A Numbers Game (Mal & Jackie Book 1) by RJ Dark

Author:RJ Dark [Dark, RJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wavesback
Published: 2021-06-04T04:00:00+00:00

17

Jackie was driving my silver Ford Ka – the old type that looked like someone had forgotten about wheel arches and added them later as an afterthought. It was a car I liked – I thought they had personality – but Jackie had never been a big fan. We weren’t talking; he was concentrating on driving, his hands tight on the steering wheel, so I could see the reddening and the scuff marks on his knuckles from where he’d landed punches on Harry.

‘Thank you,’ I said eventually.

‘For what?’ he said.

‘For making sure I’ve still got all my fingers.’

He didn’t reply, just drove on, the speed of the car picking up until it felt like he was pushing the little car right to the edge of what it was capable of. When he cornered, I was pushed into the seat, the tyres barely keeping hold of the greasy road surface.

‘Fuck,’ he said. Then he punched the steering wheel twice with the heel of his hand. ‘Fuck!’ he shouted it this time.

‘Jackie, I—’

‘No,’ he said, then he shook his head. He glanced at me, the light from passing streetlights caught in his eyes, making him look devilish, tiny fires flaring in his pupils. ‘I’m sorry, alright? You were right. I didn’t think this would get so dangerous, but you were right. I should have told you to get out at the beginning. No. I should never have brought that woman to your door.’

‘You didn’t know how dangerous it was going to get.’

‘I should of though, Mal.’ He took in a deep breath. Let it out. ‘Fucking Stanbecks.’

We drove on in silence.

‘I didn’t really think you stabbed Alan Stanbeck,’ I said. ‘I was only saying it to annoy you.’

‘Worked.’

‘Did you track my phone to find me?’

‘Eh?’

‘With the Russians. My phone rang just before you turned up, I thought …’

He shook his head, downshifted and overtook a bus; the horns of terrified motorists coming in the opposite direction squealed in panic. He swerved back onto our side of the road.

‘I was sat outside your shop when they took you.’

‘Keeping guard?’

‘No, I was going to come in and give you a kicking. I was fucking angry.’

‘I think you still are.’

‘Shut up.’ Overtaking an Audi which beeped, Jackie giving it the finger via the rear-view mirror. ‘I saw ‘em take you.’ He downshifted again, and I was forced back into the Ka’s seat as he accelerated around another bus. ‘Listen. I have a flat in the city, maybe you should just vanish for a bit. I’ll deal with any fallout.’

We drove in on silence, apart from Jackie over-revving the engine of the little car. He had at least slowed down a little now he had got his apology off his chest.

‘No,’ I said after a while.

‘No?’

‘Something is going on, Jackie. It’s about more than lottery tickets, and if I’m not here, then Frank will go after Janine Stanbeck, won’t he?’

‘So? She’s a Stanbeck, she’ll be alright and …’ his words drifted off. ‘The kid,’ he said. Then he sighed.

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