by Owen Mullen
I joined in his fantasy. ‘Shake hands and start again? Clean slate? Everybody on their own side of the fence?’
Desperate enthusiasm bubbled in his voice. ‘Why not? Why not, Luke?’
Yesterday Albert would’ve pissed on the idea, that was why not. And yesterday he hadn’t murdered Cheryl and Rebecca.
‘Should’ve spent that money hiring better people when you had the chance, but then you always were a cheapskate, Albert.’
A police siren wailed in the distance. When I came down, they’d be waiting. That didn’t matter. In the end, as Albert was about to discover, life came down to balance. And duty.
England expects and all that bollocks.
I placed my palm on his beating heart and took a last look at his puffy face. His life was about to end; he was in tears. He whimpered. ‘They’ll throw away the key. Please! Five! Five hundred!’
I wasn’t listening.
‘Goodbye, Albert.’
He fell into space, mouth open, starting on his back and rolling with the grace of a gymnast, slowly getting smaller and smaller. Following his progress was like watching a movie with the sound turned off. His ankles clipped the side of some scaffolding and flipped him in an arc. He landed on his smile on the bonnet of a green Mondeo parked across the street.
If plunging to your death was an Olympic event, he’d have been in the medals for sure.
About the Author
Owen Mullen is a highly regarded crime author who splits his time between Scotland and the island of Crete. In his earlier life he lived in London and worked as a musician and session singer. He has now written seven books and Family was his first gangland thriller for Boldwood.
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About Boldwood Books
Boldwood Books is a fiction publishing company seeking out the best stories from around the world.
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This edition published in Great Britain in 2021 by Boldwood Books Ltd. First published in 2019
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Copyright © Owen Mullen, 2019
Cover Design: Nick Castle Design
Cover Photography: Shutterstock
The moral right of Owen Mullen to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-80162-105-2
Large Print ISBN 978-1-80162-104-5
Hardback ISBN 978-1-80162-103-8
Ebook ISBN 978-1-80162-106-9
Kindle ISBN 978-1-80162-107-6
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