Ruby by Heather Burnside (carter reed txt) 📗

Josh looked at the customers standing at the bar and weighed up his chances. Having decided there was no major threat he sidled up to Gilly and whispered into his ear again. ‘What would the landlord think if we smashed this place up because we had beef with you? Then, when we’d done that, we’d haul you out of the pub and kick the shit out of you.’

He watched Gilly’s reaction and could tell he was trying to decide what to do for the best, so he added, ‘We only want a chat. If you cooperate, we’ll leave it at that.’

Gilly looked around then whispered something to the man standing at the other side of him. Josh presumed he’d instructed him to bring help if he didn’t return soon but he wasn’t worried. The man looked as though a good meal would kill him; he was an obvious junkie, as were the two men standing further along the bar.

They were soon standing in the street that ran down the side of the pub. Gilly stopped before they reached the back alleyway, then turned and asked. ‘What d’you want?’

Josh could see the fear in his eyes straightaway and knew this was going to be easy. His first reaction was physical as he grabbed the front of Gilly’s hoody and gripped it tightly under his chin, his knuckles pressed against Gilly’s windpipe. He could see Calvin hovering to the side of him, keen to get involved.

‘I’ll tell you what we fuckin’ want! We want you to leave Trina alone.’

Gilly made a choking sound so Josh eased the pressure a little, allowing him to speak. ‘Trina?’

‘Yeah. The girl who owns Ruby’s Parlour.’

Gilly’s eyes flashed in recognition. ‘I haven’t fuckin’ touched her, mate.’

‘No, but you’ve fuckin’ threatened her!’ yelled Calvin.

‘Only cos she grassed me up!’ said Gilly, his pupils now wide with fear. ‘But I wasn’t gonna touch her, I swear.’

‘Are you fuckin’ sure about that?’ asked Josh, still clutching Gilly’s hoody.

‘Yeah, cos from what we’ve heard you’re pretty fuckin’ handy at beating women up!’ said Calvin, his face now up against the side of Gilly’s head.

Gilly shifted to one side and Josh released his hold then stepped back, nodding to Calvin who threw the first punch. His fist connected with Gilly’s chin, hard enough to make his head smash into the wall behind him, and Gilly let out a yelp.

‘Is this what it fuckin’ felt like for the girl you beat up?’ demanded Josh, sensing Gilly’s panicked reaction and nodding at Calvin to hit him again.

Calvin thumped Gilly fiercely around the face and head while Gilly made a feeble attempt to defend himself, holding his hands up till Calvin swiped them away. When Josh spotted blood, he ordered Calvin to stop.

Josh moved in again as Calvin stepped aside. ‘That’s just a fuckin’ taster,’ he said, jabbing his finger in Gilly’s bloody face. ‘If we hear you’ve been anywhere near Trina then we’ll come back and finish the fuckin’ job off!’

‘I won’t. Honest. I promise,’ pleaded Gilly.

Josh turned to Calvin. ‘Come on, we’re done.’

He’d left the dirty work to Calvin, but Gilly’s obsequiousness had annoyed him. Maybe he should have given him a good smacking himself. The guy was a cowardly bastard!

But they’d done what they set out to do and Josh was satisfied that there’d be no repercussions for Ruby. The guy was too shit scared to dare! He and Calvin started to walk away but, as they did so, Josh turned back and caught the expression on Gilly’s face. It wasn’t just relief; it was conceit, as though he thought he’d got off lightly. And Josh couldn’t have that. He had a reputation to protect.

The look of surprise on Gilly’s face when he turned back and swiped him was priceless! Josh laid into him, heedless of the blood spatter and Gilly’s pleas for mercy. He didn’t stop till his energy was spent. By that time Gilly’s face resembled a freakish piece of modern art in scarlet hues with pallid undertones.

Josh stood in front of Gilly and scowled at him while he got his breath back. Gilly’s mouth was hanging open, the blood pumping from his nose and his bottom lip, and he was whimpering like a baby with tears flowing freely from his eyes. His expression was no longer one of conceit, more of terror and desperation. This time Josh knew they’d done the job right. His deduction was borne out by his brother’s amused expression, which he could see out of the corner of his eye.

‘Don’t you ever dare to fuck with us!’ yelled Josh and he was rewarded by Gilly’s look of anguish as he drew his head back, anticipating another blow.

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Calvin jabbed Gilly sharply in the ribs before they left him.

*

‘Did you see the look on the cheeky bastard’s face?’ Josh complained to his brother.

Calvin smiled widely. ‘He ain’t fuckin’ laughing now, is he?’

Josh chuckled. ‘No. Stupid bastard! He could have got off lightly if he’d played it right.’

‘What the fuck’s wrong with you, bruv? You going soft or what?’

‘Like fuck! I’m just knackered and wanted to call it a night. I’m glad we let him have it though. I don’t think our Trina will have any more trouble with him. The dickhead shit himself!’

‘Yeah, well, he’s only good at slapping women around, isn’t he?’ said Calvin. ‘He’s out of his fuckin’ depth when it comes to dealing with anyone with a pair of balls. Anyway, that’s both jobs taken care of now. What’s next? Do you wanna go for a drink somewhere? Then we can ring Trina and let her know what’s gone down.’

‘Nah, there’s no rush, is there? It’s getting late now and I’m knackered. Let’s leave it till the morning,’ said Josh and, satisfied with their night’s work, they set off for home.

56

July 2011

Ruby watched the last of her girls putting on her coat and