Graffiti Heaven

Chapter Five

Ash

He was dead.

For the past couple of hours he’d been in a flat a few doors down from Tiana’s house, staring at a telly while the three bruisers talked, ate and drank, like he wasn’t even there. But when he’d tried to make a run for it, the gun came out and he was told to sit right back down. After they’d finished watching a film, they’d pushed him outside and shoved him into the backseat of a beat-up Ford parked under a carport.

Tiana’s brother slid in next to Ash. “Don’t look so scared, bro, I ain’t gonna hurt ya. All I want is to do some business with your mate.”

Ash didn’t believe him about not getting hurt. For a second he wondered if he should mention that he was Tiana’s boyfriend, but shelved that idea, remembering what she’d said about her overprotective brother.

The guy put an arm around his shoulders. “Maybe you’d feel more comfortable if I tell ya my name? It’s Levi, but my mates have started calling me Spike.”

“We also call you bastard,” the driver said, his toothy grin visible in the rear vision mirror.

Like Levi, the driver looked familiar, but not from the drug deal gone wrong. Although the guy also had Tongan features, he was much taller and bulkier than Levi, his neck so thick that he would be perfect as a prop… Yeah, that’s where he’d seen the driver, at a rugby match between Wera and Claydon.

The white guy on the other side of Ash started laughing, his pasty features almost comical. “We also call Levi cunt.”

Levi shoved a hand into the guy’s face. “Only if ya put lucky in front of it, pālangiarsehole.” He dropped his hand on Ash’s shoulder. “Now, where does your mate live?”

“He’s my cuz.”

“You still hafta tell me,” Levi said, placing the gun against Ash’s cheek.

Ash moved his face away, but got a hand clamped around the back of his neck.

“Isaia,” Levi said. “Start the engine, cos Wera boy is taking us to get some coke-a-not-cola.”

The car spluttered to life, then backed onto the road. Ash stared straight ahead barely able to breathe from both the gun and heat. Sweat trickled down the side of his cheek and kissed the butt of the gun. The car stopped at the give way sign by the dairy.

“Left or right?” Levi asked. When Ash didn’t answer, Levi smacked the side of his head with the gun. “Left or right?”

“Right,” Ash grunted in pain. Not hurt me, yeah right.

After several houses, the car stopped at the next junction. “Left or straight ahead?” Levi asked.

Ash felt like telling him to fuck off or giving him the directions to the police station, but instead he croaked out, “Straight ahead.” On the opposite side of the road a police car drove towards them. Ash held his breath, willing it to pull them over. It continued on its way oblivious to his situation.

“Isaia, pull over,” Levi said.

The driver did as instructed.

Levi gripped Ash’s neck again. “Listen up, Wera boy, cos I’m not gonna make Isaia stop at every bloody road, so you better start directing us properly or we’re gonna go for a tiki tour out to Alfriston and find a nice li’l barn to work you over. Understand?”

“It’s the next left.”

Levi let go of Ash’s neck and patted his head. “Good boy.”

The car turned onto Pleasant Parade then before Ash knew it they were parked in Hunter’s driveway. He was relieved that his cousin’s green Chevy was nowhere in sight. Levi stuffed the gun into his jacket and got out, indicating for Ash to follow. As soon as he stepped out of the stifling car, Levi slung an arm around his shoulder and started walking him up the driveway, the white dude following close behind. Ash glanced behind him as the car backed out.