by Jacqui Rose
Of course, if things were different she and Alfie would have a future because she did love him, there was no question about it, but she refused to let love be her weakness and make the wrong choices. And that’s exactly what she had to do: she had to choose, whether she liked it or not, and she chose Mia. And when she found Mia, and she would find her, then she and Mia would leave Soho, leave London, leave England and start a new life.
She smiled and simply said, ‘No, you need to go and sort this out, it’s more important.’
‘But what about you? I can’t just leave you like this.’
‘Just see it as a moment of weakness.’
‘But it’s obviously important. You said yourself you lied to me, you said …’
Franny placed her fingers on Alfie’s lips. ‘Sshhhh, baby. Stop, it’s okay, we can talk another time. Neither of us are going anywhere, are we? Right now, the only thing we should be thinking about is Taylor and Mia. And please don’t worry, Alf, I’ll be fine. Even this talk we’ve just had has given me clarity … Everything will work out the way it should … I love you, Alfie.’
Alfie, putting Franny at the back of his mind, made his way across to Chinatown, pushing past a group of tourists taking photographs on Shaftesbury Avenue. He walked down Wardour Street before crossing the road to turn into Lisle Street.
He strode along for a moment before pulling up the collar on his jacket to protect him from the chill of the air.
Halfway along the street, at a large Chinese restaurant, Alfie walked down the stone stairs into the basement and knocked on the door twice.
It was opened by a man, who nodded at Alfie and let him in. Alfie smiled at the same time as taking a deep breath. Taylor needed him, so if it meant borrowing money from the infamous Triad clan, a gang of people he would normally stay away from, a gang of people no one in their right mind would do business with, well that’s exactly what he would do.
41
Alfie sat at the table with Mr Huang in the basement of the restaurant. The room was silent apart from the noise of the restaurant-goers above.
He’d known Huang for a long time, though interestingly he’d never learnt his first name, but as far back as he could remember, Huang and his family had been living in the heart of Chinatown, running a gambling business, drug trafficking, money laundering as well as – rumour had it – people trafficking. He was also a loan shark. Fierce and ferocious, Huang certainly was not someone to be messed with.
Huang was part of, or rather the head of the clan of Triads in the area. A huge crime organisation, which still had its ties in China and Taiwan. In the past Alfie hadn’t had a good relationship with the Triads, mainly because he’d been trying to set up his own gambling club over in Soho, something they hadn’t taken too kindly to. In fact, he had the war wounds to prove it when they’d come into his club threatening him, cutting off part of his finger to give him a friendly warning to stop running the club.
What had followed had been a bit of a turf war, but eventually they’d settled their differences and given each other a respectful understanding. Though there was certainly no love lost between the parties; neither of them particularly liked each other, though it wasn’t a question of liking, it was a question of business. And when the interest they charged on any loan was three hundred per cent – along with a pound of flesh if need be – then he knew they would do business with anyone. Even him.
Huang, a slender-faced man in his late sixties, with a head of thick black straight hair, pushed his round glasses up to the top of his nose as he stared at Alfie in bemusement. ‘Mr Jennings, we’ve known each other for a long time, and I would say you’re certainly a successful businessman. I would also say you knew how to run your firm with fairness, as well as knowing a good deal when it came your way. The one thing I wouldn’t have said about you though, was that you were a fool. Mr Jennings, what you’ve just said to me now is what I consider foolish. Our rates are high and our consequences for not paying are even higher.’
Alfie nodded. ‘If you know all that about me, then you’ll also know I haven’t taken this decision lightly. You’ll know that at the moment, you’re my only option.’
Huang looked at Alfie before pouring himself a cup of green tea from the delicate china pot that sat on the table. ‘Maybe that should worry me. If we’re the only option, then things must be really bad.’
‘No, not bad, I’m just in a hurry. I need the money by tomorrow and I’ve had a cash flow problem because as you know, the club has been shut down due to the fire. But that doesn’t mean I’m not capable of paying you back.’
‘So how do you propose to pay us back, bearing in mind the interest we charge?’
‘On a re-mortgage. The house in Soho Square, I’ll re-mortgage that.’
Huang shrugged, pulling a face. ‘But I’ve always been under the impression that house was Ms Doyle’s, given to her by her father, Patrick.’
Irritated by all the questions, Alfie couldn’t stop himself from snapping, ‘Look, I don’t ask you how you keep your books in order, so I don’t appreciate you asking me.’
Huang gave a nasty smile. ‘Mr Jennings, the difference is, I don’t come and ask you for half a million pounds.’
‘I get that, but I can pay you back.’
‘You do realise that the reason I’m saying all this is for your own good. That I’m just making sure you have the resources to pay the loan back because I would hate to have to get my men to force the money out of you. After all, we go back a long way.’
Alfie’s voice was firm. ‘With respect, I know what I’m doing and there won’t be any need for extreme measures. Like I say, I’m good for the money, and if for any reason that proved to be untrue, then, Mr Huang, I’m willing to take the consequences of any decisions I make.’
Huang nodded. He remained silent for a few moments before pushing the piles of money, which were sitting in the middle of the table, towards Alfie. He stood up and walked to the door, turning back to look at Alfie. ‘It’s all there, Mr Jennings, and I do hope for your sake what you’re saying is the truth.’
After Huang had left the room, Alfie sat there with the money in front of him, wondering quite what Franny would say when he told her she’d have to re-mortgage her house.
42
The next morning Alfie, who hadn’t bothered going to bed because he knew he’d just be up all night worrying about the auction and Taylor, smiled at Franny as she walked into the breakfast room. He studied her face. She looked slightly better than she had yesterday, though maybe that was the sleeping tablet she’d taken. However, he was sure that when he told her about the deal he’d made with Huang, she probably wasn’t going to look so calm.
Deciding to make herself a drink to stop feeling nauseous, Franny switched on the coffee machine. The smell of fresh beans wafted into the air. She spoke quickly, an array of thoughts rushing through her mind. ‘How did you get on yesterday? Is everything set for today? I thought maybe I’d go and see Charlie again, ask him about Mia.’
‘I thought you said he didn’t know anything.’
Franny shrugged. ‘That is what he said, but in light of everything, I’d like to speak to him again, see if there’s anything – even the smallest of things that might help try to find her. Sorry. You didn’t say how you got on …’
‘I sorted it. Hopefully we’ll have enough, more than enough, but you never know with this kind of thing. With any luck, because Barry’s a small fish, the auction will only attract the scum with no money, rather than the scum with money, because that’s when it becomes a problem. Once I’m outbid, there’s nothing I can do. I’ve asked myself a thousand times if I should get the police involved, but I know it will only make it worse for Taylor.’
‘And Mia.’
Alfie lit a cigarette, drawing on it deeply. ‘Exactly. Barry will dispose of Taylor the minute the police go sniffing around, so it’s just too risky. And the tragic thing is, nobody would miss Taylor. Barry could dig a grave
in Epping Forest and nobody would ever know.’
Franny shivered, becoming tense. ‘Jesus, Alf, what’s wrong with you?’
‘It’s the truth.’
She stared at him as images of Bree came into her mind; as if she could hear the noise of Bree’s limbs breaking and the sound of her body being dragged through the forest. ‘You still don’t need to say it though. We both know what will happen if we don’t deal with this properly … So, go on then, how much did you manage to get? Who lent it you?’
Alfie exhaled before he said, ‘Half a million. I got it from Mr Huang.’
Franny could almost feel herself paling. She raised her voice, furious and frustrated. ‘Are you fucking stupid? You went to the Triads to get money, and not even some money, but half a million pounds. You have lost your mind, Alfie. You need to give it back. You hear me? You need to give it back.’ Franny slammed her fist on the table, sending her cup of coffee onto the floor.
Raging, Alfie stood up, flipping the table over in anger, sending it crashing across the room. ‘It won’t make a difference, will it? Even if I took the money back now, I’ll still have to pay the interest. You know that as well as I do. The minute I walked out of that place with it, then bang, I owe them.’
Franny spat her words. ‘Then why did you do it?’
‘Because I had no other choice! I had no fucking choice. It’s not as if I could go to the auction with a frigging IOU, is it?’
Franny flew at Alfie, slapping him hard across the face. He grabbed her arms as she screamed at him, ‘And how are you going to pay it back? Go on, tell me – oh, and whilst you’re at it, tell me what kind of interest they charge.’
‘Three hundred per cent.’
As Alfie let go of Franny’s arms, she stared at him in horror. ‘Three hundred?’
Frustrated, Alfie kicked the kitchen cabinet. ‘That’s what I said, didn’t I?’
‘So, you have to pay back one and a half million pounds to the Triads.’
Alfie’s face curled up in a snarl as he leant in nose to nose with Franny. ‘Yeah, yeah, I do. And if I don’t, I know what happens, but you know something, Fran, I’m willing to take that consequence. I’m willing to do that for Taylor, because I won’t have a life anyway if I can’t save him.’
Franny spoke slowly. ‘But they must’ve asked you about collateral.’
‘They did … and I told them … I told them that it would be on the house.’
‘This house? As in my house?’
‘Well what other house am I talking about? I’m hardly talking about Hansel and fucking Gretel’s house, am I?’
‘You want me to re-mortgage this house that my dad gave me?’
Still furious, Alfie glared. ‘It’s bricks and fucking mortar, Fran. What we’re dealing with is worth more than that, so what’s the problem? And fuck me, let’s face it, it’s my life we’re talking about here. If I don’t pay them, well I’m a dead man.’
Franny stayed quiet as she thought about what Alfie was saying. The problem was, or rather the problem Alfie had, was that she’d already spoken to the bank about re-mortgaging the place. She hadn’t signed on the dotted line, but the bank had been only too willing to lend her some money against it – not that she had any intention of paying it back. They could repossess the house for all she cared, because like Alfie had said, it was only bricks and mortar.
But what it meant was when she left with Mia, she would also be leaving with a couple of million pounds, which ultimately meant she and Mia could lie low. And if she was careful with the money, she’d be set up for several years.
Nobody could find her; she could just fade into obscurity. She could even become someone else, assume a new identity. No more Franny Doyle.
But even if she did all that, she knew Alfie would still come looking for her, wanting to know why she’d gone, wanting to know why she’d just disappeared without a goodbye.
And of course, very soon the police would be starting to ask questions about the fire in the club, and certainly by that time she needed to be gone.
Perhaps she would even leave the area before she found Mia. She could still search for her. She didn’t need to be here in Soho – and in reality, the sooner she got away the better. She’d already messed up by letting her feelings get in the way. And yes, yes she’d miss Alfie, and if she let it, it would break her, tear her apart, because God she loved him, but that love would cause her to make the wrong choices. She’d already seen love destroy her father, and she certainly wasn’t going to let that happen to her.
So the more she thought about it, well, the more she realised that maybe Alfie borrowing the money from Mr Huang wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe, it would play to her advantage. That was of course if she stayed focused on Mia and she didn’t let her feelings ever get in the way again. And as much as she wouldn’t have chosen this for Alfie herself, him not being able to pay back Mr Huang could save her a lot of grief in the long run. It certainly would bring finality.
‘I know it’s only a house, but the problem is … the problem is …’ She stopped for a moment and worked out what she was going to say, wanting her story to sound as credible as possible. ‘My dad put this house in a trust for me. One of the conditions of it is I can’t sell it, or even re-mortgage it.’
Alfie’s face turned ashen. ‘What … what are you talking about?’
‘This house is in a trust, Alf. Dad obviously knew the game we’re in is precarious; money laundering, drugs, clubs, illegal betting, it’s so easy to lose everything overnight. He wanted to make sure that I’d always have a roof over my head, for the rest of my life. Putting the house in a trust was his way of doing it … I’m so sorry, Alf.’
Suddenly looking unwell, Alfie sat down hard in his chair. His voice quiet. ‘Why didn’t I know this before?’
‘It just never came up and, to tell you the truth, I haven’t even thought about it until just now.’
‘What am I going to do, Fran?’
As Franny refused to let herself feel anything – no love, no care – her eyes were cold and calculating, but it went unnoticed by Alfie who rested his head in his hands.
As she watched him sit in silence, she knew that one day her decision might pain her, but some things were worth the sacrifice. And Mr Huang disposing of Alfie, mainly because of his own recklessness for taking such a huge loan out with such a notorious gang, was a sacrifice she was willing to make, and a sacrifice Alfie had no option but to make, especially as it meant she wouldn’t have to look over her shoulder forever. And besides, it wasn’t all bad – this way Alfie could still save Taylor with the money he had because ultimately, that’s what it was all about. Saving the ones you loved at whatever cost. Whatever it took.
She touched his back gently and kissed his cheek, closing her eyes as well as trying her hardest to close off her heart to him. ‘What’s done is done. You’ll think of something, Alf, because if you don’t pay him back, you’re a dead man walking.’
43
Having waited outside Queen’s Hospital for Franny to pop up and see Charlie again, Alfie sped through the traffic, clenching down on his jaw, trying to tell himself that the only thing he should be focusing on was Taylor. However, this was proving to be somewhat difficult.
‘Alf, slow down, you’re going to be pulled over and then you’re really in for it. We’ve got this far so it’s not worth messing up when we’re so close to getting Taylor back.’
Breathless, Alfie, still pale and wishing that he could think about more than Mr Huang, nodded. ‘Yeah, sorry, Fran, I’ve already fucked up enough, but I can’t mess up with Taylor.’ He took his foot off the accelerator, his stomach twisting into knots.
‘Try not to be too hard on yourself, Alf. You borrowed the money for all the right reasons.’
Giving a wry smile, Alfie said, ‘Yeah, but I’m not sure I’ll be thinking that when I’ve got me hands tied behind me back at the bottom of the Thames, will I?’
Franny swivelled aro
und in the passenger seat to look at Alfie. ‘Listen to me: there are a lot of things that might happen in life or have happened that we don’t and won’t understand, but above all, Alf, I want you to know that I’m genuinely sorry I can’t help you with the house.’ She looked at him knowing what she was saying was the absolute truth, because she was sorry that she couldn’t help, but there was simply no way she could pay off Mr Huang instead of using the money for a new life for her and Mia.
Alfie sounded sad. ‘Thanks, darlin’, I appreciate that. You’ve always been there for me when it matters.’
Franny quickly turned away, watching the cars and lorries go by as they headed towards the A13. She and Alfie were aiming to get to the edge of Essex before nightfall. As much as she knew what needed to be done, as much as this was the only way, sometimes none of it felt easy. The betrayal, the guilt … even the love she had for Alfie made it difficult to come to terms with what she had to do. What she had done. But then she supposed her feeling sentimental was just her being weak. And anything other than strong wouldn’t get Mia back and help her start a new life.
After a moment she asked, ‘Would you still have borrowed the money if you’d known I couldn’t help you?’
There was a long pause as Alfie thought about it, changing lanes as he did so. Eventually, he said, ‘You know what, Fran, yeah, yeah, I think I would. I couldn’t have done anything else. How could I leave that kid there knowing there was something I could’ve done about it? Nobody was there for me when I was around about his age, but I can be there for him.’
‘Well that’s exactly it, Alf. You’ve summed it up right there. Sometimes we have to do what’s wrong to get to what’s right. The decisions we make aren’t always the best ones, but if they’re for the right reasons, I guess we just have to learn to live with them.’
Alfie raised his eyebrows. ‘Or not, in my case!’
Fighting to push any sentiment as far down inside her as she could, Franny shook her head. ‘Alf, it’s not over yet.’