ASBO: A Novel of Extreme Terror(14)

Davie nodded and stepped away from the toilet. Frankie stood in front of it and undid the buttons on his flies, popping them free one after the other. Davie turned around to give him some privacy, but quickly turned back when he heard screams from the bathtub.

Frankie had moved away from the toilet and was now urinating all over the cable-tied boy, causing him to struggle and choke as the golden stream covered his face and mouth.

Davie stood in the doorway, stunned. “Shit, Frankie. That’s not cool.”

Frankie laughed heartily. “Hey, when a man’s got to go, a man’s got to go.”

“Just stop it. He’s already going to call the pigs, so stop making things worse.”

Frankie finished pissing and turned to face his brother. “You’re right, Davie. You’re always right. I should probably help the poor guy get cleaned up. Make things better for myself.”

Davie was suspicious. Frankie wasn’t prone to sudden bouts of compassion. At least not since he got out of prison.

Frankie winked at Davie and turned back around. He reached up for the chrome shower taps set into the tiled wall above the bathtub then gave one of the knobs a hearty twist. Water cascaded from the shower head, soaking the boy held captive below.

Davie watched the boy squirm, a little at first, but then more urgently. Eventually the squirms turned to full-blown thrashing and Davie realised why.

Frankie had turned on the hot tap.

As the water heated up, the boy began to wail. His face turned red as the cable-ties held him, powerless, beneath the scolding stream. Davie moved forward to help, but Frankie shouldered him out of the room, pulling the door closed behind them as they stood on the landing.

“Leave it,” said Frankie. “Quit acting like a *.”

Davie sighed. “You just got out of the nick. You’ll end up straight back there if you keep pulling this bullshit all the time. First you rob that guy’s trainers last night and now you’re burning people’s faces. It’s f*cked up.”

Frankie shot out his arm, shoving his smaller brother up against the wall. “I’ll decide what’s f*cked up. Who feeds you, Davie? That’s right, I f*ckin’ do. If you have a problem with how I roll, then you can just piss off. I’ve looked after you long enough to deserve a little respect.”

Frankie stormed off down the corridor and headed downstairs. Davie listened to the boy in the bathtub, still screaming, and stepped inside to help him. Frankie was his brother and Davie loved him.

But this shit is getting out of hand.

Davie turned off the hot tap and looked down at the quivering boy in the bathtub. His face would never be the same again. Davie wondered how many more people would be damaged before his brother was through.

***

Davie caught up with Frankie outside. He was with the twins, Dom and Jordan, and the three of them were sat waiting for Davie on a small, brick wall outside the house.

“About f*ckin’ time,” said Frankie. “What were you doing in there?”

Davie shrugged. “Not in a rush are you?”

“Never in a rush, me. The world is my oyster.”

Davie covered the distance between him and his older brother and took a deep breath. The fresh air of approaching winter was invigorating and chased away the fringes of his hangover.

“That kid’s really hurt,” he told Frankie. “You’re going to go straight back inside for this.”

Frankie spat on the floor. “I ain’t ever going back inside. I’ll die first.”

“Then what the hell are you playing at, pulling shit like this? Kid you burned is going to go straight to the pigs.”

Frankie laughed, apparently not bothered. “No way, little bro. You want me to tell you why that little piss-ant is going to keep his mouth shut?”

Davie shrugged.

“Going to keep his mouth shut for two reasons. Number one: I’ve already made sure I have a dozen people ready to swear-down that I weren’t anywhere near this house when the kid got hurt. Number two: Dom and Jordan are about to go back inside and tell the kid that if he says one word to the pigs about me, they will visit him in the middle of the night and cut his f*cking face off! Then they’ll do the same to his family.”

Davie rubbed at his forehead. “Fuck man. This is messed up.”

“Stop being such a whiny little *,” said Dom.

Frankie turned around and pointed a finger in the twin’s face. “Don’t be talking shit to Davie. That’s my blood, man. You get me?”