The Driver (15 page)

‘I told you to wait at the corner,’ he barked, wanting to finish what he’d started.

‘Get in,’ Joe told him firmly, flicking a glance at the mess on the floor. ‘Come on, man, before you end up in serious shit.’

Eddie inhaled deeply. If anybody else had told him what to do like that, they might have pressed all the wrong buttons and sparked him right back off again. But Joe rarely spoke out of turn so his words penetrated to the zone of reason in Eddie’s mind and made him look at what he’d done. And he immediately saw that he’d come dangerously close to killing the man. One more kick and it might have been over.

Turning to Katya, he held out his hand. ‘Give me what you’ve got and get moving.’

Katya didn’t need telling twice. Picking herself up, she took the money out of her bra and edged out of the doorway. Passing the cash to Eddie, she sneaked a glance at the man in the car – and froze when she saw who it was. But shame quickly replaced the shock, followed by horror that this lovely-looking gentle-eyed man could possibly be a friend of Eddie’s.

‘What the fuck are you gawping at?’ Eddie growled, kicking out at her and sending her sprawling on the pavement. ‘I told you to get moving, you stupid bitch!’

Joe was sickened, and he gritted his teeth as he watched the girl pick herself up and stagger away.

‘Let’s go,’ Eddie said as he hopped into the car.

Joe set off without a word but his mind was racing. He’d been working for Eddie for several weeks now, and everything had been fine. He got on well with the other guys on the crew, and they’d had no trouble at any of the clubs or pubs since Eddie had taken whatever revenge he’d taken on the manager of Frost for letting his bouncers get out of line that time. Which had made Joe’s job a lot easier than he’d thought it would be –
and
it had given Eddie some kind of boost, because he’d been walking with an extra spring in his already cocky step ever since. But while Joe had known that Eddie was up to all sorts of illegal activities, it had never occurred to him that the man was involved with those girls in any way other than as a landlord.

Eddie had calmed down by the time they got back to the flats. ‘Cheers for that back there,’ he said when Joe pulled up at the door. ‘I get a bit carried away sometimes, so you did me a favour calling me off when you did.’

‘No problem.’ Joe forced a smile.

‘Not coming in?’ Eddie asked, unbuckling his seat belt.

Joe shook his head. ‘I need some fags so I’m just going to nip back to the garage. Want me to get you anything while I’m there?’

‘Nah, I’m cool.’ Eddie yawned as he pushed his door open. Turning back to Joe before climbing out, he said, ‘Keep shtum about the girl, yeah?’

‘Nothing to do with me,’ Joe said, shrugging.

He turned the car around when Eddie had gone in and drove back out of the estate. But instead of stopping at the garage he headed back into town and drove slowly around the streets, looking for the girl.

Katya jumped when Joe pulled up alongside her half an hour later, and he saw the blind panic in her eyes.

‘Don’t be scared,’ he said, climbing out and holding up his hands to show her that he wasn’t going to touch her. ‘I just wanted to make sure you were okay.’

Katya’s breath caught in her chest and she felt as if her legs were going to give way as she stared mutely back at him. He sounded sincere but it could easily be a trick. Eddie could have sent him.

Joe’s thoughts were also on Eddie: wondering how the hell he was going to explain this away if the girl went back and told him that Joe had come looking for her. But he was here now, so there was no point leaving without at least trying to find out what was going on.

‘Can we talk?’ he asked.

‘I – I can’t,’ Katya murmured, glancing past him to see if Eddie was hiding somewhere. ‘I’m working,’ she added, her cheeks flaring with shame at having had to admit it, even though he surely knew already.

Joe saw the blush and felt genuinely sorry for her, thinking that it was no wonder she’d looked so unhappy whenever he’d seen her, because she obviously didn’t want to be doing this.

‘Look, I don’t want to cause any trouble,’ he said as an idea came to him. ‘But if you’ll give me half an hour of your time I’ll pay you whatever you usually make. And I swear I don’t want anything from you.’

‘Why would you pay me for doing nothing?’ Katya asked, her instincts confusing her because they were giving her a dual reading. Yes, he could be here at Eddie’s behest to check up on her. But he sounded so genuine, and his gaze was so sincere.

‘I just want to talk,’ Joe repeated. ‘And if you’d feel more comfortable around other people, there’s a café a few minutes away. You could clean your face up while we’re there.’

Katya raised her hand when he said this and wiped at the blood still trickling slowly from her nose.

‘Half an hour, and I’ll bring you straight back,’ Joe persisted. ‘Eddie doesn’t know I’m here,’ he added, guessing that this might be concerning her when she glanced out along the street again.

Katya bit her lip. Then, nodding, she shoved her hands into her pockets and walked around to the passenger-side door.

The only other customers in the café when they got there were two old men. Sitting Katya in a corner well away from the window, Joe went to the counter and bought two coffees and a cheese sandwich. He took them back to the table and sat down across from her.

‘I didn’t know what you’d like, so I went for the safe option. Hope it’s okay.’

Tears welled in Katya’s eyes as she gazed down at the sandwich. ‘Thank you, you’re very kind. But I can’t eat it. I’m sorry.’

‘God, no, it’s no problem,’ Joe assured her. ‘Take it with you. Eat it when you’re ready.’

‘I’d better not,’ Katya murmured, wishing that she didn’t feel so sick right now because she probably did need to eat. But there was no way she could take the sandwich with her, because one of the other girls would be bound to wonder why she’d thought it was okay to slope off and buy food when they had been stuck working.

Katya and Joe sat in silence for the next few minutes, sipping at their coffees and listening to a tap dripping behind the counter – and to the constant snorting and sniffing of the old men who were both ignoring the ‘No Smoking’ sign and sucking on foul-smelling roll-ups.

Clearing his throat after a while, Joe said, ‘My name’s Joe.’

Glancing up briefly, Katya nodded. But she didn’t offer her own name in return.

‘I know you’re probably wondering why I came back,’ Joe went on. ‘And, to be honest, I’m not really sure myself. But something just didn’t feel right about what happened earlier. Why was Eddie fighting with that man?’

Katya felt the heat rise to her cheeks and she couldn’t bring herself to look at him as she admitted, ‘He was hurting me, and Eddie . . .’ Pausing, she shook her head as if she still hadn’t made sense of it herself yet. ‘I don’t know why he came; he doesn’t usually. But he stopped the man from – from doing what he was doing.’

Joe knew exactly what she meant without her having to spell it out, and it sickened him to hear the guilt in her voice. Men who did those kinds of things to women were scum, but most people would probably say she’d asked for it. And never mind if she actually had any choice about what she was doing.

‘Is Eddie good to you?’ he asked now. ‘I mean, I take it you do work for him?’

Katya’s fears came rushing back as she wondered why he would ask such a question. All she could think was that Eddie must be testing her: setting her up to see if she was stupid enough to reveal his business to a total stranger.

‘This was a mistake,’ she murmured, pushing her chair back. ‘I should go.’

‘Wait.’ Joe reached for her hand across the table. Releasing it when she flinched, he said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I just don’t want you to go running away while you’re upset. I promise I’m not going to hurt you, and I won’t repeat anything you say to me.’

‘You’re Eddie’s friend,’ Katya reminded him. ‘It’s too dangerous for me to talk to you.’

‘No, I
work
for Eddie,’ Joe corrected her. ‘And if it makes it any easier for you, I think it would probably be just as dangerous for
me
if he knew I was talking to
you
.’

Holding his gaze for the longest period so far, Katya’s pretty face suddenly crumpled and she buried it in her hands.

‘Please talk to me,’ Joe said softly. ‘Let me help you.’

‘There’s nothing you can do,’ she sobbed, struggling to contain the emotions that she had vowed not to succumb to. ‘There’s nothing anybody can do.’

‘There are plenty of people who can help you if you need it,’ Joe insisted, reaching out and tentatively touching her shoulder.

Again, she flinched, but nowhere near as violently as the previous time. Then, shaking her head, she reached for a paper napkin and gingerly wiped her nose. ‘You shouldn’t get involved. It isn’t your problem.’

‘You don’t have to live like this,’ Joe persisted, sure now that she wasn’t doing this voluntarily. ‘If you want to get out, there are people who can help, places you could go where you’d be safe.’

‘No!’ Katya blurted out, her eyes fearful again. ‘Thank you for your kindness – I won’t forget it. But, really, I don’t need help.’

Standing when she did, Joe took a couple of notes out of his pocket. ‘I know it’s not much but it’s all I’ve got on me.’

‘No, I don’t want it.’ Katya shook her head.

‘Take it,’ Joe insisted. ‘Please.’

Katya bit her lip. She really didn’t want to take his money. But she couldn’t afford to be proud, so she took it and slipped it into her pocket, murmuring, ‘Thank you,’ as she rushed out.

Joe sighed as he watched her go. Then, turning to pick up his keys off the table, he shrugged when he saw the old men watching him. ‘Women, eh? One minute they want you, the next minute they can’t stand the sight of you.’

‘Still took your money, though, eh, son?’ one of the old-timers pointed out, cracking a toothless grin. ‘Nowt much changes there, does it?’

‘Not when it comes to pros, it don’t,’ the hag behind the counter chipped in snidely, as if she’d thought that Joe hadn’t known. ‘The sob stories you hear when they come in here of a night. But they cheer up fast enough when they get what they’re after. You can bet your life
that
one’s already sticking a needle in her fanny. Filthy mare.’

Disgusted, Joe gave the woman a dirty look and snatched up the sandwich. He didn’t even want the damn thing, but there was no way he was leaving it behind for her to make a profit on.

His mind was full of unanswered questions as he made his way home. Now that he’d actually spoken to the girl he knew that she wasn’t just scared of Eddie, she was absolutely terrified of him. But had she chosen this line of work and then got herself in with Eddie and found herself unable to get out of it? Or had Eddie forced her into it from the start? Her accent was foreign, and her reaction when he’d suggested that she could get help from the authorities had been one of absolute dread.

There was more to this than met the eye, Joe was sure. And whatever the truth, now that he’d started he knew that he wouldn’t rest until he found out.

13

It was gone twelve when Eddie woke up the next day, and he had the hangover from hell. Reaching across to wake Chrissie and send her to get something for his head, he was disgusted when the dog licked his hand. Knocking the beast flying, he wiped the slime on the quilt and sat up gingerly.

‘Chrissie . . .’ he called when he heard the TV in the next room. ‘Get us some tablets. Me head’s banging.’

Forced to get up when she didn’t answer, Eddie walked through to the living room in his boxers, the dog trotting along beside him. Annoyed to see that Chrissie had gone out and left the TV on, he switched it off and snatched up the note she’d left on the table. Sucking his teeth when he read that she’d gone to see her mum and wouldn’t be back for a few hours, he counted the small pile of money she’d left beside the note. Furious to find that there was only four hundred and forty quid, he dropped it in disgust. What the fuck was he supposed to do with that? And what the fuck were those girls doing if this was all they could bring home between them? They must think they were on holiday or something. But that was what he got for leaving Chrissie to see to them for the last couple of weeks – they obviously thought she was some kind of soft touch.

But they were in for a shock if they thought he was going to let things carry on slipping, because he was about to take over the reins again. And Chrissie was another one who’d best buck her ideas up, because it was her fault he’d blown all the money he’d gone out with last night. If she could’ve been trusted he’d have left it at home instead of taking it out. But since she’d taken to ordering shite off of Bid-Up TV – and rooting through his pockets for the money to pay for it – he’d been forced to carry everything around on him. And now look . . . from the eight grand he’d had last night, he was down to the poxy five hundred or so that he’d got off those useless bitches.

Kicking the dog out of the way now when it followed him into the kitchen and whined for its breakfast, Eddie took a couple of painkillers and lay on the couch to wait for them to take effect. He felt like shit, and it was all down to Charlie. Good old everyone’s best mate, Charlie, building you up to think you were some kind of king with a right royal pot of money to spend, then robbing you of your senses so that you woke up a pauper. Much as he loved the buzz, he really couldn’t stomach the comedown and he knew it was time to think about knocking it on the head for a bit. That, and the wallet-watching tarts he’d been screwing around with lately. Like those slags Clive had gone off with last night. They’d said they were going to a house party when they’d left him at the casino, so they shouldn’t have needed any money. But Eddie would bet they’d found a way to scrape the last penny out of Clive’s pocket and the gold fillings out of his mouth before they’d let him go.

As the banging in his head began to ease at last, Eddie got up and fed the dog before hopping into the shower. Dressed and ready to leave a short time later, he finished off the last of his coke to get the day kick-started. No point suffering the shitty comedown if you didn’t have to, and all that.