Blood Ties, page 9
‘Please, Jenny. Keep quiet!’ begged the older woman, in tears. ‘You heard what he said.’ She nodded at Peter as she spoke. ‘Do as you’re told and everything will be alright.’
When the older woman’s pleading eyes met with Peter’s he quickly shifted his gaze. He preferred to remain detached.
Jenny’s screams subsided into a distraught whimper. When Mike tied the rope tightly around Jenny’s wrists, her eyes were wide with fear as they stared in terror at her attacker. While tears sprang from her tormented eyes, blood pumped from her busted nose and a tremor ran through her body.
Peter was glad when they had finished tying the staff up. He didn’t like the way this was going; Mike was a bit too fuckin’ free with his hands for his liking. Peter and his gang grabbed the bags of cash between them, then fled through the first-floor corridor and down the stairs. Mickey was now waiting for them at the back door. He eased it open and they dashed out to the waiting car where Sam was seated behind the wheel ready to speed off.
As he took his seat in the front of the car Peter heaved a sigh of relief. At last! They’d done it. He was elated to have got away with the cash, but disturbed by Mike’s behaviour. While they congratulated each other, Peter went along with it, thrilled with their haul. But he hadn’t overlooked the vicious way Mike had handled the young girl. The recriminations would follow later.
Chapter 16
When Adele and Caroline walked into the recreation area Shazza and her friends were gathered in one corner. While Denise and Louise glanced in Adele’s direction, Shazza whispered something to them. Adele saw Shazza look at her and she felt a sharp pang of fear before the three of them approached.
‘Oh, no, here’s trouble,’ warned Caroline.
Adele took a deep steadying breath as she watched the three women make their way over. Shazza strode purposefully, nudging other inmates out of her way while keeping her eye on Adele.
As Shazza neared her, Adele could feel her heart racing. Then Shazza’s eyes locked with hers, sending a shiver down Adele’s spine as the intense turquoise of Shazza’s irises shot through her like a laser beam.
Shazza’s thin lips formed into a smirk as she swung at her. Shazza’s fist dug sharply into Adele’s stomach, making her gasp and stoop forwards clutching her abdomen. Adele straightened up, trying to regain her breath as she watched Shazza walk past with an evil grin on her face.
Hardly giving herself chance to recover, Adele sped after her. She shoved into Shazza’s back sending her hurtling forwards. Shazza screeched, then spun around and launched herself at Adele.
The other prisoners stood back while Shazza clawed at Adele’s face and yanked at her hair. Denise and Louise held onto Caroline, stopping her from going to help her friend. Adele felt a sharp pain as Shazza pulled out a tuft of hair. Her eyes smarted. A brief flashback to another era: Jessie Lomas, the school bully. Taunts and humiliation. The feeling of helplessness. The sting of defeat.
Determined not to be beaten this time, Adele fought back. At close range she swung a right hook at Shazza, landing the punch hard on her temple. Then she swiftly followed that with an uppercut. Shazza stumbled backwards. Trying hard to stay upright, she stared at Adele in stunned silence, her mouth agape.
Adele was about to follow through with a kick from long range when three prison guards swarmed them; Sly and two others. Sly threw herself at Adele, her bulky frame forcing Adele back. But Adele was fired up. She could taste victory and wanted to finish the job.
While Sly yelled at her, Adele pushed back, trying to get to Shazza. Her adversary had recovered her footing and was now yelling at Adele.
‘Come on then, you bitch! I’ll fuckin’ have you,’ she yelled.
For a few ferocious seconds the guards battled to contain the two irate women. Adele tried to tug herself free from Sly’s clutches and dart around her. But Sly held her firm. Adele fought until she had loosened her grip. She was pulling away when Sly snatched at her blouse, tearing the material and exposing the mound of her breasts.
Then Sly pulled her roughly back, sinking her nails into the soft flesh of Adele’s upper arm. Another guard rushed to Sly’s aid and they pinned Adele up against the wall. Still Adele fought to break free, powered by anger and hatred.
‘You stay where you are, Robinson, or you’re in big trouble!’ Sly shouted.
Adele glared at her. Their eyes met: Adele’s full of anger, Sly’s full of contempt. Adele continued to struggle. She felt the sting where Sly’s nails had dug into her flesh. For a brief moment, she was tempted to hit back. But then she thought about the futility of it all and her muscles relaxed against the pressure of the guards’ strong hold.
‘Right, Robinson! You’ve done it now, my girl. Just wait till the governor hears about this,’ barked Sly.
Adele stared back at her, incredulous. ‘But she started it!’ she said. ‘I was just defending myself.’
‘Try telling that to the governor,’ said Sly, her tone scornful.
Adele could tell from the sneer on Sly’s face and the contemptuous way she looked at her that this was about more than just doing her job. She had taken against her and had now become yet another one on Adele’s growing list of enemies.
‘Get back to your cell!’ ordered Sly. ‘You can wait there till we come and take you to see the governor.’
The two prison guards released Adele and she walked towards the door. As she turned to go, she noticed Shazza now hovering in the background. Adele tried to ignore the glowering expression on Shazza’s face, which told her this wasn’t over. She turned away and went to join Caroline, who was waiting to walk with her.
‘You alright?’ asked Caroline.
‘Yeah,’ said Adele, trying to cover herself up by adjusting her blouse.
‘Here, put this on,’ said Caroline, passing her her cardigan.
‘Thanks,’ said Adele. She did her best to smile while fighting tears and trying to control her shaking limbs.
‘Come on,’ said Caroline. ‘Let’s get back. I know it’s easier said than done, but try not to worry. We’ll have a chat later in my cell where no one can hear us.’
Adele gave a weak smile then bowed her head, battling silently with a raging fear that threatened to overwhelm her. She knew Caroline’s heart was in the right place but it didn’t matter what Caroline might have to say. They both knew that Adele was in the firing line, from both Shazza and Sly. And there was nothing Caroline could do or say that would make things any easier for her.
*
Peter and his gang arrived at his apartment and placed the bags full of cash onto the dining table. Before they began splitting it up, Peter turned to Mike, his face stern. ‘What the fuck happened there?’ he asked.
‘What do you mean?’ Mike retaliated.
‘The girl. Was there any fuckin’ need for that?’
‘I had to shut the screaming bitch up, didn’t I?’
‘But you didn’t shut her up, did you? You made her fuckin’ worse!’
‘What’s the big deal? She’s nowt to you, is she?’
‘I’ll tell you what the big deal is,’ Peter hissed, his face now flushed with rage. ‘We don’t fuckin’ operate like that! No violence unless necessary. That’s the rule.’
Mike shrugged and Peter glared at Glynn, waiting for his response.
‘Pete’s right,’ Glynn said. ‘It’s not how we do business, Mike. It makes the coppers even keener if we’ve done someone over.’
‘Fair enough,’ Mike shrugged again. ‘If that’s how you want it.’
‘It’s how we do things,’ said Peter. ‘And anyone who doesn’t want to do things my way has no fuckin’ place in this gang.’
‘Alright, keep your hair on,’ spat Mike. ‘For fuck’s sake! I’ve already said I’m alright with it, haven’t I?’
‘Well, just make sure you fuckin’ are!’ added Peter.
Mike stared back at him, then snatched his share of the takings and fled out of the apartment. Then Sam and Mickey each took their share and said goodbye to Peter and Glynn.
‘Can I have a word, Glynn?’ asked Peter before he had a chance to leave.
‘Sure,’ said Glynn, and he hung back until Sam and Mickey had gone.
‘I’m not impressed with your mate,’ said Peter.
‘You’ve no worries, Pete. He’s alright. He’s just used to doing things a different way, that’s all. He’ll soon come round to our way of thinking.’
‘I fuckin’ hope so,’ said Peter, ‘’cos I’ve no room for loose cannons in this firm. I’ve just got rid of one and I don’t fuckin’ want another.’
‘No worries. Like I said, Mike’s alright. And he’s a different kettle of fish from dickhead Dave.’
‘Well, I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it for now. But he’s gonna have to fuckin’ prove himself. Let’s hope he comes up to scratch on the next job.’
‘He will,’ replied Glynn. He then drained the dregs from his celebratory glass of brandy and picked up his share of the cash. ‘Right, Pete. I’m off. I’ve gotta decide what I’m gonna do with this little lot.’
He flashed a charming smile at Peter before going.
Once they had all left, Peter sat swirling brandy around in a crystal tumbler and thinking back to what had happened with Mike. He wasn’t happy with him at all. Rough handling the girl was bad enough but Peter didn’t like his attitude either. It irked him to think that he’d got rid of Dave only to replace him with more trouble.
He tried to console himself. Perhaps Glynn was right. Maybe Mike would toe the line now he knew the score. He hoped so, because he didn’t need more grief from his men. What he did was high risk enough without his men acting out of line. But, apart from Mike being a bit too eager, the job had gone well.
He glanced over again at the stash of money on his dining table. As leader of the gang and chief planner, Peter had taken the biggest share from the job. Yes, it had definitely been a good earner. He was now building up a tidy sum of money, which would come in very useful in the future. Peter already had plans of how he wanted to spend it. Big plans. He was going places, and nothing and nobody was going to stand in his way.
Chapter 17
Governor Jones looked over the rim of her glasses at the three guards standing in front of her.
‘Perhaps you’d like to start by telling me exactly what happened,’ she said to none of them in particular.
‘Well,’ began Prison Officer Fox, ‘we rushed in when we saw a fight taking place. I went straight to prisoner Robinson. I could tell she was getting out of hand. The woman was like a banshee but I held her back before she could inflict any more damage.’
‘And exactly what damage did she inflict?’ asked Governor Jones.
‘The other girl’s face was scarlet where she’d punched her. Vicious, it was. And it wouldn’t have stopped there. She was going mad to get at her—’
‘Who was the other prisoner involved?’ Governor Jones cut in.
‘That new one, erm… what’s her name?’
‘Sharon Bamford,’ replied Prison Officer Roberts.
Governor Jones raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips on hearing Shazza’s name. ‘I see. Yes, we had a lot of trouble with that prisoner last time she was in here, didn’t we?’
‘The pair of them are nothing but trouble, if you ask me,’ said Officer Fox, scowling and folding her arms beneath her voluminous breasts.
‘I didn’t ask you,’ said Governor Jones, her tone measured and firm.
‘Well, I was just saying so you know—’
Governor Jones cut in again. ‘Officer Roberts, would you like to tell me your version of events?’
Her patience with Prison Officer Fox was wearing thin and she wasn’t in the mood for her negative opinions of the prisoners. What she needed was a fair, objective account and it seemed that, yet again, Prison Officer Fox was incapable of giving it.
Governor Jones surveyed her over the rim of her glasses, noticing how she had puffed herself up and her scowl had developed into a grimace. She was obviously affronted that her version of events wasn’t sufficient. The woman was a menace! With her biased point of view, it was no wonder the women called her Sly.
She was just as bad with the other staff. Governor Jones was all too familiar with her sort: the type who would do anyone a bad turn if they thought it would further their own ambitions.
Judy Roberts was a different kettle of fish altogether. Governor Jones had taken to her from the moment she had employed her, six years ago. Fair and honest, with the prisoners’ best interests always at heart, she was just the sort of officer that Governor Jones liked on her staff.
The other officer, Alice, was new to the job and Governor Jones didn’t have much knowledge of her up to now. Nevertheless, she would listen to each officer’s version of events before she decided how to handle the situation.
‘We were across from them when it all started,’ said Prison Officer Roberts. ‘So, the two women were already fighting before we could react. However, listening to what the prisoners had to say, it seems that Bamford deliberately attacked Robinson.’
‘You can’t trust what they have to say,’ Sly cut in. ‘Liars and thieves, the lot of them.’
‘Prison Officer Fox, could you please let officer Roberts finish telling her version of events?’ said the governor, her voice now taking on a sterner tone.
Sly sniffed in response, then puffed up her breasts and shook her shoulders.
‘Robinson retaliated,’ Officer Roberts continued, ‘then Bamford attacked Robinson again, who hit back.’
‘Hit back? She was like a lunatic!’ said Sly.
The governor ignored her and turned to the third officer. ‘Do you agree with Prison Officer Roberts’ version of events?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ said Alice. ‘That sounds about right.’
‘Very well. Thank you, ladies,’ said Governor Jones, dismissing the officers, who then filed out of her office.
It seemed clear to her that prisoner Robinson had a temper, which had obviously landed her in here in the first place. It was a pity that it should spoil her because, from what she had seen of Robinson, she seemed to be an otherwise sensible, intelligent woman.
Governor Jones mulled over matters while scanning the files of the two prisoners involved. She would have to have a good think before deciding what form of punishment was appropriate for each of them.
*
It wasn’t long after lunch before Sly and another prison officer came into Adele’s cell ready to accompany her to see the governor. As Adele walked along the prison corridors, led by Sly, she could feel her heart beating erratically. She was dreading finding out what her punishment would be. The last thing she needed was to have time added onto her sentence. It was bad enough as it was.
When they arrived outside the governor’s office, Shazza was being led away by another two guards. She glared at Adele as she passed and then hissed. Adele quickly broke eye contact, not wishing to be pinned down by the intense gaze of Shazza’s vivid turquoise eyes.
‘Wait here!’ ordered Sly, leaving Adele with the other guard as she stepped up to the office door and knocked on it in an exaggerated, officious manner.
When the governor shouted for her to enter, Sly grabbed hold of Adele’s arm tightly and dragged her towards the door. ‘Right, come on!’ she ordered.
Once inside the governor’s office, Sly and the other guard took their place at either side of Adele in the centre of the room. Sly surveyed her while the governor peered above her glasses. Her eyes switched from the file on her desk to Adele and back again, as they had during the previous meeting.
For several seconds Adele felt exposed under the scrutiny of both the governor and the prison officers. She could feel her knees shaking and her face was flushed.
‘Now then,’ said the governor. ‘I’m afraid I’m very disappointed in you, prisoner Robinson. I was surprised when my officers told me you had been involved in a fight. It’s difficult to believe that you’re the same young lady that wanted to study in order to make good use of your time here.’
‘I’m sorry, but it was self-defence,’ said Adele. ‘I was—’
‘Yes, I’m aware of what happened,’ said the governor. ‘My officers have given me a full account.’
Adele saw Sly puff out her chest and raise herself to her full height, obviously overjoyed that Adele was getting a telling-off. Adele wasn’t sure whether the governor wanted a response, and she stood awkwardly for several seconds, as the governor studiously examined her.
Adele felt exactly like she had as a child when the local gossips would scrutinise her as she went in the corner shop, displaying their blatant disapproval. She was self-conscious. Ashamed. Inadequate. She was bad. Her family was bad. And she deserved all she got.
Before she could get too carried away in her thoughts, the governor looked up from her file again and, without preamble, she said, ‘Two weeks’ loss of canteen.’
Two weeks without any treats. That was bad. But although Adele was disappointed, she was also relieved. At least the governor hadn’t added any time onto her sentence so the punishment was relatively mild.
‘Thank you, ma’am,’ said Adele, not really sure what words were appropriate under the circumstances.
As Adele spoke, she noticed the expression on Sly’s face, which conveyed her disappointment that Adele hadn’t been punished more severely.
Adele waited for the governor to dismiss her, but instead she said, ‘I’ve received some information about your studies.’ She looked up at Adele. ‘I’ve found a suitable course of study, which can be taken on a distance-learning basis.’
Adele’s face broke into a smile despite her punishment and the hostile look on Sly’s face.
‘It’s fortunate for you that I had already put you forward for the course,’ continued the governor. ‘But before I let you go ahead, I want your assurance that there won’t be a repeat of today’s behaviour.’
‘No, there won’t,’ said Adele. ‘I promise… Oh, and thank you so much, I really appreciate it.’
