Read Online Die Hard Mod by Charlie McQuaker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Charlie McQuaker
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see Bobby’s reaction.
‘Please say you’re just messin’ with me.’
‘Course I’m not. That’s her, I swear. Stunning eh?’
Bobby solemnly handed him back the photo.
‘I recognise her, boss. She’s quite well-known about town.’
‘What are ye tryin’ to say here, Bobby? I hope you’re not suggestin’ that she’s a slapper or somethin’.’
Bobby switched off the TV and looked straight at Steve.
‘No, nothing like that… look, this is a fuckin’ hard thing to tell you but you really need to know… the girl in that photo is Anthony Cubitt’s woman.’
22
‘I think we might need to put some crisis management into place here, boss.’
Bobby poured the tea out and handed one of the mugs to Steve.
‘Well it’s not like she’s goin’ to tell him, Bobby.’
‘Of course not but Brighton’s a small place… just takes one person at the Hanbury or the Fishbowl who recognises her to blab about it and it could be round the town like wildfire.’
‘Yeah but no-one else knows about what happened in the alleyway… if Cubitt hears she was seen with me she could just say that I’m an old friend or somethin’.’
Bobby sighed.
‘Look boss, we’re talking about Anthony Cubitt here… this is not a reasonable man who’ll be willing to listen to explanations about why his woman has been seen with another man… you need to get your head around this, boss… he’ll want to inflict some serious damage on you if he finds out.’
Steve bristled.
‘Look Bobby, why the fuck should I be runnin’ scared of a jumped-up arsehole like him? And never mind what he’d do to me… if he laid a hand on Jeanie over this, I’d batter the cunt, I swear.’
‘No offence boss, but you didn’t look too tough when he gave you that bone-crushing handshake the other day.’
Steve gave Bobby the finger.
‘Up yours, mate… the fucker just got me by surprise. You forget I’m from North Belfast … wankers like Cubitt would get eaten for breakfast by some of the hard men who are knockin’ around where I grew up.’
Bobby gave Steve a conciliatory smile.
‘Look boss, I don’t doubt that Belfast might give you a bit of added grit compared to most of the airy-fairy ponces that live around this manor but you gotta understand, Cubitt is a bona fide one-hundred-per-cent certified psycho. Don’t let the posh voice and the snazzy threads convince you otherwise.’
Steve reached for the teapot and topped up both their mugs.
‘Alright then, so what’s this crisis management you have in mind, Bobby?’
Bobby took a few sups of tea before replying.
‘Okay, maybe I was being a bit melodramatic but as they say, forewarned is forearmed. Firstly, you need to stay well clear of her from now on. Secondly, I’m usually up-to-date on the Brighton gossip-mill so at the first hint that Cubitt’s blowing a gasket over his woman, it’s time for you to head straight home to Belfast , ya dig?’
Steve shook his head.
‘No can do, mate …look, there’s stuff I’ve been keepin’ to myself since I got here. You’ve been a good friend to me from the word go so maybe now’s as good a time as any to tell you the whole fuckin’ saga …I wouldn’t usually be up for hair-of–the-dog this time of day but I really think this needs to be discussed over a pint.’
23
Over three rounds of Guinness in a quiet corner at The Cooper’s Cask, Bobby became fully au fait with Trevor and Donzo, the murder of Doug, paramilitary drug-dealing, the close-knit Belfast Mod scene and Jeanie’s misdemeanours.
‘Well I hope you feel better for telling me that ‘cos I’m not sure if I feel better for knowing it… god bless ya, boss, I think you’ve been keeping it together better than I would have.’
‘Appearances can be deceptive, Bobby. Believe you me, I’ve been feelin’ anxious as fuck and all that shite never stops whirrin’ through my head. I really miss havin’ that peace of mind when
‘Please say you’re just messin’ with me.’
‘Course I’m not. That’s her, I swear. Stunning eh?’
Bobby solemnly handed him back the photo.
‘I recognise her, boss. She’s quite well-known about town.’
‘What are ye tryin’ to say here, Bobby? I hope you’re not suggestin’ that she’s a slapper or somethin’.’
Bobby switched off the TV and looked straight at Steve.
‘No, nothing like that… look, this is a fuckin’ hard thing to tell you but you really need to know… the girl in that photo is Anthony Cubitt’s woman.’
22
‘I think we might need to put some crisis management into place here, boss.’
Bobby poured the tea out and handed one of the mugs to Steve.
‘Well it’s not like she’s goin’ to tell him, Bobby.’
‘Of course not but Brighton’s a small place… just takes one person at the Hanbury or the Fishbowl who recognises her to blab about it and it could be round the town like wildfire.’
‘Yeah but no-one else knows about what happened in the alleyway… if Cubitt hears she was seen with me she could just say that I’m an old friend or somethin’.’
Bobby sighed.
‘Look boss, we’re talking about Anthony Cubitt here… this is not a reasonable man who’ll be willing to listen to explanations about why his woman has been seen with another man… you need to get your head around this, boss… he’ll want to inflict some serious damage on you if he finds out.’
Steve bristled.
‘Look Bobby, why the fuck should I be runnin’ scared of a jumped-up arsehole like him? And never mind what he’d do to me… if he laid a hand on Jeanie over this, I’d batter the cunt, I swear.’
‘No offence boss, but you didn’t look too tough when he gave you that bone-crushing handshake the other day.’
Steve gave Bobby the finger.
‘Up yours, mate… the fucker just got me by surprise. You forget I’m from North Belfast … wankers like Cubitt would get eaten for breakfast by some of the hard men who are knockin’ around where I grew up.’
Bobby gave Steve a conciliatory smile.
‘Look boss, I don’t doubt that Belfast might give you a bit of added grit compared to most of the airy-fairy ponces that live around this manor but you gotta understand, Cubitt is a bona fide one-hundred-per-cent certified psycho. Don’t let the posh voice and the snazzy threads convince you otherwise.’
Steve reached for the teapot and topped up both their mugs.
‘Alright then, so what’s this crisis management you have in mind, Bobby?’
Bobby took a few sups of tea before replying.
‘Okay, maybe I was being a bit melodramatic but as they say, forewarned is forearmed. Firstly, you need to stay well clear of her from now on. Secondly, I’m usually up-to-date on the Brighton gossip-mill so at the first hint that Cubitt’s blowing a gasket over his woman, it’s time for you to head straight home to Belfast , ya dig?’
Steve shook his head.
‘No can do, mate …look, there’s stuff I’ve been keepin’ to myself since I got here. You’ve been a good friend to me from the word go so maybe now’s as good a time as any to tell you the whole fuckin’ saga …I wouldn’t usually be up for hair-of–the-dog this time of day but I really think this needs to be discussed over a pint.’
23
Over three rounds of Guinness in a quiet corner at The Cooper’s Cask, Bobby became fully au fait with Trevor and Donzo, the murder of Doug, paramilitary drug-dealing, the close-knit Belfast Mod scene and Jeanie’s misdemeanours.
‘Well I hope you feel better for telling me that ‘cos I’m not sure if I feel better for knowing it… god bless ya, boss, I think you’ve been keeping it together better than I would have.’
‘Appearances can be deceptive, Bobby. Believe you me, I’ve been feelin’ anxious as fuck and all that shite never stops whirrin’ through my head. I really miss havin’ that peace of mind when
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