Black Ice (31 page)

'Sorry, Kasem,' said Worthington. 'I didn't think you'd mind – the girls have done this before. We're going out to lunch after this, and I didn't want to leave them in the car.'

'Actually, I'd have much preferred that you did,' said Kasem. 'I'm afraid I have a bit of a peculiarity when it comes to business deals like this. It's a little embarrassing, I guess, and some people will not understand it.' He looked the blonde one in the eye. 'I don't do business like this with women. I happen to think it's beneath them.'

Byron wondered how this would go down. Everyone just stood in the entryway, a couple of steps inside the door.

'Well, we might have a problem, then,' said Worthington. 'You see, I have a certain way of doing business too. It's the lawyer in me. I don't make, ah, contracts without a witness.'

'We have Byron,' said Nader.

'He's yours,' said Christian.

'The problem remains,' said Nader. 'Maybe I haven't explained myself clearly enough. Do you like bacon, Mr Worthington?'

'Bacon?' said Christian.

'Yes. Bacon, spare ribs, sweet and sour pork?'

Christian stared.

Nader waited.

'A Muslim thing?' said Christian.

'A Muslim thing,' said Nader. 'The deal will not go ahead with the women present. I am sorry, ladies.'

'Well, what do we do here?' said Worthington.

'Well, we can't be here all fucking day,' Nader told him. 'Sorry. Pardon me, ladies. It seems we each want this deal to go ahead. Would it suit you if the women waited in the unit across the hall while you inspect the product and we talk?'

'The unit across the hall?' said Worthington.

'It's empty, much like this one,' said Nader.

Christian stared silently at the floor. Byron figured this whole thing had gone south and nothing good was going to happen today.

Finally Worthington spoke. 'Sounds all right,' he said.

Everyone in the room took a breath.

Nader cleared his throat. 'I hope I mentioned that this would be a
cash
transaction?' he said.

Christian stared. 'Oh, of course. The money. It's in the car. I didn't want to bring it in until I was sure you were here and everything was okay. It's a lot of money to just carry around.'

'It would've been better in your hands than out there, bro,' said Byron.

Worthington paled and left the room quickly. What a fuckwit, thought Byron. He couldn't understand how people that dumb got to be lawyers. No street smarts.

When Worthington returned he looked spooked.

'What?' said Nader.

'I think the girls should hang onto the money while I check out the product,' he said.

'You think I'm gonna fuck you up and take the money and the drugs?' said Nader.

'I just think the final transaction should happen in front of witnesses. That's the way I want to do this.'

Nader sighed. 'Whatever you want, Christian. If it was me, I wouldn't be letting that money out of my hands for anyone, but it's not like we'll be very long, anyway.'

'Oh, I trust Cassie and Seren,' said Christian. 'They know I know them and their
families
exceptionally well.'

'Very well,' said Nader. 'Let's get on with it, then.'

Byron stayed behind while Nader led Worthington and the girls out of the flat. He watched from the doorway as Nader unlocked the unit across the hall and let them in. How many places did this prick have? He hoped that this deal would hurry the fuck along. He didn't like his Rexie sitting out there this long in this neighbourhood.

Tuesday 16 April, midday

'I can't believe it,' said Jill. 'This is where Jelly lives. Nader's only come here to visit Jelly.' They sat in Gabriel's car in a shopping centre car park across the road from the unit block. She felt disappointed. She'd been hoping to catch Nader doing something wrong. Anything. 'Does Ajay know which unit he's gone to?' she asked.

'Nope,' said Gabriel. 'The software's not that specific, although they're guessing it's a centre unit rather than one on a corner. Let's just wait a bit, see if he comes out again.' He reclined his seat a notch, then commented, 'And,
that's
a car that definitely doesn't belong here.'

Jill stared at the late model silver sports car parked out the front of the units. 'What's that, an Audi?' she asked, dialling Ajay.

'Yep. R8,' he said.

She ended the call a couple of moments later. 'Car belongs to a Christian Worthington. Lawyer. Lives in Darling Harbour.'

'And that would be Mr Worthington right now, I would imagine. Leaving? No, he's getting something out of the boot,' said Gabriel.

Jill watched the young man take a large, expensive-looking shopping bag from the boot of the Audi. 'What do you reckon's in that?' she said.

'Could be anything,' said Gabriel. 'But Mr Worthington looks all wrong to me.'

'I understand that he might be nervous out here,' she said, 'but he's gonna put his neck out if he whips his head back and forth like that for much longer.'

'Something's going down,' said Gabriel. 'That's what I'm thinking. What do you say to having a look around?'

'Let's go,' said Jill.

As they crossed the hall to wait in the opposite unit for the drug deal to go down, Seren recognised the lettering on the shopping bag that Christian carried.
Christian Louboutin
. The same brand as the shoes that had helped send her to gaol. How about that? Was that a good omen or bad? All she knew was that she wasn't going to get this transaction on tape. It didn't matter, though: she had plenty to hang this guy. She just had to be patient a little longer.

'So,' said Gabriel, turning to face Jill in the car, 'I think we should approach the block from behind – cut through this car park, move up the street fifty metres and cross the road there. Stay close to the foliage at the rear of the property. What do you reckon?'

'Sounds good,' said Jill.

'Do you want to call it in?'

'Nothing to call in, yet.'

'Agreed. Let's go.'

They set off at a jog. When they reached the rear of the building, Gabriel pulled her down to a squat with cover from the building provided by a shrub. 'I think we should just have a look around in there, see what we can see. But Jill,' he said, 'if we encounter Nader, we're gonna have to arrest him. If he sees us here, he'll try to run.'

'Yep, and they'll hang us if we don't bring him in,' she said. She unclipped her firearm, and he did the same. 'Just don't terrify the civilians,' she said.

Byron stood up again from the couch and screwed up his nose. Friggin' thing smelled like old people. Nader must've got it from his oldies' house, he thought. You'd think a prick with that much money would buy some decent shit for this place. He glanced around the lounge room. I'd deck it out, he thought. Some cream leather lounges, the biggest wall screen plasma . . . What were they
doing
? He walked over to the doorway again and peered through the spyhole. Finally! He saw Nader and Christian closing the door of the unit opposite and heading back to where he waited.

As soon as Nader and Christian left the unit, Cassie decided to be open with Seren. She had no reason to trust this girl, but she'd passed the point of no return and she just hoped she was doing the right thing.

'Seren,' she said quickly, while they stood in the empty entrance to the unit, 'I know you don't know me from shit, but I just want to tell you that if you're taping these deals because you're a cop or you want to take this to the cops, I'll support you.'

Rather than expressing relief, the girl's face became even more pale.

'You don't look good, Seren,' Cassie said. 'Are you okay?'

Cassie lurched forward when Seren swayed and caught her before she dropped to the ground. Awkwardly she helped her to sit, right there on the floor, where she sat, staring.

'Seren?' she said.

Seren seemed suddenly to revive a little. She lifted her face and stared straight into Cassie's eyes. 'There's a lot I have to tell you,' she said.

At that moment Cassie felt that she'd believe anything Seren had to say.

Byron held the door heavy door open with his foot and leaned against the frame, staring down the corridor.

Suddenly, all blood drained from his face, and he screamed, 'Motherfuckers!'

As Nader and Worthington crossed the hall to re-enter the room, Byron slammed the door in his boss's face.

As she rounded the corner, Jill skidded to a stop. A door slammed nearby and a man screamed at Nader and Worthington. Hearing her behind him, Nader turned to face her.

'POLICE! FREEZE!' Jill had her firearm out, pointed at his chest. She became aware suddenly that Gabriel was by her side, his gun also in firing position, legs spread.

'Don't move, Nader,' he said. 'Stay where you are, Worthington.' He dropped the volume and said to Jill, 'Forward.'

They moved slowly up the hall. A door opened on Gabriel's left and he whipped his head and gun to face the sound. A woman, a cigarette in her fingers, shrieked. 'Get inside,' Gabriel told her. She did.

'Up against the wall!' Jill yelled. 'Palms flat. NOW!'

The men complied, but Worthington quickly dropped his pissing-in-my-pants look and blustered, 'What is this? Point your weapons away from me. I am an officer of the court! I am here seeing a client. What are your names?'

They reached the men. 'Spread your legs,' Jill said.

Gabriel did the pat-down. Took a firearm from Nader's jacket. Disabled it quickly, shaking out the bullets and pocketing them. 'Open the door,' he said.

'What door?' said Nader.

'The door of the unit you were about to enter,' said Jill.

'Hi, Krystal,' said Nader.

'Open the door,' she said.

'It's okay, Jill, I've got it.' Gabriel reached forward and removed a set of keys from Nader's pocket.

'I want it noted that I have just arrived to see my client and I have not been in this room before now,' said Worthington.

'Noted,' said Gabriel, turning the key. 'Now get in there.' He drew Worthington forward by his coat sleeve and then put his palm flat against the middle of his back and pushed him into the unit.

'DOWN!' shouted Gabriel. 'There's a third in here, Jill. It's Byron.'

She shoved Nader through the entry and covered all three men. Byron was already lying face down on the ground. 'Get down with him,' she said to the other two. Nader locked eyes with her and smiled, but they both went down.

Gabriel swept the unit quickly and returned to the lounge room. 'Clear,' he said. He walked towards the dining table, glanced inside the boxes sitting on top. Big smile. He walked back and nudged Nader gently with his toe.

'Ha-ha. You're in trouble,' he said.

Jill carefully removed her mobile from her pocket, keeping her gun trained on the men on the floor. She'd call Superintendent Last first, and then Lanvin. Gabriel stood at the dining table, inspecting the contents of the boxes.

'How much you reckon is in there?' she said.

'Shitloads,' he answered.

And then the doorbell rang. Gabriel indicated that she should take a look.

'Oh, my God, Gabe, it's Cassie!' she said. She froze for a moment and then pulled the door open. Gabriel shouted. Suddenly Jill felt herself propelled forwards, shoulder-charged from behind, smacking her head into the doorframe.

'Jill!' screamed Cassie, as Nader barrelled past her, followed by Barnes.

'Get inside, Cass!' Jill shouted and took off after them.

Barnes overtook Nader in the hallway and cartwheeled over the stairwell banister, landing like a rabbit, jumping up and repeating the same move again, six stairs at a time.

By the time she reached the first landing Nader was already on the bottom stair. She leapt from the top step and landed on him, his shoulder cracking into her chest. They both went down and, once again, she found herself unable to breathe, with Kasem Nader leaning over her.

'Cunt,' he said, and smacked his fist into her face.

'KRYSTAL!'

The next series of sounds and movements shuddered and skidded, incomprehensible to Jill as she rolled onto her side and sucked in air. She turned her head and saw Nader, out cold.

Jelly was sitting on Nader's chest. Crying. 'Kasem. You shouldn't hurt Krystal,' he said.