Fifty-Five

The old man bites his lip, and his face takes on a pained look.

"I owe Shapiro a lot of money, kid. Drug money, before I was imprisoned. I knew he was gonna kill me. There was no way I could hide from him. I used to work for him, you know, before I went to jail," Darlett says calmly. "He's a ruthless bastard. He came to me, Chris. His proposition was simple. I have to lure you here and either kill you or wait for the police to pick you up. Then he will wipe my slate clean, you know, my debt paid so I could have my life back again. If I fail, he'll kill me. So you see, it's your life, or mine."

"So you're gonna kill me, Darlett? What will be the story, huh? Robbery? I came here to steal? You'll do that to me?"

Chris moves from the window, his heart beating with fury, and Darlett raises the gun and draws back the hammer, his eyes cold and focused, a killer's eyes.

"No, kid. Stealing ain't gonna get you enough years in jail. Inside that freezer over there is enough cocaine to put you away for fifty years."

Chris' face darkens, and his body trembles with crippling fury.

"How could you do this to me, Darlett?" Chris hisses.

"Shut the fuck up, kid! It's for my life! There was no other way, man!" Darlett says tightly.

"Don't do this, Darlett."

"I'm sorry, kid. No option. But I can do this much for you. A quick death, or I wait here and let the police get you. Your choice, kid."

"You're a fool, Darlett. You think Shapiro is gonna let you live?" Chris asks savagely. "Gaddemn it man, use your bloody head! As soon as I'm dead or captured they'll kill you too to close the deal! You'll be fucking expendable, man! Because I've never known Shapiro, and I don't owe him. So why would he want to kill me or frame me for possessing cocaine? Simple, somebody is paying Shapiro to get rid of me, and that somebody wouldn't want you around as a witness, so Shapiro will kill you too."

"No, I'm no fool. I put everything on record, see? I recorded all our phone conversations, and gave the audio to some guys to release them to the police if anything happens to me, or if I die in any way apart from natural. I mentioned this whole scam. King Shapiro wouldn't dare touch me. It's my insurance, you know."

"You idiot! What judge is going to believe a bunch of stupid tales on a tape, especially from an ex-con like you? You ain't got shit, man! You kill me, you're gonna hurt Junior, and Effe, and believe me you're going to pay hard either in this world or the fucking one after!"

"Shut up, kid. Just shut the fuck up!" Darlett says coldly. "Your choice. A quick death, or the police?"

And at that particular moment Chris hears the sirens.

A lot of police sirens.

He looks through the window, and he sees them!

A lot of police cars are approaching!

Chris knows his life has just been totally messed up big time. There is no way out now. He is going back to prison, to lose Junior again, to lose Effe again, to be disgraced again.

And this time it will not be for five years! It will certainly be no less than fifty years. He turns round slowly, and he looks at the man he had believed was his friend.

"Kill me, Darlett. Do me that favor. End it all for me."

Sweat runs down Darlett's face in torrents as he points the gun at Chris' heart. His face screws up as his hand tightens on the trigger. Chris does not blink. He stands still, looking at the old man. Darlett's hand is shaking as he primes himself to shoot, and then suddenly he screams and drops his hand.

He laughs shakily and shakes sweat out of his eyes. He looks at Chris and shakes his head.

"Shit, kid, this is proving to be tougher than I thought. I must be going soft."

The police sirens are now deafening. More police cars and jeeps and pick-ups have entered the yard. Chris turns towards the window again and slides it open, ignoring Darlett's warning shout.

He looks out.

Down below he can see there are a great number of police personnel, heavily armed, running towards the building. He turns round again without shutting the window.

"Go ahead, Darlett. Kill me."

Darlett shakes his head slowly.

"No, no, kid. Remember our prison slogan? Dom spiro, spero: once we live, we breathe. Let the cops take you, kid. Once you have life, you can always turn this round."

Chris speaks with all the venom and disgust he feels.

"Kill me, you damn bastard! I'm not going through another trial. I'm not going to lose my son again, or my wife. I'm not going to spend years in prison knowing my son is growing up hated because of his father, or Effe going through life being hated because of me. So, you go ahead and kill me."

Chris can hear the cops on the stairs now, their heavy boots and shouts reverberating around the room. He begins to walk towards Darlett, and the old man raises the gun again.

"Stop, kid, goddamn it! Stop or I'm gonna kill you!" Darlett screams.

"Go ahead! Kill me, shoot now!" Chris shouts at him.

He does not stop walking, and he sees the great conflicts going on inside Darlett on his face, and he knows that any moment now the bullet might hit him.

Suddenly, Darlett lowers his gun. His face and arms are drenched with sweat now.

Sweat pours down his arms, and he begins to shake.

"Damn you, kiddo. Always knew you got balls. Shit, fell in love with your son, boy. That's one great boy you got there. And Effe… damn, you see the ass on her? Jeez, hugged her once and it was sweet. Would've given anything to knock that ass up…mmmmm-hmmm!"

Chris stops.

There is something in Darlett's voice that sends cold shivers down his spine. Darlett looks up at Chris, and he smiles wanly.

"I've had a good life, kid. Shit, I'm old. You're young, you got the rest of your life ahead of you. At least, you've given me a conscience. I'm sorry I put you in this shit, kiddo. Listen, you can't go out there. They'll kill you. Your only chance is that window. If you can jump out far enough, you can land in that pool of water, or maybe in the mud. Anywhere else and you'll break into more pieces than humpty-dumpty. That's your only chance."

"Darlett?" Chris whispers, scared.

"Go, kid. Goodbye. Say hi to Effe and Junior for me," Darlett says sadly. "Them two just about saved your bloody life today. And hey, kick that Crankson's ass good for me. Git, kid, out the window! NOW!"

Darlett whips round, opens the door and suddenly fires two shots. Tears form in Chris' eyes as he sees that the old man is giving him a chance after all.

Darlett is sacrificing his life to save Chris.

"Damn you, Darlett, you bastard!" Chris whispers painfully.

He turns around and runs, gathering his momentum, and then he sails through the window, catapulting his body far out as his GojuFist training takes over, his excellently-conditioned reflexes coming to serve him once more. He hears the sounds of heavy shooting, and hears a scream.

He splashes into the pool of water.

For a moment, he is dazed as he sinks deep into the pool, and then he sees Junior's face, and feels Effe's kiss. He forces his body to move, propelling himself out of the icy water. He swims to the far end. Luckily it is still quite dark, and he gets out of the water.

The cops had been very sure of themselves, and they had all gone in. Chris comes out of the water and begins to run towards the entrance. There are police jeeps, sedans and pick-ups parked everywhere. The engine of the last sedan is still humming, its lights flashing.

Sergeant McBaiden is leaning against its side, flicking images on his phone. The moment Chris sees him it all clicks in, and he is convinced that somewhere inside that building is Dan Curtis. Chris comes out of the shadows silently. McBaiden begins to turn, and Chris slams a fist into his jaw.

The cop drops like a sack.

Chris pulls the unconscious cop into the shadows. He picks up McBaiden's phone because he knows his own phone will not be functional after being submerged in the pool.

He gets into the police car, reverses fast and then spins it around. As he races through the unfamiliar roads he puts off the flashing lights. He picks up McBaiden's phone, but the screen is locked, and a password is needed to unlock it.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Chris says.

He guns the car till he emerges on the main Lapaz road. He can hear sirens behind him now, a little far off. He guns the police car, running the red lights and speeding towards Madina.

When he gets to Okponglo he spots a young man with a backpack seated on a motorbike with his phone to his ear. Chris parks the car with a screech of tires. He gets out of the car and approaches him.

The young man looks at Chris with sudden fear.

"Sorry, gentleman. Police business. Can I please use your phone?" Chris says with a smile.

The young man wordlessly cuts his call and hands the phone over.

Chris dials, the phone rings and rings with no answer. He tries and tries, and on the fifth attempt Effe picks up.

"Hello. Who's this, please?" Effe asks sleepily.

"Ef."

"Chris? Good Lord!" she says, instantly alert.

"Something bad happened, my love. Please, I need to be there with you. Can you meet me somewhere? I'm using a police car I need to leave it behind."

"Yes, yes, my darling. Anywhere! Where can I pick you up?" Effe cries, greatly scared now.

The young man suddenly touches his arm.

"Chris Bawa," he says.

Chris freezes, and looks at the man, stunned.

"What?" Chris mumbles.

"Hey, man, I recognized you. I'm a fan. My name is Joe Duncan. A wet Chris Bawa in a police sedan at dawn, two days from a fight? I think you're in trouble. If you need to ditch the police car you can hop on my bike. I'll take you anywhere."

Chris stares at the man for a moment, and then he puts the phone to his ear.

Effe is shouting out questions.

"My love. Just open the gates. Will be with you in a few minutes. But I'll use the small back gate. I don't want your security guys to see me."