Wee Rockets (32 page)

His heart sank.

"So our appointment is cancelled."

"Postponed, yeah?"

"Aye, okay."

"Thing is..." She laid a hand on his arm. "I'm going to need a lift to the Stranmillis Road. Maybe we could help each other out."

"I'm listening."

"If you play chauffer tonight, I'll give you a better price for an all-nighter tomorrow night."

"Give me two nights for the price of one and we have a deal."

She smiled at him. "Well good for you, you little haggler. You went in for the kill there." She shook her head. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Fucking sweet."

Paul altered his course and they were on the Stranmillis Road in ten minutes. Emily phoned her friend.

"We're on the road. Where are you? Okay. No, I don't see any cops about. Hold on." She turned to Paul. "Do you know where the Lyric Theatre is?"

"Aye. We're about a minute away."

"Great. Dermot? Yeah, we'll be there soon."

Paul wedged the Clio into a tight space at the kerb outside the theatre. Emily slipped out of the car and a tall man emerged from the shadowy alley leading to the back of the building. Emily had called him Dermot. Though bruised and bloodied, Paul recognised the face but couldn't quite place it. Outside, they exchanged a few words before she led him to the car. Paul guessed he was her pimp. The thought registered itself in a matter-of-fact manner. No jealousy. Not even when she reached out and gingerly stroked his face. Paul sighed and switched his mind to a simpler puzzle. Where did he know Dermot the pimp from?

Emily opened the passenger door and cranked the seat forward to climb into the back. "Hope you don't mind. His cribbage pegs will never fit in here."

"His what?"

"My legs." Dermot contorted his way into the seat. "She turns that Cockney shite on and off at random intervals. I keep telling her it makes her sound like a cheap
Only Fools and Horses
extra, but she insists that some of the punters lap it up."

"Where do I know you from, mate?"

Dermot rubbed his mouth then hissed in pain. He studied Paul's face. "Couldn't tell you."

"I thought I recognised you when I first saw you, but as soon as you opened your broad Belfast beak..." Paul tilted his head. "You're from Beechmount, aren't you?"

"I haven't lived there for a while now." His tone slipped from Jack-the-Lad to Jack Frost. "I've been away for a few years. Should have stayed away."

"That's right. I have you pegged now. You're Dermot Kelly. I used to buy E off you, before you were sent packing." He didn't know why, but he enjoyed watching Dermot squirm. "And do you know what? My wee brother, Danny, is your son's best mate. Fucking small world, eh?"

###

Liam curled up into the foetal position. He lay on the footpath by the traffic lights at the Beechmount Avenue and Falls Road junction. The Fegan twins loomed over him. A car screeched to a halt and Liam took one hand from his face to peek at it. The car's headlights silhouetted Matt Fegan, who stood with one leg raised over Liam's head. The car door opened and the driver started shouting.

"Hey, you. What the fuck are you doing? Get away from him you dirty wee knacker."

Matt lowered his leg and turned to face the hero. "Fuck off. This is none of your business."

"Maybe not, but two on one isn't right. And kicking him when he's down? You're scum. Why don't you try it with me?"

Matt hopped back over Liam and stood with his brother. They retreated a little every time the hero stepped forward. Liam covered his face with his arms, leaving just enough space between his forearms to see through. The hero knelt down next to Liam. A strong waft of aftershave emanated from his every movement. This was a man who spent a lot of time in front of the mirror. He placed a hand, heavy with white gold jewellery, on Liam's shoulder.

"You all right, big lad?"

Liam looked at his saviour's face. The guy watched the twins carefully, a hard expression on his face. Liam drew back his fist and punched the hero square in his balls. Eyes bulged, brilliant white against the heavily tanned skin. With a little squeak, he bent at the waist and cupped his assaulted nuts with both hands. Liam and the twins went to work. They left him lying in Liam's spot and jumped into the hero's sexy red sports car.

Liam whooped as he took control of the Mazda RX8 and punished the engine with his lead foot. The Falls Road became his midnight runway. Eddie shouldered open one of the rear suicide-doors and hung the top half of his body out into the night. Matt bounced up and down on the passenger seat like a kid about to piss in his knickers.

"Change gears, Liam," Matt said. "You're raking the fuck out of her."

"So?"

Liam jinked the car from side to side and Eddie scrambled back into a sitting position.

"The fuck are you at, Liam? I near fell out."

"Dry your eyes. What were you trying to do, anyway?"

"I wanted to see if your man was going to get up."

"You what?"

Eddie said nothing.

"Want me to go back and check?"

Before Eddie could protest, Liam attempted a 180 turn. He'd seen them do it in the movies. Heard the joyriders boast about their handbraking skills on street corners. Done it himself a million times on his Playstation. How hard could it be?

The car made a quarter turn then conked out.

"You're supposed to use the clutch," Matt said.

"You can drive the next one. Shut the fuck up and let me practice."

Liam turned the key and the car jumped. The twins sniggered, but knew better than to offer any tips. He pulled the gearstick into neutral and tried again. The Mazda purred. He jammed his right foot to the floor and the chrome-ringed tachometer's needle sprang right up into the red. The engine screamed and the car mounted the kerb as it completed the turn. Liam guided it out onto the oncoming lane, the coast clear for the time being. He eased off the gas, dropped the clutch and wrestled with second gear. It caught and they juddered forward.

He turned in his seat to smirk at Eddie. "See? Piece of piss."

"It wasn't me acting the driving instructor. Talk to Matt."

"Are we really going to see if this fellah's all right?" Matt asked.

"Well, if your Eddie is so concerned, I think we should."

"I wasn't concerned. I just wanted to know."

"Curious then. Let's find out."

Liam accelerated in second and the car jumped to fifty miles per hour. He inched towards the footpath. Towards the RX8's owner, lying still where they'd left him, on the lip of the kerb. One of his designer jean-clad legs had flopped onto the road. Matt fumbled with his seatbelt. Eddie hissed air through his teeth.

"Liam, don't." Matt raised his voice to be heard over the high-pitched revs. "You'll lose control if you hit the kerb."

"The sooner you learn how much control I have the better."

Mere feet away, Liam blasted the horn. The hero raised his head and peeped over his chest. The headlights picked out the tears in his brilliant white eyes. Then the shock. Then they were gone. Matt screamed and Eddie pounded on the back of Liam's seat, irritating rather than hurting him.

"Would you two buck-eejits calm the fuck down?"

Eddie popped his head through the gap between the front seats. He shushed his twin brother then turned to Liam. "Oh, fuck, Liam. That's fucked up. Your boy's at least lost his leg. It's a cert. The cops aren't going to write this off. Especially not so soon after you stabbed the security guard. They'll know they're linked."

Liam slammed on the brakes. Eddie saved himself from going through the windscreen by hugging the headrests on either side of him. Matt's seatbelt kept him right.

"First of all, look." Liam twisted in his seat and jabbed his finger at the back window.

The man knelt on the footpath, hands on his knees and his head hanging.

"Fuck me," Eddie said. "He must have rolled out of the way. Guess he was all right."

"Second of all..." Liam caught Eddie with a right cross as he turned to face him. The twin rocked back onto the tiny backseat. He wiped blood from his split lip. Matt grabbed Liam's arm.

"Out of order, Liam."

Liam headbutted Matt, catching his chin. It caused more shock than damage. "Keep your hands off me!" Liam peeled back his lips and glared.

Matt looked away. His chest hitched.

Liam turned back to Eddie. "What did we agree about the security guard?"

"Not to talk about him."

"Ever?"

"Never."

"So why did you?"

"I was freaking out. Liam. I wasn't thinking. Sorry, okay?"

"No, it's not fucking okay! Are you going to freak out if a peeler comes sniffing around your door? Are you going to freak out if one of us is scooped? Are you going to freak out if you have a nightmare? You wee shite-bag!"

Eddie's eyes burned into Liam. "After what happened to Tommy Four-Eyes? I better not."

"Shut up, Eddie," Matt said.

Liam said nothing. He settled back into his driving position and adjusted the rear view mirror. The kneeling man was now the standing man. Probably gearing up to becoming the running man. He threw the RX8 into reverse.

"Matt, I think I'll show your brother what I saw happen to Tommy. Though it won't be quite the same, because the wanker we just car-jacked is a stranger. But maybe he'll get a small taste of one of the things keeping me awake every night."

"Liam, please." Matt leant towards Liam, hands outstretched.

"I told you. No touching."

Matt snatched back his hands. "Okay, but we all need to chill. Your man's probably called the cops on his mobile already. If they arrive to find him splattered all over the road this place will be crawling with white land rovers. We'll get caught and hole-fucked. If we go now, one cop car will do the West Belfast Tour. That gives us more time to get the fuck away. You don't want to be caught, do you?"

Liam filled his lungs through his nose and emptied them through his mouth. Maybe he did want to be caught, but he refused to even nudge that can of worms. He kept his head in the situation.

"I better not get caught with a car full of loose-lipped bitches, I suppose. I'll end up getting three hundred years."

Liam clunked into first gear. They drove up the Falls Road and through Andersonstown, suffering bone-jarring gear changes until they got to the Poleglass Roundabout.

Liam broke the silence. "Twinbrook or Poleglass?"

"Poleglass is mad as fuck," Matt said. "We'll be lucky to get out alive."

"Sounds perfect."

"Seriously, Liam. They're all psychos around there."

"They probably say the same thing about Beechmount, Matt."

Matt shook his head and smiled.

"What?"

"In our case, they'd be right, wouldn't they?"

Eddie piped in. "Apparently one in every three of us has killed someone."

Liam grinned. "All right, all right. We've work to do. Poleglass it is. If we stick together we'll be okay."

He enjoyed concentrating on the driving. By the time they were deep into the unknown he'd perfected his gear changes. He'd have to work on the parking another day.

It seemed like all of the houses were lit up from the inside. Liam wondered if any of the residents slept at all. As he looked at the clusters of teenagers on the streets he thought maybe Beechmount
was
a safer place. Or maybe he'd just gotten so used to the same faces in his own area that they barely registered as threats anymore. Either way, he didn't want to stop too close to anyone. He didn't like the way they all stared at his car.

"There's a chapel ahead, Liam. We could use the car park."

"Aye, that'll do all right, Matt."