Running scared, p.27
Running Scared, page 27
‘Sorry,’ Ryan apologized. ‘Want me to make you a brew? You look rough as fuck.’
‘Blame your old man,’ Lee said, yawning as he scratched his bald head with both hands before wandering over to the window and plucking a half-smoked spliff out of the ashtray on the sill. ‘I forgot how much the brother can put away without feelin’ klish. I was so wasted by the time I hit the hay, thought I was on a fuckin’ yacht in the Caribbean. Still can’t feel my legs proper.’
‘Here, take this,’ Ryan said, getting up and handing his cup to him. ‘I’ll make myself another.’
‘Cheers, kidda,’ Lee said, sinking down onto an armchair. ‘Any word from Theo’s lady yet?’ he asked as Ryan went back into the small kitchen. ‘He was telling me about her last night; sounds like a beaut.’
‘She is,’ Ryan said, keeping his back turned so Lee wouldn’t see his expression. When he’d left the pair last night they had been discussing the multitude of birds they had pulled when they were young studs, and he hadn’t been impressed to hear that they’d had some kind of system where they passed conquests on to each other after getting what they wanted. He knew it had been a different world back then, but still . . .
‘So what’s the story with you and your missus?’ Lee went on, interrupting his thoughts. ‘She gonna join you when you and T are settled?’
‘Definitely not,’ said Ryan. ‘Didn’t my dad tell you she’s Danny Harvey’s daughter?’
‘Seriously? Fuck, man!’ Lee shook his head. ‘You Walkers like playin’ with fire, innit? I remember when T met your ma; the shit they got off her folks ’cos of him being black.’
‘I never knew that,’ Ryan said, coming back with his brew and sitting down.
‘To be fair, they got it from both sides,’ said Lee. ‘But he was a stubborn bastard, so it only made him more determined to be with her. He did love her, though, so it’s a shame it didn’t work out. Thought the world of you, an’ all. Used to show me all the pics your ma sent him when you was a nipper. Proper proud, he was.’
Ryan hadn’t been aware of any of that. All he’d known growing up was his mum’s side of the family, and his dad’s name had rarely been mentioned – and not in a particularly good way when it was. His grandparents had always treated him the same as his white cousins, so it had never occurred to him that they might have disliked his dad because he was black. He’d always assumed it was because of the lifestyle Theo had chosen, and the fact that he’d abandoned their daughter and left her to bring up his child on her own. It was good to hear that Theo had cared about him, though, because he had often wondered if his dad had only contacted him on his sixteenth birthday in order to use him as a tool to eventually take revenge on Danny Harvey.
‘Any idea where you’re gonna go after you’ve offloaded that last batch of gear?’ Lee asked, squinting at Ryan as he pulled on the spliff. ‘Your da was talking about Jamaica.’
‘It’s an option,’ Ryan said, wondering just how much his dad had told the man. They might have been best mates when they were kids, but they hadn’t seen each other in at least the fourteen years that Theo had been inside, because his dad had told him he’d only had female visitors – one of whom had been Ryan’s mum, which had been news to him, considering she had never once mentioned it. Theo trusted Lee with his life, but Ryan had only recently met him so his judgement was reserved.
‘Well I’ll be booking myself a flight to come over for some R and R soon as the dust settles and I can start spending the lovely dosh youse are giving me for setting you up with my guy,’ Lee grinned. ‘It’s been pure time since I’ve had the chance to visit the motherland.’
‘You’re from Jamaica?’ Ryan asked, sipping his brew.
‘Nah, born and bred in Gorton,’ Lee said. ‘I moved over here after all that shit went down with your dad and Harvey, but I’ve got family in Montego Bay, so it feels like home whenever I go over there.’
‘Nice.’
‘It’s paradise, man,’ Lee said wistfully. ‘Shit, I might even move in with you if you settle there,’ he added with a grin. ‘Then I can introduce you to all the fine gal dem.’
Ryan smiled as if he liked the sound of that, but girls were the last thing on his mind – apart from Lexi, of course. At the thought of her, he took another look at the phone, but there was still nothing from her, so he laid the phone on the table and told himself to stop thinking about her and concentrate on his and his dad’s next step.
42
Nicole’s emotions had been up and down all morning; yearning for her husband one minute, then hating his guts the next. She genuinely hadn’t believed that Ryan could have done what her father had accused him of, but it was beginning to sink in that he really had taken their money and done a runner. Even so, she wasn’t happy about the wording her mum had used in those texts she’d sent this morning.
‘I still don’t see why you had to put “love you”,’ she complained as the family sat around the table eating the breakfast her mum had thrown together from the freezer she rarely stocked up.
‘You want her to believe it’s him, don’t you?’ Rachel said, pulling a face at the skinny noodles and scrambled egg on her plate.
‘It’s time you admitted he wants her more than he ever wanted you,’ Adam chipped in, twisting the knife. ‘I can see why,’ he went on as he shovelled food into his mouth. ‘She’s hot as fuck now she’s filled out.’
‘I think you mean fat,’ Nicole shot back sulkily, still bewildered as to why Ryan would choose Lexi over her when she made such an effort with her appearance and that tramp clearly made none.
‘Jealousy always did look good on you, Sis,’ Adam chuckled. ‘Gives you a bit of colour in your cheeks and makes your eyes look less dead.’
‘Quit with the childish digs,’ Rachel scolded, sticking up for her daughter for a change. ‘Your sister’s a beautiful woman who takes care of herself, and that little bastard ought to have been grateful she gave him the time of day, never mind fucking her best friend.’
‘Yeah, that’s totally out of order,’ Adam agreed, looking over at Danny as he added, slyly, ‘Blokes shouldn’t go near family, friends, or the help – ain’t that right, Pops? I was only saying to Brenda yesterday—’
‘Shut the fuck up and eat your breakfast,’ Danny said, giving him a warning look. ‘I’m trying to think.’
‘Why did you say you’d find a place to meet up with her later?’ Nicole asked her mum. ‘I thought you wanted to find out where she is now?’
‘She’s probably hiding out at a friend’s place, and they’re likely to call the police if they realize she’s in danger, so we need to get her on her own,’ Rachel explained. ‘And it has to be at night, so there’ll be less chance of anyone seeing us.’
‘Stroke of genius telling her that Theo might pretend to be him, so not to answer her phone if he rang her,’ Adam grinned. ‘Her head’ll be so fucked, she won’t know if she’s coming or going.’
‘It’ll be even more fucked when I get my hands on her,’ Nicole muttered.
‘Right, I’m going to get a shower,’ Danny said, pushing his plate away and standing up. ‘Then I’m calling the boys in to make plans for later, so you lot had best make yourselves decent.’
‘Can I be the one to do it?’ Adam asked. ‘No offence, Pops, but you and your guys look like fucking Mafia OGs, and she’ll spot you in a second.’
‘She spotted you fast enough last night,’ Nicole reminded him.
‘Yeah, but I can blend into the background when I need to,’ Adam insisted. ‘Please, Dad. This is personal, so let me do it. I promise I won’t fuck it up.’
Looking down at him, Danny sighed and then nodded. ‘Fine. You get her, and we’ll take it from there.’
‘Yes!’ Adam crowed, already excited.
43
As hard as she’d tried to relax in Jen and Poppy’s company, Lexi had been on a knife’s edge all day. The text from Ryan telling her not to trust his dad had unnerved her, and she had phoned Debs when Jen had nipped out to the shops earlier, hoping that her friend might be able to help her to make sense of it. Debs had met both of them, but she knew Theo far better than she knew Ryan, and had made no secret of the fact that she fancied him, so Lexi had been surprised when Debs had said that she sensed Ryan was telling the truth.
‘I know Theo really liked you, but I always got the feeling he was more in lust than love,’ she’d said. ‘And that’s no reflection on you, ’cos you’re beautiful and any man would be lucky to have you. But there’s a huge difference between the way he used to look at you and the way I saw Ryan looking at you when he was leaving yours that day. Trust me, that boy’s feelings are deep.’
Lexi had sensed the same thing herself and knew exactly where Debs was coming from. But her instincts were still warning her that something wasn’t right, and knowing that Danny Harvey was back in town and potentially looking for her made it all the more vital that she didn’t place her trust in the wrong person.
Unable to discuss any of this with Jamie and Jen, because she didn’t want to worry them, she took herself off into their daughter’s bedroom when a message from Ryan popped up on her phone at just gone 9 p.m. that night.
Sorry this is so late, but I’ve been hiding out and wanted to wait till it was safe to contact you, he’d written. My dad’s gone out and I’m sure he’s meeting up with Danny, so this is probably the best time for us to get together without them finding out. Can you meet me at the arches behind Oxford Road station at ten? We’ll be able to talk there without anyone seeing us xx
Still nervous, Lexi typed out a quick reply.
I’d rather meet somewhere more public, if you don’t mind? There must be somewhere where no one will recognize you?
She thought about adding a kiss, but changed her mind and sent it as was.
No problem, Ryan replied a few seconds later. I get that you’re nervous – I am too. But you can trust me, I promise. I just want to make sure you’ll be OK before I leave town. There’s a bar not far from the arches called Dillons. Meet me there xx
Feeling better now he’d agreed to meet in public, Lexi went back into the living room, where Jamie and Jen were cuddled up on the sofa watching a film.
‘I just spoke to my friend Debs and she’s asked me to meet her at the house so we can check up on things,’ she lied, thinking it best not to tell them where she was really going. ‘I might be a couple of hours, but she said I can stay at her sister’s, if that’s too late for you?’
‘Course it’s not too late,’ Jamie said, sliding his arm out from behind Jen and sitting up. ‘I’ll come with you.’
‘No, you stay here with Jen,’ Lexi insisted. ‘Debs’s sister is going to pick me up in five minutes, and she’ll drop me back at the door, so I’ll be fine. If anything changes, I’ve got your number.’
‘If you’re sure?’ Jamie asked, his expression concerned.
‘Positive.’ Lexi forced a smile.
‘Take this, then you don’t have to worry if you get back later,’ Jen suggested, leaning over to get her handbag and taking out a key.
‘Thanks,’ Lexi said, slipping it into her pocket. ‘And I’ll try not to disturb you if you’re already in bed when I get back.’
Letting herself out of the flat, Lexi saw the same group of youths at the end of the landing who’d been there when she arrived. Aware now that some of them were kids who Jamie had been working with, and that they definitely weren’t working for Danny Harvey, she smiled when they spotted her and nodded hello. She still couldn’t get over what a great man her little mate Jamie had become, and she felt the kind of pride she imagined a mother – a decent one, at least – would feel for their child. Smiling about that, she took the lift down to the ground floor and, pausing to pull up her hood before pushing out through the door, set off to meet Ryan.
44
Dillons wine bar was situated in a row of arches a couple of hundred feet from the row of derelict ones where Ryan had originally suggested meeting. As she approached the door, Lexi heard music, chatter and laughter coming from inside and decided that she’d made the right call asking to meet there instead.
It was a cold night, but the air inside the packed bar was stiflingly hot, and she felt it settle over her like a damp blanket as she pushed through the door. Standing just inside, she looked around for Ryan and guessed he mustn’t have arrived yet when she saw no sign of him.
Reaching into her bag for her phone, to text him and let him know she was there, time seemed to grind to a halt when her gaze landed on Adam on the other side of the room. He turned around at that exact moment and she knew he’d seen her when he fixed his gaze on her. The sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears drowned out the chatter in the bar, and the revellers disappeared from her vision, leaving just the two of them in the room; him smiling, her shivering uncontrollably as her legs threatened to give way.
Adrenaline burst through her veins when he started moving, and she forced her way through the bodies that were blocking her path to the door and lurched outside. Throat on fire, eyes streaming, she ran without looking back; racing around corner after corner until she found herself on an unfamiliar road lined on both sides with dark-windowed factories and office blocks.
Above the howling wind and the echo of her heels bouncing between the buildings, she picked up on a second, faster set of footsteps, and a sob escaped her lips when she realized he was gaining on her. The head start she’d had on him hadn’t been enough, and when he caught her he would—
Unwilling to think about that, she veered into the mouth of a narrow alleyway between two of the buildings. It was pitch-dark in there, and she pressed her back against the wall and held her breath. Seconds later, Adam ran past, and she waited until his footsteps had faded before blindly groping her way along the alleyway, praying with every step that she would find a doorway or alcove to hide in before he realized where she’d gone and came after her.
A pile of rubble halfway along brought her to her knees, and she bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying out when something sharp sliced through the material of her trousers and pierced her flesh. Bleeding now, tears streaming, she got up and forced herself on toward the thin sliver of grey light she’d glimpsed up ahead.
The sliver widened as she got closer, and a wave of relief washed over her when she heard male voices on the street beyond. As bad as Adam was, she doubted he would risk doing anything to her in front of witnesses, so she would be safe if she could reach those people before he reached her.
Two men were standing by a Transit van a few feet from the alleyway, their faces bathed in the blue light emanating from the screen of the phone they were both looking at. They snapped their heads round and stared at her when she lurched out onto the pavement, and she staggered toward them, crying, ‘Help me! Someone’s chasing me, and he’s going to—’
The words froze on her tongue when she saw the glint in the eyes of the man who was closest to her, and she took a stumbling step back. But it was too late.
‘Gotcha!’ he said, grinning as he pushed her up against the wall and pinned her there with his forearm across her throat.
Behind him, the other man gave a thin, high-pitched whistle. Seconds later, Adam ran up to them, and Lexi whimpered in fear when he loomed over her, his hot breath scorching her icy cheeks.
‘Well, well,’ he drawled, grinning as he peered into her eyes. ‘It’s been a long time. Have you missed me?’
‘Adam, please let me go,’ she croaked, twisting her head round when he pressed himself up against her.
‘And why would I do that when I’ve waited so long for this?’ he whispered, stroking her hair off her face before grasping her chin and forcing her to face him. ‘I was willing to forgive you,’ he said, his eyes glittering brightly as he stared into hers. ‘But you betrayed me again, so now you’ve got to be punished.’
‘I didn’t do anything,’ she sobbed. ‘You attacked me.’
‘Shut your mouth,’ he hissed, his fingers clamping down harder on her flesh and distorting her features. ‘You wanted me, and then you stabbed me in the back for that fucker, Ryan. Thought he cared about you, didn’t you?’ he sneered. ‘But he used you just like he used our Nic. All he ever wanted was a way in with my dad, and you gave it to him, so well done you.’
‘I – I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Lexi said, trying not to move her head in case he increased the pressure of his grip again. ‘There was never anything between me and Ryan.’
‘Tut, tut, tut,’ Adam said, shaking his head. ‘You always were a terrible liar, weren’t you? You obviously thought no one knew about him popping round to your place for a crafty shag, but I saw him – and I’ve got the pictures to prove it.’
‘Please, Adam, you’ve got it all wrong,’ Lexi argued. ‘He’s only ever been to my place once, and he only came because Nic thought we were having an affair and I was asking him to set her straight and stop her threatening me. That’s all it was, I swear. It was his dad I was seeing, not him. Ask him, he’ll tell you.’
‘I wouldn’t believe a word that cunt said any more than I believe you,’ spat Adam. ‘You’ve both fucked with the wrong family, and you’re gonna pay for it. But, hey . . .’ He grinned again. ‘You’ve gone through all this so you can be together, so at least you’ll have the comfort of knowing you’ll be dying together. And if you behave yourself, I might not make you suffer like your mum did. She made the mistake of trying to fight me, but we both know that’s not a good idea, don’t we?’
‘What?’ Lexi’s head was spinning and she felt as if she was about to faint.
‘Oh yeah, that’s right . . . you still think your stepdaddy did it, don’t you?’ Adam grinned. ‘That’s how fucking smart I am,’ he went on proudly. ‘I didn’t even have to break in, because you left your keys at mine when Nic kicked you out. It was so fucking easy, it gave me a proper hard-on, I can tell you. But don’t worry, I didn’t interfere with your old woman before I sent her on her way. Not like your stepdaddy interfered with you, eh?’
