Disobey (22 page)

Franny hated herself for the way she was being. She should be encouraging Lola to help Chloe; after all, Chloe staying with Lola didn’t affect her in the slightest, and in fact it would put her mind at rest knowing the girl was safe. And yet knowing all this didn’t seem to make the slightest difference. ‘No, I can’t see that. All I can see is one of my closest friends going behind my back.’

‘Listen, I don’t want to cause any more problems. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt no one, and I don’t want to put you in an awkward position.’ Chloe-Jane took her bag gently out of Franny’s hand. She then turned to Lola; kissing her on her cheek. ‘Thank you Lola, thanks for having me.’

‘Chloe, wait!’ Lola ran after Chloe as she headed for the door. ‘Please wait, Chloe.’

‘Really, it’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I don’t want you falling out with Franny, not over me.’

‘But …’

‘Lola …’ Chloe smiled, stopping herself from crying.

‘Maybe I can talk her round.’

Chloe shook her head. ‘It won’t work.’

‘Where will you go though?’

‘My friend Jodie; the one who helped me get the job. I can go and stay with her.’

Lola looked relieved. ‘And will she be alright about you staying?’

‘Yeah, she’ll be fine.’

‘Well at least you’ve got that job to go to, ain’t you? You’ll be able to get a flat of your own before you can say Foxtons.’ Lola fell silent then warmly added, ‘I wish it could be different. I just …’

‘I know … Listen, I better go. I’ll see you around.’

‘Hey, don’t be a stranger.’

Chloe didn’t answer or turn round. She walked away, not allowing herself to consider that she might never see Lola or Franny again.

‘I told you. I told you that you can’t trust anyone. What did she say to you? Cheeky cow must have thought it was funny. Did you tell her where to get off? Did she cry? Did
you
cry? I hope you never; I hate it when they think they’ve got the better of you. Are you gutted? Have you had anything to eat?’ Jodie’s questions fired down the phone as Chloe-Jane sat on a bench in Green Park.

‘Jodie, can I stay with you?’

‘With me?’

‘Yeah, I wouldn’t ask you if I wasn’t desperate.’

‘I dunno, it’s difficult.’

‘It wouldn’t be for long, I can crash on the floor.’

Jodie’s voice was apologetic. ‘It ain’t you, Chloe, it’s Mr Lee. He sometimes checks on me at night.’

‘That’s odd ain’t it, why does he do that?’

‘Dunno, just the way it is.’

‘What time does he come round?’

‘About ten.’

‘Then how about I come about eleven?’ Chloe could feel her heart racing. She was desperate. There was a long pause before Jodie finally answered.

‘Okay.’

Chloe-Jane screamed, making the nearest passer-by turn round in fright. ‘Really?’

Jodie’s laughter carved into her words. ‘Yeah, really! You’re so funny Chloe, but listen, we’ve got to be so careful.’

‘I will. I won’t utter a word.’

Jodie suddenly dropped her voice. She spoke in a whisper. ‘Someone’s coming, I have to go, but meet me at the corner of Weymouth and Beaumont Street at eleven-thirty.’

The line went dead and Chloe-Jane knew she had a few hours to kill. She was pleased she didn’t have to go to work for the next couple of days; it would give her wounds time to heal. The tablet Jodie had given her had worked. Although it hadn’t taken all the pain away, it’d taken the edge off it without making her look out of it, and Mr Lee had seemed pleased. If she could get through the next couple of months, then she’d be able to not only find a flat but also find another job.

For the first time in a long while, when she thought about the future it didn’t fill her with dread. With a renewed sense of hope, Chloe-Jane pulled out her phone to do something she’d been putting off; to make peace with Uncle Alfie.

36

Alfie Jennings couldn’t see anything, but he could feel it. But this time he could sense something else apart from the pain. He could feel his phone vibrating. Through the lost hours and his agony, Alfie had forgotten he had his phone tucked away in his sock and it was the first time it’d rung since he’d been wherever he was. He was surprised the battery wasn’t flat but he guessed with no calls and him unable to use it, it would have lasted longer than usual. The thought that only one person had noticed or bothered he’d gone was something he didn’t want to dwell on. Though in a way it didn’t matter how many people had called him because he couldn’t answer it anyway.

His hands were bound to the cold damp wall and his feet were unable to move from the position he was in.

They’d tied him up and left him, and the torture of not knowing what was going to happen made him feel like he might go mad. But he supposed this was all part of their game. The mental torment sometimes was worse than the actual physical pain inflicted.

After all Alfie should know – it was something over the years he had used to extract and intimidate enemies and associates alike. But now the terror of the unknown was pointing his way. The idea if Lin did come back, he’d know it was for one purpose only. And if he didn’t come back, Alfie would slowly starve to death.

The last thought struck a nerve, terrifying and charging him into action. ‘Help!… Help! Help me!’ His words floated up but the sound was trapped within the thick walls. He pulled at the chains which cut deep into his flesh. The pain in his back shot through him, tearing at his muscles as the pressure of his body being immobilised on the cold concrete floor began to weaken his skin, splitting it open to make raw fresh wounds.

‘Uncle Alfie, it’s Chloe-Jane. Call me back, I want to talk to you … Oh, and I’m not looking for anywhere to stay, if that’s what you think. I just want to say I’m sorry.’ Chloe locked off the phone. She’d kind of guessed her uncle wouldn’t answer, but she’d keep trying until he did. There was no way he was getting out of this one. He was going to talk to her, whether he liked it or not.

37

‘Chloe! Chloe!’ Jodie waved to Chloe who was standing on the corner of Beaumont Street near Paddington. Chloe’s face lit up as she saw her friend.

‘Hi! Thank you so much for this. I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t desperate.’

‘Well that’s nice innit, you only asked me because you’re desperate!’ The girls both giggled, holding hands as they walked down the street, looking much younger than they really were.

‘I thought you lived in Chinatown?’

Jodie pulled a face. ‘No, why did you think that?’

Chloe shrugged her shoulders, not quite knowing the reason why she’d assumed that. The times she’d gone to do the live streaming, Jodie had met her then taken her to a car which had been waiting for them, and from there she’d been blindfolded, having no idea where they’d taken her, but she’d always assumed it was in or around the Chinatown area, where her first meeting with Mr Lee had been. But that had been all a guess, because she hadn’t ever seen anything – when they’d arrived at the destination, they’d taken Chloe along dark corridors and then eventually to the room where she’d get ready to do the live streaming.

‘Dunno, just thought you did, that’s all.’ Again the girls fell about laughing, happy in their own world.

Five minutes later, and with Chloe having taken no notice of the route Jodie had taken, they came to a large building on the rundown borders of Paddington and Edgware Road, which was less of a block of flats and more of an office building. The bottom windows had been boarded up, with security posters warning intruders not to enter. A large metal fence ran round the side.

‘This is it.’

Chloe looked surprised. ‘Here?’

‘Yeah.’

Chloe-Jane smiled. ‘Cool.’

‘But you have to be really quiet. There are other girls who live here – if they see you, one of them’s bound to tell Mr Lee.’

Chloe looked curious. ‘Who are the other girls?’

‘Oh, they’re mostly from Hong Kong. I don’t really have much to do with them because they don’t do the live streaming, they’re mostly mules. Smuggle drugs in exchange for a place to stay in London. Most of them are heroin addicts, they’re forever shooting up on the stairs. Gets on me tits.’

‘Do they get paid a lot?’

‘I doubt it, they’d probably do it for nothing as long as they were going to get a bit of smack at the end of it all. Guess it’s not a bad gig coming over to another country, but I wouldn’t do it. Too dangerous, if you get caught, you’re looking at
time
!’ Jodie exaggerated the last word so much it sent Chloe off into fits of laughter again.

It felt good to laugh and being with Jodie made life worth living. And maybe, just maybe what Chloe was having to do was worth it. Not because of the money, but because she’d met Jodie. And she couldn’t put a price on friendship; as she was slowly discovering, friends were sometimes better than family.

‘Come on, but watch your step – it’s really dark, but I can’t risk putting the lights on.’

Chloe didn’t say anything. She took hold of Jodie’s outstretched arm, using it to guide her in the darkness.

Not being able to see, Chloe made sure she kept hold of Jodie’s hand tightly. The dark frightened her for many reasons. As a kid, the moment the lights went out she knew bad things were going to happen and the fear of it had stayed with her ever since.

She could hear drops of water and the muffled sounds of people talking, though she wasn’t sure if it was coming from outside the building or from directly above her.

‘Jodie!’ She called out her friend’s name for reassurance.

‘Shhh! We’re almost there.’

Chloe did as she was told and fell into silence, following behind for another couple of minutes until they got to a large door. Jodie spoke in a whisper.

‘Wait here, I’ll go and make sure that the coast is clear. If I don’t come back in a minute, it’s only because some of the other girls are about and it’s not safe.’

‘Don’t leave me here! Can’t I come with you, say I’m a friend visiting or something?’

Jodie was firm. ‘No, I’ve already told you. We’re not allowed to have anyone here, and if Mr Lee finds out …’ Jodie trailed off.

Chloe-Jane decided not to push it anymore. There was no way she wanted to get Jodie into trouble. ‘Okay, but don’t be long … promise.’

‘Promise.’

‘Pinkie promise?’

Jodie giggled quietly. ‘Yes, pinkie promise.’

The metal door creaked open and then slammed shut, leaving Chloe-Jane alone in the darkness. For a moment she felt frozen to the spot, as she listened to the sounds which seemed louder and eerier now Jodie had gone.

She tried to distract herself by thinking about nice things, but she couldn’t really think of one. Her legs began to shake and standing up wasn’t helping. So, just as she was deciding it was better to sit down than stand up, Chloe-Jane heard something which made her freeze. There it was. She wasn’t certain at first, but she could swear it sounded like someone shouting. She listened again, straining her ears to hear whatever it was properly.

Perhaps it was Mr Lee, shouting at one of the girls, or even Jodie. Perhaps Mr Lee had caught her sneaking about and had demanded to know what was going on. Maybe Jodie needed her help.

Slowly, Chloe-Jane shuffled back towards the metal door where Jodie had gone through, but the shouting seemed further away when she stood there. She moved back to her original spot. And yes, yes there it was, louder and clearer. And it was coming from down one of the corridors.

Bravely, Chloe tried to quell her fears and took a deep breath before slowly, cautiously, moving forward along the corridor, hoping her eyes would eventually get used to the dark.

The idea had crossed her mind to use her phone light but she was frightened somehow it’d be seen. Using the wall to guide her, Chloe paused, listening again for the cry. There it was, but this time not only could she make out that it was someone shouting, she could make out the words.
Help me! Help me!

Chloe-Jane shivered, fear creeping over her entire being. The largest part of her wanted to run, to get out of there and pretend she hadn’t heard anything, yet the part of her that had helped her survive over the years and kept her going when all around was falling apart made her push on further into the darkness.

A minute later, Chloe could feel she was in a larger space; the air felt different and the corridor branched off into others. She listened, wanting to know which way to go, but the cry had stopped. And as the time ticked by, Chloe began to question herself. Had she been imagining it? Had it just been her fear of the dark which had taken over? Hearing things and feeling things, just an elaborate reaction to her fear of the dark? But then, there was only one way of finding out.

With her heart racing, Chloe-Jane whispered her curiosity. ‘Hello? Is there anyone there?’ No reply. She waited a moment before speaking again, but this time she voiced her question slightly louder. ‘Hello?’ And then there it was. Coming from deep within the labyrinth of hallways, a faint voice, replying. ‘
Help! Help me!’

The second the reply came, Chloe-Jane began to panic. It could be anybody, doing anything. Fear raced round her mind and Chloe turned to run, but her terror made her forget which way she’d come; disorientating her in her alarm. Right, it was right. No, left – maybe it was left. She staggered along, tripping and grappling her way along the passageways.

Chloe swivelled round, lost and alone, listening to the cries for help. She covered her ears, trembling and frantic, not wanting to hear the voice.

‘Chloe! Chloe-Jane!’ Jodie appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her, her tone furious as she shook her. ‘What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay where you were. Why did you move? I’ve been looking for you for ages. Do you want to get me in trouble?’

The relief Chloe felt made it nearly impossible for her to speak. ‘No … No … I’m sorry.’

Jodie held up her phone to Chloe’s tearstained face. ‘What were you doing here?’

‘I … I heard something.’

Jodie snapped at Chloe. ‘What do you mean, you heard something?’

‘I heard someone shouting for help.’