Page 61 of Red Retaliation

Continuing up the steps to the back door, I ignore her yelps, as well as the shouts of my brothers.

The Bristoni car must be in view.

Quickly, quickly!

Shouldering the door open, I push Arianna inside. “Stay in there and get the fuck away from the door!” I shout through the steel in the hope she hears me over the resounding slam of metal shutting behind her.

Swinging around, I get myself into position and raise my gun, waiting for the off.

But it’s quiet.

And there’s no car...

Glancing around, I see my brothers in position on opposite sides of the yard and Del crouching at the side of a small wall further along on my right. The taxi is still here; the driver cowering behind his bonnet, hishands over his head in the misguided notion the gesture will help amid a gunfight.

Where the fuck are the Bristonis?

“What the hell are you doing?” I scream as Oscar suddenly appears next to me. “Get back into position!”

“The car drove past!”

“What? Drove past?” I stare at him incredulously. “They could be playing with us and be back any second!”

Oscar shakes his head. “It wasn’t them. Whoever it was, drove past and went into the Mulberry down there. Sorry, bruv. I got it wrong.”

I glance at the Mulberry restaurant several buildings further down before turning back to Oscar.He rarely gets things like tails wrong. “You said you’d seen that car earlier.”

“I thought I did, yes, but... well, it must have been a similar one. I...”

“Fuck!” I lower my gun, my fist clenching. This doesn’t explain the stranger Liam saw at the wake, but then again, we don’t know all of Steve’s friends, family and associates.

My heart sinks. I’ve just put the fear of God into Arianna and dragged her across a fucking carpark for nothing!

But it might not have been nothing. It could have been them.

Luckily, it wasn’t.

I slap Oscar on the back. He only did what I expect - keeping alert for threats. “We were right to react. Let’s just call it a dress rehearsal!” I then nod towards the taxi driver. “However, you do win the prize of buying his silence.”

Oscar nods begrudgingly, knowing it will cost him a hefty wedge. He walks towards the driver, leaving me to lope up the steps to the back door. I’ll see what damage I’ve done to Arianna and put her mind at rest by explaining it was a false alarm. Then I’ll do what I came back here to do before this bullshit kicked off: sorting out Tom Slater.

Pushing open the steel fire door, I steam through, finding Arianna with her back pressed to the wall. Her terrified expression does little to soften my stress. I grab her by the forearm and stride along the corridor, my irritation spiking as she limps along. I haven’t got time to waste and need to put a plan together. “Hurry up!” I growl, pulling her along.

“Just slow down! I can’t...”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Sick of it all, I scoop Arianna up in my arms and, ignoring her protests, quickly mount the stairs. I haven’t got time to mess around. I’ve already wasted enough as it is.

CHAPTER

43

Red

IDEPOSIT ARIANNA ON THE BED. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll sort things so you can get cleaned up.”

Now I’m in my room, realizing what my actions in the carpark have caused, my anger and frustration with the day’s events, with losing Steve, with Liam and Oscar, Del, Arianna, the fucking Bristonis, Tom-Bastard-Slater, Joe Farrow - the whole lot of them, reduces, leaving me with the glimmer of an emotion I rarely experience, except over the demise of my parents.

Guilt.