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‘I guess not, but I can’t stop others from acting against you. If you start doing questionable stuff with your irregularly sourced intelligence. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me, but there are others in Police Scotland who won’t have the same attitude as me.’
‘You think that bothers me? With the way I live, they’d never trace me, Max, and I think you know that. Put it this way, I’m not letting those bastard Hardie boys get out of prison a minute before they’re due out. They managed to escape the most serious of the charges, but they have to do every bloody minute of the time for what their family did to my brother.’
Max looked at the tough and grizzled ex-commando. He took in the rope-like muscled arms, lined face and steady eyes that managed to combine humour with cold-hearted ruthlessness. Even though Max was breaking laws just by speaking to Bruce Ferguson he felt no conflict and he knew that he trusted him as much as he trusted anyone in the police. He was ruthless, he was a killer, but he was a force for good.
‘Yeah, I know that, Bruce.’
8
DAVIE HARDIE WASsnoozing on his bed in his single cell when there was a thump on the steel door, which then sprang open, banging hard as it smashed into the metal bed-frame.
‘Jesus suffering fuck,’ he blurted out, leaping to his feet with his fists balled, ready to fight.
‘Sit down, ya fuckin nugget,’ came the voice from the doorway.
Davie rubbed his bleary eyes to see the large form of his brother looming over him, a scowl on his face. Initially after their sentence they’d been at separate prisons, but once the police realised that having them together presented no specific threat, Davie had joined Frankie at Shotts. They hung about a fair bit, often eating together, or playing pool, but mostly they kept their heads down.
‘What’s with the noisy entrance, bro? You could have just fucking knocked.’
‘You fucking know what.’ His face was flushed red, as it always was when he was angry.
‘Who’s pissed on your bonfire, man?’ said Davie.
‘Don’t give me that shite. Anything you want to tell me, brother?’
‘No idea what you’re fucking on about.’
‘Don’t bullshit me. You think I don’t have sources in this fucking jail, you’ve been seeing Leo, haven’t you?’
‘No.’
‘Fucking liar,’ Frankie growled, shoving at Davie’s chest with his open palms.
Davie staggered backwards, falling onto his bed. His brother had always been the biggest of all three of the Hardie boys, and he knew that he’d be bested in a physical confrontation.
‘Frankie, I …’
‘Shut the fuck up, nae more fucking lying, or so help me we’re gonna have a square go right here, right now.’ Frankie towered over Davie, still sprawled on the bed, his face contorted with rage.
‘I just wanted to check something out with him …’
Frankie didn’t let him finish his sentence. ‘Bullshit, you’ve also just been seen by two cops, and don’t fucking deny it. One of the screws told me. What the fuck are you doing? Please don’t tell me you’re helping the polis, man. Anything but that.’ Frankie’s eyes were hard and flashing, the fury evident in them.
Davie sighed and sat up on the bed. ‘Sit down, bro, and I’ll explain. I was going to tell you, I promise.’
Frankie uncurled his fists, the white knuckles softening as the blood returned to them. He pulled the upright chair away from the desk and sat on it, his body still tense. ‘This better be fucking good, Davie.’
‘Look, I can’t handle it in here much more, man. Elizabeth is getting pure crabbit with me, and I need to go somewhere new. I’ve a plan, and it can include you. We can both get out, and get transferred to Castle Huntly, and get parole dates fixed. Leo has confirmed it and there’s a cop who’s willing to go for it.’
‘Go for what, for Christ’s sake? In exchange for what, Davie? What the fuck have you agreed to?’ His eyes were bulging out, and his breathing was short and staccato.
‘Remember that Pa sorted out a major problem for someone six years ago? Polish girl was taken care of because one of his people wanted her out of the way?’
‘Aye, vaguely. I remember Pa talking about kompromat on some bigwig.’
‘That’s the one. Pa always called him The Ace.’
‘I remember, but you know how it was. Pa and Tam kept lots between themselves, so I don’t know much.’
