ASBO: A Thriller Novel

by Iain Rob Wright

  “I’m going to kill you,” said Dom, rising up off the floor before Andrew could strike him again. His jeans were covered in mud.

  Andrew shook his head. “Have to disagree with you there, blud.”

  Dom rushed forward like a wild bull, even snorted like one. Andrew met the charge head-on and the two collided in a brawl, fists flying back and forth. Dom got in a couple of crushing blows to Andrew’s chin, but Andrew was prepared to fight dirty and jammed a thumb into his opponent’s eye.

  Dom reeled backwards, swiping out blindly with both hands. Andrew seized the advantage and advanced forward. He grabbed the youth around the throat, kicked at his legs. Dom hit the dirt on his back, twigs snapping beneath him. Andrew followed him down and continued to squeeze at his throat, throttling and choking while bearing down with all of his weight. Dom struggled and clawed beneath the stranglehold, but it was useless. The electric fear in his eyes changed to a glazed-over focus as his cheeks swelled purple in the harsh glare of the car’s headlights. Andrew was sure the lad was only seconds away from passing on to the next life – to burn in the fires of hell – but then something happened. A knife appeared from somewhere and embedded itself in Andrew’s face. The blade entered his cheek and he could feel it protrude straight through into his mouth, pressing against his tongue.

  Andrew released his grip on Dom’s throat and seized the handle of the blade. He yanked it quickly, not wanting to prolong the experience of pulling a knife out of his face for a millisecond longer than necessary. Blood immediately filled his mouth, coppery and sweet. Dom hadn’t managed to capitalise on his reprieve yet though and was still on his knees, wheezing and spluttering as his windpipe recovered from being constricted to the point of near-asphyxiation.

  Andrew was in no state to launch another attack. Feverish shudders wracked his body and threatened to send him spinning into unconsciousness. If that happened he was as good as dead – Dom would slit his throat while he was unconscious. Yet, even with his face torn up and bleeding, Andrew was still the one with the upper hand. He had Dom’s knife now. The small rubber handle felt good in his hand. He didn’t get to his feet – was unable to in fact - so instead he crawled forwards on his hands and knees, attempting to reach Dom before the lad regained focus.

  He wasn’t quick enough.

  Dom saw Andrew approaching with the knife and his eyes went wide, glowing white in the darkness beyond the car lights. He managed to get to his feet quickly and immediately took off. Andrew was surprised at his sudden flight and it took him a couple of beats to stumble back to his own feet and give chase.

  This ends now, gangster. No running away.

  Dom was young and quick, but he was also winded and half blind from a gouged eye. Andrew struggled to keep pace, but, every few metres, Dom would stumble against a tree or trip over a root and Andrew would close the distance. The deciding factor now was stamina. Andrew’s lungs were already burning and his stomach was paving the way for an onslaught of retching. He wasn’t cut out for so much exertion on a good day, let alone with a stab wound in his face, ribs, and leg.

  But he wouldn’t quit. As long as he had control over his legs, Andrew was going to keep running – until he either passed out or caught up with Dom. The youth was just as tired as he was and had now slowed into an exhausted lollop. Andrew willed his legs to keep going, dodging between skeletal trees and fallen logs. His legs pumped like pistons, his breath came out in gasps. Dom was losing steam, his strides shortening. The gap between them decreased with every stride.

  Dom was only an arm’s reach away now, just a few steps away. Andrew timed his strides, prepared to pounce. He sprung forward and managed to grab hold of the lad’s sweatshirt. Dom’s legs tangled together and he tripped onto his front, sliding in the dirt. Andrew hopped aside and came to a stop beside him, ready to use the knife and finish the job. But it was unnecessary to launch a further attack. Dom was beaten, out of breath and injured. A wounded Fox unable to resist its inevitable demise.

  Andrew pointed the knife down at Dom’s frightened face, hoping to make it very clear he was willing to use it. “Where’s Frankie?” he demanded. His words were slurred, his mouth still filling with fresh blood. “Where?”

  “Fuck you, man!” Dom sucked at his teeth like his brother had to the nurse. “Eat shit and die.”

  Fighting words indeed, but Andrew could hear the fear in the boy’s voice.“Do you want to die, Dom? Do you want me to gut you like I did your brother?”

  “Go to hell!”

  Andrew could tell that Dom was only a sentence away from sobbing. Perhaps it was time for a modicum of compassion, Andrew mused, despite the fact that none had been shown to him one night previous. “Look – I don’t want to hurt you, Dom. I’ve already taken what you’ve taken from me. We’re even. I just want, Frankie. So, where is he?”

  “He’s at the hospital. Doing your daughter like you did my bro.”

  Andrew prayed it was just an idle threat, but there was every chance that Frankie would be intending to finish what he had started by killing Bex. Thinking about it filled Andrew with more terror than he could hold inside of himself. He couldn’t afford to lose control now though. He had to remain focused. “You have a mobile phone on you?”

  Dom nodded. “Course I do.”

  “Then use it,” Andrew growled.

  “To call who?”

  Andrew booted Dom in his side. “Who the fuck do you think? Frankie! Call him and say that if he doesn’t leave the hospital right now to meet me, then I will slice your throat like a chicken.” It felt wrong to use such vile threats but also quite liberating. Andrew liked the way the words felt sliding from between his lips, he liked the power they brought him

  “Okay, okay.” Dom made the call on a small black phone plucked from his jeans pocket. He waited a few moments until someone on the other end answered and then spoke, “Hey, man. You got to come get me. That motherfucking psycho has got me at knifepoint. I’m lying in the mud like a sucker and he’s about to slice me if you don’t come get me.”

  There was silence in the woods for almost a full minute while Dom listened to Frankie’s reply. The whole time Andrew stood and watched Dom’s face. It seemed to grow grimmer with each passing second. Eventually, Dom finished the call and put the phone away. He looked up at Andrew with a shocked and fearful expression. “Nigga put the phone down on me.”

  Andrew had a bad feeling. Why would Frankie do that to his friend? Was he really so far gone as not to care any more? Andrew swallowed a lump in his throat. “What exactly did he say?”

  Dom shook his head and seemed mortified. “He said I should deal with my own shit and if I was a man I should take you out for what you done to my brother.”

  Andrew raised an eyebrow at him. “Want to try it?”

  Dom put his hands up. “No man. Enough, okay?”

  “Did Frankie say where he was?”

  Dom nodded, but seemed like he didn’t want to answer, still loyal to Frankie despite his betrayal. “Screw it!” he eventually said. “He’s at the hospital. Said he’s just waiting for the coast to clear and then he’s gonna pay your daughter a visit. Apparently there’re pigs about at the moment though.”

  The barmaid must have done as I asked and called the hospital. Thank you, Steph. I’m glad I brought you that drink.

  The police presence would buy him some time. He could still make it to the hospital if he hurried back to his car right now, but first, he needed to find out exactly where he was.

  “What is this place?” he asked Dom.

  “The woods at the back of Brockhill Farm.”

  Andrew knew the place. It was a rural plot of fields and woodland on the edge of town, a mile away from the nearest built-up area. Great place to murder someone.

  “I ought to leave you here to die,” said Andrew, looking down at the cowering teenager at his feet. “But you’re too pathetic to waste my time on.”

  Dom seemed to recover some of his lost confidence.
Obviously he’d been expecting Andrew to kill him. He was relieved to hear otherwise. “This shit ain’t over, man. I respect you letting me live right now, but if Frankie doesn’t finish you then I will.”

  Andrew laughed at him. “I’m begging you to try. I’d have an excuse then to send you to your brother.”

  It was likely a bad idea leaving Dom alive, but Andrew figured he would be in jail soon anyway, unreachable for the lad’s epic quest for revenge. Besides, Andrew still didn’t have it in him to kill someone cowering at his feet – he may be a killer now, but he wasn’t the type of killer to do that. Dom’s brother was dead. Hopefully that was enough retribution to allow Andrew to sleep at night. An eye for an eye.

  Andrew left Dom lying in the dirt and crunched his way back through the rain-soaked wood, trying to get his bearings by looking for the snapped twigs that indicated the direction he’d come from. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he spotted the lights of the car, lighting up the rain as it fell in thick sheets.

  With the engine still running, the keys would be inside. Andrew wasted no time in heading for the driver’s side and hopping behind the wheel. He slammed the door shut beside him and looked out of the windscreen. Dom staggered about, several ahead, but made no attempt to stop Andrew. The youth was still too battered and beaten to pose any threat.

  It wasn’t clear which direction the road would be, so Andrew decided to manoeuvre the car between the trees until he was facing in the opposite direction. He set off in a straight line, hoping it would lead to the route Dom had used.

  The automatic wipers came on as rain bombarded the windscreen. Andrew had to squint to see. There were trees everywhere and it was an effort to avoid them. Many times, Andrew had to brake sharply or steer erratically to avoid an accident. The uneven, bumpy ground didn’t help much, either, and the tires barely kept their grip in the sliding mud.

  Eventually the trees began to thin in number and the path opened out into a clearing. The car hit a water-logged field and the steering got heavier. Andrew clutched the steering wheel tightly and leant forward to examine his surroundings. The field stretched down a hill, lined on all sides by a wooden fence. In the distance, the distinguishable lights of a house.

  Most likely Brockhill Estate.

  Andrew knew that the large manor was roadside, he had driven passed it many times. If he headed for the building then he could get back onto the main road. He could reach the hospital in fifteen minutes.

  Andrew put his foot down and the car careened down the hill. As the house below came clearer into view, it revealed itself to be just the building he had been hoping for. Andrew wouldn’t have to cover the entire distance to the manor, though, because there was a steel gate about fifty-metres up at the edge of the field. The gate hung open, obviously left that way by Dom. Beyond it was the main road.

  Andrew gripped the steering wheel tighter and sped up. I’m coming, Bex. Just hold on.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Davie tried calling his brother several times, but there was no answer. Same thing when he made a call to Dom. He began to worry. Frankie had been unstable before all the shit that had happened the last few nights, but now he was borderline insane. Still, Davie forgave his brother’s faults even if he could not fully come to terms with them. He was determined to put a stop to the situation before it could escalate any further. There was still a chance for Frankie to retain some shred of humanity.

  If he just stops right now. No more people need to get hurt.

  Davie’s biggest concern was that Frankie would try to finish what he had started by going after Andrew and his family again. He’d already made suggestions to that effect.

  Davie was approaching Andrew’s house now. It was a possibility that Frankie would have returned there to resume his beef with the man. But, as he rounded the corner, Davie saw that the house’s lights were out and that – even more tellingly – Andrew’s Mercedes was gone from its space at the side of the road. Davie needed a plan B.

  Where else would they be? If Frankie’s still looking for trouble then he’ll be going wherever Andrew is. So where would Andrew be?

  There was of course only one place Andrew would be. Davie saw how much the man loved his family, and there was no doubt in his mind that Andrew would be at the hospital by his daughter’s bedside.

  Which means Frankie will most likely be there too.

  Davie jingled with the change in his pocket. He knew there was a bus stop nearby that routed not too far from the hospital. If a bus came soon then Davie could be there within the next half hour. He just hoped it would be soon enough.

  It only took him a minute to reach the bus stop. He waited there and the act of doing so was frustrating. Every part of his body urged for action, but with no other way of getting to the hospital, Davie had no choice but to stand there patiently. He concentrated on the racket of the rain hitting the curved, tin roof of the shelter before sliding off in wide sheets. Somehow, the sound managed to calm him slightly – enough that when the bus finally did arrive, Davie didn’t notice.

  “You getting in or what, mate?” asked the bus driver, yanking Davie away from his thoughts.

  “Sorry. Had my mind on other things.”

  “Nothing bad, I hope?”

  Davie stepped onto the bus and gave the driver his change. “I would settle for bad, right now. Things are way beyond that.”

  The driver frowned at him. “Well, keep your chin up, lad. Got your whole life to look forward to.”

  Davie moved into the aisle as the hydraulic doors pumped closed behind him. The bus was empty save for a Gay couple at the back. The two men weren’t doing anything to draw attention to themselves – at least nothing that bothered Davie – but he could tell by the way they were sat close and cuddling that they were lovers. One of the men was Black, with short dark hair and grey sideburns. He nodded to Davie warily as he moved down the aisle and Davie nodded back to him as he took a seat mid-way down the bus. Maybe being gay was wrong – Davie knew plenty of people who would say so – but it just seemed like there were so many bigger things to worry about in life than that. He didn’t know what could be offensive about something that caused him no harm at all. People were entitled to do whatever they wanted as long as they didn’t hurt anybody else; at least that was his opinion.

  I just wish my brother felt the same way, thought Davie as the bus headed towards the hospital.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Andrew parked his car at the very back of the hospital. It would take longer to reach Bex from there, but he couldn’t risk running into any police that might be at the entrance. Wardsley and Dalton may be on his side, but they were not the only officers likely to be at the hospital. As a man wanted for murder, Andrew had no doubt that a description of both him and his car would have been issued to the entire local force.

  Andrew moved between cars, glancing forward, left, and right for any law enforcement. Sure enough, there was a plain-clothes officer at the entrance to A & E. Andrew could tell the man was police by the stiff way he was standing, and by the regular tilts of his head. The man was speaking into a microphone on his collar.

  Andrew stayed to the edge of the car park and headed around the side of the hospital to look for a less conspicuous entrance. There was a fire exit near the rear of the building and it was open – but a member of staff stood in front of it, smoking a cigarette. Andrew approached with his head down, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention.

  “Hey, man, you can’t come through here. Use the front.”

  Andrew looked up and smiled. The young man was wearing chef’s whites and obviously worked in the hospital’s canteen. Bex’s room wasn’t far from the canteen, if Andrew remembered correctly.

  “You mind if I just sneak through? I won’t tell anybody.”

  The man shook his head. “You need to use the front entrance. What you doing around here, anyway? And what the hell is with your face?”

  Andrew had to think fast. He’
d totally forgotten that half his face was ripped to pieces. He must’ve looked like an extra from a zombie-movie. “Trying to avoid my mother-in-law,” he said. “My wife and I have been in a car accident. Her mother just turned up to see her, to make matters worse. I was out in front having a fag when I saw her heading my way. I dashed around the back because I don’t want to deal with her right now. She’s a total bitch and I know she’ll blame me for the crash. In fact, I blame myself.”

  The chef stared at Andrew’s ruined face, trying to work him out. Andrew stared right back, sweat beading on his forehead.

  “Okay,” the man said eventually. “I hear you on that. My mother-in-law is an old dragon, too.”

  Andrew said thanks and went to walk past, but didn’t make it through without being stopped again first. “There a problem?” he asked.

  The chef shook his head. “Just wondered if you had a spare cigarette. This was my last one.”

  Of course I don’t. I don’t smoke…but that’s what I told him I was doing, wasn’t it?

  Andrew shook his head. “Sorry, mate. I just smoked my last, as well. Need to go the gift shop soon as the old witch leaves.”

  The chef laughed. “No worries, man. Hope your wife recovers well.”

  Andrew patted the man on the back. “Thanks. Guess I’ll go get my face stitched up while she’s with her mom.”

  Andrew made it through into a hallway. As he’d expected, he was near the hospital’s canteen. Bex should be a couple of wards down from there. Without any interference he could be there in minutes.

  But there’s going to be police. What do I do then?

  Andrew decided he was happy to be arrested if it meant seeing that Bex was okay and that Frankie was not nearby. He could tell the police that Bex was in danger and they could protect her. At the start of the night Andrew had been hell-bent on murder – on ending Frankie’s life – but right now all that mattered was his daughter’s safety. Revenge was something that would have to take a backseat. Whether he liked it or not, there was no choice now but to leave Frankie’s fate in the hands of the courts. At least the rest of them had been made to pay for what they did. Some worse than others, he thought, having stabbed Jordan to death. The act still brought Andrew no remorse – he was still glad to have ended the boy’s life. The only regret was that he would not have the chance to exact the same revenge on Frankie.