by Emma Tallon
Viktor’s thick Albanian accent came out in a mocking tone. The men around him laughed, and Viktor’s cat-like smile grew, showing a set of uneven, tobacco-stained teeth framed with thin, chapped lips. His face was weathered and pockmarked, his skin sunken around the eyes and under his cheekbones. Freddie noted this quietly. It was a clear sign of how malnourished he must have been as a child. Freddie had seen it before, in some of the neglected junkies’ kids in the council estates of the East End.
Wild, untamed eyebrows contrasted starkly with the greasy slicked-back hair that had been combed and gelled within an inch of its life. Each bony finger on his scarred hands was adorned with a chunky gold ring. Freddie wondered what had caused such extensive scarring but kept his curiosity to himself. Viktor looked scruffy in a white vest, shell suit and trainers. Matching thick gold chains hung around his neck. Freddie sat down in one of the chairs. Sammy stayed standing but moved closer to Freddie. He hovered just behind him in a protective stance, wary of the weaponry that he could see the men around them were packing.
‘You’re right, it has been a long journey all the way down to this end of the food chain.’ Freddie raised an eyebrow and smiled at Viktor coldly.
Viktor’s smile disappeared and a flash of annoyance crossed his face. He had meant to unnerve Freddie and it had not worked. He barked an order to one of the men standing by.
‘Go and bring us vodka. I believe Mr Freddie Tyler here has business he wish to discuss with me.’
The man scooted off quickly.
‘We don’t have time for vodka today, Viktor. I just have a couple of questions I was hoping you could answer.’ Freddie pulled a picture of Katherine out of his inner jacket pocket and slid it across the table with his index finger. ‘This girl, she disappeared from one of my clubs last weekend. I need to find her. Is she one of yours?’
Viktor didn’t look at the picture. ‘Why you care about one girl?’ He held his arms out wide in question, then picked up the lit cigarette from the nearly full ashtray in front of him. ‘Girls, they go missing. There are a lot that disappear.’ He shrugged. ‘She is not relation of yours. I know – I keep tab. It would be bad for business to take relation of someone like you.’
‘No, she ain’t a relation, but she’s been taken from the front door of one of my busiest clubs.’ Freddie’s tone was clipped. He tried to stay polite, aware that he was in Viktor’s territory here. ‘The police are all over me like flies on shit. Specials, not the pigs I can control. I can’t do anything until this is gone.’
‘Why specials?’ Viktor frowned, suddenly more alert.
‘She’s the Secretary of State for Justice’s daughter. So it ain’t gonna be dropped until she’s found. I want to find her quietly and get this sorted, before it goes any further.’
‘I see.’ Viktor’s tone was more serious now, and he pulled the picture closer to study. After a few seconds he flicked the photo back across the table to Freddie. ‘No. She is not one of mine. All special orders are overseen by me. She is not a face I have passed on inspection. And she is too high class to be taken for the houses. None of my men would risk a take like that for common house girl.’
‘OK. Could anyone else in your line of work have taken her? Is that something you could find out?’
‘Possibly.’ Viktor sat back, the corners of his mouth curling upwards. ‘But what can you do for me in return?’
Freddie ground his teeth but made sure to keep his expression neutral. ‘What do you want, Viktor?’
‘I want space on your secure shipments over to Europe, once a month. I will pay you.’
‘What for?’
‘My special orders, of course.’
‘No.’ Freddie’s reply was swift and automatic.
Viktor scowled at him. ‘Why not? My money is as good as from anybody else.’
‘I don’t sell women.’
‘Nobody is asking you to. That is my job.’
‘I won’t take part in it. Any other requests instead?’
‘I do not need anything else. What I need is secure passage.’
‘Then I can’t help you.’
‘I see.’ Viktor strummed his fingers on the table and pursed his lips. ‘You are the only player with decent access right now. You know you hold the monopoly?’
‘I do.’
‘You know… I didn’t get here by luck. I came to England as a boy, as an immigrant. In my country my family were poor; we had nothing. I decided to change that. And I did. Not through being polite, not through taking “no” as an answer and not through caring about other people. I changed our position through making hard decisions, doing things that were not good and through climbing over the backs of other people.’
‘That much I can believe,’ Freddie answered.
Viktor gave him a humourless smile. ‘I still live that way. If people get in my way, I will climb them like a ladder to get what I need.’
Freddie stood up abruptly and straightened his jacket. ‘We’re done here. Thank you for your help, Viktor. Goodbye. Come on, Sammy.’
Freddie turned and walked back out the way he had come in. Viktor’s voice carried through after them.
‘Oh, we are far from done, Freddie Tyler. But that can wait for now.’
Sammy followed Freddie out, walking at a swift pace. No one got in their way, and they were back out on the street in seconds. Freddie unlocked the car. They jumped in and Freddie started it up. Sammy looked back towards the pub as Freddie pulled away. No one had come out after them. He let out the breath he’d been holding.
‘Good timing,’ he said.
‘Yep. He was getting ready to board the crazy train. Power-hungry ingrates like that are all the fucking same.’
‘Still, he’s a power-hungry ingrate with a pretty big business. We should keep half an eye on that. Make sure he stays in his box.’
‘Mm.’ Freddie nodded in agreement. ‘Still, at least we can cross him off the list. Katherine isn’t on the market. Sure, there are other players, but they’re a network. He’d know by now if she was on there after all the publicity she’s had. You saw his face – he hadn’t considered it anything to do with him before today. It was new information.’
‘True. So what do we do now?’
Freddie suddenly pulled over to the side of the road and stopped outside a flower shop. The shopfront was bright and colourful with all different bouquets displayed ready to be picked up and taken home to loved ones.
‘Well, right now I have a different sort of fire to put out. And then I’m going to get some sleep and a shower. Cause I ain’t slept in two days and I’m knackered. But after that we’ll sit and work out what our next move is.’
Freddie got out of the car and slammed the door. Sammy watched him pick out the largest bunch of bright pink roses that he could find, then disappear into the shop. He chuckled to himself. His whole life was on the line and still he found time to think about Anna.
‘Soppy twat,’ he mumbled to himself, shaking his head fondly. He stared at the busy street and his face slowly turned sober again. They had a difficult journey ahead of them. He prayed that they made it through this one.
18
Late that night after a busy evening with the club, Tanya stepped out of the small newsagent’s at the corner of her road and walked towards the front door of her building. Her bag contained half a watermelon and a litre of vodka. She had seen a video about frozen vodka melon balls and wanted to try it out at home. If it went well she would invite everyone over for dinner and serve them up as a fun dessert. Maybe she could invite Anna and Freddie over one night that Daniel was free. She had been looking for a way to introduce them to her new boyfriend; that could be the time to do it.
A strange noise sounded behind her, and as she turned to see what it was, a shadow disappeared down the side alley between two of the buildings she’d just passed. Tanya knew that there was nothing down there except a dead end. There should be no reason for anyone to go down there. She took
a deep breath as she paused and watched the space for a moment. It was dark, and she didn’t relish going to find out who, or what, it was. With one last wary look, she turned and carried on towards her door. The last few metres of empty pavement suddenly felt like a mile, and she hurried forward as fast as her Louboutins would carry her. The sharp taps of the stiletto heels sounded very loud as she strained her ears for any other sounds behind.
Holding her head high, she pursed her lips and wrapped her fingers around the keys in her pocket, placing one between each finger, knowing she could use them as a weapon if she needed to. She flicked her hair back and dismissed the stab of worry in her gut. She was a hard East End warrior, for Christ’s sake. No one scared Tanya Smith.
Reaching the front door of the building she opened it and stepped inside. Taking a moment to scout the road with her eyes she nodded, satisfied that no one was there. She took a long breath and shook it off. As she took the lift up to her flat she wondered about the shadow. It wasn’t the first time she had seen something odd. Twice in the last week she thought she’d seen someone tailing her, but each time they’d disappeared from view when she’d tried to look. Both times it had been dark and not sensible to check things out. She might be able to look after herself, but she wasn’t a mug; she wasn’t about to go looking for trouble.
Tanya entered her flat and walked into the living room. It was huge compared to the little place she and Anna used to live in together. Not that she had minded their cramped little home. It was the first place she had really felt at home in, and she and Anna had created many happy memories there. She had made some good memories in her new place too, though. It was a home she was truly proud of. The first property she had ever owned and where she had enough money to decorate and kit it out in proper style. She smiled happily, dropping the keys in the pretty metal bowl on the side unit. Something stirred at the end of the big cream couch and a small, fluffy white cat ran over to rub itself against her legs.
‘Ah, Princess, ’ave you missed me?’ She leaned over and stroked the purring animal. ‘I have a treat for you in the cupboard. A whole tin of tuna, how about that, eh? Proper spoilt, you are, ain’t ya? Come on then.’
Through in the long galley kitchen, Tanya emptied the fish into Princess’s bowl and then walked back into the lounge. Kicking her high, black patent shoes off to one side, Tanya flicked the telly on to the news for some background noise. She liked having it on quietly, now that she was on her own. The white noise relaxed her.
Her phone beeped and she opened the message expectantly. She assumed it was Anna at this time of night. Her brow furrowed as she read the message and then read it again. It wasn’t Anna. It was from a number she didn’t recognise.
Karma is coming for you.
‘What the actual fuck!’ she shouted, shocked and confused. Her mouth hung open as she paused where she stood, trying to work out what it meant. The memory of the noise down the alley crept up on her again uneasily. Darting to the window she pulled the curtain to one side and stared down at the dark mouth of the alley. It was too black to make much out, but she was sure she caught a ripple of movement as though someone was turning away.
Tanya shivered. She felt cold suddenly. Paranoid, Tanya made a thorough check of her flat. There was no one there – of course there wasn’t. She shook her head.
‘You’re goin’ mad, mate,’ she chastised herself under her breath.
After making sure the door was double-locked, she closed the curtains and sat down on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around her. She gnawed at a long red fingernail absentmindedly, staring at the text. Frowning angrily, she texted back.
Who is this and what the fuck is that supposed to mean?
Not used to feeling scared, Tanya rode her anger headfirst into battle. She waited several minutes, but there was no response. Clicking on the number, she tried calling it. It immediately went to a pre-recorded network message, informing her that the phone was switched off. There was no voicemail.
‘Fuck sake,’ Tanya huffed, irritated by this intrusion on what she had hoped would be a relaxed night in. Scrolling down her contacts, she tried Daniel. That went through to voicemail. She clicked off, not wanting to bother him while he was working. Going to her speed dial, she pressed the first one. Anna picked up.
‘Hey, what’s up?’
‘Not much, just have a quick question.’
‘Shoot.’ Anna sounded busy. Tanya could hear people trying to get her attention in the background.
‘Can Freddie still track numbers to people?’
‘If they’re registered, yes. Why?’
‘Would you ask him to find a name out for me, if I give you the number?’
‘Yes, of course. Are you OK?’
‘Yeah, it’s just…’ Tanya paused. She didn’t want to worry Anna. It was just a stupid text. ‘It’s just someone joking around, sending naughty messages. Won’t tell me who he is, the pervert. Probably someone I never called back after a first date or something. Just want to find out who, so I can give them what for.’
‘Oh! Only you, Tan!’ Anna laughed. ‘Sure, text it over and I’ll ask him to run the number.’
‘Thanks, mate. You’re a diamond.’
‘No worries. See you tomorrow.’
‘Yep, bye.’ Tanya ended the call and threw her phone to the other end of the sofa. She folded her arms across her chest. Bastard. Whoever it was, she hoped they tripped into an open pothole.
She picked up the remote and checked to see what films were on. She didn’t feel like making vodka melon balls tonight after all.
19
Anna tapped her fingers on the bar, her mind elsewhere. It was a slow night; Mondays always were. She hadn’t really needed to come in today – Carl was on – but she was feeling restless at home. Freddie was out again, and whereas usually she would just get on with her own life without thinking about what he was up to, right now she couldn’t seem to shake a nagging worry that things weren’t right.
Freddie had come home yesterday morning after their unusual argument with a huge bunch of roses. They hadn’t discussed the previous night’s events, and Anna had pretended to accept it, as she knew he was hoping she would.
She pushed her thick, dark hair back over her shoulder, out of her face. It was styled immaculately tonight. Anna always liked to make an effort with her appearance, but she made more effort than usual whenever she felt uneasy. It made her feel more in control. Blood-red lips and perfectly winged eyeliner stood out in her pale face. She sat up straighter in her bar stool and signalled Carl to come over. She handed him the empty glass in front of her.
‘Can I have another please?’
‘Of course.’ Carl took the glass and set about getting Anna another large vodka, lime and soda. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She looked beautiful this evening, perfectly made-up and dressed to kill. But she also looked sad. The corners of her mouth were downturned, and her eyes had lost their happy, confident twinkle. She sat straight, her chin a little higher than normal – defiant.
Carl wondered what had made her so unhappy. It was unusual for Anna. Well, these days anyway, he thought. He pursed his lips, his eyes sympathetic. He cared about Anna – deeply. He cared about Tanya too. He was a lot older than they were. A terminal bachelor fast approaching fifty, the club was his second home, and his staff were like family to him. His two vivacious employers were almost like the daughters he never had. Not that he ever said it out loud. He was careful not to overstep the mark, but he made sure he was always there for them when they needed someone to talk to. Tanya was usually the one pouring her heart out over the bar, seeking advice. Anna always closed up when things went wrong.
He put a cheery smile back on his face and took Anna’s drink over to her.
‘Thanks. These seem to be going down a little too well. I should probably stop after this otherwise the accounts will make no sense at all.’
Carl picked up his polishing rag and started rubbing the
champagne glasses up to a clear shine. He watched the act on stage as he replied in a carefully casual voice. ‘You don’t need to do the accounts tonight – it’s Monday. You’d only have yesterday’s to do.’
‘Well…’ Anna tailed off, not having an answer for that. She didn’t want to admit that she was searching for reasons not to go home. She sipped her drink and turned to watch the act too. It was one of the twin acts. Both girls twisted and turned in the hoops that hung from the ceiling. They moved in perfect unison to the music.
Carl glanced sideways at her. ‘I don’t like having idle hands either. Freddie not about tonight?’
Anna tensed in her chair and picked her drink up. She sipped it then placed it back on the bar. Her chin rose slightly higher and she sniffed. ‘No, he’s busy.’
‘Yes, of course, he would be. I imagine he’s under it at the moment, what with that missing girl so hot on the news. Must be a nightmare. It would have to be outside his club of all places, eh?’
‘Yes, I guess so.’ Anna’s lips closed tightly. Carl nodded to himself and dropped it. He knew when not to push.
‘Oh, what you doin’ here then? You ain’t supposed to be in tonight.’ Tanya swept in like a breath of fresh air and joined them at the bar.
‘You aren’t either,’ replied Anna, giving her best friend a welcoming hug.
‘Yeah, well, I was getting bored at home on me tod, thought I’d come have a few drinks with Carl here. I did text you to see if you was about,’ she said accusingly.
‘Oh, sorry.’ Anna shook her head and reached into her bag, pulling out her phone. Three messages lit up on the screen. The first was from her mother, asking if she’d had a good time at her party, and the second was from Tanya asking if she was free for drinks. The third was from Freddie letting her know he would be late home again. The message preview faded off screen midway through a suggestion of dinner out the following evening. Anna’s finger hovered above the message for a second, about to open and reply, but then she changed her mind. She clicked the screen off and put the phone away. If he was busy that was fine. So was she.