distracting him. Most of the youngsters took this as a cue to leave, including Junior.
‘You don’t wanna be here when one of those guys starts losing big,’ Junior explained. ‘I’ve seen Sasha stick a guy’s head through a wall just for looking at him funny.’
Bruce was tired and wanted to go back to the Zoo, but James couldn’t leave until he’d spoken to Wheels.
‘Scuse me,’ James said nervously, as he approached the big shots at the table and crouched down beside Wheels. ‘I’m gonna get going, but you said about putting some business my way; so maybe I could give you my mobile number or something?’
Wheels was a pup compared to the others around the table, but he had the biggest pile of cash. ‘I’m out,’ Wheels said dramatically as he pushed back his chair, stood up and began gathering his money.
‘Yeah, best to quit while you’re ahead,’ Sasha said. ‘Go back to playing with the little kiddies.’
Wheels smiled as he straightened his pile of money so that it would fit in his pocket. ‘I’ll be back on Friday,’ he said casually. ‘I want to win all your money a bit at a time, ’cos I know how upset you gents would get if I won it all in one go.’
James smiled as the men around the table laughed. But Sasha looked at Wheels seriously. ‘Are you taking James out for a ride?’
Wheels nodded. ‘If that’s OK with you, boss.’
‘He worked for Keith so I guess we can trust him,’ Sasha shrugged; then he pointed at Junior and Bruce. ‘But you’re not planning on bringing these two along, are you?’
The way Sasha said are you made it clear that he meant don’t even think about it. James knew that Sasha was looking out for Junior, but he couldn’t understand the concern for Bruce.
‘Here,’ Sasha said, grabbing a £20 note off the poker table and waving it at Junior. ‘It’s late, so grab a car from the mini-cab office on the corner, and you can drop my man Bruce off at the Zoo along the way.’
Bruce looked towards Wheels. ‘Can’t I go with them?’
Sasha shook his head. ‘You’re the new star of Mad Dogs’ under-fifteens. I want those nimble feet tucked up in bed and fit for the match on Thursday night.’
Bruce was pissed off. He’d put on a show on the football pitch to attract Sasha’s attention, but he was supposed to get involved in the criminal side of the gang and it seemed footballing talent was no help on that score.
‘Here,’ Sasha said, reaching out to hand Bruce three tenners. ‘I expect you could do with a bit of pocket money.’
‘Cheers,’ Bruce smiled.
Junior and Bruce said their goodbyes and James followed Wheels up the basement steps a few minutes later. At the top they passed Sasha’s sixteen-year-old daughter Lois, her curvy figure clad in a towelling gown.
‘Hey, Wheels,’ Lois said warmly, before turning towards James. ‘I haven’t seen you before.’
‘This is James Beckett,’ Wheels said uneasily. ‘He’s a mate of Junior’s.’
‘How’s it going?’ Lois asked.
‘Not bad,’ James said, as he studied her freshly painted nails and unfeasibly perfect teeth. It seemed Sasha had forked out for some expensive dental work.
‘We’ve really gotta split, Lois,’ Wheels said. ‘See you around, yeah?’
Wheels sighed with relief as they stepped out on to the front doorstep.
‘You got a problem with her?’ James asked.
‘Let’s just say that a psychotic gangster and a hot teenage daughter is a dangerous combination.’
‘She’s got a great rack though,’ James smirked, as they headed towards Wheels’ car.
‘Don’t even think about her,’ Wheels said, shaking his head. ‘She’s been around with a few guys from sixth-form college, but Sasha’s made it clear that she’s not for the likes of us.’
James was disappointed as Wheels stopped walking beside an anonymous Vauxhall hatchback. He’d been expecting a hot rod.
‘Flash cars attract attention,’ Wheels explained as they climbed inside. ‘Besides, it’s what you do behind the wheel that counts. So where do you want to go?’
James was confused. ‘I thought you had a plan or something.’
Wheels looked over his shoulder into the oncoming traffic before pulling away from the kerb. It was less than thirty metres to the junction with a main road.
‘I was about your age when Sasha took me under his wing,’ Wheels explained, as they cruised past a line of shops. It was midnight and everywhere except the convenience stores and take-aways had their shutters down. ‘Sasha taught me that the streets are paved with money.’
James smiled.
‘It’s true,’ Wheels grinned,