Takedown by Heather Atkinson (latest books to read txt) 📕

“All right, I get it. Let’s get on with it then.”

Rose returned to the front room with a teapot. “Who wants a top-up…,” she began, trailing off when she saw the room was empty.

CHAPTER 11

“This is a waste of time,” said Faith. “I think we’re in the wrong area. The others will find the house. Let’s go home and go to bed. I’ve had enough for one day.”

“And what will we say when the others ask why we gave up so quickly?” replied Vance as he drove them around the streets north of the Forest Gate Fire Station. “We’ve only been driving for ten minutes. What’s up Faith?” he pressed when she sighed. “This isn’t like you.”

“I don’t know. I suppose it’s because I’ve no idea how we should handle this situation. It would be easy if it was a gang of scumbags but these people are known and respected, they have families who will miss them. If we’re not careful we’ll be the ones in trouble.”

He patted her knee. “We’ll get it sorted. Don’t worry.”

“It’s such a mess and I feel it could have been avoided if we’d had better security. It’s made me realise that we’ve got so much to learn.”

“And we will. Do you think the Maguires have never gone through shit like this? Because we know they have. It’s why Jules is being so understanding.”

“I bet they would have realised weeks ago that they were being followed and done something about it.”

“Maybe, maybe not. We’re doing a good job Faith. You’re just feeling bad because this has come so quickly on the back of Marlow and his men.”

“And what if we deal with this situation and something else happens?”

“That’s why Jules wants us to make an example of them, to make sure it doesn’t.”

“And what if she does want us to kill them? Then what?”

“We’ll just have to do it.”

“That’s cold Vance.”

“What choice is there? It’s either them or us. I wouldn’t have thought this would be much of a problem after Lenny Paisley.”

“Lenny was in the heat of the moment. A cold-blooded execution is very different and Ben has a family, kids.”

“So that’s what this is really about – his family.”

She nodded sadly.

“I can always handle it Faith. You don’t need to do it.”

“I don’t want you to handle it. What you did in prison you did to survive but this…it doesn’t feel right.”

“We knew we’d have to do things we wouldn’t like when we got into this business and we can handle it. I’ll always be by your side Faith, through thick and thin. You don’t have to shoulder the burden alone.”

“I want to ask Jules if we can run things jointly. For some reason she wants me in charge but I think you’d be the better choice.”

“Jules knows what she’s doing and she chose you for a reason. She sees something in you that I don’t have and I’m fine with that.”

“Really?”

“Really. Don’t worry about me wanting to take control. As long as I get to be with you, I’m good. But I’m here to handle the stuff you don’t want to do.”

“What sort of leader is that? I can’t expect other people to do the things I won’t do myself.”

“We’re family and we have each other’s backs…”

“Jesus,” she gasped when he suddenly slammed on the brakes. “What are you doing?”

He looked back over his shoulder. “We just drove past that house in the photos.”

Faith turned in her seat to look. The houses they’d stopped outside were red brick but the ones further back looked newer and had the mock-tudor frontage. “At least no one was behind us.”

“I’ll drive around the block,” he said, setting off again.

They came back down the street in the same direction, slowing as they drove past the newer houses.

“There’s the Audi four by four we saw in the social media photos,” said Faith as they passed the third house down on the right. “The house is number five. I’ll let the others know we’ve found it,” she said, taking out her phone. She hesitated before dialling. “What do we do now?”

“Watch the house and follow him. Me and you can handle that. The others will be too obvious.”

“And we get to cosy up together in the car,” she winked at him.

Faith told her siblings to keep an eye on the businesses while they staked out the Cooper home.

“So,” she said to Vance after she’d concluded her calls. “How do we handle this Chief?”

“Chief?” he frowned.

“Isn’t that what your officers called you?”

“No because I worked in Blackpool, not Detroit.” His grin was wolfish. “But if you want to call me Chief I won’t object.”

“Actually I don’t,” she smiled. “So, what do you do during a stake out?”

“First of all, we need supplies – drinks and snacks. We need to wrap up warm because we can’t sit here with the engine running and it’s a good idea to use the loo first too because you can be stuck in the car a long time.”

“It’s fortunate I have a very capacious bladder.”

“Just so you know, that’s not a sexy statement. I worked with a DC who had a bladder the size of a teabag. He got out of the car and crouched down behind it to take a piss. A packed coach came up the road and its headlights lit him up like a Christmas tree.”

“I can promise I won’t pee by the side of the car.”

They drove to the nearest supermarket to buy snacks, bottles of water, blankets, gloves and a thick coat each, both of them using the loo before returning to the car. Vance drove them back to