“Y…yes, I was,” he stammered. “Amanda said she’d do to me what she did to Dillon if I didn’t cooperate.”
“You know what,” she said, looking at Amanda, who glared back at her. “I believe that.”
“Thank you,” he gasped, forcing away his tears. Unlike Rick, he intended to cling onto what little dignity he had left.
She released him and took a step back. “Vance, cut their bonds,” she said, gesturing from Rick to Eddie with the gun.
A question filled his eyes but he nodded and produced a knife.
“You can’t let them go,” exclaimed Tariq.
“Why not?”
“Like you said, they could come after you again or steal more drugs from us.”
“Look at them, they wouldn’t dare and if they did they know there would be no second chances.”
“Thank you, thank you,” breathed Rick over and over again as Vance cut his bonds.
“I didn’t say you could leave,” she said when they got to their feet and started to limp towards the door.
Tariq grinned wickedly and planted himself before them.
“B…but you said we could go,” said Rick.
“We have a problem. You see, our friend Tariq’s right. We can’t trust you not to attack us again.”
“We wouldn’t,” gasped Eddie. “I swear we wouldn’t ever again.”
“Shut it,” she yelled.
Eddie went silent and bit his lip to prevent the words he wanted to say from tumbling out.
“You will always be a danger but killing you outright would lead to too many questions being asked and that’s the last thing we want. So, if any of you ever come near us or our premises again we will kill you and bury you and your families won’t have a clue what happened to you.” She turned to Ben, running the barrel of the gun along the side of his face. “How would your wife and kids cope without you? And what about your mistress?” She smiled at the surprise on his face. “Mickey already told us all about her.” It turned out she was the blonde they’d seen him drag out of the casino. She was some cheap tart who worked in a strip club and who had a passing resemblance to his wife. Ben’s marriage had been on the rocks for quite a while. “Or what about your brother, Amanda?” she continued, turning to her. “The great big leech seems to rely on you for everything. Just think of the torment they’d go through every single day of their lives not knowing what happened. That’s a fate I wouldn’t inflict on my worst enemy.” The corner of her mouth curled into a smile when they glared at her. “Actually, I would but only if I really had to.” She jammed the gun under Amanda’s chin, who started to breathe in and out rapidly but she managed to keep her glare. “Vance, cut these two free as well.”
“What?” cried Tariq. “This is fucking ridiculous.”
Faith released Amanda and straightened up. “Have you got a better idea?”
“Yes. Bury them.”
“No.”
“Faith, maybe…,” began Vance quietly in her ear.
She ignored him, her furious gaze on Tariq. “Are you questioning my decision?”
“Yes I bloody am. This decision is making you look weak and we don’t work for weak people, especially not a weak woman. If you haven’t got the balls to do what’s necessary then hand over control to someone who does.”
“And who should that be Tariq? You?”
“At least I’d have the guts to bury these bastards.”
“And what would you do when the police started asking questions and the entire community started to miss them? If it was down to you, we’d all be in prison by the end of the year.”
“Don’t you question Faith,” Kevin yelled at him. “She knows what she’s doing.”
“Does she?” he retorted, brown eyes glittering with outrage. “I was happy to take orders from a woman when she was making me a ton of cash but what’s the point if her arse collapses when she has to get her hands dirty? I…”
He jumped when the gunshot boomed through the room. They all watched in astonishment as Mickey toppled to the floor, the back of his head hanging open.
Faith’s eyes were like razors as she looked back at Tariq, the freshly fired gun in her hand. Although she didn’t point it at him, she held it out at her side in warning.
“You still want to debate the point, Tariq?” she said icily.
His mouth opened and closed while his friend standing beside him vomited on the floor.
“I can see his brains,” murmured a stunned Tariq.
“Such as they are,” she replied
Everyone stared at Faith in stunned silence. Even Ben and Amanda looked unwell.
“Anyone else got a complaint?” she demanded.
Tariq and his friends frantically shook their heads.
When her hard gaze fell on Rick, a wet patch spread across his crotch.
“Good.” She looked to the four firefighters. “If you don’t want to end up like Mickey then don’t come near us again. Only your standing in the community has saved your lives today. Remember that. Now get out of here.”
She nodded at Vance and Caleb, who nodded back, cut Ben and Amanda’s bonds and followed the four of them out to make sure they’d really left the premises.
Faith tucked the gun into the back of her jeans and turned to face Jason and Kevin, who were still staring at Mickey’s body in astonishment.
“I’m sorry you had to see me do that,” she told them.
Kevin dragged his eyes off Mickey and threw up a front of nonchalance. “Doesn’t bother me. Daft bastard had it coming.”
“I know it bothers you Kev and that’s okay. It would be more worrying if it didn’t but you had to be introduced to murder one day. It’s unavoidable in the business we’re in.”
“We knew it was inevitable,”
