Free A Real Job by David Lowe

don’t.’
    Fists clenched David stood astride O’Byrne while Mick Callaghan adopted a similar position over McElvaney. Mick looked over at his friends, ‘Get them out of here.’ Six men sitting with Mick Callaghan came over and picked them up from the floor. Carrying the stunned Irishmen, they threw them out of the door to the pub and stood there to make sure they didn’t get up and enter it again.
    ‘Thanks Mick,’ David said walking back to his father.
    ‘What the fuck was that about son?’ James said pushing David’s glass of whiskey across the table to him, ‘you had me worried there.’ David told his father they were two Irish drug dealers he arrested that got sent to prison a few years ago who made threats to him when they got sentenced. ‘Well we won’t mention this to your mother, she’ll only get worried. I’ll tell the boys in here not to mention it when they see her.’
    ‘That makes sense. Excuse me for a minute Dad, I need to make a phone call,’ David said as he began to walk out of the pub.
    Stood on the pavement by the entrance to the pub, David put a cigarette to his lips as he rang Debbie. Two of Mick Callaghan’s men were also outside the pub making sure the Irishmen did not return walked over to David. ‘That was some handy work by you in there,’ one of them said holding out his lighter to David, ‘I see you can still look after yourself.’
    ‘Cheers Frank,’ David said after lighting his cigarette, ‘You know what they say about being raised in the Dingle, to get out of trouble you’re either quick on your feet, quick with your mouth or quick with your fists. Unfortunately for me it’s always been the fists.’ Hearing Debbie answer his call, he said, ‘Excuse me lads, I’ve just got to make this call.’ Walking a few steps away from them, he told her what happened in the pub.
    ‘Nothing’s happened here in Liverpool One and when I checked with my colleague on our man, he got out of the taxi near to Ullet Road. So you could be right. I suggest you stay in the pub and I’ll get them down to you while I contact Craig and tell him what happened to see if he’ll OK them to watch us while we’re here in Liverpool.’
    ‘I think we should get back to Manchester as soon as. I was lucky there. I don’t know what would’ve happened if Mick and his boys weren’t in the pub to help me out.’
    ‘I disagree. We’ll stay here. We’ll have two from my firm watching our backs. To be on the safe-side we’ll not drink tonight, well not much anyway. If they wonder why we’re not drinking, we’ll say we have to go back to Manchester tomorrow as there’s been a development in our investigation.’
    ‘Are you having a fucking laugh? They tried to shoot me and Steve on Wednesday or have you forgotten that?’
    ‘No I haven’t! Think about it for a moment. If it was a hit, they wouldn’t have strolled into the pub the way they did. From what you told me I’ve a feeling they’re not linked to McCrossan and are in Liverpool for something else unrelated to McCrossan’s activities. Look, it’s really hard to talk out here. I won’t tell Mary you had a fight in the pub and I’ll make an excuse we need to get back. When we meet up we can go through a plan then.

Chapter Six Isaac Street, Dingle, Liverpool
Sunday, 1 st July, 12.15 hours 
    ‘See you Mum.’ David said, giving Mary a hug outside the house he was brought up as a child, as he and Debbie were about to leave Liverpool to return to Manchester.
    As his large frame enveloped her, she looked up at him, placed both of her hands on his cheeks and kissed him in that way mother’s do where no words are needed to express their love for their children, no matter how old they are. ‘Take care son. Don’t leave it too long before you bring this lovely girl back to Liverpool.’
    ‘I won’t Mum.’ David shook hands with James and said, ‘See you Dad.’
    The fight in the pub was still playing on James’ mind even though