Broke (32 page)

Amy’s eyes immediately started to smart, but she determinedly held back the tears. She wanted to warn Marnie that Lenny was dangerous, and that one day he would hurt her just like he’d hurt Amy. But she’d tried that once before and Marnie hadn’t believed her. So she raised her chin, and said, ‘I’m fine – don’t worry about me.’

Marnie didn’t believe that for one second, but there wasn’t much she could do or say. Lenny had already tried to help, only for Amy to throw his efforts right back in his face. She didn’t want Amy to think that she was offering the hand of friendship and risk the girl turning up at the house and messing up her and Lenny’s new life, but she couldn’t walk away without doing
some
thing.

‘Look, I know I probably shouldn’t do this,’ she blurted out. ‘But here . . .’ She pulled a twenty-pound note out of her pocket and shoved it into Amy’s hand. ‘Get yourself something to eat, you look half starved.’

‘I don’t want your money,’ Amy protested, offering it back.

But Marnie stepped out of reach and scuttled away with her head down. Sighing, Amy pocketed the money and walked in the opposite direction.

A few streets on, she ran into another group of women. But this time they were street girls, and they weren’t about to let her pass through their territory without a fight.

‘Oi, Blondie, fuck off while you can still walk,’ one of them warned, stepping in front of her and pushing her hard in the chest.

‘I’m not working,’ Amy told her, wincing when her head hit the wall. ‘I’m just trying to go home.’

‘Find another way,’ spat the woman, pushing her again. ‘This is our street, and we say who gets to walk on it. Now
do
one before I glass you.’

Terrified when the woman snatched an empty beer bottle up off a step and smashed it against the wall, Amy put her hands out in front of her and took a staggering step back.

‘Please don’t,’ she cried. ‘I’m going.’

‘Put that fuckin’ bottle down before I stuff it right up you!’ another voice suddenly barked. ‘She’s me mate, and if anyone touches her they’re dead.’

Amy almost fainted with relief when Ella pushed her way through the group and stood in front of her to shield her.

‘Thanks,’ she gasped when the girls backed away. ‘I thought she was going to kill me.’

‘Probably would have, knowing her,’ said Ella, still eyeing the group. ‘What you doing round here, anyhow? Thought you were too good to work the streets?’

‘I needed some money,’ Amy admitted.

‘Rattling?’ Ella gave her a knowing look.

Amy nodded and dipped her gaze, thoroughly ashamed of herself.

‘Yeah, I can tell,’ said Ella. ‘You look fucked. How long since you had a fix?’

‘A few weeks,’ Amy told her miserably.

‘Yeah, right.’ Ella gave a disbelieving snort. ‘Been locked up, have you?’ she added, that being the only reason that
she
had ever gone without for any length of time.

‘No, I stopped using,’ Amy told her. ‘But things haven’t been going too well, so I thought I’d get a little bit to tide me over.’ She paused and licked her lips. ‘Don’t suppose you’ve got any, have you? I’ve got money.’ She held up the twenty-pound note that Marnie had given her.

‘Not on me, no. But I can easy get some. Might take a bit of time to find my guy, though. Where you going? I’ll drop it off.’

‘Can’t I come with you?’ Amy asked. ‘Only I’m not really staying anywhere just now.’

‘What d’ya mean?’ Ella frowned. ‘You’re not sleeping rough, are you?’

Amy nodded and wiped her nose on her sleeve. ‘Look, can you get it for me, or not? Only I don’t really want to be out in the open just now.’

‘Yeah, course.’ Ella snatched the money out of her hand. Then, pursing her lips thoughtfully, she said, ‘Why don’t you come back to my place? I’ve only got one bed, but you can kip on the couch.’

‘Really?’ Amy’s eyes widened. It hadn’t even occurred to her to ask, but it would be the perfect solution while she sorted herself out. ‘God, that’d be great. I’ll need to go and get my bag, but it’ll only take twenty minutes.’

‘Where is it?’

‘In the old house in Alex Park,’ Amy told her, relief loosening her tongue. ‘I’ve been sleeping in there for the last few days.’

‘Tell you what, you go and get it while I find my guy,’ Ella suggested. ‘I’ll meet you at the back gate in half an hour and we can catch the bus on Prinny Parkway.’

Amy nodded. Then, lurching forward, she gave Ella an impulsive hug. ‘Thank you so much!’

‘Leave it out.’ Ella shoved her off. ‘I might have turned the odd trick with a bird in the past, but that don’t mean I’m into pussy.’

Sure that she was joking, Amy grinned and walked away backwards, saying, ‘Don’t worry, I won’t try and jump into bed with you. See you in a bit.’

Happier than she’d been in days, she turned and rushed off to pick up her stuff. Ella was the only friend she had in the world right now, and she couldn’t believe her luck at having bumped into her.

Ella was thinking much the same thing as she watched Amy go. When Mani had decided to temporarily close
Hawaii
after Kelvin got shot, she’d had no choice but to start working the streets again, and she hated it with a passion. Hated being out in the cold, hated having to stand around for hours on end, and especially hated the freaky bastard punters, because they were a different breed from the soft touches who frequented
Hawaii
. Brothel punters asked for what they wanted rather than demanded it, because they were on the girls’ territory with a security guard to keep them in line. But when a girl got into a punter’s car she never knew if she was going to get out alive – or even if the freak would pay up when he’d had what he wanted.

Ella, like a lot of the girls, had a habit to feed, so she was forced to take the risk. But there were plenty of ways to earn cash if you had a bit of savvy about you – you just had to have the right merchandise to sell. And, as luck would have it, a valuable piece of merchandise had just landed right in her lap.

Smiling slyly now, she pulled her mobile phone out of her pocket and dialled a number.

‘This is Ella from Mani’s place,’ she said when her call was answered. ‘Remember that little chat we had when you came in a while back? Well, I’ve found what you’re looking for. And if the price is right, I can tell you exactly where she’s going right now . . .’

Amy was out of breath by the time she reached Alexandra Park fifteen minutes later. She was shaking all over, her legs were aching, and her head was pounding. But the thought of sleeping on Ella’s couch, having a cup of tea and her first hit in weeks, gave her the strength to pull herself through the gatehouse’s broken window and up the rickety stairs to the bedroom where she’d been sleeping.

She pulled her bag out of the cupboard where she’d stashed it, then looked around to make sure that she hadn’t left anything before running back down the stairs. But just as she had climbed back out and was making her way to the gate to wait for Ella, a car turned onto the road, and her legs almost gave way when it screeched to a halt.

Unable to go forwards or backwards, Amy dived sideways into a clump of bushes and watched in terror as Yates climbed out of the passenger side, followed by Keith when he got out from behind the wheel.

Ella! This was
her
doing. Nobody else knew where Amy had been staying, so the bitch must have got straight on the phone to Yates as soon as Amy left her. And, to add insult to injury, she’d taken Amy’s money as well.

After climbing into the gatehouse, Yates stalked from room to room in search of his prey while Keith kept watch by the window.

‘There’s nothing here – she must have been and gone,’ he said when he thundered back down the stairs after searching the upper floor. ‘That’s your fuckin’ fault for dragging your feet.’

‘I was having a crap,’ Keith reminded him. ‘What did you want me to do, suck it back up?’

‘I should have just left you there and come by myself,’ snapped Yates, climbing angrily back out of the window and dropping down onto the grass.

‘Oh, yeah, great idea,’ said Keith, dropping down beside him. ‘Drive round coked out of your skull and get yourself nicked.’

‘I already told you, I ain’t gonna get nicked,’ spat Yates. ‘Any cunt gets in my way, they’ll get what the black twat got.’

‘Put that away!’ Keith hissed when Yates pulled the gun out. ‘You can’t go waving it around in public, you mad bastard. And you deffo can’t go shooting dibble, ’cos you won’t just get nicked, you’ll get fuckin’ life.’

‘It’ll be worth it,’ Yates grinned. ‘One less cunt on the street.’

‘Fuck that,’ snapped Keith. ‘You ain’t taking me down with you.’

‘Oh, yeah?’ Yates prodded him in the stomach with the weapon’s barrel. ‘Think you’re calling the shots now, do you? Think I won’t take you out, an’ all?’

‘Go on, then.’ Keith spread his arms. ‘If you’re gonna do it, do it.’

Yates stared him in the eye for several long moments, then kissed his teeth and slotted the gun into his waistband. ‘Get back in the car,’ he ordered, heading for the gate. ‘She can’t have got far, so it should be easy enough to spot her if we drive round.’

Still crouched in the bush, Amy bit down on her hand to keep herself from crying out. She’d heard every word, and knew with absolute certainty that Yates intended to kill her when he found her. And he
would
find her eventually, because she had nowhere left to hide. Ella had betrayed her, so she couldn’t stay here. She also couldn’t go back to her mum and dad’s, because Yates would probably go there again at some point. Kelvin was still in hospital and would probably go to his mum’s from there, so she couldn’t go to him. And she’d lost touch with all her other friends after marrying Mark, so there was absolutely nobody left to turn to. She might as well be dead.

33

Layla kept adjusting her position in her seat, and Steve peered at her with concern. ‘Are you sure you’re all right? Do you want me to pull over for a minute?’

‘No, I’m okay.’ Layla forced a tight smile. ‘Just hurry up and get me home.’

‘You’re not having pains again, are you?’ Steve persisted. ‘We’re not far from the hospital. I can easily divert.’

‘Baby, please stop fussing,’ Layla said patiently. ‘I’ve already made a fool of myself once today, and I’ve got no intention of doing it again. The nurse said it was Braxton Hicks, and she knows better than us, so just stop panicking and take me home. I just want a cup of tea, and the loo.’

‘All right, have it your own way,’ Steve conceded. ‘But I still reckon it’s worth getting a second opinion. That hospital was out in the middle of nowhere – they’re probably twenty years behind.’

‘The Lake District is hardly Mars,’ Layla teased, reaching out and squeezing his hand. ‘I’m sure the doctors get the same training as in every other hospital in the country. Anyway, it’s not hurting, I’m just uncomfortable.’

Steve sighed and smiled at her. Layla smiled back, but a movement in the corner of her eye brought her head around with a snap and, when she saw a figure lurching off the pavement in front of them, she screamed.

Steve swerved just in time and slammed on his brakes. ‘Are you all right?’ He twisted around in his seat. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘I’m fine,’ Layla gasped, clutching at her stomach where the seat belt had dug in. ‘Go and see to the boy.’

Angry now, Steve unclipped his seat belt and threw the door open. ‘What the bloody hell do you think you’re playing at, you stupid idiot?’ he yelled at the boy who was dragging himself up off the ground. ‘Are you on crack, or something? My wife’s eight months pregnant – you could have killed her!’

‘I’m sorry,’ the boy muttered.

‘
Sorry?
’ Steve repeated, marching over. ‘You think sorry cuts it after what you just did?’

‘Steve, stop shouting,’ Layla called from the car. ‘See if he’s hurt.’

Steve turned and waved for her to stay put. Then, turning back, he was just about to – reluctantly – ask if the boy was hurt, but hesitated when he caught a glimpse of the face inside the hood.

‘
Amy?
’

Amy glanced up when he spoke her name, but then her eyes rolled and she collapsed back down to the ground.

‘Oh, Christ,’ Steve squawked, squatting down and pushing the hood off her face. ‘Amy, wake up.’ He patted her cheek. ‘
Amy . . .
’

‘What’s wrong?’ Layla called. ‘Is he hurt?’

‘It’s not a him, it’s Amy, Mark’s ex,’ Steve called back. ‘I think she’s fainted.’

‘Oh, God!’ Layla put her hand over her mouth and climbed out of the car. ‘We didn’t hit her, did we?’

‘I don’t think so. But she doesn’t look too good.’

‘Shall I call an ambulance?’

‘Yeah.’

‘
No!
’ Amy croaked, coming round in time to hear this. ‘Please don’t. He’ll find me.’

‘Who?’ Steve looked around. ‘There’s no one here. Was somebody chasing you? Is that why you jumped out in front of us?’

Amy covered her face with her arms and rocked her head from side to side.

As Steve stared down at her, a cold chill of realisation skittered down his spine. ‘Oh, Christ, you did it on purpose. You were trying to get hit.’

‘I’ve got to go,’ Amy sobbed, hauling herself to her feet. ‘I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.’

Steve ran his hands through his hair and watched as she staggered onto the pavement and limped away. But, as she made to go down an alley, he called, ‘Amy, wait!’ and ran after her.

‘Just leave me,’ Amy begged when he grabbed her by the arm. ‘It’s too dangerous.’

‘Just tell me what’s going on,’ Steve insisted, holding on as she tried to wriggle free. ‘I might be able to help.’

‘You can’t.’ Amy shook her head. ‘He’ll kill you if he sees you talking to me. Just let me go and forget you saw me.’

‘How can I?’ Steve peered down at her with genuine concern in his eyes. ‘We’re mates, and you’re in trouble.’

Layla had climbed out of the car by now, and she walked over to them and put her hand on Amy’s arm. ‘Listen, love, I don’t know you, and I don’t know what’s going on, but I really need to go home or I’m going to wet myself. It’s only round the corner. Why don’t you come and have a cup of tea? It’ll make you feel better.’