cancelled and I would have wasted the best part of a month setting this up. We do it my way and everything’ll be fine.’
‘I’m not sure about this, man.’
‘Like I was saying, you just wait for my call before summoning the cavalry – no matter what happens – understand?’
‘Okay – fuck it. But if it goes tits-up, it’s on your head.’
‘Nothing new there, then,’ Sean told him as he pulled the Range Rover over to the side of the road. ‘This is your stop – I can’t get you any closer.’ Benton opened the door and jumped out without speaking. ‘And remember – don’t make the call until you’ve heard from me.’ Benton nodded and slammed the door shut before disappearing into the wasteland to the west of where the warehouse lay.
Sean eased the accelerator and rolled towards the meeting venue, his heart beginning to pump with excitement. He welcomed the feeling, like an actor before they walked onto the stage, the nervous tension and stress in his body helping to concentrate his mind and increase his speed of thought – if he was going to out-manoeuvre Tricky Ricky Ismain, he’d need to think on his feet.
He followed the road that looped around the huge reservoir hidden behind rows of modest houses, its existence unknown to everyone but the locals, and headed for the warehouse where he’d met Ismain several times over the last few weeks. The ambiguous sign lit up above the front of the building merely stated Ismain Import-Export. He pulled up close to the entrance; fast enough to make the two hooded figures guarding it jump back a little as he leapt from the car. He smiled at them, trying to look as confident as he possibly could. They were clearly expecting him and he walked past them and into the warehouse without a word being exchanged. Once inside, two more hoods stopped him. He recognized them from his previous meetings – they were higher up in Ismain’s organization than the foot-soldiers still hanging around outside.
‘You’re late,’ the black one told him.
‘Traffic’s shit,’ he answered. ‘You know how it is.’
‘Ricky’s waiting,’ the white one added. ‘He don’t like to be kept waiting.’
Sean had expected the bullshit. ‘Yeah, well he’s not going to give a fuck about being kept waiting when he sees the cash I brought him.’
The two goons looked at each other before the black one spoke again. ‘Put your hands up, brother. We need to search you.’
Sean did as he was told, lifting his arms and spreading his legs – all standard procedure for a meet where money was expected to change hands. But this search was more thorough than usual – too intimate to be just a search for weapons – clearly they were looking for a transmitter or recording device. It was the first sign Ismain might have doubts about Sean. Satisfied, the black one spoke again. ‘Alright – he’s clean. Follow me.’ He turned and walked deeper into the bowels of the warehouse, Sean following close behind, trying to remember everything he saw, taking in every possible escape route, until eventually they reached the closed door of Ismain’s office. The white hoodie knocked gently on the door before opening it and leading Sean inside where he was met with a beaming smile from Ismain, who stretched out his hand for Sean to shake.
‘Sorry about having you searched, brother,’ Ismain told him. ‘You know what it’s like when money’s changing hands – everybody gets a little nervous.’
‘Don’t you trust me?’ Sean asked, shaking Ismain’s hand with a false smile of his own. ‘Think I’ve come here to rob you?’
‘No, man,’ Ismain laughed, ‘nothing like that. You’re cool. You’re sound. I know that. Now, how about a drink?’
‘Naturally,’ Sean answered. ‘I could go a large bourbon, ice if you have it.’
‘Dalton,’ Ismain told the black hoodie, ‘get the man a drink.’
‘You not joining me?’
‘Maybe later,’ Ismain told him, ‘after the business is out of the way. I’ll take you to a little strip-club I own – get you sorted out, know what I mean?’ Ismain and his cronies laughed together – Sean kept the smile fixed in place. When the laughter stopped, Ismain eased himself back into his oversized leather desk chair, smoothing his Hugo Boss pinstripe suit as he did so, its elegant simplicity contrasting sharply with his shiny black shirt and heavy gold jewellery. He had zig-zag patterns cut into his hair, heavy rimmed glasses and huge diamond earrings in each lobe. As he sat he suddenly became serious, waiting for Sean to be handed his drink before speaking again. ‘So, you got the cash, Sean?’
‘Yeah, I got the cash,’ Sean told him. ‘Seventy-five grand – as we agreed.’
‘Yeah, you see there’s a little problem with that figure. Ismain told him, pursing his lips. ‘Seventy-five grand ain’t gonna be enough no more.’
‘Really,’ Sean said expressionless. ‘How so?’
‘You know how it is, Sean – people hear about a good thing on offer and they come to the table. Now normally I wouldn’t even listen to offers after I’ve made a deal, but when someone offers you fifty grand more, hey, brother, I got to take them seriously. You understand? But if you can match their offer, then I’ll give you first rights, in the interest of our friendship – fair enough?’
Sean had expected some late change in negotiations, there always was. ‘So let me get this right,’ he asked. ‘You want me to pay an extra fifty grand more than we agreed?’
‘There you go,’ Ismain mocked, ‘I knew you were smart. I knew you’d understand.’
‘I understand you’re fucking with me,’ Sean told him.
‘I ain’t fucking with you, Sean.’
‘Yeah you are. You’re definitely fucking with me a little bit.’
‘No, man. You’re getting this all wrong. It’s just business.’
‘Well here’s my business,’ Sean told him. ‘I got seventy-five-grand here and now. You give me the five-hundred laptops and I give you the seventy-five grand – just like we agreed.’
‘Seventy-five ain’t enough anymore,’ Ismain barked. ‘They’re worth three-hundred grand, brother.’
‘Maybe,’ Sean laughed, ‘if they weren’t stolen and you were PC World, but they are and you ain’t, so seventy-five or I walk with the cash.’ Ismain sank deeper into his chair.
‘You got the cash here?’ Ismain asked, an unmistakable glint in his eye.
‘Close by,’ Sean told him. ‘Not in the motor, before you get any funny ideas. A phone call away, once I’ve seen the goods. When I’m happy with the merchandise I’ll call one of my people in, then you send one of yours with him to where the cash is waiting. Once you know I’m good for the money, my man will come back alone and drive the goods away. When I’m happy he’s not being followed I’ll make another call and tell my people to hand the cash to your man. I’ll wait with you until he brings the cash back here where you can check it – that way everyone’s safe, no one gets ripped off – okay?’
‘I knew you was a professional, Sean. First time I met you I says, that guy’s
