by Conrad Jones
“We’re going,” Eddie said gesturing to his men to move towards the entrance. They looked confused but did as they were told. He looked at Nikolai and shrugged. “Sorry Nikolai but as you once told me, business is business.” The Russian sneered and looked at the floor. He shook his head and spat at Eddie’s feet. Tucker kicked him in the ribs and he fell onto his side gasping for air.
“We’re done for now but I’m sure we’ll cross paths again,” Tucker said with a crazy grin on his face. “I’m going to cut bits off this piece of shit until he tells me where my drugs are.” Tucker began to shake violently, his eyes wide, mouth open and hanging loose. A croaking noise came from his throat. And the crackle of electricity filled the air. Eddie heard the unrecognisable spitting sound of a muzzled nine millimetre. Then a second joined the cacophony of death. His men began to fall around him, clutching at bullet wounds, screaming and dying. Blood and brains splattered his cheek as his lieutenant’s head exploded. He turned startled and confused. Darts hit his chest, piercing his skin and fifty thousand volts flowed through his nervous system stopping him in his tracks. He remembered hearing Junior cry out and he watched in awe as three of Tucker’s men were shot within seconds of each other. The silenced weapons continued to spit death as his consciousness slipped away and darkness took him.
CHAPTER 48
Simon Evans looked at his watch and thought about calling Jacob but decided against it. He would call when there was something to say. His parents were snoring gently, exhausted by the events of the last few days. He opened the back door and looked outside. He could hear the waves crashing on the rocks beyond the garden gate. A gull cried overhead and he looked up and watched it soar above him, hovering on a thermal unable to make progress against the wind. It seemed to hang in one position, squawking in protest. He walked across the unkempt lawn and looked at the gate. The paint was blistered and peeling, its hinges crusted with rust. Mark must have left it open. He stepped out onto the headland and enjoyed the views. Trearddur Bay was to the left, Scooby-Doo house dominating the left side of the vista. To his right was the beach, Ravenspoint rocks across the bay and the mountainous silhouettes of Snowdon in the distance. It was picture postcard beautiful. He looked to the right and heard a gull cry again. Looking up, he couldn’t see the bird that called. Another cry carried on the wind, from further away this time. It sounded almost human, desperate and urgent. When the wind blew again the sound was gone, just a trick of the sea on the rocks making the acoustics warp. He shivered and turned back to the gate. A wave crashed below, louder than before. The tide was turning and coming in. He was about to close the gate behind him when he heard the cry on the wind once more. Something inside him tightened, making him ultra-aware. He held his breath and listened again. The wind blew and he heard it again, a cry for help carried on the breeze.
CHAPTER 49
When Eddie came around his limbs were numb. His mouth was dry and his head was aching. He remembered the last few minutes before he lost consciousness but couldn’t make sense of it all. His chest felt tight and he tried to move but he was bound. He looked around and realised that he was strapped to an engine block. Junior was next to him on his left. He was on the adjacent side of the engine at a right angle to him. Looking over his other shoulder he saw Tucker, also strapped to the engine. They were sitting on the floor of the wharf, backs against the engine, feet sticking out in front of them. Tucker and Junior were gagged. He was about to call to Junior when a familiar voice spoke to him.
“Eddie, Eddie, Eddie,” the voice said tutting. Victor Karpov was standing at the edge of the canal, his back to him, his hands shoved inside his pockets against the cold. “I am so very disappointed.”
“Victor,” Eddie felt his mouth dry up completely. He licked his lips. “I can explain. This isn’t what it looks like.”
“Isn’t it?” Victor turned and frowned. “I think it is exactly what it looks like.”
“I can explain everything, Victor.”
“Perhaps you should explain to them,” Victor gestured with his head.
“This I have to hear,” a voice said from behind him.
“Me too,” another voice agreed.
“What?” Eddie whispered as Mikel and Yuri Karpov stepped into view. “Mikel, Yuri!” he tried to sound excited while fighting the urge to vomit. “It’s great to see you! Victor was worried about you weren’t you, Victor.” Victor stared at Eddie, disgust in his eyes. “It is great to see you.”
“It is not great for you, Eddie. It is a huge surprise for you to see us,” Yuri said smiling coldly. “You thought that we were at the bottom of the Andaman Sea being picked clean by sharks, didn’t you?”
Eddie opened his mouth to speak but Victor raised his hand to silence him. He shook his head in disgust. “Don’t try to deny it, Eddie,” he said sternly. “Luckily, a long-tail boat carrying tourists heard them calling for help. Your Thai flunky couldn’t keep his big mouth shut. He was easy to find and he spilled the truth before they had laid a finger on him. You can’t buy loyalty at any price, Eddie. You’re living proof of that.”
“Your friend Rut did succumb to the sharks. I’ve seen the video. They cut his hands and feet off before they threw him in. That is how to do it,” Mikel said smiling.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Whatever the Thai said, he’s lying,” Eddie shook his head vehemently. He was about to protest further when Yuri stepped closer and kicked him in the face. Eddie’s head was rocked backwards hard against the engine block.
“You arranged for us to be left at sea surrounded by sharks,” Yuri said shaking his head. He pulled out his gun and aimed at Junior’s left knee. “I never did like you, Eddie,” he said as he pulled the trigger. Junior’s body jerked violently and Eddie could hear his muffled screams, high pitched and agonising. “How does that feel, Eddie?”
“Don’t, Yuri!” Eddie begged as he aimed the gun at Junior’s other leg. Yuri fired and Junior jerked again. “No, no, no, please don’t!”
“That is what I thought as I watched your pet rat sailing off into the distance,” Mikel said. “Nobody listened to me either.” Yuri fired another two bullets into Junior’s shins. Junior began to shake, his right foot at right angles to his leg. “It’s not a very nice feeling is it?”
“Victor, please stop this!” Eddie gasped. He spat blood onto the floor. “You have to believe me that I wouldn’t turn on you like that!”
“I did believe you,” Victor nodded. “We gave you the chance to prove yourself when we went along with the exchange. We have been here waiting to see what you would do. Nikolai went along with it because he convinced me that you wouldn’t doublecross us but you did.”
“I never would have believed it until I saw it with my own eyes.” Nikolai said from behind him. He stepped into view. “We thought that the Thai might have been acting for someone else and maybe lying to protect them. When Tucker took your boy we had the perfect opportunity to see for ourselves.”
“You didn’t let me down, Eddie,” Yuri said. He kicked him in the face again. Eddie’s nose split down the middle. His front teeth punctured his top lip, protruding through the skin. “I told them that you were a fucking snake. Lift it up!” Yuri ordered someone behind them. A hoist rattled into life and the sound of heavy chains being pulled across stone drowned out everything else. The hoist lifted the engine block two metres into the air, four men, the Farrells and the Tuckers one each side dangled from it. Eddie looked at Junior. He was twitching and struggling against the straps, blood pouring from his ruined legs. Eddie could hear him fighting, his voice muffled by a gag and duct tape. The hoist rattled again and carried them over the edge of the wharf above the dirty brown water of the Shropshire Union Canal.
“Victor!” Eddie shouted as his legs kicked at fresh air. He knew what was coming. “Let my son go!” he cried to the Russian. Victor shook his head.
“That is the worst part for you, Eddie,” the old man smiled. His thin lips were almos
t snakelike. “Knowing that your treachery has robbed you of burying either of your sons will fill your last miserable minutes. When you take your last breath and your lungs fill with filthy water you will know that your son is dying next to you and that it is your fault.” He shook his head. Victor waved his hand to the operator. “Drop it!”
The hoist released the block and it hurtled the few metres into the water. There was a whooshing sound as the water closed above it, ever expanding circles rippled out from the epicentre. The surface was disturbed by four sets of bubbles, fast and furious at first but they soon dwindled to just a few before they stopped altogether. Beneath the surface, Eddie Farrell cursed Bryn Evans, the cause of all his woes and he let go of his last breath. He thought about his empire wiped from the face of the earth in a moment, his sons dead, his legacy gone with them and as he involuntarily inhaled the Shropshire Union Canal he hoped that he would see him again in hell.
CHAPTER 50
Simon jogged along the path his eyes fixed on the waves as they dashed the rocks below. His mind was focused on the intermittent cry that drifted on the wind. He kept going despite becoming breathless, the haunting sound driving him on. When he reached the stile he climbed over it, pausing on top of the wall to listen again. He could distinctly hear the word ‘help’ now. Jumping down into the long grass, Simon jogged along the narrow path which led up the hill. He could see that the rocks had risen steeply from the sea. The call came once again, nearer now but it was difficult to tell which direction it came from. Simon stepped off the path and saw drops of blood on the rocks and he followed them towards the edge. The wind was stronger at the edge and he felt unsteady on his feet as he leaned over and looked down.
Mark was perched on a ledge just above the waves, clinging on for his life. He called out again as another wave crashed over him, threatening to drag him beneath the swirling foam. Simon spotted him as the water ebbed.
“Mark!” he shouted. Mark looked up but daren’t let go of the rock. “Hold on!”
Simon looked around desperate to find help. A hundred yards away on the tip of the rocky outcrop a red life ring stood attached to a metal cross. He remembered reading about them years before. ‘The ring of confidence’ they had been called. Thirty eight life rings positioned around the island. Simon sprinted as fast as he could, the wind numbing his face. He grabbed the ring and ran back, wrapping the rope around his waist. Mark pointed to the rocks. Simon followed his direction. He could see a ledge that ran at an angle down the rocks and headed for it. Sitting down, he began to edge along the ledge towards the waves. Mark clung on as the waves swamped him time after time. Each one took more of his strength, his body temperature dropping all the time.
Simon took the ring and threw it but the wind took it and it landed thirty metres from his brother. Mark shook his head, realising that there was no way that he could climb up the ledge even with help. His leg just couldn’t support any weight at all.
“I can’t climb,” Mark shouted. “My leg is broken.”
“Shit!” Simon said pulling the life ring back up the rocks. He took out his mobile and checked the signal. He had one bar. Dialling the emergency services, the call connected and then clicked off. When he looked again his signal had gone. “Shit, shit, shit!” He put his mobile against a loose stone and tied the life ring around a jagged spike of rock. He pointed to the sea behind Mark. Mark looked at where he was pointing, a confused look on his face. “When I get to there, jump!” Mark frowned as Simon stood up and threw the ring into the sea. He waited for a wave to come, the swell making it deeper below him and then he jumped.
CHAPTER 51
The Karpovs stood and watched the bubbles until they stopped completely. Victor shook his head and turned to the others. “I want more men brought into the city. Have them secure the services of Eddie’s contacts and distribution network. If you meet any resistance, remove it immediately. If we do not get a grip on his part of the business quickly then someone else will. We move fast and we move hard, no mercy.”
“It won’t take long, uncle. It should take a week or so,” Nikolai said nodding. “The transition will be a smooth one. I’m familiar with all his contacts.”
“Good,” Victor smiled thinly. “Where is the shipment of zombie?”
“It is hidden inside the petrol tanks of the Mercedes that we moved from the chopshop. They’re on a car transporter heading for London as you requested.”
“London?” Yuri asked.
“We can get three times the money for it in the capital,” Victor said rubbing his hands together. “If this drug is as good as they say it is then we will move it quickly and then we can decide if we want to conduct more business with our friends in Amsterdam.”
“Makes sense,” Mikel agreed. “You’re not sure about them are you?”
“They did business with Tucker for years but they stabbed him in the back for money,” Victor shrugged. “If they turned on him then they would turn on anyone for the right price. I am not sure that we need to take those kind of risks are you?”
“It depends how quickly the zombie sells and what mark-up we achieve,” Yuri said thoughtfully. “It may well be worth the risk.”
“You’re always reckless, Yuri,” Victor sighed. “Risk is a young man’s game. A certain amount of risk is acceptable when you’re young and starting out trying to establish yourself in the business. We are more than established. This is the end of an era,” Victor said solemnly. “Have your men clear up in here and then we’ll meet up later on.” He hugged each one of his nephews in turn. “Good work. Another dead fool who underestimated the Karpov family. Still, he is not the first and I fear that he won’t be the last.”
CHAPTER 52
Simon and Mark clung to the ring as they doggy-paddled with the tide along the coast. The prevailing wind kept them close to the rocks and blew them along while they kicked and paddled to reach the sandy coves behind the cottage. Untying the life ring and swimming away from the rocks had taken fifteen minutes of freezing cold struggle but once they were away from the breakers, their progress was steady. They picked a direct line towards the shore where the rocks were much lower and easier to climb. After half an hour of frantic paddling, they reached the rocky shallows which led to the sand.
“What happened?” Simon asked panting. Mark looked tired as if he could sleep in the water. He knew that he had to keep him talking. “How did you fall off the path?”
“There was barbed wire across the path,” Mark stammered. His voice was hoarse, thick with phlegm and exhaustion.
“You always were clumsy.”
“Twat in the Volvo,” Mark stammered.
“What?”
“Twat in the Volvo.”
“What do you mean?”
“The twat in the Volvo put the barbed wire across the path,” he struggled to get his words out. He wasn’t sure that the man had put the wire there but he felt that he had. It made sense in his mind. “I’m fucking sure he did.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I saw him,” Mark grunted. “Twat.”
“Keep kicking,” Simon said smiling inside. Mark was still strong enough to abuse someone. It meant that they could reach the shore. The wind and the tide took them swiftly along the coastline and they steered their float into the first cove that was shallow enough for them to climb out of.
“We’ll be alright now,” Simon said as his feet touched the bottom. Mark looked grey with exposure. Simon put Mark’s arm over his shoulder and took his weight. They stumbled up the sand and scrambled across the rocks onto the grassy headland behind the cottage. Simon wanted to get his mobile from the headland but it would have to wait until Mark was safely in an ambulance and he had warmed up. His fingers and thumbs were numb with the cold. The wind blew making him colder still and then he noticed the black smoke and orange flames that were coming from behind the wall. The cottage was ablaze.
CHAPTER 53
Jacob Graff couldn’t get an
answer but Bryn didn’t have any time to spare. He watched as the doctors struggled to restart his heart. A female doctor was applying chest compressions while another pumped air into his lungs. A third doctor injected adrenalin as a fourth prepared to zap him. He called for everyone to stand clear and applied the paddles to his chest. Bryn bucked, his back leaving the bed but there was no response. After being hit three times with the defibrillator paddles he finally responded but his condition was still critical.
“Have you got permission?” the consultant called over to him. His face was stern and demanding. There was only one answer.
“They want you to do whatever you need to do to save his life,” Jacob said with confidence in his lie. He was certain that was what his parents would have said had he managed to ask them. Simon had been desperate for information on Bryn’s condition yet he hadn’t answered his calls. He couldn’t help but wonder if the Farrells had found out where they were.
************
Mark and Simon stumbled through the grass towards the back gate of the cottage. Black smoke spiralled skywards and the air was acrid with fumes. They looked in horror as the back door burned furiously. Orange flames licked at the roof tiles, jumping and flickering, setting alight the soffits and guttering. The bedroom window cracked loudly and then shattered into a hundred pieces.
“We can’t get through there!” Simon shouted, pulling Mark with him. “We’ll have to go around.” Mark hobbled alongside him as they half ran half stumbled around the garden wall to the front of the cottage. They reached the gate and stopped. The front door was open, thick smoke billowed out of it. The curtains in the front room were ablaze and glowing embers floated skyward on the wind.
