a Salford-based gang that controlled door security and the drug supply inside pubs and clubs all over Manchester.
Instead of stealing the drugs and running, Sasha’s ambitious plan was to rob the Slasher Boys’ drugs and the Salford crew’s money. Both groups were predominantly black, which meant Kelvin would have to answer the door or the Salford crew would know something was wrong.
But that was far from their only problem. Sasha knew the time and place that the deal was going down, but he didn’t know how many men the Salford crew would bring. Seizing the drugs had been easy because the dealers were at home and half asleep. But the northerners were coming to do a hundred-grand drug deal, which meant they’d be right on edge.
But Sasha was a pro. He’d been robbing drug dealers for more than twenty years and he knew his stuff. As well as Kelvin, Savvas, Wheels, James and Bruce inside the hard front, he had two men poised in a flat three doors down, a youngster down in the road who was supposed to slash the northerners’ tyres when they arrived and a man stationed on the roof of the next block with an assault rifle and optical scope. The whole team was linked with walkie-talkies and Sasha himself would run the show from the flat across the street where James and Bruce had mounted the surveillance.
The wait became painful. James had a layer of sweat between his skin and his body armour and it itched like crazy. His watch seemed to be going in slow motion as ten o’clock came and went.
They’d put the boy in the back bedroom out of harm’s way, but he wanted to carry on playing and he cried until Wheels banged on the door and threatened to whack him.
At 10:07 the youngster down at street level put a message over the walkie-talkies. There were six black men in two cars. Five of them stepped out, while one waited in the driver’s seat of a BMW.
‘Martin, I want both cars immobilised as soon as they’re out of sight,’ Sasha replied.
James had never spoken to Martin, but he was only seventeen and he sounded out of his depth. ‘I can’t, boss,’ the kid said. ‘There’s a guy sitting behind the wheel.’
‘You’ve got a gun,’ Sasha said bluntly. ‘Use it.’
A shiver went up James’ back when he heard the order over the radio. This had always been serious business, but Sasha giving the order to put a bullet through someone’s head made it a hundred times worse. His voice was flat – like a man ordering a latte rather than an execution – and CHERUB’s ethics committee wasn’t going to like it one bit.
‘Boss, are you sure?’ the kid asked. ‘There’s people around and you told me I was only gonna slash the tyres—’
‘Do what you’re told,’ Sasha shouted. ‘If I have to come down there and sort the cars out I’m gonna be sticking bullets through two skulls, not one. Now what’s their status?’
‘Five men heading upstairs,’ Martin said shakily. ‘Two have got big bags – the money, I guess.’
‘You reckon, Sherlock?’ Sasha sneered. ‘Units inside the house, are you ready?’
Savvas stood less than a metre from James as he spoke into his radio. ‘Good to go, boss.’
‘Units at number sixteen, I want you out on that balcony blocking off the staircase as soon as the Salford boys go inside,’ Sasha said.
A fresh voice came out of Savvas’ radio. ‘Roger that, boss. We’re all set.’
It was only two floors up, but it seemed like the walk from the car park took the Salford crew for ever.
‘They’re out on the balcony,’ Sasha said. ‘Keep this channel clear unless it’s urgent. Good luck everyone.’
The doorbell rang and Kelvin walked slowly towards the front door as Savvas pointed his gun at the hostages. ‘I’ve got two hundred rounds a minute out of this baby, so if I hear so much as a sharp intake of breath I’ll waste all five of you.’
Out in the hallway Kelvin opened the front door to the five northerners.
‘You must be Pete,’ Kelvin said. ‘Come right in, it’s in the kitchen.’
The leader of the Salford boys wore sunglasses and had a full beard. ‘Who are you?’ he spat, talking fast and going for his gun. ‘Where’s Tyler? Nobody told me about a change of personnel.’
Kelvin raised his hands anxiously. ‘Peace, brothers,’ he said, as he stepped backwards. ‘The major just called me over here to do this thing. I