Текст книги "Dangerous Promises"

Автор книги: Roberta Kray

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‘Miss what?’

‘Working for yourself? Being your own boss?’

Cheryl widened her eyes. ‘Are you kidding me? I couldn’t wait to stop. Too many long hours. I was dead on my feet most days. No, I love being married, hon. Barry’s a real sweetheart.’

Sadie looked towards the bar where Barry Moss was deep in conversation with Stone. He was a great bear of a man, almost as tall as Nathan but twice as wide. He didn’t say much, but his wife more than made up for it. ‘So, how long have you two been married?’

‘Ten years now, almost eleven.’

‘You got any kids?’

‘One boy. He’s eight. I’d have liked another, but after Jimmy… Well, it turned out I couldn’t have any more. I’d have loved a girl, but you’ve got to be grateful for what you’ve got. How about you, hon? You got any?’

Sadie shook her head. ‘Not yet.’

‘But you’d like to?’

‘When the time’s right.’ Sadie thought of Joel and smiled. ‘Yeah, that’d be nice.’

‘How long have you and Nathan been together?’

‘Er…’ Sadie hesitated, not quite sure how to respond. Was she supposed to be his girlfriend or just a friend? Nothing had been made clear during the introductions. This is Sadie, he’d said and not a word more. ‘Not long.’

‘Early days, huh? You don’t want to go rushing into anything.’

‘Yes, early days,’ Sadie agreed.

‘I think you two make a nice couple though.’

Sadie’s eyebrows shifted up. Quickly, she tried to change the subject. ‘Do you come here a lot then?’

‘Only now and then. It’s more Barry’s thing than mine – he likes a flutter – and I don’t mind. It’s a bit of a laugh.’ Cheryl glanced towards the bar and lowered her voice. ‘I suppose it can’t be easy for him, after what happened and all.’

‘Barry?’ Sadie asked.

‘No, Nathan, you know with… Well, it’s been a few years now but it’s not the sort of thing you get over in a hurry.’

‘No,’ Sadie said, keeping her tone neutral. She didn’t have a clue what Cheryl was going on about and wasn’t sure if she wanted to. This was a strictly business arrangement and Stone’s personal life was of no concern to her. She wasn’t interested, not in the slightest… Well, maybe just a little bit. Curiosity nagged at the edge of her indifference. ‘He doesn’t really talk about it.’

‘No, well, it’s probably still hard for him. Guys aren’t good when it comes to talking about feelings, are they? They keep it all bottled up inside. My Barry’s just the same. Any problems, he keeps them to himself. Says he doesn’t want to worry me, but that’s the whole point of being together – sharing the bad as well as the good. Don’t you think?’

Sadie was saved from answering by the return of the two men. Stone slid into the seat beside her and said, ‘So, what have you two been talking about? Should my ears be burning?’

‘No,’ Sadie said.

‘I was just saying what a nice couple you two make,’ Cheryl said.

Sadie would have raised her eyes to the heavens if Cheryl hadn’t been right in front of her. Instead she threw Stone a quick cold look that was meant to convey her utter dismay at the notion.

‘So you were talking about me,’ he said smugly. ‘To be honest, Cheryl, I think I’m still on trial. Sadie’s not entirely sure that I’m her type.’

Cheryl let out one of her loud penetrating laughs. ‘Oh, you just need to work a little harder, hon. Take her on holiday. Take her somewhere nice. A girl likes to feel the sun on her face.’

‘Sadie doesn’t like the sun,’ he said. ‘She prefers a cooler climate. Don’t you, babe?’

Sadie smiled thinly back at him. ‘It depends on the company.’

‘There you go,’ Cheryl said, completely oblivious to the undercurrent. ‘A week away, a couple of weeks. How about the mountains? How about Switzerland? What could be nicer?’

Stone rubbed his chin as if he was giving it some genuine thought. ‘Yeah, somewhere with lots of snow and ice. That’d make a change.’

‘I prefer the warm myself,’ Cheryl continued. ‘Mind, you’ve got to go a long way to get any decent sun at this time of year.’

Barry put his elbows on the table and grunted. ‘Don’t go getting any ideas. I’ve too much work to be thinking about a holiday right now.’

The conversation moved on, food was eaten, wine was drunk, bets were placed and the dogs continued to run round in circles. Nathan Stone was genial, charming and attentive to his guests. From time to time, Sadie gave him a sidelong glance. Although he appeared on the surface to be completely absorbed, completely at ease, there was a distance in his eyes, almost as if he was just going through the motions. But then he probably was. The wining and dining was simply something he had to put up with in order to secure a deal with Barry Moss.

It was shortly after ten when the two couples parted company and went their separate ways with handshakes and pecks on the cheek and suggestions they should do it again some time. Sadie climbed into the Daimler, sat back and sighed. The night hadn’t been that bad but she was still relieved it was over. She had been on edge throughout the evening, worried that she might say or do something wrong and that Stone would change his mind about giving her Eddie’s address.

As he started the motor and swept out of the car park, Sadie examined Stone’s lean, enigmatic face. He was hard to read, the type of man who didn’t give much away. ‘So how did it go? Do you reckon he’s up for it?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Only maybe?’

‘It’s a big job,’ he said. ‘Barry’s not the impulsive sort, but he knows a good deal when he sees it. He’ll think it over, check out the site and do the sums. Hopefully, he’ll say yes, but even if he doesn’t it’s not the end of the world. There’s plenty more builders out there.’

Sadie found herself wondering how much Barry Moss knew about Stone’s connections to the underworld. But of course he knew – how could he not? Anyway, it was none of her business. After tonight, she’d never see any of these people again. Her part in it all was finished.

‘And you?’ he asked.

‘Me?’

That grin tugged at the corners of his mouth again. ‘How was it for you?’

She threw him one of her cooler looks. ‘An experience,’ she said.

‘Well, that’s what life’s all about, huh? It would be mighty boring if every day was the same.’ He stopped at a set of red traffic lights and tapped his fingers on the wheel while he waited for them to change. ‘And actually, I think Cheryl quite liked you.’

‘There’s no need to sound so surprised.’

‘Well, you can be a bit…’

‘A bit what?’

He paused for a few seconds as if searching for the right word. ‘Snippy,’ he said eventually.

Sadie released a waspish breath. ‘Yeah, well, you’d be a bit snippy too if you’d been forced into doing something you didn’t want to do.’

‘Jeez, we’re not back on that again, are we? I thought we’d got that sorted.’

‘You thought wrong.’

‘And, as it happens, I haven’t forced you to do anything. I offered you a deal. You accepted.’

‘As if I had a choice.’

‘There’s always a choice. Maybe you should learn when to let things go.’

‘Maybe you shouldn’t put people in a position where they need to let things go.’

‘Ah,’ he said. ‘You think I should be nicer.’

Sadie heard the mockery in his voice and answered in a similar tone. ‘Why not? It’s always good to try new things.’

Stone barked out a laugh. Then he leaned down and rudely switched on the radio, turning it up loud to effectively drown out anything else she might have to say.

Sadie averted her face and gazed out through the side window. For the rest of the journey they didn’t speak again.

By the time Stone pulled up outside Oaklands, the atmosphere between them was positively frosty. The upside to this, Sadie thought, was that at least she didn’t need to worry about him making a move on her. There wouldn’t be any funny business tonight. It was perfectly clear that he couldn’t stand the sight of her and the feeling was mutual. He was cold and arrogant and sarcastic. Any charm he had was entirely superficial and reserved purely for those who could be useful to him.

As if Stone didn’t want to hang around any longer than he had to, he kept the engine running while he reached into his pocket and took out the slip of paper. ‘Here,’ he said, thrusting it into her hand.

Before getting out of the car, Sadie unfolded the piece of paper to check the address. She peered through the gloom and the words that might be about to change her future. All it said, in neat sloping handwriting, was: 93 Carlton House.

Stone began his impatient rhythmic tapping on the steering wheel again. ‘What’s the matter now?’

‘Where is this?’ she asked. ‘Is it in Kellston?’

‘The Mansfield,’ he said. ‘The estate. The three towers, yeah? Just walk up to the top of the high street and you can’t miss them. You don’t want to go at this time of night, though. It’s rough enough in daylight, but you’ve got to have a death wish to go there after dark.’

Sadie felt her heart sink. ‘Okay.’ She put the slip of paper in her bag, reached for the handle of the door and then hesitated. Frowning, she turned towards him again.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘How do I know this is really where Eddie lives? You could have written down any old address.’

‘I could,’ he said wearily, ‘but I didn’t. Just go and check it out, yeah?’

‘I will, but if you’re lying to me —’

‘You’ll do what?’ he said. ‘Hunt me down and kill me?’

Sadie gave a small shake of her head. He was impossible. ‘Goodnight, then. I’d like to say it’s been a pleasure but it hasn’t.’

‘Likewise.’

She got out of the Daimler and slammed the door. Seconds later the car screeched away, accelerated up the road and disappeared round the corner. Sadie stood for a while on the pavement, feeling the relief wash over her. Nathan Stone was gone and with luck she would never have to see him again. She breathed in the damp evening air and thanked God for small mercies.

9

Sadie woke on Sunday morning with a dull pain in her temples and a jumble of emotions running through her head. She felt a mixture of anticipation, hope and dread – today was the day she might finally track down Eddie – but what if she met with disappointment again? He might not be there and, even if he was, there was no saying he’d cooperate. He could be bloody-minded at times, awkward just for the sake of it.

It was still dark outside and she scrabbled around for the switch on the lamp. She screwed up her eyes as the light came on and then reached for her watch, peering at the hands on the face. A quarter to seven. Way too early to think about going over to the Mansfield. Dragging Eddie out of his pit wouldn’t be an ideal start. No, she’d leave it until about eleven, that window of opportunity when he should be out of bed but hadn’t yet gone to the pub.

She put the watch down and turned off the light. But her mind was too busy for her to go back to sleep. Instead she lay on her back and stared into the darkness. Outside, an occasional car went by but for the most part it was quiet. She wondered how it would feel to see Eddie again after all these years. The anger had not entirely gone away, but it had been diluted by time to a thin, simmering resentment. Only a coward, a stupid feckless coward, would have left the way he had without so much as a goddamn note. But that was Eddie all over. The only person he ever thought about was himself.

Sadie sighed into the silence of the room. There was no point in dwelling on the past. What was done was done and no amount of accusations, of bitterness or bad feeling, could change it. And perhaps, after all, Eddie had done her a favour. If he hadn’t walked out on her, she’d never have gone back to Haverlea, and if she’d never gone back she’d never have met Joel Hunter.

Thinking of Joel caused her conscience to start niggling again. She knew she wasn’t going to tell him about last night and the knowledge made her feel guilty. What kind of woman lies to their intended? Except she wouldn’t be lying exactly – he was hardly likely to ask her straight out – only being economical with the truth. This, she knew, didn’t make it right but she couldn’t think of another way round it.

Last night had left a sour taste in Sadie’s mouth and it wasn’t only down to the wine she had drunk. Nathan Stone had used her and she’d allowed him to. She had made a pact with a local villain, a criminal, a man who must be involved in all kinds of nastiness, just so she could get what she wanted. She had allowed her sense of what was right and wrong to become distorted in her selfish quest to be free of Eddie Wise.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ she whispered, trying to still that other voice. ‘You only did what you had to do.’ And it wasn’t as if anything sordid had happened. The two of them hadn’t even touched, not so much as a brush of a hand. It had all been entirely innocent. But no matter how much she protested, the feeling remained that in some way she would be made to pay for the deceit.

Still unable to go back to sleep, Sadie put the light on again, picked up her book from the bedside table and tried to read. But the words swam in front of her, letters that danced into dots and sentences that merged together. No matter how hard she tried to, her mind refused to concentrate. Instead she found herself thinking about greyhounds running round in circles, about Nathan Stone, Barry and Cheryl, a black Daimler that smelled of leather and aftershave and guilt.

At half past seven she got up, went to the bathroom and had a shower. Yet she still felt dirty, as if what she had done had left a residue of grime that could never be washed away. She paused on the landing outside the bathroom and listened. There was no sound coming from behind Velma’s door. She had heard her come in at about two in the morning, heard the key in the lock and the gentle click of the door closing behind her.

At eight o’clock, Sadie went down for breakfast and found herself alone in the dining room. Even the middle-aged man with The Times was absent. She poured out some cornflakes and ate them even though she wasn’t feeling especially hungry. The two Anadins she’d taken hadn’t done much to dent her headache. After five minutes Mrs Cuthbert shuffled in with some toast and a pot of tea and plonked them on the table.

‘It’s quiet this morning,’ Sadie said, just for the sake of saying something.

‘Sunday, ain’t it? No one comes down before nine on a Sunday.’

Sadie wasn’t sure from her tone whether this was meant as a fact or an admonishment. She had, perhaps, disturbed Mrs Cuthbert in her own breakfast. ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘I didn’t realise.’

‘No matter. Will you be wanting anything else?’

‘No thanks.’

Mrs Cuthbert gave a grunt and shuffled off again.

Sadie finished her cereal and forced herself to eat a slice of toast. If she was going to confront Eddie later she’d need all the sustenance she could get. She drank two cups of tea while she thought about what she’d say to him. Stay calm, she told herself. Don’t lose your rag or you won’t get anywhere.

She checked her watch again, but it was still only twenty past eight. What was she going to do for the next couple of hours? They stretched ahead of her like a great yawning chasm. Too restless to stay put, she decided to go for a walk. Anything was better than sitting in Oaklands watching the minutes tick by.

Sadie went up to her room, put on her jacket, grabbed her bag and went downstairs again. Outside the air was cold, the sky low and grey as if snow might be on the cards. She turned up the collar of her coat and tramped towards the high street. There were a few people around, but not many. Even the station was eerily quiet. Her plan was to head for the Mansfield, make sure she knew where Carlton House was and then have a wander around Kellston until eleven.

As Nathan Stone had told her, the place wasn’t hard to find. The three tall towers were visible from just about everywhere in the area. Within fifteen minutes she was standing at the entrance staring down the long wide path that led into the estate. She could see Carlton House almost directly in front of her, a concrete monstrosity covered with graffiti. As she gazed up at the rusting balconies, the boarded-up doors and endless grey windows, she felt a shiver of dismay run through her.

Sadie shifted from one foot to the other. In truth, places like this made her nervous, ever since the Brixton riots, and then the trouble at Broadwater Farm in Tottenham only last month. These estates were all on a knife-edge, steeped in poverty, desperation, anger and despair. The shabby walkways were lawless and the police were the enemy. All it would take was a single spark and…

Still, there wasn’t much sign of life at the moment. She watched a teenage boy scuttle along one of the paths, his shoulders hunched, the hood of his jacket pulled over his head. He ducked into a doorway and disappeared. Across the far side of the estate, a couple of kids were throwing a football about.

Sadie turned and began to walk back along the street again. And then she stopped. What was she doing? The idea of kicking her heels for the next couple of hours was ridiculous. It wasn’t as if the shops were even open. And the longer she waited, the later she would get home tonight. It would be better, surely, to get it over and done with. Eddie might not take kindly to being dragged out of bed, but he would just have to live with it.

She stood there for a while in two minds as to what to do next. If she waited until eleven, she might catch him in a better mood, but what if she missed him completely? He might go out and not get back before midnight. And then she’d be stuck in Kellston for another day.

No, she was going to do it now. With the decision made, she took a deep breath, retraced her steps and walked boldly on to the estate. She tried to look confident as she made her way down the main path, keeping her head up and her shoulders back. Looking nervous or wary was only asking for trouble. It was too early, perhaps, for muggers to be on the prowl but she wasn’t taking any chances.

At the entrance to Carlton House she checked the numbers and found that 93 was on the ninth floor. She pushed open the door and entered the foyer, a chilly space that stank of piss and dope. The tiled walls were covered in spray-painted tags and the floor was littered with empty cans, cigarette butts and old crisp packets.

There were four lifts to her left, all with their doors open, and she viewed them dubiously. Two of them had pools of urine in the corner, but they all smelled bad. She hesitated, unsure as to what was worse: taking the stairs or taking her chances in one of the stinking metal boxes. What if the lift broke down and she was trapped inside? On the other hand, she wouldn’t be in much of a state to do anything by the time she’d climbed up nine flights.

On balance, Sadie decided that the lift was probably a better option. She chose the least noxious one, stepped inside and punched the button. As the doors closed, she felt a brief flurry of panic and was tempted to jump out again. It was only by gritting her teeth, by telling herself she had to do it, that she managed to stay put.

The lift slowly heaved its way up to the ninth floor as if every inch was an effort. Sadie held her breath, trying not to inhale the awful smell. When the doors finally opened again, she leapt out, went quickly to the edge of the landing and gulped in the cold morning air. She stayed there for a while, gazing down on the estate while she gathered her thoughts together.

‘Please God, let him be here,’ she muttered. She didn’t think she could bear the disappointment if the address was fake or if Eddie had taken off somewhere. And what if Nathan Stone had already tipped him the wink, warned him that she was on her way? Her not-so-beloved husband would have exited the building like a bat out of hell.

She frowned at the thought but then swept it aside. Better to stay positive, she decided, as she pushed away from the railing and began to walk towards the flat. She checked the numbers on the doors until she reached the one that said 93 Then without much more than a moment’s hesitation, she leaned forward and pressed the bell.