The light came on suddenly as Carl burst through the door and flicked the switch. Seeing the gun in Kenny’s hand and realising that he’d been telling the truth, the doorman stopped in his tracks. It genuinely hadn’t occurred to him that they would be armed, because they looked like a bunch of kids playing hard men to him. If anything, he’d thought they might have knives, but he always wore a stab vest when he was doing doors so that hadn’t bothered him.
‘All right, lads, no need to get stupid,’ he said, raising his hands. ‘Just leave before the pigs get here, yeah?’
Seeing Matt on the floor, Carl swiped at the blood running from the cut on his own head and aimed a vicious kick into the small of the doorman’s back, sending him sprawling to his knees.
‘Where’s the other one?’ Kenny asked, strolling towards the doorman and pointing the gun at his head.
‘Spark out in the cloakroom,’ Carl told him, wiping his face on his sleeve.
‘And Daz?’ Kenny asked, wondering why the hell Daz hadn’t stopped the men from coming after them in the first place, or at least alerted them – unless they’d got to him first.
‘No idea,’ Carl said, squatting beside Matt and slapping his face to rouse him. ‘All I know is, this one’s mate told me he was getting jumped so I went to help him out. But they’d locked the doors, and he took a swing while my back was turned.’
Nodding, Kenny turned his attention back to the doorman. He lifted his foot and slammed it down on the top of the man’s head.
‘Try anything like this again and you’re fucking dead, mate!’ he warned him. ‘Now get up and let us out. And lock the door behind us, ’cos if anyone tries to follow us they’re gonna seriously regret it.’
Hauling the doorman to his feet now, Kenny shoved the barrel of the gun into his back and pushed him out through the clubroom as Carl helped Matt out.
Daz was strolling around the corner, adjusting his flies, when Kenny and the others came out. He frowned when he saw Carl holding Matt up, his face covered in blood, and said, ‘Jeezus, what’s happened?’
‘Fetch the car,’ Kenny ordered coldly, his eyes flashing fire as he took in the fact that Daz looked totally unscathed.
When Daz pulled up alongside them Kenny stashed the money he’d just taken into the bag with the rest and slid it under the passenger seat. Then, after helping Matt onto the back seat, he climbed into the front and told Daz to drive to the nearest hospital.
After dropping Carl and Matt off outside the A&E department Kenny kept his eyes peeled for a suitable spot in which to have it out with Daz when they set off again. He felt like whacking the idiot and didn’t want his movements to be restricted by the confines of the car, so he told Daz to pull in behind a boarded-up warehouse just off the main road.
‘Aw, I hope you’re not planning on waiting for them,’ Daz complained, doing as he was told. ‘They’ll be hours yet.’
Kenny didn’t bother answering this. He climbed out when they stopped and paced on the spot until Daz got out the other side.
‘What the fuck were you doing back there?’ he demanded, launching straight into him. ‘All you had to do was watch the door and make sure them clowns stayed put, so how come you didn’t see them following us in?’
Daz folded his arms, pursed his lips and gazed down at his trainers. He’d been having a knee-trembler with the pissed-up bird in the car park but he could hardly admit to that after what had happened. So he lied, and said, ‘I thought I heard my alarm going off, so I went to check it out.’
‘Bullshit!’ Kenny spat. ‘You were nowhere near the car. Anyway, you were zipping yourself up when we saw you. So what were you really doing? Having a wank? ’Cos I’ll tell you what, that’s the only muscle you ever use. The one in your head certainly never gets any fucking exercise.’
Incensed by the way Kenny was going off on him, Daz puffed out his chest aggressively. ‘Who the fuck d’y think you’re talking to? I could knock you out with one punch, mate.’
‘Come on, then,’ Kenny challenged him calmly. ‘Let’s see what you got.’
‘You make me laugh,’ Daz sneered, circling him. ‘You gob off like some kind of hard man, but you’re nowt but Eddie’s lapdog.’
‘You reckon?’ Kenny’s eyes glinted a warning. ‘So what’s stopping you from taking a pop, then? Come on – do it!’
Daz’s burst of bravado fizzled out as quickly as it had come over him. He’d always relied on his size and his tongue to intimidate people into submission before they realised that he couldn’t actually back up his words with actions. But Kenny wasn’t intimidated and Daz’s instincts told him that it would be a mistake to get into it with him. Kenny might be smaller but he was rock-hard on the inside – where it counted.
‘Didn’t think so,’ Kenny jeered when Daz headed back to the car. ‘You’re a bottler, mate. I’ve been thinking it for ages and now you’ve proved it. And I’ll tell you what: Eddie’s gonna go fucking ape when he hears what you did tonight.’
Still fronting, because that was his last defence, Daz gave a slow smile as he climbed back in behind the wheel. ‘You’re full of shit,’ he drawled. ‘Only reason I’m not touching you is ’cos I don’t wanna break you.’
Muttering, ‘Whatever,’ Kenny walked around to the passenger side. But just as he reached it, Daz activated the central locking and reversed away. Shocked, because he hadn’t seen it coming, Kenny ran after him, yelling, ‘Stop, you idiot! You’ve got the money!’
Kicking the kerb in frustration when Daz turned the corner with a screech of rubber, he yanked his mobile out of his pocket. But Daz’s phone went straight to answerphone so he ran out onto the main road and looked around for a cab.
Joe woke with a start when his phone rang. Groping for it on the bedside table, he croaked, ‘Yeah?’
‘It’s me,’ said Carl. ‘Didn’t wake you, did I?’
‘Yeah, but it’s okay.’ Joe rubbed his eyes. ‘What time is it?’
‘Nearly three,’ Carl told him. ‘Sorry for disturbing you but I need a favour. I’m at the hospital. Can you pick us up?’
‘Hospital?’ Joe sat up now. ‘Why, what’s happened?’
‘Long story,’ Carl said wearily. ‘I’m okay but I left my dosh at home, so I really need a lift.’
‘Course.’ Joe was already pushing the quilt off. ‘Which hospital?’
‘Fuck, I don’t even know,’ Carl murmured. ‘Hang on. Let me just ask.’ His voice sounded muffled as he spoke to somebody else. Then, coming back to Joe, he said, ‘Stepping Hill. Do you know it?’
‘Yeah – Stockport. I’ll come now. Do you want me to tell Mel?’
‘Nah, I’ll see her when I get back. No point worrying her. Just hurry up, yeah?’
Carl was sitting on a bollard when Joe pulled into the ambulance bay a short time later. He’d been having a smoke while he watched two policewomen try to convince a bloody-faced young girl that she needed to let the doctors have a look at her. He stood up now, flicked his cigarette butt away and shouted, ‘Yo, I’d go with them if I was you, love. That nose is gonna look like you’ve gone ten rounds with Tyson come the morning.’
He grinned when the girl called him a wanker and yelled at him to go fuck himself, climbed into the car and touched fists with Joe. ‘Cheers for coming, mate.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Joe said, frowning as he checked out the glue holding his friend’s forehead together. ‘What the hell happened?’
‘I had a run-in with a baseball bat,’ Carl told him, shrugging as if it was no big deal. ‘Don’t hurt that much now.’
‘Bet it did at the time,’ Joe remarked, taking in the size of the lump surrounding the wound. ‘Who did it?’
‘Just some joker,’ Carl said evasively. ‘But he came off worse, so I reckon he’ll think twice before he tries it on with anyone else.’
Shaking his head, Joe turned the car around and headed home.
Mel hadn’t been back long from Damien’s party and she was still
pretty pissed. But she sobered up fast when she saw the state of Carl.
‘Oh, my God!’ she squawked, leading him to the couch. ‘Sit down – let me have a look at you.’
‘I’ll leave you to it,’ Joe said when she rushed into the kitchen for a bowl of warm water and some cotton wool to wash off the dried blood. ‘I’ll pop round in the morning, see how you’re doing.’
‘You don’t have to go,’ Carl insisted, looking as pleased as a pig in shit as he lapped up Mel’s attention. ‘Get my gear out and roll a couple.’ He nodded towards the sideboard.
Mel came back in just then. ‘Aw, don’t go,’ she said. ‘I’ve just put the kettle on. You can stop for a brew, can’t you?’
‘Okay, I’ll stay for half an hour,’ Joe agreed. ‘But you should try and get some sleep, mate, ’cos you’ve already been up for two days.’
‘Don’t worry about me,’ Carl scoffed. ‘They don’t call me the Duracell bunny for nothing, you know.’
‘They don’t call you it at all,’ Mel pointed out, softening what would normally have sounded quite bitchy with a smile.
Joe was pleased to see the couple being nice to each other for a change. Carl had been complaining about her constant sarcasm and the lack of sex he’d been getting recently. But if seeing him hurt had given Mel a wake-up call, then there was hope for them yet.
Joe had just started to roll the spliff when somebody knocked on the door. Mel jumped, sloshing water out of the bowl onto Carl’s leg.
‘Who the hell’s that at this time?’
‘Want me to go?’ Joe offered. He knew the reason for her nervousness because Carl had told him all about the gang raiding them before he’d moved in.
‘If you don’t mind,’ she said gratefully, her hand rising automatically to her mouth for a good old chew. When she remembered that she’d been touching blood, she dropped it and scooted a little closer to Carl. ‘Be careful, though. See who it is first.’
Joe told her not to worry, went to the door and peeped out. When he saw Eddie standing out in the corridor he opened up.
‘Carl in?’ Eddie asked, seeming a little surprised to see Joe here at this time.
‘Yeah, he’s in there.’ Joe stood back. ‘Go through.’
Mel hadn’t had a chance to ask Carl exactly what had happened yet, but she figured it must have been serious for Eddie to be making a house call. Sensing that this was a men-only moment, she made them all a brew and then took herself off into the bedroom.
Eddie sat on the armchair opposite the couch and peered at Carl’s wound. ‘Looks painful.’
‘It’s not that bad,’ Carl told him. ‘Hurt like hell when it happened but they gave me some really strong painkillers so I can’t feel a thing now.’
‘And Matt?’
‘Not sure. I had to leave him at . . .’ Trailing off, Carl looked at Joe. ‘Where were we again?’
‘Stepping Hill,’ Joe reminded him, passing the finished spliff over.
‘Yeah, there,’ Carl said. ‘I didn’t have any money on me so Joe came and picked me up.’
‘Good of you.’ Eddie cast an approving glance at Joe.
‘It was no trouble,’ Joe said, getting up. ‘Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. See you tomorrow, Carl.’
‘Don’t forget your brew,’ Carl reminded him as he headed for the door. ‘Might as well take it with you while it’s still hot. And cheers again, mate.’
Nodding, Joe said goodbye to Eddie and let himself out.
‘So what happened?’ Eddie wanted to know when Joe had gone. ‘Kenny’s already told me his side but I want to get yours before I decide what I’m going to do.’
Shrugging, Carl said, ‘Well, I can’t tell you what was going on with the others ’cos I was on my own at the time. But the bouncer told me Daz was getting jumped by three blokes so I went to help him. And that’s when I got whacked.’ Grinning now, he added, ‘Lucky I’ve got such a thick skull or I’d have been out for the count. And he must have thought I was staying down ’cos he didn’t half look shocked when I jumped back up and kicked the fuck out of him.’
‘What then?’
‘I went back to help Kenny and Matt.’
‘And where was Daz when all this was going on?’
‘Outside,’ Carl said. ‘Can’t blame him, though, ’cos they’d locked him out.’ Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, he added, ‘Mind you, I don’t know why he didn’t ring one of us when he realised they’d locked it down. That’s still puzzling me, that.’
‘Maybe because he was in on it,’ Eddie mused.
‘You what?’ Carl drew his head back. ‘No way. He wouldn’t switch sides on you like that. He wouldn’t dare.’
‘Yeah, well, I’ll soon find out,’ Eddie said quietly. ‘Right now I’m more interested in finding my money.’
‘Eh?’ Carl frowned. ‘What’s going on, Ed?’
‘Nothing for you to worry about,’ Eddie told him. ‘I just need to know where Daz might have gone.’
‘Hasn’t he gone back to his place?’
‘No. Kenny’s sitting outside waiting for him but there’s still no sign. Can you think of anywhere else?’
Carl shook his head. ‘We don’t get on too good, to be honest. I tolerate him because we work together but that’s it.’ After thinking about it for a moment, he added, ‘I suppose you could try his mum’s. I know he goes round there when he needs money, ’cos I’ve heard him on the phone to her.’
‘Do you know where she lives?’ Eddie asked, downing his brew in one.
Thinking that Eddie must have a cast-iron stomach, because the coffee was still boiling hot, Carl shook his head again. ‘Somewhere in Rusholme, I think. I know a few of his mates, so I could ring around and see if anyone’s heard from him if you want.’
‘Yeah, you do that.’ Eddie stood up. ‘And let me know as soon you hear anything.’ As he went towards the door he paused. ‘Your mate, Joe . . . you trust him, yeah?’
‘Absolutely,’ Carl said emphatically. ‘He’s a good lad. I woke him up tonight but he got straight out of bed to come and pick me up. And there’s not many who’d do that for you round here.’
Nodding, Eddie said, ‘Ask him if he wants a job. You’re going to need a driver now Daz is out, and it might as well be him if he’s up for it.’
‘He will be,’ Carl said, sure that Joe would jump at the chance of earning a bit of extra money, considering he was always flat broke. ‘You definitely think Daz has ripped you off, then?’
‘If he has he’ll regret it,’ Eddie said darkly. ‘If not, he’d better have a fucking good explanation for taking off with it and dumping Kenny. You just keep your ears open. And tell Joe I’ll be needing him tomorrow. You, too. I’ll give you a ring when I’m ready.’
Exhaling through his teeth when Eddie had gone, Carl lit his spliff and sucked deeply on it. Whatever had happened after he and Matt had been dropped at the hospital, he didn’t envy Daz when Eddie got hold of him. Kenny was the only one authorised to hold the money and Daz would be lucky if he didn’t get his hands cut off for taking it. That said, Carl still couldn’t believe Daz would be that stupid. Or that brave.
Still, either way he was off the team. And that was great news for Carl because he couldn’t stand the idiot. And it would be really good to work with Joe, so long as Joe agreed to do it. But there was only one way to find out.
Easing himself up off the couch, Carl headed for the door. When Mel heard the movement she came out of the bedroom and blocked his path.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’
‘To see Joe.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Mel scolded, watching as Carl staggered into the wall. ‘You’ve just come out of hospital and your head’s all over the place. You need to lie down.’
‘I just need to ask him something,’ Carl protested.
‘It can wait,’ Mel said firmly. ‘Bed – now!’
‘Yes, miss!’ Carl chuckled, doing as he was told.
She was rig
ht. Joe would keep.
9
It was four in the morning, and Kenny was bored and freezing on the steps outside Daz’s flat. But Daz wasn’t coming home. Not now he’d found the money.
He hadn’t known it was in the car when he’d driven off earlier and had assumed that Kenny was chasing him because he was mad about being dumped so far from home. But Daz hadn’t seen why he should do Kenny any favours after the grass had said that he was going to tell Eddie about him disappearing off the job. They both knew that Eddie would sack him on the spot for that – and give him a kicking to make an example of him while he was at it. So fuck him.
Still heading for home at that point, Daz had taken a turning too fast and had dropped his cigarette in his panic to avoid smashing into a parked van. After slamming his brakes on when it rolled out of sight under the passenger seat he’d groped around for it. And that had been when he’d found the money.
Realising then why Kenny had really been chasing him, he’d thought about taking it back. But he knew it was already too late because they’d be bound to think he’d intended to steal it but had bottled out at the last minute. Either way he’d still be sacked – and would still get a kicking.
And it would take a bigger fool than Daz to hand himself over on a plate if he knew that was coming. So he’d sat and stared at the money for a long time, coming to the eventual conclusion that he might as well keep it. It was only two and a half grand – peanuts compared with what Eddie must be making off all his other shit – so he wouldn’t miss it. But it would really help Daz out until he’d found another earner. And Kenny couldn’t prove he’d left it in the car, so if Eddie caught up with him Daz would just deny he’d ever seen it.
But he couldn’t face Eddie just yet because he was way too jumpy to pull off the innocent act. So obviously he couldn’t go home because that was the first place they would go looking for him. He also couldn’t go to any of his mates’ places because none of them could be trusted to keep their mouths shut. Same with his mum – although she’d probably ring Eddie herself if she knew he was looking for Daz. There was only one person he’d be safe with and that was Billi: the junkie he’d been seeing but hadn’t told any of his friends about because he hadn’t wanted them to think he’d let his standards slip so low. And that made her flat the perfect hideout until he knew what Eddie was planning to do to him.
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