Saeed felt the strength of the man’s grip, and he knew that any further pressure would have him gasping for breath. But even if he could say something, he didn’t have the answer to that question because he only knew Leon Khouri.

So, in a whisper, he replied, ‘I swear I don’t know. Leon gives me the goods and I sell them to make my money up. That’s all I know.’

It was a start, Mike reckoned. So he released his gripped on Saeed’s throat.

Willie spotted the man’s brick-red eyes and dilated pupils, his sunken cheeks, and the thinning, wiry hair.

‘You mean you need the money to fund ya fucking habit, you skanky cunt.’

Saeed nodded. ‘He—’

‘Shut ya mouth,’ hollered Leon.

As recklessly as Willie only knew how to be, he backhanded Leon so hard that the man’s legs buckled, and he fell to his knees.

Mike rolled his eyes and sighed. ‘Willie, for fuck’s sake. Let me ask a few questions first, before you go wading in.’

Willie laughed again. ‘Oops.’ Then, suddenly, he frisked Saeed, digging his hands inside the man’s side pockets and retrieving a packet of white powder. He held it close to his face and frowned. Then he opened the packet and dabbed his finger into the powdery drug and tasted it. He frowned again.

‘What the fuck is this shit?’

Saeed tried to swallow against the hand that was now around his throat. ‘Cocaine.’

‘Fucking liar! This ain’t cocaine. I should know. So, what the fuck is it?’

Saeed repeated himself. ‘Cocaine.’

With that, Willie did a more thorough search and pulled out a load of packets. Everyone watched as he poured the contents into the palm of his hand.

‘Mike, open this cunt’s mouth. I wanna see if this shit is cocaine or not, and this fucker is gonna be my hamster.’

Staffie laughed aloud. ‘You mean guinea pig.’

‘Whatever.’

Mike pulled Saeed’s head back and forced his jaws apart. Struggling for all he was worth, Saeed knew full well that if he swallowed that amount, he would be dead by the morning. ‘No, stop!’ he managed to say through gasps and splutters.

Mike let go and allowed the man to straighten up and get his breath.

‘All right, it’s not cocaine, it’s called Flakka.’

Leon was coming around from the backhander and wasn’t so cocky now.

He stayed silent as Saeed gave the men a chemistry lesson on the drug. ‘It’s like cocaine but much more addictive. It either sends you into a coma for a few hours or makes you aggressive.’ He hoped that by giving the details of the drug, it would save his life.