Crossing the Line

by Solomon Carter

  Terry walked to the far side of the car and his man got out, then they brought Eva out into the cold night air. Her breath steamed in front of her face. She looked at Dan with a spark of gratitude and something else in her eyes. He could see the sparkle. It gave him hope. Pride. He realised what it was, and it meant everything to him. He felt a surge of joy and power. Eva was proud of him once again.

  “Get me my car and my man first, Bradley.”

  “Here are the keys.” He threw the keys to Gillespie who caught them against his stomach in his hand. He looked at them and nodded. Dan continued. “Send one of your men down the road opposite us there. Ravenscourt over there. When they get to the dead end and the arch way bridge, they’ll see it. Your man Eddie’s in the boot, smelling of Doner Kebabs. And if any man’s got a glass jaw round here, it’s him.”

  Gillespie tossed the keys to one of the drunkards. “Go!” he snapped, and the big man loped out of the car park, and broke into a trot towards Ravenscourt. It would take a few minutes at that pace, Dan reckoned.

  “Eva. Now please.”

  Terry brought Eva up towards Gillespie and placed her in front of him. She looked cool and defiant, not engaging with any one of their eyes. Dan saw the cut on her temple, and it made him angry. As she lifted up her bound wrists, Mad Maggie began to emerge from the second car, watching, waiting.

  “Come on. Take off the cuffs.” Gillespie nodded, and Terry came over in front of her and untied the cord from her wrists and let it drop to the floor. Dan saw she was wearing only a bra underneath her jacket. His anger was rising.

  “Did they hurt you, Eva?”

  She shook her head.

  She looked at Gillespie, and Terry, then back at Dan, making the declaration of intent. “I’m coming now,” she said evenly, slowly and began to walk across the concrete. The night was pure tension. Maggie slammed her door and it sounded like a thunder clap. Eva ignored her and kept moving. Now she was beside Dan. He didn’t touch her, she didn’t hug him. Side by side they watched the men ranged against them.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” said Maggie, spitting the words at Eva.

  Brian Gillespie snapped, “Not until we have what was promised.”

  Lights flicked on and an engine started at the end of Ravenscourt Avenue. A few black cabs streaked down King Street, but they could still hear the Range Rover, and could now see it approaching.

  “There you go, Brian. You’ve got what’s yours now. Unblemished, as agreed.”

  The car pulled up outside the gate, and the man got out. He walked around the back and opened the boot. He reached in and rummaged with the shape inside, and a foggy headed hulk of a man reeking of kebab and chips emerged a moment later, holding his bloodied face, looking angry.

  “You shouldn’t ever try to take the piss out of me, son,” said Gillespie, with quiet menace.

  “All I wanted was that you let this woman free.”

  “To be honest, Bradley, I still think you are a worthless piece of shit. But for some reason, I am going to be generous. In the olden days, apparently kings used to celebrate great victories by having a jubilee where they would pardon criminals and cancel debts. Tonight, like you said, we won. So I am going to let you live. But there won’t be a next time, Bradley.”

  “No! She’s not going anywhere! You promised me.” Maggie was incensed, shaking her head.

  “Shut it, Maggie. You’re embarrassing yourself, again.”

  Maggie walked up close to Brian Gillespie, towering above him by half a foot and more. She leaned into him. “Brian!”

  “Grow up, woman,” he snapped. Maggie looked around, vitriolic, confused. Eva looked at her now, with triumph in her eyes.

  “So tell me about Damon.”

  “Not a lot to say. But he let me go so as I could come here and cause you problems. But like you see. All I want is Eva.”

  Gillespie shrugged. “Par for the course. Anything else?” Dan looked away. When he looked back, his face had hardened and changed. “There’s something else.”

  “What?”

  “I know they’ve been speaking to the Somalis.”

  “You what? Chalker hates them. Bullshit.”

  “I know it seems unlikely, but I heard them. It’s already on. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust Chalker at all. I wouldn’t team up with him on anything at all.”

  “How do you know, Bradley?”

  “I’m a private detective. That’s how.”

  Every gem was spent and given, every strategy used. The silence, broken by the streaks of cars deepened with unspoken questions. The world became harder.

  “See you round, Brian,” said Dan looking back over his shoulder towards the road, as he began to plan his getaway.

  “Hang on, Bradley. We’ve got a problem.”

  Dan looked at Eva, and they held their ground.

  “The problem is I’ve made a promise to two people. I made a promise to my wife, and a promise to you two. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. You see that. So, as I see it, which do I value as the bigger promise?”

  “I don’t care about your promises, Brian. Eva is free now.”

  “So here is the deal. It’s the same deal as before. I won’t jib you on it, because I believe in justice. I won’t break my promises. To either of you. So, Eva is going to go free. But not tonight. Tonight she comes with us.”

  Dan squinted at Brian and shook his head, looking for the joke.

  Gillespie’s men around said nothing, but Maggie’s demeanour changed, a wide smile broke on her face. She was beaming ear to ear. Gillespie turned to Eva. “I can’t break my promises, can I? What do you say, Eva? A big violent mess all over this car park, blood on the concrete, or just a few short hours with us. It’s almost three in the morning now. Give it until eight am and then you go scot-free. No arguments. And everyone gets to breathe easier.”

  “I can’t.” Eva felt the gloating, glee and violence emanating from Maggie.

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “Either way. I can’t and I won’t.”

  Dan’s face became hard, bitter, resigned. Eva’s face didn’t change at all.

  “We outnumber you. We are armed. Don’t make me do this, Bradley. Tell her to come back here right now.”

  “You double-crossing bastard.”

  “This isn’t a double-cross. This is changing tack until morning. She comes with us until eight am, and then I’ll have her chauffeur driven home.”

  “No. Way.”

  Maggie stood tall and preened, an Ice Queen who had won. She waited and stared at Eva. Eva looked back before she turned to Dan. Eva shook her head. She began to speak, but the words didn’t come easy. They cracked up on exit from her lips. She shook her head and started again. She felt like something was going to break inside. “It’s okay, Dan. It’s okay. We didn’t survive all this just to die now, did we? I’ll be okay. Don’t worry. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll be okay.” She knew the words were a lie.

  “That’s the spirit, girl. Come back and loosen up tonight with me and Maggie, and you’ll be back home before lunch time,” said Gillespie.

  Maggie walked quickly back to the second car and opened the door, wide, holding it ready for Eva.

  “No way, Eva. Look at her. She’s insane,” said Dan.

  “It’s okay. You’ll see. I’ll be okay.”

  He looked at her again, and he saw strength sparkling in her eyes. Eva had lost it. It didn’t make sense. He hated it. But she was stronger than he had ever known, ever given her credit for. Until now. But right now, Dan wondered if she’d lost her grip.

  Dan gave the shortest, curtest nod a man could give. And then slowly, Eva walked away. She walked towards Maggie, whose face was full of victory, along with something dangerous, something ravenous.

  As soon as Eva made to sit down into the car, Maggie turned, pushed her weight in beside her and slammed the door. Dan was deserted, confused and alone. Furious, he shouted,

  “You broke
your word, Gillespie. I know it. And you know it. That’s unforgivable.”

  “Go away right now. Go home, wait. You heard what I said. I meant it.”

  “I don’t believe you, Brian. And even if I did, I wouldn’t believe her.”

  “This is your last warning, Bradley. Do not ever threaten me again.”

  He was silent. He waited, and watched the bigger men divide between the cars, some into the first and some into the last. The engines started up, and Dan began to hate himself as never before. Their only chance was being blown. Now more than ever, totally deserted, totally alone, he wished he was dead.

  Inside the car, the atmosphere had changed. There was tension before. Now there was excitement. It was all coming from Maggie and it filled the whole car. Maggie turned towards Eva and looked at her with a different eye. She was dominant, still overbearing, but now there was a certain hunger and determination in her eyes. Inwardly Eva rejected the threat in Maggie’s eyes, but outwardly, she knew the score. As the car engine shuddered gently whilst they waited to pull away, Maggie pressed her body against Eva. Eva didn’t resist or pull away. She maintained her steady breathing and let her body freeze into stillness. She felt the desperate energy pouring from Maggie; the toxic hunger. Eva knew there was no way she would ever be able to leave in the morning, Gillespie was either fooling himself or lying. Either way, Eva knew. She felt the men in the car all trying to ignore the strange claustrophobic atmosphere, all pretending none of this was happening. Maggie turned close towards Eva now, pressing her body harder still against her in the car. All Eva could see was her lip gloss and the glint in her eyes as she whispered “It’s going to be a beautiful night, it really is.”

  Eva produced the thinnest smile, a tiny and innocent coquettish smile of encouragement spread across her face. Maggie seized the golden opportunity. Her eyes found the smile, and clung to it, this time with relish as she saw the faint promise of her desire returned in Eva’s smile. The prey was willing. The mood shifted again, the mood altered, and the power play continued. Before Maggie had been in control, but now desire took control of her, escalating into desperate excitement. It was a kind of weakness. Eva knew what she was doing. It was the only way. She turned her hip and body a fraction towards Maggie, her body language opening towards her ever so slightly, her hips and legs pressing against Maggie’s clothes. Maggie shifted quickly in reciprocation, almost bursting with excitement. And what Eva did next made Maggie’s desire rise into uncontainable anticipation – Eva felt Maggie’s breathing stop. Eva moved slowly, her hand moving into Maggie’s space, across Maggie’s lap. Maggie looked at the hand, smiling. Slowly Eva’s hand delved downwards into the thinnest gap between their bodies. Maggie was silent, waiting for Eva’s hand to reach its destination, deep in expectation and hope. She stared at Eva now, from power to weakness, giving in to Eva’s will. Maggie was lost in Eva’s eyes and as Eva looked earnestly into her coal black eyes, Eva’s hand gently traced the curve of Maggie’s hip. Maggie bit her lip. Before Maggie had time to feel the touch of Eva’s hand on her bare skin, Eva’s hand was on Maggie’s clutch bag; unclipped with her fingers inside. One chance. Eva did not risk a glance downward, she kept her eyes on Maggie’s. Now Eva moved slowly to keep her attention, moving across Maggie sideways, her face moving towards the other woman’s, leaning right past Maggie’s open lips. She passed Maggie’s face and turned her head beside it, her cheek pressing against Maggie’s as if she was going to nuzzle her throat. In this moment, the world inside the car spun. Then Eva found what she was looking for. The cold textured grip. It wasn’t a knife, but she held it tight. In a split second it was as if the car had been jolted by a thousand volts. Eva snapped away from Maggie and pressed an elegant lady’s gun into Maggie’s throat, then spun round and pressed it into the cheek of the man beside her. “Stop the car - now!” she demanded.

  Dan watched the first car move off whilst the second car trailed behind slowly. He couldn’t see inside, all that was visible to his eyes were dim shapes behind the glass until, suddenly, the car jerked to a halt. The first car turned into the main road behind the Range Rover as it pulled away and the passengers of the first saloon looked back. The first car stopped as the male passenger in the back of the second saloon emerged with his hands up, with Eva holding a small, dark gold pistol against his head. Dan squinted. It was a Ruger LCP, a ladies pistol. With her free hand, Eva checked inside the man’s pockets and discovered another pistol; she dropped it and kicked it towards Dan. He snatched it up. Another Glock. Handy.

  “How the hell did you?”

  “A girl never tells.”

  The doors of the Range Rover opened, and the drunken trio spilled out along with a shame-faced Eddie. Terry and Brian Gillespie stood up out of the first saloon. “You shouldn’t have done that. You really shouldn’t.” Terry had a gun in his hand, drawn but held low.

  “I’m done with wars, Brian. This is finished now. Even though you lied, and I really should kill you for peace of mind… But right now we owe you nothing, you owe us nothing,” said Bradley.

  “Mr Gillespie? Mr Gillespie?” called Eva.

  His eyes found hers.

  “I could have killed your wife, Mr Gillespie. But I didn’t. Currently, CCTV cameras will be showing London’s finest that we all have guns drawn like we are at the OK Corral. That doesn’t give us very long to clear out. And if it all goes off here tonight in Hammersmith, yours will be the shortest gangster reign in criminal history. Even if you kill us and drive away, it will make a mess bigger than you can ever escape from. And worse than that, I don’t need much of an excuse to shoot your wife. You really don’t want me to pull this trigger, do you?”

  Eva trained the small pistol on Maggie, who sat forlorn in the passenger seat, face downcast.

  There was silence.

  “She’s got a point, gaffer,” said one of the men from the Range Rover mob.

  “Shut your mouth.”

  “Boss… she really does have a point.” This time it was Terry. Gillespie looked at his man. Gillespie scowled. Then gradually, he nodded. Terry put his gun back inside his pocket.

  “We’re out, Gillespie. Understood? And we’re out permanently, do you hear?”

  Bradley waved to Eva to join him. Eva nodded and kept her aim at the second car and then paced backwards towards Bradley. When she was near, she made a shrug that Dan knew meant “where now?”

  Dan stepped backwards slowly into the street, moving off towards the left so Jess would be able to spot them easily.

  They kept going, until they were passing the middle of the street. All the while, they remained under the surveillance of the faces ranged up at the hotel car park that were ready to leap into action. It was excruciating. A pair of headlights was coming up ahead, coming into view in from the distance. She hoped she was wrong about the CCTV, about the police, about everything, now they had to gamble again.

  “The guns. Get them out of sight now.”

  Eva dropped hers into her jacket pocket. Dan followed suit. The car was approaching but long before it arrived, their presence was exposed and they almost ended up mowed down. They fled the scene, turning their backs on the Luxury Inn; reaching the opposite pavement and they carried on darting away from the source of danger. When the stream of cars was almost upon them, an ear-piercing shriek made them halt in their tracks and turn abruptly. Mad Maggie was beside her husband, attempting to get at him, being restrained by the man called Terry and another stranger. And Eva saw Gillespie was still watching them, not missing a beat. A stream of cars were about to pass. Dan had his attention behind him now, looking into the front of a shoe shop window. “Damn it!” he shouted and shook his head. The recess was empty.

  Eva kept an eye on Gillespie and the stream of traffic. In the stream of cars, one bulky old car began to slow and indicated to pull over at the side of the road. It drew up right beside Eva. It was a big oval bubble, an old Citroen Picasso. A number and a logo were written on its side. The door opene
d to reveal a smiling face. It was Jess. She held open the door. “You did it! Eva, you survived!”

  A grin spread over Dan’s face. “You bloody minx. I thought you’d run out on us.”

  “No way. Not this time.” She re-assured him.

  Eva never let Gillespie out of her sight until she was inside the vehicle.

  The Picasso driver was a Middle Eastern man who looked back at them with a smile capped by a glinting gold tooth. “Was it a good party?”

  “Let’s go,” said Jess. They closed the doors, and the driver put his foot down on the accelerator.

  “I never want to go to a party like that ever again,” said Dan. “How about you, Eva?”

  “At least there were no fireworks.”

  The minicab driver chuckled and looked back towards the road. As they pulled away, Eva and Gillespie’s eyes were only prised apart by the growing distance. It was an image that would stay with her for a long time.

  Eva sat back and took a deep breath. Dan looked at Jess. “How?”

  “I was no use hanging around up there. I went for a walk and saw a minicab number. I planned to keep circling until I could help you. And voila.”

  “Where to?” asked the driver up front.

  “That’s up to Eva.”

  Eva tucked her hair behind her ear, reclined back into her seat, let her head gently fall off the head-rest and blinked away her tiredness.

  “Tower Hill, please.”

  “But it’s too late for the train home,” said Jess.

  “I’ve seen far too much of London today to stay a second longer.”

  “We could use this cab?” said Jess.

  “No. Keep thinking, Jess. For some people the party might not be over. We’ll change cabs at Tower Hill,” said Eva.

  “You think too much,” said Dan. “You always did.”

  “And you always thought too little. Maybe we can learn something from each other.”

  “Maybe.”

  Dan smiled at Eva and she let him have half a smile back.

  Eva looked into Dan’s eyes. She looked past the cuts and lesions, and saw something different in him. Was it shock? Was it some kind of trauma or something even worse? She couldn’t yet tell, and it was far too early to ask. But right now what did it matter? They were alive. They were going home. And that was enough. It was only a few hours until daylight, yet tomorrow still seemed a lifetime away…