Barking Boy Read online

  “He was one of Davey Abbott’s boys, and seeing as Tommy came from Barking, he was known as the Barking Boy. He took over for Davey when he kicked the bucket.” He flicked the switch on the indicator, and eased out of the parking space.

  “Where can I find him?”

  Jason shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t seen him around for a while. Keeps himself to himself, does Tommy. I’m not even sure if the family still lives in Barking.”

  Mark was thoughtful. “I need to see him. Can you set up a meeting?”

  “Yeah, I’ll ask around. Shouldn’t be too difficult, like I said, they’re well known in the boxing circle.”

  Mark gave a satisfied grin. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on Tommy Carter. The no-good ponce had left Bethany Johnson high and dry to bring up a kid on her own, and coming from a broken home himself, that was something Mark wasn’t going to let slip.

  Tommy watched through the scrap yard office window. As Danny McKay drove into the forecourt, he ushered his brothers out of the room. “All of you, out,” he shouted. “And that includes you, Jimmy.”

  Stunned, Jimmy stared toward his brother. “What the fuck is going on?” he hissed. “What are they doing here?” He nodded his head toward Danny and Moray, as they climbed out of the car. “I’m telling you, Tommy, this better not be what I think it is.”

  “It’s not.” Tommy swallowed deeply. It wasn’t often he lied to his younger brother. However, he knew for a fact, Jimmy would try to throw a spanner in the works. “It’s to do with Smith, and when he hauled me in the other day.” Tommy spoke fast, a sure sign he was lying.

  Jimmy took a seat. He kicked his legs out in front of him, his chin pointing upwards in defiance. “Well, then in that case, I’d best stick around and make sure they don’t try anything on.”

  “They won’t.” Tommy pulled on his brother’s arm, before turning to look at the door. It was too late, McKay and Garner were already upon them. Tommy welcomed the two men into the office. He gritted his teeth, as he stared across at Jimmy. “You both remember me brother, Jimmy.”

  The two men nodded their heads toward Jimmy. Due to a shortage of chairs, Tommy slapped the side of his brother’s arm, gesturing he stand up and offer his seat to Moray.

  Taking the seat offered to him, Moray sat down, and steepled his fingers across his chest. “Before we begin, let me get something straight, I’m here because of him,” he said, as he jerked his thumb toward Danny. “Now, I don’t trust you, either of you.” He nodded his head toward Tommy and Jimmy. “So, let me tell you now, everything you do, I will be watching, and the moment I think something isn’t right, there’s gonna be hell to pay.”

  Tommy nodded his head. “Likewise. So, are you in or not?”

  Danny McKay cleared his throat. “We’re in. We want Hopper disposed of, and then all profit from the gold will be split fifty-fifty. I’ll sort Moray out from my cut, and you can deal your brothers in with your cut.”

  “Deal.” Tommy thrust out his hand. He could feel Jimmy’s eyes on him, and he deliberately kept his face pointing forwards, avoiding eye contact.

  “Whoa, hold up a minute.” Jimmy held up his hands. “What the fuck is going on here?”

  All eyes fell upon Tommy and he groaned. Flopping backwards into a chair, he looked across at his brother wearily. “We’re gonna kill Hopper and split the proceeds of the gold.” There he’d said it, and now Jimmy knew the score.

  Jimmy narrowed his eyes. “And when were you gonna tell us about this? You know us, as in your brothers.”

  Tommy sighed. “I was gonna tell you once the deed was done. The less you lot knew about it, the better.”

  “So, you were willing to put Jonny’s life at risk after all?” Jimmy spat out the words, further proof to just how angry he was.

  “I’ve already told you he isn’t in danger. I’ve sorted it out.” Tommy kept his voice low, embarrassed to have to explain himself in front of McKay and Garner.

  Shaking his head, Jimmy turned to stare out the window. The atmosphere in the room had turned decidedly frosty.

  “Is there a problem here?” Danny wagged his finger between the two brothers.

  “Nah.” Tommy gave a nonchalant shake of his head. “My brother knows the score, and I run things here, ain’t that right?” Tommy turned to look at Jimmy. His eyes flashed dangerously, warning his brother to back off.

  Jimmy gave a small nod of his head, pursing his lips. To say he was angry was an understatement, and he stood quietly brooding on the deal Tommy had made. The fact that Tommy was willing to put Jonny’s life at risk, shocked him to the core. So much for his brother’s code of practice that family always comes first, he thought.

  Once the two men had left the office, Jimmy rounded on his brother. “You really are a piece of work, Tommy, do you know that?”

  Tommy sighed and he rubbed at his temples. “Don’t fucking start, bruv, you’re giving me a headache.”

  “I’m giving you a headache?” Jimmy began to laugh at the accusation. “Let me tell you now, if anything happens to our brother, you’ll have more than a headache to deal with.”

  “Nothing’s gonna happen to him. You’ve just heard the plan for yourself. Once Hopper arrives on the premises of collecting the gold, we do him over. Job done.”

  Jimmy sat forward in his seat. “Yeah, and your last plan worked out so well, didn’t it? That’s why were in this mess.”

  “I’m only human,” Tommy said and held up his arms. “I am allowed to fuck up every now and again.”

  “Yeah, a fuck up of epic proportions. You always seem to be at the centre of everything that goes fucking wrong.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Realising he’d gone too far, Jimmy quickly changed the subject. “And since when did you become a cold-hearted killer, eh? We rob banks for fuck’s sake. We’re not hitmen.”

  “No back up. What did you mean by I’m at the centre of everything that goes wrong?”

  Standing up, Jimmy looked Tommy in the eyes. “All right, if you want me to be honest, I will be.” He began ticking off the list on his fingers. “Pete Williams; Davey Abbott; you half beating our Gary to death; Bethany fucking Johnson; and now you want to kill Mark Hopper. Do I need to continue?”

  “That’s not fair, Jimmy.” Tommy stabbed his finger toward his brother, before turning his back on him. His heart sank, the truthfulness in Jimmy’s words stung, and he swallowed down the hurt. “You know I was more than willing to give myself up, when Davey was killed.”

  Jimmy nodded his head, recalling the moment. “Yeah, I know, I remember. I’m sorry, okay,” he sighed.

  “And as for Bethany Johnson, well she’s a fucking nut job, and we both know that.” He began to walk across the office floor.

  Jimmy nodded his head in agreement. “I just don’t like this deal you’ve made, Tommy. It’s too risky.”

  “It’s a lot better than the alternative. Did you really believe Smith and Hopper would let us go on our merry way, once we’d given back the gold?”

  “Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t they?”

  “Do me a favour, you need to wise up, Jimmy.” Tommy gave a small smile, taking the edge off of his words. “It must be so lovely living in that head of yours. As soon as they’d got the gold back, they would have killed us, all of us. Do you really think Smith would have let us off with what we did?”

  “I dunno, I thought.” Jimmy gave a shiver, as ice-cold fear trickled down his spine. “I thought once we’d given it back, that’d be it.”

  “No, Jimmy. That wouldn’t be it.” Tommy looked his brother in the eyes. Jimmy’s naivety worried him at times. “Don’t worry. It’ll be okay, and like I keep saying over and over again, I’ve sorted it out.” Tommy took a seat behind the desk. He pushed a stack of paperwork away from him, knocking several biro pens to the floor, as he rested his forearms across the wooden table top. “The worst that’ll happen is that McKay and Garner could end up double-crossing us
.”

  Jimmy’s eyes widened, and Tommy gave a small smile. “Don’t worry, bruv. Trust me, and if the worst comes to the worst, then they can keep the fucking gold, okay? I’m only doing this deal to get Smith and Hopper off of our backs. So yeah, as far as I’m concerned, Jonny’s safety does come first. In fact, it’s paramount to me, and the gold doesn’t even come into it. I couldn’t give a rats arse about it, and that’s the truth of the matter.”

  Jimmy looked to the floor, as shame flooded through him, for doubting his brother in the first place. He should have known all along, Tommy wouldn’t have put their baby brother at risk.

  Jason Moore made his way into Gold’s Gym. He smiled, as he watched men of all ages, swing their gloved fists toward punching bags. Spotting Frank Carter across the gym, he slowly made his way toward him, navigating around the busy room.

  He came to a stop in front of the boxing ring. “Frank Carter, isn’t it?” He shoved his hand forward.

  Frank turned to his side. “Yeah.” He shook the proffered hand, recognising Jason from previous fights he’d been to.

  Jason smiled. “I think I’ve seen all of your boys fight, apart from this one.” He nodded his head toward Jonny.

  “He’s got his first fight tomorrow night.” Frank turned his attention back to his youngest son.

  “How’s your eldest boy, Tommy, doing?”

  With his arms leant across the ropes, Frank turned his head once again. “He’s doing okay.” He narrowed his eyes, immediately suspicious. “What is it you want? It should only be fighters and trainers in here.”

  “Have you got a contact number for Tommy, or know where I can find him?”

  Frank shook his head. “No.”

  Jason studied Frank’s face, unsure if he was telling the truth or not. “Okay.” He looked across to Jonny in the ring. “Let’s hope he gets a win tomorrow night.” With that, Jason walked out of the gym. In the foyer, he stopped to look at the posters on the wall promoting the up and coming fights. Picking up a flyer, he shoved it into his jacket pocket, and walked out of the door.

  Climbing into his car, Jason passed the flyer across to Mark Hopper. “The youngest Carter has a fight tomorrow night. Tommy Carter is bound to be there to watch his brother.”

  Mark took the flyer. His eyes skimmed over the leaflet, before a wide grin spread across his face. “Of course, he’ll fucking be there.”

  Jason chewed on the inside of his cheek. “What is it you want to see Tommy about?”

  Mark tapped the side of his nose. “That’s my business.”

  Nodding his head, Jason had a feeling it wouldn’t be a friendly visit. Nothing with Mark ever was. He started the ignition, and began to move the car forward. He wouldn’t get involved, he decided. He’d learnt long ago, that when it came to Mark Hopper, it was best to keep your own counsel—and for your own safety, your nose well and truly out of the man’s business.

  Stacey began to push and pull her children into their coats. “Come on! Daddy will be here at any minute, and we need to be ready.” She pushed her dark hair out of her eyes, her other hand flying out to catch Liam, before he ran off through the house. Just lately, it had become a game of cat-and-mouse, where her eldest son was concerned. Every time she needed to go out, she would have the same trouble with him. His shrieks of laughter would fill the house, while she would be forced to chase after him, as he ran away, trying to hide from her. Little Liam was definitely his father’s son, all right. “Come on! Behave yourselves, otherwise there will be no chocolate cake at nanny’s house.” Her words had the desired effect, and taking a deep breath, she pulled Jake up onto her hip, and gathered her two elder children by their hands. With difficulty, Stacey navigated her way out of the front door. Her cheeks were red by the time she walked toward Tommy’s car, and she rolled her eyes at her husband, flustered.

  “What’s going on?” Tommy couldn’t help but smile, as he climbed out of the car to help put the children into the backseat.

  “One day, Tommy, for just one day, you are going to stay at home and look after this lot. And then, you’ll understand.” She planted a kiss on her husband’s cheek, then climbed onto the front seat.

  “And breathe,” Tommy spoke slowly, emphasising his words. He looked across at Stacey, hiding the smile that threatened to spread across his face.

  “I mean it, Tommy. I’ll make you do it one day,” she said, as she glanced over her shoulder at their children and burst out laughing. The moment Tommy appeared, they always turned into angels. She shook her head. “This lot will be the death of me, I swear they will.”

  “You don’t want another one then?” It was said tongue-in-cheek.

  Stacey’s eyes shot toward her husband. “No, I bleeding well don’t. These three keep me on my toes as it is.”

  Tommy began to laugh. “Come on, we’d best get cracking.” He started the ignition. “Me mum will be having kittens if we’re late.”

  Janet Carter welcomed her eldest son and his family into the house with open arms. “Here they are, my babies.” She kissed each of her grandchildren on their cheeks, then straightened up. “Come on, come and see what nanny’s got for you.”

  Smiling up at her husband as he slung his arms across her shoulders, Stacey followed Janet into the kitchen. “Something smells nice,” she grinned.

  “Beef stew, and I’ve got us some nice crusty rolls to go with it. Stace, do me a favour darling, and start buttering them, will you? Oh, and Tommy, your dad wants a word with you. He’s in the living room.”

  Raising his eyebrows, Tommy winked across at Stacey, before making his way into the living room. He pushed open the door, to see Frank sat in the chair beside the fire. “Mum said you wanted a word.”

  Frank looked up. He placed the latest issue of a boxing magazine he’d been reading onto the floor beside his feet, and nodded his head. “Close the door.”

  Closing the door, Tommy took a seat on the sofa opposite his father. “What’s up?”

  “A bloke came into the gym today, asked me how he could contact you.” Frank pursed his lips.

  “What bloke?”

  “I dunno. I’ve seen him around before though, at a couple of fights. Jason something or other.”

  “What did he look like?”

  Frank shrugged his shoulders. “Average looking I suppose, mousey coloured hair, and no, he didn’t look like old bill, before you ask.”

  “Did you give him my number?”

  “No.”

  Tommy bit down on his lip. “Good.” He began to stand up.

  “What are you getting my boys involved with this time, Tommy? That fella must have wanted you for something, and seeing as you’re involved, I’m guessing it wasn’t a friendly visit.”

  Tommy was taken aback. He sat back down on the sofa, and rested his elbows on his knees. “What do you mean?”

  “You!” Frank flapped his hand toward his son. “You’ve always had an eye for trouble, and you’ve taken my sons along for the ride with you.”

  “I am your son as well, you know.” Tommy leant toward his father. He battled to remain calm. “I know I let you down by walking away from the ring, but I am still your son.”

  Frank narrowed his eyes.

  “All I ever hear from you are … my boys this, my boys fucking that.” Tommy lowered his voice. “Well, what about me, eh? Whether you like it or not, I am still one of your boys.”

  Frank swallowed before answering. He could feel his cheeks redden at Tommy’s words. His son, the one who he considered to be the black sheep of the family, had given him a few home truths and it was true. He couldn’t deny the fact that he’d pushed his eldest boy out of his life. Ever since Tommy had quit the ring, he’d practically ignored him. “Yeah, you’re right. You are still my son.” Shame flooded through him. “So, who is he, this Jason bloke?”

  Tommy sighed. “I don’t know. He could be anyone.” He was telling the truth. As far as he was aware, he’d never dealt with a Jason before.
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  Frank stared at his son. “Be truthful with me, Tommy. Have you got yourself into trouble? First of all, you turn up at the gym, wanting to speak to our Jonny. And then, this bloke comes looking for you.”

  Shaking his head, Tommy averted his eyes. How could he tell his dad the truth? The mess he’d gotten himself into was so much worse than Frank could even begin to imagine. “Of course not, Dad, you know me. I only do a bit of ducking and diving to make a bit of cash, nothing heavy.”

  Frank studied his son’s face. “As long as that’s all it is, Tommy.” He watched, as his eldest boy nodded his head. “Then, in that case, if this bloke turns up again, I’ll tell him to sling his hook.”

  Tommy nodded his head. He remained silent. His old man had got him thinking as to who this Jason bloke could be. He sat back in his seat and chewed on the inside of his cheek, as he tried to rack his brains. He couldn’t recall any Jason from when he’d been boxing.

  “Dinner’s ready!” Stacey popped her head around the living room door. She smiled at her husband. “What are you two up to? It’s quiet in here.”

  “Just having a little chat, that’s all.” Tommy smiled, masking the worry he actually felt. What with everything going on with Freddie Smith and Mark Hopper, he was starting to feel paranoid, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that this Jason bloke was somehow involved. He sighed as he got up from the sofa. It would all come out in the wash. It was an old saying of his gran’s, and if Tommy was being totally truthful, that was exactly what he was afraid of.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “I don’t think he’s gonna buy it.”

  Danny turned to face Moray. “He has to, for this to work. So, we need to be convincing, right?”

  They were sat in Danny’s car, outside the Ilford Palais, looking up at the venue. Moray sighed. “You know what he’s like. He’d question Jesus Christ twice, and even then, he’d think he was trying to get one over on him.”