings grew any deeper.
K-Bar had no idea how the conversation would go, but he would step to Lamont like a man. There was no way around it.
‘War, babe. That’s the only thing that can happen. We all know what Grace is to Shorty. People are gonna die. Simple.’
Lamont left Shorty planning with Akeem, heading home. Two of Akeem’s men followed in a separate vehicle. They were expensive, highly trained bodyguards, but Lamont wasn’t thinking about cost at the moment. When the guns started going off, things would grow even more expensive.
Lamont had people watching out for Amy, Stacey, Shorty’s mother and his Auntie. He hadn’t asked Shorty if he wanted any of this, he’d just done it.
Lamont walked past Jenny’s Mercedes, not knowing if she had left since he’d rushed away to the hospital. Hearing noises from the kitchen, he headed in that direction. Jenny and Kate were speaking in hushed tones. They stopped when Lamont appeared in the doorway.
‘L, are you okay?’ Jenny asked, noting how tired Lamont looked. His eyes brimmed with passion though and for a moment, Jenny was reminded of the dangerous man she had fallen for. Lamont hugged Kate.
‘I’m fine, Jen. It’s nice to see you, Kate. Surprised you’re here though.’
‘I heard about Shorty. Jen rang me after you rushed off, and I came over,’ Kate looked from Lamont to Jenny. ‘You two are through then?’
Lamont jammed his hands in his pockets, thinking about Shorty’s situation to prevent his own from overwhelming him.
‘It’s for the best. Especially now.’
‘Is Shorty okay?’ Jenny didn’t want to think about the breakup anymore than Lamont did.
‘I can’t discuss anything that’s happening, or is gonna happen, Jen. I don’t want you becoming an accessory. In fact, I’d appreciate it if you let me have someone guard you, just in case.’
‘That’s not going to happen.’
‘Jen—’
‘No, L. I’m not part of your world, and we’re not a couple anymore. I’ll be fine.’
‘Grace isn’t part of that world either, but she was still hit,’ Lamont argued. It was futile though. Jenny’s mouth was drawn and her eyes were hard. There would be no fighting her on this one.
‘Forget it, L. I’m going to the letting agency when it opens in the morning.’
‘You don’t need to do that. I have plenty of places to stay, and I’d prefer it if you kept the house,’ said Lamont. Jenny shook her head.
‘I want a fresh start. You can understand that, right?’
Lamont could. A lot had transpired and he couldn’t blame Jenny for wanting to be away from it all. The night started to catch up with Lamont, and he stifled a yawn, his eyes burning. He needed to be fresh in case there were any new developments.
‘I’ll sleep in the spare room. You have the bed, Jen. I need to get some rest.’ Lamont bid Kate good night, surprised she’d stayed so quiet. He was halfway to the door when Jenny spoke again.
‘L?’
He span around just in time to catch Jenny as she hurtled against him, her mouth finding his. For a delicious moment, all was well, Jenny’s lips causing a whirl of desire to surge through Lamont’s body as he gripped her closer. Jenny moaned in his mouth as the kiss deepened, but then pulled away, her legs weak with sudden lust and love.
‘Be careful, L. I love you, and I’ll always care for you.’
‘I love you too, Jen, and I’m always careful.’
The next morning, a group of men sat in a meeting room in a local police station. Mumbled greetings were exchanged as tired hands stirred sugar in cups of coffee, needing the caffeine to get them through the torrent of mess in Chapeltown.
Rigby and Murphy were at the front of the room, ready to speak. At a signal from their superior, they began.
‘Through careful investigation, we’ve linked Kieron Barrett, AKA K-Bar, to numerous murders from September 2013. He was responsible for the deaths of Paul ‘Polo’ Dobby, Xiyu ‘Chink’ Manderson, and Naomi Gateworth.’
‘What careful investigation are you referring to?’ A man asked. ‘This all sounds very circumstantial. Does any of what you’re saying connect to the mess on the streets, because if the intel is correct, we’re going to have another gang war on our hands.’
‘There’s enough for us to bring in K-Bar and question him. A friend of Naomi’s will testify in court. She was present when K-Bar approached Naomi and offered her five thousand pounds to set up Chink. Half the money was paid up front, the rest to be paid after. Instead, they murdered Naomi too.’
‘We found Two different gun calibres at the scene if I recall; who else was there other than K-Bar?’
‘At this point we don’t know, but K-Bar could prove more forthcoming. There are several within Teflon’s organisat
ion with the reputation to pull it off, but we haven’t narrowed it down at present.’
‘I’m not sure about any of this,’ another superior spoke up. ‘Again, it all seems rather thin, even with the tie-in. K-Bar works for Teflon, who has money and a lot of political might behind him. We can’t afford to fail.’
‘Agreed. Adele being willing to testify is huge though, sir, as it offers motive. We believe it’s connected to the murder of Marcus Daniels in August 2013, and that everything after was a direct result. Chink was behind the hit on Marcus in the park and was murdered in retaliation.’
‘I thought Chink and K-Bar both worked for Jones? That’s what the last report I read showed.’
Murphy and Rigby shared a look. They hated the whole show of having to justify every piece of police work they did. They understood the need for clarity, but as veteran officers, they knew the politics, and were always committed to putting together airtight cases. They wanted to catch bad guys and stamp out crime. That was it.
Neither was interested in climbing the police ladder, or getting recognition. It was simply the job. They had planned to brief their immediate superior this morning, but they had been blindsided and forced to present the meeting to half a dozen higher-ups.
‘There was definitely a fall out. We believe Chink was engaged in a sexual affair with Marcus’s girlfriend, Georgia Pearson. We tried to track her down, but she’s left Leeds and no one has heard from her.’
‘What about the more recent shootings? That’s where we should be focusing. All the protesting and press from Chapeltown by that blasted organisation has caused a lot of issues. We need to be seen to be doing the right thing on this, and I don’t know if that involves digging up cases from two years ago.’