by Ezekiel King
“Daniel, my mate is going to meet you outside the house in 15 minutes. He wants to buy that half a kilo of cocaine I gave to you; he will give you £10,500 for it, and he will also give you the weed for the McBrides and Chris’ weed. So, put that all away at Trish’s house and put the money from the cocaine in my bedroom after taking £500 for yourself,” I explained.
“Why am I taking £500?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, I’m selling it for £10,500, you can have the £500 for yourself,” I said calmly.
“Thank you, Cyrus, I love you,” Daniel replied.
“Just make sure you put the weed away safe, and count the money for the cocaine, and hide the money in my bedroom. Call me when it’s done,” I said clearly to make sure he understood every word. Daniel put phone down. I wanted to call Bob and tell him the good news, but I decided to wait until I had confirmation that both Chris and Daniel’s transactions had been completed.
“You are busy, Cyrus, aren’t you?” Holly said as she gave me a half-smile.
“I know, gorgeous, I’m sorry, let’s go,” I replied as I began to drive.
“So, this is your new car? It’s nice, Cyrus,” Holly said as she looked around at the black interior of the car. The seats were black suede material and hugged your body as you sat in them. As I drove, Holly and I spoke about our weeks, and about her parents returning home from holiday—nothing that interested me. All I could think about was business, and the fact that when Chris and Daniel complete their one transaction each, I would have made £8,750 profit—practically a new rally car.
I put my foot down to stimulate my excitement. The car roared as it accelerated before slowing down again. Holly smiled, obviously impressed by the power of my car. I considered taking Holly for a cocktail where I had just taken Emma, but I didn’t want the waitress to ‘drop me in it’. ‘Prevention being better than cure’, I chose another restaurant. Holly looked gorgeous as she got out of the car; she had a light blue summer dress on and had her dark wavy thick hair down. I must admit, we were a good-looking couple.
We had been sitting in the Italian restaurant for ten minutes when Chris called. “That’s done,” Chris said sounding happy with his work.
“Give Daniel £10,000, and go and get your 50 ounces of weed from Daniel. He has that waiting for you,” I said talking into the bottom of my phone so none of that other people in the restaurant could hear what I had said. I put the phone down before Chris could even reply.
A minute later, Jabber called me. “I’m here, Cyrus,” Jabber said a little nervously, presumably due to the fact he had a black bag full of weed and £10,500 on him parked in a shit council estate in a dead end.
“Okay, two minutes,” I said as I put the phone down on Jabber. “Daniel, my friend is there—a white guy. Give him the cocaine, and get the money and the weed from him. Call me when you have put everything where it needs to be, and get my money off Chris and give him his 50 ounces of weed, please.” I put the phone down before my brother could even say a syllable. Holly just sat looking at me, like she didn’t know what to make of how I was acting.
She wanted all my attention, but loved the fact I was a bad boy and a boss. “I want to stay with you tonight,” Holly said as the waiter poured us both a glass of white wine from the bottle I had ordered. I don’t know why I ordered a bottle as I only wanted a glass. I thought I’d look cheap ordering a glass. I had ordered garlic butter king prawns and scallops to start, and then a seafood linguine main course. Holly had ordered garlic mushrooms to start with and spaghetti Bolognese for main course. I had heard people say white wine complements fish dishes, as I dipped my prawn into the garlic butter sauce and ate it and then sipped the wine, my taste buds went crazy. I repeated the process, this time sipping the wine and then eating seafood. The finer things in life, I thought as I cleaned my fingers in the finger bowl, then dried them with the napkin.
“Holly I’m going to take you somewhere nice tomorrow night,” I said. I was trying to drop the hint that I would not be spending the night with her tonight.
“Where?” Holly asked as she smiled and looked at me with surprise.
“Maybe to a nice hotel with a steam room and Jacuzzi or something,” I said as I made it up as I went along.
“Why not tonight?” Holly asked as the penny finally dropped that we would not be spending the night together tonight.
“Oh, Holly, I’ve got to have a meeting with some people that want to start working with me,” I lied.
“Why do they need to see you; can’t you just see them tomorrow? I want some alone time with you tonight,” Holly said as she attempted to change my mind.
“Holly, I would much rather be making love to you than talking to these people. They have travelled far to see me, and I am lucky that they even want to talk to me, so I can’t let them down. Tomorrow, I am all yours, I promise,” I said as I answered my phone that was now calling again.
“Daniel,” I said as I accepted the call.
“Cyrus, you have got £20,000 in a carry bag under your bed, and Chris has got his 50 ounces of weed. I’m just going to John and Tom’s to ‘bag up’ for the shop,” Daniel explained.
“Good lad, thank you, Daniel. I will catch up with you later. I am just out for dinner with my sexy Holly before I go for the meeting,” I said purely for Holly’s benefit.
“What meeting?” Daniel asked.
“No, I’m not hungry, Daniel, and I don’t like chocolate cake. Anyway, I will speak to you soon. Bye, Dan,” I said before hanging up. “You see, Holly, I’m all go at the minute; that was my brother on the phone telling me not to be late to the meeting,” I explained.
I had told Holly I would be back in ‘one second’ as I left the table to use the bathroom. I had been sure to slide my phone back into my pocket before doing so. The dining room was littered with the odd rich or old couple wearing shirts and suits and dresses, mostly businessmen and business owners with their well-kept wives.
I felt slightly out of place due to my appearance. I was different to them and much younger; my skin colour and occupation made me somewhat their opposite. I didn’t feel nervous or ashamed to be sharing a dining room with upper-class people. I could afford to eat in these restaurants, so if they didn’t like it, they should eat elsewhere. I looked at these upper-class people as inferior, vulnerable antelope that could be eaten any time one of them was stupid enough to cross me or offend me.
In the toilet, I called Emma. She had been the only thing I could think about apart from business. “Hey, beautiful,” I said as Emma answered her phone.
“Cyrus, it’s not 8:00 yet,” Emma replied cheerfully.
“I know, but I’ve got you on the brain, haven’t I?” I joked.
“Oh, Cyrus, you are so cute,” Emma replied.
“I just wanted to make sure that you are okay, and that Jason isn’t bothering you, and we are still on for later?” I asked.
“Oh no, I told Jason I want some time; and yes, as long as you are not busy, I could do with a drink to relax,” Emma said.
“Okay, 8:00, and I look forward to it,” I said before saying goodbye and handing up. As I did, I realised I had made a crucial mistake. I had put pleasure before business. I didn’t mind as Emma was almost worth it due to how she looked and acted—it was an easy mistake to make.
The fact I had realised that I had put business before pleasure meant that I was ‘on the ball’. The business call I should have made first rang in my ear as I stood in the posh restaurant’s bathroom. “Yes, Cyrus,” Bob said as he answered his phone.
“Yes, Bob,” I replied.
“What’s up, mate?” Bob asked wondering why I had called him.
“I’ve sold that kilo already; you want to come and get your money, and I need some more,” I said trying not to sound as happy as I was inside.
“You have sold that already?” Bob asked with his voice full of excitement. “How much do you want?” Bob asked.
“I want two kilos, but I’m
going out with this girl tonight. She’s a little older than me. Do you want to bring a girl over with you and come for a drink with us? That way, you and I can talk business?” I asked.
“What I will do is, I will get Yax to follow me over to you to pick the money up. I will ask one of my lady friends if they want to come out for a drink. What time were you thinking?” Bob asked.
“Seven thirty p.m. outside my house, because I’ve picked this girl up at 8:00, so that will give me time to pay you and put the cocaine away,” I explained.
“Okay, Cyrus. See you at 7:30 p.m.,” Bob said before he put the phone down. I turned and left the bathroom without using the facilities.
I walked back over to the table where Holly was waiting, and our main courses had arrived. “That wine has gone straight through me,” I said to Holly as I sat back down opposite her.
Chapter 17
A moment of content was the relief I craved to cure my anxiety. Since I had met Bob, the feelings of restlessness had completely disappeared. I watched as the people working in the car wash used their ‘rags’ to shine my car as they dried it. I had dropped Holly home and planned to get my car cleaned inside and out before going home to get a shower while I waited for Bob and Yax before meeting Emma.
I had dropped Holly home. I concluded that telling her that I wanted space would only make her want more attention. So tonight I had left things as they were. It was easier that way for the time being.
As I pulled into the estate and turned right towards my house, I could see Chris’ car. I parked next to it and got out of my car. Chris and my brother got out of the small grey car.
“Cyrus, I need another kilo. I’m going to have sales for it tomorrow,” Chris said before I could even say hello.
“Guys, don’t worry, I’m getting you both a kilo each at 7:30 p.m. today. So Daniel, make sure you are around to put it away, and Chris, you too,” I said as I pressed my fob to lock my car. “Roll a joint someone,” I said as I looked at them both, seeing who was going to adhere to my request.
“Yes, boss,” Daniel joked as he opened Chris’ car to sit in the passenger seat. I sat outside my house with Chris and my brother for nearly an hour, talking about work and Holly, and how their days had been. Chris told me he had sold his cocaine to one of his cousin’s friends, and that they had promised future business. Daniel told me about some girls him and his mate, Lee, had met that had no inhibitions, which made us laugh. I didn’t tell them about Emma, but just explained how I was getting bored of Holly. Chris rolled his eyes as if to say ‘I had seen that coming’. I had smiled at him and shrugged my shoulders.
“Cyrus, you get bored of every girl after you have slept with them,” Chris said as he laughed and shook his head in disbelief. With an hour and a half before Bob and Yax were due to arrive, I opened our back gate to go into our house.
“Hi, Mum,” I said as I walked over to kiss her on the cheek.
“Are you okay, Cyrus, have you eaten?” My mother asked.
“Yes, I took my old girlfriend to the new Italian restaurant near town,” I replied boastfully.
“What are you doing now, are you staying in for the night?” My mum asked.
“No, I’m taking my new girlfriend out for a drink,” I replied while smiling proudly. My mum just looked at me and shook her head, neither condoning nor condemning my actions.
I carried on through the kitchen and turned left to go up the stairs and left again into my room. I sat on my bed for a minute to evaluate my current situation. Things were moving along nicely. I reached under my bed to get the carrier bag full of money from under it. I emptied the money out onto my bed and counted it. The piles of money covered a large proportion of the middle of my bed. I counted out £1,000 and put it in a neat pile in one corner of my bed, then another and placed it next to it and so on, and so on. When I had finished the last thousand, it was £40 short. I reached into my jeans pocket and added two £20 notes to the last pile. Twenty thousand pounds exactly. I picked up eight of the piles and took them downstairs. “Mum, here you go, this is the day’s earnings,” I said as I placed the two large piles of notes onto the kitchen side.
“Cyrus, you earnt that today?” My mum asked as she looked at the colossal amount of money.
“Yes, that is today’s profit,” I answered somewhat arrogantly.
“Cyrus, whatever you are doing, please be careful,” my mum replied.
“Mum, take £500 for yourself, then you’ve got £47,500 for me,” I explained.
“Okay, I’ll go and put this away when your dad gets home,” my mum replied.
I returned to my room and counted out £750 and put it in my pocket, leaving £11,250—this was Bob’s money. I also had just over £3,000 under my chest drawers and nearly £1,200 in my pocket, plus my Auntie Delma had £30,000 of my own money. I put the £1,250 from my pocket under my drawers. There was no way I’d spend more than £750 during my night out, plus having too much cash made my jeans look silly, like I had a pair of football socks in my pocket. I arranged the outfit that I would be wearing on the bed next to my £750 spending money and my cheap work phone. I need a nice watch, I thought as I looked down at my empty wrist. As I stood in the hot shower, my brain was clouded with thoughts about my new cocaine business and my weed business. I was already thinking about the women troubles that I knew were sure to come when I started to distance myself from Holly. I had decided to just let things play themselves out and not stress too much.
Once dressed and back outside the back of my house feeling fresh, I knew I looked good. White T-shirts and dark blue jeans had always suited me. I figured it was because the white worked well in contrast to my almost reddish-brown skin. I headed out of my back gate to find Chris and Daniel in Chris’ car smoking weed and drinking milkshakes. I nodded at them to acknowledge them as I took my phone out to call Bob. After confirming Bob’s arrival time, I decided to kill a few of the minutes I would have to wait talking to Chris and my brother. I approached Chris’ car which had both the front doors open, with Chris and my brother lounging on the two front seats listening to music.
“Daniel, go into my bedroom and get the carrier bag off my bed and throw it in my car boot, please,” I said as I handed my brother my car keys. Daniel got out of the small grey car, and I got in next to Chris. “Air this car out. You are going to have a kilo of cocaine in here in a minute; you don’t want it stinking of weed,” I said as I reached across to take the joint Chris was smoking from him. Daniel came out of our back gate holding the carrier bag in his hand in plain-view, like it was his dirty laundry. Daniel opened the boot of my rally car and threw the bag of money inside before locking the car using the fob. “Thanks, bro,” I said as I slid my car keys back into my pocket. I could hear loud music coming from a car driving down my street. Chris, my brother and I, all turned to face the corner of our street. Whatever car was playing the music would have to turn around this corner to come into the dead end. As the white car turned the corner, the music stopped playing as Bob drove towards us. I could see a girl in Bob’s passenger seat; then I saw the black Jeep pull around the corner behind Bob.
Most of the people on my estate either had shit jobs or no jobs. There were now two cars on my street that cost more than the houses. The big black jeep with Yax and Bob’s mate, Luke, stopped next to the white hatchback with Bob and the dark-haired girl inside of it. Bob got out of the driver’s seat as I started to walk towards his car. “Yes, Cyrus,” Bob said as he smiled and shook my hand firmly.
“Yes, Bob, look how you lot are moving,” I replied in reference to the two top of the range cars moving in convoy.
“The white hatchback looks nice next to the black jeep, doesn’t it?” Bob said as he turned and looked at the two cars. As I did the same, I nodded and waved at Yax and Luke as our eyes met. I turned around to get the money from the boot of my rally car and handed it to Bob. “Give it to Yax, he’s got your cocaine,” Bob replied. I walked to the window of the black jeep on the drive
r side; Yax wound down his window.
“Are you okay, Cyrus?” Yax said as he gave me a friendly smile.
“Yes, I’m okay, guys,” I replied as I gave him the carry bag full of money through the driver’s side window. Yax looked inside the bag as I shook Luke’s hand who gave me the usual bright smile of acceptance.
“Give Cyrus that bag, Luke,” Yax said as he handed Luke the bag of money. Luke reached to the floor between his legs and came back up holding a ‘sports bag’. Luke handed Yax the bag, who then gave it to me through his driver-side window. “There is two kilos of cocaine, Cyrus,” Yax said as he handed me the bag.
I put the bag over my shoulder as I walked away from the jeep; I could feel hard slab shapes. I took the bag over to Chris’ car and opened it—four slabs in brown tape. “Here, lads, take two slabs each. Then you both owe me £20,000 each, plus the weed money,” I said as I left the bag on the floor at my brother’s feet in the passenger-side foot well where I had looked inside of it. “Okay, I will see you both later, keep that stuff safe,” I said as I turned to walk back to the white hatchback. Bob was talking to Yax and Luke through the driver-side window. Bob had on black jeans and a black jumper; the jumper had white stars on it, and he had his rectangular diamond watch on. The girl in Bob’s passenger seat had olive skin and looked tanned with long, straight dark hair and big lips that were in good proportion with her face; they looked natural but sexy—she was exotic. Bob turned from the jeep that started as he walked away from it.
“Jump in my car, Cyrus,” Bob said.
“Oh, I thought you were going to follow me?” I replied.
“There is no point in taking two cars, Cyrus,” Bob replied as he got back into his car. Bob’s car smelt of a mixture of perfume and aftershave. The black leather seats had red stitching. I directed Bob towards Emma’s house. On the way, I called Emma to let her know I would be five minutes. “We will have a good talk when we get out this car, Cyrus,” Bob had said as he drove. We pulled up outside Emma’s house. The three of us were all speechless as Emma appeared from her front door; she looked amazing. She had on a ribbed mini-skirt that came just below her knees and matching ribbed sweat top that came just below her belly button. Her whole outfit was in the pale pink colour; she had her hair down—blonde and wavy. She looked beautiful.