Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 52932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
And that’s a dangerous situation.
“We should tell Monster what we’ve discovered so far,” Racer says as he pushes to his feet. “I’ll give him a bell and update him before we head out.”
“Aye,” I respond with a nod. “Tell him we’ll get ta the bottom of this.”
I need time to think, so I’ve told the lads I’m going out alone to clear my head. Driving through the familiar, quiet streets of South Shields in the early morning is a welcome distraction.
I didn’t want to come back to this coastal town and be reminded of the life I chose to leave behind. I’m no longer the young lad who wanted to make Hunt proud, but even now, he still means a lot to me.
I didn’t expect to see Harley here, running her father’s organisation. She’s far too fecking decent to be doing this shite. Then again, I chose to leave so I have no say in her life.
The memory of breaking her heart is still fresh in my mind. That day has haunted me over the years, and now I’m back, the weight of it is pressing down on my chest, stealing the breath from my feckin’ lungs.
The dawn mist clings to the ground as I make my way back to the hotel. I pull into the car park where Hades and Racer are waiting for me, their figures silhouetted against the rising sun.
As far as I’m concerned, the sooner we get this job done, the better. In recent months, there have been too many uncertainties when it comes to the delivery of our imports. Now it’s time to face the problem, head-on, and deal with the bastards who are stealing from us.
The one thing I will do before I return to Belfast is apologise to the girl I left behind. I don’t know if it was love, but there was a powerful emotion between us. My affection for her was much stronger than I was willing to admit at the time.
“Mornin’, lads,” I greet, my voice steady despite the tension I’m still feeling.
“Rev,” Hades responds, his expression serious.
Racer gives me a brief nod, his usual smirk replaced by a look of concern.
“Let’s get inside,” he says, flicking his cigarette to the ground and crushing it under his boot. “We’ve got a lot to discuss. I spoke with Monster last night and told him what we found.”
We head into the hotel and up to the room that Racer is occupying. The dim light filters through the dusty windows, casting long shadows across the floor as we gather around the laptop on a table in one corner of the room. Racer taps on the keyboard to waken the screen and opens an email from Monster that contains details of the shipments that have gone missing over the past few months.
Hades leans forwards, his eyes locking with mine. “We’re not the only business that’s been hit. Monster got in touch with Judah and the lads in Black Hollow. On a daily basis, they’re being asked by various organisations to track down shipments that haven’t arrived. No one has been able to find out who’s responsible for the thefts, and Monster says we’re haemorrhaging money.”
I nod, anger simmering just beneath the surface. “The numbers haven’t been adding up for a while now. Did Monster send us anything else? Any other leads?”
Racer shakes his head. “Nothing concrete. Whoever’s doing this is good at covering their tracks. We’ve managed to narrow it down to shipments originating from this part of the country, so we know we’re in the right place. Now we just need to find the arseholes responsible.”
Hades taps a sheet of paper with a list of names scribbled down in his familiar scrawl. “Hunt’s organisation is the only one operating in this area. These are the names of his men. If we can talk to each of them individually, I’m sure we can find out who the traitor is.”
I study the list, recognising most of the names. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that someone within our old inner circle could be betraying Hunt. He treated us all like family, so this doesn’t sit well with me.
“What’s the plan?” I ask.
“I think you should be the one to take the lead on this, Rev,” Hades says, his tone measured. “You need to talk to Harley again. If she’s running the business, she’s the best chance we’ve got.”
Racer nods in agreement. “If anyone can help us get to the bottom of this, it’s her.”
I sigh realising I’m going to have to talk again to the one person I wanted to avoid for the time being.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I say, “I’ll speak to her. She must have some suspicions as to what is going on, and we could use her insight.”
Hades claps me on the shoulder. “Thanks, Rev. Just be careful. We don’t know who we can trust right now.”