The Cunning

53

Jase wasn't out for long. A handful of their drug-runners were sat in the living room waiting for their reloads.

"You got more gear?" Harvey, a young boy eager to move up in the ranks, asked. Jase dropped a package on the table in answer to his question and sat down.

"No more ticks to Oliver," he said, using his switchblade to slice open the white plastic the cocaine was sealed in.

"Why not?" another runner asked, leaning forward to pick up a lighter off the coffee table. Jase pulled the scales over to him, along with a small wooden box full of dodgy bags.

"He's got a kid; he shouldn't be spending money he doesn't have on drugs."

"Since when did you care? If he isn't getting it from us, he'll go to McKinney. You know that, right?" Harvey said.

"Let him. He's unreliable anyway. If he wants anything, he can pay upfront. If not, he can fuck off." He started weighing out grams and scooping them into the bags, making separate piles of ten for each runner. He didn't bother with the cardboard wraps when he was doing it on his own. The boys took their drugs and left without any more questions.

After sitting in silence for a little while, shooting off messages to let their customers know they had more gear, Jase rolled a joint and turned the Xbox on. Sam joined him shortly after.

"Where's Janine?" Jase asked. It wasn't often she remained upstairs when Benny wasn't home.

"Upstairs, playing around with her make-up. She might come down later." Tentatively, he added, "Is Madison coming down?"

Jase didn't give anything away at the mention of Madison with his response. His eyes remained trained on the TV screen. "If she wants to."

"She still waved from the Xan?" Sam asked. Jase shook his head, finishing the game and swapping the controller for the rest of the joint.

"Nah, she was awake for a little while before I went out."

Sam nodded slowly. "So, how you are towards her, is that just part of your plan?" he asked casually, though it was clear to the pair of them that he was stepping on eggshells. Jase took the joint from his lips, lighting it again.

"Yes, why?" The edge in his voice didn't go amiss. Sam wouldn't look at him. It was his turn to keep his eyes trained on the Xbox game. He hadn't picked up the controller because he wanted to play, it was to give his hands something to do whilst he did some light interrogation.

"Just wondering... didn't expect you to bottle a punter for her-"

"It wasn't for her," Jase interrupted, perhaps a little too quickly. He backtracked with a huff. "She's smart," he said, taking a long drag on the joint, "if I don't do any dramatic stuff, she'll see right through me."

Sam wasn't so sure, but he let it slide. He was neither here nor there if it wasn't just an act, he still got paid, and Janine was more or less looked after. His concern was how it would look to other people because if those dogs sniffed out weakness, they'd sought to push Jase out of the picture. And if he wasn't there to fight Sam's corner, Sam wasn't sure he could continue protecting Janine to the extent he was currently protecting her. Not to mention that he knew first-hand what Jase would be getting himself into, if things were to get complicated emotionally, and it wasn't easy.

"So, she's buying it?" he asked. Jase looked at him, his mind picturing Madison asleep on him that morning. If she wasn't buying it, she could have fooled him.

"She's buying it," Jase confirmed.