by Jacqui Rose
‘This time I’ll do it as it should be.’
Mr Lee nodded his head in approval. ‘It’s gone on too long, I don’t want you playing games. Like I told you before, I want you to get rid of Mr Jennings; permanently.’
‘And the girl?’
‘Especially the girl.’
Mr Lee turned and stared at Jodie who was crouched in the corner, shivering. Her face was swollen and bruised; her lip bloody. He crouched down to her. ‘Next time you bring trouble in here, I’ll finish you off in the same way your friend’s going to end up. Do you understand me?’
Jodie nodded, causing Mr Lee to squeeze her face harder.
‘I said, do you understand?’
‘Yes … Yes Mr Lee. I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know anything about it.’
Mr Lee let go of Jodie’s head, slamming it on the wall behind her. She yelped, though she didn’t cry. He sneered at her, sighing at the trouble caused. Although Jodie was stupid, he believed her. There was no way she could have kept up the lie. The lashes to her back would’ve sorted out the truth from the tale. And after thirty-odd painful strikes to her back, Jodie still insisted she hadn’t known there’d been a connection between Alfie and Chloe.
‘Lucky for you, Jodie that I’m willing to take your word for it, otherwise Lin here would’ve taught you one of his lessons.’
Jodie flashed a glance at Lin, who stared at her with hatred. ‘What’s … What’s going to happen to her?’
Mr Lee answered in a nasty voice. ‘To your friend, Jodie?’
‘Yes. What’s going to happen to Chloe?’
He grinned, slamming his foot into her. ‘Wait and see, Jodie, wait and see.’
49
The moment the doors opened, Franny ran in, barging past Lola who was being lined up and security checked. There wasn’t a moment to waste. Every second felt like an eternity and until she found Chloe, Franny was sure it would feel like that forever.
Sitting there, Franny held Lola’s hand, who thought it wise not to say anything. Franny was in a state. Neither one of them had slept, and had stayed up wondering and worrying about Chloe.
‘Lola, do you think he’ll know anything more?’
Lola bit her lip. She didn’t want to give any false hope, and Franny was clearly looking for anything to hang her hat on. ‘I dunno love, let’s see what he says and take it from there.’
Hysteria rocketed into Franny’s voice. ‘Take it from there? What’s that supposed to mean, Lo? How can we take it from there if he doesn’t know anything?’
Lola could see how much Franny was hurting and she could also see how powerless she felt. ‘Come on, love. If anyone knows what to do it’s Vaughnie. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?’
Franny breathed deeply. ‘Yeah, you’re right.’
Lola spoke carefully as she asked Franny the next question. ‘And what about Alfie? You ain’t mentioned Alfie at all. You must care what’s happened to him.’
Franny fell silent, she didn’t know what to think. She’d been pushing the thought of Alfie away. Pushing the idea that he was hurt and needing her help to the back of her mind, and when she did think of it, she’d boxed it under the heading of, it’s the world he lives in, but as she sat there now, in the light of everything that had happened she realised she did care.
Franny put her hands over her face. ‘Oh God, Lola. It’s a mess. Everything’s such a mess. What was I thinking?’
Lola pulled Franny towards her, she whispered in her ear. ‘I know pet, but we’ll sort it. Christ knows how, but we’ve managed to ride out hard times before ain’t we?’
‘And maybe our luck’s run out.’
‘And maybe it hasn’t. We’ll do all we can to find them and bring them back safely.’
Franny sat up. She stared at Lola, her heart heavy. ‘And how am I supposed to forgive Alfie? All this chaos is down to him and I feel partly responsible for it.’
‘I know love, but forgiving Alfie doesn’t mean you condone what he’s done, it doesn’t mean you have to fall back into his arms. It means you can free yourself. To forgive someone is the biggest gift you can give to yourself. Believe me, I know. Do you remember me ex-husband, Oscar Harding?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Well then you’ll remember what a mean bastard he was, and that’s only the start of it. I hated him for so long but eventually I realised I was hurting meself. It was eating away at me but the moment I decided to forgive him, it freed me. Let me get on with my life.’
‘But I feel like I’d be giving in.’
Lola smiled. ‘No, love. Forgiveness is a strength, not a weakness.’
‘But don’t you think he deserves everything that’s happening to him?’
‘Oh come on love, neither of us think that; not really. You don’t really want anything bad to happen to him. Plus, it ain’t your place to decide what punishment is fitting.’
Franny looked puzzled. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, you’ve turned your back on Alfie and said you want nothing more to do with him. Okay, we get that, we understand that, but to leave him to the lions? To leave him for them triad lot to do what they like with him? No, no, Fran that’s wrong, and you know it is.’
Franny continued to cry. ‘I know it is, Lola. Oh Christ, what have I done?’
‘You’ve been human, like the rest of us.’
‘And now what?’
‘And now … And now, we’re going to ask Vaughnie here to help us … Hello love, how’s tricks?’ Lola stood up and gave Vaughn a huge hug. He nodded his head to Franny.
‘Hello ladies, good to see you. I seem to be more popular inside than out.’
Lola’s eyes lit up, delighted she could bring Vaughn some good news before they got down to business. ‘She’s awake. Casey’s woken up.’
Vaughn slumped in his chair from the sheer relief and, like Franny had done earlier, put his head in his hands. He could only just get out his words. ‘And … and is she going to be alright, Lo?’
‘Yes Vaughnie, she is. How about I shed a tear for both of us, ’cos I know this certainly ain’t the place to be welling up like a Milly Molly Mandy.’
Vaughn roared with laughter. That was exactly right. And exactly what he’d been thinking. The desire to cry at the news of Casey was overwhelming, but he’d had to fight against the urge to do it. Belmarsh prison was no place to be shedding tears, not unless you were looking for trouble, and that was certainly something he wasn’t seeking to do.
‘She’s good, she asked about you. Oh and that copper Spencer’s been asking questions. I told Casey to keep it shut for now, which she will.’
‘I don’t blame her if she won’t, I can’t see her forgiving me.’
Lola shook her head, taking a sip of the prison tea she’d purchased earlier and which had now gone cold. ‘What is it with you lot and forgiveness? One person thinks they can’t, another thinks they shouldn’t, another thinks they won’t. Bleedin’ roll on. Everyone needs their heads banging together. We forgive each other because we love each other, we care for each other and above all, because we’re family.’ Lola stopped and looked from Vaughn then to Franny, and grinned, adding, ‘Here endeth the lesson … Go on, carry on, I’ve said me piece.’
Franny turned to Vaughn. ‘Did Chloe say anything more?’
‘I already told you everything she said. You trying to find Alfie?’
‘No … Well, yeah, both of them.’
Vaughn looked surprised; concern in his voice as he said, ‘What do you mean, both of them?’
‘Chloe took it on herself to go and get Alfie.’
‘Fuck, why did she go and do that?’
‘Why do you think, Vaughn? She came to all of us and no one would help her; she loves Alfie.’
Vaughn’s puzzlement showed. ‘She don’t know him.’
‘Look, Alfie’s her family. He’s her uncle and that means something to her.’
‘Even after the way he treated her?’
The three of them sat silently for a moment, reflecting on their own behaviour and the enormity of the task ahead to find both Chloe and Alfie.
Vaughn looked at Lola; his words firm and resolute. ‘What can I do to help?’
50
‘You’ve got to be joking?’ Del Williams sat on the well-kept lawn of his villa, sipping sangria whilst listening to the person on the other end of the phone. The Marbella sun beat down on him but he felt a cold shiver run over him.
‘There’s no way I’m coming back … I already said I …’ The phone cut off and Del stared at the mobile; bemused, annoyed and torn. And being torn pissed him off no end.
‘What’s up, Dad?’ His daughter, Star, stared at him, finishing off her collage of shells.
‘Nothing.’
She looked at him, cocking her head to one side. ‘Well that ain’t true, is it? You always get that frown in the middle of your forehead when something’s up.’
He laughed. Star had always been straight. It was something he loved about her. She and his partner, Bunny, were his life. He was lucky, and he wanted it to stay that way, but the call … the call had made him think. He spoke affectionately.
‘Well that was Lola, remember her?’
‘The one who made them rotten scotch eggs?’
‘Yeah that’s the one. Well she wants me to go back to Soho and help her find someone who’s missing.’
Star’s eyes widened. ‘Who?’
‘A kid; well she’s seventeen, eighteen.’
‘And why has she asked you?’
Del shrugged. ‘I guess ’cos there’s nobody else.’
Star looked back down at her shelled masterpiece, distracted once more by her artwork but speaking with a tone of inevitability. ‘Well there ain’t nothing else for it then, is there?’
Del didn’t say anything as he watched Star. He smiled to himself. What was the saying? Out of the mouths of bairns. Star was right. There ain’t nothing else for it.
Frankie Taylor stared at his wife, Gypsy, who was meticulously folding his clothes in his Louis Vuitton suitcases. ‘Oh come on Gypsy, let me stay, how can you want me to run off back to Soho?’
Gypsy Taylor put her well-manicured hands on her hips. She sighed at her husband, loving and being exasperated by him all at the same time. ‘It ain’t a question of wanting you to go back, of course I’m going to miss me teddy bear. Who’s going to keep me warm in bed, hey?’
‘No one I bleedin’ hope, not unless he wants a bit of gangland punishment.’ They both laughed, before Frankie became serious once more. ‘Look Gypsy, it’s a big ask to want me to go over there and risk everything. I’ve got us to think about.’
Gypsy shook her head. ‘I spoke to Lola.’
Frankie’s voice was full of sarcasm. ‘Oh great.’
‘This Chloe-Jane, she ain’t got anybody else.’
‘Well that ain’t my problem.’
‘But it is you see. ’Cos whether you like it or not, she’s family.’
Frankie looked amazed. ‘Are you having a bubble? Family? Since when? You’ve been watching too many re-runs of Oprah.’
‘Drop me out, Frank. You ain’t half hard work at times. You, me; well all of us have been through rough times, and we’ve been lucky enough to have our friends to rely on.’
‘And when our friends turn us over?’
‘Then we forgive them and move on. If I hadn’t moved on from all the things you’ve done …’
Frankie put his hand up and winced. The last thing he needed was to give his wife an excuse to list all his indiscretions and mistakes. ‘Alright, I get it, but don’t see how that makes Chloe family. She’s got a right vicious tongue on her.’
‘Babe, what’s got us through is by sticking together. We all go so far back; we’ve shared everything, lost a lot, hurt a lot, but by Christ haven’t we all loved and laughed a lot? We are what we are today because of each other, and we can’t separate our lives from one another. Where one starts, another one begins. That’s what family is; and that’s what makes us who we are, and Chloe-Jane is a part of that now.’
Frankie grinned, accustomed to his wife sounding like a self-help book. ‘Fuck me Gyps, that’s a bit heavy, ain’t it?’
Gypsy rolled her eyes. ‘Failing that sinking into your block head, Frank, I’ll put it to you straight. She’s a kid, she needs your help and there’s no way you ain’t going back. There ain’t nothing else for it.’
Frankie winked. ‘Well why didn’t you say that in the first place, woman?’
51
It was gone midnight and Jodie sat wide awake in the corner of the room. Although she was tired, there wasn’t any question of her going to sleep. The whole place was in darkness and everything was quiet. But she wanted to wait. Wait for a little while longer before she made her move.
Standing up, she went to the window, looking out onto the street below. It was deserted save a car driving past and a couple of late-night revellers. She looked up at the clock. Time had never felt so slow, yet the speed of her heart racing gave her the sense that something was about to happen; hurtling her along, unable to stop it.
She touched her face. It was sore, as was her back, as was every part of her, yet it didn’t seem to matter. Not now, not any longer. Things were about to change, and although Jodie was scared, she was ready. It had been a long time coming.
Looking at the clock once more, Jodie looked around. She arranged her things, neatly and as required by Mr Lee. Her cuddly dog, a present she’d got from Mr Lee when she’d recruited Chloe-Jane, sat on her pillow.
Her feelings for Mr Lee sometimes confused her; at times she hated him, at times she thought she was madly in love, but one thing she was never confused about was the fact that she needed him. And any time she thought about or had tried to get away from him, she had always come back, but this time … This time it was going to be different. This time she was finally going to break free. Picking up the toy, Jodie looked at it, held it to her, closing her eyes for a moment, letting thoughts and feelings sweep over her. Then she took a deep breath and threw it in the bin before turning away, opening the door, without looking back.
The hallway was quiet and Jodie crept up the stairs. One flight. Two flights, avoiding the creaky old floorboards. She paused a couple of times as she ascended the stairs, making sure no one was coming; making sure she didn’t draw any attention to herself.
Getting to the top, the highest part of the building which was the fifth floor, Jodie covered her mouth and nose. The dust was thick and it caught in the back of her throat. The last thing she wanted was to have a coughing fit.
The hallway was lit up by the moonlight, a world away from the dark basement below. Jodie could see well, and she walked down the hall avoiding standing on any of the piles of rubbish strewn about or on any of the needles left by the Chinese girls after they’d had their fix.
At the end of the corridor was a door, and carefully Jodie opened it, pausing before she entered. The room was empty but it led to another door. The anxiety in Jodie began to rise as she tried to calm herself from what she knew was behind the door.
Slowly, Jodie pushed down on the silver handle, wincing at the tiny sound it made. Once the handle was fully pushed down, Jodie creaked open the door. It was dark; the curtains were drawn and in the far corner, Jodie saw the sleeping figure of Mr Lee. Jodie knew he had a house somewhere in Chelsea but often he slept here, once telling her that he’d spent his early years in a crowded, noisy tenement back in Hong Kong and so found it difficult to live in the quiet and splendour of his Chelsea home. It was the only time he had ever spoken to her about his life.
Jodie tiptoed across the room, holding her breath, terrified the sound of her breathing would wake him up. Her legs felt heavy as the burden of fear weighed her down. Her eyes darted around the room, then fell on what she had come in for. There on the desk by the side of Mr Lee’s bed were the keys which would open the door to freedom.
She crept forward again, stopping and starting at every snore and grunt. A dangerous game of Mr Wolf, a game where the stakes would mean something unthinkable.
She’d known Mr Lee was a heavy sleeper; often he’d ordered her to bring him food or a drink and when she’d brought it up to him he’d been heavy in slumber which had made it nearly impossible to wake him up. But now as she skulked across the bare-floored room, the idea Mr Lee was a heavy sleeper didn’t comfort her at all.
Jodie glanced at Mr Lee, checking for certain he wasn’t stirring. She reached across, leaning; stretching, not wanting to get closer than necessary. Her hand touched the cold metal, her fingers wrapping round the keys. She had to be certain she gripped them properly. She had to make sure when she picked them up they lifted smoothly, silently. One chance.
Her hand shook, trembling round the keys. She could feel it sweating, and each time she made up her mind to lift the keys away, a sea of panic rose inside her, hindering her from being able to go through with it.
She had to stop thinking. Just do it … Just do it. So with one determined effort, Jodie scooped up the keys, gripping them so tightly they dug into the palm of her hand. And now she’d got them, she needed to go. As quickly and as quietly as she came. The overwhelming desire to run drove through her, but she shouldn’t; couldn’t.
If Mr Lee saw her now with the keys in her hand, then there was no getting out of it. No excuse which could justify her actions.
Slowly, slowly, slowly, Jodie edged away. Backing off, backing away, with her eyes never moving away from Mr Lee. Feeling for the door behind her Jodie’s heel banged into the chair; the clatter, although not loud, was loud enough for Mr Lee to utter a moan. Jodie stiffened and she could feel her knees trembling. She didn’t know what to do; whether to take the chance and move or to stay rooted to the spot; waiting, hoping he’d settle down again.