Chapter 35

The mobile phone, on silent, vibrated in his pocket indicating he has received a voicemail. Listening, he hears Bern's voice. She must be missing me he smiles. I know how she feels. I'll call her back later.

The dark clouds overhead made the night seem darker than normal. Lurking in the shadows opposite the Victorian terraced house, Dan's eyes, firmly directed towards the top window, had a hypnotic stare. The small lamp light emanating from inside the window was not great, but it was enough to recognise Saim strutting back and forth like a king in his castle. Wherever Saim was, his heavies would be. If he were a pile of shit then his heavies would be the flies. They were glued to him twenty-four seven. To get anywhere close to him, his flies would need to be swatted.

Loyalty was one thing Saim was big on and he would not have anyone near him that had not passed some kind of initiation test first. This usually meant doing some dirty job that could be anything from a simple drug run or a carjacking to full on assassination. The sure way of getting them out of the way was to bring their loyalty into question. It wouldn't be that hard to achieve. The slightest suspicion of disloyalty would send Saim's mind into turmoil. Taking away his most trusted crew would be the start of the plan and the first step to ruining his empire.

Saim had the monopoly on most illegal activity in East London and eastwards, but there was another outfit in the picture. Both crews were equal in size and there was an uneasy truce between them. Neither would cross territorial boundaries or hustle for business in the others area.

Having made up a few business cards with the Stratford crews symbol on them, a skull with a scimitar driven through it, he would just have to find a way of getting them into the heavies' possession. Walking away into the darkness, he spots a young man lying in a torn sleeping bag, homeless and probably hungry. Chances are he would not turn down the opportunity of making a few quid. He now knew how he would plant the damning evidence. Picking up a pile of paper adverts, from a stack of magazines just delivered ready for the morning crowds, he approaches the man with his proposition. Agreeing, Dan hands over some cash and disappears.

Half past six in the morning, the young homeless lad waits outside the terraced house. He wasn't told why he had to do this, frankly, he didn't care. For one hundred quid in his pocket, he would do almost anything. With the promise of another hundred when done, all he had to do was to make sure these men took the advert, go to a phone box, call the number on the paper and inform the gift-bearing stranger that all had gone okay.

As the door of the house opens, the lad moves in. The four main heavies stood, like gargoyles watching from a cathedral roof, at the gate waiting for their master.

"What do you want kid?" the front heavy snarls

"Hi Sir, just handing out some leaflets for the new casino opening"

"Not interested, now move on you bum"

"Please take one, I won't get paid if I don't shift every one of these out"

"Get lost you little shit before you get hurt"

Pushing the young lad to the side, he was amazed to see him move back in front of him.

"Please, just take one each. My boss is keeping a check on me and I can't afford to lose this job," he says forcing a whimper.

"For fucks sake, give me them, take one lads"

Handing each of them the folded casino leaflet with the business card inside, happy with a job well done, he smiles politely and hurries away

Staring at the advert, the heavy was about to unfold the paper to have a read when the door behind him opens. All four shove the adverts into their pockets just as Saim emerges.

"What are you lot so jumpy about?"