by Jacqui Rose
First, Gian would find out she’d gone – he probably had already – and undoubtedly he’d turn on Bree, demanding information, taking his anger out on her. And then what would he do next? Call Salvatore, who’d insist that Gian hadn’t tried hard enough to extract the information and because of that, Gian would probably step up the violence towards Bree, taking his own fear of the Russos out on her with every punch … or worse.
She gasped, overwhelmed by her thoughts … She had to stop, pull herself together. It was just her guilt, which anyone would feel if they’d left someone behind, and anyway, it was just her imagination, wasn’t it? She couldn’t be certain that Gian would hurt Bree, could she? Perhaps the Russos were too busy doing something to really bother with her, maybe. She shook her head, trying to dispel the doubt. What she needed to do was stop thinking and go and find help before it was too late.
But as Franny set off to run again, no matter how hard she tried to think of Alice, of Alfie, of Lola, of Molly, of her freedom, the only thought that filled her mind was of Bree.
41
Old Compton Street was packed and buzzing with tourists the next day as Alfie, Abel, Lola and Alice slipped unnoticed through a black door and up some stairs, bare and strewn with rubbish, to Alfie’s old Soho flat on the top floor, having picked up the keys from an old, trusted acquaintance.
Putting the key in the lock, Alfie spoke to Abel. ‘How does it feel to be back, mate?’
Agitated, Abel replied, ‘To tell you the truth, Alf, I ain’t so comfortable with it. I’ve been away for a long time, I’ve been holed up in my house for even longer, and I just hope I can keep it together.’
Alfie gave a quick sideways glance at Lola, wondering if she was thinking the same thing. Since they’d been in the car, Abel had been restless, nervous, and right now he seemed more a liability than anything else. In his time, Abel Gray had been unshakable, the most reliable face around. He’d been at the top of his game, smart and ruthless but loyal to his friends. Wealthy and powerful. Driven. Selling arms and money laundering, no one he knew even came close to his success. But then the mistake Abel had made was going into business with the Russos.
Alfie had never understood why he had. Abel was almost at the point where he could print his own money. Maybe it’d been ambition, wanting to control both sides of the Atlantic, or maybe he’d just been bored, wanting more challenges. But whatever the reason, it was the beginning of the end.
Then the second mistake, maybe the most fatal one Abel had made, was falling in love with Natalia. It’d given him a weakness, a chink in his impenetrable armour, and Nico had known it, seen it and used it.
And whatever the truth about the money was, he knew Abel had nothing to do with it and he had a feeling that Nico knew that, too. But Nico liked to play games, dangerous games, that destroyed people no matter what the cost. And it had cost. It had cost Abel his sanity and ultimately Natalia, who had been five months pregnant when they had raped her, only to lose the baby afterwards before she took her own life.
Sighing and not wanting to dwell on such tragedy, Alfie walked into the flat. He looked around: it was clean and bare, small but that’s all they needed – a space where they could think. And somehow play the Russos at their own game.
Popping a couple of painkillers into his mouth, his leg aching and throbbing, Alfie sat down on the couch by the window with a clear view of Soho.
Lola, shuffling to put the kettle on in the kitchen, called to Alfie, ‘So what’s the plan?’
Alfie glanced at Alice. ‘Ally, can you do me a favour? Can you make us some coffee? Barry says there’s some instant stuff in the cupboards. It’ll save Lola having to do it.’
‘You mean you don’t want me to hear what you’ve got to say.’
Alfie, in pain and not in the mood, narrowed his gaze. ‘Just do as you’re told.’
‘Fine.’ Alice turned and pushed past Lola as she came back into the room. She slammed the kitchen door behind her, and Alfie, having lost all patience, yelled after her, ‘Oi! Oi! Manners, darlin’, remember them?’
Kindly, Lola looked at Alfie. ‘Sweetheart, she’s only a kid, she’s done amazing. Think of what she’s going through.’ She paused to shoot an accusatory glance at Abel as she said, ‘What she’s been through with certain people. So just leave her alone, Alf, allow her a bit of moody.’
Plonking down next to Alfie, Lola slipped off her shoes, her feet swollen and her varicose veins giving her jip. ‘Anyway, like I say, what’s the plan?’
Alfie gave her a tight, sad, embittered smile. ‘I have no idea. No fucking idea.’
Lola’s voice was firm as she drew Alfie’s head towards her, his face between her frail hands. ‘Alf, listen to me. I can see you’re exhausted, but I ain’t going to let you get down. We are going to come up with something, we are going to work this out.’
Sounding defeated, Alfie said, ‘Like what?’
It was Lola’s turn to give Alfie a tight smile. ‘I have no idea either, but we can’t just give up.’
Abel stared at Alfie and Lola from the other side of the room, his eyes dark and his voice hoarse. ‘Nico, that’s what you’ve got to think about. You need to get into his head, think the way he does, that’s the key to it. That’s the way out. We’ve got fifteen days now—’
‘No, we haven’t.’
Both Abel and Lola looked at Alfie, puzzled, but it was Abel who spoke. ‘What are you talking about?’
Swallowing hard, Alfie reached up to massage his throbbing temples and, avoiding any eye contact with Abel, said, ‘Just that we haven’t got that long now, that’s all.’
Abel walked across to Alfie and towered above him, his mouth curled in a snarl. ‘No, no, no. That ain’t all. What are you talking about?’
Rubbing his stubble, Alfie, annoyed and guilty, raged, ‘It’s my business, all right. My fucking business.’
Abel grabbed Alfie and dragged him up off the couch so they were face-to-face, their noses touching, as he hissed, ‘Nico ain’t just your business, he’s all of our business, you understand me?’
Furious, Alfie shoved Abel off him. ‘You’re wrong. This has nothing to do with you, because Franny is my business. Mine, not yours. You hear?’
‘Just tell me what you’ve done.’
‘I ain’t done anything, all right. Now leave it.’
Abel’s voice filled the flat as he charged at Alfie, pushing him hard into the wall. ‘Tell me what you’ve fucking done!’
‘I talked to them, okay. I talked to them.’
Abel sneered in confusion. ‘Talked to who?’
‘To Bree and to Franny.’
‘I knew you were talking to her.’
Alfie turned to Lola, thundering out his words. ‘Just shut it! Shut your mouth.’
Abel, not understanding, began to pace, the wildness coming back into his eyes, agitation taking over his whole body. ‘How? What? I don’t get it. You’d better start talking.’
‘I made a deal. A deal with Salvatore.’
Abel spun round, his face white with anger. ‘What?’
‘I needed to talk to them, to see if they were all right, and the only way to do that was to forfeit a day for a conversation. Each conversation cost me a day. I spoke to them at the house and I spoke to them a few times when we stopped on the way here, though two of those times Salvatore wouldn’t let me speak to them, but he still forfeited the days.’
The roar from Abel splintered the air. ‘How dare you! This was my chance to bring Nico down! It ain’t just about you. It’s about me, it’s about Natalia. It’s about my revenge, my life, my love and you have tried to rob me of that … How long are we talking about? How long have we got?’
‘Eight days.’
Abel’s eyes were wild. ‘What! Can’t you see what you’ve done, Alf? Don’t you get it? You’ve ruined everything; you’ve put them at risk. How are we supposed to do anything now? I hope you don’t live to regret this.’
Alfie spat bac
k in fury, matching Abel with his anger. ‘No, you don’t get it! You don’t get it because those conversations could be the last ones I ever have with them. And no, I don’t fucking regret it, and no, I’m not sorry I did it, so get out of my face!’
Abel hissed, ‘You stupid, stupid bastard. You’re crazy!’
‘Says the man who keeps his dead wife in the bedroom!’
Abel flew at Alfie again grabbing him by his throat whilst Lola screamed, hitting Abel on his back as he growled, spitting through gritted teeth, ‘Say that again, Alfie, say that again and I will snap your fucking neck right here, right now.’
Alfie’s face turned red. He held up his hands in surrender, at which point Abel let him go. Holding his throat, Alfie spluttered, ‘Abel, look, it won’t do any good us fighting between ourselves. The damage is done now, so we just got to think, put a plan together to come up with the money at least. Get the one million for Nico – that way we keep him sweet or at the very minimum it gives us bargaining power. And I know you said you can’t get any money because it’s all caught up in a trust along with your house, but there must be something.’
Abel shook his head. ‘Not in time for this. What about Vaughn? What about the business you just bought into?’
‘Like I told Cabhan, there’s no way Vaughn is going to help. He hates the fucking bones of Franny after she pissed off with our money, he’s hardly going to come running to bail her out now, is he? And most of the money is wrapped up in the business, which would mean selling it, and, apart from not having the time to load it off, Vaughn would rather put a bullet in me than sign the business away for Franny. As far as he’s concerned, when it comes to her, what goes around comes around.’
Lola, full of worry, said, ‘So what now? You’ve just told us all things we can’t do, but what are the things we can do, Alfie? I’m frightened. I’m frightened for Franny and Bree.’
Alfie pulled Lola in towards him and held her tightly. ‘I have got an idea. I’ve got a hundred grand I can get me hands on, I’ve always kept it tucked away in a safety deposit box in case I ever need to make a quick exit, and I’ve got this friend. He owes me, runs a yard down in Newmarket. You know, a racing yard.’
Lola pulled away to stare at Alfie in disbelief as it began to dawn on her where he was going with this. Her expression said it all. ‘Don’t, don’t tell me you’re going to put your money on a bet to try to get Franny and Bree out. That’s it, that’s the bleeding plan? Have you lost all sense, Alfie?’
Limping across to the window to lean on the sill, Alfie stared back at Lola. ‘It won’t be just any bet, do you think I’m stupid?’
‘By the sounds of it, yes. Yes, I do, Alf.’
‘Well, I’m not, because the day after tomorrow, he’s got two horses running. One’s the clear favourite, Apache Flash, and the other one, Boo-boy, is a good runner. Not as good as Apache, but he can’t beat him unless he gets pulled back in the race.’
Lola shook her head. ‘No, Alf, I won’t let you do it.’
‘Fortunately, you ain’t got no choice, darlin’. It’s easy, we’ve done it before, lots of times, and although the racing board has tightened up, it’s hard to prove unless you’re obvious in pulling up a horse. All the jockey will have to do is look like he’s trying, but he’ll be able to use his body weight without being detected, maybe stand up a little bit higher in the stirrups to slow him down, use a different bit in the horse’s mouth, one that doesn’t suit him, so he’s throwing his head a bit, which will make him lose pace. Feed him up beforehand, work the back legs off him the day before … With a good jockey it’s easy, he’ll be able to do one or a combination of those things, and Jack owes me a favour. It’s going to be a sure-fire bet.’
‘There is no such thing as a sure-fire bet, Alfie, otherwise the whole world would be bleedin’ millionaires.’
‘Look, I’m going to put me money on Boo-boy, get a fixed bet at ten to one, that’s what they’re offering at the moment. He’s going to come in by a half a length, so no one will be any the wiser, that’s just horse racing for you, and in the meantime my stake will bring in a million big ones. But I’ll break it up, bet it online through a few different bookies, cos some of them have an upper stake limit. And I don’t want to go into a bookmakers cos me face is too well known, I need to keep it discreet. I’ve already got a few accounts with the big bookies, so it’ll not be a problem.’
There was silence before Abel began to clap, slowly and mockingly. ‘Lola’s right, this ain’t a plan, this is a joke, Alfie. You gamble away the days and then you want to play a mug’s game. There ain’t no winners in racing apart from the bookies, and that’s why you and Vaughn bought the business, cos it’s a licence to print money. Yet here you still are, thinking it’s going to save Franny.’
Under pressure, Alfie snapped. ‘Then give me something better cos I’m all ears.’
‘You fucked up, Alfie, you fucked up big time.’
Alfie roared as he hit his chest. ‘I know! I know! You don’t have to tell me that. I fucking know, but what am I supposed to do? It feels like it’s hopeless, because let’s face it, let’s be honest here, even if I can pull this off, even if we do get the money, it’s not going to work, because it’s not really about the money, that’s just part of his game. We both know unless I give Nico the money and Alice, it’s all over anyway. Franny and Bree are both going to die. So there won’t even be a choice to make. It’s Alice he wants. It’s not the money that will keep them alive, it’s Alice. Without Alice they’re dead.’
‘Is that true?’
The room fell silent as the three of them turned to look at Alice, who stood in the kitchen doorway holding a tray with mugs full of steaming coffee.
Alfie, having forgotten Alice was even in the flat, spoke quietly. ‘Alice, baby, listen to me—’
‘I said, is it true?’
Lola stepped forward with tears in her eyes and nodded. ‘Yes, Alice, I’m afraid it’s true.’
42
‘Where is she, where the fuck is she?’ Gian Colombo slammed Bree like a rag doll against the wall, causing Bree’s head to flip back and smash into the concrete, leaving a trail of blood on the wall as she slid down against it.
‘I don’t know! I swear I don’t know.’
Gian bent over, pulling Bree up. He shook her. The pain in her body was excruciating. ‘Stop playing games with me, you hear me? Just tell me where she’s gone!’
‘I can’t tell you something I don’t know. Please.’
Anger and panic rushed through Gian as he snarled, ‘Then if you won’t tell me the easy way, let’s make it the hard way. Maybe then you’ll start talking.’
From his back pocket, Gian Colombo pulled out a large jagged knife and laid it on Bree’s cheek. ‘Tell me where she went.’
Shaking with fear, Bree felt the cold, sharp steel on her skin. ‘I’m not lying, I don’t know.’
Bellowing, Gian’s grip hardened. ‘I’ll give you one more chance and then I’m going to start cutting. Where is she? Where’s Franny?’
‘I’m here.’
Gian and Bree turned around to see Franny standing in the door of the warehouse. She walked towards them, empty-handed, speaking firmly as Gian dropped Bree.
‘Put the knife down, Gian.’
Gian stared in contempt and laughed coldly as he twirled the knife in his hand. ‘You’re giving me orders? You’re in no position to give me anything.’
‘That’s where you’re wrong, Gian. Let me ask you this, what did Salvatore say when you told him you’d let me escape?’
The look on Gian’s face told Franny everything she needed to know. ‘You haven’t told him, have you? Why not, Gian? Afraid? Worried that something might happen to you if you did? Don’t forget I know the Russos and I know what they do to people who betray them, break their trust. So, if I were you, I’d just be happy that I came back, because if you’re not careful, I’ll tell Salvatore and Bobby how I went on a little jaunt because you s
crewed up.’
Snorting in fury, Gian continued to stare. He glanced down at Bree, who was crumpled up on the floor holding her stomach, before he slowly lifted his gaze back to Franny. He waved the knife. ‘Get over there and help her up. Both of you get back in the cage.’
Franny rushed over to Bree and held up her head in her arms. ‘Hey, Bree, look who’s back.’
Grateful beyond words, Bree, overwhelmed and still in pain, gave Franny a small smile, her voice weak as she whispered, ‘You came back. You came back for me.’
‘Yes, Bree, I did. Of course I did. There was no way I could leave you here on your own.’ Franny paused, attempting a smile herself as she tried to make the unbearable moment slightly more bearable. ‘And besides, to tell you the truth, the thought of Alfie’s moaning and his pig-headed ways, well, it had me thinking – I’d rather be here with you. And if somehow there’s a miracle and we do manage to get out of here, I want you to know, no matter what happens, I’ll always be here. For you and the baby.’
And as the two women laughed through their desperate tears, holding each other tightly, Franny knew in her heart that although it really seemed like this would be the end for them both, she would never have any regrets about coming back to be with Bree.
Nico Russo paced his cell as he spoke on the phone to Salvatore, who was driving along a country lane back towards the warehouse, with Bobby asleep in the back seat.
‘What do you expect me to say, Sal?’
‘I’m sorry, Nico, when we got to Abel’s she was gone, they all were, but you knew that might be the case. They’re going to keep on running until they’ve got nowhere else to run. We hadn’t wasted any time though – the moment you told us where she was we headed down there. Alfie obviously found out somehow. Senza mancare di rispetto, Nico, no disrespect, but are you sure you can trust this girl? After all, Alice Rose is not family, her loyalties aren’t with you.’