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“Did you see who did it?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Not really. Three youths. They sounded young, anyway. They had their hoods pulled up and their faces covered.”
I glance at Albert. Everyone on this estate knows Ma, and they know we’re her sons. No one would have touched her unless they were purposely wanting to gain our attention. “We’ll sort it, Ma,” I reassure her. “Tonight, you’ll need to stay with her,” I tell Tommy, who nods.
“I’ll stay too,” Charlie adds. “We’ll get you some fish and chips, Ma, and you can rest.”
She smiles gratefully. “You’re good boys,” she mutters.
“She can’t stay there,” I tell Albert as we head out to our cars.
“You know she won’t move, probably more so after this because she’s stubborn.”
“We need names, Bert, before I begin ripping this estate apart.” I don’t understand how the fuck someone would hurt Ma. She’s like a national treasure round here. But I do know, when I find them, I’m going to fucking tear them apart.
Albert checks his watch. “We have some time, let’s pay a few visits.”
We take my car on a slow drive around the estate we grew up on and now run. It’s a poverty-stricken area, but we’ve put a lot of money into it. “Stop,” I say, and Albert pulls in next to the local fish and chip shop. There’s a group of youths inside, and it’s a good place to start because people talk. As we enter, they quiet down.
The manager nods in greeting. “Mr. Taylor, what can I do for you?” he asks.
“Are these kids giving you trouble?” asks Albert, eyeing the group.
“Fuck you, old man,” says one, laughing. “Your time on this estate is done. Didn’t anyone tell you?”
Albert’s hand reaches out so quick, the youth doesn’t have time to react before he’s coughing and spluttering and Albert is squeezing his throat. “Is that right?” I ask, moving closer to his face, so he can look me in the eye. “I didn’t get that memo, so who told you?”
The other youths scatter, leaving their mate to fend for himself. “You gotta be, what, fifteen?” Albert snarls in disgust. “Who the fuck told you it was okay to speak to your elders like that?”
“There’s a war coming,” he whispers through gasps. “The E15 boys want this estate.”
I laugh. “Go home, kid, and tell your dad I’ll pay him a visit to talk about your respect.” Albert shoves him hard, and he scrambles from the shop.
“Is he right?” asks the manager, leaning on the counter. “Everyone’s talking.”
“So, why am I only just hearing about it?” I snap.
He shrugs. “At first, I thought it was bullshit, but as the day’s gone on, I’ve seen them. They’re on street corners, dealing and not bothering to hide it.”
We’ve never had problems on our own estate. People just know it’s ours. We worked our way up through a gang, took it over, and made it ours. It’s how we started out.
We have our own dealers, so we’re able to control what’s on the streets, and they move our product at a fair price. “I’ll call Daryll,” says Albert. He’s in charge of our runners on the estate who carry the drugs to various points so dealers can sell.
“We haven’t seen him for two days,” says the manager.
“Fuck, why didn’t you call me?” yells Albert. “Why the fuck is everything slipping and I don’t know?”
The manager shrugs. “How was I meant to know you weren’t in the loop?”
I pull Albert from the shop before he smashes the place up. The second we step out, Albert tries to call our top guy. “I’ve been trying him since I found Ma,” he tells me. “He’s not answering.”
I check my watch. “I gotta get changed, then pick Meli up.”
“You’re bringing a plus one?”
I nod. “Maybe I should pull out,” I mutter.
Albert shakes his head. “No. We want everything to look normal. We carry on. I’ll track Daryll and come to the dinner late. Besides, you’re better at schmoozing with the big wigs,” he says with a smirk. “Drop me back to get my car.”
