‘You’ve even got the perfect name for a jewel thief, Gem Stone.’
I shook my head in disbelief. How dare Alfie say that to me? His comment enraged me. I knew I should ignore it, but I felt the need to defend myself. ‘I’m not a thief.’
Alfie raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, but what would you call a person that walks into a shop and charms the sales assistant out of thousands of pounds’ worth of diamonds then?’
It was obvious Alfie was deliberately trying to antagonise me. His blue eyes watched me as my posture stiffened. He seemed to be taking great delight in winding me up, and that made me feel uneasy.
‘I’m only doing this because you’re blackmailing me. Not because I want to,’ I said, turning to face Alfie. I couldn’t hide the look of distaste in my glare.
‘That’s a very serious accusation, Gemma.’
The smug look on Alfie’s face was making anger build up inside me. He was close to making me lose my temper, but I knew that would be a mistake. I’d have to bite my tongue instead. The atmosphere in the car was tense. Alfie and I had reached a stalemate.
‘You have the right combination for this line of work; that’s why you’ve been so successful. You’re beautiful as well as being light-fingered.’ Alfie seemed determined to draw a response out of me. He just wouldn’t let it go.
‘I wasn’t going to let you in on my secret, but seeing as you’re so fascinated by my talent, I’ll come clean and admit that I am in fact a descendant of The Artful Dodger.’ I hoped my comment would convey my boredom and put an end to this conversation.
Alfie began to laugh. ‘That wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. You’re a feisty character, aren’t you, Gemma?’
Alfie wasn’t the first person to say I had a spirited side. My mother told me on many occasions that my fiery personality had been getting me into trouble since the day I was born.
16
Gemma
Alfie was exploiting us, and he knew it. We were trapped in a never-ending cycle of fabricated debt, and there was no way out for the foreseeable future.
Alfie put his hand inside the pocket of his black pinstriped suit and pulled out two British passports. ‘Now your probation period is over, and you’re officially on the team, we’re going to be taking a trip to France,’ Alfie said, before taking a seat on our leather sofa.
Nathan and I both looked at each other. ‘Why do you want us to go to France?’ I asked, meeting Alfie’s gaze for a brief moment.
A huge smile curved his lips. ‘For a business trip. You’ve got new passports with new identities.’ Alfie opened the cover and showed us the details.
Nathan rubbed his knuckles under his chin, and a look of concern spread across his face. I’d never seen him like this before. He usually managed to look as if he was on top of the world when everything was crumbling around him. He’d always been an expert at hiding his feelings, until now.
‘Why do we need new passports?’ I asked.
‘I would have thought that was obvious.’ A smile spread across Alfie’s face. Then he laughed, fixing me with his blue eyes. ‘What you’re about to do isn’t exactly legal, so it’s better if you assume a new identity.’
For me, that was the light-bulb moment. Alfie now officially owned us. He’d changed our names and was about to turn us into fugitives, making us travel on forged documents. We were being sucked deeper into the criminal underworld we knew nothing about. But why did we need to go to France? I had a horrible feeling that instead of sightseeing, I’d be shoplifting. A picture was forming in my mind: Alfie was going to turn me into an international thief, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.
‘I’ll be in touch as soon as I’ve made the arrangements,’ Alfie said, getting to his feet. ‘Bring enough clothes for about a week. You’ll need both smart and casual things.’
*
Nathan hadn’t said a word all the time Alfie had been here. I wondered what he was thinking. I was having trouble taking it all in. It was one thing working for Alfie in London, but now he wanted us to go to France.
‘What am I going to tell my mum? She knows we’re skint, so she’ll know something’s up when I tell her we’re going away.’
‘I’m amazed that’s all you’re worried about,’ I replied, shaking my head from side to side.
‘You’ve seen my mum lose her temper before. You know it’s not a pretty sight.’
‘Your mum’s temper is the least of our worries.’ I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. Rosa might be a passionate Italian, prone to being theatrical when showing her feelings, but she was hardly in the same league as Alfie Watson. ‘Hasn’t it occurred to you that Alfie must be planning a bigger job this time?’
Nathan shrugged his shoulders.
If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be going to the trouble of taking the whole team across the Channel, would he? I didn’t want to think about what he’d got lined up for me this time. I was going to end up with a criminal record by the time we’d paid off this debt. My eyes misted over as I tried to digest that thought. Nathan put his finger under my chin and tilted my face towards his. He wiped away the tears that had begun to fall, before planting a kiss on the top of my head. Then he pulled me towards him and put his strong arms around me. I buried my face into his chest as my tears flowed freely.
‘I wish you’d never got dragged into this. I’d gladly take your place. You know that, don’t you?’
I pulled away and stared at my husband. ‘We both know Alfie won’t let you do that.’
‘I’m going to talk to him and see if he’ll let us swap places.’ Nathan pulled me towards him and placed his hands on my waist.
‘There’s no point; he’ll never agree to it.’ I let out a sigh.
‘Hopefully, this will be the last job,’ Nathan said in an optimistic tone.
‘It won’t be. We’ll never be free of him. You’re deluding yourself if you think otherwise.’ Acid coated my words.
Nathan and I looked at each other. He knew I was right; there was no way out of this impossible situation. For a brief moment, I considered contacting my parents and asking them to lend us the money to clear the debt. They could afford to, but my pride wouldn’t allow me to stoop that low. They would have been delighted if they knew Nathan and I were in trouble. It would be a case of we told you so, and I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
17
Nathan ?
‘If you’re in trouble, don’t keep it from me.’ Rosa’s brown eyes searched her son’s for the answer to her question. She wanted to know what was going on.
‘Everything’s fine, honestly,’ Nathan snapped, then immediately felt bad, so he forced himself to smile.
Rosa put her hands on her hips and looked up at her only child. Guilt began gnawing away at Nathan, but he was determined to hide the truth from his mum.
‘I know there’s something you’re not telling me. I can sense it.’
‘It’s nothing.’ Nathan shrugged his shoulders.
‘If it’s nothing, why are you on edge all the time?’ Rosa’s face softened as she reached forward and touched her son’s arm. She clearly knew he was lying. ‘Do you think I haven’t noticed how strangely you’ve been acting recently?’
Nathan’s eyes widened. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t been acting strangely.’
Rosa threw him a look, and Nathan let out a loud sigh before sliding his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He knew Rosa wouldn’t stop until she got to the bottom of this.
‘You’re behaving like a caged animal. What’s wrong with you?’ Rosa’s fingertips scrunched together, and she began waving her hands in front of his face.
Nathan declined to answer and started biting the skin on the side of his nail.
‘If you’re not going to tell me, I’ll have to work it out for myself.’ Rosa fixed Nathan with an interrogating stare, and after a long pause, she continued to speak. ‘I can only think of tw
o reasons why you’d be acting like this.’
‘OK, Sherlock, tell me what you’ve concluded,’ Nathan said in a disrespectful tone of voice.
Rosa gave her son a disapproving look. ‘The most obvious reason is Gemma. She’s been on edge as well recently. Have you two had a fight?’
‘Gemma and I are fine, Mum,’ Nathan replied, unable to hide the irritation in his voice.
‘So it must be Alfie Watson who’s causing the problem. Did you pay him back the money?’
Rosa waited patiently for Nathan’s reply, but instead of answering, he turned his back on her. He couldn’t look her in the eye and blatantly lie to her, but he couldn’t tell her the truth either.
Rosa stepped in front of her son. ‘Nathan, I asked you a question. Did you pay Alfie back?’
‘Not exactly,’ Nathan muttered, turning his face away.
‘What do you mean?’ Rosa asked. She looked into her son’s face and attempted to make eye contact with him.
‘We tried to, but Alfie’s interest rates are so high we’re having trouble keeping up with them.’
Rosa threw her arms in the air and started screaming obscenities in Italian. Her hand gestures went into overdrive as she tried to express herself.
‘I told you to stay away from Alfie Watson, but you never listen to me, do you?’ Rosa shook her head and began wagging her finger at her son.
Nathan let out a long breath and folded his arms across his chest. Then he turned his back on his mum. Deep down, he knew she was trying to help, but she was talking to him like he was still a child, and that made anger boil up inside him. But the last thing he wanted was to fall out with her, so he bit his tongue and let her vent.
‘That man is crazy.’ Rosa stepped in front of Nathan, fixed him with a glare and began tapping the side of her head with her index finger. ‘There’s no telling what he could do to you. Your life means nothing to him.’
‘He won’t get his money back if I’m dead, will he?’ Nathan flashed his mother a defiant smile.
‘Less of the attitude, Nathan. You’ll end up living in constant fear if you don’t stay away from that man.’ Rosa locked eyes with her son. ‘I could shake you. When are you going to learn?’ Rosa raised her voice and waved her hands wildly in front of her son’s face. ‘You’ll end up just like your father.’
Nathan rolled his eyes. ‘I’m in debt, Mum, I’m not a womaniser.’ Now she’d really lost the plot. What the hell was she talking about?
‘It would break my heart if you turned out like Gareth,’ Rosa rambled on.
‘I won’t. I’d never cheat on Gemma.’
Rosa stepped back and looked up at her son. ‘Why did you keep this business with Alfie from me?’
Nathan inhaled a deep breath. ‘I didn’t want to worry you.’
‘Even though you’re a grown man, I’m still your mum, so it’s my job to worry about you.’
‘You don’t need to. I can take care of myself.’
‘Alfie Watson is a dangerous man. It’s not a good idea to owe him money.’
‘I know, that’s why I’ve got to do exactly what he tells me to.’
‘Go to the police, Nathan, and tell them what’s happened.’ Rosa’s eyes pleaded. For once, it seemed she desperately wanted her son to listen to her.
‘I can’t.’ Nathan shook his head. ‘If I do, Alfie will find out, and then none of us will be safe.’
‘The police will protect us.’ Rosa clasped her hands tightly together.
‘No, Mum, it’s too risky.’ Nathan bit the side of his lip.
‘So what are you going to do?’
‘I can’t tell you, but Gemma and I will be going away for a while.’
‘Are you going into hiding?’
‘No, but don’t worry about us, we’ll be OK.’
‘Please tell me where you’re going.’ The olive-toned skin on Rosa’s forehead puckered and her eyes filled with fear.
‘I’m not sure myself. Alfie hasn’t told us yet, but when we come back, this nightmare will be over.’ Nathan bent down and kissed his mum’s cheek before he left her with her thoughts.
18
Gemma
Alfie told us we’d be travelling to Paris on the Eurostar. I questioned why we weren’t flying. Surely it would be easier. But apparently there are too many security checks, and Alfie had information from a reliable source, that border checks are particularly weak on this route.
Nathan and I stared at him in stunned silence. There were so many things I wanted to say, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find the right words. So instead, I listened, almost in a trance, to what Alfie was telling us.
‘After we arrive at St Pancras, we’ll go through passport control twice,’ Alfie said before inhaling deeply on his cigarette.
That seemed a bit strange. Then I remembered a trip I’d made with my family years ago and realised Alfie was right: French immigration control takes place at St Pancras, before you board the Eurostar, not when you arrive in Paris.
‘What happens if we get stopped?’ Nathan asked, biting the side of his lip.
‘Trust me; you’ll get through the checks. They’re just a formality. The whole process takes about thirty seconds,’ Alfie assured us.
Let’s hope he was right. Our passports weren’t genuine. The police were bound to notice. It crossed my mind that if we got caught at this stage, it would save us from whatever it was Alfie had lined up for us. But he was confident that the passports were of such a high standard that not even highly trained border officials would be able to spot they were false documents. His supplier placed a microchip in the back cover, and the inside pages were genuine with holograms all across them. Alfie boasted that the craftsmanship was excellent. He began grinning, and as he did, his blue eyes twinkled.
My stomach flipped at the sight of his smug smile. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me that a man like Alfie, with his criminal connections, would know all about exploiting the security system. But his reassurance did little to calm my nerves. However he tried to sugar-coat it, Nathan and I would be travelling on forged British passports, under the names Emma and Ethan Jones, and that made me uncomfortable, to say the very least.
‘So the fact that our fake passports are high quality is meant to put my mind at rest, is it?’ I asked, locking eyes with Alfie. He ignored my concerns.
How could the inside pages be genuine? As I considered the possibilities, Alfie let me in on the secret. His source had a contact that worked for the Home Office. He didn’t need to say any more. My eyes widened, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. I should have realised he’d have friends in high places who could get him whatever he wanted.
‘It only takes my guy three days to produce the documents. They’re expensive but worth every penny. There’s nothing money can’t buy, Gemma.’ Alfie winked.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? There were loads of things money couldn’t buy. I knew that better than anyone. Money couldn’t buy happiness or love or freedom for that matter.
‘When are we leaving?’ I asked, changing the subject.
‘The day after tomorrow. Mummy dearest will be devastated. Rosa’s such a controlling bitch; it’s about time we cut the apron strings and set you free, Nathan.’ Alfie straightened the lapels of his suit jacket.
I let out an involuntary groan and nudged Nathan with my elbow. ‘Let it go,’ I muttered under my breath before throwing him a look, warning him to shut his mouth. Alfie knew how to push Nathan’s buttons, and the more he reacted to it, the more pleasure Alfie got from it.
‘Did you say something, Gemma?’ Alfie asked.
Just as I was about to reply, Nathan squared up to Alfie.
‘You don’t even know my mum, so I’d appreciate it if you kept your opinions to yourself.’ Nathan’s cheeks flushed, as he tried to keep his temper under control. He clenched his jaw, and as he did, the muscles in the side of his face twitched.
‘I’ve known Rosa for years… but I’m
not going to say how. Gentlemen, shall we?’ Alfie gestured to the door. Then his face broke into a broad grin. He knew he’d got the upper hand.
19
Gemma
Alfie’s blacked-out Mercedes pulled up outside Mamma Donatella’s on that grey November morning. As we walked towards the car, I could sense his blue eyes watching me. When we got closer, Tommy stepped out and opened the back passenger door for us.
‘Hello, Gemma, you’re looking as beautiful as ever,’ Alfie said when I took a seat next to him.
I was wearing skinny jeans, a pale grey jumper, white Converse trainers and a dark purple Puffa jacket to keep the autumn chill at bay. My hair was pinned up into a loose bun.
‘Thank you,’ I replied, forcing out a reluctant smile.
Rosa’s worried face was pressed up against the window of the Italian restaurant when the car pulled away from the kerb. Nathan and I looked at each other as we watched her tiny frame fade into the distance. I wondered whether we’d ever see her again.
*
When we arrived at the check-in gate for the 12:24 train from St Pancras International, Alfie handed us our tickets. We scanned the barcodes and made our way to passport control. As we stood in the queue, I realised hiding my nerves was going to be a challenge. My heart was racing, and the pulse in my neck beat so strongly, it was bound to be visible. No matter how good the forgeries were, if I looked guilty, I’d give the game away. I had to get a grip.
Alfie leant towards me and whispered in my ear. ‘They only ask questions if something doesn’t look right. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Stay calm, and I’ll see you on the train.’
I nodded and took a deep breath in through my nostrils. Nathan squeezed my hand and pulled me towards him. I looked up at his handsome face as the buzz of conversation hovered in the air around us. We didn’t speak to each other while we stood at the yellow line waiting to be called. When the official beckoned me to the counter, my heartbeat went into overdrive.
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