I’ve had more aggro from blokes who think they’re smart than anyone else. Know why?’
‘Why?’ Ryan asked, words distorted by the hold on his cheek.
‘Credit where it’s due, clever blokes can be useful,’ Craig began, as he let Ryan go. ‘But they usually think they know best, and they struggle with their place in the pecking order. Sooner or later the brainy ones always try to rip you off.’
‘I just want to earn dosh, for nice stuff. And maybe put a bit of money aside for uni,’ Ryan said.
Craig laughed. ‘That’s what you say now.’
‘I’m no genius,’ Ryan said. ‘It was pure coincidence that you sent me to a cab office with Fat Tony’s car-wash on the same lot.’
‘Bit of a balls-up,’ Craig admitted. ‘But most people still wouldn’t have figured that it was a test.’
‘So I’m too smart to carry on working for you?’
‘Don’t put words in my mouth, son,’ Craig warned. ‘But know this: I’ve been in this game nigh on twenty years. I’ve seen every scheme and scam and I’ve seen off guys a lot tougher and smarter than you.’
Ryan pushed his point. ‘So, the car-wash?’
‘You’re off the hook,’ Craig said. ‘But Fat Tony had jobs lined up tomorrow, and since you were tasty enough to take him down, I think you’ll make a fitting replacement.’
‘Doing what?’ Ryan asked.
‘Putting in line what needs to be put in line,’ Craig said. ‘I’ll drop you off at the tube station at the end of the road. Stick that phone in a public bin, it was already a couple of days old when you got it. I’ll have them push another one through your door this evening, and you can expect a call from my good friend Clark in the morning.’
*
Fay had a bunch of surveillance equipment in the allotment shed, but years stored in damp conditions had got to the circuits and no amount of fiddling would bring it to life. When the shops opened on Sunday morning, Fay and Ning bussed it to a retail park and picked up a wireless CCTV kit and a couple of pairs of cheap binoculars.
Ning hadn’t been impressed by Fay’s method of openly asking questions about Hagar’s organisation, or the cavalier way she’d handled the stash house takedown, so she made an intervention before they got anywhere near the bowling club.
‘I didn’t see any cameras,’ Ning said, as the pair sat at a stop waiting for the bus back into town. ‘But they’d arouse suspicion if they made cameras obvious. I looked some stuff up about surveillance online. Apparently when the cops start a surveillance they do it really patiently. Like, they’ll spend a day or so just watching a gate. Then send someone in a bit closer. Then maybe back off for a few days.’
Fay gave a dismissive shake of her head. ‘Kirsten and my mum never bothered with all that.’
‘And look where they ended up,’ Ning said bluntly.
Fay reared up. ‘Don’t you diss my family.’
Ning stood her ground. ‘I’m not dissing your family. I just keep thinking about the stash house. What if there’d been a bolt instead of a chain on the lower door? We’d have blown it completely. And even though we got in, we took so long and made so much noise that Clay knew we were coming. He might have shot us both if he’d had a gun.’
‘The raid went well,’ Fay said. ‘We made our money. If you want to play this game, there’s no such thing as a risk-free job.’
‘I’m just not sure we’re doing enough to minimise risks,’ Ning said.
‘What do you know?’ Fay snapped.
‘All I’m saying is, what’s the mega rush?’ Ning asked. ‘We made more money than we can spend on the last job. So why not make this one a slow burn? Wait until Hagar’s crew drop their guard a little.’
‘He killed my mum,’ Fay said. ‘If you’re chicken, go back to Nebraska House and watch TV. I don’t need you.’
‘Warren was right, Fay. Your lust for revenge is clouding your judgement. Get yourself killed if you want to, but that’s not what I signed up for.’
Fay didn’t say a word. This was a challenging moment for Ning. She needed to be close to Fay to learn about Hagar’s organisation and progress the mission. But it was too risky to carry on this way, so Ning decided to call Fay’s bluff.
‘There,’ Ning said, as she put down a carrier bag with the new pairs of binoculars in and stood up.