Top Dog

by Kerry Kaya

  * * *

  Moray was furious. “Have you actually lost your fucking mind?”

  “I know what I’m doing,” Danny sighed. Moray was one of the only people who could get away with speaking to him in this manner, bringing further proof to just how close they were.

  “Seriously, Danny, do you? Because from where I’m standing, this is fucking bizarre, even for you. Have you actually forgotten that they were going to try and kill you?”

  “Of course I haven’t.”

  “Then why the fuck have you recruited them to work for us?”

  “As I’ve already said, I know what I’m doing. Besides, what’s that saying? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, or some old bollocks.”

  Moray threw up his arms. “This is fucking unbelievable.” For the life of him, he couldn’t work out what was going through his best mate’s mind.

  “Look,” Danny said, as he sat forward in his seat, “let’s just put them to work and see how it goes.”

  “Put them to work? Do you actually trust them to work on the doors? The very same ones that we took from Freddie, might I add.” He blew out his cheeks. “What’s stopping them from trying to take them back?”

  Laughing, Danny shook his head. “They’re not going to try and take them back.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Because they’re as thick as two short planks, for starters. And plus, they wouldn’t dare to.”

  Moray raised his eyebrows. “Well, I hope you’re right about this.”

  “I am,” Danny replied confidently.

  Moray sighed. Against his better judgement, he had to trust Danny on this one. He supposed his mate knew the three men a lot better than he, himself did. But one thing he knew for a fact, was that he wouldn’t trust them, and if the situation did go tits up, just as he predicted it would, then he would be ready and waiting to come down on his mate like a ton of bricks. To put it in simple terms, Danny wasn’t going to know what had hit him, once he was finished unleashing his wrath upon him.

  * * *

  Terry was over the moon with the outcome regarding Danny. The grin on his face couldn’t be any wider. He climbed out of his car, and strolled into the Mercedes showroom. Now that everything was sorted out, he couldn’t wait to have his Hayley back home, where she belonged. As a surprise and an apology for making her stay at her mum’s, he’d decided to buy her the A-class. She’d dropped enough hints over the past few weeks that she wanted one, and he couldn’t wait to see her face, when he collected her from her mum’s with it.

  He paid in cash and arranged to have the car dropped off in Dagenham. Walking back to his own car, he smiled. He had just one more thing to do, and that was to buy his wife the biggest bouquet of flowers she had ever seen. His Hayley meant the world to him, and as far as he was concerned, she was worth every penny he spent on her.

  * * *

  Adam Christos walked out of the hotel and climbed into his black Mercedes. He could still smell Hayley on himself, and he squirted a generous measure of aftershave over him, in a bid to rid himself of the stench of her overpowering perfume.

  He couldn’t stand the woman and her self-importance. She wasn’t even that attractive, once she was stripped of all her makeup, and as for her personality, well, it was non-existent.

  The situation had got to the point where it was starting to become difficult for him to pretend he even liked her, let alone that he was interested in her and her droll conversation. He had never met a more stupid woman before, in all of his life. How the hell she believed he could actually want someone like her, he had no idea.

  With a quick glance back at the hotel, he started the ignition and drove toward East London. It was becoming harder and harder to get information out of her, and he decided there and then that he would tell his uncle tonight, that the plan wasn’t working anymore.

  He would reluctantly have just one more meeting with her, and if there wasn’t any information coming forward, then he would cease all contact. He’d had enough, and Hayley had served her purpose.

  * * *

  For the first time in her life, Hayley Stevens was in love. She felt her cheeks blush pink at the mere thought of Adam and the things he could do with his tongue. Everything about her Greek lover was amazing. There was just no comparison, when she compared him to her husband.

  She turned the key in the lock of her mum’s front door and walked through to the front room.

  “And where have you been, young lady?” Jean asked, her shrill voice loud.

  “Out,” Hayley replied, flopping down on the sofa.

  Jean bristled. “And what would I have told Terry, if he’d turned up looking for you?”

  “Did he turn up?”

  “No.”

  “Well then, why do you always have to start, eh? If you must know, I didn’t want to be stuck in this poxy house with you.”

  Sucking in her cheeks, Jean folded her arms underneath her ample breasts. She wasn’t offended by her daughter’s words. Her Hayley had always been the same—a cold heart was what she had. “You better not be playing around on that husband of yours,” she said, looking slyly across at Hayley. “Remember, I know you, girl.”

  Hayley threw up her arms. “Will you just leave me the fuck alone and mind your own business?”

  The sound of a car horn beeping outside stopped Jean’s comeback. She jumped out of her seat and her mouth fell open, as she peered through the net curtains. “Well, I never.”

  “What is it?” Hayley asked, walking toward the window. Letting out a loud squeal, she ran outside the house. She couldn’t believe it. Terry had bought her the car she had her eye on. She leapt into his arms and kissed him on the lips.

  “Do you like it, babe?” Terry asked.

  “I love it,” Hayley replied, climbing inside the car. She felt a tiny bit guilty now for cheating on him, but she couldn’t say she would never do it again, because she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she would. She wasn’t prepared to give up her Greek lover for anyone.

  * * *

  Maxine was folding the last of Danny’s shirts, ready to be packed into boxes for when he moved into his new flat. He hadn’t asked her to pack for him, but she felt the quicker it was done, the easier it would be for the both of them.

  That morning, she’d seen a tear in his eyes, as he’d cuddled little Danny to him, knowing this would be the last night he would spend underneath the same roof as his boy. As from tomorrow morning, everything would change. They would go their separate ways.

  She knew she would never be fully free of her husband. The fact that she had his son, would ensure that would never happen. Danny would always have a hold over her, in some form or another. She just hoped he didn’t intend to make her life any more difficult than it already was.

  She heard him come into the house and felt her heart sink. As hard as this was, she had to do it. If not for her sake, then for little Danny’s. It wasn’t fair for him to be brought up in a home with warring parents, who could barely tolerate being in each other’s company.

  As Danny came into the bedroom, she watched him pause. She knew this was going to be difficult for him, and she kept her tone neutral as she spoke.

  “This is the last of your things to be packed away.”

  Danny nodded his head.

  “I was thinking that maybe we should get the divorce started as soon as possible. I’ve already seen a solicitor and she said …”

  “I’m not even out the door yet. At least give me a bit of time to get used to the idea,” Danny interrupted.

  Maxine could hear the hurt in his voice and she nodded her head. “I just think the quicker we do it, the better.”

  “Where’s my son?”

  He was changing the subject and Maxine sighed. They would need to talk about the divorce at some point in the very near future. “He’s at my mum’s for the night.”

  “What do you mean, he’s at your fucking mum’s? This is supposed
to be my last night with him.”

  “I just think it’s going to be a lot easier if he’s not here when you leave in the morning.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about what you think. That wasn’t your choice to make.”

  “Danny, this is exactly what I’m talking about … you getting angry isn’t good for little Danny, is it?”

  “I can’t believe you’ve done this,” he said, wiping his hand over his face. “My last night, Max, and you’ve taken him away from me. Do you hate me that much, is that what this is all about? What have I done that’s so bad that you would do this to me, eh?”

  “Don’t be so ridiculous. It’s just better for our son this way. It’s better for all of us.”

  “It’s better for you, you mean,” Danny spat. He shook his head, unable to understand this turn of events.

  Maxine could see the anger flicker across her husband’s face, and knew she’d made the right decision in sending their son away to her mum’s for the night. The last thing she needed, was for Danny to start kicking up a fuss when it was time to leave and say goodbye to their little boy in the morning. She wanted him out of her life, as quickly and as quietly as possible.

  “Go to your mum’s now, and bring him home.”

  “No, my mum has taken him out for the day and she won’t be back until late,” Maxine lied.

  “You had all of this planned out, didn’t you?” He stabbed his finger toward her. “Even when I said to you last night that I was taking the night off of work, so I could spend my last night here with him, you knew all along, my boy wouldn’t even be here.”

  Maxine didn’t answer. It was true. She had planned days ago to send little Danny away.

  “I’ll never forgive you for this,” Danny said. His eyes flashed dangerously and he had to fight the urge not to destroy everything around him. It was only the fact that he didn’t want to give his wife even more ammunition that he kept his cool.

  Maxine watched him bound from the room and her body shook, as she heard him slam out of the house, almost taking the front door off of its hinges with him, as he did so. She wondered briefly how love could turn to hate so quickly. Desperately, she tried to calm herself down, and taking deep breaths to quash the fear inside of her, she returned to the task of packing away her husband’s shirts. Just a few more hours, and then it would all be over. He would be out of her life for good.

  * * *

  Danny was absolutely furious. He still couldn’t get his head around how, seemingly overnight, his wife had become such a cold heartless bitch. His last night with his boy, and even that, she had taken away from him. She had to hate him, he decided. There was no other explanation for her cruel mind games.

  He could happily wring her neck right now, even though, deep down, he knew he would never lay a finger on her. He’d never raised his hand to a woman and didn’t intend to start now, no matter how much she provoked him to want to do just that.

  As he drove toward Romford, he dared someone to try and cut him up. His vicious temper, coupled with the pent-up rage inside him, was definitely not a good combination. His expression was menacing, his blood was boiling, and he could practically feel the fury seep out of his pores.

  He had to physically stop himself from driving to his mother in-law’s house, to grab little Danny and then just fuck off some place, where no one would find them. It wasn’t as if she would be able to stop him. In fact, there was nothing better he would like to do, and it would serve the bitch right, if he did. He contemplated actually going through with it, but knew, deep down in his heart, it wasn’t the right thing to do. No matter what he felt about his wife, little Danny needed his mother, and he couldn’t take her away from him.

  Tapping his thumb impatiently on the steering wheel, he waited for the traffic lights to turn green. “Come on,” he shouted.

  When the car in front didn’t move, he banged his fist on the horn. “For fuck’s sake, what are you waiting for? Go.”

  Danny watched, as the passenger door opened and shook his head. He really wasn’t in the mood for this. God help this stupid prick, whoever he was, because he was about to feel the full strength of his wrath.

  He unbuckled his seat belt. His hand was on the door handle, ready for him to jump out.

  Before he could even climb out of the car, there was a loud pop, shattering the windscreen. It all happened so fast. Danny didn’t stand a chance of moving out of the way, once he’d realised, far too late, that the man was pointing a gun toward him.

  The man was dressed in black, with a makeshift balaclava pulled over his head. He then jumped back into the waiting car, before it sped away from the scene.

  Danny brought his hand up toward his chest. His white shirt was already turning crimson. A searing pain, and blood trickling through his fingers, were the last things he could recall, before slumping forwards.

  Chapter 10

  Moray raced through the entrance of the Accident and Emergency Department at Oldchurch Hospital, in Romford, Essex. “I need to know where someone is. Danny McKay, he was brought in an hour ago,” he shouted out to the receptionist.

  Julie Buckle’s head bobbed up and she adjusted her glasses, as she looked up from the desk at him. “I’m sorry, sir. There’s a queue. You will need to wait your turn.

  “For fuck’s sake, just tell me where he is.”

  Julie’s expression became stern. She was used to dealing with situations like this. They were a daily occurrence. In a monotone voice, she spoke. “Sir, as I’ve already told you, you need to wait your turn. Otherwise, I will have to call security to escort you out of the building.”

  Moray gave her a cold stare and moved toward the back of the queue. He could see there was no point in arguing. She was a jobs worth, and would probably get a kick out of having him thrown out. He’d met her type before.

  Finally, he reached the front of the queue.

  “Name?” Julie snapped.

  “Danny McKay. He was brought in an hour ago. He was shot, that’s all I know.”

  Julie held up her hand. “Please, sir, all I need is the name for the moment.”

  Moray was losing patience and his voice was low as he answered. “I’ve just told you. Danny McKay.”

  “Date of birth?”

  “I don’t fucking know. What does it matter? You’ve got his name, and he was shot.”

  Julie arched her eyebrows and her tone was harsh as she spoke. “I need to know, because there could be more than one patient with that name.”

  Moray snarled. “Are you for fucking real? How many Danny McKays who’ve been shot, do you actually have in here? I’m warning you now, lady, tell me where the fuck he is, otherwise, I’m going to tear this fucking hospital apart looking for him.”

  Julie swallowed deeply. She looked back down at her computer screen. “He was taken to theatre,” she said, as a pink flush spread up from her neck to her cheeks.

  “See, that wasn’t so fucking difficult, was it? Why couldn’t you have just said that from the start? You fucking jobs worth,” Moray shouted out, as he ran through the department, following the signs pointing toward the theatre.

  Racing through the corridors, Moray’s heart was in his mouth. He prayed Danny could pull through this. He knew his friend was physically strong, but he wasn’t invincible. A little thought niggled in the back of his mind. What if Danny died, or was already dead? He felt sick with fear.

  He had absolutely no idea of what could have happened, or for that matter, who could be responsible. Who would’ve been able to get that close to him? Immediately, his mind went to the three men Danny had recruited, just that morning. He would put money on Freddie having an involvement somehow. It had to be him. No one else would have been able to get that close.

  “Excuse me, wait,” he called out to a nurse, about to enter the theatre doors. “I’m looking for my relative, Danny McKay,” he lied. “He’s in theatre now.”

  He followed the nurse through to the relatives room. “Wa
it here and I’ll see what I can find out,” she said, with a soft Irish lilt.

  Moray took a seat. Quickly, he stood up again and looked through the glass panel toward the theatre reception. He was on edge and couldn’t relax. The nurse walked back to him. “He’s still in theatre. I’ve asked for the surgeon to come and speak to you, once he’s out.”

  “Thank you,” Moray said. He sat down and rested his forearms on his knees. He knew he should try and get hold of Maxine, but he had no contact details for her, and he didn’t even know if Danny would want her here.

  Finally, a surgeon dressed in theatre scrubs, appeared at the door. Moray jumped up from his seat. “How is he doing?”

  The doctor closed the door behind him and pulled off his theatre cap, leaving his thick dark hair to stand up on end. “He’s lost a lot of blood, but fortunately, he was shot just below his shoulder, missing his vital organs. We’ve removed the bullet and I’m optimistic, however, the next twenty-four hours will be critical.”

  Moray nodded his head, barely taking it all in. “Can I see him?”

  “Let’s get him settled into intensive care first, and then you can see him.”

  “Intensive care?” Moray was alarmed. This didn’t sound good at all.

  “It’s protocol. Your relative has lost a lot of blood, and as I stated, he is in a critical condition.”

  Moray nodded his head. “Thank you.”

  “Oh, one more thing. Do you have contact details for his next of kin?”

  Moray shook his head. “I’m trying to contact them now.”

  He wandered out of the theatre area, and stood just thinking. What the fuck was he meant to do now? He moved aside, so the porters could wheel a patient out of the double doors, on a bed surrounded by machines and tubes. It took him a few moments to realise it was actually Danny. Jesus, this wasn’t good at all. He brought his hands up to his head, as the reality of the situation sank in.