by Vance Huxley
Caddi tapped Harold’s stick on the floor to get everyone’s attention. “I didn’t need silver for bribery, Harry, I just gave a man what he wanted for the job. You actually sent him to me.” Caddi sneered at an oblivious Trev. “I saw him eyeing the younger women on the first visit.I sent one to bring Trev drinks and help pull that crap apart, or at least that’s what I told him.” Several Hot Rods laughed.”Young but just about legal, when that mattered. She knew what was good for her, and made sure he got a good eyeful, and he was definitely interested but didn’t bite.” Caddi turned a little to look over at Sharyn. “You’re lucky he likes some tit, or he’d be upstairs with your brat. I tried a brat, then a thirteen-year-old. He had her bent over in that garage full of radio bits within seconds of her flashing her panties and asking if he saw anything he fancied.I showed him the film afterwards.” Caddi turned back towards Harold with a smug grin. “Then I fed him young playmates every visit, and filmed them all but by then he didn’t care. After that it was just a case of choosing a time. I expected Mercedes to kill those three or die trying, but I’d have come after you either way.”
Harold tried to hide his disgust, and get the subject off Trev’s nasty habits. “Where did you find that piece of shit? He’ll shoot you in the back given half a chance.” He frowned, still looking at Suggs. “The silly sod does know that shooting that rifle will bring artillery?”
“Bullshit, Harry, not if they don’t see it.”
“Gospel, Caddi, the sound is distinctive. They’ll turn Orchard Close into rubble, then search the bodies. The artillery is dialled in on any nearby enclave and on call twenty-four seven, just in case, so I hope you’ve got a tight rein on this idiot. He’s not got enough brain cells to work it out himself.” Harold nodded towards Suggs, who opened his mouth to answer.
Caddi cut him off. “Shut it Suggs. There’s no need to risk it now, so don’t pull that trigger.” Suggs nodded, with a sharp look at Harold that promised payback. Caddi leant back against the wall with a little smile. “He can use it when I run over the GOFS, to shoot the fuckers clustered around that cannon. With the rifles and my own artillery, I’ll take out the Barbies as well if that General doesn’t get his thumb out of his arse. He expects me to share, stupid bastard.” Caddi gave Patty a speculative look. “I might sell him this one, because he saw her on the TV and now he wants her more than ever. He wants the black bitch as well but I’d get a better price from Einstein. Einstein will offer a fortune, but hecan’t have her. With the kid to control her, Emmy can be my shooter one.” Caddi turned quickly towards Harold, looking to see what reaction that got.
“You might not want to sell too many of the women, Caddi, or rough them up. You might be selling Shooters Three to Nine.” Caddi’s eyes jerked to Patty. “Yes, meet Shooter Three. I’ve got more shooters than rifles, and most are women.”
Caddi relaxed, confident again. “I’ll make them an offer they won’t fancy refusing, not when they see what happens to the bitch in there.” Caddi hooked a thumb at the bedroom. “Nor what happens to that blonde, Doll. The Marts have offered a reward, and they want her to be needing medical attention and grateful for being rescued. After what they paid for the first pictures, what do you reckon the local horny twats will pay for one wearing only her hat and boots? For the right price, they’ll get to fuck her as well. Not too many, because she’s got to be alive. Got you! That fucking got to you! Fuck, I’ve been trying for years.”
“But I haven’t lost it. Remember what happens if I do.” Harold had to try and slow the bastard up before Caddi did get to him, and he blew. The longer they talked, the more chance someone out there would notice a problem or a strange face.
“You would have if Jon or that dick Spyke Pierce had brought a woman back. I told them any woman, but the blonde would have been a bonus. I was going to train up one of your bitches, then get her to come in naked on her hands and knees and offer to fuck any way you fancied. When you went for me I could have killed you inside the rules.” Caddi laughed delightedly and pointed at Harold. “Again, I saw it in your eyes, I got you again!”
There wasn’t any point in Harold denying it, because he was completely gobsmacked. “Back then? Why couldn’t you just let me be, Caddi?”
In a split second all Caddi’s humour evaporated. “You shot my men and fined them, and nobody gets away with that!Then you killed that fucker Jon in front of my gates, and threatened to kill me on my own doorstep! You caned my men, then fucking well executed one with the other gangs watching, you arrogant fucker!I tried for the black bitch and it cost me a quarter mile of housing. I even paid some arse up north for a sniper, but that just gave you another rifle. You threatened to cripple me, inside the Mansion, and I couldn’t touch you! You snapped up all the women from the Murphies, and even got into Beth’s and lived!My own fucking men think you’re some sort of superman and that ice cold bitch in there crawls all over you. That chicken-shit fucker Mack wouldn’t come after you! Told me no!You’ve been a bug up my arse ever since day one, you stuck-up, holier-than-thou bastard, and now they’ll all see you crawl!” Caddi had nearly lost it, eyes wild and spittle flying as he spoke. With an obvious effort he got control.
Harold spoke up before Caddi started ranting again. “I’ll repair guns if you leave my sister alone. You should think twice about giving Tessa to that fat, useless prat. She’s my apprentice and you’ve got her kid, so she’ll repair guns. Then if I lose it and you kill me, you’ve still got a repairer.” Harold had to get Caddi believing he’d roll over, had to get him to relax. “You haven’t seen my women fight. Give them the choice of being shock troops instead of giving them to your men. They’ll run right over the Geeks for you, even without the threat.They’ll be a hell of a shock for the Bloodsuckers if the General gives you too much shit, worse than Barbies.”
“Not all of them. I’ve got to make a profit and Einstein has offered a small fortune for that Chink. If she’s lucky she’ll still be alive when we run over the Geeks.” Caddi calmed a bit, calculating now. “Still trying to protect the women, Soldier Boy?Actually, you might be right, at least to start with. My blokes said half those who chopped up the General’s men were women. That’s why the General wants that bitch.” Caddi pointed at Patty with Harold’s stick. “An army on bicycles, who would have thought?”
Harold stared, caught out again. “He wants Patty for that?” Until the bit about bicycles, Harold had been thinking about the fight on the TV, at the railway cutting.
“You didn’t know? He isn’t a happy bunny about losing the men, or what she did to them.” He glared at Patty then, volatile as ever, chuckled. “Ooh, I get all those bunnies as well, and your expert. Those experts are going to make me very, very rich, Soldier Boy. So will you, chained down on your knees in your workshop while you build new guns.” Caddi scowled at Suggs. “Hard luck, you can pick another woman. Unless you’ve suddenly remembered you can repair muskets and pistols?” Suggs glared at Harold, then shook his head. “Right, enough yapping, time for fun.” Caddi pushed off the wall and walked over to Cooper, handing him a pistol and a Rambo.
Cooper put the pistol in the back of his belt where Sharyn couldn’t make a grab for it, and tucked the extra Rambo down the side of his leg. “Wouldn’t want you tempted, dear.” Harold glanced at Patty while Caddi was distracted. Patty’s face looked calm, but set, and she flicked an eyelid. Movement caught Harold’s eye as Patty flexed her hands, just a little, with the thumbs crooked ready for a Wamil move. Patty only needed half a chance and she’d go for the knife.
Caddiswaggered back to Harold’s bedroom door, twirling the stick. He held it by the bottom and tapped the brass boss on the door. “Mercedes, dear, we’re ready now.” He glanced at the stick, then at Casper, and sneered. “This is a lot more solid than I thought, heavier. I might beat the fucking queer to death with it, to see just how tough they both are.”
Casper sneered back at Caddi and moved backwards a bit, rubbing his ass on his guard. The man yelped and pus
hed him away. “Fucking queer! Did you see that?” He held the back of Casper’s shirt in one hand and put the point of the Rambo against a kidney, keeping him at arm’s length. “Try it again now, you fucking perv.” Harold didn’t smile, but Casper had just made himself a bit of room for whatever he’d got planned. Maybe when the door opened they’d get their chance.
Harold’s bedroom door clicked and opened but Caddi didn’t look,he watched Harold. The man with a crossbow standing opposite Harold raised it just a little. After a moment the warlord smirked. “Not springing to the rescue? Pity, because Samuel has been looking for a chance ever since you crippled his hand. I told him he can shoot you in the legs, because you can work without walking.” In the open doorway the man just to the side of Mercedes, holding a double-barrelled shotgun, scowled at Harold. He pushed past her and stood beside the door, with his gun aimed at Harold’s thighs.
Mercedes woreone of Harold’s shirts,much too big for her even if it didn’t bury her like the one at the Mansion. She insisted on sleeping in them until she healed up, and made ‘Arold practice buttons at bath time. Her head was bowed, and when it came up Harold saw the Killer Queen’s flat, dead eyes. His leg muscles flexed, ready, but Mercedes smiled at Caddi, a big bright smile. “Why Caddi, you only had to send word. I came here because I got knocked about a bit, and needed to get all cleaned up and pretty again for you.”
“Bullshit, you’ve been banging his brains out, and we had a deal!”
“No, not even once. He left me to heal up. Oh well.” Her eyes switched over. “Hard luck, lover boy, missed your chance.” Caddi’s suspicious gaze moved over so Harold shrugged.
“Stupid bastard. Like I said, a dying breed.” Caddi looked back at Mercedes. “I don’t mind if you’re a bit banged up. I’m going to do some banging as well.” A round of crude remarks from the Hot Rods suggested what might get banged and what with.
“In that case, come and get it, big boy.” Mercedes turned on her heel, taking a step inside the room and pulling the shirt back to her shoulders so the front would be open. “Hurry if you want to win the commando bet, or I might just drop this and invite bids.”
Caddi propped Harold’s stick against the wall by the door. “Keep an eye on him, Samuel.” He gestured towards Haroldbefore looking around the room. “I’ll be busy. I’m gonnaride a Mercedes hard enough to break the suspension.” Caddi turned away from the laughter and walked through the door, kicking it shut behind him. The Hot Rods shouted various comments about leaving some for others, then watched Harold, Casper or the two women for a reaction. Trev didn’t, he’d still got a hand up Elise’s blouse, with the other around her stopping the teenager from getting away. He kept trying to kiss her while she whimpered and tried to avoid him.
“Here, let me look.” Suggs gestured towards Harold’s stickbut Samuel ignored him. Harold realised his two-two bullet, just after the Crash, had permanently crippled Samuel’s right hand. The gangster had his left hand on the trigger, with the other hand curled up in a claw that he used to support the shotgun barrels without gripping. The Hot Rod with the crossbow threw the stick along the floor but it bounced off the door nearby before Suggs caught it. The ex-soldier hefted it. “Fuck, it weighs a ton. No wonder you broke my fucking hand.” His eyes narrowed and he rapped it on the floor. “Maybe Caddi will let me break your knees with it, since you won’t need to walk.”
“I’m surprised you had the balls to come near me after last time, even with a big rifle.” Harold would settle for riling Suggs enough to get a break.
Suggs sneered, tapping the stick on the floor. “Caddi sent the word round for a soldier or civvie who knew your unit, since this dipstick told him where you served.” The ex-soldier pointed the stick at Pete. “He wanted to check, in case the little arse just wanted to get out of debt.”
An exclamation in the study and a smack, followed by a definitely feminine yelp, shut everyone up. Those who’d tensed up at the noise relaxed and laughed. More slaps and yelps, and a banging noise, led to more laughter, and comments about breaking the bed as well. Voices muttered, and a rhythmic banging came through the wall loud and clear. More muffled noises, wet smacks and short yells followed as the banging continued, for much too long. Harold tried to ignore those making comments about what he’d missed, because he knew the voice making the yelps of pain. They were from Mercedes, and in time with the thumping of the bed. But despite the jokes and laughter, none of the bastards relaxed enough for him to beat that shotgunand crossbow.
The noises finally stopped, followed by a long silence. Eventually the bed creaked and slow footsteps started towards the door. Harold worked his leg and arm muscles, pumping blood into them, because when Caddi opened the door and posed, everyone would look. Harold would take a flying leap at the bastard and drive him back into the study. They’d hesitate to shoot at Caddi, and if Harold could get to the pistol in the bed and stick in to the shit’s ear they might all still get out alive.
When the bedroom door opened, Harold nearly went, but it wasn’t Caddi!Everyone could collect on the commando bet, because Mercedes stood there full frontalstark naked if you didn’t count the blood. A sheet of it spread from just above her left breast, other cuts had reopened, and more blood trickled down her leg where it looked as if Caddi had clawed her thigh. A spray of crimson and clotted hair covered her left shoulder, maybe from her ear, and she had a huge, livid bruise across her lower ribs on the opposite side. “One down.” Mercedes paused, taking a couple of short, pained breaths, head still down but rising. “Does anyone else want some, because Caddi’s finished?” Harold started moving.
Because her left hand held something bloody, and her right stayed out of sight behind the door jamb. As Mercedes raised her head far enough, Harold saw the sheer stark homicidal fury burning in her eyes. Not the rage when she’d first arrived in Orchard Close.That was just a kittycompared to this, theinsane, blood-crazed berserker tigress. Her left hand came forward and opened, and every other eye followed what came out until it hit the floor with a sodden smack.
As her right hand moved and the gore-spattered .38 came into view, Harold had already pulled one knee up to plant his foot flat on the floor,reaching out sidewaysfor the shotgun. He pulled the barrel down into the man’s shin while his other hand went up, fumbling until his thumb found the man’s finger. Harold pushed. A shriek followed on the heels of the roar as the weapon blew half the gangster’s foot off.
Harold heard the .38 fire as he turned to his other guard, grabbed his pistol and yes, Mercedes had put the first one into him. When Harold used the man to lever himself up and forward, thegangster barely reacted except to bounce back off the wall from the impact of her bullet. Harold held the man’s hand and forced his trigger finger back, aiming by holding the barrel with the other hand.Mercedes’ .38 sounded again even as Harold shot Samuel, the shotgun man, using the gangster’s revolver.
Samuel had reacted to the bloody handful hitting the floor by swinging his shotgun that way, towards Mercedes. He took vital seconds to react to the shotgun blast and the shriek, before trying to swing back towards Harold. His clawed hand lost its grip when Mercedes fired the .38 right beside him and he tried to change direction again. Harold gave Samuel two bullets to make sure, then ground his thumb between knuckles and wrenched the pistol free. He snapped off a shot at the man opposite him, already aiming his crossbow.The bolt went past Harold’s ear when his bullet smashed the Hot Rod backwards. Harold made it to his feet now,elbowing the man he’d just taken the pistol from before starting down the room.Mercedes had both hands on the .38, leaning against the door frame as she aimedthe opposite way towards Cooper.
Someone else started shooting but the .38 sounded again behind Harold, twice.By the door Tessa lay across Suggs as he yelled and thrashed, trying to shove her off his rifle. Meanwhile, Trev started screaming, oddly muffled because Elise had her face right in his. Blood dripped,and Trev kept trying to push her away, but Elise hung onwith both her arms round the nasty
little pervert’s head. The hand Trev needed to get at his knife stayed trapped up her blouse, whilethe other couldn’t reach around herfar enough.
Casper had turned round. He must have nutted the bloke and grabbed his knife hand because he held it down behind the man’s bruised head, while both Casper’s arms were trying for a bear hug. He couldn’t get one with his wrists still bound, not properly, and the Hot Rod still hung onto his knife.The pair wrestled back and forth, Casper unable to get in a proper head butt or apply full pressure, and the man unable to break free.
A Hot Rod had half-drawn his machete but Harold kicked him in the side of the knee and he stumbled, arms spread to catch himself on the wall. Harold left him because he had to stop Suggs first. “Tessa!” Tessa glanced round, rolling clear so Harold put the next two rounds into Suggs’s chest. Two because the stupid shit had his finger on the trigger. If an SA80 opened up, the Army would level the place. Mercedes thought the same because an extra hole appeared at the same time.
Elise flew back, hitting the wall with a shriek. As she collapsed, Harold pointed the pistol and pulled the trigger. All six must have been loaded because it put a round right through Trev’s hips, just his hips because Harold wanted to talk to Trev later. A spray of blood erupted as Trev tried to scream through the ruin of his nose and lip. Elise had finally given him mouth contact; she’d done her best to bite his face off.
The stick lay next to Suggs’s crumpled form, so Harold dropped the empty pistol and scooped it up. One click and he swivelled, pulling the blade clear. The steel tube smackeda frozen Pete in the face as part of the same move, because Harold wanted a chat with that bastard as well. Casper’s hands were still tied, and now the point of a crossbow bolt protruded from the back of one thigh. The Hot Rod had one eye swelling rapidly and his arms still pinned as Casper hugged him, and had dropped his Rambo. Unfortunately, the Hot Rod kept dodging further head butts and had twisted enough to avoid the knee trying for his groin. The man couldn’t get his arms loose but had almost managed to wriggle his pistol free, twisting his body to try andaim it. Harold skewered his wrist and thigh, and the guntumbled to the floor while the man stiffened and yelled. As he turned away Harold heard the wet smack as Casper took his chance to finally butt the bastard properly.
