Die Tryin' (16 page)

‘Yeah, I remember. I also remember all that bling we’ve got as well. Shit went down, Taki. That’s how it goes, man.’

‘How can you say that?’ Taki asked and spun round to face him. And now Nick saw that his eyes were wet with tears. ‘Life is worth more than money and gold, and that bloke lost his.’

‘Okay, Mr. Self Righteous, spare me the biblical spiel, okay?’ Taki just kept staring at him. Nick frowned. ‘So, he lost his life. That’s unfortunate. If I could change that, I would, believe me. But, I can’t. Shit happens, Taki. He was a casualty in this war we call life. So we got no choice but to get on with it.’

‘I
can’t.’

‘Excuse me?’ Nick asked forcefully, feeling anger brewing inside him. That was a statement of weakness from Taki’s mouth and he hated the way it sounded.

‘I said: I can’t,’ Taki repeated. ‘I-I can’t live with the guilt. Lying about his death, hiding his body like that is a crime.
It’s a sin, re!
Can’t you see that? All the other shit I can handle, but murder, that’s going too far this time…’

‘And what are you gonna do? Go to Old Bill? We’ll all be locked up. Is that what you want?’

Taki turned back round and faced the ground. ‘I-I don’t know,…’

‘What the fuck do you mean you don’t know? Taki, there’s no decision to make, son, believe me. Either you keep it shut and go along with it, or you and everyone else—Tony; Nick Mavro; Charlie; me, all do time.
Do you understand that?’

Taki paused for a second. ‘Maybe we deserve it,’ he then said.

‘I can’t believe what I’m fucking hearing here!’ Nick snapped, and a dark serious look jumped onto his face so strong, he could feel it taking over his whole body. He leaned forwards, grabbed Taki by the shoulder and pulled him back. Their faces were now inches apart. ‘Listen you little wet boy,’ Nick said into his ear. ‘You’re gonna keep your fucking gob shut for the rest of your life. Get it? And you’re gonna take your cut of the money and go and live happy, but what you’re also gonna do is keep what happened at that graveyard a secret. You say a fucking word and—’

‘You’ll what?’ Taki said, suddenly finding balls from somewhere, startling Nick for just a second.

Nick paused, composed himself, then pointed a finger at Taki. ‘I’ll put
you
in your fucking grave,’ he finally replied, his face becoming half dark, half light. ‘It’ll be either you or me and there’s only one choice.’

Taki just stared back at him, fear welling in his eyes again, the status quo restored. Nick knew Taki didn’t know what to do, his head was most probably spinning like a top, his heart weighed heavily with guilt.

The poor prick…

‘You got it?’ Nick then asked sternly, countering the empathy creeping into his own heart.

Taki just closed his eyes and slowly nodded.

Nick stood and zipped up his jacket, the rasp echoing all around them. ‘Good. Now, get your shit together. Finish your prayers, then get on with things like normal. Okay?’

‘Praying won’t help. God will make us pay for this,’ Taki said as if he hadn’t heard a word.

‘You sound just like Charlie, you know that?’ Nick replied down to him.

‘Well, maybe he’s got more about him than you give him credit for.’

‘He’s paranoid. And so are you. Believing in all this bullshit superstition.’ Nick spread his hands out again. The candles, the old smoke, the idols,
ikones,
and stained glass windows stared back at him. ‘It’s driven you both mad. You need to get a grip, believe me.’

‘How can you be so cold, Nick?’

Nick frowned again. ‘I’ll tell you how. If God cares about us all so much, if he loves us
sooo
much, why has he left here us to rot? Why has he left us to fight for scraps, to fight each other over land, resources, and money? I’ll tell you why, shall I? It’s because he doesn’t exist. And that’s why I don’t feel guilty about what we done. It’s all about survival, Taki. And that bitch burying herself with all those jewels that could feed a small nation was worse than any of us, believe me.’

‘Maybe.’

‘No maybe about it. It’s the fucking truth. It’s all bullshit!’ Nick took in a deep breath afterwards to compose himself.

Taki just stared back at him, a look of thunder planted on his face. ‘You believe what you want to believe, Nick. But, I know what I believe.’ He turned away to face the pulpit again.

‘Go home, Taki,’ Nick said to his back.

‘I will. Later,’ Taki replied.

Nick glanced up to see the big painted
Panayia
staring down at him with her pained, sorrowful eyes, and discomfort suddenly consumed him. His skin crawled, he felt cold. He wanted to get out of there. Fast. He had said his bit, told Taki what was what. From the outcome, he knew that he would have to keep an eye on him, make sure he didn’t do anything silly like go tell the local cop shop what happened back at the cemetery. And he would have to tell the others that too.

He didn’t say another word. Instead he stepped into the aisle and walked briskly away from Taki, feeling like there were a hundred pairs of eyes on him all at once, crawling all over his skin, the
click-clack
of his shoes on the tiled floor echoing around him again like slow castanets.

As he neared the entrance, the
papa
of the church limped inside, locked eyes with Nick, and nodded.
‘Yasou,’
he said.

Nick nodded his head and offered a thin smile in return, walking swiftly past him, not wanting to stop and chat.

When he finally stepped outside, the cold, damp air hit him, and he relished the feel of it on his face. It came as a cooling relief from the claustrophobia of the church. Thinking of Taki, he looked up to the black sky and shook his head.

What a fucking mummy’s boy!

He got back in his car, and skidded away in anger.

*****

Nick Black was chilling with a spliff when he got the phone call from Tony.

Tony called once and Nick didn’t want to answer. But, when he rang again, and then again, Nick realised that Tony wasn’t making a social call. Something was up.

He stubbed out his spliff in a nearby ashtray, muted
Black Uhuru,
and answered the phone. ‘What’s up?’ he said in an unexcited voice.

‘Why the fuck wouldn’t you pick up the phone, re?’
Tony’s voice blasted.

‘Dunno, Tone. Something about a bloke who was breathing on Tuesday, but then wasn’t on Wednesday.’

Tony huffed.
‘You still going on about that prick? You know you’re like a fucking woman, you know that?’

‘Sorry for valuing human life, Tone…’

‘What fucking life? A half breed like that? No, quarter, eighth fucking breed, re! One mixed up mong who was gonna rob you and me blind the second he got the chance, believe me. Anyway, that’s not what I’m phoning about…’

‘So what
do
I owe this pleasure to?’

‘Nick called. Something’s happened…’

‘What?’

‘I don’t know. But, when Nick Theo calls and tells you to get everyone down to church and he doesn’t sound cool, you know something’s up, you know what I’m saying?’

‘Nick called you and told you to get everyone together and go to church
and
he didn’t sound
cool
?’

‘Is there a fucking echo in here?’

‘Only in your empty head.’

‘Re. Cut the fucking lip!’

‘What do you expect?
I’m
stoned. You call me up, while I’m stoned, to tell me that Nick wants to get everyone together to go to church. Now, either the stuff I’m smoking is
the
shit, or you and Nick are taking the piss. So, which one is it?’

‘Re. He calls me, tells me some shit has gone down and to get everyone together and down to the church in Wood Green pronto.’

‘Everyone? Me, you, and Charlie I take it.’

‘Correct. So stop your fucking yakking and get your shit together, I’ll be there in a minute.’

‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your horses. Did he say what it’s about?’

‘No. but, like I said—he didn’t sound
cool.
You get me?’

Nick got him all right. If Nick Theodorou wasn’t sounding as cool as Arthur Fonzarelli licking an ice lolly, then something was wrong. He was the James Bond of the London Greek community.

Nick checked his alarm clock: 10:38 pm.
What the hell was Nick XR2 doing at a church at this time? And what was the problem?

Intrigue swiftly consumed him. ‘Yeah, I get you, Tone,’ he replied, nodding his head.

‘Good. I’ll be there soon, then we’ll go get Charlie.’

‘No worries.’

‘I’ll one ring when I’m outside.’

The phone then went dead.

Well, that was unexpected,
Nick thought to himself, rubbing his chin
. But the last week had been full of surprises. First Marco telling them where there was a stash of jewels, then actually going into a tomb to collect them, before his friend clubbed him to death, then he himself becoming an accessory to murder, and accomplice to unlawful burial.

Great.

Well, it beat boring lectures!
And that, he couldn’t deny.

He shook his head and chuckled absently.

He then went and grabbed his bud, Rizla and B & H, and got ready for Tony’s arrival.

*****

‘And he didn’t say what he wanted us for?’ Charlie asked from the back seat of Tony’s car. They found him sitting on a random park bench in the street like a lost dog. Nick Black spotted him, and they pulled over and picked him up. From the buzzed up look in his eyes, Nick could tell he was out of his head even more than Charlie’s usual standards.

When Tony heard his question, he huffed loudly and slapped the steering wheel in irritation. ‘For the last fucking time! Both of you listen to me and listen good.
He. Said. Nothing.
Except: bring the boys down to the church in Wood Green. Pronto.’ He stared at Charlie through his rear view mirror. ‘Got it?’

‘I’m just trying to work out what could be so important, Tony,’ Charlie replied in a defensive tone. ‘This is Nick Theodorou we’re talking about here. It’s almost eleven and he wants us to go to church.
Nick XR2, attending church?
Since when did he become religious?’

‘Maybe he feels guilty about what happened the other day,’ Nick Black said and glanced at Tony.

Tony looked the other way and muttered something under his breath.

‘What, you mean you think he found God?’ Charlie asked.

‘Who knows…’ Nick replied.

‘Well, if he has, it ain’t gonna do him any good,’ Charlie said grimly.

‘What do you mean?’ Nick asked in a tired voice, knowing deep down what Charlie was getting at with his last statement.

‘We’re fucked!’ Charlie stated, confirming Nick’s fears. ‘God will never forgive what we’ve done. He’ll never forget.’

‘He hasn’t found God,’ Tony abruptly countered.

‘How do you know?’ Nick asked him.

‘Nick Theo ain’t the type for all that, believe me.’

‘Then why’s he at church at this time of night?’ Charlie asked.

‘I said I don’t fucking know! Will you stop asking me!’

‘Calm down, Tony,’ Charlie said. ‘You’re gonna crash the car if you carry on like that!’

‘Well stop asking me the same questions over and over, and just sit tight, shut up, and wait till we get there. Then you’ll find out why the fuck he’s there. For all we know, he could be in trouble.’

‘Trouble? What kind of trouble can you get into at church?’ Charlie asked, and Nick could detect that same old paranoid voice coming out of his mouth, the one that constantly believed the farfetched to be the truth.

‘Dunno. Could have pissed in the holy water or got caught getting a blow job on the altar!’

‘This ain’t funny, Tone,’ Charlie said. ‘He
could
be in trouble. In fact, I think he might be.’

‘Why’s that, Charlie?’ Nick asked.

‘Because I…’ Charlie trailed off and went quiet. ‘Just a feeling I got,’ he then said.

‘You get all kinds of weird paranoid feelings,
re,’
Tony said. ‘Just take a chill. Everything will be sweet. Trust me.’

‘Trust you?’ Nick said. ‘And who made you the voice of wisdom?’

Tony turned and glared at him for a second, then looked back to the road. ‘Me. That’s who! Now, both of you shut the fuck up!’ He angrily turned up the volume on his stereo, hoping to drown out their voices.
Xzibit’
s gruff voice was now shouting out of the speakers, which grated on Nick Black’s ears. He hated that Rap, Hip-Hop shit—loud, aggressive nonsense. Music for meatheads.

Which was right up Tony’s street.

There was a wide grin carved onto the big lump’s face as he sang along with boisterous gusto.

Nick watched him with a mix of awe and revulsion as he sang along word for word to perfection, the expression of unadulterated pleasure stamped on his face nothing short of downright creepy. His shoulders jigged up and down in time with the beats as he steered the car through the streets playing Hip Hop karaoke. Nick turned to face Charlie, who just sat there, rooted to his seat via his arse, his fists planted down either side of him as if he was holding on for dear life. He looked around with those bug eyes, totally unaffected by the music as if he couldn’t even hear it.
Probably got his own music going on in his head
, Nick thought to himself.

He turned back to Tony, who wasn’t letting up at all, in fact he was now singing even louder.

No wonder he’s such a fucking psycho! Nick thought bitterly to himself.
Bloody music has corrupted his mind!
He pictured him again as the ape in
The Dawn of Man
, wielding that fucking bone, waving it around his head like an axe, bringing it down on Marco’s head again and again, that bloodthirsty glare of a ravenous caveman tattooed on his face, even after he delivered the killer blow.

Something crawled over Nick’s grave and he shivered.

And suddenly, Nick Theodorou’s bizarre request for them to meet him at church had gone to the back of Nick Black’s mind, which inadvertently made the journey seem shorter because the next thing he knew, Tony was shutting up, turning the stereo off, and slowing the car down. He peered intently out of his windscreen the way people do when driving past police cordons, trying to get a peek of what was going on beyond.