‘The next thing you know, someone comes out of the bushes and puts a knife to my neck.’
‘What?’
‘He cut my chin, and my tyres are slashed. It was Skinner.’
‘You sure?’
‘Yeah, it was fucking Skinner. He came up behind me and I didn’t know who the fuck it was ’cause he had a mask on. My first instinct was to kick him in the nuts or elbow him in the chest. Next thing you know, he says something and I’m like, “You’re fucking kidding me!” I pushed him off me. He’s like, “You’re fucking Shaun,” and I was like, “Shaun isn’t even fucking in there! He’s probably in Tucson. I’m just hanging out with Jake and Grady.” He’s like, “Come with me now, we need to talk,” and I’m like, “I don’t wanna talk to you. I’m done with you.” He starts yelling at me, “You fucking bitch. All you motherfuckers are gonna be sorry. I’m gonna rat you all out.”’
Disturbed by Skinner’s antics, I resolve to stop being so sentimental about him.
Chapter 50
Wild Woman calls: ‘Grady was minding my flat while I went shopping. When I came back to the flat, he said, “I don’t want to make you worry, but you need to get outta here. I think you’re gonna get robbed or raided.” He said he’d seen two people walking past, looking into the flat.’
Has she been up for too long on meth? ‘Take some Valium,’ I say. ‘Let’s discuss this after you’ve had a good night’s sleep.’
‘I don’t need sleep. I’m fine. I’m going on what I’ve been told. I trust Grady with my life. I feel dead uneasy.’
‘I suggest you stay at a mate’s pad, then, and let’s see what happens.’
I drive to Wild Woman’s the next day to see if she’s OK. Her front door is off its hinges. My heartbeat accelerates. I scan the area to see if anyone’s watching. I step inside, my hands trembling. Her scattered belongings look as if they’ve been ransacked by looters. When a figure appears in the doorway, I jump.
‘The cops just left.’ Grady walks in and hugs me. ‘They took Wild Woman and all her shit. It’s a good job you didn’t arrive earlier.’
‘Fuck, dude! I’ll send her our attorney right away. She’s in deep shit if they caught her with thousands of Ecstasy. Did they go next door?’ I ask, referring to one of my safe houses.
‘I don’t think so,’ Grady says. ‘I was watching from upstairs.’
‘Let’s check it out.’ I open next door. The bare apartment is untouched. ‘That’s a relief. Do you think they’ve still got surveillance set up around here?’
‘Not now it’s been raided,’ he says.
‘I’ve got a shipment of Ecstasy coming in the mail. Can you watch out for it from upstairs?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Whoever has the balls to retrieve it after this raid will get $500.’
‘Sweet.’
The next day, the cops release Wild Woman. I arrive to find her frying chips, the apartment tidied up.
‘What happened?’ I ask, sitting on the sofa.
‘After we spoke, I stayed at my mate’s like you said, all night till like ten o’clock in the morning. The minute I walked in here – I’d just got right through to the back bedroom – there was a boom-boom-boom and they just came charging in. They’d been waiting for me and I couldn’t do anything about anything. The safe was full. Thousands of pills. They cuffed me and put me on the bench outside the front door. The key to the safe was on my key ring on the couch, but they battered the safe with a hammer thing. The cop in charge was that Detective Reid who nicked Wild Man years ago—’
‘Detective Reid!’ The name jangles my nerves. ‘Not him again! I thought we shook him off. I can’t believe his name has come up again. What’s he look like?’
‘A proper serious hard bastard with long hair. He doesn’t look like a cop. He looks like a biker, a Hells Angel. He asked me what was in the safe. I said, “I don’t know. I’m staying here ’cause I’m stranded ’cause my boyfriend’s being deported. He’s in immigration. Some fella who knows my boyfriend said I could stay here until I get something sorted for my plane fare home.” Detective Reid came out with a big brown envelope full of LSD.
‘“What are these?”
‘“I don’t know what they are.”
‘“Well, these were in the safe.”
‘“It’s not my safe.”
‘“Whose safe is it?”
‘The key to the safe was still on my key ring and he never got it.’
‘Detective Reid’s not that bright then.’
‘They left the bottle of ketamine, too. They thought it was Sprite. Detective Reid took me to the station, interviewed me and asked if I knew English Shaun.’
The hairs on my forearms rise. How does he know my nickname? Someone’s talked to him. Skinner?
‘I said no. He said, “Is it English Shaun’s stuff?” I said, “I don’t know anybody called English Shaun. I don’t know anybody here. My boyfriend’s been arrested and I’m just stuck.” Then he said, “We know you’re scared.” He gave me $20 for a taxi home, his card, and told me to ring him in a couple of days.’
‘Shit, Wild Woman! It’s a set-up. They’ve let you go to get to me. Pack your shit up right now. We’ve got to get the hell out of here! I’ll pay a friend to house you. When Wild Man gets back, I’ll figure out where to send you. It’ll be far away from Tempe.’ Wild Man’s deportation is imminent, but he’s planning to return to the US as soon as he can.
Detective Reid’s closing in. The Wild Ones will have to go to Mexico for their own safety. If she disappears, she can’t be prosecuted and it’ll stop Detective Reid using her to find me. But what about the Ecstasy shipment? With Wild Woman gone, the package might lead Detective Reid to me. With the loss from the raid, I can’t afford to abandon it.
Days later, Wild Man lands in England. I make arrangements to smuggle him back. He leaves a voicemail: ‘That punk Skinner tried to set fire to my woman. Tell him he’s dead and I’m on my fucking way!’
A week after the raid, Grady calls. ‘The flyers have landed,’ he says, referring to the Ecstasy.
‘Do you want to handle it for what we discussed?’ I ask.
‘No. The people in the apartment opposite haven’t stopped looking at it. I’m too sketched out. I think if someone doesn’t take it soon, someone’s gonna grab it.’
I visit Jaxson, who agrees to pick it up on his motorcycle. ‘I’d like you to drive around a bit to suss out if you’re being followed. Then meet me at Walgreens parking lot and we’ll transfer it to my SUV.’
‘What if I’m followed?’
‘Try and ditch them or stash it somewhere. Just don’t bring Detective Reid to me.’
Jaxson is so loyal I hate the idea of sending him on a kamikaze mission. When he leaves, my gut fills with a bad feeling. After a short wait, I get in the SUV, convinced I’m falling into a trap set by Detective Reid. I wait at Walgreens, watching every pedestrian and vehicle, sweat dampening my clothes. Hurry up, Jaxson. Attempting to relieve my tension, I pinch my bottom lip and tug it down several times. By the time Jaxson arrives with the box on the back of his bike, my mouth is dry. I watch him park at my rear. I jump out, nod and open the back.
‘I made sure I didn’t get followed.’
‘Good job, man.’
He slides the box in, jumps on his bike and speeds off.
I drive slowly, not wanting to give the cops any cause to stop and search. My eyes dart from mirror to mirror and scan every vehicle. I get away scot-free, but a voice tells me, The risks you’re running are too high.
Unable to pay my rent and the $20,000-plus I owe in monthly bills, including payments for multiple apartments, I abandon the house at Sin Vacas. Amy and I move east along the mountain range to a three-bedroom apartment. The shock of her infidelity wears off and eventually our closeness returns. We settle back into a routine. It’s a small place and I spend little money, but Amy stays with me.
Chapter 51
Vince proposes repaying his debt by getting E
cstasy from a friend in Germany. With Amy scheduled to buy Ecstasy from her German supplier, I send Vince with her.
From home, I call Amy. She sounds uneasy, but insists everything is fine. She flies to Hermosillo, Mexico, intending to give her Ecstasy to other people to smuggle into Arizona. Vince stays in Germany, claiming his friend needs more time to connect.
Amy calls from a hotel: ‘All my luggage, including the flyers, didn’t get here.’
I shudder at the prospect of Amy getting busted by the Mexican police. Assuming the Ecstasy was intercepted, I say, ‘I’m pulling you the fuck out of Mexico before the cops figure out where you are. I’ll call Cody right away to come and get you.’
‘Chill! Chill! Let me finish what I’m saying. I spoke to the airline. They said this happens a lot in Mexico and not to worry. They’ve put me in a hotel. They’re gonna bring my luggage here when it shows up.’
‘How do you know the airline isn’t setting you up for the cops?’
‘It’s not like that. They would have arrested me by now, wouldn’t they? Bags get lost all the time in Mexico.’
‘In the stock market, at the first sign of things going bad, it’s best to cut your losses. I don’t see how this is any different.’
‘Shaun. I’m all right. I’m staying until the luggage is found.’
‘I don’t give a shit about the pills. It’s you I’m worried about. I’d abandon the mission.’
‘I’m staying.’
‘You’ve got bigger balls than me.’
‘I know.’
After the call, I regret ever letting Amy smuggle pills. Unable to sleep, I use Xanax to knock myself out. For two days, I call Amy every few hours. I become increasingly worried, but she insists on staying. The Mexican police will tip off the Tucson police and our place will be raided. I can help Amy better from Phoenix. I’ll meet the attorney and have him offer a bribe for Amy’s release. Whatever it takes, the money will be raised. On the third day, I make plans with Cody to evacuate her.
Amy calls: ‘The luggage is here.’
‘Thank God! I miss you so much.’
‘I’ll be home soon,’ Amy says in a sad, low voice.
‘Amy, you sound more stressed out than when the luggage was missing. What’s wrong?’ Has she been arrested? Are they forcing her to call?
‘Shaun, you said if I ever fucked up again and I told you the truth right away you wouldn’t get mad at me,’ she says, her voice faltering.
Pressure rises in my head. ‘Yes, and I meant it.’
‘I’ve fucked up again.’ She starts crying. ‘When we got to Germany, Vince said it would be best if we share a room to save money. We ended up getting high and sleeping together. I’m so sorry, Shaun.’
My heart rips where it was recently patched together. I breathe deeply, expanding my belly. I close my eyes. Exhale. My head throbs. Anger swells. The wolves inside snarl. ‘Fucking hell, Amy! Sleeping with Vince! What were you fucking thinking?’
‘At least I told you the truth.’
‘You did. It’s fucked up. It’s really fucked up, but you did the right thing. You’ve got nothing to worry about.’ Vince is dead.
‘There’s more I need to tell you, ’cause I think you’re in danger from some of the people working for you.’
I want to yell, vent, kick, scream, bang my head against a wall until my brains spill out, but I force myself to speak slowly, to sound calm: ‘Just tell me everything you know.’
‘It started out with Vince ordering room service and joking about spending your money. So, I played along to hear what he’d say. The higher he got, the more he told me. Like that time you fronted him those pills and he told you they were robbed off him at gunpoint. Skinner told him to tell you that. Him and Skinner sold those pills. They used the money to invest in other drug deals.’
‘What else?’
‘By the end of my stay, he was telling me you’re on your way down, and him and Skinner are taking over, and if I have any sense I’d leave you and join forces with them …’
I hang up, feeling sick, imagining Vince and Amy having sex. I’ll make an example of Vince. If I do nothing, I’m finished. I’m owed half a million in drug debts that’ll never get paid. Soon everyone’ll know that Vince fucked my wife, and I’ll be a laughing stock. I’ll be overthrown. I must act swiftly, and without Wild Man to show I have other means. G Dog’s ideal. People are more scared of him than ever since the New Mexican Mafia made headline news, accused of murder for hire. I also need a second person. Jaxson is Vince’s friend. If one of my key bouncers shows loyalty, it’ll send a signal that my crew is unified. Wild Man would probably kill Vince. We’ll hurt Vince, not kill him. He fucked my wife, for Christ’s sake. Wants to overthrow me. I must act … In a rage, I channel my energy into planning Vince’s abduction.
I meet Jaxson and G Dog at an apartment in North Phoenix belonging to Tulips – a Mexican American Ecstasy dealer whom Vince gets along with. Inside, I say, ‘I’m going to bring Vince here. You guys grab him when I tell him, “I’ll take you home now.”’
I drink GHB, snort meth, take half a Xanax and set off for the airport in a borrowed truck, with angry thoughts battering my skull, Vince at the eye of the storm. At the terminal, too furious to stand still, I stride around, rehearsing what to say, sparks going off in my brain. Crackle. Sizzle. Zzzzzz …
When Vince arrives, I muster the willpower to appear calm. ‘It’s good to see you, Vince.’ I hug him and step back, appraising his body language, sunglasses hiding my rage.
‘You too. Sorry I couldn’t get the pills,’ Vince says, hanging his head.
‘It’s no biggie. Amy got hers.’ I force a smile. ‘Maybe your friend just needs more time to set it up properly,’ I say, trying to preoccupy him with the failure of the drug deal.
‘I think he can do it with more time,’ he says, digging a forefinger into a cheek.
‘Just let me know when and I’ll send you back.’
Walking to the truck, I say, ‘You must be really tired.’
‘Yeah, I’m about ready to crash.’
‘I’ll drive you to Tulips’ real quick, so I can count the money. Then I’ll drop you off at home.’
‘Why don’t we just count the money at my place?’ he asks, alarm creeping into his voice.
‘Tempe’s not safe for me these days. I’d rather do it at Tulips’.’
No response.
When I park, Vince asks, ‘Who’s at Tulips’?’
Calmly, without hesitation: ‘Jaxson and G Dog.’
Vince turns his head, brows raised. ‘G Dog. Isn’t he the one whose brothers were on the news?’ Vince licks a corner of his mouth.
I’ve got him this far and now the bastard isn’t going to get out. ‘Yeah. Mexican Mafia dudes. Crazy stuff, huh?’
‘Everything’s cool in here, right?’ Vince asks, frowning.
He’s cottoning on. If I answer incorrectly, he’ll panic and refuse to go in. In the light-hearted tone I reserve for paranoids, I say, ‘Of course it is. There’s hardly any cops come around here. It’s the safest place I’ve got for us to count the money.’
‘And we’re cool, right?’
Get back onto the failed drug deal before you lose him. ‘Vince, don’t think I’m mad at you because you didn’t connect. You tried your best. You flew to bloody Europe for me! That’s all that matters.’
‘I still think my friend can hook up.’
‘I think you’ll pull it off, too. It’s just a matter of time. Hey, what do you think about the clubs over in Europe?’
‘They blow America away.’
We get out.
‘I’ve always liked German DJs: Commander Tom, Sven Väth,’ I say, smiling.
At the front door, Vince asks, ‘You’re sure everything’s cool in here, right?’
‘It’s really quiet. Tulips is moving out.’
I open the door.
‘Hey, what’s up, Vince?’ Jaxson opens his arms, their bodies slam, a s
teel embrace. ‘How’d your trip go?’
Vince smiles. ‘Had a blast but didn’t come back with anything.’
‘What’s up, Vince?’ G Dog hugs Vince.
‘Alright, G Dog,’ Vince says in a respectful tone. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’ The hugging relaxes Vince. He unlocks his luggage and extracts envelopes.
‘I’ll count the money on the carpet,’ I say.
They chat, settling Vince in. I stack the bills in piles of thousands, not taking my eyes off the money, trying not to hint at what’s to come. Near the end of the count, my pulse quickens, thoughts rush, hands tremble. Don’t give yourself away! It’ll be over soon. All that remains is to total the piles of cash. One thousand, two thousand … Crackling sounds erupt in my skull. My counting slows – or maybe time, I can’t tell which. The crackling grows louder, as if something’s igniting. I see Vince fucking Amy.
Sparks. Crackling. Wolves snarling.
Vince and Skinner planning on taking over my organisation.
Crackle. Sizzle. Zzzzzz …
My eyes shift to the last pile of money.
He fucked my wife and wants to overthrow me and now it’s time for him to get what he deserves.
The crackling becomes continuous, as if a power cable is running through my head.
Stay calm. If he sees you now, he’ll know and try to escape. Stay calm. Stay calm …
I finish counting. Staring at the money, I say, ‘Vince, the money’s all there. I’ll take you home now.’ I stiffen into something mechanical, inhuman.
Jaxson and G Dog grab Vince and knock him down.
‘Help me! Fucking help me!’ Vince yells over and over.
I spring up to help subdue Vince. He struggles, wriggles this way and that, but the crush of our bodies pins him. G Dog gags Vince with a towel. I worry about the neighbours hearing the commotion. Maybe the cops are on the way.
They strike Vince with Maglites, heavy metal torches. Every time he squirms away, they beat him harder and drag him back to the centre of the room. He ends up in the foetal position, blows raining down, blood streaming from his nose.
I remove my sunglasses, revealing my loathing. In a low voice, I say, ‘I want to talk to you, Vince. We’re going to take the gag off. If you yell and scream, it’s going to get ugly. Please don’t bring that upon yourself.’ I nod at G Dog.
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