TICK TOCK Chapter 10

Chapter 10
Luke

I was kicking back in the apartment with some of the boys when my phone rang. Fuck, it was Pez.
I left the room and went into my bedroom where I had more privacy. There was only a select few that knew about my dealings. I was very choosy about who I confided in because, in my line of work, the risk was too big if someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut.
“Luuuke, how you doing?” Pez asked, deliberately dragging my name out. “Just a courtesy call to say that time is almost up and I will be needing to collect my belongings (code for money) by Friday. Three pm on Friday.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
“Pez, how are you?” I was shitting myself and unsure how to respond. If I told him that everything was good and then couldn’t come up with the money, I’d be fucked, and if I told him the truth, I’d be fucked. I was starting to consider fleeing the country like Dani had. At this point in time, it seemed like a good option.
“No worries, mate, it’ll be sorted one way or another, don’t you worry. I’ll buzz you Friday morning to sort it with you.” I said a little too eagerly.
“You’d better, Lukey boy, don’t let me down. Time is running out. Three pm on Friday. Tick Tock.”
He ended the call.
I broke out in a cold sweat, and then checked Dani’s phone again. Fuck that bitch of a mother of hers. Nothing! What kind of mother doesn’t respond to calls when their kid asks for help?
I paced the floor realizing that my time was indeed quickly running out, and before too long, I was going to be in a very awkward position. There’d be no loyalty from Pez, I was simply a source of income and I could be disposed of as quickly as a pull of a trigger.
I told the boys that I had some business to attend to and agreed to catch up with them soon. As soon as they had left, I reached for my stash of heroin and I placed it on the spoon, lighting it from underneath, watching the white powder turn to a brown sticky liquid. The needle hungrily sucked it up and after a few flicks to get rid of the air bubbles, it was whooshing into my system, blotting out all my fears. I knew that I was choosing the easy way out by giving myself a hit, but I was sat in a time trap waiting on the mother to ring, watching the hour-glass trickle and reminding me that I was on borrowed time.
 
                I awoke from my drug haze hours later, relaxed at first and then feeling frantic as reality smashed me in the face and reminded me that I needed to find eighty thousand within the next seven days. I automatically checked Dani’s phone and still nothing. I decided to shower and then I would head back to the lock-up so that if her mother rang, Dani would be able to speak to her there and then. I couldn’t risk another few days of waiting on her to get back in touch so I would have to start getting serious with this and hang around the lock-up in the hope that Eva would ring.
I rang Mick to bring him up to speed. “Mick, time is fast running out for me, can you call over to my house because there’s a few things I need to let you know just in case something goes wrong. So far, Dani’s mother hasn’t called her back and there’s no way I can raise the kind of money I need to give Pez at such short notice. I have money but it’s tied up in property and there’s not enough time for me to do anything about it. Pez has made it clear that he wants the full amount so if Dani’s mum refuses to pay up, I could be six-foot under in about one weeks’ time.”
“On my way, bro.”

We spent the next few hours going over my personal property and I gave Mick access to all of my property deeds. In total, I had over one million in equity if I was to sell up, it’s just a shame that I’m maxed out with my borrowing power due to the economic climate, otherwise, I could have got the money for Pez and paid him back myself to avoid this whole debacle.
I packed myself a small bag and headed out to the unit, aware that I would have to not only keep it together but also listen to Dani plead and beg me to let her go. If it was down to me, I probably would, but I was only a cog in a very big wheel -  and I was a disposable cog at that.