by Sofia Grey
More incomprehensible language rattled back and forth over the phone line, and Irina started crying. She turned away from them, her body shaking.
After a shocked silence, Maja spoke. “She killed someone. She’s afraid of going to jail for murder.”
*
Juli stared at Yanni, then looked up at Jack and saw doubt clouding his eyes.
Jack crossed his arms, standing there looking sure of himself again, and gave Yanni a cold smile. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll do that. And this Irina is one of the private dancers?” His sarcasm was clear.
“No. She’s one of the prostitutes. Gloria’s is an upmarket brothel.”
His words hung in the air. Even Jack was silenced.
Maria was the first to speak. “You said she came here for a job in a hotel? How the hell did she end up as a prostitute?”
Yanni sighed and leaned back against his pillows. “Not by choice. Blackmail? Coercion? Take your pick. They threatened her family—frightened her into submission.” He stared at Jack, an angry edge to his voice. “She was raped at first, broken in, then placed in a backstreet brothel to start earning her keep. After a few months, they move the girls around, to keep fresh faces in the marketplace.” He looked at Juli. It felt like a direct appeal. “She’s sixteen.”
“Jesus,” muttered Jack, narrowing his eyes as he gazed out of the window. “If you’re telling the truth, you’re talking about her going to Gloria’s?”
“Yes.”
Jack walked to the window and rested one hand against the glass while he looked outside. When he glanced over his shoulder, his expression was hard. “It’s a good story, and one that we’re unlikely to confirm tonight. I’ll give you credit, Yanni—you’re trying hard. But I still don’t buy it.”
It sounded like the plot of a bad movie, but Yanni’s words held a ring of honesty. As Juli groped to ask him something more, Jack moved back to the bed and towered over him, his voice cold and controlled. “There are still too many unanswered questions here. Where are you supposed to meet her? How are you involved? Who’s this mysterious employer I supposedly might work for? How come you were stabbed? And the really big one—what the hell does this have to do with Yves, if anything?”
Yanni gazed at Juli and refused to acknowledge Jack. “I can’t say any more. Tell your husband he’ll get all the verification he needs at Gloria’s.”
Despite Jack’s poker face, his breathing was harsh, his shoulders tense, and his hands clenched. “Can’t say any more? Or won’t?”
“Yanni”—Juli tried appealing to him—“you were telling us to stay away from Gloria’s, and you said it was dangerous. Now you want Jack to go there? How do I know you’re not sending him into danger?”
“You have to trust me.”
Jack all but exploded. “Trust you? You’re the last person on earth she should trust. So help me, I’m looking forward to handing you over tomorrow. To seeing you get what you deserve.”
Maria placed a steadying hand on Jack’s arm. They were frozen into a little tableau. Yanni’s gaze boring into Juli. Maria whispering calming words to Jack. Jack looking as hard as Juli’d ever seen him.
It took Tanner’s entrance to bring some sanity back into the room. “Let’s take this discussion outside.” He ushered them all into the lounge and closed the door behind him. “I’ll get Aiden, and you can update me.” He glanced at Jack. “Keep a lid on it, bud.” His voice was low, but it worked. Jack scowled at the closed bedroom door, and then stalked away to the kitchen.
Tanner turned to Juli. “Can you two give us some privacy? We have things we need to discuss.”
“Sure. We’ll go out for a coffee.” Maria smiled at him.
Juli used the distraction to make an exasperated noise. “I dropped my watch.” Before anyone could stop her, she walked back into Yanni’s room and crouched beside the bed, to pick up the watch she’d slipped off earlier.
“Ce soir,” she whispered. This evening.
His eyes were alert. There was the slightest nod. “Oui.” Yes.
Standing again, Juli left the bedroom and went back to Maria. Nobody had noticed.
*
If Irina had killed someone, it had to be in self-defence. There was no doubt in Nathan’s mind. No jury in the land would convict her.
Tears tracked through the dust on her face. She was clearly terrified by the idea.
“Maja,” he said, “it’s Nathan. Can you please ask Irina what she would like to happen next? What we can do to help?”
Maja asked the question. Irina paused and looked at Nathan with hope in her silvery eyes. She answered.
“She says that she arranged to meet her contact on Saturday, but they both knew there was a good chance they’d be separated. And apart from that, she just wants to hide in your loft. From what she’s said, you’re not far from the ferry terminal, where Irina last saw her handler.”
“Yeah. Twenty minutes’ drive. We’re off the beaten track though. This is a tiny village in the middle of nowhere.” Something struck him. “Why did she come here? And where is she supposed to be meeting her friend on Saturday?”
There were more rapid-fire words. “The meeting is arranged for the railway station in Rhosneigr, at nine in the morning. And the friend told her to go to your village, as there is someone else there who’ll help, as a last resort.”
“Who?”
“She won’t say. She’s too scared in case word gets out. Someone’s really done a number on her,” said Maja. “She’s petrified.”
Nathan’s leg was starting to ache, and he shifted position before rubbing his hands across the calf muscles. “Tell her she can stay here. And that I’ll go with her to the station on Saturday, but if her friend doesn’t show, she has to tell me who this other contact is.”
More Polish was spoken, and then Maja cleared her throat. “Agreed,” she said.
“Her appearance is very distinctive,” murmured Daisy. “Maja, tell her I want to cut her hair and change the colour. If someone is looking for her, they might not recognise her if she looks different.”
There wasn’t much else to talk about. Daisy’s brother in law came back on the line, asking to speak to Charlie.
With a chuckle, Daisy scooped up the phone and tossed it to him. “I know what he’s going to ask, and this time, you can tell him the truth,” she said, teasing. He disappeared down the ladder with the phone, leaving the others in the loft.
“Do you really think she’s a murderer?” Daisy’s voice was low. “She’s a kid.”
“I’m having difficulty with that too.”
Charlie’s laughter drifted up, as he chatted on the phone. Daisy’s cheeks coloured slightly, and she smiled at Nathan. “He met my family yesterday, and, well, he pretended to be a busker. I’m sure Paul didn’t believe him, but my dad did.” She huffed a laugh and shook her head, but then turned serious again. She touched Nathan’s arm. “You’re very kind to take Irina in like this. Not everybody would.” Her eyes gleamed with warmth.
She has a fiancé, he reminded himself, and she’s in love with him. Rock star Charlie.
The air seemed charged. He sought for a change of subject. “I see your ring is still stuck on.” And though it was the cheapest plastic ring ever, it served as a reminder that she could never be his.
Chapter Eleven
Half an hour later, Daisy had chopped away at Irina’s hair, reducing it to a short, shaggy crop that just reached her ears. It emphasized the fine bones in her face and the sharp angles of her cheekbones, and made her pale eyes seem impossibly large in her face. Next was a temporary colour, the same copper that Daisy used on her own hair. She’d gone back home to pick it up and returned hand in hand with Charlie, who was now glued to her side.
One of these days, Nathan would have to finally see a shrink, to see if he could understand why he was only ever attracted to unavailable women. It had been the same with Lisette. Completely and totally unattainable, yet he’d wrecked his life over he
r, while Shaz, endlessly patient at first, was always waiting in the wings. Only he didn’t want Shaz. There was that one time between them. He’d been mad drunk and crazy with need, and she’d been there. It made Nathan hate himself more, if that could be possible. Meanwhile, Shaz channelled her pain into sarcasm. To make it worse, if he gave her the slightest opportunity, she’d take it. She was as drawn to bastards as he was to women he could never have.
And that included Daisy, who gazed at Charlie as though the sun shone from his backside.
Shaz interrupted Nathan’s musing when she entered the kitchen. She did a double-take when she saw Irina. “Evening feeds are ready.” She plonked herself down at the table, and Irina watched her silently, a wary expression on her face.
“Well done, Nathan,” Shaz drawled, looking at Daisy, and then back at Irina. “You’ve made a clone. Is that all I have to do, eh? Go short and ginger?”
Anger stirred deep in the pit of his stomach.
Charlie and Daisy glanced at each other, and he reached out to take her hand and pull her to stand up. “We’d better get back, he said.”
Daisy nodded. She kept her gaze averted from Shaz, and Nathan felt another surge of disgust at his groom’s bitchiness.
“I’m a huge fan, you know. I’m sorry if I came on a bit strong before. It was just such a surprise.” Shaz tried a smile. It looked genuine, and Nathan could see Charlie was unsure how to react.
Daisy had no doubts. She tugged on Charlie’s hand. “I’ll leave you my number, Nathan. If you need us for anything.”
“Actually,” Charlie looked thoughtful, “a couple of our roadies are Poles. I’ll see if I can track them down, then we’ve got an interpreter on hand, so to speak.”
Nathan stood to shake his hand. “Thanks. That’d be great.” He wanted to like the man. Wanted to be sure he was good enough for Daisy.
Shaz raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Have you finally figured out who Charlie Jones is?” She smiled sweetly at Charlie. “Nathan’s such a fucking retard, he wouldn’t recognise a genuine success if it bit him.” Charlie and Daisy stared at her but she just carried on. “And you do know he fancies your girlfriend, don’t you? I mean your fiancée? Oh, sorry.” She sounded anything but. “I guess you didn’t, huh? Well you should keep a close eye on her, while he’s around.”
That was it. Daisy had turned crimson, Charlie looked pissed off, and Shaz was fiddling with her nails, ignoring everyone around her.
“Shaz,” Nathan snapped. “Outside. Now.”
“Ooh,” she rolled her eyes. “The masterful Nathan Miller.”
He tugged her sleeve. “Out,” he said. He spoke through gritted teeth. “This is not for public consumption.”
She shook him off but followed him outside, to the doorway of the stable block.
As Nathan turned to face her, he saw Charlie comforting Daisy through the kitchen window.
“I’ve had it with you, Shaz. I’m sick of your constant put-downs, your sneers and sarcasm, your poisonous little comments.” He pulled together the courage for this final step. “I want you to leave. I’ll pay you three months in lieu of notice, but I want you out tonight. D’you hear?”
Her bravado held a little longer. “You can’t afford three months’ pay.”
“Believe me, I’ll find it somewhere. It’s worth selling one of the ponies, to see the back of you.”
Her face paled, and she leaned back against the stable door. Her hands trembled, tears welling. Nathan felt like a shit. A massive, stinking, toxic piece of crap. But this had to end.
“I stood by you. Through everything.” She swallowed, seeming much younger and strangely vulnerable. “I didn’t have to; I did it because I wanted to.”
He stared at the ground and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. His stomach churned. The cramps made him want to throw up. “I know.” He tried to keep his voice firm. “But it’s over. It’s time to move on.”
There was a pause that drew out for what felt like minutes. “I don’t want to,” she whispered. She stumbled forward, grabbed his arms, and gazed at him, her eyes wet with tears. “Please, don’t do this, Nathan. I love you.”
He had to, otherwise this destructive circle would keep looping around, binding them together while simultaneously tearing them apart. He slipped himself free, uncurled her fingers, and stepped out of her reach.
Her hands dropped to her sides, eyes still staring blindly at him.
Nathan found his voice. “You don’t love me. And you know I never loved you, and I’m not ever going to. You won’t accept that.” He paused and groped for the right words. “I can’t live like this. It’s destroying both of us.”
She spun around and leaned over the half-door to the stables, head bent. She was sobbing, her back shaking.
Well done, Nathan. Way to go. His heart thumped painfully, and his stomach protested some more. The vitriol scattered in the air threatened again to make him vomit. He held the contents of his stomach, just.
Shaz turned to face him. With her chin stuck defiantly forward, she took a firm step towards him. “I’ll go, and I’ll be gone within the hour. But this is it. There’s no turning back.” Her eyes blazed. “I want you to know something.” Her voice rang with contempt. “I won’t come back to you even if you crawl on your hands and knees. You’ve treated me like dirt, these past two years. Fucked me when it suited you, and ignored me the rest of the time. My loyalty meant nothing to you. I hope you finally get your comeuppance, and that I’m there to see it.”
“Just go.”
She snorted, strolled back to the house, and glanced over her shoulder at him. “And you’re shit in bed. I didn’t like to tell you at the time, but you suck. That’s why Lisette left you. Thought you might want to know.”
What a fucking nightmare. Beyond her, Daisy and Charlie stared from the kitchen. Irina too. Great. A fucking audience. His stomach roiled again, and he ran to the stable block. At least his vomiting wouldn’t be in public.
*
Jack wanted to hit something. Son of a bitch. Yanni knew exactly which buttons to press to enrage Jack, in a way nobody had managed before. Was it the association with Juli that changed things? Seeing Yanni sweet-talking her sucked in a major way. When Jack lost control, he lost focus. He’d lost control big time this morning, after Yanni sneered some more at him. In a bout of frustration Jack, backhanded a line of mugs on the kitchen counter. The shards lay in the trash can, and the evidence was visible in the cut on his hand. He needed to remind himself to lock this anger down. Was Yanni pushing him to make a mistake? Goading him for reasons as yet unknown?
Jack sank his head into his hands. Get a fucking grip. If he couldn’t tolerate Yanni, he had to step away. Let Aiden or Tanner deal with him.
Tanner sat beside him. “We good?”
He nodded. “Yeah.” He would be. When the toxic piece of shit was no longer sucking the same air as Jack. He let out a breath. And another. He needed his head back in the game.
He looked up and met Tanner’s concerned gaze. “Okay. Let’s talk.”
They had to decide if they were going to act on this new intel. There was barely anything to go on, but one tiny detail glowed and flashed inside Jack’s head. The Suit at the club last night. He was talking about the girls for hire—always young and usually foreign. Jack had assumed he meant lap-dancers. Maybe not.
Aiden set to work, gathering more data, while Tanner and Jack debated the possibilities. If Yanni’s story held any truth, they’d delay his arrest until they had chance to follow through with the rendezvous on Saturday.
It didn’t take Aiden long, before he had several pages of intel. They scanned through the bare statistics with a growing sense of disquiet. Of the five thousand women working in the sex industry in the Greater London area, eighty per cent were from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Over half the girls were under the age of eighteen. It added up to an estimated forty million pounds of annual turnover, in Britain alone, from
the sale of young girls. More than eighty thousand men were paying for sex in London every week. The math was simple. The greater the demand, the more girls were needed.
Aiden confirmed other, more worrying aspects too. The majority of these young prostitutes were victims of trafficking and coercion, and enslaved to their owners. Organised criminal gangs dominated the underground networks necessary for the mass movement of illegal sex migrants. There was the rise of the ruthless and powerful Albanian Mafia, aiming to control the trade in London. And the growing—increasingly bloody—turf battle spiralling between the Russians and the Albanians. It was an ugly story, and one that went part way to backing up Yanni’s tale. His latest tale.
So, he had inside knowledge on the sex industry. It didn’t mean a goddamn thing.
They agreed their plans. Tanner and Jack would go back to Gloria’s tonight, to ascertain if there was indeed a girl called Irina who’d gone missing in transit. If there was, they’d escort Yanni to his planned rendezvous on Saturday., and then turn him in. If not, they’d hand him over on Friday, as planned. Either way, they were saying nothing to Juli or Maria. At least, not until they decided which way things were going.
All that remained was for Jack to tell Juli he was going back to Gloria’s tonight. She was furious last time. He needed to be more tactful now. She sat chatting quietly with Maria when he approached. “Hey, babe,” he said, struck again by how gorgeous Juli was. How in God’s name was he lucky enough for her to fall in love with him?
Her eyes flashed a warning. “Are you and Tanner going back to Gloria’s tonight?”
“Yeah. It won’t hurt to check out his story.”
Jack expected fire, an angry response, a sharp retort. Instead, she smiled. “Thank you. I doubt he’s telling the truth, but you need to know one way or the other.”
That was it? He stared, and she pulled a funny face. “What? What’s the matter?”
