Chapter 11

The next couple of days were busy, some of the stuff we had ordered for the house turned up and we got them all fitted in. The place was looking more like a home than a house.

I kept my eye on the news on TV and the internet and there was nothing about a gunfight and massacre on a beach in Wales. The killing in Birmingham was reported but there were no details.

On Tuesday, the girls and I took a road trip. We left the house before dawn and drove down to South Wales. We stopped and had Breakfast in Tenby and then had a walk around.

The girls insisted we go for a paddle; they had never been this close to the sea. They had flown over it but had never had the chance to go for a paddle in the salty water.

Then we drove along the coast and visited a few places, we had lunch in Pembroke and then I drove us to the quiet Forestry Commission carpark. We had brought a picnic blanket and some cold drinks.

The girls got out some glossy magazines and I put on my walking boots and with the fishing back over my shoulder I headed into the woods.

I found Stigs camp on the first attempt and as I got closer, I smelt coffee. When I walked into the camp, he had a brew waiting. He was sitting in an old deckchair. He had a vest and shorts on and looked like he was going to the beach.

We shook hands and he asked me to sit.

“So, job done?”

I handed him the bag and he slipped the rifle from the fishing bag. He sniffed the barrel.

“Used, sorry mate you know the deal once it is used you lose the cash!” Stig said with a shake of his head.

“I don’t want the money back; I just figured it safer in your hands than in some canal!” I said and took a long swig of coffee.

“That’s a fact, so you are happy for me to ship it out to another user?” he asked.

“Yes mate, if you can then why not!” I said.

“There is a rumour going around that an ex-regiment lad was shot dead in Brum on Sunday morning,” Stig said.

“He may have been ex-regiment, but he set me and Curly up and Curly paid the ultimate price,” I said, and waited for a knockback.

“He was always a bad one, he killed three kids in London, and there are rumours he runs a huge drug gang, so he got what he deserved!” Stig nodded.

I stood up to go and Stig got up as well. We shook hands.

“Good luck mate, come back and see me soon!” Stig said.

“Stay lucky mate!” I said.

I walked back to the carpark; once the girls saw me, they packed up their gear and we headed home.

I left it for another day before I used a burner phone to call Ade.

“Ade, it’s me are you safe to talk?”

He paused and said one word.

“Pint?”

“Two hours” I replied, I got the Browning 9mm I had kept and got into the car. I got to the pub first, I had the browning tucked down the back of my jeans. they had been searched me before and I had no reason to think they would now.

I got a pint and sat in the garden as far away from the pub as possible.

I saw the two Range Rovers come over the bridge and turn into the car park. I took it as read that they would not have been followed.

As they walked in it was obvious there had been a power shift.

Ade smiled and we shook hands. My beer was half empty. He pointed at it.

“Another one mate?” he asked, and I nodded. He seemed friendly enough.

One of his goons headed off to the bar. The others scattered around the beer garden.

“SO, what happened I was driving over to see Crumble and when I got close the streets were full of cops, so I hightailed it out of there!” I said.

“We are not sure, Crumble was working some dodgy deal with the Manchester crew, we think they sent a gunman to take him out, “Ade said and shook his head.

“What sort of deal was he doing?” I asked.

“He was talking money from then to get rid of the drugs lads in Brum and at the same time he was talking money from the government to do the same job but under wraps!” Ade said.

“I heard on the news that some lads were found in a burned-out car near Hereford,” I said,

“They were not our lads, well not lads they I knew about anyway!” Ade said.

That told me that he thought Crumble was running separate operations with separate gangs. That was good it meant that Ade and I had no beef.

“So, you are running the business now?” I asked.

“Yes, but our contact in the police has withdrawn his help!” Ade said and drained his glass.

One of the goons looked at me, I gave him a nod and he walked off to the bar. He came ten minutes later with beers for me, Ade, and the rest of the crew.

“So, what sort of stuff will you be doing now?” I asked.

“Security, running doors that sort of stuff,” Ade said and drained his glass.

I knew that doormen ran the drug scene in pubs and clubs. They were supposed to stop drugs being sold but that rarely happened as they sold more than the other dealers.

He looked around to make sure we could be overheard by his goons.