Becca XXX - Spring Tide Ch. 07

Authors note: - This is a follow on to the previous episode of Becca XXX. Spring Tide. Please read it before reading this or you will not understand the plot or characters.

Becca XXX. Spring Tide. Ch 07.

The Crow.

Just saying her name out loud filled me with dread. This woman hadn't exactly been my best friend during my incarceration at Bronzefield women's prison. The tattooed psycho bitch had been nothing but trouble until we'd discovered a common goal.

I'd helped her to escape just before she burnt the place to the ground, killing seventy convicted rapists in the process. Somehow, I'd won her respect and her parting words to me had been: 'If you ever need to find me on the outside, go to The Worlds End pub in Bristol and ask for me. I could use someone with your skill set.'

To say that she had issues was an understatement, but I wouldn't have got out of prison without her. Her life had been one of crime and deception and she had a severe hatred for rapists. Before she'd killed all the perverts in the basement of Bronzefield, she'd killed fifteen rapists by luring them in on dating apps. She would make a point of telling the men that she didn't want sex and then get herself into a vulnerable position so that they would rape her. That was all the evidence she ever needed and burning them alive was her method of justice. Her methods were crude and brutal, but it certainly got the job done.

She had run The Sisterhood inside Bronze; a group of like-minded women who'd die for her if they had to. I knew that The Sisterhood stretched outside the prison and that they'd be defending her and keeping her hidden from the police.

Driving up from Penzance to Bristol had taken just under four hours and I was full of apprehension about seeking her out. I had no idea how this was going to go down, but at least I had Natalie by my side.

We'd left our surfboards with Reef back at The Surfiety's camp. Reef had asked a lot of questions about why we were going to Bristol when we were supposed to be chilling out and enjoying Sennen Cove. He never sounded like he was prying into our lives, it was more like he was worried about us and the protection of his camp. Our absence for the last two nights hadn't gone unnoticed and I hoped he wasn't becoming suspicious.

To keep his mind at rest, we'd made up a story that we were going to visit an old friend and that we'd be back in a couple of days at the most. We knew that the large swell was due soon and we obviously didn't want to miss it, but the assignment always came first.

The journey had been long and boring and it felt weird to be leaving the Russians back in Penzance unchecked. We needed the video of the kidnapped girl from Valentin's laptop and this was the only way of getting it within a decent time frame.

Lexa had checked in to tell us that they'd tracked Yuri's smart watch. She had confirmed the same location as Arrow and it matched our own theory about where Valentin's place was. We told her that we had a lead on a safe cracker, but we didn't give her the details. She probably wouldn't approve, but as long as we got the job done, she wouldn't be bothered who'd helped us. There was nothing else to report from either side so she left us to it.

To break up the road trip we'd had the radio on and it had been full of the war between Russia and the Ukraine. It hadn't been the walk over that the Russians thought it was going to be. Ukraine was putting up stiff resistance thanks to UK and US backing. Some of it was overt, like the supply of weapons, but I knew we'd also have special forces on the ground as military advisors. The news was talking about US drones which the Ukrainian troops had been trained to use. I found it hard to believe that they'd be able to operate such a sophisticated piece of military hardware in such a short space of time.

It was more likely that the Americans were flying the drones for them from their military bases back in the US. The internet was actually being used for something useful for a change. Drone pilots could fly their planes from the comfort of their own home these days without setting foot in a foreign country. Because of that, Russia and Ukraine were now locked in a bloody stale mate. Russia was bombing the hell out of the country and massing its troops on the borders, waiting for an opening to send in a full ground offensive. If it wasn't for the drones keeping them at bay, the Russians would have probably won the war by now and taken over the entire country.

Territory was changing hands almost hourly as the two countries fought for land, advancing and retreating as the odds changed in each other's favour. I wondered if Tony was out there somewhere, dressed in local garb and training the Ukrainians in guerrilla warfare. Stuff like that was right up his street.

I missed him and hadn't seen him since our sexual encounter on the boat Serenity at the end of my dangerous cargo mission. Since then, I'd been to prison, then on a desert island in the Bahamas. My feet hadn't touched the ground and I'd been thrown straight into this deployment. I just hoped he was safe and doing what he loved most.

"We're nearly there," said Natalie. "How do you think it's going to go with your psychopathic girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," I replied. "She's a fucking nutcase so there's no way of knowing. I just hope Arrow's right about all this. If she can't crack a safe, we'll have to go back to the noisy option and interrogate Valentin. I'd rather do it quietly if The Crow is willing to help."

"We're going to have to tell her who we are," she said. "Do you think she'll believe us?"

"I don't see why not. She knew there was more to me than I was letting on in Bronze. I took out half of her Sisterhood single-handedly and helped her escape from a maximum-security prison. A normal civilian wouldn't be capable of that. I just hope she remembers all that when we meet again."

"Are we going in armed?" Nat quizzed.

"Fuck no," I gasped. "We need to go in nice and friendly at first. It's not worth provoking her. I'm sure she'll be well protected."

We were driving along Clouds Hill Road towards the Worlds End pub. This area was to the east of the city and was known as St George. It was a nice area of Bristol, but the pub was a den of iniquity. We'd pulled up police files on the pub and it didn't make for good reading. It was renowned for harbouring criminals, selling drugs and there was frequent fighting. Even the police gave it a wide birth and most outsiders who'd been there, never went back for a second drink.

"Do a drive by first," I said. "We've seen it on Google Street view, but it always looks different on the ground. Let's get the lay of the land before we park up."

"It's coming up on the left," she nodded. "It's the white building on the corner."

I glanced left as though I was just taking in the scenery rather than casing the joint. The Crow would most likely have lookouts just like she did in prison to make sure no one approached her territory without her knowing about it.

The pub was run down and in need of a lick of paint. It was once painted white, but now it looked grey and dirty. Years of neglect had resulted in peeling paint on the black window frames and even the sign on the curved corner of the building was faded. It had once been a magnificent art-deco streamline-modern building, but now it looked like it should be demolished. It was on the main A420 coming out of Bristol, with a few shops and housing estates all around it. The pub didn't have a car park, but people could park on the road outside.

"Looks like the lunch time rush has missed this place out," laughed Natalie as we drove past. "Are you sure it's even open?"

"You know how these places are, Nat. They appear quiet on the outside, but we have no idea what's going on behind closed doors. It definitely looks like somewhere The Crow would hideout."

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know, it looks sinister... like her. Turn around and drive back again in the opposite direction then park up so we can watch for a while."

"Copy that," she said.

She pulled into a side street and did a three-point turn. We then pulled back out and drove slowly back towards the pub. There didn't appear to be any lookouts, but that didn't mean there weren't any. Nat stopped short of the pub and got her phone out. I leaned over to make it look like we were checking directions in case anyone was watching from the pub.

"What do you think?" I asked. "I didn't see anything suspicious. Maybe she's not even in there. It might be the last 'fuck you' from her after we escaped."

"From what you told me about her, I can't see why she'd lie to you. Why go to the trouble of telling you where to find her if she's not going to be there?"

"True. It's more likely that she's staying somewhere else though. She just told me to come here and ask for her. I'm guessing someone will contact her and see if she wants to see us."

"We can second guess this all fucking day," sighed Natalie. "Let's just go in and have a drink. We've got nothing to lose."

I nodded, already feeling my heart rate increasing and my breathing quicken. The fight or flight response was kicking in before I even left the van. We both jumped out and straightened our clothing.

It was a warm day, but we'd opted for practical clothing. I wore black jeans, black ankle-high trainers and a grey vest top. My hair was worn loose over my shoulders and I had a small amount of makeup on.

Natalie was in blue denim jeans and similar footwear, with a tight blue T-shirt which was a size too small for her. We looked like two young women out on a shopping trip, looking for somewhere to stop for a drink. The van was parked far enough away that they wouldn't see us get out of it, but close enough that we could sprint to it if we needed to make a fast getaway or get to our weapons. The sawn-off shotgun was still under the dashboard and the UCP's were under the seats for rapid deployment if we needed them.

Nat locked the van and put the keys in her pocket and we both crossed the road and made our way towards the pub. We didn't rush or dawdle; we made it look natural as though we weren't a threat. Forty meters later and we were at the door. The place smelt of stale beer and piss before we even got through the door. Someone had been sick on the pavement outside the pub and there appeared to be bloodstains on the painted brickwork. We could hear music coming from the bar and the clink of glasses so it definitely sounded open. We stepped over the sick and pushed the door open.

Pumping rock music hit us like a wall as we walked through the first door with me taking the lead. We were now in a small porch area with another door which led inside. There was no one minding the entrance, but the place had a buzz about it before we even entered.

I looked over my shoulder at Natalie and raised my eyebrows at her as if to say: 'Here we go' and she nodded back at me. Pushing through the inner door we made it into the bar. Immediately I speed read the room like I always do when I walk into a new place. I was looking for the exits, counting the number of occupants and putting them into an order of who was the biggest threat.

The bar was in front of us and went around the corner in an L-shape. The usual optics rack and glasses were behind the serving area with taps and pumps on the bar itself. Somehow the place seemed bigger than it looked from the outside. There was a wide staircase to the left leading up to a second seating area with a balcony above the bar. The tables downstairs were small and round like a typical British pub with stools and wooden chairs around them.

The floor was wooden and polished smooth in places from years of foot traffic. The pool table and dart board were both being used and there were more people in here than we'd first thought. Maybe the lunch time rush was on after all. There were four groups of people sitting in different areas and a couple of tables occupied by pairs.

The first thing I noticed was that all the punters were female. I use the word female in its loosest term as some of them looked like men in drag. They all looked like locals and is if they were part of the furniture. As the door squeaked shut behind us, everyone in the pub stopped what they were doing and turned to face us. The music went off and I swear that even the pool balls stopped moving mid-roll.

To say it was intimidating was an understatement. I half expected a cowboy to appear and walk up with his spurs clinking. We kept our cool and walked to the bar which was the most natural thing to do. I didn't eyeball anyone, I just kept them in my peripheral vision and focused on the older looking barmaid. The eyes followed us all the way to the bar and I stopped with Natalie by my side.

We needed to take control of this situation and not look like a victim before it kicked off. Intimidation only works if you let it. It was all about keeping a balance of looking confident, but not provocative.

Natalie leant on the bar with her left arm and I did the same with my right so we were half facing each other. This allowed us to cover the room behind each other as well as looking like we were just chilling out and waiting to be served.

I could see four women at the pool table staring at us and whispering to each other. They were sizing up their targets. Maybe they wanted to mug us, but they'd be disappointed. We weren't wearing any jewellery, watches or expensive clothing for that very reason. Our phones were in our pockets and we'd be paying cash in small notes. Nothing about us spoke of wealth.

That appeared to confuse them as we didn't look like tourists either. If we weren't tourists and we weren't locals, that only left one thing in their eyes. Maybe we were plain-clothed police officers.

"Yes?" spat the old girl behind the bar.

The barmaid was in her sixties and needed to work on her customer service. She had a scowl on her face as though we had interrupted her busy schedule of doing nothing. I wondered if she'd been at the World's End since it was built, she certainly looked old enough.

"Two Coronas please," said Natalie politely. "With lime."

"We don't serve your sort in here," she hissed. "You should know better."

"What do you mean?" I quizzed.

"You're fucking coppers. You must be new around here. You need to go and talk to your superiors and they'll set you straight. Pigs don't come in here," she folded her arms.

There was a shuffle of feet behind us as the locals moved a little closer. They were getting ready to back up the barmaid if we kicked off.

"We're not the police," I said calmly, laughing it off.

"Course you're not," she nodded sarcastically. "I know an undercover cop when I see one. You wreak of it."

"I can assure you we're not police," said Natalie. "But we are looking for someone who told us to find her here."

"Oh really?" she snarled. "And who might that be?"

"The Crow," I said confidently.

"Never fucking heard of her," she answered far too quickly, which told me she was lying. "Get the fuck out of here before you get hurt."

Out the corner of my eye I could see a dozen women moving closer. Two of them had moved to the entrance to prevent us from leaving and the rest were slowly closing in. Two of the girls who'd been playing pool had pool cues in their hands and were leaning on them as they watched us arguing. The rest were standing in a loose group to our left and right and were unarmed.

Everything about this situation told me we were in trouble. We were outnumbered and some of them had items that could be used as weapons against us. I glanced down at the bar, looking for something to even up the odds, but it was slim pickings. There were a few empty pint glasses on the bar which the lazy bitch hadn't cleared away and a half-folded newspaper. None of it was much use.

"Tell The Crow that Becca is here to see her," I said calmly. "I was in Bronzefield with her. I'm sure she'll make an exception."

"I told you, I've never fucking heard of her," she repeated.

I was about to ask again when one of the women behind shouted over.

"Everything ok Mave?" she bellowed.

"Just a couple of rozzers asking about someone," she shouted back over our heads. "Don't worry, they're leaving."

I naturally turned in the direction of the voice to see who it was. A short dumpy girl was standing between us and the door with a face like a slapped arse.

"Who are you looking for?" spat Dumpy.

"The Crow."

There was a hint of recognition in her face, but she denied it.

"Never heard of her. You heard what Mave said, get the fuck out of here."

Her friends closed in behind her like a pack of hyenas. They varied in age, size and build, but all had an aggressive stance. I hadn't come this far to be turned away by a bunch of amateurs so it was time to change tact. I nodded at Nat and she nodded back to signal that we were moving from passive to aggressive in order to bring this to a quick conclusion.

Keeping eye contact with the obvious ring leader, I shouted back over my shoulder to the barmaid.

"Do you own this shithole?" I asked.

"What?" she replied in shock.

"This fucking hovel we're standing in... do you own it?" I repeated the question.

"I am the proprietor, yes," she snapped.

"Is it insured?" I quizzed in a sinister tone.

"What are you, are fucking insurance broker or something?" laughed Dumpy. "Are you here to sell us some insurance?"

Her friends behind her chuckled at her joke.

"No... I'd say we're more into demolition," I gave her the smallest of fake smiles and then went back to an emotionless expression.

I rarely got to play the aggressor and I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

"You've no idea who you're fucking with," said Dumpy. "This is your last chance to leave before we fuck you up."

"And this is your last chance to tell us where The Crow is before we burn this pub to the ground just like she did back at the prison," I said.

There was another glimmer of recognition, but this bitch wasn't going to back down now. She would lose face and people like her never liked to do that in front of their minions. Her ego was getting in the way of her reasoning and I saw her fists clench by her sides.

"Have you got a fucking death wish or something?" she spat. "Take a look around, there's twelve of us. It's not going to be a fair fight."

Nat and I slowly scanned the crowd from left to right and back again.

"That's right," said Natalie. "You'd better phone for back up."

The crowd of bitches fanned out into a loose semi-circle in front of the bar. We were in the centre of it and I heard Mave moving out of harms way behind us. Any peaceful resolution was now impossible and I knew we'd have to fight our way out.

I moved a little closer to Dumpy with my arms hanging loosely by my sides and scanned the semi-circle of angry faces again.

"Last chance," I addressed the whole room. "Does anyone know where we can find The Crow?"

Silence ensued like a dark blanket sucking even the ambient sounds out of the room. I dropped my shoulders with a long out-breath and waited. My heart rate slowed and I could smell the apprehension in the room. All fear evaporated and I entered a zen-like state waiting for the first attack. At moments like this it's impossible to know what's coming so you have to empty the mind of conscious thought and feel the energy flowing from the people around you. White energy is calm and peaceful and comes from the sky. Red energy is anger and comes up from the ground. Too much of either will mean you lose the fight because your judgment becomes impaired. What is needed is a balance of the two.

Nat and I both had that.

These assholes didn't.