Bang, Bang, Mr Finch

Raven stuck out her hand. "Understood. Give us a day or so, especially if we have to find some upfront cash. Give my love to Arlene and the kids, you have two now?"

Smithy shook Raven's hand gratefully. "She's got a kid from her ex, a little girl. Sweet as anything. We've got a boy together," he replied proudly.

"Hear that, Mr Kax? Smithy is a dad. Big responsibility. You make sure you do right by your boy."

"I will, and I want this to work, Raven, I really do, there is no need for further aggravation."

"I hear you, Smithy, and we don't want trouble any more than you do. I figure we can sort this out amicably. We'll see ourselves out."

Smithy breathed a sigh of relief.

****

Max hefted the bag on the table. "All there. £150k. Petty cash tin is now a bit light, so the jolly boys outing to Bognor is off this year."

"Shame, I hear you like a jolly boy," grinned Raven.

"Who doesn't?" Max grabbed his groin and leered back.

The banter eased the tension in the room.

"Finch will message when he is in place. Two cars. Me and Lady, then Max in the second vehicle with Johnny driving," said Kax. "We're meeting on their patch, the clubhouse around the back of the garage. We do the handover outside. Zak wants us to bend the knee and everyone to see it."

"Fucker," muttered Max.

Raven shrugged. "Male pride, Max. A fucking liability at the best of times."

Laughter eased the tension further.

"So, we ready to rock and roll, Mr Kax?"

"Ready as we ever will be, Lady."

****

"Well, we definitely got an audience, Lady," said Kax as their Range Rover bounced along the back road.

Raven estimated about thirty people were lounging around the back in various groups, a mix of men and women. They had fired up two barbecue pits, and the beer was flowing. "You think these fuckers would be out doing an honest day's thieving instead of sitting around on their fat arses and getting pissed."

"You being here before?" asked Kax.

"No, Danny and Jonesy did the leg work, then we entertained Zak and Smithy at the Depot to seal the partnership. Beyond that didn't pay much attention. A mistake as it happens."

"Yeah, we got sloppy. Think this is about Zak wanting to re-establish himself as well."

"Looking to protect his flank from Stefan?"

"Likely." Kax eased the car to a stop, some fifty yards from the groupings.

"Showtime, Mr Kax."

"Yep."

****

Zak pushed his thick dark hair back as the young woman on her knees blew him. He was big build with a pockmarked complexion and a short stubble flecked with grey.

"She's here," said Smithy anxiously.

"Relax. Let them wait, she'll enjoy sucking on my dick as much as this one does." He pulled the blonde woman back by the hair. "That right, babe?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically and bent forward to redouble her efforts.

"You're gonna tell Raven to suck you off? They ain't going to like that!" squeaked Smithy.

"He don't mean it literally, you dumb fuck," laughed Stefan, a small skinny guy with long blonde hair in a ponytail. "She'll be sucking club dick. Along with the other pussies she hangs with. You should have put some manners on them earlier, not that it was a great deal to begin with."

Zak was too engrossed in the blonde head bobbing in his lap to react to the implied criticism. Stefan had been outvoted on the initial partnership.

The girl gave a small cough as Zak unloaded in her mouth.

****

Max walked over to where Raven and Kax were lounging against the Rover.

"They're taking their sweet fucking time!" Max spat onto the ground and glowered at the groups sitting around chatting some thirty yards away. Beer was flowing freely, the aroma of roasting meat from the barbecue pits filled the air. Max hadn't taken kindly to the looks shot their way, nor the laughing.

"Making us sweat. Zak will make a grand appearence in front of everyone and accept our offering. He's laid on booze and food with womenfolk on hand to admire their men. Keeping the troops happy." Raven wasn't displeased to see the relaxed atmosphere.

"Heads up," said Kax, detaching himself from the Rover.

"About fucking time! Let's get this over with," growled Max.

Raven picked up the holdall and nodded.

****

Zak basked in the general appreciation as he pushed through towards where Raven and her two men were standing. He stopped some 15 yards short, checking to see if the bulk of his audience was watching and taking it in.

"Good of you to drop by. Trust you brought gifts, this is a party after all!" Zak looked back, prompting some laughter.

Raven walked forward a few paces then stopped. "Here to resolve some business."

"Sure, then maybe we party later. Plenty of pussy to go around, but we can always do with more." He emphasised the sneer by waving his hand in Raven's direction. Hoots and catcalls followed from the appreciative audience.

Ignoring him, Raven dropped the holdall in front of her and stepped back. Mentally, she crossed her fingers. "It's all there."

"It better be." Zak nodded to Smithy, who stepped forward.

"You want this deal, check it out yourself. We do this between us or not at all." Raven moved to pick up the bag and held Zak's gaze.

Zak hesitated, then shrugged. The woman was trying to claw back some tiny shred of self-respect. "No need to get hormonal." He ambled forward and bent over the bag as Raven stepped back. The sight of the money made him grunt in satisfaction. The pussies had folded. He looked up to tell her she was finished around here yet found the words difficult to come by as if they were stuck in his throat. He tried to work his jaw. Still nothing. Puzzled, he crumpled to his knees; the leg of her black jeans looked soaked, a dark liquid staining the ground.

Emitting a soft gurgle, Zak gazed up into that opaque expression as the world slowly faded to black.

****

Smithy blinked. Then blinked again. There was still a good-humoured buzz from the crowd behind him. The realisation was slow to sink in, then it hit him with a rush. He remained rooted to the spot. There was a yell beside him, Stefan lurching forward screaming obscenities. A whip-crack as something zipped close by, then a warm splatter on the side of his face. An unholy scream followed, and then chaos.

****

Raven struck as Zak opened the bag, burying the blade in his throat. She stepped back as the leg of her jeans was hit by a gush of dark blood. Fascinated, she watched the confusion in Zak's eyes, then the slow ebbing of life. Instinctively she leant forward and took a deep breath as if trying to catch the soul escaping from the wordless movement of his lips.

Then, Raven raised her left arm.

****

Finch watched from his vantage point. Fuck! He knew it was coming and still missed her strike! He felt a flicker of satisfaction as he shifted his aim.

The argument had been brief. Max had volunteered to do the handover and take out Zak. Kax had sided with Raven.

"She's right. For one he'll be more relaxed, dismissive of a woman. He'll want to show off, swagger in front of her. Us letting her do the handover reinforces the idea we are pussies. And Lady is better with a blade than you or me. Faster too."

Finch knew that outside of Raven, he was the best man for the job, but his role was elsewhere, and he was the best man for that. It was what he liked about this crew, maybe because it was largely run by a woman, no one tripping over their fucking ego's. The best man or woman for the job got picked. Gender was a non-fucking-factor.

He saw Raven raise her left hand. "Time to shine, Finch," he muttered zeroing in on Stefan and then squeezing the trigger.

****

Raven was annoyed that it made her jump slightly. It may have been conceit or the oddity of her brain, but she was certain she saw the impact a fraction before she heard the crack. A gust of air on her cheek and Stefan's head exploding like overripe fruit followed by a heartbeat of silence. Then bedlam.

****

Kax pulled out his Glock, Max doing the same, flanking Raven. The screaming biker on the ground had set nerves on edge and the slain chiefs had triggered confusion. The booze and dope weren't helping any coordinated response. The plan was to get Smithy back into the game. Judging by the dazed horror on his face, Smithy was going to be out for a while.

****

Ignoring her blood-soaked pant leg and the dead Zak on the ground, Raven sought out Smithy and yelled his name.

"Fuck's sake!" Raven half-ran to Smithy then slapped the dazed biker, his face a mask of red and grey ooze. "You're in fucking charge now, Smithy! Get a fucking grip on your people!"

The high pitched wailing from the biker with a shattered leg had stopped. The bullet passing through Stefan's skull had deflected down and into him. A woman, her face ashen, was holding him while another was trying to stop the bleeding.

"What?" stuttered Smithy.

There were barked warnings behind her. Kax was half flanking her to the right, Max to the left. Both were pointing Glocks, both concerned the situation was unstable, and both keeping bodies between themselves and the clubhouse in case anyone started shooting from there.

"Man up, Smithy! Get a fucking grip!" Raven yelled again.

Awareness seemed to flood Smithy's eyes. He suddenly spun around and raised his hand. "Okay! Everyone fucking cool it!" he yelled.

There was a confused hum, a mix of sullen aggression and uncertainty. The head had been cut off, and the body was unsure how to react. Instinctively they looked to a familiar face.

"I said everyone cool it!" barked Smithy, drawing eyes to him. "They've got a shooter out there!" He looked at Raven, who nodded.

"I raise my left hand, and he'll start picking people off at random," said Raven loudly. Everyone was fair game. Except Smithy. Smithy they needed alive and in charge.

"Fuck, Raven! You can't come into our house and start killing our people—"

"Seriously? What the fuck do you think was going to happen? You think I was going to let these two morons dick us around?"

"You said okay, I believed you!" protested Smithy.

"You believed what you wanted to believe. You don't shit on an agreement with the Depot, put my man in hospital and think we're going to hold hands afterwards and braid each others fucking hair! Get real!"

An uneasy arc of bikers flanked Smithy, conscious of the unseen shooter and the Glocks sweeping over them.

"Now, we have a business to run. You back in or not?" pressed Raven.

"We're going to have to regroup, meet about it," replied Smithy to a background of sullen agreement.

"You do that, but remember, I didn't start this shit."

Smithy spat some blood on the ground and grimaced as Raven talked fast.

"You want to renegotiate terms, you arrange a meet and ask me. I'm not an unreasonable woman. It's business and we discuss it like business people. Got it?"

"Yeah. Fact is, the Depot is sucking up a lot of resource. Stefan wasn't entirely wrong." Smithy eyes were calculating through his mask of blood and brain. He needed a face-saver.

"Okay. We hear you, don't we Mr Kax?" Time to give Smithy's leadership credentials a boost.

"We do, Lady."

"So, get this mess cleaned up and your man to the hospital or wherever you patch your guys up then we talk. In the meantime, I'll put a £25k good faith bonus on the table to help smooth things. We have a deal, Smithy?"

Reluctantly, Smithy nodded. "For the time being, yeah."

"Good. We'll be in touch." Deliberately, Raven turned her back and walked towards the parked cars, leaving Kax and Max to follow.

****

Finch found them at the designated spot. He climbed out and sauntered round to the back of the Range Rover, its tailgate open.

"Finch." Raven greeted him cooly. She flipped a book of matches into the small brasier and watched as her jeans burned. Stripping off her top, she dropped it into the flames.

"Lady," he finally said. He was damned if he was going to look away. There was a boyish lean to her naked figure, wiry. A gold loop nipple ring glinted on her chest. Nice tits.

"Impressive shooting," she said, watching the flames.

"Thanks." he wondered if he should say 'impressive stabbing'. He really wanted to say impressive tits. He left it. "Discussions go okay after we put some manners on them?"

"Seemed to. They've seen what happens when they fuck with us. Smithy will want back on board, and him getting a sweetner will help. In the meantime we keep an eye on them. You like what you see?" Her sudden change of tone, light, almost coquettish, threw him.

How the fuck do I answer that? "You know I do." Finch went all in.

"You comparing?"

Yeah. "No," he replied with a half-smile.

"Lying fucker." Raven gave a half-smile back. She was feeling good. Energised. She could taste Zak's soul.

"You eyeing up my wife?" Kax emerged from the undergrowth zipping his pants.

"Yeah." Pointless to deny it.

Kax grunted. "Would help if you wore some fucking clothes, Lady." There was an edge to his voice.

"Didn't bring any spare," she replied, her voice still playful.

"I've got some stuff in my gym bag," offered Finch.

"You think I want to wear your scuzzy shorts?"

"They're clean. Jeans and t-shirt." Finch walked back to his car and retrieved the gym bag.

Raven pulled out the crumpled items. They were similar enough build. "Guess these will do. They meet with your approval, Mr Kax?"

Kax ignored her, staring at Finch.

"Happy to help. I'll head back, catch up with Max." Finch figured it was time to absent himself before it got unnecessary. Downside of working for this crew? The dynamic between Lady and Kax, and that was shit Finch had no desire to get involved in.

Raven pulled on the jeans and buttoned them as Finch drove off. "Something on your mind, Mr Kax?"

"No."

"You sure? Was it Finch?"

"I don't appreciate the crew eyeing you with their fucking tongues and dicks hanging out."

"Finch just walked into the situation. He had no idea."

"I also don't appreciate you fucking prancing around him like a fucking stripper." Kax could feel his temper ratcheting up. "And don't fucking goad me, I ain't in the mood."

"Miserable fucker," replied Raven dismissively.

"What you say?"

"You heard." Raven backed away, instinctively wanting open space to move.

Kax shortened the distance between them. His hard face set.

"I guess you're wondering if I still have a blade on me," her smile was thin.

"No. You left it in that dumb cunt's throat. Good work by the way."

"For a woman?"

"Yeah, for a woman." Kax gave her a lopsided grin in return.

"Come closer and see how this woman does second time around." They were circling each other now, breathing elevated—a fug of playful aggression swirling around them.

"'Cept you ain't got a second blade."

"You sure about that? Maybe Finch palmed me one."

"Nah. The snide runt couldn't get away fast enough. No way is he getting in the middle of this."

"So what's eating you? Apart from Finch eyeing me up. A woman likes having admirers."

"Fuck Finch. I told you, stop goading me."

"Or what?"

"I'll beat you unconscious and fuck you."

Raven stopped. "Fucking try it and I'll cut your balls off."

Kax grinned."I'll risk it." He lunged forward, catching her arm, then swinging her around and pinning her against the car. "You're getting slow."

"I let you catch me." She could smell his sweat, feel his cock pressing into her. "Thought you were going to beat me?" she craned up and bit his bottom lip, tasting stale coffee and the sour tang of violence.

He hooked his fingers into the top of Finch's baggy jeans, forcing them down, reaching for his wife's cunt. "You're a crazy fucking bitch." His tone was playful now. She was sensitive to the crazy tag.

"I'm your crazy fucking bitch," Raven started slightly and clung to him as he jammed his fingers into her, brutal and uncompromising.

He pulled her head back by the hair as she squirmed on his fingers. "Only words from I want to hear from you, is 'fuck me' and 'please'. Got it?"

"Yes." Her reply was little more than a hiss.

Pulling her jeans down, he shoved her back onto the car bonnet. This was a dance familiar to them—ritualised foreplay in word and deed. "Well?" he growled, his big, dark hand around her pale throat.

"Well, what?"

"Don't make me say it again," his voice rumbled in his chest.

"Fuck me!" she finally gasped.

The jeans ripped as he tore them off. "And?"

"I already said fuck me!"

He tightened his grip around her throat. "And?" he repeated.

This time she gripped his wrist and glared at him. "Fuck you!" she spat at him.

Laughing, he gripped his cock and jammed it against her cunt. He could smell her arousal as she struggled. "Nah, it's definitely fuck you!" Kax shoved hard into her, feeling her tense and arch upwards, then relax back against the cold metal.

She wrapped her strong legs around him. The connection flowing between them, fusing them, re-energising them, reaffirming their vows. Their very natures often tested their commitment, but there was always these moments when they aligned so perfectly you couldn't distinguish one from the other.

He was hard as iron, it was almost painful as he jabbed into her. She welcomed the discomfort, using the pain to feed her excitement, her need, as she clung to him, her arms now around his neck, crushing her lips against his. That compulsion within her to balance death with the act of creation, a reminder that theirs was a union born and sustained in blood.

They fell to the ground, Raven moving astride him, his hands clamping her in place. For her, fused to her man as they made love, it was the perfect union.

****

Finch paused at seeing the youth fixing some tea in the kitchen. He was back at the flat above Carlo's. "Tommy, isn't it?"

The youth nodded. He was wearing tight boxer briefs and nothing else, save a wide smile and a shock of floppy dark hair.

"What you doing here?" A voice said behind him. Max was in the hallway, his shirt hanging open.

"Picking up my coat. I see you picked up Tommy," added Finch with a grin.

"Yeah, well after all the excitement, needed some downtime. Good work earlier."

"Thanks. Likewise." Finch accepted the offering and reciprocated.

Max took the apology. "You want some tea?"

"I'm okay. I just left Lady and Kax."

"How was it going?" Max took the mug of tea from Tommy. "Go wait in the bedroom," he added to the youth.

Tommy kissed Max on the cheek, waggled his fingers at Finch and did as he was told.

"How do you mean?" Finch watched the lad disappear.

"Were they fighting or fucking?"

"Think it was foreplay."

Max laughed. "Yeah, sounds about right. Both get like this after bit of bother. I leg it and leave them to it."

"I walked into it, mate. She used me to needle Kax. Anyway, I'm off. Figure I could do with some downtime as well." He slapped Max on the shoulder as he pushed past. "Have fun."

"Yeah, you too, mate."

Twenty minutes later, Finch was walking up to Linda's flat. A naked Raven wedged in his mind. He needed to erase the image, and using Raven's mother to do it seemed fitting.

Linda greeted him warmly; a book and her glasses were on the small coffee table. Romance, judging by the cover. She mixed him a whisky and sat beside him.

"Thanks, babe." Finch sipped the drink and put his arm around her.

"You off early?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's been an eventful day."

"How so?" teased Linda. She wasn't expecting an answer.

I blew a man's brains out, and your daughter stabbed another man dead. "Just the usual aggravation."

Linda felt the tension in him. "You want to relax, something to eat maybe?"

"Relax first," he kissed her. "Definitely relax."

She knew the routine. Finch was a man of routine. This time he stopped her as she undid his trousers.