Reavers like to drink here,’ he said slowly and clearly. ‘It’s almost a home
away from home for Keith O’Loughlin and his boys. That’s all I’m saying.’ He thrust
his jaw in Nadja’s direction. ‘She’s his favourite. Likes his women to look like
women, look like her . The tits, the long black hair. Very particular on that score.
Has a type.’
The man’s laughter was harsh.
‘Take a good look into your future, girly, and you’ll see Keith O’Loughlin and his
mates standing in it if you’re not careful. Everyone knows where you live. All it
would take would be one word from me that you were here on Mon’s behalf, and you’d
be dead. O’Loughlin’s not a forgiving man.’
Roman shoved me away so hard the back of my head smashed into the door. Then he turned,
on the verge of walking away, when he suddenly spun back around, jabbing his finger
into my breast bone. ‘ Today Tonight —is that what this is all about? You miked up?’
Deliberately keeping me out of Jordan’s reach, Roman put his hands around my waist
and I stood very straight in the tight circle of his grip, trying not to shudder.
‘Is it?’ he murmured, his hands moving up and down my sides, drifting down across
my hips and up my spine. He followed the meagre curves of my body in a parody of
a shake down, knowing it would revolt me.
I shook my head, feeling hot and sick under his touch, gazing at a point to the left
of Roman’s head as his hands continued their lazy exploration. ‘Mon owes me money,
and a lot more besides,’ he murmured intimately. ‘You see her, you tell her she’d
better be ready to pay up.’
‘Hey,’ Jordan snarled, gripping me by the arm and pulling me back into his body so
hard that Roman was forced to let go. ‘Hands off, buddy . We were just supposed to
pick up a bag. That’s all. Not cop a free feel.’
Roman leered into both our faces. ‘So pick it up then, buddy , and piss off. Neither
of you got the goods to work here. Get.’
He threw his head back and laughed, striding away in Nadja’s direction as I scraped
the T-shirt, card and envelope off the ground, stuffing them into the plastic bag
with trembling hands.
‘Let’s go,’ I hissed, still feeling the man’s hard fingers on the sides of my breasts.
‘Jordan, please .’
I bit the insides of my cheeks to hold back my tears as Jordan pulled the door open
to let us out. Before it even had time to swing closed on the Maximus Lounge, we
were half running, half stumbling down the reeking, silent upper hallway, laughing
in sheer terror.
11
When we were both safely inside the car, accelerating away, I started dry heaving
in shock, sprawled lengthways against the door. Jordan wisely kept his silence until
we reached the outskirts of the city.
‘Want me to stop the car, Sophie?’ he asked.
But I managed to slide back up into a sitting position and fumbled back into my seat
belt.
‘I’d just like to go home, please,’ I replied, my voice very small. I crossed my
arms tightly over my chest. All Roman had done was touch me through my clothes, but
I still felt dirty. How had Mum stood it all those years she was a ‘dancer’?
I sniffed, blinking back the urge to sneeze and cry at the same time, and Jordan
shot me a white-faced look. The rolled up plastic bag was nestled on his lap like
a small, sleeping animal that could turn feral if provoked.
‘It’s my fault,’ he muttered, pushing a fall of brown hair out of his eyes.
I shrugged, trying to show him I was totes cool with hard fondling from a perfect
stranger. ‘What? That I’m a prude? How could it be?’
Jordan shook his head. ‘Once the lights went up, once we knew what that place was,
I should have had you wait outside. I should have known.’
‘Your expertise extends to reading the dead, not the living,’ I said hollowly, ‘don’t
sweat it, mate.’
Jordan renegotiated our original route in reverse, tossing me the plastic bag at
one of the intersections. I
away from home for Keith O’Loughlin and his boys. That’s all I’m saying.’ He thrust
his jaw in Nadja’s direction. ‘She’s his favourite. Likes his women to look like
women, look like her . The tits, the long black hair. Very particular on that score.
Has a type.’
The man’s laughter was harsh.
‘Take a good look into your future, girly, and you’ll see Keith O’Loughlin and his
mates standing in it if you’re not careful. Everyone knows where you live. All it
would take would be one word from me that you were here on Mon’s behalf, and you’d
be dead. O’Loughlin’s not a forgiving man.’
Roman shoved me away so hard the back of my head smashed into the door. Then he turned,
on the verge of walking away, when he suddenly spun back around, jabbing his finger
into my breast bone. ‘ Today Tonight —is that what this is all about? You miked up?’
Deliberately keeping me out of Jordan’s reach, Roman put his hands around my waist
and I stood very straight in the tight circle of his grip, trying not to shudder.
‘Is it?’ he murmured, his hands moving up and down my sides, drifting down across
my hips and up my spine. He followed the meagre curves of my body in a parody of
a shake down, knowing it would revolt me.
I shook my head, feeling hot and sick under his touch, gazing at a point to the left
of Roman’s head as his hands continued their lazy exploration. ‘Mon owes me money,
and a lot more besides,’ he murmured intimately. ‘You see her, you tell her she’d
better be ready to pay up.’
‘Hey,’ Jordan snarled, gripping me by the arm and pulling me back into his body so
hard that Roman was forced to let go. ‘Hands off, buddy . We were just supposed to
pick up a bag. That’s all. Not cop a free feel.’
Roman leered into both our faces. ‘So pick it up then, buddy , and piss off. Neither
of you got the goods to work here. Get.’
He threw his head back and laughed, striding away in Nadja’s direction as I scraped
the T-shirt, card and envelope off the ground, stuffing them into the plastic bag
with trembling hands.
‘Let’s go,’ I hissed, still feeling the man’s hard fingers on the sides of my breasts.
‘Jordan, please .’
I bit the insides of my cheeks to hold back my tears as Jordan pulled the door open
to let us out. Before it even had time to swing closed on the Maximus Lounge, we
were half running, half stumbling down the reeking, silent upper hallway, laughing
in sheer terror.
11
When we were both safely inside the car, accelerating away, I started dry heaving
in shock, sprawled lengthways against the door. Jordan wisely kept his silence until
we reached the outskirts of the city.
‘Want me to stop the car, Sophie?’ he asked.
But I managed to slide back up into a sitting position and fumbled back into my seat
belt.
‘I’d just like to go home, please,’ I replied, my voice very small. I crossed my
arms tightly over my chest. All Roman had done was touch me through my clothes, but
I still felt dirty. How had Mum stood it all those years she was a ‘dancer’?
I sniffed, blinking back the urge to sneeze and cry at the same time, and Jordan
shot me a white-faced look. The rolled up plastic bag was nestled on his lap like
a small, sleeping animal that could turn feral if provoked.
‘It’s my fault,’ he muttered, pushing a fall of brown hair out of his eyes.
I shrugged, trying to show him I was totes cool with hard fondling from a perfect
stranger. ‘What? That I’m a prude? How could it be?’
Jordan shook his head. ‘Once the lights went up, once we knew what that place was,
I should have had you wait outside. I should have known.’
‘Your expertise extends to reading the dead, not the living,’ I said hollowly, ‘don’t
sweat it, mate.’
Jordan renegotiated our original route in reverse, tossing me the plastic bag at
one of the intersections. I
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