Free THE BROTHERHOOD by Steve Jovanoski

you been? Are you okay?’
    ‘I’m fine, Rami. I need you to listen. I can’t talk for long.’
    Feeling paranoid, he asked Rami to meet him at a suburban parkland he’d driven past on his way to the motel before ending the call. He knew it was safer to be outdoors and among people. He warned his friend to make sure he was alone, promising to explain everything when he saw him. He drove off for the park straight away, his nerves on edge. He wanted to get there early so he could familiarise himself with the surroundings.
    Somewhat neglected, the park was the size of a football field. On one side was a children’s playground and a government housing estate, built in the early eighties and left to decay, loomed nearby. No wonder people look so depressed, Aazim thought. He noticed a few African children playing basketball. Probably asylum-seekers, he thought, just like my parents once were. Walking further into the park and over a small hill, he sat down on a bench and held open a newspaper, pretending to read. He felt a little comical, like a Get Smart character. He was glad to be in an elevated position; he could scan his surroundings, and the nearby shrubs provided some cover.
    Half an hour later he saw Rami’s car pull up. His friend was alone. Rami headed straight for the benches in the middle of the park. Aazim was relieved to see a friendly face, and he was just about to walk over when he noticed a bearded man appear on the other side of the park. The face looked familiar and a feeling of uneasiness came over Aazim. Looking over his shoulder, he immediately ducked down and crawled into the thick shrubs, making his way into the thickest and safest place he could find. Another bearded man in a black leather jacket had appeared just metres away on the opposite side of the hill. Aazim hadn’t seen him as he’d been facing Rami, but now he realised they were the same two men who’d led Kareem away. The closest one seemed intent on checking the hill where Aazim was hiding, but he hadn’t started looking into the bushes yet.
    Aazim knew he had to distract him. One look in his direction and the man would be sure to notice some part of his clothing that remained exposed; although the bushes were thick they didn’t give him complete cover. Crouching as low as possible, he reached into his pocket and took out his phone. His heartbeat was thumping in his head. Looking up, he saw the man close in but he was busy observing the park beyond where Aazim was hiding. Pressing the power button, Aazim switched the phone to silent: the slightest noise and he knew he would become a burning bush. He nervously fumbled with the keys and typed an SMS message to Rami: URGENT! RUN NOW! BEING FOLLOWED. CALL YOU LATER . He pressed the send button and hoped Rami would leave and Sam’s men would follow. Five minutes later the dark figure looming in front of him disappeared. Rami must have left, he thought. The message had worked.
    He leaned back against the small shrub and breathed out deeply, relaxing his slumped body and staring up at the sky as the adrenaline dissipated. What a relief, he thought. That was too close. He decided to stay hidden for a while to make sure no one was still lurking about. What the hell were these guys doing here? How did they manage to follow Rami? He sat still for a moment as it dawned on him: the crumbs. Rami had been in his apartment when they’d trashed it; he must have been on his computer eating those damned cookies at his desk. Most shocking of all, he must have been there when Mrs Sparrow was killed. Aazim felt betrayed and then angry. The one person he thought he could trust had deceived him. Rami had been involved with Sam the entire time.
    Shit! Shit! You stupid bastard, how could you? Aazim got to his feet and ran back to his car, no longer caring if the men saw him. He wondered how Rami had got mixed up in all this. What was the real reason Rami introduced him to Sam? All those trips to the mosque,