The Tale of the Wolf (The Kenino Wolf Series) (23 page)

I strained to turn it back at him, gritting my teeth and summoning all my strength. But he was too strong. The gun was rising, getting closer and closer to having me in its line of fire. It was inches away from my head. I strained my neck to keep my head away, still trying to keep pressure on the gun, force it away from me.

Crack! I heard the bone in his jaw snap as Tabatha’s boot collided with the side of his face.

He lost his grip and the gun flipped round, letting loose a stream of bullets. I felt his body spasm beneath me as they pummelled into him.

I let go of the gun and it dropped on to his chest. I rolled off him and lay on the floor.

‘
Are you okay?’ Tabatha screamed, running up to me to check for wounds.

‘
Yeah. You?’ I smiled up at her.

‘
Yeah.’ She smiled back. I staggered up and checked The Beggar. He wasn’t moving.

‘
He’s dead.’

‘
Oh shit!’

‘
I know.’

‘
We’ve just killed a man.’

‘
I know.’ I wasn’t at my most witty.

‘
What the fuck are we gonna do?’

‘
I don’t know.’

‘
Shall we call the police?’

‘
No chance. You and I know it’s self-defence, but I can guarantee we’ll go down for this.’

‘
So what do we do?’

‘
I don’t know.’ I was shaking. If it wasn't me almost dying one moment, it was killing someone the next.

‘
We need to get rid of the body,’ she pronounced with authority.

‘
Yeah, you’re right. Cover our tracks. Get those plastic bags.’ I indicated some of the rubbish that was lying about the warehouse. I ran to the boot of Betsy and got out the cleaning stuff that I always kept in there.

‘
Now what?’

‘
We put his body in the bags, throw him in the boot and then clean the floor.’

Bagging The Beggar up, we heaved and squished him into Betsy’s boot then slammed the lid. We scrubbed away at the floor on our knees.

‘
Now what?’ Tabatha repeated. Somehow I’d become the expert at covering up a murder.

‘
We dirty the floor.’

‘
What?’

‘
Everywhere’s dirty. You can’t leave one bit spotless. It’ll look dodgy.’

We dragged boxes and bits of packing paper over the freshly cleaned spot.

‘
Let’s go.’ Tabatha had now taken the lead

We jumped into Betsy and she reversed us out of there.

‘
Go slow, Tabs. We damn well don’t want to get nicked with him in the back.’

‘
Okay. Where are we going?’

‘
Um … um ... Leon’s. Head for Leon’s.’

I was in a daze. I’d killed a man. A life had ended because of me. Someone who could think, talk, walk, who’d had dreams and wishes. I’d snuffed them out. I’d ended their life. In the films, death was so simple, so easy, almost an afterthought. But it wasn't, even when you could justify it. I felt my mortality more at that moment than I ever had.

‘
I love you,’ I said staring straight at Tabatha.

‘
I love you too, but this really isn’t the time.’

‘
I know, but I just wanted to say it before anything else prevented me. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to later. I just wanted to make sure you knew.’

‘
Well I do. Now shut up! I’ve gotta concentrate on going slow.’

We passed through the traffic easily. I was watching the pedestrians move up and down. Thinking about how their lives could end in an instant, a blink of an eye. My emotional barometer was going haywire. I’d ended a life. I’d destroyed something that could never be replaced. I felt terrible, hollow … yet relieved. I was relieved that he was dead instead of us, relieved that we’d survived. I felt good about killing someone.

We pulled up in front of Leon’s back yard. I jumped out and yanked open the gates. She followed me in and I quickly closed the black metal gates behind us, securing us in, shielding us from prying eyes.

‘
What happened to you?’ Boom-Boom asked, noticing blood on my shirt.

‘
Shit!’ I looked down at my bloodstained apparel.

‘
Wolfy?’ Leon said worriedly as him Marisol, Kelly and little Jacob crossed the yard towards us. ‘Tabatha, Wolfy, are you okay?’ He was worried.

‘
Yeah, we’re fine, but we need a really big favour.’

‘
What?’ Leon, Kelly and Boom-Boom asked simultaneously

‘
Best just show you.’ Tabatha interjected.

We all walked round to the boot and Tabatha popped it open

I pulled back the plastic bag to reveal The Beggar's face

‘
Is he …?’ Kelly said, shocked.

‘
Yep!’ I cut across.

‘
Wolfy, you’ve got a dead body in your car.’

‘
I know.’

‘
It’s worse than that.’ Tabatha said, taking over ‘We kinda killed him.’

‘
What?’ They all said.

‘
He was trying to kill us … well me.’ I responded.

‘
Why?’ Boom-Boom flustered, too confused to be mad.

‘
Not sure.’

‘
You’re not sure? A man tries to kill you and you don’t know why?’ Kelly uttered with bewilderment.

‘
Yeah, that sounds about right.’

‘
Who is he?’ Marisol said.

‘
His name’s The Beggar. He’s a hitman; the one that killed Longy.’

Marisol spat in his face and cursed something in Greek. Boom-Boom grabbed hold of her.

‘
Thank you, Wolfy. You have done me a great service.’ Marisol said clutching my hand. ‘And you, Tabatha. Thank you.’

‘
You’re welcome,’ I said, not really knowing why.

‘
Can we get back to the matter in hand?’ Tabatha suggested.

‘
Look Leon I need you to stick him in the freezer for a little while.’

‘
You want me to stick a dead body in one of my freezers?’

‘
Yes, don’t worry. It won’t be for too long, couple of days tops.’ I hoped.

‘
This is a huge favour, Wolfy.’

‘
I know. I’ll make it up to you.’

‘
How?’

‘
I’ll get rid of him.’ My old humour was returning.

‘
That’s not even funny.’

‘
Look. I’ll get rid of him in two days. There won’t be any trouble.’

‘
You make him sound like a guest who’s kipping on my sofa.’

‘
He’s better than a guest. He won’t hog the shower,’ Tabatha said, finding her form

‘
We’re gonna have to repack him. I don’t want him contaminating my freezer.’

‘
Fine.’ I said.

We repackaged The Beggar up in black dustbin liners and brown packing tape, then shoved him into one of Leon's freezers that he used to keep his black market meat in.

‘
You know I’m gonna have to throw this freezer,’ Leon said when we’d finished.

‘
I’d hope so too. But don’t worry, I’ll get you a good deal on a new one,’ I responded.

‘
A
very
good deal,’ he replied.

After sorting out The Beggar, Tabatha and I scrubbed down Betsy's boot. It wasn't stained but it seemed like a wise precaution.

‘
How did you know where I was?’ I asked as we lathered the interior

‘
I read that note that fat bloke gave you when you were asleep. I thought it best to back you up. You gonna get that fat fuck?’

‘
Oh yeah. I’m gonna get him.’

Leon lent me a shirt so I didn’t have to go home in my blood-soaked one, which I bagged and took with me. Leon said Tabatha could have a few nights off to help me arrange The Beggar's disposal, more keen we removed him, than she serve drinks.

Once we'd cleaned Betsy thoroughly and listened to Leon explain the various reasons The Beggar couldn't stay for the sixth time, Tabatha and I ducked out of there. We headed back to my place and crashed out almost instantly. We needed an early night if we were going to get Clarence.

Wednesday 5:30 a.m.

Timing was going to be everything. We had to get to Clarence’s house while he was still in the nightclub, which meant we had to be on the road considerably earlier than either of us was used to.

I didn’t really want Tabatha to come, didn’t want to involve her any more than I already had, but after saving my life, she was reluctant to leave me to it, making the rather accurate observation that I needed her.

I put the tranq gun in my pocket and Tabatha put the rifle version she’d taken from Leon’s in a holdall. Tabatha called the peepshow asking for Clarence. They put her through and she hung up. He still hadn’t left. I slung a box full of darts in the bag and went to see the vet who’d sold me them in the first place. He sold me two more boxes and a second pistol. I was going prepared. This was a two-pistol play.

The pair of us headed to Clarence’s house. Tommy had got me the location. My tab was getting a bit big but some things were worth it. His alarm system was shit and his locks were crap. Curtis told me how to bypass them over the phone. It didn’t take five minutes to get inside. He should’ve taken more care, especially with the lovely house that he had. He should’ve got a dog.

His place was in Islington: posh neighbourhood, fancy cars, same lives and same problems as everyone else … just with more money.

We checked the house; it was empty. The goons had rooms either side of Clarence. Inside Clarence’s room were his dollies, his collection of beloved toys, in mint condition, perfectly preserved and lovingly cared for, arranged decoratively around the room in sparkling glass cabinets.

I sparked up a cigarette and handed it to Tabatha then sparked up one for myself we sat at the top of his hall stairs watching his front door. Waiting for him to return, the two pistols in my hand and the rifle in hers it’d be easier for her to hit him with the rifle.

We waited and smoked, stubbing out our cigarette butts on his carpet. I moved downstairs to just inside the front room when I heard a car pull up. Tabatha would pop whoever led and I’d do the others. The key turned in the door.

There was laughter and some incoherent conversation.

I heard Tabatha’s rifle pop which was my signal she’d hit one of the goons. He crossed my path as I stepped out and I popped Clarence and the other one; one in the throat and Clarence in the cheek.

It takes ten seconds to drop a tiger with that stuff and took just under that to drop Clarence and his goons. Once they were safely asleep Tabatha came down from her perch, looking pleased with herself.

We dragged the three of them into the living room taking the weapons off the goons, and put the arsenal in the holdall Tabatha had brought. Then we tied and gagged them rodeo style; hands tied to ankles behind backs.