Dangerous Games

by Gillian Godden

  Tony didn’t want Jake to see that he, too, was a little unnerved by it all. He had done it now, though, and he felt he had given this guy ample warning of his intentions. He had wanted to meet him and get the full measure of him, and now he had. The man, like the bossman had been, was cocky and sloppy. He wasn’t prepared to listen to Tony’s plans or even to hear him out as to why he thought he could take over the protection in the East End. Instead, he had just thrown him out, like a piece of rubbish. The next time I have a meeting with that man, Tony thought to himself, closing his ears to Jake, who was still ranting on in the background, he will be more gracious.

  Tony did feel a bit guilty about leaving Bennie to face the music alone. Maybe he would go and see him later; no doubt he would still be on the same street corner, peddling his drugs, later on.

  ***

  The disgruntled boss started counting his money again, occasionally casting a glance up at the empty doorway through which Tony had left. Talking to no one in particular, and raising an eyebrow, he said, ‘Who that blonde boy, anyway? What’s his name, again?’

  One of his bodyguards walked up to his desk and then shouted out to one of the other rooms, where another group of men were cutting and bagging up the cocaine they were going to sell. A man parted the beaded curtain and came in.

  ‘Undo your shirt,’ said the bodyguard who had just called him through, ‘undo your shirt, and show the boss that scar of yours.’

  The man looked at him. ‘Why?’

  ‘An old friend of yours has been visiting.’

  The man started unbuttoning his shirt.

  ‘What you doing, man,’ shouted the boss. He waved him away with his hand. ‘Put your shirt on before someone comes in.’

  ‘Wait, boss,’ said the bodyguard, ‘he’s going to let you know that blonde boy’s name. That what you want, isn’t it?’

  The boss rolled his eyes. It seemed no one was listening to him. All he’d asked was who that blonde boy was and now he had a coked-up sidekick, who was obviously helping himself to the goods he was meant to be cutting, stripping off in his office. He waited while the man before him took off his shirt, then turned around. The boss looked in horror at the man’s scarred back.

  ‘That is that blonde boy’s name, boss,’ said the bodyguard. ‘I recognize him and he did that to my brother. He’s bloody lucky you were here because I would have shot him dead, otherwise.’ He took his gun out from the back of his trouser waistband and kissed it. ‘So, he’s going to be at the Crown, tonight, is he? Well, he is going to get more than he bargained for, the cocky little bastard.’

  The boss looked on in amazement at the name that had been carved into his sidekick’s back, by Tony, a while ago.

  ‘Are you telling me that you let that cocky upstart do that to you?’ the boss said. He was breathing heavily; he remembered the time when the man had nearly bled to death, because of the deep wounds that had been inflicted on him. He looked at the scar bearing the name ‘Lambrianu’; it was a horrible sight. He could barely believe that the man who had just stood before him, full of bravado, was capable of this.

  ‘I didn’t have no choice, boss, he’s crazy. He carved me up well and truly, the little shit! Going to get my own back now. Time to get my own back. He’s going to pay.’

  Again, the boss looked at the deep cuts on his soldier’s back. This was a sign of somebody who didn’t care who knew what he did; he’d signed his name on the man’s back and to hell with the consequences. Maybe, just maybe, thought the boss to himself, this is a man to watch out for.

  If Lee, the man who had been carved up, hadn’t been so high on cocaine when it happened, they could have taken him to the hospital. Instead, they’d had to let some old nurse, who liked her drugs as much as anyone else, stitch him up and stop the bleeding. Too many questions would have been asked, otherwise.

  ***

  Tony stopped the car at a burger bar. ‘Come on, Jake,’ he said, ‘let’s get a coffee and something to eat.’

  Jake got out and slammed the car door as hard as possible, just to get across to Tony how annoyed he was.

  When they’d picked up their order and were seated at a table, Jake said, ‘Tell me these plans of yours, Tony. I need to know what’s going on in that head of yours.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll reveal all. Eat your burger, drink your coffee and listen. We are going to cause chaos tonight.’ Tony started to laugh. ‘Absolute chaos, Jake, and we’re not even going to be there. When it’s over, watch them all come crawling to us.’ Tony filled him in on the rest of his plans. He hadn’t wanted to tell Jake everything, because even he wasn’t sure if any of his plans would work out, starting with finding Bennie. Now they’d got that far, he felt he could tell him everything.

  ‘You’ve got to be joking! Are you seriously telling me that you’re going to set the East End on fire? This plan is crazier than I thought. No way, Tony, this is going too far.’ Jake sat back in his chair, picked up his coffee cup and took a large drink. Tony had been known to have some crazy ideas in the past, but this was completely bonkers – and Jake was right in the middle of it!

  ***

  After their meal, Tony drove to the street corner where he knew Bennie would be trading, as usual. He kept the same turf, so that people would know when and where to find him. As Tony and Jake walked up to him, they could see that Bennie had been badly beaten up. His eyes were swollen and turning purple, and there was a cut in his lip that had been bleeding.

  ‘Get away from me, Antony, man, pretending to be my friend and letting me introduce you to the boss, knowing all the time I was going to get into serious trouble. How could you do that?’ Bennie turned his back on them. He took out his hip flask and took a sip of rum.

  Tony looked at Jake. He felt guilty about what had happened. The mob boss was supposed to be a friend of Bennie’s, they had worked together for a long time, dealing drugs. The boss was the supplier and Bennie was the trader. Did friendship count for nothing?

  A man walked up to Bennie. Tony and Jake watched as the stranger whispered something to him and pressed some money into his hand, then Bennie reached into his inside pocket and took out a small package, which he gave to the man. The stranger didn’t acknowledge Tony and Jake; he could only presume they were there for the same thing.

  ‘Sorry, Bennie,’ said Tony. ‘Honestly, I didn’t think he would do that to you. What happened?’

  ‘You were recognized. When the boss found out you were the man that carved Lee up that day, he went ape. He said he could have been killed, and I just took you in there, like you were a friend.’

  The boss had got his men to throw Bennie out into the alley and give him a good kicking, as punishment.

  ‘They kept blaming me and saying that you could have been armed and shot the boss, and it was all my doing.’ Bennie wiped a little blood away that had dripped from his lip.

  ‘I’m really sorry, Bennie,’ said Jake.

  ‘I’ve been beaten up before, boys, don’t worry about it.’

  ‘Even so,’ said Jake, but Bennie interrupted him.

  ‘Be warned, Antony, my man, it isn’t just the guys that you saw in there. There were others in the back room, and believe me, what they did to me is nothing compared to what they have planned for you. I heard everything.’ He pointed a finger at Tony and took another sip from his hip flask. ‘I didn’t know it was you that carved that guy up, cut your name in his back. I never knew that name, Lambrianu, I didn’t know it was you that did it.’

  ‘Will they definitely come to the pub tonight, do you think, Bennie?’ said Tony.

  ‘Oh, yes, man, they coming, especially that cocaine-loving brother with the patchwork back. He doesn’t pay for the goods, either. If I don’t give, I look like this. Be warned, you boys are dead meat, especially you, Antony. He can’t think straight on all that stuff he takes.’

  Tony looked at Jake; this was actually good news. He had left the bait and hoped that curiosity would cause this boss or h
is men to come to the pub tonight, but now he knew for definite they would be there, for revenge.

  Again, they waited while someone tapped Bennie on the shoulder and whispered to him; the exchange was made and the stranger walked away. It was all done very discreetly. The police knew Bennie and were tired of arresting him. He accepted his fate, he either paid his fine or did some time in prison.

  ‘I’ll sort it out for you, Bennie, I promise,’ said Tony. He remembered when Bennie had given him the time of day and got him something to eat. He looked at his friend’s broken, swollen face and regretted his actions instantly. His cockiness had done this, trying to prove himself had got this old friend beaten up.

  ‘I need you to trust me one last time. I promise, I will sort this out, but I need one small favour off you, and it is small, if what you’re saying is true.’

  Bennie adjusted his hat and, as much as they could, his eyes widened. ‘A favour? No way, I want no part of your fight. Sure, he beats me up now and again, but he’s a regular supplier. I don’t bite the hand that feeds me, boy.’

  Tony opened his wallet and took out fifty pounds. ‘This is so you are not out of pocket.’ He offered the money to Bennie.

  Bennie looked at the money in Tony’s hand. Money always spoke to Bennie, it was his only language. He smiled his golden smile and said, ‘Is that for me?’

  Tony nodded.

  ‘Okay, Antony, what is it you want so badly? And how are you going to look after your old friend, Bennie?’

  The ice had thawed; Bennie was smiling again. He looked around furtively and took the money out of Tony’s hand.

  ‘All I want is for you to give more than the usual amount of cocaine to those guys. We both know they’ll have been sniffing it all evening before they turn up at the pub to kill me. Go and give them more of it, as a friendly gesture to say sorry for your stupidity, eh?’

  ‘That it?’ Bennie grinned; this was easy money. He would be threatened into handing it over, anyway, so he might as well give it freely and get some cash off Tony, as well.

  ‘Consider it done, Antony, my boy.’ Bennie straightened himself up and adjusted his hat and his coat against the night air. ‘Be careful, boy, and be lucky.’

  Tony nodded at him and looked at Jake. ‘Time to go and have some fun. One more hour, Jake, and we’re done.’

  Tony started to walk back to the car. It had been a long day, and he was stressed and tired, but now he was on a roll. There was no turning back.

  Now Jake knew what to expect, he felt more at ease, although all of this seemed to be turning into some sort of horror movie. Did everyone but him think this was normal life?

  ***

  Tony drove the car to the East End and parked up around the corner from the Crown. He sat in the car and looked around, then saw exactly what he was looking for; the usual crowd of youths were hanging around on the street corner. They were always there, some group of teenagers with nothing to do and nowhere to go. They were the usual troublemakers who scared the neighbourhood.

  Tony wound down the car window and shouted to them. ‘Hey, guys, you look like you need some fun. Come here.’

  The group of teenagers, all wearing black hoodies, looked up when they heard his voice. One took a large draw on his cigarette and blew the smoke out through his nose. He swaggered closer.

  ‘What do you want, mister? Can’t you see we’re busy.’ He put his cigarette back in his mouth and took another drag, then blew the smoke out towards Tony, as though trying to prove he was some hard-faced ringleader, in front of his friends. He was obviously the main man to speak to.

  Tony smiled to himself; he liked this boy’s arrogance, it reminded him of himself. He got out of the car and got the bag from the boot. It was filled with the things he had purchased earlier, in Chinatown. He handed it over to the boy.

  The boy looked inside the bag.

  ‘The big one goes in the Crown; if you have the guts, that is.’ Tony was teasing him in front of his friends, knowing there was no way this boy wanted to lose face.

  The teenage boy looked at Tony.

  Tony took twenty pounds out of his wallet. ‘As I say, the big one goes in there, in one hour, or are you chicken?’

  ‘For the record, I’m not chicken, but why in there, mister? Mick’s okay, he gives us crisps and stuff.’ He gave Tony a stubborn glare. Tony withdrew the hand holding the money and reached for the bag to take it away.

  ‘Never mind, kid, I’ll find someone else to play my joke on Mick. I just thought you might be up to it.’ Tony knew it was too tempting for the boy to let it go.

  ‘One hour, you say, mister, and then we can let them all off.’

  Tony nodded.

  ‘And just the big one in there, is that right?’

  ‘One hour, and counting.’ Tony smiled at the teenager.

  The kid smiled back. He had a bag full of enormous fireworks – large rockets, the kind they used for the Chinese New Year display – and this guy wanted him and his mates to have a little fun and let them off. This was going to be the best night they’d had in ages!

  ‘Oh, and for the record, we never had this meeting. After all, I know where to find you.’ Tony handed over the twenty pounds, then strolled back to the car, got in, wound up the window, and drove off.

  ‘What a cheeky little sod, eh?’ Tony laughed. ‘I like him, Jake, I’m sure I can come up with some other things for him and his bored mates to do. Right, let’s park here and walk.’

  Tony turned into a side street and parked the car, then they both got out and walked back down the street. They disappeared into the darkness of an old alley, opposite the Crown.

  ‘Bloody hell, Tony, it’s freezing. Why are we standing in a cold dark alley, watching a pub?’ said Jake. He was rubbing his hands together to try and get warm and wrapping his coat around him.

  ‘Apart from the fact that Sharon must be really pleased you’re out of the house and not moaning your head off to her, as you are me, we’re here to watch those guys turn up. Once we know they’re there, we can make ourselves scarce.’

  Jake looked up, he couldn’t see Tony’s face, it was so dark down the alley. When he looked towards the top of it he saw two cars turn up and park, badly, outside the Crown. Five black men got out. He recognised the one he’d seen Tony have a fight with, ages ago, and another had been at the pub when Bennie had introduced them to his boss.

  Jake and Tony watched them all walk into the pub. They could see the guys were armed, and that they were either very drunk or drugged up. Possibly both. It looked like Bennie had kept his word.

  ‘God help Mick and whoever else is in there, Tony, that lot are off their heads. Have you seen the state of the cars? They’re not parked, they’ve just been stopped in the middle of the road. One of them still has the door open. They’re gunning for you, Tony, they want to kill you. Let’s get out of here, our work is done.’

  ‘Order a takeaway and get it delivered to your house. We’ll be there, soon, and I really don’t fancy Sharon’s cooking tonight, not after the day we’ve had.’ He nudged Jake in the ribs as they walked back to the car.

  Jake burst out laughing. ’You know what, Tony? Neither do I, but don’t tell her I said that.’

  ***

  Back at Jake’s house, Jake could see that Sharon was relieved to see them. She didn’t make a fuss or ask any questions, but he could see it in her face.

  ‘I’ve made a casserole, I thought it would be easier to keep warm until you got back,’ said Sharon, picking up her oven gloves and walking towards the oven. Tony and Jake looked at each other; facing Sharon’s casserole was worse than facing the mob boss.

  ‘Oh, what a shame,’ said Tony. His pretence looked genuine enough. ‘I ordered you one of your favourite curries because I wasn’t sure if you would have time to cook. Never mind, we’ll cancel it.’ Jake and Tony both looked at Sharon apologetically, hoping she might just take the hint.

  ‘What a lovely idea. The casserole will keep
, we can have it tomorrow.’ Thankfully, just at that moment, the takeaway delivery driver knocked on the door. Tony answered the door and paid for the food.

  ‘Just to let you know, Jake, I won’t be coming for dinner tomorrow night,’ Tony whispered in his ear and smiled.

  A WELCOME PROPOSITION

  It had been a couple of days since that fateful night at the pub, and Tony had heard nothing. He was beginning to wonder whether those teenage kids had kept their word. He’d expected someone would have been in touch by now.

  There was some good news: the police came and informed him that their inquiries into Eddie’s murder had drawn a blank and they were closing down the investigation. It would stay on record as an open case, but without additional information, it was a dead duck. The club was cleared of all police and Tony was handed the keys and told he could go in and take it over, if that was what he wanted. Even the police looked hesitant at the thought of that.

  ***

  Tony and Jake headed for the club later that day, intending to take stock and make a start on clearing it out. Tony tore down the police tape that was still on the doors and kicked away the pieces that had been left on the ground.

  He put the key in the door, then hesitated and looked at Jake.

  ‘You ready for this?’ said Jake.

  Tony nodded. ‘Yeah, I think so.’ He felt an odd mix of excitement and dread – excitement that the place was now his to manage and dread at the thought of what he might find, especially in the small office. The last time he had been in there, he had shot Eddie Rawlings in the head as revenge for betraying him. He knew Eddie’s body had been removed, but wondered what might have been left behind.

  ‘Come on then, let’s go,’ said Jake.

  Tony turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open, and he and Jake entered the dark, gloomy, dusty club.

  ‘Oh, Jesus, that’s rank!’ said Jake. He wafted his hand in front of his face.