by Karen Woods
Jordan shook his head. “No, nothing to worry about. I just need a few words with her.”
The woman didn’t move straight away, she was thinking. “I’ll close the front door then I’ll go and get her.” The front door slammed shut on him. What a cheeky cow this woman was, who the hell did she think she was. Jordan could hear every word from inside the house. “Get him away from the front door. What will the neighbours think?” Jordan was ready for snapping. He had a good mind to run into the house and kick fuck out of this toffee-nosed bitch. She was no better than him, she was up her own arse.
The front door swung open and Jane stood there looking flustered. With one hand on her hip she snarled at Jordan. “What do you want?”
He stepped forward and held a firm look. “Oi, cocky bitch, lose the attitude before you get a slap.”
Jane swallowed hard and realised now that this guy would put her in her place if she carried on. She backed down. Her voice was low. “My mam is going sick. You know what she’s like. Just keep your voice down before she hears you.”
“You better come with me; I need to find Emily.” Jane sighed and all the colour drained from her face.
“Ssshhh, I said. My mam doesn’t know anything about it.” She was testing his patience.
“So get your coat and come with me before I go right in there and tell her all about what you have been up to. And I will, you know, I’ll tell her everything.”
Jane growled at him and turned on the spot. “Go and wait in the car, I’ll be there in a minute.” She slammed the door behind her.
Jordan sat in the car tapping his fingers on the dashboard. He kept looking at Jane’s house and sighing. She’d been ages. He honked the horn several times and he was getting ready to go back to the house to drag her out. Jane finally emerged from the house but there was no urgency in her walk. The car door opened and she plonked herself on the passenger seat. Jane pulled down the mirror and doubled checked her make-up. “I look hanging, look at the state of me.”
Jordan flicked the engine over and spoke. “Like I’m arsed what you look like. We’re going to sit down in a minute and I want you to tell me everything about this cunt who my sister has been seeing.”
She gulped. “I don’t know much. She’d been talking to him for ages before she told me. I went on a few dates with them and I was seeing Omar, his mate.”
“Omar, is he a Paki?”
Jane was beetroot. “Well sort of. He didn’t act like one though, he was like us.”
This was getting worse by the minute. “Is he a Paki or not, which?”
Jane looked out of the window and replied. “Yes, he is. But don’t be saying anything to anyone. My dad will go ape, he’s already warned me about seeing foreigners. He said I would go in care if I ever brought one home.”
“So, go on, tell me more.”
Jane fiddled with her hair and sat back in her seat. The more she thought about this, the more she realised how wrong it had all been. She started to confess. “This is between us. I’ll tell you as long as you don’t tell my parents, I want my name keeping out of it, otherwise I’ll deny it. Honest, I’ll say you’re making it up.”
Jordan agreed, he just needed her to spill the beans. Jane licked her dry cracked lips and played with her fingers. “I knew something wasn’t right. I think they were drugging us.”
Jordan slammed the brakes on the car and gripped her by the arm. “What do you mean drugged?” His temper was boiling and his ears were pinned back.
Jane hung her head and her voice was low. “They used to take us out each night and buy our drinks, not just one, nine or ten Vodkas each night. I don’t even remember going to bed some nights. I knew something was wrong and I mentioned it to Emily, but she wouldn’t listen.” Her eyes filled up and her bottom lip trembled. “I think they brought men in to have sex with us. They took us to this big house, that had lots of bedrooms and they said it belonged to this guy who loved having people staying with him.”
Jordan was boiling over inside but tried to keep a lid on his emotions. He took a breath. “Where does this guy live do you remember?”
“I think so but I’m not sure.” Jane carried on speaking. “I started to have flashbacks; I knew then that something wasn’t right. I kept having a vision of men on top of me, touching me, feeling me, doing stuff.” Jane broke down and cried. “It wasn’t my fault, I never said they could do that.”
Jordan held his stomach. He felt sick. This was on a whole new level. He thought he would just have to give this Mark a back hander or a kick up the arse - how wrong could he have been! Taking a few deep breaths, he urged Jane to continue as he cringed. “Omar was never there in the morning when I woke up. I thought that was strange to start with, and it was the way I felt. I had this sick, weird feeling inside. I never thought anything about it until I got away from them that night in the pub. He tried making me stay but I told him straight I was going home. I think if we hadn’t been in a public place, he would have locked me up and kept me there. I pleaded with Emily to come with me. Look, I even took a photo of Mark kissing another girl in the car park. I never sent her it because I was pissed off with her and I thought if she wanted to stick up for him then I’d leave her to it. I’m sorry now, because if she’s not answering her phone and she’s not come home, where the hell is she?”
Jordan took the phone from her hand and zoomed in on the snap. He could see the name of the pub on the car-park wall. This was a lead, somewhere to start. He passed her phone back and googled the boozer. Bingo it was in Bolton. He studied the map and held a puzzled look on his face. This was the area he picked the brasses up from. Lizzy had been picked up from here before. Jane was a mess, shaking, hands trembling. “Will she be alright? I’m sorry I didn’t tell anyone what was happening, but I thought it was just a bit of fun. They were treating us nice at first, buying us gifts, perfumes, bags.”
It was all too much for Jordan to take. Was this girl thick or what? “Are you on this planet? The pair of you have been groomed, why the fuck do you think they took you out of the area? And, presents? What the fuck were they buying you stuff for? Think about it you clown!”
Jane was hysterical, tears streaming down the side of her face. “I was raped, I know I was. Oh My God, my mam will go mad. I’ve tried to block it out but I can’t get it out of my mind.”
Jordan dropped his head onto the steering wheel. He was heartbroken. Sucking in some air he had to get his head back in the game, time wasn’t on his side. “Right, I’m going to go up there and have a scout around, if I can’t see her then the police will have to be involved. I’ll drop you off and I’ll go and get my dad to come with me. He’s going to go sick. God help these men when he gets his hands on them.”
Jane banged her head gently against the window. “Please, don’t tell my mam. I’ll do anything, just don’t tell her.” Jordan never replied, he couldn’t promise her anything anymore, this was serious.
CHAPTER TWENTY- THREE
Elsie was staring at her husband while Tony was staring into space. “So, go on, you tell me your version of events and then I’ll tell you what I know. Don’t fucking lie to me you wanker because I’ll know and God help you if you’re lying.”
Tony was in a bad way. His eyes were swollen and dried blood was stuck to the side of his head. “Elsie, do I look like I need you stressing me out now? I’ve been jumped. Four of them held me down and kicked fuck out of me for fuck all. They were saying I’d robbed them but on my life, I know fuck all about what they’re going on about.”
Elsie had to put him in the picture, give him a clue of what she knew. “So, are you still working for Sue?”
Tony gulped, his mouth went dry. “Nar, she was ill and when I went back to start work, she said her husband was back and she no longer needed my services.”
Elsie snarled at him. What a dirty no good lying bastard he was! “Oh, and you never thought to tell me. So if you’ve not been working where have you been going through the
day?”
“I’ve been chilling with a few of the lads. In fact, I was trying to get some money together for this fucking holiday. Honest to God, you’re doing my head in. Fuck off out of my face and leave me alone. I’m suffering here, look at the state of me.”
His wife walked slowly towards the door, she watched him with eager eyes. Her hand stretched across to the small wooden table and she gripped an old wine bottle by the neck. With a swift movement she turned on the spot. “So, this letter I’ve got saying you’ve had your cock shoved up Sue is a load of shit then?” The bottle skimmed past his head, shattering to tiny pieces around the room. He covered his head and tried to protect himself as she started to look for other missiles to launch at him. “That explains it all; the new boxers, the washing all the time, the new clothes. You’re a cheeky twat and I want you out of here you fucking scumbag. Our Emily is missing and you’ve got your scabby cock shoved up some fancy piece.”
Tony ran at his wife. “Calm the fuck down will you. I’ve never touched Sue. Fucking hell, do you think she would look at someone like me?”
She slapped him across the face with force. “So, you’re saying if she did look at you, you would have slung one up her?”
“No, you daft cow. I’m saying I never touched her. What does the letter say, go on, fill me in because it’s a load of shit! It’s someone trying to cause trouble between us. You’re my woman, always have been. I’ve got eyes for no one else. So, turn it in.”
Elsie broke down and collapsed on the floor. It was all too much. The thought of her man with another woman made her skin crawl. Tony stood back and held his hands up in the air. There was no way he was admitting anything, so he changed the subject. “What the fuck is this about Emily being missing? Since when and why have I just found out now?”
“Since last night. She’s with her boyfriend or so I believe.”
“So, why are you saying she’s missing then?”
Elsie scrambled to her feet and plonked down on the sofa. She sighed and ragged her fingers through her hair. “Jordan has gone to find out what’s going on. She’s lied to us and said she’s been staying at Jane’s and she’s been found out because we rang Jane and she’s not there.”
Tony paced the front room. “So, if she’s not staying at Jane’s where has she been staying? I want her home now! Where is she?”
Elsie had to take her time to speak, she was sobbing. “Jordan has gone to look for her, apparently she’s been staying with this Mark guy.”
Tony cracked his knuckles and a spray of spit left his mouth as he spoke. “Get Jordan on the blower. I’ll go with him to get her and I’ll make sure this Mark gets a good slap. Fuck me, why didn’t you tell me what was going on. How many times have I told you to keep an eye on her?”
“And I have. She’s never done anything like this before. You know she’s a good kid.”
The front door slammed shut and in walked Jordan with Jane behind him. Tony wasn’t waiting for any meet and greet; he went straight for Jane. “Where the fuck is Emily? Don’t be chatting a bag of shit to me because I’ll drag you around to your parents and tell them what’s been going on.”
Jane was in pieces and sat down as Jordan started to fill the family in on where Emily was and what had been happening. Elsie went white and Tony ran into the kitchen and came back with the biggest knife he could find. Then he rummaged behind the sofa and pulled out a machete. “Take me there now. If a single one of them has laid a single finger on my girl I will deal with them. She’s a fucking baby, my baby.”
Jordan turned to Jane, “You need to come with us. We might need you to get to Emily if they are hiding her.”
Jane fell to her hands and knees. “I don’t want to go back there. Please, I’ll come with you but I’m going nowhere near the house. These are bad men, very dangerous people.”
Tony lost his rag and grabbed her by the throat. “And, I’m fucking dangerous too. If my girl is there then I will take the lot of them out, now move your arse before I drag you by every hair on your bastard head.”
Elsie was putting her coat on too and she was ready for war. Jordan shot a look over at her and spoke. “You’re staying here in case she comes back. This is a man’s business. You wait here.”
“Over my dead body. If my girl is in danger, then I’m coming too. I can handle myself; don’t you worry about me.”
Tony agreed with his son. “Stop being stupid. I don’t want to be worrying about you too. Stay put here. I’ll ring you as soon as there is any news.”
Elsie was still playing up but she knew she was going nowhere. She marched over to the window and pulled back the net curtain looking at the area below her. “Just bring her back safe. Please, just bring her back home.”
Tony paused; his bottom lip quivered. “I’m bringing her home; don’t you worry about that.”
The three of them were gone leaving Elsie in silence.
CHAPTER TWENTY- FOUR
Tina was with Alex in the pub and it was fair to say she was enjoying the night. She had her glad rags on; a black fitted dress, red shoes and a handbag to match. Her hair was on point too, it looked bouncy and shiny. She’d really made an effort tonight, you could tell. Alex reached over and held her hand and smiled. He looked directly into her smoky blue eyes. Was he going to propose? He just stared at her for what seemed like forever but didn’t say anything. Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke. “You make me smile Tina and I feel like I can trust you with anything. You make me so happy and although I’ve known plenty of women, there is something special about you. You just get me. We’ve connected.”
Tina was taken back, lost for words for the first time in her life. Things had been going great with this new guy and he’d told her some of his deepest secrets. He ran a brothel but so what? It didn’t bother her, he was just making a living and she didn’t judge. It was the same kind of job she’d been in for years, so she kept quiet. He never knew that about her though, there was no way was she telling him she’d sold her body for money. She’d stretched the truth of course and told him she’d worked on the reception at an escort agency. She lied and told him she just took bookings and nothing more. “Tina, I want to put a business deal to you. I want it to bring us closer together. As you know I have girls working for me but to tell you the truth, it’s driving me mad. I want you to run the agency. You have worked with these kinds of girls before and I know you could keep them in line. I’ll pay you well, I just need you to be discreet and well,” he paused as he touched her cherry lips with his warm wet lips. “I want us to be a team.”
Tina didn’t flinch, she had to hold it together and play it cool. She could do this job with her eyes closed. She knew this kind of world inside out. God knows she’d had the experience. She twiddled a strand of hair around her finger and looked as if she was thinking. She didn’t answer him straight away and kept him hanging. She lifted her glass up and took a small zip of her wine. Her voice was low and she checked nobody could hear her. “You said a team, how is that going to work because in the past it has meant someone taking all the money and me doing all the work. I’m not doing anyone’s donkey work.”
Alex snuggled in closer. He could smell her sweet perfume, the fragrance he’d bought her. “I’m not like that, I’ll make sure you earn when I do. I know you know everything about me and up to now you’ve never judged me. Most women run a mile when I tell them what I do, but you never flinched. You’re one in a million and I want you to be part of my life as well as my business.”
Bleeding hell someone pass me the tissues, this guy was pulling the big guns out tonight. The bullshit was rolling from his tongue at speed and by the looks of Tina she was falling for it. What was wrong with her, usually she was on the ball and could smell a rat a mile away. He’d pulled the wool over her eyes for sure, she was smitten, lost in his eyes, believing every word he was telling her. “So, would that mean me moving up here to Bolton?”
Alex sucked hard on his lips and he was maki
ng a rod for his own back but he needed her on board. “If that’s what you want. As you know I have a big home with plenty of space for the both of us. Some of the working girls stay there too but I’m sure that wouldn’t bother you.”
Tina had been back to his house on a few occasions and always felt at home there. Yes, there were girls there too but there always seemed to be a party going on or some kind of celebration. It all made sense now, these were the working girls, the entertainers. Tina had a real chance to change her life and maybe she’d never get that chance again. As she’d told the world and his wife before, she’d never had any luck with men. Alex was a Godsend after all the heartache she’d endured. It was a no brainer; she liked this man and he treated her like no other man had ever treated her before. He was a gentleman, opened doors for her and pulled chairs out for her before she sat down. What more could a woman ask for? Usually, with the men she met, she’d be lucky to get a chip butty off them on the way home from the pub. A quick leg over and they’d be snoring next to her in bed. That had been her life for so long now and she knew she deserved more. Yes, she could manage some girls, it wasn’t rocket silence.
“If this is what you really want then I’ll take your offer and move my stuff in over the weekend. I have a few loose ends to tie up in Manchester first, then I’m all yours.”
Alex rubbed his hands together. “I’m glad you have agreed to work with me. Not only will I have a lovely sexy woman on my arm. I will have a business partner who will make my life a lot easier.”
This was all happening too fast. Tina seemed to be sucked in by him and couldn’t see the wood for the trees. If this had been one of her friends, she would have been telling them that there was something not quite right going on here. It just goes to show you that love can certainly blind you. Mark came over to the table and plonked down next to Alex. He patted Mark on his arm. “Here he is, my wing-man. Tina meet Mark, he works with me. He’s been a diamond this man has and he’s kept things ticking over for me. Mark, Tina has agreed to come onboard and she’ll be the one managing the girls from now on, so you can relax for a bit.”
