Devil On Both Shoulders [Calum Hood]

Chapter 21

"Mhmm, Max and I go way back."

I felt Calum bring his face closer to my ear as he spoke the last two words a lot more quietly than the ones before.

"How did you know I was down here?" I asked, straightening my back, but not looking at him.

"Because I was waiting for you in the lobby." He mumbled, "let's go."

"Alright, I'll see you later, Lewis. Thanks for the story." I mumbled, rising to my feet and following Calum to the lift. I wasn't going to thank him for the drink, simply because I wasn't all that grateful.

"Who's that?" Calum asked as soon as the elevator doors had closed. I felt the tension between us as I glared at him in silence.

"Family friend."

The apartment seemed untouched from when I left, but I had barely spent enough time in it to start with to know.

My breath hitched in my throat.

I shouldn't have come here.

It's a trap.

"Give me my gun, now." I demanded, Calum snapped his head back at me, his eyes narrowed.

"Sit down," he told me. "I need to speak to you."

He pointed to the couch, and I did as he asked, watching him warily as he sat across from me.

"What?"

"A friend of mine is being smuggled into the country by boat, and I've been asked to follow them. You know, make sure nothing goes wrong." He said.

"Why do I care?" I asked.

"Because I'm driving the boat, so I need you to keep a look out and shoot anyone who gets near." Calum said.

"Can't you get someone from the Flats?" I scoffed. There was no way I was putting my life in danger for him.

"Yeah," he told me. "But the money's really good. Thought you might be interested, seeing that hole you're living in."

I blinked. Why did he care so much?

Luke and I could really use the money right now, I thought to myself.

"Yeah, I'll do it."

***

I had braided my hair for the occasion, but purely for practicality, so that it wouldn't get in my face, rather than for style.

I talked with Luke about the deal the night before, and he reluctantly agreed. Not even he could deny the fact that we needed money.

This man was called Léon Boucher and he dealt in drugs, smuggling meth and cocaine all over France, where he was from. He had offered me and Calum approximately five grand each to do this, and sitting on a boat with a gun and waiting for something that is unlikely to happen wasn't an opportunity I was willing to pass for a sum of £5,000.

"You know how to shoot that thing, right?" Calum yelled above the wind smacking his face, and harshly blowing the hair away from his head.

"Don't be fucking stupid!" I said, gripping onto the railing at the sides of the boat for dear life. I had a seat, and I was sat in it, but I wasn't strapped in, just incase I needed to jump up and start shooting.

"Sorry."

The water was crystal clear, and I didn't know exactly where we were. But my location didn't much concern me.

Calum stopped the boat, and it lurched forwards.

"Jesus Christ, Cal! Are you trying to throw me off the boat?" I cried.

He ignored me, and everything went quiet. I watched the fish swimming around in the water in a rainbow of colours. The sky was clear and the coastline wasn't to be seen.

"Now we wait," he said, tapping his nails against the steering wheel.

"It's nice out," I mumbled, trying to make conversation.

"Why didn't you go back to your family?" He asked.

My body stiffened, and the clutch I had on my gun became tighter.

"They didn't want me back, I guess." I shrugged, but there was no way I was telling Calum that it was because I stood up for him.

His facial expression didn't change, "how come?" He mumbled.

I hesitated, thinking of excuses to tell him, but he spoke first.

"Here he is."

A speedboat, only slightly bigger than ours, sped past us and stopped horizontal in front of Calum.

"Hood!" A loud European accent shouted. "Is this the girl?" His piercing icy blue eyes shot through mine.

I nodded, and he returned the gesture.

"There was a police boat a couple of hundred yards back. I think we lose them, but they could still be following - look out." He informed me, and I nodded again as the larger boat set off.

Calum and I followed closely behind, and I decided to stand in the space between mine and his seats, since they were back to back.

My arse brushed against the back of his head; I heard his breath hitch in his throat, and he leaned forward in his seat.

I smirked to myself, now being able to hold the gun in both hands.

Most of the the ride went smoothly, until I heard a gun shot.

"This is the police!" A man bellowed. "Halt your boats and put your hands above your heads!"

There was a speedboat similar to ours in the middle, and then two dinghy-like speedboats at either side of it.

I shot the two boats with ease, they deflated and the cops sank into the water.

I swallowed, there was no way to stop or sink the middle boat, at least from what I could see. I was about to become as bad as Calum. I was about to kill three people who were just trying to make the world a better place; and all for what? Money?

But I saw as they fumbled around, trying to load their guns, that it became a case of my life, or theirs. And not just my life, I was protecting Léon, and the men on board his boat, as well ad Calum.

It took me two attempts to shoot the left one, before I got him in the neck, and he toppled off the boat. A deep red liquid swirled around in the water, but I tried to ignore it as I aimed for the other one.

I shot him square in the face on the first try, and he slumped to the ground, his dead eyes staring into mine as I took in what I had done. His entire nose had been blown off.

The driver of the boat tried to turn around, but I shot him. The way I thought of it, if I hadn't have killed him, he would've called for backup and I'd have to kill more people. That's how I comforted myself.

I sat back down, my hands trembling uncontrollably.

"You alright?" Calum asked.

"Of course I am."