The Driver (12 page)

Eddie sat on the armchair opposite the couch and peered at Carl’s wound. ‘Looks painful.’

‘It’s not that bad,’ Carl told him. ‘Hurt like hell when it happened but they gave me some really strong painkillers so I can’t feel a thing now.’

‘And Matt?’

‘Not sure. I had to leave him at . . .’ Trailing off, Carl looked at Joe. ‘Where were we again?’

‘Stepping Hill,’ Joe reminded him, passing the finished spliff over.

‘Yeah, there,’ Carl said. ‘I didn’t have any money on me so Joe came and picked me up.’

‘Good of you.’ Eddie cast an approving glance at Joe.

‘It was no trouble,’ Joe said, getting up. ‘Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. See you tomorrow, Carl.’

‘Don’t forget your brew,’ Carl reminded him as he headed for the door. ‘Might as well take it with you while it’s still hot. And cheers again, mate.’

Nodding, Joe said goodbye to Eddie and let himself out.

‘So what happened?’ Eddie wanted to know when Joe had gone. ‘Kenny’s already told me his side but I want to get yours before I decide what I’m going to do.’

Shrugging, Carl said, ‘Well, I can’t tell you what was going on with the others ’cos I was on my own at the time. But the bouncer told me Daz was getting jumped by three blokes so I went to help him. And that’s when I got whacked.’ Grinning now, he added, ‘Lucky I’ve got such a thick skull or I’d have been out for the count. And he must have thought I was staying down ’cos he didn’t half look shocked when I jumped back up and kicked the fuck out of him.’

‘What then?’

‘I went back to help Kenny and Matt.’

‘And where was Daz when all this was going on?’

‘Outside,’ Carl said. ‘Can’t blame him, though, ’cos they’d locked him out.’ Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, he added, ‘Mind you, I don’t know why he didn’t ring one of us when he realised they’d locked it down. That’s still puzzling me, that.’

‘Maybe because he was in on it,’ Eddie mused.

‘You what?’ Carl drew his head back. ‘No way. He wouldn’t switch sides on you like that. He wouldn’t dare.’

‘Yeah, well, I’ll soon find out,’ Eddie said quietly. ‘Right now I’m more interested in finding my money.’

‘Eh?’ Carl frowned. ‘What’s going on, Ed?’

‘Nothing for you to worry about,’ Eddie told him. ‘I just need to know where Daz might have gone.’

‘Hasn’t he gone back to his place?’

‘No. Kenny’s sitting outside waiting for him but there’s still no sign. Can you think of anywhere else?’

Carl shook his head. ‘We don’t get on too good, to be honest. I tolerate him because we work together but that’s it.’ After thinking about it for a moment, he added, ‘I suppose you could try his mum’s. I know he goes round there when he needs money, ’cos I’ve heard him on the phone to her.’

‘Do you know where she lives?’ Eddie asked, downing his brew in one.

Thinking that Eddie must have a cast-iron stomach, because the coffee was still boiling hot, Carl shook his head again. ‘Somewhere in Rusholme, I think. I know a few of his mates, so I could ring around and see if anyone’s heard from him if you want.’

‘Yeah, you do that.’ Eddie stood up. ‘And let me know as soon you hear anything.’ As he went towards the door he paused. ‘Your mate, Joe . . . you trust him, yeah?’

‘Absolutely,’ Carl said emphatically. ‘He’s a good lad. I woke him up tonight but he got straight out of bed to come and pick me up. And there’s not many who’d do that for you round here.’

Nodding, Eddie said, ‘Ask him if he wants a job. You’re going to need a driver now Daz is out, and it might as well be him if he’s up for it.’

‘He will be,’ Carl said, sure that Joe would jump at the chance of earning a bit of extra money, considering he was always flat broke. ‘You definitely think Daz has ripped you off, then?’

‘If he has he’ll regret it,’ Eddie said darkly. ‘If not, he’d better have a fucking good explanation for taking off with it and dumping Kenny. You just keep your ears open. And tell Joe I’ll be needing him tomorrow. You, too. I’ll give you a ring when I’m ready.’

Exhaling through his teeth when Eddie had gone, Carl lit his spliff and sucked deeply on it. Whatever had happened after he and Matt had been dropped at the hospital, he didn’t envy Daz when Eddie got hold of him. Kenny was the only one authorised to hold the money and Daz would be lucky if he didn’t get his hands cut off for taking it. That said, Carl still couldn’t believe Daz would be that stupid.
Or
that brave.

Still, either way he was off the team. And that was great news for Carl because he couldn’t stand the idiot. And it would be really good to work with Joe, so long as Joe agreed to do it. But there was only one way to find out.

Easing himself up off the couch, Carl headed for the door. When Mel heard the movement she came out of the bedroom and blocked his path.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’

‘To see Joe.’

‘I don’t think so,’ Mel scolded, watching as Carl staggered into the wall. ‘You’ve just come out of hospital and your head’s all over the place. You need to lie down.’

‘I just need to ask him something,’ Carl protested.

‘It can wait,’ Mel said firmly. ‘Bed –
now!
’

‘Yes, miss!’ Carl chuckled, doing as he was told.

She was right. Joe would keep.

9

It was four in the morning, and Kenny was bored and freezing on the steps outside Daz’s flat. But Daz wasn’t coming home. Not now he’d found the money.

He hadn’t known it was in the car when he’d driven off earlier and had assumed that Kenny was chasing him because he was mad about being dumped so far from home. But Daz hadn’t seen why he should do Kenny any favours after the grass had said that he was going to tell Eddie about him disappearing off the job. They both knew that Eddie would sack him on the spot for that –
and
give him a kicking to make an example of him while he was at it. So fuck him.

Still heading for home at that point, Daz had taken a turning too fast and had dropped his cigarette in his panic to avoid smashing into a parked van. After slamming his brakes on when it rolled out of sight under the passenger seat he’d groped around for it. And that had been when he’d found the money.

Realising then why Kenny had really been chasing him, he’d thought about taking it back. But he knew it was already too late because they’d be bound to think he’d
intended
to steal it but had bottled out at the last minute. Either way he’d still be sacked – and would still get a kicking.

And it would take a bigger fool than Daz to hand himself over on a plate if he knew
that
was coming. So he’d sat and stared at the money for a long time, coming to the eventual conclusion that he might as well keep it. It was only two and a half grand – peanuts compared with what Eddie must be making off all his other shit – so
he
wouldn’t miss it. But it would really help Daz out until he’d found another earner. And Kenny couldn’t prove he’d left it in the car, so if Eddie caught up with him Daz would just deny he’d ever seen it.

But he couldn’t face Eddie just yet because he was way too jumpy to pull off the innocent act. So obviously he couldn’t go home because that was the first place they would go looking for him. He also couldn’t go to any of his mates’ places because none of them could be trusted to keep their mouths shut. Same with his mum – although she’d probably ring Eddie herself if she knew he was looking for Daz. There was only one person he’d be safe with and that was Billi: the junkie he’d been seeing but hadn’t told any of his friends about because he hadn’t wanted them to think he’d let his standards slip so low. And that made her flat the perfect hideout until he knew what Eddie was planning to do to him.

Parking up behind Longsight’s Dickenson Road market now, Daz pulled his hood up to shield his face in case people were already looking out for him and made the rest of his way on foot. Billi’s flat was above a launderette and the only access was a door at the top of a steep flight of metal steps around the back. There was no lighting around there so it was always pitch black at night – and only marginally less so in the daytime, thanks to the huge factory that backed onto the alleyway behind and blocked out all the natural light.

Daz wasn’t surprised when Billi didn’t answer the door when he knocked, because she’d be well out of it by now. But it was easy enough to get in through the knackered kitchenette window and he was soon making his way to the bedroom – his dick already twitching in anticipation. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something about the look on a bird’s face when she woke up and found you sticking it to her that really did it for him.

The bedroom door squeaked when Daz pushed it open. Billi woke with a jolt, sat up and clutched the quilt to her naked breasts.

‘What d’y want?’ she squawked, squinting into the darkness. ‘My fella and his mates will be here any minute, so you’d best get out while you’ve got a chance.’

Daz shushed her from the shadows and felt his way to the end of the bed.

Realising who it was when he slid his hand under the quilt, Billi’s fear turned to anger. ‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’ she hissed, kicking out at him. ‘You can’t go round breaking into people’s gaffs whenever you feel like it!’

‘I knocked,’ Daz told her, as if that excused him. ‘Not my fault you didn’t hear me.’ Stroking his way up her calf now, he stopped when he felt sharp stubble graze the back of his hand. He snapped his head around and frowned when he saw the shape of a covered body lying beside her. ‘Who the fuck’s that?’

‘None of your business,’ Billi said, jerking her leg out of reach. ‘Anyway, get out. You’ve got no right coming round here in the middle of the night and questioning me.’

Daz inhaled deeply as a surge of rage coursed through him. He’d already had Kenny talking down to him like he was some kind of muppet and there was no way he was tolerating more of the same from a bird.

‘Out here,
now
,’ he growled, getting up and heading for the door.

Billi snatched up her dressing gown and tugged it on. She stomped after him and scowled when she found him sitting in her scabby armchair. ‘Don’t bother making yourself comfortable – you’re not staying.’

‘Oh, I think you’ll find I am,’ Daz informed her through gritted teeth. ‘But
he
’s not.’ He nodded towards the bedroom. ‘So do him a favour and get him out before I
put
him out.’

‘Are you for real?’ Billi demanded indignantly. ‘I invited him here. He’s going nowhere.’

‘Sorry – did I make that sound like I was asking?’ Daz said quietly.

‘No way.’ Standing her ground, Billi raised her chin in defiance. ‘This is
my
flat, and
I
decide who comes in, not you. Anyhow, what’s the deal with all this jealousy shit? We’ve only had a few shags – we’re not a couple or anything.’

It was true but Daz wasn’t in the mood to be reasonable. ‘Last warning.’ He cracked his knuckles as if he was getting ready for a fight. ‘Get rid of him, or I’ll do it myself.’

A light clicked on in Billi’s head and she gave Daz a knowing look. ‘You’re on the run, aren’t you? So come on, what have you done? ’Cos I’m telling you now, I’ve got enough shit of my own to deal with without getting mixed up in any of yours.’

‘You won’t get mixed up in nothing,’ Daz told her. ‘So long as you do what you’re told. And you’ve got about thirty seconds to get on with it ’cos I’m running out of patience.’

Billi had never seen him like this before. As she’d just reminded him, they’d only hooked up a few times, which hardly made them an item. But they’d always had a laugh and she’d thought he was all right, so it was unnerving to see him like this. Daz was like a completely different person and she realised that she didn’t really know him at all. He’d already broken in and crept up on her in her bedroom, so God only knew what else he was capable of.

Deciding that it was probably safer to do as he asked for now and get rid of him when he’d calmed down, she went back to the bedroom and woke the lad, telling him that her boyfriend had come home unexpectedly, pissed and spoiling for a fight. She hustled him out when he’d dressed hurriedly and heard him curse as he missed his footing on the steps. Hoping that she wasn’t going to find him lying at the bottom with a broken leg in the morning, she went back to Daz.

‘Happy now?’

Daz eyed her as she sat down on the couch. ‘Not really. I’m still thinking about that crack you made about me having no rights.’

‘Look, I’m not being funny,’ Billi said, reaching for her cigarettes. ‘But come on, Daz . . . you know there’s nothing serious going on with us. We’ve only known each other a few months.’

‘So?’ Daz had a nasty edge to his voice. ‘If I’m fucking you I’ve got the right to expect you not to fuck anyone else, haven’t I?’

Billi’s mouth dropped open. ‘This
is
a joke, right?’ Shaking her head when he carried on looking at her, she said, ‘Don’t you think this is a bit twisted?’

Daz was off his chair and on her in a flash. ‘You taking the piss, you fucking whore?’ he growled, straddling her and pinning her down. ‘Think I’m gonna let a skank like you talk to me like that?’

‘Get off me, you nutter!’ Billi yelled, squeezing her eyes shut when he started slapping her across the face. Screaming when he sank his teeth into her cheek, she said, ‘All right, all right, I’m sorry! Stop it –
please
!’

Daz peered down at her with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. ‘You ever mouth off at me like that again and you won’t get off so lightly. D’y hear me?’

‘Okay,’ Billi croaked. ‘Just get off me. You’re on my ribs; I can’t breathe.’

Daz stood up and snatched her cigarettes off the table. ‘I need a drink. What’ve you got?’

‘Nothing,’ Billi muttered, rubbing at the circle of indentations marking her cheek. ‘I do drugs, not booze – remember?’

Daz didn’t like the tone of her voice but when he turned to give her a warning look he saw that her dressing gown had fallen open. His dick sprang back to life when he glimpsed the dark regrowth of her shaved pubic hair.