“I don’t want to drop out,” Bolton said. “But I’m going to be a dad soon and all I’m making at the moment is small fry, pocket money. I need a proper earner.”
Dante considered this for a moment and then smiled.
“You know where we need to go right?”
“Harley?” Bolton said, doubtfully. “He don’t do big earners, he told us so himself. We practically had to rip his fist open to get a job dealing a bit of weed.”
“Not Harley, man. We need to go see Uncle Jasper.”
“Uncle Jasper?” Bolton repeated, even more doubtful now.
He had never met him, but he had heard the stories about Uncle Jasper. He was a big name in north London. He ran drugs and guns and had a fearsome reputation. Most of the stories surrounding his name involved guys who’d disrespected him ending up with stab wounds or bullets to the chest. So far as he’d heard, nobody had ever come off the better for meeting with Uncle Jasper.
“What do you think?” Dante asked, still smiling.
He clearly thought it was a brilliant plan. That made Bolton more nervous.
“I dunno. I don’t reckon Uncle Jasper’s going to be happy, us just turning up and asking him for a job.”
“Two jobs, you mean,” Dante corrected him. “I ain’t getting stuck dealing weed for a stingy arse like Harley whilst you’re living the high life working for Uncle Jasper. We can both do it. Maybe he needs two guys to –”
“This is fucking insane,” Bolton said. “What if he doesn’t need anyone else?”
Bolton closed his eyes and tried to think clearly.
Dante did a U-turn and Bolton felt more uncomfortable.
“You ain’t seriously thinking of driving us to meet him now?” Bolton asked, his palms sweaty. “He’ll fucking shoot us.”
“Stop worrying,” Dante said. “We won’t be able to get a meeting with him straight away. We’ll need to set up an appointment or something and –”
“Set up an appointment?” Bolton repeated, not sure whether to laugh or cry. “We ain’t talking about going to the fucking doctors, Dante. This is serious. He probably doesn’t need anyone else, anyway. And even if he did, why would he choose us, eh?”
“You finished making up excuses now?” Dante said calmly. “Listen, you want to make good money, right?”
“Yeah,” Bolton said. “But not –”
“Exactly, and how else you going to make big money? Don’t tell me you think you’re going to make anything worthwhile at Asda, my mum hardly earns anything there. Harley ain’t generous with his payments, and we’re in a fucking recession. Ain’t you heard the news? It’ll be ages before you find yourself a job.”
Bolton could see the argument. He needed money. Not just for himself, but for Charley and their baby. It would be stupid not to at least try and get an in with Uncle Jasper.
“All right,” he said, turning to Dante, who smiled. “How we going to get a meeting?”
“You need an invitation from someone who already works for him,” Dante said. “And luckily for us, we know someone who does.”
“No fucking way,” Bolton said, clapping his hands on the dashboard. “You’re fucking ace, man.”
“You know him too. That Kareem Brown, the guy who used to work for Harley a couple months back.”
“I thought he died?”
“Nah,” Dante said, tapping his nose. “That was his brother.”
“Right. So we going to find him then?”
“Yeah, I know where he’ll be. Always drops some coke off at my cousin’s this time of day.”
Bolton smiled and settled back against the seat. Dante swerved in between cars and handled the steering like a pro. Hopefully they would soon be earning big time and then he could provide for Charley and their baby in a way that his own father had never even come close to providing for him. The thought relaxed him, gave him a sense of responsibility.
* * *
Charley sat at the kitchen table and picked unenthusiastically at her toast. Beside her, Torey had already cleared her plate and was eyeing Huw’s half-finished toast eagerly.
“You finished with that Huw?” she asked.
Huw looked at her suspiciously. His hair was ruffled from sleep and his smooth face creased into a frown.
“Fuck off,” he said. “Make your own, you fat cow.”
Torey slapped the back of his head and Huw hit out at her.
At ten, Huw was already prolific at swearing, yet he seemed to get away with it. Charley thought, her expression going grim, that their mother let Huw have more leeway than her daughters, hoping that Huw would grow up to be a junior version of Asher, even if they did have different fathers.
“Shut up,” Charley snapped, as Torey and Huw bickered.
“Who made you the fucking boss?” Torey said, rolling her eyes at her. “Like we’re going to listen to you.”
“You’d better fucking listen –”
Charley winced as a hand slapped her painfully on the back of her head. Toni had walked in and heard her swearing.
“Watch your language,” she said, crossing the room and clearing up Torey and Huw’s now empty plates. “And don’t waste that toast. You think bread grows on trees?”
Charley took a bite of toast and glared at Torey, who was sniggering, unseen by their mother.
“Torey swore too,” Huw said, looking dolefully up at Toni. “She said ‘fuck’.”
Torey stopped laughing as Toni’s hand hit her on the back of the head too.
Charley dropped the unfinished piece of toast back onto the plate and stood up.
“Mum, Charley hasn’t finished her breakfast,” Huw piped up.
Toni turned and scowled at Charley.
“You’re wasting perfectly good food.”
“I’m not hungry,” Charley said.
“You think I can afford to buy food and let it go to waste?” Toni said, voice rising. “You think I’m made of money, eh?”
“I’ve had morning sickness, I lost my appetite.”
“Well, you can buy your own food in future.”
“Fine, I will,” Charley retorted.
She threw the toast onto Torey’s plate and headed for the kitchen door.
“What’s that you’re wearing?” Toni asked, and Charley turned to see her staring at her skirt.
“My school skirt, I’ve worn it every day since I was twelve.”
“You look like a whore,” Toni said, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have been surprised you got pregnant. I should be grateful it wasn’t years ago.”
“Oh fuck off,” Charley snapped.
“Charley swore, mum. Charley swore,” Huw was shouting.
Before Toni could hit her again, Charley hurried down the hallway and out the front door. She could still hear Huw’s shouts but she relaxed.
She walked down the stairs feeling distinctly annoyed. It was always her that her mother picked on. Torey’s skirt was at least two inches shorter than hers, yet Toni never mentioned it. Huw swore more than her, but Toni had selective hearing when it came to that.
Still, it was a temporary measure, Charley reminded herself. She only had to put up with her for a little while longer and then she and Bolton would be moving to a flat and she wouldn’t have to put up with it anymore. Then she could have a lie-in if she wanted to, could eat as much or as little as she wanted and not be bullied about it.
Ten minutes later, she was happily chatting to Leigh-Ann as they neared the school gates.
“Are you coming to the party tonight?” Leigh-Ann asked. “This girl called Sasha is having one. We could get ready at mine.”
“Yeah, sounds good. I’d only be stuck at home with my mum otherwise.”
“Great. It sounds like it’s going to be awesome.”
As Leigh-Ann chatted about the party, Charley felt happier. Maybe the weekend wouldn’t be so bad. Saturday night was sorted, and she knew that Bolton would come and see her on Sunday.
The thought lifted he
r spirits and she walked into school smiling like Leigh-Ann.
* * *
Dante parked the car on the side of the street a few doors down from his cousin Sapphire’s house. When the engine was off, Bolton got out of the car and crossed the road with Dante.
Sapphire Cortez’s house was a small terrace unit. The white paint was peeling off the walls, there were tiles missing from the roof, and the windows needed cleaning but it suited Sapphire.
A large girl with pendulous breasts and huge thighs, she didn’t take herself too seriously. She had long black hair and a kind face. She also loved the little house that she lived in alone now. Her boyfriend was in prison and he had made sure she had enough money to keep up with the rent.
When the doorbell rang, she got up and checked her reflection in the small mirror in the hallway, before opening the front door. She grinned.
Dante smiled at her and walked past her into the cluttered lounge. Sapphire had always liked her cousins, but Dante more than the others. He was cheeky, which she liked, and he gave her a discount on any weed she might want. Bolton followed, and Sapphire eyed him with interest. He was an attractive young man, she thought. She’d seen him around before, usually hanging around with Dante, but in the last few months he’d matured. She could tell that beneath the polo-shirt his body was toned. She closed the door and followed them into the lounge.
“Sit down boys,” she said, smiling. “Want something to drink?”
“We’re all right, thanks, Saffy,” Dante said, dropping on to the sofa.
Bolton nodded in agreement and sat down beside him.
Sapphire sat down on the adjacent sofa.
“So what can I do for you?” she asked. “If you’re after some coke, you’ve come too early. My dealer doesn’t come for a few minutes yet.”
“We wanted a word with your dealer, actually,” Dante said. “Kareem, ain’t it?”
Sapphire nodded.
“Yeah, Kareem Brown,” she said, though she looked apprehensive now. “Listen, he’s a nice lad and I don’t want any trouble in my house.”
“We just want a word, that’s all,” Bolton said.
Sapphire smiled at him. His voice was reassuring and she felt herself relax.
They had been waiting five minutes, Sapphire chatting animatedly to them, when the doorbell rang again.
Sapphire heaved herself up to her feet, pulling down her skirt, which had risen up her thighs whilst she’d been sitting down, and left the lounge. Bolton and Dante listened carefully as Sapphire greeted Kareem and invited him inside.
Seconds later, Sapphire returned with Kareem a few steps behind her.
Kareem Brown was tall and well-built, his t-shirt framing his muscular arms. His jeans were baggy, his blue and white striped boxers clearly visible.
Bolton watched as Kareem paused, catching sight of them. His eyes darted back to the door but he remained standing, his face cautious.
“We don’t want any trouble,” Bolton said. “We just wanted your advice.”
Kareem seemed surprised, but the tension was gone and Kareem sat down beside Sapphire. Keeping a close eye on Bolton and Dante, he pulled out a bag of white powder.
“Your usual, Saffy.”
His voice was deep and Bolton caught a hint of a Jamaican accent.
“Thanks, sweetie,” Sapphire said, taking the powder and putting it carefully in her handbag.
She fumbled in her purse and pulled out some notes. Kareem took them and shoved them into his pocket. He didn’t count them. Sapphire was a regular who knew the score.
“What did you boys want to ask then?” Sapphire asked, looking at Bolton.
“We want a meeting with Uncle Jasper,” Bolton said.
Kareem raised an eyebrow but remained quiet.
“Well, you work for him don’t you?” Dante asked impatiently.
“Yeah, but he don’t like strangers just turning up,” Kareem said. “You come to meet him, he’ll shoot you dead.”
Bolton and Dante exchanged looks. Bolton was feeling nervous now.
“How do we arrange a meeting then?” Bolton asked.
Kareem looked bewildered.
“You want drugs? You ask me, I’ll bring them to you.”
“We don’t want drugs,” Dante said. “We can get our own drugs. We want jobs.”
Kareem smiled broadly, showing a few gold teeth.
“You want to work for Uncle Jasper,” he said, and laughed. “You met him before?”
They shook their heads.
Kareem was still laughing, and Bolton felt a stab of annoyance. He coughed and Kareem stopped laughing. He looked between Bolton and Dante, and shrugged.
“I’ll try and set something up,” he said slowly. “Only because Saffy’s a regular and her man worked for Uncle Jasper before he got sent down. If it weren’t for that, I’d tell you to fuck off. I’ll try, but I can’t promise nothing.”
Bolton nodded.
“We understand.”
Kareem took their mobile numbers and scrawled his own down on some paper that Sapphire had provided him with.
“I’ll ring you if I get something set up,” Kareem said. “I’ll have to come with you.”
“Can you try and get something for tonight?” Bolton asked.
Kareem shrugged.
Bolton and Dante stood up and shook Kareem’s hand.
“We’ll see you later, then,” Dante said.
Bolton followed Dante out of the lounge and down the corridor. Sapphire poked her head around the doorway.
“Just let yourselves out,” she said, a hint of colour in her cheeks. “Me and Kareem still have a bit of business to take care of.”
Dante and Bolton let themselves out and closed the door firmly behind them.
“I wonder what business they had together,” Dante said as they crossed the road.
Bolton was surprised. It had been perfectly clear to him what business they had planned. With a boyfriend in prison, Sapphire had to be getting sex elsewhere and Kareem had seemed a little too happy at the drop-off.
Bolton knew what a drag it could be dropping off drugs to customers. It was boring and monotonous work. Kareem had clearly been getting his leg over and that was why he had been so pleased to deliver to Sapphire.
“I don’t think we want to know,” Bolton answered.
Dante considered it for a moment and nodded.
“Think you’re right there, man.”
As they got back into the car, Bolton found himself thinking about tonight. He hoped Kareem would manage to get them a meeting with Uncle Jasper. His earlier doubts were fading fast, replaced by excitement. Looking at Dante, he knew that his friend felt the same.
CHAPTER FIVE
Charley dressed quickly and checked herself out in the mirror. She had chosen to wear her skin-tight black dress. It was short and sexy, and she knew that it would be the last time she’d be able to wear it until after the baby had been born. In a few weeks her bump would start to show and she was dreading it.
She applied some mascara as Torey came into the room, slamming the door behind her and cursing under her breath.
“What’s up with you?” Charley asked.
Torey snorted and sat down on her bed, kicking off her shoes.
“I got invited to a party tonight, but mum won’t let me go because I was late last night. Even though it wasn’t my fault.”
Charley glanced at Torey through the reflection in the mirror.
The two sisters were so different in appearance. Charley was slim and pretty, evidently taking after her father, whom she had never met or seen a picture of. Torey, unfortunately, clearly took after their mother. She was short and chunky, and her figure was already starting to resemble that of Toni’s.
“Have you tried apologizing?”
Torey gave Charley a withering look.
“Of course I did, she just shook her head. How come you’re allowed out anyway?”
Charley shrugged. She didn’t want
to get into an argument with her sister. She was meeting Leigh-Ann in twenty minutes and the last thing she needed was for her sister to cause trouble for her.
“There’ll be other parties, Tor,” Charley said.
She finished doing her make-up and ran a hand through her hair. She’d straightened it as best she could and examined her reflection. She was pleased.
“Other parties?” Torey repeated, sounding outraged. “This ain’t just any party; this is Devon Mason’s party. And he invited me personally.”
Charley smiled to herself. This was why Torey was so desperate to go to the party. She had known her sister had a crush on Devon for months. She understood her sister’s frustration. She had been grounded the day after Bolton had first taken a shine to her and she’d been livid. Still, she felt a smug sense of satisfaction as she stood up and threw her phone and accessories into her handbag whilst Torey watched jealously.
“You might be able to go out tomorrow night,” Charley said. “Why don’t you just text him tomorrow and ask if he wants to meet you?”
“As if I’m going to take your advice. I don’t want to be a single mum like you.”
“I ain’t a single mum,” Charley said, losing patience with her sister.
“Whatever. People still talk about you, I heard them at school. They reckon you’re a right slag.”
Charley didn’t bother to respond. She knew her sister was trying to provoke a reaction from her. She hoisted her handbag over her shoulder and opened the door. She turned to look at her sister, and couldn’t resist.
“Have a nice night,” she said sweetly. “I know I will.”
Torey looked murderous.
“This is so unfair.”
Charley left the room and crept down the hallway. She heard voices in the kitchen and guessed that Asher had just gotten home from work. The sound of cartoons came from the living room and she knew Huw was watching them, allowed to stay up later than usual given that it was a Saturday night.
When she reached the front door she opened it as quietly as she could. She heard the voices in the kitchen pause.
“Where are you going dressed like that?” Toni bellowed from the kitchen doorway.
The Goldsworth Series Box Set Page 44