Ged smiled. She was a good kid. All she needed was a bit of affection.
Turning to Lee and Wendy, he waved them to the door. Lee opened his mouth to protest, but Ged held up a firm hand, telling him: ‘In the car. No arguments. Can you make it down?’ he asked Wendy then. ‘I can carry you, if you want.’
‘I can walk!’ she snapped indignantly and, pressing her fingers in hard below the bump as if she could hold the baby in by will-power alone, she staggered to the door.
Max passed The Man’s Jag as he drove into the car park. He caught a brief glimpse of the girl in the passenger seat and wondered if she knew about Jake. He shook his head. That shit was nothing to do with him.
Parking, he jogged across to the doorway and pressed the intercom button, peering around all the while to see if he was being watched. After a short wait the buzzer sounded, releasing the lock. Max went in quickly, pulling the door firmly into place behind him and rattling it to make absolutely sure it was locked tight before walking up the stairs to where The Man was waiting in the doorway – his face clearly displaying his anger and disquiet.
In the living room, Max flopped into the same chair as before and lit a cigarette, nervously watching as The Man stalked into the room.
‘So what the fuck’s going down?’ The Man shot at him, his eyes glittering slits in his sweating face.
Max shifted in the chair, pulling his leather coat-tails free. He shrugged. ‘Just what I said. It was all dark at the front, so I cruised round the back to look in the yard, and I see the jeep sitting there. So then I bell you, and you say tek a look.’ Pausing, he reached out for Jake’s untouched juice. ‘Can I?’
The Man nodded and Max took a long drink, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.
‘Anyhow,’ he went on at last. ‘I get out, leaving my lights on so’s I can see into the yard, yeah? And at first I don’t see nutt’n, so I think to check the jeep – see if he’s kipping in the back or something. But he’s not. And then I see him lying by the door, and when I go over I see all this blood.’ He paused again, taking another long drink.
‘And?’ snapped The Man impatiently.
‘And so I feel ’is neck, but I can’t feel no pulse, yeah? And that’s when I tell you he’s dead and you say come back here.’
‘Shit, man!’ The Man sat heavily, punching the chair arm with a dull thwack. ‘I said don’t touch him! Wha’pp’n to your raas brain?’ He jabbed a finger at his own forehead. ‘Y’ lost all your sense now, is it? Shit, man!’ With a heavy sigh, he put his elbows on his knees and stroked the corners of his mouth with his thumbs, deep in thought.
‘I didn’t really touch him,’ Max said quietly. ‘I only rest my finger just so . . .’ He lightly touched a finger to his throat to demonstrate.
Watching this from beneath his brows, The Man shook his head slowly. ‘You know the Babylon got them dee-en-ay tests,’ he said, his voice low and grave. ‘All it tek is one strand offa them pretty dreads—’ he jabbed a finger at Max’s hair ‘—and they’ll swarm all over you!’ He kissed his teeth. ‘Raas!’
Max slouched in his chair, resting his head on his clenched fist as the enormity of the situation began to sink in. If he’d gone straight to The Nile earlier as planned, he’d be rocking his gal’s ass by now. Instead, he was sitting here, getting depressed.
He knew full well the implications of his actions tonight. The junkie he’d dispatched to a watery grave was one thing. That would be eaten by the fishes along with any trace of himself by the time the Babylon found it. But a respected businessman lying dead in a yard, just feet from a main road and only a matter of hours from discovery, with traces of himself on the corpse, was another thing altogether. And he hadn’t even done it!
‘So the bag wasn’t there?’ The Man was asking now.
Max shook his head unhappily. ‘I could see clear by the time you axed me to look for it, and there wasn’t no bag in the yard. How much you lost?’
The Man’s face darkened. ‘A lot!’
Max rolled his eyes. ‘Shit!’
‘Listen,’ The Man said after a minute. ‘You’d better go meet your gal.’
‘Nah,’ Max shook his head dejectedly. ‘It’s too late. Anyway, I don’t feel like it now.’
‘Go,’ The Man insisted. Standing up he headed for the door. ‘Don’t keep her waiting, man. Go get seen so you got an alibi, yeah? Forget all this for tonight, but keep your ears open, yeah? Anyone mentions Pasha or the shop, or someone having money to burn, come and tell me about it, yeah?’
Max nodded, following The Man to the door in a cloud of despondency.
‘Look, don’t worry,’ said The Man as he waved Max down the stairs. ‘If you only touched his neck a little bit, I don’t think it’ll show. Peace, man.’
Max gave him a sick smile, then continued down the stairs. It was all right for The Man to say ‘Don’t worry’ when he himself hadn’t been within a mile of the crime scene tonight.
5
Jake still hadn’t uttered a word, but Linda was oblivious to the heavy silence in the car. She was too busy stroking her seat, enjoying the sensual feel of the smooth leather beneath her fingers. She’d become very attached to this car in the short week she’d been Simeon’s girl. She loved the luxury of it. The touch and smell of hot leather. The musky scent of Simeon’s aftershave. The sexy music throbbing from the expensive system. Money and danger – a heady combination. Sophisticated. A world she’d craved to be a part of for the longest time. And now that she was, she had no intention of letting it go.
Linda smiled as she thought of Simeon. The Man . . . her man! So big and strong – and wrapped around her little finger! Anything she wanted, she only had to ask and he’d be sure to give it to her.
Simeon was special, there was no denying that. Like a lion – powerful, demanding respect. Everything she’d always dreamed of, in fact. Yet, somehow, tonight, some of his appeal had faded. For tonight, she had seen Jake as something other than his right-hand man, and it had excited her beyond her wildest dreams. If Simeon was a lion, then Jake was a caged tiger. Gorgeous, unpredictable – and definitely dangerous.
Glancing across at the still-silent man, Linda drank in the details she had previously overlooked. The mocking curve of his lips. The surprisingly slender nose speckled with light freckles. The muscles in his arms, rippling like waves as he turned the wheel. As the heat of desire spread across her thighs, she wondered how it would feel to be with him. To have those arms around her, his husky voice whispering words of love as he moved deep inside her.
Running her fingers through her silky hair, she stretched languidly and raised her arms snakelike to stroke her fingertips along the roof. She wished he wasn’t taking her straight home. Wished he’d take her somewhere nice and secluded.
Jake’s lips fluttered in the tiniest smile as he watched Linda from the corner of his eye. Far from rousing his interest, her little snake-charming display merely confirmed what he’d felt all along – that she was a cheap little slut. And a stupid one at that, if she thought her little show would make him want to be nice to her.
Easing the Jag off the Princess Parkway, he considered taking her out into the countryside for a bit of fun. The Man wouldn’t have a problem with that. She might, but The Man wouldn’t.
‘Jake . . .?’ Linda interrupted his thoughts in her best seductive voice. When he still didn’t look at her, she played a talon slowly down her cleavage. ‘Why don’t you like me, Jake?’
He glanced at her then, the infrequent street lights casting a demonic glint on the strange green of his eyes as a teasing smile curved his lips. ‘Whassamatter?’ he drawled, his voice low and deceptively soft. ‘You wanna play?’
Excitement and fear flooded her eyes, sending a thrill of anticipation through his groin. Shifting in his seat, he eased down harder on the accelerator and smoothly changed course, heading the sleek car towards Styal. If the slut wanted action, he was more than happy to oblige.
Linda’s he
art fluttered wildly in her chest. Excited? Scared? She couldn’t decide. Maybe both. But it didn’t matter. He’d opened the door – shown that he liked her. Something was going to happen. Stretching her legs deeper into the footwell, she slowly crossed them, sending her skirt even higher as she twirled a lock of hair slowly around her finger.
Her eyes strayed to the clock face glowing red in the dash, and she got a momentary shock when she saw it was three-thirty. Her mum would go berserk! As soon as she thought it, she shrugged it off. So what? Let the old bag have a shit-fit. She couldn’t spoil her fun for ever. In a few weeks she’d be old enough to do whatever she wanted – even leave home. Simeon had already hinted at getting her a flat of her own. If she played her cards right she’d be set for life. Simeon could set her up, and Jake could be her secret lover.
Smiling, she closed her eyes to concentrate on her fantasy. Jake would fall madly in love with her. And he’d be so gentle. The animosity he’d displayed so far, the aggression – that was just a cover. He was just wary of stepping on Simeon’s toes, which was understandable, but she’d soon put his mind at rest. She’d assure him that she’d be discreet, then she’d cook for him, clean his clothes, and satisfy his every need. And in return, he’d worship her.
Jake noticed Linda’s head nodding forward as she fell asleep. Only then did he look at her fully. He refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing him looking. Give them the impression he liked them or something? No way! He liked them frightened – like she’d been in the hall back there. That was good.
Nosing the car onto a short stretch of unlit motorway, he lit a spliff and changed the tape. Brimstone and Fire. Heavy dub to make the blood pulse through his veins. Then minutes later, he pulled onto a dirt track and rolled quietly to a stop.
Linda opened her eyes slowly. ‘Whazzup?’ she slurred, her mouth dry from sleep.
‘Sshh,’ Jake crooned.
‘Where are we?’ Hardly able to see in the pitch darkness, she tried to sit up to look out, but found she couldn’t move her head.
Jake grinned and twisted her hair another turn around his hand as he stared into her soul with his unblinking green eyes. ‘Wakey, wakey, darlin’,’ he purred. ‘Time for some fun.’
‘Oh, Jake,’ she murmured, parting her lips in anticipation of his kiss as she reached out to touch his beautiful face.
Jake tightened his grip, amused by her obvious confusion. ‘What should we play, then?’ he asked in a voice like melted syrup.
‘W-whatever you want,’ she whispered, her voice tiny as she struggled not to cry out against the pain.
His eyes sparkled mockingly as he watched her pupils dilate – jet spreading out to overtake the blue. An absolute turn-on. Still holding her hair in a vicelike grip, he unzipped his jeans and pressed her head firmly down. She gagged as he forced himself into her mouth, but he held her fast, furiously bucking his hips against her until she thought she would faint.
Pulling her head back minutes later, he viewed his handiwork dispassionately. Her lips were puffy and red, her eyes dark and watery – and huge with fear. He felt satisfied, despite not having released one drop of seed. He’d never waste that on a white girl. That wasn’t the point at all. The point was the mute terror he could see, feel, smell. That was what did it for him.
Pushing her back on the seat, he laughed as she raised her hands to her throat. ‘What’s up, darlin’? Too much man for you? Don’t you like me no more?’
Linda nodded quickly, still uncertain, but still willing to believe he liked her. He must do to have had such a hard-on.
‘I do l-like you,’ she stuttered. ‘Please don’t be mean. Just let me . . .’ She trailed off with a gasp as the moon suddenly emerged to illuminate his mocking eyes – liquid gold streaking through the green. A hell-cat.
Jake smiled and moved in for the kill. Running a finger gently along the exposed skin of her stomach, he slowly eased it under the Lycra hem of her skimpy top and traced it along the soft underside of her breasts. He listened to her ragged breathing as his eyes bored into hers – daring her to stop him . . . willing her to try.
She didn’t.
Easing his hand in, he cupped her breast. Then, as she quivered with desire, he began to dig his nails in, raking them down in long, even stripes. Softly at first, then harder and harder, watching intently as her expression changed from pleasure to uncertainty to pain. Then, just as he knew she would cry, he pushed the top all the way up to her chin and gently traced his tongue along the rising welts. She began to moan softly.
‘You like that?’ he husked.
‘Mmmmm . . .’ she murmured.
And then she screamed as his teeth clamped down on her tender flesh.
6
Slouched in his seat in the hospital waiting room, Ged winced in sympathy as Wendy’s screaming reached him all the way down the corridor. She’d been so far gone when they’d arrived, the midwife said he’d probably have had to deliver it himself if he’d hit a red light.
Rubbing a hand across his tired eyes, he had a sudden vision of Sam’s ghostly white face in the back of the car. The poor sod would have been as much use as a chocolate fireguard if she’d had it in the car. As for Lee . . . well, he was no use, full stop. All he’d done was twist himself around so he could peer over into the back, no doubt praying she’d have to take her knickers off. Perverted little bastard. Giving birth was sacred in Ged’s book, but Lee had tried to turn it into a peep-show.
As he thought about Lee, the man himself let forth a bellow from the other end of the corridor. Hearing a nurse yelling back, Ged tutted loudly. What was the little prat up to now? Was he determined to make them call the police? Sighing heavily, he pushed himself to his feet.
The receptionist glared at him reproachfully as he passed by her desk. You brought him in, you sort him out! her eyes seemed to be saying. Embarrassed and ashamed, Ged averted his eyes and hurried towards Lee’s cubicle.
Pulling the curtain aside, he almost laughed out loud at the sight that greeted him: Lee, flat on his back on the blood-smeared examination couch, being artfully manhandled by a chunky nurse, whose round, flat face was a picture of determination – and she was definitely winning. Outweighing Lee by a good few stones, she was using every ounce to squash him flat as they argued furiously.
‘You are staying until the doctor has seen you, Mr Naylor! Do I make myself clear?’
‘Fuck off, Godzilla! You can’t make me stay, so fuck . . . you!’
‘It’s for your own good. And if I have to get the security guards in here, believe me, you’ll be sorry!’
‘Get the fuckin’ ARMY if it makes you feel good, it won’t make no difference. I’m NOT . . . STAYING!’
‘YES . . . YOU . . . ARE!’
Ged leaned against the wall and folded his arms. ‘You might as well give up, Lee,’ he laughed. ‘She’s well and truly got you.’
Glancing around in surprise, the nurse gave Ged a tense smile. ‘At least someone’s got sense. Now stop struggling, Mr Naylor. Doctor Laycock will be here any minute, and if he sees you like this he’ll give you a tranquillizer!’
‘Watch what you’re saying,’ Ged chuckled. ‘He’ll get worse if he thinks he’ll get a reward.’
As the nurse turned again to look at Ged questioningly, Lee saw his opportunity and went for it. Sticking his hand up her skirt with lightning speed, he grabbed a handful of soft fat flesh, squeezing for all he was worth.
Shocked, she reflexively slapped his face, yelping, ‘Get your filthy hands off me!’
Lee clung on tight as she struggled to get away, almost falling off the bed in his attempt to reach Nirvana. And he almost made it. Reaching the soft flesh at the top of her thighs, he pushed forward, only to find his progress blocked by the resistance of her panties.
Ged had been laughing so hard, he hadn’t seen what Lee was actually doing, but when the frantic nurse began to scream in earnest, he suddenly realized and pushed himself away from the wall to go to her
aid. Before he’d taken two steps, however, the curtain flew back and a white-coated, red-faced doctor stood glaring at them.
‘What the HELL is going on in here?’ he demanded. Then, quickly sizing up the situation, he barked at Lee, ‘YOU! Unhand that nurse!’
Lee immediately withdrew his hand and stopped struggling, cowed by the total authority in the doctor’s voice.
Turning to the furious nurse, the doctor said, ‘Send security in. And bring me the shots.’
‘Yes, Doctor. My pleasure!’ Throwing a look of pure hatred at Lee, she turned on her heel and flounced out through the curtain.
Almost instantly, two uniformed thugs appeared. Swatting back the curtain they strode in and flanked the doctor, arms folded, no-nonsense faces hard as flint.
Shrinking into himself with fear, Lee scrabbled backward on the couch, but his heels quickly lost their grip on a slippery pool of blood and he slipped down prone.
The doctor picked up the chart and studied it. ‘Naylor, is it?’
Lee nodded up at him. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘Well, Mr Naylor, we’re going to administer a tranquillizer, so if you wouldn’t mind rolling your trousers down . . .?’
The nurse reappeared with an evil-looking syringe and a couple of sealed phials of clear fluid. Ged grimaced as she prepared the injection, then passed it to the doctor, who proceeded to savagely stab it into one of Lee’s buttocks. It was like watching a horror film.
Within seconds, the tranquillizer took effect, stealing all the fight from Lee, replacing his hostile scowl with a stupid grin. Satisfied that he’d be no more trouble, the doctor and security guards left, leaving the nurse to repair the wounds.
With great delight, she shaved off a wide strip of Lee’s dirty hair, then set about stitching the gash with fierce, even strokes. That finished, she started on his arm – pouring an undiluted solution of noxious-smelling antiseptic straight into the torn flesh before scouring at it like a demon for a good deal longer than was absolutely necessary.
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