Ugly Beautiful (2 page)

'Delightful.' Gary replied turning back to the garage towards the fifth drug dealer. He was still moaning in agony up against the back wall as his legs remained shattered beneath him. Outside Jason began dragging the two dead bodies back inside the garage. Gary glanced over at the fourth man lying dead against the wall but still leaning over the bonnet with his eyes splattered all over it. He chuckled, flicking the eyes from the bonnet like marbles with his bony fingers. He then reached over, taking the briefcase from the fifth man's solid grasp who was still clutching onto it for dear life.

'Thanks pal.' said Gary cheerfully. He opened the briefcase to check the contents. He looked satisfied. Jason jumped back inside the car and reversed it out into the rain. The fifth man, still held up by the front of the car, peeled away from the back wall and fell to the floor. He groaned a little as he slipped in and out of consciousness.

Jason exited car, and with Gary’s help, they began stacking up all the bodies inside the garage. Jason then grabbed some petrol cartons from the boot of his car while Gary dragged the last, and semi conscious fifth man, onto the heaped pile of bodies. Jason began pouring petrol over them all. Gary stood over the bodies holding a lighter. The fifth man, suddenly becoming more alert, tried to glance pleadingly up at him.

'Please...we never...We didnae go behind anyone's back…please Gary…It was just a side deal…One for the boys, ken?'

'Happy Easter.' smirked Gary, igniting the lighter. 'Tommy boy sends his warmest regards.'

'We never even got a warning?' the man desperately cried with his final words.

'This is your warning pal.' Gary grinned dropping the lighter and igniting the man's pleas.

'NOOO!' the man screamed.

Gary and Jason backed out of the garage. The golden flames exploded all over the middle of the concrete floor, engulfing the half a dozen dead and dying men. Jason jumped into his car and revved the engine. Gary closed the flaming garage door before jumping into the car. They sped off into the stormy night.

CHAPTER two

Jason drove onto a nearby slip road leading directly onto the M8 motorway, straight back towards Edinburgh and home. Gary turned to Jason realising they were heading back East.

'Hey. I thought we were staying in soap dodger city for a few mare nights. Hitting the town and having our wicked ways with the local talent. I've heard the girl's oot west can be very over-friendly if you catch ma drift.'

'I'm tired Gary. I just wanna get home, see the missus, chill out, you know.'

'Jesus Christ, you're turning into a right boring auld bastard in your old age Jase, you ken that?'

Gary rummaged through the large briefcase they'd just stolen. Inside, it was filled to the brim with large wads of cash and a couple of small bags of various drugs and pills. Gary took a bag of pills, opened them and swallowed three before putting them back underneath the cash.

'You should take one of these every once in a wee while you uptight prick. It might help tae unscrew that cork you've hud stuck up your arse ever since you goat back from the army.'

Jason grinned but remained silent. He was so used to Gary's petty insults that they just washed right on over him these days.

'And get yourself a sexy wee mistress or two while you're at it man.'

'I'm married to an ex stripper my friend. She's about seven mistresses all rolled up into one.'

'Yet she’d just aboot to drop a wee sprog in aw man. So you must have balls the size of fucking watermelons the noo. There's no way Sandra's letting you anywhere near her in the state she‘s in. Hoo longs it been anyway? Three, four months since you’ve goat your wee end away?'

'On the contrary mate. Pregnant women have a much higher libido than non pregnant women.' said Jason, grinning from ear to ear. He even patted Gary gently on the shoulder to reassure him. 'So don't you worry a jot about my awesome sex life pal, okay.'

‘Where did ye read that? Fucking Esquire magazine.’ Gary said with a little chuckle and the shake of his head.

‘Trust me mate. My sex life is just fine and dandy right now.’

‘Aye, and just how is Palm and her five sisters these days?’ Gary replied with a cheeky wink and sharp as a tack.

Jason just grinned and shook his head. Gary was a hard man to beat sometimes for witty comebacks.

'Jesus Christ.’ Gary continued, gently shaking his head now as he lit up a cigarette. ‘So you're still fucking your pregnant wife? For real? That's gross as shit man. What aboot the kid? Does he really need to see your tiny wee prick coming towards him from aw angles, especially while he's trying to kick back and relax in that womb. Jesus, talk aboot being scarred for life man. I mean what if ye accidentally poke the poor wee thing in the face with that thing of yours. You could give him brain damage.'

Jason just chuckled at Gary's ramblings. He shook his head at the absurdness of his words.

'You're a funny guy Gary. You need to get yourself a wee stand up show at the Edinburgh fringe next year and tell all these shite jokes. I'd pay to watch you go down in flames, I really would.'

‘Nae chance pal. I’d have them aw lining up aroond the block before the first show even goat underway.’

‘And by the way, it’s no a boy.’

‘Whit?’ Gary replied, taking a long, deep draw from his fag.

‘The baby we’re having. It’s no a boy.’

Gary’s face lit up immediately.

‘So you’re huvin a wee lassie?’

‘Aye.’

Gary let out a beaming smile from ear to ear.

‘And you ken that for a fact aye? I mean already aye?’

‘Aye.’ Jason replied, smiling wildly too. ‘Modern day technology mate. Modern day technology.’

Gary gently shook his head again and playfully slapped Jason on the shoulder. He then kicked back in his seat and took another long draw from his cigarette.

‘Fuck me, that’s amazing man. Fucking amazing. Congratulations for a second time then I guess.’

***

An hour later and Jason pulled up outside a large block of grubby five storey flats on Easter road. Home sweet home for Gary.

'Well Jase ma man. What can I say. As always, it's been an absolute fucking pleasure. I'm away tae get totally off ma fucking nut the night man.'

'Have a good one Gary. You deserve it.'

Gary got out of the car and opened the back door. He grabbed his backpack from the back seat along with his leather jacket. He then took a sly hold of the briefcase full of money and drugs, playfully hoping that Jason wouldn't notice. But he did notice and he wasn't in the mood for Gary's immature games anymore.

'Don't get on my bad side now Gary.' said Jason, glaring at his mate through the rear view mirror.

'Shit! Sorry man. Force of habit, aeh.'

Gary released the briefcase leaving it where it lay.

'Just so similar tae ma own damn briefcase at home, ken.' Gary said with a sly wink and smile.

'Yeah, right man. Now get the fuck out of her you bam pot.'

Gary closed the back door. He then walked around to the other side and leaned into Jason's half open driver's side window.

'I'll see you tomorrow then for roond two then aye? I wonder where your auld man will send us next. Two weeks in the Maldives would be grand, no?'

'We should be so lucky.'

Gary chuckled and backed away from the car, slapping the roof as he went.

'Good night man.' Gary shouted walking away. Jason just shook his head and smiled. He watched Gary disappear into a block of flats. He then pulled out his mobile and dialled.

***

Inside a parked BMW half way along an up market housing street near Leith harbour and Ocean Terminal, a handsome and smartly suited man in his late thirties sat inside stroking the hair of a young girl in the seat beside him. She looked no more than eleven years old. To anyone walking by she could have been his daughter, but then again, maybe she wasn't. The man's mobile phone rang from the car dashboard. He glanced at the number flashing up on the screen -
Jason

The man took a deep breath and glanced further up the street at the fifteen story apartment building he was suppose to be keeping an eye on. After five rings he answered.

'Jason! How the hell are you doing my friend? How's things?'

'Good Brad. I'm Good!' Jason replied from the other end.

'I didn't expect to hear from you for another couple of days pal. How's life over there in soap dodger city?'

Jason hesitated for a second. Like he was holding something back. Brad noticed it immediately. He was good with people like that. But he was never one for calling anyone out on their problems. He much preferred to wait patiently, listen and observe. Wait for them to open up to him without pressuring them to do so. This way, he realised, many, many moons ago, you could gain a man's trust. And once you had his trust, you had him by the balls. It was one of the main reasons to how he'd gotten himself into the privileged position he now found himself in today.

'Are you... with my father there Brad?' said Jason finally.

Brad slowly glanced up to around the tenth floor of the apartment block he was watching. Some of those higher apartments had some fantastic views of both the Firth of Forth in the North and the gorgeous Edinburgh City in the south.

'Umm...No Jase. No right now. Sorry pal...'

Jason hesitated again for a short while. Brad could've easily of asked him what was wrong? But he knew that if he just held off for a few more seconds, Jason would soon confide in him.

'Can I ask you a small wee favour instead then Brad?'

'Anything for you Jase. You know that. Anything at all.'

'Well, we're actually back in Edinburgh earlier than we expected with… you know… the package.'

'Really?' replied Brad genuinely surprised. He squirmed a little in his seat too. '...Already! That's great Jason.' He continued with a false smile. 'Your father's gonna be chuffed to bits.'

'Well that's the favour Brad, you see. I'm absolutely knackered. I just wanna go home and spend a few hours with the missus, you know how it is. And you know what Dad's like if he finds out we're back in Edinburgh already. He'll want me to bring the gear round right away. He'll want a detailed description of everything that went down. Then the booze will flow. We'll be up drinking and singing until the wee small hours. Then he'll be organising plane tickets to get me and Gary the fuck out of the country for a week or two while things cool down.'

'Okay. So what's the favour?'

'Can I drop this package off at your place on the way home? Then you can pass it onto my dad first thing in the morning.'

'Of course you can Jase, sure thing. That sounds like a good plan.'

'So I'll just swing on by your place right now then, aye?'

'Umm. Hold on one minute Jase.'

For a brief second Brad placed his phone down. He seemed to be having a good long hard think to himself about something. In fact it was a rare, rare opportunity that had suddenly surfaced and quite sooner than expected. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that he might not get a better opportunity to put an old and long time plan of his into action. It might even be another few years before he'd get another chance as good as this.

Brad was the son of Tommy Broughton's best friend growing up, Ned McDermot. And when Ned had gone to prison for Tommy, taking the blame for a murder which Tommy himself committed in the seventies. Tommy swore that he'd look after Ned's family until the day he was released. So Tommy had taken Brad under his wing, raising him like he was his own son. They even formed a very strong bond with each other, long before Jason was even a twinkle in his father's eye.