by Sam Michaels
Georgina stared at Sally in disbelief. The girl sounded a lot older than her thirteen years. All this time, Sally had known the truth. The way she’d dealt with it impressed Georgina. She thought Sally would be very capable of looking after herself and her younger sister. She was obviously a strong little character, stronger than her mother. Maybe one day when she’s older, Georgina thought, she could join the family business. But for now, until Jane was well enough to care for her girls, Georgina would arrange for them to stay with Jane’s sister in Surrey.
8
The next morning, Georgina stifled a yawn and instructed Knuckles to fetch her a cup of coffee.
‘Did you have a late night?’ Benjamin asked, then quickly said, ‘Sorry, it’s none of my business.’
Georgina looked across to his desk. Benjamin had done a good job at making sense of the books. When he’d informed her of the very positive shape of the business, she’d offered him a permanent position. She hadn’t really thought he’d accept so had been pleasantly surprised when he had.
‘As it happens, yes, a very late night but it wasn’t much fun.’
‘Oh,’ Benjamin answered, seemingly unsure of what to say.
‘Jane Wilcox isn’t very well. I had to call a doctor to her last night. She’ll be away for a while, in hospital. In her absence, I’d like you to take care of her finances and ensure her medical costs are paid.’
‘Yes, no problem. It’s nothing serious, I hope.’
Georgina didn’t answer. She had no idea how long it would take Jane to recover, or if she ever would. The doctor had arranged for Jane’s transportation to a private medical facility and had told Georgina under no circumstances was anyone to visit. The woman required complete rest and isolation. Georgina didn’t like to think of the treatment she would be receiving. The doctor had said Jane would likely be put into an insulin-induced coma. It was a horrific thought. At least Molly had been able to take Edward home and she’d arranged for Jane’s sister to collect the girls.
Knuckles came back with coffee, which Georgina gratefully sipped. She would have liked to go home and climb into bed but she had to stay alert – in an hour, she’d be introducing herself to the men who worked for the business. She knew they were going to be in for a shock and the news wasn’t going to go down well.
Georgina cricked her neck. She was tense and her shoulders ached. She twisted her mother’s wedding ring and checked the time again. The minutes seemed to be passing so slowly. A light tap on the office door distracted her. Knuckles opened it and Varvara walked in.
‘Yes, Varvara, what do you want?’ Georgina asked as the woman approached her desk. She was pleased to see that Varvara looked less distressed than she had before and now walked with more confidence.
‘I wondered if you would like Dina and myself to offer any services to the men today?’ she asked with her strong Russian accent.
‘No, not on my time and not unless they’re paying.’
Knuckles sucked in his breath as he shook his head. ‘The blokes won’t like that, Miss Garrett,’ he said.
‘Why not?’ Georgina asked.
‘Billy and Mickey always made sure the blokes got looked after.’
‘They will be, in their pay packets.’
‘Yeah, but they’ll be expecting their extras.’
‘You mean sex with the girls?’ Georgina asked bluntly.
‘Erm… err… yes,’ Knuckles replied and looked embarrassed.
‘Like I said, if that’s what they want, they can pay the going rate and it won’t be during their working hours. The same goes for you, Knuckles. Is that clear?’
‘As crystal.’
‘Anything else, Varvara?’ Georgina asked.
The woman smiled. ‘No, thank you, Miss Garrett,’ she answered and waltzed away.
It was the first time Georgina had seen Varvara looking somewhat happy and it was nice. As the woman now passed Knuckles she eyed him with disdain, and for a moment Georgina thought she was going to spit in his face. Not that she could blame her; though if Varvara had, Georgina would have reprimanded her. She couldn’t allow that sort of behaviour in the ranks.
The door closed and she told Knuckles, ‘You can wait outside.’ She couldn’t stand to look at the man. He had his uses, for now, but she wasn’t intending on keeping him close. After all, Knuckles was easily bought and she didn’t trust he wouldn’t sell her up the river to the highest bidder. She was under no illusions. Yes, she had control at the moment but had no doubt that there’d be someone waiting in the shadows, ready to take over her position.
‘I’d like you to stay for this meeting,’ Georgina said to Benjamin. ‘I think it’s important that the men know you work for me too.’
‘Oh, yes, of course, fine,’ Benjamin answered in his usual jumpy manner.
‘Be warned, it may get a bit heated.’
Georgina saw his Adam’s apple move up and down as he swallowed hard. She didn’t think this was really the sort of job that Benjamin was cut out for. It was his choice though – she wasn’t forcing him to be on her payroll.
‘I’d like to discuss with you where income can be optimised. Perhaps you’ll have some time later?’ he asked, and as was habit for him, Benjamin pushed his glasses up his nose.
‘It’s definitely a matter we need to look at but it’ll have to wait for now,’ Georgina answered. Before she could look at growing the business, she had to get her head round how it worked.
‘Absolutely, sure,’ Benjamin said and busied himself with his books.
Knuckles opened the door and stuck his big head through. ‘A couple of the blokes are here already.’
‘Send them through to the back room to wait,’ Georgina answered calmly, though her stomach was doing somersaults.
The door closed again and she turned to Benjamin. ‘Between you and me, I’m shitting meself.’
‘Me too,’ Benjamin whispered and they both laughed.
Georgina thought Benjamin’s laughter sounded very much like a girly giggle. He was different from most other men. She put it down to him being educated and raised in a posh part of London. He was quite a lean man and immaculately turned out. In his expensive suit and red and white spotted cravat, he’d have been just the sort of chap she would have dipped in her day. She smiled ironically to herself – she trusted Benjamin and thought the feeling was reciprocated, but really, he should be the cautious one. After all, if things had been different, she’d have readily robbed him.
Georgina took a gulp of her now cold coffee and grimaced. She pulled a small mirror from her bag and checked her reflection.
‘If you don’t mind me saying, Miss Garrett, you look, erm, err, quite lovely,’ Benjamin said.
‘I don’t mind you saying at all, thank you,’ she answered, and hoped she wasn’t blushing. She placed her mirror back in her bag, took a deep breath in through her nose, and said, ‘Right, it sounds like there’s more of them arriving. Are you ready for this?’
‘I, erm, think so, yes.’
‘Good,’ she said, and stood up, straightened her jacket and pushed her shoulders back. ‘Knuckles,’ she called.
He popped his head through the door again.
‘Are they all here?’
‘Yes, Miss Garrett.’
‘Send them in,’ she instructed. She could feel her heart racing and hoped she looked more confident than she felt.
One by one, the men filed in and filled her office. Seventeen tough, streetwise blokes stood in silence and looked at her with suspicion. Georgina felt very uncomfortable but passed her eyes over each one of them, giving the impression she was summing them up. A few had shown some respect by removing their flat caps or fedoras but most wore scornful expressions.
Georgina kept a stern face and her voice in a deep tone as she addressed them. ‘You all know the reason you’re here. Mickey’s not around anymore. I’m in charge now. I suggest if there’s any of you who don’t like that idea, you leave, right now.’ She paused
and waited to see what they would do.
A broad man with a large moustache and weather-beaten face spoke first. He was standing to the rear of the office and now headed towards the door. ‘This is a fucking joke,’ he shouted. ‘If you think I’m taking orders from a woman, you’ve got another thing coming. You lot are fucking wankers if you wanna stay and listen to her.’
Georgina said nothing and watched as he walked out, slamming the door behind him.
‘Anyone else?’ she asked and looked around the room.
‘I ain’t sure about this, George,’ another man said.
‘You address your guv as Miss Garrett,’ Knuckles piped up.
Georgina recognised the man as a friend of her father’s. ‘What are you unsure of?’
‘Well, I don’t mean no offence, but you’re a woman.’
‘That’s right, I am. Very observant of you.’
‘This ain’t really on. Don’t get me wrong, I know your old man and he brought you up good ’n’ proper but you ain’t George no more. I mean, look at ya.’
In a way, Georgina took his comments as a compliment. He was correct: she was a long way from looking like the child her father raised as a boy. Georgina smiled and spoke sweetly in an almost demure way. ‘Regardless of my attire, and your thoughts on a woman’s place in society, I’m now running the business. There will be some changes, I believe for the better, and I’d appreciate all of you working with me.’ She waited a moment, then changed her voice to a growl and added, ‘If you don’t like it, then FUCK OFF!’
There were a few shocked faces, some mummers and whispers, then another man said, ‘You’re taking the piss, love. What the fuck does a woman know about what we do, eh? I’ll tell you what, just for a laugh I’ll work for you, but I lay odds on you getting taken down by the end of the month.’
Georgina slowly nodded her head and pursed her lips. ‘I see. And I’ll tell you what… just for a laugh, you can go. Get out. You’re sacked. You ain’t working for me.’
The man looked her up and down but didn’t budge.
‘Knuckles, I think he needs some help to the door,’ Georgina said.
‘Don’t worry, I’m going. You’ll be finished soon enough and I’ll have me job back.’
Once he’d left, Georgina asked, ‘Any more objections or can we get down to business?’ When she was met with silence, she continued. ‘I want each of you to tell Mr Harel here your name, your role within the Wilcox company and your address.’
‘Why do you need to know where we live?’ an older man asked.
‘Because if anything unfortunate happens to you in the line of your work, I can ensure your family are properly informed and taken care of.’
This seemed to win the approval of some, and several of the men began to form a queue in front of Benjamin’s desk. She could see from the look of the others that she still had some work to do to earn their respect but hoped, once she’d made her mark, it would follow.
‘For now, it’s business as usual and I’ll see you back here on Monday morning.’
Her father’s friend spoke again. ‘What about these changes you was on about?’
‘All in good time,’ Georgina answered. In truth, she couldn’t tell them yet because she didn’t know.
‘Typical bloody woman,’ another said, ‘They all say one thing and mean another.’
There was some laughter but Georgina didn’t like it. She couldn’t allow them to joke at her expense. She walked round from behind her desk and straight up to the man who’d made the stupid comment. He saw her coming and snidely grinned. Georgina locked eyes with him. He had no idea what was coming. She clenched her fist, pulled her arm back and then punched him hard on his nose.
The whole room gasped as the man’s head snapped back and for a moment he looked dazed. Blood began to pour from his nostrils and drip down the front of his trench coat. She thought he might come back at her and she was ready to knock him out this time. Instead, he smiled as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and held it to his face.
‘Fuck me, you can pack a punch,’ he said.
Her father’s friend chuckled. ‘I should ’ave told ya, Johnny. Miss Garrett’s old man taught her how to box. As you can tell, she’s bloody good at it and all.’
Johnny stepped closer to Georgina and said quietly, ‘I don’t know many blokes who can hit as hard as you. Well done, Miss Garrett. I’d be honoured to work for such a fine woman,’ then he winked at her flirtatiously.
‘Let’s keep this professional. You ever look at me like that again and I’ll put you on your arse.’
Once more, the men began to laugh but now Georgina didn’t mind. She’d shown them she wouldn’t take any of their crap. Johnny wasn’t laughing though. She’d hurt his male pride.
‘Cheer up, it could have been worse,’ she said to him.
‘Oh, yeah, how’s that?’
‘I could have shot you,’ she answered, and this time, she winked at him. Her voice louder, she called to the room, ‘One more thing. By a show of hands, who here has a gun?’
Every man in the room in the room raised his hand.
‘I have, Miss Garrett, but I’ve only got one bullet. Billy used to dish ’em out to us every now and then but Mickey never gave us none.’
Ned spoke now. ‘You don’t need any, you’ve had that shooter for ten years and never bleedin’ fired it.’
‘I heard he shot a rat once, blew the top of his own toe off,’ from another.
‘Yeah, well, I thought the thing was gonna run up me trouser leg.’
The men roared and Georgina smiled, though it masked the fact that she had no idea where she’d obtain bullets from. She could ask, but she wouldn’t.
‘All right, back to work,’ she said. ‘And save your bullets for the rats with two legs who walk upright.’
9
Molly stood on the front doorstep and pulled her cardigan around her as she waved Jane’s daughters off with their aunt. Sally had protested but Penny seemed happy to skip off.
As they disappeared from sight, Molly was about to go back inside when she noticed a large, black car parked on the other side of the road. Apart from Norman and then Billy, nobody on the street owned a car. It looked very out of place. She could see two men sitting inside. They both wore dark trilby hats, and the one behind the steering wheel was looking at her. His face was blank, neither friendly nor threatening, but she didn’t like it and quickly went back indoors.
Molly checked on Edward and found he was sound asleep. She went to the lounge window and sneakily peeked through the net curtains. The car remained outside. It unnerved her but she told herself she was being silly. After all, the men hadn’t spoken to her or come to the door. They were probably visiting someone.
The morning went by quickly as Molly busied herself with domestic chores, but each time she looked through the window, she saw the car hadn’t moved and the men were still inside. It was odd but she didn’t give it too much thought. She was more concerned with thinking about what she’d cook for dinner later. She rifled through the larder and realised she’d have to do some shopping.
Edward was awake now and gurgled happily as she wrapped him up, ready to face the bleak weather outside. Ominous dark grey clouds had come across, threatening a downpour. If Molly was to avoid the rain, she’d have to dash.
With her son snug in his pram, she opened the front door and tried to avoid eye contact with the man in the car. He was looking directly at her and as she walked along the street, she could feel his eyes following. Then, to her dismay, she heard the car engine turn over and a moment later, it was creeping along beside her.
Molly looked straight ahead and picked up her pace. Her heart raced and she could feel tears pricking her eyes. As they came to the end of the street, she went to cross the road but the car pulled in front, blocking her pathway.
She knew it would be pointless to try and run away, and stood, paralysed with fear. The door opened and a very tall, slim man cl
imbed out. He was smoking a cigarette, which he threw on the pavement and ground out with his highly polished shoes.
‘What do you want?’ Molly screamed, finding her voice and frantic now.
‘Mrs Wilcox?’ the man asked.
‘Yes. Who are you?’
‘Come with us, please.’
‘I’ll do no such thing,’ Molly said, sounding much braver than she felt.
‘It would be in your best interests to do as we ask… for the sake of your son.’
They’d threatened Edward! Molly wanted to scream her lungs out and shout for help but she knew no-one would come to her rescue.
The tall man opened the back door and gestured for her to climb inside. Fearing for her son’s safety, she gathered him in her arms and slid onto the back seats. The car sped off, leaving Edward’s pram abandoned on the pavement.
‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.
Neither man answered.
‘Please, don’t hurt my son,’ she sobbed, ‘he’s just a baby.’
Her eyes were bleary with tears, but Molly could see she was being driven out of Battersea. As they sped through the streets, she prayed that whoever these sinister men were, they’d spare the life of her precious son.
*
The heavens had opened and it was pouring with rain as Georgina arrived with Knuckles at the Livingstone Road brothel. She was soaked through to the skin, not that it bothered her but she did decide she’d have to get a car and a driver.
Knuckles opened the door and they went inside. Georgina looked around. Nothing much had changed since she’d last been here. She’d been searching for Norman Wilcox to beg him to help get her dad out of the police cells. At the time, she hadn’t realised her search had been in vain. Billy Wilcox had already murdered his father. She remembered Hefty, Norman’s right-hand man. Just as big and ugly as Knuckles but with a kinder heart. And Joan, the prostitute who wore far too much make-up and looked old enough to be a great-grandmother. She’d heard they’d all fled Billy and run off to Hampshire somewhere. It was a pity as she could have done with their support now.
