“Beer,” he said when he got to the counter.
“Fine day for it,” the old man said when he served it.
“If you say so,” Billy grumbled as he paid.
He walked to one of the tables against the wall and dropped down on a chair. The beer went down easily and he opened the newspaper to carry on reading the sports pages as he drank. When his phone rang, he brought it out of his pocket and scowled when he saw the number.
“Shit,” he cursed, but knew he couldn’t ignore it. He still let it ring two more times before answering.
“It’s time to spill your guts, Billy.”
He recognized the voice of the man that put a gun to his head at the abandoned quarry, but didn’t understand the comment.
“What?”
“I got a message from Lincoln that the boss wants to know what you’ve found out,” the man went on.
The boss being referred to was obviously Eddie Millar and the mere mention of him was enough to give Billy serious palpitations.
“I followed Matt this morning and…”
“Whoa…, whoa there,” the man interrupted. “All I’m doing is passing on the message. The boss wants to hear the information straight from the horse’s mouth, so you better get your ass moving to his place. Lincoln’s on his way there already and you don’t want to keep them waiting.”
Billy almost let out a curse, but managed to hold it in.
“Yeah, sure,” he said. “I’ll head over there right now.”
The line went dead and he was acutely aware of the sweat prickling on his forehead as the dread set in. He wiped it away and looked at his palm afterwards. Reaching for the bottle sitting in front of him, he picked it up to down the contents in one gulp and immediately got to his feet.
“Fucking Matt Harris,” he cursed and wished he’d never heard the name.
Walking out of the relative dark of the bar to late-morning sunshine made him lift a hand to shield his eyes. His dread grew as thoughts of Eddie Millar filled his mind. The gangland boss was notoriously volatile when things didn’t go his way and the horror stories of the manner in which he treated those that upset him had passed into legend.
Billy didn’t want to be a victim in one of those stories and knew that he needed to get to Eddie’s place as quickly as he could. He didn’t really want to waste money on a cab, but decided it was the sensible option. There was none in sight when he checked both ways along the street, so he started walking in the direction of his destination. It was around five minutes before he managed to flag one down and he almost barked the address at the driver when he got in.
It was the only words that passed between them and he was unable to stop fidgeting as the journey got underway. He blinked as sweat ran in his eyes and brought out a dirty handkerchief from his jacket pocket to mop his forehead. He wished he’d never got involved in what he was doing although he wasn’t given a lot of choice in the matter. All he wanted was to get back to living his life as a small time drug dealer and hoped that passing on the information he’d gleaned from following Matt would allow him to do that. He checked the meter as the cab approached his destination and was ready when the driver brought the vehicle to a stop. It burned him to hand over his hard-earned money and there was no stopping the scowl showing on his face when he did.
“Thanks,” the driver said pleasantly. “Enjoy your day.”
Billy didn’t bother giving a reply when he opened the door to get out and he lifted a hand to wipe it across his face when he found himself staring at a set of imposing gates that were the entryway to the building beyond. Eddie’s place was prime real estate in town and the large, three-story edifice was just as impressive as the solid, wrought-iron gates. It dated to the late 1940s, when it was built as a home by a wealthy resident of the town and it passed on through his family over the years until hard times struck.
That meant Eddie Millar managed to acquire it for a song to live in and use as a base for his growing criminal organization. Billy glanced left and right along the high wall surrounding the property and saw the CCTV cameras set out on top of it. It wasn’t his first time being there, but he’d only ever seen the property from where he was now and had never been inside. That meant he didn’t know the procedure for getting in and he was aware of the guards inside the gate becoming alert when he walked up to the gates.
“What do you want?” one of them said.
“Umm…, I’m here to see Eddie Millar?”
The man narrowed his eyes as he stared at Billy’s appearance then let out a laugh.
“Yeah, sure you are,” he let out and his hand went to the gun at his hip. “Beat it before you annoy me.”
“I’m serious,” Billy went on. “One of Lincoln Holt’s men called and said that I was wanted here.”
The man moved closer to the gate.
“Lincoln Holt isn’t here.”
“I was told he’s on his way and that he wants to see me,” Billy insisted.
The sound of a horn caught his attention and he turned to see a dark sedan coming to a stop only a foot or so from him. The window rolled down and the head of Lincoln popped out.
“Open up,” the enforcer said.
“This joker says he’s here to see you,” the guard replied. “Is that right?”
“It’s right,” Lincoln replied. “Get the gate open and let us in.”
“Told you,” Billy muttered, but nothing was said in reply and he wasn’t sure the guard heard his comment.
The creaking sound of rollers beginning to move filled the air and the gate slowly slid open. Billy stepped forward to walk inside, then moved out of the way as the sedan drove past him and came to a stop in a parking spot in front of the building. He quickened his pace to catch up with it and there was no holding in the trickle of fear when he saw Lincoln getting out of the vehicle.
“You got the phone call then,” the enforcer said.
“Yeah, I got here as quickly as I could, Mr. Holt,” Billy blurted out and rubbed a hand on his cheek.
“Relax,” Lincoln said. “You sound like you’re about to wet your pants.”
Billy let out an anxious laugh, but said nothing. He watched as Lincoln moved off and followed him towards the door of the property. It opened as they got to it and the pair of them walked inside.
“Keep up,” Lincoln said and headed towards a set of stairs.
Billy’s pulse raced faster as they climbed up to the first floor of the property and made their way along a corridor. His glances took in luxurious surroundings, with the hardwood floor he was walking on polished to a shine and the walls covered in artwork that he assumed didn’t come cheap. There were also signs of the security he noticed outside, with glass camera domes evident in the ceiling. It seemed that Eddie Millar took his personal protection seriously although that was hardly a surprise. His position at the top of a criminal enterprise was a precarious one that could end in a heartbeat, so it paid to be vigilant. When they reached a door at the end of the corridor, the man in front of him turned around.
“Wait there,” Lincoln said and pointed.
The seat was placed next to the wall beside the door and Billy moved to it. He guessed that the man he was there to see was inside the room, but wasn’t about to ask and clasped his hands together when Lincoln knocked then went inside. His foot tapped incessantly, but he wasn’t even aware he was doing it as his mind conjured up images of the vicious beatings and worse that Eddie handed out to those who upset him. He’d always been sure a lot of exaggeration was included in the stories as they passed into legend although that didn’t bring him much comfort considering where he was sitting.
He’d heard some of Eddie’s background and was sure there was also some embellishment to the tale of his rise to the top. It was common knowledge that the gangland boss had been brought up in an orphanage after he was abandoned as a youngster, although whether there was any truth in the stories that it was him who rejected every couple that wanted to foster him was
debatable.
Living in state-run homes at a young age definitely brought him into contact with older boys that were going off the rails. That was his route into joining a gang and he went from drug runner to drug dealer in a fairly short space of time. His callous nature and explosive temper gave him an edge over the competition as he grew older, and allowed him to climb the hierarchy until he became the trusted lieutenant of a boss.
That trust wasn’t well placed however, when Eddie committed his first murder to remove the man above him and put himself in charge of operations. He ruthlessly dealt with any rivals on his climb to being the top man in town although he gained a reputation for being more pragmatic when he got there and showed a willingness to cut deals…, if it was to his advantage. His notoriety for violence meant that few tried to cross him and those that did generally lived to regret it.
The sound of the door opening cleared Billy’s mind and he knew he was about to get first-hand experience of the man he’d just been thinking about. He lifted his gaze from the floor to see Lincoln staring at him and he got to his feet without anything being said. Stepping forward, he walked in the room and came face to face with Eddie Millar.
“Take a seat,” Lincoln said after closing the door.
Billy was aware of how badly he was shaking as he walked across the room and tried to compose himself, before he sat down at the desk. Lincoln perched himself on the edge of it, but it was Eddie that spoke.
“Do you want a drink?”
The question wasn’t what Billy expected and it caught him off guard.
“What?” he let out in a startled voice.
Lincoln let out a laugh and shook his head.
“I told you already, Billy,” he said. “Relax.” He turned his attention to his boss. “I think he’s a little uptight about being here and meeting you.”
“He fucking should be,” Eddie growled.
Billy held his breath as fear dug into his guts, but it eased slightly when the man on the other side of the table let out a laugh to show his words were a joke. Relaxing was the last thing he could do, even though it was obvious that the two men were messing with his head. Eddie turned to the cabinet behind him and brought out a bottle of bourbon and three glasses to pour each of them a shot.
“So, what have you found out?” he asked when he pushed two glasses across the desk.
Billy ignored the drink at first, but saw the two others down the alcohol and did the same. The burning in his throat was welcome and the urge was there for another shot. He wasn’t about to ask for it though and knew he was the center of attention as both men stared at him.
“I’ve been following Matt Harris on and off since Mr. Holt instructed me,” he started. “He’s living in a government owned apartment building across town. I wrote down the address for you.”
He reached in his pocket to bring a piece of paper out and pushed it across the desk. Eddie put his hand on it and read the address.
“How do you know it’s government owned?” he asked.
“I asked around,” Billy replied. “Supposedly the place is being used for an initiative the state government is pushing onto ex-cons. I don’t know all the ins and outs of it, but the gist is that prisoners being released are given a helping hand to try and set themselves up on the straight and narrow.”
“And Matt Harris is part of this?”
“Yes, Mr. Millar,” Billy replied. “He’s definitely staying at the apartment because I’ve been there early enough to see him coming out in the morning and have seen him returning to it in the evening.”
“What’s he doing, who’s he seeing and where is he going?” Eddie went on.
“As far as I can make out, he’s not doing anything,” Billy replied. “I’m not exactly following him 24/7, but I’ve been around him enough in the last few days. He goes out to eat, he has a drink at a bar near the apartment building most evenings and I haven’t seen him meeting anyone at all.”
Eddie appeared lost in thought for a few seconds. He lifted the bottle to pour another three shots of bourbon before speaking.
“That’s not like him.”
“Maybe he really is trying to get away from his past life,” Lincoln said.
Eddie let out a scoffing laugh.
“This is Matt Harris we’re talking about. He’s been involved with gangs and crime since his teenage years. He doesn’t know anything else.”
“Maybe four years in jail gave him too much time to think,” Lincoln pointed out.
“Do you think it would change you?” Eddie asked.
“No,” Lincoln said immediately, and shook his head.
“Exactly,” Eddie went on. “He’s no different from you.”
Billy picked up his glass to down the bourbon as he listened, but nothing more was said by the two men and he went on speaking.
“I followed him to the state government headquarters this morning,” he told them.
“What the hell is he going there for?” Eddie let out.
“Sorry, I don’t know that,” Billy answered. “I couldn’t really follow him inside, but he was there for around an hour and came out of the place with a smile on his face.”
“Maybe the guys on this program have to check in with someone,” Lincoln said.
“That wouldn’t take an hour,” Eddie said.
“I guess, but does it really matter what he was doing there,” Lincoln went on. “If you’re planning to use him, why don’t we bring him in?”
“Have patience,” Eddie said. “By the sounds of it, he’s not going anywhere or looking to hook up with anyone else. There’s no rush. We can get him when we need him.”
“To do what?” Lincoln asked.
“I think I might use his unique skills to send a message to Brett Collins.”
“Why do we need to bring Matt in for that?” Lincoln asked. “It’s not like we couldn’t handle it ourselves.”
“I know,” Eddie said. “Matt was one of the best enforcers around though, present company excepted. He had a knack for resolving these types of situations to the advantage of his boss, so I think it would be worth getting him involved. It’s a way to bring him back into the fold, but we need an address for Brett Collis to get the ball rolling.”
“Is there any news on that, Billy?” Lincoln said.
“I’ve…, well, I’ve concentrated my efforts on Matt Harris,” the drug dealer responded in a wavering voice.
“You can ease off on that,” Lincoln said. “I want you to keep checking on Matt, but see what you can dig up about Brett Collins.”
Returning to his life as a drug dealer was going to have to wait a bit longer and Billy wanted to curse. Finding out information on Matt Harris turned out to be relatively simple, but he wasn’t so sure that would be the case with Brett Collins. Things might have turned out fine for him today, but he didn’t want to get a call to return to where he was and arrive without the information Eddie wanted.
“I’ll do that, Mr. Holt,” he replied.
Lincoln got up from where he was perched on the edge of the desk and it signaled the end of the meeting, so Billy stood up. He was aware of Eddie’s gaze on him, but kept his head bowed as he turned away from the desk and headed towards the door. He and Lincoln stepped outside without any more being said and made their way down to the front of the property.
“That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”
“No, Mr. Holt,” Billy replied.
“Get the information we need,” Lincoln said.
“How long do I have?”
“Eddie seems in no rush, but find out what you can and report it to me as soon as you can,” Lincoln instructed then spun away to head for his car.
Billy moved towards the gate and waited as it was opened. He was already outside when the sedan rolled past him and he watched it head into the distance.
“Could have offered me a goddamn ride,” he muttered under his breath.
Not that he really wanted to be sitting in a car with Lincoln H
olt, but it would have been an easier way to get home. He wasn’t about to fork out for another taxi though and set off along the sidewalk in search of a bus stop.
Chapter 7
A Saturday morning lie-in meant it was almost ten o’clock when Brigitte walked down the stairs at home. It was to the sight of golf clubs sitting next to the wall at the bottom and she let out a quiet laugh. She went in the kitchen to get herself a glass of orange juice, but there was no sign of her father and she guessed he was in the lounge.
“I thought this was a business trip,” she teased him when she walked in the room and saw him sitting on the sofa reading some papers.
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