1. Austin

Chapter one

Austin

“ S o what’s the plan?” I took a swig from the ice-cold bottle of beer. What did Joel have up his sleeve this time?

We’d hit two casinos and were already three-quarters of a million up. The deal was three hits. Then we’d split the profits and disappear.

“The next one needs to be the big one. Seven hundred and fifty thousand won’t get us far split four ways. Barely enough to keep Pete here in designer shoes for a week, let alone the rest of his life.”

“Cheeky fucker.” Pete took off his designer trainer and threw it at Joel, narrowly missing his head.

“Bastard. You’re not getting that back now.”

Joel scrambled to get to the trainer before Pete did. Honestly, it was like working with children.

Joel, Pete, Freddie, and I had been friends since primary school. We’d grown up on the same council estate, all of us from broken homes.

We’d played truant from school, spending more time around town than we ever did in lessons. We’d stolen booze and cigarettes and spent most of our days under the bridge that spanned the canal, getting drunk, and when we weren’t doing that, we’d be getting high.

At some stage, we’d all been in trouble with the police, although I’d like to think my misdemeanours had been less than those of the others. At least I didn’t have a criminal record, unlike the troublesome trio.

Not sure how I’d avoided one, though. Maybe it was my angelic looks and quiet nature leading the police to believe I couldn’t possibly commit the crimes, but somehow I’d escaped punishment, only ever spending one night in the cells.

The others, however, were easily recognisable, with their many tattoos and piercings. They were picked out in a lineup every time.

I, on the other hand, had no distinguishing features. I dressed smartly in trousers and a shirt, but I was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, able to talk myself into anywhere, and charm the pants off our target, man or woman. I’d been told I had the gift of the gab. Some said I must have kissed the Blarney Stone, but strangely, I always knew the right thing to say or do to put people at ease.

Never did they imagine I was conning them out of their life savings or, in the last few cases, stealing from two of the biggest casinos in the city. Was it stealing if I was winning it fair and square? Although fair was a stretch.

I had a knack for winning. Didn’t know why or how, but if I betted on the horses, mine would place ninety-nine per cent of the time. If I played roulette, more often than not, I’d be taking home a wad of cash. And at blackjack, I’d win almost every time, even though I didn’t count the cards.

Grandpa swore I’d been blessed at birth, but if that was the case, how come Dad had upped sticks the minute Mum passed away, leaving me with his dad to bring me up? If only my home life had been as lucky.

I’d been seven. An impressionable age. Grandpa had done his best, but then I’d fallen in with these guys, and things had gone from bad to worse. Petty crimes initially, gradually progressing to jobs that would see me in prison for a few years if I got caught. Thankfully, that had never happened, but I’d not been the best grandson, that was for sure.

I loved the bones of him, but being bad was infinitely more interesting than toeing the line, no matter what he said. I lived for the thrill, the excitement, the adrenaline rush as we once again got away with it. There was nothing like it.

“Hey, let’s get this sorted. I have to get home and cook tea for Stan.” I didn’t have all night to sit around drinking and smoking, unlike these three. Since Grandpa had taken a fall at home a few months earlier, he couldn’t do much. He had people going in, but I took over his care at nighttime. It was the least I could do.

“Okay, gather round, guys,” Joel said.

Joel had mirrored his laptop to display the next hit in glorious HD on the huge plasma TV on the wall.

“This is Temptation, the biggest casino in the county. They take upwards of three million each week.”

“Where’d you get this information from?” I asked. Joel always had the facts and figures, and he’d never been wrong yet.

“I know a man. The less you know, the better, but this is legit info, bro. It’s the next hit, I’m telling ya.”

“When?”

“A couple of days. A week tops, but the minute we hit this joint, we have to get out of there fast. If we get caught, it’s lights out for all of us.”

For the first time, a sliver of unease crept up my spine, and I shivered. This was bigger than anything we’d ever attempted.

We weren’t big-time crooks, and this sounded way out of our league.

“What do we do?” Pete was normally the lookout. He was big, brawny, and as thick as pig shit. Joel was the mastermind, if you could call him that, and Freddie was usually my wingman, sticking close, ready to pull me out if he saw anything amiss.

If anything, I took all the risks. It was likely my life on the line this time, and the word ‘no’ lay on the tip of my tongue. I wasn’t doing it, but that much money was too tempting to turn down.

Plus, I had the luck of the Irish despite being from the wrong side of the Irish Sea. Liverpool, to be precise.

“Pete, you stand watch like you normally do. Any signs of trouble? You let Freddie know, and he’ll drag our lucky little leprechaun here out of trouble.”

I hated when he called me that. I was tired of him touching my head every time he walked past to see if the luck would rub off on him.

Good job we were mates. Or he’d have my fist in his face. I might look like butter wouldn’t melt, but no fucker messed with me and got away with it.

“I should go in alone. That casino is as fancy as fuck. You lot will look totally out of place in there. I say we hit it late one night, maybe a Friday or Saturday when it’s crowded. That way, I can blend in a little more. I can rent a suit. Look the part, you know?”

Joel bit the inside of his cheek, a habit he had when he was thinking.

“I don’t know, Aus. We’ve always done things together, and from what I’ve heard, the guy who owns it is a bastard.”

“Then explain why we’re hitting it.” More to the point, why I was going in alone.

“Because…”

“Because what?” I didn’t see them putting their lives or criminal records on the line. This one was going to be all me if we wanted it done right.

“Because he’s fucking rich. More money than sense. Here, look.”

The photograph that filled the screen took my breath away. I glanced around at the others. Had anyone heard me?

“Fucking horns?” Freddie snorted.

“He plays the devil. It’s a gimmick. They’re stuck on or some shit.” Joel laughed.

I didn’t care what they were. He was fucking gorgeous. Impressive sharp cheekbones, white-blond hair, and were his eyes orange?

The guy on the screen definitely appealed. To me anyway. My friends knew I was gay, but they never gave me shit about it. I might have shared a kiss with Joel, but that was a long time ago when we were both unsure, both experimenting. We’d moved on since.

“His name is Dante.”

“You know that’s another name for the devil,” I said.

“Eh, he looks like a dick.”

I disagreed.

“But, guys,” Joel said. “It’s a fucking big deal. If we wanna get out of here, we’ve gotta hit that. Get as much money as we can. Me and Freddie can come in, hang around the sidelines, and watch if it makes you feel better, Aus.”

As much money as I could. I shook my head. Why the fuck I was even thinking about it?

Could they blend in? I had my doubts. Unless… I frowned and nibbled on the loose skin around my fingernails. I’d heard stories about a shop. A shop that could give you what you wanted without having to ask. It couldn’t give you money. Nothing like that. Grandpa used to tell me stories when I was much younger, before my world fell apart.

It was a fairytale; it must have been. Tales from an old man to get young Austin to sleep, but if it could give me something to help…

Joel nudged me. “What are you thinking?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. We need to go carefully. I think it’s risky.”

“Think of the money, and from what you said, he’s got loads to spare.” Freddie rubbed his hands together, his grin infectious.

The other guys laughed and slapped each other on the back, clinking their beer bottles.

As far as I was concerned, it was far too early to be celebrating. There was still much to do. Lots of arrangements to be made.

I had travel plans, needed to sort out passports, and stash Grandpa somewhere safe. I wouldn’t have him brought into this. If there was even a whiff of suspicion, it’d finish the old man off. Maybe I was being selfish not to take him with me, but I had a plan, and at his age, he couldn’t travel.

No, the best I could do for him was to move him into a home. A big fancy one where they didn’t ask questions but would keep me updated. I’d already started getting fresh papers. He needed to be as invisible as me.

Now I knew which casino we were hitting and that the owner had a reputation, I couldn’t risk leaving Grandpa to suffer the consequences.

Unease skittered across my skin, but I shoved it down. I had to keep my eyes on the prize. There was no time to go over it more. I had to leave.

“If there’s nothing else.” I stood and dropped my empty bottle in the bin.

“Nah, you get off, mate. Say hello to Stan.” We bumped fists, and I left them to it. I walked home and pulled my collar up against the cold and rain.

“Grandpa.” I opened the door, shrugged out of my coat, and hung it on the rack. Water dripped onto the floor. I should wipe that up. I didn’t need him falling again. But first I wanted to speak to Grandpa.

“In the kitchen.” His once firm voice was now frail and quiet, making it difficult to hear.

He sat at the kitchen table, looking fragile, a mug of tea in front of him, hardly touched.

“You want another?” I poured the cold drink down the sink and put the kettle on.

“That’d be good, Austin. Where’ve you been? With those boys again? They’re nothing but trouble, always have been.”

“They’re my friends, Grandpa.”

“Pah. Friends, my arse. They’d leave you dead and dying if it suited them. I hope you’re not getting yourself into anything you can’t get out of.”

I sighed. How many times did I have to listen to this bollocks? He’d always hated them, but I guessed he had every right to.

“Pie and chips okay for tea?” I ignored his usual warnings, yanked open the freezer door, and took out a couple of chicken pies and some frozen chips. At least when he moved into a home, they’d feed him decent food. Not the shit he ate here. As much as I tried to get him to eat better, he insisted the carers brought him what he wanted.

Normally pie and chips.

“You’re a good boy, Austin.” If only he knew the truth.

“Remember the story you used to tell me when I was little? The one about The Magic Shop.”

“What you wanna know about that for? It was just a story.”

I placed a mug of hot tea in front of him and sipped my own, watching him closely.

“Humour me. I’m interested.”

He pulled the red plaid blanket farther onto his lap and cupped his mug.

“I heard of it when I was a lad, but there was talk of a magic shop that could give you anything you wanted. The Owner would look at you and instantly know what you needed. It’s just an urban legend, though. The tales have been told for years. No way it’s still around.”

“Did you ever visit it? Is that how you know about it?”

“It’s a story, son. Ain’t no truth in it.” But the twinkle in his eye said otherwise.

Funny, but I didn’t believe him.

“Where could I find it?”

“Huh? Weren’t you listening? There’s no such shop.”

“You know, for an old man, you’re shit at lying.”

A sly smile appeared on his face, and I knew then the rumours or urban legend or whatever you wanted to call it, were true. I just needed to find that shop.

And I had a feeling I was going to need all the help I could get with this next job.

“If you really need it, it’ll show itself to you. That’s all I got.”

“How will I know?”

“You just will.” He drank his tea and stared off into the distance, his mind elsewhere.

Fat lot of good that did me. I was none the wiser.

He said no more, and I busied myself preparing my lunch for the next day. Not wanting to raise suspicion with Grandpa, I worked at a local pub as a barman. That way, he wouldn’t query where I got my money.

The others gave me stick for working, but I wasn’t like them and wasn’t willing to live off state benefits and our ill-gotten gains.

It all helped in staying under the radar. Why would I need to commit crimes when I had a job? That was my thinking anyway.

We ate in silence, despite me encouraging him to tell me more about The Magic Shop, and before long, it was eight in the evening. Time for his bed.

Since his fall, he could no longer climb the stairs, and we’d converted the front room to a bedroom. So that was where I took him once he’d completed his nighttime routine.

I tucked him into bed, kissed his forehead, and said good night. I loved the old goat, as stubborn as he was sometimes.

I double-checked the doors were locked and went to my bedroom. Not much had changed since I was a child. I slept in the same single bed, only the covers had changed. I looked at the same jaded posters stuck to the wall, the same blue curtains hanging precariously from the rail.

I gazed with sadness at the picture on my nightstand. Mama and Dad smiling. A sign of happier times. I tamped down my emotions. No time for that. I had work to do.

I turned on my laptop. What the fuck I should search for?

Magic shop? Old magic shop? Nah, that brought up too much stupid shit.

Magic shop that disappeared? Could it be that simple?

I perused the results, seeing nothing of interest, until there, almost at the bottom, was an entry.

“Looking for something? We have what you need, even though you don’t know it yet. Find us at the junction of Somerset Road and Glyne Place. What are you waiting for?”

Was this it? Was this the place I’d been looking for?

It couldn’t hurt to check, right? It’d have to wait. No way I would leave Grandpa alone, but I’d have time to check it out before work tomorrow.

But what did I need? I didn’t know, but we couldn’t afford to fuck this one up. There was too much at stake.

My phone rang. It was Joel.

“What? You missing me already?”

“Ha ha. Hilarious. No, I wanted to check you were all right with this. You didn’t seem as enthusiastic as the last couple of jobs.”

What could I tell him? That I’d got a weird feeling when he told me which casino it was? He’d say I was being fucking stupid, and I probably was, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

“I don’t know, Joel. If this goes wrong…”

“It won’t. We’ll do it the same as the other two. You go in there, play your games, and walk out with all the money. Simple as that.”

And that was the thing. It was all on me. All of this relied on me being able to win. What if I couldn’t this time? Worst of all, what if I got caught?

To be fair, this was the first time we’d done something like this on such big a scale. Usually, we concentrated on stealing goods rather than cold, hard cash. The last two jobs had been a breeze. I hoped the third time was the charm.

None of us wanted to be career criminals, and this way, we’d have enough money to see the back of Liverpool and, for me, the terrible memories it held.

“What if I fail?” I finally voiced my fear.

“You’ve never let us down yet, Austin. You won’t this time.”

Hopefully, his faith wasn’t misplaced.