He came out of the lift and walked towards the flat but he knew he wouldn’t make it. His body was tense as he anticipated the sound of the other door opening, so when he heard the squeak of the hinge it came as a weird relief.
‘Tyler.’
He breathed and turned to face Barry in the doorway. He was wearing a muscle T-shirt with a boxing gym logo on, something generic and fake American. Black joggers and bare feet.
‘In you come,’ he said, standing aside to let Tyler past.
Tyler kept his stride steady as he passed Barry in the doorway. He caught a whiff of vodka, sex and sweat. The door clicked shut behind them and Tyler went into the living room, the layout of the flat an inverted version of the one he shared with Bean and Mum. This place was a tip, booze bottles and pizza boxes on the floor, white powder on the kitchenette worktop next to a rolled-up twenty.
Kelly was on the sofa, wearing one of Barry’s T-shirts and nothing else, her bare legs lifted under her. She was stroking the ears of one of their dogs, a brown staffie with a bad attitude. They had two dogs, Ant and Dec, Tyler couldn’t tell them apart. The other staffie mooched over, snarled then nosed Tyler’s crotch so strongly that he was pushed off balance. He nudged the dog with his thigh and it snapped at him.
‘Fuck off,’ Tyler said.
‘He likes you,’ Barry said.
A gameshow was on television, a version of the penny-pusher games you got at the amusements on Porty Beach. Answer a question, stick a coin in, win a prize. Or not.
Barry made no effort to get the dog away from Tyler. Kelly looked up from the sofa. ‘Hey, squirt.’
‘Empty your pockets,’ Barry said.
‘What?’
Barry stepped closer. ‘You fucking heard me.’
Tyler put on a face like the instruction was stupid. ‘Why?’
Barry took another step, his fingers tapping on the kitchen worktop, neck muscles straining. ‘Do it.’
Tyler thought about the money he still had tucked into the elastic of his underwear as he emptied his pockets onto the worktop. Loose change, chewing gum, his phone. And Pearce’s card.
Barry picked it up. ‘What’s this?’
‘I was just coming to see you. I was checking on Bean first, then straight over.’
Barry had seen everything from the window, Tyler had assumed that, so he might as well play it straight.
‘What did you tell her?’
‘Nothing.’
Barry played with the card in his fingertips. ‘Think harder.’
‘Obviously I didn’t say anything, why would I?’
‘What did she want?’
‘She said she knew about last night’s jobs.’
‘Bullshit.’ Barry crumpled the card in his fist. ‘How could she?’
Tyler swallowed hard. ‘The second job.’
‘What about it?’
Kelly was paying attention now, as pennies tumbled on the television screen and a contestant jumped up and down, grinning like an idiot.
‘It was Deke Holt’s house.’
One penny was left dangling over the lip of the machine, tantalising.
‘Fuck off it was.’
Tyler nodded. ‘I heard it at school too.’
‘What exactly did you hear?’
‘Connell told me that Ryan Holt’s mum was stabbed in a burglary. St Margaret’s Road. Her car was stolen.’
‘And what did you tell Connell?’
‘Nothing, what do you take me for?’
Kelly spoke up. ‘Shit, this is bad.’
Barry put a finger out for her to shut up. ‘Let me think.’
The dog, Ant or Dec, nudged at Tyler’s legs again. The power in those muscles. These bastards could rip a kid to pieces in minutes. He was glad they stayed here, nowhere near Bean. They should be muzzled, but of course Barry would never do that.
Tyler tried not to stare at Barry putting it all together. They were fucked either way. He glanced at Pearce’s card in Barry’s fist. Tyler had already put the number into his phone under an alias in the lift on the way up, so the card didn’t matter. He didn’t know yet what he might need Pearce for, but his way out of this was getting narrower every minute, so he had to keep his options open.
‘So be it,’ Barry said eventually.
‘What does that mean?’ Kelly said.
‘It means what it means, you stupid cow. We’re in something now, let’s just ride it as far as it goes.’
Kelly didn’t speak, knew better than to ask the same question twice. Tyler had seen the black eyes, the bruised arms. He’d had the same, of course. They had that in common at least.
Tyler wondered if Barry had a clue what to do. If he simply hadn’t used the knife, they wouldn’t be in this shit, but Tyler wasn’t about to say that.
Barry took a swig from a vodka bottle on the worktop, sniffed and rubbed his stubbled jaw. He didn’t seem to give a shit. He uncrumpled the card in his hand and stared at it. ‘I’ll keep hold of this.’
Tyler picked up the rest of his stuff and put it back in his pockets.
Barry took another swig and Tyler wondered how drunk he was. He was steady on his feet but he could drink like a fish and seem sober, so that didn’t mean much.
‘And you’re sure you didn’t say anything to this bitch cop?’
Tyler shook his head.
‘How did she get here so fast?’
Tyler shrugged. ‘Someone must’ve talked.’
Barry thought about that. ‘I’ll put some feelers out. Find out what’s happening.’
‘What about the Holts?’ Kelly said, shrinking as she spoke.
‘I’ll deal with those cunts.’ Barry didn’t sound convinced.
‘Have you shifted the gear from last night yet?’ Tyler said.
‘What’s it to you?’
‘It’ll make us more traceable.’
Barry pulled a roll of tenners from his pocket. ‘Tough tits, it’s gone.’
Tyler felt another nudge from the dog.
‘I need to go see Bean,’ he said. ‘She’ll be wondering where I am.’
Barry narrowed his eyes. ‘Sure. But don’t go anywhere else without telling me.’
Tyler put his hands out. ‘Where would I go?’