The brothers carefully picked their way across the floor, which creaked and groaned beneath their weight.
“How far are we carrying this?” said Vance.
“Until I tell you to stop.”
They kept going, the brothers becoming increasingly anxious that they were going to fall through the damaged floor.
“Put it down there,” they were told, the bald firefighter pointing to the rear right corner of the room, which had been reinforced to take the weight.
Gently they placed it down on the floor, sighing with relief.
“Right,” said Vance, straightening up. “We’ve done everything you’ve asked. Where’s Faith?”
“She’s through there,” he said, pointing to a room at the rear of the building from which a light shone. “Stay where you are,” he added when they moved to walk that way. “She’ll be brought out to you.”
“If she’s been harmed in any way,” Vance told him. “We’ll rip the lot of you apart.”
“I’ll give you lot your due,” grinned the bald one. “You’re pretty gutsy.”
“Stop fannying about you fucking twat and get our sister,” spat Kevin. “And you can stick that right up your arse too,” he added when the ginger firefighter aimed his gun at him.
“Take it easy Eddie,” the bald one told his friend.
Eddie grunted and lowered the weapon.
“Watch them,” the bald one told him before backing up to the door at the rear of the room. “It’s all clear,” he called.
There was the sound of heavy footsteps on the wooden floor, which creaked alarmingly. The brothers all took a step forward when an armed Ben emerged with Faith, whose hands were tied before her. They were followed by Amanda, who also held a pistol.
“Relax lads,” Ben told them, pressing the gun against the back of Faith’s head.
“Stay back,” Vance told his brothers, who obeyed. “Are you okay Faith?”
“Fine,” she replied. “I’m a bit pissed off but they haven’t hurt me.”
“Good.” His eyes flicked to Ben. “You’ve got what you wanted. Now let her go.”
“Not just yet. We want to make sure the drugs are in the coffin. Check it Rick.”
The bald firefighter handed Eddie his gun and stepped forward, looking a bit nervous as he knelt by the coffin. He grasped the lid and shoved it aside to reveal the neatly-packaged bricks.
“They’re all there,” Vance told them. “So give us Faith back.”
“Lift the top ones off Rick,” said Ben. “We want to make sure it’s all there.”
“It is all there,” said Caleb. “We’re not stupid.”
“So you’ve already proved but you’re young and impetuous and that type of person makes rash decisions.”
Everyone watched as Rick lifted the top layer of packages out of the coffin to reveal more. “They’re all here.”
“Cut one of the packages open to check.”
He produced a pen knife and jabbed the tip into one of the bricks, which he carefully put to his lips. “Cocaine. It’s the real deal.”
“You’ve made the smart decision lads,” Ben told the brothers.
“We know,” replied Vance. “Now give us Faith back.”
“All right, you’ve earned it,” he said, putting his hand in the middle of her back and shoving her towards them.
She stumbled, a damaged floorboard cracking under her right foot and Vance caught her and pulled her to him, steadying her.
“Are we done here?” Vance asked Ben.
“Not quite,” he said, raising the gun. “We’re busy people and we don’t want to go back and forth, taking the drugs from you only for you to steal them again.”
“You do realise that if you kill us the Maguires will kill you. Against them, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Perhaps, if there was any evidence that was what had happened. After all, they only have your word that this has gone on between us. We’re going to burn your bodies up until there’s nothing left. To the world it will look like you did a runner with the drugs.”
“They won’t buy that,” said Faith. “They’re not stupid.”
“You don’t need to worry about it,” he said, removing the safety. “Because you’ll be dead.”
“I don’t think so,” said Vance. “Not unless you want your wife to stay in one piece.”
Ben’s eyes flickered and for the first time he looked a little afraid. “What?”
“We took a leaf out of your book. Before we came here we sent our friends to your house and to Amanda’s brother’s, as well as to Rick’s parent’s and to Eddie’s house.”
“You fucking bastards,” roared Eddie, aiming his gun at him.
“I wouldn’t do that because if our friends don’t hear from us in the next ten minutes then your loved ones will be subjected to tortures they couldn’t even imagine. You might know how to roast people alive but we’ve become expert torturers. We wouldn’t kill them, we’d just ensure they were maimed for life – blinded, limbs amputated, tongues cut out. The list really is endless,” he said with a cold smile. “I want to thank you all. The inspiration came from your threats to our family.”
“He’s bluffing,” said Amanda, uncocking her gun.
“Do you really want to take that chance?” said Vance, eyes glittering.
“You’ve no way to contact them,” said Rick. “We searched you, you’re not carrying a radio or phone.”
“But you didn’t check our car, did you? You may think you’re playing the big boy’s game but you’re still amateurs.”
“Why didn’t you check the fucking car?” Amanda yelled at Eddie and Rick, who both jumped.
“You never said we had to,” retorted Eddie.
“Go and check the car,” Ben told them, gaze locked on Vance. “Quickly.”
Rick nodded and ran out, the two sides staring each other out as they waited in silence for him to return.
He came back a minute later, panting not with the exercise but with agitation. “I found this under the driver’s seat,” he said, holding out a mobile phone.
“Now
