Duality

by Heather Atkinson

  “Brodie won’t like that,” said the black man.

  “You know I never care what Brodie likes Christian,” said Toni. “We’re waiting. You can try throwing us out if you like?”

  “It’s pointless Chris,” said the ginger man. “Let them stay.”

  “I knew you’d see sense Ross,” smiled Toni. “You know Mikey Maguire and Jez Law of course?”

  Judging by the way their eyes bulged, they did.

  “I’ll wait in Brodie’s office,” she added.

  “That’ll only piss him off even more,” Christian called after her.

  “That’s the idea my sweet,” she called back before disappearing into the office at the back of the room with Caesar.

  Christian and Ross turned to look at Mikey, Jez, Mark and Shane.

  “Someone going to put the kettle on then?” smiled Jez.

  Brodie walked into his office with Cassandra, both pleased with a good day’s work. Their smiles soon dropped when they saw who their visitors were.

  “What the fuck do you shower want?” demanded Brodie. His anger was turned on Ross and Christian, who were in the process of serving their guests with biscuits and tea. “And what do you pair of fannies think you’re doing? Why don’t you put on fucking miniskirts and give them a lap dance while you’re at it?”

  Shane was unable to repress his bark of laughter.

  “And what are you laughing at wee man?” Brodie demanded of him, causing Shane’s grin to fall. “Have the hard men of Manchester set up a youth employment scheme?”

  “Jesus, you just can’t control that mouth of yours, can you?” said Mikey.

  Brodie’s hands balled into fists. “It’s no’ my mouth you need to be worried about.”

  “Take it easy Bossman,” said Cassandra.

  “I’m trying but it’s difficult when fucking Mancs keep popping out at me. Get out of my office,” he bellowed at them.

  The door opened and a funny little mole-like man popped his head around the door. “Could you please stop shouting? My client is trying to find his zen.”

  Brodie rounded on him. “You don’t get out of here in three seconds flat I’ll zen your head right up your client’s arse.”

  The mole-man sighed, indicating he’d heard that threat before. “Is it so much to ask for a bit of peace and quiet?”

  “If you find any let me know, I’d love some,” said Brodie.

  Cassandra was the one who took over, stepping before Brodie to speak to the mole man. “I’m sorry Roger, we’ll keep it down.”

  “Thank you Miss Carlisle,” said Roger. “As always your lightest touch has the desired effect.” He scowled at Brodie. “Get yourself some help you deranged man.”

  Roger quickly vanished when Brodie bellowed at him to get out.

  “Wow, someone needs to switch to decaf,” commented Mikey.

  Brodie’s amber eyes gleamed. “You after that fight pal?”

  Mikey thought that would be the perfect thing to release the pressure inside him and his hands balled into fists. “Anytime.”

  When Toni strode out of Brodie’s office he forgot all about Mikey. “What the hell were you doing in there?” He rounded on his employees again. “Did you actually let her go in there?”

  “We didn’t have much choice,” replied a sheepish Christian.

  “Course you had a choice. You could have grabbed her by her curly heid and thrown her out the window.”

  “Think of the mess that would have left on the pavement outside the office,” said Cassandra. “It’s not fair to inflict that on the general public.”

  “Perhaps you’re right hen,” he said, glare fixed on Toni. “It would be diamonds and eyeballs all over the place.”

  “Oh I do love paying you a visit Brodie,” said Toni. “It’s never dull.”

  “Why are you bothering me again? I’ve got a lot on.”

  “You said you’d help me out with Malc.”

  “This again?”

  “I need your help Brodie.”

  “You need help, I agree with that.”

  “Malc trusts you, he’d let you lure him out.”

  “Lure him out? If you think I’m going to trick that poor sod into a trap so you can kill him then you’re certainly aff your heid.”

  “Now Brodie, be sensible.”

  “No Toni. I don’t care whose eyes you threaten to take, I’m not fucking doing it. You’re pushing me too far. Maybe my old pals on the force would be interested to hear about what you’ve got going on?”

  Toni’s eyes turned black. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Oh yes I would if it gets you and your bunch of saggy bawbags off my case. I’m sick of the sight of the lot of you.”

  “What a shame because we so enjoy your company,” said Jez sarcastically.

  “Shut it ya fucking tadger.”

  “I don’t even know what that means,” said Jez with a carefree grin.

  “Christ you’re annoying,” said Brodie.

  “I’m guessing that’s something you hear a lot.”

  “Bossman,” said Cassandra, grabbing his arm when it appeared he was actually going to make a lunge for Jez. “That’s not going to help.”

  “It’ll make me feel better.”

  “There is that but it would make a terrible mess of the office and we redecorated not long ago.”

  “Sassy,” smiled Mark who was rather liking the look of Cassandra. “I like that.”

  “Don’t bother flirting,” said Toni. “Normally Cassandra would be in the mood to respond but saying she’s unlucky in love is an understatement.”

  “Shut it Antoinette,” said Cassandra coldly.

  “Don’t push it sweetheart,” said Toni, equally coldly.

  They all looked from Cassandra to Toni and back again, getting the feeling there was much more to it than that.

  Toni turned her attention back to Brodie. “I don’t want you to lure him out to us. Actually I want to hire you.”

  “Hire me?” he spluttered. “For what?”

  “I want you to follow Malc, keep track of his movements, who he’s seeing, where he’s hanging out.”

  “And that’s it?”

  “That’s it. Just information, that’s all. I promise I’ll pay you well.”

  “You can keep your dirty drug money.”

  “I’ve got other things that are dirty.” she smiled.

  “Like your arse?”

  “That’s it,” said Caesar, pulling a gun and aiming it at Brodie. “I’m sick to death of your fucking mouth.”

  “Caesar, please,” said Toni. “We’re trying to keep things civil.”

  “That’s no’ possible with this prick,” he seethed.

  “Put it away.”

  “Do as Mummy says,” said Brodie.

  “Bossman, please,” said Cassandra.

  “You should listen to the ladies,” said Mikey, actually enjoying the show. “Are all Scottish men so under the thumb?”

  Caesar and Brodie turned their furious gazes off each other and onto him.

  “What is the point of you anyway?” said Brodie, addressing Mikey and Jez. “I thought you were here to help. Maybe if you got your fingers out of your arses you wouldn’t be here bothering me.”

  Anger surged through Mikey but he kept Jez’s words in mind and forced himself to keep calm. “There are some jobs only a grunt can do. And why are you so obsessed with arses?”

  “That’s it,” snapped Brodie, lunging for him.

  But Cassandra, Christian and Ross pulled him back while Mikey laughed.

  “Will you calm down?” Cassandra told him firmly.

  Brodie sighed and held up his hands. “Alright, sorry. I’m just sick of this lot, they’re getting on my tits.”

  “The sooner you do what I ask the sooner we’ll be off them,” said Toni.

  Brodie’s amber eyes were ablaze with rage as they glared at her, his anger building until they all felt he was going to snap and go on the rampage. The
n cunning filled those unnerving eyes, as though an idea had occurred to him and the danger dissipated. “Fine, I’ll keep an eye on Malc,” he said.

  “You must allow me to give you recompense for your trouble,” said Toni.

  “Damn right you will. You know what I want. John Lyons.”

  “Dead or alive?”

  “Well I can’t make him dead if he’s already dead, can I?”

  “I was hoping to do that myself, you’re not the only one he screwed over.”

  “You don’t like it find yourself another spy.”

  “I’ll tolerate it, seeing how you’re the best in the city.”

  “Good. Now we’ve got that sorted the lot of you can fuck off. I might get a client and I don’t want them seeing your ugly mugs.”

  “Come on boys, time to go,” said Toni.

  As they filed out Brodie and Mikey glared at each other, both itching for the fight they’d promised themselves they would one day have. Mark winked at Cassandra but she just stared back at him stonily, which was a disappointment.

  “Who’s John Lyons?” Jez asked Toni on their way down the stairs.

  “An ex-polis, like Brodie. They set up this business together when they got sick of being on the force and criminals constantly getting let off the hook. However Lyons couldn’t walk the fine line between justice and criminality that Brodie is so adept at. He started dealing for our family. With his contacts he could get us access to sources that had never been available to us before. But he got greedy and ripped us off. At the same time Brodie found out what he was up to and Lyons stabbed him, leaving him for dead.”

  Mikey thought it a shame he hadn’t finished the job. “And Brodie’s after revenge?”

  “As am I. It’s just a matter of who gets to Lyons first. However, now I’ve promised him and Brodie is not someone I want to get on the wrong side of. Not even my brother was stupid enough to do that.”

  “Why not? He’s just a cheap PI in a crummy office.”

  “That is where you’re entirely wrong,” she said coldly. “He is extremely influential in this city, plus he is entirely without fear, as you’ve no doubt realised. I’ve never known anyone with balls the size of his, metaphorically speaking of course. Unfortunately he refuses to show me his real ones. He is one hell of an ally.”

  “And one hell of an enemy.”

  “As long as he is useful to me he will survive, which he understands perfectly well otherwise he wouldn’t have agreed to help. Plus I so enjoy our little sparring matches, I find them incredibly exciting.” She ended this sentence with a lascivious moan that encouraged Mikey to jog on ahead, away from her.

  The closer Isaac’s car got to the farmhouse near to where the Slatterys were hiding out the more nervous he got. The only reason he’d survived so long in his line of work was because of his gut instinct. He’d learnt that it worked much better than logic and had saved his life more than once. Now his gut was doing a serious jig so bad it made him feel sick.

  “You car sick now?” said Marcus as he drove them along the narrow country bends.

  “It’s not that,” said Isaac. “Something’s wrong. I don’t like this.”

  “Why not? Finally we get the fucking Slatterys out of the way then everything will be ours.”

  “It’s too easy.”

  “It’s fine.”

  Isaac’s gut twisted. “We’re making a mistake.”

  “Will you take it easy? If we turn back now we’re going to look like a right bunch of fucking girls.”

  Isaac glanced in the wing mirror at the two black cars with blacked out windows behind them holding the rest of their men. If they backed out now they’d lose face in their employees’ eyes and that could be lethal. Show any weakness and there was always someone waiting to take you out. “Too late to turn back now I suppose but we need to change tactics. No direct assault. This could be a trap.”

  “Relax. They don’t even know we’re coming.”

  “They might expect us to track them through their food supply. I would. Or what if the farmer couldn’t keep his fucking mouth shut and told Slattery someone’s been asking questions? Maybe we’re being too predictable?”

  “So we’re gonna do what? Look where we are, we’re in the middle of nowhere. We might find a carrier pigeon but that’s it.”

  Isaac glanced at the clock. “I don’t know but I’ve got fifteen minutes to make up my mind.”

  Hayden shifted on his belly, wanting to get completely comfortable before the action started. They’d be here soon and he needed to be entirely focused on the job.

  Slattery’s men were scattered around the farmland but most of the pressure was on him. He was the expert marksman. If he was honest he thought Slattery’s men were a bunch of lemons. After working for the Maguires and Laws he knew what real professionals were and this lot just didn’t compare. All the more reason for him and Katia to take over. They’d build a small army around themselves, men handpicked by him personally for their brains and skills. And not just men but women too - after encountering Jules Maguire and Rachel Law he was all too aware that women were at home in their world too. It was a naïve fool who thought they weren’t. Deep down he knew Katia’s ultimate goal was to take on Mikey and Jez too, that she’d never feel secure until they were gone after they’d abducted the twins. He could understand that but his sense of honour also rebelled against it, he knew at heart they were decent men, unlike Jared Slattery. But if he ever had to make a choice between Mikey and Jez and Katia he knew who would win.

  He tutted when - down the sniper scope - he saw movement in the field to the left of the farmhouse.

  “Keep still for fuck’s sake. All of you,” he quietly said into the microphone dangling at his jaw. “If I can see you so can anyone coming up the drive.”

  “Alright, don’t piss your pants,” came back a petulant voice before laughing.

  “Shut it you silly fucker or I’ll shoot you and leave you for the dogs to eat,” Jared Slattery’s voice rumbled in Hayden’s ear. Jared was hiding out to the right of the farmhouse, in the undergrowth directly opposite the front door. He was a shite shot so Hayden had positioned him closest to the action and well away from him.

  “Sorry Boss,” said the petulant voice.

  “Daft bastard,” growled Jared. “Sorry about that Hayden.”

  “No worries,” he said, rolling his eyes. Fucking amateurs.

  The elderly, cantankerous farmer and his equally elderly, cantankerous wife had been paid a hefty wedge to spend the night away from the farm. They’d be back tomorrow morning but by then they’d have all the blood and bodies cleared away. If Hayden pulled this off for the Slatterys he would be invited into their inner circle and then he’d be in the perfect position to get both Jared and Tanya out of the way. He wasn’t worried about their men, they’d follow whoever paid them the most money, there would be no retaliation. Then he’d quietly get rid of them one by one and replace them with people who were loyal and had brains. Jared had purposefully surrounded himself with morons because he thought they’d be easy to control but that was a mistake because morons were easier to buy off and were of no help whatsoever. That’s why Jared’s second-in-command was his mum. He couldn’t wait to get that old witch out of the way, he didn’t like the way she looked at the twins, it was as though she wanted them. Since her daughter had died of a drug overdose she’d had this weird thing about replacing the gap she’d left in her life, by any means. He intended to protect both Katia and the boys from the Slatterys’ madness. However, despite their weakened state the Slatterys were still quite strong thanks to the deals Jared had arranged with other families in the south of England and if he were to die then some pretty powerful people in the south of England would be very pissed off. Unless someone could quickly step into the breach. Isaac had a reputation for being smart and a good businessman and Hayden could use his back-up for taking out the Slatterys. But first he needed to speak to him. He just hoped Isaac wasn’t killed befo
re he had the chance.

  “There’s a car coming. A black one,” said an excited voice through the earpiece.

  “Okay, just take it easy,” said Jared, sounding like a bear with a sore head. “And make sure you keep out of sight.”

  Hayden held his breath, straining to listen. Then he heard the low rumble of a car engine. They were here.

  “Everyone keep calm,” said Hayden, sensing the tension rise. “No one fire until you’ve confirmed the target.” His greatest fear was one of these morons shooting the local vicar or the milkman. They could barely cope with pens so the thought of them all wielding guns was frightening.

  Hayden didn’t think the visitor could possibly be Isaac, the car was coming up the drive at a bit of a pelt, engine rumbling noisily. Whoever it was wasn’t worried about being noticed. Either Isaac was a cretin, which didn’t fit with his reputation, or this was someone else.

  The car rolled to a halt right outside the farmhouse, brake pulled on with a loud creak. The car was quite ramshackle, the wheels covered in mud, indicating the driver spent a lot of time in the country. A stout middle-aged woman wearing a tweed suit got out carrying a briefcase and marched purposefully up to the door.

  “Hold your fire,” Hayden said into the microphone, feeling he must reiterate it for the cretins all pointing guns at the poor, oblivious woman. She looked like a vet, a no-nonsense professional. In a fight she’d probably be more use than Jared’s men. She banged on the door then waited, foot tapping impatiently. When there was no answer she banged again before stepping back to stare up at the front of the house. The Patmores, who owned the farm, had promised them faithfully they weren’t expecting any visitors but this woman looked like she was expected. However they were both old, it was entirely possible they’d just forgot. But Hayden was going to stay on his toes, she could be a distraction sent in by Isaac.

  When there was no response at the front of the house the woman went around the side, staring up at the windows as she went, paying her surroundings no mind.

  “Who is she?” Jared’s voice whispered in Hayden’s ear.

  Hayden sighed. How the hell should he know? “Don’t know,” he whispered back, wanting the dick to shut up. He was unfamiliar with the terrain and didn’t know how sound carried.