GirlMostLikelyTo

by Barbara Elsborg

  Juno stepped forward. “You could have fun with me.”

  The guy shook his head. “Not you.”

  As Juno glared at Wren, Jovana pulled open the rear door of the car, grabbed Wren’s arm and pulled.

  “Veton here,” she whispered in Wren’s ear.

  Aware of headlights coming from the other direction, Wren clambered into the back. Jovana sat in the front and the car pulled away. Wren fumbled for the seat belt.

  “Where are we going?” the guy asked.

  Wren nearly yelled, drop me at the next corner.

  “You have a place?” he asked.

  The car reeked of cigarettes and she felt sick.

  “You could get room,” Jovana said. “Good rate Madely Hotel.”

  The guy snorted. “That dump? I’m not leaving my car there. I’ll find a place.”

  Wren stared out the window as the city receded behind them.

  “What are your names,” he asked.

  “Jo. She’s Robin.”

  “I’m Ben.” He glanced at her in the mirror. “Can she speak?”

  “She’s shy.” Jovana slid her hand over the guy’s shoulder.

  Oh my God. Panic surged in Wren’s chest until she couldn’t breathe. What the hell was she doing? More goose bumps joined the ones she already had until she was prickling all over. The man started to talk about what he wanted them to do, how much he’d pay, and she tried to dissolve into the seat. What if he got angry when she said no? What if he hurt Jovana? What if…

  She found it impossible to understand why Jovana did this. There had to be an alternative. Couldn’t the police protect her family?

  The guy drove through Headingley and Lawnswood and was now on the road to Bramhope. Pretty soon they’d be out in the countryside. He might be going to kill them. Every one of her organs tensed with fear. If she ran and Jovana didn’t, what if he hurt Jovana? What if he drove at her and knocked her over? What…what…what… She couldn’t breathe for the whats tumbling in her head.

  She cringed at the thought of her father’s disappointment. She’d done everything he’d told her never to do. Guilt bubbled alongside fear. The man pulled into Golden Acre Park and drove to the far side of the parking lot where it was dark, and switched off his engine. No people walking dogs. No other cars around. She’d been for walks here with her mum and dad to feed the ducks. The park was nowhere near any houses. They could scream and not be heard. They could—

  Ben lunged at Jovana and Wren let out a high-pitched yip of alarm.

  “Money first,” Jovana said.

  As the man took out his wallet and fingered the notes inside, Wren took a deep breath. “You’re under arrest. I have to advise you that paying for sexual services is a crime under section 19, paragraph 4a of the 1963 Act.” She wondered if she’d just quoted a law against selling sheep on a Sunday. She did know how to caution him though. Her brothers had done it to her often enough when they were playing. “You have the right to remain silent—”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” The man turned to face her. “You’re the fucking police? I don’t believe this. It’s entrapment.”

  “We not police.” Jovana glared at Wren.

  “It’s not entrapment.” Wren tried to sound confident. “You stopped your car with the express purpose of procuring sex for money. You asked how much, you drove us here with the intention of paying for us to have sex with you and…each other.”

  The guy spun round, checking the parking lot, probably looking for more police, and then stuffed the notes back in his wallet.

  “Noooo,” Jovana wailed and tried to grab his hand.

  He pushed her away. “Get out. Get the fuck out of my car.”

  Wren unfastened her seat belt and opened the car door but waited until Jovana was clear before she climbed out herself. Then she bent down and stared at the driver. “I have your car registration.”

  He zoomed away, spitting dirt and leaves back at them, the door not properly shut. Wren breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Jovana.

  “You police?” Jovana’s voice was so quiet, she could hardly hear her.

  “No.”

  “Then why you do this?”

  “You can’t have wanted to have sex with him.”

  “I don’t want to fuck any of them, but I need money. Now there will be trouble. I have to have money.” She burst into tears.

  Oh damn. “Jovana, don’t cry. You don’t have to go back to Marco.”

  “You stupid? Yes, I have to go back. They hurt me if I don’t do what they want. Then they hurt others because of me. I do what they say and one day I earn enough to leave.”

  “Which will be never. My brothers are policemen. They’ll help. They can arrest Marco.”

  Jovana shook her head. “No. He’s too slippery. Like eel. I call Veton. I tell him man pushed me from car and left. You go away.”

  “Not Veton. Call Tomas.”

  Jovana hesitated. “If trouble I supposed to call Veton.”

  “Please call Tomas. He’ll take me home.”

  Jovana took her phone from her purse. “Hi. It’s me. Jerk pushed—” She cut off the call and made another. “Now Veton know I call him first. He think I try to call him back if he call me now.”

  Wren stood shivering as Jovana spoke on her mobile. “Tomas. I need lift… Man drove off. No, didn’t hurt me… Golden Acre Park. You know it? Call Veton and tell him you coming. I got cut off… No, I need you come. Wren with me… Okay.”

  She handed Wren her phone and walked across the parking lot toward the road.

  Wren braced herself. “Hello.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.”

  She heard a sigh of relief.

  “What the hell you doing with Jovana in middle of nowhere?”

  Now he was angry.

  “Trying to help her. Tomas, I don’t want you to work for Marco.” She held her breath after she’d zipped out the words.

  There was a long pause before he spoke. “You don’t understand.”

  She gulped. “Yeah, I do. Marco is bringing women into this country and forcing them to become prostitutes. He might even bring some of them in legally as students at Ezispeke. He’s probably come to an arrangement with Olive and is using the business to launder money. He threatens the women or their families with violence if they don’t cooperate. He gives them drugs to get them addicted. They end up owing him money and he can use them as long as he wants. And you’re helping him.”

  She blinked tears from her eyes and clutched the phone harder. Please deny it. Please. Please.

  “Stay out of this. You’ll get hurt.”

  “I’m already hurt.” Wren cut the connection, walked over to Jovana and handed her the phone.

  She knew the right thing to do was to talk to her father and confess everything. Almost everything. She’d have to tell him about Tomas working for Marco. She’d only known the guy for a few days, why was she even hesitating? She rubbed her arms to try to warm up.

  Adam was going to get hurt too. She’d really started to believe the three of them had a chance at happiness, but not if Tomas was involved with Marco. Maybe she could persuade him to walk away. Even better if he’d talk to the police. He might not get too long in jail. Oh Christ. Why am I doing this all over again? She ought to stick to liking bad guys in books, not in real life. This time the stakes were a lot higher than her bank account. People could get hurt. Were getting hurt. She wanted to believe Tomas wouldn’t let her be one of them but he was deep inside this mess and she couldn’t see an easy way out.

  To distract herself, she opened the folder and in the dim streetlight checked for Lule’s name.

  “What you doing?” Jovana asked.

  “These are old registers of the classes at the language school. I was looking for Lule’s name.”

  “You find it?”

  Wren closed the folder. “No. How can I help you?”

  “Find Lule. That help. But don’t i
nterfere with what Marco do. That don’t help.” Jovana leaned against the sign for the park. “You have money?”

  Wren took out the two hundred pounds Marco had just given her, hesitated and added the other two hundred. “That’s everything Marco paid me to teach you.”

  Jovana slipped it into her purse. “Thank you.”

  Wren was so cold her teeth chattered. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. The thin sweater offered no protection against the icy wind. She pulled her sleeves down over her hands and wrapped her arms around herself, clutching the folder to her chest.

  “Is not good to love them,” Jovana said. “That’s what they want. Then they hurt you more.”

  Tomas is different. But is that because I want him to be different? She had to do the right thing here even if it meant losing what she was coming to think was the best thing that had ever happened to her

  Jovana lit a cigarette and offered her the packet. “You want?”

  “No thank you. I don’t smoke.”

  She snorted. “You good girl now, but they make you bad girl.”

  A car swept into the parking lot and Wren tensed. Tomas jumped out and pulled her into his arms. She shouldn’t have let him hug her and yet she wanted him to hold her tighter.

  “I could strangle you,” he whispered. “Not one word.”

  Jovana got into the back of the car and Tomas ushered Wren into the front seat. She groaned with relief at the warmth and clicked on her seat belt. As Tomas pulled back onto the road, he and Jovana snapped in Albanian. Neither sounded happy. Wren opened her mouth and then closed it again. She felt him glance at her, but kept her attention on the road ahead.

  “Don’t be mad with her,” Jovana said in English. “She want to help.”

  Tomas’ fingers tightened around the wheel. She hoped he wasn’t imagining doing the same to her neck.

  He dropped Jovana back on Church Street and Wren swallowed hard as he pulled away.

  “Jesus, Wren. What were you thinking?”

  “When?”

  “Going with Jovana? You could—Christ.”

  “But—”

  “Do you have any idea how worried we were?”

  His English seemed better now he was cross.

  “We called you. Ever think of checking your phone?”

  “Lost it.”

  “Fuck.”

  Where’s his accent gone? “Will you take me home, please?”

  “No.”

  Her heart stuttered as fear surged. She was surprised she had any adrenaline left to flood her bloodstream. Where was he taking her?

  She twisted her fingers. “I won’t say anything.”

  He gave her a wide-eyed glance. “Afraid of me?”

  “Not of you, but I’m afraid of Veton and Dragen and Marco.”

  “I warned you.”

  “I know.” She inhaled. “You didn’t want me to see the truth.”

  Tomas said nothing.

  “Going to take me to some dark place and kill me now?” She was joking but her throat thickened around the words.

  “Never. I promise,” Tomas said quietly.

  Wren took a deep breath. “Walk away from Marco and this job. We can go abroad and find work. I can teach English anywhere. We can persuade Adam to come too. Leave all this behind.”

  His silence settled like a lead weight on her chest.

  “We-we could leave tonight,” she whispered. “Go now. This minute.”

  “You don’t want to tell the police what you know?”

  “I don’t want to hurt you and if I speak out, I will hurt you. Run. Go where Marco can’t find you. Start again somewhere else. You have to run, Tomas. With me or without me. Even if you go with Adam, you need to go. Tonight. Right now. Please.”

  Tomas pulled through the gates of a large detached house with a gravel drive and parked in the turning circle.

  “Where are we? Not Marco’s house? Oh God.” Her heart pounded as she unclipped her seat belt. “I was scared. That’s why I ran out of the restaurant. Did he tell you what he said?”

  Tomas turned with a puzzled look on his face. “What?”

  She sprang from the car, clutching her purse, and sprinted down the drive. She didn’t get far before Tomas snagged her sweater. He jerked her off her feet and into his arms.

  “Let me go,” she yelled.

  “It’s not Marco’s house,” he said. “Trust me.”

  She stopped struggling and he put her down. He wrapped his fingers around hers, retrieved the folder from the car and tugged her toward the house. The door opened moments after he’d rung the bell and when she saw who stood there, she jerked her hand free.

  Oh shit. Either her father had been kidnapped by Marco to persuade her to keep quiet. Or Tomas wasn’t who she thought he was.

  A middle-aged woman in a blue suit came into the hall and glared at Tomas.

  “Wren, this is Detective Superintendent Julia Markham,” said her father. “The man next to you is Detective Inspector Tomas Eldridge.”

  Even though her dad outranked them as a Detective Chief Superintendent, Wren knew she was in a lot of trouble.

  “You’re in a lot of trouble,” said the woman. As a DSI she was Tomas’ boss. “You’re wrecking an investigation that’s been going on for months. Maybe you’ve already wrecked it.”

  Wren pressed her lips together.

  “Come into the drawing room and tell us everything,” said the DSI.

  She wouldn’t be telling them everything. She didn’t dare look at Tomas, but felt relieved and angry in equal measures. As she walked past her father, into a drawing room with a large fireplace and mismatched leather chairs and couches, he squeezed her shoulder and she shot him a little smile.

  “Sit.” The DSI pointed to a couch adjacent to the tiled hearth.

  Wren put her purse on the floor and sat. “Tomas, make notes,” the woman said. “Wren, don’t leave out any detail regardless of whether you think it’s relevant or not. We need to know if Tomas is in danger.”

  “And if Wren is,” Tomas muttered.

  Her father let out a gruff exhale as he sat next to her, the sort that usually indicated harsh words. She winced.

  Wren started at the point she’d seen the extra names on her register. She took a deep breath when she’d finished and waited for them to praise her ingenuity and resourcefulness. Instead, she came in for a barrage of criticism from the DSI and at times from her father, while Tomas stayed largely silent. Wren fought her corner, but it quickly became clear that while she was expected to tell them every minute detail, they’d divulge nothing. She had no choice but to mention Matt and her father stiffened. When she explained exactly why she’d run from Marco, Tomas was the one who tensed. She took the note Jovana had given her out of her shoe.

  “Why did you put it there?” the DSI asked.

  “If I was killed and dumped I thought it might be a clue for the police.”

  “Christ, Wren,” muttered her father.

  Tomas had hardly moved since she’d started to speak.

  “So has the operation been compromised?” asked the DSI. “How much is Jovana going to tell Marco?”

  “She won’t want to tell him she passed me the note or that she asked me to find her friend,” Wren said.

  The DSI frowned. “How is she going to explain you met her on Church Street and got in that car with her?”

  “She might not.”

  Tomas pinned her with her gaze. “The other woman saw you.”

  “Coincidence?” Wren suggested. “It’s on the way to Dock Street.”

  “And what’s on Dock Street?” asked her father.

  “Where I live,” Tomas said.

  Wren suspected only she heard the low growl at her side.

  “And why did you get in the car?” The DSI stared at her.

  “Maybe I was trying to persuade Jovana away from prostitution. Marco would accept I’d guessed what the women do. Not exactly a huge leap. Though I er…told Jovana my broth
ers are policemen. And then the guy that picked us up? I…I read him his rights.”

  Her father gave a short laugh. “Did you quote some imaginary act?”

  “I might have done. Like the one about not treading on frogs on a Friday, or selling sheep on a Sunday.”

  Her father patted her knee. He’d remembered the games they’d played.

  “So we can add impersonating a police officer to the list of charges,” the bitch said.

  “Julia!” Wren’s father snapped. “Don’t frighten her. I think that was quite smart actually. And there won’t be any charges. This is not entirely her fault.” He glared at Tomas, who swallowed hard. “So how do we move forward?”

  The DSI stood and began to pace. “We have to assume Jovana will inform Marco of everything, whether she’s under duress or not. She’ll tell him Wren’s brothers are policemen.”

  “I might have lied,” Wren said. “I said I was a policewoman and I’m not. Matt and James don’t have the same surname as me.”

  “How long is it going to take him to find out exactly who you are?” her father asked.

  “Even if he did, I’m not sure that compromises Tomas.” The DSI sat again.

  “What about the Ezispeke folder?” asked her father. “Jovana saw her look through it. Why would Wren have it?”

  “I might have asked her to copy it for me,” Tomas said. “Much easier for Wren to do it. Marco would accept that.”

  “So why didn’t she give it to him earlier tonight?” her father asked.

  “Because I’d asked her to get it for me to give Marco. The guy scared her and she ran.”

  “The scaring her is a worry.” The DSI tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair. “We could say a previous boyfriend abused her. That would make her wary of a guy who claimed to like pain with his pleasure.”

  “I want Wren somewhere safe,” her father said. “I don’t like the way this conversation is going.”

  “And she needs money.” The woman shot Wren her first sympathetic glance. “The fact that your ex-boyfriend stole so much from you actually works in your favor as far as Marco is concerned.”

  Floor drop away and earth swallow me now. Wren’s father patted her knee again.

  “I want my daughter out of sight,” he said to Julia and then turned to Wren. “We’ll talk about Brendan later. You should have told me.”