‘Nothing?’ said Joe. ‘Not even to plead for your life?’
‘You’re not going to let us go,’ Luke said.
Joe clapped sarcastically. ‘Quite right. At least one of you cunts knows what’s going on.’
‘Look,’ said Adam. ‘You can let us go. We won’t tell anyone about this place, I promise. Three of us will be off the island in hours anyway, and I’m sure Molly just wants to be left alone.’
Joe laughed hard. ‘Didn’t you learn anything from Quiet Boy over there? We’re not letting you go. Then again, maybe I’m just saying that so you beg and plead and demean yourselves, then I’ll let you go. Or maybe kill you. Life’s complicated, isn’t it, Grant?’
‘These cunts have no idea how complicated it is,’ said Grant.
‘I’m confused,’ said Roddy, recovering composure. ‘Which one of you is the good cop? This is more of an “arse cop, twat cop” routine.’
Joe turned to Grant. ‘He’s funny, isn’t he?’
‘He thinks he is, but he’s wrong.’
‘Let’s turn out their pockets, see what we’ve got.’
Grant went through their pockets, dumping everything in a pile on the floor. Mobiles, keys, wallets, money, the Viagras from Adam’s pocket, a notebook of Luke’s and Roddy’s coke tin.
‘What have we here?’ said Grant, picking up the Viagras.
Joe turned to Adam. ‘Problems getting it up, eh?’
‘They’re not mine.’
‘And yet they were in your pocket. Guess how many times I’ve heard that down at the station?’ He turned to Molly. ‘You hooked up with Mr Floppy here yet? I never had any trouble in that department, eh, love?’
‘Piss off.’
Joe picked up the coke case and opened it. ‘Shit, there’s enough in here to fuel the whole of celebrity London.’
‘Personal use,’ said Roddy.
‘Like fuck, this is ten times what we need to do you for dealing Class As.’
‘Double A, more like,’ said Roddy. ‘That’s none of your usual Colombian crap cut to fuck, that shit is purest Bolivian medical-research grade.’
Joe tapped a line onto his hand and snorted.
‘Hey,’ said Roddy.
‘Fuck me,’ said Joe, eyes like saucers.
He passed the tin to Grant who copied him.
‘Holy shit,’ said Grant, wiping his nose.
Joe shook his head as if trying to dislodge something. ‘I guess being a hedge fund cunt has its advantages.’ He looked at Roddy. ‘But I don’t suppose it really prepares you for situations like this.’
‘You really don’t have to do all this,’ said Adam. ‘You’re digging a hole for yourselves.’
Joe sauntered over and casually kneed Adam in the face, sending his head slamming into the cask behind him.
‘Jesus wept,’ said Adam.
‘The only holes we’ll be digging are the ones we need to hide your bodies.’
Molly shook her head. ‘What happened to you, Joe?’
Joe stopped in his tracks and turned. ‘What?’
Molly sighed. ‘You weren’t always like this or I wouldn’t have married you, would I? Don’t you remember what it was like in the beginning between us?’
Joe rolled his eyes. ‘Spare me the amateur psychology lesson, darling.’
‘Do you think your dad would’ve been proud of how you turned out?’
‘Where do you think I learned how to become such a bastard?’
‘You don’t have to repeat his mistakes.’
‘I don’t have to, but it turns out it’s fun.’
‘What about your mum, then?’
‘You leave Mum out of it.’
‘How would she feel about all this?’
Joe walked towards Molly with a strange look on his face, then hesitated.
‘I know things didn’t work out with us,’ said Molly. ‘Our plans for a family and everything.’
Joe looked like he was about to interrupt, but didn’t. He turned away and looked at a far wall.
‘But you’re better than all this, Joe,’ she said softly. ‘At least, the Joe I used to know was better than this. He would never have got mixed up in all this insane shit.’
Eventually Joe turned, giving a little sigh. ‘Yeah, well, the Joe you used to know doesn’t exist any more. Meet the new, improved Joe.’
‘I don’t think it’s an improvement,’ said Molly. ‘Cutting yourself off from the world like this.’
‘I’m not cutting myself off from anything.’
‘You are. All this stupid evil bullshit is just an excuse so that you don’t have to feel anything any more.’
‘That’s bollocks,’ said Joe, glancing at Grant, who was pocketing the Viagras.
‘I don’t think it is,’ said Molly.
‘It’s too late,’ said Joe, walking up close to her and crouching down to stare into her face. ‘It’s far too late for all this shit.’
Their lips were almost touching now.
‘It’s never too late,’ said Molly, her eyes staring deep into his. His eyes flickered between holding her stare and gazing at her lips, two inches from his own.
There was a burst of electrical static over the distillery machines. Joe held Molly’s gaze for a few more seconds then sighed, stood up and turned. A tinny voice could just be heard coming from the junk on the table in the far corner. Joe walked over and picked up a police radio.
‘Sounds like our pick-up’s on its way,’ he said to Grant. ‘I’ll deal with this outside, you keep an eye on the Fantastic Four, eh?’
He stopped on the way out, turned back and whispered something to Grant, who nodded.
Adam felt blood trickling from his nose into his mouth as he watched Grant point the pistol at them.
22
‘You don’t have to do this,’ said Adam.
Grant came up to him, face to face. Adam could smell the bitter moonshine on his breath, see an alcoholic sheen on his forehead. His eyes were glassy slits, and Adam wondered how much he and Joe had been drinking. If they were rat-arsed it might be easier to escape; on the other hand it might make them more volatile.
‘I know I don’t have to do it,’ said Grant, baring his teeth.
‘I mean, Joe’s clearly lost it, but you seem like a decent guy. You could help us get out, we’d back you up with the authorities. It’s all Joe’s doing, right?’
‘You have no idea, do you?’
‘What?’
‘You think I don’t love this shit?’
‘Ah.’
‘We’re the law on this island, we rule the place, and we can do whatever the fuck we like. Including making a packet from bootlegging, and stopping anyone that gets in our way.’
Adam heard a laugh. It was Roddy. ‘Nice going, Freud,’ he said to Adam between wheezes. ‘That really got to his inner good guy, didn’t it?’
‘At least I’m trying,’ said Adam. ‘What the hell are you doing, except bleeding everywhere?’
‘That’s kind of keeping me occupied at the moment.’
Joe came back in and chucked the radio on the table.
