The Sudden Arrival of Violence: A Glasgow Underworld Novel 3 by Malcolm Mackay Page B

your eyesight wasn’t up to much. If Barry knows what Calum looks like, then he’ll recognize him. Bound to. Recognize that this is more of a risk than he wants to be involved in. Calum’s convinced that Barry’s never seen him. Might have heard of him, but probably not. Barry’s looking at the photo. Pausing. Glancing up at William. He’s seen a similarity, but he knows better than to comment on it. You don’t chase business away. It usually runs of its own accord.
    ‘Right. Two days it’ll take me. Leave a number with me and I’ll call you when it’s ready. Tell you where to pick it up. Okay? Let’s call it four hundred up front, four hundred on delivery.’
    William’s pausing, then scoffing. Don’t let him know you’re desperate. He’ll know if you let him overcharge you. ‘Let’s call it two up front, two on delivery. We can talk about a set price for the future if this goes well.’
    He seems like a nice guy, does Barry Fairly. William knows better than to trust him. He’s back in his car, two hundred pounds down and the agreement in place. This is when it starts to get nervy. They’re relying on someone else, and William doesn’t like that. If it was just himself and Calum, everything would be fine. Trusting other people – that’s the thing. Two days of waiting. Hoping you can trust this guy. If they can’t, Calum could be finished. William’s getting angry as he’s driving home. Angry at Barry for a crime not yet committed. If that Barry stabs them in the back, by God, William will return. Back to that shitty little shed to rip it and its inhabitant apart. Okay, that might not be true, but he won’t let it go unpunished. For now, it’s home again. Back to Calum and the weird atmosphere. It feels like they should be cherishing every moment. Making the most of what could be their last few days together. They can’t. Can’t go outside. Can’t be seen or heard. Not much to talk about that doesn’t work its way back to killing people and running away.

15
    Peter Jamieson doesn’t get out much. The consequences of importance. There was a time when it was different. Back when they started, Peter was the one who pounded the streets. He was the one with menace, because he was the one who could hurt you. Young was his sidekick. The smart guy you didn’t need to be afraid of. That changed with power. It got to a point where Jamieson couldn’t safely do the things he used to. He misses very few of those things, to be fair. Being the tough guy? Huh, leave that to the meatheads. Plenty of those around. And now Young has the menace to scare people anyway. Not because he’s got any tougher; he hasn’t. It’s because people know he has power behind him, and there’s nothing quite as intimidating as power. All of that power still belongs to Jamieson. Take him away and Young’s back to being the smartarse weakling.
    Jamieson’s sitting in his office, watching TV. Half-watching, in fact. Paying a little attention to the local news, but contemplating other things. Got a text from Young saying he would be late in. No problem to Jamieson. He’s not what you would call a morning person. Work’s been heavy lately; he could do with taking a weekend to himself. It’ll have to wait. Big plans ahead. Very big. Career-defining. Get this thing with Shug just right and it sets up the next few years. No mention on the news of missing persons, so he’s switching the TV off. No mention in the local press, either. Young was confident this wouldn’t go big. Hardy had nobody to care if he went missing. Kenny only has his girlfriend, and she’s been around long enough to know better. In normal circumstances Jamieson would be reassured. His instincts tell him it’ll be fine. But his instincts told him Kenny was a good guy. People keep saying you have good instincts for the business, and eventually you get to believe them. Dangerous thing, believing others.
    Young’s coming into the office now. Looking a