Chapter Eleven #2
“Because I hate the fucking pigs.” Jamie leaned closer to the phone, his voice lowering.
“And I avoid them at all costs, because there are things that I’ve done, nasty, bloody, so-fucking-evil-you’d-be-sick things, that if they caught up with me, I’d be in the slammer until I’m shitting my pants and my dinner is liquidized. ”
Silence.
Andrew was nodding, fingers spread on the table, clearly harnessing patience and willing a meeting.
“That’ll be sixty grand cash.”
“Small change for me. I’ll be back for more if the…Alices are of top quality.”
“’Course they’re fucking top quality. Big tits, tight cunts, easy to slap down if they get out of line. You’ll have your work cut out with three, but I’m guessing you’ve got a big fuck-off mansion with a basement to keep them in.”
“Really big fuck-off basement. This is just the start of my collection. You and I could do a lot of business going forward.”
Silence.
Fuck, had Jamie gone too far?
“Okay, you come to White Rabbit on Wednesday. I’ll send a What Three Words to this phone number. Any funny business, you’re fucking dead, okay, I guard my merchandise with bullets, muscle, and mean bastard dogs.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less. See you on Wednesday, oh…and if you have an Alice with red hair, upstairs and downstairs, that would be the icing on the cake.”
The other end of the line went dead.
“You think he bought it?” Dalton asked.
“I’d say so.” Finn shrugged. “And sixty grand, cash, no greedy fucker’s going to turn that down.”
“Wednesday it is,” Andrew said. “Good work, Jamie.”
“You want me to get the cash, Prof?”
“Yeah, you better had, not that he’ll get it. All he’s got in his future is a meeting with his hero, Satan.” He glanced around the table. “Who is free for this?”
“Depends what time,” I said. “Shift starts at eleven that night.”
“Could easily be before that.” Andrew gestured at Dalton. “You?”
“Yep, I’m on annual leave this week, so all yours.”
Andrew gave a thumbs-up. “Twins?”
“We’ll be there.” Finn slammed his fist into his palm. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Count on me,” Phil said. “Unless you need me to stay here and keep watch. I’m easy.”
“I’m good if it’s after banking hours. Got to shut up shop before I can work on Galahad business.” Grant nodded.
“Excellent.” Andrew stood. “So we should have a full house. Keep us updated on any communications with our new friend, will you, Jamie.”
“Will do.”
The gang drifted off. I took out my phone and sent a message to Amy.
Hey, little girl, because you’ve been so good and achieved so much, Daddy is taking you to the fair tonight as a treat. Be ready at 7. Xxx
I hit send, my cock stirring just at the thought of seeing her in an hour.
Damn it, the woman fucked with my head and my body.
And the weirdest thing was I’d actually become aware of my heart beating, lots of times during the course of the day, when I hadn’t noticed it for so long.
Ah, I wasn’t so stupid to think it had actually stopped this last year, but it had certainly felt like it, and now…
alive. She made me feel alive. She made me feel like there was a future.
Even if it was just hours and days right now, perhaps the light would grow and one day it would be more.
I walked through the kitchen, said goodbye to Phil who’d sat in his usual place beside the bank of security screens, and then I wandered around the side of the house.
Voices.
Male and female.
I paused. Not sure why, but I did.
It was Jamie and Sorenna, the Romanian girl Galahad had rescued from the farm recently. Poor woman had been locked up and waiting for the highest bidder to claim her as a sex slave.
“Rebecca said it was possible, though, right?” Jamie asked, anxiety lacing his tone.
“Maybe, she said maybe. I’ve got to prove that home is not safe for me. Romania isn’t a country the UK takes asylum seekers from.”
“Damn it.” Jamie’s frustration was obvious in his tone. “But you can’t go back there, not with him…not with that gang there. They’ll…they’ll…it doesn’t bear thinking about. Bastards.”
“I know. I don’t want to go back.” She paused. “There was a good reason I left.”
I peeked around the corner. They were standing close. Sorenna’s long dark hair glistening in the sunshine and her tall slim figure shown off in a flared emerald-green dress that sat just above her knees.
It dawned on me that there was something between Jamie and this elegant woman. Was it more than just concern? More than his natural instinct to protect and care for a female in need? Was there an attraction?
Was it mutual?
“Let me take you for a ride.” Jamie pointed at his Jag. “Get out of here.”
“I…I don’t know.” She gestured up at the house. “I should…”
“What? You don’t trust me?” He held out his hands.
“Men have never given me much reason to trust them.” She folded her arms, almost hugging herself.
“I saved you from that hellhole,” Jamie said, his voice soft, “got you fed and clothed, a doctor to check you over, and safe place to stay. I’ve done nothing to make you not trust me.”
“I know, and I’m grateful.” She studied her white sandals. “But…”
“Sorenna.” Jamie took a step closer and touched her arm, gently, as though she were a deer about to bolt. “I’d never do anything to hurt you, and I won’t do anything to stop you trusting me. And if I need to earn that trust, let me.”
“Where…where will we go?”
He smiled. “There’s a restaurant, down by the river, great food, Michelin star. Could you eat?”
“I…I think so.”
“So come on.”
“I haven’t got any money.”
“Don’t worry about money.”
“But—?”
“I mean it, I’ve got plenty.” He gently steered her to the car and opened the door. “And we’ll be back before dark if you’d prefer.”
“Yes, I would. Thank you.” She sat in the car.
Jamie whizzed around the front and dropped into the driver’s seat.
In whirl of tires and crunch of gravel, they were gone.
“Fuck,” I muttered, stepping out from behind the house and running my hand through my hair. “That could get complicated for him.”