The Club

by Mandasue Heller

  ‘Could be right,’ Tony agreed, pursing his lips thoughtfully as they climbed into the cab.

  He was quiet on the ride to the casino, thinking everything over. He’d given Melody a hard time just now, but better that than have her run back to the States to a certain death. If she did but know it, he’d saved her life by dragging her over here when he had, because she’d be in a concrete box at the bottom of the Hudson by now – and, to teach Tony a lesson, Zorba would have taken great delight in fucking her front, back, and inside out, before personally pouring the liquid cement over her screaming head.

  But she didn’t know that – and she wasn’t going to, because Tony didn’t trust her. He didn’t trust anybody all the way, except maybe Eddie. But he definitely didn’t trust her, not while she was so mad at him for fucking up her career.

  It couldn’t have come at a better time, as far as he was concerned, because, brilliant as she thought she was, she hadn’t reached the point of being unforgettable to the public yet, so it wouldn’t be too long before she was plain old Fiona Dawn again. And when she was, Tony would marry her, ensuring himself a permanent ticket to stay in England. Nobody would give a toss who she married by then, so there would be no publicity. No publicity – no way of Zorba reading about it and knowing where to look for him.

  In the meantime, he had to find a way of investing the money he’d stolen while Zorba’s men were concentrating their efforts on getting to the Johnson brothers. And they would get to them, because in all the attempts the Feds had ever made there had never been a witness yet who’d made it into court to testify against Zorba. Tony had until then to get something sorted, but the way things were going it wasn’t looking too good.

  Ripping the money off had been too good an opportunity to miss, and Tony had whacked it into his bank back home before anyone realised, withdrawing the bulk in a draft and the rest in cash a couple of days later. Then he’d grabbed Melody and Eddie and jumped on the first plane to England, thinking it would be a doddle to set himself up in business and make himself untraceable once he got here. But it was proving to be much harder than he’d anticipated because the British banks were tougher than Fort Knox to get into. With no paper proof as to how he’d come by such a large amount of money, they wouldn’t touch him.

  Stuck with almost one hundred gees in US bills that needed changing over, he’d been going into the local bureau de change every few days, changing a couple of hundred at a time. And, by night, he’d been rotating around the few casinos that Manchester boasted, playing the tables like a butt-lucky novice. But you could only win so many times without raising eyebrows, so he was having to lose as well – which was time-consuming, and more than a little frustrating, because he could have wiped them all out in a single night if he’d been free to play his usual game.

  But while that might be tedious, it was at least doable. But the million-dollar bank draft wasn’t. With no account to deposit it in, he was stuck with it. And, in his pocket, as it had been the whole six weeks he’d been here, it wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.

  But something would come up, Tony was sure, because he was nothing if not determined. Sooner or later, he would find a way around the mess. But until then he would have to carry on doing what he was doing – and keep a very close eye on Melody to make sure she didn’t do anything stupid and blow him sky-high.

  Still awake when Tony came back a few hours later, Melody kept her eyes firmly closed and pretended to be sleeping when he came into the bedroom and stood over her. Wincing when he traced a finger over her bruised lip, she held her breath, praying that he didn’t try and wake her.

  Leaving her be, Tony slipped his jacket off and hung it over the back of the bedside chair. Then he went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

  Peeping out through half-closed eyes to be sure he’d really gone, Melody eased the quilt back and tiptoed across to his jacket. Stare riveted on the door in case he came back and caught her, she slipped her hand into his pockets, hoping to find her passport and cards. They weren’t there, but there was a thick wad of cash in the inside pocket. Taking it out, her eyes widened when she saw that they were all twenties and fifties.

  There must be thousands of pounds there – but what could Tony possibly have been doing to make this kind of money in just a few hours? And, more to the point, who had he done it with, because he didn’t know the city well enough to have made the kind of contacts he’d need for this.

  Or did he?

  Tony had been putting himself about quite a bit since they’d got here, and who knew what he’d been organising? He could have recruited himself a gang and had them out robbing banks, for all she knew. She wouldn’t put it past him. And it wouldn’t matter that he’d had more than enough to start with, because men like Tony could never get enough.

  But wherever this money had come from, it might be Melody’s only opportunity to get her hands on any cash for months, and she’d need it if she was ever going to escape. It was a huge risk, because Tony might have counted it, but he wouldn’t necessarily think that she’d taken it. He might think he’d lost it, or that whoever he’d done his ‘business’ with had ripped him off.

  Deciding it was worth the risk, Melody slid a small bundle of the notes out and put the rest back where she’d found it. Looking around then for somewhere to hide it, she remembered the jumbo pack of sanitary towels in her toiletry bag. Tony would never think of looking there – he hated anything to do with that side of women.

  Taking one of the individual packets out, she carefully unwrapped it and took the towel out. Putting the folded notes in its place, she rewrapped it and slotted it back in between the others. Perfect.

  So perfect, in fact, that she could probably get away with replacing every towel like that over time. If she took just a little whenever she found money in Tony’s pockets, she’d soon have enough for a plane ticket. All she’d have to do then would be find her passport and she’d be free.

  Hearing the toilet flush, Melody rushed back to the bed and pulled the quilt over herself, just as Tony came back.

  Glancing at her, he quietly picked up his jacket and went into the lounge. Taking the money out, he stashed it right down inside the couch with the rest – US currency to the left, British banknotes to the right. Hardly the ideal hiding place – but it would have to do for now because he certainly couldn’t be carrying it around in his pocket.

  And Tony couldn’t afford to make too many more mistakes like the one he’d just made, either. Fortunately, Melody had been asleep, but he might not be so lucky next time, and if she got her hands on that kind of money and did a runner, he was fucked.

  He had to get this moving. Now.

  6

  Jenna had just had her morning shower and was sitting on the bed brushing her hair when her mobile rang. Reaching for it, she smiled when she saw Vibes’s name on the screen.

  ‘Good morning. How are you?’

  ‘Not too good, actually,’ he said, sounding uncharacteristically glum. ‘There’s something I need to talk to you about. Have you got a minute?’

  ‘Course I have,’ she assured him. ‘Fire away.’

  ‘I suppose I could have waited till I saw you tonight,’ he said. ‘But I thought you’d appreciate having as much warning as possible.’

  ‘Warning?’ she repeated questioningly. ‘Is something wrong?’

  ‘Nothing for you to worry about,’ he told her quickly. ‘It’s just that I had a call a couple of hours ago – from back home. And, well . . .’ Pausing, he inhaled deeply. ‘Thing is, I’ve got to go back.’

  ‘Oh, right,’ Jenna said, her heart sinking. ‘When?’

  ‘Flight’s booked for Monday.’

  ‘This Monday?’

  ‘Uh huh.’

  ‘Wow. That soon?’

  Sounding as sick as he felt, Vibes said, ‘I’m real sorry, Jenna. If there was anything I could do to change it, I would. But something’s come up and I’ve got no choice. It’s, um
, family stuff, you see.’

  ‘You don’t have to explain,’ Jenna told him quickly, sensing from his tone that he didn’t really want to discuss it. ‘Just tell me how long you’ll be gone so that I can arrange someone to cover for you.’

  ‘That’s the thing,’ Vibes said quietly. ‘I don’t know how long this thing is gonna take, or even if I’ll be able to come back when it’s over. It all depends what happens when I get there. Not that I don’t want to,’ he added quickly. ‘But there’s no point making promises I can’t be sure of keeping, is there?’

  ‘I suppose not,’ Jenna murmured. Then, pulling herself together because Vibes was obviously feeling bad enough about this without her making him feel worse, she said, ‘Well, I can’t say I won’t miss you, because I will – we all will. But there will always be a place for you at the club if you do make it back.’

  ‘That’s real nice of you.’

  ‘Rubbish!’ Jenna laughed to ease the tension. ‘I’m not being nice, I’m being selfish. You’re the best DJ in town. I’d be a fool to close the door on you. Subject of,’ she said then, crossing her fingers tightly, ‘are you going to be able to make it in tonight, or were you planning to finish as of now?’

  ‘God, no!’Vibes said quickly. ‘I wouldn’t dream of dropping you in it like that. Anyway, I’ve got to do my last weekend. It wouldn’t feel right to go without saying goodbye to everyone.’

  Sighing with relief, Jenna said, ‘Okay, great. Well, I guess I’ll see you tonight, then.’

  Hanging up, Vibes dropped his head into his hands. That had been one of the hardest calls he’d ever had to make, and he felt terrible for leaving Jenna in the lurch like this. But he’d meant what he’d said: there was no way he could have contemplated leaving without saying goodbye to everyone at the club – customers included.

  It was Friday now, which left just three short days to get the most out of everything he was about to lose, because he would probably never see the place again once he had gone. Or Jenna, or any of the others at the club. He’d stay in touch with them all, of course, but it wouldn’t be the same as seeing their faces every day, hearing their voices, sharing their laughter and tears.

  But, while he would miss them, it was Kenneth he would miss the most. Kenneth, his homeboy, who had moved to England and had invited Vibes to come and stay for a few weeks – never once so much as hinting that he’d outstayed his welcome as those weeks rolled into almost two years. He owed Kenneth big for that. He owed him his sanity. And Gina, too, because between them they had dragged Vibes out of the pits of hell and helped him back on his feet. And for that, he would be eternally grateful to them both.

  Tapping on the door just then, Kenneth popped his head around. ‘Everything all right?’

  ‘Cool,’ Vibes lied, forcing himself to smile. They didn’t need to be worrying about him any more than they already were. ‘I’ve just told my boss I’m leaving.’

  ‘How’d she take it?’

  ‘Fine, I guess.’ Shrugging, Vibes stood up. ‘I said I’d work out the weekend – give her time to get a replacement.’

  ‘You sure that’s wise?’ Kenneth asked, concerned that it would all be too much for him. ‘You’re leaving Monday, and you’re not gonna have much time to settle in when you get there before everything gets rolling. Don’t you think you’d be better taking this time out to really get your head around it?’

  ‘I hear what you’re saying,’ Vibes replied softly. ‘But I think it’s better if I keep myself occupied right up till I get on the plane, ’cos then I’ll have nothing to do but get my head around it.’

  ‘Still planning on staying at Tyler’s?’

  ‘Couldn’t say no after Delores was so good to me, could I?’ Sighing deeply, Vibes shook his head. ‘Gonna be tough, though, ’cos you can see my house from his front yard.’

  ‘Don’t go if it’s gonna be too much for you,’ Kenneth said quietly. ‘I’m sure Ty’s mom will understand.’

  ‘Nah. I’ve got to face it some time. Can’t keep running for ever.’

  ‘True, but you don’t have to torture yourself by staying that close. You could find a motel near the courthouse. And if money’s an issue, I can always—’

  ‘Thanks, bro, I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine for cash,’ Vibes assured him. ‘And I’ve made up my mind to do it this way for my own sake. The deeper the wound, the faster it heals. Right?’

  Chuckling softly, Kenneth said, ‘I don’t know where you heard that, but if you come down to A and E when I’m working a Saturday shift, you’d know what a crock it is. The deeper the wound, the louder the screams and the more blood to mop up, in my experience.’ Shrugging then, he said, ‘But you know your own mind, so I ain’t gonna preach. And you know I’m at the end of the phone if you need me – any time.’

  ‘I know.’ Vibes nodded. Then, glancing down at his watch to hide the tears in his eyes, he said, ‘Man! Is that the time? I can’t be chatting to you all day. I got things to do.’

  ‘Well, don’t let me keep you,’ Kenneth said, stepping aside. ‘Just don’t go overdoing it, yeah?’

  Jenna’s mood sank like a stone after the call. She’d always known that Vibes would have to leave one day, but now that it was imminent she was absolutely dreading it. Not only because she might never see him again, but because she was bound to lose customers, too – and that would be a massive blow when everything had been going so well. But she wouldn’t try to persuade him to stay. He had his own life to live, and she just had to get over it – and hope to God that she found a decent replacement.

  But she would deal with that later. Right now, she had a leaving gift to buy.

  Heading into town, Jenna spent hours searching for the perfect ‘something’ to thank Vibes for all his hard work. She wanted it to be personal, but not too personal; expensive, but not over the top. But that proved much harder than she’d anticipated, because nothing seemed quite right.

  Forced to make a snap decision when the shops began to close around her, she rushed back to the first jeweller’s she’d visited on King Street and bought the chunky matt-silver watch that had caught her eye in the window. It cost way more than was probably decent for a boss to spend on an employee, but she was beyond caring by then. And she didn’t have to justify herself to anybody, so what was the harm?

  Jenna had to pause for thought when the jeweller asked if she’d like to have it engraved, though. ‘To . . . with love from Jenna’ would have been perfectly acceptable for anybody else but, given the illicit feelings she’d been harbouring towards Vibes lately, she was paranoid about giving the wrong impression – to him or to his wife.

  Sticking to safe ground, she plumped for the sword-slash Z logo – to remind him of his time at the club, but not necessarily of her.

  Dropping into the club now on her way home, she’d just popped the watch into the wall safe when her desk-phone rang. Reaching for it, she said, ‘Hello?’

  ‘That you, Jenna?’ It was Tony Allen. ‘Sorry for disturbing you outside of work hours, but I needed a favour.’

  Frowning, Jenna glanced at her watch, hoping this wasn’t going to take too long. She’d been in town much longer than she’d intended already, and she needed to go home and eat, then get ready for tonight.

  ‘Actually, it’s more advice than a favour,’ Tony went on. ‘You got time to talk?’

  ‘Well, I am in a bit of a rush,’ Jenna said, trying not to sound like she was fobbing him off. ‘But if you want to give me the gist of what it’s about, we could discuss it in more detail tonight.’

  ‘I was thinking more along the lines of calling in on you now, so we could have a proper chat without distractions,’ Tony said. ‘But I guess if you’re busy, you’re busy.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘No problem. I could probably do with a shower, anyway, so I guess I’ll catch up with you tonight. It’s only a bit of business advice, so it shouldn’t take too long. Just need some facts about British business – laws and
regulations, that kind of stuff.’

  ‘Ah, well, I might not actually be the best person to talk to,’ Jenna admitted. ‘I’m a bit of a novice, as you know, and I haven’t had to deal with too much of that side of things yet.’

  ‘Oh, right,’ Tony murmured. ‘Oh, well, not to worry. I’ll just have to think of someone else.’

  ‘You could always try Leonard Drake,’ Jenna suggested, remembering what Fabian had said about Drake having helped her dad.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘The politician.’

  ‘That fat creepy guy?’

  ‘Mmm.’ Jenna bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. ‘I believe he used to have something to do with the liquor licensing board, so he ought to know something about business law.’

  ‘Worth a try,’ Tony said thoughtfully. Then, ‘Yeah, why not? Go on, then, give me his number. I’ll give him a ring.’

  ‘I don’t actually have it on me,’ Jenna lied. ‘Maybe it would be better if you waited to see him at the club.’

  ‘He might not come in tonight, and I don’t really have time to waste,’ Tony said. ‘Just see what you can do for me, will you? I’ll leave you my room number so you can call me back when you get it.’

  Jotting the number down, Jenna promised to get back to him. Putting the phone down then, she chewed on her thumbnail, wondering how best to deal with this. It wouldn’t be right to give the Drakes’ number out without their consent, but would it really hurt if she rang and passed the message on? Tony would only keep ringing if she didn’t, and she would feel awkward if she had to keep lying.

  Opening the desk drawer, she reached to the back for her dad’s old address book and looked up Leonard’s number.

  ‘Oh, hello, Mrs Drake?’ she said when Avril answered. ‘Sorry to disturb you, but this is Jenna Lorde.’

  ‘Sorry, who?’

  ‘Jenna Lorde – from Zenith, on Deansgate. I was wondering if I could have a quick word with your husband?’