and I need to find him before the police get him … or worse.’
‘Are you having a laugh or what?’
‘You know what I mean, Johnny. I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t serious.’
‘You should keep a better eye on him. You being a copper an’ all!’
‘I can’t get hold of him. He’s not answering his mobile and his landline’s been disconnected.’
‘Doesn’t surprise me. He’s no doubt on the run!’
‘From who? You?’
‘If he knows what’s good for him, he will be! Nick stopped working for me a month back. Got involved with those Eastern European bastards who are coming over here and taking all our bloody money!’
It didn’t sound like Nick. At least, not the Nick he knew.
‘Are you sure?’ questioned Brady.
‘Too right I am. I saw him myself at Heathrow with two Eastern European Lithuaks!’
‘What was he doing?’ demanded Brady, knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer.
‘What do you think he was doing?’
‘I don’t know …’ pushed Brady.
‘Trading in goods is what. Him and his new Lithuak mates. Presumably waiting for what they’ve paid for to come off the plane and then they start trading with the other Lithuak shits who hang around there. Just come back from Spain and I run straight into your Judas of a brother. Bloody didn’t know where to look!’
‘Are they dealing in drugs?’ Brady asked.
He was silently hoping that was what the answer was going to be.
‘What didn’t you hear? I said he was in with some Lithuaks! Do you reckon they’re moral like us? Hell no! They’re evil shits. Dirty money is what they deal in. They bring in girls. Eastern European girls from back home, and they sell the poor buggers for the highest price as soon as they’re through customs.’
‘Shit!’ muttered Brady.
‘Yeah, that’s one word for it. I wouldn’t touch that trade if my life depended on it. I’ve got standards. And sadly, I thought Nick had too!’
With that, Johnny Slaughter hung up, leaving Brady worried. The last person he wanted hunting Nick down was Billy ‘Slash’ Slaughter.
He decided to call Nick again. He had no choice but to leave a voicemail.
He waited while the phone connected. It rang and rang before cutting to voicemail.
‘Nick? What the fuck are you doing? Call me, as soon as you get this. I’ll help you, OK? Whatever it takes, Nick, I’ll get you out of this …’
Brady stopped. He didn’t know what else to say so he hung up.
How he was going to help him, he didn’t know. But he was certain about one thing – he’d cross the line to save his brother. Regardless of his career. And that included not letting Madley’s new boy use him as target practice, nor giving Billy Slash-Slaughter the chance to redesign his face.
Brady thought long and hard about ringing Madley.
But he had no other option.
‘Martin?’
‘What did you find out?’ Madley asked, getting straight to the point.
‘Slaughter said that Nick stopped working for him a month back. That he’s got involved with some Eastern European guys.’
‘Did he give you any names?’
Brady noticed he didn’t sound surprised.
Either Madley had already talked to Slaughter about Nick or … he was holding back on him.
Brady hoped it wasn’t the latter.
‘No … called them Lithuaks though.’
‘Means nothing,’ Madley replied.
Brady couldn’t ignore the fact that there was an edge to Madley’s voice.
‘Martin?’
‘What?’
‘You’d tell me if something was wrong, yeah?’
‘You’re a fucking copper, Jack! Or have you forgotten that? A copper whose brother has just tried to stitch me up.’
Brady kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t deny it.
‘Do you know how long that wanker Adamson questioned me for this morning? Two fucking hours! Two hours out of my life! If it hadn’t been for Rogers turning up, I reckon the wanker would have tried to nail the fucking copper’s attack on me!’
Madley was more than furious.
Brady knew he had to act fast and find Nick before he did.
‘Do you know how much that stunt cost me?’ Before Brady could answer, Madley told him. ‘Too fucking much!’
Brady knew Rogers was one of the best lawyers in the North East, which was why Madley employed him.
‘You find him, you hear? And you make him talk. Make him talk before I get my hands on him. Understand?’
‘Tell me something, who wants you out, Madley?’ asked Brady.
‘Why don’t you stick with what you do for a living and leave me to get on with what I do?’ Madley said quietly, with an air of threat.
‘It’s a little bit late for that, don’t you think, given one of ours is caught up in the middle of it?’ replied Brady.
He waited for a response.
Nothing.
‘Listen to me, Martin, Adamson won’t let this go. Paulie reckons you’ve got competition, that someone’s leaning on you. If that’s the case do you want Adamson sticking you with a copper’s brutal mutilation? Because I promise you, that’s exactly what’s going to happen unless you talk to me.’
Brady listened as the line went dead.
Madley’s silence said it all. The problem was, he wasn’t going to make it easy for Brady. He’d have to do some work to find out exactly who wanted Madley out, and why.
He dragged his hand back through his hair, catching his reflection in the rear view mirror. He looked like he’d had the crap beaten out of him. Which he had.
Then something caught his eye. Something on the back seat.
It was a black bin liner.
Brady quickly spun round.
He suddenly realised that there was something wrong. There was a heavy, foul smell in the air. He had initially thought it was coming from outside the car. He now realised it was coming from the black bin liner behind him.
He yanked open the door and retched. The contents in the black bin liner gave him no choice.
His stomach kept heaving, even though there was nothing there to force out. Once he was certain that he wasn’t going to retch again, he shut the car door.
He had to get his head together. He needed to make a call. At the end of the day he was still a copper. He had no choice but to call in the SOCOs. It was a crime scene. There was a victim. And if Nick was involved … Well, he’d deal with that later.
