Slammer (9 page)

'But I need it,' Glass says. 'You can't take it back.'

'Give,' Mad Will says.

Glass looks around, at the girl, at her breasts, at the two naked men, back at Mad Will. 'No,' he says.

Mad Will says, 'I asked nicely once. I won't ask nicely twice.' He raises his eyebrows.

Glass doesn't know what to do.

Mad Will says, 'I warned you.' He grabs the barrel of the gun.

Glass stares at him, amazed at what Mad Will has just done. Why isn't he scared? Is it really so obvious Glass won't shoot him?

'I'll pull the trigger,' Glass says.

'Go on then.'

Glass really wants to, but knows he can't. Damn, though, it would be something to surprise Mad Will. Wipe that buck-toothed smile right off his face.

But Glass isn't a killer.

Fuck it. We all change, all the time.

He pulls the trigger.

The joint drops from Mad Will's mouth and he falls back onto the bed.

The girl screams.

Jocky says, 'Shit.'

Glass lets his grip on the gun loosen. Drops the gun.

The girl's still screaming.

*

Glass tells Mad Will he'll pull the trigger.

'Go on then.'

Glass really wants to, but knows he can't. Damn, though, it would be something to surprise Mad Will. Wipe that buck-toothed smile right off his face.

But Glass isn't a killer.

Mad Will takes the gun away. 'Thanks,' he says.

'How did you know?' Glass says. 'I could have shot you. You couldn't have known.'

Mad Will says, 'You ain't going to shoot anybody unless you turn off the safety first.' He thumbs a lever on the side of the gun. 'Like that.' Points the gun at Glass. 'See?'

Glass swallows, nods.

'Right,' Mad Will says. 'What are we going to do with you?' He looks around. 'Any suggestions, guys?'

*

They make Glass strip. He stands in his underwear.

He feels how the inmates must feel when an officer searches them. He hears Fox saying, 'Lift your balls up. Good. Bend over. Spread your cheeks.'

At least they haven't made him do that.

Jocky has moved over to the camera. He's recording this.

'The rest,' Mad Will says to Glass.

Glass shakes his head. His knees are trembling.

'Need a hand?' The girl approaches him. Presses her face right up to his. Presses her chest against his.

He feels her warmth. Smells her. She smells like Ross.

She presses her hand against his crotch. Rubs. 'Not much happening down there,' she says.

'Not going to either,' Glass says, sure of himself.

'We'll see.' She slides her fingers down the front of his Y's.

He stares at her. Wills himself not to feel anything. A twitch, though. Something stirring. He places his hands on her shoulders, fingers instantly oily. He pushes her away.

She thumps onto the bed, legs splayed. He gets an eyeful.

'Hey,' Mad Will says to him. 'That's not nice. Think we'll have to tie you up.'

'Come on,' Glass says. 'This is crazy.'

Doesn't get much further cause the girl springs off the bed and slaps him. 'That's for pushing me.' She faces Mad Will. 'Do what you want with him. I don't want to touch him again. He makes my skin crawl.'

She leaves the room, grabbing a dressing gown off a hook on the back of the door, bare feet slapping on the floor.

Jocky says, 'You up for some boy-on-boy, Brad?'

The other guy, Brad, looks at Glass, gaze dwelling on his underpants. 'Fuck, no,' he says, scratching his stubble.

'Will?'

Mad Will looks at Glass, takes a toke on his joint. 'Fuck, no.'

'Me neither.'

Mad Will says, 'Well, Glass. Looks like none of us fancy you.'

Will they let him go? Can it be that simple? 'That mean I can get dressed now?' he asks.

'Suppose so.'

'Can I have the gun?'

Mad Will chuckles.

 
'I need it,' Glass says.

'Suck my fat dick,' Mad Will says.

*

'Yeah, yeah,' the girl said. 'Twat.'

'You better go,' Mad Will said. 'I'll see you out.'

Glass knew he was lucky to be getting away so easily. He turned, half expecting Mad Will to hit him over the head with a hidden cosh. But he behaved like a gentleman. Showed Glass to the door, opened it for him, said goodbye.

Sometimes Glass's imagination got the better of him. He'd run through all those possibilities and they'd all seemed as if they were actually happening.

He was okay now, though. Facts were, he'd interrupted a porn shoot, pulled a gun on them, and he was getting away with nothing more than being called a twat.

Which he was.

He looked at the gun in his hand.
That
was real enough.

*

In the car, Glass turned on the radio, tuned into the weirdest shit he could find. Some atonal classical piece with cellos and violins that sounded like they were crying together. Did a pretty good job of summing up how he felt.

He wouldn't need to fire the gun when he met Watt a couple of hours from now. Just point it at him, show him he was serious.

Like with the porn stars back at Mad Will's?

Shut up.

What he'd said to Mad Will was close to the truth. He wanted the gun to protect Lorna. But he didn't want her to have it. Protecting his family was
his
job.

The girl back at Mad Will's was different. She wasn't family. If she was, he wouldn't have hesitated to pull the trigger.

Yeah, you would.

Shut up. Stop interrupting.

Probably just as well under the circumstances.

Watt had picked a public venue for their meeting. Deliberate, no doubt. But if he was intent on handing over drugs, they'd have to go somewhere else. Wasn't something that could be done in the open. Right?

Some time later, Glass pulled into his driveway. Caitlin was at the window, waving.

*

'What's my babygirl been up to?' he asked Caitlin once he was inside.

The table was littered with colouring books and the TV was on. There was no sign of Lorna.

'Drawing,' Caitlin said. 'Stickering.'

'And watching your video?'

'
Beauty and the Beast.
' She clapped her hands. A blue crayon flew out. 'Oops-a-daisy.'

'You're so lazy.'

'I'm so lazy!'

Glass bent down to pick it up. Handed it to her.

'Thank you, Daddy.'

'My pleasure, sweetheart. Do I get a kiss?'

'Yes!' She walked over to him, book in hand. 'Look.'

'Very pretty,' he said. 'You did that all by yourself?'

'Aha,' she said. 'And look.' She turned the page.

'That's lovely,' he said. 'Really beautiful. Where's my kiss?'

He lifted her into his arms and she smacked her lips against his and said, 'Mwa.'

He tasted Ribena. His lips were sticky.

'Where's Mummy?' he said.

'In the kitchen,' Caitlin said. 'She was thirsty.'

*

Lorna was staring at the wall, fingers curled round a wine glass, an empty bottle on the table in front of her. She didn't look up.

'Daddy's home,' Caitlin said, wriggling in Glass's arms.

'That's nice.' Lorna didn't even smile.

Glass put Caitlin down. 'You go back and watch TV,' he said.

'Want to stay here,' Caitlin said.

'You're going to miss the best bit.' He put on his actor's voice. '
He's no monster, Gaston.
'

'
You are
,' Caitlin shrieked.

'No, you are.'

'
You
, Daddy. Mummy, tell him!'

Lorna said, voice flat, 'You're right. Daddy's a monster.'

'See?' Caitlin said. 'You're the monster.'

'Off you go,' Lorna said to Caitlin. She smiled this time.

'Come and watch it too,' Caitlin said.

'I'll be through in a minute,' Glass said.

She pulled a face. 'Promise?'

'Promise.'

Once she'd gone, Lorna's smile vanished.

Glass took a seat opposite her. 'You okay?'

She shrugged. Didn't look okay. She got up, went to the wine rack, pulled out another bottle. Grabbed the corkscrew off the work surface where it lay next to a slab of meat and a cleaver on the chopping board, and returned to the table.

'Want a glass, Glass?' she said.

Another old joke. And one that wasn't funny the first time.

'Well, do you?'

He'd have shaken his head but she wasn't looking at him, focusing instead on opening the bottle. 'No, thanks.'

She burped. 'So where were you?'

'When?'

'For fuck's sake,' she said. '"When?" he asks. Just now.'

She was drunk. And pissed off. Bad combination.

'When I was out?' he asked. 'I told you. Doing a spot of shopping.'

The cork popped. 'A spot.' She filled her glass. 'Of shopping.' Turned to look at him. 'For what?'