‘Fuck’s sake, chill out man. Look, Ryan Johnson was a loose cannon. Need I remind you he’s already done a stretch for us once before and struggled with it? There was no guarantee he’d do the same again. We couldn’t be sure he’d continue to keep his mouth shut. He was a fucking contender for Redford and Mitton to pop into witness protection, if ever I saw one.’
‘Lurch would have been enough to persuade him to keep his mouth shut.’
‘Yeah, probably. But Lurch is as numb as a piss stone and I don’t trust him with my freedom. It wasn’t a gamble I was prepared to take, okay? I was there, you were in here, so it was my call to make.’
‘Yeah, cheers mate, don’t go rubbing it in.’
‘Aw, sorry man, I didn’t mean to.’ Donnelly looked genuinely contrite. It went against the grain for him to be out while his best friend was still locked up. ‘How are you getting on in here?’
‘I’m living the dream, bro. The spa can get busy in the afternoon, but the five-star food and cocktail menu more than compensate for the inconvenience.’ Nowak sneered sarcastically. ‘Seriously, Aiden, I’m glad you’re out, mate, but you’ve got to get the lawyers to get their fingers out of their arses and do the same for me. It’s doing my fucking head in, this place. I can’t stand the thought of Markita being on her own out there with God knows who sniffing around her. Plus, they’re looking at sticking both the McCluskey jobs on me. I’m facing a long stretch and you know there’s no way that can happen.’
‘I know, I know. Look, just keep your head, okay? I’m already on it and so are the briefs. As we speak, they’re making arrangements for you to be transferred to Strangeways, so at least you’ll be nearer to home. There’s no way the prison intelligence unit should have bought all that bullshit from Redford about us being in separate prisons.’ Donnelly snorted with disgust. ‘The man’s just taking the piss. Everyone knows him and that bitch Mitton have had it in for us for years. It’s fucking police harassment is all.’
Nowak nodded in agreement. ‘So, what are you planning?’
‘I’m going to find someone to take the rap for you, of course. They’ve got no forensics or CCTV to tie you to the shooting or the stabbing. Plus, Markita has provided you with an alibi for both jobs. I’ve got someone in mind to plant McCluskey’s blood on.’
‘Who?’
‘Spencer James.’
Nowak shook his head. ‘Never heard of him. Who is he?’
‘New bloke who I’d just appointed the bar manager’s position. It’s probably my own fault for not checking him out properly, but it’s an unhappy coincidence that he arrived at my place the same morning of the raid.’
‘Right…’
‘Yeah, right. Who put me in touch with him? That little fucking rat, Johnson, remember?’
‘You think they both grassed us up? If so, why would this Spencer arrange to be there on the morning it kicked off?’
‘I’ve no idea. It could just be coincidence, but you know I don’t buy that. I don’t know anything about him, but my instincts are telling me he’s trouble. I’ve had leads put on him. I’ll text you a photo of him later. You should at least know what the bloke who’s gonna be doing a stretch for you looks like. It’s good manners.’
Nowak laughed, allowing the relief to sink in. ‘Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out. I knew you would. I know I can trust you to have my back. Sorry for being a bit arsey, it’s just this place. But after this, Aiden, let’s just cool things a bit, eh? I want to get out of here and concentrate on sorting things with Markita.’
‘Problems?’
‘Yeah. No… Oh, I don’t know, mate, I really don’t.’ He sighed, rubbing his hand over his head. ‘She just seems different since I got locked up. And she’s not even been to see me since I’ve been in here. Said it was too far to fucking travel. Cheeky bitch seems to have forgotten it was me that bought her that fucking Audi she’s so proud of. When I ring her, she can’t get off the phone quick enough. I don’t know what to think.’
‘Leave it with me. I’ll go and pay her a visit. Shower her with a few gifts from you. It’s probably just all the upset of you being in here. She’s most likely in bits but doesn’t want you to know, so is saying as little as possible. This place fucks with your head, mate, you’ve too much time to think and it makes you paranoid.’
‘Yeah, you’re probably right. I just need to get out and soon.’
‘Few more days, mate, okay? Just hold your nerve. What’s your cellmate like?’
‘Bloke called Naylor. Older fella, but he’s okay, a good laugh. In fact, he’s after finding out some information about a SOCO who dealt with me when I got nicked. If I text you details, can you ask around?’
‘’Course, mate. Whatever you need. At least you’ve not got any bother in here.’
‘You know what it’s like, Aiden. I’m treated like fucking royalty. The benefits of having a reputation that precedes you is making it go all right. I just can’t stand being locked up.’
‘I know. Just sit tight because me and you are gonna get over this little glitch and in future, we’re going to make sure that whatever we do, we’re untouchable.’
‘Amen to that.’ Once again, the two men fist-bumped, and Nowak smiled. He could practically smell freedom and it was all thanks to his best friend, Aiden Donnelly.
28
Markita Milani was stretched out on her bed wrapped only in a bath towel. She was cooling down after her shower, enjoying the scent of her freshly washed skin. The
