“I don’t need a babysitter and I’m not a child. I’m coming along,” Kiki argues.
A voice from the TV interrupts our discussion. “Police are pursuing the suspect. Our source stated that the suspect is a young female–”
“Turn it up. I need to listen to this for a second,” I cut both of them off, snatching the remote from Tequila’s hand and increasing the volume. The news channel is on constantly, just in case we hear anything about Tahlia.
“Witnesses are reporting that a girl dressed in a grey hoodie walked into a betting shop in East London holding a gun. She demanded cash threatening to shoot the cashier and customers that were inside at the time. Luckily no one has been hurt, and police are urging residents not to approach the girl as she might still be armed.”
I turn the volume down and tangle my hair, thinking that I might be getting paranoid. Tahlia is locked up somewhere, and she wouldn’t be capable of robbing the shop for cash. She is not that girl.
“Micah, I know that you’re trying to distract me,” Tequila says. “This isn’t going to work. I’m going with you.”
I want to fucking slap myself. I didn’t have to say anything to her about my plan; lies would have solved the problem.
“It’s too dangerous. Besides, we can’t leave Kiki alone. Be smart, Tequila, and think about the consequences,” I insist, wondering if I’m ever going to see her again, wondering if being a cop actually made me happy.
Then Tequila does something unpredictable. She reaches for my gun and grabs it before I have chance to snatch it off her. She smirks and aims it at me, unlocking it. I’ve been foolish enough, thinking that it was safe to keep it in front of me, pretending that I didn’t have to use it, that I was done with that life. Fuck, she’s going to hurt herself and it’s going to be my fucking fault.
“Listen to me, sucker. I’m going to shoot you if you keep being a stubborn fuck, because I’m tired of your whining. You’re taking me to speak to these scumbags. Kiki is old enough to decide for herself,” she states, still not lowering my gun. I knew she was crazy.
Kiki walks up to her, placing her hands on her hips and smiling.
“Yeah, listen to the witch. I want to help. Besides, I was with a murderer and a rapist. I might even be useful.”
Tahlia
I’m running, not even knowing where to, while my heart is pounding a hundred miles an hour. There is probably a couple grand in my backpack that I stole from that betting shop. I ordered one of the lads that was lying on the floor to hand me his oversized rucksack. The streets are almost deserted, as rain pours from the sky, and I keep running, aware that police are patrolling this area. Every time I see blue and red lights I hide between the buildings with my heart in my throat, waiting patiently until it’s safe to keep going.
Adrenaline pumps through me fast, until half an hour later I vanish inside the busy shopping centre. I stop then and just walk, looking behind me. This is what it came to, I have stabbed someone and now I have burgled someone’s business. I’m a thief and a potential murderer. Is this really all about surviving? I don’t know anymore. There were no cameras inside that shop and I have no idea if that poor cashier managed to give them an accurate description, but at the moment I need to become invisible. I walk into a chemist, keeping my hoodie on when I find a hair dye. Black should cover all my pink hair. I also get a pair of glasses with thick frames. I finally have cash, money that can help me hide in plain sight. I put lots of necessary stuff into my basket, some food and toiletries, everything that I need for now.
My mind starts to work backwards, and when I approach the counter, the images from earlier on keep rolling through my mind.
Me standing in the middle of the shop and pointing a gun at that petrified woman.
Me aiming the gun at everyone else and barking at her to hurry up.
Me running away and hearing the sirens around the neighbourhood as beads of sweat roll down my back. I’m hiding between the trash bins while my lungs are burning.
I shake myself back to reality when the cashier in the chemist smiles. My gun is at my back pocket, just in case. I never planned to hurt people, and I’m hoping that Tahir is still alive. Maybe someone has found him and called an ambulance.
“Did you find everything you were looking for today?” the cashier asks, looking at the stuff that I purchased.
I nod not saying anything. My pulse is still pounding when she starts packing my stuff into the plastic bag.
“Have a nice day,” she adds. We exchange the cash and she hands me the change. I grab my bags and leave, walking as quickly as I can. It’s so strange being back in London, walking through the same streets I did when I was barley sixteen.
A moment later, I walk into another store and buy some clothes and a basic mobile phone. I pay everything in cash and head outside. I’m back on the streets, walking towards Havering. An hour later I enter the first hotel that I see that looks poor enough not to attract anyone’s attention.
The receptionist is some foreign woman with a Russian accent. I pay for the room up front and then another staff member shows me to the room.
Several minutes later I’m inside a clean room, completely alone. My heart just keeps racing, blood thumps in my ears. There is a possibility that someone could have followed me here. I put my stuff on the floor and go to the window after locking the door and wedging a chair under the handle. The streets are empty, except for a few black teenagers standing near the off licence shop. It’s not the ideal location for someone like me, but I don’t want to stay on the streets, now when I finally have money.
After I shade all the curtains, I sit on the bed and start taking out all the stuff that I bought. I don’t count the cash. Maybe it’s the most money I ever had, but I’m not planning to spend it all. Once this whole thing is over, I’m going to give it all back and hand myself in. No one said that being hunted by everyone was going to be easy.
The bathroom is nice, clean. I pick up the hair dye, mix the liquids and start applying it onto my faint pink hair. Back in Braxton I used to dye my hair pink every six weeks, and before that I used green and blue hair dye. If I wasn’t seeing myself in the mirror, it was easier to forget about the past.
By the time I’m finished my legs are aching. The muscles are tired and I have no energy to do anything. I still choose to have a shower and wash away the dirty memory of Tahir touching me.
I run a shower, strip and walk in. The water feels nice, and for a moment I let it wash over me. Then the reality sinks in that I had been that close to seeing him again. Rat was most probably on his way to the apartment. All this time Lee was on his side.
I start sobbing, as I realise that I’m alone again. Tequila, Micah and Kiki are probably looking for me or they are already locked up somewhere, waiting to be charged. This no longer matters. It’s better that we separated. Now, at least they aren’t in any danger.
My heart is shredded to pieces; Micah’s sacrifices won’t change anything. After all I’m still wanted by the police, now also for robbing the betting shop. It is just a matter of time before they link me to the person that’s on the run, to Tahlia.
I step out of the shower, dry myself and stand in front of the mirror for a moment looking at my new self. My hair had never been this dark. The colour doesn’t really suit me, but it masks everything, exposing my green eyes.
I keep staring at myself and don’t know what to do next. The tiny voice in my head tells me that I have to go after him first. I have to find rat and kill him—before he finds me. I have to forget about being Rose Waltham or even Tahlia Sanderson. Now I have to be the new me, the person determined not to be the victim in this situation, and kill that motherfucker by my own hand.
Chapter Fifteen
You never get anything for nothing
Micah
“Kiki. For fuck’s sake! Think about what you’re doing. This whole thing is too dangerous,” I say, trying to talk Kiki out of coming with us and at the same time keepi
ng my eyes on the road ahead. I’m taking them to the Russian gangsters, and I know that this won’t end well. This whole set-up is a joke. Tequila has my gun pointed at me. She thinks she’s doing the right thing. I want to kill her for being so reckless and stubborn, putting Kiki in danger.
“I can take care of myself and I want to help Tahlia. I haven’t been happier since I got out of that hospital,” she says, stubbornly. I will never forgive myself if something happens to her, but this is on Tequila’s back. She has made the decision and she will have to live with it for the rest of her life.
“Shut up, Micah,” Tequila snaps at me. “It’s her choice. She is an adult now. Just take us to where this whole thing is going to take place. At the moment we don’t have any other option. We have to do something. Who knows? Tahlia might be still in London. We can’t fuck it up again; otherwise we will never find her.”
I shake my head and decide to change the tactic.
“So what is your deal, Tequila?” I ask, turning towards Hackney and then stopping at the traffic light. I keep looking on the streets, still hoping to see Tahlia somewhere in the crowds of pedestrians. “How do you even know Tahlia? She didn’t own a phone when she was in Braxton. She has no emergency contacts, no one close, and suddenly you appear, completely out of nowhere.”
She exhales sharply and looks away. Suddenly I think there must be something we all missed, a very important detail about Tahlia that can lead us to her.
“It doesn’t matter what my deal is. Why are you suddenly so interested?”
I shrug. “I care about her. It’s just a shame that I didn’t realise that earlier on when I still had a chance.”
“We met through an online support group,” she answers. “We got on instantly and then continued chatting privately. Tahlia didn’t want to meet at first, not until she found out that Rudolf was shot dead. She thought it was too dangerous for her to leave her safe house; she was in a protection programme at the time. I’ve gone through shit too, you know, but she had it worse.”
“I love her, and I know that I screwed up,” I admit, briefly going over all my past mistakes including Steph. I might never find out what happened to her, why she needed to die. All these years of fucking around and never getting anywhere, but Tahlia—she is someone I can still save.
“Please. Love doesn’t exist. In the end there is always someone that gets hurt. Besides, she will never forgive you.” I should be pissed off that she’s that honest, but she is wrong. Tahlia loves me, and we still have a chance.
I choose not to say anything until we arrive at our destination almost an hour later. The club is on the other side of the city in a grim-looking neighbourhood. The silence stretches for a good few moments. I let Kiki out first and move towards Tequila, grabbing her hand just before she is about to jump out of the van. This whole trip is a mistake. I should be here alone.
“Give me that fucking gun, Tequila. We both know that I have more chance of injuring someone than you do,” I demand, losing that good boy attitude. This girl needs a reality check. She is caged up like Tahlia, but she’s acting like she knows it all.
She glares at me with anger, trying to pull away from my grip, but I’m done with fucking around. I’ll have blood on my hands if anything happens to them.
“If you think I’ll fall for your bullshit, then you have another thing coming,” she says, and when she tries to get out, I grab my gun off her, twisting her arm.
“These people out there, they have no idea that I used to be a cop, so you better keep your mouth shut; otherwise we’re all going to get a bullet straight in the head. Then Tahlia will be on her own.” I secure the gun, so it won’t blow up in my pants. I finally let go of her, she looks like she is ready to punch me, but I don’t give her a chance and get out of the van.
It’s the first time I’ve ever felt this scared. In the past I always faked my confidence and used my arrogance to cover any unease, but this time I’m responsible for two mouthy grown-up women. This whole thing seems like a suicide mission.
“You gave him back his gun?” Kiki hisses.
“Which side are you fucking on?” I ask.
“Hers, because you wouldn’t let me go,” she replies, folding her arms over her chest. I can make her stay in the van, but at the same time showing up with two girls will make me look less suspicious. It’s a risk, but we haven’t got much time to hang around, so I decide against it. She’s going to make a scene if I don’t let her go.
We walk inside the building and two huge brick shit houses of men who are posing as bouncers direct us to the VIP lounge on the second floor. The whole set-up is more than a little intimidating, but I’m desperate enough to agree with pretty much anything they say, just so I can get Tahlia back. Tom mentioned that the Russians that we’re meeting today are part of the Semya gang based in North London. Apparently he had some favour that someone owed him and he managed to set this meeting up. Now it’s up to me to make it work, to convince them to help me.
Passing through the club, I feel many eyes on me. I glance around surreptitiously and see about ten more brick shit houses and I bet they are all packing too. There is a woman dancing on the pole downstairs and with no clientele here I doubt she is the window dressing they are aiming for, particularly with the eye tattoos on her upper chest and beetle on her hip. If I recall, the eyes mean watcher and the beetle means pickpocket. I guess she does any recon work they think might be necessary.
I tense my shoulders seeing two men in suits. There are other guys, probably their bodyguards, standing by the bar.
“Hi, Tom sent me. My name is Micah Thomson,” I say loud and clear, staring at the two Russians with reservation.
“Sit, Mr. Thomson, and tell us why you brought the bitches. Are they here to sweeten our deal?” asks the taller and bulkier one, staring at Kiki with a curious expression on his face.
“They are my pets and simply for decoration,” I reply, laughing casually and feel Tequila’s eyes on me. I take a seat on a black leather sofa.
“Dimitri, Artyom, take the girls to the bar, buy them a drink. I want to talk to Micah, find out if he has anything at all to offer,” says the other one, which I presume is Ivan. Tom wasn’t specific about how many people I was meant to talk to.
Tequila shoots me furious look when another Russian appears in front of her and Kiki. I can’t do anything right now. We all have to play along and pretend that I’m all right with this. She was stupid enough not to listen to me, and now she is on her own.
“I’m Ivan Poroshenko and this is my brother Vladimir. Tom mentioned that you want to talk serious business?”
I nod, glad that they get straight to the point, because every minute I spend with them is time that I can use to look for Tahlia.
“I bet you probably have heard about the scumbag Rudolf?” I ask, and before I can blink again I have a gun pressed to my skull. Ivan moves fast, and he is making me look like a lousy ex-cop. I don’t know how a guy like him has such good reflexes. If I don’t come back with something witty I might be dead in a couple of seconds.
“Rudolf took our business, our families, but he is already dead. Give me one good reason not to blow off your head right now. I don’t like hearing that name.”
There is some movement by the bar. Tequila and Kiki can see what is going on. They need to stay calm and let me deal with it.
“He isn’t dead. The police allegedly murdered him a year ago, but this whole thing was staged,” I explain, knowing that I have only a couple of seconds to convince them to trust me. “Tell me, did anything change on the street since he died? Did you manage to take over Bromley?”
The two of them exchange looks. I can’t tell what’s going on by their faces.
“There were talks. We celebrated when we heard that he got the bullet, but—”
“Nothing changed, his people still control the main supply, right?” I ask, cutting him off. “Listen, I’m here to finish the job, to kill him. Rudolf has my girl and I�
�m willing to do anything to get her back.”
“You want to kill Rudolf for us over some chick?” repeats Ivan, laughing.
“What can I say? I’m an old time romantic. Besides, I have been hunting him for years. I want him dead as much as you do.”
When Vladimir lowers his gun my heart stops trying to kick out of my chest, and I sink back to the leather sofa. Both Russians have sharp features, but Ivan is losing his hair pretty fast. He has a bald patch on the top of his head. Their suits are obviously hand made with high-end cloth that fit them snugly but not cover their massive muscles. They control a lot of areas in London, specialising in distribution of hard drugs and women. Back in the academy I studied their files: the Semya or the Family are one of the top seven Russian Mafia gangs that operate outside of their native country. They are ruthless and cruel and hold grudges for generations. Their preference to dispose of someone is called Zamochit; it’s an old fashioned technique to kill someone through the breaking of every bone in the human body by beating. They are not guys I want to mess around with.
“What are you proposing, Micah? That man is no one, yet he killed half of my family years ago,” adds Ivan, shaking his head.
“Help me to track him down and I’ll bring you his head. Rudolf has become weak, doesn’t have his people behind him like he used to. This is my proposition and I know that this is what you both want,” I say, probably looking like I’ve lost my fucking mind. Rogers tried to talk me out of this. He is still loyal to me, but I can’t keep putting him in danger. He has a family to think about.
“Rudolf is a hard man. The bastard is Svarog or you would say–immortal. We sent our best people to get to him and they all failed. So what makes you think you can even scratch his nose?” Vladimir asks, looking amused.
“As I said, he has my girl and I’m desperate enough to do what’s necessary. She went missing three days ago in East London. Rudolf is back in the city because of her. I just need to be pointed in the right direction.” I rub my palms, aware of the tension that soaks the air.
Love & Hate Series Box Set 2 (Love & Hate #3-4) Page 34