Even Heroes Fall

11. Ghoul

'I swear I don't know anything!' The little posh snot that was apparently in charge of Castlemain's counterfeiting money operation on the west side of London cringed up at me from the roof floor.

He had wet himself the first time I'd held him over the side of the building roof I'd dragged him up, his chinos held the tell-tale wet patch around his crotch. If I wasn't getting more and more frustrated at Castlemain's lack of appearance I might have found the sniveling idiot at my feet more entertaining.

One of the reasons Castlemain was such a successful crime lord was because he knew how to work different levels of society. Whilst in South London he organised the gangs to work for him, here in the west he had absorbed the operation of some bored rich kids. After disrupting the gangs across the whole of south London and leaving a trail of felons behind me for the police to clear up, I'd found myself following this posh kid from Chelsea. The word on the street was that he headed the counterfeiting operation working out of Belgravia, an unlikely place for illegal activity which might have been why they'd eluded Justice for so long. 

He had a black eye from where he'd been punched in the face a few days previously which told me this was the kind of guy who people enjoyed punching. He seemed to think because Castlemain had approached him that he was some kind of big deal and sauntered about like he owed the whole of Belgravia. Now he didn't seem as confident, lying at my feet, snot dripping onto his Luis Vuitton jacket.

'Don't fuck with me, kid,' I growled, even though technically we were about the same age. 'I know Castlemain is involved in your business. I don't giveashit about the counterfeit money, I just want Castlemain.'

'I'll pay you whatever you want,' he replied, gulping. Another kid that was scared shitless of Castlemain. I knew he had the capacity to be extremely intimidating but I'd seen a whole new level of loyalty born out of fear since following him to London. It would have scared me, if I didn't already know exactly what Castlemain was capable of. And despite what these kids might have thought, even he had limits to what he could do.

I gripped him by the jacket and hauled him once more over to the edge of the roof whilst he squealed.

'No-o-o!' He frantically scrabbled at me to try and get free but I overpowered him of course.

I thrust him over the edge so he was dangling in mid-air with only my grip on his jacket keeping him from death. I'd employed this technique a few times recently and found it usually worked without fail. Usually. Whatever Castlemain had on him clearly scared him a lot.

'Please!' the kid begged as his feet dangled in the air underneath him. 'I don't know anything!'

I didn't believe him for one second so I gave him a little shake. 'Where can I find his base of operations?' I asked, for what felt like the hundredth time that week. 

'I don't know! Please! Man!' His eyes were wide with fear. 'You can ask... ask Justice!'

'Excuse me?' I wasn't sure I'd heard him correctly.

'Y-yeah,' he said, gasping between sobs, 'ask Justice! I heard she was looking for him too, before you showed up!'

I wondered if he was throwing me a false lead which would make me leave him alone so I dragged him close to me. 

'Are you making a fucking joke?' I snarled. I hadn't even been aware Justice knew who Castlemain was. As far as I could tell from my brief research of her, she worked directly for the city council and not herself. And the city council hadn't even heard of him until I showed up.

'No, man, I swear it! I swear it's true! Ask her!'

Disgusted I threw him to the ground where he curled up, sobbing hysterically, presumably grateful to be alive.