shook my head. ‘Poor animal. What kind of a sick fuck keeps such a beautiful beast caged?’
Nobody answered, then Nadja spoke, ‘Gus, surely we can talk about this?’
‘Oh, we’re past the pillow-talk stage, honey, or hadn’t you realised?’
I turned away from the wolf, strolled over to the group. ‘Quite a gathering. I’m sure you must be wondering why I brought you here.’
No one answered. The pug groaned, I put a kick in his back, yelled, ‘Shut the fuck up.’
The others flinched as I turned on them. I cocked the gun in their direction.
‘It’s all very simple. I’m going to ask one question, and I will get an answer.’
‘Mr Dury,’ Zalinskas stood up, ‘I’m sure you are a reasonable man.’
I brought the gun across his face, opened up a two-inch gash. He yelled, fell back. Blood streamed through the fingers he brought up to his cheek.
‘Whatever gave you that idea?’
I pulled up a chair, turned its back towards the group. As I sat down I kept moving the gun between their heads. ‘One question and I will have an answer. Do you understand?’
The three of them nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Who killed Billy?’
No one answered. Nadja turned to Zalinskas, he turned away.
‘Maybe I didn’t make myself clear.’ I stood up again, put the gun to Zalinskas’ head.
‘It’s not what you think. It’s not what you think,’ he whined.
‘Who pulled the trigger?’ I yelled. ‘Who killed him?’
I pushed Zalinskas aside, grabbed Nadja by the hair. ‘Was it you? Huh? Did you kill him? Zalinskas found out about your blackmail plot, so you took Billy out to save yourself.’
She screamed. ‘No. No. No.’
I threw her down, stuck the gun in Cardownie’s left eye. ‘You? Go to the source, wipe out the threat?’
He cried like a child. ‘Oh my God… no. Please, spare me… I didn’t kill him.’
I took the gun back to Zalinskas. His face was running with blood. I hit him again, opening up a matching wound on his other cheek. He fell to the ground. On all fours he wheezed, gagging for air.
‘Get up!’ I stood over him, fired a shot into the floor, right between his hands. The wolf’s howls rose higher as I grabbed him by the throat. ‘Billy was a threat to everything, wasn’t he?’
He tried to speak but his words were choked.
‘Billy was gonna blow it all wide open, wasn’t he? The girls, the connections, everything. You’d have had nothing left, would you?’
I fired the gun into the ground again. ‘Who killed Billy? Tell me. Tell me, you fuck. Who killed Billy?’
‘It was me, Gus.’
The voice came from behind me. Sweat ran down my spine, I turned and tried to focus.
‘I killed him.’
I let Zalinskas fall to the ground, straightened myself, said, ‘ What?’
‘I killed him. It was me.’
My breath quickened. I wiped the sweat from my eyes. ‘Col — what are you doing here?’
He walked from the balcony through the french doors and faced me. ‘I killed Billy. I killed my own son.’
My thoughts raced, my mind felt numb, but my heart pounded. ‘I–I… I don’t understand.’
As Col walked closer I felt drawn into his wide eyes. ‘He was as good as dead. The life he made for himself had killed him.’
‘What are you saying?’ The room swayed, everything felt surreal.
‘Billy was a thug. A criminal. He preyed on those who couldn’t defend themselves.’
‘Do you know what you’re saying?’ I asked.
‘Every word.’
It didn’t make any sense — any of it. ‘But Billy was tortured. They pulled his nails out.’
‘That’s how I found him — left for dead. I put him out of his misery.’
‘Then why, Col? Why did you need me?’
‘I had no idea about any of this, Gus. You’ve led me to them.’ As Col moved forward I saw he carried a shotgun in his hand. ‘And now, when I do what I have to do, you’ll be here to explain to everyone why it had to be like this.’
He raised the gun to his shoulder.
‘No, Col, you don’t have to do this.’
‘I must.’
He steadied the gun, pointed it at Zalinskas.
‘No, think about this.’
‘I’m sorry, Gus.’
He lowered his eye, stared down the barrel at Zalinskas.
‘No, Col! No!’ I yelled at him.
I couldn’t let him do it. I grabbed for the gun, held the barrel tight. He wrestled me for the firearm. ‘Leave it, Col.’
‘No it can’t be left.’
I heard Nadja and the others screaming, everything blurred as they ran for the doors. I saw the pug hobbling down the fire escape, and then, the gun went off.
The sound of the shotgun echoed round the room, followed fast by the noise of breaking glass.
I fell back with the fierce recoil. Landed on the floor where Zalinskas curled in fear. Nadja and Cardownie were already through the door on the fire escape.
I saw Col take aim at Zalinskas for a second time.
‘No, Col… put it down.’
‘Get out of the way, Gus.’
‘No…’
As I waited for the second shot to come down the barrel, Col suddenly lunged forward, pushed from behind by the wolf as it leapt through the shattered cage.
The shotgun went flying as Col crashed face first into the ground. By instinct I raised the Glock, for a second I put the wolf in my sights, I squeezed the trigger. The bullet connected with the wall behind.
‘No!’ yelled Zalinskas. He jumped to his feet and I saw a flash of red, like paint spilling, as the wolf clamped its jaws into his neck.
The wolf tore and tore, pulling out the carotid arteries, ripping the flesh. I was transfixed, unable to remove my eyes. I felt the Glock slip from my hand.
As the second round of the shotgun went off, I snapped back to reality.
‘No!’ I turned away. Col lay propped against the wall, the gun barrel in his mouth, the back of his head blown out.
‘Oh Jesus Christ, Col… no.’
67
The wolf’s snarling and the sound of ripping flesh helped me gather myself.
I closed the doors behind me as I stepped onto the balcony, then descended the fire escape. In the ground behind the casino, the pug tried to squeeze through the fence, he was too big, I forced him out of my way.
‘Move it,’ I yelled.
He toppled over, whimpering like a beaten dog. As I ran for the side street, I got tangled in some bramble bushes. They caught my feet and dropped me to the road. As I tried to raise myself, my guts heaved, I threw up. I retched and retched, couldn’t seem to stop, and then I caught sight of Cardownie and Nadja. They were arguing; Cardownie refusing to let her get into his car.
‘It’s over for both of them,’ I thought. ‘I’ll make sure of that.’
