Stephen Leather - Tango One

"Den?" said Fullerton, and he tapped the side of his nose.

Donovan glared at Fullerton.

"For God's sake, Jamie. Are you still carrying?"

"Just a bit. Couple of lines."

"Didn't you hear what I said to you before? I don't go near gear."

"Leave him be, Den," said Jordan.

"Yeah, well, you can say that when we're all behind bars."

"We're among friends here," said Jordan.

"Ain't that right, Jamie?"

Fullerton gave Jordan a thumbs-up.

"You're as bad as each other," sighed Donovan.

A waitress was waving at Kris and miming that she had a phone call.

Kris climbed down off the podium and hurried towards the bar area where a barman was holding the phone up.

"Come on, Den," said Jordan.

"Lighten up."

Donovan shrugged. Maybe he was being over-cautious. Jordan was right, Lapland was safe territory. An undercover cop wouldn't get within half a mile of the place, and those cops who did drink in the club were as bent as Dicko Underwood.

Jordan and Fullerton stood up and headed for the bathrooms. Donovan followed them, shaking his head. He liked Fullerton, but he seemed to be thinking with his nose.

Jordan pushed open the door to the gents' and checked that the cubicles were empty. As Donovan stood at the urinal, Fullerton used a platinum American Express card to shape six lines of cocaine on the marble surround of one of the sinks. They were long, thick lines. Fullerton was either a very heavy user or he was trying to impress.

Jordan rolled up a twenty-pound note and sniffed up two of the lines and then handed the rolled-up note to Fullerton.

"Oh, that's good," said Jordan.

"I'll take five kilos of that."

"Personal use?" asked Fullerton.

Fullerton attacked his two lines, then laughed as he licked his finger and ran it along the marble to get the last of the powder, which he then rubbed along his gums.

"You missed a bit, "joked Donovan, as he zipped up his flies.

"Oh, wow," said Jordan.

"Can you feel that?"

"Are you sure you don't want some, Den?" asked Fullerton.

Donovan shook his head.

"Never touch it," he said.

"All done?" Fullerton asked Jordan.

"Oh yes," said Jordan. He grabbed Fullerton by the back of the neck.

"You're all right, Jamie. You're a bit mouthy, but you're all right."

Fullerton had a lop-sided grin on his face and he was blinking rapidly.

"You're all right too, Ricky."

"Bloody hell, are you two going to get married, or what?" said Donovan. He pulled open the door.

"Out you go or I'm throwing a bucket of water over you."

The two men left and Donovan followed them. Jordan put his arm around Fullerton's shoulders and then tried to trip him up. Donovan sighed.

They were behaving like a couple of schoolkids.

Kris was still on the phone and she was pacing up and down as she talked. Donovan went over to her.

"You should call the police," she said into the phone. She flashed Donovan a tight smile and pointed at the receiver.

"Friend of mine's got a problem," she mouthed.

"You can't let him get away with shit like that, Louise," said Kris into the phone.

"Next time he might have a knife."

"Anything I can do?" whispered Donovan.

"No, it's okay, Den," said Kris, then she held up her hand to silence him as she listened to whoever it was she was talking to. Kris sighed.

"Den Donovan, he's an old pal of Terry's."

"Not that old, thanks," said Donovan.

Kris shook her head and turned her back on him. Then she looked at her watch.

"Okay, I'll come. Of course I will." She listened again, and then she turned around to look at Donovan.

"Yeah, I'll ask him." Kris nodded.

"I know, I'll see what he says." She handed the phone back to the barman.

"Louise is a friend of mine; we worked together at another of Terry's clubs, Angels. A customer has just followed her home and tried to rape her. He's not there now but she's scared stiff that he might come back. I don't suppose you'd…"

"Of course," said Donovan without hesitation.

"Knight in shining armour, me."

"Really? I don't want to spoil your evening."

"Come on. What's the choice? Drinking champagne with a couple of coke-heads or rescuing a damsel in distress?"

Kris grinned.

"Thanks. She sounded really desperate. Thing is, we're not allowed to leave with customers. You know the car park around the back?"

Donovan nodded. That was where Fullerton had parked his Porsche.

"Give me five minutes and I'll meet you there. Blue MGB." She hurried off.

Fullerton was ordering a fresh bottle of champagne when Donovan got back to the table. Mimi was draped on his arm and caressing his thigh.

Angie was giving Jordan a personal dance and had stopped complaining about him pawing her. Donovan sat down and sipped his champagne. After five minutes he put down his glass and patted Fullerton on the shoulder.

"I'm off," he said.

"I'll come with you," said Fullerton. He tried to stand up but Donovan pushed him back down.

"You enjoy yourself," he said.

"I'll get a black cab. Catch you later. And thanks again for the paintings. You saved my life."

Before Fullerton could say anything, Mimi leaned over and clamped her mouth over his. Donovan waved at Jordan, gave him a thumbs-up and headed for the door. The doormen all said goodbye to him and used his name, so they'd obviously been briefed that he was a friend of the owner.

Kris already had the engine running. She had changed into tight blue jeans and a light blue long-sleeved woollen top that showed off her washboard-flat midriff.

"Quick, get in," she hissed. As soon as Donovan had closed the door she pushed down on the accelerator and shot out of the car park. She turned away from the club.

"God, I'm in so much trouble if anyone saw you," she said.

"It's okay. Nobody did," said Donovan.

Kris stamped down on the accelerator and shot through a traffic light that was just turning red. She screeched around a corner and whipped the MGB in front of a double-decker bus. Donovan squinted into Kris's driving mirror. Any car that might have been following would have been trapped behind the bus. She went through another set of lights at amber.

Donovan reached over and put a hand on her leg.

"Take it easy, it's not gonna help her if you get pulled over."

Kris nodded and eased back on the accelerator.

"If he's hurt her, I'll kill him."

"Does it happen a lot? Punters giving you grief?"

"Not to me, but to some of the girls, yeah. You can't let them get too close, you know. They've got to know it's just business."

"What about you? Is it always business to you?"

She flashed him another sidelong glance.

"You mean, why are you sitting in the car with me?"

"Well, you haven't known me for long, have you?"

"I know of you, Den Donovan. Your reputation precedes you. Besides, I'm using you as weight, not inviting you into my bed."

Donovan looked over his shoulder. The road behind was clear.

"Is that right?" he asked.

She grinned.

"We'll see."

"And that's how you see me? Weight?"

"Again, your reputation precedes you."

She swung the MGB over to the kerb and stopped inches from the rear of a black cab, stamping on the brake pedal so savagely that Donovan was jerked back by the seatbelt. She was out of the car before Donovan even had the belt off. He hurried after her.

Kris pressed one of six doorbells to the left of the front door.

"Come on, come on," she said, jabbing at the button with her thumb.

The intercom crackled.

"Louise, it's me. Come on, let us in."

The door buzzed and Kris pushed it open. Donovan followed her inside.

The hallway was shabby with a threadbare carpet and fading wallpaper.