Beast of Burden Read Online Free Page A
Author: Ray Banks
then you want to give us a second there, Frank?”
I didn't see Frank nod, but I guessed he did, because he was out of there sharpish. Paulo backed us into the office and closed the door behind him. Soon as that door clicked shut, I have to say, I got a bit uneasy. I didn't like being in this close with a homosexual. Not that I had owt against them or anything, nothing fucking homophobic about it; I just didn't want my arse felt.
So I put the ciggie in my mouth and sniffed at him like I didn't give a fuck.
“You can't smoke in here, Detective,” he said.
“You got a problem with it an' all, do you?”
“You should know the law.”
“Alright.” I put the ciggie back in the tin. “So what is it you wanted to say to us? Hopefully you're going to tell us where Innes is—”
“Why do you need him?”
“I don't have to tell you that.”
“He done something?”
I shrugged.
“The reason I ask,” he said, “is because this is a place of business. You know what we do here?”
I sat on the edge of the desk, folded my arms. I had a million cracks to dish out to him, but this wasn't the right time, so I said: “Boxing.”
“Boxing,” said Paulo. “Yeah, you're close.”
“It's a fuckin' gym, mate. I'm not blind.”
“It's a special gym, Detective. We deal with kids who've been in trouble with the law. They've already served their time and they need a place to deal with whatever impulses put them into care in the first place.”
“I know. I recognise some of the lads.”
“And they know you.”
“That right? My reputation precedes us, eh?”
“Yeah,” he said, stretching it out. “You could say that.”
“Marvellous.”
“Something else you could say — they know you, they know what you're fuckin' like, and the ones that don't think you're a fuckin' joke reckon you're bent as a nine-bob note.”
“Pot, kettle.”
“You know what I mean.”
I took that in, let it settle, gazed out at the gym. There was a couple lads out there watching us. Joke or bent as fuck. I didn't know which one I preferred. Nah, scrub that, of course I did. I preferred bent. Because bent meant dangerous, bent meant I could fuck you up and I had the nous to get away with it.
“Which ones said I was a joke?” I said, nice and quiet.
“Don't get me wrong, Detective. I don't mean to insult you, I'm just spelling out the situation.”
“Nice of you.”
“I don't want you to think that every time you kick open those doors that you're scaring the shit out of us, because that's not the case. You might think that you have an audience here while you wait for Callum to turn up, but what you don't know is most of that audience is laughing at you.”
“Really?” I said. “That's interesting.”
“Plus, if you take him to the floor in here, you'll have to bring reinforcements.”
I pulled myself up straighter on the desk. “And what's that, then? You threatening me, Mr Gray?”
“No,” he said. “I'm just giving you a likely scenario if you get nasty here. I've got the future of this place to think about, so I wouldn't want you pounded any more than you need to be. But I'm warning you, if you keep coming in here thinking you're invincible, spouting off and throwing your sizeable fuckin' weight around, one day someone's going to call you on it.”
“You?”
The poof moved closer to us. I didn't move, wasn't about to let someone like him call the shots, so I straightened up full height to make my point. It'd been a good while since I'd gone the rounds with someone bigger and stronger. And I'll admit, recent circumstances had put us sufficiently on edge that a good fight might've been just what I needed.
“Calm it,” he said.
“Back,” I said.
“What I'm saying—”
“You're saying you want to be arrested for assaulting a police officer, you don't back the fuck up, big lad.”
He stepped off. “Be an adult about this, Detective. All I'm saying is you want to talk to Callum Innes, be a copper
I didn't see Frank nod, but I guessed he did, because he was out of there sharpish. Paulo backed us into the office and closed the door behind him. Soon as that door clicked shut, I have to say, I got a bit uneasy. I didn't like being in this close with a homosexual. Not that I had owt against them or anything, nothing fucking homophobic about it; I just didn't want my arse felt.
So I put the ciggie in my mouth and sniffed at him like I didn't give a fuck.
“You can't smoke in here, Detective,” he said.
“You got a problem with it an' all, do you?”
“You should know the law.”
“Alright.” I put the ciggie back in the tin. “So what is it you wanted to say to us? Hopefully you're going to tell us where Innes is—”
“Why do you need him?”
“I don't have to tell you that.”
“He done something?”
I shrugged.
“The reason I ask,” he said, “is because this is a place of business. You know what we do here?”
I sat on the edge of the desk, folded my arms. I had a million cracks to dish out to him, but this wasn't the right time, so I said: “Boxing.”
“Boxing,” said Paulo. “Yeah, you're close.”
“It's a fuckin' gym, mate. I'm not blind.”
“It's a special gym, Detective. We deal with kids who've been in trouble with the law. They've already served their time and they need a place to deal with whatever impulses put them into care in the first place.”
“I know. I recognise some of the lads.”
“And they know you.”
“That right? My reputation precedes us, eh?”
“Yeah,” he said, stretching it out. “You could say that.”
“Marvellous.”
“Something else you could say — they know you, they know what you're fuckin' like, and the ones that don't think you're a fuckin' joke reckon you're bent as a nine-bob note.”
“Pot, kettle.”
“You know what I mean.”
I took that in, let it settle, gazed out at the gym. There was a couple lads out there watching us. Joke or bent as fuck. I didn't know which one I preferred. Nah, scrub that, of course I did. I preferred bent. Because bent meant dangerous, bent meant I could fuck you up and I had the nous to get away with it.
“Which ones said I was a joke?” I said, nice and quiet.
“Don't get me wrong, Detective. I don't mean to insult you, I'm just spelling out the situation.”
“Nice of you.”
“I don't want you to think that every time you kick open those doors that you're scaring the shit out of us, because that's not the case. You might think that you have an audience here while you wait for Callum to turn up, but what you don't know is most of that audience is laughing at you.”
“Really?” I said. “That's interesting.”
“Plus, if you take him to the floor in here, you'll have to bring reinforcements.”
I pulled myself up straighter on the desk. “And what's that, then? You threatening me, Mr Gray?”
“No,” he said. “I'm just giving you a likely scenario if you get nasty here. I've got the future of this place to think about, so I wouldn't want you pounded any more than you need to be. But I'm warning you, if you keep coming in here thinking you're invincible, spouting off and throwing your sizeable fuckin' weight around, one day someone's going to call you on it.”
“You?”
The poof moved closer to us. I didn't move, wasn't about to let someone like him call the shots, so I straightened up full height to make my point. It'd been a good while since I'd gone the rounds with someone bigger and stronger. And I'll admit, recent circumstances had put us sufficiently on edge that a good fight might've been just what I needed.
“Calm it,” he said.
“Back,” I said.
“What I'm saying—”
“You're saying you want to be arrested for assaulting a police officer, you don't back the fuck up, big lad.”
He stepped off. “Be an adult about this, Detective. All I'm saying is you want to talk to Callum Innes, be a copper