Fighting to be Free by Kirsty Moseley (24 page)

She jumped to her feet, looking at me shocked. “You have the money to pay it off?” she asked, looking at me so hopefully that it made me feel slightly sick.

I nodded, “Yeah,” I lied, smiling at her confidently.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes boring into mine, showing a compassion and gratitude I had never seen from her before. But it was too late now, we were nothing to each other anymore, I was cutting all ties.

I nodded, “Don’t mention it.” I turned on my heel and strode towards the door, thoughts of what I was going to do now running through my head. I guess I had to go see Tony Grier and see what could be done about my drugged up hooker of a mother’s debt.

She didn’t say anything else as I walked out of the hell hole I once lived in, I shut the door behind me and closed my eyes. Why did this have to happen? Why now when I was just getting myself sorted out? Would I ever be free from my old life? Did I even deserve another chance after everything that happened? Maybe that’s what this was, a sign that I didn’t deserve the life I was starting to lead, that I didn’t deserve to be happy and have a life with a girl I was in love with.

I got in my car and drove towards where I knew I would find him, even on a Sunday afternoon. He was always working, seven days a week, it was like the guy didn’t have a life. On the way I stopped at the ATM machine to draw as much cash as I could from my account. I pulled up outside the lavish building that was Tony Grier’s base and office. From the outside the place looked nice, the slogan above the door read,
‘You need it, we lend it, no questions asked’.

He actually ran a legitimate money lending service, structured loans with payment plans, that was his official business. If the tax man or cops came along and looked into it, they would find a guy who did well for himself and loaned money to people for a fast payback, everything was legal through the books. Of course there were people like my mother who went off of the books, that was where the real money was for him. People borrowed small amounts of money from him, and after interest and charges were added, they ended up signing over their houses and other worldly possessions.

I pushed on the glass door, the air conditioning immediately hitting me in the face as I walked in, making the hairs on my arms stand up. Everything was sparkling and clean, a little beige marble counter at the front with a lady sitting behind the glass, looking all professional in her white shirt.

She probably had no idea of the darker dealings of the man she worked for, this was probably just a run of the mill job for her, that paid well and even offered her good benefits. Then again, how could she not know? They probably dragged people out of here every day, bleeding and begging, she couldn’t be oblivious to it all, she obviously played the act very well.

I headed up to the counter and smiled, “Hi there. I need to speak to Mr Grier, please.”

She tapped on her keyboard, looking at the screen. “He’s in with someone at the moment. I’ll just take your name and then you can have a coffee and wait for him if you like,” she offered, smiling sweetly. Her politeness and tone, matched the pristine marble counter and the spotless, smear free, glass that she was sat behind.

“My name’s Jamie Cole. If you could tell him that he knows my mother, Sharon Cole?” I asked, before heading over to the comfy looking leather sofa’s they had in here. If I had just walked in off of the street and didn’t know what this place really was, then I would actually think this place was nice, respectable and would be somewhere I would borrow from. But I knew better, as did most of the scum that lived around here, it was only the suckers that didn’t know any better that got pulled in by the cleanliness and free coffee machine. Well, the suckers that didn’t know any better,
and
the idiots like my mother who didn’t think about what they were getting themselves into.

As I sat there I could feel myself getting angrier and angrier. This guy had either hurt my mother or had one of his goons do it, I really needed to calm down and not let this affect my proposal. If I went in there in this mood I was liable to shove my fist down his throat and then I would be a dead man, he’d have a hit order placed on me so quick I wouldn’t even have time to tell Ellie I loved her before I died. As much as I wanted to smash his face in, I knew that this was how it worked, having a woman beaten was an everyday occurrence for him, just his job, so I needed to stay detached too.

After a few minutes the door at the back opened and two guys came out, neither of which looked very friendly. Just the way they stood screamed bodyguard or heavy. One of them walked up to the lady at the counter and she smiled politely, gesturing over to me as they spoke in whispers. His eyes flicked over to me as he stood back up, I did a quick scan of his body, assessing my chances. I always did this, I didn’t mean to, I guess it was just habit. This guy would be tough, I was pretty sure he was packing something in the waistband of his pants at the back too, hopefully I would be able to keep my cool and not start anything because by the look on this guy’s face, he wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in my head.

“Mr Cole, I’ll tell Mr Grier that you’re here. He’s just finishing up, he won’t be long,” he informed me in his thick New York accent. I nodded in response and watched him walk back to the office.

After a few minutes the same guy walked back out, he hand his hand on another guys shoulder, it wasn’t a friendly gesture though. The new guy didn’t work for Tony Grier, he was someone who had borrowed, and judging by the way he was nursing his stomach and breathing heavy, he was having trouble with this weeks payment.

I looked up just as Tony Grier came to the door. He was probably in his early fifties, average height, a little overweight, slightly balding, his body encased in an expensive looking grey suit. He smiled warmly before heading over to me with his hand extended. I stood up and tried to keep the hatred and anger from my face as I played the polite role of person begging for more time.

“Jamie Cole. I hardly recognised you, you’ve grown up a lot. I bet you don’t even remember me, do you?” he asked, looking me over as he shook my hand.

“No Sir, I don’t,” I admitted. Had I met him before? I’d certainly heard of him, I know Brett had some run in’s with him when Tony tried to branch into areas of Brett’s business, but that had been sorted pretty amicably, with Tony backing down - and only losing three of his men in the process.

He laughed and clapped me on the shoulder, nodding towards his office. “We met a few years ago, you came with Brett Mason to a meeting once,” he said, grinning sheepishly. I’m guessing that was one of the meetings about him trying to screw Brett over and steal his deals.

“Really? I guess that was a long time ago then,” I said, trying not to spit my words at him. All I wanted to do was to knock his teeth out and shove them down his throat.

He laughed and led me into the office, shutting the door behind us. He motioned for me to sit down then he headed to the seat behind the desk. I discreetly scanned the room, noticing there was another guy in the room with us, his gun wasn’t as subtle as the other guys, he wore it on a shoulder strap so it hung in front of his chest.

Keep your cool, Jamie!

“So then, Kid, what can I do for you on this fine Sunday? Can I call you, Kid? That’s what everyone used to call you, although I guess you’re not really a kid anymore,” he mused, looking me over again.

I shrugged, “You can call me whatever you want.” I forced a smile and got more comfortable in my seat, hoping that this meeting would go my way. “I’m here to talk about my mother’s debt.”

A slow smile crept on his face, “Ah, I thought it would be something like that,” he stated, his eyes calculating now, he looked a little more alert, maybe he thought I was going to grab the gold plated letter opener from his desk and shove it deep into the side of his neck…. I was actually considering it.

I nodded, “Yeah. So she owes you thirteen thou, right?” I asked, cocking my head to the side, still trying to keep this conversation light and casual.

He opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a binder, dropping it on the desk and opening it slowly, whether he was doing it slowly just to piss me off I couldn’t be sure, but it was certainly working if he was. “Let me check,” he said, sucking his tongue over his teeth. He came to a page fairly near the front so I’m guessing it was in alphabetical order or something. He sighed exaggeratingly, “I’m afraid that thirteen was last weeks total…..”

I bit back my groan. “And this weeks total?” I asked, not even wanting to know the answer.

He closed the file and pushed it back into his drawer before speaking. “You know how these things work, Kid. Interest, late payment charges, call out fees, I have to pay guys to go and chase up the money…..”

Answer the fucking question, asshole! “I know how it works. So what’s this weeks total?” I asked again, feeling my blood pressure start to rise from the anger.

“Fourteen and a half,” he stated, pressing his fingertips together and sitting back in his chair, his eyes clearly amused.

It went up by one and a half thousand in a week? Oh shit, I am in so much trouble! I tried my best not to show any reaction, that was exactly what he wanted. I stood up and pulled the seven hundred bucks that I had managed to get from the ATM down the road. I threw it on his desk and sat back down.

His eyes grew amused as he looked at it. “I may not be Rain Man but even I can see that doesn’t quite cover it,” he joked, smirking at me.

“I know. Call it a down payment or something. I want you to leave my mother alone. I’ll be taking over her debt, from now on you deal with me.” I looked at him sternly, this wasn’t a request, if he touched my mother again then I was cutting him to pieces and mailing his wedding ring back to his wife in a clear plastic bag.

He smiled and leant forward in his chair, “Oh really? Brett Mason’s little protégé owes me money? Well call this my lucky day,” he said, laughing quietly to himself.

I ignored the little glint in his eye when he thought about me being in his debt, maybe he was thinking I still had links to Brett and his organisation or something. “I can get you about a thousand a month,” I offered.

He laughed right in my face, a big booming laugh that made the room echo slightly. “The interest alone is six thousand a month.”

I felt my heart sink, there was no other way around this, I couldn’t just take over the debt and pay him using my wages, I didn’t even earn six thousand a month! “Right, of course. Look I’ll figure something out, just transfer the debt into my name and forget you ever heard the name Sharon Cole. I’ll get you your money, do we have a deal?” I asked, looking at him hopefully.

He seemed to find me amusing again, he sat back in his chair with his fingers together under his chin, his eyes scanning my face. “You know, if you were to come and work for me, I could forget this debt ever existed.”

I shook my head fiercely, my loyalty was and would always be to Brett, I wouldn’t ever jump ship like that, not to mention the fact that Brett would have me killed if I did. “No thanks. I’ll get you your money as soon as I can. In the meantime, if I find out one of your boys has even looked at my mother in the wrong way, then I’m killing them.” I stood up, signalling that the meeting was over.

He laughed, “You always were a scrappy little shit.”

I smiled and nodded once in acknowledgement. “So they tell me. Thanks for your time.” I headed out of the door without waiting to be dismissed and walked out of the building quickly before I was grabbed and dragged into the back alley and beaten senseless for the semi disrespect that I just showed to him.

I made it to the car unscathed so I jumped in and pulled away quickly before he could send someone out here after me. I could look after myself but guys with guns really wasn’t in my favour.

I stopped the car when I was a few blocks away and cut the engine.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly and closed my eyes, thinking everything through. I didn’t have any choice, I didn’t earn enough to cover this debt that I’d just pulled over my head, this was the only way out of it.

I pulled my cell phone from my pocket, dialling his number and then sat there with my head resting back on the seat, waiting for him to answer. When the line connected I felt empty, emotionless and resigned to the fact that a waster like me would never get out of the life of crime.

“Hey, Kid!” he chirped happily.

I smiled at his warm tone, I had always got on well with Brett, I guess he was the missing father figure from my life. I swallowed my pride and just did what needed to be done, there was no other way around it, it was this or I’d wind up dead.

“Hey, Brett. I’m, err…..I’m in a bit of trouble and I need a couple of jobs.”

I pulled up outside the warehouse and just sat in the car looking at it, wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into. I knew I could just tell Brett about the debt and he would pay it off, all interest would stop being added, the threats of violence would cease. But the thing is, I would actually rather owe money to Tony Grier than Brett. If I owed Tony, once the debt was paid off, I was free, it was over. If I let Brett pay off the debt for me, then owing him would be worse in the long run. I would be forever indebted to him; there would always just be one more job that I owed him. I couldn’t have that. Once this was over, I was going straight. Ellie and I were making a go of it, I was determined to make something of myself and not screw it up.

Something rapped on my window, making me jump. I looked around to see Ray grinning at me happily. Forcing a smile, I pushed the door open and stepped out. “Hey, what you doing here?” he asked, looking a little confused. “I thought we weren’t meeting until later in the week.”

I smiled, pretending that everything was fine, pretending that I didn’t have a whole heap of shit suspended above my head at the moment. I always was good at lying, I’d become practiced at telling people I was fine from a very young age.

“I just came to speak to Brett. I need a little money so I’m gonna ask him for a couple of boosts,” I replied, shrugging like it was no big deal.