is so bogus,’ he snarled. ‘I introduced Sasha to you less than a month ago and now you’re both loaded.’
‘It’s fifteen hundred,’ James teased, as he tried to pinch Junior’s cheek. But Junior batted his arm away and stood up.
‘I’m sick of being treated like a baby,’ he spat. ‘Sasha’s an arsehole.’
Junior said it loud enough that people could hear, although everyone knew he’d never have dared if Sasha had been in the room.
‘You wanna watch that mouth, Junior,’ Savvas said seriously. ‘Your name’s not gonna protect you if you wind Sasha up.’
James felt bad about teasing Junior and he pulled £100 out of his pocket and tried putting it in Junior’s hand. It was the worst thing he could have done.
‘I don’t want your charity,’ Junior growled, before turning to Savvas. ‘And I don’t want to get lectured by a sodding Paki either.’
A great wave of ooohs shot around the room as Savvas squared up to Junior. Savvas wasn’t huge, but he was a grown man and Junior was only fifteen.
‘What did you call me?’ Savvas yelled. ‘Would you like me to scrub the floor with your face?’
‘Well it’d make a change from your mum doing it,’ Junior yelled back.
The only reason Junior didn’t get a slap at this point was because Savvas didn’t know if Sasha would stand for it. Bruce squeezed between them, and it said something about the reputation he’d already gained that Junior and Savvas backed off, despite the fact that Bruce was easily the youngest person in the room.
‘Cool it,’ James said, grabbing Junior’s arm. ‘Let’s take a walk.’
‘I just want to earn like everybody else,’ Junior shouted, as James led him up the wooden staircase.
‘Maybe we could talk to Sasha,’ James said, looking towards the office.
But Junior was in no mood to talk to anyone. ‘I’m outta here,’ he said, as he headed down the hallway and grabbed the front door.
If James had been focused entirely on the mission, he would have headed back downstairs to the basement. But he was annoyed at himself for teasing Junior about the money and he followed him down the front steps.
‘I didn’t mean to wind you up,’ James said. ‘I was an idiot.’
‘It’s not you, it’s them,’ Junior said, close to tears as he stormed towards the football pitches across the street. ‘I’m sick of being Keith Moore’s son and you know what? Screw the lot of them. I’ve been around crooks all my life and I’m not an idiot. If they won’t let me get my hands on some cash, I’ll go out and earn myself.’
‘Like how?’ James asked. ‘You’re on parole, mate. You’ve only gotta make one slip and you’re buggered …’
‘I know places,’ Junior said. ‘We could be like Wheels. Ducking and diving, mugging some rich dirtbag here, robbing a fancy car there.’
By this time they’d reached the gates of the park, but it was dark and they were locked.
‘Who said anything about we?’ James said pointedly.
‘Why not, James?’ Junior said, as he rested his feet on the bottom of the gate and squeezed his head between the bars. ‘I know you’re earning off Sasha, but look at today. You robbed two hundred grand. Sasha makes a hundred and fifty and you made what, five grand?’
‘Fifteen hundred,’ James said.
‘He’s having a laugh,’ Junior grimaced. ‘You and me together could make real money.’
James liked Junior and it was the kind of harebrained scheme he would have gone for in his pre-CHERUB days. But his mission was to bring down the Slasher Boys and Mad Dogs, not encourage Junior to set up a rival crew.
‘Maybe in a few months,’ James said, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be around by then. ‘I mean, me and Bruce are earning decent money from Sasha. We can save up and then set our own crew up when we’ve got the cash to do it properly.’
‘I guess,’ Junior said. ‘But I’m not earning in the meantime.’
James thought about offering Junior money again, but he was clearly sensitive about taking charity and James had a nasty feeling that he’d blow it on cocaine if he did.
‘I wish I was older,’ Junior said, as he jiggled his arms, rattling the gate. ‘Being fifteen is so crap. I wanna go to a bar or a club. I want money and drugs and girls with massive tits.’
James started to laugh.
‘I tell you what,’ Junior said. ‘If I can plan a job – not some chicken-feed half-arsed job but a proper raid like Sasha