“The kid strung out?”
“Nah, don’t think so. Was trying to get his cock sucked.”
“Fuck my life. And he used that to impress? Where the hell do we find these idiots?”
“Would appear so.”
“Did Devlin suck his cock?”
“Not bloody likely,” Greg snorted.
Through my anger, I smirked at him. “Sucked yours though, huh?”
Greg blushed and cast his eyes downward. Yeah, not so cocky now. He had a weird thing going on with Devlin, aware we were friends, however. I’d introduced them years ago and now they conversed between themselves with intel swaps, leaving me out of it completely. They were definitely fucking around and as long as it didn’t interfere with other shit, I didn’t give a flying monkey about it. I trusted Greg enough to know he wasn’t colluding behind my back in a distasteful way with the police force, even if he was bumping uglies with an officer.
Cracking my knuckles, I nodded to Sandir. “Guess we’re paying the dickhead a visit. You know where he’s going to be tonight?”
“Oh, yeah.” He grinned wide. “Greg’s been keeping tabs on the idiot since Dev told him about four hours ago. Silly twat is trying his luck down at Nero’s right about now.”
“Let me guess, he found someone else to suck his cock?”
“Not yet, but he’s definitely cruising.”
“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Sandir rumbled. “Shouldn’t you have been sucking the copper’s dick? You know, to say thanks and all that.”
Greg’s laugh was obnoxious as he patted Sandir’s chest. “Nah, mate. Don’t work like that.”
Sandir balked, and I could tell exactly what he was thinking, how his gears were turning. Devlin was almost as big as Sandir, though his body slighter in mass, and Greg, well… not so much. He coughed into his hand. “All right then.”
“Someone grab Andrey and Tayte, meet me at the car. Got some fingers to swipe.”
“Just fingers?”
“I’ll see how I feel when I catch up to the little fucker.”
Nodding to the bouncer I used occasionally at Caulder’s on the way into the club, Trey raised his eyebrows as he opened the door and let us in without the usual frisk and checks.
“We’ll clean up, I promise,” I winked.
“Shit,” he said, but grinned as I patted his shoulder. “Third door down the hall is quiet.”
“Cheers, Trey. Knew there was a reason I liked you.”
By the time I was inside, I’d mellowed a bit. Not enough to go easy, but enough I was thinking twice about dragging the imbecile kicking and screaming to the river Thames and drowning the rat. We found him sleazing up to some college kid, and the minute he spied the five of us, he tried to bolt.
Tayte was quicker, nabbing him by the belt on his skinny jeans before he could get within a foot of the emergency door. He was about shitting his pants when he turned to face me. Hauling him into the cupboard Trey had mentioned, and out of sight with Tayte and Sandir, Greg and Andrey stayed outside, keeping the peace because this was about to get loud and messy. Five minutes was all I needed, and a lot could happen in such a small amount of time.
Without giving the bloke a chance to open his mouth and spew off any excuses, I drew back my fist and sucker punched him in the stomach, only slightly satisfied when he doubled over in pain.
“Sorry,” he wheezed. “Fuck, sorry.”
He fucking knew what he’d done and what he had coming. Sandir wheeled him around, arm pulled up behind his back, his thick arm around his neck in a lock. “Snitching?” he sneered down into his face.
“It just slipped out. He was askin’ questions.”
“God, you’re a dumb arse, ain’t you? You don’t get second chances, not after something that stupid. He was a fucking copper.” The guy slumped in Sandir’s hold, resigned to his fate.
“Which one?”
I swore his lip trembled as he looked toward the wall. “Really, Mr Ischmov? You need to do that? I swear I won’t open my trap again.”
“You’ve just lost your job, think you need a permanent reminder as to why, so you can be sure not to make the same mistake again.”
“Please, no. I need the money.”
“I trusted you. You let me down and have given me no choice. Which one?”
His fight came back, and he struggled with Sandir, a wasted effort. Sandir wouldn’t tolerate his carry on any more than I would. “Tayte, hold him. Last time. Which one?”
“Christ. Pinkie, just the pinkie.” Sweat erupted on his forehead as he looked away, full on crying now.
His tears didn’t sway me, I’d seen it all before and displays of emotion like the one he was giving didn’t affect me, not anymore. Pulling out the cigar cutter from the inside pocket of my jacket, I watched as he shut his eyes and bit down on his lip. I nodded to Sandir who clamped his hand over the bloke’s mouth. Tayte yanked at his wrist, straightening his fingers and with a slide and a snip, I severed the pinkie at the joint.
Blood gushed, and for a moment I felt sick to my stomach as I took a step back, getting out of the way. His digit fell to the floor, the stupid idiot screaming bloody murder under Sandir’s fingers.
“I’ll put a hole in your chest and leave you in the sewer for the rats if you ever fucking open your mouth about our business again,” I growled in front of his face, ripping his head back by his hair. “Blink if you understand?”
He blinked furiously which was good enough for me. Nodding to Sandir, I cleaned the cigar cutter with a bright white handkerchief, then put it back into my pocket, turned and left the room. Sandir and Tayte would
