Standing in her booth at the shooting range, Annie aimed the gun at the target and hit it dead centre for the first time that week. She’d spent the last three days practising and she felt incredible to finally achieve a hit in the middle. Even though her aim was good, she wanted to perfect it.
Spending time there had been Annie’s choice and Terry hadn’t had a problem with that. In fact, he’d said it might help her in her new role in debt collection. She might need the skills to show she was in charge when collecting from punters.
Finishing up at the range, she headed out to the car and back to Terry’s. Passing through the village she once lived in before meeting Terry, she wondered what life could have been like with Jack. The familiarity of the place sat heavy on Annie’s chest as she drove through the heart of the village. With the window down, she was surprised by how overwhelmed she became by the simple smell of the village bakery. The scent of fresh cakes and bread sat heavy in the air as she passed and Annie was careful not to stare for too long at the place she once called home. Everyone here knew her and knew what happened. She didn’t want to face that, it was too horrific. She held down the button and the window eased up, protecting her from the outside. As she exited the village and headed to what was now her new home, Annie breathed a sigh of relief. She turned up the radio and blasted the sounds, drowning out what is going on inside her head.
Pulling into the drive, she saw Richie’s car parked in its usual spot. Great, she thought. Another moment for Richie to bash her capabilities. Next time she went to the range, she’d picture Richie’s face on the target as she pulled the trigger. She got out and went into the house, happy to be back in the present.
‘Terry?’ she shouted while removing her shoes.
‘Hey,’ he said, appearing at the top of the stairs. ‘I’ve got a few things I need you to take care of.’
Annie felt her stomach flip with excitement.
‘It’s your first debt collection situation.’
Annie climbed the stairs and followed Terry into the office. Richie was sat behind the desk, looking over various papers on the desk. The antique record player was singing softly and Annie felt the tension as she entered the room. It was clear her presence alone annoyed Richie. Of course it does, he doesn’t want to share Terry with anyone, especially not a woman.
‘What’s up?’ Annie asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and trying not to let Richie bother her.
‘We’ve got a problem with one of our punters. She was notorious for getting her gear on tick off the Allisons and now that we’ve moved in and taken on their clients, the debt she had with them is now ours,’ Richie said. ‘She owes us five hundred quid.’
Annie eyed Richie. He hadn’t looked up from the desk to acknowledge her and she knew it was a test. Richie wanted to know if she had the balls to go to someone’s door and demand they cough up their debt.
‘What does she owe five hundred quid for?’
‘Heroin,’ Terry replied. ‘From what Derek has told us.’
Terry stood between them, silent and allowing Richie to take the lead. She could see in Terry’s eyes that he too wanted to know if she can do it. Fuck them, if they wanted a show then they’d fucking got one.
‘When?’ Annie raised a brow.
‘Today. Whenever you want.’
Annie approached the table and asked Richie to give her the address. She wasn’t going to allow Richie to belittle her. If she could arrange for two of the city’s top drug runners to be snuffed out, taking one of them out herself, then she could do this. It’s what she’d been asking for all along.
‘I’ll be back later.’
As she turned to walk out of the office, Terry grabbed her hand and pulled her back. She peered into his eyes but didn’t say anything. A reminder of his warning. Don’t fuck up.
Glancing down at her casual outfit of jeans, converse trainers and a leather jacket, Annie was happy with how she looked. She blended in, yet still looked suited enough that when the client answered the door, they’d know not to fuck her about.
Sitting in the car in the estate, she looked up at the flat. It was almost derelict, covered in graffiti. Jagged letters which read, ‘Mainhill Fleeto, ya bass’ in fluorescent green were spread across the front of the building. Small groups of young teenage boys were dotted between the building she was sat outside and several others. All of them shared two bottles of Buckfast wine between them and as she got out of the car, loud music blasted from one of the windows of the building across from her.
She’d expected to feel something, nerves or fear. But as Annie approached the main entrance, her heart was calm and she felt like this was what she was going to be good at. Finally, she had a purpose.
There was a keypad mounted on the wall to the left but the buttons were charred and the door was already wedged open with a large rock. She moved inside and began climbing the stairs. Flat 1/2 came into her line of sight. She raised a hand and knocked on the door. There was no answer and Annie knew that the girl inside would be expecting debt collection, so would either be out or pretending to be out.
Sounds of a baby crying from behind the door of the flat opposite the one she was standing in front of – Annie turned in response to the noise. The door opened and a girl appeared. She was young, maybe not even twenty yet. She struggled across the threshold with a large pram and the baby inside screamed so loudly the sounds echoed in the communal close.
‘Do you need help?’ Annie asked.
The girl shook her head as she managed to close the door behind her. ‘Need to take him out for a walk to stop him screaming,’ the girl said. ‘Wee shite hasn’t stopped greetin in the last two hours.’
Annie drew her eyes off the delightful girl and turned back to the flat she’d come for. Still no answer. The girl with the baby disappeared out of the building and Annie was thankful that the sounds of the screaming child had gone with her.
Raising her hand to knock again, Annie heard a commotion from behind the door before it was opened. Annie was staring into what could only be described as a hellhole. The small hallway had no carpets, instead cardboard boxes were flattened out on the floor. The wallpaper was hanging off from the top of the walls and the smell inside made Annie gag.
‘Can I help you?’ the girl slurred as she hung off the door.
‘I hear you owe some money to some dangerous people?’
The girl stared at her blankly through intoxicated slits, her eyes barely open. It was likely she’d shot up not long before Annie had arrived.
‘I’m here in place of the Allisons. They want paying now.’ Annie said, trying to breathe through her mouth as best she could. The girl tried to shut the door and it became obvious to Annie that she hadn’t expected a female to come knocking.
Sticking her foot out, Annie jammed the door open and shook her head in warning.
‘Look, av no’ got any money.’
Confidence boosted inside her and Annie pushed her way into the flat. The girl made no protest and Annie thought she could smell alcohol on her as she passed her, among other things she wished not to know about.
‘Then you’ll have to find a way of getting it.’
The girl closed the door and let go of the handle, swaying a little as she turned to face Annie. A smirk crossed her lips and she stumbled into the living room. Annie followed her and the décor from the hall flowed in there too.
‘What, are ye Joe’s bitch or something?’ the girl asked.
‘Look, I’m not here to fuck about, just get me the cash so I can go,’ Annie said. Her patience was wearing thin and the smell of dried urine intensified with every second she spent there.
‘I don’t shit out money hen, so if ye want it yer gony have to come back later.’
Annie narrowed her eyes and spotted a bag in the corner of the room. It was open and Annie could see notes inside. The girl anticipated Annie’s movements and rushed to the bag first, lifting it and throwing it behind her back. Annie gave a menacing smile. ‘And if you wanted to ram heroin into your veins, you should have saved up your pennies first.’
‘Ye cany take it, it’s ma rent money,’ she sneered, reaching out and attempting to grab the bag from Annie’s grasp.
Turning in quick motion, Annie balled her fist and landed it on the girl’s jaw, knocking her back. For someone who was pretty off her face, she bounced back quickly and went for the bag again.
Annie didn’t want to have to do this, but she had no other choice. Pulling the handgun out from inside her coat, she held it up and raised a brow. The girl stalled, eyeing the gun in Annie’s hand and grunting loudly before bringing the bag back into view and pulling out a handful of notes.
‘Five hundred,’ Annie said as she watched the girl.
‘Aye, I know how much I fucking owe,’ the girl replied before shoving the notes into a carrier bag and handing it to Annie.
‘You’ll not mind if I count. I mean, you said you had nothing, then all of a sudden you’ve got enough to give me plus leftover notes in there.’ Annie eyed the bag in the girl’s hand before placing the carrier on the table in the corner and counting the cash.
‘It’s aw there,’ the girl said, lighting a cigarette and rubbing at her jaw. ‘Ye didny have tae pull a fucking gun on me, I’d have gave it tae ye.’
Annie shook her head. ‘Of course you would. Do yourself a favour, don’t take drugs if you can’t afford them.’
The girl sniggered. ‘Aye, a’right maw.’
‘I’m serious, if you thought Joe Allison was bad, then you’ll be in for a shock the next time you owe this amount out.’
The girl eyed her suspiciously. ‘I heard the Allisons done the off and that some other big wig has taken over?’
Annie placed all of the notes back into the carrier and slid the gun back into her coat. Without confirmation of the girl’s claims, she left the urine-scented drug den and headed back out to the car. Once inside, she locked the doors and pulled out of the estate.
Her heart hammered in her chest and Annie began to wonder what might have happened if that girl hadn’t given in so quickly. She might have had to shoot her. Terry wouldn’t have been happy about it. Luckily for Annie, she’d managed to overpower the druggie and things hadn’t come to that.
‘Fuck,’ Annie shouted as she pulled the car onto the main road and headed for the motorway. The feeling of power and courage rushing through her veins frightened her. Perhaps Joe wouldn’t be her only victim.