“I know,” Frankie agreed. “Which is why I’m going to allow you to make peace.”
“Make peace! I didn’t do anything to breach the peace.”
Frankie sighed. “You going to fuckin’ listen to me, mate, or am I going to have to drop you again?”
“How dare you threaten me in my own home.”
“Fuck your home. This whole fuckin’ neighbourhood is mine. You want to be left alone; you do what the fuck I tell you. Give me your trainers.”
Andrew was taken aback. “Sorry?”
Give me them sweet-ass Nikes and you’ll be left alone.”
“Fuck you!”
Frankie grabbed Andrew around the throat and sneered. Andrew struggled back and managed to escape the grip, but his heart was racing.
“Do you want to die?” asked Frankie.
Andrew shook his head in disbelief. “You’re insane.”
“Damn straight. I’ll cut you up and snort your fucking remains if I feel like it. Question is: are you going to behave and do as you’re told, or do I have to show you just how fuckin’ crazy I am?”
Andrew went to reply but was interrupted.
“Who’s at the door, Andrew?” It was Pen shouting from the living room.
Frankie smirked. He pulled something from his pocket. The object glinted in the light of the porch and Andrew knew it was a knife.
“No one,” said Andrew. “I-I’ll just be a minute.”
Frankie put the knife back in his pocket.
“I thought maybe it was the Chinese.”
“No,” Andrew shouted back. “I’ll let you know when it’s here.”
“Going to have a nice dinner with the missus?” Frankie asked. “You go off the idea of chips then?” He took another step forward, half-inside the doorway now. “Maybe I should join you all? Always nice to know the neighbours. Say, don’t you have a fine-ass daughter I’ve seen around here?”
Andrew pushed Frankie back out the door. “You leave my family the-fuck alone.”
Frankie said nothing. He just smiled, standing on the path as if waiting for something.
Andrew realised what Frankie was waiting for. He sighed, picked up the Nike trainers from the shoe rack, and tossed them out of the door. “Here!” he snarled. “Now just leave me the fuck alone, you jackal.”
Frankie smiled. “You think I’m going to pick ‘em up off the floor? Go get them and hand them to me properly.”
Andrew shook his head. “Are you serious?”
Frankie stared at Andrew. His hand reached for his pocket again.
Andrew threw his hands up in the air. “Fine! It would be my goddamn pleasure.” He stepped outside and gathered up the shoes from the pavement. Then he returned to Frankie and thrust the trainers into the lad’s arms. “Now leave me alone.”
Frankie nodded as he examined his new possessions. “Deal’s a deal, mate. Have a nice life.”
Frankie walked away just as another figure walked up the path in the opposite direction. When the man reached the porch, he held a brown paper bag out to Andrew. “Chinese delivery?”
Andrew took the bag from the man and tried his best to smile, but it was impossible, so he just paid for the food and gave a good tip instead. The last thing he felt right now was hungry. In fact he felt downright sick.
Chapter Three
Getting to sleep was a long and lonely struggle. Pen had started her gentle snoring as soon as her head hit the pillow, but Andrew had lay next to her for what seemed like hours, staring up at the ceiling, his head swirling with unwanted thoughts.
The movie Bex made him watch was disturbing, full of monsters and giant insects feasting on the flesh of the living. The ending had been bleak and depressing, but Bex seemed to enjoy it, grinning between each mouthful of egg foo yung.
The film wasn’t what was keeping Andrew awake, though. Frankie haunted his mind like a relentless boogieman, terrorising his dreams. Every time sleep came, Frankie’s scarred, twitching face would jar him Andrew back awake. It was now 4:00AM according to the LED clock on the bedside table.