by Vance Huxley
A pale-faced Lada nodded, dumbstruck. Caddi jerked his head towards one of the laughter chorus, all glowering now. “Sort it, find him a shit job somewhere out of my sight. Get someone to spray that chair before the stink soaks in.” A scowling Chevy followed Lada out, smacking him on the back of the head for no real reason.Caddi had just put on an act of course, or mostly. Lada had been sent to try something in Orchard Close. Having failed,the youth would pay in full, because the warlord would be genuinely angry about losing the bat.
*
Caddi turned to Pete as the door closed but didn’t bother with the fake smile. “What are you doing running off to another gang with my shit?” He gestured to one of the seated men. “Bug, bring her in.” Bugatti left, quickly.
“I didn’t, honest. I was on my way here. I’ve got some games and the rest of your coupons, and a machete to replace the bat. I had to go that way cos I didn’t have an escort.” A sheen of sweat broke out on Pete’s forehead.
Caddi’s raised eyebrow went to Mack first, who indicated the machete before passing it across. The eyebrow moved on to Harold. Cripes, Harold thought, it’s twenty questions without the questions. “I went shopping, for food.” Harold’s grimaced at the memory. “Nobody mentioned the TX-Box or new games. It was a battlefield out there.”
“You would know, Soldier Boy.” Caddi paused, waiting again, but the door opened and Bugatti came back in with a young woman. Both Harold and Pete spoke at the same time.
“Tessa!”
“Sis!”
Bug seated the young woman on a naughty chair, one of the dining types, but away from her younger brother. Pete looked at her with a mixture of horror and guilt. When Tessa raised her head at the voices, shock and a sliver of hope replaced the despair on her face.
“No introductions needed then. You should have a little background, Harry.” Caddi nodded towards Pete. “This young man has been sampling our merchandise. Some of it was quite expensive.” He turned his eyes to Tessa. “As I explained to you, your brother has tastes well above his means.” Caddi leaned back, opening his arms. “We reached an accommodation where Pete agreed to carry out some tasks for me, and Tessa agreed to stand surety until he’d paid off the debt.”
Pete understood Harold’s disgusted look. “Not drugs, I don’t take drugs. Honest! Tell him, Mr. Cadillac, please.”
Harold raised an eyebrow himself at the ‘Mr. Cadillac’ and Caddi smiled slightly as he saw it. “True, our foolish young man has taken quite a fancy to a young lady, and has bought her some gifts. He has also improved his wardrobe,after Fantasia mentioned how drab his current garb seemed to be.”
Harold sighed because conned by a pretty smile had to be one of the oldest scams in history. “She works for you?” Caddi nodded, with a smirk. Turning to Pete, Harold let his disgust show. “So you were stupid enough to get yourself in the shit. Why did you drag Tessa in?”
Pete hesitated, but Tessa answered for him. “He was in trouble, serious trouble, Harry, so I got him out of it. This gentleman insisted on payment, so I agreed to cover the amount until it was cleared. Pete promised to work it off.” She didn’t sound happy about the last bit.
“That all seems reasonable,so why is Tessa here now? Since Pete is working the debt off.” Harold couldn’t work it out yet, but from the smirk on Caddi’s face, this would be nasty.
“But he isn’t. Or wasn’t. In fact he has run up another substantial amount. The unpaid interest on your debt”—Caddi glanced at Tessa—”has grown large enough that I must take action. I have a reputation to uphold.” The last bit had no humour or mercy in it.
Pete squirmed at the looks from both Harold and his sister. “I had a good run at cards, at poker. I nearly had enough to clear it all but the run broke and I lost the lot. I just borrowed enough to get it started again. Then Fantasia needed coupons as well, you have no idea how bad it is for her. She needs them to buy herself out, so we can look after her parents because….”
The glares from Harold and Tessa moved until they met. They rolled their eyes before returning to Pete. “Oh, God, I’ve buggered it all up.” He raised his face, “Fantasia isn’t ever leaving, is she?” Caddi shook his head gently a couple of times.
“Not at any price you could afford, and now, young fella, your debts are due. The original one, the interest, the new debts and the interest on them. You were to pay a substantial part back today, but have failed to do so.” Caddi indicated the machete. “A good weapon, but it doesn’t even cover the interest on the second debt.”
Hope flared in Pete’s eyes. “But I got them, the games.” The youth stopped and his eyes dropped. “Well, some of them.” He looked up again. “The best ones!”
“Some of them, and a machete? I do believe we need another take on this. Harry?”
Harold sighed in resignation. What a complete screw up, and the stupid little prick walked right into it. Harold suddenly realised someone was missing. “Where’s little Ed?” He meant Edward, Tessa’s five-year-old son.
“He’s safe. Caddi gave the neighbours the food out of my house, and asked them to look after him for a week. He’s told them to spread the word that if anyone touches my house he’ll”—her eyes dropped—”cut their dicks off.” Tessa looked straight at Harold. “Will you check up on him? Please, as a favour?”
“‘Course I will. Do you want me to take him home? To Orchard Close?” Harold frowned, because he still wasn’t sure what Caddi had in mind. “How long are you supposed to be here anyway?”
Before she could answer, Caddi butted in. “Not yet,Harry.That depends on your answers and his, so can we get on with it?” No teasing from Caddi now, just business.
“Right, so, food shopping. I got in after the fight moved inside. Half the gangs in town were there! Then I find that some asshole moved all the aisles, and the horde are headed back. I got round or through, and found where they’d put the food, but didn’t have chance to fill up my rucksack. We were too late and the fight rolled back over me. I got a bit of space.” That earned both Caddi’s eyebrows and a little smile. “But then someone yells my name. Harold.”
Harold looked at Caddi so the gang boss registered the dig about proper names, even if Pete had actually called out Harry. He received another smile, no more sincere than the first. “It was Pete, withsomebody chopping his wooden bat into toothpicks with that machete. The asshole wanted the games spread all over the floor. There were some Ferdinands nearby,busy relieving another gang of a couple of TX-boxes so they hadn’t noticed. I stopped the asshole before the bat was completely gone.”
That brought another insincere smile. Caddi would no doubt get the gory details from Pete. “I gave Pete the machete to replace the bat.” Pete got the smile this time. “The rest of the Ferdinands were coming over by then, so Pete hid three games and I gave them the rest.”
“You what?” A startled Bug stared from one to the other. “How many bloody games did you give away?”
“Enough to save any strife, since you weren’t there to help and I don’t play at fighting.” Harold lifted his lip in a snarl. He’d had enough from Caddi and wasn’t going to take it from anyone else. Given his supposed status, Harold was entitled to smack Bugatti’s teeth in, and just now Harold felt the need to do so. The flare of alarm in Bugatti’s eyes showed that he’d just realised the same.
“Calm down, Harry.” Caddi looked Bug up and down. “You would have told them to stuff it and then?” He waited for the other’s eyes to drop before finishing. “And then you would have died. Whereas Harry has brought Pete, my coupons, some games and a dinky new machete, as well as getting his groceries home.” Caddi let out a theatrical sigh. “Which is why I keep pointing out that no amount of balls will work without some brain. How many times must Harry provide an example for you? At least this one is free, for you anyway, and you’ve still got your clothes.” Caddi sniggered as he reminded Bug about being sent home in his underwear. Bug flushed as the warlord turned back to Harold. “Are you sure
I can’t give you a job, Harry?” Harold just looked back at him, ignoring the old request.
Caddi switched to Pete. “And you followed him home because? He has good stew and beer?” That came with a glance at Mack.
“No, because by the time we got out everyone had gone! They all pissed off and left me. I had to go round by the bypass, which comes off at Harold’s place, and then we met Big Mack.”
“You went through the Army checkpoint with that machete? Pull his, it’s got bell’s on.” Caddi indicated Bug.
“Seriously, Harold sorted it.”
“Did he?” Caddi had a speculative look now. He’d get it out of Pete but sod it, Harold shrugged. He’d let Caddi work for the information.
“‘E did come in with ‘Arry, and ‘e ‘ad the machete, and ‘Arry ‘ad ‘is rucksack. Then Lada started so...” Mack stopped at a gesture.
“Now this is where you make me happy, Pete. Show me my coupons and my games.”
Pete dug into his pockets, pushing the coupons and games onto the table. “All three are Urban Riot, and you only paid for two. I paid for one, against the debt.”
Caddi smiled, properly at last. “Three. Well done, boy, well done. Shame about the rest. Right, your cut of the mark-up will cover your interest to date, and since you paid for one, a bit off the debt, and the machete pays off some more.” Pete and Tessa started to relax.
Harold had actually listened to the words.”What about Tessa?”
“Oh, he has to pay the unsecured debt before anything comes off the secured one. It’s how finance works. After all, secured means that if he doesn’t pay up on time?” Caddi glanced at a calendar on the wall. A calendar which someone must have drawn for the flash bastard, because there weren’t any sold or any printers now. “That’s in three days, from nine a.m. this morning. If he doesn’t clear the interest and the original debt, I will foreclose. Anything Pete earns in that time will go to clear the unsecured debt first, of course.” Both Tessa and Pete had gone white, and Harold’s face set.
“But how can I pay?” Tessa whispered, her face ashen. “I don’t have anything, not even furniture because the house is rented from you. I can’t pay.” Tessa knew how she’d pay. Something like this had happened too many times to too many other young women in gang territories. She just hoped that it wouldn’t happen this time.
“Of course you can, dear. You don’t think I would accept security that I couldn’t cash?” Pete looked horrified, finally realising what he’d done, while Caddi looked from one to the other with that little smile. “You don’t see it? A good looking white woman in her mid-twenties. Not scarred, bruised or abused and not a drug addict or a whore. I’ll get my money without any problem at all, and the interest, especially with the child to keep you obedient.” Dead silence filled the room.
Caddi counted his coupons, while the other Hot Rods watched the expressions on Pete’s and Tessa’s faces now that the trap had been sprung. Tessa would probably be put to work here first, for just a select few, to make sure she was properly broken and trained. From their inspections, Bug, Cooper, and Chevy all liked that idea, aclean, obedientwoman instead of the usual hopped-up or brutalised girl.
“How much?” Harold said the words before he’d made a conscious decision to speak up.
“For what?” Caddi frowned, he knew Harry didn’t buy flesh, or play video games. Or everyone said not, however... Caddi’s face cleared, because with luck this meant his information had been spot on. Soldier Boy’s reaction had shown he really did know Tessa from before the Crash. Now it seemed he knew her well enough to try to save her. “The woman or the games?”
“Both.” Harold’s face set like granite. He could feel the urge to set into the lot but Mack sat behind his shoulder, and not by accident. That bloody guard, Samuel,would be looking through a loophole somewhere, aiming a shotgun at him as well. Caddi didn’t take chances.
“On the open market these gamesare worth about ten times what they cost at the Mart, which would pay off the interest and a third of the debt.” Caddi waved at the Urban Riot boxes. “But there won’t be any left now.”
“What about other games? Top ten, latest edition.” Tessa stared at Harold, mystified, but at least the terror had ebbed a little. Harold dragged his eyes back to Caddi. The little bastard played with him, because everyone knew the shelves would be clear after the gangs finished. They wouldn’t be re-stocked until the next update, too late, which was why the games were so valuable.
“Depends on the title but three would easily pay the debt, with the same for the interest. That’s why I am closing the deal. The interest is now as much as the debt.” Harold definitely had Caddi intrigued, wondering what Soldier Boy would offer to rescue the damsel.
“Just the debt. The interest is his because she only covered the debt.” A little spark of hope had lit inside Harold. Three!
“No, no, it doesn’t work like that Harry. How would I persuade the slippery little shit to pay?” But Caddi meant come on Harry, show me how desperate you are. He’d wanted to get to the smartarse since they first met, and this was pay dirt.
When he looked at Pete, the venom in Harold’s eyes didn’t need any faking. “He could secure it. There’s a sale for young white ass, even male. After all, the Pinkies won’t care about how stupid the head end is. They might prefer to use that end anyway. He’s not a druggie, no scars or bruises, bloody hell he’s probably a virgin. Pete won’t run if he doesn’t pay, because I will find him and bring him back. Do you believe me, Pete?” The youth’s white face gulped, swallowed, and nodded with a quick jerk.
“My, my, he’s more frightened of you than of me. That won’t do. I will have to try harder.” The tones were gentle, but they dragged Pete’s eyes round and he gulped again. Caddi turned back to Harold. “Intriguing proposition. The thing is, that would work, and I might go for it, but you can’t get them. There is no way to purchase three top ten games in two days. Or rather there is, but you’ll pay street price, at leastsix or seven times the Mart price. If you’ve got that amount of coupons, just hand them over instead, and we’ll settle up now.” Caddi knew that Harold never had many spare coupons, and since Harold was the gang boss that meant Orchard Close must be broke. Actually, Harold thought the Coven might have enough in the kitty, but those coupons were to feed everyone.
Harold reached out, offering his hand. “Three top ten games, mint condition, unopened, latest release, within forty-eight hours of now. Those will pay the original debt, and Pete’s lily-white ass will be surety for the interest and his other debt. You will use him as cheap labour to pay it off. You will give him enough shit jobs, and enough time, so that he can pay it off if he tries really, really hard. Deal?” The hand hung there while Caddi deliberated.
Harold could see Caddi assessing, deciding that Harold couldn’t do it and must be playing for time. Soldier Boy might be able to steal them, but then Caddi would know where from because of the uproar and he’d have Harold’s nuts in a vice. Harold watched as Caddi decided to let the bait float, sucking him in to find out what else Soldier Boy would offer when he couldn’t raise the price. Caddi had asked Harold to shoot a man more than once, but even for that the bastard wouldn’t let Tessa go. He’d just cancel some interest.
“Deal.” Caddi took the hand. Harold clamped down on his expression, not letting his elation show. The warlord smirked, putting on just a little bit of pressure. “Bug, put her back in her room, same rules. Nobody touches her, nobody gives her shit until the three days are up.”
Harold stood up but he was looking at Tessa, not Caddi. “Just a minute.” He put his hand inside his jacket, pulling at the stitches on the lining where they’d been loosened. Harold’s hand went inside and brought out the boxes, scattering them on the table. “Three top ten games, latest edition, unopened, mint condition.” Now Harold just hoped Caddi kept the deal. He might because most deals between gangs relied on the boss’s word being good.
Just for a moment Harold saw a flash of s
urprise, then pure rage, cross Caddi’s face. Both were quickly smothered by a tight-lipped smile, as Caddi snatched the games up and fanned them out. The graphics meant he didn’t have to read the titles. “See Bug, balls and brains.Don’t you cross our Harry, he’ll eat you up. Good enough, Harry. You’ve got ‘Iron Wheels VII – Balls of Steel,’ ‘Gorefest IV – Fangs for Nothing,’ and ‘Arachnoid III – Bite This!’ You sneaky mother! Heh, you won’t need coupons now, just bought yourself a woman, Soldier Boy. Thought you didn’t believe in that, selling women and such? Finally got fed up of using your hand, or fell out with that queer, Casper?” The jovial patter fell from Caddi’s lips, but Harold could see the rage still flaring behind the gang boss’s eyes. He knew Caddi would push hard, looking for a pretext, a way to force Harold to break a rule before leaving. Something that allowed Caddi to kill him without breaking the treaty, or starting a sniper war with Emmy, Roy and Alfie.
Caddi would make a handsome profit on the games, whilePete would work his lily-white to the bone on the shittiest jobs Caddi could find to pay his debt. But the warlord had set his heart on more. Harold had almost seen the scenario flitting across his avaricious features. Harold had never let the bastard know he and Tessa were friends because Caddi would have used Tessa as a control, and ended up having Soldier Boy over a barrel. Either that or Caddi would have taken great pleasure in having Tessa serve the tea and coffee, in a G-string or something similar to wind Harold up. Eventually he’d have tired of the game, then either Harold would have done as he was told or Tessa would be rented out.
