by A. A. Dhand
‘Always your problem. Blueprints and theory. Maybe you want to get your hands dirty once in a while?’
‘Fuck you, Colin, I built this empire – I made you what you are—’
‘No, fuck you, Ronnie. We both made this. There is expertise you don’t have that I do.’ He pointed towards Lucas’s body.
Harry got to his feet. ‘My wife. You better tell me right now, or I swear to God I’ll swallow every bullet in that gun but I’ll get to you.’ Harry waved the bloodstained knife he’d pulled from his shoulder at Reed.
‘Your wife escaped,’ Reed replied. ‘It’s why we’re packing up. One of my men betrayed me – cut her loose about an hour ago.’
‘Bullshit.’
‘I don’t do bullshit. She got to the alley behind here. Gone.’
‘This true?’ Ronnie asked, taking a couple of steps closer.
‘Yes.’
‘She OK?’
‘How the fuck would I know?’ Reed replied. ‘Educated guess? She’s at the hospital.’
The revelation buoyed Harry. He was getting out of here. To his wife. To his baby.
‘Put down the gun, Colin. We can work this through,’ Ronnie repeated. ‘Come on now, we’ve been through too much—’
‘To let this son of a bitch end it,’ Reed snapped. ‘You’ve got a choice to make, Ronnie, because I’m not putting down the gun. You pick – him or me?’
‘Doesn’t need to be this way,’ Ronnie said calmly, trying to get Reed back on side. ‘This isn’t black or white.’
‘Yes,’ Reed replied, ‘it is. He’s a cop with a grudge to settle. We didn’t come this far, risk this much, to let one man – whoever that might be – end it for us.’
‘Harry can be reasoned with.’
‘No!’ Harry hissed. ‘I fucking well can’t.’ He had turned the knife in his hand and wiped the blood from the blade. He was contemplating throwing it at Reed. It was his only chance to end this on his terms.
‘You see?’ Reed said. ‘It’s over.’
Ronnie put his gun to Reed’s temple. ‘Put. It. Down.’
Reed shook his head. ‘Only one way it’s going to happen. One way.’
‘Don’t put this on me, Colin.’ Ronnie’s voice was shaking as well as the gun. ‘Don’t make me do this.’
‘If you don’t pull that trigger,’ Colin said, ‘I’ll pull mine. We’re as good as dead if he walks.’
‘Why don’t you tell me what the hell this is about?’ Harry turned the knife. He was running through the motions in his mind.
Raise it high. Throw it straight. Step quickly to the side. But it would take too long. Harry didn’t have three moves to save himself.
‘Tell him, Ronnie,’ Reed said. ‘Tell him who you really are. Why you can always get your hands on details Harry wants.’
Ronnie looked uncomfortably at Harry. ‘Jesus, kid, why didn’t you stay away?’
‘Who are you?’ Harry asked. ‘Really?’
Ronnie remained quiet.
‘He’s the boss of the second largest drug cartel in Bradford,’ Reed explained. ‘After tonight, we’re the sole suppliers of drugs in this city.’
‘What?’
Ronnie nodded. Not ashamedly.
Harry felt the energy slipping from him.
‘It’s true,’ Reed continued. ‘Your brother and I are partners. And tonight, we took out our competition. Hit their locations. This morning – their boss – the guy who bankrolls them – the guy who yesterday won the Bradford West seat.’
‘Shakeel Ahmed?’
‘Yes,’ Ronnie replied. ‘The guy was almost as difficult to catch as I was. But he wasn’t nearly as smart. Got lazy and we made him. You want a guy like that in political office? He was becoming too powerful. This riot was orchestrated so that when we hit his locations in the city, it looked like part of the riot. It can’t be traced back to us because tonight the whole of Bradford is burning – on a scale so massive, there will be no evidence to trace.’
‘That is,’ Reed said, ‘until you got involved.’
‘Why Lucas?’ said Harry. ‘Why now?’
‘Misdirection,’ Ronnie replied. ‘All those card tricks I showed you when we were younger? Remember?’
Harry nodded.
‘Misdirection. It’s plausible that the ex-leader comes out of jail and loses his head. Maybe he wants to go straight back inside? Maybe he’s still a fucked-up racist? Who gives a shit?’ Ronnie said. ‘We needed someone to blame for Shakeel’s murder – a name who would get Bradford reeling. Lucas Dwight was perfect. That’s why.’
‘The man was innocent,’ Harry said, getting angry.
‘No one’s innocent in this world,’ Ronnie replied. ‘Not even the guy who did time for his little brother.’
It was a shitty thing to say but perfectly weighted to force Harry on to the back foot.
‘If I put a bullet in him now,’ Reed said, ‘it’s even. You did time for him – he owes you.’
Harry stared at Ronnie, trying to find the brother he once knew. ‘What the hell happened to you?’
‘Life.’ Ronnie lowered the gun from Reed’s temple. ‘I don’t regret going to jail for you, Harry. Truth be told, it made me. Opened my eyes to the fact that living by the rules – this stuff you believe in – it’s bullshit. There is no equality in this country. You either have power or you get fucked over.’
‘Ronnie, this isn’t you . . .’ But it was all becoming clear in Harry’s mind.
Sixteen corner shops to distribute and wash the money. Cash and Carries to import and export drugs. Ronnie’s 198 IQ one step ahead, all the time.
‘This is me,’ said Ronnie. ‘That day, when you . . . killed that man? He deserved it. Bastard came into our parents’ shop, stabbed Mum and would have done the same to us if you hadn’t stopped him. He deserved to die.’ Ronnie pointed the gun at Harry. ‘And I did what any decent big brother would do. I stepped forward and they locked me away. For what? Excessive force? Bullshit.’ He spat bitterly on the floor.
‘If I’d known this is what you would become . . .’
‘You need to open your eyes, Harry. How long has the law been clamping down on drugs in this city? Twenty? Thirty fucking years? And it’s more widespread than ever? I’ve got half of law enforcement in my pocket. Customs officers on my Christmas card list. Judges who love my product. I supply something people want. No more. No less. You call that a fucking crime?’
Harry shook his head. ‘You deluded son of a bitch.’
‘No!’ Ronnie snapped. ‘It is you who is deluded. You and I were supposed to run this city. You from the top and me from the bottom. Your boss – soon to retire? Everyone moves up the chain of command including you, then one day? It’s you who lands the top job and, finally’ – Ronnie waved the gun towards the city – ‘we could have brought real change to Bradford. Tonight there aren’t two dons in Bradford any more. There will be no more clashes between gangs. There’s only us. Only one don. Tomorrow the rebuilding begins. You don’t want to be a part of that?’
‘Ronnie, what the hell are you talking about?’
‘Just for once,’ Ronnie shouted, ‘can you not try to see past your own narrow-mindedness?’ He stepped in front of Reed suddenly, square on with Harry, and prodded him in the chest. ‘You owe me,’ he said. ‘I’m the brother who always took the pain for you. Always!’
Harry stared at his brother. Ronnie was barely recognizable.
‘Look around you,’ Ronnie continued. ‘You got arseholes in Whitehall pilfering millions for their damn expense accounts – politicians who earn millions taking money from people like you and me to do up their damn second homes – but that . . . that’s not theft? Because it’s written in black and white somewhere?’
Ronnie glared at Harry, who lowered the knife to his side. ‘The banks play roulette and lose trillions of pounds and what do we do? Lend them more money. Can’t you see that everything in this world is about money and power and greed, and I don’t wa
nt to play the game, Harry. I want to run it so I can change it!’
‘Robin Hood? Is that who you’re striving to be?’
‘Yes,’ Ronnie replied. ‘You’re damn fucking right it is. Tonight I got rid of the bastards who flood this city with impure product that kills. I obliterated their depots, eliminated the boss and burned down all of his restaurants. Tomorrow I’ll be the most powerful man in Bradford, and yes, I will rebuild this city. No fucking jerking around with empty promises. You give me five years, and Colin and I, with your help, can reform Bradford.’
‘Step aside, brother,’ Reed said quietly to Ronnie. ‘He’s not one of us. He won’t turn. Doesn’t understand the rules.’
‘There are no rules.’ Ronnie retreated from his brother. ‘Tomorrow we write our own.’ He pointed at Harry. ‘You got yourself caught up in this. Was never meant to be like this. Can we work this out? No one needs to die here.’
Harry pointed the knife at Reed. ‘My wife? She really get away?’
Reed nodded. ‘Feisty piece of work.’
‘You put down that gun,’ Harry said, ‘and we’ll settle this man to man. That’s the only way this is going to end.’ He pointed at Lucas’s body. ‘There’s no way I can let this lie or the fact you took my wife.’
Reed didn’t lower the weapon.
‘You shoot me,’ Harry said, ‘and he’ll have to watch.’ He pointed to Ronnie. ‘But we settle this as men and there’s nothing fairer.’
Reed didn’t take his eyes off Harry as he spoke to Ronnie. ‘You hearing this? You can live with it?’
Ronnie sighed and looked at Harry, alarmed. He pointed to the wound on his shoulder. ‘You won’t last two minutes. Don’t listen to your ego.’
‘Are you game for this or not?’ Harry asked. ‘Only one of us is leaving this room, Colin. Ronnie, the son of a bitch would have killed Saima if she hadn’t escaped. He’s murdered Lucas and if you hadn’t walked in here, he would have put me down. Whatever he is to you, he’s a liability.’
‘Drop the knife,’ Reed said, ‘and I’ll surrender the gun.’
Harry dropped the knife and kicked it towards Reed.
‘Here.’ Reed handed the gun to Ronnie. ‘This is the only way to settle this without you making a choice.’
‘I know.’ Ronnie shook his head. He took the gun. ‘Thing is,’ he said reluctantly, ‘it’s already made.’ He stepped in front of Reed and unloaded a bullet into his massive chest, right through his heart. Their eyes connected for the briefest of moments.
Ronnie dropped the gun and threw his arms around Reed, supporting his massive body as it fell to the floor.
The bullet had punctured his chest, spraying blood across Ronnie’s face. Harry remained motionless, dumbfounded. Reed tried to speak but instead pooled a mouthful of blood. Ronnie held him close in a terminal embrace.
And then there was silence.
For the second time in their lives, Harry and Ronnie Virdee were alone in a room with murder defiling their karma.
Neither had noticed the door open. Or the shadow of Zain Ahmed slipping into the room.
Until Zain stepped forward, gun pointed at Harry and smiled. ‘I thought I’d have to waste three bullets. Turns out I’m only going to need two.’
FORTY-SEVEN
RONNIE TURNED TO face Zain. ‘Who the fuck are you?’
‘Your competition. Looks like you forgot about one thing in all your scheming. Me. The son. Zain Ahmed.’
Ronnie looked closely at the boy. Because that’s all he was. A boy with an unsteady hand in a man’s world.
‘You better put that thing down before you hurt yourself,’ Ronnie said.
Zain smiled. ‘You sound like my father,’ he replied and then fired the pistol.
Harry was frozen and watched in horror as the bullet tore into Ronnie’s arm and spun him round a full 360 degrees. Harry caught hold of his brother and together they fell to the floor.
‘No!’ Harry shouted. ‘No!’
Harry turned Ronnie on to his back and saw blood staining his shirt. He grabbed Ronnie’s hand and put it over his arm where he’d been shot. ‘Press here,’ he said urgently and then looked towards Zain, who was still pointing the gun towards them.
‘You hurt yourself by opening your mouth,’ Zain said to Ronnie. ‘That was for my father. But truth be told – you did me a favour. So that bullet won’t be the one which kills you. The next one will.’
‘Hold on,’ Harry said, and put his hand over Ronnie’s arm, applying more pressure to the wound. ‘Think carefully. Think about what I can give you!’
‘Nothing,’ replied Zain. ‘You are worth precisely nothing to me.’
Harry needed a little leverage. He needed to get close to Zain, so he had a chance of disarming him.
‘Think like a businessman – like your father would have done,’ Harry said, desperately trying to buy some time. ‘If we play this right, I can take credit for nailing Lucas Dwight and bringing your father’s killer to justice. I can become the most respected officer in this city! And you will have my allegiance. That is power. Real power.’
Zain sniggered and waved the gun at Harry. ‘You must think I’m a fool. You’re trying to save your brother’s life.’
‘How long have you been waiting over there?’ Harry asked. ‘Long enough to hear what these two fucks did to my wife today?’
Harry applied more pressure and Ronnie gritted his teeth and turned his head away from Zain.
‘What I want is for you to put that gun down and walk away,’ Harry continued. ‘Let me deal with this. You think I’m going to forgive my brother after what he’s just told me?’
‘By that measure, why should I believe that I have your allegiance?’
‘Because’ – Harry took his hand away from Ronnie’s wound – ‘it’s pretty bloody simple. You’re waving a gun at me. You have my allegiance.’ He slowly got to his feet and put out his hands. ‘Honestly? My brother was a dead man the moment he revealed what he was. He kidnapped my wife. He might not have been the one who took her, but he was in charge here. He’s culpable. I need you to let me finish this. It’s between me and my brother. This is our business.’
‘He killed my father,’ Zain replied.
‘And did you a favour. You said so yourself. Think better, Zain. Think higher. Like you’re in a game of chess. You can buy my partnership here. I want out of this. I want to find my wife. Have my child and earn some decent fucking money. Like my brother. Fuck if I’m trusting him after what he’s done. But you and me, we can make this work to our advantage. Jesus,’ Harry said, desperate now. ‘Think about what we could achieve.’
He had Zain’s attention because the kid was no longer holding the gun with intent. His arm had become limp and the gun wasn’t pointing at Harry’s head. It was aimed at his hip.
‘You want to partner me?’ Zain asked.
Harry nodded.
‘Prove it.’ Zain kicked Colin Reed’s knife towards Harry. ‘Pick it up, finish off your brother, and you live.’ The knife landed by Ronnie’s body. ‘Show me.’
Harry nodded. ‘You’re on. I . . . I need to say a few things to him. Before—’
‘Get on with it. I’ll give you two minutes before I make the decision for you.’
Zain backed off. Harry picked up the knife and got on his knees. Ronnie was breathing heavily and looking at him.
‘Do it,’ he said, nodding at Harry. ‘Karma.’
Harry nodded. ‘You stupid fuck,’ he whispered.
Ronnie closed his eyes. ‘One year in the planning and my little brother makes it all go to hell.’
‘Story of your life,’ Harry replied. ‘You never could just let me sink.’
‘I don’t know what’s worse,’ Ronnie replied. ‘The fact I had to end Colin, or’ – he turned his face towards Zain – ‘the fact that prick wins.’
‘You sow what you reap.’ Harry twisted the knife in his hands. He turned it upside down, covertly holding it by the blade. Ron
nie watched the move and shook his head slightly.
‘Thing is about life, Harry. You never know when it’s your last chance. When one miss might be your last one. You get me?’
‘Yes.’ Harry turned the knife again, holding it by the handle. ‘But like you said, brother, it’s about misdirection? Right?’
Harry raised the knife high. His hand disappeared behind his head and he called out to Zain. ‘Hey, you want to watch me do this?’
Zain took three steps towards them, gun primed, pointing it at Ronnie. He was close enough that Harry couldn’t miss. The question was where would Zain be hit?
Behind his head, Harry slipped his hand down the knife until he was holding it by the blade again.
‘Do it,’ Zain said.
Harry closed his eyes and paused. ‘Let’s call us even now.’ He opened his eyes and threw the knife as hard as he could at Zain. Harry had aimed for his chest, but the blade jammed into Zain’s throat. It didn’t strike clean, instead lodging to the left of his trachea.
No sooner had Harry thrown it, he rolled across Ronnie’s body and kicked out furiously, jamming his foot into Zain’s knee, sending it back on itself until it cracked. Zain screamed and started to fall. He dropped the gun.
Harry grabbed the pistol, scrambled to his feet and pointed the gun at Zain, who had hit the floor hard.
But Zain wasn’t beaten. He tore the knife from his throat and made to throw it.
Harry pulled the trigger.
With the deafening sound of the bullet, Zain’s face exploded, sending flesh and bone splattering across the room. His body flew backwards and came to rest next to Lucas Dwight.
The echo temporarily dominated the room. Harry slumped to his knees and let out a deep sigh. He put the gun on the floor and stared at Zain, absorbing the enormity of what he’d done.
Another murder.
The echo died away.
Ronnie propped his body up and hissed in pain. ‘You OK?’ he finally said.
Harry didn’t reply. He couldn’t look at him.
‘Look, you had no choice—’
‘I did. I could have let him kill you.’
‘So it’s lose-lose no matter what you did.’