Library

Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

PRESENT DAY: EARLY HOURS OF SUNDAY MORNING

N eedles gently eased the trail bike onto the concrete floor of the darkened garage. He didn't want to turn on the light and draw attention to himself. Fortunately, he didn't need any extra light. The street lamp was enough, and Needles knew the dilapidated building like the back of his hand. The smell of oil and grease calmed him slightly, but not enough to extinguish the roaring anger burning within him.

He'd needed that burn-up. What was the world coming to? A Paki wearing a Chelsea top and some vigilante standing up for him. It's a fucking disgrace; that's what it is. Whose bloody country is this, anyway?

Now he had some burnt-out old farts trying to be clever with their ladder. They'd be sorry soon enough. He gently ran a finger along his neck and grimaced. It stung like hell. ‘Shit,' he groaned.

Carefully locking the garage door behind him, he looked around to ensure no one had seen him. After all, you never knew what nosy parker might question why he was using Jim Carter's garage.

Jim would be fast asleep by now. Poor sod , thought Needles, losing your mind and with no one to care for you. Life is a bugger. Still, dementia had its bonuses. It meant Needles could use Joe's garage as much as he liked. The poor old sod had forgotten he even had a garage, and no one would ever suspect an old bloke with dementia would be housing a trail bike in his garage.

He would pop in tomorrow and check that Meals on Wheels had delivered Jim's food.

His parents' house was quiet when he went in, and he crept up the stairs, avoiding the creaky one at the top. One of these days, his useless father would fix that. Still, Needles wouldn't have to worry about that much longer. Richie had said he could rent the rooms above the garage. All he needed was the deposit. Needles only had to save another hundred, and he could move out of this dump.

‘I heard you on that bike.'

He turned with a start to see his sister, a loose jumper covering her nightgown.

‘That weren't me.'

‘Liar,' she hissed, following him into his room. ‘You'll get caught, and they'll take the bike off yer.'

‘They'll never find the bike,' he said confidently.

It was when he clicked on the light that she saw his neck. ‘Jesus, what the hell happened to you?' she asked, reaching up to feel the cut.

Needles pulled away. ‘Nothing, he said dismissively.

‘ Nothing doesn't leave a mark on your neck – unless that was his name. When did that happen?'

Needles sighed. Laine could be like a dog with a bone sometimes. He studied the cut in the mirror. It looked worse than it felt. He stroked it gently. He'd wear it as a badge of honour. After all, he hadn't been the coward hiding his face behind a mask.

‘Some wanker who took it upon himself to defend some Paki on the coach tonight. He slashed me with a machete. If he hadn't been wearing a balaclava, I'd 'ave 'ad 'im by now.'

Laine's eyes widened. ‘A machete? Are you shitting me?'

‘Ask the others.'

‘Did you go to the hospital?'

‘Don't be soft.'

‘You lot are going to get into serious trouble one day.'

Needles laughed. ‘Says the sister who's been referred to social for bunking school and abusing the staff.'

Laine sighed.

Needles knew she'd planned to bunk school the day of the counselling and go shopping with her best friend, Jassy.

‘You should go,' he said. ‘Else, you'll be in worse trouble.'

‘They can't make me. Playing truant and nicking a few things isn't the same as racial harassment. Mum would go mad if she knew what you got up to. Anyway, school is boring. All the teachers are a pain.'

‘You're not supposed to tell the teachers that.' He laughed.

‘It's not as bad as what you get up to.'

‘I don't get up to anything. Anyway, Mum can't do nothing. I'm nineteen.'

‘You're going to get into trouble one day. You need to be careful.'

He laughed bitterly. ‘There're a few people who need to be careful, but I ain't one of 'em.'

Laine looked at him sorrowfully from under her long fringe. ‘It's not fair,' she said sullenly. ‘I have to have an assessment about my behaviour while you get away with murder. Seriously, you're making enemies,' she added worriedly.

‘I ain't scared of no one,' Needles boasted. ‘Who are you to tell me what to do? You're just a kid.'

‘I'll be sixteen soon. I'm not a kid.'

‘You're not sixteen for another six months.'

Laine shook her head in exasperation before turning and leaving his room.

Needles studied the cut more closely. Yes, it was a badge of honour, not the mark of a coward, and that fucking joker would soon learn that Needles didn't much like a joke.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.