down, he turned to Jake with blazing eyes. ‘Fucking guy’s lost his face, star!’
‘Who?’ Jake frowned. ‘Pasha?’
‘Shit, yeah!’ thundered The Man, slamming his fist into the arm of the couch. ‘Some raas pussy’s smoked my man and took off with my fucking money!’ Jumping to his feet in a furious rage, he kicked the girl out of the way and began to pace the room.
‘Ooowww . . .’ she whined, picking herself up and pushing her hair away from her face as she tried to locate him through the haze. ‘Whassamatter?’
Without looking at her, The Man thumbed towards her. ‘Get rid!’ he demanded, his voice pure ice. ‘I don’t want her listening when Max comes back!’
Although he’d have liked to have heard what Max had to say himself, Jake was more than happy to oblige. Gripping Linda’s arm, he hauled her to her feet none too gently, saying, ‘Get ready, darlin’. You’re going home!’
Sobering fast, she struggled against him. ‘But I don’t wanna go . . . I wanna stay here. Simeon, tell him—’
Jake grabbed her face and squeezed her cheeks together, puckering her lips. ‘I said, get . . . ready ! You are leaving!’
‘Owww!’ she screeched, sticking her nails into his hand and kicking out at his shin.
Smiling maliciously, he opened his mouth wide.
‘JAKE!’ The Man shouted. ‘Don’t! Things are hot enough without that shit! Here—’ Picking his keys up from the table, he threw them across to Jake. ‘Tek her home – and be nice, seen?’
‘Seen!’ Jake grinned. He turned back to the girl. ‘Come, darlin’. We’re tekkin’ a ride!’
‘I want my bag!’ she yelped as he dragged her towards the door. ‘I can’t go home without my keys. I won’t be able to get in.’
Still gripping her arm, Jake dragged Linda the few feet back to where her bag lay open on the floor. Picking it up, he snapped it shut and slammed it into her hands. ‘There! Now let’s go.’
Protesting all the way, she just about managed to grab her shoes and, hopping along the hallway behind him, got her feet into them, half sobbing as Jake pushed her roughly up against the wall. She made a half-hearted attempt to duck past him as he undid the locks, but he was too quick for her.
Slamming her into the wall with his elbow, he grabbed her hair, twisting her head to the side. ‘Listen up,’ he spat into her terrified face. ‘The more you fight, the more I like! You got that?’ He ground his pelvis into hers to emphasize his meaning.
She nodded quickly, her eyes wide and wet.
Jake lowered his face to within an inch of hers and opened his teeth over her mouth. He was gratified to see the horror in her eyes. Sniffing loudly, he said, ‘You pissed yourself, darlin’?’
Linda shook her head, yelping as he tugged her hair again.
‘Good. Now stop fucking about or I won’t be nice to you no more!’
Ged carried Lee up the stairs to Mal’s flat and laid him down on the couch. Suzie kneeled beside him, holding his hand to comfort him as Wendy looked him over.
He seemed to have perked up a bit now that the icy chill had left him, but they were all dreading the worst. It was obvious from the damage to his sleeve that he’d been shot – the leather was scorched and shredded. How badly his arm was hurt was what they were dreading finding out.
Cutting the sleeve away from the cuff to the shoulder – about which Lee complained bitterly – Wendy was soon able to put their minds at rest. The bullet hadn’t penetrated his skin, it had just skimmed it, leaving an inch-wide groove of rawness in its wake.
The real damage he’d sustained was a gaping wound to the back of his head where he’d hit the floor when he fell. This was two
‘Who?’ Jake frowned. ‘Pasha?’
‘Shit, yeah!’ thundered The Man, slamming his fist into the arm of the couch. ‘Some raas pussy’s smoked my man and took off with my fucking money!’ Jumping to his feet in a furious rage, he kicked the girl out of the way and began to pace the room.
‘Ooowww . . .’ she whined, picking herself up and pushing her hair away from her face as she tried to locate him through the haze. ‘Whassamatter?’
Without looking at her, The Man thumbed towards her. ‘Get rid!’ he demanded, his voice pure ice. ‘I don’t want her listening when Max comes back!’
Although he’d have liked to have heard what Max had to say himself, Jake was more than happy to oblige. Gripping Linda’s arm, he hauled her to her feet none too gently, saying, ‘Get ready, darlin’. You’re going home!’
Sobering fast, she struggled against him. ‘But I don’t wanna go . . . I wanna stay here. Simeon, tell him—’
Jake grabbed her face and squeezed her cheeks together, puckering her lips. ‘I said, get . . . ready ! You are leaving!’
‘Owww!’ she screeched, sticking her nails into his hand and kicking out at his shin.
Smiling maliciously, he opened his mouth wide.
‘JAKE!’ The Man shouted. ‘Don’t! Things are hot enough without that shit! Here—’ Picking his keys up from the table, he threw them across to Jake. ‘Tek her home – and be nice, seen?’
‘Seen!’ Jake grinned. He turned back to the girl. ‘Come, darlin’. We’re tekkin’ a ride!’
‘I want my bag!’ she yelped as he dragged her towards the door. ‘I can’t go home without my keys. I won’t be able to get in.’
Still gripping her arm, Jake dragged Linda the few feet back to where her bag lay open on the floor. Picking it up, he snapped it shut and slammed it into her hands. ‘There! Now let’s go.’
Protesting all the way, she just about managed to grab her shoes and, hopping along the hallway behind him, got her feet into them, half sobbing as Jake pushed her roughly up against the wall. She made a half-hearted attempt to duck past him as he undid the locks, but he was too quick for her.
Slamming her into the wall with his elbow, he grabbed her hair, twisting her head to the side. ‘Listen up,’ he spat into her terrified face. ‘The more you fight, the more I like! You got that?’ He ground his pelvis into hers to emphasize his meaning.
She nodded quickly, her eyes wide and wet.
Jake lowered his face to within an inch of hers and opened his teeth over her mouth. He was gratified to see the horror in her eyes. Sniffing loudly, he said, ‘You pissed yourself, darlin’?’
Linda shook her head, yelping as he tugged her hair again.
‘Good. Now stop fucking about or I won’t be nice to you no more!’
Ged carried Lee up the stairs to Mal’s flat and laid him down on the couch. Suzie kneeled beside him, holding his hand to comfort him as Wendy looked him over.
He seemed to have perked up a bit now that the icy chill had left him, but they were all dreading the worst. It was obvious from the damage to his sleeve that he’d been shot – the leather was scorched and shredded. How badly his arm was hurt was what they were dreading finding out.
Cutting the sleeve away from the cuff to the shoulder – about which Lee complained bitterly – Wendy was soon able to put their minds at rest. The bullet hadn’t penetrated his skin, it had just skimmed it, leaving an inch-wide groove of rawness in its wake.
The real damage he’d sustained was a gaping wound to the back of his head where he’d hit the floor when he fell. This was two
Similar Books
