I followed her, feeling more and more nauseous by the moment. My stomach felt like a tight ball and my brain was swooshing around in my skull. I could barely take in the street, but what little I could make out, through the spinning blur of my mind, was distorted, the proportions all out of whack.
‘I…’ I said. ‘Liv…’ and I threw up, right there in the middle of Islington High Street.
When we finally got home, Liv helped me into bed. I lay there, feeling limp and washed out, the posters on the wall throbbing and spinning around me. I closed my eyes, and held my head.
‘Let this be a lesson to you, young lady,’ Liv said, in mock serious tones.
I managed a weak smile. ‘I’m sorry I ruined your gig…I don’t know what I was thinking of.’
‘Nor do I.’ Liv sighed. ‘But it can’t happen again. Okay?’
‘Okay,’ I said.
‘Promise?’
‘Promise.’
‘Good.’ She sounded satisfied. ‘If you need me, just holler.’
I managed a smiled and watched her leave, wondering when the room would stop whirling round and whether, after tonight, I’d be able to keep my promise.
Twenty
I hardly slept a wink all night, wondering what I was going to do. I’d driven past Rick’s on the way home, but his car wasn’t there. He wouldn’t have been stupid enough to go back there, anyway, I was sure. He might have been impulsive, but he had some sense. I woke up groggy and with a hard-on. It was when I noticed this, that I realised I’d been dreaming about Grace Anderton. I’d been lying in bed, and she was leaning over me, sucking my cock. She’d been looking up at me as she did so, her dark blue eyes focused firmly on me, and I’d been staring back at her, unable to break my gaze. That was all I could remember, and it just showed how much I’d let her affect me.
Christ, I’d never even met the girl – not really. Max hadn’t even introduced her to me – he was too pissed off at the time. Why was I obsessing over a girl I’d never even spoken to? I’d see her tonight, anyway, if my people had done their job. Jimmy Crawford, Hart’s agent, had assured them she’d be there, and I was in no doubt she would be. She was lapping up the attention. Grace Anderton, I wasn’t so sure about. She’d gone into hiding, from what I’d been able to gather, and I didn't know if even Kitty Hart would be able to convince her to break cover.
Still, at least Hart would be there. I had to keep telling myself I was doing it to protect her. She was the one who was acting recklessly, after all…shooting her mouth off about herself and her husband on all the news channels, and throwing herself at men wherever she went. She’d done it the night before – left a club in the West End plastered all over some guy or other - and the news was full of it this morning.
The way she was going, she was going to wind up less popular than her lying, cheating husband. Yes, I was doing it for Kitty Hart. The fact that I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the girl, or her big mouth, was neither here nor there. Every time I came close to admitting to myself that it was all about Grace Anderton, it sounded weird, if not stalkerish, even to me.
As soon as I was dressed, I went round to Rick’s house. As expected, Sandy was there. He wasn’t.
‘Oh yeah?’ she said, holding the door half shut against me. She was still in her dressing gown, and there was a bull terrier behind her, trying to get out, so I guessed that was why. I wasn’t sure though, looking at her hostile glare. ‘It’s you, is it?’
I couldn’t help thinking how similar her greeting was to the girl yesterday at the flat – even down to the dressing gown - and how it’d be nice for someone of the opposite sex to be pleased to see me, for a change. Of course, there were plenty of women who were always pleased to see me. At Dominion, the F Bar and the various other hotels and establishments I owned throughout the City, the girls were more than interested. Shame that didn’t do it for me. I’d had a lifetime of girls throwing themselves at me because of who I was. I’d moved on from that a long time ago.
‘He’s not here,’ said Sandy, lighting a cigarette. She’d been beautiful when she was younger. You could still see it, but now she was faded and pinched all over. ‘I thought he was with you, but apparently not.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘But I do need to see him. Urgently.’
‘Probably got himself another fancy woman.’ She took a deep drag on her fag, and leaned her head against the wall. ‘He must think I’m stupid.’
I went back to the car, and just sat there, wondering what to do next. I tried ringing Giles again, but there was still no reply. I’d have to stop by his chambers, but I didn’t relish the thought. I started the car and pulled away. Sandy was still on the doorstep, smoking her fag and watching me. I felt sorry for her. She wasn’t a bad woman, just a terrible judge of character.
I was halfway to Westminster, when the phone rang. Giles, I thought. At last. But it wasn’t Giles at all. It was Rick. I knew it was him straight away, even though the voice was muffled and the number withheld. ‘Boss?’ he said. He spoke quickly, as if he were nervous. And well he might be, I thought grimly. What the fuck did he think he was playing at?
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Where are you?’
‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ He gave a short laugh.
‘I would, yes,’ I snapped. ‘Don’t play games with me, Rick. You don’t know what you’re fucking with.’
‘Don’t I, though?’ he said. ‘I know more than you think I do.’
‘Such as?’
‘Such as the identity of dear, sweet little Fliss.’
‘Don’t bluff me, Rick.’ I could feel the sweat starting to form on my brow. I wiped at it with the back of my hand. ‘I’m not in the mood.’
‘No bluffing, Sir.’ The sarcasm in his voice rattled me. ‘I followed her home that night, too. I know exactly who she is.’
‘Then you’ll know better than to play games,’ I said, his words sending a chill through me.
‘I don’t intend to play games.’ There was a pause, as if he were looking for the right words. ‘I intend to get what I’m owed.’
‘I tried to give you money last night,’ I said. ‘You think this is going to help you?’
‘You don’t understand.’ His voice cracked. ‘I’m in real trouble. Charlotte…she’s been blackmailing me. I owe big time and, if I don’t pay it off, I’ll lose my house…lose Sandy…the kids.’
‘Give me Charlotte’s address,’ I said. ‘I’ll sort it.’
‘I don’t have it.’ He sounded desperate. ‘I’ve been to the address she gave me. There’s no one there. I left a…message, but I haven’t heard from her since.’
‘I saw,’ I said, remembering the dead cat. God, he must’ve been desperate, but the working girl, Jane, had been right. He was a sick fuck. ‘I could’ve helped you, Rick. You should’ve told me. It should never have come to this.’
‘Well, it has.’ His voice was calm now, emotionless. ‘And right now I need real money. Not the kind of pay-off you’d have given me last night.’
‘You signed a confidentiality clause,’ I said. ‘I’ll sue your ass off if you try anything, and then you will lose everything.’
‘You won’t.’ There was an air of confidence to his statement, even as his voice trembled. ‘Not while I’m sitting on this tape.’
‘So, what then?’ I could see where it was going, but I knew I had to hear the words…hear how much.
There was a pause before he spoke again. ‘Five hundred thousand,’ he said, finally.
‘Five hundred thous…’
‘Used notes. I’ll be at Dominion tomorrow night.’
No wonder he’d paused. He was really gambling. Even I’d have trouble finding that in loose change, especially by tomorrow evening. My to-do list was growing ever longer.