‘There’s a party of six kids, they said to ask for you. None of them are members but they look as if they got a few readies.’
Ester stood up, smoothed down her dress and saw the car keys on the desk. She whipped them up fast and then picked up her handbag. ‘Well, I’ll be going.’
Rooney asked her to go out of the back entrance. ‘I don’t want any aggro, Ester. I’m sorry.’
She pushed past him and he looked at Brian. ‘If she’s in that fucking Range Rover, get it.’
Brian moved away as Rooney closed his office door and headed into the club’s reception.
Ester walked out through the kitchens, down the fire escape and into the car park. She was searching in her bag for the Range Rover keys when she saw Brian stepping out of the lift, accompanied by another equally thuggish bouncer. They walked nonchalantly towards the Range Rover and leaned against it. ‘This isn’t yours, is it, Ester? Give me the keys, darlin’.’
‘Piss off.’
Brian made a grab for her and she twisted the keys into her fist, jabbing hard at his face. She caught his right eye, a beaut, and he backed away. Ester felt her hair being torn out by the roots by his friend and she screamed, hurling the keys at him. But by that time Brian was back and taking a swing. Ester fell on to the dirty garage floor and tried to crawl away. She was kicked in the head, the ribs and the groin, curled up in a tight ball to protect herself, but they kept on kicking until she half rolled beneath a car.
She stayed there, wedged under it, as they threw her belongings on to the ground before they drove the Range Rover out of the car park. She moaned, feeling her ribs, her face. She then searched for her handbag and dragged her body upright. It was agony.
When she pressed the alarm on the keys she’d taken from Rooney they lit up a brand-new Saab convertible and, as sick as she felt, she couldn’t help but smile. It was beautiful. She was just about to drag her belongings together when she heard the lift opening. Rooney slid back the gate. ‘I’m sorry about that, Ester, but I’ve got to take the car back and if you’ve got any sense you take that tape back to them.’
She picked up her case. ‘Thanks for the advice.’
Rooney peeled off two fifty-pound notes and tossed them towards her. Take a cab.’
She wouldn’t let him see her grovel and pick up the notes, so she stood there until the lift had disappeared, then picked up the money, wincing in pain, and opened the boot of the Saab, tossing in her case.
‘Fuck you, Rooney.’ She got in and drove out fast, smiling.
Gloria had all the guns laid out on the kitchen table, a formidable collection, and she was in her element as she fingered them, showing them off as if they were fashion accessories. Kathleen wouldn’t go near them but hung back, eyes popping. Julia touched the Hechler and Koch machine-gun. ‘My God! You had these stashed in the house?’
Dolly was uneasy with them but at the same time knew she was looking at hard cash. ‘What are they worth, did you say?’
‘Thirty grand at least,’ Gloria said proudly.
Dolly nodded. ‘Well, the sooner they’re out of here the better. You tell that husband of yours I want a cut, fifty per cent. If he doesn’t like it...’
Gloria sniggered. ‘He can’t really do a lot about it. He’s doing eighteen, Dolly.’
‘Yes, I know. Just don’t want him sending any goons round so get a contact and get rid of them — fast.’
Gloria began to roll up the shotguns in their padded cloths. She was almost tender, taking great care in replacing each one in its case. Gloria quite obviously knew what she was doing and Julia couldn’t help but be a little impressed. ‘Can you use these?’
‘Course I can. I belong to one of the top gun clubs in the country. You got to know what you’re sellin’ or buyin’.’ She picked up a .45, showing Julia the cartridges.
Dolly turned on her angrily. ‘Just put them away, Gloria!’
‘Right, right.’ As Dolly walked out, Gloria grinned at Julia. ‘You know, they say Hitler’s mistress never died in the bunker with him. That one, dead ringer for Eva Braun.’
Julia smiled, and put on the kettle to brew some coffee.
Angela was sitting holding Connie’s hand. She was still scared, jumping at every creak in the house, and sprang up when Dolly walked in.
‘I’m going to bed. Julia will stay downstairs just in case he comes back but I think he’s gone.’
Connie stammered, ‘He’ll be back, Dolly. He’ll never leave me alone.’
Dolly didn’t want to hear it all over again. ‘How did he know where you were?’
Connie paused. ‘I might have mentioned it, I don’t remember.’
‘Well, then, you got nobody else to blame, have you? Goodnight, Angela love.’
Angela shut the door and went back to sit with Connie. ‘Why don’t you call the police about him?’
Connie sniffed. ‘Don’t be stupid.’
‘Well, he can’t knock you around and get away with it.’
‘No? Who’re you kidding?’ Connie wiped her nose with a sodden piece of tissue. ‘All my life I’ve been on the end of a fist. First my dad, only he did a lot more than knock me around. My poor mum was so scared of him she used to lock herself in a cupboard. Even when she knew what he was doing, she didn’t stop him. It meant that it wasn’t her getting a beating and... Every man I’ve been with. I dunno why but I always thought Lennie was different, I really thought he loved me.’
Angela slipped her arm around Connie. ‘We’ll all look after you here.’
‘Can’t hide out here for ever though, can I? Because he’ll come back, you know, he thinks I’m his property.’ Angela was getting bored. Connie was going over and over the same ground. ‘If I could get an agent, a decent one, I know I could make my living doing proper modelling, I know I could. I can’t do anything else.’
‘How old are you?’ asked Angela innocently, and was taken aback when Connie turned on her.
‘Mind your own fucking business.’
Ester kept her foot pressed to the floor. She hit a hundred and twenty, passing everything on the road, and then suddenly felt sick and veered over on to the hard shoulder. She only just got out before she vomited and sat with head bent, the driver’s door open, as she waited for the dizziness to pass.
Julia saw the headlights and went to the window, wishing she had one of Gloria’s guns. But then she heard the clip-clip of high heels heading towards the back door.
Angela woke and sat up. Connie was by the window. ‘I just saw a car drive up.’
Angela listened. She heard a door open and close below. The next moment there was a light tap and Gloria appeared with a loaded shotgun. ‘Did you hear someone?’ Angela nodded. ‘Right, you lock the door and stay put. I’ll see to him.’
Gloria crept down the landing and almost blasted Dolly. ‘Cor, you give me a fright!’ she exclaimed.’
‘What you think you’re playing at? Put the gun away,’ snapped Dolly.
‘Somebody come in the house, we all heard it. Shush, listen.’ They could hear a chair scraping and then Julia talking. They inched down the stairs together, Gloria in front with the shotgun.
Julia examined Ester’s ribs. They were cracked, she reckoned, the deep, awful bruises looking like massive purple balls.
‘I just pranged the car — steering wheel hit me,’ Ester said, gasping with pain.
Julia produced a bandage and had just begun to wind it around Ester’s midriff when the door burst open. Ester jumped out of her chair, flinching, as Dolly and Gloria marched in.
‘Oh, it’s you,’ Gloria snarled.
‘Yes. Sorry about this, Dolly. I was driving along and had a bit of an accident. Is it okay if I just stay for a night or two?’