He glared at me, but nodded silently. I unlatched the door and stood behind it where he would not see me. Hopefully. This was the make or break moment. I could hear footsteps approaching and held my gun up towards Kozlov. He was likely to try anything. I was definitely out of my depth, but I wasn’t going to show him that.
The door opened noisily and I slid back to avoid it hitting me. If it had I may've be forced to use my gun. That wasn’t part of the plan.
‘What do you want?’ a voice called from the doorway. A slightly larger and uglier version of the first Kozlov strolled in, oblivious to the fact I was there. He was swaying slightly. Had he been drinking? If so, did that help me or not?
‘Give me your gun,’ called the first simply.
‘Why..?’
‘Just give me your gun.’
Igor looked confused but reached into his jacket and pulled out a cold, black weapon. There was no room for error here. Either he could turn and attack me if he knew I was there or the first Kozlov could shoot me when handed the gun. I had no doubt he knew how to use a weapon a lot better than I did. Igor handed it over and to my delight his brother dropped it on the floor and kicked it out of reach of both of them.
‘What the fuck are you doing?’ I heard Igor shout.
‘Exactly what he is told,’ I said quietly.
Igor spun round fast and raised an eyebrow at me. He could see me holding the gun but if he was feeling fear, he did not show it. I had a sudden realisation of what I was doing. I was holding two of the most dangerous men in the world at gun point. It occurred to me that I could shoot them both dead and track Emma down, hoping their men wouldn’t follow us. I knew I could never do that. I was not a murderer and I would have to find another way to deal with them.
Igor shot an angry look at his brother for allowing him to be called into a trap. I had to keep in character. Confidence.
‘Please feel free to sit down, you will be more comfortable, I’m sure,’ I offered, picking up the Igor’s gun as I did so.
They did as they were told and both settle on the bed.
‘I have a little problem,’ I said. ‘For whatever reason, you have a problem with my wife and that problem is now my problem. And because I have a problem and a gun, it is now your problem.’
I paused and tried to stay calm. I think it was going quite well.
‘I want you to tell me what your problem with Emma is and what you have done.’
Neither of them spoke.
‘Do I need to give you an incentive?’ I asked, lowering the gun and pointing at Igor’s knee.
‘You're out of your depth, Thomas,’ Igor muttered, clearly not wanting to lose a knee-cap.
‘Your brother made the mistake of underestimating me, don’t be as foolish,’ I replied, ignoring his brother’s scowling.
‘OK, what do you want to hear? We kidnapped your little girl and she will stay in our custody until we have everything we want. Does that make you happy?’
‘Actually, yes,’ I replied, pulling out my phone and indicating I had been recording the message the whole time. I pressed a few buttons and muttered ‘send,’ before returning my attention to them.
‘You think you can walk in here and save her. Go ahead, kill us. You will never know where she is. We have men that watch her and unless she does everything we say, they will kill her, whether we're alive or not. Understand that.’
I stayed silent for a second.
‘Do you agree that I could shoot you both dead here if I chose to?’
They both nodded.
‘And do you both believe in honour and pride?’ I continued.
‘Of course,’ chipped in Igor, taking control of their side of the negotiations.
I lowered my gun and tucked it into the back of my trousers. I felt a lot more nervous without it.
‘Well then, I have a proposition for you.’
Chapter Nineteen
‘I want my wife back, and you don’t want to die, right?’
I posed the question simply. I wanted to lay out all the facts as I saw them.
‘That seems fair, right Vitali?’ asked Igor sarcastically. So his name was Vitali. That was nice to know.
Vitali just shook his head, smiling ironically. He clapped his hands slowly, applauding me.
‘Well done Tom, you’ve done great. You tricked us that you were out the country, you got in here, you got yourself a gun. But it ends here. You are a pathetic weakling, who knows nothing of who we are, what we want or what we are going to do. This world is not meant to involve you. If you had just left it alone, you would have been fine.’
His arrogance shocked me and I was tempted to pull out the gun again but I resisted. He was testing me and I would rise to it.
‘You really do underestimate me. The truth is, you know nothing about me.’
Vitali laughed loudly and stood up. ‘Know nothing about you. You haven’t moved, breathed or thought without us watching you. We know everything...’
‘You know what I wanted you to know!’ I shouted. I was in control now. Vitali looked shocked and smirked quietly before sitting down again.
‘Do you honestly think I didn’t know you were there? Watching me. Following me. It was pathetic. You have no idea who I am. But let’s start with you, shall we?’
They were glaring now and I assumed they weren’t used to being talked to like this.
‘The Kozlov brothers. The big shots. Born in Saratov, Russia. Fingers in every pie going. Racketeering, money-laundering and organised murder. Never convicted but wanted by Interpol, the FBI and police forces all round the world. Very impressive.’
They were shaking. It was clear to them that they were wrong about me and making mistakes often gets you killed.
‘Now let’s see. What do you want? Probably lots of things, but specifically today? No one could know that, right? At a guess I’d have to say seven hundred year old, Yuan Dynasty ewers. In particular, five blue and white ones. Priceless Chinese artefacts; collect the whole set and make seventy million on the street. Sound about right?
The words were taken out of their mouths. I decided to press home my advantage whilst there was silence.
‘Now you could never get your hands on one and then, as luck has it, the girl who ripped you off all those years ago is also the only thief capable of stealing them. What a nice coincidence for you. Except you’ve got one problem. Emma never stole that first one in Milan. I did.’
‘Emma and I have been running jobs together for almost ten years. She gets cocky sometimes and that gets her caught. The reason you have never heard of me is because I’m that good. Now, Emma's not bad; she’s the best I’ve ever met and she did a good job in San Diego and Paris. Oh yes, I know about those. How do you think she completed those jobs? Because she learnt from me. I ripped you off all those years ago, I stole the ewer the first time and I am the only one who can help you get the last two.’
The silence was broken at last.
‘Well, Tom it seems we have underestimated you. You are full of surprises. But it doesn’t change anything. Your girl will get us those ewers and then we will consider letting her go. No negotiations.’
I laughed coolly.
‘You think it’s that easy. You guys know nothing. I try not to make it a habit of killing people, so please don’t make me start again,’ I breathed, hoping to keep an intimidation factor. I’m not sure if it was working or not. They were good, determined to keep their cards close to their chests.
‘You know nothing about the heat on these things. China has flipped over it. They are being moved. You have five days, maybe six to steal two. You need a two man team, it’s the only way. Have you not looked at the blueprints?’
This was not their area of expertise. They were thugs, with too much money and too many guns. They didn’t understand the planning and technique it took to run a job like this or so I was banking on.
‘So what do you suggest?’ asked Igor, visibly shaken up.
>
‘Well, the way I see it, you have two options. Number one: I shoot you both dead, find Emma and keep the ewers for ourselves. Or, number two: you take me to Emma, we steal the other two for you and you let her walk free. We both know you were never going to let her walk after this, but if we help you, you leave us alone forever. What do you think?’
‘Fine. How do we know you won’t screw us over?’ Vitali said angrily. They didn’t seem happy but they had no choice.
‘Gentleman’s agreement. I know how powerful you guys are. Unlike you, I don’t underestimate my opponents. If we disappeared you would never rest until we were dead. You found Emma once, you would again. If we don’t get your ewers you can come after us, but if we do, you take them and leave us. That is the agreement.’
‘Fine,’ Vitali said again and Igor nodded.
I stood up calmly. I had done it. So far, so good.
‘I need you to understand this Kozlovs,’ I said. ‘I have recorded most of this and sent incriminating evidence to a contact. If I don’t let him know I am safe regularly he will take it to the police and you will spend a long time inside. Try and double cross me and it'll be the last mistake you ever make. Do you understand? From now on we're on the same team, working towards the same goal. And that is how you want me. If anything happens to Emma or me, you'll wish you had never been born. Believe me on that.’
I think they did. It had been a terrifying experience for me but I had completely fucked with their heads. They thought they knew everything about me and I had spun their world upside down.
‘Fine. But everything goes through us. You think about running or messing us about and we kill you. And your family. Believe us on that,’ replied Igor.
‘I do believe you,’ I said, calmly. ‘So where is she?’
‘14 Parlour Street, West London. She’s not back yet. Be there at 10 tomorrow morning.’
She must still be travelling back from America. I wasn’t expecting that but I could cope with it.
‘See you tomorrow then,’ I replied, turning to go. I had to believe in trust. I just hoped they feared me enough not to mess with me. I pulled out Igor’s gun and passed it to him. ‘Same team. Remember that,’ I whispered and was gone.
*****
Oh. My. God. Did that just happen? As I left the building, I could barely control my hands shaking. I felt like an actor coming off stage which, in a way, I was. I had managed to convince two of the toughest men in the world that I was a threat. I was in the game; I just wasn’t sure I knew how to play.
I needed to think. I needed a drink. I also needed to stop rhyming my sentences. There were taxis waiting attentively outside and I jumped in one, asking them to take me to ‘any bar.’ They obliged and we drove along for a few minutes in perfect silence. My brain was racing at a thousand miles an hour and I wasn’t sure when it was going to calm down. I had managed to control myself in the hotel room but my body was now having a reaction to all those lies. I convinced myself that I could handle it and took some deep breaths to calm down.
It wasn’t long before I was in a bar. To this day, I cannot remember the name of it, not because I left it drunk (which I didn’t) but because my mind appeared to be running blank.
I do remember the feeling of drinking that first beer. I am not a huge beer-drinker but I do enjoy a cold one when watching the football with mates. As the cold alcohol touched my lips I instantly felt some of the life return to me. Things weren’t so bad. Scratch that, things were pretty great. I couldn’t have played it any better and I had left the Dorchester still breathing. And with all my limbs. That was more than I'd dared to hope for.
I was beginning to notice a change in me. Life had always happened to me before and I had always let it. But now I was taking control. Sure, I was still terrified when I was doing it, but I was doing it nevertheless. As I drank, I looked back over everything I had achieved since Emma had gone. I remembered the pathetic man I used to be; crying alone and too afraid to get out of bed. He was dead and the new Tom was here. I just hoped the new Tom was smart enough not to end up dead as well.
I was careful not to drink more than two bottles of beer and before I knew it I was leaving the bar and in a taxi heading home. I still struggled to really refer to my new flat as home, but it was a bed (however uncomfortable) to sleep on. I wasn’t quite ready to go yet.
‘Wait,’ I called out to the cabby. He turned his head quickly to check I was alright and continued driving slowly.
‘Sorry. Change of plans. Can we head to 14 Parlour Street, West London?’
*****
There was a terrifying moment when the taxi driver said he had never heard of Parlour Street. What if they had given me the wrong address and disappeared? What if they had just lied to me and got away? I was beginning to panic. I was pleased to hear that the cabby had found the street on his Sat Nav. It was a real place. Thank God.
‘It’s going to take half an hour. It will cost you. Are you sure you want to go?’
‘I have to,’ I replied.
‘Right you are,’ he mumbled and we were off, heading in a new bearing.
The journey was long and uneventful. I was quite happy to sit with my thoughts in the silence and only found it awkward when my driver attempted to make small talk. I hate small talk. What is the point? This was a simple business transaction. I pay him (too much) money for him to drive me there. At no point have I asked for a little light conversation on the side.
Parlour Street was a fairly well maintained road, in a decent part of town. It wasn’t Chelsea but it wasn’t a million miles away (literally). The houses looked small but nice and the pavements were clear from litter and hooded trouble-makers. Nothing like my flat then.
I asked the taxi driver to wait and keep the meter running while I checked out number 14. It seemed simple enough. You would never know that it was a Russian mob safe house from the outside. The lights were all out and there were no signs of activity from within. Maybe nobody was there. Maybe she wasn’t back yet.
I decided that I would knock on the door, making sure I was armed and demand to see her if anyone answered. If they were afraid of me in any way they would let me see her. I had to see Emma. As I walked up the steps to the front door I could hear my heart beating louder than my feet on the stone steps. Was this the moment that I had been waiting for? Was this when I would finally find Emma?
No.
I knocked loudly twice and waited a good five minutes but no one answered. I approached the window and tried to look through but I couldn’t see anything. No one was home. I had felt so close to seeing her. Why wasn’t she here? I knew I just had to wait until tomorrow but it was getting increasingly hard. Weeks of torture were leading up to a moment which in itself would solve nothing. Yes, it would feel incredible to see her again but we were still in an unbelievable mess.
‘Tomorrow,’ I whispered and disappeared back into the taxi.
The taxi driver must have thought that Christmas had come early with the amount I had to hand over to him by the time I was home. The meter had been running solidly for well over an hour at this point at late night rates. I found it hard to care as I paid him handsomely, but I was a tad concerned at how fast Emma’s money was going. I better calm down a bit.
I knew that sleep was going to be optimistic but I wanted to be as rested as I could. Tomorrow would be, if all went well, a very important day indeed.
Chapter Twenty
‘Think of this as a chance to prove your...talent.’
I woke early the next morning. The clock on my phone told me it was not yet seven. Plenty of time to prepare myself. I stretched and wriggled until there was sufficient life in my body to get out of bed. It was easier this morning. I think, for the first time, it felt like I had something to get out of bed for. Not just planning and hoping, but actually doing. The shower took its usual long-winded time to run warm, so I used that time to shave and brush my teeth. I noticed I was spending longer on it than usua
l. Subconsciously, I knew how significant this day was going to be.
My phone buzzed, indicating I had just received a text message. It was Jack and he was worried. I decided not to fill him in at this stage. I needed a clear head and did not want to discuss it anymore. I had been talking it over with myself all night. In the most relaxed manner possible I replied, ‘Everything fine here, will let you know when I know what I’m doing.’ With that, I jumped into the shower and finished off my morning routine.
What to wear? I wanted to look as good as possible. If Emma knew I was coming, she was probably worried about me. What if she had given away that I wasn’t a super-thief? I hoped not. No, she wouldn’t. If she did, there would be no reason for me to be kept alive and I would be shot as soon as I arrived. Well, I guess we would find out soon enough.
I chose my grey suit with the light pinstripes to wear. It probably fit me the best. Even I thought it looked quite good on and I hate looking at myself as a rule. It was tailored in to show off a man’s physique, which I wasn’t sure I was the best example of, but I certainly wasn’t carrying any extra weight due to the stress. The ‘slim-fit’ suit demonstrated that. I pulled out another crisp white shirt and decided against a tie. I wanted to look cool and sophisticated; the tie made me look like I was going for a job interview. There were several little touches which I added to complete my image. A handkerchief (which was folded and not to be used apparently), cufflinks and a tie-pin were all present as well as my expensive new watch. It looked good. I looked good.
The truth was, I was not only wearing the suit to convince the Kozlovs. I wanted to show Emma I had changed. I was capable of being a man that could deal with the world she really lived in. The new Tom was the right man for the old Emma.
Eventually there were no touches I could add and I was ready to go. It was still only nine o’clock but I could not afford to be late. I wanted to turn up in my own car to look important, but I didn’t think the ‘pimpmobile’ would be appropriate. I put a grand in my pocket and tucked the gun into my trousers, making sure the jacket covered it before I left. With that, I walked out and hailed a taxi after some effort. I was going to be early.