“Get out of here and get that checked!” He flung the man out of the way, paying enough attention to how he looked to be able to identify him later if needed. Alex blocked an arm and gripped its owner, yelling at one of the other cops on duty to grab the bloke arm-guy was trying to bust.
These were the two that were the strongest, the ones the others were following. If they could be separated, the chances were, the rest of the fights would peter out.
The techniques he’d used for disabling his brothers when they were younger came in use now. A quick knee to the back of arm-guy’s knees and the man went to the floor, yelling obscenities but not at Alex. He already had his hands behind his back to be cuffed. The smell of alcohol was strong and permeated the air around them. Too much drink, too much sun, not enough brain cells. Lethal combination.
Arm-man stood up and let himself be guided to the police van, which would take him in to be booked and spend the night at Her Majesty’s pleasure before being bailed in the morning.
Alex turned around, knowing by the sounds behind him that things were quieting down.
Footsteps beating the pavement quickly made him change where he was looking. A man in just sweats and trainers grabbed hold of one of the fighters who wasn’t much more than a kid.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? What were you told?” The man turned to the police.
Alex noticed a scar on one side of his face that he’d put money on having been done by a knife. The glimmer from the streetlight made the slice of scar tissue shine.
“Shit, sorry, Ken…”
“Shut up.” The man whose name seemed to be Ken had the respect of the kid. “Officer, does this lad need to go with you?”
Alex realised he was being addressed even though he was in civilian clothing. He must have that air about him. He’d think about that later.
“Ste? We need to take this lad in?”
Ste shook his head. “Those three were the worst.” He gestured to the other police vans that were now there. “And I’d like to get home before lunch time and not spend all of tomorrow doing the reports.”
Ken stepped forward. “Thanks. If this one gets into bother again, his mother’s going to make sure he’s not alive to do it again on a permanent basis. Do you need my name?”
Alex looked at him with interest. The man carried himself like he was somebody.
“What would we need it for?”
“In case you need a statement. You’ve booked one of my lads. The other two – I genuinely don’t know who they are. But it’ll be me sorting out a lift for dickhead Dave when you’ve done with him. Don’t rush, by the way.” There was flash of gold jewellery on his hands.
Alex laughed. “What’s your name? In case we need it?”
The eyes that met his were dark brown. There was a hardness to them, but at the same time they weren’t unsympathetic.
“Kenny Gallagher. I think you might know who I am, Detective Maynard.”
Alex did know who he was. Had heard a lot about him, but he wasn’t sure this was the man that fit the name that had been in Abby’s notebook or who she’d met that one time.
“I thought I did. What’s your friend called?”
Kenny laughed. “This is my cousin, who is also called Kenny. We’re both named after our grandfather. One of those idiotic family things. This guy,” he was still holding his cousin tightly. “Should’ve been named Brainless Fucking Boris.” The words were growled. “Your mother is going to kill you.”
“I’m twenty! She can’t do anything!”
“You want to tell her that?”
There was no response. Clearly the threat of his mother wasn’t an empty one.
“Get in the car, Ken.” Older Kenny pushed his cousin towards the blacked-out Mercedes that had just pulled over. “And keep your thick-arse away from here. You know what I’m saying.”
There was no response, just a door being opened and then slammed shut as younger Kenny got in.
The shirtless man backed away, taking a call on his phone. Alex looked at Ste who seemed exhausted.
“Busy shift?”
