****, ****, ****, it wasn't him, Marvin started to panic, calm down Marvin thought to himself, he took in a deep breath, still holding his aim at the man who'd just stepped out from the BMW, 'move toward the others, slowly, and with your hands up'. The man nodded slowly as he edged towards the rest of the men, stumbling over the loose gravel of the arboretum car park.
'You two from the Transit, tell your mate in the cab to come out this side, slowly' Marvin barked, becoming more aware of the time and the fact he'd just fired a gun in public, surely the armed police would be on their way he thought.
'You, with the black Nike bag, put it in the back of the Beamer and chuck me the keys'. The man’s eyes blazed at Marvin, his face taut with anger, yet he said nothing, he just walked to the back of the BMW and dropped the bag in the rear seat, before walking back to the others. He turned to Marvin and chucked the keys at Marvin’s feet, Marvin grinned underneath his balaclava.
'Now you with the red top, take the drugs from the van and put them in the back of the car, and no funny business'.
The man in the red top nodded and slowly moved towards the rear of the van, he reached in and emerged with two suitcases. He struggled over to the BMW and placed them on the floor before opening the boot and dropping them in. 'Oi, careful, I don't want my merchandise damaged' Marvin shouted, smiling wryly at the power the gun had given him. The man in the red top stared at Marvin as he stepped away from the BMW.
'Well it's been a pleasure gentlemen, but I think our little meeting is over for me, so why don't you all get into the back of the van and I'll be on my way' Marvin said, still very aware the police would be on their way.
'You're not going to get away with this you know, we know everyone, you’re screwed mate', the man in the red said, still standing his ground.
'We? You’re all minions working for the same prick who doesn't dare do his own dirty business, now get in the van before I spill some blood', Marvin said, aiming straight for the head of the man in red.
The man in red laughed, 'he won't be happy you said that, he'll get you, he gets everyone, literally, everyone', the man said.
Marvin tensed, his patience gone, 'get the fuck in the van or I'll fuck you up' Marvin shouted.
The man stood where he was as the others edged back into the van, 'no you won't, you ain't got the dogs danglies for this game, you can tell. Shoot me, I dare you' said the man, holding his arms out to the side.
Marvin, furious at the time-wasting, fumbled in his jean pockets for the Stanley knife he'd bought, he pulled it out, only too quickly and it fell to the floor, the man in the red laughed, 'you've got a gun, use it!' the man said, goading Marvin.
Marvin pulled up his arm and aimed the gun at the man, who put his hands in front of him. Marvin's arm shook slightly, the adrenaline pulsating through it, his gloved finger wrapped around the trigger. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, regaining a little composure, he lowered the gun and bent down to pick up the knife, he didn't want to kill anyone today, he only wanted to kill one man and he wasn't here.
'I'll ask you one last time, or I'll spill your blood man' Marvin said, re-assured by his steady voice, he was completely composed again.
The man chewed his lip for a moment, considering whether to goad Marvin more, well aware he'd already pushed him to the limit. To Marvin’s relief he started to edge backwards towards the van and slowly got in, not taking his eyes off Marvin who was slowly following him. The man sat down and pulled his legs in, 'now close the fucking door' Marvin said, a slight smile spreading across his face, the power the gun gave him was intoxicating.
The door slowly closed, the man in red still staring at Marvin. Marvin walked towards the rear wheel of the van, flipped out the blade of the Stanley knife and dug into deeply into the tyre. There was a sudden burst of air as the knife split the sidewall of the tyre, he pulled the blade back into the knife and got into the BMW, he replaced the safety catch of the pistol and placed it the passenger seat.
He inserted the keys into the ignition, anxious to escape before he was caught with bags of cash, the drugs and the gun. He smiled as the BMW rumbled into life, he moved the gearstick into reverse and pressed the throttle, the car jerking back as Marvin swung the steering wheel and quickly accelerated away from the van and onto the country road, he turned left and headed for the side street he'd left his Cavalier on to swap the drugs and cash over.
…
As he left the main road, he crept up the side street towards the Cavalier, looking both sides of the street to see if anyone might see him making the swap, the street was dead. Marvin smiled, lady luck was on his side so far. He pulled up behind the Cavalier, and got out, he looked around one last time to make sure there wasn't anyone about and walked to the back of the BMW, opened the boot and pulled the bags out, he struggled with the three bags as he edged towards the Cavalier, his eyes and ears still straining to see any potential witnesses, Marvin's luck still holding.
He dropped the 3 bags at the back of the Cavalier and fumbled with the key in the dark, he managed to unlock the boot and quickly bundled the bags in before pulling the can of petrol out and slamming the boot. He looked around one last time, still no pedestrians, no twitching curtains, this was good, thought Marvin.
He walked back round to the BMW and got in, quickly starting the engine and drove off, not giving the Cavalier another look, now he had to find somewhere to torch the BMW, destroying any evidence in the car. He drove a short distance into the countryside looking for somewhere to dump the car, he slowed at a few field entrances but most were too narrow for the BMW to pull over. He eventually found an open entrance into the courtyard of an abandoned barn, it was about two miles from where he’d left the Cavalier. He slowly drove by it, making sure it was abandoned. Marvin stopped, just past the entrance, he checked in his rear view mirror for any headlights and looked ahead, no lights at all, perfect.
Marvin dimmed his headlights and reversed backwards slowly into the courtyard, he turned his lights completely off and turned the engine off. He slowly opened the door and panicked as the internal light came on, he looked for a button to turn it off, he couldn't find anything, there wasn't anything on the dashboard or near the light, giving up, he reached for the pistol, picked up the barrel and swung the butt of the gun into the light, the plastic cracking loudly as the butt of the gun extinguished the light.
Marvin stepped out, walked to the boot, opened it and pulled out the can of petrol. He undid the cap and emptied a little into the boot, he walked to driver’s door and did the same over the front seats, pulling the seat forwards and spreading it over the back seats too, the last few drops trickling out before Marvin dropped the can. He pulled out the box of matches he'd bought at the petrol station and took two out, he looked at the car one last time and struck the matches against the box, the little sticks of wood catching fire first time, he held them under the box and watched as it caught alight, he held it out in front of him for a moment, making sure it was alight, before he threw it into the car.
The box hit the driver’s seat and the seat was immediately engulfed, the flames licking at the B pillar of the car, the fire quickly spread, jumping to the passenger seat and the rear bench, soon the entire car was alight, the paint starting to blister as it boiled. Marvin stood and watched it for a moment, the fire casting his shadow over the courtyard floor, he waited until he could feel the heat of the blaze then he made his way to the edge of the courtyard where a small fence separated the courtyard from a field adjacent to the road. Marvin stepped over the fence and into the field, he sprinted across the field away from the courtyard and the blazing BMW, towards an adjoining field, hidden from the road by a tall hedge. As he crept over the fence, he found a public footpath sign, to his luck it led straight back to the estate where the Cavalier was, he started to wonder whether Denise was smiling down on him.
…
Marvin pulled up at his flat and turned the engine to the Cavalier off, he sighed loudly, very
aware of the drugs, cash and pistol in his possession. He was exhausted from the days exploits, it was past midnight now and the car park was deserted, a few shadows from the trees being the only movement he could see. He placed the pistol in the glove box and stepped from the car, locking the doors behind him. He wearily walked round to the boot and removed the drugs and cash from the boot and made his way to his flat, he opened the door, closed it, dropped the bags on the floor and slumped into the settee, exhausted. Moments later, he was asleep.
…
Marvin awoke, sweating slightly, his mouth dry from the exhilaration of yesterday, he glanced at his watch, it was past midday, the heating was on full, and still he wanted to sleep where he was. The exhaustion from last night was unremitting. He strained to lift himself from his slumped position, he waited a moment before standing, every muscle in his body ached as he rose and made his way to the kitchen, he reached for a pint glass from the cupboard and filled it with water, quenching his dry mouth.
After another glass, Marvin was more focused, he walked over to the bags from last night and opened the Nike bag, inside were wads of 500 Euro and 50 pound notes, he picked the bag up and carried it through to the kitchen, he emptied the money onto the