Brotherhood
Page 28
“He’ll live. I knocked the gun aside, and he got shot through the trapezius muscle.”
“What about Mugisa?”
“Philip hit him with a gun and he’s also in there.” She pointed towards the ward. “Some of McLaughlin’s men shot him, but he’ll live.”
Byron joined them and Adam saw his friend’s relief. “You heard?”
“Yeah.” Byron sounded exhausted. “The nurse says Philip will be out in a few days and should make a full recovery.” He paused. “Physically at least.”
Byron’s body seemed to weigh far more than he could support. The pain from his shoulder had settled to a fiery ache but his hand sent shards of pain with every movement. He wondered how much damage it had sustained. At least he didn’t rely on it for his living. And the fact Philip would recover made the pain bearable. The sound of happy laughter announced the return of the others. The girls, relieved to see their brother alive, if not entirely unharmed, chattered. Their parents smiled and came to a stop in front of Byron.
Rebecca had trouble meeting his gaze. “I’m sorry, Byron,” she whispered. “I heard what happened. Thank you for what you did.” She kissed him on the cheek.
Byron, embarrassed, smiled and Samuel clasped his good hand mouthing, “See you later”, before he joined his wife and daughters.
He watched them make their way towards the lifts.
Siobhan addressed him and Adam. “You two will have to wait to see Philip. We need to speak to him.” She glared at Adam. “You have a lot of questions to answer. Don’t even think of going anywhere.”
Byron mouthed, “Scary lady.” Did she wink at Adam as she left? Adam’s grin as he watched her walk away told him the answer.
Mugisa couldn’t remember what had happened. Voices came from a distance and he tried to make out the words.
A woman spoke in an urgent undertone. “I don’t think you realise the risk to your staff. This is a very dangerous young man.”
A man replied, irritated. “If you say so, Chief Inspector. But I’m not letting you handcuff one of my patients to his bed. He’s very weak; he’s lost a lot of blood. I don’t believe he’s going to get out of bed and cut our throats.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it. He’s killed at least five people, two after he had the bullet in his shoulder.”
“Surely that’s for the courts to decide?”
The woman sighed. “Okay, we’ll do it your way, but I’m posting two armed men in here.” Her footsteps faded and Mugisa drifted into unconsciousness.
The sun rose high above the grassland and the men and older boys were away, guarding the cattle. The boy had spent the morning in school. The small whitewashed hut stood behind him, empty now the teacher had gone off in her battered white Fiat. A cloud of black smoke pursued her, as she made her way to the next village school, where a group of excited children awaited her arrival.
He played football in the shade of the acacia trees with a few friends, their meagre schoolbooks stacked in four small piles as substitute goalposts. The ball was a bundle of rags, tied together into a small, solid sphere and the game was close, the two sides well matched. One side claimed a disputed goal and the boys stood arguing in high voices.
A shrill call cut across their argument and reluctantly they ended the game, picked up their slight bundles and ran homeward. The boys rounded the small outcrop which lay between their homes and the school. He saw the familiar figures of his beloved mother and sister waiting for him to come for his meal. Both smiled as he ran towards them.
*****
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A NOTE TO THE READER
Hello and thank you for taking the time to read my novel. I hope you enjoyed reading it and spending time with the different characters. Although I focus on Byron and Adam, I’m interested in all the characters that go to make this story work, even Ritchie.
I’ve been an avid reader since I was six or seven and I’ve always entertained the idea I’d write someday. I worked as a firefighter in Wiltshire for a while then moved to Manchester – a real culture shock. But wherever I worked, I found the job full of characters and often found myself at the centre of dramatic and sometimes tragic events. When I finally decided to start writing, ten years after I left the Fire Service, it was a natural subject to revisit. I decided to write about two male friends of equal status because it’s not a subject that’s often explored in thrillers and crime novels. Even in Sherlock Holmes, although Watson is a friend, he’s not Holmes’s equal. The same goes for Morse and Lewis.
The idea of Mugisa came to me when I was holidaying in Ethiopia. I came across a group of boys and girls playing football, using a bundle of rags as the ball. I joined in for a short while – we were at altitude and I’m not as fit as I once was – enjoying the fun and laughter. A few weeks later, I read a report of instability in the area and I began to think what those kids’ lives would be like if conflict broke out. Fortunately it didn’t there, but for countless children that’s not the case.
Although I’m writing a series of books featuring Adam and Byron, I’m planning to explore the lives of some of the other characters. I’d be happy to hear your thoughts on this.
I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads, apart from letting authors know what we’re getting right – or wrong – reviews help other readers when they’re making decisions on what to read.
I’m keen to hear from you and please feel free to contact me through my Facebook page, via Twitter or through my website. If you join my mailing list you will be kept abreast of what’s happening with my writing.
David Beckler
Published by Sapere Books.
11 Bank Chambers, Hornsey, London, N8 7NN,
United Kingdom
saperebooks.com
Copyright © David Beckler, 2014
David Beckler has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places and events, other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales are purely coincidental.
eBook ISBN: 9781912786428