Lone Wolf - Robert Muchamore Page 0,73
stand.
‘I’ve no idea what’s happened,’ Ning said, looking around her room as James explained. She flicked on a bedside lamp when she realised there was nobody asleep on the floor. ‘Fay’s gone. She’s taken her shoes and phone. So Christ knows what she’s up to, but I’ll bet she’s got something to do with it . . .’
37. BOSS
Ryan had dressed for trouble, wearing black boots, a stab vest plus an extendable baton clipped to his belt. As he strode through the courtyard towards The Hangout, keeping a wary eye out for dog turds, James’ voice was coming through the com unit buried in his ear.
‘I’ve logged into the London 999 dispatch system,’ James said. ‘Just under two hours ago, a major incident was reported in Finchley. Flaming van deliberately rammed into garage at 57 Hartwood Road, N3. That’s Hagar’s place.’
‘The van Fay and Ning stole?’ Ryan asked quietly.
‘It doesn’t say, but it’s got to be,’ James said. ‘Five cars destroyed. Fire under control after significant damage to extension. No fatalities, one child taken to hospital as a precaution after smoke inhalation. Hartwood Road remains closed to through traffic.’
‘Hagar’s gonna be pissed,’ Ryan said. ‘I’d better shut up now, I’m going inside.’
Ryan was used to The Hangout being filled with people his own age, but now it was mostly men in their late teens and twenties. He recognised Warren and Craig. Some of Hagar’s most senior lieutenants were at the back and Ryan felt a tingle down his back as he saw Hagar.
‘Where you going, boy?’ a big ginger-haired guy with an eye patch said, blocking Ryan in the doorway.
‘I got Craig’s message,’ Ryan said.
The ginger dude looked suspicious until a guy Ryan had seen at the car-wash a few times shouted, ‘Ryan’s legit. Get over here, kid.’
Ryan walked over to the guy, who was called Max.
‘What’s up?’ Ryan asked.
‘Big-time shit hitting fan,’ Max told Ryan. ‘Eli’s boys rammed Hagar’s house. Hagar wasn’t home, but his boy’s in casualty.’
‘Shit,’ Ryan said.
At the other side of the room, Hagar and Craig stood between two pool tables. Craig was the bigger man and had a hand on Hagar’s shoulder.
‘Why rush into this?’ Craig said soothingly. ‘We know the girls stole that van.’
‘My boy’s in the hospital,’ Hagar shouted angrily.
‘As a precaution. He just breathed a little smoke. Judy said he’s running around the emergency room, happy as Larry.’
‘We know Eli bought the gear from the stash house from Fay Hoyt,’ Hagar said. ‘He must have an insider. He must have found my grow house and got the girls to rob it.’
Craig shook his head, and his tone got tetchy. ‘We don’t know that for sure. We don’t know anything.’
‘Are you telling me that my security is so lax that a fifteen-year-old girl managed to find my grow house and my home address with no outside help? Who’s supposed to be my chief of security?’
‘I am,’ Craig admitted.
Ryan knew that Warren had helped the girls find the grow house, and glanced over at a thoroughly uncomfortable expression on his face.
‘Plenty of people don’t like you, Hagar,’ Craig said. ‘We have sources. I’m just saying we should get a better picture of what really happened before doing anything rash.’
Hagar took a step back. ‘I’ve made up my mind, Craig. Now are you with me or not?’
Hagar pointed towards the door, showing Craig where to go if he didn’t snap into line.
Craig made a subservient nod. ‘You’re the boss,’ he said, a touch reluctantly.
‘OK, people. Get in close, listen up,’ Hagar shouted.
Everyone had backed up to the edges of the room while Hagar and Craig were fighting. Now they peeled away, moving between and resting butts on the edge of pool tables.
‘We’ve been attacked,’ Hagar shouted. ‘My home and family is where I draw the line. Eli has provoked us, so he’ll be expecting us to come out on the street and hit his dealers. But that ponce isn’t the only person with inside information. I’ve got a list of Eli’s other assets. We’re gonna hit the streets hard, but not in the places where he’s expecting us.’
A few nervous laughs and a couple of whoops went through the assembled thugs.
‘Four or five to a car,’ Hagar ordered. ‘There’s a plentiful supply of tools and implements in the playgroup room. Each team gets three targets. And don’t come back to me with excuses why you didn’t take all of ’em out.’
*
Ning was desperate to know what Fay had been up to, but she couldn’t mention