Barking Boy Page 23

  “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “No, suppose about it. I can guarantee he’ll question us.”

  Danny began tapping his thumb against the steering wheel. After a few moments, he shifted his weight in his seat. “Come on, let’s get this over and done with.” He opened the car door and climbed out.

  “Remember we’re off to Birmingham, not Manchester or Liverpool. It’s Birmingham. We have to at least get the destination right.” They began walking toward the club.

  “Yeah, I know. We’ll just tell him some cock and bull story. We’ve had a tip off, that the gold is in Birmingham, and we’re driving there now.” Danny paused on the steps leading inside the club. He lifted his eyebrows upwards. “Are you ready?”

  Moray mirrored the action. “As I’ll ever be.”

  They pushed through the doors, and made their way across the dance floor. Together, they made a formidable team, both over six feet tall, broad shouldered, and muscular. They took the stairs two at a time, then walked along the upper corridor toward Freddie’s office. Pausing, Danny took a deep breath, before rapping his knuckles against the wooden door.

  “Come in,” Freddie’s booming husky voice called out.

  Pushing open the door, Danny and Moray walked through. “Boss.”

  Freddie looked up from behind the desk. “Have you found the gold? I’ve heard rumours Hopper is back in England.”

  Danny glanced toward Moray, before speaking. “We’ve had a tip off it’s in Birmingham.”

  “Birmingham? There was surprise in Freddie’s voice. “What the fuck is it doing in Birmingham?”

  Moray gave a shrug of his shoulders. “I don’t know, boss, but we’re going to drive there now and see what’s going on.”

  Freddie was thoughtful. “I don’t understand.” His forehead furrowed. “How would someone in Birmingham know about the gold?” He scowled across at the two men in front of him. “Who has links to Birmingham?” he demanded.

  Both men shrugged their shoulders. Danny cleared his throat before speaking. “Beats me, but I’ve had a very good tip off. A little firm in Brum has been opening their mouths, stating they have the gold. It seems the real deal to me.”

  “Do you need more muscle?”

  Danny held out his arms, his heart began to beat faster. Having other heavies tagging along with them was the last thing they needed. “What the fuck for?” He glanced across to Moray. “It’s a little firm in Brummie land. We can take care of it.”

  Freddie nodded his head. He didn’t doubt them for a second. Both men were lumps and faces in their own right. McKay was a loose cannon, and Garner, a bare-knuckle prize fighter. “Okay, well, keep me updated.” He stabbed his finger toward them. “Let me know as soon as you have that gold.”

  They turned toward the door. Moray nudged Danny, raising his eyebrows toward him.

  “Oh,” Danny turned back around to face Freddie. “Maybe we should take the gold straight to Hopper once we’ve recovered it.”

  Narrowing his eyes, a quizzical expression passed Freddie’s face.

  “Just in case he turns up here looking for it. I could give him a call, and tell him I’m off to collect it now.”

  “And what if it isn’t in Birmingham?”

  “I’m pretty sure it is. Like I said, my tip off was a dead cert.”

  Freddie nodded his head. The thought of Hopper turning up looking for the gold was enough to bring him out in a cold sweat. “Okay, don’t forget to keep me updated.” He waved his hand, dismissing the men.

  Outside in the corridor, Danny blew out his cheeks, and raised his eyebrows toward Moray. “That was fucking close.” He kept his voice low.

  “Come on.” With a backwards glance toward Freddie’s office, the two men made their way back toward Danny’s car.

  “By the way, you can call Hopper. There’s no point in me doing it. That ponce hates me as much as I hate him.”

  Moray groaned. He should’ve known that one was coming. “Give me his phone number,” he growled.

  Mark Hopper ended the call and smiled. “Looks like I’m gonna be killing two birds with one stone.”

  Jason glanced sideways, waiting for the man to continue.

  “Not only will Tommy Carter be at the fight, but my gold’s gonna be brought there.” He rubbed his hands together. “What a fucking touch.”

  Jason remained quiet. He concentrated on the road ahead of him. He wasn’t keen on Hopper, and didn’t trust the man. One minute, he could smile at you, the next, he’d plunge a knife deep into your chest. Jason knew that for a fact, because he’d seen it happen before his own eyes. Silently, he counted off the days until Hopper fucked off back to Spain. In fact, the only reason he was driving Hopper around, was as a favour to his boss, Dean Johnson.

  “Pull over.”

  The authority in Mark’s voice caused Jason to immediately swerve the car over to the kerb. He’d barely pushed his foot on the brake, when the man had leapt out of the car and bounded across the road. From his position in the driver’s seat, Jason watched, as Mark had some unsuspecting victim up against the wall by the throat. He groaned inwardly. Today was going to be one of those days, he could feel it.

  Aiden Coleman smiled, as he watched Jimmy begin to dress. “Do you know what we should do?”

  Jimmy turned his head. A slow grin began to spread across his face. He loved listening to Aiden’s Irish accent. The soft lilt was like music to his ears. “What’s that?”

  “We should go on holiday.” He stretched out across the flowered bedspread. “Somewhere sunny, like Spain. Somewhere no one knows us.” He tilted his head upwards. “Some place where we don’t need to hide away from your brothers.”

  Jimmy took note of the way Aiden raised his eyebrows at the mention of his brothers. “Yeah, we should do that.” He was thoughtful for a moment. In fact, he fancied a little break and to have the chance to let off a bit of steam, and a change of scenery sounded like heaven. Besides, Tommy had already asked him if he would be willing to travel to Spain and meet a contact there who was in the business of melting down gold. He may as well kill two birds with one stone. “All right, yeah, we’ll do it.”

  Jumping up off of the bed, a smile spread across Aiden’s face. “I’ll get some brochures from the travel agents then.”

  Jimmy nodded his head. All that was needed first, was for Mark Hopper to be disposed of, and then he was free to take a little holiday. He just had to hope and pray Aiden wouldn’t go into a strop every time he disappeared off to do business for Tommy. He looked across at the man, watching as he began sorting through his wardrobe, pulling out shorts and T-shirts. He had a feeling it wasn’t going to go down too well. He turned his head away, bollocks to him. He was a Carter first and foremost. This was family business, and that would always be his top priority.

  Climbing out of the bath, Tommy stood on the bathmat. Trickles of water ran down his body, pooling at his feet. It wasn’t every day that he planned on killing a man. He studied his reflection in the mirror. He looked tired. He closed his eyes briefly, before grabbing up a bath towel. Beginning to dry himself, Tommy looked down at the towel in his hands, before tossing it into the sink, and placing his hands upon the wall, his head bowed. Jimmy was right. He was an armed robber, not an ice-cold killer. His nerves were beginning to get the better of him. Could he really go through with it and kill Hopper? Could he really take a man’s life? His thoughts went to his youngest brother. He couldn’t turn back the clock; he would see it through. He had no other choice; he had to do this for Jonny’s sake.

  After spraying a generous amount of deodorant underneath his arms, Tommy began to dress. He dismissed the fact from his mind that Hopper was a psychopathic lunatic, who would more than likely kill him in the blink of an eye. He knew for a fact, he would need to be ready and waiting to attack hard and fast, if there was any chance of the hit being successful. He turned toward the sink, the towel he’d tossed there saturated from the dripping tap. “Fuck it,” he mumb
led. He pulled up his sleeves and yanked the sodden material out of the sink. He noted the weight of the wet towel in his hands, before wringing it out and dumping it into the bath and walking out of the bathroom.

  Tommy began to walk down the stairs. He was deep in thought. He would need McKay and Garner to entice Hopper into one of the changing rooms to be used by the boxers. It was there that the crime needed to take place, far away from any witnesses.

  He came to stand inside the living room doorway. From his position, he watched as Stacey and the children played. His wife caught his eye and gave him a smile. She had no idea of what he was planning, or for that matter, what he was capable of. Tommy walked into the room and kissed the top of her head. More than anything, he planned on keeping it that way. He had promised Stacey long ago there would be no more secrets between them, but this was something he could never tell her. How would he even begin to find the right words?

  “I’m off now. I’ll see you tonight.”

  Stacey looked up. “Where are you off to?”

  “Jonny’s fight.”

  “Oh yeah, I’d completely forgotten all about it. Tell him to break a leg.” Stacey paused, leaning back against the leather sofa. She twirled a strand of dark hair around her finger. “Can you say that to boxers, or is it just actors?” She gave a small smile. “I hope I haven’t just jinxed him.”

  “Nah, it’s fine, I’ll tell him. Right.” He ruffled her dark hair, the silky strands soft beneath his fingertips. “I have to go. Don’t wait up for me.”

  “I won’t.” She began to laugh. “Besides, it’s bound to get messy.”

  “Huh?” Tommy snapped his head toward her, and his heart began to beat faster. What did she mean by that? Did she know what he was planning? He raised his eyebrows questioningly. “What do you mean?”

  “You out with your brothers. There’s bound to be alcohol involved somehow.” She tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes. “What did you think I meant?”

  Tommy laughed, hiding the fear he’d felt. All of this creeping around was making him paranoid. “Nothing. I’ll see you tonight.” He walked from the room, aware of Stacey’s gaze following his retreating back. He wanted to kick himself; of course he should have known what she meant.

  “Why do I have a horrible feeling of Deja’vu? I feel like we’ve been in this position before,” Moray said. They were sat in Danny’s car outside The Barking Assembly Hall in Barking, Essex. It was here Jonny Carter was due to fight.

  Danny continued staring straight ahead out of the car windscreen. Immediately, he knew what Moray was referring to. “This is different.”

  Moray shifted in his seat. “Is it? Feels the same to me.” He fingered the scar across his cheek, a constant reminder of a crime they’d committed as teenagers. “We were sitting in a car waiting then as well.” He looked around him at the Mercedes’ plush interior. The grey carpets in the foot well were spotless. There was no denying his mate kept the motor spick and span. “Granted, it was a shittier model back then, but it was still a car.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Moray, is there an actual point to this? It’s done, dusted, forgotten, enough now, eh?”

  Moray raised his eyebrows. He knew when to keep schtum. He began looking out the car window toward the people making their way inside the venue. “It wasn’t as busy as this then though, was it?” He nodded toward the hall, unable to stop himself from saying what was on his mind.

  Danny threw up his arms. “Fuck me! What’s got into you? Thanks for the trip down memory lane, but I’d rather stay in the present, if you don’t mind. I already know what we did, where we did it, and why we did it, so let’s leave it at that.” Danny turned his head to look out the side window. The truth was, he still felt guilt from what they’d done. Not the murder itself, no, that cunt had deserved everything he’d got coming to him. It was what they had done afterwards that was causing his guilt. Planting the evidence on an innocent man and watching him go down for life, was something that still lay heavy on his conscious.

  “That’s Hopper over there, isn’t it?”

  Danny turned his head to follow Moray’s eyeline, thankful for the change of conversation. “Yeah, that’s him, the fucking cunt. I’d recognise him a mile away.”

  “Wait for Carter to show up, and then we’ll follow him inside. The last thing we want, is to actually be seen going in with Hopper.”

  Tommy banged his fist against the steering wheel. He’d been stuck in traffic for more than twenty minutes. It was always the same, whenever he tried to get off of the estate in rush hour. No matter which direction he drove in, the roads were chocka block. It was the A13, which was causing the delay, and seeing as he needed to drive across it, he had no other choice, but to sit there and curse anything and everything around him.

  By the time he pulled into the car park adjoining the assembly hall, he was ready to go ape shit. He’d planned on having a quick word with McKay and Garner, and now, all thanks to the poxy traffic, he couldn’t. His old man had already parked his car up and began unloading the boot. Realising the moment was lost, Tommy blew out his cheeks. It would have to wait. He couldn’t be seen chatting to the men, especially not by his father or brothers. They would only get suspicious. He switched off the engine and climbed out of the motor in time to watch his younger brothers begin piling out of Gary’s car. He raised his hand in a greeting and walked toward Frank’s car.

  Pulling Jonny into a bear hug, Tommy grinned. “Here he is … our champ.” He swung his arm around his brother’s neck, ruffling his dark hair.

  “Hey, leave that out, he’s got a fight.” Frank’s voice broke no arguments. He stared toward both of his sons, waiting for Tommy to release his youngest brother. “You should know better than that, Tommy.”

  Immediately letting go of Jonny, Tommy instantly felt like a naughty school boy. He rolled his eyes at his father’s words. “I told you, we’d all come to watch you, didn’t I?”

  Jonny nodded his head. He bit down on his thumb nail, his eyes wide.

  “And you’re gonna smash this, bruv.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “Yeah, of course you are. You’re a Carter, boxing’s in your blood. Besides, you’ve only got to fight for three rounds. You can do that with your eyes closed.”

  “It’s four rounds he’s fighting.”

  Tommy raised his eyebrows toward Frank, clearly impressed. Most juniors only fought three rounds. “There you go, four rounds. That’s eight minutes to show them you’ve got what it takes.”

  Jonny moved his head from side to side, easing out the tension in his neck. He looked up at the venue. He felt sick to his stomach.

  “Come on.” Tommy gave a small laugh, as he slung his arm across his youngest brother’s shoulder. They had all been in Jonny’s shoes at one point or another over the years. “Stop thinking about it, and just get in there and do it.”

  They began walking toward the venue. Tommy had already spotted Danny McKay’s car parked across the road, and he stared toward the occupants, before bounding up the short flight of steps of the hall entrance.

  Once inside the foyer, they waited for Frank to sign Jonny in, before being shown to a series of changing rooms to be used by the fighters. Already, the venue was beginning to fill, and an excited hush could be heard from the main hall, as they walked down a set of corridors. Tommy looked around him. Getting his bearings, he took note of the exits. It was imperative that they knew how to slip out unseen. The hard part would be getting Hopper’s body out after the deed. He forced the dilemma to the back of his mind. He, McKay, and Garner, would have to work it out when the time came.

  He fell into step beside Jimmy. He kept his voice low. “Stay with Dad and the others tonight. This could get dangerous, and I don’t want you there.”

  “That ain’t your fucking choice to make.”

  “Yeah, it is.” Tommy kept his face pointing forward. “I’ve already made my decision, and I don’t want you there. And unles
s you want me and you to fall out, you’d better do as I say.”

  Jimmy took heed of his brother’s warning. Having been on the receiving end of his brother’s temper in the past, he took his brother’s words seriously. He swallowed down a retort, nodding his head. “Just be fucking careful, okay? And don’t forget, this is Hopper you’re dealing with.”

  “I won’t.” Tommy forced his voice to sound a lot more confident than he actually felt.

  Mark Hopper walked inside the assembly hall. He looked around him. Already, the hall was beginning to fill up as people, mainly men, took their seats. That cunt Tommy Carter had to be somewhere. He turned his head sideways. “Is he here?” he asked Jason Moore. “Can you see him?”

  Jason shook his head, breathing a sigh of relief. The last thing he actually wanted to do, was cause trouble for Tommy Carter. He was a nice kid, from what he could remember of him. “Nah, I can’t see him. I can’t see any of the Carters, come to think of it. They’ve got to be backstage still.”

  “Go and have a butchers then, and come straight back to me if you see him.”

  Inwardly, Jason groaned. He didn’t like what was being asked of him, one little bit. “I don’t think they’ll let me back there, Mark. I haven’t got a pass or anything, have I?”

  “Just go and fucking do it.”

  Jason shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, and wandered off toward the back of the hall. To his surprise, he had no trouble getting backstage. He wandered down the corridors, keeping his eyes peeled for the changing rooms. He could hear voices coming from along the corridor, and he darted behind a doorway, pressing his back up against the wall. It was the Carters. Casually, and from a safe distance, Jason followed, watching which changing room they entered. With a heavy heart, he made his way back to the main hall to relay the information back to Mark Hopper.

  Frank Carter began to wrap Jonny’s hands. He secured the cotton bindings with tape, and instructed his son to clench and unclench his fist. “They feeling okay?”