I’m not always a good guy. I’m not proud of that fact, but I do pride myself on my honesty.
I grew up in an environment where we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from, so my brothers and I would do what we could to get money. So yeah, I’ve done dodgy stuff in my time. It’s never killed anyone.
I’m twenty-five years old. I have a girlfriend who is stunning. Honestly, I’m punching a whole ten leagues above my own weight. I don’t know what she sees in me. She’s beautiful, but she has an insatiable thirst for things. She likes jewellery and shoes and expensive outfits. I left school with three GCSEs, and one of them was an E in drama.
So after three or four years of being on the straight and narrow, I found myself up to my old tricks. Burglaries mostly, but I mugged a couple of well-dressed blokes outside the theatre. Jenna has been kept well looked after, but I’ve been worried. Burglary is all well and good, but it’s high-risk with minimal reward. I needed something bigger.
That’s when Selby came in the picture. Selby is one of my old acquaintances. I’d say friend, but Selby isn’t the type to have friends. Rumour has it that he murdered his only real friend when he was thirteen and since then has kept people at arms length. If I’m a bad guy, Selby is the devil.
I bumped into him one warm evening outside a local pub we both frequent. “Mate” he slurred, “I hear you’re back in the business?”
I shushed him. “Kind of” I replied, looking behind my shoulder, “But I need something bigger, y’know?”.
“Ah yeah” he said with a leer, “I’ve heard about that piece you’ve been seeing lately. Got a taste for the finer things, I’ve heard”.
Putting aside the fact that someone had been watching me and feeding back to Selby, I plowed on. “So” I said, “Heard of any big jobs?”
Selby’s smirk widened. He nodded slowly.
“What is it?”
“People” he whispered.
“People?”
“People”.
I don’t need to explain it to you. It has become my job to procure people for my new bosses. A note comes through my door with a name and an address. I go to the address and get the person. Job done.
Jenna has become very happy with our way of life.
I spoke to Selby again a few days ago. We were standing in a queue at a butchers down the road from where I live. I’d never been here before but I always notice it’s busy all the time.
Selby asked me how the new job was going.
“Amazing” I replied with a smile, “Thank you”.
“Don’t thank me too much mate” he said, “Our employers won’t let you go now. I’ve heard good things about you. You’re theirs now”.
I asked him what he meant. He told me that if I ever left, my name would be on a note pushed through someone else’s letter box.
“Just keep doing what they ask, okay?
I licked my lips. I waited for Selby to smile or wink or show any signs he was joking. He did nothing of the sort.
He was next in the queue. “Oh by the way”, he said, “I dunno what kind of meat you like, but the popular stuff here is the Special Meat. I dunno how to put this, but our employers own this butchers. So… Put two and two together. Yeah?”
Feeling ill, I left.
Like I said, I’m not a good guy. I do what I have to do to survive.
I got home and a new note had been pushed through my door. It had Jenna’s name on it.