We Promise Not to Tell

by Albert Able

  Max looked again up and his mood changed abruptly. “Oh and a special thanks to you Stan for coming up with that Doctor.” Max was the sort of man who liked to pay in full on the spot. “What do you think I should do about paying him?”

  Stan smiled. “I know he won’t take money ‘because you see he’s not exactly a doctor.”

  “What d’you mean ‘not exactly’? Is he struck off or something?” Max was curious.

  “Well he’s not struck off either, actually, he’s a vet!”

  “A vet! You let a bloody vet operate on me!” Max’s face was picture of astonishment, which soon exploded in peels of laughter, only to be stopped when the pain in his shoulder took control again.

  For the next few days, as the wound gradually healed Stan fussed around his master like a mother hen and Max frequently lapsed into laughter as he thought of the vet who had save his life.

  “There has to be a way of rewarding this man?” He persisted.

  “I’ll find a way, just leave it to me.” Stan assured his master.

  Chapter 10 - Connie

  It had only been eighteen months since I left Poland clutching my dream to ‘see the world’ when Marcus and I decided to get married. Now as the nausea of my first bout of morning sickness recedes, I am flushed with the joy of being pregnant for the first time.

  We talked for hours about whether we should start a family or wait until we had a home and all those secure things associated with a normal suburban life.

  In the end, we both recognised that there is something about a close-knit hotel community, which makes it so different to other lifestyles; in spite of the fact that it requires a total commitment, allowing very little time for leisure pursuits, the reward is a unique sense of security as part of a large family consisting a whole range of different personalities and cultures and so having mutually concluded, that we were an inseparable part of it, we decided to start our family immediately.

  Conchita was the first member of the staff to share my excitement as I retched in the ‘Ladies’ loo.

  “You not well Mrs Marcus?” She enquired sympathetically but when she saw my face, something told her. “Hey you have baby no?” She giggled with excitement.

  My response was another retch into the loo before I was able to speak. “Yes I am pregnant” I confirmed her suspicions “but I didn’t think it was going to be like this.”

  I rinsed my face and felt a little better as I stepped towards Conchita “I very happy for you” she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me and then kissed me warmly on the cheek “one day I really have baby too, we look after together yes?”

  I tried to smile but still felt too ill for conversation; amusingly I still remember she joked with me. “Of course, if I decide to have baby, I make sure man very rich, mind it not always easy to know which one the father eh?” and she burst into hysterical giggles.

  “Hey you wait until you are married,” I managed to tease her “then you can think about babies.” She let me go and poured me a glass of water.

  “I suppose; here drink water, it will help” she sighed “but I help with your baby yes?”

  “Of course you can.”

  And help she did, in fact you would have thought that little Jasmine, as we named her, was Conchita’s own daughter. She even gave up some of her extra curricular activities to baby sit.

  On several occasions over the months, my mind wandered back to that terrifying experience with Ahmed. Naturally thankful that he hadn’t made me pregnant, I still thought about Naomi and how he had treated her so brutally. I never stopped thinking of what might have happened to me had she not so bravely assisted my escape from that dreadful house; even worse I continued to speculate on what Ahmed may have to Naomi in revenge.

  Try as I may the incident played continuously on my mind and I knew that I had no option but get it off my mind by explaining it to all to Marcus and so one morning with my courage in both hands I plucked up enough courage to tell Marcus the whole sordid business; starting with my early trials and tribulations trying to get out of Poland and then my encounter with Ahmed.

  Marcus, in his usual philosophical manner had listened without interruption until I had completely unburdened my soul.

  I will never forget his smile as he pulled me into his arms “The past we can’t change” he kissed me gently “all that matters for both of us, is what we do with the future!”

  We hugged in silence for a long time until Marcus pulled away looking troubled. “I wonder if Naomi is okay?” he ran his fingers through his hair “I can’t believe a man like Ahmed will be the forgiving type?”

  “Exactly but what can we do?” I asked feeling helpless.

  “Max will know,” Marcus nodded “I’ll have a word with him.”

  A little later that evening I delivered the news about the baby to Stan as he was hovering outside the entrance to the club waiting for Max; he was so thrilled and kept shaking my hand. “This is wonderful news.” Eventually he seemed to pluck up courage and gave me a hug and kissed me formally on both cheeks.

  At that moment Max pulled up in his mini bus, Marcus could hardly wait to tell him about the baby and rushed to open the mini bus door to let him out.

  “So what’s going on? We can’t have this kind of behaviour out side a respectable night club!” Max greeted us with a frown.

  “We’ve got some thing to tell you Uncle Max” Marcus blurted out.

  Po-faced as ever Max frowned at Marcus and then looked me up and down. “Hm’ he uttered scowling. “I suppose you’re going to tell me there’s to be an addition to the family?”

  “You guessed right” I held his hand “and so now you’re going to be a real ‘Godfather’” I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him; I think that at that moment the hard nosed Max, was truly overcome by a confusion of joy and embarrassment.

  “Hm.” Max muttered again as he politely pulled away from me. “Godfather eh; a real honest to God Godfather?”

  “Exactly” I confirmed. “Which means” I added “that you are responsible for the child’s Christian upbringing and must ensure that he or she is confirmed when old enough!”

  “Steady on young lady, you’ll be ruining my reputation!” Max blustered looking even more confused and then looked at his watch. “Hm” he muttered again, a big a smile spread across his scrawny face. “Just about time for Champagne I’d say?”

  It was during that spontaneous little party when I suppose with the benefit of a couple of glasses of bubbly, I asked Max if he had ever heard of Ahmed. His expression froze at the mention of the name. “Anwar Ahmed?” he queried vehemently.

  “I only knew him as Ahmed.” Suddenly I regretted my question.

  “What did you need to know anyway?” Max asked cautiously.

  Mercifully, Marcus had moved close to me and heard the conversation and smiling at Max intervened for me. “I think Max, I better take a moment of your time in private and on some other occasion” Marcus wrapped his arm around my shoulders and hugged me lovingly “it would be a shame to talk business at a baby’s celebration party?”

  Max scowled for a few seconds and then placed a gentle hand on mine. “You know, you’re a lucky young lady having such a wise old owl for a husband.” He winked at Marcus.

  I presumed that the incident would now be forgotten; the next morning however Marcus received a visit from Max.

  Chapter 11 - Marcus

  “Okay ‘wise old owl” Max started “What’s all this about Anwar Ahmed?”

  Max listened in silence, whilst I explained the whole story with all the sordid details.

  “Not a new story I’m sorry to have to say.” Max stood up and paced the floor of my office. “Now listen I wouldn’t want Connie to know this but that bastard Ahmed used to work for me.” Max ran his fingers through his hair “You see when I first started up I just had a the two girls working my little patch, then as demand grew, I had to find some more and I used that little shit to find me a couple
of girls. I should have known then what a devious sadistic cheat he was but quite honestly, I didn’t pay much heed to where the girls came from at that time; but I always took proper care of them once they were on my payroll.” Max looked at me with an expression of pride.

  Then his shoulders sagged “Truth is, a bit later on, I did hear that he used to abuse the girls something rotten” he sighed “but my business moved up in the world a bit and so I never used him again.” Once again, Max shook his head in disgust. “I should have done for him then and this would never have happened.”

  I was moved by Max’s genuine contrition and wondered if I would ever understand such a deep and complex personality.

  “Hey Max” I interrupted his melancholy “just remember one thing”

  He looked cautiously towards me.

  “If you had ‘done for him’ as you put it, I would never have met Connie and you wouldn’t be about to be a real Godfather!”

  Max stopped pacing. “That my son is quite true” he paused “which only goes to prove that you really are ‘a wise old owl’”

  At that, he turned and walked out of my office. A few days later, he telephoned me. “Marcus can you let me have that address; you know, Anwar Ahmed.”

  “What are going to do?” I asked.

  “You don’t worry yourself; just let me have that address. You may be ‘a wise old owl’ but I have to do things my way. Now listen,” I didn’t interrupt, I knew that there was no point in arguing, once Max was on a roll, it was difficult to stop him “you told me that your little lady never had the chance to thank that little shit Ahmed’s sister Naomi?”

  “Yes” I managed to inject.

  “Well I’m going to give her the chance if she wants it!”

  “How are you going to do that?” I said with surprise.

  “Me and the boys will take her; don’t worry, that little coward won’t show his face with us to protect her.” Max sounded pleased with himself.

  “That sounds fine” I countered “but don’t you think Ahmed will take it out of Naomi just as soon as you leave her alone?”

  “I thought about that and what I have in mind will solve the problem, so don’t you go worrying you little head about it; now the address?”

  Chapter 12 - Connie

  Max called me to say that he had arranged for me to go to Naomi’s house that afternoon. It was a typical Max gesture, more of a command than a request. I was naturally keen to meet up with her again and so gratefully agreed but I was distinctly worried about the actual meeting, in spite of Max wanting to act as my personal escort.

  “That’s the only way I can guarantee your safety.” Max encouraged.

  Then Marcus insisted that he accompanied me as well. “I want to meet the angel who sent you to me?”

  When the mini bus pulled up in front of the hotel to collect us, I discovered that both Charlie and Louis were also going to be ‘tagging along’ as Max explained their presence, so now there were five of us in the visiting party.

  Over playing our hand a bit I thought but it wasn’t long however before I discovered why as we pulled up about fifty metres from the house and accompanied by Marcus and Max, I once again headed up to that tattered door.

  The haunting memory of my last visit flashing before me as I hesitantly tapped on the door. There was no immediate reply and so Max leaned over me and rattled his signet-ringed fingers aggressively, still there was no reply.

  “You’ll be lucky to get a reply from there mate” a voice called from across the crumbling fence.

  “Why’s that?” Max asked aggressively.

  “None of my business mate.” The neighbour stinging from Max’s sharp response ducked back into her own doorway, regretting she had intervened.

  Ignoring the neighbour’s comment we waited a little while longer then Max, sounding quite disappointed declared. “Well, she seems to be out so either we wait in the minibus or try again tomorrow?”

  “Give me a minute” I told them and slipped round to the neighbour’s house.

  She must have watched me from behind the net curtains because the window opened just as I was about to press the doorbell. “What do you want with her?” The neighbour asked cautiously; I quickly outlined my reason.

  “She’s not well that pimp belted the living daylights out of her again last night,” the woman looked up and down the street suspiciously “he’s her brother you know and I think he even rapes her sometimes,” and then in a whisper “I’d cut his balls off if I got the chance.” The neighbour spat in disgust.

  “Does that mean she might still be in the house?”

  “Put it this way luv. I haven’t seen her leave?” The woman looked quickly up and down the street again. “I’d be careful if I were you though ‘cos if that bastard was to catch you, I’d hate to think what he might do. Just be very careful luv.” The woman closed the window the conversation was over.

  When I rejoined my escorts I outlined what the woman had said.

  “Only one thing to do.” Max signalled to the minibus and Louis joined us at the door. “Can we get in without a key?” Max asked his giant bodyguard.

  Louis sized it up and down “Yea” he grunted and stamped the flat of his size fourteen foot into the door, the wood around the lock splintered with ease and the door slammed back against the wall with a mighty crash.

  Max stepped cautiously into the hallway. “Up stairs Louis.”

  The giant obeyed instantly, moving with amazing speed for such a bulky man.

  Marcus and Max followed me as I moved into the little snug where I knew Naomi usually watched television.

  We found her slumped in the armchair. “Naomi, its Connie, remember me?” I held her hand gently.

  Naomi was only able to opened one eye the other was too swollen. “Connie” she exclaimed recognising me immediately. She squeezed my hand. “You must get away from here, Ahmed will kill you if he finds you; he doesn’t like people who get the better of him.”

  “Where is Ahmed?” Max asked leaning forward.

  Naomi flinched as Max’s shadow filled her view.

  “It’s okay, he's a friend of mine and this,” I pulled Marcus forward “this one is my husband Marcus.”

  “Husband?” Naomi coughed tenderly hugging her ribs; the intense pain made her wince and the tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked at Marcus again. “You should get her out of here” Naomi caught her breath again “I think Ahmed is up stairs” she warned through the tears.

  “You mean this thing?” Louis’s giant frame filled the doorway and held in front of him, in a pair of hands the size of legs of lamb, the wriggling form of Ahmed “and boss, there’s a couple of kids upstairs, to scared to come wiv me.”

  I think it was the first time I had ever heard Louis speak a whole sentence.

  “What about the children up stairs?” I asked Naomi tenderly.

  “That’s why he raped me.” The sobs started again and the pain in her ribs was obviously unbearable.

  “It’s okay.” I tried to calm her. “Take you’re time.”

  Naomi exhaled and steadied herself. “He brought two children here; I think they are only eight or nine years old. Said I had to look after them for a few days, whilst he arranged for them to be shipped to the Middle-East.” She sighed as she pulled her self together. “He said that he was going to break them in” She wiped away the tears “Do you know,” Naomi gasped “he bragged, that he could sell them for a better price that way,’ tried and tested’ he called it.”

  “You bastard” Max clenched his fists and turned on Ahmed who was still dangling like a rag doll in Louis’s vice like grip “there’s only one treatment for filth like you.”

  I thought for a moment he was going to hit Ahmed but Max managed to restrain himself; instead, he relaxed and stepped back. “Okay Louis, take him out and give him to Charlie, he knows what to do.”

  Louis grunted and left propelling the hapless Ahmed towards the waiting minibus.

  I
went upstairs and found the two little boys cowering in the corner of the same room I had locked myself into, on my own nightmare visit to the house all those months ago. They were both naked and huddled together under a rough blanket; their big brown eyes stared at me in terror.

  “It’s okay, the bad man has gone.” I tried to coax them holding out my hand but they were obviously so traumatised that they were not going to trust anyone for a long time.

  Eventually it was only through Naomi’s amazing courage, when in spite of the pain from her damaged ribs she hauled herself up the stairs and the sound of her familiar gentle voice finally convinced the boys that it was safe and she was able to woo the children from the room.

  Max organised us all as usual. “Right we must get the little buggers somewhere safe and you Naomi need some proper attention. So all of us back to the minibus.”

  As we left the house Louis had pulled the minibus up outside. I hesitated and looking cautiously inside and asked Louis “Where’s Charlie and Ahmed?” I got a shrug of the shoulders for a reply.

  I could see with relief that they were obviously in the vehicle so I happily sat on the big central seat with the two boys cuddled up to Naomi and we all travelled in silence back to the hotel.

  Louis pulled the minibus up at the entrance to Max’s apartment. “Okay Louis” Max instructed. “Get, these three up to my place, I’m going to call Doc. Haines.”

  The Doctors examination revealed that Ahmed had raped his sister Naomi and the subsequent ferocious attack, which had left her in a tangled heap at the bottom of the stairs had resulted in two broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. It eventually transpired that Naomi had fought with Ahmed on that last night in a desperate attempt to save the little boys but finally, under the influence of some narcotic or other Ahmed had repeatedly raped his own sister, sneering. “If you won’t let me fuck the kids I’ll just have to fuck you instead” it was several weeks before she was fully recovered.