The sound of Tiffany speaking broke into Ruby’s troubled thoughts. ‘Rubes, where’s those sausages I bought?’
‘What sausages?’ asked Ruby.
‘Y’know, the ones I bought the other day. You were with me when I bought them.’
‘I don’t know, do I?’ Ruby snapped. I wish my only worry in life was where to find the bloody sausages, she thought, bitterly. ‘Why don’t you try looking in the freezer or summat?’
‘I have done,’ said Tiffany, ‘and they’re not there.’
Ruby could tell by Tiffany’s tone that she was becoming exasperated with her and it wasn’t long until Tiffany came to join her on the sofa. ‘We can’t go on like this y’know, Rubes,’ she said, patting Ruby’s shoulder in her usual affectionate way.
‘What the fuck you talking about?’ asked Ruby.
Tiffany pulled her hand away, sat back and glared at Ruby. ‘That,’ she yelled. ‘That’s what I’m fuckin’ talking about! I know you’ve got your problems, Ruby, but there’s no need to take them out on me and every fucker else.’
Ruby stared back. It was rare for Tiffany to lose her temper and for a moment she was shocked. But her girlfriend’s display had done the trick. It had made her realise how difficult she had been to live with for the past few days, and how unfair she was being to her.
She sighed. ‘You’re right, Tiffany. I shouldn’t take it out on you but, to be honest, girl, I’m fuckin’ worried sick.’
‘I know you are,’ said Tiffany, moving forward but stopping short of touching Ruby’s shoulder again. ‘But we can’t go on like this,’ she repeated.
‘What do you suggest then?’ Ruby bit back sarcastically.
‘I don’t know, Rubes, but something’s got to change.’
Tiffany then got up from the sofa and went through to the kitchen, leaving Ruby to ponder over what she had said.
In the end Ruby decided that Tiffany was right; she couldn’t go on like this. She needed to take control. After all, she had never let men intimidate her in all her adult life, so why should she start now? Sod the protection racket! They couldn’t force her to pay if she didn’t want to. Let them do their worst. She carried her own protection anyway and she was prepared to use it if necessary. And, as for Tiffany, she’d do her best to make sure that she didn’t let her out of her sight.
If Ruby was going to stand up to these men then she would have to start somewhere, and she’d decided to start with Gilly. He was clearly toying with her, waiting for the right time to take his revenge. But she’d had enough of sweating it out waiting for him to make a move; instead she would go to him.
*
Ruby felt that there might be a connection between Gilly and the thugs who had entered the massage parlour demanding protection money. It seemed a bit of a coincidence that the men should visit her just as he was due to be released. And there was a chance Gilly might have known about Victor’s death if Crystal had blabbed her mouth off to him.
While Ruby had never known Gilly to be involved in protection rackets, she knew he had contacts and she wouldn’t put anything past him. He might have sent the men just to scare her as a twisted way to get his revenge. So she intended to end the situation once and for all and have it out with him.
She had timed it so that none of the working girls would be inside the Rose and Crown, arriving after she knew they would be working the streets. It would only complicate matters if Crystal were there. Crystal knew of Gilly’s plan for revenge and she might try to calm things down before Ruby had a chance to deliver her message.
When she walked inside the pub Gilly was standing at the bar chatting to his cronies. But Ruby knew she wouldn’t confront him in the pub. No, this was better taking place outside, away from prying eyes.
She marched up to him and said, boldly, ‘I want a word with you! Outside.’
Ruby strode out of the pub purposefully to the sound of a barrage of questions aimed at Gilly. She also heard Gilly following behind as she had known he would; his ego was too big to stand down a challenge from a woman. Ruby had deliberately chosen a precise location, knowing it would unsettle him. She kept a swift pace as she turned down the side street and into the alleyway. The same alleyway where he had left Crystal for dead.
With her back to him Ruby could sense his hesitation as he realised where they were heading; his footsteps becoming slower and more tentative. Good! Her plan was working. She swivelled round and stopped next to a bin while she watched him hover at the mouth of the alleyway. Then he quickly recovered himself and followed her down, stopping before he reached her. Ruby knew she was taking a risk but she had taken precautions and she was glad to see one of those precautions materialise in the form of Tiffany who emerged at the mouth of the alleyway. Gilly turned round on hearing her footsteps and stopped, trapped between the two women.
He swivelled round to face Ruby again. ‘What the fuck’s going on?’ he demanded.
Ruby slapped her hand angrily on the top of the bin. ‘Recognise it, Gilly?’ She watched the expression of alarm on his face. ‘Yeah, that’s right. It’s the same fuckin bin where I found Crystal after you’d left her for dead!’
‘I didn’t leave her for dead, just slapped her around a bit, that’s all. She fuckin’ asked for it!’
‘Just slapped her around a bit?’ Ruby mimicked. ‘Is that why she was unconscious and covered in blood?’ When he didn’t reply, she continued. ‘Her face was a fuckin’ mess, Gilly! You broke her nose and eye socket. And you broke two of her fuckin’ ribs. Can you blame me for turning you in to the police?’
‘You don’t fuckin’ grass, no matter what happens,’ Gilly countered.
‘According to who?’ shouted Ruby. ‘I don’t go by the rules of fuckin’ scumbags like you!’
Angry at her words, Gilly rushed at her. But she was ready. Before he had quite reached her Ruby pulled out her knife and flicked out the blade. It caught Gilly on the hand just as he charged into her. Gilly jumped back, squealing.
‘You fuckin’ bitch!’ he yelled, turning to the side, his eyes shifting about, looking at each of the girls in turn and trying to decide his next move.
Tiffany had also taken out the knife that Ruby had told her to carry. She doubted that her girlfriend would have used it, but Gilly didn’t know that. He finally stepped towards Tiffany, perhaps deciding that she was the lesser threat. Then, while walking away, he turned his head and issued a parting shot for Ruby.
‘You’ve not fuckin’ heard the last of this!’ he spat as he struggled to keep a safe distance from Tiffany in the narrow alleyway.
Ruby wished she could have felt relief that it was all over but she was afraid that she had only made things worse. Instead of frightening Gilly off, she had just made him more determined to exact his revenge. And she hadn’t even had chance to confront him about the gang intimidation; things had moved too fast. So now, she was none the wiser as to whether Gilly was involved or not. But, regardless of that, she hadn’t taken care of either problem.
*
As Ruby made her way back to the massage parlour with Tiffany, she heard her phone ringing. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard it that evening but she’d been too occupied with Gilly to answer. It was a central Manchester number, which looked familiar and she soon realised it was someone ringing her from work. She hit the call receive button and heard the distressed voice of Pammy on the other end.
Ruby immediately felt alarmed, knowing she had left Pammy managing reception while she and Tiffany were out. It was obvious to Ruby that Pammy was worked up. As she tried to speak, her voice was shaking and she was breathing heavily. Considering how calmly Pammy had dealt with the cover up of Victor’s death, it must be something bad to make her react like this.
‘Ruby, we’ve been attacked by a bunch of fuckin’ gangsters!’ she gasped.
‘Shit! What happened?’
‘They came in here carrying baseball bats and wearing masks. They were asking for you, said you owed them so
me money. When I said you weren’t in and hadn’t mentioned any money, they started smashing the place up.’
‘You’re fuckin’ joking! Did you get a look at any of them?’ asked Ruby.
‘Did I fuck! I told you, they were wearing masks. They’ve left a fuckin’ mess. We were terrified.’
‘Shit!’ Ruby repeated. ‘How many of the girls saw what happened?’
‘Just me and Rose.’
‘OK. Well listen; keep it to yourself and ask Rose to do the same. I’ll make it worth your while. I’ll be back in a few minutes.’
‘What the fuck’s going on, Ruby?’
‘They’re just a bunch of thugs trying to scare us, Pammy.’ Ruby tried to play it down. The last thing she needed was to have the girls panicking and leaving her. ‘Don’t worry, they’ve done their worst. That’s probably the end of it now.’
‘Oh, I don’t fuckin’ think so,’ said Pammy, her voice now shaking with anger as well as fear. ‘They left you a message. They’re gonna be back to see you.’
‘Okaay.’ Ruby dragged out the word, stuck for what else to say. Finally, she said, ‘I’ll chat to you when I get there.’ Then she cut the call hoping she would be able to calm Pammy down when she got back.
‘What’s wrong? What’s happened?’ asked Tiffany.
Ruby closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in deeply, wishing this wasn’t really happening. When she opened her eyes again, Tiffany was still waiting for her reply. ‘Things just got a whole lot fuckin’ worse, Tiff. Those thugs have been and smashed the place up with baseball bats and told Pammy they’ll be back.’
‘Oh shit! What are we gonna do?’
‘I don’t know what the fuck to do!’ said Ruby. Then she looked pointedly at Tiffany and grabbed hold of her hand. ‘I’m fuckin’ scared, Tiff. These are bad bastards we’re dealing with.’
Tiffany stared back at Ruby, her eyes wide with fear and her mouth agape. She didn’t say anything but her expression said it all; if Ruby was scared and didn’t know what to do then things must be bad.
50
June 2011
It was only a day later when the two thugs returned to the club, and the sight of them threw Ruby into a state of panic. She’d just about got the club back in order. The damage had fortunately been minimal, just a dinted coffee table, some broken cups and a picture knocked off the wall. Ruby guessed that it was more of a warning than an intention to inflict any real damage.
Following her previous encounter, the thugs were instantly recognisable from their sporty designer gear, cocky swagger and hard features. But this time they were accompanied by a third man; a man she thought she knew. As he approached the desk she stared hard at him, her heart pounding. Could it be…? No, surely not!
But then he reached the desk and she knew for sure. He still had the same callous features and cruel sneer. As recognition dawned she felt the room sway and she gripped the arms of her chair, thankful that she was sitting down otherwise her legs would have collapsed beneath her.
She realised that he was their leader. He was ruthless enough to fulfil that role. He’d always been ruthless even as a child. Kyle Gallagher. The savage who had attacked her when she was only ten. And left her with a lifetime of physical and emotional scars.
On seeing her reaction, he grinned smugly. He’d evidently recognised her straightaway. The facial scar was a giveaway.
When he spoke his words were cutting. ‘So, Ruby is it now?’ He laughed as he addressed his two goons. ‘Last time I saw this one she was a scruffy little fucker called Trina.’ Then he nodded at the watch she was wearing. ‘Love the Rollie by the way.’
‘What do you want?’ she snapped, trying to disguise her fear with aggression.
But, even as she did so, she was battling with traumatic memories that threatened to overwhelm her. It had been the first time in her life she had known real fear and she tried to fight the feelings of panic that came rushing back. Just like when she was ten, she could feel her constricting throat, rapidly beating heart and shortness of breath as she relived the assault in her mind:
The stinging blows as Kyle and his friends attacked her and the feeling of desperation as she felt her clothing being torn. Her sense of helplessness as she tried ineffectually to defend herself. Begging and pleading with the boys while they sniggered and squealed. Then the knife being plunged into her face and the blood streaming onto her hands.
‘You already know the answer,’ said Kyle in reply to her question. ‘These two explained it to you last time they were here.’ The two goons nodded and Kyle continued to speak. ‘But, from what they told me, you weren’t very nice. And, I’ve heard that you’ve had a bit of bother since we last called for our money. Now, if you’d have paid when we asked, you might have been able to avoid that.’
It was obvious to Ruby that they had been responsible for the attack. It was their way of persuading her to pay up. But she knew how ruthless Kyle was and she didn’t want to risk upsetting him, so Ruby kept her mouth shut while she listened to what he had to say. ‘You already owe us a month’s protection. Eight hundred quid.’
‘I-I don’t have that much in the till,’ said Ruby. ‘The clients pay the girls direct and I just charge for the rooms.’
‘In that case, I’ll send my men round the rooms and they can collect from your girls instead,’ said Kyle, grinning smugly.
‘No, don’t!’ said Ruby.
She looked desperately over at the waiting area, concerned for her girls, and was met by a curious stare from Rose. Ruby flashed a warning glance her way. ‘I can get it!’
‘Right, well you’d better make it fuckin’ quick!’ threatened Kyle. ‘We’ll be back tomorrow night.’ He lifted a pen from her desk and pointed it in her face. ‘You’d better be fuckin’ ready!’
Then he left, taking the pen and his two goons with him. As soon as they were gone, Rose dashed up to reception. ‘Is everything alright?’ she asked Ruby with an anxious expression on her face.
‘Oh, no worries,’ said Ruby. ‘They were trying it on but I soon sent them packing.’
She could tell Rose wasn’t convinced. The terrified expression on Ruby’s face was incongruent with her words. She couldn’t face any further questions at the moment and in her panicked state she just wanted to flee.
‘Rose, please will you man the desk for a few minutes?’ she asked, dashing away from the reception area without giving Rose a chance to reply.
Ruby knew where she wanted to be now; somewhere she could be alone. She could have taken the night off, but Tiffany would be at home and she didn’t want to alert her. Tiffany had been scared enough about the threat from the gang and Ruby knew that if she told her Kyle was behind it then she would freak out because she knew all about what had happened to Ruby as a child and just how badly it had affected her.
So Ruby headed for her dungeon where nobody else came unless it was pre-arranged. It was the only place where she could guarantee she wouldn’t be disturbed.
As soon as she arrived, she collapsed onto the bed, sobbing, her hands covering her face. Her heart was still racing and her head was fuzzy. She pulled her hands away; they were wet with tears. A flashback to that other time struck terror into her. Wet hands; soaked with blood from the gaping wound to her face. Ten years of age and traumatised.
She looked away, trying to refocus her mind. But as she gazed around the room, she was struck by the irony of the place she had chosen as her retreat. The instruments of torture seemed to laugh aloud; each one looming menacingly towards her. In deep torment she threw her face into the pillows and closed her eyes, trying to escape her troubles.
It took a while until she had cried out her anguish and managed to calm herself down. Ruby had to get back to reception. She didn’t want to arouse suspicion. Nobody must know about the terrifying threat that hung over them. And Rose would already be suspicious.
Ruby got up off the bed and went into the adjoining bathroom. She stared into the mirror at the pink
puffiness around her eyes and noticed how flushed she was before switching on the cold tap and rinsing her face. When her cheeks had cooled she walked down the stairs, locked the door to her dungeon and prepared herself to face Rose.
‘Are you OK?’ asked Rose, her face still full of concern.
‘Yes, sorry about that,’ said Ruby. ‘I’ve got a dicky tummy.’
‘You sure?’ asked Rose, clearly sceptical.
‘Yeah, I’ll be OK. It’s probably the takeaway I had last night.’
‘You sure it’s not about those guys upsetting you?’
‘What guys? Oh, them? Nah. I told you, they’re just trying it on. It’d take more than a bunch of drips like them to bother me.’
Her act was convincing, especially coming from someone as strong-willed as Ruby, and Rose soon returned to the waiting area, leaving Ruby to run the reception desk. For the rest of the night Ruby tried to carry on as normal, smiling politely at the customers and sharing banter with the girls. But although she managed to convince them all that everything was fine, the reality was just the opposite.
She knew Kyle and what he was capable of and as Ruby chatted, smiled and laughed at the right times she couldn’t belie what she was feeling inside. Kyle’s visit had changed everything. As well as sabotaging her business, it had destroyed her peace of mind, and nothing would ever be the same again.
51
July 2011
It was the second time Kyle had called to collect his money and, as she looked across the reception counter at him, Ruby couldn’t hide the scowl on her face. She hated him! And she begrudged having to pay her hard-earned money to him in order to buy his so-called protection. The look that he gave her in return told Ruby he was well aware of her resentment.
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