Breaking the Circle Read online

  ‘All right, all right. I’ll tell you what I know, but don’t tell Gerard you got it from me.’

  ‘I won’t if you tell me the truth.’

  ‘She sometimes shacks with Gerard, in them boarded-up ‘ouses, top end of the estate. Dunno which one exactly.’

  ‘You do.’

  ‘Can’t remember, somewhere in the middle, “Beware of the dog” sign on the gate.’

  ‘Yeah, that figures,’ she said.

  * * *

  Moments later, Maya stood in front of a row of old brick semi-detached houses, the only ones left standing when rows of similar homes had been cleared to make space for the flats. The houses looked derelict – windows boarded-up, heaps of rubble and corrugated iron fencing strewn around in front gardens. Heavy graffiti covered the walls and on one of the houses, a letter O with a cross through it featured boldly. She moved towards this house. A gate hung so crazily on its hinges it wouldn’t have stopped any dog getting out or any pedestrian getting in. But behind it, there was wire fencing and a sign attached to it shouted: Beware of the dog!

  She waited, wondering what to do. She had to see Kay, but what if Gerard were inside? She stepped back, looking up at the windows on the upper floor; they were grimy and she couldn’t make out anything or anybody inside. When a dog barked she jumped and shivered, remembering Gunner’s slashing jaws. It would be sensible to turn away, but that wasn’t in her nature. Footsteps sounded, a figure loomed behind the wire fence. Through the gaps she saw a pair of boots; they were red and shiny – definitely not Gerard’s.

  A loud grating noise sounded as the fencing was pulled aside. A girl in a pinstriped jacket and very short skirt opened the gate and closed it behind her. She didn’t seem surprised to find Maya standing there.

  ‘You want stuff?’ she asked.

  ‘Is Kay in?’

  The girl’s eyes swept over Maya. ‘You are her friend?’

  ‘Yes,’ Maya answered. ‘I’m a good friend.’

  The girl eyed her suspiciously. ‘You do not look like a friend.’ She glanced back at the house and shrugged. ‘Kay is gone, there was a big fight. Gerard is angry.’

  ‘Do you know where I can find her?’

  The girl glanced over her shoulder. ‘Maybe the warehouse at the canal.’

  A dog barked again, closer this time. Maya’s heart pounded; that gate wouldn’t withstand a Gunner attack. She felt in her pocket, pulled out a ten pound note and held it out to the girl.

  ‘What canal, where?’

  The girl grabbed the note and gave her directions. Maya sped away, aware of Gunner barking, aware of the clock ticking.

  Jumping down onto the towpath, Maya walked in the direction the girl had described, past carefully-tended houseboats festooned with flowering plants, grass clipped neatly at the water’s edge, the backs of smart, newly-renovated flats – on to a point where the water became brackish and green. Here she stood in front of shabby warehouses built of crumbling and blackened red brick with wide doors and peeling paint. A truck stood outside one of them and there were deep tyre tracks in the mud. Signs hung above the doors – Bullock’s Body Works, East End Electricals – and then she spotted the sign she was looking for – a simple O with a cross through it.

  The wide door was solid and padlocked. A smaller, narrow door, set into the big doors, was closed. Maya knocked, stood back and waited. Nothing, no answer, no sound came from inside. She turned and looked across the water wondering what to do, then she heard a faint scraping sound behind her.

  ‘Kay? Kay?’ Maya said, moving closer.

  She saw the narrow, inset door judder and open a few centimetres. When she put her hand on the door to pull it open, another grabbed hers and she was yanked inside. The door slammed shut behind her.

  It was murky inside, the only glimmer of light coming from a lantern set on a work bench.

  ‘Why are you here? What do you want?’ With relief Maya recognised Kay’s voice. ‘Did Gerard send you?’ she demanded.

  ‘No.’

  Kay stood in front of the lantern so Maya could only see her silhouette.

  ‘Why are you hiding here?’ Maya asked.

  Silence stretched out into the darkness, making a wall between them. Maya heard Kay sniff, then she spoke haltingly, breathing heavily in between words, as if the explanation were costing her too much effort.

  ‘Yesterday I see Gerard with a new girl. I say he cheat on me. He is angry. Then he start shouting, he say I steal his drugs. He say he put the packet in your bag and I help you steal the bag from vet’s. He say I have the drugs.’

  Maya leaned forward, peering into the dim void. ‘Well you do, don’t you?’

  Kay didn’t reply. She moved away and her face was suddenly illuminated in the glow of the lantern. Maya saw that her lip was bloody, one side of her face swollen, her right eye slightly closed.

  ‘Did Gerard do that?’ she demanded.

  Kay gave a harsh, bitter laugh. She ran her fingers over her swollen face, wincing as she touched her split lip. ‘He ask me where I put the drugs but I do not tell him. I say I know nothing.’ She dropped her hand and gave Maya a challenging stare. ‘But then he kick me so I tell him you have the drugs. Now I am free. He thinks you have the package, and I have a plan.’

  ‘What are you doing to do?’

  ‘I sell the drugs, keep the money, get away, escape.’

  Maya’s stomach tightened. ‘Good idea,’ she said. ‘Except you’ve put me in a load of danger.’

  Kay shrugged. ‘Not my problem.’

  ‘I could just go to the cops,’ Maya said, moving closer.

  Kay looked at her with hatred.

  ‘OK, that was a stupid thing to say,’ Maya admitted. ‘Actually, I came here to try and help you.’

  ‘No!’ Kay shot back. ‘You come because you are afraid. You come to ask me for the drugs. If you don’t give the package to Gerard, he will slit your throat.’

  A cold hand of panic clutched at Maya’s heart. For a moment she couldn’t speak.

  Kay was silent too, retreating to the work bench and pulling a shoulder bag close to her. ‘This is my chance,’ she said, holding the bag in front of her. ‘I sell the drugs and find a place to live.’

  Putting the bag on her shoulder, she limped to the door, her head down, avoiding Maya’s gaze. Desperately, Maya followed.

  ‘How can you? Who’re you going to sell the drugs to without Gerard finding out?’

  Kay put her hand on the door and pushed it open. ‘It is possible,’ she said, defiantly.

  ‘Kay, I’m sorry,’ Maya said gently. ‘I understand why you want to get away from Gerard but. . .’

  Kay sniffed, leaned back against the door and pulled up the zip of her leather jacket. ‘How do you understand my life? You are a rich girl.’

  ‘That’s not true. I’m not rich.’

  Kay looked sullen and tense. Her shoulders stiffened, she folded her arms and spat words out like broken teeth. ‘You know nothing. You have a good life. I come to the UK lying in the back of a truck. Five days and nights, seven people in a tiny space – we cannot see, cannot breathe – the smell of the truck nearly choke me. But I hang on because I think I will have a new life – then, I find only bad things.’

  As Kay spoke, Maya thought she’d never seen anyone look so wretched – her battered face looked tortured. Reaching out a hand, she tried to touch Kay’s arm, but Kay shrugged her away and started to cry.

  ‘I am stupid. I cannot escape, I cannot even walk properly. Gerard, he will find me.’ She touched her swollen lip, wiped her hand across her nose and sniffed. ‘If he think I cheat him he will kill me.’ Then her head dropped, she leaned back against the door and crossed her arms, hugging herself. ‘I will never escape, it was a stupid dream,’ she muttered.

  ‘Don’t give up,’ Maya said gently. ‘Trust me, I’ll help you. I have a plan. Give me the drugs and I’ll take them to him.’

  ‘No!’ Kay’s head reared up and for a moment, Maya thought she was going to hit her.

  Maya backed away. ‘Please, just listen. If I take the drugs to Gerard, he’s happy. You go back to him, he’s got what he wants.’

  ‘And me?’ Kay snapped. ‘My life is the same.’

  ‘Yes, but only for a few days – enough time for me to tell the cops about him. They’ll trap him, lock him up and you’re free. And when my mum is back, she’ll help you.’

  Kay looked at Maya with a pitying stare. ‘You are stupid. You think Gerard work alone? Who do you think give him drugs? He is part of a big operation – many countries. You think like an idiot. If the police arrest Gerard, somebody will take his place.’

  The news hit Maya like a slap in the face. She bit her lip and stared gloomily at the peeling paint on the door.

  Kay carried on. ‘It is dangerous to fight Gerard. This is a big business, not just drugs, many things. It is a big circle.’

  How naive she’d been, Maya thought, she should have realised Gerard was just one link in a chain. What an idiot! But then there was a twinge of excitement – this was big, she was on to something. No way could she tackle a group of international criminals alone, but she could play a major role in helping track them down.

  Her mind raced, trying to plot a course of action. First she’d contact Simon, her mum’s deputy. He’d know the right people to set up surveillance on Gerard. Plain clothes detectives might act as customers, wait for Gerard to take delivery, note his contacts then arrest all the gang. It was important Gerard suspected nothing. Kay had to go back to him, pretend things were normal, only for a few days, just until enough evidence was gathered. More immediately, the drugs had to be delivered to him.

  While Maya’s brain was in fast mode, Kay had been leaning against the door, dabbi
ng at her lip with a tissue. She looked exhausted, and, when Maya put her hand on her arm, this time she didn’t move away.

  ‘Gerard might be part of a big ring of dealers. But I can’t let him turn my friends into druggies,’ Maya said softly. ‘I can see what he’s doing, grooming them, giving them stuff so they get hooked. And I see what he’s done to you.’

  Kay looked at her with glistening eyes. ‘Why do you care about me?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Maya smiled. ‘Maybe I’m crazy, but I think it’s because, well . . . because I’ve been lucky. If Pam hadn’t rescued me and adopted me I could be in the same situation as you.’

  Kay gave a dismissive sniff and started to walk away.

  Maya’s hopes fell. ‘Please, help me!’ she flung at Kay’s back.

  Kay’s head went down. Then she wheeled round. ‘Why should I help you? Why should I care if Gerard kill you?’ Her eyes were wild, her face full of scorn but she didn’t continue walking away – instead she stood still in silence, staring.

  Maya didn’t move or speak. She knew her fate hung in the balance. She watched conflicting emotions flash across Kay’s face. Then Kay’s shoulders drooped and she sighed.

  Holding the bag out towards Maya, she said, ‘All right. I will help you. I know I will never escape, anyway. It was a stupid dream. Maybe I will be sorry, but yes, you take this to Gerard. Then you help me.’

  Maya took the bag and put it over her shoulder. ‘I won’t let you down. I promise.’

  It was raining lightly when Maya jumped off the bus. A few pigeons were pecking at the pavements, a group of girls were up ahead, giggling and dawdling their way towards the ice rink, but apart from that, the street was empty. She didn’t see the two men in big anoraks and beanies sheltering in the doorway of the library until she was almost level with them, but they’d clocked her and moved fast to block her path. She side-stepped, they changed direction and formed a big solid wall in front of her.

  ‘You Maya?’

  She looked down, willing herself not to make eye contact. A hand grabbed her shoulder and another gripped her chin forcing her head back. ‘You ignorin’ us?’

  Her instinct was to knock the clamping fingers away, but two of them, as big and solid as rocks? It was better to try to ride this one out. She closed her eyes, but it was difficult to stay calm with the guy’s sour breath on her face, his gurgling laugh next to her ear. The other man grabbed her cardigan, ran his fingers down her arm and over her breast.

  Her resolve snapped. ‘Get off me!’ she yelled, and grabbed the guy’s wrist, trying to pull his groping fingers away. Her arm was seized and twisted up her back. Shrieking curses, she kicked out. Her foot connected with a shin. Her hair was grabbed and twisted, her head pushed down.

  ‘Give her a smack,’ one of the men said.

  His mate laughed. ‘She ain’t worth it.’

  With a strong push, she was sent reeling across the pavement. Clutching fiercely at the shoulder bag containing the drugs, she just managed to avoid falling into the gutter.

  When she righted herself, her two attackers were walking away. Over his shoulder, one of them shouted, ‘Gerard’s expectin’ ya.’

  * * *

  The ice rink was a place Maya usually felt at home. She’d been going there since she was a little girl; the skid of skates, the echoing voices, the cold air and faint smell of sweaty feet were so familiar to her. But today was different. Gerard’s mates would have alerted him that she was on her way – somewhere in the crowd of people he was watching out for her, and in Kay’s bag slung over her shoulder, she had a package worth thousands of pounds.

  The clock showed two-twenty and she spotted him right away, talking with two of his gang, who stood either side of him like bodyguards. He dismissed them as Maya walked up.

  ‘You’re late. I don’t like bein’ kept waitin’.’ Lounging back against the wall, he stuck his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and looked at her through half closed eyelids.

  ‘Sorry. Bus was ages in coming,’ Maya said.

  He made an exaggerated tutting noise. ‘Too bad.’ Then, moving away from the wall, he stepped towards her. ‘You brought me candy, baby?’

  The words span from his lips like poisoned silk, whilst his eyes bored into her, brutal, merciless. She remembered the flick knife he’d threatened her with at the party and had no doubts he would use it – not here, not now, but sometime he’d stalk her and find her alone.

  Edging slightly away from him, she lifted the flap of the bag and showed him the top of the package. ‘It’s all here. I haven’t touched it. I don’t want anything to do with it.’

  He moved in front of her; they were the same height and as he spoke he leaned close, his mouth almost on hers. ‘So Kay wasn’t foolin’ me, you did take it. What were you gonna do with it? Sell it? ‘And it to the cops?’

  ‘No. I was going to throw it away, destroy it,’ she said, trying to hold her voice steady. ‘Drugs mess with your mind and I don’t want you dealing to my friends.’

  His hand shot out, gripping the strap of the bag. ‘You’d be very stupid to destroy my stash.’ He lifted the strap slightly off her shoulder, twisting it until it was tight. ‘You see my mates on your way ‘ere?’

  ‘I saw two idiots, if that’s who you mean.’

  He pulled the bag from her shoulder. ‘Remember, I got spies everywhere.’ Keeping a grip on her wrist, he opened the flap of the bag and looked inside. Then he nodded. ‘Seems to be OK, but . . .’ he pointed a finger at her face, ‘. . .you cross me and you’re dead, understand?’

  Maya nodded.

  ‘You say nothin’. No snitchin’ to Serena or your mates and definitely no blabbin’ to your mum or ‘er mates or . . . you’re dead meat.’

  Maya looked at him, keeping her eyes level. ‘I won’t say anything.’

  ‘If you want to live, you won’t.’

  Stepping back, she glared at him. ‘I’m always true to my word. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over with, finished.’

  She was breathing rapidly, aware of his eyes on her back as she walked away. She hoped he couldn’t see how much she was trembling.

  It was a relief to see Leona and Evie, skates in hand, waving at her.

  ’Been on the ice yet?’ Leona asked.

  ‘No, I only just arrived.’

  ‘Come on, then, get yourself sorted.’

  It took longer than usual to undo her trainers – her fingers wouldn’t cooperate, they were like frozen sausages pulling at the laces, while Gerard’s threats echoed in her head. If she was sensible, she’d walk away – forget Gerard, the drugs and Kay. She was more shaken by Gerard than she liked to admit. That look of absolute menace in his eyes, the cold glint of cruel hatred – he was somebody you definitely shouldn’t mess with. But she knew she’d have to deal with him sooner or later. He was selling to her friends, he was controlling Kay – he was an evil presence in her backyard.

  Only when she got on the ice did she feel more like her normal self. It was a relief to glide across the surface, and when Leona and Evie skated up to her, she felt their old familiarity return as they linked arms. Practised skaters, they prescribed wide circles, keeping close to the barriers, then moving to the middle and swirling to a halt in a flurry of ice chips. They were busy laughing at some nerdy kid who’d got himself into the middle and couldn’t stand up, when Maya spotted Zac.

  ‘Back in a minute,’ she told her friends and skated over to him.

  ‘Hi, fancy seeing you here.’

  ‘No accident. Evie called me, told me you’d be here.’

  ‘How did she know?’ she asked and then she realised – Gerard. He’d been sure she’d turn up, then.

  Zac was grinning. ‘Come on, I’ll race you!’

  They buzzed around the ice, weaving in and out of people. Maya out-paced him and turned triumphantly to wave, but as she did so, a man crashed into her and sent her spinning to the side. Zac caught up with her as she was peeling herself off the barrier.

  ‘You all right?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Maya answered brushing down her cardigan.

  ‘Come on, let’s go and get a drink.’

  He held out his hand and they skated to the exit. Over by the window she saw Gerard talking to two little kids, and then Leona and Evie joined them. She put her hand on Zac’s arm.

  ‘What’s Gerard up to now?’ she muttered.