Serge glanced away. “Bloody hell, Vlad. Let her go.”
“What? I thought you’d love a bit of that pussy?” Vladimir reached around and kissed Tanya’s cheek. “Look at you two?” He burst out laughing and released her. “You two are becoming boring.”
Tanya spun around on her stiletto heels and slapped him across the face. “You’re a dirty bastard sometimes. I mean … really fucking vulgar.”
Rubbing his cheek, Vladimir produced a menacing smile. “I’m just joking, for fuck’s sake.”
“You’re about as charming dog shit.”
”That’s quite funny for you.” Vladimir rubbed his hands together. “Now back to business. Did you manage to get the reconnaissance?”
“Yeah, like I have done every night for the past month.” Tanya placed her camera phone on the mahogany coffee table. “Check it out if you want. Times of guard changes and patrols, the lot.”
“I’ll get it sent to Igor in the morning.”Vladimir picked up the phone and smiled at Serge. “That’s why I love this girl.” He slapped Tanya on her backside. “Go and get a shower. Then put on those clothes I’ve left on the bed for you.”
“You’re lucky.” Tanya scowled and stormed out of the room. “Dirty pervert.”
Vladimir watched Tanya’s bottom as she walked out of the room. “See Serge, that’s why you need a girl, she can wind me up all day. Then I spend all night unleashing my frustration on her.” He took a packet of cigarettes from the small drawer in the highly polished bureau. “Come with me.” Walking through the grand stately rooms, he reached an open balcony. The penthouse sat perched on top of a skyscraper with views of London’s East End. Lighting a cigarette, he offered Serge one. “This new-fangled program is going to change our lives forever. We’re going to go global.”
“Yeah, not too bad for two Moldovan peasant boys.”
“Is everything at the container port OK?”
“Everything is in place.” Serge leaned over and lit his cigarette on Vlad’s Zippo lighter. “Everyone is in our pocket that should be. You think we can pull this off?”
“Customs won’t suspect a thing because everything is legit. The containers have been signed and sealed. Our programme will change the container’s GPS history so that the container has never been in London. So, why should they question a computer that they believe is flawless?”
“I don’t know. See, I like simple things that I can control with my own hands.”
“We have to keep with the times, Serge.” Vladimir took a heavy drag, before blowing the toxic mist into the night air. “Doesn’t mean that I don’t worry like yourself. I mean, It’s a bit quiet for my liking. It’s when things seem too easy that you’re supposed to worry, right?”
“I don’t know why you want to make things more complicated. Our life was easy enough the way it was.”
“It’s called empire building.”
“Things were going fine the way they were. I’m losing track of where we are now, and worrying nonstop. You’re not the only one getting paranoid.”
“Me, paranoid?”
“All those drugs putting up your nose. Don’t tell me it’s not your way of dealing with all this …” Serge quoted the air with his fingers. “Empire building.”
“They’re called recreational drugs for a reason. So, what stressed you out recently?”
“I saw a pig sniffing around the docks.”
“Routine, though?”
“Yeah.” Serge stared at the flood lit football stadium in the distance. “Probably, but it made me nervous. I hate being nervous.”
“You nervous? Fuck off.”
“That’s just it, I never used to be like this. But I am now. I hate it.”
“Something must have happened. What is it?”
“Nothing really, forget it.”
“Tell me, Serge.”
“All that happened was the copper stopped and talked to Tanya.”
“What?” Vladimir threw the lit cigarette off the balcony. “And you left it until now to tell me?”
“It was nothing, just a routine hooker spot-check.”
“If it was, Tanya would have told me right away.” Vladimir rubbed his lips and turned away. “That bitch is hiding something.”
”Wait.” Serge watched as Vladimir paced back into the penthouse. He knew what lay in store for Tanya wasn’t going to be nice. “Vlad, enough.”
“Fuck you, Serge.”
“She probably would have when she got back. But maybe the fact you stuck your hands down her pants gave her something else to think about?”
“That’s nothing to what she’s going to get now.”
“Vlad, stop it.”
“Or what?”
“Tanya loves you, why would she do anything to endanger you?”
Vlad glared Serge through his dilated pupils “She is no different to any other girl. She loves the lifestyle, not me. If someone starts whispering in her ear, she’d get her head turned.”
“The only way she would get her head turned is if you keep slapping her about. As for the copper, he was just flirting with her. I heard a few of the girls moan about him. He thinks if he shows them some sympathy, he might get his end away.”
Vladimir snapped. “You’re right, I bet she shagged him.”
“Piss off. If you don’t trust her, why did you have her doing your recon?”
“It’s not through choice. I’ve got too much on my plate and I’m surrounded by fucking idiots, that’s why she’s doing it.”
“That’s far from the truth and you know it. Tanya is perfect for the role as she is clever and dependable. Hell, if it were any of the other girls, they’d sell the phone as well as their arses.” Serge pointed towards the bedroom door. “Look, even if she has, then hitting her isn’t going to make it better.”
“No, but it sure makes me feel better.” Vladimir scowled. “Why the fuck are you so bothered about some dirty English slut?”
“I think she’s a good woman, that’s all.”
“She’s had more men on the floor than a heavy weight champ.”
“Yeah, and you’ve been in more pussies than a gynaecologist’s forefinger.”
Vladimir laughed. “I … I like that one.”
Chapter Three
Vladimir stepped into the bedroom. He could hear the shower running from the en-suite. Leaning on the frame of the open door, he could see Tanya’s naked reflection in the partly misted mirror. Walking into bathroom he pulled a small plastic bag from his bottom pocket. With a credit card, he made a neat line of cocaine onto the marble sink top. Pulling a straw from his wallet, he snorted the drug into his nostril. Twitching his nose, he turned to face the showering Tanya. “Did you talk to anyone tonight?” There was a pause while he waited for her to answer.
“Sorry Vlad, say again. I got suds in my ears.”
“I said. Did you see anyone tonight?”
Tanya continued to massage her scalp. “No, just couple of wannabe punters.”
“Oh, OK.” He began undressing in the shower.
“You getting in?”
Vladimir didn’t answer as he struggled taking his sock off. Naked, he picked up a bottle of lotion and poured it into his hand before massaging his naked manhood. “You fuck with me … I’ll fuck with you.”
“Sorry?”
“Get out.”
“Why?”
“I said get out.”
Tanya screamed as Vladimir grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out of the shower. “Vlad, get off me.” Her feet slipped on the wet tiles and she tumbled to the floor. Ignoring her screams, he dragged her out of the bathroom. Picking her up while she kicked and screamed, he tossed her onto the bed face down. “No, no get off me, you bastard.”
Climbing on top of her wet slippery skin, Vlad pushed her head into mattress with one hand and grabbed his stiff penis with the other. He parted her plump bottom cheeks using his manhood. “I know you hate getting fucked in the arse.”
&n
bsp; “Don’t you dare.” Tanya whimpered into the silk sheets. “I was scared of telling you about the policeman, in case something like this would happen. But I promise I didn’t tell him anything.”
“You make me sound like a rapist.”
“I had no choice, he wouldn’t leave me alone.” Tanya closed her eyes and yelped as she felt the head of his penis touch her anus. “I told him to leave me alone but he persisted.”
“I bet you fucked him as well.”
Tanya tried in vain struggle from his grip, but the weight of his body kept her in place. ”Fucking get off me!”
“But I hate being lied to, Tanya. You know that.” Vlad pushed himself into Tanya’s tensed up body.
Tanya bit into the scrunched up sheets. She screamed through gritted teeth, “You bastard, you bastard.”
“Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
“No, I … I … I don’t know.”
Vladimir pushed himself deeper, so his sac rested against her shaven vagina. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“Serge.”
“What about, Serge?”
“He … He wants to go back to Moldova.”
“He wouldn’t. You’re lying again.”
Tanya whimpered as tears rolled down her pink cheeks. “I’m not. He wants to farm.”
“What?” Vladimir laughed out menacingly. “That’s the best joke I’ve ever heard. I always said he smelt like shit.” He slapped her across the back of the head. “I’m surprised your arse is still so tight, I can feel you clenching.”The springs of the bed rattled and creaked in time with Tanya’s sobs and Vladimir’s groans. The sweat rolled down his grimacing face as he neared his goal.
Vladimir screamed out as he climaxed, then collapsed on top of a whimpering Tanya. Blinded by the pain, Tanya’s body ached as she lay where he left her. She didn’t even notice when he got dressed and left the room.
Vladimir opened the heavy door of his safe. He reached to the back and dragged the money out into an open sack. He then picked up a pistol and tucked it into the rear of his trousers. In a blind panic, he raced out of the front door.
Parking his car on the pavement outside Serge’s apartment, Vladimir jumped out and punched the buttons on the intercom.
“Who is it?”
“Vlad.”
“What the fuck?”
“Open the door, you prick?”
“Language.”
“Fuck you.”
“That’s more like it.” The front door clicked open. “Come on up.”
Vladimir bit his lips as the elevator took an age to reach the floor of Serge’s flat. A bell signalled Vladimir’s arrival and he stepped from the elevator to knock on the polished oak panel door. “Knock, knock, fucking knock.”
Serge opened the door. “I thought I just left you an hour ago?”
“Moldova? What’s all that about?”
“What?”
“Serge MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-fucking-O.”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“What about it? When were you going to tell me?”
“I would have, once I made a decision. But I’m not going anywhere yet.” Serge glanced down at the sack in Vladimir’s hand. “What’s in the sack?”
“Don’t leave me.” Vladimir scratched his head as he smiled. “I’d be lost without you.”
“The sack, Vlad. What’s in there?”
“Money … If you don’t trust me, if you think I’m cutting you short, I want you to keep it.” Vladimir tossed it into Serge’s chest. “That’s what’s left out of my cut from the last shipment.”
“You’re losing your mind. I think the coke is rotting your brain.” Serge couldn’t help but notice Vladimir’s half smile. He only wore it certain situations, mostly when he felt the need to do something bad. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Remember, only a bullet would separate us.” Vladimir stepped up to Serge and pointed a finger in his face.” You said that. Right, Bro?”
“I did.”
“So why the fuck have you decided that you prefer the smell of manure to that of pussy and coke?”
“I’m just growing old and want an easy life.” Serge stared Vladimir dead in the eye. He pointed at his own temple. “I’m tired, and I don’t like how big this … empire is becoming.”
“You’re just scared.” Vladimir embraced Serge and whispered into his ear. “You might want to get out, Serge …. But you know as well as I, that there is no way out of this.” Serge stiffened his shoulders as he was forced to listen to Vladimir. “Not if you want to stay in this world, anyway.”
“You’re a liability when you’re pissed.” Serge pushed Vladimir back and threw the sack at him. “Take your money and fuck off. I’m going to bed.” Serge turned and paced towards his bedroom. “You better leave before I take your empty threats seriously. Oh and don’t think I’ve not seen the piece you’re carrying, be careful you don’t shoot your cock off.”
“Just for protection, you can’t trust anyone anymore.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You … You were the only one I trusted in this whole world.”
“What about Igor?”
Vlad spat with anger. “Fuck Igor … I’m surprised he even remembers to wake up in the fucking morning. He pointed towards Serge. It’s you that I trust, you that I depend on …. It’s fucking you that I want, and need, at my side when things get rough. Igor might be my brother, Tanya might be my pussy. But it’s you that I’m fucking proud to call my best man.”
“You always sound like this when you’re drunk.” Serge shook his head “Get some sleep.”
“I mean it. If this is about money, keep it. “Vladimir tossed the sack onto the leather couch. “It’s yours.”
“How did you know I was thinking about going home to Moldova?”
“Tanya admitted everything.”
Serge stared into Vladimir’s dilated eyes. “What did you do to her?”
“Hey she’s my girl, my business.”
“Just let her go, why do you even bother with her?”
“I’m attached to her.” Vladimir bent his arm at the elbow. “She’s like my arm.” He then grabbed his crotch. “More like my cock actually.”
“Get out of here, you crude bastard.”
“I just can’t believe you told her rather than me.”
“She was upset, I was just distracting her from her….”
“What was she upset about?”
“Your drug taking, she hates it.”
“She snorts more than me.”
“Look, I’m tired. Fuck off home.”
“Ok, I’m off, Jesus, you know how to make a man feel welcome”
Serge held the front door in his hand as Vladimir stepped out. “Hey, Vlad.”
“What.” The door slammed an inch from his nose. “Fuck you.”
Chapter Four
The house was in silence as Tanya woke in pain. She rubbed her bruised wrist and sat up feeling nauseated. A broken woman, she needed a way out. Stepping out of the bedroom, she saw the safe was open. Bank notes were scattered on the tiled floor. “Shit.” Kneeling on the floor and peering inside the safe, her thoughts of sorrow turned to revenge. A nondescript CD sat on the top shelf. “I know exactly what this is.” Running into the bedroom, she threw on some clothes before flicking through her CD collection. Back at the safe, she swapped the CDs.
The rain fell in streams as Tanya sprinted through puddles towards the police station. Her hair was glued to her dripping face as she tripped and stumbled through the doors before slamming both hands on the desk sergeant’s counter. “I need to speak to Detective Bentham.”
Sitting alone in a small, dimly lit room, Tanya warmed her hands around a plastic cup filled with a sugary tea. She glanced over her shoulder as the wooden door opened. “This place hasn’t changed one bit since I was a kid.”
“Tell me about it, I wrote a memo six months ago about a br
oken toilet seat.” He laughed as she sat on his chair. “Still moves when you sit on it.”
“We still have a deal, Detective?”
“As long as you tell me what’s happening with Vladimir Petrovic.”
She took a sip from her tea. “I’ll get straight to the point. One of his whiz kids has found a way to hack into the TFC computer system.”
“Transatlantic Freight Company …. So that’s why you spent weeks outside their container yard.”
“I was gathering reconnaissance for a raid that they’re planning.”
“When.”
“I haven’t a day, but it’s soon,”
Bentham sighed with disappointment. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, tell us about the hack.”
The hack program gives him access to the digital cargo rosters and manifests, but what they’re really interested in is creating ghost containers on the TFC’s system. Meaning that the real ones go unaccounted for.”
“I’m guessing he used the containers to spread his business abroad.”
“This allows him to infiltrate the yard and fill the unaccounted containers with his drugs or whatever else he has his fingers into. Then they manipulate the roster and ship them off on TFC’s ships.”
“You need to get me that program.”
Tanya opened her handbag. “Here it is.”
“Seriously?”
“When he finds out what I’ve done, he’ll want me dead.”
Bentham looked at his distorted reflection on the CD. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“I want to be out of his filthy hands … forever.”
“You’re safe now.”
Chapter Five
Vladimir squinted as the sun hurt his eyes. He rushed from his Porsche and stepped into his apartment block. Searching from room to room he saw the scattered notes over the living room carpet. “What the …?” He took out his pistol and flipped the safety off. Flashbacks of the night’s events then flooded his mind. “Fuck I need to get a grip of myself.” Staring into the safe he was relieved to see his CD. “Think it’s about time I give up the hard-living. It’s going to be my downfall.”
BREAK ME FREE Page 2
