looked back. She was a pretty girl with her flawless white skin and long blonde hair. But he had no interest in her. She was too easy for his liking and as they said back home: easy come easy go. For his own amusement, he let her have a quick puff of the joint, before he snatched it back out of her grasp and lay back down on the sofa.
“Hey, I’ve only just got it,” Louise protested, miffed he had only let her have one toke and embarrassed that the boys had seen Jerell make her look like a prat.
“Dat all you got to worry about, girl, smoking my gear?” He laughed at Louise’s expression, which conveyed her rejection. “You came round for your money, girl, buy your own gear.” He raised his eyebrows to let her know not to ask him again. Jerell paid the girl well, she had no need to ponce gear off him. “And you better not be robbing any of the gear over at your place either. You know what they do to thieves that steal off their own, back in my yard? They cut their hands off.”
Louise was mortified. She had thought that, after all she was doing, Jerell would treat her with more recognition. She was practically running things at her flat. Unsure of how to save face, noticing that some of the boys were laughing at her now, Louise giggled, trying to pretend that she wasn’t bothered by Jerell’s rudeness. Feeling her cheeks burn red, as she pretended not to notice the mocking glance he sent her way, she realised that Jerell had absolutely no interest in her at all. She hadn’t really fancied him anyway. It had been the idea of him that she had liked. He had a presence about him, unlike all the stupid little rude boys round here. She was embarrassed by his blatant disrespect towards her, though. She wasn’t used to being rejected; in fact if anyone did the brushing off around here, it was normally her.
Shamed by how easy she must have come across to him, and feeling stupid that she had been throwing herself at him Louise got up and grabbed her jacket. Taking the cash from Reagan, she let her hair fall around her cheeks so that she could mask the humiliation burning her face, as she made her way to the door.
“Shut the door on your way out, girl.” Jerell laughed in amusement at how much he had got to the young thing. He inhaled some more of the spliff, thinking that he had no time for shit with young girls like that. They were more trouble than they were worth. Louise was another one who thought she was owed something. She was doing the lion’s share of the work, he knew that. But it didn’t hurt to bring the girl down a peg or two and remind her that it was he who was in charge. She would do well to remember that in future.
Closing his eyes, he let the music carry him back to simpler days of growing up in sunny Jamaica.
Chapter 7
Tapping his fingers on the table in the shabby little cafe, Gary couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.
The normally busy greasy spoon was unusually quiet for this time of the morning, giving Gary more time to be alone with his thoughts, which right now he could have done without. In the cold light of day the worries that had kept him up all night seemed magnified. Gary lived by his intuition, and the fear that had kept him awake most of the night was sitting uneasily in his gut.
What if they had bitten off more than they could chew? Maybe it was just nerves at what they were about to do, but he couldn’t suppress the feeling that they were getting involved in something that they should be leaving well alone.
But a vote had been cast, and although it had ultimately been Gary’s decision to make, in the end he had seen no other way but to agree with Jamie that they would go ahead with their plan. Sitting here alone now, though, every bone in his body was telling him to call the hit off.
What would Jamie and the others think of him if he did that, though; they were already acting like they thought he was losing his bottle. He
“Hey, I’ve only just got it,” Louise protested, miffed he had only let her have one toke and embarrassed that the boys had seen Jerell make her look like a prat.
“Dat all you got to worry about, girl, smoking my gear?” He laughed at Louise’s expression, which conveyed her rejection. “You came round for your money, girl, buy your own gear.” He raised his eyebrows to let her know not to ask him again. Jerell paid the girl well, she had no need to ponce gear off him. “And you better not be robbing any of the gear over at your place either. You know what they do to thieves that steal off their own, back in my yard? They cut their hands off.”
Louise was mortified. She had thought that, after all she was doing, Jerell would treat her with more recognition. She was practically running things at her flat. Unsure of how to save face, noticing that some of the boys were laughing at her now, Louise giggled, trying to pretend that she wasn’t bothered by Jerell’s rudeness. Feeling her cheeks burn red, as she pretended not to notice the mocking glance he sent her way, she realised that Jerell had absolutely no interest in her at all. She hadn’t really fancied him anyway. It had been the idea of him that she had liked. He had a presence about him, unlike all the stupid little rude boys round here. She was embarrassed by his blatant disrespect towards her, though. She wasn’t used to being rejected; in fact if anyone did the brushing off around here, it was normally her.
Shamed by how easy she must have come across to him, and feeling stupid that she had been throwing herself at him Louise got up and grabbed her jacket. Taking the cash from Reagan, she let her hair fall around her cheeks so that she could mask the humiliation burning her face, as she made her way to the door.
“Shut the door on your way out, girl.” Jerell laughed in amusement at how much he had got to the young thing. He inhaled some more of the spliff, thinking that he had no time for shit with young girls like that. They were more trouble than they were worth. Louise was another one who thought she was owed something. She was doing the lion’s share of the work, he knew that. But it didn’t hurt to bring the girl down a peg or two and remind her that it was he who was in charge. She would do well to remember that in future.
Closing his eyes, he let the music carry him back to simpler days of growing up in sunny Jamaica.
Chapter 7
Tapping his fingers on the table in the shabby little cafe, Gary couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.
The normally busy greasy spoon was unusually quiet for this time of the morning, giving Gary more time to be alone with his thoughts, which right now he could have done without. In the cold light of day the worries that had kept him up all night seemed magnified. Gary lived by his intuition, and the fear that had kept him awake most of the night was sitting uneasily in his gut.
What if they had bitten off more than they could chew? Maybe it was just nerves at what they were about to do, but he couldn’t suppress the feeling that they were getting involved in something that they should be leaving well alone.
But a vote had been cast, and although it had ultimately been Gary’s decision to make, in the end he had seen no other way but to agree with Jamie that they would go ahead with their plan. Sitting here alone now, though, every bone in his body was telling him to call the hit off.
What would Jamie and the others think of him if he did that, though; they were already acting like they thought he was losing his bottle. He
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