Born Under Punches (41 page)

Nev looked into Tommy's eyes, saw that he was only seconds from death. He was scared. Despite his size and strength, he didn't have something that Tommy had. Or rather, he had something Tommy lacked.

‘Yes, Tommy. Sorry, Tommy.'

The volcano inside Tommy subsided. The blade disappeared. ‘Good,' he said. ‘Good. I didn't let him go, Nev. I just gave him his last chance to save himself. What happens next is his own fault.'

‘How d'you mean?'

‘Mr Fairbairn suh-said he wanted me to make an example out of someone. Send out a message. Keep the others in line.'

‘We gonna follow him, then?'

‘No need, Nev. We know where he's goin' to be tonight.'

‘Where?'

‘He's got a date, he said. That'll be with his girlfriend. And I know where she lives.'

Nev looked at him. Tommy smiled.

‘Let's get back to the car, Nev. We've got a ruh-rinky dink time ahead of us.'

Louise was out of the shower, towelling her hair dry, listening to Bronski Beat on the tape player telling her to run away, get away, run away.

She wore no make-up and a white terrycloth robe. She felt relaxed, good about herself. She was alone. Rachel having gone straight out from college.

She was only expecting one person.

Tony.

He was the reason she felt so good. She was loving her life, loving the present. And she could see the future, her future, with him.

And she loved him all the more for it.

She put down the towel, sat before the mirror, shook a canister of hair mousse.

The doorbell rang.

Louise checked her watch. He was early.

She stood up, made for the stairs, started down. The last time he arrived early and she wasn't dressed, they had ended up being late out.

She smiled at the memory, opened the door.

‘Well,' she said, ‘you've caught me undressed again. So—'

She looked up, stopped.

This wasn't Tony. This was two men, one young and sharp-suited, one older and bulkier in a leather jacket. The younger one smiled.

‘We huh-have indeed. Luh-Louise Lu-Larkin?'

She instinctively clutched her robe to her chest.

‘Yes?'

‘We're friends of Tony's. Cuh-can we come in and wait for him, please?'

The younger one was smiling, polite, but there was nothing warm about him. He was like ice.

She sensed trouble, tried to push the door closed, stop them entering. They ignored her. The larger one grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, walked her upstairs. The younger one stepped inside, closed the door behind him.

The whole thing, from door opening to closing, took only a matter of seconds. Louise had not time to think, scream, or close the door.

Nev walked her into the living room, threw her on the sofa.

She sat, rubbing her sore arm, her eyes darting nervously between the two of them. Scared. Heart trying to escape from her body. ‘Who are you? What d'you want?'

Her voice was tumbling into hysteria.

‘I told you,' said Tommy. ‘We're friends of Tony's. Business associates. I'm Tommy. This is Nev. We just want a word with him.'

Louise looked at the bigger one. Something was sticking out of his pocket.

‘What's that?' she said.

Nev pulled the object out, showed it to her. ‘A hammer,' he said.

At the sight of that, it felt as if the bones had been removed from Louise's body. Her flesh quivered like an electrified jellyfish.

‘Muh-my flatmate's here,' she said. She was finding it hard to breathe.

‘No, she's not,' said Tommy. ‘We know she's not, so don't lie.'

‘I'll scream.'

‘No, you won't.'

She gave a desperate look towards the phone. Nev caught the look, crossed to the phone, ripped it out of the wall.

Louise pulled her robe tighter about her body. Her head dropped, eyes closed.

‘Please. Just do what you're going to do, then go. Please.'

‘I tuh-told you. We have to wait for Tony.'

‘But what d'you want with him? He's a footballer.'

‘Not always. He used to work for me.'

‘Doing what?'

Tommy raised his hand to his nose, sniffed. Despite the fear, Louise was shocked.

‘No.'

‘Oh, yuh-yes.'

‘Don't believe you.'

Tommy shrugged. ‘I don't cuh-care.'

Louise looked around the room. She checked the doors: her distance from them, what obstacles were in the way, whether they were locked or unlocked.

Nev had sat down; Tommy was standing by the fireplace. If she ran for the front door, he would reach her. Her only chance was the back door. She could make a dash for that and hope Nev would be too slow to catch her He was big. He must be slow.

She tried to look relaxed, hoped that would make her less of a sudden flight risk, more compliant. Her silence, she hoped, would cause them to relax too.

She slumped her shoulders, thinking that would make her look resigned. There seemed to be a relaxation of the men's posture when she did so. She took that as her chance.

She jumped up, went round the sofa, made it through the kitchen to the back door. She got her hand on the lock, turned the key. She turned the handle.

A massive pair of arms encircled her body, crushing the air out of her like a huge boa constrictor.

She struggled, kicked blindly behind her. She felt her robe loosen, exposing her naked body. She ignored it. Even though the door was unlocked, she knew she wouldn't get another chance.

Nev swung her round, marched her back into the main room to face Tommy. He stood there grinning.

‘That was a stupid thing to do, wasn't it?'

She opened her mouth to scream. Nev clamped one of his bear-like hands over it.

‘D'you think we're jokin', eh?'

Tommy found the stereo, turned it up.

His eyes had flattened. They were cold, harder than ever.

Like a lizard from
V
, she thought.

‘We're serious, you bitch. I'll have to show you how serious.' A knife appeared in Tommy's hand.

Louise's eyes widened in terror. She struggled, fought, but it was no good.

Tommy brought the knife closer.

Louise felt urine run down her leg. She struggled, desperate to be free. Her mouth latched on to Nev's hand. She bit it, hard.

‘Bitch!'

Nev let her go. She tried to run again but Nev grabbed her arm, swung her round. He punched her in the face. Her head snapped back; she began to go down. Her temple connected with the fireplace as she fell. She collapsed on the floor.

Tommy sighed, put down the knife. ‘Aw, shit,' he said.

‘What?' said Nev.

‘What did you do that for?'

‘Bitch bit me hand.'

Tommy shook his head. He sounded angry with himself. ‘I can't do them when they're unconscious.'

‘Pissed herself an' all,' said Nev.

‘Give us a hand.'

Nev helped Tommy to lay Louise on the sofa. Nev studied her. Ignored the bleeding gash on the side of her head, the swelling on her face. Concentrated on the undone terry robe and what was underneath. Good tits. Nice bush. His cock began to stir.

‘You might not be able to do anythin',' he said, ‘but I can.'

Nev pulled his zip down.

‘Leave it,' said Tommy.

Nev looked at him, puzzled.

‘Whassamatter with you, like? You were gonna cut 'er a minute ago.'

Tommy looked at the unconscious body of Louise. She was tempting. But he was right not to touch her, take advantage of her. Frank would have said so. Dino even. And that was good enough for him

‘No, I wasn't. I was goin' to scu-scare her. Real men don't do that to women. Anyway, we're here for huh-him, not her.'

Nev gave a small snort of disgust that he hoped Tommy didn't hear, then sat down in the armchair.

Tommy pulled Louise's robe around her. She had a beautiful body, no doubt. But without that spark of life, that animation, thought Tommy, it was nothing.

‘What d'we do now, then?' said Nev.

Tommy sat down next to Louise.

‘We wait.'

Keith was furiously flipping through the pages of his book, nearly ripping them out as he went, desperately searching for cross-referenced precedents.

There were none.

He had never seen the two men before. He was sure of that.

From the alley he had managed to see only the backs of their heads, but he knew they weren't familiar.

Their manner of entry was strange too. To a casual observer there would be nothing untoward, but Keith was more than that. He thought they bundled Louise in, forced her back into her own flat. He couldn't be a hundred per cent, but that was what it had looked like.

Perhaps they were burglars and she was in danger.

Or rapists.

Or perhaps Woodhouse had told his mates about her and they all wanted a piece.

Yes, he thought, cheeks burning, that would be it.

He continued flipping through the book, slower now, knowing he would find nothing. He sighed, placed it on the passenger seat.

He watched.

And wondered.

Tapped a disco back beat on the steering wheel.

What was going on in there? Something he should be concerned about? Or taking part in? Or watching?

Watching.

It was getting dark, but not dark enough for him to go unseen. He would wait. Bide his time. See what happened.

Woodhouse's car pulled up to the kerb.

Keith wriggled in his seat, leaned forward.

This should be interesting.

Woodhouse locked the car, rang the bell. The door was opened by the bigger of the two men. Woodhouse looked shocked to see him, started arguing.

Keith concentrated, screwed up his eyes. But he couldn't hear what was said.

The big man gestured Woodhouse inside. Woodhouse went in, the door closing behind him.

Keith was breathing heavily.

This was throwing the logic of his book completely out of the window.

Keith watched.

And waited to see what would happen next.

‘Hello, Tuh-Tony.'

‘What the fuck have you done to her?'

Tony tried to run across the room, to Louise's unconscious body on the sofa. Nev grabbed him, held him in a bear hug, stopped him from moving.

‘Let me go, you cunt!'

Tommy stood up. ‘Stop shouting, Tuh-Tuh-Tony. We du-du-don't want the neighbours to hear.'

The blade appeared in Tommy's hand. He held it over Louise's face, smiled. ‘Stop shu-shu-shu-shouting, Tony.'

Tony fell silent, stopped struggling.

‘That's better.'

‘You cunt.' Tony's voice was low, rich with anger. ‘Pickin' on women now? You little piece of shit. What a hard man, fightin' girls—'

‘She fainted, Tony. She hasn't been hurt.' Tommy twirled the knife. ‘Yet.'

Tony was breathing heavily. If he had been able to, he would have killed both of them. Or tried to.

Tommy sat down, patted Louise's leg.

‘What happens next, Tony, depends on you. I want to ask you some qu-qu-questions. You listenin'?'

Tony said nothing.

‘I'll take that as a yes. Ruh-right. Now, I'm offerin' you the chance to make a lot of money. Cocaine. Next big thing. So—' he looked at his reflection in the blade ‘—you in or out?'

‘Out.'

‘Take your tuh-time. Thu-thu-think about it.'

‘I've thought. Out. Now fuck off.'

Tommy shook his head.

‘Sorry, Tuh-Tony. It doesn't work like that. Yes, we will leave. But, you see, Mr Fairbairn wanted an example made. Of anyone who didn't want to join our empire. Send a clear signal, he said. So, which will it be?'

Tommy gestured with his blade to Louise.

‘Your lovely girlfriend?'

He pointed the blade at Tony.

‘Or yourself?'

Tony stared at him. Pupils pinpoints of hatred. Heart exploding with fear. ‘You bastard. You sick fuckin' bastard.'

Tommy's eyes narrowed. His voice hardened. ‘I'm gu-givin' you a chance, you cu-cunt. It's more than I give most people.'

Tony said nothing.

‘Tell you what,' said Tommy, reaching into his pocket, ‘we'll toss for it.' He pulled out a ten pence piece, spun it in the air, caught it, slapped it down unseen on the back of his knife-wielding hand.

‘Heads or tails?'

Tony just stared.

‘I said heads or tails, you cunt.'

Tony gasped in pain as he felt Nev's arms squeeze his ribs harder. Any tighter and they would snap.

‘Heads or tails?'

‘Tails!'

Tommy looked at the coin, sighed.

‘Oh, well,' he said and pocketed it.

He gave Neva nod.

Tony felt a loosening on one side of his body. Nev's arm was free. He then felt a searing, sharp pain in his right kidney. Nev had punched him. He arched his back in agony. Nev released his arms and he fell to the floor. He couldn't move, the pain was indescribable. Nev landed a kick to his side to make sure.

He then felt a wad of cloth being roughly stuffed into the back of his mouth. He couldn't speak, could barely breathe.

‘We've been so quiet. Shuh-shame to alarm the neighbours now.'

Tommy nodded again to Nev who drew the hammer from his jacket.

Tony tried to move, tried to scream.

He could do neither.

‘Cuh-consider our business relationsh-sh-ship over. Severance pay from the chairman of the board.'

Nev brought the hammer down on Tony's knee.

Fireworks.

Then freezing ice.

Then hellfire pain.

Then nothing.

Keith watched the two men leave.

They got into their BMW, drove away.

Keith had to know what was going on. Had to.

Woodhouse was still inside. With Louise.

Keith had to see.

He got out of the car, locked it, looked around.