Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 08

This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story.

As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone -- life is just not like that.

*

The area was deathly quiet, it was near on two in the morning and the only noise Jerry could hear was his own breathing and the occasional rustle of some animal in the undergrowth of the overgrown vegetation around the back of the Boy Scouts hut where he crept, keeping close to the trees. Working his way to the back of the lot he climbed over the small wire fencing that was bent as if the Boy Scouts had been using this bit to climb over for years. Hoping they hadn't discovered the packets that he had come for on any youthful exploration into the now run down air raid shelter he moved quietly towards the stone and concrete structure where it stood standing at about four feet high, and stepped down the steps overgrown with weeds, down to the recessed wooden doorway. Looking around before he pushed open the stiff door with one hand he turned on the torch in his other, squeezing into the small crack he had made between door and the night cold clammy stone.

The beam of light from the torch showed him more steps going down to below the ground level and stepping down, cobwebs each side of him, and the dank mouldy smell assailing his nostrils, he entered the small room that over sixty years ago would have sheltered the family that lived here from the falling German bombs of the London Blitz. Moving as quickly as he could he went over to the Supermarket plastic shopping bag sitting in the corner of the room and picked it up, looking inside to check that the goods were still there. Turning on his heel he walked up the steps, switching off the torch and left as he had entered, making his way through the trees behind the Scouts hut and round the corner to his parked car waiting up the road.

*

Patrick opened the door to Jerry wearing just a towel around his waist. At the sight of Jerry's raised eyebrow he told him as he grabbed the bag out of his hand, "Rachel put our clothes in the washer, they're still damp."

"I didn't ask."

Walking into the kitchen he emptied the four bundles onto the kitchen table.

"I'll pick up the rest from the hollow tree at the last minute. I want to keep away from the woods around the lab for a while. Snake put on quite a show earlier." and he proceeded to tell Patrick what he had witnessed.

*

Rachel wrapped the towelling robe around her and followed the sound of the men's voices to the kitchen where she stood and listened as Jerry unfolded what he had seen and heard.

Her eyes were glued to the bulky packages of plastic full of white powder, and she gave a sharp gasp as Jerry got to the bit about Snake cutting Ivan's cock with the knife. Both men's eyes turned towards the doorway where she stood and Patrick got up and with his arm around her shoulder guided her back to the bedroom.

"Stay here sweetheart....."

"But Jerry said that the man was cut by......."

"Forget what you heard."

"What do you mean?"

"I said just forget it....."

"We should contact the police and let them know....that man could be dying or even dead."

"No sweetheart he's not dead......just badly beaten....Snake would want him out there as living proof of what can happen if you cross him."

"You mean he's done it before?" Patrick just gave a long level look. "And you let him? What kind of a man are you....."

"One that treasures his life, and his body in one piece."

"Was he the one that beat you up?"

"Just stay in here. Do as your told and don't ask questions."

"But......"

Patrick raised his voice, "Just stay in here. Keep out of it. I'm trying to protect you. The less you know the safer you are."

Grey eyes stared into dark brown eyes for long seconds.

"Why do you think I'm trying to move to Florida......I'm sick of all of this....the violence....the always wondering what is going to go down next....the madness I see in his eyes.....I'm trying to get away and in the only way I know how."

Turning on his heel he left her standing in the bedroom and went back up the hall to Jerry to discuss the situation and come up with the best solution.

*

The police put out a photo in the press of the man they were looking for with regard to the disappearance of the missing girl to hit the next day papers. It was an old mug shot of Patrick from when he was arrested ten years ago. They searched his known address, seeing the carnage that Snakes men had made of the flat and phoned in the report to the team room.

"Seems someone else is looking for him, or for something he has."

"How is the girl fitting into that?"

"Not sure but whatever they are looking for is important. The place is a real mess."

"Get back here.....we've got a call out on his car. As soon as it's sighted we may have a lead."

*

"Best make the exchange here. Keep the last of the coke in your car just in case he tries to shaft us. We give him the full load once we're sure we have the full amount."

"What then?"

"Then we leg it as fast as we can. Leave your car as close to the entrance of the flats as possible. You can drop me off at my rented garage and I'll take my spare car down to Dover and get the ferry across to France, and from there drive down and over to Spain. Stop off in Gibraltar where my money is held, grab a new false passport over in Marbella from Davy Ritchens to muddy the trail just in case, and Florida here I come."

"What about the girl?"

Patrick ran his hand over his face, "I honestly don't know....police must be looking for her by now....I want her to come with me to Florida....."

"Are you mad!"

"Yeah.....totally mad."

"You'll get caught with her in tow for sure."

"I don't want to let her go...."

"You can't take a kidnap victim half way around the world Patrick in full view of everyone and get away with it."

"I know....I'm hoping that she'll agree to come with me of her own accord."

"And if she doesn't."

Patrick shook his head, "I take her as far as Dover and let her go."

"She could grass you up before you get to France. The Police will arrest you on the Ferry before you even get to Calais."

"No." straightening up and looking Jerry in the face, Patrick told him with real conviction, "No she wouldn't do that....over the last couple of days we've really connected.....I think she'll give me a chance to get away.....I'll give her the money to get the train back to London from Dover and by the time she gets home she can tell them she met some man and just spent a few days being down and dirty."

"And pigs can fly....."

*

Jerry climbed into bed with Megan exhausted, all this running around, emotional upheaval and playing the game against Snake was doing him in. Megan turned over and sleepily murmured, "You ok?"

"Mmmm.....just tired." And he turned on his side, scooping her towards himself and settled down to sleep, the sound of the clock ticking quietly in the background and the warmth of his woman's body in his arms soothing his frazzled nerves.

*

Patrick lay next to Rachel in the bed, neither of them able to sleep. Patrick stared dry eyed up at the ceiling in the dark, aware of the woman next to him, desperate to ask her to go with him outright, but scared of the rejection.

Rachel laid there her eyes closed, but very aware of the man lying by her side, her emotions mixed up and swirling around her head. On the one hand she was desperate to escape, and on the other she was falling for this complicated man lying next to her. He was nothing like she had met before, so out of her normal easy life. The last couple of days had been like living in a dream world, and nothing seemed to be part of real life.

Like a blip out of time.

She had heard of Stockholm syndrome, where kidnap victims become attached in a very short time to their kidnappers and she wondered if that's what had happened to her.

Her feelings were becoming tied up to him, the way he seemed to be protective of her, his gentleness and funny sense of humour, his tenderness when making love, even his devil may care attitude to life somehow seemed to appeal to her.

But the reality was he was a criminal trying to get away, and a life on the run did not really appeal to her.

Slowly the two people drifted off to sleep.

But one of them, even in sleep was on their guard. Just in case the other one decided to try and leave.

The complex feelings of the two people lay in the bed with them, like an elephant in the room.

*

Patrick's BMW Sports car that the police were looking out for was tucked behind the lab that nestled deep in the woods, just were he had left it moments before he was jumped and caught by Snake and a couple of his men. The lab was really an old house that was fairly isolated, and it was there that the coke was brought by couriers like Jerry, handed over and prepared for distribution to a network of dealers across the South of London.

Word had started to spread across the Manor about the beating of one of the dealers.

In pubs and clubs people were talking in whispers and the amount of money of the reward had grown with the telling each time, so that it was now being said that for the information about Patrick Curtis's whereabouts the pot was standing at twenty five grand.

Bets were being laid down as to how long he could evade Snake, and discussions were occurring as to what Snake would do to him once he was caught.

It was universally agreed that no one would want to be in his place.

People liked Patrick and hated Snake. They were afraid of the mad man and his violence, and kept out of his radar as much as they could. It was different with Patrick who in pubs people would buy drinks for and enjoy his company. He was someone you could go to for advice and help, and never feel he would betray your confidence.

A real good man was Patrick. And the only person who seemed to keep Snake in check.

And now he was on the wrong side of Snakes radar. Even for twenty five grand most people wouldn't hand Patrick over.

But not everyone was quite so altruistic. There were some in South London that would sell their mother for twenty five grand.

*

Snake sat in his darkened lounge, the glass of Scotch in one hand the photo of him and Patrick in the other. He was brooding. Sitting alone and getting drunk he ruminated about Patrick and himself and his deep sense of betrayal he felt.

He and Patrick had met in Wandsworth Nick, both doing their first and only stretch inside, Patrick for some theft or other, him for a touch of GBH. They had shared a cell and hit it off, helping each other get through the interminable boredom of life inside.

Patrick had kept him from going insane, kept him calm when his famous short temper could have got him into a lot of trouble. Taught him about planning and manipulation of situations and people, how to get what you want without the physical violence unless really necessary.

And Snake had saved Patrick from other prisoners.

Patrick was a good looking man and at the age of twenty four had been eyed up by those inside who wanted sexual release. People were naturally afraid of Snake, his looks inflexible and evil, his eyes reflected a flat hard soul, and his reputation went before him.

Snake had grown up tough, he had to. Spending his younger years with first his drunken tart of a mother who couldn't or didn't know how to care for her kid, he had been removed by social services from her and placed in a children's home run by sadistic nuns at the age of seven.

He learnt from the sisters of mercy early on that there was no room for softness in his heart or soul and survival meant doing to others before they did for you.

The only exception in his life had been Patrick.

And the betrayal hurt like the betrayal of a lover would, deep inside him. For Patrick meant everything to Snake, more than any woman ever could, more than he could let others see.

Patrick was the brother he had never had.

The only person in this world that he ever loved.

And the bastard when he got him was going to find out what it meant to betray him.

*