Not daring to move in case he sees me, I wait for him to go. Instead he rummages for something out of sight. I only realize what he’s doing when he bends his head, pressing a finger to the side of his nose as he snorts something from the back of his hand. Suddenly more purposeful, he straightens and starts the car engine. A moment later the road is lit up by bright halogen headlights.
And so am I.
I shield my eyes from the glare, hoping even now he might not notice me. For a moment nothing happens. Then the engine and headlights are turned off. As I try to blink away their afterimage I hear the car door open. It chunks shut as Jules comes to stand in front of the car.
‘What the fuck are you doing here?’
Still dazzled, I try to make him out in the darkness. ‘Chloe’s dead.’
It’s the only thing I can think of to say. There’s a pause. For a second or two I actually hope we might be able to put aside any rivalry.
‘And?’
‘Did you know?’
‘Yeah. So if that’s what you came to tell me you can turn around and piss off.’
The anger that had drained away starts to seep back. ‘What did you do to her?’
‘
‘You threw her out.’
‘Big deal. I didn’t ask her to jump off a bridge.’ There’s something defensive behind his aggression. ‘Anyway, what the fuck’s it got to do with you? I can’t remember you being so concerned when you walked out and left her. You want to blame anyone, look in a fucking mirror!’
It’s close enough to what Yasmin said to make me want to hit out. ‘Did you know she’d had an abortion?’
That’s met with silence. My eyes have adjusted enough to see him shrug. ‘So what?’
‘She said it was yours.’
‘Yeah? She should have been more careful. At least she had the sense to get rid of it.’ The callousness sounds forced, but it’s quickly replaced by rage. ‘You want to know why I kicked her out? Because she’d got to be a fucking liability. An
‘And who made her like that?’
This time the silence is threatening. ‘You need to watch what you’re saying.’
‘You got her hooked and then dropped her when she wouldn’t courier for you!’
‘Last chance. Shut the fuck up and go. Now.’
‘Why, so you can ruin someone else’s life? You’re just a fucking pimp!’
For a few seconds the only sound is our breathing. Then Jules turns back to his car. I think he’s going to drive off but instead he goes around to the passenger side. He opens the door and leans inside, emerging with something long and slender.
‘I warned you,’ he says, walking towards me.
He’s got a baseball bat.
The situation seems unreal. I take a step back, and as though that’s the trigger he rushes forward. I try to dodge as he swings, gasping in shock as much as pain as the bat smacks into my raised arm. I stumble away as Jules flails wildly, missing more often than he connects, and there’s a clatter of glass as I trip over a box of empty bottles. Off-balance, I only just get my arm up in time as the bat comes at my head. It glances off my shoulder and catches me on the cheek. There’s a hot flash of light, then I’m falling. I land clumsily, sending bottles skittering over the pavement. Numb with panic, I try to scramble away as Jules raises the bat above me, his face contorted.
‘The fuck’s going on?’
The shout comes from across the road. A big figure blocks out the light from the same doorway Jules came from. As it steps into the street I recognize the broad shoulders of Lenny.
‘It’s the cunt from the Zed,’ Jules pants. The bat is still poised ready to swing, but it’s clear he’s deferring to the other man.
The big head moves, trying to make me out in the darkness. ‘What’s he doing here?’
‘He’s heard about Chloe. He’s trying to blame me for—’
‘For fuck’s sake,’ Lenny mutters, and starts towards us.
