There was nothing like a pint on a Friday night, especially when the Barrhouse Firm were in. Although that also usually meant that trouble was lurking in the shadows. Tonight was no different. It was in the air and everyone knew it, but the question was, just what kind of scenario would play out?
Cammy, Mackie, Dunny, Thomson and Kev stood around the pool table and the dart board, drinking their pints and having a good old session, while the rest of the locals kept to their own groups.
‘Yer a fucking cheat.’ Cammy threw his last dart at the board in a rage.
Kev laughed. ‘How the hell can anyone cheat at darts? You can either throw, or you can’t.’
Cammy downed the rest of his pint and sat the glass down on the edge of the pool table before his rage turned to humour. ‘Aye, I’m shit at throwing darts but I can throw one hell of a fucking punch, so shut yer face, Kev.’
Kev laughed again and held his hands up in mock defeat.
‘Good to have you back, Kev,’ Cammy said, and the rest of the boys started to laugh.
‘You’re a fucking big wimp, Cammy. Missed yer cousin, did ye?’ Thomson mocked, petting his lip.
Before Cammy or Kev could answer, the door at the front of the pub opened and, like something out of an old western film, the pub fell silent. The singing stopped, the music dropped off from the speakers, and Donnie Black, along with Steff Black, stood side by side. Chud, an ex-mate of the Firm and now one of their security men, stood directly behind them, peering through the gap between their heads.
‘Two pints,’ Donnie said to the barmaid without looking at her. The sound of her taking a glass from the shelf above and pouring the pint was deafening as the place remained silent.
‘Let’s go,’ Kev said to Cammy quietly.
‘Nah. This is our fucking pub. They can crawl back to their own shithole if they want a drink,’ Cammy said loudly.
Donnie glared at Cammy and then Kev before letting out a snigger. People around them started to get up from their seats and began heading for the door. For the normal, everyday punter the night was over.
‘See you got out then,’ Donnie said, raising a brow at Kev.
‘You’re not blind, then?’ Kev remarked, his sarcasm laced with rage.
Soon, the pub was empty, except for staff and a couple of regulars. Tough old guys, born and bred in the Barrhouse area.
‘You’re out early, though. I heard you paid Davie a visit. How’s he doing after you lot done him in?’ Donnie asked.
‘Don’t know what you’re on about,’ Kev replied.
The sound of pool balls being potted made Donnie’s eyes flicker towards Mackie, Dunny and Thomson, who were now inching closer to Kev and Cammy, and as Kev turned in their direction they were all holding pool cues across their bodies.
‘You spitting the dummy about having to do some jail time for what you did?’
Steff Black eyed the boys with the cues but didn’t say a word, didn’t move. That was brave of him, Kev thought. They didn’t appear armed, and there were five of them against three. Although Chud was a big lad, he would be a lot slower to attack if it came to it. Kev wondered if Chud would fight against his old mates.
‘Do yourself a favour, Black, and fuck off back to your yard. No one around here wants you near them. We all know what you and Steff get up to. Trafficking isn’t something this city is going to put up with, and especially not from the likes of you,’ Mackie called out across the pub, as if ensuring that his voice was loud enough that the remaining punters would hear it and think twice about sticking around.
Donnie and Steff laughed loudly, and Chud only blinked. Maybe he didn’t know what or who he was working for?
‘You know what happened to the McAdams, don’t you?’ Cammy said. ‘You want to go down that same path?’
Steff took a step forward, as did Chud. Kev felt the tension in the air shift as the boys next to him raised their cues. This was going to turn nasty and it would happen quickly. Kev hoped that Donnie wasn’t armed. From what Kev could remember when working with him, he liked to pull his gun out on any occasion, just to show that he was a hard nut. In truth, Kev knew that the only reason Donnie would pull that gun was because he didn’t have another card to play. He was a big boy but wasn’t the type to get his hands dirty in a fight; he’d rather leave that to his mates to do for him. He was a nasty bastard and he’d shoot anyone before getting into a fist fight.
‘I’ll phone the polis if you boys don’t take this outside,’ the barmaid said.
Cammy glanced at her, gave a reassuring nod, and Kev felt like his chest was going to explode. Donnie was standing right in front of him and all he wanted to do was smash a cue right over his head. He’d set Kev up for something he didn’t do. Donnie Black was bottom of the barrel scum, and everyone around the city knew it, even the politicians and the charity workers he shook hands with. But he was their direct line to some serious money. The only people willing to take them on were Kev and the rest of the lads.
‘Donnie, if you want a fucking war with the Barrhouse Firm, then you can have one,’ Cammy said. ‘To be honest, I expected this sooner.’
‘Aye, and don’t think we’re a bunch of fucking pussies, Donnie. We’ll cut your throat in your sleep,’ Dunny said, turning and pulling a dart from the board before lobbing it in the direction of their rivals. It flew past Donnie’s right ear and hit the door behind him, spearing itself in the wood. Donnie didn’t seem to flinch.
‘Is that right?’ Donnie turned, pulled the dart from the door and slid it into his jacket. ‘We’ll see about that, won’t we?’
Steff hadn’t moved. Neither had Chud. But before Kev knew what was happening, Mackie had cracked his cue against the table and was launching himself forward at Donnie and Steff, who were now on their way out the door.
Cammy was after Mackie now, and Kev behind him. They were through the door, out on the street. A loud popping sound pierced Kev’s ears, and a car shot off in the distance with Mackie chasing after it. Mackie launched the pool cue into the air and it hit the back window.
‘The Barrhouse Firm will fucking destroy you, Black, you fucking hear me?’ Mackie shouted as loud as he could.
The car came to a halt, and Kev noticed one of the passenger windows lowering. They all knew what was coming and, as quickly as they could, Kev and the rest of the lads dived behind a parked van as shots rang out.
‘Mackie, you tool. We’re not fucking armed,’ Cammy shouted as they took cover. But Mackie was too high on coke to take any notice; he was too busy laughing like a maniac.
Silence fell with the delayed echo of shots ringing out in the distance. The car was gone, and Kev’s heart banged hard in his chest.
Kev knew this wasn’t just about him, or the fact that Donnie was pissed that he’d got out of jail early. Donnie wanted to shut him and the rest of the lads up, and the only way to do that was to start and finish a war.
‘Jesus Christ, Mackie!’
Dunny’s voice made Kev look up to see that Mackie had been hit. His lower right arm poured with blood as he sat on the ground, his back to the van.
‘I’m fine,’ he replied, although Kev could see that he wasn’t fine. His face had turned a terrible shade of grey, and his manic laughter had died out.
Cammy got to his feet and went to Mackie, helping him to his feet. ‘It’s superficial, I think.’
‘Easy for you to say, you’re not the one with a fucking hole in your arm.’ Mackie winced.
Curtains from nearby windows twitched, and Kev glanced up at them. People had seen what happened but would never own up to it. No one around the Barrhouse area would want to get involved with what had just happened.
‘If Donnie Black wants a fucking shoot out, he can have one,’ Mackie hissed as Cammy led him back towards the pub.
Dunny and Thomson followed behind as Cammy and Kev helped Mackie inside the pub. The barmaid glanced up at them, her eyes wide with terror.
‘Oh my god,’ she said.
‘It’s all right, Jenny,’ Cammy replied. ‘Just get us a whisky and the first aid kit.’
She hesitated, as if unable to move. ‘He needs a hospital.’
‘No,’ Kev replied. ‘He needs the first aid kit. And a whisky, like Cam said. And chuck us down a clean towel while you’re at it.’
She did as she was told, and Mackie sat down at a table next to the bar. Kev caught the towel and gently wrapped it around Mackie’s arm.
Darcie’s face entered Kev’s mind then. All of their women would be in danger of Donnie Black harming them. That was his style. Kev would have to tell her what happened, and she would be livid with him. All Darcie said she’d wanted was a quiet life when he got out. But Kev knew that wasn’t going to happen. Not until Donnie was dead.
‘We’re going to end that bastard, Kev,’ Cammy said, as if hearing his thoughts. ‘I fucking swear to it.’