despair, desperation. Oli wanted her mother back. Oli had missed her. She could see it. She hated playing with Oli’s emotions this way, but it had to be done.
Oli shook her head.
‘Oli…’
‘No! I can’t talk about this now,’ said Oli, and ran to the door, and was gone.
And there went that chance. Lily sat there, feeling shattered and frustrated. To see Oli so close…but so distressed, so tormented. She’d blown it; all her soft words hadn’t worked. She felt tears start in her eyes, tears of anger and self-pity, and blinked them away. She refused to cry. She sighed deeply, stood up, started gathering up the breakfast things.
She had other things she had to be doing. She was going to have a long shower, dress in someone else’s clothes and go and have another chat with her late husband’s mistress. One of them, anyway.
16
‘You know what? That ain’t enough,’ said Tiger Wu.
Freddy King stared at the man. ‘You what?’ he asked. ‘You’re having a laugh.’
They were standing in a clearing in Epping Forest, way off the beaten track, both of them dressed as ramblers in dark green hoodies and walking boots. Freddy felt a cunt but it was important that they weren’t seen to be out of place here. They had to blend right in to the background in case anyone was about. There was stillness all around, and summer greenery and birdsong, all that nature shit. Freddy hated it. He liked the Smoke. Plenty of action, noise, people. Silence always made him jittery.
Duncan ‘Tiger’ Wu shook his head. He was half-Chinese, half-Scot. He had the sallow skin and exotic eyes of his mother, and his dad’s height and strong Glaswegian accent. He wore his blue-black hair pulled back in a ponytail. He was much feared and revered around the East End, known as a good refuse collector–in other words, he got rid of people, for a hefty fee.
The fee was getting heftier by the minute.
Tiger prided himself on keeping his ear to the ground, knowing who was inside or out, who would have need of his services, who were the movers and shakers among the East End mobs and the Essex boys. He knew that Lily King had done her husband over, and that Si and Freddy King had been chomping at the bit ever since, wanting to do the cow a bit of harm in return. Freddy more than Si. Si was a reasonable man, within limits. Freddy was a headcase. Tiger knew that. But he was a rich headcase, and that made this whole conversation really interesting as far as Tiger was concerned.
‘Five up front and five when the job’s done; that’s not a bad day’s pay,’ said Freddy.
‘Does Si want this?’ asked Tiger.
Freddy puffed himself up, his face reddening angrily. ‘Si ain’t doing this deal, I am.’
‘Only I wouldn’t want to tread on Si’s toes,’ said Tiger.
‘Understood. Si’s agreeable, okay?’ lied Freddy. Fuck Si and his let’s-wait-until-doomsday speeches. He wanted this bitch sorted, soonest. He would have done her right after the wedding, but Si had said, no, wait. That was all Si ever said–no, wait. Freddy was sick of waiting.
‘Okay. So seven, yes? Seven thou up front, seven when it’s done.’
‘Go and piss up your kilt,’ said Freddy with a snort of disdain. He had ten in his pocket, but if Wu stopped at six and a half, he’d be pleased with the deal. Wu had a reputation of being keen on the money and was the butt of a lot of Scots jokes around the manor because of it. Rumour was he’d skin a turd for tuppence. ‘Six. That’s all I’m prepared to go to, we either shake on it now or I walk,’ Freddy relented, spitting in his hand and holding it out to seal the deal.
Wu was hesitating. ‘Six and a half,’ he said.
‘Done. And don’t forget. No comebacks, no way to trace it back to me. You got that?’ Si would have his guts if any mud came flying their way, Freddy knew that. He didn’t want to go upsetting Si.
They shook hands; the contract was agreed. Tiger Wu was going to get rid of Lily
Oli shook her head.
‘Oli…’
‘No! I can’t talk about this now,’ said Oli, and ran to the door, and was gone.
And there went that chance. Lily sat there, feeling shattered and frustrated. To see Oli so close…but so distressed, so tormented. She’d blown it; all her soft words hadn’t worked. She felt tears start in her eyes, tears of anger and self-pity, and blinked them away. She refused to cry. She sighed deeply, stood up, started gathering up the breakfast things.
She had other things she had to be doing. She was going to have a long shower, dress in someone else’s clothes and go and have another chat with her late husband’s mistress. One of them, anyway.
16
‘You know what? That ain’t enough,’ said Tiger Wu.
Freddy King stared at the man. ‘You what?’ he asked. ‘You’re having a laugh.’
They were standing in a clearing in Epping Forest, way off the beaten track, both of them dressed as ramblers in dark green hoodies and walking boots. Freddy felt a cunt but it was important that they weren’t seen to be out of place here. They had to blend right in to the background in case anyone was about. There was stillness all around, and summer greenery and birdsong, all that nature shit. Freddy hated it. He liked the Smoke. Plenty of action, noise, people. Silence always made him jittery.
Duncan ‘Tiger’ Wu shook his head. He was half-Chinese, half-Scot. He had the sallow skin and exotic eyes of his mother, and his dad’s height and strong Glaswegian accent. He wore his blue-black hair pulled back in a ponytail. He was much feared and revered around the East End, known as a good refuse collector–in other words, he got rid of people, for a hefty fee.
The fee was getting heftier by the minute.
Tiger prided himself on keeping his ear to the ground, knowing who was inside or out, who would have need of his services, who were the movers and shakers among the East End mobs and the Essex boys. He knew that Lily King had done her husband over, and that Si and Freddy King had been chomping at the bit ever since, wanting to do the cow a bit of harm in return. Freddy more than Si. Si was a reasonable man, within limits. Freddy was a headcase. Tiger knew that. But he was a rich headcase, and that made this whole conversation really interesting as far as Tiger was concerned.
‘Five up front and five when the job’s done; that’s not a bad day’s pay,’ said Freddy.
‘Does Si want this?’ asked Tiger.
Freddy puffed himself up, his face reddening angrily. ‘Si ain’t doing this deal, I am.’
‘Only I wouldn’t want to tread on Si’s toes,’ said Tiger.
‘Understood. Si’s agreeable, okay?’ lied Freddy. Fuck Si and his let’s-wait-until-doomsday speeches. He wanted this bitch sorted, soonest. He would have done her right after the wedding, but Si had said, no, wait. That was all Si ever said–no, wait. Freddy was sick of waiting.
‘Okay. So seven, yes? Seven thou up front, seven when it’s done.’
‘Go and piss up your kilt,’ said Freddy with a snort of disdain. He had ten in his pocket, but if Wu stopped at six and a half, he’d be pleased with the deal. Wu had a reputation of being keen on the money and was the butt of a lot of Scots jokes around the manor because of it. Rumour was he’d skin a turd for tuppence. ‘Six. That’s all I’m prepared to go to, we either shake on it now or I walk,’ Freddy relented, spitting in his hand and holding it out to seal the deal.
Wu was hesitating. ‘Six and a half,’ he said.
‘Done. And don’t forget. No comebacks, no way to trace it back to me. You got that?’ Si would have his guts if any mud came flying their way, Freddy knew that. He didn’t want to go upsetting Si.
They shook hands; the contract was agreed. Tiger Wu was going to get rid of Lily
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