Free Fire in the Blood by George McCartney

that I’ve been out with recently, the only thing their brain seemed to be wired directly to was their dick, or maybe an X-Box.’

Chapter 12
Still on the trail of the randy car mechanic, Jack and Annie were parked in a scruffy lane full of railway arch type lock-up garages, which appeared to be used mainly by members of the motor trade. Anxious to prove herself by flying solo, Annie protested, ‘I could have done this job by myself boss, honestly.’
‘Look Annie, legally I’ve got a duty of care to my new assistant and, much more important, I promised your Aunt Peggy to keep you safe, remember? You’ve just started in this business, so you’ve got to be patient and learn the basics before you hit the streets on your own.’
‘But it’s dead simple . We know that Glasgow’s answer to Russell Brand works somewhere down this lane, so surely all I have to do is wait here and then follow him home when he finishes work.’
Jack started to pick a few holes in Annie’s plan. ‘Okay, there are maybe forty-odd lock-ups here. Do you know which one is his?’
‘No, he didn’t give me the number, just the street name.’
‘Okay, do you even know what he looks like?’
‘Yes and no. I did get the client to email a picture of him. I’ve got it here, but it was taken when they were on holiday and he’s wearing Speedos, sunglasses, a straw hat and he’s holding a glass with a little umbrella and a sparkler in it.’
Jack snorted and said, ‘So he should be pretty easyto spot then, in the middle of Glasgow, on a miserable Tuesday afternoon. Here let me see.’
Annie handed him the picture and Jack shook his head. ‘To be fair, he does look as fit as a butcher’s dog, although if he’s pumping half the women in Glasgow he’d need to be. But you really need to explain this to me, Annie. I mean he’s not exactly Brad Pitt, is he? What’s the attraction?’
Annie then tried to explain one of the mysteries of the universe. ‘Some women are like moths drawn to a flame, you know. Always attracted to the exciting dangerous guys, who often aren’t that good looking. The ones who don’t seem to give a shit about anything, but just have the nerve to try it on with every female they meet. The ones I’ve met, the real players, didn’t seem to take it too personally when they got a knockback, or a slap. It’s not personal with them, they just move right along to the next warm body.’
The drift of their conversation gave Jack the chance to ask,‘Do you have any current boyfriends, Annie?’
‘Well I was seeing someone, but I split with him last month.’
‘What was the problem? If you don’t mind me asking.’
‘Well there were a few issues that cropped up, you know, after the initial heat had cooled down. But in the end, it was mainly religious differences that made me dump him.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that, Annie. It’s amazing in the twenty-first century, that the old Catholic – Protestant thing can still be a real problem for some people here in the West of Scotland.’
‘No it wasn’t that. He thought he was God and I didn’t. What about you?’
Jack smiled and answered,‘No, I don’t have a boyfriend at the moment either. But I’m always open to offers.’
Annie gave Jack one of her fierce looks and said, ‘No, seriously .’
Jack sighed and looked out of the car window, before reflecting on past mistakes. ‘There hasn’t really been anyone since I got divorced six years ago, after being married for twenty-two years. To be honest, it definitely wasn’t an easy life for my wife, being married to someone who was first of all a policeman and then a private detective. You know, the unsocial hours, combined with lots of drinking, bringing baggage home because of the bad stuff you see at work. So more drinking at home, which leads to arguments and harsh words being exchanged. Anyway, there came a point when she’d simply had enough. But there wasn’t anyone else involved, we’d just drifted apart and