Birdcage

Chapter 7 'X'...

I stare at the whiskey glass in my hand, the golden liquid inside sticking to the sides of the glass as I swirl it around, and the sound of the ice cubes clinking together calming me slightly. I take the last few drags of my cigarette- filling my lungs with each one- before stubbing it out in the crystal ash tray, placed in the centre of my kitchen table. I sip at the whiskey, eagerly awaiting the phone call I've been dreading all day. I haven't regretted much in my life, but the one moment I wish I could erase completely was the day I got involved with London's most notorious Russian gang. I was young and dumb, spending money left right and centre, when I lent some from Nikolai. I owed money elsewhere for some cocaine and he offered to help me, and in return I would have to feed him information to pay him back; little did I know he would make me do more than just feed him information.

I've seen and been involved in stuff that makes me feel sick to think about. I joined the force in my early twenties to make a difference in the world, like all young and eager recruits. But success got the better of me and I started to care more about being the hero for the glory that came with it. I'm now what I would have once considered the lowest scum of the earth- a bent cop. I was forced into it through my own wrong doing, I know that and to be honest, I've become immune to it. I don't feel anymore; I will just do whatever I need to, to take care of myself. I finish what's left of the whisky and pour myself another. I'm pulled by my thoughts when my phone starts to ring. I stare at the caller.

"Nikolai." I state simply.

"It worked. The decoy hard drive has been taken and we got the idiot on camera- I'll send it over to you to look at." Nikolai's Russian accent pours through the phone, sounding so calm and collected. This means he is pleased that the decoy worked. It was my idea, of course. His gang are being watched by an agency hired by MI5. I managed to find this much out but there is next to no details about who runs it and who works for them. We needed to flush them out and I did. The thing is, once I see the face of the man who took it, I know what Nikolai will want me to do.

"Good. I'll look at the video and see if I can find out who it is," I tell him.

"No, you will find out. Then you know what to do when you do. He left with a woman, I want you to find out who she is and what she knows too. My clients and I can't risk anyone knowing about our business." Great, there's a woman involved too.

"It's done Nikolai, I'll take care of it." What more does he want me to say? He knows I have no choice. If I refuse- he kills me.

"Good boy. I knew our partnership would be a good one." I can almost hear the smirk in his voice. My fist curls in frustration - he knows he has me by the balls and I can't fucking stand it. "And this time, I want it done right, not sloppy like the last time. If you need a little more incentive, know this- I put your information on the hard drive." With that last blow, he puts the phone down. I should have seen it coming. He gave me one of his girls for the night once, it was only afterward that I found out that she had been taken from a refugee camp in France. I deserve to be on that hard drive. It just now means that he's got me forever. I think he had anyway.

I get my laptop and open it up on the table. There is already an email waiting for me with the video attachment. It's CCTV from the restaurant, good quality too. Makes my job easier, I think to myself. I press play and look closely for the perpetrator. His back is turned to the camera for a long time, until he suddenly turns to look at the restaurant entrance. Then I see him clearly and my whole world stops. My vision blurs, my mouth dries up and for the first time in a long time, feelings rise to the surface when I recognise him. I pick up the whisky glass and throw it against the kitchen wall, sending shards of glass everywhere- before letting out a scream.