Brutal, page 14
As she was about to get started, the girl grasped her hand, and sobbed, ‘I want go home, lady. Please help me. Please . . . I beg you!’
‘Don’t speak,’ Irena said, sliding her hand free and gently swabbing the blood off the girl’s lip and chin.
‘Is hurt,’ the girl wailed.
‘Sshhh,’ Irena urged. ‘The salt will make numb.’
Karel walked into the room, and Irena stepped aside and watched as he cupped the girl’s chin in his hand and examined her face. His eyes were narrowed, and Irena guessed he was mentally assessing how long it would take before she’d be fit enough to be put to work. She was incredibly pretty, with long black hair and huge blue eyes, and Irena hadn’t been impressed by Karel’s reaction to her flirtatious smile outside. But she hadn’t been brought here for Karel to toy with, and it seemed his mind was back on business when he took two small white tablets out of a bag and dropped them into her hand.
‘Take these. They’ll help with the pain until I can get something stronger.’
‘Wh-what is it?’ she asked, gazing warily up at him.
‘Don’t question me,’ he said, his voice deceptively smooth as he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.
Frowning when the girl gave him a tiny smile, Irena poured a glass of water and handed it to her, trying to speed the process along.
‘What’s your name?’ Karel asked.
‘Viktorya,’ the girl replied shyly, dipping her head – as if, Irena thought, she didn’t want him to see her at anything but her absolute best.
‘Beautiful name for a beautiful girl,’ Karel smiled, seeming to have forgotten – or simply not caring – that Irena was standing right there. ‘Now, take your tablets so we can make you more comfortable. Yes?’
The girl nodded and carefully slid one of the tablets between her damaged lips. Watching Karel as he watched the girl swallow, Irena forced herself to maintain a neutral expression. She wasn’t sure what the tablets were, but the something stronger would probably be heroin, because that was what he usually gave them. And once she was hooked, he would no longer be interested.
When both tablets had been swallowed, Karel patted the girl’s shoulder. Then, turning to Irena, he said, ‘Take Viktorya to her room so she can get some rest, then make the men a drink and something to eat.’
‘Will you be long?’ Irena asked, but he walked out without replying.
Following him with her eyes, Viktorya looked up at Irena when he and Nick had left the house.
‘He is your husband?’
Irena shook her head and walked over to the bin to dispose of the bloodied cotton wool.
‘He treat you like wife,’ Viktorya said, her voice sounding a little slurred.
‘This is because he love me, and we will be marry,’ Irena said, asserting her authority to let the girl know that there was no point flirting with him again. ‘Now come . . .’ She held out her hand. ‘You need rest.’
‘I do not feel good,’ Viktorya said, swaying when Irena helped her to her feet.
Aware that the drugs Karel had given her were taking hold and she could fall unconscious at any moment, Irena opened the back door and called for one of the men who were outside cleaning the caravan to come inside.
‘What’s up?’ Gaz Ahmed asked, wiping his hands on a dirty rag as he strolled in.
‘I need help to take girl to bed,’ Irena told him, nodding at Viktorya who was slumped in the chair, mouth open, eyes rolling in their sockets.
Gaz looked at the girl, and Irena saw anger flare in his dark eyes.
‘Nick?’ he said, more statement than question.
Irena nodded but didn’t elaborate. All the men on Karel’s payroll were capable of extreme violence, and that was why he kept them close and paid them so well. Nick aside, Irena had never seen any of them mistreat a woman, and Gaz, in particular, had always been polite and courteous. But, still, she would never make the mistake of badmouthing one of his friends to him, because she’d long ago learned that the men’s loyalties lay firmly with each other.
‘I will stay here to make drinks,’ she said when Gaz scooped Viktorya gently up off the chair. ‘Leave her with other girls, and please do not forget to lock door.’
Nodding, Gaz carried Viktorya out as if she weighed little more than a feather. When he’d gone, Irena filled the kettle and placed bread under the grill while she waited for it to boil.
Gaz trotted back down the stairs a few minutes later.
‘The farmer needed the loo, so I took him,’ he told her. ‘Now he reckons he needs his medication. He says you know where it is?’
‘I will take to him once I have serve men,’ Irena said, placing the plate of toast she’d just buttered onto a tray alongside the cups of tea she’d poured from the big pot.
‘You’re all right, I’ll take it,’ Gaz said, picking the tray up. ‘You go see to him.’
He carried the tray outside, and Irena watched through the window as the other men climbed out of the caravan and sat down on the ground to eat and drink. Pouring another cup of tea from the pot, she carried it into the living room and fished Frank’s tablets out of the pot on the mantelpiece before heading up to his room.
The girls would only be allowed water today, and – depending on Karel’s mood when he came back – maybe a slice of toast later in the evening. He believed that depriving them of nourishment speeded up the spirit-breaking process, but Irena doubted they’d be able to stomach much anyway. And once he got them hooked on smack, food would be the last thing on their minds.
Frank was pacing the bedroom floor, but he abruptly stopped when the door opened. Irena walked in, and he saw that the deep shadows that had surrounded her eyes on the night they’d first met had reappeared. She was obviously under pressure, but it was of her own making, so he refused to feel pity for her.
‘What happened to that girl?’ he demanded. ‘I asked your friend, but he wouldn’t tell me anything.’
‘Do not worry about her,’ Irena said, holding out the cup and the foil strip of tablets.
‘How can I not worry?’ Frank snapped, snatching them from her hands. ‘This is my house, in case you’ve forgotten, and it sickens me that this is happening under my roof. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Can’t you hear those poor girls crying in there?’ He jabbed a finger in the direction of the wall. ‘Or don’t you care?’
‘They will settle in time,’ she replied, her gaze dipped.
Frank’s eyebrows knitted together.
‘Is that what you really think, or something you say to make yourself feel better about what you’re doing? Because, I’ve got to tell you, I’m struggling to believe that the Irena I know and lo—’ He choked on the word and swallowed it, before saying, ‘This is pure evil – and you’re evil for going along with it.’
‘I am not evil,’ Irena protested, colour flaring across her cheeks. ‘I am try to protect them.’
‘Bullshit! I heard what Nick did, and you didn’t even try to stop him. Christ, Irena, what the hell happened to make you so cold?’
‘There is only so much I can do. The rest is up to them.’
‘Them being those girls in there, or those thugs you call your friends?’
‘I cannot discuss this with you any more.’
‘Can’t, or won’t?’ Frank asked. Then, holding up his hand before she could answer, he said, ‘You know what, I don’t want to hear it. I thought I knew you, but I was wrong. So, well done, love, you fooled me good and proper. Now get out, because I can’t bear to look at you.’
If he’d said this to one of the men, Frank had no doubt he’d have been given a taste of whatever Nick had done to that girl. But Irena merely nodded and left the room, locking the door behind her.
Alone again, Frank hurled the tea at the door and threw the cup onto the bed before marching over to the window. He’d seen Karel and Nick drive away in the Transit ten minutes earlier, but he knew at least one of the other lackeys was still here.
Right on cue, one of the men strolled around to the front of the house and lit a cigarette before leaning against the gatepost. Moving away from the window when the man glanced up at the house, Frank looked at the tea still dripping down his door and cursed himself for tossing it. His mouth was bone dry, and he needed to take his tablet to steady his racing heart, but he had a feeling that Irena wouldn’t bring him another drink anytime soon after the way he’d spoken to her.
Whisky.
Remembering the bottle he’d brought up to his room the night Irena had arrived, he rushed over to the side of the bed and reached into the space between the bed-base and the bedside cabinet. He’d half expected it to have been removed, but it was still there, and he pulled it out and quickly unscrewed the cap. Neat alcohol wasn’t ideal when he needed to keep his wits about him, but he was too thirsty to care right then. Anyway, he needed something to wash his tablet down.
The one swig he’d intended to take turned into several more, and he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes when he felt the tension lifting from his shoulders.
22
The sky was darkening when Frank woke up, and deep shadows were creeping across the room. Blinking the sleep from his eyes when he heard male voices and laughter drifting up through the floorboards, along with the clatter of crockery and cutlery, he glanced at the clock and guessed that Irena must have called the men in for dinner when he saw that it was 5 p.m.
Getting up, he went over to the window to check if the van was back. It wasn’t, and he couldn’t see anyone standing guard, so he cracked the window open and listened intently for sounds of movement or talking. When all he heard was wind and the evensong of birds, he leaned out a little further and looked down the lane. There was no sign of headlights in the distance, so he pushed the window all the way open. Clambering onto the ledge, he twisted his body round and dropped his legs down until he was hanging by his fingertips. It was a long way down to the gravel, and he squeezed his eyes shut and said a silent prayer before letting go.
He landed feet first, and gritted his teeth to prevent himself from crying out when an excruciating pain shot up his legs. Aware that he was on borrowed time, he hobbled over to the thick hedgerow that separated his garden from the lane. Ignoring the pain as the branches tore at his hands, he pushed his way into the hedge. Halfway through, he glanced back at the house. Nobody had appeared at the door or windows, so he pushed on through the hedge until he fell out onto the lane on the other side.
Driven on by pure adrenaline, Frank forced his aching legs to carry him into the field. There, he paused and looked around, trying to decide which route would be best to take. If he went forward through the field he’d have two miles to walk and a wide stream to cross before he reached Thornley’s dairy farm. To the right, he’d be faced with trying to navigate his way around the disused quarry – and that was a treacherous enough job in daylight, never mind in darkness. To the left, he’d be able to get to Yvonne’s place and use her phone to call for help before finding somewhere to hide.
The latter option would undoubtedly be quickest, but he would have to crawl through the field to get there, because he’d be spotted in an instant if those in the house discovered that he’d gone and came out to look for him. And it was also the first place they would come looking for him when they realized he’d gone.
Just as he’d decided it would be safest to go forward and head for Thornley’s farm, Frank picked up the distinctive rumble of a diesel engine in the near distance, and when he looked round, he saw two faint orbs of lights coming over the rise some three hundred yards past Yvonne’s place. Aware that it was the Transit when he picked up the repetitive bass beat of the awful music he’d heard playing when Karel and Nick had driven away from the house earlier, Frank threw himself down to the ground and slithered into a shallow trench.
Peeking over the edge of the dry soil, he watched as the Transit pulled onto his driveway a few seconds later, and his already pounding heart felt as if it might explode right out of his chest when Nick leapt out of the driver’s seat, yelling: ‘His window’s open! The cunt’s escaped! Fuck!’
There was more shouting, then Frank winced when Karel bellowed at Irena that it was her fault, followed by the sound of a sharp slap and a cry of pain.
‘Shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch!’ Nick joined in. ‘I told him you couldn’t be fuckin’ trusted, and now look what you’ve done!’
‘I’ll deal with her,’ Karel barked. ‘You lot get out there and start looking for him. He’s old and knackered, so he can’t have gone far.’
From his hiding place, Frank watched the men come out onto the lane and head off in different directions. Aware that they would easily spot him if they came this way, he was trying to cover himself with soil and dead branches, when he heard Nick hiss, ‘Someone’s coming! Everyone back to the house.’
Releasing a shuddering breath of relief when he heard footsteps running in the opposite direction, Frank raised his head an inch when he heard the vehicle Nick had seen. It was still a fair way down the lane, but he could see the England flags attached to its roof-rack flapping in the wind, and his stomach flipped when he realized it was Evan’s car. Aware that his son would get hurt – or worse – if the men got their hands on him, Frank scrambled to his feet and, dragging himself out of the trench, limped back to the house.
Karel and Nick were hiding behind the Transit when Frank staggered up the driveway, and he held up his hands when he saw they were both holding guns.
‘Please don’t hurt him,’ he begged. ‘It’s me you’re after, not him, so let me get rid of him and then I promise I’ll do whatever you want.’
‘Nah, mate, you’ve fucked us off, so now you’re both gonna get it,’ Nick spat, aiming the gun at him.
‘If you kill us, you’ll have to leave here and start over somewhere else,’ Frank reminded him. ‘Evan’s wife will report him missing if he doesn’t go home, and the police will come straight here. You said you’ve been planning this for ages, so are you really willing to jeopardize everything because you’re pissed off with me?’
Evan was turning onto the drive by then, and Karel narrowed his eyes thoughtfully in the glare of the car’s headlights.
‘OK, get rid of him,’ he said quietly. ‘But, remember – I will kill him if you say the wrong thing.’
‘Yeah, and then I’ll kill you,’ Nick added nastily as he reluctantly stuffed his gun into his waistband.
Evan was out of the car and walking toward them. Thinking on his feet, Frank turned to face him.
‘What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away?’
‘We need to talk,’ Evan said. Then, frowning when he noticed the blood on the side of his father’s face, the dry leaves stuck to his sweater and the debris in his messed-up hair, he said, ‘What’s happened? You look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.’
‘I fell over,’ Frank lied, folding his arms. ‘It’s nothing.’
Unsure if he believed him, Evan eyed the other men and the van, and asked, ‘Are you having work done on the house?’
‘No, this is Irena’s brother, and their friend.’ Frank nodded at Karel and Nick in turn. ‘Now, if you’re finished with the inquisition, we’ve got things to do.’
Aware that he was being dismissed, Evan stood his ground.
‘You’re my father, and if you can put yourself out for this lot, don’t you think I deserve the same consideration?’
‘What’s this lot supposed to mean?’ Nick stepped forward aggressively. ‘You some kind of fuckin’ racist, or summat?’
Unfazed, Evan peered down into the smaller man’s eyes, and said, ‘No, I’m not. And this has got nowt to do with you, so why don’t you back off and let me talk to my dad in private, eh?’
Aware that the guns could be brought out again as quickly as they’d been stashed away, Frank stepped between them, saying, ‘It’s OK, I’ll deal with this.’
‘There’s nothing to deal with,’ Evan said, tempering his tone as he turned to address his father again. ‘I came to talk, not argue, so can’t we—’
‘No!’ Frank interrupted sharply. ‘I told you you’re not welcome here, and I haven’t changed my mind, so go home. Now,’ he added, emphasizing the word with his eyes, praying that his son would pick up on the hidden message he was sending.
Evan stared back at him for several seconds, but just as Frank was beginning to fear that he wasn’t going to give up, Karel walked over and clapped a hand on Evan’s shoulder.
‘Is sad when father and son disagree, and I can see this is upset you,’ he said, adopting the same thick accent he’d initially used on Frank as he walked Evan back to his car. ‘I will speak to him on your behalf, but I think is best if you respect his wishes and leave now. Yes?’
Evan breathed in deeply and pursed his lips thoughtfully as he looked back at his father. Then, nodding, he called, ‘OK, Dad, I’m going. But I’m not to blame for any of this, and I’m not mugging myself off by apologizing for something I didn’t do, so this is the last time you’ll see or hear from me until you come to your senses.’
Frank’s heart was breaking, but he held Evan’s gaze, and shrugged.
‘Fine by me.’
As soon as Evan had driven away, Nick aimed a savage kick at the back of Frank’s thigh, sending him crashing to the ground.
‘Don’t touch his face!’ Karel barked when Nick drew his leg back to kick Frank in the head. ‘His son looked suspicious, and he might come back.’
Reluctantly dropping his foot, Nick pulled out the gun, and dragged Frank up to his feet.
‘Inside, dickhead. And don’t even think about trying to get away again, ’cos you won’t be so lucky next time.’
As he drove away, Evan glanced in the rear-view mirror, but all he could see was the roof of the Transit above the hedge. Something had felt off back there, but he wasn’t sure what his instincts were trying to tell him. He hadn’t expected his dad to welcome him back with open arms given the tense conversation they’d had on the phone the previous day, but the coldness his dad had displayed toward him was totally out of character. And what was the deal with that gobby little twat who’d tried to front up to him? His dad had said he was a friend of Irena and her brother, but he was Mancunian, so it had to be someone she’d met during her marriage – in which case, why hadn’t she gone to him for help when her husband started abusing her?
