by Albert Able
Paris was fun and we enjoyed the most carefree week of our young lives. The return to our London hotel however, brought us back to the basics with a mighty thump.
Stan was anxiously waiting as we walked into the lobby. “Thank God you’re here, oh and welcome back” he managed with deep felt sincerity.
“Thank you Stan: you seem worried is there a problem?” I queried.
“I think we’d better go to your office.” An unusually anxious Stan led the way; he was too tense to wait for us to sit down and so as soon as the door closed, he announced wringing his hands together. “Max is in trouble!”
“What kind of trouble?” I asked reflexively.
“There’s a big gang war going on. You know that young bodyguard of his, the one who helped you out with the pimps? Well someone topped him and returned the poor man’s head in a box. Max has gone ballistic and the last few nights had been roaming the district with a gang of armed men shooting up the opposition.” Stan paused for breath. “Last night someone tried to fire bomb the night club here, luckily Max’s men managed to sort it just in time.”
“Where is Max now?” I managed to ask as a terrible shiver of fear had slammed into my chest.
“I’m afraid he’s at the police station; they’ve pulled him in for questioning.” Stan plucked at the collar of his shirt nervously. “I wondered if you knew anyone that could intervene,” he indicated upwards with his thumb “you know, someone with a bit of influence?”
I knew exactly what he meant foe amongst the regular visitors to the ‘Top Floor’ as it was now known between us, were a whole range of notable high profile citizens, which included a very senior police commander. I had never done this before but it was an emergency and Max Harris is probably the only man I consider to be worthy. “Okay Stan you just try and relax” I tried to console him “I’m going to have to give this a bit of thought.”
“Please don’t take too long” Stan urged, “Because the longer they hold him, the more difficult it will be to extricate him.”
Stan left and I picked out a telephone number from my confidential list and dialled.
“Graham Radshaw” a voice confidently announced.
I didn’t waste time on the usual pleasantries. “It’s Marcus Graham; I urgently need your help.”
“What’s the problem then?” Graham replied.
“You will have heard about the current gang wars, well Max is in the middle of it and in trouble; he’s currently being held in the local nick. I need to get him out of there, before the investigation gets out of hand.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Graham asked with surprise.
“I realise that you can’t do anything personally but that un-named police commander you introduced with an appetite for young boys could!” It was good job Graham Radshaw couldn’t see the nervous perspiration gathering on my forehead.
“Now look Marcus, that’s not the deal; no questions asked remember?” Graham retaliated.
“I know it’s not fair but if Max goes down, then another mob will fill his boots and all I know is, that whilst Max plays a tough game, he has always been square with us, I wouldn’t like to guarantee that with the guys he’s up against!” I paused for a moment. “So Graham, if Max were to be sent down, what I can guarantee is that would be the end of our little business.”
“And why should that be?” Graham snapped.
“Quite simply, it is Max and his boys who guarantee our security!”
“Ah, I didn’t think of that” Graham went silent for a moment. “You better leave this with me. I’ll call you back if there are any problems.” Graham rang off immediately.
“Thank you.” I said to the dead telephone.
I never found out what happened but about two hours later Max Harris appeared at the hotel with one of his bodyguards and apparently none the worse for his brush with the law.
“Ah Marcus, a word please?” Max summoned me to a quiet corner of the lobby. “Listen Marcus I realise what you did tonight and I understand how much it must have taken. All I can say is a simple thank you.” He shook my hand and pulled me towards him and hugged me warmly before kissing me on each cheek. “I don’t forget that sort of thing.” Max Harris smiled turned and left me standing in silence.
Strangely, what I remember most about that moment was not only that it was the first time I had ever been kissed by a man but I could not help thinking, how unpleasant all those scratchy whiskers must seem to a woman!
The gang wars continued for another month with both sides engaged in a bloody trial of futile attrition, until an uneasy truce appeared to relative calm to the district.
One evening Max walked unannounced into my office. “Marcus will you do something for me?” He requested simply as he dropped into the chair facing me.
“If I can.” I answered cautiously, I knew Max rather well by now and realised that any request would inevitably pack a surprise punch of some kind.
“I’d like you to come with me to meet with this Mafia guy who’s giving me all the trouble. It’s time we stopped all this nonsense before we’re all banged up!”
“What makes you think I can help?” I asked in surprise.
“Well you’re Italian so is he and you have a sensible head on your shoulders; he is bound to respect that, no?”
“When do you intend to have this meeting?” I queried hoping with time he would think of a better solution.
“Tonight in about half an hour.” Max Harris grinned getting up from the chair.
“But we have a function here tonight.” I tried.
“It won’t take long.” Max persisted looking at his watch. “If we get started I’ll have you back here before ten-o’clock, okay?”
The meeting place was a derelict pub next to a fenced off building site. One black limousine was already waiting when we arrived; moments later another car pulled up and simultaneously the doors of both cars opened and four men appeared from each and spread out in a defensive arc. There was just enough light from the single street lamp to see that they were all armed with sub machine guns; a familiar cold shiver trickled down my spine.
There were only three of us on our side of the street, me, Max and the giant Louis. I wondered where the usual driver was; as far as I knew, we were all unarmed.
“We seem to be out numbered?” I whispered to Max as the fear gripped at my stomach.
“It’ll be okay you’ll see” he assured me.
“Hey Martino.” Max Harris called out “I thought we were going to meet, just the two of us?”
“Ha. You didn’t really think I was going to trust you, Ha.” Martino the overweight man standing in the middle of the armed group laughed. “I agreed to meet so that we could find a way to finish this feud. I have the simple answer.” Martino signalled his men.
Without hesitation, the two men raised their weapons pointing directly at us; in the same split second, Max pushed me to the ground shouting, “Down”.
The automatic weapons spewed a lethal trail of copper and lead slamming into the car behind us with a terrifying roar.
At almost the same time, several other weapons came to life from somewhere behind me, pouring their stream of death into the sudden surprise battle.
It seemed to me as I hugged the ground, that the exchange of fire must have lasted for several minutes; in fact, it was less than thirty seconds, then as suddenly as it began it stopped, leaving an eerie silence as I remained with my head buried in my hands. Eventually I realised that Max was shaking me by the shoulder. “Come on it’s okay, we got them all.” Max encouraged me to get up from the road and I saw that he was holding an ugly looking handgun, with what I assumed to be a silencer attached. “Come on” he urged me forward; heading towards the tangle bodies sprawled across the street.
One of the downed men groaned weakly whilst clutching at his bleeding stomach. When I got closer, I realised it was gang leader Martino and was wondering what Max would do with the wounded man, when two silenced
slugs from Max’s handgun shut him up, answered my un-asked question and left him without pain.
“That solves the issue once and for all.” Max growled as several other armed men, led by the driver Charlie, appeared from the building site. “Well done lads, we got them all.” Max congratulated the new arrivals.
“Hey Max,” my hand was still trembling as I grabbed his arm. “I thought this was supposed to be a peace conference, not a bloody massacre?”
Max winced as he turned towards me; I noticed for the first time that his shirt was soaked in blood, presumably from a wound under his shoulder.
“It was meant to be just that but I didn’t trust him any more than he trusted me; so now the matter has been resolved.” Max staggered.
I don’t think any of us realised how badly he had been wounded at that time.
“Bung them in the cars and torch them.” Max ordered before leaning heavily on me. “It looks as though I copped one.” He smiled thinly.
“Come on Max.” I led him gently to the car. “I’m taking you to hospital.”
“No hospitals mate, too many eyes and ears; it’s back to my place, I know a ‘no questions’ Doctor, he’ll soon sort it.”
Charlie the bodyguard helped his master to the car and then drove us quietly away from the carnage; as we turned into the main road, the two cars and their dead occupants erupted in a gush of flame, moments later I heard the first wail of a police siren.
Max lived in the apartment attached to the Riverside Night Club. When we arrived, Stan was waiting like a faithful Labrador.
“He should be in hospital not here.” He exclaimed when he saw the wound.
Stan was right of course, however Max had no intention of going to hospital and having to explain his wound and so still bleeding profusely we half carried him up to the apartment.
“Better call Doc Haines he will know what to do.” Max winced as the pain started to spread.
“No answer from his number” Charlie called dispassionately tapping the receiver in the palm of his hand “Anyone else?” he added.
“I know someone.” Stan interrupted.
There was no answer Max had passed out.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“Oh it’s one of my old mates, he looks after some of the lads, don’t worry he won’t talk.” Stan started out of the door. “I know where he will be.”
“Is he a doctor?” I queried.
“What do you think? I won’t be long” Stan vanished down the stairs.
We cleaned Max’s wound as best we could and kept a pad of clean cloth pressed to the wound, which only partially controlled the bleeding.
Ten minutes later Stan returned with a tall scruffy man. “This is Doc,” he announced simply.
The man ignored the greetings and bent over Max, lifted the pad and examined the seeping flesh. “Lost a lot of blood, should have a transfusion really” he muttered to no one in particular and prodded gently around the wound. “Did the bullet come out the other side?” he asked looking around the silent faces.
Strange wasn’t it, I had never thought to look to see if he was bleeding from his back as well. The question was met with silence.
“Give me a hand please,” Doc asked me politely and we rolled the unconscious Max gently onto his side to expose an even bigger wound just under his shoulder.
The two body guards stood by anxiously watching every move; they were not accustomed to strangers manhandling their beloved ‘boss’.
“Your friend is a very lucky man indeed,” Doc pronounced “as far as I can see, the bullet was quite a small calibre and it passed right through his upper chest, without hitting any vital organs. May have chipped a bit of bone but I can pick most of that out” Doc was obviously talking to himself and seemed satisfied with his diagnosis. “Right, so let’s get organised.” Doc produced a small box with a selection of little bottles and instruments and carefully filled a syringe; once again, big Louis moved anxiously forward.
“It’s okay.” I assured him as Doc expertly injected Max with a sedative before working away at the jagged wounds on both sides of Max’s chest.
After about one hour, Doc finally stood up. “That will have to do for now” he sighed “but I would really like to x-ray that shoulder. Just to make sure there is no other bone damage in there and he will also need some antibiotic, which unfortunately I don’t have here.” Doc. looked at Stan “I’ll have to see what I can arrange for the x-ray tonight; after that, he must be kept quiet for a couple of days at least or he will end up with pneumonia from the shock.”
Doc washed his hands and then produced some pills from his case. “Give him one of these when he wakes up; it’s a fairly strong pain killer, he’s going to need it” he passed the pills to the body guard “and if you come with me Stan, I’ll give you some antibiotic to bring back for our patient, whilst I organise the x-ray.”
They both slipped away before anyone realised he had gone.
Max groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. “Here Boss, you better have one of these pain killers.” Louis the burley bodyguard showed his Boss a pill and then placed it into Max’s mouth before gently lifting his head with one enormous hand and placing a glass of water to his lips with the other.
“Thanks.” Max mumbled and layback for a moment, his eyes open as he tried to re-establish his thinking. “A bit more of that water would be good”
“There you go Boss.” The bodyguard obliged.
“So what’s the s.p?” Max enquired gingerly exploring his wound and then tried to sit up but the pain kicked in and he fell back with the shock. “Bloody hell” he exclaimed.
“Stay right there for a while,” I placed a restraining hand on his good shoulder “you took a bullet and lost a lot of blood. Doc patched you up and now he wants to x-ray the shoulder to make sure there is no internal injury.”
“Doc. Haines?” Max looked concerned.
“We couldn’t find him so Stan found one; he was very good and there will be no questions asked.” I assured him.
Max looked relieved “What’s this about an x-ray then?”
Stan reappeared at that moment. “It’s all organised, we can go there right away and Doc will give you a jab of his special antibiotic cocktail at the same time.” Stan looked pleased with himself.
Max claimed he could walk but in fact, he was more or less carried by the faithful bodyguards.
The car pulled up at the rear entrance of a nondescript building less than ten minutes drive away. Doc was standing by an open door he looked about suspiciously as they approached and then called out in a muted voice. “Over here please.”
The bodyguards manoeuvred Max carefully through the door. Stan and I waited in silence in the car; about ten minutes the door opened and Max was bundled back into the car.
Doc closed the door of the building and walked to the car. “Here keep this as a souvenir. Not a single chip or perforation of any thing vital; you’re a very lucky man.” He passed the flimsy x-ray to Max.
Max had recovered much of his normal demeanour “Thanks Doc” He shook hands with his good hand. “So what do I owe you?”
“I’ll think of something.” The ragged Doc smiled for the first time, turned and strolled away.
Once we were back at the apartment however, the last thing Max wanted to do was relax. “We have to move on Martino’s clubs and quickly, otherwise someone else will take advantage of all our hard work; especially if they know that I took a hit!”
Max picked up the telephone and painfully dialled a number. “Ah Salvatore, I guess you will have heard by now. I am your new boss, is that still agreeable with you?” Max listened for a while. “Yes I did take a slug, it’s just a scratch and I’m alright.” He paused again. “That’s good, so everything that I promised, will be fulfilled. Okay?” Max listened again. “Look, I can’t get around to you tonight so you will have to do the rounds and make sure everyone is toeing the line for me okay? Any problems and you give me a call; ot
herwise I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Max flopped back into the armchair he was exhausted. “Just can’t afford to loose the advantage in this game.”
“Talking about advantage,” I started “how did you know Martino would try to ambush you?”
“There was no way that fat little Wop; forgive me, no insult intended, was ever going to agree to a deal.”
“I’m half Italian half English so no insult taken.” I assured him with a smile.
“Thanks” Max also smiled “well any way, I had a man on the inside; Salvatore his right-hand man. Now let this be a lesson to you Marcus. Never take advantage of your own team; especially your most important loyal members. You see, Martino was so mean he even cheated his own people. Reneged on all his promises to them and in Salvatore’s case, even tried it on with his Missus. What a dick eh?” Max shook his head in wonder. “So now you know why I positioned half dozen top guns around the building site as backup. Good job I did eh?” He grinned but then suddenly became serious again. “I do however feel very guilty about putting you into such peril.”
Max gingerly touched the bandage around his shoulder and sighed. “I have to say in my defence, that I really did believe that there was a slight chance of negotiating a sensible agreement with him and I knew he liked to use the mother tongue when ever possible, so you would have been the perfect negotiator for me.” Max looked straight at me. “However, looks like that was not one of my better decisions and bearing in mind all you have done for me, I must sincerely apologise.”
I had never heard Max quite so contrite nor did I ever hear him like it again but there was still one final thing I had to know.
“It’s okay and I do understand but what is not clear to my simple mind is when you saw that Martino was seriously wounded; he was obviously beaten, so why did you kill him?”
Max looked at me with those steely eyes. “A man like Martino doesn’t stay away; that man has so much inherent greed that he would sell his mothers soul to crawl back and create trouble, big trouble, he couldn’t help it, that’s the way he is or rather was.” Max frowned. “Any way” He looked up in a lighter mood. “We wouldn’t have wanted to cremate him alive would we?” Max Harris looked down in thought for a moment. “Though it may not have been such a bad idea!”
