To Keep You Safe

by Kate Bradley

  Moving quickly, I unlocked her arm first, and then took the shackle to Gary and cuffed both his hands together behind his back. Then I returned and retrieved the leg cuff. But as I went to put it on him, he whined. ‘Please, lady, if you do that I can’t come with you and I need to.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I want to go home. I haven’t been home in three years.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Cause Aleksander won’t let me.’

  ‘Go yourself then. Go tonight.’

  ‘I have no money.’

  I laughed. ‘A crim with no money.’

  ‘Lady, he takes my giro and I don’t get paid, except with food and beer.’

  From anyone else I wouldn’t have believed it, but something in the way Gary said it, made me hesitate. Perhaps it was the wanting tone of his voice that made me feel back at school, that made me feel responsible for him, so I left the cuffs off his legs. Besides, I was desperate to get to Destiny.

  I stepped out of the pool of light cast by the lantern, into the shadows.

  She lay huddled in the corner on a roll matt, a dirty blanket pulled over her. It was her shackled arm and leg that made me wince: how quickly they reduced her to nothing. How quickly they objectified her as if she was a thing, non-human. Animal.

  I bent down over the top of Destiny and gently squeezed her shoulder. ‘Destiny?’ I whispered. She didn’t move. I tried again, a little louder, a little firmer. Nothing. She should have woken by now. Starting to suspect she might have been drugged, I pulled her onto her back.

  And gasped.

  Saturday

  05:57

  Jenni

  I put my hand out to steady myself and my fingers felt the cold, slimy wall. I breathed in the dank air. ‘This isn’t Destiny.’

  ‘Of course not, Miss. Destiny is upstairs with Aleksander.’

  Goosebumps flared my skin. I’d bet a month’s wages that Destiny would also be chained up like this poor girl. They obviously took one each.

  ‘Well, who is this?’

  ‘Another rabbit.’

  I blinked. Then swore at him.

  ‘We get them at parties and then we drive them out of the country.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Aleksander gets good money for them.’

  I couldn’t believe it – trafficking. Destiny was going to be trafficked; this girl was going to be trafficked. I saw it so clearly: the van, the gun, a girl. My instincts were right. An image of George briefly flickered in my mind – for some reason it felt suddenly important to tell him: I didn’t let you down.

  I took another look at her. She was young, not school age young, but not yet twenty either. What had I stumbled on? She moaned but didn’t move. ‘Is she drugged?’

  ‘You’re not allowed to give her any more. If you do she could end up like that other one.’

  I put my hand in front of her nose and mouth, and waited. For a moment, when I didn’t feel any heat of her breathing against my palm, I thought she might be dead, but then I did and I felt the relief of realising that she was still alive. I opened her eyelid and shone my torch into her eye. Her pupil was dilated. ‘What has she had?’

  ‘Something that Ollie has in a bag. They don’t give none to me – not since last time.’

  I realised that she wouldn’t be going anywhere soon. Not unless I put her over my shoulder and carried her out. And that, I realised, was what I was going to have to do. ‘Is it just Aleksander and Destiny upstairs, or are there others?’

  ‘There’s Ollie and Jay too. Watch out for Ollie – he’s mean.’ He paused. ‘Can we go?’

  ‘No.’ I thought about it. ‘I’m going to get this girl out and then you’re going to help me get Destiny.’

  He started crying and moaning, but I blanked out what he was saying. I didn’t want to hear about how and why it wasn’t possible. Of course it was possible, anything was possible with the right preparation and attitude. But first I needed to get this girl out.

  I unlocked Gary and together we carried the girl to the window. I climbed out first, pulling fresh air into my lungs as soon as I stood back out under the stars. Gary stood her up and she did manage to stand with his help, even mumbling a little and opening her eyes a few times. I hooked my hands under her armpits, and with him lifting her body, it was fairly easy to get her out of the basement. I was tempted to move her further away, in case it went wrong for me. It was likely to go wrong, too – I was one person against four others, if Gary couldn’t be trusted, which he probably couldn’t. They also had at least one gun, when all I had was my knife. But I’d taken part in similar operations and still come out alive.

  Instead, I tried to help her help herself by smacking her face: ‘Come on, girl, wake up.’

  She murmured something incoherent. I tried the gate, bolted on my side and the bolt slid back easily. I left her out on the pathway in the recovery position. I hoped it would be enough for her if I didn’t come out alive.

  Then I climbed back into the basement.

  Saturday

  06:05

  Aleksander

  The teacher lowered herself back in the basement, while we watched in the shadows. She came back in facing away from us, then turned after she hit the floor. When she did, I stepped forwards.

  ‘Miss Wales.’ I was going to say more but the expression in her eyes made me falter. I’m used to hate. I even like it. But this woman had a coldness in her face that I haven’t seen in a woman before. I didn’t understand her. She was tall and strong like a man – taller and stronger than most men. But it’s not her strength that was confusing – what confused me was that she wasn’t scared.

  I’m used to women being scared. My mother was scared of my father, my grandmother was scared of her husband. My teachers were scared of me. The women that we take are scared of everything. Destiny is bold and I like that in her – but sometimes, in her eyes, I can see that she’s afraid of what I might do. I know this is because of her background and not because of me, but I see it anyway. I don’t try to change it. She should fear me: I’m her man. But even though this woman was on her own, and Gary, who was helping her, was now crying like I was going to execute him, and I had my gun and Ollie and Jay, she didn’t look scared. Instead she lifted her chin and told me that she was going to kill me. And she looked like she meant it.

  Who was this woman?

  ‘I’ve been watching you,’ I told her. I use the gun to show where I’ve left the small wireless CCTV unit.

  I’ve always kept a camera on Gary. I’ve always suspected he might run. Give him money or drugs to hold and he’s as good as gold. Leave him alone with Destiny and she’s as safe with him as she would be with me. If I tell him go, he goes; if I tell him stop, he stops.

  But would he run? Yes. First moment he’d get. I keep him in check and short of cash and of course he’s a retard so he doesn’t think right, but even so, I never trusted him. When I saw this small CCTV unit, I bought it. Wherever I leave him, I plug it in and put something over the top of it, usually a baseball cap or something else with a little gap, so I can watch him. He’s too stupid to notice. I can’t sleep until I know that everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing. I was watching him on my phone as I smoked a last joint before bed. I saw it all.

  The teacher saw the unit and understood.

  I held Destiny close. I wanted the teacher to see – to understand – that Destiny is with me because she wants to be. She’s not like that rabbit outside. Destiny is my girl and this teacher is wrong. I told her this, but the teacher kept her eyes fixed on me like she could hurt me with her gaze.

  I turned away from her and instead stepped up close to Gary; he was taller than me too, but he looked at me with frightened eyes. I pistol-whipped him. I enjoyed seeing the pain in his eyes. I did it again across the other cheek and it started to bleed. ‘I saw it all, you fucker. I know what you did.’

  Gary started blubbing again. He knew how this was going to end.
He might be cheap muscle and as stupid as fuck, but unless he could be relied on, he’s worth jackshit. And if he was worth jackshit, he knew I wouldn’t carry him no more.

  Destiny called out my name.

  ‘Baby?’ I answered.

  She came close and whispered in my ear, ‘Please don’t hurt Gary.’

  ‘OK, then,’ I said, and then I kicked Gary hard in the balls. He bent forward like he was bowing to me and as his face came down, I kneed him in the face. He made a noise like a punch bag and fell to his knees.

  ‘Hey!’ said Destiny, like she was pissed off.

  ‘I know, baby, but he’s double-crossed all of us. Out there, somewhere in the dark is our twenty grand. In fact,’ I turned to the brothers, and told them to go and get the rabbit back. Jay moved first, followed by Ollie and they both disappeared up the stairs.

  I sat down on an old sofa chair while we waited. I kept the gun pointed on the teacher. I’d seen her move and I wasn’t taking any chances. As we stared at each other, I felt something odd – I couldn’t place it straight away. When I did, it surprised me: I felt respect. Apart from my mother, I don’t respect no woman as an equal. Not even Destiny.

  I felt Destiny glare at me, but I didn’t care. I know she is fond of Gary, feels safe with him when she doesn’t feel safe with no other man but me, but I can’t trust him now. Destiny is young; when she gets older she will become wise. I’ll explain later – I have to watch the teacher.

  After a few minutes, Jay came back down the cellar steps alone. ‘Boss?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘She’s gone.’

  ‘Look again.’

  ‘I’ve checked the back alley path and looked in the neighbours’ gardens and can’t see anything. Ollie’s out the front checking the street, but he’s texted to say that he is two streets away and he hasn’t seen her yet.’

  I could tell from his voice that he’d been running or was nervous or both. He should’ve been both – he knew we’d all be pissed off. We were going to move her in only a couple of hours in the converted van and we’d have her in Europe before lunch. British birds make a lot of money, and now she’s flown the coop, we’d get none.

  Destiny carries a fake engagement ring, which we keep in case we get stopped and asked why we are going to Poland so early on a Saturday – because we are so excited, we can’t wait to share the news with my family, we will tell them. Yes, we make lots of crossings, but that’s because I’m close to my family back home.

  We’ve got the perfect set-up. We take a girl on the way out and get to a safe contact. We get decent cash, then drive straight to a different contact, where we swap the cash for smack. We bring the drugs back home, cut it, and then pass it on to dealers. These days, we don’t have to bag it or see a single user. In one trip, we can make as much as sixty kay. Sometimes we do one rabbit once a week – sometimes two. My contact can’t get rid of enough white through me and my buyer can’t buy enough women.

  The English did the same with the slaving routes back in the eighteenth century – they did one big triangle, slaves from Africa to the Caribbean for the sugar fields, then Jamaican sugar to England, and then money and goods back out to Africa to trade for more slaves. I love to read history books and when Destiny gave me the idea of moving women, I put two and two together and we got the full operation. We are like those old slaving ships.

  I’m an importer the same as those old families who had the stately homes. Destiny and I checked a couple of those out in the National Trust, and I told her: this is what I will buy you. A palace for a queen. We will be the new royalty. In every European country, the rich always did what they wanted and that’s how they made their money and their money bought class. They didn’t sit around waiting for permission from society, they just did what they had to do. We do the same. And we will make our money and we will rise to the top. A girl with Destiny’s brains and beauty should be there. Society won’t put her there, she has to grab it for herself. And that’s what we do – we grab.

  Jay paused. ‘What shall I tell Ollie?’

  ‘Keep looking for the rabbit until you’ve got her – I don’t want to let down the contact. It could be bad for business.’

  ‘But what if we can’t find her? She could be anywhere.’

  ‘What if she blabs to the filth? Find her! She’s got shitloads of drugs in her system and no shoes. She hasn’t gone far. Look again – under cars, in the big street bins, unlocked sheds. Don’t come back until you find her.’ I threw the van keys to Jay. ‘Take these, you’ll need it to put her in when you find her.’

  He left. Destiny, Gary and the teacher all stared at me. I only looked at the teacher. I don’t need to look at Gary to know he’s still on his knees, his beaten face like a dog that’s been slung out for the night.

  Gary would stay like that – it was the teacher I needed to deal with.

  I realised it made sense to kill her now.

  Saturday

  06:20

  Aleksander

  I realised that it would be better to kill her if Destiny wasn’t around. ‘Destiny, go get the boys. Tell them they’ve only got twenty minutes. Then we have to get out. If the girl finds the police we need to be gone.’

  She nodded and as she turned to leave, she paused, her foot already on the stairs. She came back, leant in close to whisper in my ear. ‘Promise you won’t hurt Gary.’

  I nodded without breaking eye-contact with the teacher. I was surprised, then irritated: if Destiny were to beg for anyone’s pardon, I would’ve thought it would be for her teacher. I’m not sure I like her liking Gary enough to put him first.

  Destiny still hesitated. She chewed her lovely bottom lip, wondering about something. I could tell that she didn’t quite trust me. She shouldn’t: I knew I would pop Gary as soon as I could. He knew everything about the operation and could put me inside for twenty years. Now I couldn’t trust him, he had become useless. Destiny knew this, but it annoyed me that my word was not good enough for her.

  I’m fucked off that she decided to plead for him again: I’m her number one, I’m the only thing that should matter. She should only want what I want.

  ‘Please, baby,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t hurt Gary. He’s my only friend.’

  I was already pissed when she called me baby as a way to get something for Gary, like I was some kind of fool, but when she added: ‘He’s my only friend,’ she stabbed me in the heart. Who was I then? Just some nonce she hung around with?

  He was dead. When she left, I would shoot the teacher and then take out Gary. The brothers would come back and we’d put their bodies in the hidden compartment in the floor of the van and then dump them somewhere.

  ‘Sure, Candydoll,’ I said, already knowing that she will learn what is important between us. ‘I’ll do what you say.’

  I could tell, though, even without looking at her, that she wasn’t sure that I would. ‘Don’t come back without the boys,’ I told her, about to add: I need them here. But I didn’t, because I didn’t want that teacher bitch – who hadn’t moved an inch, but stared at me like a tiger waiting to pounce – to know that, for once, I was nervous.

  Saturday

  06:23

  Jenni

  He still had the gun pointed at me when Destiny left – but I could tell she was frightened. I don’t know what she said to him when she whispered to him, but he agreed, but still she didn’t trust him. She looked back at him as she walked slowly upstairs, her eyes watchful, her right thumb flicking through her fingers one by one, like she always does when she’s nervous.

  Aleksander stood up, walked over to Gary. I was still waiting for the moment to make my move. Sometimes there’s a perfect moment and sometimes there is only the good-enough moment. You can wait for the perfect moment if you’ve got time. You have to assess each situation against what you have: now I’ve got time, but I’ve got no resources, no other back-up, no guns or other weaponry apart from my knife, nothing else I can use, yet what I want is
precise: I want Destiny out of here alive.

  So I knew there wouldn’t be a perfect moment, I would have to take what I can get. I couldn’t afford to die. If I die – and I didn’t mind too much about that because I always thought I would die in action – Destiny still wouldn’t be safe. She’d be shipped out of the country ending up in whatever nightmare these girls find themselves in. There was only me standing between her and freedom.

  Gary was moaning on the floor. He was pleading with Aleksander. Aleksander now had his gun pressed against Gary’s neck. I could go now, I thought. I’m only nine feet away. I could do that in under a second. But there was no cover for me to break to and Aleksander was expecting me to make a move. He held a semi-automatic, so he could get several shots into me before I made it to him. I had no Kevlar; I’d be an open target. But if I went now, Destiny would not see it. I wanted to protect her. Gary was moaning loudly. I wanted to save him but he was not my purpose. I would not be distracted.

  Aleksander was now shouting at him. In case I thought he might have forgotten me, he glanced my way to remind me that he knew I was here, waiting.

  He shouted: ‘Gary! Put your head down!’

  Gary told him no and shook his head wildly. He was begging not to die.

  Aleksander shouted it again. ‘Put your head down. Die like a man.’

  Gary reached up and tried to take Aleksander’s hand. ‘So sorry, boss, I’m so sorry,’ he kept saying, promising him it wouldn’t happen again.

  Aleksander shook him off. He pushed Gary’s head down to the floor.